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p. p. george thanks the bar - ilan research authority for a post - doctoral fellowship . | pubmed |
Open source for atomic spectra raw data
Is anyone aware of a open source atomic spectra database? In particular I am looking for high resolution Na atomic emission which can be downloaded in csv or Excel. I am aware of NIST but I could not find a atomic spectrum. Secondly do they allow re-use of their figures? Thanks.
Based on your [previous question](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/130994/open-resource-for-spectroscopic-raw-data) and your comment above in lines of «NIST's policy to use published data may be fine» I question if your literature search included a visit at [NIST's Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data](https://www.nist.gov/pml/handbook-basic-atomic-spectroscopic-data).
In the case of [sodium](https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/sodiumtable1_a.htm), recorded lines for either air or vacuum are listed next to the data about *persistent lines*, and analogue data about the single ionized form. While not yet in a `.csv` format, copy-paste into an editor is eased because you may toggle between the output to be table-like [formatted](https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/sodiumtable2.htm) form, or [ASCII](https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/sodiumtable2_a.htm).
*Addition:*
An alternative could be to digitize emission spectra like the following:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yOTFL.jpg)
([reference](http://physicsopenlab.org/2017/09/07/spectral-lines-broadening/), final spectrum about the *hot high pressure* sodium lamp)
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Fairy Tail, Naruto 1. Chapter 1
**This was an idea that was floating around in my mind for a few months and I finally decided to sit down and finally write it. This is going to be a very small harem about five girls and I already have them down and this is going to be a crossover. I've read tons of fanfiction were Naruto gets teleported to Fiore and joins Fairy Tail, this is going to be one of the few that has people from Fairy Tail arrive in Naruto's world. I truly hope you like this one I really had to buckle down and get something's taken care of so without further ado. Disclaimer: I don't work, own, or sell anything having to do with Naruto or Fairy Tail.**
**Kage and Ninja meet Three Mages**
Three shadows were walking back to their home village Uzushiogakure one male around the age of fourteen and two female's one fourteen and the other fifteen years old. The village was a former wreak until the now Nidaime Uzukage Kushina Uzumaki and some her friends rebuilt the Whirlpool village. Still nobody knew about it yet as it was still a very young village that was rebuilt and they didn't have any allies not even Konoha.
The male of the group had spikey blazing red hair, violet eyes, and tan skin. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt, black pants, black ninja shoes, a black trench coat, and fingerless gloves. He had a kunai holster on his right thigh and strapped to his back in a black sheathe was a double edged black long sword made out of chakra metal. (A/N look up Elucidator from Sword Art Online, it's one of my favorite swords in the entire anime.) This boy was none other than Naruto Uzumaki the son of the Nidaime Uzukage and he was only fourteen.
The other fourteen year old had flat raven black hair that went down to her mid back, onyx colored eyes, and fair colored skin. She was wearing a black t-shirt, dark grey pants, black ninja shoes, arm guards with metal plating, and black leather gloves. Her kunai holster was strapped on her left thigh and strapped on her back was simple chakra metal made Bo-Staff. This girl was Suguha Uchiha born from a drunken rape from her mother Rose Uchiha. She had activated her Sharingan at age ten and had two tomes and she was Naruto's second best friend.
The fifteen year old had brown hair up in typical Chinese buns and steel grey eyes. She was wearing a pink sleeveless Chinese style blouse with red sleeve trimmings, dark green pants, fingerless gloves, and blue ninja shoes. Her kunai holster was strapped on her left thigh also, and strapped to her back is a massive scroll that holds all her weapons for her Bukijutsu for all her weapons. This girl is Tenten a former orphan from Konoha until a day when a whole bunch of bullies chased her out and was found by Naruto and Kushina in the forest and decided to bring her along back to Uzushiogakure. She is Naruto's first best friend as well as Suguha's best friend and also love rival to be Naruto's first wife.
"So Naruto-kun how much longer until we get back I don't know about you but Tenten and I need a bath" Suguha asked?
"I would have to say about another two or three hours at best" Naruto said.
"Thank Kami-sama that last mission was a pain in the ass, and it made us sweat" Tenten said.
"Well I wasn't the one that had to show off all the weapons I had" Suguha said.
"Come on Suguha-chan, leave Tenten-chan alone we need to hurry up or else my mother is going to kill us for being late" Naruto said.
"I still can't believe you're still afraid of the Uzukage Naruto-kun" Tenten said.
"Well Tenten-chan you don't have to live with her and having to deal with the overprotectiveness with her being your mother and being the Uzukage" Naruto said.
With that the three ninja team proceeded to make their way to Uzushiogakure, unknown to the ninja group they would be meeting three more people from another world and having to deal with how to get them back home in the first place.
(Fairy Tail Guild- Fiore)
"Are you kidding me I have to work with the breast less wonder" a white haired female asked?
"Will you calm down onii-chan, it's just one job it won't be the end of you" another white haired female said.
"Come on you Goth freak we don't have all day you know and bring along the munchkin along with you" a redhead said.
"Erza, Mirajane, Lisanna where are you three going" a small man asked?
"Well gramps the three of us are going on a mission we'll be back in a few days" Mirajane said.
"We'll be back master, don't worry I'll keep these two out of trouble" Lisanna said.
"Thank you Lisanna I know I can count on you" the master of the guild said.
"So Erza-san what is our mission anyways" Lisanna asked?
"Well we have to clear out some monsters from a small town so we won't be in much danger at all" Erza said.
If only Erza knew what was going to happen to them on that mission, nobody knew it but the ranking for the mission was an S-rank, though when Erza grabbed it was identified as a B-rank.
(Monster den)
"**Why do we have to wait, we can kill them all right now" a monster said.**
"**Easy, I don't want to get killed then eaten by the boss" another monster said.**
"**Calm down everyone I spy with my little eye three people and judging from their magic levels two of them are S-rank and the other is an A-rank" the boss said.**
"**Well come on we'll kill them and throw their bodies down to that town to serve as an example" a monster said.**
"**Very well I haven't eaten female mage flesh in sometime this will taste very good" the boss said.**
(Erza's group)
"It says that, their nest is around here somewhere" Lisanna said.
"Silence we have company" Erza said.
"Get ready to fight Lisanna, Natsu and Elfman would be crushed if you didn't make it back" Mirajane said.
"I told you before I consider Natsu a friend not anything romantic" Lisanna said.
Then the three females felt the monsters coming and instantly the three paled, they were in major trouble and they couldn't call for back up. So instead Mirajane transformed into her Satan Soul Form, Lisanna transformed into a person with wings for arms, and Erza used her reequip magic to bring out a simple Katana.
"**So you are the ones that we are going to have for dinner tonight, I do hope you put up a fight it makes it more fun that way" the boss said.**
The minions shot towards the three female mages and began to slash at them with their claws. Lisanna kicked two of them away and flew in the air only to be smacked down to the ground by the boss monster. Mirajane appeared behind the boss monster and rammed her left arm through the monsters right arm. Only to have the boss monster grab her arm and swing her into the ground creating a crater next to Lisanna. Erza slashed away at the minions only to spot the boss's hand on her gut and the thing she knew the ground looked closer than usual.
"**I have to thank that idiot mayor, with my threat of destroying his little town so he brings me food disguised as missions" the boss said.**
"What do you mean by that you fucking ugly monster" Lisanna asked?
"**What I mean is you three just stumbled upon a SSS class form of monster and none of you will come out of this alive" the boss said.**
"Screw you and you little lackeys we'll still kick your ass. Now **Reequip**" Erza said.
Erza, Mirajane, and Lisanna stood up and shot forward getting rid of any minion that they came across. And within a matter of minutes all but the boss monster was still standing with a shit eating grin on his face as he began to cackle and summoned his magic and the pressure was bearing down on the three.
"**Well my little flies it's time we end this and move on with our lives, more importantly you being my dinner" the boss said.**
The boss monster bolted forward and slashed his razor sharp claws, and slashed Lisanna on her head causing blood to begin to pour down like a fountain. Then Mirajane kicked the boss monster and landed a kick on the boss monster's right rib cage followed by Erza slashing the boss monster's right arm off.
"**I can't believe that you **_**things**_** are going to make me use my magic" the boss said.**
"What are you talking about only mages are able to use magic not monsters" Erza demanded?
"**That is where you are wrong; I consumed around one hundred and fifty mages so I also consumed their magic. Like this one it's one of my favorite Petal Blast" the boss said.**
Hundreds of cherry petals formed around Lisanna, Mirajane, and Erza and began to slash away at their bodies and then caused an explosion that separated them as Lisanna rammed into a tree breaking her right arm bone as blood began to pour from her right arm and her head as she struggled to get up and sped forward and slammed both feet into the boss monsters back breaking it.
"**How on earth did that happen I'm a SSS class monster and yet a little girl broke my back" the boss monster mumbled. **
The boss monster stood up and snapped his back into place and smirked as he sensed Erza come up from behind. He poured some of his magic into his hand and backhanded Erza into a nearby boulder smashing it to pieces. Mirajane summoned a black lightning that slammed into the boss monsters chest and blasted him into a tree. The boss got up and summoned even more magic and used another Petal Blast and aimed it at Mirajane and fire it.
"**Damn I think I got a bit too cocky, now I think I bust out my real magic. Now this is it Hell Flame" the boss monster said.**
A massive amount of flames burst out of the ground and almost destroyed the entire area until a giant pillar of light consumed Erza, Lisanna, Mirajane, and the boss monster and teleported them to an unknown land and if even Kami was also in on it time seemed to slow to a standstill. When they landed they looked around until three people showed up with weapons drawn.
(Naruto, Suguha, and Tenten)
"Hey Tenten-chan, Suguha-chan am I the only one that saw that light" Naruto asked?
"Yeah, I thought I was the only one" Suguha said.
"Come on then Naruto-kun for all we know this could be the beginning of something bigger" Tenten said.
The three took off with low Jounin speed to the area the blinding light and instantly drew their weapons. They also poured some of their chakra into their weapons and continue to run towards the light. Naruto began to slow when they reached the light and what the three saw was not what they expected a redheaded girl, two white haired girls, and some kind of creature that seemed to just seemed to have an aura of malice.
"Who are you people, if you don't answer correctly well I'm sure you can use your imagination" Naruto asked?
"**I haven't given my name to anyone in twenty years so I'm not telling" the boss monster said.**
In a blur of speed the boss monster was on the ground bleeding like a fountain, while Naruto was standing above him with his violet eyes cold as ice. Lisanna had just woken up for a moment to see their attacker on the ground bleeding while the person who instantly ended the monsters life in a blink of an eye. Then Naruto slowly walked over to the three mages followed by his two partners and slowly knocked the mages out.
"Alright let's test the blood of the redheaded one and see if she is an Uzumaki like me and then we'll take them back to Uzushiogakure and find out what they want" Naruto said.
They pricked Erza's and Naruto's finger and smudged their blood on a scroll and came up negative and so carrying the three female mages bridal style they returned to their home village and sent the three to a hospital and the three man team wet go see their leader and get their pay and then tell her what happened. When they reached the door they all gave a very deep breath as Naruto opened the door.
"Well hello team 5 how was the mission" the Nidaime asked?
"It went very good Uzukage-sama, the group of bandits are no longer a threat" Suguha said.
"That's very good Sugu-chan" the Nidaime said.
"However on our way back we ran into something quite odd to say the least" Tenten said.
"Explain it to me right now, is their going to be another invasion to destroy our home" the Nidaime asked?
"No Uzukage-sama there was a blinding light about ten miles away and we raced to it to see if someone was coming. When we reached the spot we found three women and some kind of creature, I asked him his name but he refused and I engaged him in single combat and I slew him. I then did a blood test between another redhead and myself to see if she was another Uzumaki like us and she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The test came up false so I took her and her partners to the hospital to get them patched up enough to answer our questions and then let you decide on what to do with them" Naruto explained.
"I see well done Naruto-chan I'll have your pay by the end of the day, so you and your team are dismissed" the Nidaime said.
"Must you always call me that mother I'm not a child anymore" Naruto asked?
"You'll always be a child to me so the answer is no, also I might be coming home early tonight when I finish this paper work" the Nidaime said.
"Mother if I may suggest why not use the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **to have them do the paper work for you" Naruto said.
"Naruto-chan if I didn't have to do the Jutsu I would give the biggest hug ever" the Nidaime said.
With that team 5 left Kushina who was now cursing up a storm about how simple doing the paper work could've been. So within five seconds about two clones of Kushina popped into existence and started to do the paper work while the real Kushina was smirking at her clones as she walked out and raced after her son. When she caught up to Naruto she hugged him with her always famous bone crushing hug.
"Mother I have an idea why don't the two of us go check out the three I brought in, while Tenten-chan and Suguha-chan go home and take the bath they wanted" Naruto suggested.
"You know what Naruto-chan I think that's a wonderful idea" Kushina said.
So with that the mother and son duo left the other two females as they began to make their way to the hospital. Though on their way there they started to talk about the girls that Naruto had fallen in love with.
"Come on I know you like a girl in fact I know two of them in general" Kushina said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Naruto defended.
"I see the way you look at Tenten and Suguha and don't counter me I know you have deep feelings for the both of them" Kushina said.
"You are right about that I do have strong feelings fro those two from the first time I met them I knew something about them was special" Naruto said.
"It also helps that you are in the CRA so it makes it easier" Kushina said.
"So true but I need to find the other three, and if Suguha-chan and Tenten-chan find out I want more women they'll flip out" Naruto said.
"Well anyways enough of that, I've been meaning to ask your opinion about any alliances with any other villages" Kushina said.
"Well we only have three clans in the village the Elric which is known it's elemental Kenjutsu, the side branch of the Uchiha clan, and us the Uzumaki clan known for our massive reserves of chakra and our chakra chains. I would say forge an alliance with Wave country sense they're neutral and we could get better food" Naruto said.
"Well we should hurry I think we have three people we have to check up on" Kushina said.
Kushina and Naruto made it to the hospital and found the room of the three girls that Naruto and his friends found. To say they were shocked was an understatement at best; the one with the broken left arm was awake even though Naruto was told they wouldn't awaken for another week or so. While the other two hadn't even opened their eyes even a little, so the only thing the white haired girl could so is introduce herself to the people that had most likely saved her life.
"Hello my name is Lisanna Strauss, it's very nice to meet you" Lisanna said.
"Hello there my name is Kushina Uzumaki, the Nidaime Uzukage of Uzushiogakure it's nice to meet you" Kushina said.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm the son of the Uzukage, and it's a pleasure to meet you Lisanna-chan" Naruto said.
"Do you know where Erza-san and Mira-nee are at" Lisanna asked?
"The redhead is to your right and the white headed girl is to your left" Kushina said.
"Do you mind if I ask you two can tell us how badly we're hurt" Lisanna asked?
"Sure thing Lisanna-chan, you have a broken left arm, a nice gash on your forehead, a slash mark on your right thigh, and a broken pointer finger on your right hand. The redhead has a dislocated right shoulder, a nice gash on her right arm, and a broken left foot. The other white head has a broken right arm, a few deep slash marks on her left thigh, and a dislocated right shoulder. I can guess whatever the hell I killed was the cause I take it" Naruto said.
"Yeah that thing was a SSS class monster and it mopped the floor with the three of us" Lisanna said.
"You said it was a SSS class monster I highly doubt that" Naruto said.
"What do you mean that thing kicked our asses it had to that strong" Lisanna said.
"Well maybe were you came from but I only felt high Chuunin to low Jounin power from the guy" Naruto said.
"So how powerful are you then Naruto-kun" Lisanna asked?
"_She just met him and she already put that suffix on him, Sugu-chan and Tenten-chan are not going to like this" Kushina thought._
"I'm a Tokubetsu Jounin along with my two friends that brought you here with your friends" Naruto said.
"Wow you must be really strong then" Lisanna said.
"Nope I'm a stage below a full Jounin and I still need to get stronger" Naruto said.
"Well it was nice to meet you Lisanna-chan but my son and I have to go home and I'm sure your tired so we'll let you go" Kushina said.
With that Naruto and Kushina left as Lisanna went back to sleep, when the mother and son duo made it back to their two person condo they ate and went to bed.
"So Naruto-chan what're you going to do tomorrow" Kushina asked?
"Well I have Taijutsu practice with Anko-san, Kenjutsu with Yugao and Hayate-san, weapons sparing with Suguha-chan, and then I'll do Kami knows what" Naruto said.
"Well then Naruto-chan I'll see you tomorrow" Kushina said.
"Good night mother, I love you see you in the morning " Naruto said.
Pairings
Naruto/Tenten/Female Uchiha/Lisanna/Erza/Mirajane
2. Chapter 2
**Well people here we go, I'm already and fresh to go and boy oh boy do I have some things fresh. Also we're are going to get Naruto to talk to all of the Fairy Tail girls that are in the Elemental Nations so no need to worry. Also the reason for that monster being a SSS rank monster was because of him eating the people that he did and he consumed their magic so that is the reason. Now then I'm planning to do something's in this chapter like giving some back story and revealing who the friends of Kushina's helped her rebuild Uzushiogakure.**
**Explanations and Hated Hokage**
It was a brand new day in the village of Uzushiogakure as Naruto awoke from his slumber and got dressed. It had been two days after finding Lisanna and her two friends and so far after that short talk they did not wake up yet. Naruto stepped out of the condo he was sharing with his mother and he was wearing a dark purple long sleeved undershirt, a white short sleeved button up shirt, brown cargo long pants, his black long sword sheathed and strapped to his back, and black ninja shoes.
"Naruto-san the three patience are awake now" an Anbu said.
"Thanks Neko-san, could you please inform the Uzukage to meet me in the hospital room" Naruto asked?
With that the Anbu vanished as Naruto was jumping from rooftop to rooftop as it was easier to get to the hospital. When he reached said place he was notified that Kushina wouldn't be able to get to the hospital for about fifteen more minutes. So Naruto smiled and thanked the person as he made his way to the room, when he reached it he heard Lisanna trying to calm down the other two people. So he just sighed and opened up the door to see the redhead and the other white haired girl at each other's throat.
"It's your entire fault you redheaded bitch" the white haired girl said.
"Shut up you gothic failure" the redhead said.
"ENOUGH OF THIS YOU IDIOTS" Naruto roared!
The three girl's heads snapped to their right and saw Naruto with a somewhat calm expression on his face. Although if you looked close enough you could see some emotion like annoyance, anger, and disappointment.
"You two are acting like a couple of five year olds fighting over the cookie in the jar, now I want you two to shut up and pay attention. Now in the next five minutes or so the leader of this village is going to show up and I should warn you if you even say anything about her head looking like a tomato say good bye to a fast recovery and say hello to a body cast" Naruto said.
So when that was said Kushina walked through the door with a neutral expression and that soon turned into a frown. Though when she looked at her son she smiled a bit and then turned to the people from Fiore.
"Hello dear guests my name is Kushina Uzumaki, Nidaime of Uzushiogakure now I want you to tell me who the hell you two are" Kushina demanded!
"My name is Erza Scarlet, and the one next to me is named Mirajane Strauss" Erza said.
"Great another redhead and what's with your head you look like MPH" Mirajane said.
From out of nowhere Naruto's hand covered Mirajane's face as he was sweating. He was inwardly cursing at Mirajane because he warned her not to call her mother's head a tomato.
"Alright now then you three while we know Lisanna from when she woke up, we need your full story and leave NOTHING out" Naruto said.
"Well then sit down and buckle up because this is going to be a bumpy ride" Mirajane said.
So they began to tell their story about a land called Fiore that is a place that people are allowed to use magic for the common good. Those people make guilds and take jobs while trying not to destroy the land around them. Then they mentioned dark guilds people who use their magic to cause nothing but trouble and kill whoever they want just for shits and giggles. Then they went into the story about the job request and how they almost lost until a massive amount of light caused them all to land in this strange new world.
"Well I must say Mirajane-san that does sound a bit odd to say the least" Kushina said.
"I don't think so mother, I remember when Jiraiya-sensei was here about six months ago he was talking about a reverse summoning that could potentially lead us to different worlds or dimensions" Naruto said.
"Alright here is what we are going to do; you three are going to live in a small compound together. While you are in Uzushiogakure you are going to help us seeing as you are living here as you will be trained by Naruto or anyone else that you want. The reason for this is because if word gets out about three unknown people with very odd abilities every single nation will be scrambling to get their greedy claws on you. Now you will be out in about five more days and then I'll have Naruto escort you to your new home" Kushina said.
"Have a good day Erza-san, Mirajane-san, and Lisanna-chan I hope you enjoy the rest of the week" Naruto said.
With that the mother and son duo left for opposite locations, Naruto went to a deep dense forest to train in some of his elemental Jutsu. While Kushina was on her way to the Uzukage tower to make some **Kage no Bunshin **to do her paper work though that was not the only thing that was on Kushina's mind today.
"_Today is the fourteenth anniversary of the day you lied to me and would've forsaken my Minato Namikaze" Kushina thought._
_(Flashback)_
_The day was September 11__th__ in the village of Konoha usually everything was going great for the village. The Yondaime Hokage was sitting at his office with his wife Kushina Uzumaki who was pregnant with their child. Though what seemed to be love in Minato's eyes where nothing but fake, he had fallen out of love with his wife and now only saw her as a position to keep him as Hokage._
"_I can't wait to see you again Megumi-hime, soon we shall be together forever" Minato thought._
_Minato had fallen head over heels for a member of the Hyuga Clan named Megumi Hyuga from the main branch family. Seeing as Minato and Haishi where best friends Minato went to the top and made a deal to the clan head for Megumi's hand in marriage and in return the Hyuga clan would receive more power in the council room._
_Megumi was a strong woman in the Hyuga clan and hated the Cage Bird Seal with a passion and was also head over heels for Minato. Back during the war Minato saved her from being raped from a bunch of Iwa ninja and protected her until her squad arrived. Soon after she began to train herself in the Gentle Fist Taijutsu to impress her new found love. Though she was overjoyed to marry Minato the only problem was that Kushina was her best friend and she knew that Kushina would cut all ties with her and the rest of her clan. Though right then and there love overcame the right thing to do. So the two started an affair and where almost so happy with each other Minato started using clones to stay with his actual fiancé._
"_Hey Minato-kun what did you want to tell me so suddenly" Kushina asked?_
"_W-well Kushina, something had happened lately and you need to hear it" Minato said._
"_MINATO-KUN, GUESS WHAT THE DOCTER SAID THAT OUR BABY BOY IS GOING TO BE BORN SOMETIME IN OCTOBER CAN YOU BELIEVE IT" Megumi screamed!_
"_Minato Namikaze you BASTARD YOU HAD A FUCKING AFFAIR WITH SOMEONE ELSE EVEN THOUGH I'M PREGNANT WITH YOUR CHILD" Kushina screamed!_
_Megumi rushed in the Hokage office with a massive smile planted on her face though that automatically vanished when she saw Kushina in the room and that she heard. Said woman looked at her now former best friend with rage induced eyes and walked out of the room. Kushina stormed off to the Namikaze house and when she got there entered the Jutsu vault and took all of the Jutsu that she brought along with her, them being __**Wind Release, Water Release, and Lightning Release**__ then she went to live with her two students Kurenai and Anko who were also pissed off that their leader cheated on their sensei. _
_(October 10__th __Kushina)_
"_THAT BASTARD WHEN I GET MU FUCKING HANDS ON HIM I'M GOING TO RIP OFF HIS BALLS AND SHOVE THEM DOWN HIS THROAT" Kushina roared!_
"_Kushina calm down it's almost over, now the doctors want one last push then you're done" Minato said._
"_YEAH THEN YOU GET TO GO SEE YOUR LITTLE TRAMP" Kushina screamed!_
_With one last grunt baby Naruto was born but they were not out of the woods yet as a masked ninja grabbed Naruto and forced Minato away from Kushina resulting in her releasing the kyuubi. Then Kushina used a Jutsu that allowed her to heal from child birth faster and she vanished and headed for her son._
_(October 10__th__ Megumi)_
"_I TAKE IT BACK I NEVER WANT YOU TO HAVE SEX WITH ME AGAIN" Megumi screamed!_
"_Now calm down my love when this is all over you will be happier then you have ever been" Clone Minato said._
"_OH SHUT UP, YOU BETTER GIVE ME SOME SERIOUS LOVING WHEN THIS DAY IS ALL OVER" Megumi roared._
_Then in a final push their baby boy was born and they named him Tadashi Namikaze, though their happy moment was over when they saw the kyuubi overhead as Clone Minato vanished to his house with Megumi and their newborn son. When the real Minato got back to Kushina with Naruto said woman slammed her fist into her former husband, took her son, and was walking away with a now giggling child. Though she was stopped when she heard Minato scream at her to turn around._
"_KUSHINA COME BACK I NEED HIM TO HOLD THE KYUUBI, HE'S MY SON ALSO SO I HAVE A SAY IN THIS MATTER" Minato said._
"_SCREW YOU MINATO NAMIKAZE, YOU CAN USE YOUR OTHER CHILD FOR THIS NOT MY SON" Kushina screamed._
_With that Kushina Shushined away to the forest around Uzushiogakure and spotted the people that she wanted to see. Standing there were her four students Yugao Uzuki, Anko Mitarashi, Kurenai Yuhi, and Hayate Gekko. Her other two best friends Mikoto and Izumi Uchiha along with the side branch of the Uchiha Clan. Two of Minato's former students Rin Nohara and her fiancé Obito Uchiha. Finally Jude Maxwell a famous Taijutsu user and childhood friend of Kushina Uzumaki and the only male of her age that Kushina still had some feelings for._
"_Hey you guys thanks for coming out this far, and for starters I'd like you to meet my son Naruto Uzumaki" Kushina said._
_The girls squealed when they saw baby Naruto and began to fawn over him, while Kushina and the males along with Mikoto and Izumi started to go over the renovations of the new version of Uzushiogakure. When they looked to their right Kushina saw Naruto giggling at the attention and then looked at his mother and smiled at and did a happy gurgle and held his arms out to her signaling that he wanted his mother's attention. Just this one gesture gave Kushina hope that the rest of her life would be a good thing._
_(Time Skip 8 years later)_
_Over the long eight years things have changed a great deal for Kushina and her son. First was how attached the two were along with ability to calm her down with a simple smile and a hug this caused any anger Kushina had to just evaporate in an instant and become instantly happier. Second was hearing of the Uchiha Massacre this caused a small shock go through Uzushiogakure as the remaining people of the Uchiha breathed a sigh of relief. Finally was her beginning Naruto's training and to her amazement he was a really fast learner just like her._
_For Naruto he was loved by his mother almost to the point where people thought he would become a spoiled brat. Second was how he bonded with the people that came with them Rin, Anko, and Kurenai became his older sisters. While Hayate and Obito became his older brothers and he loved each and every one of them. Third was when he met Tenten and Suguha the three instantly bonded and grew to care for one another. Finally was when Kushina told Naruto about what happened on the night of his birth and how his father cheated on her for her former best friend, this in turn caused Naruto to instantly hate said man and vowed to end him if he ever saw him again._
_Naruto soon rushed in head first with his training and was soon out doing all the other people like showing off his advance Jutsu when he was only a first year student along with Suguha as the two wanted to have a contest to see who could out do the other. In the end it turned out in a tie as the two had to be stopped by Kushina herself after seeing the destruction the two caused on a daily basis._
_(Time Skip 1 year later)_
"_Team five will consist of Naruto Uzumaki, Tenten, and Suguha Uchiha. Congratulations you three on doing this so fast now for your Jounin sensei it's going to be Obito Uchiha" the teacher said._
_Over the past year the three students gave it their all and wanted to show the world that they can all graduate before anyone else. Plus having Obito as their teacher it was going to be even better as the fun loving Uchiha was going to treat each one as their own separate individual and not like some snot nosed brats._
_Soon the four went on missions avoiding Konoha and began to make some moves in the outside world like getting the Elric Clan an almost extinct clan known for their Elemental Kenjutsu. Though they met one of the members known as Kazuma Elric who was fighting twenty bandits and they helped him say they were in the area._
_(Flashback End)_
"_If I ever see you again Minato-teme I will personally kill you and your family" Kushina thought._
(Deep forest-Naruto)
We find Naruto fighting against ten **Kage Bunshin **of himself in the forest after using his elemental Ninjutsu. The fight was really one sided as it was ten against one and any good Shinobi can get beaten if outnumbered. Naruto summoned up some of his chakra intent on finishing the fight if not for a small blur of black tackling him.
"Naruto-nii, I found you" a small girl said.
"Very good Leia-chan now why are you here anyways, Obito-sensei and Rin-san must be worried about you" Naruto said.
Leia Uchiha five year old daughter of Obito and Rin Uchiha, and Naruto's little sister. She had brown hair just like her mother and she had the eyes of her father, and always carried a massive smile on her face whenever she was with her parents or older brother. After team five made it to Chuunin Obito retired to enjoy his life as he was married to the girl he always liked after said girl got out of her fan girl mode and realized how she never had a shot at her crush so she noticed Obito and found all she needed in the kind and gentle Uchiha and the two started to date.
"Mommy and daddy wouldn't let me have any candy so I ran away" Leia said.
"Come on let's get you home, if I know Rin-san she is most likely going to turn this village upside down to find you" Naruto said.
So Naruto shushined himself to the house of the Uchiha and Nohara and instantly knew Leia was going to get it when he entered the house. So taking a deep breath he opened the door and found Rin and Obito looking at each other for a moment and then looking at Naruto.
"Hey Obito-sensei, Rin-san I think I have a package for you and her name is Leia-chan" Naruto said.
Naruto put Leia down as Rin walked up to her daughter and hugged her for dear life as Obito looked at his daughter and just sighed. Then he looked at his former student and was proud that he was able to train someone like him and smiled at him.
"Well Obito-sensei, Rin-san, Leia-chan I have to get home before the Uzukage throws a fit that I wasn't home on time for dinner" Naruto said.
"Hey Naruto do me a favor will you, tell Kushina-sama that we need to talk to her around nine at night please" Rin asked?
"Sure thing Rin-san, well people I have to get going" Naruto said.
(Uchiha and Nohara house 9:00 p.m.)
"Hey you two I heard from Naruto-chan that you two needed to talk to me about something" Kushina asked?
"Yes we wanted to know how things were going as all" Obito said.
"Well besides the fact that today is a very bad day for me and Naruto things are going good" Kushina said.
"I know, so we wanted to actually ask you something really important right now" Rin said.
"Well spit it out already we aren't getting any younger" Kushina said.
"Well I'm pregnant with another child and I was wondering if you would consider being that child's godmother" Rin asked?
"Congratulations you two, and yes I'll be happy to be your child's godmother" Kushina said.
(Five days later)
"Finally we're free from the hospital" Mirajane said.
"Calm down Mire-nee, we still have to wait for Naruto-kun to show up and escort us to our new home" Lisanna said.
"Yes Mira-san we should be nice to these people they are giving us food and shelter" Erza said.
"I know that one you idiot I just want this to end so we can go back home" Mira snapped.
"You know if you two keep on fighting I'll have you all placed in separate apartments if this keeps up" Naruto said.
They all looked to see Naruto wearing brown cargo long pants, a black muscle shirt, a brown leather jacket, his sword sheathed and on his back, black ninja shoes, and black fingerless gloves. This caused Lisanna to instantly drool at seeing Naruto like this and felt her face heat up. Erza and Mira had a small blush creep up on them and they looked away.
"Come on you three pick up the pace or I'll leave you here" Naruto said.
**There we go another chapter done and boy oh boy did this one take some time. Yes Obito is alive and married to Rin so that means he never met Madara and Kakashi doesn't have the Sharingan eye so as of right now the Akatsuki aren't around. I hope you liked the back story I gave about Kushina and Minato, which took a lot of thinking and tons of rewrites. **
End file.
| fanfiction |
Wet metal disks stuck together - Casimir Effect or surface tension?
I work in a processing plant where round steel cutting blades are used, e.g. 1-2 mm thick and 15-30 cm in diameter. During normal plant operations, these blades are mounted on machinery and rotated at circa 1000 RPM -- thus they are perfectly flat whose outer edges are beveled inward.
I've noticed that often multiple blades tend to stick together, especially when they are wet (being washed and rinsed with water). Sometimes a generous force is needed to "pry" apart two (or more) blades stuck together.
My question is: Is this from the [Casimir effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_effect), or just [surface tension](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_tension)?
Surface tension is part of it, but probably it's straight adhesion. Glue. A film of water on (for instance) glass can be wiped off, but usually that just thins the film, the last few microns of water film sticks hard to the surface.
If two flats have a thick layer of water between them, it's a lubricant (you get streamline flow in the water), but a thin layer has significant shear strength due to viscosity. A thin layer is an adhesive.
Pulling the plates apart requires both making new surface area of the film (and that's the surface tension part), and making a thicker spacing of the plates (which happens if the water film transports water to the 'thick' region, by flow in the thin layer). That flow in the thin layer is very slow because of the water's viscosity.
| stackexchange/physics |
Can we find a free gluon?
I have read these questions:
[Quark intrinsic angular momentum and the Proton Spin Crisis](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/401294/quark-intrinsic-angular-momentum-and-the-proton-spin-crisis?rq=1)
[About free quarks and confinement](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/45514/about-free-quarks-and-confinement)
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluon>
And it made me curious.
I understand that quarks can only be found in confinement, and that gluons create flux tubes, if we want to separate them. When we want to separate quarks, the energy needed will not decrease with distance, but will remain constant and after a while it will be enough to create new quarks.
But I did not find anything about gluons, can we find free gluons? Is that what a gluon ball is? Can we find those free?
Question:
1. Can we find free gluons (at normal energy levels)? Can we find free gluon balls?
Always start with the wiki:
>
> In particle physics, [a glueball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glueball) (also gluonium, gluon-ball) is a hypothetical composite particle.[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glueball) It consists solely of gluon particles, without valence quarks. Such a state is possible because gluons carry color charge and experience the strong interaction between themselves. Glueballs are extremely difficult to identify in particle accelerators, because they mix with ordinary meson states.
>
>
>
Here is a [talk on the subject :](https://indico.cern.ch/event/337097/contributions/1727620/attachments/659806/906924/KO_YR_glueballs_dec2014.pdf), for a proposed [experiment](https://home.cern/about/experiments/totem) to find glueballs.
Gluon jets have been measured, fitting the predictions of QCD models, but they are jets of particles, as gluons themselves are colored, as observed in the comments and cannot be free.
The gluons can be free depending on whether it is a colored gluon or an uncolored gluon. For a colored gluon, it is impossible to separate it from a gluon ball, and you will just end up with more gluons or quarks. However if the gluon is a colorless gluon like a blue-antiblue gluon the gluon can be removed however it will be unstable and will decay to a pion with a quark with color blue and and a antiquark with color antiblue.
| stackexchange/physics |
papanicolaou dysplasia screening has been shown to decrease the mortality rate and incidence of cervical cancer by 70% since its advent in 1941 ( 13 ) . in resource limited settings where
dysplasia screening is currently not performed , cervical cancer still remains the second leading cause of death in women ( 4 ) . even in the us ,
the american cancer society estimated that there would be 12,170 new diagnoses of cervical cancer and 4,220 related deaths in 2012 ( 4 , 5 ) .
strict adherence to routine screening , proper intervention and hpv vaccination are critical to decrease the incidence ( 6 , 7 ) . surgical sterilization is a highly effective and popular contraceptive method . in the us ,
approximately one million adults undergo sterilization every year with an estimated 27% of women relying on tubal ligation as their primary method of contraception ( 8) .
although sterilization is beneficial for family planning , it may negatively affect the likelihood of routine presence of women for gynecological screening since many women are motivated to seek care for obtaining birth control .
it was hypothesized that surgically sterilized women will be less likely to adhere to routine dysplasia screening guidelines and it will result in higher rates and more severe cervical dysplasia .
it is believed that this hypothesis would particularly be applied to populations with limited access to health care and insurance , such as the marginalized , undocumented , immigrant populations seen in large urban settings ( 9 ) .
prior studies have failed to establish a convincing or consistent relationship between surgical sterilization and cervical dysplasia or cancer ( 1014 ) . given the conflicting and varying data available , this study sought to employ a well - characterized and robust data set of women undergoing diagnostic screening for cervical dysplasia ( 1517 ) .
the purpose of this secondary analysis was to evaluate whether women with a history of surgical sterilization were less likely to be adherent with screening for dysplasia , and determine whether this can be translated into an increased prevalence of cervical dysplasia .
a cross - sectional study was performed using an epidemiological database from an established phase ii clinical trial that aimed to evaluate emerging technologies for diagnosing cervical neoplasia ( 1517 ) .
irb consent was obtained from subjects for their participation in the index trial , and prior ( july 31 , 2011 to present ) approval for research in this secondary analysis was granted from the baylor college of medicine irb ( h-29389 ) .
trial participants included women with abnormal cervical cytology presenting for colposcopy at one of three participating hospitals in the us and canada between 1999 and 2005 ( diagnostic group ) as well as community volunteers with no prior history of dysplasia or cervical treatments ( screening group ) .
cytology and histology tests were performed on all patients , as well as low and high - risk hpv types via hybrid capture ii and pcr .
cases with unknown dysplasia status , those who reported never having sexual intercourse and those with missing data regarding date of last pap test or history of birth control use were excluded .
sociodemographic variables in these analyses included age , race , nativity , marital status , household income , education level and employment status ( 1820 ) .
behavioral risk factors included age at first sex , number of sex partners ( during past 12 months and lifetime ) , number of vaginal deliveries , history of oral contraceptive use , current binge drinking and current smoking ( 2124 ) .
number of vaginal deliveries was used instead of parity due to limitations of ascertainment bias and for having better accuracy .
current binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in a single occasion more than one time in the past month . upon entering the study , subjects filled out a questionnaire regarding lifetime history of birth control use .
listed methods included oral contraceptives , intrauterine device , diaphragm , cream , foam / jelly / sponge , condom and surgical sterilization ( 25 , 26 ) .
women who used other methods were asked to specify the method and the number of years used . in this study , women with a history of surgical sterilization were defined as those who reported history of bilateral tubal ligation . although women with no history of surgical sterilization were those who did not report receiving a bilateral tubal ligation , they did not also miss any data regarding birth control use .
cervical cytology screening adherence was self - reported by participants on a questionnaire inquiring about date of last pap test .
time since last cervical cytology screening was calculated as the difference between the date of the last test and the date of study enrollment .
participants were considered to be non - adherent with screening guidelines if the time duration since their cervical cytology - screening test was more than or equal to 15 months .
based on the compilation of different guidelines from the american college of obstetrics and gynecology ( acog ) , american cancer society ( acs ) , and us preventative services task force , it appeared that most practitioners at the time of data collection had performed annual pap testing except low - risk patients with 3 consecutive negative tests ( 5 , 25 , 27 , 28 ) .
current guidelines suggest that low - risk women older than 30 years of age only need pap screening every three years ( 27 , 29 ) , however , many studies have shown that the majority of practitioners in the us continue to perform annual cervical cytology screening anyway ( 3032 ) .
thus , in this study , the definition of adherence was based on the common practice of annual pap testing .
cervical dysplasia status was based on cytology and histology data . in cases where the diagnoses were discordant ,
cervical dysplasia was categorized as normal ( negative intraepithelial lesion , atypia , hpv - associated changes ) , low - grade ( cin-1 , cin-2 ) , and high - grade ( cin-3 , carcinoma in situ , invasive cancer ) ( 33 ) . in logistic regression analyses regarding factors associated with dysplasia ,
cervical dysplasia was dichotomized as normal versus other types ( low- or high - grade )
. statistical analysis was performed using stata 12.0 software package ( statacorp , lp , college station , tx ) .
descriptive statistics and chi - squared test were used to evaluate sociodemo - graphic and behavioral risk factor differences between sterilized and non - sterilized women in both the screening and diagnostic groups .
analyses regarding surgical sterilization status and cervical cytology screening adherence were performed among screening group participants because the date of their last pap test was independent of their enrollment in the trial .
analyses regarding surgical sterilization status and cervical dysplasia were performed among participants in the diagnostic group , in which the prevalence of cervical dysplasia was sufficiently high to evaluate the association .
these analyses were further limited to us patients given the discrepancies between the us and canadian guidelines of clinical management of cervical dysplasia ( 25 , 34 ) . for both analyses ,
univariable logistic regression was first used to assess the crude association between surgical sterilization status and the outcome ( pap test non - adherence or cervical dysplasia ) .
next , multivariable logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the association between surgical sterilization status and the respective outcome after adjusting for potential confounders .
confounders were defined as variables significantly associated with both sterilization status and the respective outcome ( p0.10 ) and that changed the odds ratio by 10% or more .
a cross - sectional study was performed using an epidemiological database from an established phase ii clinical trial that aimed to evaluate emerging technologies for diagnosing cervical neoplasia ( 1517 ) .
irb consent was obtained from subjects for their participation in the index trial , and prior ( july 31 , 2011 to present ) approval for research in this secondary analysis was granted from the baylor college of medicine irb ( h-29389 ) .
trial participants included women with abnormal cervical cytology presenting for colposcopy at one of three participating hospitals in the us and canada between 1999 and 2005 ( diagnostic group ) as well as community volunteers with no prior history of dysplasia or cervical treatments ( screening group ) .
cytology and histology tests were performed on all patients , as well as low and high - risk hpv types via hybrid capture ii and pcr .
cases with unknown dysplasia status , those who reported never having sexual intercourse and those with missing data regarding date of last pap test or history of birth control use were excluded .
sociodemographic variables in these analyses included age , race , nativity , marital status , household income , education level and employment status ( 1820 ) .
behavioral risk factors included age at first sex , number of sex partners ( during past 12 months and lifetime ) , number of vaginal deliveries , history of oral contraceptive use , current binge drinking and current smoking ( 2124 ) .
number of vaginal deliveries was used instead of parity due to limitations of ascertainment bias and for having better accuracy .
current binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in a single occasion more than one time in the past month . upon entering the study , subjects filled out a questionnaire regarding lifetime history of birth control use .
listed methods included oral contraceptives , intrauterine device , diaphragm , cream , foam / jelly / sponge , condom and surgical sterilization ( 25 , 26 ) .
women who used other methods were asked to specify the method and the number of years used . in this study , women with a history of surgical sterilization were defined as those who reported history of bilateral tubal ligation . although women with no history of surgical sterilization were those who did not report receiving a bilateral tubal ligation , they did not also miss any data regarding birth control use .
cervical cytology screening adherence was self - reported by participants on a questionnaire inquiring about date of last pap test .
time since last cervical cytology screening was calculated as the difference between the date of the last test and the date of study enrollment .
participants were considered to be non - adherent with screening guidelines if the time duration since their cervical cytology - screening test was more than or equal to 15 months .
based on the compilation of different guidelines from the american college of obstetrics and gynecology ( acog ) , american cancer society ( acs ) , and us preventative services task force , it appeared that most practitioners at the time of data collection had performed annual pap testing except low - risk patients with 3 consecutive negative tests ( 5 , 25 , 27 , 28 ) .
current guidelines suggest that low - risk women older than 30 years of age only need pap screening every three years ( 27 , 29 ) , however , many studies have shown that the majority of practitioners in the us continue to perform annual cervical cytology screening anyway ( 3032 ) .
thus , in this study , the definition of adherence was based on the common practice of annual pap testing .
cervical dysplasia status was based on cytology and histology data . in cases where the diagnoses were discordant ,
cervical dysplasia was categorized as normal ( negative intraepithelial lesion , atypia , hpv - associated changes ) , low - grade ( cin-1 , cin-2 ) , and high - grade ( cin-3 , carcinoma in situ , invasive cancer ) ( 33 ) . in logistic regression analyses regarding factors associated with dysplasia , cervical dysplasia was dichotomized as normal versus other types ( low- or high - grade )
statistical analysis was performed using stata 12.0 software package ( statacorp , lp , college station , tx ) .
descriptive statistics and chi - squared test were used to evaluate sociodemo - graphic and behavioral risk factor differences between sterilized and non - sterilized women in both the screening and diagnostic groups .
analyses regarding surgical sterilization status and cervical cytology screening adherence were performed among screening group participants because the date of their last pap test was independent of their enrollment in the trial .
analyses regarding surgical sterilization status and cervical dysplasia were performed among participants in the diagnostic group , in which the prevalence of cervical dysplasia was sufficiently high to evaluate the association .
these analyses were further limited to us patients given the discrepancies between the us and canadian guidelines of clinical management of cervical dysplasia ( 25 , 34 ) . for both analyses ,
univariable logistic regression was first used to assess the crude association between surgical sterilization status and the outcome ( pap test non - adherence or cervical dysplasia ) .
next , multivariable logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the association between surgical sterilization status and the respective outcome after adjusting for potential confounders .
confounders were defined as variables significantly associated with both sterilization status and the respective outcome ( p0.10 ) and that changed the odds ratio by 10% or more .
of the initial 1,858 subjects in the database , 134 cases with unknown dysplasia status , 11 with no previous sexual intercourse , 17 with missing date of last pap test , and 8 with missing history of birth control use were excluded . in this study ,
a total of 1,688 subjects with 925 in the screening group and 763 in the diagnostic group were investigated .
sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors : of the patients in the screening group that met the study 's inclusion criteria ( n=925 ) , 217 ( 23.5% ) had undergone surgical sterilization ( table 1 ) . summarizes rates of pap test screening , socio - demographic and behavioral risk factors of the screening group in general and also based on surgical sterilization ( ss ) status . regarding general sociodemographic factors , majority of subjects were white ( 48.65% ) , married ( 60.32% ) , had an income above $ 40,000 ( 46.81% ) , were less educated ( 63.89% ) but employed ( 68.43% ) . in terms of behavioral risk factors ,
majority had later sexual debut ( 63.31% ) , one sexual partner in the last month ( 75.24% ) , used oral contraceptive in the past ( 76.32% ) and were not binge drinkers ( 58.34% ) or smokers ( 89.84% ) .
there were no statistically significant differences between those with and without surgical sterilization with regard to race , household income or employment status .
most women had undergone pap test screening in the last 15 months ( 51.03% ) .
cervical cancer screening , sociodemographic and behavioral risk factor characteristics by surgical sterilization status among screening group participants binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in a single occasion more than one time in the past month
table 1 also demonstrates that a greater proportion of women in the screening group with history of surgical sterilization were found to be non - adherent with pap test guidelines at the time of the study : 55.3% in the surgical sterilization group versus 47% in the non - sterilization group ( p= 0.028 ) .
non - adherence with current acog guidelines ( 27 ) , for pap testing every 3 years or more , was also greater among women with surgical sterilization ( 25.8% ) compared to those without ( 17% ) .
sociodemographic variables that were significantly associated with surgical sterilization in bivariate analyses were age , marital status and education level .
specifically , patients with surgical sterilization were significantly older than their non - sterilized counterparts ( mean 47.9 versus 42.9 years ) and were more likely to be married ( 65.9% versus 58.6% ) or divorced , separated or widowed ( 26.73% versus 19.2% ) , and to have a high school - level education or less ( 75.6% versus 60.3% ) .
of the behavioral risk factors evaluated in this study ( table 1 ) , only a history of vaginal delivery was significantly different between the sterilized and non - sterilized groups ( p<0.001 ) .
as expected , surgically sterilized women were more likely to have a higher number of vaginal births , with 13.8% having four or more vaginal deliveries and 58.53% having one to three vaginal deliveries . among women without surgical sterilization ,
8% had more than four deliveries with nearly equal proportions of the remainder having no deliveries or one to three deliveries ( 45.62% and 46.33% , respectively ) .
there were no statistically significant differences between those with and without surgical sterilization with regard to their age at first sex , number of sex partners , history of oral contraceptive use , binge drinking or smoking . among patients in the diagnostic group ( n=763 ) who met the study 's inclusion criteria , 109 ( 14.3% )
table 2 summarizes rates of cervical dysplasia and sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors of the diagnostic group in general and based on surgical sterilization ( ss ) status .
overall , the subjects in the diagnostic group were mostly 18 to 40 years old ( 68.8% ) , white ( 63.56% ) , married ( 49.02% ) , had income above $ 40,000 ( 42.33% ) and were less educated ( 65.14% ) , but employed ( 68.02% ) .
regarding behavioral risk factors , most had only one sex partner in the last month ( 75.23% ) , reported more than 6 sexual partners in their life ( 43.91% ) , had ever used oral contraceptive ( 84.67% ) and were not smokers ( 76.93% ) .
cervical dysplasia , sociodemographic , and behavioral risk factor characteristics by surgical sterilization status among diagnostic group participants binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in a single occasion more than one time in the past month in table 2 , prevalence of cervical dysplasia was specifically evaluated and women with surgical sterilization were more likely to have normal cytology / histology than their non - sterilized counterparts ( 67% vs. 52% , p<0.05 ) .
the prevalence of high - grade dysplasia was equivalent among those with and without surgical sterilization ( 18.3% versus 18.2% ) .
diagnostic group patients with surgical sterilization were significantly older than their non - sterilized counterparts ( 41.6 versus 35.5 years with p<0.001 ) and were more likely to be divorced , separated or widowed ( 40.4% versus 19.1% ) and to have a high school - level education or less ( 83.5% versus 62.1% ) .
women with surgical sterilization were more likely to be black ( 18.3% vs. 10.2% ) or hispanic ( 21.1% vs. 11.3% ) , and more often from the us than canada ( 78.1% vs. 56.3% ) .
there were no statistically significant differences between those with and without surgical sterilization with regard to household income or employment status .
of the behavioral risk factors evaluated in the diagnostic group ( table 2 ) , there were significant differences between those with surgical sterilization and those without regarding age of sexual debut , number of lifetime partners and number of vaginal deliveries .
as in the screening group , women with surgical sterilization were more likely to have higher parity with 18.4% having four or more vaginal deliveries ( 4.9% ) and 66.9% having one to three vaginal deliveries ( 40.8% ) .
surgically sterilized women were more likely than non sterilized women to have initiated sexual activity at age 17 or less ( 64.8% versus 53.9% ) , although they had fewer lifetime sexual partners , with 35.8% admitted to more than or equal to 6 partners ( 40.8% ) among their non - sterilized counterparts .
there were no statistically significant differences between those with and without surgical sterilization regarding number of partners in the last 12 months , history of oral contraceptive use , binge drinking or smoking . in table 3 , variables that made surgically sterilized subjects in the screening group more likely to be non - adherent to pap test guidelines were further explored .
overall , non - adherent women were 39% more likely to be surgically sterilized than those who were adherent ( p0.05 ) .
women who were non - adherent were also significantly more likely to be divorced , separated or widowed ( or=1.62 ) , hispanic ( or=1.57 ) and to have had four or more vaginal deliveries ( or=2.00 ) .
they were also less likely to have a household income above $ 40,000 per year ( or=0.48 ) or education level above high school ( or=0.62 ) .
it was found that education was an effect measure modifier of the association between surgical sterilization and screening non - adherence and therefore stratified by education level in subsequent analyses .
in univariable analyses , surgical sterilization was significantly associated with non - adherence among women with a high school education or less ( or=1.60 ) but not among those with a higher level of education .
the association between surgical sterilization and non - adherence remained significant after adjusting for age , marital status , and number of vaginal deliveries ( aor=1.47 ) .
non - adherence with cervical cancer screening guidelines by surgical sterilization status and other factors among screening group participants adjusted for variables significantly associated with screening non- adherence and surgical sterilization status in table 4 , factors that made surgically sterilized subjects in the diagnostic group more likely to have dysplasia were evaluated .
overall , there was no association between cervical dysplasia and surgical sterilization status ; however , stratified analyses indicated that among women older than 40 years , surgical sterilization was associated with an 80% increased chance of dysplasia .
this association was not statistically significant , likely due to the smaller sample size of women in these strata compared to the overall study size .
the magnitude of the association did not change after adjusting for variables significantly associated with cervical dysplasia and surgical sterilization ( race , marital status , education , and age of sexual debut ) .
risk of cervical dysplasia by surgical sterilization status and other factors among diagnostic group participants residing in the united states adjusted for variables significantly associated with cervical dysplasia and surgical sterilization status
in table 3 , variables that made surgically sterilized subjects in the screening group more likely to be non - adherent to pap test guidelines were further explored .
overall , non - adherent women were 39% more likely to be surgically sterilized than those who were adherent ( p0.05 ) .
women who were non - adherent were also significantly more likely to be divorced , separated or widowed ( or=1.62 ) , hispanic ( or=1.57 ) and to have had four or more vaginal deliveries ( or=2.00 ) .
they were also less likely to have a household income above $ 40,000 per year ( or=0.48 ) or education level above high school ( or=0.62 ) .
it was found that education was an effect measure modifier of the association between surgical sterilization and screening non - adherence and therefore stratified by education level in subsequent analyses . in univariable analyses ,
surgical sterilization was significantly associated with non - adherence among women with a high school education or less ( or=1.60 ) but not among those with a higher level of education .
the association between surgical sterilization and non - adherence remained significant after adjusting for age , marital status , and number of vaginal deliveries ( aor=1.47 ) .
non - adherence with cervical cancer screening guidelines by surgical sterilization status and other factors among screening group participants adjusted for variables significantly associated with screening non- adherence and surgical sterilization status
in table 4 , factors that made surgically sterilized subjects in the diagnostic group more likely to have dysplasia were evaluated .
overall , there was no association between cervical dysplasia and surgical sterilization status ; however , stratified analyses indicated that among women older than 40 years , surgical sterilization was associated with an 80% increased chance of dysplasia .
this association was not statistically significant , likely due to the smaller sample size of women in these strata compared to the overall study size .
the magnitude of the association did not change after adjusting for variables significantly associated with cervical dysplasia and surgical sterilization ( race , marital status , education , and age of sexual debut ) .
risk of cervical dysplasia by surgical sterilization status and other factors among diagnostic group participants residing in the united states adjusted for variables significantly associated with cervical dysplasia and surgical sterilization status
this study explored whether surgically sterilized women with certain sociodemo - graphic risk factors were more likely to be non - adherent with cervical cytology and dysplasia screening .
the data suggests that women with surgical sterilization are more likely to be non adherent with screening guidelines , even after controlling for age , marital status , education and number of vaginal deliveries , which were found to be significantly associated with screening non adherence . among women over 40 years of age
, the data suggest that surgical sterilization may be associated with increased prevalence of cervical dysplasia .
although cervical cancer is presently attributed to be a disease of the developing world , evidence also suggests that increased cervical cancer morbidity and mortality in the us exists for those with decreased access to care or residing in low - resource settings .
this is notably true in areas of the us with large immigrant and underserved populations who also utilize surgical sterilization as a prevalent means of contraception ( 9 , 18 , 19 ) .
despite applying a convenience sampling , the large screening group was more likely indicative of the general us population than those populations examined in prior studies ( 10 , 1214 ) .
data on cervical dysplasia can be considered reliable and accurate as it was based on a consensus diagnosis of cytological and histological evaluation , thus minimizing any potential misclassification resulting from using cytology alone .
moreover , this study identified education level less than or equal to a high school degree as an effect measure modifier in tubal ligation and adherence with screening .
this has independent value for practitioners and will serve as an immediate potential avenue for awareness and outreach in clinical settings . despite these strengths ,
the study was limited by the fact that the diagnostic group was a hospital - based sample while the screening group was a convenience sample . while inferences can be drawn from these data , a true cause and effect relationship between non - adherence with pap tests and increased cervical dysplasia in a single population can not be shown .
in addition , as the study 's database only included history of number of vaginal deliveries and had no information about the number of cesarean deliveries , this limited the ability to evaluate the association of true parity and the outcomes ( although it can be well approximated given the overall low rate or primary cesarean in the cohort ) . since complete medical chart of each patient was not available , date of
last pap test and surgical sterilization status were based on self - report and thus subject to recall bias .
prior studies have suggested that there may be a temporary protective effect of surgical sterilization on cervical cancer risk due to pre - operative screening routines ( 11 , 12 ) .
unfortunately , historical dates of surgical sterilization were not available and therefore it was not possible to draw any temporal relationships between sterilization and date of last pap test or date of dysplastic lesions .
finally , the definition of non - compliance was not based on today 's acog guidelines for less frequent screening as the study chose to evaluate the data based on guidelines current at the time the study was conducted .
however , the link between surgical sterilization and adherence with pap testing was evaluated every 3 years and findings were similarly striking for decreased adherence between both screening regimens .
this study explored whether surgically sterilized women with certain sociodemo - graphic risk factors were more likely to be non - adherent with cervical cytology and dysplasia screening .
the data suggests that women with surgical sterilization are more likely to be non adherent with screening guidelines , even after controlling for age , marital status , education and number of vaginal deliveries , which were found to be significantly associated with screening non adherence . among women over 40 years of age
, the data suggest that surgical sterilization may be associated with increased prevalence of cervical dysplasia .
although cervical cancer is presently attributed to be a disease of the developing world , evidence also suggests that increased cervical cancer morbidity and mortality in the us exists for those with decreased access to care or residing in low - resource settings .
this is notably true in areas of the us with large immigrant and underserved populations who also utilize surgical sterilization as a prevalent means of contraception ( 9 , 18 , 19 ) .
despite applying a convenience sampling , the large screening group was more likely indicative of the general us population than those populations examined in prior studies ( 10 , 1214 ) .
data on cervical dysplasia can be considered reliable and accurate as it was based on a consensus diagnosis of cytological and histological evaluation , thus minimizing any potential misclassification resulting from using cytology alone .
moreover , this study identified education level less than or equal to a high school degree as an effect measure modifier in tubal ligation and adherence with screening .
this has independent value for practitioners and will serve as an immediate potential avenue for awareness and outreach in clinical settings . despite these strengths ,
the study was limited by the fact that the diagnostic group was a hospital - based sample while the screening group was a convenience sample . while inferences can be drawn from these data , a true cause and effect relationship between non - adherence with pap tests and increased cervical dysplasia in a single population can not be shown .
in addition , as the study 's database only included history of number of vaginal deliveries and had no information about the number of cesarean deliveries , this limited the ability to evaluate the association of true parity and the outcomes ( although it can be well approximated given the overall low rate or primary cesarean in the cohort ) . since complete medical chart of each patient was not available , date of
last pap test and surgical sterilization status were based on self - report and thus subject to recall bias .
prior studies have suggested that there may be a temporary protective effect of surgical sterilization on cervical cancer risk due to pre - operative screening routines ( 11 , 12 ) .
unfortunately , historical dates of surgical sterilization were not available and therefore it was not possible to draw any temporal relationships between sterilization and date of last pap test or date of dysplastic lesions . finally , the definition of non - compliance was not based on today 's acog guidelines for less frequent screening as the study chose to evaluate the data based on guidelines current at the time the study was conducted .
however , the link between surgical sterilization and adherence with pap testing was evaluated every 3 years and findings were similarly striking for decreased adherence between both screening regimens .
despite limitations , the findings suggest that women with surgical sterilization are more likely to be non - adherent with screening guidelines , even after controlling for age , marital status , education , and number of vaginal deliveries . among women over 40 years of age
, the data suggest that surgical sterilization may be associated with increased prevalence of cervical dysplasia .
most importantly , in this study , there was a population of women who were at risk for cervical dysplasia and potentially poor in adhering to the follow - up regimen accepted at the time of database creation .
because this study is only an exploratory one , future analyses might further identify at - risk cohorts and guide practitioners in improving patient education about routine gynecological follow - ups for cervical dysplasia screening at the time of sterilization .
it would be advantageous to perform a comparable analysis in a developing country to ascertain whether similar risk factors exist where cervical cancer is even more common .
while the findings in this study have meaningful implications to women 's health , they are yet to be fully realized .
it is hoped that these findings will serve as an impetus for further research to strengthen and expand upon what is a novel arena for reducing cervical cancer risk .
the content of this manuscript is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the cancer prevention and research institute of texas . | pubmed |
Why is DNA negatively charged and what makes it so?
1. What part in the strand contributes to the overall non neutral charge?
2. DNA is not isolated in the body, so what keeps it stable while being charged?
3. Why is it important for DNA to be charged?
As cibrail said, DNA is a polymer of nucleotides. They join themselves through phosphodiester bonds (a specific kind of covalent bond) that can grow to as much as millions of nucleotides.
What part in the strand contributes to the overall non neutral charge?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The reason why DNA is negatively charged is the phosphate group that makes up every nucleotide (pentose + nitrogenous base + phosphate). When forming part of the phosphodiester bond, they retain 1 of 2 negative charges (the other being lost to form the other ester bond to a new pentose, that's why the bond is called "phospho-di-ester").
Lehninger 5th edition. Part of figure 25-5
DNA is not isolated in the body, so what keeps it stable while being charged?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The main molecules in charge of that are proteins called **histones**. They have alkali features and positive charge, and so, they neutralize these negative charges. On the other hand, that's not the main point of histones. Histones play a really important key role in the regulation and compaction of DNA within the nucleus of the cell, and are important targets of diverse molecules that want to alter DNA structure and function:
Lehninger 5th edition.Figure 24-26
Why is it important for DNA to be charged?
------------------------------------------
It has great importance because cell machinery is adapted to that property. If DNA wasn't negatively charged, the structural fundamentals of interactions between DNA and transcription factors would be completely different.
Thanks to the fact that it is negatively charged, it becomes spontaneously pretty straight when denaturalised, because negative charges repel themselves. It forms very wide curves.
And of course, histones wouldn't be able to join DNA and exert their key regulating functions.
DNA is basically a polymer of nucleotides. These are held together by covalent bonds formed between the phosphate groups, each of which forms and ester with a hydroxyl group of the pentose of the NEXT nucleotide. This uses two of the three acidic 'OH' groups of the acid, leaving the last free to ionize. This ionization leaves a negative charge on each phosphate group.
These charges allow the DNA strands to band to protein molecules which stabilize the structure, giving a nucleoprotein complex.
This complex helps stabilize the DNA—which as important in several ways
– The DNA molecules are VERY long and easily broken
– particularly when being moved etc at cell division
DNA contain negative charge because the presence of phosphate group. Generally, hydrogen is not shown in DNA structure.
DNA
There are 3 hydrogens in phosphoric acid, each of them leaves as:
1 H joins with 3' -OH of previous nucleotide to form $\ce{H2O}$ during DNA replication.
1 OH joins with H of next nucleotide to form $\ce{H2O}$ during DNA replication.
1 H is released as $\ce{H+}$ (remember it was phosphoric acid), hence giving rise to the acidic character of DNA (remember it is deoxyriboNucleic acid).
| stackexchange/chemistry |
DEMOLITION MAN
Participating Writers:
Peter Lenkov
Robert Reneau
Daniel Waters
Fred Decker
Jonathan Lemkin
Story by:
Peter Lenkov
Daniel Waters
Screenplay by:
Daniel Waters
Jonathan Lemkin
SILVER PICTURES
November 19, 1992
c 1992
[NOTE: THE FOLLOWING SCREENPLAY HAD NUMBERED SCENES.
THESE HAVE BEEN OMITTED FOR THIS SOFT COPY.]
"The world of the future will
be an ever more demanding
struggle against the limitations
of our intelligence..."
Norbert Wiener
"On the whole, I'd rather be in
Philadelphia..."
W.C. Fields
DEMOLITION MAN
FADE IN:
EXT. BLACK SKY - NIGHT
Dark, ominous clouds of smoke. A beat of semi-calm.
And then... A long blast of TRACER FIRE cuts through.
And another. And another. We TILT DOWN to discover we
are --
EXT. LOS ANGELES - AIRBORNE - MOVING - NIGHT (1998)
A city on fire. A block here, block there. More TRACER
FIRE. A cross between the LA riots and Gulf War. A
SUPERED TITLE: LA RIOT III. And then FADING IN BELOW:
MONTH 4. We CONTINUE MOVING ABOVE the ravaged city --
VOICE #1 (V.O.)
(filtered)
You imagine what it was like when
they had to fly choppers through
this shit?
VOICE #2 (V.O.)
Not even.
Gliding totally silently INTO FRAME is the biggest,
darkest, midnight blue blimp you've ever seen. Small
gold letters on the side -- LAPD. Fully armored beneath.
Woven kevlar on the sides. BULLETS REBOUND with a long
ZZZZZIP off the sides. PING SOFTLY off the plastic armor
on the bottom.
VOICE #1 (V.O.)
I don't understand where we're
going and why the hell we're
bothering anyhow...
A new voice responds. This one brooks no discussion --
SPARTAN (V.O.)
Because there's anger and there's
frustration, and then there's pure
fucking evil...
INT. BLIMP POD - CONTINUOUS ACTION - NIGHT
JOHN SPARTAN peers down into the fiery landscape.
SPARTAN
Where we're going is pure fucking
evil.
(beat)
Thirty people who were riding that
muni bus are still missing. I've
got this bad hunch about who took
them and where they are...
EXT. EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL LA - FROM ABOVE - AIRBORNE -
NIGHT
Way up ahead, amid the flames, is a fortress. A square
city block. Walled. Something out of the middle ages.
The walls are entirely made from stacked abandoned cars.
INT. BLIMP POD - NIGHT
Spartan is dragging a heavy bag up towards the door.
PILOT #2 looks at him curiously.
PILOT #2
How come they call you Demolition
Man? Are you with the bomb squad?
Spartan gets his bag into position.
SPARTAN
I just...
(shrugs
apologetically)
... demolish things.
He checks out the window. They're not quite there.
SPARTAN
I do my job, shit happens.
(to Pilot #1)
Get a thermo.
The PILOT takes a thermogram of the building in the
middle of the compound. We see a series of heat-outlined
figures moving inside.
PILOT #1
Six. One still, in the middle.
The rest moving around. I don't
see any thirty people.
SPARTAN
(checking the thermo)
What's that?
To the naked eye, out the window, tucked against the
wall of cars, a large tarp. To the thermo, the still
warm inner workings of the muni bus. Faint outlines of
the engine, drive train, even seats and frame. Bingo.
Spartan takes a deep breath. Loosens up his right
shoulder. Loosens up his left. Checks the gun on his
right hip. Checks the gun on his left. They both cross
draw. Reaches down to the bag at his feet. LAPD in
reflective letters on the side of a backpack. Spartan
yanks some kind of rope out of it.
PILOT #2
Isn't that for getting people
out
of burning buildings...
SPARTAN
Yeah, sometimes...
Slaps a carabiner onto a big eyebolt by the door. They're
dead center now over the complex below. He opens the
door. Jumps out.
EXT. BLIMP - NIGHT
Spartan falls three hundred feet from the blimp. Dead
silent. The line runs free behind him. It's a giant
fireproof bungee cord. As the downward force of gravity
and the upward pull of the bungee become exactly the
same, Spartan stops dead in the air for just the briefest
moment. Whips out a Bowie knife and slashes the cord
above his head. Falls free the last ten feet to the roof
of the building. Lands on his feet. Lightning cross
draw. A gun appears in each hand.
EXT. FORTRESS - MAIN BUILDING - ROOFTOP - NIGHT
A lookout pops up on Spartan's right. Spartan clobbers
him. Another lookout pops up on Spartan's left. Spartan
ducks, rolls quietly, clobbers him, too. Listens. No
one's taken notice. Holsters the guns. Moves in towards
the roof hatch.
INT. FORTRESS - MAIN BUILDING - THIRD FLOOR - NIGHT
Stacked with armaments and stolen goods. M70's straight
outta the National Guard Armory. Crates of ammo. Stacks
of looted Sony HoloSets still in the boxes.
Spartan makes his way carefully along. Ready. Spins at
a SOUND. Nothing there. Spartan crouches low. Slips
around the crates. At the far end, a very large guard
is doing just the same thing to peer at where Spartan
just was.
Spartan launches himself at the guard. Hammers his head
against the floor. This guy is not getting up again for
a long time. Spartan spins at a SOUND. Another equally
large guard dives on Spartan from behind. He never makes
contact. Spartan uses his momentum to fling him past and
into the wall. This guy isn't getting up again in the
near future either. Now the room is clear. Moves
towards the stairs.
INT. FORTRESS - MAIN BUILDING - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT
SIMON PHOENIX snorts a long pale blue line up one
nostril. A long pink line up the other. One blue eye,
one brown eye. Blond hair. Black skin. Looks up at
another thug. Punches up the security cams on half a
dozen slightly futuristic monitors. Unconscious guards
can be seen on all of them. And on the last, Spartan,
coming... Phoenix jabs a loaded orange syringe into an
arm. The drugs all hit various lobes.
PHOENIX
Motherfucker.
INT. FORTRESS - MAIN BUILDING - STAIRWELL - NIGHT
Spartan creeps quietly down. Looking, watching,
listening. Suddenly, the stairs are racked with MACHINE
GUN FIRE. Chips of concrete fly from around his feet.
Spartan flattens against the wall. Half a beat. Steps
out FIRING. The machine gun stops. A body plummets by
down the center shaft of the stairs.
SPARTAN
That's a warm welcome.
INT. FORTRESS - MAIN BUILDING - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT
Phoenix is dumping can after can of gas all over the
floor, the walls, everything.
ANOTHER ANGLE - STAIRWELL AND LANDING
Spartan steps onto the landing. Checks high and low.
Room is clear. He can smell the gas.
BACK TO PHOENIX
Simon pries open the fuse box. Flips off all the
breakers. Building is plunged into darkness.
BACK TO SPARTAN
Spartan quietly speaks into the LAPD button mike on his
lapel.
SPARTAN
How 'bout some light, guys?
Half a beat later, blinding white light blows through
the windows.
EXT. FORTRESS - FROM ABOVE - NIGHT
The blimp casts down a wall of light. 32 million
candlepower pours straight down.
INT. FORTRESS - MAIN BUILDING - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT
A wild melange of white, white light and dark, dark
shadows. The gas fumes ripple, refract in the air.
Lights bounce off the pools of gasoline. Spartan rolls
into the room. Both guns come up.
SPARTAN
Simon Phoenix. You're under
arrest.
(then)
Where are the muni passengers?
PHOENIX
Fuck you, Spartan. They're gone.
I told the city no one comes down
here anymore. Cops figured it
out, postmen figured it out. Damn
bus drivers wouldn't listen.
Arrest me? You've got no
jurisdiction here. You're in my
kingdom now. Fifty blocks in
every direction. And it's mine.
SPARTAN
(simply)
It's over.
PHOENIX
It's over?!
(knows it's true)
Yeah. It's over. But I've been
king once, and I ain't ever going
back to jail.
Spartan keeps the guns trained on Phoenix. Simon
scratches his arm. It's a junkie's twitch. Or is it...
Spartan can't see it, but there's a kitchen match tucked
behind Simon's ear. Phoenix reaches up to scratch
another itch. Frees the match in one gestures, strikes
it and tosses it into the pool of gas. Smiles. A
friendly happy smile.
The room bursts into flames. He throws back his head and
laughs. Spartan dives on him. Tries to hurl them both
through the window.
But Phoenix is either stronger or just far crazier and
drugged up. Smashes the two of them into the wall
instead. They trade blows. The building gets worse.
AMMO starts to EXPLODE downstairs.
EXT. FORTRESS - MAIN YARD - NIGHT
A giant LAPD wrecker with a cow catcher front blasts
through the main gates. LAPD Humvees follow.
A young cop (ZACHARY LAMB) gets out, looks at the main
building, shakes his head in amusement at the
destruction --
LAMB
It's Spartan again...
INT. FORTRESS - MAIN BUILDING - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT
The battle continues. The two trading blow for blow in
this fiery arena. The two men are practically on fire.
Finally Spartan knocks Phoenix cold, a clean shot
straight in the face. Phoenix drops in a heap to the
floor. Spartan shakes his head, sighs, bends down to
retrieve his prisoner and...
INT./EXT. FORTRESS - MAIN BUILDING - NIGHT
The BUILDING EXPLODES. Long and LOUD and high and
mighty.
OVERHEAD POV
The fireball rockets by the blimp.
INT. BLIMP - POD - NIGHT
The Pilots with mouths agape as the fireball crashes by.
EXT. FORTRESS - MAIN YARD - NIGHT
The EARTH RUMBLES. Those who aren't thrown to the
ground dive for cover. The SECONDARY EXPLOSION kicks
in. Everything that didn't blow straight up in the air
blows out what remains of the sides of the building.
Nothing's left standing.
EXT. FORTRESS - MAIN YARD - NIGHT (AFTERMATH)
The dust begins to settle. Flaming wreckage and embers
are still dropping from five hundred feet up. A beat. A
beam shifts in the wreckage. It's a big beam. It moves
aside. Spartan emerges dragging his prisoner out behind
him. As he's being dragged along, Phoenix comes to.
Spartan hands him off to another officer to be booked.
Captain STEVE HEALY, Spartan's long-suffering captain and
friend, comes out of the crowd of officers.
HEALY
What's the matter with you?
That's why nobody ever invites
you over.
SPARTAN
I hate small talk. You sent me to
do a job, I did it. It wasn't even
me who blew everything up this time.
HEALY
Yeah. Sure.
Healy continues to shake his head in consternation. No
way he believes that... Spartan ignores him. Wipes the
soot from his face. Shakes his head in disgust, walks
away...
The Tactical Fire Response vehicles have arrived. Fully-
armored firemen wearing bulletproof gear fight the blaze.
Spartan continues to stride away. And then everything
fucks up. One of the TFR OFFICERS in the wreckage calls
out --
TFR OFFICER
Captain. Captain!
(shocked)
There's a lot of bodies in here.
Spartan stops dead. He looks sick. Healy's not
thrilled, but he knows what's required of him --
HEALY
(to Spartan)
You have the right to remain
silent.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. CRYO PRISON - STARK WHITE CORRIDOR - DAY
Spartan in stark white overalls. A beautiful, shaken
woman holding the hand of a small child. About six.
Spartan bends down to the little girl. Unclenches his
fist. His LAPD badge inside. Pins it on the little
girl, KATIE.
SPARTAN
I'm going to be back. I'll still
be your dad. I promise.
She holds the badge, nods solemnly. Spartan kisses her
on the cheek.
KATIE SPARTAN
I love you, Daddy.
She's young enough that it's unclear whether she
understands that her father is going away for good.
Spartan chokes back a sob. Stands back up. Kisses his
wife. Everything that can be said, has been said. They
kiss again.
Behind him, in front of two locked doors, are a pair of
prison guards in odd, heavily-insulated uniforms. Tanks,
heater batteries, guns. Spartan heads towards the far
doors. They follow. Spartan steps through the doors,
the guards now at either elbow. And into --
INT. CRYO PRISON - MAIN ROOM - DAY
The CryoPenitentiary is a Godel-esque nightmare of
architecturally-perverse layers and levels, the
Guggenheim mixed with industrial meat locker. All still
half under construction.
Spartan is led along the middle ring to where a doctor,
two white-coated technicians and a young-looking WARDEN
SMITHERS are waiting.
Above him prisoners are encased into the ground in
massive glass hockey pucks, contracted into pained fetal
positions. Their faces are hauntingly twisted into
gargoyle expressions of tortured struggle.
The group arrives at an empty chamber. The technicians
nod to Spartan. He drops off the white overalls. Steps
free. Stands naked. Doctor injects him with luminescent
blue fluid. The techies slap on sensor pads. Head,
heart, all over... Spraying him down with Freon. Mist
everywhere... We see the temperature dropping on the
monitors. The Warden looks at a crib sheet. Clears his
throat.
SMITHERS
John Spartan. You've done great
deeds for the city of Los Angeles,
so it is with some regret that I
hereby...
SPARTAN
Skip it...
Spartan shivers, contemplating one of his stiffening
hands.
SMITHERS
John Spartan. You've been
sentenced to 70 years in the
California CryoPenitentiary for
the involuntary manslaughter of
thirty...
SPARTAN
Skip it...
Spartan is beginning to shake from the cold. His lips
turning blue before our eyes. Color just drains away.
SMITHERS
I'm sorry, John.
(then; a smile)
Don't catch cold.
SPARTAN
Fuh... fuf... funny.
The technicians attempt to help Spartan into the chamber.
He shakes them off to stagger down on his own. Let's not
kid ourselves, he's scared --
SPARTAN
See ya next century...
TITLES BEGIN as...
The casing door is closed over him. MONITORS down the
lining of the circular chamber show a digital rap sheet,
a dropping thermometer, a parole date, and today's date:
November 20, 1998. A super-chilled clear goo flows in,
packing and preserving isolated Michelangeloesque
segments of the defiant statue that is John Spartan.
But he's still conscious. Still even struggling a bit.
On the arm above the chamber, inside a vacuum bell a
small vial is auto unscrewed. LOCKED and SAFETY lights
cycle. We see a tiny white chip inside. The vial is
moved into place by a tiny robot arm. Bottom vent is
opened. The chip is dumped into the chamber. It's the
opposite of watching ice shatter. Instead, the whole
hockey puck goes solid in an instant and a half. The
thermo read-out drops in an instant to a half degree
above 0 degrees Kelvin. It's done.
The VIEWER makes a GENTLY DIZZYING JOURNEY AROUND the
chamber, SETTLING FOR A MOMENT ON Spartan's contorted-
into-a-defiant-sneer face.
INT. CRYO PRISON - MAIN ROOM - DAY (2042)
The VIEWER'S VIEWPOINT KEEPS PULLING OUT to see that the
date on Spartan's MONITOR now reads August 3, 2042.
Warden Smithers, now a bespectacled, gray-haired old
man, in a peculiar uniform, shuffles past the completely
unaged Spartan.
He grumbles by in a phone headset equipped with fiberoptic
video gear, and OUT OF FRAME we see that the
prison has become vaster, stranger, with multiple grated
catwalks and more networks of artfully-engineered piping.
And heavily, heavily stocked with prisoners...
Smithers looks up at his holoset. Hovering in front of
him in the air is Lenina Huxley.
HUXLEY (IMAGE)
Mellow greeting, Warden John J.
Smithers.
SMITHERS
(this again)
Yeah.
BE
well. Lieutenant
Lenina Huxley.
EXT. SAN ANGELES - STREETS - DAY (2042)
A 2042 police car glides INTO FRAME. We MOVE WITH it
as it passes by a series of austere geometric buildings.
Green, green glass. Blue, blue sky. Cleaner than
Disneyland. The future is perfect. More emissionless
cars gliding silently by.
HUXLEY (V.O.)
As it is a beautiful Monday
morning, and as my duty log
irrationally requires it...
INT. LENINA'S POLICE CAR - MOVING - DAY
Behind the wheel, the mischievously-beautiful LENINA
HUXLEY. A heads up display announces she is calling
Warden John J. Smithers. The order of business is
"Prison Population Informative Query." And future or
not, Lenina fusses with her hair. With
both
hands.
The steering wheel is not present at all.
HUXLEY
I am hereby querying you on the
prison population update.
(hopefully)
Does the tedium continue?
ON HEADS UP DISPLAY
Warden Smithers gently reminds her that ---
SMITHERS (IMAGE)
Incontrovertibly and unequivocally,
yes. The prisoners are ice cubes.
They do not move. They have no
thoughts, they have no feelings...
The tedium is permanent,
Lieutenant.
INT. CRYO-PRISON - MAIN ROOM - MID LEVEL - DAY
Smithers is striding along, the conversation projected in
the air in front of him from the HoloSet he's wearing.
HUXLEY (IMAGE)
I find this lack of stimulus truly
disappointing... Don't you think?
INT. LENINA'S POLICE CAR - DAY
Smithers peers at her almost suspiciously.
SMITHERS (IMAGE)
I try not to. However, you are
young, think all you want. Things
don't happen anymore, we've taken
care of all that. I'll fiber-op
you back after the morning non-
parole hearings. Have a peachy
day, Lieutenant.
BE
well...
The Warden's image poofs.
INT. CRYO-PRISON - MAIN ROOM - DAY
Tugging off his headset, Warden Smithers clacks to a
checkpoint wall at the end of the grating. Smithers
puts the back of his hand on a screen in the wall.
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
Coding accepted. Retina Confirm.
Smithers leans into a peephole.
INSIDE PEEPHOLE
A harmless red laser flickers over an EXTREME CLOSEUP of
the Warden's eye.
INT. CRYO-PRISON - CONFERENCE AREA - DAY
The wall slides open and Smithers enters into a ceiling-
less space beneath the awesome tiers of cryo-cells.
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
Thank you and be well, Warden
William Smithers.
Smithers grumbles past a barely conscious cryo-prisoner,
who is strapped atop a sleek, thin, and uncomfortable
"wheelchair." Two Guards flank the hunched over and
dripping convict as Smithers plops behind an industrial
chic table and flicks on his CompuClipboard.
SMITHERS
Twenty-nine years ago, the parole
system, as you know it, was
rendered obsolete. Federal
Statute 537-29 requires we go
through the formality of a
hearing for all prisoners
incarnated before the repeal
of the parole laws.
Cocteau Behavioral Engineering,
B.E. will continue rehabilitation
by altering your behavior through
synaptic suggestion during
cryogenic sleep. Nightie night.
Your hearing is now over. You
are to be returned to your cryo-
cell immediately... 'Mr. Horace
Bateman.' Do you understand what
I've said...
Eyes half open, the Cryo-prisoner unsuccessfully gropes
for a syllable.
SMITHERS
Guards, nod his head for him...
(yawning)
Ne-xt.
As the pathetic Cryo-prisoner is wheeled off, the
Warden's VOICE ECHOES electronically from ---
INT. CRYO-PRISON - DEFROSTING CHAMBER - DAY
-- a steel intercom box on the wall. Two Med Techs load
a still unconscious prisoner into another wheelchair. We
don't see him. Just a hint of a well muscled black arm
and a head still lolling unconscious on a shoulder,
with
blond hair
...
INT. LENINA'S POLICE CAR - MOVING - DAY
Huxley finishes primping. Hits a button. The dash
unfolds, a steering wheel emerges, locks into place.
Lenina calls out as she activates her badge.
HUXLEY
Huxley, Lenina. Coding on.
A serenely annoying VOICE answers her
CAR COMPUTER (V.O.)
No police presence is requested
in the city at this time. Report
to the station. Good morning,
Officer Huxley.
HUXLEY
(groans)
Ahhh...
CAR COMPUTER (V.O.)
I detect a promoted level of
stress in your tone. Would you
like me to prescribe a
foodaceutical to...
HUXLEY
No! What are you, my mother?
(then; calmer)
No. No, thank you though.
She rolls her eyes. Waits to see if it's going to scold
her again. After letting her sweat it out, the car
doesn't ---
HUXLEY
All right, I'll be reporting in...
EXT. ANOTHER SAN ANGELES STREET - DAY
Huxley's police car glides by. A beat. In front of one
perfect building is a small object the size and shape of
a COFFEE CAN. As we PUSH IN TO it, we find, it's
TICKING. We can see the escape wheel ratcheting back and
forth. It's very crude, very 1920's clockwork. Four
ink-filled quadrants on a wheel inside. The yellow
quadrant rotates into position.
A small sharp EXPLOSION. Like an ink jet, the yellow ink
is flung through a nozzle against the wall in an 8 x 20
foot swath. The red ratchets and FIRES, the blue as
well. Now we can see the graffiti bomb has screened a
message on the wall -- "Life Is Hell." The black
EXPLODES. Little Death's Heads are sprinkled around the
message. The ink jet MACHINE BLOWS itself up.
Pedestrians gather and stare at the message. Mouths
open, dumbstruck.
Two shock poles emerge from hidden panels in the side of
the building. A sheet of LIGHTNING FLASHES between
them. The message turns to ash and falls to the ground.
The poles tuck back into their boxes. A small rabbit-
sized VACUUM SWEEPER emerges, ZINGS along on its own
power and SUCKS up the ash.
EXT. A DIFFERENT SAN ANGELES STREET - DAY
Near the chaos, we discover this whole thing's been a
diversion. Up from a manhole comes a strange-looking
pipe. A crude periscope.
PERISCOPE POV
watching as a food delivery truck pulls up to a loading
dock. Food pallets are unloaded.
PAYNE (O.S.)
All right, that's it.
(beat)
Twelve hours there'll be another...
INT. SEWER TUNNEL - DAY
THOMAS PAYNE, a young wild-haired madman in some kind
of ancient mechanics coveralls watches through the
periscope.
PAYNE
... These assholes are nothing if
not predictable.
Two other equally disreputable types are with him.
SCRAPS, leftovers from the perfect world above.
SCRAP #1
(worried)
We're not ready.
PAYNE
Hey guy, it doesn't really matter
if we're ready or not anymore.
Payne's got things to do, people to see. Takes off down
the tunnel. The other two follow. As the periscope
ducks back down ---
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
A pair of frosted doors reading S.A. and P.D. slide open
to the presence of Lenina Huxley. She enters into a
police station not of typically bustling pandemonium, but
shocking, softly lit tranquility. Multi-ethnic officers
of all shapes and sizes murmur about, monitoring screens
with the casualness of the staff at a new age bookstore.
No rush, no worries... Lenina strides past an impossible
PERKY DISPATCHER chirping into a high tech headset.
PERKY DISPATCHER
Greetings and salutations,
welcome to the emergency line of
the San Angeles Police
Department. How
are
you?
A TOUGH looking COP, sipping a vibrant green juice,
sidles up to Lenina. They exchange a non-touching
"handshake" that has them each making a circle with
their open palms.
HUXLEY
Let me guess, all is serene.
TOUGH COP
(with true shock)
There was a defacement of public
buildings. Walls
smudged
.
HUXLEY
(shocked as well)
Really? Brutal. Why wasn't an
all cars notified?
She's cut off by her by-the-book superior, CHIEF GEORGE
EARLE.
CHIEF EARLE
Because there was no need to
create widespread panic.
(then)
Lieutenant Huxley, I monitored
your disheartening and distressing
comments to the warden this
morning. Do you actually long
for chaos and disharmony? Your
fascination with the vulgar
Twentieth Century seems to be
affecting your better judgement.
You realize you're setting a bad
example for other officers and
sworn personnel...
HUXLEY
Thank you for the attitude
readjustment, Chief Earle. Info
assimilated.
Lenina turns and walks through her open office door,
making a face out of sight and ---
INT. LENINA'S OFFICE - DAY
-- curses
almost silently
under her breath as she
enters...
HUXLEY
Sanctimonious asshole.
A MORALITY BOX on the wall picks it up.
MORALITY BOX (V.O.)
Lenina Huxley, you are fined one
half credit for a sotto voce
violation of the verbal morality
statute.
Lettering appears on the face of what appears to be a
block of solid marble. A thin sheaf of paper slides
off the front with the reprimand.
The contrast between everything we have seen so far and
her office is staggering. Her quarters are filled with
framed and faded nostalgia pieces of the 20th Century.
Posters of violent movies, books, magazine covers, ad
signs, artworks and framed newspapers, all of a dark
nature. A hopelessly sweet officer, ALFREDO GARCIA,
sits in the middle of the room shaking his head...
GARCIA
Whew... That was tense.
Lenina gives him a deadpan glare:
HUXLEY
That
was tense?? Tell me
something, Garcia, don't you get
bored codetracing perps who break
curfew and tell dirty jokes?
GARCIA
Actually, I find my job deeply
fulfilling.
(looking around)
I just cannot swallow the reality
of this office, Lenina Huxley.
You're still addicted to the 20th
Century high from its harshness,
buzzed by its brutality. Holy
smokes, is there anything in here
which doesn't violate contraband
ordinance 22?
HUXLEY
(a sweet smile)
Just you, Alfredo Garcia. Don't
you ever want
something
to happen?
GARCIA
Goodness. No.
HUXLEY
I knew you were going to say that.
(sighs)
What I wouldn't give for some
action.
INT. CRYO-PRISON - CONFERENCE AREA - DAY
Simon Phoenix is still fighting to shake off his
defrosted confusion. Locks eyes with the warden.
The look he gives Smithers is chilling.
SMITHERS
Mr. Phoenix, one of our first and
most illustrious members. Let's
get this one over quick...
Smithers is unsettled. Phoenix is far more awake than
the norm.
SMITHERS
Twenty-nine years ago, the parole
system...
PHOENIX
(echoic; no logic yet)
Twenty-nine years ago, the parole
system...
SMITHERS
(firmer)
... was rendered obsolete.
PHOENIX
(also firmer)
... was rendered obsolete.
SMITHERS
(sighs)
Do you have something to say in
your behalf, Mr. Simon?
(beat)
I thought not.
PHOENIX
(bemused)
Yeah. Yeah, I do.
(it puzzles him,
but...)
Teddy bear.
With a LOUD BUZZ, the electronic MANACLES around
Phoenix's arms and feet fly open. Phoenix knows a good
thing when he sees it. Immediately panthers up for a
savage kick into Guard One, doubling him over. Phoenix
tears from Guard One's holster an air-injection syringe
that is filled with the luminescent blue liquid. He
FIRES the SYRINGE right into a charging Guard Two's
forehead. Turns and approaches slowly and menacingly
at Guard One.
GUARD #1
(just able to breathe
again)
How did you know the password to
the cuffs?
PHOENIX
(laughing with
pleasure; who cares)
I have no idea...
(then)
Simon says, too much talking from
you.
Phoenix smashes Guard One in the neck. Left handed.
Crushes his larynx. The Guard falls dying to the ground.
Smithers crawls over his table, breaks for the door.
Phoenix effortlessly latches out to his fleeing neck
and pulls him face-to-face as the Guards behind them
shiver into rigidity. Grins at him. Plucks a sharp
pen from the warden's pocket.
VIEW FROM PEEPHOLE
The harmless red laser again flickers across Warden
Smither's now bulging eyeball.
INT. CRYO-PRISON - DAY
The conference area wall slides open, revealing Simon
Phoenix, elegantly holding the warden's detached eyeball.
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
Access granted, Warden William
Smithers.
Phoenix flicks the eye away and struts forward. The wall
shuts.
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
Thank you. And
BE
well.
Phoenix glances at the speaker. The future is fucking
weird ---
PHOENIX
Yeah? You too.
And he's gone...
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
A wall on the side of the station house suddenly becomes
translucent. A map of San Angeles filling the wall. A
small red dot blinking in the middle.
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
(serenely;
meaninglessly)
One eight seven. One eight seven.
One eight seven...
She continues to drone on in the background as the scale
of the map decreases over and over again zooming in on
the Cryo-Prison. The blinking red dot remains constant.
The Perky Dispatcher punches 1 - 8 - 7 into a keyboard.
Examines the screen. Faints dead away. Falls from her
chair. The Tough Cop rushes over. Sees the screen. He
drops his juice.
TOUGH COP
Oh my, oh my, oh my...
He's a basket case. Garcia and Lenina come into the
fray.
GARCIA
What's a one eight seven?
Lenina shrugs. She has no idea. Runs to a nearby
terminal. Punches it up.
HUXLEY
(stunned)
Murder-Death-Kill.
Punches another button. The map is replaced with an
image from the Cryo-Prison. Two dead guards. Warden
Smithers crawling painfully toward the door. It's a
brutal image.
COMPUTER (V.O.)
I show two stopped codes at
Cryo-Prison X23-1.
William Smithers, Warden. Severe
injury. Do you wish to assign a
medic?
The warden stops crawling. Collapses.
COMPUTER (V.O.)
Update: specification deceased.
Do you wish to assign a coroner?
Chief Earle arrives manfully on the scene. No idea
what's up.
CHIEF EARLE
What's the matter with all of you?
TOUGH COP
Cryo-Prison, sir... Three non-
sanctioned life terminations...
(ready to cry)
Murder-Death-Kills. Three MDKs.
Earle sinks into a chair. Cops all over the station
are in severe, gasping trauma.
EXT. CRYO-PRISON - DAY
Half in a prisoner's smock and half-dressed in salvaged
parts of the guard's uniform, Simon Phoenix strolls outside
the austere prison building, crossing an unimaginably
perfect green lawn. Before him, in a small parking
area, a DOCTOR, wearing a white coat over "stylish" duds,
opens up his sharp user-friendly sportscar with the code
on the back of his hand.
PHOENIX
Excuse me, Doctor?
DOCTOR
Yes...
PHOENIX
Open your mouth and say 'Ahhhh!'
Simon's having a good time.
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
Lenina streaks past her zombie co-workers, cool under
fire, to spin the main computer screen to her.
HUXLEY
Access the Cryo-pen's morning
hearing schedule... And then give
me... wait...
A list of names flashes on the screen.
LAMB
It's Phoenix. Simon Phoenix...
A grizzled African-American veteran, ZACHARY LAMB, steps
behind Lenina, covering traumatic memories with a stoic
shudder. He points to Phoenix's name on the hearing
list.
LAMB
I knew him. We all knew him. He's
evil like you've only read about,
girl. He's...
HUXLEY
Hold that thought, Zachary Lamb.
(to computer)
Simon Phoenix's code. Now.
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
There are no specifications on
file for Simon Phoenix.
HUXLEY
L7, you're not coming down with
another virus, are you? What's
Phoenix's code!
LAMB
You don't get it, Lenina Huxley.
Phoenix isn't coded. He got
chilled back in the 20th, before
they started lojacking everybody
... I was a rookie then... He
was a big dealer. Narcotics.
Software. Wetware. Anything.
Declared his own kingdom in South
Central L.A. M.D.K.'d whatever
got in his way. In a bad time,
he was the worst.
Garcia has punched up a camera view of a prone body in
the parking area.
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
One stopped code in penitentiary
parking area. John Mostow,
doctor.
The Perky Dispatcher has come to. Begins to sob and
then to wail. Lenina can't concentrate. Gives the
Dispatcher's rolling chair a firm push, sends her
drifting away across the station.
HUXLEY
Tell me, L7...
(dramatic pause)
Is the doctor's conveyance still
in the parking zone?
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
Doctor's vehicle has been code-
fixed at the corner of Hollywood
and Vine.
HUXLEY
Glorious.
CHIEF EARLE
(recovering; back on
his feet and taking
command)
Fine work. All nearby units.
ProtecServe Hollywood and Vine.
The adrenaline in the control room surges. Tears are
being wiped away. Justice is near.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD AND VINE - DAY
Phoenix twists out of the doc's car onto a completely
unfamiliar Hollywood and Vine. The rotating and SPEAKING
STREET SIGN may say so, but nothing else is recognizable.
Brutal-killer is briefly confused-child, as Phoenix
tentatively soaks in his surroundings. A TROUBLED-LOOKING
GUY in his twenties stands before a CompuKiosk. Half
phone booth, money machine, half computer terminal...
TROUBLED-LOOKING GUY
I dunno... Lately I just don't
feel like there's anything special
about me...
MALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
You are an incredibly sensitive
man, who inspires Joy-Joy feelings
in all those around you...
Phoenix savagely pushes the Troubled Guy away. The kiosk
is an open booth with a row of large buttons, a monitor,
and a keyboard.
Phoenix curiously examines the row of buttons: Ego
Boost, Citizen Confessional, Public Psychiatrist, Atlas,
Serenity Sayings, Banking, Mail, Telephone Directory...
he's gotta know. Pushes the Ego Boost. Half a beat,
then --
MALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
(just hearty as hell)
You look great today.
Simon grins.
PHOENIX
Thanks, feel great, too...
The future just amuses the hell out of Simon. Phoenix
slams down the information button. He drops his hands
onto the keyboard and his fingers fly. His grin grows
wider and wider. His fingers stop and --
MAIL COMPUTER (V.O.)
You have reached secure mailbox
facilities for... Simon Phoenix.
Information flashes by. Thomas Payne's picture,
rotating, life history scrolling by, maps, routes, over-
head and underground plans of the city. Phoenix takes it
all in. Light speed. No problem. His fingers fly
again. The screens finally end with an image of a pis-
tol. Rotating, exploded views, metalurgy information.
Phoenix exhales a confused grin.
PHOENIX
(dry)
Wonder if I can play the accordion
now too...
MALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
Noun: Gun. Portable firearm.
This device was widely utilized
in the urban wars of the late
20th Century. Referred to as a
gun, a pistol, a piece...
PHOENIX
I don't want a history lesson,
Hal
! Where are the fucking guns?!
A morality BOX attached to the kiosk BUZZES.
MORALITY BOX (V.O.)
You are fined one credit for
violation of the verbal morality
statute.
A thin sheaf of paper slides off the front with the
reprimand.
PHOENIX
Yeah? Well fuck you twice.
The BOX BUZZES TWICE to his left. Two more sheets of
paper appear.
MORALITY BOX (V.O.)
Your repeated violation of the
verbal morality statute has caused
me to notify the San Angeles
Police Department. Please remain
here for your reprimand.
Phoenix is ready to punch in the screen when two S.A.P.D.
patrol cars pull to a dramatic halt behind him.
PHOENIX
Oooh, fuckers are fast, too.
Simon beats the Morality Box to it. BUZZES at it first.
Grins. Four cops get out. Unsheathing electronic stun
batons. They switch on. Blue phosphor glow...
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
Lenina and the other cops stand in front of the wall
monitor. It shows an angle of the scene from a building
corner mounted camera turret. The image pans over and
locks onto Phoenix as he stands at the information kiosk.
The police can be seen moving in. The cops in the squad
room begin cheering.
GARCIA
Chalk one up for the benevolent
ones.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD AND VINE - DAY
Another squad car pulls up behind. Two more cops emerge.
Phoenix looks casually at the six of them. The police
move forward, blue sparks now spitting from their
electrified batons. The SQUAD LEADER glances down to a
hand-held Strategic Apprehension Computer.
SQUAD LEADER
Maniac is imminent. Request
advice.
STRATEGIC APPREHENSION COMPUTER (V.O.)
With a firm tone of voice, demand
maniac lie down with hands behind
back.
SQUAD LEADER
Simon Phoenix, lie down and put
your hands behind your back.
Phoenix lets off a laugh.
PHOENIX
Geez gosh. Six of you. In such
tidy uniforms. I'm so scared.
The cops look puzzled.
PHOENIX
Don't they have irony anymore?
Phoenix turns back to the terminal. His fingers fly.
Under which --
SQUAD LEADER
(hurt)
Maniac scoffs at us.
S.A.C. (V.O.)
Approach, and in an even firmer
tone of voice...
Phoenix finishes a final keystroke. The graffiti remov-
ing shock poles burst from the building beside them.
Fires. Electrocutes and cooks one of the cops.
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
The cops are stunned.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD AND VINE - DAY
The nearest cops approach with their stun batons. Simon
kills them both. It doesn't take long. He breaks a
neck, he spearhands a sternum, drives a jawbone into a
skull. It's all very graceful. Death ballet.
PHOENIX
Sarcasm?
(turns to two
terrified cops)
Will you be staying to die, or
running away in fear?
They turn and run away. Simon leaps over the squad car.
Now he's in front of them. They freeze.
PHOENIX
Ahhh, I didn't say running away
would help.
Catches up with the two of them. Kills them both.
Effortlessly. Just for variety uses a different style
of martial arts this time. Two more are left. They're
frozen. Deer in the headlights.
PHOENIX
Simon says scream.
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
The cops watch in horror as the last two go down.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD AND VINE - DAY
Simon spots the SecurityCam. Comes towards it with a
leer.
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
Despite the electronic distance, cops recoil in fear.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD AND VINE - DAY
Simon rips the cover plate from the camera stanchion.
Yanks out the transmission cables. Looks directly into
the camera. He's having a very good time.
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
On the giant monitor Simon glares at them
PHOENIX (V.O.)
Everybody
stand
!
Half the cops in confusion and fear do.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD AND VINE - DAY
Simon looks straight at the camera.
PHOENIX
(singing)
... and the home of the...
(holds the note for
all it's worth)
... brave.
Jams the spark wand in the main transmission cables.
Sign off.
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
Every MONITOR in the station blows to STATIC. Huxley's
fingers fly.
HUXLEY
We've lost every camera for six
blocks around.
(thinking fast)
Going to Cahuenga at twelve
hundred millimeters.
On the big screen -- Cahuenga Security Cam POV. When the
zoom starts, we can't even see Simon, when it ends, we
can see him highly compressed by one of the squad cars.
Under the hood. Jamming the stun baton around.
GARCIA
He's going for the vehicle battery
core. Its capacitance gel.
TOUGH COP
Why's he doing that?
Simon finds what he's looking for. He backs off. The
CAR EXPLODES. Smoke everywhere. It clears. No Simon.
Dead silence in the station. The car still burns
silently on the giant screen. Lenina punches it off.
EXT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - DAY
A tall, silver needle rising from a plaza complex.
INT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
DR. RAYMOND COCTEAU lectures at the end of a conference
table. We
don't
see who he's talking to. He has that
weird serenity of the obscenely-wealthy or a President-
Elect-far-life.
COCTEAU
The problem is not the defacement
of public buildings.
(turning to someone
else)
The problem is not the noise
pollution of the exploding
devices.
(turning to yet
another)
The problem is that these
hooligans who have left the
comfort of our society feel a
need to spew hostility at the
bosom they have relinquished.
We REVERSE to see, instead of chairs with people in them,
the table is surrounded by HDTV video monitors on
swiveling mounts. Each screen has the face of a San
Angeles department head and his/her sphere of responsi-
bility: PublicWorks, Orderly Conduct, Public Dietary
Concerns, Litter... Twelve swiveling video heads, all
watching and listening.
PUBLICWORKS (IMAGE)
Yes, indeed.
The other video heads turn and nod in agreement.
COCTEAU
And mar they may, these halfdozen
miscreants infecting the
public consciousness with their
bile and venom. And while I am
saddened, truly saddened, they
have left, we cannot allow them
to impair the harmony of San
Angeles. They are but vandals
and Visigoths.
(then)
Forty-four years ago when Los
Angeles exploded in violenceAnger,
violenceHatred and violenceFear,
a disease had erupted... A disease
not socio-economic, but
behavioral
.
People had simply forgotten how
to behave... We cannot allow it
again. That time, politics, law,
even force were useless to affect
change... We have triumphed over
all of that.
The same principles of B.E.,
Behavioral Engineering, I have
applied to cryo-prison were
expanded into the design and
execution of what we now call...
(gestures proudly)
San Angeles, a city as fine as any
one of the holding facilities
I've designed. We have a
peacefulSafe, and above all,
happyhappy population.
The VIDEOHEADS nod and MUTTER their approval.
COCTEAU
Even now I am positioning actions,
postulating proceedings. I expect
your trustConfidence and certitude.
LITTER (IMAGE)
As always Mayor/Gov Raymond Cocteau.
Cocteau's assistant, ASSOCIATE BOB, comes in the room.
Gives Cocteau a significant look.
COCTEAU
(to the VideoHeads)
If you will excuse me.
He waves dismissively at the MONITORS. The SOUND MUTES.
The video freezes. Bob is a large man with an oddly
high-pitched voice and a strangely-officious manner.
ASSOCIATE BOB
Mayor/Gov Raymond Cocteau, a
cryocon has effected self-release
from the penitentiary.
(shaken)
It is quite horrific. Murder-
Death-Kills. All categories of
chaos...
Bob shudders.
COCTEAU
Enhance your calm... Enhance your
calm.
Cocteau gestures to the frozen video heads.
COCTEAU
Be well them for me. Get Captain
Earle on the Holo.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN ROOM - DAY
Earle nods and shudders in front of the shimmering image
of Raymond Cocteau. He's really shook.
EARLE
It was just... I mean it was so...
INT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
Earle's image appears on all the VideoHeads.
COCTEAU
I want you to do everything in
your power to get this madman.
Cocteau clicks off the Holo. Rolls his eyes. As if
the cops have a chance against Phoenix...
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN ROOM - DAY
Earle nods. He has no idea what that might entail. He
looks really ill.
EARLE
BE
well.
Silence reigns. No one knows what to say. Lenina has
her head in her hands in shock.
EARLE
(aghast)
He M.D.K.'ed everyone in a six
man squad.
With
a Strategic
Apprehension Computer. Destroyed
an official government vehicle.
'Everything in our power,' what
else is there?
Nobody has a clue what to do. Lenina looks up. An idea
forming --
HUXLEY
Zachary Lamb. How did they
apprehend this fiendish Simon
Phoenix back in the 20th?
LAMB
Twelve-state manhunt... Satellite
surveillance... A video-bite on
'Unsolved Mysteries'... None of
it worked. In the end, it took
one man. One cop. John Spartan.
Lenina looks at him with a pleased and spooky smile.
INT. POLICE STATION - LENINA'S OFFICE - DAY
Garcia, Earle, and Lamb are huddled before Lenina's
console.
ON SCREEN
Shot after shot of Spartan emerging from the wreckage of
destroyed buildings dragging his prisoners behind him.
Everytime: Wreckage, Spartan, Prisoner. Wreckage,
Spartan, Prisoner.
GARCIA
Are you sure this is real life?
HUXLEY
Barely. Spartan's a legend. I
did an historical study on him
last year, which I guess none of
you swallowed. One thousand arrests
in three years. All real criminals.
LAMB
There was a lot more business
back then.
MORE WRECKAGE
This time Spartan is marching away from a flaming, over-
turned police car, carrying a young girl. A TV camera
crew scrambles up.
FEMALE REPORTER (IMAGE)
How do you reconcile the fact you
destroyed a three million dollar
mini-mall to rescue a girl whose
ransom was only 10,000...
LITTLE GIRL (IMAGE)
Fuck you, lady!
SPARTAN (IMAGE)
Good answer.
LENINA
smiles at the screen --
EARLE
This is a recommendation? Your
'Demolition man's' an animal, a
muscle-bound grotesque who...
HUXLEY
He is clearly the man for such a
job as this. You could reinstate
him. He hasn't worn a shield in
over forty years. Or much else,
for that matter.
GARCIA
He must be seventy years old by
now.
A smile slowly unfolds on her face. Lamb knows where
she's going as we...
CUT TO:
INT. CRYO-PRISON - MAIN ROOM - DAY
ON a Status panel: Cellular activity: Null. Tempera-
ture: .5 degree K. Lights begin to cycle. A SERVO
WHINES. The CAMERA MOVES TO the chamber as the autolock
begins to unwind. Unlock. The arm moves aside. The
frozen puck rises from its chamber. Spartan hasn't
moved, blinked in 40 years.
Two Techs in insulated suits and gloves stand on either
side. Both wear tiny flip-up welding goggles. The
first, takes out a Durameter. Tests the puck. Harder
than steel, a little less than a diamond.
Tech #2, holds a handheld Magnesium Thermite Laser.
About the size of a skill saw. For the first time we
notice there are six small raised half domes on top of
the puck. Indices. Drops the guide ring at the end of
the MTL over an index. Flips down his goggles.
Fires the MTL. The entire puck lights up white white.
We almost get the feeling Spartan can sense what's
going on. A burst of energy melts a small hole in side
of puck. We STAY ON Spartan.
WIDE AGAIN
Tech #1 drives over a crane with a six-clawed arm.
Like a standing forklift. Or a gladiator... the
fingers drop into the laser cut holes. They raise
the puck. Carry it away.
INT. CRYO-PRISON - DEFROSTING CHAMBER - DAY
The puck sits on a stainless steel podium. Completely
alone in a round stainless steel room.
Three MTL lasers begin to pulsate madly. One from above
cutting in, spiraling in towards Spartan. The others top
and bottom shaving an eighth of an inch in a tenth of a
second with each pass.
The puck shrinks away, the beams grow closer and closer
to Spartan. Just before they would hit him, the beams
turn blue. Steam bursts from the puck. Fills the air.
Obscures everything. The lasers stop. Darkness.
The entire chamber splits open. A room within a room.
Spartan rolls over limp and supple collapsing, onto his
back. Med Techs rush in.
INT. CRYO-PRISON - CONFERENCE AREA - DAY
Lenina, Garcia, and Earle are standing at one end of a
long table. Gaping. Spartan sits slumped at the other
end of the table. Draped in a grey industrial jumpsuit.
Still half comatose.
Earle is shaking his head. He can't believe he agreed to
this.
HUXLEY
This is within the power of the
police charter, sir. He can be
released on limited parole and
reinstated to active duty.
GARCIA
It's not enough to collect the
90's. You have to bring them
back to life...
HUXLEY
Cocteau said everything in our
power. I still can't think of
a better idea.
EARLE
That still doesn't mean it's a
good one.
They all watch warily. Spartan comes to with a start.
Looks up at them. Looks around quickly for any immediate
threat. Sees none. Tries to stand. Can't yet.
SPARTAN
(pointing at Garcia,
the nearest;
rasping)
You...
A gulping Garcia creeps to Spartan. Spartan claws out,
ripping Garcia down to rasp...
SPARTAN
Where am I?
GARCIA
Uh, I, uh...
Spartan pushes Garcia away.
SPARTAN
When am I?
GARCIA
Uh, it's Thursday. Tomorrow's
Arbor day.
(beat)
And last week you turned eighty-
four years old. Happy Birthday.
Huxley comes over. Clear and concisely...
HUXLEY
Detective, I'm Lieutenant Huxley.
The year is 2042. Now the reason
you've been released...
SPARTAN
(shaking it off)
How long have I been under?
HUXLEY
Forty-four years.
Whoa...
SPARTAN
(trying to focus)
I had a wife... What happened to
my wife?
HUXLEY
Your wife's light was extinguished
in the Big One of 2010.
(off his confused
look)
Uh, she died. In an earthquake.
The
earthquake.
This takes a moment to sink in. Then, defrosting,
haltingly...
SPARTAN
My wife and I, we had a girl. A
daughter. I made a promise.
What...
EARLE
John Spartan, I am Chief of
Police George Earle. We did not
thaw you for a family reunion. It
is fortunate the lieutenant even
did a probe on your wife. This
is about you and a Mr. Phoenix.
A Mr.
Simon
Phoenix.
SPARTAN
(fully awake)
What?
Huxley steps in.
HUXLEY
This morning Phoenix escaped from
this cryo facility. We've had
nine murder death kills so far.
We have become a society of peace,
loving and understanding. And we
are, quite frankly, not equipped
to deal with this situation.
He looks at her like she's nuts.
GARCIA
There have been no deaths of
unnatural causes in San Angeles
in the last sixteen years.
SPARTAN
Where???
HUXLEY
The Santa Barbara, Los Angeles,
San Diego metroplex merged in
2011. You are in the center of
what used to be Los Angeles.
He gets up. He's way stiff.
SPARTAN
Great. Just great.
(then)
God, I'm so hungry. I'd kill for
a burrito.
They back off in fear.
SPARTAN
It's just an expression.
Spartan creaks his head toward Garcia, spooking him back
away. Spartan vigorously scratches his hand as he
speaks.
SPARTAN
Just get me some Marlboros.
GARCIA
Of course. Right away. What
are...
SPARTAN
A cigarette.
(relinquishes his
brand loyalty)
Just get me
any
cigarette.
HUXLEY
Cigarettes are not good for you
and it has been deemed that
everything that is not good for
you is bad. Hence... illegal.
Alcohol, caffeine, contact sports,
meat...
SPARTAN
Are you shittin' me?
MORALITY BOX (V.O.)
John Spartan, you are fined one
credit for a violation of verbal
morality statute 113.
Spartan looks at it in amazement.
SPARTAN
What the fuck is that?
MORALITY BOX (V.O.)
John Spartan, you are fined one
credit for a violation of...
HUXLEY
(as I was saying)
Bad language, chocolate, gasoline,
uneducational toys, and anything
spicy. Abortion's also illegal,
but then again so's pregnancy if
you don't have a license.
EARLE
Caveman, let us finish all the
Rip Van Winkle and get moving.
A Mr. Phoenix has risen from the
ashes.
SPARTAN
Uh-uh. I tracked that dirtbag
for two years, and when I finally
brought him down, they turned me
into an ice cube for my trouble.
Thanks, but no thanks.
EARLE
The conditions of your parole
are full reinstatement into the
S.A.P.D. and immediate assignment
to the apprehension of Simon
Phoenix, or you can go back into
cryo-stasis.
(then; more softly)
Not many people get a second
chance, John Spartan.
Spartan
remembers
. The freezer was bad, way bad. He
swallows hard and --
EXT. CRYO-PRISON - DAY
Huxley and Garcia are waiting by the police car out
front. Half a beat, John Spartan, now completely done
up in a 2042 cop uniform comes out. He feels like a
buffoon.
SPARTAN
What am I supposed to be, a drum
major? This isn't a cop uniform.
Am I gonna lead the Rose Bowl
parade? What
is
all this stuff?
HUXLEY
Direct biolink readouts for vitals,
VOX radio connect, base and inter
officer coded by rank, partner
status and case priority. And
that's the pocket for your whistle.
SPARTAN
(God save me)
Great, in case one of the floats
gets loose I can direct traffic.
EXT. ANOTHER SAN ANGELES CITY STREET / INT. POLICE
CAR - DAY
Spartan is stuffed into the back seat of Lenina's police
car. Absently scratching the back of his hand, Spartan
stares out his window in amazement at the shiny, happy
people in the happy shiny city. Meanwhile, Lenina and
Garcia are staring through a rearview screen at Spartan
with equal amazement.
GARCIA
This all probably seems quasi-
strange to you.
SPARTAN
Quasi-strange? This isn't my
city. How do you expect me to
protect it? I don't get you
people, let alone like you much...
HUXLEY
You come from a society in which
the average l8-year-old has
witnessed 200,000 acts of
simulated violence. In our
society the number is closer to
four. If someone off the street
was to watch the Three Stooge Men
and see the Moe-person hammer the
Curly-person, they would weep,
John Spartan, weep.
Spartan looks at her. What was that?
HUXLEY
Myself, I'm a bit of an afficanado
of the shocking, real and fiction.
In fact, I perused many a News
Disk of you. That time you wow-
fully tractor-pulled the Santa
Monica pier into a heap of rubble
in order to snare that team of hit
men who...
She trails off, as she sees Spartan staring out the
window shaking his head, very much alienated from every-
thing around him.
HUXLEY
You seem very much alone, John
Spartan. Not everything is that
different. Perhaps you would
like to hear the oldies station.
'Oldies.'
The RADIO quickly turns ON and changes stations to:
RADIO (V.O.)
'Sometimes you feel like a nut,
sometimes you don't.
Almond Joy's got nuts, Mounds
don't.
Because sometimes you feel
like a nut, sometimes you
don't.'
GARCIA
The most popular station in town.
Nonstop wall-to-wall minitunes.
You called them commercials. Wow,
this is my fave...
RADIO (V.O.)
'Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who
climb on rocks.
Tough kids, sissy kids.'
Lenina and Garcia join in for a sing-a-long finish as
Spartan turns back to the window, eyes bulging. He
goes back to scratching his hand.
HUXLEY/GARCIA
(singing)
Even kids with chicken pox love
hot dogs, Armour hot dogs.
The dogs... kids... love... to
bite.
SPARTAN
Somebody put me back in the fridge.
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
Emotions are still a little frayed at the station, but a
certain peace has returned. Lenina approaches the Tough-
looking Cop. They again exchange nontouching circular
hand spins.
HUXLEY
New inforama on Simon Phoenix?
TOUGH COP
None... So where is John Spartan?
GARCIA
He went to the bathroom... I guess
he got all thawed out.
Spartan trudges through a spooked gantlet of 2042
officers. The Tough Cop greets him, raising his hand.
TOUGH COP
Sir, I formally convey my presence.
SPARTAN
Hi.
Spartan reaches out and shakes the Tough Cop's hand.
It's like he spit on him. The Tough Cop tries not to
react, but he's clearly disgusted.
HUXLEY
We're not used to physical contact
greetings.
SPARTAN
Oh... Hey, you guys are out of
toilet paper...
GARCIA
Toilet paper?
HUXLEY
(suppressed giggle)
They used handfuls of wadded
paper, back in the 20th.
The entire station roars with laughter. Spartan stands
unamused.
SPARTAN
I'm happy you're happy but in the
place where you're supposed to
have toilet paper, you have a
little shelf with three seashells
on it.
PERKY DISPATCHER
(hysterical)
He doesn't know how to use the
three seashells!
The station roars again. Spartan shakes his head and
scratches his hand. Suddenly, the elderly Lamb comes
INTO VIEW. Spartan's mouth falls open.
SPARTAN
Zach Lamb, what happened to you?!
LAMB
I got old. It happens.
SPARTAN
(stopping, smiling)
Motherfuck. You were a snotnosed
punkass rook! Look at you.
You're fucking old!
The nearest Morality Box dutifully BUZZES.
MORALITY BOX (V.O.)
John Spartan, you are fined three
credits for a violation...
Three sheets of paper come off. Spartan looks at it.
Grins. Walks over to the machine --
SPARTAN
Shit, fuck, piss, crap, damn,
bitch, bitch, damn. Fuck.
A whole sheaf of paper peels off. Spartan gathers it up.
It wads nicely.
SPARTAN
So much for the three seashells.
I'll be right back.
INT. POLICE STATION - LENINA'S OFFICE - DAY
Spartan examines all the TechnoWonders as Lenina punches
up an illustration on the screen: a small, square micro-
chip being surgically inserted into the top of a hand.
It's tied into the veins and blood supply as well.
HUXLEY
Simon Phoenix isn't coded. An
organically bioengineered microchip
was developed that could by sewn
into the skin. Sensors all around
the city can zero in on anyone at
any time.
TOUGH COP
I can't even conceive a visual of
what you cops did before it was
developed...
SPARTAN
We worked for a living. This
fascist crap makes me wanna puke.
EARLE
What do you think you're
scratching, caveman?
You really surmise we'd let you
out without control? Your code
was implanted the second you
thawed.
Spartan seethingly contemplates his itching hand.
SPARTAN
Why didn't you just shove a leash
up my ass?!
EARLE
Dirty meat-eater! No matter how
Viking your era was, I cannot
digest how you ever wore a badge!
You're going back, John Spartan,
oh yes, you're going back.
HUXLEY
Could you two please dump some
hormones? We need every cortex we
can get in this situation.
EARLE
We don't need him. Our computer
has already examined all feasible
scenarios resulting from the
appearance of Simon Phoenix and
determined he will attempt to
start up a new drug lab and form
a crime syndicate.
FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
That is correct, Chief George
Earle.
SPARTAN
I hate to interrupt you two
lovebirds, but that's fucking
stupid. You think he wants to
build a business? Phoenix is
going for a gun. Plain and
simple.
As Spartan rages, roaming around the station, Morality
boxes have heart attacks keeping up with his offenses.
SPARTAN
Phoenix is a complete meglomaniacal
fucking psychopath. And the first
thing Simon is going to want to do
is wipe the smug smiles off your
shiny faces.
He could just handshake your asses
to death, but who's got the
goddamn patience. Trust me, he's
going for a gun.
EARLE
Who cares what this primate thinks.
Resonate some understanding. The
only place a person can even view
a gun in this city, is at a...
museum!
INT. SAN ANGELES MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORY - MAIN
HALL - DAY
The museum is located in the Cocteau complex. Phoenix
wanders through a hall arrayed with displays of various
'80s/'90s/'00s/'10s artifacts. A Girl Scout Troop (in
modernly-modulated uniforms) looking
down
as we realize
that large sections of the floor
of the entire museum
are transparent. Below is an archeological exhibit of
a section of the old city -- parts of buildings and
streets.
MUSEUM COMPUTER BOX (V.O.)
If you care to sample what it was
like to spend a day in Los Angeles
in the Twentieth Century please
press the button.
One of the Scouts presses a large red button. HONKING
CARS, SWEARING in Spanish, GUN SHOTS, SIRENS, RAP
MUSIC... At the end of the hall, there's an arrow to
another exhibit: HALL OF VIOLENCE. Phoenix grins.
PHOENIX
Home sweet home...
As he heads down the hall --
EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY
Spartan, Lenina, and Garcia stride towards Huxley's
cruiser.
SPARTAN
It's a hunch. Trust me on this.
It's a cop thing.
(as they get into
the car)
I'm driving.
Spartan gets into the driver's side. Lenina gets in the
passenger. A beat. They both emerge.
SPARTAN
You're driving.
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DAY
Chief Earle sits before the vidphone. Sweating.
Cocteau's scary serenity stares back at him.
COCTEAU (IMAGE)
Enhance your calm, Chief.
Please, share your disquietude.
EARLE
Mayor/Gov Cocteau, we find the
branching possibility exists the
escaped cryocon, Mr. Simon Phoenix,
may be on his way to the Museum of
Art and History in your complex.
COCTEAU (IMAGE)
What permutation lead you to this
curious conclusion? Do you expect
him to be homesick?
Raymond quietly enjoys his own wit.
EARLE
No. No, sir. Do you not still
have the armory exhibit
downstairs?
OFF Cocteau's look of quiet surprise ---
INT. MUSEUM - ARMORY ROOM - DAY
The exhibit begins with the crudest weapons, cavemen with
clubs, stone axes, arrowheads, and moves up the ladder of
history toward modern day --
Western Colt revolvers, an old-time gangster Tommy gun...
In the middle of the room is a Civil War cannon. A stack
of cannonballs sits next to it.
PHOENIX
This is the future. Where are
the fucking phaser guns?
He keeps moving down the line. Past the 1940s, the
1980s, 1990s... And finally a weapon he doesn't recognize
at all. Magnetic Accelerator Gun. AcMag for short.
Phoenix grins.
Punches the glass in the exhibit. Hard. His fist
bounces off. It hurts. He looks around for something to
break it with. Nothing. Side kicks a larger expanse of
glass in front of another display. Almost breaks it.
Not quite. Growls. A MUSEUM HELPER/GUARD comes into
the room. Moves towards the annoyed Phoenix smiling
pleasantly.
MUSEUM GUARD
Mellow greetings. What seems to
be your boggle?
PHOENIX
My boggle...
(he sighs)
I'm at the top of the food chain,
ya know? And I would prefer to
use tools, not bruise up my hands
and feet. But I can't find
anything in this place. A rock,
a crowbar, any heavy object.
Tell me, whatta you weigh?
The Guard looks at him in total confusion. Phoenix grabs
him by the lapels and shot-puts him across the room into
the GLASS. This time it SHATTERS impressively.
PHOENIX
Enough...
A very mellow ALARM GOES OFF MURMURING "PLEASE EXIT" over
and over. Simon begins sorting through weapons
available. Loads a SHOTGUN from the case. Tests it by
BLOWING up another display. Works just fine. The ALARM
changes to "PLEASE EXIT RAPIDLY." It begins to annoy
him. He BLOWS the loudspeaker away. BLOWS up the AcMag
case. Grabs the gun. There doesn't seem to be any
cartridges. No way to load them either. Aims, fires.
Nothing.
PHOENIX
Motherfuck.
There's an information booth at end of the room.
Phoenix can't help himself. Presses the Ego Boost Button
again.
MUSEUM COMPUTER (V.O.)
That's a great looking shirt.
Phoenix chuckles appreciatively, presses the "?" button.
MUSEUM COMPUTER (V.O.)
Yes, Museum Patron. Have you a
query?
PHOENIX
Whatsa matter with the...
(checks the name)
Magnetic Accelerator gun?
Graphics flicker madly on the screen.
MUSEUM COMPUTER (V.O.)
The Magnetic Accelerator gun, the
last produced handheld weapon of
this millenium displaced the flow
of neutrons through a non-linear
cycloid supercooled
electromagnetic force.
PHOENIX
So... what? It needs new
batteries? What size? Who sells
batteries in the future? Is
there a battery store I can go to?
Two GUARDS appear in the doorway behind him.
GUARD #1
(tough-ish)
Excuse me, Museum Patron...
Without a second beat, Phoenix SHOTGUNS them both. In
the background we can hear the ALARM change "RUN.
RUN..."
A set of steel DOORS WHOOSH down, sealing Phoenix in.
Phoenix turns back to the computer as ---
MUSEUM COMPUTER (V.O.)
The AcMag, now reactivated,
should concurrently supercool and
achieve fission in...two point
six minutes.
PHOENIX
(looking at steel
doors)
Yeah, well, I was considering
leaving quickly and patience is
not
one of my virtues.
(beat)
Who am I kidding? I don't have
any virtues.
Laughs at his own wit. Grabs a shoulder bag from a
Vietnam era GI display. Starts loading up on weapons
and ammo. Kid in a toy store. Examines, discards,
chooses... And everything is free. He turns to the
Civil War cannon. And grins...
EXT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - MUSEUM ENTRANCE - DAY
The SAPD car is parked at the curb. Doors popped open.
Museum patrons and guards flee. Spartan, followed by
Huxley and Garcia, moves against the flow.
A cylindrical metal periscope suddenly pops up from the
sidewalk. As Spartan stares down at it, the periscope
zips back down the hole.
SPARTAN
You see that?
GARCIA
What?
SPARTAN
Never mind. I give up trying to
figure this place out.
GARCIA
(holding out his
S.A.C.)
Procedure?
S.A.C. (V.O.)
Establish communication with
maniac intruder.
SPARTAN
Wrong.
(he takes the S.A.C.,
smashes it to the
ground)
Hey. Luke Skywalker. Use the
Force.
Spartan heads for the door. Garcia has a distraught
moment before following. Garcia hands Spartan a stun
baton. It SPARKS to life.
SPARTAN
What the hell's this?
GARCIA
It's a glow rod. It's what we
got.
SPARTAN
Does it work?
Spartan casually pokes out to a nearby scared guard.
The guard drops like a dead weight.
SPARTAN
Guess so.
HUXLEY
They've got him trapped in section
eight.
SPARTAN
Trapped? The Maniac Intruder?
That I doubt. Oh, would you make
sure for me that nobody else is
in the building?
HUXLEY
(understands)
Done.
(as she turns to the
guards)
I want a visual. Now. Every
corridor in the museum. I want
full sensors routed to me. And I
want it ninety seconds ago...
They start to scurry. There's a moment as he appreciates
her skill and ---
INT. MUSEUM - MAIN HALL - DAY
Now empty. Spartan strides along. Sparking bullshit
stun baton in one hand.
INT. MUSEUM - ARMORY ENTRANCE - DAY
Spartan approaches. Can see the sealed steel doors.
There's an emergency release beside them.
Checks the stun baton. Reaching for the handle when, the
DOORS EXPLODE at him. Blown aside. Fire, smoke every-
where, a battered cannonball bouncing down the hall.
Spartan hurls himself through the hole in the doors.
Takes cover behind one of the exhibits.
INT. MUSEUM - ARMORY ROOM - DAY
Phoenix stands behind the Civil War cannon.
PHOENIX
(amusing himself once
again)
What can I say, I'm a blast from
the past.
He looks like a mad bandito. Draped in guns and ammo.
SPARTAN (O.S.)
Simon Phoenix. L.A.P.D., I mean
San Angeles P.D. You're under
arrest.
Where's the voice come from? Why does it sound so
familiar?
PHOENIX
Nah. I don't think so.
Simon unleashes a BARRAGE from a TOMMY GUN draped around
his neck. Keeps FIRING and FIRING and FIRING. Empties
it. Not a very strategic move as he demolishes most of
the cases in the room, including the one directly over
Spartan.
A Beretta falls at his feet. An old police belt as well.
Spartan yanks out the magazine. Loads it. Collapses the
bullshit stun baton and tucks it away.
SPARTAN
Hands up or I'll shoot, Simon.
(beat; to himself)
Fuck it.
Spartan comes up FIRING. Gets off about THREE SHOTS
before Phoenix STRAFES the area with a HK91. Dives for
cover.
PHOENIX
You were saying...
(recognition jolt)
Spartan! John Spartan! What's a
guy like you doing in a century
like this?
SPARTAN
My job.
PHOENIX
Who cares? Simon says bleed.
Phoenix unsheathes a pair of machine PISTOLS. BLAZES
away. Tries the AcMag. Still nothing.
PHOENIX
(re: the AcMag)
Come
on
, motherfucker.
(then)
Well, we'll do it the old-
fashioned way...
Dumps another load of black powder into the cannon.
STRAFES Spartan. Tamps the powder down. STRAFES Spartan.
Spartan sees a 12-gauge auto loader and a box of shells
across the aisle.
PHOENIX
So lemme get this straight -- they
defrosted you just to lassoo my
piddly ass?
The MAGAZINE EMPTIES. Calculating the odds, Spartan dives
and rolls across the aisle.
SPARTAN
I was in the neighborhood.
He's concerned when there're no shots fired. He oughta
be. Phoenix drops in a cannon ball. Lights the fuse.
Aims.
Spartan comes up BLAZING. Lotta firepower in a 12-GAUGE
at close range. Phoenix has a pair of SIX-SHOOTERS. Bad
Day at Black Rock. CASES SHATTER. The cannon's pointed
straight at Spartan. Displays collapse. Phoenix
flattens. A mannequin falls across the cannon, pointing
the muzzle down.
Phoenix pulls out the now-fully-charged AcMag as the
CANNON FIRES. Right into the floor. BLOWS out one of
the transparent panels. The two of them collapse into
the floor below.
INT. MUSEUM - MAIN HALL - DAY
Smoke everywhere.
PHOENIX (O.S.)
Nice shooting, Spartan. You
killed the building.
The smoke clears. They're in downtown 20th Century
L.A. They've dropped into the archeological exhibit we
saw before. Spartan, shaking off the fall, finds himself
weaponless. Phoenix is spinning madly around, AcMag in
one hand, an Ingram from his shoulder bag in the other.
STRAFES everywhere with the INGRAM. Tosses it away.
PHOENIX
Past is over, Spartan.
(re the AcMag)
Time for something new and improved.
Like me... Now die.
Phoenix aims the AcMag. Completely silent. Then the
first OBJECT that intersects his aim simply EXPLODES.
Whatever it is. Phoenix laughs hysterically. Likes this
new toy a lot. Fires again. A working FIRE HYDRANT
BLOWS UP off its bolts.
Water is spraying everywhere. Phoenix stands in it six
inches deep. Spartan yanks out his stun baton, steps
clear, jams it in the water.
SPARTAN
You forgot to say Simon says.
Spartan activates the stun baton. Phoenix is racked with
pain. Rattled and shaken by the charge. Involuntary
shudders. Yanks himself clear with a wild grin.
PHOENIX
What a brave new world. Sorry you
have to leave.
He FIRES. Spartan dives for cover. Just out of reach he
spots the BERETTA. Dives for it. SHOOTS back. It's
like a popgun compared to the AcMag. Anything but
survival becomes completely out of the question. Phoenix
FIRES ROUND AFTER ROUND. Everything he aims at just
EXPLODES. That Spartan lives through this at all is
amazing.
EXT. MUSEUM - REAR COURTYARD - DAY
Cocteau coolly walks through the freshly-landscaped
courtyard.
A large column of smoke rises out of a section of the
museum. Associate Bob frantically bobs about him.
ASSOCIATE BOB
I'm sure, sir, the Stress Breeder
is inside being demobilized as we
speak...
A BULLET WHISTLES by, barely missing Bob. He hurls
himself into the dirt. Cocteau turns to face a jazzed-
up Phoenix, still draped in weapons, the AcMag tucked in
his belt.
PHOENIX
Damn, being frozen has thrown
off my aim. Don't worry, I'll
kill you with the next shot.
COCTEAU
I don't think so.
Phoenix raises a Luger to Cocteau. Something snaps.
Phoenix's smile turns to a grimace. His gun hand
quivers. He wants to kill, but he can't. Cocteau
folds his arms.
COCTEAU
Ah, no kiss-kiss. No bang-bang...
And you were doing so well. Now,
don't you have a job to do? Don't
you have someone you have to kill?
Phoenix looks at him. Surprised and puzzled...
PHOENIX
Yeah, I do...
Spartan comes crashing out of the wreckage. Loading
the Beretta as he runs, a crazed scowl on his face.
Phoenix leaps the wall.
EXT. MUSEUM STREET - REAR COURTYARD - DAY
Phoenix bounds up a hill. Jumps onto the back of a
WHIRRING ELECTRIC TROLLEY heading by. It picks up speed.
He disappears.
EXT. MUSEUM - REAR COURTYARD - DAY
Spartan takes aim - out of range. Fuck. Turns to
Cocteau.
SPARTAN
You don't know how fucking lucky
you are that maniac didn't whack
you.
COCTEAU
No doubt whacking, whatever it
is, would be extremely bad. You
scared him away and I do not know
how to thank you. You saved my
life.
Spartan gives a SUSPICIOUS glance from the wall to
Cocteau as Cocteau leads him...
EXT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - MUSEUM ENTRANCE - DAY
The cops and passersby are in a state of shock. A column
of smoke still rises from somewhere in the middle of the
building. 2042 Fire Department vehicles arrive. A fire-
man jumps into a control stand atop the vehicle, pulls a
joystick, and the entire back of the truck lifts off,
unmanned drone. He guides it towards the blaze. Under
all of which --
HUXLEY
Not bad for an eighty-four-year-
old! Simon Phoenix knows he has
some competition. He's finally
matched his meat. You really
licked his ass!
SPARTAN
Uh, it's 'met his match.' And
'kicked.' Kicked' his ass.
Cocteau takes a quivering Chief Earle aside.
COCTEAU
(coolly)
Who is this man?
In the b.g., Associate Bob arrives, tidily brushing
dirt off himself.
EARLE
Detective John Spartan.
Temporarily reinstated to the San
Angeles Police Department to
pursue the madman Simon Phoenix.
(ready to cry)
You told us to do everything in
our power to capture the madman.
COCTEAU
(beat)
I did. Yes. Yes, I did. I do
recall the exploits of John
Spartan. Didn't they call him...
I think it was... The Demolition
Man.
(then)
It's quite all right, Chief.
Unexpected, creative, but quite
all right.
BE
Well.
Earle nods. Still terrified.
COCTEAU
John Spartan, welcome. So, what
do you think of our fair society?
SPARTAN
Great, I come to the future,
Phoenix gets the ray gun, I get
the rusty Beretta.
Cocteau addresses Spartan and the entire assemblage.
COCTEAU
John Spartan, in honor of your
arrival, and your protection of
the sanctity of human life,
namely my own, I wish for you to
join me for dinner tonight.
(sees Huxley
at his side)
The both of you. I insist.
You must accompany me to Taco Bell.
Huxley looks seriously pleased and flattered. Spartan
just has no clue as to this choice of restaurants.
Huxley discreetly elbows him. Hard.
SPARTAN
Uh. That'd be great.
(befuddled)
Looking forward to it...
INT. POLICE STATION - MAIN AREA - DUSK
Spartan is not happy --
SPARTAN
Wait, wait, wait.
Spartan is staring at a vid screen on a wall: Cocteau,
grinning, arms spread, his utopia behind him, and the
Behavioral Engineering logo.
SPARTAN
Spacely Sprockets here, who is now
in charge, the 'Mayor/Gov,' who
wants to take me to dinner at
Taco Bell
-- though Lord knows I
wouldn't mind a burrito -- is
also one of the guys who invented
the cryoprison?!
Morality BOX BEEPS. Spartan casually adds the paper to
the collection in his breast pocket. Under --
EARLE
Dr. Cocteau is the most important
man in San Angeles. He practically
created our whole way of life.
Savage
!
SPARTAN
Well he can have it.
(choosing words)
And rather than inserting barbed
instruments up the rectums of
those around you, perhaps you
would care to sit on one yourself.
A flustered Earle gives a look to the morality box.
Spartan turns to another vid screen. A map of San
Angeles on it.
SPARTAN
Phoenix could be anywhere, but
not having a code could hurt him.
Limits his options.
HUXLEY
Correct. Money is outmoded. All
transactions are through codes.
SPARTAN
So Phoenix can't buy food or a
place to crash for the night.
Pointless for him to mug anybody...
(beat; thinks)
Unless he rips off someone's hand.
Let's hope he doesn't figure that
one out...
Everyone is momentarily nauseated.
GARCIA
And with all officers already
patrolling in a citywide crisis
net, it should be just a matter of
tick-tocks before...
EARLE
And you know, we already have a
back-up plan. We can just wait
for another code to go red. When
Phoenix performs another
murderdeathkill, we'll know
exactly where to pounce...
SPARTAN
Oh. Great plan.
EARLE
Thank you.
Only Lenina gets the sarcasm. She and Spartan exchange a
look. Spartan goes back to staring at the screen.
SPARTAN
So where the fuck is he?
Spartan reaches without looking. Pockets another
warning.
EXT. SAN ANGELES ALLEY - NIGHT
Simon is behind a shiny silver building. Prying up a
grate.
PHOENIX
No front door, no welcome mat,
what's with these people? How
you supposed to show up and kill
somebody?
He loves his own jokes. Climbs down in. Starts down a
long ladder welded onto the side. Shuts the grate behind
him.
EXT. SAN ANGELES SKYLINE - NIGHT
The 2042 skyline glistens. Tiny cars zip along below us.
INT. LENINA'S POLICE CAR - MOVING - NIGHT
Spartan stares in amazement at Huxley as she prattles
on...
HUXLEY
(a touch embarrassed;
a schoolgirl crush)
I've been an enthusiast of your
escapades for quite some time.
I have, in fact, perused some actual
newsreels of you at the
Schwarzenegger library. The time
you drove your car through that...
SPARTAN
Back up. The Schwarzenegger
library...
HUXLEY
Yes, the Schwarzenegger
Presidential Library. Wasn't he
an actor when you...
SPARTAN
Stop... He was President?
HUXLEY
Even though he was not born in
this country, his popularity at
the time caused the 61st Amendment
which states...
SPARTAN
(waving her off)
I don't want to know...
They drive in silence for a while, Spartan staring out
the window at 2042 passing by.
SPARTAN
I keep looking around, thinking
about my daughter growing up in a
place like this. I'm afraid she's
gonna think I'm some kind of
disgusting primate from the past.
As much as I want to see her, I
almost don't wanna know. I'm not
gonna fit into the picture very
well.
Huxley reaches for the car terminal; thrilled with this
small mischief.
HUXLEY
It would be a minor misuse of
police powers but I could do a
search for you.
Spartan reaches over, stops her hand. Shakes his head
"no." There's a moment between the two of them. He
remembers he shouldn't touch her. Lets go. She doesn't
seem to mind.
SPARTAN
(then; changing
subjects)
So, what's with this Cocteau guy?
He thanks me for saving his life --
which I'm not sure I did --
invites me to dinner, and where
does he take me...
Taco Bell
. I
mean, hey, I like Mexican but
come on...
HUXLEY
Your tone is quasi-facetious. You
do not realize Taco Bell was the
only restaurant to survive the
Franchise Wars.
All
restaurants
are now Taco Bell.
As they pull up in front --
EXT. TACO BELL - NIGHT
It is unlike any Taco Bell we will ever see. Holographic
images hover in the air in front of the marble entrance.
A row of jacketed valets stands ready. One rushes up.
As they enter, a periscope pipe pops up, looks around,
disappears. No one notices it.
INT. TACO BELL - FRONT COUNTER AREA - NIGHT
Sparse, elegant and Melrose-dark. As Huxley and Spartan
enter a mariachi band takes their place in the corner.
Huxley and Spartan walk up to a sultry future version of
a Taco Bell order counter. Spartan is trying to
assimilate it all when the COUNTER-GIRL breaks the ultra-
cool character of the restaurant to give him a typical
fast food happy face.
COUNTERGIRL
Hi! May I help you?
SPARTAN
Uh, I'll take a Burrito Supreme
and a shake?
COUNTERGIRL
Will that be for here or to go?
SPARTAN
Ah. The eternal question... Here.
She does a perky fast food spin to the station behind
her and whips back a silver tray holding an ornate china
set.
COUNTERGIRL
Burrito Supreme. Shake. BE well.
Spartan looks down to a miniscule cylinder of pressed
kelp topped with a dab of salsa and small sesame-seed-
type bits. The tiny shake is in a thimble-sized frost-
covered glass.
SPARTAN
Oooh. Yum... Good thing I'm
hungry.
INT. TACO BELL - COCTEAU'S TABLE - NIGHT
The mariachi band launches into the Mexican hat dance
song as Spartan and Lenina, carrying their trays, are
escorted by a maitre d' to a table set in a secluded
section of the restaurant. Cocteau and Associate Bob
wait for them. Cocteau stands --
COCTEAU
John Spartan, the hero of the
hour. I congratulate you.
ASSOCIATE BOB
Greetings and salutations, I am
Associate Bob. We met before,
ever so briefly but I was
groveling in fear in the humus at
the time. You have had quite the
exciting first day in San Angeles.
Imagine, chasing a real criminal.
SPARTAN
(sitting)
Imagine. Could someone pass the
salt?
HUXLEY
(whispering)
Salt is not good for you. Hence
it is...
Spartan glares her quiet, pokes at his "Burrito Supreme."
A beat. Cocteau muses --
COCTEAU
So, John Spartan, tell me, what
do you think of San Angeles, 2042?
SPARTAN
I guess, considering the way
things were going when I went
in -- I thought the future would
be a sick, decaying pit of
suffering and hate with a thick,
foul stench.
Cocteau gloats.
COCTEAU
You should consider visiting New
York/Jersey after this.
SPARTAN
(brightening)
You mean nothing's changed?
Associate Bob roars in appreciative empty laughter.
Think Ed McMahon. Spartan looks at him. It wasn't
funny. Pokes at his burrito. Ugh...
COCTEAU
Look at you, John Spartan, pouting
for the old cheeseburger -- the
flesh of dying animals covered
with cholesterol laden butterfat.
You miss the bad old days.
SPARTAN
Yeah, maybe.
(then)
Look, I like vegetables. I even
ate tofu a couple times. But I
got to choose when I wanted it.
COCTEAU
You think we've gone too far? You
weren't here for the fourth and
fifth riots.
(harsh)
Civilization tried to destroy
itself. People just wanted the
madness over. And when I saw
the chance to make things right,
I grabbed it. San Angeles would
not be here. It would be your
pit of stench.
SPARTAN
Yeah? Maybe you can book me a
flight to New York when this is
done.
Lenina's shocked. Cocteau's not thrilled with his
attitude either.
COCTEAU
For your crimes, John Spartan,
you would have surely rotted and
died in jail by now. Even you
have to appreciate the
persuasively tranquil humanity of
the Cryo-Prison system...
SPARTAN
I don't want to piss on your
parade, pal, but my 'cryo-
sentence' wasn't a sweet lullaby.
I had feelings -- I had
thoughts -- a 44 year-old bad
dream about thirty people in a
burning building -- about my wife,
beating her fists against an ice
bucket. It woulda been more
humane to stake me down and leave
me to the crows.
HUXLEY
You were awake? A person would go
insane.
Spartan stares out the window. Across the street he sees
a scragly SCRAP on a sputtery patched together motor bike
in front of a large food store across the street.
COCTEAU
I am saddened and stunned. If
there's anything I can do...
Spartan goes back to staring out the window. Two, three,
then four Scraps loitering, looking around, they've done
nothing yet, but to Spartan's eye it's clear they're up
to no good.
The food truck approaches.
SPARTAN
(standing)
Just call for back-up. I'll be
across the street.
HUXLEY
But, John Spartan, why... How,
wha...
SPARTAN
(calling out; as he
leaves)
One of those hunch things again.
Bad guys about to do bad things...
And Spartan is gone...
EXT. COURT OF STORES - NIGHT
The court of stores are located outside the restaurant.
Spartan steps past the holographic images toward the food
store.
No one can mistake him for an exiting patron. He
radiates attitude. Spartan picks up his pace. The food
truck is just pulling in. The Motorcycle Scrap sees him.
REVS the BIKE in a ferocious swerve towards Spartan.
Spartan looks around. Beside him is a street SIGN
MURMURING "Third and Alemeda, Third and Alemeda,
Third..." Spartan rips it from the ground.
INT. TACO BELL - TABLE AREA - NIGHT
Lenina, and the rest of the restaurant gather at the
window to ooh in fear. Cocteau scowls angrily at the
Scraps.
EXT. COURT OF STORES - NIGHT
The Scrap on the motorcycle has no time to dodge as
Spartan stands his ground, jousts him clear out of
his seat. The motorcycle skids by, barely missing him,
hits the curb, somersaults and explodes through the
holograms. Spartan doesn't even flinch.
Still clutching the pole, Spartan makes a swift kempo-
swing into the three other attackers. And then, all hell
breaks loose.
EXPLOSIVE DEVICES EXPLODE the concrete inside nearby
stores. Scraps come pouring out. Sewer COVERS are
BLOWN asunder followed by chain- and nunchuck-wielding
Scraps.
An ALARM SCREAMS strangely and melodically. The food
truck is swarmed. Inside the foodstore ten, twenty,
thirty Scraps attack and loot. Spartan sees there's a
lot of them here. A whole lot.
SPARTAN
Great, they brought the whole
team.
Three more Scraps come charging out of the store.
Clutching packages. They hurl EXPLOSIVE DEVICES towards
Spartan to make their escape.
INT. TACO BELL - TABLE AREA - NIGHT
Lenina leads a round of giddy gasps. Cocteau is not
pleased with any of this.
EXT. COURT OF STORES - NIGHT
Spartan dodges the fusillade, looks around, takes stock
of the whole situation. An oncoming trolley comes around
the corner into the complex.
SPARTAN
Now if we can just get them to
stay and play...
Spartan dashes to the trolley car. He bounds up to
the DRIVER.
TROLLEY DRIVER
BE well...?
SPARTAN
Be gone.
Spartan tugs the driver along with him out of the moving
trolley. He javelins a mighty thrust with the street
sign into the back wheels of the trolley.
INT. TACO BELL - TABLE AREA - NIGHT
The patrons grow dead silent in anticipation.
EXT. COURT OF STORES - NIGHT
The TROLLEY teeters into a savagely awesome derail. It
goes into a SQUEALING, sparking SKID right into the food
truck. The slamming-to-a-stop trolley neatly angles into
the truck trapping Scraps out front and inside.
INT. TACO BELL - TABLE AREA - NIGHT
The patrons unbridle themselves into actual cheering.
EXT. COURT OF STORES - NIGHT
Spartan bursts forth from the trolley into the melee.
SPARTAN
You're all under arrest.
The Scraps freeze for a moment. This guy means business
in a way they've never seen before. But Spartan is dis-
tracted for a moment by an excited yell --
SCRAP RAIDER
Protein! I've found protein!!
This doesn't sound like hardened criminals to Spartan.
More Scraps rush over to help him carry this booty away.
A SCRAP appears beside Spartan, swinging a pair of
nunchucks made from two knobby table legs.
SPARTAN
(wearily)
You're going to regret this for
the rest of your life. Both
seconds of it.
Nunchuck Scrap thwaps Spartan. Spartan just looks
annoyed, not hurt. Slams him again. Still no reaction.
Spartan latches onto a nunchuck in the air as it comes
toward him. Yanks it forward as he shoves the Scrap
backward into the food store window. The Scrap bounces
off the window like a nerf ball, not remotely cracking
it. Spartan frowns to himself.
SPARTAN
Maybe I'm losing my touch.
Two other Scraps attack him. Spartan fends off one,
shotputs the other into the WINDOW, this time SHATTERING
it competely.
SPARTAN
Better.
Up on the truck, Payne, under an enormous load of food,
appears. Takes quick stock of the situation. He sees
Spartan. Has no idea who this guy is, but he's trouble.
They exchange a look.
PAYNE
We're outta here!
INT. TACO BELL - TABLE AREA - NIGHT
Cocteau smolders at the sight of Payne.
EXT. COURT OF STORES - NIGHT
The HURLED SCRAP stumbles out of the window wreckage,
falling to his knees. As Spartan considers what the hell
is really going on, and should he deck this guy, a bunch
of cans of quirky food cascade out of the Scrap's jacket.
HURLED SCRAP
(genuine pleading)
Please... don't...
Spartan stops. Backs away. Watches oddly as the Scrap
escapes. He lets them go. Steps back away as the others
escape. They don't know why he changed his mind, but
they're not staying around to find out.
Huxley and the restaurant patrons rush up to give him a
blast of adulation. Spartan's attention stays on the
fleeing Scraps.
HUXLEY
Such a reckless abandonment!
Looks like there's a new shepherd
in town!
SPARTAN
'Sheriff'... Who were those guys?
COCTEAU
We call them Scraps. Voluntary
outcasts, they cower beneath us
in sewers, abandoned tunnels...
ASSOCIATE BOB
They're nothing but thugs and
hooligans.
Cocteau nods appreciatively; Bob is echoing some previous
statement of his. In the b.g., a team of uniformed
engineers are patching up a hole in the ground using a
set of steel planks, laser welders, giant cement spurting
pastry bags...
HUXLEY
(to Spartan)
You are even better live than on
laserdisc. Oh, and the joyjoy
way you paused to make a glib
witticism before doing battle with
that strangely-weaponed Scrap it
was so, so...
SPARTAN
(losing it)
Hey, this isn't the Wild West.
The Wild West wasn't even the Wild
West. Hurting people is not a
good time. Well, sometimes it
is... but not when it's just a
bunch of guys who want something
to eat. You know, I think I
liked it better when we were all
supposed to fry in a nuclear
holocaust.
Cocteau doesn't look pleased about any of this. Spartan
storms off. Lenina, letting out a shocked breath, gulps
and follows after him.
EXT. ADDITIONAL SAN ANGELES STREET - NIGHT
Huxley's cruiser glides INTO FRAME.
HUXLEY (V.O.)
Huxley, coding off.
INT. LENINA'S POLICE CAR - MOVING - NIGHT
Spartan watches as the steering wheel retracts into the
dash. Shakes his head. Everything is weird in the
future. Then --
SPARTAN
Hey, look, I'm sorry I yelled
before... back there.
HUXLEY
No need to make a dehurtful
retraction. I've assimilated
too much contraband. I fleshed
you as some blow-up-the-bad-guys-
with-a-happy-grin-he-man type, but
I realize now you're the moody-
troubled-past-gunslinger-who-only-
draws-when-he-must.
SPARTAN
Huxley. Stop. I'm not any of
that... I'm nothing.
Touched, Lenina hands Spartan a small, unusual box.
HUXLEY
Oh, hey, here's what you asked
for... Why do you...
SPARTAN
Thanks. It's just a... hunch.
LENINA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Lenina's CAR WHIRRS up to two giant, geometric buildings.
SPARTAN
This is where you live?
HUXLEY
You, too. I have procured you a
domicile down the corridor from
my own.
INT. LENINA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
BLACK SCREEN
HUXLEY (O.S.)
Everything is voice-coded. So if
you need something...
A door opens in the darkness.
HUXLEY
... just ask. Lights.
Lights come up. The place is like one of the 50's
diners that never existed in the Fifties, the apartment
is a monstrosity -- a melange of 80's and 90's styles
never quite seen together in this way.
HUXLEY
(proudly)
What do you think? I clicked off
a lot of credits to create the
perfect 20th Century apartment.
SPARTAN
It's very...
Not sure what. Just nods at all. She beams.
HUXLEY
Isn't it?
(then; a little
halting)
John Spartan, there is of course a
well-known and documented connection
between sex and violence. Not so
much a causal effect, but a state
of general neurological arousal.
Spartan looks at her. He has no idea what her point is.
HUXLEY
And after observing your behavior
and my resultant condition, I was
wondering if you would like to
have sex?
He had
no
idea that was going to be her point.
SPARTAN
With you?
(as she nods)
Now?
(as she nods
again)
Ahhh, ahhh, mmm, yeah.
HUXLEY
Great.
She turns quickly to a cabinet and removes two strange
high-tech helmets and a towel. Lenina, all excited, puts
one of the helmets on his head and hands him the towel.
Flicks a switch on the side of the helmet -- read-out
lights come on; activated. Lenina sits upon a bed
opposite Spartan, and repeats the operation on herself
with the other helmet.
HUXLEY
Now you have to relax. We'll
start in a few seconds.
SPARTAN
Start what?
HUXLEY
Having sex, of course.
And she flicks on the switch on her own helmet.
VIRTUAL REALITY WORLD
Lenina appears floating, a diaphanous gown blowing
gently about her. She floats slowly TOWARDS us, as she
begins to peel off and discard pieces of the gown which
dissolve immediately away. As she approaches nakedness...
INT. LENINA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
A beat of open-mouthed amazement and enjoyment and then
Spartan tears the helmet from his head and throws down
his towel with a mixture of confusion and anxiety.
Lenina is still seated across the room.
HUXLEY
What's wrong? You broke contact.
SPARTAN
Contact? I haven't even touched
you yet!
Lenina removes her helmet with some confusion and hurt.
HUXLEY
But... but I thought you wanted
to make love.
SPARTAN
This is like boning Ms. Pacman.
Lenina stands, tossing her helmet down, and faces
Spartan.
HUXLEY
(flustered)
Vir-sex has been proven to
produce higher orders of
alpha waves during digitized
transference of sexual energies!
SPARTAN
Waddya say we just do this the
old-fashioned way?
She looks at him, backing away in shock and disgust.
HUXLEY
Uuuugh. You mean... fluid transfer?!
SPARTAN
Boning, doing the wild mambo,
you know...
(demonstrates)
... the hunka chunka.
HUXLEY
That is no longer done
!
Spartan looks at her like she's out of her mind.
HUXLEY
Exchange of bodily fluids? Do
you know what that leads to?
SPARTAN
Kids, smoking, a desire to raid
the fridge.
HUXLEY
The rampant exchange of bodily
fluids was one of the major reasons
for the downfall of society.
(trying to explain
calmly)
After AIDS there was NRS. After
NRS there was UBT. One of the
first things Dr. Cocteau was able
to do was outlaw and behaviorally
engineer all fluid transfer out
of societally-acceptable
behavior. Not even mouth
transfer is condoned.
SPARTAN
There's no kissing anymore...?
I was a good kisser...
HUXLEY
Ughh.
SPARTAN
What about kids?
HUXLEY
Procreation? We go to the
lab
.
Fluids are purified, screened
and transferred by authorized
medical personnel only. Ugh.
Ugh...
SPARTAN
I didn't...
HUXLEY
You are a savage creature. John
Spartan, I wish you to leave my
domicile now!
She points to the door. Stamps her foot. Some things
never change. He wants to explain. She stamps her foot
again. He leaves.
INT. SPARTAN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
In darkness, Spartan loudly bangs into something.
SPARTAN
Ahh. Lights.
Lights come up. The place is, well, spartan. Exact
same shape and size as Huxley's, but stunningly sterile
and unwarm. Spartan tragically takes in the place,
pokes his head into a clinical bathroom, a bathroom with
no toilet paper and a strange shelf with three seashells.
Shakes his head.
Spartan's hands start to quiver toward a knitting needle
and a ball of red yarn. Curiously furrowing his brow,
Spartan plops into a strenuously uncomfortable futuristic
chair and begins almost unconsciously knitting the red
yarn. He stops himself in perplexed surprise...
Suddenly, a LOUD BOPPING noise fills the air. A beautiful
NUDE WOMAN, casually brushing her teeth, appears on a
vidscreen before Spartan.
NUDE WOMAN (IMAGE)
Hi, Martin! I was thinki -- ohmyGod!
I'm sorry, wrong number --
In a panic, the Nude Woman reaches O.S. and the IMAGE
CLICKS off. Spartan smiles, then stops smiling. He
awkwardly calls out to the telescreen.
SPARTAN
Uh, telephone directory...
VIDSCREEN COMPUTER (V.O.)
(words appearing
simultaneously on the
screen)
Videophone directory accessed.
Spartan almost bails, but finally --
SPARTAN
(a little worried)
Do you have a number for a Katie,
I guess it's Katherine now,
Spartan? Or maybe under her
mom's name, Warren, or...
(the thought hits
him)
... her mom might have even
re-remarried. But she's passed
away now...
Shuts up. Realizes he's been rambling.
VIDSCREEN COMPUTER (V.O.)
(as soon as he shuts up)
Katie Spartan. No ref. Katherine
Spartan. No ref. Katherine
Warren.
(pause, pause)
No current ref.
SPARTAN
Was there one?
VIDSCREEN COMPUTER (V.O.)
Listed offspring under Madeline
Warren through 2010. Listed
different number domicile until
2028.
SPARTAN
What happened then?
He can't believe he's having a dialogue with TV screen,
but...
VIDSCREEN COMPUTER (V.O.)
No ref.
SPARTAN
(dreading the answer)
Did she die?
VIDSCREEN COMPUTER (V.O.)
No death certificate issued.
No ref.
SPARTAN
Good thing she didn't die without
permission. Did she move?
VIDSCREEN COMPUTER (V.O.)
No relocation license granted.
No ref.
SPARTAN
(getting irked)
Reason for 'no ref'?
VIDSCREEN COMPUTER (V.O.)
(after a beat)
What number do you wish to call?
Hangs up on him.
The image blinks out, replaced by clouds and the "BE
WELL" slogan. An annoyed Spartan stares at the screen.
He picks up the strange box Lenina gave him. Inside it
is a stack of petite laserdiscs. Spartan sticks the
first laserdisc in his television.
A surveillance camera shot shows the image of the explo-
sion at the museum. Spartan pops the disc and puts
another in. This time the surveillance village shows
Cocteau and Associate Bob walking through the courtyard.
Then the gunshot. Then finally Spartan comes to the
strange face-to-face between Cocteau and Phoenix.
Spartan back-and-forth watches the stand~off with growing
fascination. He almost unconsciously reaches out to the
sewing needles and the red yarn...
INT. COCTEAU'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Dark. Cocteau steps in. Trailed by Associate Bob.
Nothing happens. He looks around wondering why.
COCTEAU
(a little annoyed)
Lights.
PHOENIX (O.S.)
Nah, I changed that. Il
lum
inate.
The lights go on. Simon is behind Cocteau's desk, his feet
up.
PHOENIX
Il
lum
inate.
(they go off)
Isn't that nicer? Go 'head, you
try it.
COCTEAU
(exasperated)
Illuminate.
The lights come back on.
PHOENIX
Raymond, bud, we need to talk.
COCTEAU
How'd you get in?
PHOENIX
I wish I knew. Access codes,
routes to secret underground
kingdoms, the words to songs I
thought I forgot... I've been
meaning to ask you about this. I
can do almost anything. I like
this. A lot.
COCTEAU
(starting to lose his
calm demeanor)
Your skills were given to you for
a reason. Not for your personal
amusement. Your job is to kill
this nuisance, Thomas Payne no
one else in San Angeles can
perform this simple task
anymore -- and not to allow him to
wreak any more surface harassing
havoc. And your ineptitude
allowed it to grow worse tonight.
PHOENIX
(beat)
'Ineptitude.' Now I'd say that's
a bit of a provocative word,
Raymond. Have you ever been down
to the Wasteland? Has
anyone
you
know been down there?? No?
(good; then I lie madly)
Oooh. It's bad down there. Really
bad. It's a wonder I got out of
there alive. It's gonna be a big
problem.
(sorry, but...)
I'm gonna need five or six more
guys. Easy.
(then)
You gotta list? 'Cause I don't
wanna defrost no serial killers
or mad dog types.
COCTEAU
So you're gonna be the only mad
dog type?
For a minute we might think Phoenix is insulted. Uh uh.
PHOENIX
Exactemundo.
Cocteau turns to Bob.
COCTEAU
Fine. Take care of it.
(then to Phoenix)
Just get it over with... You're
beginning to be more trouble
than you're worth.
PHOENIX
Aww, don't say that...
Phoenix chuckles. Then, a little irked --
PHOENIX
What the hell is Spartan doing
here, Raymond? Who invited him to
our party?
Cocteau's gotta lie about this one. Wasn't part of his
plan either.
COCTEAU
Finish your business and I'll
stuff him back in the freezer.
Think of him as a guarantee.
PHOENIX
I took care of Spartan before,
don't worry your pointy little
head about it. Now to avoid this
ineptitude, we need these guys
thawed...
Cocteau nods. Yeah, whatever...
PHOENIX
Il
lum
inate.
The lights go out again. Simon chuckles madly.
COCTEAU
(getting aggravated)
Illuminate.
Nothing happens.
PHOENIX
(laughing as he
disappears)
Nah, I changed it again. See ya...
ASSOCIATE BOB
What a distasteful fellow.
Cocteau just looks at him. Enough already...
COCTEAU
Oh shut up, Bob.
EXT. LENINA'S APARTMENT - MORNING
Lenina is waiting outside her car as Spartan emerges from
the building.
HUXLEY
(all business)
Detective...
SPARTAN
(getting in the
driver's side)
I've got to learn to do this
sometime.
Spartan tosses Lenina a suavely-knitted sweater of
familiar red yarn.
SPARTAN
This is for you, Huxley.
HUXLEY
Oh, thanks...
INT. LENINA'S POLICE CAR - DAY
Lenina holds up her new sweater with a tickled blush.
Spartan determinedly presses buttons to get the CAR
HUMMING off.
HUXLEY
What a lovely...
SPARTAN
I don't know what they put in my
Cryoslush, but I thaw out and the
first thing I want to do is...
knit. How come I know what a
zipper foot is, a shuttle, hook
and bobbin, petitpoint. I could
weave a throw rug right now with
my eyes closed.
HUXLEY
(chuckling)
It was your rehab training. For
each inmate the computer draws up
a skill or trade which best suits
their genetic disposition. It
implants the knowledge and desire
to carry out whatever training
was assigned.
SPARTAN
I'm a 'seamstress?' Seamstress.
Great. How come I come out of
cryoprison and I'm Betsy fucking
Ross and Phoenix comes out and he
can access computers, operate all
vehicles, find the locations of
every damn thing in the city?
(he has a thought)
Can you get me Phoenix's rehab
program?
Huxley punches madly away. An ACCESS DENIED sign flashes
on the screen, cutting her off. Lenina gets into a
little more furious COMPUTER playing until she gets a
violent BEEP.
A SWEET FEMALE COMPUTER VOICE CHIRPS along with
corresponding printed information.
SWEET FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
Phoenix, Simon. Rehabilitation
skills; Urban combatkill, torture
methodology, computer override
authorization, violent...
SPARTAN
Who develops the rehab programs?
Attila the Hun?
HUXLEY
(disquieted)
Cocteau Industries of course.
But why would Cocteau want to
provoke madness? He's always
been obsessed with one thing...
SPARTAN
Yeah... control. The success of
his favorite restaurants. The
end of kissing... I've gotta talk
to this asshole.
HUXLEY
But, John Spartan, you must be
mistaken. You can't accuse the
savior of the city of being
connected to a multi-murder-
deathkiller like Simon Phoenix.
It's... rude.
SPARTAN
I'll be subtle. I'm good at
subtle.
Lenina looks anything but reassured.
INT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - COCTEAU'S LOBBY - DAY
ASSOCIATE BOB
I am ever so sorry, John Spartan,
but Dr. Raymond Cocteau is not
here for your unannounced visit.
I don't think I can access him at
this time.
Spartan grabs him by the throat. Pulls him inches away
from his own face.
SPARTAN
Think again.
ASSOCIATE BOB
(choked)
I'll give it my utmost efforts,
sir.
Spartan shoves him back. Bob drops to a keyboard. His
fingers fly madly.
ASSOCIATE BOB
Oh wonder of wonders, I have him
on FiberOp in the conference
room.
INT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
Cocteau appears on a dozen swiveling VideoHeads.
COCTEAU
(condescending)
Mellow apologies for my lack of
physical disposition, Detective,
but I do have an entire city/gov
to run.
Spartan wastes no time with pleasantries.
SPARTAN
Run this. You programmed
Phoenix's rehab to turn him into
a terrorist. Now that you wussed
out this entire society in a
tribute to yourself you needed
Phoenix to handle the cast-offs
who wouldn't listen to your
bullshit.
Huxley cringes. The MORALITY BOX BEEPS. Cocteau stares
at him with that weird hypnotic serenity.
COCTEAU
Phoenix's rehab. Now.
Half the screens scroll into Phoenix's rehab file. This
time completely innocuous:
SWEET FEMALE COMPUTER (V.O.)
Phoenix, Simon. Rehabilitation
skills; Decorative Gardening,
Retail Floral Arrangements...
COCTEAU
What are you speaking of, Detective?
My only interest in Simon Phoenix
was in that of the creation of an
expert Florist.
SPARTAN
Florist? Phoenix wouldn't know a
prickly pear from a pair of pricks.
Spartan yanks out the Beretta. Associate Bob backs
away while glancing furtively at a closed door. BLAM.
BLAM. BLAM. Shoots out three of the screens.
SPARTAN
Try again.
Even on video, Cocteau flinches visibly.
SPARTAN
Outside the museum, why didn't he
blow your brains out? I saw the
security disc. Phoenix had a
full ten seconds to think about
where to put the hole in your
head.
COCTEAU
(a little shook)
John Spartan, this display of
barbaric behavior was not
acceptable even in your time.
SPARTAN
Yeah. But it worked.
BLAM. BLAM. BLAM. Shoots out three more. Associate
Bob faints dead away.
SPARTAN
When a man like Phoenix has a
gun to your head, ten seconds
is nine and a half seconds longer
than you live.
COCTEAU
(on the vid screen)
Not everyone is as eager as you
to resort to violence to solve
all the difficulties in life.
Even now I am beginning to wonder
if the fracas in the museum was
the result of Mr. Phoenix's
presence or your own.
The Beretta appears next to Cocteau's head onscreen.
CUT TO:
INT. COCTEAU'S COMPLEX - COCTEAU'S OFFICE - DAY
Cocteau is in a corner of the room in front of a private
Vidhead. Spartan stands with Beretta pointed directly
at him. Nonetheless, Cocteau remains his arrogant self.
SPARTAN
Wonder about this, shithead. You
think you can control this guy?
Trust me... you can't.
COCTEAU
(a beat; unfazed)
Is there something specific you plan
to do with that archaic device?
Spartan's not going to shoot him; lowers the gun.
COCTEAU
Now, John Spartan, do you not query
yourself that this misplaced
hostility is the result of your
transference of self hatred and
personal loathing?
SPARTAN
What??
COCTEAU
Perhaps you blame me for my role
in the progenation of the cryo
process. That does not relieve
you of your burden of
responsibility for the commitment
of your initial crimes.
Spartan looks at him a long time.
SPARTAN
Fuck you.
Huxley visibly recoils. The morality box BRAAAPS. It
never gets any further. Spartan shoots it without a
look, dead center. His eyes never leave Cocteau.
EXT. TACO BELL/COURT OF STORES - DUSK
The scene of the Scraps' food truck attack. As, ON THE
CUT, Spartan wrenches off one of the steel planks. It
splits open with RUSH of AIR. Earle had no idea how to
stop Spartan, but he tries --
EARLE
Please cease this madness,
enhance your calm, John Spartan.
SPARTAN
I've had it with enhancing my
calm. I'm going to find Phoenix
and enhance his calm instead.
I'm the only one here who can
handle this situation.
GARCIA
How will you accomplish this,
John Spartan?
SPARTAN
I'm going to blow his fucking
head off.
Spartan wrenches away another plank. The others back off
in fear. It's like he's opening up the mouth to hell.
HUXLEY
John Spartan, even if Simon
Phoenix was programmed to escape,
extinguish life and steal
contraband weapons -- by forces
known or unknown -- pray tell why
are you proceeding to the depths
of Wasteland?
Spartan wrenches off another plank. Now the hole is big
enough to enter. A set of rungs can be discerned.
Stops, looks at Earle. How can they all not get it?
SPARTAN
The reason the citywide manhunt
didn't work was because Phoenix
was down in the one place you A,
can't monitor, B, are afraid to
visit, and C don't give a shit
about.
EARLE
(then; braver)
Whether Phoenix is down there or
not, you just can't drop in.
Resonate some understanding, the
Wasteland is filled with thugs
and...
SPARTAN
Hooligans, I know. We might
never come back.
EARLE
Yeah. You might like it down
there.
Spartan looks at him with a grin.
SPARTAN
You made a joke. There's hope
after all.
(then)
Hey, how bad could it be...
Nobody has a clue. It could be really bad.
SPARTAN
Look, you two don't have to do
this. I can handle Phoenix.
Huxley checks her stun baton and lights up a lightwand,
(a hand-held flashlight device) and follows him in.
HUXLEY
(Eastwood tough)
Hey, come on, let's go blow this
guy.
SPARTAN
That's 'blow this guy away.'
HUXLEY
(shrugs)
Whatever.
INT. WASTELAND - OMINOUS TUNNEL - DUSK
Spartan, Lenina, and Garcia all carry lightwands and stun
batons, treading forward through a wide sewer tunnel.
WIND WHISTLES by. A beat, then Garcia nervously sings...
GARCIA
'My dog's better than your dog.
My dog's better than yours...
My dog's better cause he...'
(to Spartan)
Sorry, when I'm nervous, I...
Sorry.
INT. WASTELAND - LENGTH OF PIPE - DUSK
The trio creeps into an ornate piece of piping. Lenina
gasps at what she sees before her... They spill out
into --
INT. WASTELAND - UNDERGROUND STREET - NIGHT
They are in the Wasteland which is surprisingly busy and
crowded. People living in tents, lean-tos, whatever
their ingenuity can provide. Think Third World refugee
camp underground, a souk. Marketplaces, food stalls...
The underbelly of the city lit from above by strand after
strand of bulbs in construction cages and other fortui-
tously salvaged lights, revealing odd tunnels of
indeterminate former usage, abandoned subway platforms,
natural caverns, a cutway of fifty years of sanitary
landfill, the striations of decades of now useful trash
being harvested. Giant belt driven ventilation fans
whirl in enormous airshafts overhead.
The three move along taking in the curious but
unfrightened glances. More than one person recognizes
Spartan from the battle the night before. You can feel
the buzz work down the street.
SPARTAN
Thugs and hooligans, huh?
HUXLEY
I had no idea... we've always been
told the only people down here were
savages, who wanted only to...
Spartan, Lenina, and Garcia find themselves starting to
sniff the air. Spartan grins, while the others look
ready to vomit.
GARCIA
What is that emanation?
SPARTAN
Oh, yeah, oh yeah...
The trio drifts toward a large, square hole in the sewer
wall in front of which a smiling OLD WOMAN is smoking up
some meat and tortillas on a makeshift grill. Other
Scraps sit in the space square behind, smoking cigarettes
and eating on ratty armchairs between shabby travel
posters.
SPARTAN
Thank God, a real burrito...
Smokes.
HUXLEY
I think I'm going to...
Salivating, Spartan silences Lenina by taking off her
watch and giving it to the woman. He snatches up a
burrito and a cigarette.
OLD WOMAN
(to Garcia)
Buenos dias, senor....
GARCIA
Uh, no thank you...
Spartan methodically switches back and forth from eating
and smoking like a machine.
SPARTAN
Best damn burritos I ever had.
HUXLEY
Just don't ask where the meat
comes from.
SPARTAN
What do you mean?
HUXLEY
Did you see any cows down here,
Detective?
Spartan's got one bite left. Turns to the old woman --
SPARTAN
Que esta esso carne?
OLD WOMAN
Esta carne de rodentia.
Beat.
SPARTAN
Rat burritos. I'm eating a rat
burrito.
Spartan thinks about it. Eats the last bite.
SPARTAN
And it was good. Damn fine salsa
too.
OLD WOMAN
Gracias, Senor.
Huxley is nauseous.
GARCIA
Oh my...
They turn and walk on. Ignoring the very disreptuable
looking cantina tucked into a carved out section of
landfill. As they go by, we PUSH IN with a seedy-
looking patron to find --
INT. WASTELAND - BAR
It's as low life a place there is down here. It's
further dragged down by the presence, in the furthest
back, darkest corner, of Simon Phoenix and Six Cryocons,
freshly defrosted and each the size of a major appliance,
ALBERT, BEPPO, CHARLIE, DANZIG, ELVIN and FRANCIS. All
a little groggy. Phoenix, very execu-criminal, sits at
the head of the raggedy bar table.
PHOENIX
Gentlemen, let's review. It's
2042. That's two oh four two, as
in the Twenty-First Century. The
world is a pussy-whipped Disney
Channel version of itself and all
we gotta do to run the whole place
is kill this guy, named
Raymond
,
who put it all together. Then
as an added bonus, you get to kill
the man who put most of us in the
freezer, your pal and mine, John
Spartan.
(this goes over big;
now for the plan)
We can rape, loot, pillage, all
the fun things you remember.
This place is gonna be like a
theme park, but with our kinda
themes. Let's get busy.
BEPPO
(fixated on this
previous point)
We get to kill John Spartan?
PHOENIX
(knows his clientele)
Over and over and over, if you'd
like.
Beppo does like. Nods. Sounds like a good plan to
everyone else as well.
PHOENIX
(throwing back his
drink)
Salud.
INT. WASTELAND - LARGE CAVERN - NIGHT
Spartan, Huxley and Garcia step in. A meeting place
of sorts. A machine shop. Off to one side, a giant
belt driven machine shop out of 1900, taking its power
from a water wheel, attached to an enormous transmission
spinning furiously. Mechanics fix and combine various
vehicles into working fashion. Blow torches, bellows.
Another flume feeds a wildly churning wheel running the
fans.
We can see stalls and houses around the rim. Out of date
cars are being used as homes. Spartan takes it all in.
His eye catches a bright red 1969 Pontiac GTO beside the
machine shop. He's drawn to it in admiration, Huxley and
Garcia in his wake.
SPARTAN
Nice... A 1969 Pontiac LeMans GTO
convertible with rear spoiler and
hot wheel mags... Seriously beyond
the standard package.
A very large caliber revolver appears alongside Spartan's
head.
VOICE (O.S.)
So are these. Why don't you put
down the glow rods.
Spartan does. The man with the gun is Payne. Six other
SCRAP TOUGHS have the drop on Lenina and Garcia with
giant crude shotguns. One of them wears a familiar
periscope around his neck.
PAYNE
Your friends too.
(they do)
You got ball balls, cop, coming down
here after the show you put on...
HUXLEY
(tough as she can)
We're looking for a MurderDeath
Killer... Can you help? Or just
bully us with these primitive
weapons?
Spartan shakes his head in disbelief. Payne shifts his
aim. FIRES. Blows a hole in the side of an abandoned
car the size of a grapefruit.
SPARTAN
Well, maybe they're not so
primitive.
PAYNE
Not funny, not smart. What do
you want, cop?
SPARTAN
I got a few questions.
Payne COCKS his PISTOL, aims at Spartan.
SPARTAN
But if it's a bad time we could
come back later.
PAYNE
It's always a bad time down here
for questions.
TOUGH SCRAP
You've got no business down here.
SPARTAN
Who are all you people? And why
are you down here?
PAYNE
What's it to you? What the hell
do you care?
SPARTAN
Look, I'm not from here. Well, I
am from here, but I'm not from
Now. And for all I can see, this
whole place is as fucked up as
where I'm from... I'd just kinda
like to know what's going on.
Spartan still waits. A crowd begins to grow. Payne,
despite the fact that he's the guy with the gun, decides
to answer.
PAYNE
Some of us didn't tow the line.
Some of us didn't make the grade.
Spartan stares past Payne to wild pieces of graffiti on
a wall behind him that includes "I HATE SAN ANGELES and
SUCK MY COCTEAU!"
PAYNE
And some of us just got tired of
being told what to do...
SPARTAN
Guess you people weren't part of
the Cocteau plan.
PAYNE
Man, this is the Cocteau plan.
SPARTAN
Next time you go shopping, I'm
not going to be in your way...
(then)
Listen, when the laws are wrong,
men have to take it upon
themselves to change them.
Payne stares at him. Spartan's sincere. Payne lets his
gun drop. The others follow.
HUXLEY
(shocked)
John Spartan, you must uphold the
law.
A good-looking woman of about fifty looks up from the
edge of the crowd with sudden interest at the mention of
Spartan's name.
SPARTAN
It's the old story, give up a
little freedom for a little
safety and soon you have no
freedom and no safety.
PAYNE
You're a pretty wise man.
SPARTAN
Nah, I'm just fifty years out of
date. But I do have another
question.
(off Payne's tacit
approval)
We're looking for a guy. Black
skin, white hair, one blue eye,
bad attitude. He's from my time,
and if I don't find him, we're
all in trouble.
Payne hasn't. Looks to the others.
TOUGH SCRAP
(nods to Payne)
Scoped him yesterday.
GARCIA
(amazed)
You were right...
VIEW FROM DISTANCE
Suddenly, the viewer is pulled out for a long view of
Spartan talking to Payne. Then one, two, three, four,
five, six bodies step INTO the F.G. Simon and his goons
walking down the street.
SIMON
can't believe his good luck. He chuckles.
PHOENIX
You know, I musta done something
right in a previous life.
(thinks; this seems
really unlikely)
Don't know what that coulda been...
He turns and quietly starts dispensing instructions to
the cryocons.
BACK TO SCENE
The woman who looked up with such interest, steps over
closer. She's got to know.
KATHERINE
John Spartan? The Demolition Man?
SPARTAN
Yeah...
(surprised; looks at
this older woman)
Do I know you?
She's shaken, a tear rolls down her cheek. She brushes
it away. Doesn't know how to react... Neither does he
as --
KATHERINE
You did. I'm your daughter.
He wraps his arms around her, she him as well.
SPARTAN
Katie, my little Katie...
KATHERINE
Little Kate, I'm older than you...
SPARTAN
You'll always be my little girl,
I don't care how old you are.
(steps back)
God, Katie. You're all grown up.
I missed your whole life. I
missed everything.
KATHERINE
Mom and I always talked about
you. I always hoped I would see
you one day. I knew I would.
He holds her at arm's length admiring her. Then ---
SPARTAN
Tell me everything. I want to
know everything about you...
KATHERINE
(laughing; it's fifty
years)
Everything? All at once?
Spartan's grin, though it seems impossible, gets wider.
He kisses her on the forehead. Holds her back out at
arm's length, just looking at her with this great big
smile...
SPARTAN
Yes. Absolutely everything.
Start where I left off. You were
six...
GARCIA
Spartan.
Spartan's busy.
GARCIA
Spartan...
(as Spartan ignores
him; still busy)
Spar...
SPARTAN
What!
Garcia can only point: Simon Phoenix, forty feet away,
giant grin, AcMag in hand, taking aim.
Spartan hurls Katherine to the ground, with himself as a
shield as ---
SPARTAN
Get down!!!
Huxley, Garcia, and the Scraps who have a clue dive as
the ACMAG FIRES with the resulting tremendous EXPLOSION.
PHOENIX
Spartan, buddy, I brought some
old friends.
The Cryocons OPEN UP with all manner of WEAPONRY on the
crowd. Mayhem and slaughter. Huxley and Garcia have
taken cover as well. Their stun batons look exceedingly
useless. Spartan is momentarily trapped under a
collapsed beam. Doesn't last long. Growls. Hurls it
aside. Comes up FIRING with the BERETTA.
SPARTAN
Stay down!
Phoenix FIRES again. The AcMag round barely misses them.
Spartan's blasted brutally by the EXPLOSION. Stays on his
feet. Keeps FIRING. Albert goes down. He's not going
to get back up again. Payne rises to his feet FIRING a
giant REVOLVER. The other armed Scraps follow his lead.
Another AcMag ROUND GOES OFF. The lights dim. Spartan
sprints for where he last saw Phoenix.
Spartan can hear Phoenix CLATTERING off up a culvert
behind him. He bolts up after him.
INT. WASTELAND - CULVERT - NIGHT
It forks upwards. Sixty degree incline. Flattens out.
Splits again. Spartan halts, listens. Follows the
FOOTSTEPS. Same trick works backwards, as Phoenix stops
dead, hears Spartan COMING. FIRES the ACMAG. Misses as
Spartan is just about to round a bend into range.
The CULVERT itself EXPLODES, blowing shrapnel everywhere.
Fifteen feet of it are gone. It's an ugly, ugly jump.
Two hundred feet down and no room to miss. Off to one
side, one of the fans spins madly. Spartan leaps. Hits
the other side, grasping at shards of metal. Pulls
himself in. It heads back up.
Spartan ascends. Up. Up. Now almost, and then
completely vertical. He climbs spread-eagled after
Simon.
INT. WASTELAND - CROSS PIPE - NIGHT
The pipe "T"s at the top. Spartan mantles up as Phoenix
CLATTERS off. Down below in the pipe, the sound of
SOMEONE ELSE FOLLOWING as well. A gasketed porthole
glints beside Spartan, he slams it open. Looking down,
he is a hundred yards above the cavern floor. Beside
him the chain arcing up from the machine shop below
ratchets around a joint and heads off into the darkness
in the direction Phoenix has fled.
Half a beat. Spartan reaches out, way out, and just
manages to snag the chain. Hauls madly. CHAIN CLATTERS
and CLATTERS. Half a beat. A long, low RUMBLE.
Phoenix stops a moment, wondering what the hell it is. A
giant blast of water tidals through the pipe. The AcMag
is swept away.
Spartan looks up to see Phoenix and a wall of water
headed his way.
SPARTAN
Oh shit.
Simon smashes into him. The two are swept along. The
force blows them off the side.
PHOENIX
Just go with the flow, Spartan.
INT. WASTELAND CORRUGATED CONDUIT - NIGHT
Spartan and Phoenix are carried along by the water into
an aqueduct. Phoenix heaves himself over the side.
Spartan follows.
INT. WASTELAND - LARGE CAVERN/SUPPORT GRID - NIGHT
Every Scrap can see. The two hang on a suspension grid
of an old rusty rebar, directly over one of the WHIRRING
VENTILATOR FANS. It's not meant to take any weight.
Slippery as hell from the spray above. The REBAR CREAKS
and MOANS.
No one dares move. Below, Charlie lies dead. No other
cryocons can be seen.
Spartan and Phoenix scrabble madly, yet in slow motion
as not to break the old joints as they stay on. Hand
over hand, Phoenix makes his way along as ---
PHOENIX
Hey, since we're just hanging out,
I have to tell you something --
remember those muni passengers
you blew to pieces trying to
catch me...? They were already
dead, pal, before you even
touched the building. Cold as
Haagen Dazs.
(Simon grins his
scary grin)
See ya...
Simon swings himself back and forth, gaining momentum.
The rebar's about to give as he launches himself out
into space, just clearing the fan. A wild twisting
fall ending in a CLANGOROUS landing through three levels
of Scrap lean-tos.
Spartan feels the rebar starting to fail around him. As
he tries to haul himself up, it just gives way more. The
whole fan structure is giving way. BITS of METAL fall,
hit the fan and are sent CLANGING off into space.
And then... it gets worse. A NOISE from above. Beppo
appears. Hangs from a firm support. He begins to stomp
on Spartan's fingers. Laughing wildly.
Spartan moves, he stomps them again. Spartan moves
again, but this time seeing a heavier piece of rebar
nearby. Snags it. And as Beppo's foot comes down again,
grabs it. Hauls. Beppo starts to scream. His grip
comes loose on the wet bar above. Screams past Spartan
as he falls. There's a tremendous CUISINART SOUND.
Blood flies up past Spartan as he climbs up to safety.
He moves down the grid past the fan. Sees below as
Phoenix scrambles to his feet, starts to run. Spartan
doesn't want to do it. No choice. Growls. Leaps.
Falls. Falls. Falls. Smashes into a garbage heap.
INT. WASTELAND - LARGE CAVERN - FLOOR - NIGHT
Simon pounds a rushing up Garcia unconscious in a single
blow. Recovers and empties a TOMMY GUN at the crowd.
Scraps crawl for cover. Payne and two others FIRE back.
Phoenix disappears. Spartan blitzkriegs out of the
refuse. Crazed.
Spartan stampedes away.
INT. WASTELAND - UNDERGROUND STREET - NIGHT
Knocked to the ground before her burrito stand, the Old
Woman points inside the square room.
Spartan comes in low, gun out, ready to fire. No one
there. Spartan pivots into the square space, looking all
around. Then up. An open trapdoor. Spartan peers in.
ELEVATOR SHAFT
A humongous steelwalled vertical shaft which rises up
into the blackness. The Old Woman's cubbyhole is really
a huge freight elevator. Phoenix is climbing up a cable
with speedy precision.
BURRITO JOINT
Spartan drops down with a gleam.
SPARTAN
There's an elevator shaft on top
of this place...
HUXLEY
Then does that mean this place
is...
Spartan looks around, tearing old travel posters off the
wall. Reveals a panel. Large up/down handle.
HUXLEY
Going up?
SPARTAN
(looking off; with a
sudden grin)
Momentito, Senorita Huxley.
INT. 2042 GM DEALERSHIP - NIGHT
Shoppers wander about admiring the cars. Half a beat.
The ELEVATOR can be heard SCREECHING upward. And then a
CRUNCHING stop. The floor begins to buckle. Customers
flee in terror. The VROOM of an ENGINE can be heard.
The FLOOR CRACKS asunder. The freight elevator emerges.
A 2042 model is tossed aside as the elevator rises from
the floor.
The Wasteland Pontiac GTO convertible is jamparked in
burrito joint crunching the place's chairs in a heap.
Driver Spartan REVS the ENGINE as passenger Lenina
shudders about what is to happen next.
HUXLEY
Now what?
SPARTAN
Vaya con dios.
Spartan drops the GTO into gear. ROARS the CAR straight
out the front window of the dealership.
EXT. TACO BELL - COURTYARD - NIGHT
A maintenance hatch in the ground rises open. Phoenix
scrambles out. Exhausted, greasy, dripping with sweat.
At the far end of the courtyard, he sees ---
Lamb keeping watch on the entrance. A giant puff of
smoke has come billowing out. Lamb looks seriously
concerned. And at the same time kinda pleased.
LAMB
Yeah, the Demo Man is back.
Lamb bends over to look. As he does, we see a figure
approaching from behind. Simon Phoenix.
PHOENIX
So am I. Rookie.
Phoenix digs out a .22. SHOOTS him repeatedly in the
stomach.
LAMB
Phoenix... you're still... one
ugly sonofabitch.
PHOENIX
You shouldn't have said that, now
I'm going to have to kill you...
Ah damn, I forgot, I already did.
Lamb drops to the ground.
PONTIAC GTO
Tears along, divoting up the pristine 2042 green, the
car flinging a solar tower in its path to the ground,
generally leaving trouble in its wake. Spartan sees,
in the extreme distance, Phoenix dashing from Lamb's
crumpled body and the stolen police car pulling away.
SPARTAN
Lamb!
Spartan GUNS the GTO, SCREAMS it across, SKIDS to a halt.
Leaps out. It's too late. Lamb is dead. There's a half
a beat with his dead friend.
HUXLEY
I empathize with your loss.
Spartan looks up and growls. Strides to the GTO. Huxley
jumps in beside. He floors it. Huxley's head flies back
against her seat. The GTO THUNDERS out onto a shiny new
San Angeles boulevard.
EXT. SOME OTHER SAN ANGELES STREET - NIGHT
The GTO CRUSHES a computer kiosk as it ROARS onto the
street, aggressively PLOWING through the gentle user-
friendly cars on the road in its terrifying pursuit of
Phoenix and Lamb's stolen police car.
Spartan FIRES out the window at the wildly fishtailing
Phoenix, but the angle's just wrong. Can't see and
drive and aim.
SPARTAN
Fuck it.
Pulls the gun back in. One hand on the wheel, Spartan
straight-arms the Beretta and aims through his own wind-
shield. It's like a video game. Phoenix's fishtailing
brings him into the sights. Spartan FIRES. His own
windshield SHATTERS. Blows into glass pebbles all
around them.
INT. STOLEN POLICE CAR - NIGHT
The bullet rips against Phoenix's neck.
PHOENIX
Motherfucker!
Phoenix FIRES a wild salvo back emptying three or four
different handguns. SHATTERING the grill, BLOWING out
what remains of the glass in the GTO.
EXT. SOME OTHER SAN ANGELES STREET - NIGHT
Spartan FIRES two rounds at each of Phoenix's rear tires,
cleanly puncturing each. The car swerves and fishtails.
INT. STOLEN POLICE CAR - NIGHT
Phoenix struggles to control the car.
PHOENIX
Auto-inflate!
Suddenly the two TIRES reinflate with a WHOOSH and the
car is back on a straight course.
INT. GTO - NIGHT
Spartan grunts in frustration.
SPARTAN
Damn! Take over!
HUXLEY
What?!
Spartan yanks her into the driver's seat and rises,
standing out through the missing windshield. Huxley
barely holds onto the steering wheel and the car wildly
swerves.
SPARTAN
Drive!
HUXLEY
So what, I just push this pedal...
EXT. SOME OTHER SAN ANGELES STREET - NIGHT
She FLOORS the GAS and the GTO BURNS RUBBER, PEELING down
the street. Spartan is thrown back against the roof of
the car, manages to hang on. He opens FIRE on Phoenix's
car. Perforating it, blowing off side mirrors, generally
making a mess of it as Phoenix weaves wildly back and
forth trying to shake them off.
INT. STOLEN POLICE CAR - NIGHT
Phoenix looks in the rearview and clicks into a means-
business mode.
PHOENIX
Computer: velocity control
override!
COMPUTER (V.O.)
State the nature of the emergency.
PHOENIX
Arson.
(as car picks up a
little speed)
Armed robbery!
(as more speed; not
enough)
No, it's murder! An entire
family is being robbed in a
burning building and they're all
getting killed.
The car SCREECHES its TIRES in acceleration.
INT. GTO - NIGHT
Spartan watches the car jet ahead at an amazing clip.
HUXLEY
He's accessed velocity override!
SPARTAN
Don't worry. Punch it.
EXT. SOME OTHER SAN ANGELES STREET - NIGHT
Lenina really GUNS the GTO and races up on Phoenix's
rear. Spartan teeters out of the car to get a clear
shot.
SPARTAN
Whoa, whoa, slow down!
But Lenina rams the car. Spartan flies off the GTO and
lands on the back of Phoenix's car. The BERETTA flies
from his grasp. CLATTERS away on the road behind.
INT. STOLEN POLICE CAR - NIGHT
Phoenix turns around to see Spartan hanging on. He
shoves a MACHINE PISTOL out his open side window and
FIRES back at Spartan.
EXT. SOME OTHER SAN ANGELES STREET - NIGHT
Spartan ducks back from Phoenix's stream of bullets.
Smashes the machine gun against the car, knocking it
from Phoenix's grasp. Just manages to trap it against
the side of the car as it falls. Snatches it up, lifts
it up to take aim as ---
INT. STOLEN POLICE CAR - NIGHT
Phoenix shouts at the car ---
PHOENIX
Open doors! Emergency!
EXT. SOME OTHER SAN ANGELES STREET - NIGHT
Both gull wing doors slam open. The gun is bashed from
Spartan's hand. Spartan himself is smashed from one door
to the other on the roof of the car. A hundred miles per
hour and nothing to grab onto. He starts to slide off.
Completely aerodynamic.
Grabs onto a door. Shoves a shoulder underneath as ---
PHOENIX
Close doors.
The right hand door slams shut. The left hand door
crushes against Spartan. The MECHANISM GROANS. Spartan
growls back. Spartan and the door strain against each
other. The man wins. Wrenches the door clean off.
Jumps in the car. Punches Phoenix square in the head.
Phoenix is knocked to his side. Sidekicks Spartan dead
in the groin. Spartan folds.
Phoenix leaps back up, triple-punches Spartan in the
chest. Spartan's hands come free, he falls back, as
Phoenix jumps on him and slams his head repeatedly
against the hundred mile an hour ground rushing by as
the car drives itself.
Spartan continues to fight back, smashing Phoenix, but
he's forced to avoid the close calls with cars, street
signs and the like. Finally, Phoenix grabs Spartan's
throat and holds him down in the road where an upcoming
futuristic fire hydrant is about to tear his head off.
Spartan sees it coming, has no choice. Lets go. Phoenix
thinks he's rid of him.
No. Spartan slides free for a moment on the road and
barely manages to hook a hand on the open door frame.
Shirt three-quarters torn off, blood streaming, he climbs
onto the back of the car. Brutally punches his hand
through what remains of the back window.
Phoenix screams in rage as Spartan's hand comes at him
and grabs him by the hair, yanking Phoenix's head back.
PHOENIX
Computer! Disengage Auxilliary
Battery Pod now!
Spartan freaks as the back of the car suddenly separates
from the rest of the car. It shoots rearward while the
cab with Phoenix drops a third wheel in back and shoots
off. Spartan, hanging on for dear life, turns to see him
and the pod are jetting backwards for the front of a
truly massive freight truck. Four full trailers behind
a massive cab. The thing's gotta be eighty feet long.
It's more of a locomotive than a truck.
The burly TRUCKER also freaks when he sees he will impact
with Spartan. At the last moment Spartan leaps off the
pod.
Phoenix sees the truck collide with the pod, BLASTING it
to smithereens. He laughs as he enters a long tunnel.
INT. LONG TUNNEL - NIGHT
The Truck Driver is stunned and scared as he enters the
tunnel but gets another scare as Spartan suddenly pops
up at his door.
SPARTAN
Move over!
TRUCK DRIVER
Oh dear! Don't hurt me, please
don't hurt me!
Spartan pushes the burly Trucker over and climbs into
the driver's seat. The Trucker takes one look at this
mad man and decides his fate is safer elsewhere. Leaps
from the truck. Lands safely in some shrubbery. Sobs.
Spartan GUNS the massive TRUCK.
Phoenix thinks everything is A-okay until he looks in his
rearview and sees a bunch of streetlights being taken out
by the too huge truck and getting closer. The truck
harshly rams Phoenix, nearly jarring him from his seat
but for the restraints.
EXT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
The truck and Phoenix's car ROAR out of the tunnel and
move straight for the police station. The truck smashes
him again. Phoenix's steering wheel locks up and his
seat restraint pops up as he races out of control for the
station. He screams in rage.
Spartan slams on the truck brakes, smokes, slips, slides,
into the most horrific jackknife ever seen. All four
trailers lock up and accordian in on him.
Phoenix's vehicle slaps the street curb and begins to
roll, convulsing into a spectacularly flaming series of
somersaults that violently climax at the base of the
SAPD sign in front of the station.
Half a beat.
A charring Phoenix bursts from the vehicle, sees the
approaching, out of control truck and turns and runs
like hell.
The truck slides in a full, unstoppable quadruple jack-
knife towards the police station.
Spartan tries one last ditch attempt to bailout, but
his door won't open, forced in by the first trailer bent
over from the force of those behind.
The truck hits the curb, flips, collapses and plows into
the police station.
INT. TRUCK CAB - NIGHT
BLOOOOOFFF. SecuroFoam EXPLODES from nozzles everywhere.
INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
What few cops there are flee in all directions... The
truck followed by four trailers wipes out the station.
Flames, ARCING POWER CABLES, EXPLOSIONS. Demolition.
EXT. POLICE STATION - AFTERMATH - NIGHT
Fire drones fight the blaze. The cab of the truck, a
door torn off, lies askew. It's entirely filled with
dense, solid foam. Half a beat... It CRACKS open,
Spartan appears tearing giant hunks of foam away. Eyes
wild.
Earle stands, mouth agape, staring at the destruction.
Spartan's reappearance doesn't make him feel any better.
EARLE
You... You... Menace!
SPARTAN
Yeah.
Huxley comes running up from the GTO.
HUXLEY
John Spartan, I thought your life
force had been prematurely
terminated. Look at you, you're
in shambles.
SPARTAN
(still tearing off
foam)
Thought I was fucked this time too.
(re: his torn uniform)
Don't worry. I can fix this later.
All I need's a needle and thread.
Spartan looks around, turns to Earle.
SPARTAN
I need something, anything, a
shotgun, a flare gun...
(looks up)
Holy shit...
Earle and Huxley follow his glance. Coming across the
green, a horde of Scraps, armed to the teeth, carrying
the dead cryocons on two litters, and emerging from
their midst beside Payne, Alfredo Garcia.
EARLE
(mustering command)
Stun batons on!
Spartan gives him a look, are you out of your mind?
Huxley ignores him completely as well. Moves to Garcia.
SPARTAN
You get a bump on the noggin and
you're Pancho Villa.
GARCIA
Who?
SPARTAN
Never mind.
(to Payne)
Loan me a gun. Loan me two guns.
Payne thinks about it for a half second. Hands his gun
over, nods to someone else as well to follow suit.
Spartan straps on two guns and a giant ammo belt .
SPARTAN
What else you got?
The Scraps unearth half-a-dozen large explosive devices.
Spartan loads them into the GTO. Earle is ready to cry
when he sees all this. A catastrophe averted, but --
EARLE
You would have used these weapons
of mass destruction against the
men and women who upheld the law?!
PAYNE
We would have used these weapons
to shop for groceries.
Half a beat. Earle gets it. There's kids in this crowd.
And a lot of hungry people.
PAYNE
Look, Chief, I've had it with being
a criminal. I'm not a criminal.
Think of me more as the head of the
people's militia. We're gonna go
dump the tea in the harbor, ya
know?
EARLE
That's good, cause tea contains
caffeine.
Spartan looks at him.
SPARTAN
You're joking again, right?
(as Earle nods)
Grin or something afterwards,
people don't know.
Earle nods seriously. Spartan steps over to the dead
guys on the litters, pulls back a sheet. He stares at
the first guy. Can't believe what he sees...
HUXLEY
Who are these swarthy strangers?
SPARTAN
(stunned; checks the
second)
I know these guys. I arrested them
years ago... Albert Collins, 22
known murders. Beppo Zemoto, I
don't even want to talk about what
he did. And they're out. There
were more too...
HUXLEY
(proud of him)
I once checked, prior to your
arrest, 45 out of 200 members of
the multilife sentence wing of
the cryoprison were your arrests.
SPARTAN
Right now, that's not a very
reassuring statistic...
KATHERINE (O.S.)
Hey. Dad.
Spartan turns, faces his daughter.
KATHERINE
Here. You gave me this.
She holds out a tarnished barely recognizable gold LAPD
shield on a chain. Drapes it over his neck. She hugs
him.
KATHERINE
Don't get killed. Maybe we'll
get to know each other.
SPARTAN
That'd be good.
KATHERINE
I didn't tell you I loved you.
He smiles at her gently. Forty-two years of pain washing
clean --
SPARTAN
You don't have to.
It hits her hard. This is her dad. Spartan gets in the
GTO. Huxley gets in beside him. Looks at her. Thinks
about it. She'll do as a partner... FIRES the GTO UP.
The thing's a bomb on wheels now.
HUXLEY
Don't hit anything.
SPARTAN
Whattya mean? I'm an excellent
driver.
As he goes SQUEALING OUT, clipping and KNOCKING OVER the
one remaining WALL of the police station --
INT. COCTEAU'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Cocteau, Bob, Simon and the remaining cryocons are there
listening to Cocteau warble on --
COCTEAU
I wasn't counting on this, but I
must say you've worked out
beautifully. People are terrified
of you.
PHOENIX
(don't flatter me)
Ah, people have always been
terrified of me.
Cocteau continues his eerie soliloquy, feeding Phoenix's
amusement. Phoenix walks behind him under this, takes out
a knife and behind Raymond's back, tries desperately to
kill him. He can't.
COCTEAU
But this time they're truly scared.
Soon they'll want to take the next
step -- security cameras in every
room, stricter alarm systems against
misbehavior, anonymous hotlines to
their neighbor's infractions...
(gloating)
I'll have carte blanche now to
create the perfect society.
Everyone will want it. An enzyme
injection for all citizens that
will insure everyone has the same
I.Q., the same weight, and the
same desire to think only happy
thoughts.
Phoenix is back where Cocteau can see him --
PHOENIX
I'm pretty happy now. I think I'll
pass on that shot.
Phoenix steps off to one side, pulls an old Airweight out
of his belt. Aims it at Cocteau, tries, tries to pull
the trigger. Isn't going to happen. He grunts in
frustration.
COCTEAU
(lost in his
own reverie)
Other cities will follow. San
Angeles will be a beacon of order
with the purity of an ant colony
and the beauty of a flawless pearl.
PHOENIX
Nah. You can't take away people's
right to be assholes.
(then; it's been
bothering him)
That's it, that's who you remind
me of -- an evil Mr. Rogers.
Cocteau smiles. Simon tosses the gun to Elvin.
PHOENIX
You try to kill him. This is
beginning to piss me off.
Elvin empties all six shots into Cocteau's very surprised
face.
Associate Bob looks on from the corner. A little
frightened, but not giving a shit about Cocteau.
PHOENIX
So what shall I do with you,
Bob
?
ASSOCIATE BOB
I am an excellent associate, sir.
I could work for you.
(off Phoenix's doubt
of this)
Dr. Cocteau actually had me
endocrinecologically altered to
never wish to be anything but
an associate.
PHOENIX
What??
ASSOCIATE BOB
I believe the slang that would best
express it across our chronological
gap, sir, would be that he -- cut
my balls off.
PHOENIX
Literally?
Bob nods; Simon claps him on the shoulder.
PHOENIX
Bob, it's a sign of weakness to cut
the balls off the people who work
for you. I'm gonna get you a new
set.
ASSOCIATE BOB
Why, thank you, sir.
PHOENIX
Can we do that now?
Bob nods.
PHOENIX
I'm gonna get a couple extra
myself. Not that I need 'em. But
just for spares...
ASSOCIATE BOB
If I could interrupt...
Phoenix looks at him; this is not a good way to start...
ASSOCIATE BOB
But the police are here.
OUT WINDOW
some ten stories down. Sure enough Spartan and Huxley
are exiting the GTO.
BACK IN OFFICE
PHOENIX
I'm gonna need to defrost more
guys, Bob. Lots more guys. Can
you do that?
ASSOCIATE BOB
Indubitably. But the computer
codes will have to emanate from
this office. We will need a few
moments here before fleeing.
(sits at keyboard;
types away madly)
I might suggest that the, uh,
large gentlemen might be
considered, ah...
(sotto)
...disposable. Especially with
rather large supply forthcoming.
Perhaps they could be sent to
welcome Mr. Spartan. If they
succeed, so much the better, if
not, they will at least hinder
his progress?
PHOENIX
I like you, Bob. You have no
heart.
(then)
Guys, John Spartan's on his way.
Go downstairs. Kill him.
DANZIG
Over and over and over...
They leave.
PHOENIX
Now, really, violent evil multi-
lifers. I want guys who
understand that crimes come in
bunches. Not just a sporadic bit
of violence or law breaking here
and there. I want guys who've
been on killing sprees before.
Men who've crossed state lines
with impunity! Do you understand
me,
Bob
?
ASSOCIATE BOB
(still typing madly)
Perfectly, sir.
PHOENIX
I'm gonna like running this place.
INT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - COCTEAU LOBBY - NIGHT
The elevator slides open. Danzig, Elvin and Francis
spray it with GUNFIRE. It's empty. Spartan and Huxley
slip in through a side door around the corner.
SPARTAN
Old trick.
HUXLEY
Old criminals.
He looks at her. She's a little cocky. Spartan steps
out into the hall. Sees a giant shadow.
SPARTAN
Elvin!
Elvin steps out. Spartan SHOOTS him through the chest.
SPARTAN
Thought it was you.
Danzig and Francis look a touch more concerned. They
split up.
Spartan moves cautiously down the hall. Huxley a pace or
two behind. High above in an overly futuristic frieze
looking much the modern gargoyle, is Danzig. Grins.
Dives on Spartan.
Spartan is slammed to the ground. We can feel the breath
knocked out of him. Tussles with Danzig as ---
Huxley pulls out her stun baton. Pokes at them, pulls
back, pokes again -- unable with the twisting, turning
struggling bodies to be sure she won't get Spartan.
And misses the fact that Francis is coming up from
behind. He slaps the baton out of her hand. Grabs
her around the neck, lifts her in the air. Begins to
strangle her to death. She kicks and claws at him
without effect.
Spartan's still busy with Danzig. She starts to choke.
Francis brings her closer to watch her die. A beat of
this, and Huxley reaches down and yanks the GUN out of
his belt and SHOOTS him repeatedly.
Half a beat later, Spartan finishes with Danzig. The
CRRRUNNNCH of his BACK breaking.
Huxley's in a state of shock.
HUXLEY
This man has died at my hands. I
have taken all his future from
him...
SPARTAN
Him or you, Huxley.
HUXLEY
(somewhat mollified)
There is that.
INT. COCTEAU'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Spartan bursts in, gun drawn. No one's there. Spins,
checks everywhere. Spots a very dead Raymond Cocteau.
Huxley sees him a moment later.
HUXLEY
Horrors. Oh horrors. Sic
Transit Raymond Cocteau. Oh, John
Spartan, civilization as we know
it will come to an end.
SPARTAN
It does that every once in a
while.
The computer screen catches Spartan's eye.
SPARTAN
What's this?
HUXLEY
(checks it out)
Ooh. This is bad. Very bad.
(as Spartan looks
over her shoulder)
He's accessed the cryoprison.
He's about to defrost the entire
multilifer wing.
(beat)
Most of them don't like you.
SPARTAN
Most of them didn't even like
their mothers. These are bad
people.
(then)
How many?
HUXLEY
Eighty.
SPARTAN
(beat; dry)
We have to stop that.
INT. COCTEAU COMPLEX - COCTEAU LOBBY - NIGHT
On the run, stepping over dead cryocons. Huxley keys
her BadgeRadio ---
HUXLEY
All units, all units.
ProtectServe Cryoprison. Simon
Phoenix assumed to be en route.
(lifts the send
button)
Should I announce the demise of
Doctor Raymond Cocteau?
SPARTAN
Nah. I think we're gonna cause
enough panic on our own.
EXT. CRYO PRISON - NIGHT
Prison is ringed by a high circular fence. Giant stainless
steel gates in front of the prison, a la the Federal
Reserve, are shut tight. A dozen futuristic squad cars
strobe the area in red and blue. The GTO RUMBLES up.
Spartan gets out. Huxley follows suit.
GARCIA
He's inside already. And it's
completely sealed.
Spartan takes only the briefest reconnaissance look
around. Shakes his head sadly ---
SPARTAN
This is crime against nature...
Leans into the GTO. Pushes in the cigarette lighter.
Puts it into neutral. Wedges the accelerator down. The
GTO BELLOWS. The cigarette lighter pops out and Spartan
uses it to light the fuses on the explosive devices.
Drops the car into gear. Pulls his head out just in time
as it ROARS off.
The GTO SMASHES into the front GATES. Wedges itself in
from the impact. Half a beat later, a long, low,
THUNDEROUS EXPLOSION. Smoke everywhere. Smoke clears...
It ain't much, but a man can get through now. Spartan
loads the spent cartridges in the guns from his ammo
belt. Huxley double-checks her stun baton.
HUXLEY
(nervous as hell)
Okay, look, I wasn't at all pleased
to cause the fatality of that
deranged cryocon, but I understand
now that sometimes under
particular circumstances that
violence is necessary...
SPARTAN
Good.
Takes the stun baton from her and nails her with it mid-
sternum.
SPARTAN
Then you'll understand this.
She falls into Garcia's arms.
SPARTAN
Hang on to her. See she doesn't
get herself into trouble.
GARCIA
You too.
SPARTAN
Yeah.
Spartan turns, starts towards the Cryo prison. As he
walks --- Takes a deep breath. Loosens up his right
shoulder. Loosens up his left. Checks the gun on his
right hip. Checks the gun on his left. They're both
set to cross draw. Steps through the breach.
INT. CRYO PRISON - OUTER THAWING ROOM - NIGHT
A frenzy of activity. Simon, Associate Bob, Techs
everywhere...
ASSOCIATE BOB
Doctor Cocteau would want every
bit of haste from you!
(sotto to Simon)
If he was still extant that is.
Seventy pucks are stacked and loaded to be defrosted.
Med Techs scramble furiously.
INT. CRYO PRISON - INNER THAWING ROOM - NIGHT
Four pucks are being rapidly removed from around the
cryocons inside by the cutting lasers. They go blue.
INT. CRYO PRISON - OUTER THAWING ROOM - NIGHT
The inner room splits open and the Med Techs rush in to
the four thawed cryocons as Associate Bob steps away from
a VidScreen with some concern ---
ASSOCIATE BOB
There's been a breach in the outer
gate. An intruder has entered the
CryoFacility and I feel it's safe
to assume it's John Spartan.
Phoenix is momentarily taken aback by Spartan's relent-
lessness. Then he looks at his four new recruits.
They're still kinda dopey. Turns to a Med Tech ---
PHOENIX
Got some really wild uppers?
Speed, crank, amphetamines?
Anything?
MED TECH
(a little confused,
but...)
We have pure megadrenalin, sir.
PHOENIX
Good. Whack these guys with it.
A bunch.
He does. They come wildly awake, GUNTHER, HOWIE,
IGNATIOUS, and JED. Eyes wide, jittery, completely
cranked. Phoenix keeps it simple ---
PHOENIX
Hey wake up. Good. Listen to
me. You've just been defrosted.
It's the future. John Spartan is
out those doors.
(a beat; he smokes;
this should be fun)
Go kill him.
Gunther lets out the kind of scream the NFL would be
proud of. Charges out the door, others behind him.
INT. CRYO PRISON - LOBBY - NIGHT
A reception desk. A Chaplain's office. A BE Well bas
relief. Very quiet, very still.
Spartan moves cautiously through. A tiny rotating sensor
picks up his presence. Locks on. As Spartan is looking
the other way. Dr. Raymond Cocteau, in holo, suddenly
appears in front of the display.
COCTEAU (IMAGE)
Greetings, and
BE
well.
He never gets to say another word. Spartan spins and
ventilates the device with 40 mm slugs.
Half a beat. Realizes what he's done. In the next
moment, four insane megadrenalized cryocons come
screaming through the door. Barehanded, barefooted.
Spartan SHOOTS the first two out of hand, without a
thought. But before he can fire again, the second two
are on him.
One gun goes flying. Spartan beats on Howie with his
free hand. Ignacious fights for control of his gun
hand.
Spartan bashes Howie back for a moment, continues to
tussle with Ignacious. Finally, he's had enough --
SPARTAN
Fine. Take it.
He lets go of the gun. Ignacious grabs it and, still in
shock over this turn of events, begins to fumble with
it. Spartan reaches up with both hands and breaks
his neck.
Howie leaps on him from behind, trying to do the same
to Spartan. Spartan squat presses down with this three
hundred pound behemoth wrapped around his neck, retrieves
the GUN out of Ignacious's stiffening fingers. Turns
the barrel around towards himself. Howie reaches
desperately, but it's just out of reach. Spartan
FIRES over his shoulder. Howie, or what's left of him,
slides away...
INT. CRYO PRISON - OUTER THAWING ROOM - NIGHT
Med Techs scramble furiously. Phoenix grabs the glowing
CompuClipboard from Bob.
PHOENIX
So, who's left that's good?
Ooooh, Ramon Gutieriz? We
gotta get him.
He's like a kid at FAO Schwartz.
PHOENIX
Come on...
Simon jumps onto one of the cranes with a six clawed
arm. Stands at the controls.
PHOENIX
Go...
It does. Moves too. Bob has to trot to keep up.
INT. CRYO PRISON - STARK WHITE CORRIDOR - NIGHT
A pair of double doors slip silently open. Spartan, a
gun in each hand, slides in. He is back in the stark
white corridor where he once said good-bye to his wife
and daughter. Looks at the empty alcove. It gives him
the creeps. He makes his way to the door at the far end,
and steps in --
INT. CRYO PRISON - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Spartan prowls through the now depleted multilifer wing.
Empty pods everywhere.
The displays all read: CRYO PRISONER EXITED. Yeeesh.
There's a lot of them that way. A WHIR, followed by
TROTTING FOOTSTEPS.
Spartan whirls. A crane WHIRRING by and Associate Bob
trotting behind. Spartan follows. Creeps slowly
around the corner. GUNS up... Comes around a turn to
spot Phoenix locking the arm into a puck. Takes aim.
Phoenix sees him at the same time. Yanks a control on
the crane. The puck pivots up as Spartan FIRES.
The 40mm bullet lodges half in, half out of the puck in
front of Phoenix's grinning face.
PHOENIX
Don't you understand the meaning
of give up? You're too late,
John. I've got three more batches
in the oven.
Spartan FIRES again. The puck barely vibrates. Absorbs
another round beside the unharmed cryocon.
Phoenix unleashes an entire magazine from an HK91 slung
over his back. Spartan FIRES once, dives for cover.
Although unhit, he gets seriously frosted from a pipe
blow open next to him. Forced to roll through the line
of fire to avoid permanent freezer burn. There are
pipes burst everywhere.
Phoenix turns to find Bob slinking away.
PHOENIX
Where the fuck you going?
ASSOCIATE BOB
I wish you good luck, sir. This
is an activity that requires
testicles.
PHOENIX
(considers)
True 'nuf.
Ice is beginning to form on the surface of everything
nearby.
PHOENIX
Take those stairs, I'll cover
you.
Bob nods gratefully. Does. Phoenix shakes his head at
Bob's gullibility.
PHOENIX
(sotto; to himself)
No brains either.
Spartan hears FOOTSTEPS coming. Whirls. FIRES. Blows
Bob away. A momentary distraction, but it's enough.
Phoenix is gone.
Spartan turns slowly. Guns out in each direction.
Searching. A sound. FIRES. No Simon. More PIPES
BURST. It's ten or twenty degrees below zero in there
already. Everything is coated with supercooled ice.
Footing becomes treacherous.
Phoenix crawls through a jungle of pipe. Gets a bead on
Spartan's lower body. Starts to strafe the area. Dh uh.
Everything has become so slick, the recoil drives him back
across the ice into the open. Spartan sees him, FIRES.
The recoil slams him back against a wall. He FIRES again
with something firm to lean on, but the recoil from
Phoenix's sputtering weapon drives him right over the
edge. He drops off into the center out of Spartan's
sight. Slipping and sliding, Spartan slithers down the
stairs to --
MAIN LEVEL
A familiar WHIRRING. Turns. Half a beat later he is
bodyslammed and smashed and grabbed by a six-armed crane.
His guns go flying, off into God knows where...
Spartan is hoisted high in air, smashed again and again
against a pillar. Phoenix slams him through a web of
pipes. Holds him in the freezing blast. Ice forms all
over Spartan. He struggles. It cracks off, reforms.
Struggles again. It cracks off. Reforms. Struggles
again. He's weakening.
Reaches up. Grabs the pipe, wrests it over, directs
the blast at Phoenix. Holds it steady. Phoenix is
frozen in place. Coats in ice. We can see the madness
in his eyes. Everything else is still. He roars,
breaks free. Retreats from the blast. Disappears as --
Spartan wrenches the pipe over to the claw arm. Holds
it directly over one joint. Then clobbers it with
the pipe. It SHATTERS. He drops.
LIGHTS are beginning to EXPLODE from the cold. It's
dropped 30 degrees below zero in there by now. Spartan
spots Phoenix on the far side of the room. Hundred feet
away.
Half a moment to catch his breath in the freezing
cold, leans on exposed cryopuck. It slides effortlessly.
Spartan hurls it across the floor at Phoenix. A five
hundred pound hockey puck. Phoenix barely avoids the
crushing blow. It rebounds back off the steel...
No point fighting the elements. Spartan hurls himself
across the floor. Spins slowly twice along the way.
It's like zero grav in two dimensions. No friction
coefficient at all.
Three quarters of a second across the floor. Right
hook into Phoenix's surprised face.
Phoenix goes flying a hundred feet back into the far
side. Crashes and falls.
The CRYO PRISON CREAKS and SCREAMS in protest from the
cold. LIGHTING, grids, struts SHATTER, fall about them.
They hurl themselves together again. Spartan lands a
horrific blow. All but drives Phoenix's nose and eye
sockets through the back of his head. Spartan's
forearm is terribly cut.
The blood freezes solid as it sprays, sealing the wound,
and leaving a giant six foot red feather spray. Spartan
brushes it away, breaks off, bleeds, freezes again
instantly.
They fly apart again. Spartan comes to a stop near a
tool cart. Pokes at the tools. One is an MTL cutting
laser. He has no idea what it is. Nothing there he
recognizes. Picks up a four foot wrench. That, he
recognizes. He looks like a caveman. A very angry
caveman.
The building complains loudly. Falling apart around
them. More and more PIPES EXPLODE, BURST, it gets colder
and colder. 50 degrees below by now.
Phoenix, on the far side, also scrambles for a weapon.
He sees an MTL as well, but he knows what it is.
FIRES it up. Focused three inch cutting beam comes
out. Rips off the top cover, pulls out five optical
elements, pulls out the choke tube, rips the whole
front off the MTL. Doesn't look very sleek now.
FIRES it.
A thirty foot long spray of white white magnesium-
thermite flame comes flying out.
One swipe, he clears the ice from a path he can walk
towards Spartan on.
Metal bars melt away as the thermite flare crosses
through them.
On the top level of the cryo prison, the first batch
of raving psychopath defrosted cryocons wanders in
to watch John Spartan die.
This is the most depraved, frightening-looking group of
individuals you've ever seen in your life.
ANGRY CRYOCON
Spartan!!!
MANY ANGRY CRYOCONS
Kill him!! Kill him!!!!!
Spartan looks up at them. Like he needs this shit...
Simon continues to melt himself a path across the floor
towards Spartan.
The heat from the MTL is furious. The difference between
the 2000 degrees plus and 80 degrees below is more than
any metal can handle. Fissures appear in giant lightning
strike cracks in all directions where the MTL hits.
Every bit of ice in the building melts. Water boiling
away instantaneously in the path of the MTL.
Spartan has nowhere to run. And nothing but a big
fucking club. To his left he suddenly sees an empty
chamber. Except this one was never filled. The display
reads: READY FOR CRYO.
There's a tiny white chip in the vial inside the vacuum
bell. Spartan looks at it. It's like a very bad memory
coming back. But he knows what it is and knows what it
does. Smashes the vacuum bell with the wrench.
Simon grows closer.
Spartan bashes the robot arm out of the way. Picks
up the vial. Looks around desperately. No point using
it if it's going to kill him too. Grabs the grid of
the floor above him. Heaves himself up.
Simon lifts the MTL towards him. It almost reaches
up to the landing above. Spartan hurls the VIAL at
Simon's feet.
It SHATTERS. Nothing happens. The heat from the MTL
has boiled off all the water in a ten foot circle nearby.
The MTL flame comes closer. In a moment Spartan will
get cooked. Instead of running away, he moves closer.
Stands up on the railing of the second landing. And
just as his clothes begin to catch fire from the heat,
leaps --
Over the oncoming thermal flame as it arcs up towards
him. And over and past Phoenix.
Spartan lands behind him, coming around with an elbow
into Phoenix's kidney, causing Phoenix to drop the MTL.
Outside their circle of heat, the tiny chip hits the
water. Melts. And again, like the opposite of watching
ice shatter, the water everywhere goes steel solid,
stuttering out in all directions.
Phoenix still has a free hand. Smashes a nerve center
on the side of Spartan's neck. Spartan twitches visibly
from it. Grunts.
Spartan punches him right, left, right in the sternum.
Phoenix coughs blood, spits it away.
Steps back to launch a mighty blow at Spartan and --
His heel just steps into a puddle of water. The tiniest
rivulet drifts over, connects it to the main ice solid
locked water.
Simon feels his foot stuck. And as he looks down in
consternation, realizes in shock what's happened and
then looks up, Spartan hits him straight from the
shoulder with everything he has left, dead in the face,
as Phoenix solidifies.
Phoenix's head snaps clean off.
Hits, like a ball bearing on polished steel. Bounces
with a CLANG. Rolls off. CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG,
CLANG.
Spartan reaches desperately for the still spewing MTL
as the rivulets close in towards him.
Grabs onto it just in time. Spins, melts off a
protective circle around him.
Looks up at the peanut gallery of cryocons.
SPARTAN
All right, who's next???
Nobody moves. Nobody can move. Every last one is
dead. Frozen in place.
The building continues to collapse around Spartan. More
LIGHTS BLOW OUT. A giant beam comes crashing down.
SPARTAN
(a massive
understatement)
I think it's time to go.
Carefully melting a path to the door, Spartan comes
through --
INT. CRYO PRISON - STARK WHITE CORRIDOR - NIGHT
MTL still blazing, the hall bursts into flame around him
as he leaves. He takes no chances. Continues to melt
and burn his way out.
EXT. CRYO PRISON - NIGHT
Outside the building, but still inside the gate. Spartan
pauses, still holding the flaming MTL, thinks about it a
sec, torches the rest of the whole evil fucking place.
GATE
As Spartan steps through, the MTL sputters to a halt.
He tosses it aside. The cryo prison burns, explodes,
freezes, contracts, expands behind him.
A far greater crowd has gathered. Police, citizens,
Scraps. They watch in silent awe and shock as Spartan
re-emerges. Katherine walks up. Deadpan as her
father --
KATHERINE
Good to see you again, Dad.
(kisses him on
the cheek)
Come by sometime for dinner.
(re: the
destruction)
I'll cook.
He kisses her back on the cheek. She smiles, they
hug. Lenina watches from nearby.
HUXLEY
That was it? That's the whole
kissing thing? What was Cocteau
so worried about?
Spartan grabs her. Lays a real kiss on her. Long and
hard. She comes up for air, gasping, eyes shiny.
HUXLEY
Oh. My.
(then)
Is the rest of fluid transfer
activities like this?
SPARTAN
(beat; dry)
Better.
HUXLEY
(beat)
Better??! Oh. My.
She kisses him. Long and hard. Breaks.
HUXLEY
Welcome to the future, John
Spartan. Now that you've
destroyed everything.
He throws an arm over her shoulder. They turn and walk
away. They head off into the sunrise...
SPARTAN
Yeah, I think I'm gonna like it
here.
(a beat; then)
There's one thing I want to
know though. How does that
damn three seashells thing
work?
And as the MUSIC COMES UP and obscures her explanation
we --
FADE OUT.
THE END
| screenplays |
Anime X-overs, Book X-overs A Ghost's Life
Well this is a story that was written for language. . . and the **bolded **word are what I wrote. The rest was done by my class. Actually this at first wasn't mine but what my friend started since I was away that day so I used her start. but the **bolded** words are all mine :D . . . I acsedently made it super long too. . . but anyway- ENJOY!
* * *
I heart L
Lighting flashed across the sky as Mr. Jones quivered in the corner of the haunted mansion. There was no way out until morning. During the night Mr. Jones heard banging and moaning from all the windows and doors. And then Mr. Jones found the ghost and smacked him. The ghost looked shocked as Mr. Jones laughed at the funny face he made. The ghost thought he was invisible until Mr. Jones smacked him. So the ghost ran away. But the ghost was really obese so it was hard for him to run away. But Mr. Jones followed the ghost all the way to the "McDonald's" run by the dead manager.
Then he realized that the ghost didn't want to harm him- HE WANTED HELP! So Mr. Jones ran after him seeing what he wanted. Later that night he realized that all the ghost wanted was FOOD. So they ate a pizza together. It was all good until Mr. Jones found a worm in his piece of pizza. He popped it in his mouth while explaining to the ghost that worms have a ton of protein.
"I like pizza" said Mr. Jones.
"Me, too" replied the ghost. Mr. Jones asked why the ghost was so fat. The ghost said "I like to eat people and rip their intestines out"
"Oh I see Doesn't that disturb you?" Mr. Jones asked feeling sick.
"No, it's the fat kids that disturb me" answered the ghost.
Mr. Jones having had enough of this sick ghost, so he martini bombed that sick ghost creeper and booked it.
**The ghost banged into the wall, slipping down it like icky gooey slime. He slowly stood up, and Mr. Jones saw that it had it back to him- BUT WAIT! It's head was BACKWARDS!**
**"Oh no! What have I done?! STUPID ME! HE WAS ALREADY DEAD! NOW IT HATES ME EVEN MORE!- did he even hate me before. . . ?!" thought Mr. Jones, "Never mind! I HAVE TO SAVE MY SELF!" and with those thoughts Mr. Jones sprinted in to action- HE WAS RUNNING! AND HE JUST ATE!!!!! And everyone knows **_**how**_** hard it is to run with a full stomach.**
**So as Mr. Jones ran- IF you can call it running- He DIDN'T get very far away. The ghost looked at him, stared at him, THEN burst into laughter!**
**After some time of laughing, the ghost noticed that something was glowing in the corner to his right. He got close to it and- VOILA! There was a magic potion in shape of a pony. The ghost without thinking drank the whole bottle (and even ate it!) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand HE TURNED INTO A FROG!**
**"I-I'm a FROG!" gasped the ghost who was now a frog. Then he thought about chasing Mr. Jones but POOF! Mr. Jones was looooooooong gooooooone! So now our main hero is the ghost who actually HAS a name. His name is Luke Atmey!**
**Luke had been born in Nova Scotia. And had always been in love with a girl. Her name was Olga Orly. She was a pretty blond who never looked at a nerd like him. . . Sigh!**
**"HEY! NARRATOR! **_**I **_**WAS THE MOST POPULAR GUY IN SCHOOL! ALL THE GIRLS LIKED ME EXCEPT HER!" screamed Luke Atmey.**
**The walls shook from the out burst of sound while the people who were near the house turned around and looked at the frog. They were all shocked. Who was the frog talking to? EVEN more shocked that a frog was **_**talking**_**! **
**Luke Atmey sighed. How come this was happening to him? Why did the story seemed like a beginning of a new one? And why was it about him? Luke's head started spinning from thinking to much.**
**Suddently, He fainted from over thinking.**
_**Where am I?**_
**" Who is this frog?" said a cute looking blue hedgehog.**
****
"Can I eat it?" exclaimed a pinky-hair guy.
"Can I kill it?" asked a boy around the age of 12.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed a girl, :If you do, I'll karate punch you and karate kick you!" Added the black-haired Japanese girl.
"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" automatically said the two boys (well one is older so he's a guy).
_**Who are they?**_
**A dark cloaked shadow swished by and was now looking over Luke.**
****
"Um... We found him. . . So what should we do?" asked the Japanese girl looking a little worried.
"Don't worry ran, nobody- and I said NOBODY is going to harm him. The Japanese girl sighed. While the two guys groaned. The little blue hedgehog wasn't even paying attention anymore- He got distracted by a butterfly that was sitting on his nose!
"YAY! BUTTERFLY! PRETTY!" exclaimed the hedgehog.
The cloaked figure just ignored him and continued talking. "I believe he shall play an important part on the next adventure. So I hope you'll make him feel welcomed!" And with those words, the dark person swished away.
"W-Wait!" yelled Ran- While the cloaked continued like it hasn't heard her.
"She's not gonna "wait" Ran, she doesn't even care about the little frog thing." said the 12 year old by looking very annoyed.
"KILLUA! You know she is very busy so she can't stay! Why are you so cold?!" screamed Ran.
"Should I warm him up?!" and with that the pinky-haired guy summoned fire onto his fists. He seemed very excited.
Ran just rolled her eyes. "Natsu, it's not gonna work, put the fire out"
"Awwwwwwwwwwww!" slouched the fired up Natsu.
_**Are they okay? They should go see a Doctor!**_
**The little hedgehog looked at the frog and started poking it!**
****
"SONIC! Don't do that!" screamed Ran.
"Awwwww!" replied the little blue creature.
Ran sighed. "Sonic, Sonic, Sonic. . . Who told you to drink that potion?! You were enough trouble as a teenager, now your even more as a kid" and she sighed again.
"Well, let's go to the mansion" Killua rolled his eyes, "To see our dear Shinigami friend who should be more help then our dear friend Aqua"
Ran gave his the look.
Natsu picked up the frog and placed it on his shoulder.
**"SO we should get going now, It's gonna be night soon" told them Ran, "We **_**don't **_**want to bump into an vampires, especially Edward Cullen"**
****
"Should we visit the House of Night?" asked Killua.
"Nah, that will only slow us down" replied Ran, "Well let's go!"
And with that our main hero and four maniacs he just met, set out on adventure.
_**Why. . . Oh. . . Why does it have to be me?**_
_**
* * *
**_
Yeah i need to write more cuz my friend told me to but i'm just so lazy. . . so i might work on it. . . any way I used the title I used for it in language so it really sucks xD any way I hope you liked it!
End file.
| fanfiction |
malignant ventricular arrhythmias are common complications of chronic heart failure ( chf ) induced
by myocardial infarction . senescence1,2 and chf3,4 strongly influence the cardiovascular
autonomic control and myocardial repolarization phase.59 indeed , both these conditions
are able to increase -adrenoreceptor - mediated peripheral resistance1 and to reduce -adrenergic adrenoreceptor10 and baroreflex function,10,11 with a consistent decrease of heart
rate variability.1216 the increase of temporal dispersion of the repolarization ventricular
phase1725 and the reduction of heart rate variability2527 are risk
factors for ventricular malignant arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death ( scd ) and non - scd . aging2830 and chf31 are clear pathogenetic factors
able to induce ventricular arrhythmogenesis .
neurohumoral activation,4,6,32 electroanatomical remodeling,33,34 chronic inflammatory condition,35 and endothelial dysfunction3639 are
well - recognized causes of ventricular arrhythmia in patients with chf .
elderly patients with chf
show higher proneness for the malignant ventricular arrhythmias because these subjects have lower
levels of functional reserve capable of resisting arrhythmogenesis .
although the influence of chf
and aging on ventricular arrhythmias is well known , the underlying pathogenic mechanisms are not yet
completely understood .
particularly , the impact of aging on markers of repolarization s
temporal dispersion during chf has not been clarified . in a recent large community - based study ,
an
increased risk of scd has been found related to a prolonged tpeak - tend
interval ( te).40 in addition , in patients with chf
and scd , a higher temporal dispersion was reported.5 all in all , we analyzed qt interval ( from q to end t wave electrocardiogram
[ ecg ] ) variability index ( qtvi ) and short - term variability ( stv ) of qt in chf
subjects with different ages , in order to individuate a possible age - dependent influence on these
markers .
finally , we calculated the same indices of variability on the last part of the t wave
( considering the peak and end of the t wave ) to observe a peculiar age - related effect on this
important part of repolarization .
for this study we selected 75 outpatients ( 63 men and 12 woman ) who had stable chf secondary to
ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy , and 53 healthy control subjects ( 41 men and 12 women ) .
we defined
clinically stable patients as those who had not been hospitalized or had their therapy adjusted or
had experienced any other acute coronary artery or noncoronary event during the past 3 months .
all
participants had undergone revascularization either cutaneously or by aortocoronary artery bypass at
least 3 months before the study .
none of the patients had malignancy , primary valve disease , atrial
fibrillation , premature complexes ( one premature complex per minute was permitted ) , or other
arrhythmias likely to interfere with heart rate and qt analysis .
none of the patients was new york
heart association class iv . before the study
, none of the subjects had a documented history of
cardiac arrest , ventricular tachycardia , or fibrillation .
we suggested that all patients with
ejection fraction 35% underwent an implant of implantable
cardioverter / defibrillator device . to detect possible statistical differences related to age we divided each of the two study groups
into three age subsets : 50 years , > 50 years and 65 years , and > 65
years . after a 10-minute rest lying down , each subject underwent a 5-minute , single ecg lead recording
during controlled breathing ( 15 breaths per minute , 0.25 hz ) .
all digitized signal recordings were
analyzed by a single physician ( gp ) blinded to the subjects circumstances .
we measured the following intervals from the respective time series of ecg recordings : resting
rate ( rr ) , qt ( from the q wave to the t wave end ) , and te ( from the t peak to t wave end ) .
we
therefore calculated mean and variance values of each of these intervals and then used the original
formula proposed by berger et al41 to calculate
three different qt variability indices : qtvi = log10{[[qtvariance]/[qtmean]2]/[[rrvariance]/[rrmean]2]}tevi = log10{[[tevariance]/[temean]2]/[[rrvariance]/[rrmean]2 ] } software for data acquisition and storage and for spectral analysis were designed and produced by
our research group and are described in detail elsewhere.79,4245 finally , we used all ecg recordings to measure the stv of the aforementioned intervals .
this
variable was calculated following the standard method , namely by using the first 60 consecutive
beats ( stv60 ) 6,46,47 and also by using
the total number of beats in the whole 5-minute recording ( stvt ) .
the formula used was : stv60=[dn+1dn](602)stvt=[dn+1dn](total beats number2)where d was the duration of rr or qte , or te interval .
consequently , we
were able to obtain the following six stv indices : rr stv60 , qt stv60 , te
stv60 , rr stvt , qte stvt , and te stvt .
finally , we calculated the following ratio between the different stvs : qt / rr stv60=qt stv60/rr stv60;te / rr stv60=te stv60/rr stv60
qt / rr stvt = qt stvt / rr stvt;te / rr stvt = te stvt / rr stvt moreover , from the same 5-minute ecg segment , the corrected qt and te intervals were obtained
according to the formulas proposed by bazett ( qt / rr ; qt ; te / rr ) ,
friedericia ( qt / rr ; te / rr ) , lilly ( qt / rr ;
te / rr ) , and framingham ( qt+
[ 0.154*{1000-rr } ] ; te+
[ 0.154*{1000rr } ] ) . unless otherwise indicated , all data are expressed as means standard deviation .
data
with skewed distribution are given as median and interquartile range ( 75th percentile25th
percentile ) .
one - way
analysis of variance and the bonferroni test were used to compare data for the normally distributed
variables .
wallis and mann whitney tests were used to compare non - normally
distributed variables ( as evaluated by the kolmogorov
smirnov test ) . to detect possible
statistical differences related to age , we divided each of the two study groups into three age
subsets : 50 years , > 50 years and 65 years , and 65 years
. stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine possible relationships between the
studied variables .
all data were evaluated with the database spss - pc+ ( spss - pc+ inc ,
chicago , il , usa ) .
for this study we selected 75 outpatients ( 63 men and 12 woman ) who had stable chf secondary to
ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy , and 53 healthy control subjects ( 41 men and 12 women ) .
we defined
clinically stable patients as those who had not been hospitalized or had their therapy adjusted or
had experienced any other acute coronary artery or noncoronary event during the past 3 months .
all
participants had undergone revascularization either cutaneously or by aortocoronary artery bypass at
least 3 months before the study .
none of the patients had malignancy , primary valve disease , atrial
fibrillation , premature complexes ( one premature complex per minute was permitted ) , or other
arrhythmias likely to interfere with heart rate and qt analysis .
none of the patients was new york
heart association class iv . before the study
, none of the subjects had a documented history of
cardiac arrest , ventricular tachycardia , or fibrillation .
we suggested that all patients with
ejection fraction 35% underwent an implant of implantable
cardioverter / defibrillator device . to detect possible statistical differences related to age we divided each of the two study groups
into three age subsets : 50 years , > 50 years and 65 years , and > 65
years .
after a 10-minute rest lying down , each subject underwent a 5-minute , single ecg lead recording
during controlled breathing ( 15 breaths per minute , 0.25 hz ) .
all digitized signal recordings were
analyzed by a single physician ( gp ) blinded to the subjects circumstances .
we measured the following intervals from the respective time series of ecg recordings : resting
rate ( rr ) , qt ( from the q wave to the t wave end ) , and te ( from the t peak to t wave end ) .
we
therefore calculated mean and variance values of each of these intervals and then used the original
formula proposed by berger et al41 to calculate
three different qt variability indices : qtvi = log10{[[qtvariance]/[qtmean]2]/[[rrvariance]/[rrmean]2]}tevi = log10{[[tevariance]/[temean]2]/[[rrvariance]/[rrmean]2 ] } software for data acquisition and storage and for spectral analysis were designed and produced by
our research group and are described in detail elsewhere.79,4245 finally , we used all ecg recordings to measure the stv of the aforementioned intervals .
this
variable was calculated following the standard method , namely by using the first 60 consecutive
beats ( stv60 ) 6,46,47 and also by using
the total number of beats in the whole 5-minute recording ( stvt ) .
the formula used was : stv60=[dn+1dn](602)stvt=[dn+1dn](total beats number2)where d was the duration of rr or qte , or te interval .
consequently , we
were able to obtain the following six stv indices : rr stv60 , qt stv60 , te
stv60 , rr stvt , qte stvt , and te stvt .
finally , we calculated the following ratio between the different stvs : qt / rr stv60=qt stv60/rr stv60;te / rr stv60=te stv60/rr stv60
qt / rr stvt = qt stvt / rr stvt;te / rr stvt = te stvt / rr stvt moreover , from the same 5-minute ecg segment , the corrected qt and te intervals were obtained
according to the formulas proposed by bazett ( qt / rr ; qt ; te / rr ) ,
friedericia ( qt / rr ; te / rr ) , lilly ( qt / rr ;
te / rr ) , and framingham ( qt+
[ 0.154*{1000-rr } ] ; te+
[ 0.154*{1000rr } ] ) .
data
with skewed distribution are given as median and interquartile range ( 75th percentile25th
percentile ) .
one - way
analysis of variance and the bonferroni test were used to compare data for the normally distributed
variables .
wallis and mann whitney tests were used to compare non - normally
distributed variables ( as evaluated by the kolmogorov
related to age , we divided each of the two study groups into three age
subsets : 50 years , > 50 years and 65 years , and 65 years .
stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine possible relationships between the
studied variables .
all data were evaluated with the database spss - pc+ ( spss - pc+ inc ,
chicago , il , usa ) .
the clinical characteristics of
subjects enrolled in the study are shown in table
1 .
age , body mass index , and sex distribution did not differ significantly between the two groups ,
whereas heart rate , diastolic arterial pressure , left ventricular ejection fraction , and qt interval
differed significantly ( table 1 ) .
the younger chf group showed a reduction of rr variance in comparison with the age - matched
healthy controls , whereas only the older chf group reported a longer rrmean than controls
( table 3 ) . only elderly subjects had a
significantly larger qtmean ( p < 0.05 ) , qt variance
( p < 0.05 ) , and temean ( p < 0.05 ) than
age - matched healthy controls .
furthermore , the middle - aged group showed a qtvariance
( p < 0.05 ) significantly higher than age - matched controls ( table 3 ) . in all subsets , independently from age , the chf
group showed a significantly higher qtvi ( p < 0.001 ) than age - matched
controls , but only the younger chf group had all other qt variability values significantly higher
( tevi : p <
0.05 , qt / rr stv60 : p < 0.05 ,
te / rr stv60 : p < 0.05 , qt / rr stvt : p
< 0.05 , and te / rr stvt : p < 0.05 ) in comparison with
age - matched controls ( table 4 ) . in the middle - aged
and elderly chf groups
we did not find any differences for the other repolarization variables ( table 4 ) .
we did not find any difference between the three chf groups in respect of the rr and qt variables
( tables 3 and 4 ) .
rrvariance ( p < 0.001 ) was
significantly higher in younger and middle - aged control subjects than older subjects ( table 3 ) , and this variable was also significantly higher
in younger controls compared with healthy middle - aged subjects .
te ( p <
0.05 ) was higher in younger and middle - aged control subjects than older subjects ( table 3 ) .
on the other hand , tevariance
( p < 0.05 ) was higher in the two younger groups than the older normal
subjects . in the control group , all temporal dispersion variables ( qtvi , tevi ,
qt / rr stv60 ,
te / rr stv60 , qt / rr stvt , te / rr stvt ) were significantly lower in
the younger group in comparison with the older subjects ( p < 0.05 ) ( table 4 ) .
qtvi , tevi , qt / rr stvt , and te / rr
stvt were lower in the middle - aged subjects than in the older ones .
only qtvi results
were significantly lower in the younger control group compared with the middle - aged group ( table 4 ) .
the stepwise multiple regression analysis found a significant relation with qtvi and ejection
fraction ( r : 0.364 ; r : 0.132 , : 0.364 , p : 0.001 ) in
chf subjects . instead , qtvi ( p < 0.05 ) , tevi ( p <
0.001 ) , qt / rr stv60 ( p < 0.05 ) , te / rr stv60
( p < 0.05 ) , qt / rr stvt ( p < 0.001 ) , and
te / rr stvt ( p <
0.001 ) showed a significant positive relation
with aging in control groups ( figures 1 and 2 ) .
we also found a negative significant correlation
between all measures of rr variability and age ( figure
3 ) in the same subjects . except for tevariance/(tmean )
( figure 4 ) , we did not find any significant
correlation between age and repolarization variables without rr normalization in the control
group .
our main and original finding was that only qtvi values remained significantly higher in patients
with chf regardless of their age , whereas all other indices of temporal myocardial repolarization
dispersion were significantly higher only in those patients with chf belonging to the youngest
category , namely those characterized with an age 50 years .
our second , somewhat
confirmatory , finding was the significant positive correlation between qtvi and left ventricular
ejection fraction in patients with chf,10 whereas ,
in healthy control subjects , all repolarization variability parameters showed a significant relation
only with age .
thus , although qtvi suffers a certain age influence , this index seems to be the only
useful variable to measure temporal dispersion of myocardial repolarization independently from age
of the patients with chf .
an increase in temporal myocardial repolarization dispersion , as assessed by several qt
interval - derived indices , has been proven to be significantly associated with an increased scd risk
in patients with structural heart disease.1721,4144 however ,
it is well known that , particularly in patients with chf , aging represents an additional feature
able to magnify this risk , most likely through a further increase in myocardial repolarization
lability .
indeed , aging typically leads to a prolongation of action potential duration due to
different mechanisms , such as an increased number and overactivity of cardiac l - type
ca channels with a consequent slow inactivation of calcium influx and a
reduction in outward potassium current.48,49 as a result , with aging , the qt length and variability
tends to increase .
nonetheless , it should be emphasized that chf leads to a prolongation and
dispersion of action potential duration that is quantitatively more pronounced in respect of pure
aging .
specifically , functional downregulation of potassium current and an alteration in
depolarizing sodium and calcium currents are responsible for electrical remodeling , with a
consequent increase in qt temporal dispersion in chf.50 our data , besides confirming that qt variability - derived indices are significantly higher
in patients with chf compared with healthy controls , suggest that aging might represent a
confounding factor for a number of them but not for qtvi .
initially , our data also suggested through
which mechanisms qtvi remains a solid marker of myocardial repolarization lability despite aging .
indeed , in patients with chf aged 50 years , qtvi suffers because of extremely low rr
variance values , whereas , considering those patients with chf aged > 50 years , qtvi was much
worse , as indicated by a marked increase in qt variance .
thus , it could be hypothesized that in
relatively young patients with chf , an increased qtvi might mirror a sinus node dysfunction due to a
prevalent autonomic nervous system control derangement , whereas , with aging , qtvi mainly reflects an
altered myocardial repolarization phase . a possible reason underlying a major role of sinus node
dysfunction in worsening qtvi of young patients with chf
could be represented by the well - known
age - related decline in heart rate variability.1116 evidence indicates that an increased te interval40 is related to scd , and also recent research from our group showed an increased temporal
dispersion of the last part of repolarization ( tevi ) in patients with chf5 and scd , as well as in an animal model with pacing - induced heart failure
( tevi , te / stvt).6 however , the
pathophysiologic meaning of this ecg interval still remains controversial .
some authors believe that
te is a reliable noninvasive marker of transmural repolarization gradient , whereas others affirm
that this period reflects the total spatial ventricular repolarization dispersion.41,46,51 notably , clinical and experimental
evidence indicates that te should be considered as a marker of iks
function , especially during sympathetic activation.52,53 indeed , an enhancement in
iks was reported after a -adrenergic stimulation , the latter
leading to an elevation of intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate ( camp ) and an activation of
protein kinase a.54 supporting this datum , it was
reported that subjects with concealed type 1 long qt reported a significant increase of te interval
during an infusion of epinephrine,55 again favoring
a close link between adrenergic burst and iks activity .
our current data
seem to identify a possible role of te - derived indices only when considering those patients with chf
aged < 50 years . however , a real comparison is impossible given the different population
enrolled and the lack of a follow - up .
a possible explanation , albeit merely speculative , could be
that aging per se , due to a downregulation of -adrenoreceptor expression and function ,
could affect te - derived indices , leading to an age - related loss of their diagnostic utility in
patients with chf .
accordingly , we can hypothesize that , between all indices of myocardial
repolarization dispersion , qtvi might remain the only one that could be used to point out an
increased scd risk regardless of patients age , whereas te indices should be useful just in
middle - aged patients .
our data demonstrate a deep influence of age on the short - term variability of repolarization
phases , and tend to suggest that only qtvi is able to characterize temporal myocardial
repolarization lability in patients with chf regardless of aging . | pubmed |
the growing contamination of public and private well drinking water by nitrate is mostly because of the widespread use of commercial fertilizers and waste .
humans have altered the nitrogen cycle dramatically over the last decades , and as a result , nitrate is increasingly accumulating in water resources .
globally , human nitrogen production has increased significantly since 1950 due to the use of nitrogen fertilizers . in agricultural areas ,
fertilizers are most important contributing factor in agricultural areas ; however , nitrogen from human waste seems to be an essential source in urban areas with deficient centralized water and sanitation systems .
it could become spread in groundwater and is one of the most common pollutant and concern for human health .
drinking water contamination with nitrate could increase cancer risk , because nitrate could reduce to nitrite and the following nitrosation reactions give rise to n - nitroso compounds , which are especially carcinogenic and can act systemically .
the suggested regulatory limit for nitrate is too conservative . a symposium in 2004 on drinking water nitrate and health assessed nitrate exposures and related health effects about the current regulatory limit .
the contribution of drinking water nitrate toward endogenous formation of n - nitroso compounds was evaluated with a focus toward identifying subpopulations with increased rates of nitrosation [ 3 , 4 ] .
drinking nitrate and nitrite under conditions likely to form n - nitroso compounds ( nocs ) , called endogenous nitrosation , is considered possibly carcinogenic to humans .
nitrate in drinking water is completely related to urine nitrate levels as well as excretion of nitrosoproline , a biomarker of endogenous nitrosation .
water with high nitrate concentration is not suitable for human consumption , especially when its concentration exceeded the threshold limit ( 50 mg / l ) recommended by the health authorities such as the world health organization ( who ) .
human alteration of the nitrogen cycle has resulted in continuing accumulation of nitrate in the water resources . according to recent studies , a significant relationship exists between nitrate in drinking water and cancer types [ 3 , 57 ] .
chemical analysis of a study in iran showed that groundwater and water supply have considerably high levels of nitrate ( from 52.3 mg / l to 52.69 mg
nitrate level in some underground water wells in the landfill area was over the drinking water standard ( 50 mg per liter ) [ 8 , 9 ] .
growing body of evidence proposes the relationship between nitrate level in drinking water and gastric cancer [ 1012 ] .
this study aimed to investigate the amounts of nitrate , nitrite , and toc in two drinking water sources and the relationship of nitrate and nitrite levels with some gastrointestinal diseases .
this cross - sectional study was conducted from feb to june 2012 in shahrekord city in central part of iran .
we selected this city because the level of nitrate in drinking water wells is high in this area with many underground water sources including approximately 493 deep wells , 321 wells , 171 deep semisubterranean , and 93 springs .
two wells located in residential areas were selected for sampling and measuring toc , nitrate ( no3 ) , and nitrite ( no2 ) .
this water is used for drinking as well as for industrial and agricultural consumption . since the concentration of nitrate is usually constant year - round , we limited our study time to 5 months to save time and costs . to determine the amount of nitrate and nitrite from these two wells , we collected a total of 18 samples ( 9 samples per well ) and six samples ( three samples per well ) for toc test . for sampling ,
we used one - liter plastic containers and filled each bottle with water of wells ; then we emptied out their contents and once more about 900 ml of water was filled up to provide enough space for better shaking and mixing .
samples were delivered to the chemistry laboratory of health faculty , isfahan university of medical sciences , in less than 3 hours , and then they were analyzed after 24 hours .
nitrate and nitrite concentrations of samples were read and analyzed using dr 5000 spectrophotometer with a wavelength of 220275 nm .
the hach test kit was used ; it involves mixing a premeasured amount of the indicator compound with a 50 ml of sample water ; then the absorption in a particular wavelength was measured . after mixing and a delay for reaction , a color appeared ( for nitrogen it is amber color )
the sample was introduced to the spectrophotometer via a pour - through - cell apparatus to minimize optical interferences from sample handling .
the program offered by the company ( hach 357 n nitrate uv ) was selected from the menu on the device .
50 ml of sample prepared with 1 ml of 1 n hydrochloric acid and the prepared sample was transferred to the quartz cell .
this device was calibrated with samples of water , then we added a package of nitriver 3 nitrite reagent to 10 ml water samples , and after 20 minutes we read the absorption rate . for measuring toc , samples were transferred to laboratory of isfahan water and sewage company .
the information of patients was collected from the medical records department of gastroenterology of al - zahra hospital , isfahan university of medical sciences .
we selected this hospital because it is the main referral hospital of the region for gastrointestinal diseases , and patients of neighbor cities , including shahrekord , are referred to this center .
for statistical analysis , we categorized diseases to the following four groups : ( 1 ) bile duct diseases ; ( 2 ) gastric diseases ; ( 3 ) intestinal diseases ; ( 4 ) other gastrointestinal diseases .
data were analyzed by the statistical package for social sciences software version 20.0 ( spss inc , chicago , il , usa ) .
comparison of values in various groups was assessed by one - sample t- and kruskall wallis tests .
the results of the analysis of water samples for nitrate , nitrite and toc measurements are presented in table 1 .
results of descriptive analysis showed that the mean of nitrate and nitrite concentrations obtained in two areas was higher in july 2012 than in other months .
the mean of toc concentrations in areas 1 and 2 was 2.29 0.012 and 2.03 0.309 , respectively ( p > 0.05 ) . the frequency of abovementioned diseases according to the codes ( ( 1 ) bile duct diseases ; ( 2 ) gastric diseases ; ( 3 ) intestinal diseases ; ( 4 ) other gastrointestinal diseases ) was as follows : 47.6% , 19% , 19% , and 14.3% .
the corresponding numbers in two sampling areas were as follows : area 1 : 0.25% , 0 % , 50% , and 25% , area 2 : 52.9% , 23.5% , 11.8% , and 11.8% .
area 1 : 0.25% , 0 % , 50% , and 25% , area 2 : 52.9% , 23.5% , 11.8% , and 11.8% .
evaluation of the relationship between pollutant concentration and gastrointestinal disease did not show any significant relationship in two cities ( p > 0.05 ) .
this study aimed to evaluate the association of nitrite , nitrate , and toc in water of two areas with the frequency of some common gastrointestinal diseases .
we did not find any significant association between the nitrate content of public water supplies and gastrointestinal diseases .
the evidence for nitrate as a cause of cancers of the digestive tract remains controversial .
a case - control study conducted during three years in usa showed negligible associations of colon or rectum cancers with measures of nitrate in public water supplies , including average nitrate and the number of years with elevated average nitrate levels .
a cohort study in finland found no association between dietary nitrite intake and stomach cancer .
another cohort study in the netherlands found no association between stomach cancer risk and quintiles of water nitrate intake , which was determined from public supply levels and tap water intake . on the other hand , some studies demonstrated positive correlations between water content of nitrate or nitrite and gastrointestinal diseases .
some human studies revealed an association between water nitrate and n - nitroso compounds formation in the gastrointestinal tract .
though , few individual - based studies exist on the relationship of n - nitroso compounds precursors with risk of gastrointestinal cancers .
most epidemiologic studies of drinking water nitrate and stomach cancer were ecologic and found mixed results . an ecological study in 2001 investigated
the association of gastric cancer mortality and nitrate content of drinking water and showed significant association .
this study supports the hypothesis that the high level of nitrate in drinking water may have a role in the development of gastric cancer . in our study , the nitrate concentration in the wells of one of the areas under study was higher in summer than in winter . in summer time , agricultural activities and water use increase ; therefore sewage and drainage will result in more nitrate production .
these two wells near the spill area are considered as the main sources of the increase in agricultural land drainage effluent nitrate concentrations in summer . in our study ,
nitrate , nitrite , and toc values were under the standard levels recommended by the who ( 50 , 3 , and 3 mg / l ) .
some research studies suggest that increasing the allowed levels of nitrate in drinking water can be without risk to human health .
furthermore , some persons with high rates of endogenous formation of carcinogenic n - nitroso compounds may be vulnerable to the development of gastrointestinal cancers . given the extensive experimental data suggesting a role for nitrate in the formation of carcinogenic n - nitroso compounds and the widespread exposure to nitrate in the population , limited epidemiologic data exist on addressing the possible association of nitrate in drinking water with cancer risk .
nitrate levels in water supplies have been increasing at global level ; therefore , additional population - based studies with well - characterized exposures are urgently needed to further our understanding of cancer risk associated with nitrate ingestion given the importance of water quality on human health , future longitudinal studies should determine the effects of exposure to water content of nitrite and nitrate on development of different gastrointestinal diseases .
high levels of nitrate and nitrite in water can be because of using fertilizers ; relevant environment and health organizations should control these issues .
the major limitation of our investigation is its cross - sectional nature ; thus a causal relationship can not be inferred from our findings , and longitudinal studies are required to test for causality and the clinical importance of our findings .
although we did not document significant association of nitrite , nitrate , and toc content of water with gastrointestinal diseases , it should be considered that such health hazards may develop over time , and the quality of water content should be extensively controlled to prevent different health hazards . | pubmed |
Naruto 1. Chapter 1
Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto
Story is mine
Warnings:Typo(s), ooc, gajeness, alur berantakan and others
Happy reading minna..
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**THINGS WILL GET BETTER**
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Selamat pagi kalau disana sedang memang dalam keadaan pagi hari atau selamat siang kalau disekitarmu memang sudah siang ah atau mungkin keadaan mu sudah sore atau malam? Ah itu terserah pendapat kalian. Intinya, aku mengucapkan salam.
Hei, kita belum berkenalan. Aku Sabaku Temari. Gadis berusia 17 tahun yang masih menduduki kelas 3 di sebuah sekolah internasional bernama _Konoha International High School_. Aku terlahir di sebuah kota besar yang terkenal, yaitu Suna. Tetapi aku memutuskan mengikuti Ayah dan Ibu untuk ke Konoha karena Ayah dengan pekerjaannya yang tak bisa ditinggalkan.
Aku terlahir di sebuah keluarga yang sangat mencintai satu sama lain, dengan kedua adikku serta Ayah dan Ibu yang sangat aku sayangi. Mereka juga menyayangiku. Adik-adikku bernama Sabaku Kankuro; dia anak kedua setelahku dan Sabaku Gaara; adikku yang paling kecil dan ia sangat tampan. Ayahku bernama Sabaku Rei dan Ibuku bernama Sabaku Karura.
Ayahku adalah pemegang perusahaan Sabaku yang turun temurun, didirikkan oleh leluhur dari Ayahku sehingga kehidupan keluargaku sangat terjamin sementara Ibuku hanya mengurusi keperluan rumah tangga. Aku dan Gaara bersekolah di satu sekolah yang sama tetapi tidak dengan Kankuro karena Kankuro lebih memilih tinggal di Suna bersama Paman Yashamaru, nenek Chiyo, kakek Ebizou dan juga saudara yang umurnya memang sepantar dengan Kankurou, Sasori atau yah Sasori umurnya sama denganku. Entah karena Kankuro lebih menikmati hidupnya di Suna atau apa tetapi keluargaku di Suna termasuk Kankuro selalu mengunjungi kami di satu bulan sekali atau bergantian, kami mengunjungi keluarga kami yang berada di Suna.
Aku menginjak kelas 3 dan bersiap untuk meneruskan kehidupanku di fakultas kedokteran tertinggi di Konoha, sementara Gaara menginjak kelas 2 di _Konoha International High School_ sehingga kami selalu diantar dan dijemput oleh supir pribadi kami, Yuura-_san_.
Aku berada disini akan bercerita bagaimana memulai kehidupanku di sekolah dan bagaimana aku membuat keputusan untuk mengakhirinya.
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Aku terbangun pukul 5 pagi dimana ketika aku bersiap untuk memulai sekolah lagi ketika aku beranjak naik kelas ke jenjang kelas 3. Tentu aku sangat bersemangat dan aku sudah lama tak bertemu dengan sahabat-sahabatku.
Aku menurunkan diriku dari ranjang _big size_ dan menuju kamar mandi yang memang sudah satu paket dengan kamarku. Sebelum itu, aku menyuruh Ayame-_san_; pelayanku untuk menyiapkan seragam dan sepatuku sehingga aku tak perlu lagi mencarinya sendiri dan Ayame-_san_ menyetujuinya.
Aku menyelesaikan mandiku dan langsung keluar sehingga langsung segera ku keringkan badanku yang basah dan kupakaikan kimono mandiku. Setelah kurasakan badanku kering, aku memakai seragam putih ku dengan rok berwarna merah bermotif kotak-kotak dan kupakaikan pitaku di leher. Lalu aku memakaikan kaus kaki milikki yang sebatas mata kaki dan sepatuku.
Kulirik jam ternyata masih jam 6 pagi. Berarti aku menghabiskan waktu ku untuk berdandan kurang dari satu jam. Aku langsung keluar dari kamarku dan menuruni tangga. Ibu, Ayah dan Gaara sudah menungguku di meja makan.
"Kenapa kau lama sekali, Temari?"
"Maaf _Kaa-san_, aku tidak sempat merapikan bukuku karena hari kemarin malam setelah pesta Sasori, aku terlalu lelah."
"Baiklah tak apa, duduklah, kita sarapan."
Kami menyantap sarapan dengan diselingi tawa dan pembicaraan yang hangat yang mengantarkan awal hari ini. Ku harap hari ini akan lebih baik dari biasanya.
"_Nee-san_, apa sarapanmu sudah habis? Ayo kita berangkat sekarang."
"Tentu Gaara. _Kaa-san_, _Tou-san_ kami berangkat dulu."
"Hati-hati, Gaara, Temari."
Aku mengangguk cepat dan kami menuju _Mercedes_ hitam yang akan mengantarkan kami. Didalam, Yuura-_san_ sudah dalam posisi memegang kendali mobil.
"Kita berangkat sekarang, Nona?"
"Tentu Yuura-_san_."
Aku dan Gaara memang dalam satu sekolah hanya saja berbeda gedung.
Aku dan Gaara akhirnya sampai dengan selamat di sekolahku dan aku berterima kasih pada Yuura-_san_ yang telah mengantarku. Aku langsung memasukki gerbang sekolah yang kini dijaga oleh Kotetsu-_san_ dan Izumo-_san_ yang bertugas sebagai penjaga sekolah.
Gaara berjalan mendahuluiku karena Gaara kini berjalan dengan salah satu temannya dan Gaara mengucapkan selamat tinggal dan aku melambaikan tanganku padanya. Yah, saat pulang biasanya dia selalu menungguku di gerbang seraya menunggu jemputan kami.
Saat hendak memasuki sekolah, aku mendengar seseorang meneriakki namaku dengan lantang. Kudengar lebih seksama dan itu suara wanita. Aku langsung membalikkan badanku dan kutemukan Sakura yang sedang turun dari mobilnya lalu berlari ke arahku sambil melambai-lambaikan tangannya.
"Sakura?"
"Hah, Temari dasar kau ini. Aku sudah panggil beberapa kali dengan keras kau masih tetap berjalan." Sakura mendengus sebal dan dia kemudian menjajarkannya dengan tubuhku agar jalan kami seimbang.
"_Gomen ne_, bagaimana liburanmu?"
"Menyenangkan, kau sendiri?"
"Seperti biasanya, menyenangkan."
Haruno Sakura, gadis bersurai pirang dengan warna rambut yang merah jambu disebelahku adalah sahabatku sekaligus teman sebangku ku saat dari awal pertama aku memasuki sekolah ini sampai aku naik kelas. Aku sangat mengeti Sakura dan Sakura mengerti keadaanku. Kami sama-sama mengerti satu sama lain.
"Apa kau sudah melihat daftar nama siswa lain yang satu kelas dengan kita?" Tanyaku pada Sakura saat kami menaiki tangga dan kulihat Sakura sedang melihat ke arah anak didik baru yang masih duduk di kelas 1 sedang pengenalan di lapangan upacara.
"Ehm, aku hanya baru melihat Tenten, Shikamaru, Shino dan Neji lalu aku tak tahu lagi setelah itu." Jawab Sakura yang masih belum memindahkan pandangannya dari siswa-siswi yang masih mengikuti masa pengenalan di KIHS.
Aku tak menjawab lagi dan segera kulangkahkan kakiku dan segera mengajak Sakura untuk cepat-cepat memasuki kelas agar kami dapat menduduki bangku paling depan. Saat kumasuki kelas, anak-anak tampak mengobrol dan memilih-milih bangku mereka dan kulihat bangku di depan seluruhnya kosong. Hei, kenapa tak ada yang mau mengambil tempat duduk di depan?
Aku langsung mengajak Sakura untuk segera duduk di depan sebelum orang lain mengambil tempat duduk yang sudah kutunjuk. Dibelakangku ada seorang pria dengan _tatto_ merah dikedua pipinya, itu Kiba temanku. Dia masih bercanda bersama temannya dan kulihat ia masih duduk sendiri sementara Sakura kini berkutat dengan ponselnya.
"Hai Kiba."
"Oh _ohayou_ Temari. Apa kabar? Bagaimana liburanmu?"
"Aku baik dan liburan cukup menyenangkan, bagaimana denganmu?"
"Begitulah."
"Kiba, apa yang terjadi dengan siswa di kelas kita? Kulihat bangku-bangku didepan kosong." Tanyaku padanya. Aku memang penasaran, biasanya seorang siswa-siswi berebut untuk memilih duduk berada di barisan paling depan.
"Kau lupa, Temari? Kita sudah naik kelas dan guru kita pun berbeda. Ilmu sejarah kini Orochimaru-_sensei_, karena itu siswa dan siswi takut karena Orochimaru-_sensei_ terkenal dengan sikap disiplinnya juga seorang yang duduk di bangku paling depan adalah sasaran utama untuk diberinya pertanyaan." Jawab Sakura yang kini menatapku, ia beralih lagi mengutak-atik ponselnya.
"Sakura benar, karena itu aku duduk di satu bangku di belakangmu karena mungkin akan lebih baik jika aku duduk disini. Kalaupun aku tak bisa menjawab, aku dapat bertanya pada Shikamaru." Jawab Kiba dengan senyum jahil di wajahnya.
"Kau sebangku dengan Shikamaru?"
"Tentu." Kiba lalu melanjutkan pekerjaannya yaitu mengobrol dengan teman sebelah bangkunya ataupun teman yang berada di belakangnya.
Ah ya aku hampir melupakan sosok Shikamaru. Shikamaru adalah keluarga terhormat sama seperti keluargaku yang berada di Konoha. Mereka mempunyai sifat turun-menurun yaitu kepintaran yang berada di otak mereka tetapi yang membuatku aneh, setahuku Shikamaru adalah pemuda yang terkenal malas. Hah, ternyata berada di kelas ini membuatku harus bekerja keras! Tak hanya Shikamaru, sainganku yang lain adalah Sakura, Neji, Tenten dan Shino.
Dan satu hal lainnya yang sangat ganjil bagiku...
Aku menganguminya.
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Satu bulan sudah aku bersekolah dan ternyata aku harus benar-benar menguras otakku menghadapi pria Nara yang berada dikelasku. Teman-temanku bilang bahwa Shikamaru adalah sainganku sebenarnya.
Satu bulan ini tentunya sudah belajar dengan serius dan kembali memfokuskan diri pada pelajaran.
Kali ini pelajaran Orochimaru-_sensei_ dan saat guru yang terkenal disiplin di KIHS belum memasukki kelasku, kelas ini sudah dalam keadaan hening. Kulihat sekitarku ada yang sedang memaikan ponselnya termasuk Sakura, membaca buku dan kulihat dibelakangku; Shikamaru yang tertidur. Bagaimana jadinya jika Orochimaru-_sensei_ sudah datang dan Shikamaru masih tertidur? Ah entah lah. Eh tunggu_–_
Orochimaru-_sensei_ memasuki kelas kami dan kami segera bangkit dari duduk dan kulihat Naruto sang ketua kelas mengucapkan salam dan kamipun memberikan salam pada _sensei_ kami lalu membungkukkan badan kecuali Shikamaru. Pria itu masih tertidur.
Kami duduk kembali dan mata Orochimaru-_sensei_ membulat ketika ia melihat ke arah Shikamaru yang masih tertidur.
"Siapa nama anak itu?"
"Nara Shikamaru." Ucap satu kelas serempak kecuali Shikamaru yang sedang tertidur.
"Bangunkan dia." Ujar Orochimaru-_sensei_ lalu meletakan beberapa buku yang dibawanya di meja guru kelas kami. Setelah itu, _sensei_ menuju Shikamaru yang masih tertidur dengan posisi melipat kedua tangannya di meja dan kepalanya yang bertumpu paada tangannya seolah tangannya itu adalah bantal yang sangat empuk.
Kiba yang bertugas membangunkan Shikamaru mengguncang-guncangkan tubuh Shikamaru dan memanggil Shikamaru dekat dengan telinganya dan sedikit berteriak. Akhirnya, Shikamaru bangun dan tatapannya masih seperti pemalas yang baru bangun saat melihat Orochimaru-_sensei_ sudah berada di depannya.
"Kau tidur di pelajaranku, eh? Kenapa pemuda malas sepertimu naik tingkat. Apakah itu pantas?" Orochimaru-_sensei_ melipat tangannya di depan dadanya dan dari nada bicaranya, sangat sinis. Selain itu, tatapan matanya sangat tajam bagaikan seekor ular derik.
"_Gomen, sensei_. Semalaman aku terlalu lelah dan tak ada waktu untuk tidur dan pagi ini aku sangat lelah dan soal kenapa aku dapat naik tingkat, mungkin karena otakku yang memang terlalu pintar, hoam." Jawab Shikamaru sambil dengan tatapan dan nada malasnya. Tak kusangaka dia menjawab pertanyaan Orochimaru-_sensei_ dengan sangat percaya diri bahwa dia itu pintar.
"Hm, menarik," Orochimaru-_sensei_ lalu menuju meja gurunya dan menulis sesuatu dalam buku catatannya. Dugaanku mungkin Orochimaru-_sensei_ sedang menulis sesuatu atau sedang mencatat kelakuan Shikamaru yang kurang ajar.
"Baiklah anak-anak, kita mulai pelajarannya."
Aku mulai membuka bukuku dan kualihkan perhatianku yang semula pada Shikamaru tadi. Kudengarkan Orochimaru-_sensei_ yang menerangkan didepan tentang ilmu sejarah dengan sangat baik. Bagiku, Orochimaru-_sensei_ adalah guru yang sangat cocok untukku.
Orochimaru-_sensei_ memberikan kami tugas dan kami pun segera mengerjakannya. Kulihat dari ekor mataku bahwa Orcohimaru-_sensei_ menuju kearah kami dan perkiraanku mungkin Orocimaru-_sensei_ akan menuju Shikamaru lagi dan memberikan ocehan pada pria pemalas itu lagi. Tetapi dugaanku berpurar jauh 180 derajat karena _sensei _mendatangiku.
"Bukankah kau Sabaku Temari dari XI A?"
"Tentu, _Sensei_."
"Hm, menarik. Kau harus tahan jika aku memberikan tugas kelompok padamu dan kukira hanya kau dan gadis berambut _pink_ disebelahmu yang akan mengerjakan soal kelompok tersebut."
"Apa maksud _Sensei_?" Jujur saja aku belum paham dengan apa yang diucapkan _sensei_.
"Aku akan mengelompokkan kalian dua bangku. Contohnya Sabaku, Haruno, Inuzuka dan pemuda malas itu. Kalian mengerti?" Orochimaru-_sensei_ kemudian membesarkan kembali volume suaranya dan kini pergi dari pandanganku.
Shikamaru hanya menguap dan bergumam, "Hoam, _mendokusei_."
Untungnya saja, pelajaran Ilmu Sejarah berakhir karena bel berbunyi tanda nya istirahat dan saat Shikamaru mengatakan merepotkan, Orochimaru-_sensei _tak mendengarnya. Aku dan Sakura lalu membuka makan siang dan kulihat Shikamaru kembali menjelajah ke alam mimpi.
"Hai Temari."
"Oh, hai juga Tenten. Ayo makan bersama."
"Baik, aku panggil Hinata dulu ya."
Saat itu, Sakura pergi keluar sebentar karena ia berpesan ia ingin membeli minum dulu dan aku meninggu kembalinya Sakura, Tenten dan Hinata dan kini aku masih duduk sendiri di bangku ku.
Aku tersenyum dan ketika ku buka tutup tempat makanku, _Kaa-san_ sudah menyiapkan _spaghetti_ kesukaanku dan diatasnya terdapat saus _bologn__ese_ dan potongan-potongan daging ayam dan sosis. Aku tak sabar akan menyantapnya.
"_Sensei mendokusei_ itu belum memberitahu tugasnya apa?"
Aku terkejut ketika Shikamaru tiba-tiba bangun dan ia duduk berada di sebelahku.
"Heh, kau mendengarku, _mendokusei_."
"Eh? Bersabarlah aku kan sedang mengingatnya dulu, dasar pemalas! Seingatku, _sensei_ belum memberikan tugasnya."
"Hoam baiklah,"
Shikamaru kembali ke meja nya dan ia kembali tertidur. Disaat yang sama, Sakura, Tenten dan Hinata datang menghampiri ku dan kami langsung memakan bekal kami bersama-sama diiringi candaan dalam perbincangan kami.
Entah kenapa perhatianku tiba-tiba terusik saat melihat Yamanaka Ino; gadis cantik berambut panjang yang tadinya berada di ambang pintu kelasku menghampiri Shikamaru. Ino berjalan melewati kami dengan teman-temannya yang memang terkenal cantik dan cerewet yaitu Karin dan Tayuya.
"Shikamaru, bangunlah." Aku dapat mendengar suara manja itu milik Ino. Aku tak tahu Ino berniat apa pada Shikamaru dan aku sangat penasaran dengan apa yang akan dilakukan Ino pada Shikamaru tapi karena aku tak mengenal Ino terlalu dekat, aku tak mau melengokkan kepalaku begitu saja tapi tetap ku pertahankan diriku dan sepertinya aku hanya cukup menguping saja.
"Hoam, _mendokusei,_ ada apa Ino?"
"Shika, bisakah nanti kita pulang bersama?"
Oh tidak, itu suara Ino. Apa yang dilakukannya pada Shikamaru? Bahkan Ino memintanya pulang bersama? Eh tu-tunggu!
Kudengarkan Ino yang memang sudah lama berada disana kini keluar lagi dan kembali ke kelasnya. Nafsu makanku pun langsung hilang entah menguap kemana mungkin terbawa angin. Aku langsung menunduk dan saat itu..
"Sakura, apa kau sudah tahu tentang hubungan Shikamaru dan Ino?" Suara Tenten terdengar seperti berbisik, mungkin pembicaraannya tak mau terdengar oleh Shikamaru yang sedang tertidur.
"Tidak tapi aku pernah mendengarnya, apakah itu benar? Aku sangat tidak menyangka Shikamaru mau dengan perempuan risih seperti Ino."
"I-iya, ap-apakah Shikamaru-_kun_ tidak me-merasa ter-ganggu?"
Walaupun mereka berbisik, ditelingaku tentu saja terdengar dan mereka juga sepertinya tak merasa kerepotan aku mendengar pembicaraan mereka dan entah kenapa jantungku berdebar kencang dan...
Tunggu!
Apakah ini...
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**TBC**
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Author's note: Hai minna-san, bertemu lagi denganku di new fic multi chapter bertajuk ShikaTema. Aku harap kalian bisa menyukainya. Oh iya review akan selalu ku tunggu dan aku harap kalian dapat memberikan review karena review dari kalian membuatku bersemangat! Dan maafkan para chara yang sangat OOC disini.
2. Chapter 2
Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto
Story is mine
Warnings:Typo(s), ooc, gajeness, alur berantakan and others
Happy reading minna..
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**THINGS WILL GET BETTER**
**CHAPTER 2**
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Pelajaran selanjutnya, Kurinei-_sensei_ sebagai guru Bahasa memasuki kelas ku dan Bahasa adalah salah satu pelajaran yang aku sukai ditambah Kurinei-_sensei_ adalah guru Bahasa ku. Bagaimana tidak suka? Kurinei-_sensei_ sangat menyenangkan, ramah dan baik hati. Untung saja, Kurinei-_sensei_ guru Bahasa ku sejak pertama kali aku menginjak _Konoha International High School_.
Tapi pelajaran Bahasa kali ini tidak membuatku sesenang seperti biasanya. Pikiranku larut pada kejadian istirahat. Tentang Shikamaru dan Ino.
_Kami-sama, _belum pernah aku memikirkan masalah kaum adam selain kali ini.
Tapi, kenapa aku harus repot-repot memikirkan pria itu? Lagipula, aku hanya teman Shikamaru. dan bahkan, kami belum mengenal jauh satu sama lain dan juga kami baru berkenalan belum lama ini, bukan? Jadi, fokus Temari! Fokus!
Lupakan.
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Bel pulang sudah berbunyi dan suara bel pada jam terakhir adalah suara paling indah dari apapun bagi anak-anak sekolah. Ya, hal itu juga berlaku bagiku. Aku berdiri dari bangku dan berjalan bersama Sakura, Tenten dan Hinata menuju gerbang sekolah dan menjumpai jemputan kami masing-masing.
Dan tepat di depan gerbang, aku melihat Shikamaru menggunakan _Ducati_ hijau-hitam miliknya dan memakaikan helm pada wajahnya. Dan di belakangnya, ada Ino. Apa aku tidak salah lihat? Ino duduk di belakang Shikamaru.
"Hei, kalian lihat mereka?" Bisik Tenten pada kami.
Sakura dan Hinata mengangguk, tapi tidak denganku.
Perasaan macam apa ini? Kenapa, aku seperti tidak terima dengan kehadiran Ino berada dekat Shikamaru? Itu kan hak Ino, kenapa aku harus melarang? Hei, apa ada yang tahu ada apa denganku? Aku sendiri tidak tahu tapi satu hal yang kuyakini, aku cemburu.
Oh _Kami-sama_.
Kulihat lagi Shikamaru bersiap menjalankan motornya. Dan saat kami sampai di tempat tunggu jemputan dekat gerbang sekolah, Shikamaru ikut melengokkan kepalanya. Wajah malasnya tersenyum padaku. Ya, bisa kulihat tatapan bola mata hitamnya mengarah ke arahku.
Dan aku mengesampingkan rasa cemburu, dan balik tersenyum pada Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru! Kenapa lama sekali? Cepat jalan!" Dasar Ino. Seenaknya saja mengganggu _moment_ kami.
"_Mendokusei_. Aku pulang duluan, Temari, Sakura dan lainnya." Dan Shikamaru pergi dari hadapan kami ber-empat.
"Sudah terbukti, Shikamaru memang berpacaran dengan Ino."
"Hah, sangat tidak mungkin."
"Be-benarkah?"
"Kau bisa lihat sendiri, Hinata."
"Walaupun mereka berboncengan, bisa saja mereka hanya berteman kan?"
Pernyataan itu begitu saja keluar dari bibirku. Dan aku meyakinkan diriku sendiri, bahwa Shikamaru dan Ino itu adalah teman dekat.
Dan teman-temanku melirik ke arahku,
"A-ano, Tenten, Sakura, Temari, jemputanku su-sudah datang. Sa-sampai ketemu lagi besok." Hinata melambaikan tangannya pada kami yang masih duduk. Dia berlari kecil menuju mobil jemputannya dan kami pun mengangguk dan tersenyum sebagai balasan untuk menanggapi Hinata.
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Aku mengerjakan tugas dari sekolah di rumahku dengan menggunakan _handsfree_ di kedua telingaku. Kudengarkan beberapa lagu dari _mp3_ ku yang berwarna putih. Tapi, tentulah aku memfokuskan diriku pada pekerjaan rumah yang diberikan Asuma-_sensei_.
_iPhone_ 5S ku berbunyi tanda adanya satu buah pesan. Ku alihkan sebentar tatapan mataku yang semula berada di antara pekerjaan rumah dan _mp3_ ku, kini kualihkan pada layar _iPhone_ yang berada di meja belajarku.
_New Message_
_From : 081xxxxxxxxx_
_Hei, kau Temari kan?_
_Kau sudah mengerjakan tugas dari Kakashi-_sensei_?_
Aku memicingkan mataku. Kenapa orang ini tau bahwa ini nomor ponselku? Dan kenapa dia menanyakan tugas yang diberikan Kakashi-_sensei_? Setahuku, aku tidak pernah mengumbar nomor ponselku. Mungkin dia teman sekelasku. Aku menyempatkan untuk membalas pesan dari orang itu.
_To : 081xxxxxxxxx_
_Apa aku mengenalmu?_
_Message Sent_
Dan aku mulai mengerjakan tugasku lagi.
_iPhone _ku berbunyi dan layarnya yang semula hitam kini kembali menyala. Kulihat lagi balasan dari nomor yang tak ku kenal itu. Dan rasanya, aku sangat ingin berteriak sekencang-kencangnya di kamarku sendiri ketika melihat balasan dari nomor itu.
_New Message_
_From : 081xxxxxxxxx_
_Shikamaru, Nara Shikamaru._
_Bolehkah aku meminjam bukumu? Aku sedang malas mengerjakannya, tugas itu sangat _mendokusei_._
Shikamaru!
Ya, Shikamaru yang mengirim pesan. Oh _Kami-sama_, kenapa aku merasa sesenang ini saat Shikamaru baru saja mengirimku pesan? Hanya mengirim pesan tepatnya.
Dan segera aku mengubah nama kontak itu menjadi Nara Shikamaru.
_To : Nara Shikamaru_
_Heh, ternyata kau, nanas._
_Kau ini, kau kan orang pintar. Tugas seperti ini saja kau mau melihat? Bagaimana kalau jawabanku salah, hah?_
_Message Sent_
Perhatianku yang semula bertumpu pada pekerjaan rumah kini beralih dan aku terus menatap _iPhone_-ku.
_New Message_
_From : Nara Shikamaru_
_Mendokusei._
_Kau juga kan pintar. Aku tidak meragukan jawabanmu. Aku kerumah mu jam 4, tunggulah aku di depan gerbang._
Hei dan aku mulai _blushing_ ketika orang jenius layaknya Shikamaru menyebutku orang yang pintar. Dan satu hal yang membuatku kegirangan adalah Shikamaru bilang padaku bahwa dia akan menemuiku untuk meminjam buku tugasku jam 4. Di depan rumahku. Ya! Oh _Kami-sama_, aku semakin senang.
Kulihat jam dinding yang tertera di tembok kamarku. Ini jam tiga lebih lima belas menit.
_To : Nara Shikamaru _
_Baiklah, satu jam kurang lagi kutunggu kau, nanas._
_Message Sent_
Dan rasanya, aku ingin membersihkan badanku terlebih dahulu untuk bertemu Shikamaru.
_New Message_
_From : Nara Shikamaru_
_Baiklah, mendokusei._
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Sebelum bertemu dengan Shikamaru, aku menyempatkan diriku untuk madni sore. Ya mungkin ini terlalu pagi untuk mandi yang biasanya kulakukan pukul setengah lima. Yah, apa salahnya kan sambil bertemu Shikamaru?
Dan kulihat motor _Ducati_ Shikamaru berjalan beberapa ratus meter dari rumahku.
Dan Shikamaru membuka helm nya, menampakkan wajahnya yang…
"Hai Temari."
"Oh, Nanas."
"Hh, _mendokusei_. Mana buku catatanmu?"
"Batas pinjaman buku adalah dua hari, kau harus mengembalikan buku ini karena pelajaran Kakashi-_sensei_ dimulai lagi pada hari Kamis."
"Ya ya _mendokusei_. Aku mengerti."
Aku tersenyum dan memberikan buku tugasku pada Shikamaru yang masih duduk di jok motornya.
"Aku aneh denganmu,"
"Kenapa?"
"Kelas 3 ini, kau semakin pendiam ya, wanita _mendokusei_?"
"Bodoh, tentu saja aku lebih menyibukkan diriku dengan belajar."
"Aku rindu saat-saat kita kelas satu, ya?"
Aku terdiam. Ya, aku ingat saat tahun pertama di KIHS. Sangat menyenangkan. Saat pertama aku bertemu Sakura, saat pertama aku bertemu Kurinei -_sensei_, dan saat aku pertemu Shikamaru. Dan tepatnya, Shikamaru mengingatkanku kisah lama. Kisah lama yang sangat berkesan tepatnya untukku, entah untuk Shikamaru.
"Hei wanita _mendokusei_?"
"Eh, ya?"
"Kau kenapa?"
"Eh tidak. Masuklah dulu."
"Tak usah, lain kali saja. _Kaa-san_ pasti akan memarahiku kalau aku pergi terlalu lama."
"Hah, pergi terlalu lama seperti ini?"
"Hoam, _mendokusei_."
"Dasar bayi besar."
Dan tawa kami meledak.
"Nah, sampai jumpa besok wanita _mendokusei_."
"Ya nanas!"
Kulihat Shikamaru mulai menyalakan mesin motornya dan kembali menutup kaca helmnya. Ia melambaikan tangannya padaku tanda ia berpamitan padaku dan aku balas melambaikan tanganku. Kulihat motor Shikamaru sudah melaju lumayan jauh dari rumah.
Aku memasuki rumahku. Rasanya lega ketika aku sudah bertemu Shikamaru. Dia bisa jadi sahabat yang baik untukku, yah mungkin untuk yang kedua kalinya. Dan entah kenapa rasa sukaku padanya menguap entah kemana. Sepertinya, lebih baik seperti ini daripada ada cinta diantara kami.
Aku ini memang sangat labil.
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Tugas super _mendokusei;_ meminjam kata Shikamaru, dari Orochimaru-_sensei_ telah datang. Ya sepertinya ini adalah saat dimana otakku diuji. Orochimaru-_sensei_ mengelompokkan murid-murid kelasku dengan empat orang per kelompok.
Kelompokku, kalian sudah tahu, kan?
Aku, Sakura, Shikamaru dan Kiba.
Tugas kelompok kami adalah menuliskan secara teliti, menyeluruh dan jelas tentang sejarah kelahiran bangsa Jepang. Menyeluruh? Teliti? Jelas? Oh _Kami-sama_, tugas ini benar-benar sulit. Dan bayangkan berapa lama tugas ini akan selesai.
Kami memutuskan untuk mengerjakan tugas ini di rumahku.
Setelah mengumpulkan beberapa rangkuman yang kami butuhkan di perpustakaan, kami beranjak langsung ke rumahku untuk segera mengerjakan tugas ini. Lebih cepat lebih baik bukan?
Yuura-_san_ yang menjemput kami. Aku dan Sakura menaiki mobil jemputanku kecuali Shikamaru dan Kiba karena mereka yang membawa kendaraan mereka masing-masing.
"Lihat kan Temari, Orochimaru-_sensei_ itu benar-benar tak memikirkan bagaimana kita dapat mengerjakan tugas ini dalam waktu 3 hari?" Ujar Sakura yang menggerutu tak terima dengan tugas ilmu sejarah dari Orochimaru-_sensei_.
"Kita memang harus siap dengan ketahanan mental untuk berurusan dengan Orochimaru-_sensei_, bukan?"
Tawa Sakura meledak di dalam mobil. Yuura-_san_ pun ikut tersenyum. Sepertinya dia menguping pembicaraan kami, tapi itu tak masalah. Kulihat ke arah spion dan menampakkan Shikamaru dan Kiba yang mengemudikan motor mereka masing-masing.
"Sakura."
"Hm?"
"Aku ingin bercerita."
"Heh, tumben sekali. Ada apa?"
"Akan kuberitahu dirumah."
"Baiklah."
Dan aku siap menceritakan awal aku menyukai Shikamaru pada Sakura. Jujur saja, aku belum pernah menceritakan rasa sukaku ini pada Sakura.
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"Baiklah, hati-hati Shikamaru, Kiba."
"Ya, _mendokusei._"
"Oke, jangan lupa sampaikan salamku pada Karura _baa-san_."
"Iya Kiba."
Aku kembali memasuki rumahku bersama Sakura. Sakura memang sudah biasa berada dirumahku untuk berlama-lama, bahkan menginap pun jadi. Ibu ku dan Mebuki _baa-san_ memang sudah mengenal satu sama lain.
Oh ya, tentang tugas Orochimaru-_sensei_ pun, sudah kami kerjakan. Yah sebenarnya, hanya 50% nya saja. Sisanya, akan kami kerjakan besok hingga 100% karena besok hari minggu. Dan juga, aku menyuruh para kelompokku untuk datang lebih awal.
"Nah Temari, apa yang akan kau ceritakan?" Sakura mengambil makanan dari empat toples makanan yang tersedia di kamarku. Tentu saja ini rahasia, karena itu kami berdua ada di kamarku.
"Kau tahu Shikamaru kan?"
"Heh memangnya aku bodoh. Tentu saja aku mengenal Shikamaru."
"Maksudku, yah kau_–_"
"KAU MENYUKAINYA?"
Oh tidak. Suara Sakura terlalu lantang. Aku langsung membekap mulut Sakura yang masih penuh dengan camilan di mulutnya. Suaranya yang terkesan cempreng dapat terdengar sampai lantai bawah.
"Temari! Kau ini apa-apaan?"
"Sakura, kau ini yang "apa-apaan."! Kau tahu suara mu terlalu lantang. Jangan sampai _Tou-san _dan _Kaa-san_ mendengar teriakanmu."
TOK.. TOK..
Terdengar suara ketukan pintu dari luar kamarku. Tiba-tiba saja tanpa aba-aba, mataku dan mata Sakura sama-sama terbelalak. Aku takut jika ketukan itu terdengar oleh Ibu atau Ayah. Jujur saja, bahkan aku sangat takut jika aku mempunyai hubungan dengan seorang pria di usia ku yang ke-17 karena Ayah dan Ibu masih belum mengizinkan anak wanita satu-satunya mengalami rasa sayang yang berlebihan, kehilangan dan sakit hati. Sepertinya, aku ini memang anak yang manja, ya?
"_Nee-san_?"
Aku menghela nafas lega. Ternyata itu Gaara. Aku berdiri dari kasur guna mebukakan pintu.
"Ya Gaara?"
"_Kaa-san_ menyuruhmu dan Sakura makan."
"Mmm, oke bilang dulu pada _Kaa-san_, 15 menit lagi kami akan kebawah."
Gaara mengangguk dan seraya itu aku menutup kembali pintu.
"Untunglah."
"Nah, jadi bagaimana tentang "Nara Shikamaru", hm? Dan kenapa kau baru cerita padaku sekarang sih?"
"Ya kau benar. Aku sempat menyukainya. Dan soal aku baru menceritakan padamu sekarang, itu karena aku masih bngung pada perasaanku sekarang, jadi aku putuskan untuk menceritakan semuanya saja."
"Bagaimana kau bisa menyukai pria seperti itu? Yah jujur saja aku mengagumi kepintarannya, tapi tidak dengan ketampanannya. Tidak seperti Sasuke-_kun_."
"Ya ya Sakura aku tahu selera mu."
Dan kurasa, 15 menit yang kujanjikan pada Gaara untuk makan dengan Sakura tidak cukup. Mungkin setengah jam, aku akan selesai bercerita pada Sakura karena ini kisah yang panjang sejak pertama aku masuk _Konoha International High School_.
**.**
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**TBC**
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Author's Note: Terima kasih buat yang udah review: siskap06, , CharLene Choi, Sabaku Yuri, Akiyama Yuki dan Hagiwara Nachi^^
Maafkan aku ya update nya lama, maaf karena udah buat kalian menunggu fic abal-abalku ini *thor, kaga ada yang nunggu kelanjutan fic lu ko* #pundung. Makasih ya buat Lene-san yang udah koreksi, dan buat endo-san, iya aku berusaha buat Temari rada galak dan engga pemalu banget haha. Maafkan aku ya atas chara yang OOC nya tingkat dewa hehe. Oh iya chapter depan itu adalah flashback pertama bertemunya Tema dengan Shika^^ Bersedia lagi review, Senpai?
End file.
| fanfiction |
The Santee Sioux Reservation of the Santee Sioux also known as the Eastern Dakota was established in 1863 in present-day Nebraska. The tribal seat of government is located in Niobrara, Nebraska, with reservation lands in Knox County.
History
Established by an Act of the U.S. Congress on March 3, 1863, the Niobrara Reservation was officially recognized in an Executive Order dated February 27, 1866, and in treaties dated November 16, 1867 and April 29, 1868. Additional executive orders applying to the reservation were dated August 31, 1869, December 31, 1873, and February 9, 1885. In those initial years, tribal members selected as homesteads and as allotments; were designated for use as an Indian agency, school, and mission.
The reservation shown as Dakota Reservation on the map at right lies along the south bank of the Missouri River, and includes part of Lewis and Clark Lake. As of the 2000 census, the reservation recorded a resident population of 878, of which 64.1 were Native American and 33.7 White. Its land area is 172.99 mi.² 447.84 km². The major center of population is the village of Santee, in the northernmost portion of the reservation.
Other major populations of Oglala Lakota and Brulé Sioux are located to the north on reservations within South Dakota.
Communities
Lindy
Santee
See also
Native American tribes in Nebraska
Sioux
John Trudell, activist, poet, actor, and musician whose father was Santee Dakota and who grew up near the Santee Sioux Reservation
References
External links
Official reservation homepage.
Reservation tract map from the US Census.
Santee Normal Training School, Woonspe Wankantu, 1881, 1882, 1884, 1885 from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
Category:American Indian reservations in Nebraska
Knox County
Category:1863 establishments in Nebraska
Category:States and territories established in 1863 | wikipedia |
When do we use $\boldsymbol\tau=I \boldsymbol\alpha$ and $\boldsymbol\tau=\mathbf r \times \mathbf F $? Is the answer to both comes the same?
Is the torque of a body about an axis and the torque due to a force at a distance the same thing? Is the torque at a point by a force equal to the torque of the whole body?
The equation
$$\boldsymbol\tau=\mathbf r\times\mathbf F$$
Is the definition of the torque $\boldsymbol\tau$ of a force $\mathbf F$ that is applied at position $\mathbf r$ relative to some "reference point" (where $\mathbf r=0$).
The equation
$$\boldsymbol\tau=I\boldsymbol\alpha$$
Is an analog of Newton's second law ($\mathbf F=m\mathbf a$). Therefore, in this equation $\boldsymbol\tau$ represents the *net* torque $\sum\_i\boldsymbol\tau\_i$.
>
> Is the torque at a point by a force is equal to torque of the whole body?
>
>
>
This question is not very clear. But I think I can still help based on what we have defined above. If you have a body with a set of forces $\mathbf F\_i$ acting on it, you can determine the torque $\boldsymbol\tau\_i=\mathbf r\_i\times\mathbf F\_i$ about some point$^\*$ for each of the forces. Then you can find the net torque acting on the body by adding up all of these torques. $\sum\_i\boldsymbol\tau\_i=I\boldsymbol\alpha$
---
$^\*$ You can choose any point you want, but some points are better than others depending on the analysis you want to do on your system.
| stackexchange/physics |
MEET JOHN DOE
screenplay
by Robert Riskin
based on a story by
Richard Connell and Robert Presnell
Shooting Draft, 1941
Property of
Warner Brothers
FADE IN:
EXT. BULLETIN OFFICE - SIDEWALK
CLOSE-UP: Of a time-worn plaque against the side of a
building. It reads:
THE BULLETIN
"A free press for a free people."
While we read this, a pair of hands come in holding
pneumatic chisel which immediately attacks the sign. As
the lettering is being obliterated,
DISSOLVE TO:
CLOSE-UP: A new plaque on which the lettering has been
changed to: THE NEW BULLETIN "A streamlined newspaper for
a streamlined era."
CUT TO:
INT. BULLETIN OUTER OFFICE.
MED. SHOT: At a door at which a sign-painter works. He is
painting HENRY CONNELL's name on the door. It opens and a
flip office boy emerges. The painter has to wait until the
door closes in order to resume his work.
FULL SHOT: Of the outer office. The activity of the office
seems to suddenly cease, as all eyes are centered on the
office boy.
MED. SHOTPANNING: With the office boywho has a small
sheet of paper in his hand. He walks jauntily to a desk,
refers to his paper, points his finger to a woman, emits a
short whistle through his teeth, runs a finger across his
throat and jerks his thumb toward managing editor's office.
The woman stares starkly at him while her immediate
neighbors look on with sympathy. The office boy now goes
through the same procedure with several other people. All
watch him, terror written in their eyes.
MED. SHOT: Toward CONNELL's office door where painter works.
It opens and three people emerge. Two men and a girl. The
girl is young and pretty. All three look dourful. The
painter again has to wait for the door to shut before
resuming his work. The two men exit. The girl suddenly
stops.
CLOSE SHOT: Of the girl. Her name is ANN MITCHELL. She
stands, thinking, and then suddenly, impulsively, wheels
around. CAMERA PANS with her as she returns to CONNELL's
office door, flings it open and disappears. The painter
remains poised with his brush, waiting for the door to
swing back. There is a slight flash of resentment in his
eyes.
INT. CONNELL'S OFFICE
FULL SHOT: CONNELL is behind his desk on which is a tray
of sandwiches and a glass of milk, half gone. Near him
sits POP DWYER, another veteran newspaperman. ANN crosses
to CONNELL's desk.
CONNELL
(on phone)
Yeh, D. B. Oh, just cleaning out
the dead-wood. Okay.
ANN
(supplicatingly)
Look, Mr. Connell . . . I just
can't afford to be without work
right now, not even for a day.
I've got a mother and two kid
sisters to . . .
Secretary enters. (Her name is Mattie.)
SECRETARY
More good luck telegrams.
ANN
Well, you know how it is, I, I've
just got to keep working. See?
CONNELL
Sorry, sister. I was sent down
here to clean house. I told yuh I
can't use your column any more.
It's lavender and old lace!
(flicks dictograph
button)
MATTIE
(over dictograph)
Yeah?
CONNELL
Send those other people in.
MATTIE
(over dictograph)
Okay.
ANN
I'll tell you what I'll do. I get
thirty dollars a week. I'll take
twenty-five, twenty if necessary.
I'll do anything you say.
CONNELL
It isn't the money. We're after
circulation. What we need is
fireworks. People who can hit with
sledge hammersstart arguments.
ANN
Oh, I can do that. I know this
town inside out. Oh, give me a
chance, please.
She can get no further, for several people enter. They are
cowed and frightened. ANN hesitates a moment, then, there
being nothing for her to do, she starts to exit. She is
stopped by CONNELL's voice.
CONNELL
All right, come in, come in! Come
in!
(to Ann)
Cashier's got your check.
(back to others)
Who are these people? Gibbs,
Frowley, Cunningham, Jiles
(to Ann at door)
Hey, you, sister!
Ann turns.
CONNELL
Don't forget to get out your last
column before you pick up your
check!
ANN's eyes flash angrily as she exits.
INT. OUTER OFFICE.
MED. SHOT: ANN storms out. The painter again has to wait
for the door to swing back to him.
INT. ANN'S OFFICE.
FULL SHOT: ANN enters her office and paces around, furious.
A man in alpaca sleeve-bands enters. His name is JOE.
JOE
You're a couple o' sticks shy in
your column, Ann.
ANN
(ignores him,
muttering . . .)
A big, rich slob like D. B. Norton
buys a paperand forty heads are
chopped off!
JOE
Did you get it, too?
ANN
Yeah. You, too? Oh, Joe . . . oh,
I'm sorry darling . . . why don't
we tear the building down!
JOE
Before you do, Ann, perhaps you'd
better finish this column.
ANN
Yeah. Lavender and old lace!
Suddenly she stops pacing. Her eyes widen as a fiendish
idea strikes her.
ANN
Wait, Joewait!
She flops down in front of her typewriter.
ANN
(muttering)
Wants fireworks, huh? Okay!
She begins to pound furiously, her jaw set.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. Eyes flashing as she types.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOE, watching her. The wild look in her eye
and the unnatural speed of her typing causes him to stare
dumbly at her.
MED. SHOT: ANN bangs away madly. Finally she finishes. She
whips the sheet out of the typewriter, hands it to JOE.
ANN
Here.
As JOE takes it, ANN begins to empty the drawers of her
desk.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOE reading what ANN has written.
JOE
(reading)
"Below is a letter which reached
my desk this morning. It's a
commentary on what we laughingly
call the civilized world. 'Dear
Miss Mitchell: Four years ago I
was fired out of my job. Since
then I haven't been able to get
another one. At first I was sore
at the state administration because
it's on account of the slimy
politics here we have all this
unemployment. But in looking around,
it seems the whole world's going
to pot, so in protest I'm going to
commit suicide by jumping off the
City Hall roof!' Signed, A disgusted
American citizen, John Doe.'"
JOE pauses to absorb this.
JOE
(continues reading)
"Editor's note . . . If you ask
this column, the wrong people are
jumping off roofs."
JOE glances up toward ANN, in mild protest.
JOE
Hey, Ann, this is the old fakeroo,
isn't it?
FULL SHOT: ANN has just about accumulated all her things.
JOE stares at her, knowing it's a fake.
ANN
Never mind that, Joe. Go ahead.
JOE shrugs, shakes his head, and exits. ANN stuffs her
things under her arm and also goes.
INT. OUTER OFFICE
MED. SHOT: Voices ad lib"Awfully sorry you're not going."
"Good-bye." (Laughing)
ANN comes out. Suddenly, she stops, gets another idea,
picks up a book from a desk, and reaches back to heave it.
MED. SHOT: At CONNELL's office door. The sign-painter has
just finished CONNELL's name, and as he leans back, pleased,
wiping his brushes, the book flies in. The painter lifts
his head slowly, his wrath too great to find utterance.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GOVERNOR JACKSON'S OFFICE
CLOSE-UP: Of two of GOVERNOR'S ASSOCIATES.
MAN
(reading newspaper)
" . . . and it's because of the
slimy politics that we have all
this unemployment here."
(agitated)
There it is! That's D. B. Norton's
opening attack on the Governor!
2ND MAN
Why Jim, it's just a letter sent
in to a column.
JIM
No, no. I can smell it. That's
Norton!
While he speaks, the GOVERNOR has entered.
GOVERNOR
Good morning, gentlemen. You're
rather early.
MEN
'Morning. 'Morning, Governor.
GOVERNOR
You're here rather early.
JIM
(pushes paper over
to him)
Did you happen to see this in the
New Bulletin, Governor?
He emphasizes the word "new" cynically.
GOVERNOR
Yes. I had it served with my
breakfast this morning.
2ND MAN
Jim thinks it's D. B. Norton at
work.
JIM
Of course it is!
GOVERNOR
Oh, come, Jim. That little item?
D. B. Norton does things in a much
bigger way . . .
JIM
This is his opening attack on you,
Governor! Take my word for it!
What did he buy a paper for? Why
did he hire a high-pressure editor
like Connell for? He's in the oil
business! I tell you, Governor,
he's after your scalp!
GOVERNOR
All right, Jim. Don't burst a blood
vessel, I'll attend to it.
(flips button on
dictograph)
Get me Spencer of the Daily
Chronicle , please.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SPENCER'S OFFICE
MED. SHOT: SPENCER is on the telephone
SPENCER
Yes. Yes. I saw it, Governor . . .
and if you ask me that's a phoney
letter. Why, that gag has got
whiskers on it. Huh? Okay, I'll
get the Mayor and maybe the Chamber
of Commerce to go after them.
(into dictagraph)
Get Mayor Lovett on the phone!
INT. MAYOR'S OFFICE
MED. SHOT: Of MAYOR's secretary.
SECRETARY
(picking up phone)
Hello? Sorry, the Mayor's busy on
the other phone.
CAMERA PANS over to the MAYOR who is fatuous and excitable.
MAYOR
(into telephone)
Yes, I know, Mrs. Brewster. It's a
terrible reflection on our city.
I've had a dozen calls already.
SECRETARY enters scene.
SECRETARY
Spencer of the Chronicle .
MAYOR
Hold him.
(into phone)
Yes, Mrs. Brewster, I'm listening.
The SECRETARY lays down the receiver.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CORNER OF A BEDROOM
CLOSE SHOT: Of MRS. BREWSTERstout and loud. She is propped
up in beda breakfast tray on her lapthe newspaper by her
side.
MRS. BREWSTER
Insist that this John Doe man be
found and given a job at once. If
something isn't done. I'll call
out the whole Auxiliary yes, and
the Junior Auxiliary, too. We'll
hold a meeting and see
CUT TO:
INT. MAYOR'S OFFICE
MED. SHOT: Of MAYOR. He lays the receiver down and we
continue to hear MRS. BREWSTER's voice. MAYOR picks up
SPENCER's phone.
MAYOR
Yes, Spencer. Who? The Governor?
Well, what about me? it's my
building he's jumping off of! And
I'm up for re-election, too!
SECRETARY
Shh!
MAYOR
(to Secretary)
What are you doing? Get Connell at
the Bulletin !
(to Spencer)
Why, he's liable to go right past
my window,
(suddenlyto
Sec'yexcitably)
What was that?!
SECRETARY
What?
MAYOR
Out the window! Something just
flew by!
SECRETARY
I didn't see anything.
MAYOR
(semi-hysterical)
Well, don't stand there, you idiot.
Go and look. Open the window. Oh,
why did he have to pick on my
building?
The SECRETARY, telephone in hand, peers out window.
MAYOR
Is there a crowd in the street?
SECRETARY
No, sir.
MAYOR
Then he may be caught on a ledge!
Look again!
SECRETARY
I think it must have been a sea-
gull.
MAYOR
A sea-gull? What's a sea-gull doing
around the city hall? That's a bad
omen, isn't it?
(picks up Mrs.
Brewster's phone)
SECRETARY
Oh, n-no, sir. The sea-gull is a
lovely bird.
MAYOR
(into telephone)
I-it's all right, Mrs. Brewster.
It was just a sea-gull.
(catches himself)
Er. nothing's happened yet! No,
I'm watching. Don't worry. Ju-just
leave it all to me!
The SECRETARY holds out another phone. The MAYOR drops
MRS. BREWSTER's phone again, and her voice is still heard.
MAYOR
(into Spencer's
phone)
Spencer, I'll call you back.
Secretary has gotten CONNELL on the phonehands phone to
MAYOR.
MAYOR
Hello! Connell! This is
(TO SECRETARY)
What are you doing?
(back to phone)
This is the Mayor.
INT. CONNELL'S OFFICE
FULL SHOT: CONNELL is on the phone. POP DWYER is draped in
a chair nearby.
CONNELL
Yes, Mayor Lovett! How many times
are you gonna call me? I've got
everybody and his brother and sister
out looking for him. Did you see
the box I'm running?
He picks up the front page of the Bulletin; we see a four
column box on the front page.
CONNELL
(reading)
"An appeal to John Doe. 'Think it
over, John. Life can be beautiful,'
says Mayor. 'If you need a job,
apply to the editor of this paper
. . .'" " and so forth and so forth
. . . Okay, Mayor. I'll let you
know as soon as I have something!
What? . . . Well, pull down the
blinds!
(he hangs up)
The door opens and a man enters. His name is BEANY. Walks
fast, talks fast and accomplishes nothing. Outside, we see
the painter trying once more to get his sign painted. He
reaches inand pulls the door to.
BEANY
I went up to Miss Mitchell's house,
boss. Boy, she's in a bad way.
CONNELL
Where is she?
BEANY
Hey, do you know something? She
supports a mother and two kids.
What do you know about that?
CONNELL
(controlling his
patience)
Did you find her?
BEANY
No. Her mother's awful worried
about her. When she left the house
she said she was going on a roaring
drunk. Er, the girl, I mean!
CONNELL
(barking)
Go out and find her!
BEANY
Sure. Hey, but the biggest thing I
didn't tell you . . .
CONNELL picks up telephone.
CONNELL
Hello! . . . Yeh?
BEANY
Her old man was Doc Mitchell. You
know, the doc that saved my mother's
life and wouldn't take any money
for it? You remember that? Okay,
boss, I'll go and look for her.
BEANY exits, knocking over an ash-stand.
CONNELL
(into phone)
Holy smokes, Commissioner. You've
had twenty-four hours! Okay,
Hawkshaw, grab a pencil. Here it
is again. She's about five foot
five, brown eyes, light chestnut
hair and as fine a pair of legs as
. . .
The door opens, ANN stands thereCONNELL sees her.
CONNELL
(into phonestaring
at Ann)
. . . ever walked into this office.
Med. Shot: At door. The sign painter is slowly beginning
to lose patience. He again reaches inpulls the door
shutglaring at ANN.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN.
ANN
(innocently)
Did you want to see me?
WIDER SHOT: CONNELL, without moving, stares at her.
CONNELL
(quietlysizzling)
No. I've had the whole army and
navy searching for you because
that's a game we play here every
day.
ANN
I remember, distinctly, being fired.
CONNELL
That's right. But you have a piece
of property that still belongs to
this newspaper. And I'd like to
have it!
ANN
What's that?
CONNELL
The letter.
ANN
What letter?
CONNELL
The letter from John Doe.
ANN
Oh!
CONNELL
The whole town's in an uproar.
We've got to find him. The letter's
our only clue.
ANN
(simply)
There is no letter.
CONNELL
We'll get a handwriting expert to
(suddenly realizes
what she has said)
What!
ANN
There is no letter.
He stares at her for a moment, flabbergastedexchanges a
look with POPcrosses to the back doorshuts itthen comes
back to face her.
CLOSE SHOT: - ANN and CONNELL.
CONNELL
Say that again.
ANN
There is no letter. I made it up.
CONNELL looks at her a long moment and then up at POP.
CONNELL
(repeating dully)
You made it up.
ANN
Uh-huh. You said you wanted
fireworks.
WIDER SHOT: As he recovers from the shock, and then wheels
on ANN again.
CONNELL
Don't you know there are nine jobs
waiting for this guy? Twenty-two
families want to board him free?
Five women want to marry him, and
the Mayor's practically ready to
adopt him? And you . . .
As CONNELL glares at her the door springs open and BEANY
enters.
BEANY
just called the morgue, boss. They
say there's a girl there
CONNELL
Shut up!
CLOSE-UP: Of BEANY. He is startled by thisand then stares
popeyed as he sees ANN.
BEANY
Ann! Say, why didn't yuh
CONNELL
Beany!
Med. Shot: At the door. The painter is beginning to grind
his teeth. He pulls the door shut, viciously.
WIDER SHOT: To include all.
POP
Only one thing to do, Hank. Drop
the whole business quickly.
CONNELL
How?
POP
Run a story. Say John Doe was in
here, and is sorry he wrote the
letter and
CONNELL
(jumps in quickly)
That's right. You got it! Sure! He
came in here and I made him change
his mind. "Bulletin editor saves
John Doe's life." Why, it's perfect.
I'll have Ned write it up.
(into dictograph)
Oh, Ned!
NED'S VOICE
Yeah?
CONNELL
got a story I want yuh to
ANN
Wait a minute!
She rushes oversnaps the dictograph off.
MED. SHOT: Of ANN, leaning on CONNELL's desk.
ANN
Listen, you great big wonderful
genius of a newspaperman! You came
down here to shoot some life into
this dying paper, didn't you?
CONNELL blinks under the attack. POP and BEANY move into
the scene.
ANN
Well, the whole town's curious
about John Doe and, boom, just
like that you're going to bury
him. There's enough circulation in
that man to start a shortage in
the ink market!
CONNELL
(thoroughly
bewildered)
In what man!
ANN
John Doe.
CONNELL
What John Doe?
ANN
Our John Doe! The one I made up!
Look, genius Now, look. Suppose
there was a John Doeand he walked
into this office. What would you
do? Find him a job and forget about
the whole business, I suppose! Not
me! I'd have made a deal with him!
CONNELL
A deal?
ANN
Sure! When you get hold of a stunt
that sells papers you don't drop
it like a hot potato. Why, this is
good for at least a couple of
months. You know what I'd do?
Between now and let's say,
Christmas, when he's gonna jump,
I'd run a daily yarn starting with
his boyhood, his schooling, his
first job! A wide-eyed youngster
facing a chaotic world. The problem
of the average man, of all the
John Does in the world.
TWO SHOT: ANN and CONNELL. Despite himself, he's interested
in her recital.
ANN
Now, then comes the drama. He meets
discouragement. He finds the world
has feet of clay. His ideals
crumble. So what does he do? He
decides to commit suicide in protest
against the state of civilization.
He thinks of the river! But no,
no, he has a better idea. The City
Hall. Why? Because he wants to
attract attention. He wants to get
a few things off his chest, and
that's the only way he can get
himself heard.
CONNELL
So?
FULL SHOT: Of the whole group. BEANY grins in admiration.
CONNELL has leaned back in his chair, his eyes glued on
ANN.
ANN
So! So he writes me a letter and
I dig him up. He pours out his
soul to me, and from now on we
quote: "I protest, by John Doe."
He protests against all the evils
in the world; the greed, the lust,
the hate, the fear, all of man's
inhumanity to man.
Arguments will start. Should he commit suicide or should
he not! People will write in pleading with him. But no!
No, sir! John Doe will remain adamant! On Christmas Eve,
hot or cold, he goes! See?
She finishes, takes a deep breathawed, and at the same
time proud of her accomplishment.
CLOSE SHOT: Of CONNELL. He just stares at ANN.
CONNELL
(after a
pausequietly)
Very pretty. Very pretty, indeed,
Miss Mitchell. But would you mind
telling me who goes on Christmas
Eve?
ANN
John Doe.
CONNELL
(loses
controlscreams)
What John Doe?
ANN
(screams right back)
The one we hire for the job, you
lunkhead!
There is silence for a moment.
CONNELL
(breaking
silencespeaks
with a controlled
patience)
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Lemme
get this through this lame brain
of mine. Are you suggesting we go
out and hire someone to say he's
gonna commit suicide on Christmas
Eve? Is that it?
ANN
(nodding)
Well, you're catching on.
CONNELL
Who, for instance?
ANN
Anybody! Er, erBeany'll do!
CLOSE-UP: BEANY. He is petrified.
BEANY
Why sureWho? Me? Jump off aOh,
no! Any time but Christmas. I'm
superstitious.
FULL SHOT: BEANY backs away from themand when he gets to
the doormakes a dash for it.
INT. OUTER OFFICE
MED. SHOT: At door. As BEANY comes dashing out, he almost
upsets the painter from the stool. When the door is shut,
the name of "Connell" which he has been printing is all
smudged over. The painter stares at it, helplessly for a
second, and thenunable to stand it any more, rises, throws
his brush violently to the floorafter completely smearing
the sign himself.
FULL SHOT:
CONNELL
(sighing)
Miss Mitchell, do me a favor, will
you? Go on out and get married and
have a lot o' babiesbut stay out
o' newspaper business!
POP
Better get that story in, Hank,
it's getting late.
ANN
(to CONNELL)
You're supposed to be a smart guy!
If it was raining hundred dollar
bills, you'd be out looking for a
dime you lost some place.
CONNELL
Holy smokes! Wasting my time
listening to this mad woman.
He crosses to his desk just as NED enters from the back
door.
NED
Look, Chief! Look what the Chronicle
is running on John Doe. They say
it's a fake!
CONNELL turns sharply.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She was just about giving up, when she
hears thisand her eyes brighten alertly.
MED. SHOT: At CONNELL's desk. CONNELLreading the
paperbecomes incensed.
CONNELL
Why, the no-goodlow-down
(reading)
"John Doe story amateur journalism.
It's palpably phoney. It's a wonder
anyone is taking it seriously."
What do yuh think of those guys!
ANN has walked into scene while CONNELL is reading.
ANN
That's fine! That's fine! Now
fall right into their laps. Go
ahead. Say John Doe walked in and
called the whole thing off. You
know what that's going to sound
like on top of this!
CONNELL
(doesn't like Ned
hearing all this)
That's all, Ned. Thank you.
NED
All right.
NED, puzzled, exits. CONNELL comes away from his desk and
walks around.
CONNELL
(fighting spirit)
"Amateur journalism", huh? Why,
the bunch of sophomores! I can
teach them more about
But he is interrupted by the front door being flung open.
On the threshold stands BEANY.
BEANY
Hey, boss. Get a load of this.
CONNELL
(joins him in the
doorway)
What?
BEANY
Look!
MED. SHOT: - OVER THEIR SHOULDERS. In the outer office
are a large group of derelict-looking men. Some
standingsome sittingsome leaning. It looks like the lobby
of a flophouse had been transplanted.
CLOSE SHOT: Beany and Connell.
CONNELL
What do they want?
BEANY
They all say they wrote the John
Doe letter.
MED. SHOT: POP and ANN have walked over and also peer out.
CONNELL
(amused, turns)
Oh, they all wrote the letter?
ANN pushes CONNELL asidetalks to BEANY.
ANN
Tell them all to wait.
She shuts the door and turns to CONNELL.
ANN
Look, Mr. Connellone of those men
is your John Doe. They're desperate
and will do anything for a cup of
coffee. Pick one out and you can
make the Chronicle eat their words.
CLOSE-UP: Of CONNELL. A broad smile slowly spreads over
his face.
CONNELL
I'm beginning to like this.
MED. SHOT: POP looks worried.
POP
If you ask me, Hank, you're playing
around with dynamite.
CONNELL
No, no, no, the gal's right. We
can't let the Chronicle get the
laugh on us! We've got to produce
a John Doe now.
(muttering)
Amateur journalism, huh!
(starts for door)
I'll show those guys.
ANN
Sureand there's no reason for
them to find out the truth, either.
(significantly)
Because, naturally, I won't say
anything.
CONNELL turns sharply, stares at her a moment puzzled,
then grins.
CONNELL
(grinning)
Okay, sister, you get your job
back.
ANN
Plus a bonus.
CONNELL
What bonus?
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She takes the plunge. She is a little
frightened at her own nerve, but she is going to brazen it
out.
ANN
(tries to drop it
casually)
Oh, the bonus of a thousand dollars
the Chronicle was going to pay me
for this little document. You'll
find it says, er: "I, Ann Mitchell,
hereby certify that the John Doe
letter was created by me"
MED. SHOT: As she speaks, she gets the "little document"
out of her bag, hands it to CONNELL who glares at her,
takes the paper and starts to read. Ann leans over his
shoulder. POP peers over his other shoulder.
CONNELL
I can read. I can read!
ANN
Sorry.
She backs away. CONNELL continues reading her confession.
CONNELL
So you think this is worth a
thousand dollars, do you?
ANN
(very carelessly)
Oh, the Chronicle would consider
it dirt cheap.
CONNELL
Packs everything, including a gun.
(flings paper on
desk)
Okay, sister, you've got yourself
a deal. Now let's take a look at
the candidates. The one we pick
has gotta be the typical average
man. Typical American that can
keep his mouth shut.
POP
Show me an American who can keep
his mouth shut andI'll eat him.
CONNELL
(opens door)
Okay, Beany, bring 'em in one at a
time.
(he steps back and
rubs his hands in
anticipation)
Wipe to: Montage: Half a dozen
different types of hoboes appearand
in each instance ANN shakes her
head, negatively.
WIPE TO:
CLOSE SHOT: Of a TALL CHAP, head hanging shyly.
TWO SHOT: Of ANN and CONNELL. They are impressed.
FULL SHOT: ANN and CONNELL exchange hopeful glances and
begin slowly walking around the new candidate.
CLOSE-UP: Of TALL CHAP. He feels awkward under this
scrutiny.
WIDER SHOT: CONNELL stops in his examination of the man.
CONNELL
Did you write that letter to Miss
Mitchell?
TALL CHAP
(after a pause)
No, I didn't.
ANN, CONNELL and POP evince their surprise.
CONNELL
What are you doing up here then?
TALL CHAP
Well, the paper said there were
some jobs around loose. Thought
there might be one left over.
They study him for a second, then ANN walks over close to
him.
TWO SHOT: ANN and TALL CHAP.
ANN
Had any schooling?
TALL CHAP
Yeah, a little.
ANN
What do you do when you work?
TALL CHAP
(slight pause)
I used to pitch.
ANN
Baseball?
TALL CHAP
Uh-huh. Till my wing[4] went bad.
ANN
Where'd you play?
TALL CHAP
Bush leagues mostly.[5] Med. shot:
To include the rest of them. They
have their eyes glued on his face.
ANN is very much interested.
CONNELL
How about family? Got any family?
TALL CHAP
(after a pause)
No.
CONNELL
Oh, just traveling through, huh?
TALL CHAP
Yeah. Me and a friend of mine.
He's outside.
CONNELL nods to the others to join him in a huddle. He
crosses to a corner. They follow.
CLOSE THREE SHOT: They speak in subdued voices.
CONNELL
Looks all right
ANN
He's perfect! A baseball player.
What could be more American!
CONNELL
I wish he had a family, though.
POP
Be less complicated without a
family.
ANN
Look at that face. It's wonderful.
They'll believe him . Come on.
CLOSE-UP: Of TALL CHAP. He is a strange, bewildered figure.
He knows he is being appraised, but doesn't know why. He
fingers his hat nervously and looks around the room.
Suddenly he is attracted by something.
CLOSE-UP: Of tray of sandwiches on CONNELL's desk.
CLOSE-UP: Of TALL CHAP. He swallows hard. His eyes stare
at the sandwiches hungrily.
MED. SHOT: Over his shoulder. Shooting toward the huddling
group. It breaks up. They walk toward him.
MED. SHOT: - ANOTHER ANGLE
CONNELL
What's your name?
TALL CHAP
Willoughby. John Willoughby, Long
John Willoughby they called me in
baseball.
ANN
Er, would you, er, would you like
to make some money?
JOHN
Yeah, maybe.
NOTE: Henceforth in this script he shall be referred to as
JOHN DOE.
ANN
Would you be willing to say you
wrote that letterand stick by it?
JOHN
Oh, I get the idea. Yeah, maybe.
There is an appraising pause, and CONNELL again signals
them to join him in a huddle. They exit to their corner.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His eyes immediately go to the
sandwiches.
CLOSE-UP: Of tray, with sandwiches and milk, on desk.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His eyes riveted on tray. He glances,
speculatively, over toward them and then back to the tray.
MED. SHOT: Of the huddled group.
ANN
That's our man. He's made to order.
CONNELL
I don't know. He don't seem like a
guy that'd fall into line.
ANN
(it's significant
to her)
When you're desperate for money,
you do a lot of things, Mr. Connell.
He's our man, I tell you.
Suddenly, they are startled by a loud thud: they all look
around sharply.
ANN
He's fainted! Get some water
quickly!
As all three rush to him.
CONNELL
Hurry up, Pop.
ANN
Oh.
CONNELL
(to John)
Right here. Sit down.
JOHN
Huh?
ANN
Are you all right?
JOHN
Yeah, I'm all right.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ANN'S OFFICE.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHNsitting at ANN's desk, just completing a
mealand still eating voraciously.
CAMERA draws back and we find another bindle-stiff sitting
beside JOHN, packing food away in silence. He is the friend
JOHN referred to. He is much older and goes by the name of
COLONEL.
CAMERA continues to PULL BACK revealing ANN who sits nearby,
watching them sympathetically.
CLOSE SHOT: JOHN and the COLONEL. They continue eating.
JOHN glances up and catches ANN's eye. He smiles self-
consciously.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She, too, smiles warmly.
MED. SHOT: They continue to eat silently.
ANN
How many is that, six? Pretty
hungry, weren't you?
COLONEL
Say, all this John Doe business is
batty, if yuh ask me.
ANN
Well, nobody asked yuh.
COLONEL
Trying to improve the world by
jumping off buildings. You couldn't
improve the world if the building
jumped on you!
JOHN
(to Ann)
Don't mind the Colonel. He hates
people.
ANN
He likes you well enough to stick
around.
JOHN
Oh, that's 'cause we both play
doohickies. I met him in a box car
a couple o' years ago. I was foolin'
around with my harmonica and he
comes over and joins in. I haven't
been able to shake him since.
FULL SHOT: SUDDENLY, he starts to play the overture from
"William Tell." The COLONEL whips out an ocarina and joins
him. ANN stares, amused. The door opens and CONNELL and
BEANY barge in, followed by half a dozen photographers.
CONNELL
All right, boys, here he is.
ANN
(jumping up)
No, no, no! You can't take pictures
of him like thateating a
sandwichand with a beard!
She waves the photographers out, and shuts the door.
CONNELL
But, he's gonna jump off a building!
ANN
Yes, but not because he's out of a
job. That's not news! This man's
going to jump as a matter of
principle.
CONNELL
Well, maybe you're right.
ANN
We'll clean him up and put him in
a hotel roomunder bodyguards.
We'll make a mystery out of him.
(suddenly)
Did you speak to Mr. Norton?
CONNELL
(nods)
Thinks it's terrific. Says for us
to go the limit. Wants us to build
a bonfire under every big shot in
the state.
ANN
Oh, swell! Is that the contract?
(seeing paper in
CONNELL's hand)
CONNELL
Yes.
(sees the COLONEL)
What's he doing here?
ANN
Friend of his. They play duets
together.
CONNELL
Duets? But can we trust him?
ANN
Oh!
JOHN
I trust him.
CONNELL
Oh, you trust him, eh? Well, that's
fine. I suppose he trusts you,
too?
ANN
Oh, stop worrying. He's all right.
COLONEL
(insulted)
That's
CONNELL
Well, okay. But we don't want more
than a couple o' hundred people in
on this thing. Now the first thing
I want is an exact copy of the
John Doe letter in your own
handwriting.
ANN
I got it all ready. Here.
CONNELL
Well, that's fine. Now I want you
to sign this agreement. It gives
us an exclusive story under your
name day by day from now until
Christmas. On December twenty-sixth,
you get one railroad ticket out of
town, and the Bulletin agrees to
pay to have your arm fixed. That's
what you want, isn't it?
JOHN
Yeah, but it's got to be by Bone-
Setter Brown.
CONNELL
Okay, Bone-Setter Brown goes. Here,
sign it. Meanwhile, here's fifty
dollars for spending money. That's
fine. Beany!
BEANY
Yeah, Boss?
CONNELL
Take charge of him. Get him a suite
at the Imperial and hire some
bodyguards.
ANN
Yeah, and some new clothes, Beany.
BEANY
Do you think we better have him de-
loused?
CONNELL
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
BEANY
Both of 'em?
CONNELL
Yes, both of 'em! But don't let
him out of your sight.
ANN
Hey, Beany, gray suit, huh?
BEANY
Yeah.
CONNELL
Okay, fellows.
ANN
Take it easy, John Doe.
JOHN and the COLONEL follow BEANY out.
CONNELL
(turns to Ann)
And you! Start pounding that
typewriter. Oh, boy! This is
terrific! No responsibilities on
our part. Just statements from
John Doe and we can blast our heads
off.
ANN
(interrupting)
Before you pop too many buttons,
don't forget to make out that check
for a thousand.
CONNELL
(grimaces)
Awwwww!
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. LIVING-ROOM OF SUITE
FULL SHOT: The door opens and BEANY enters. He is followed
by JOHN and the COLONEL. JOHN glances around, impressed.
The COLONEL looks glum.
MED. SHOT: At door. As JOHN exits scene into the room,
tailed by the unhappy COLONEL. BEANY beckons someone out
in the corridor.
BEANY
Okay, fellas.
Three bruisers stand in the doorway.
BEANY
Now, lemme see. You sit outside
the door. Nobody comes in, see.
You two fellas sit in here.
AS THEY REACH FOR CHAIRS,
CUT TO:
MED. SHOT: JOHN is pleased as his gaze wanders around the
room
JOHN
Hey, pretty nifty, huh?
COLONEL
You ain't gonna get me to stay
here.
JOHN
Sure, you are.
COLONEL
No, sir. That spot under the bridge
where we slept last night's good
enough for me.
While he speaks, JOHN has managed to get a glimpse of
himself in a mirroradmiring his new suit.
BELL HOP
Hey, what'll I do with this baggage?
BEANY
Aw, stick 'em in the bedroom.
COLONEL
Gimme mine. I ain't staying! You
know we were headed for the Columbia
River country before all this John
Doe business came up. You remember
that, don't yuh?
JOHN
Sure. I remember . . . Say, did
your ears pop coming up in the
elevator? Mine did.
COLONEL
Aw, Long John . . . I tell youit's
no good. You're gonna get used to
a lotta stuff that's gonna wreck
you. Why, that fifty bucks in your
pocket's beginning to show up on
you already. And don't pull that
on me neither!
(as John brings out
harmonica)
JOHN
Stop worrying, Colonel. I'm gonna
get my arm fixed out of this.
WIDER SHOT: As BEANY enters scene with box of cigars.
BEANY
Here's some cigars the boss sent
up. Have one.
JOHN's eyes light up.
JOHN
Hey, cigars!
He grabs one and stuffs it in his mouth.
BEANY
(to Colonel)
Help yourself.
COLONEL
Naw.
JOHN flops into a luxurious chairand immediately ANGELFACE
holds a light up for his cigar. JOHN looks up, pleased.
JOHN
Say, I'll bet yuh even the Major
Leaguers don't rate an outfit like
this.
ANGELFACE
(hands him a
newspaper)
Here. Make yourself comfortable.
(turns to the Colonel)
Paper?
COLONEL
(sharply)
I don't read no papers and I don't
listen to radios either. I know
the world's been shaved by a drunken
barber and I don't have to read
it.
ANGELFACE backs away, puzzled.
COLONEL
(crosses to John)
I've seen guys like you go under
before. Guys that never had a worry.
Then they got ahold of some dough
and went goofy. The first thing
that happens to a guy
BEANY
Hey, did yuh get a load of the
bedroom?
JOHN
No.
BEANY beckons to him to follow, which JOHN does with great
interest.
INT. BEDROOM
FULL SHOT: As BEANY and JOHN puff luxuriously on their
cigars and examine the room.
COLONEL
(in doorway)
The first thing that happens to a
guy like thathe starts wantin' to
go into restaurants and sit at a
table and eat saladsand cup
cakesand tea
(disgusted)
Boy, what that kinda food does to
your system!
JOHN pushes on the bed and is impressed with its softness.
COLONEL
The next thing the dope wants is a
room. Yes sir, a room with steam
heat! And curtains and rugs and
'fore you know it, he's all softened
up and he can't sleep 'less he has
a bed.
CLOSE-UP: Of BEANY. He stares, bewildered, at the COLONEL.
WIDER SHOT: JOHN turns and crosses to window.
JOHN
(as he goes)
Hey, stop worrying, Colonel. Fifty
bucks ain't going to ruin me.
COLONEL
I seen plenty of fellers start out
with fifty bucks and wind up with
a bank account!
BEANY
(can't stand it any
more)
Hey, whatsa matter with a bank
account, anyway?
COLONEL
(ignoring him)
And let me tell you, Long John.
When you become a guy with a bank
account, they got you. Yes sir,
they got you!
BEANY
Who's got him?
COLONEL
The heelots!
BEANY
Who?
JOHN
(at the window)
Hey. There's the City Hall tower
I'm supposed to jump off of. It's
even higher than this.
BEANY
Who's got him?
COLONEL
The heelots!
CLOSE-UP: JOHN opens window and leans out.
CLOSE-UP: Of BEANY. His eyes pop; he's petrified.
MED. SHOT: JOHN stretches far out of the window, and quickly
bounces back.
JOHN
Wow!
At the same time BEANY springs to his side and yanks him
back.
BEANY
Hey, wait a minute! You ain't
supposed to do that till Christmas
Eve! Wanta get me in a jam?
JOHN
(twinkle in his eye)
If it's gonna get you in a jam,
I'll do you a favor. I won't jump.
He exits to the living room.
INT. LIVING ROOM
FULL SHOT: As JOHN enters, flicking ashes from his cigar,
grandly, the COLONEL leaves the doorway, still pursuing
his point.
COLONEL
And when they get you, you got no
more chance than a road-rabbit.
BEANY
(dogging the COLONEL)
Hey. Who'd you say was gonna get
him?
JOHN
Say, is this one of those places
where you ring if you want
something?
BEANY
Yeah. Just use the phone.
The thought of this delights JOHN.
JOHN
Boy! I've always wanted to do this!
He goes to the phone.
BEANY
Hey, Doc, look. Look, Doc. Gimme
that again, will yuh? Who's gonna
get him?
COLONEL
The heelots!
BEANY
Who are they?
TWO SHOT: The COLONEL finally levels off on BEANY.
COLONEL
Listen, sucker, yuh ever been broke?
BEANY
Sure. Mostly often.
COLONEL
All right. You're walking alongnot
a nickel in your jeansfree as the
windnobody bothers youhundreds
of people pass yuh by in every
line of businessshoes, hats,
automobiles, radio, furniture,
everything. They're all nice,
lovable people, and they let you
alone. Is that right?
CLOSE-UP: Of BEANYnodding his head, bewildered.
COLONEL'S VOICE
Then you get hold of some dough,
and what happens?
BEANY instinctively shakes his head.
TWO SHOT: The COLONEL takes on a sneering expression.
COLONEL
All those nice, sweet, lovable
people become heelots. A lotta
heels.
(mysterioso)
They begin creeping up on youtrying
to sell you something. They've got
long claws and they get a strangle-
hold on youand you squirmand
duck and hollerand you try to
push 'em awaybut you haven't got
a chancethey've got you! First
thing you know, you own things. A
car, for instance.
BEANY has been following him, eyes blinking, mouth open.
COLONEL
Now your whole life is messed up
with more stufflicense feesand
number platesand gas and oiland
taxes and insurance
CLOSE SHOT: Of the LUGS at the door. One of them listens
with a half-smile on his face. The other, more goofy, looks
bewildered. He has been listeningand now, slowly rises,
ears cocked, frightened by the harrowing tale. CAMERA
retreats before himas he slowly walks nearer to BEANY and
the COLONEL. Meantime, we continue to hear the COLONEL'S
voice.
COLONEL'S VOICE
and identification cardsand
lettersand billsand flat tiresand
dentsand traffic tickets and
motorcycle cops and court roomsand
lawyersand fines
WIDER SHOT: The LUG steps up directly behind BEANYand the
two horrified faces are close togetherboth staring at the
COLONEL.
COLONEL
And a million and one other things.
And what happens? You're not the
free and happy guy you used to be.
You gotta have money to pay for
all those thingsso you go after
what the other feller's got
(with finality)
And there you areyou're a heelot
yourself!
CLOSE SHOT: Of the two heads of BEANY and the LUG. They
continue to stare, wide-eyed, at the COLONEL.
WIDER SHOT: As JOHN approaches the COLONEL.
JOHN
(smiling)
You win, Colonel. Here's the fifty.
Go on out and get rid of it.
COLONEL
(as he goes)
You bet I will! As fast as I can!
Gonna get some canned goodsa
fishing rod, and the rest I'm gonna
give away.
ANGELFACE
(aghast)
Give away?
JOHN
(calling)
Hey. Get me a pitcher's glove! Got
to get some practice.
ANGELFACE
Say, he's giving it away! I'm gonna
get me some of that!
BEANY
Hey, come back here, yuh heelot!
JOHN
(on the phone)
Will you send up five hamburgers
with all the trimmings, five
chocolate ice cream sodas, and
five pieces of apple pie? No, apple,
with cheese. Yeah. Thank you.
JOHN hangs up.
The COLONEL has just reached the door when it flies open
and Ann comes in with photographer EDDIEshe sees JOHN all
dressed up.
ANN
Hello there. Well, well! If it
isn't the man about town!
EDDIE
All set, Ann?
ANN
(coming out of it)
Huh? Oh, yes. Let's go.
(she backs away)
Now, let's see. We want some action
in these pictures.
JOHN
Action?
ANN
Um-hum.
JOHN winds up in pitching posehis left leg lifted up high.
EDDIE
That's good.
ANN
No, no, no. This man's going to
jump off a roof.
EDDIE
Oh.
ANN
Here. Wait a minute. Let me comb
your hair. Sit down. There. That's
better.
CLOSE SHOT: She combs his hairstraightens his tieetc. He
inhales the fragrance of her hair and likes itwinks to
the others. She poses JOHN's face and looks it over.
ANN
You know, he's got a nice face,
hasn't he?
ANGELFACE
Yehhe's pretty.
JOHN gives him a look and starts to get up slowly.
ANN
Here. Sit down!
(to ANGELFACE)
Quiet, egghead!
(back to JOHN)
All right, now, a serious
expression.
JOHN
(laughing)
Can't. I'm feeling too good.
ANN
Oh, come on, now. This is serious.
You're a man disgusted with all of
civilization.
JOHN
With all of it?
ANN
Yes, you're sore at the world.
Come on, now.
JOHN
Oh, crabby guy, huh?
He tries scowling.
ANN
Yeah. No, no!
(laughing)
No! No, look. You don't have to
smell the world!
(the men laugh)
JOHN
Well, all those guys in the
bleachers think
ANN
Never mind those guys. All right,
stand up. Now let's see what you
look like when you protest.
JOHN
Against what?
ANN
Against anything. Just protest.
JOHN
(laughing)
You got me.
ANN
Oh, look. I'm the umpire, and you
just cut the heart of the plate
with your fast one and I call it a
ball. What would you do?
JOHN
(advances toward
her)
Oh, yuh did, huh?
ANN
Yes!
JOHN
Why can't you call right, you bone-
headed, pig-eared, lop-eared, pot-
bellied
ANN
Grab it, Eddie, grab it!
Eddie takes the picture.
A MONTAGE: OF NEWSPAPER INSERTS FEATURING JOHN DOE'S
PICTURE.
"I protest against collapse of decency in the world." "I
protest against corruption in local politics." "I protest
against civic heads being in league with crime." "I protest
against state relief being used as political football." "I
protest against County Hospitals shutting out the needy."
"I protest against all the brutality and slaughter in the
world."
CLOSE-UP: SUPERIMPOSED over all of the above is a
CIRCULATION CHARTshowing the circulation of the Bulletin
in a constant rise.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GOVERNOR'S STUDY
MED. SHOT: The GOVERNOR paces furiously. In front of him
are several associates.
GOVERNOR
I don't care whose picture they're
publishing. I still say that this
John Doe person is a myth. And you
can quote me on that. And I'm going
to insist on his being produced
for questioning. You know as well
as I do that this whole thing is
being engineered by a vicious man
with a vicious purposeMr. D. B.
Norton.
As he finishes saying this,
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. D. B.'S ESTATE
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. NORTON. Camera pulls back and we find
him on horseback.
REVERSE LONG SHOT: We discover that he is watching the
maneuvers of a motorcycle corps who are in uniform. They
are being drilled by TED SHELDON.
MED. SHOT: As a groom rides toward D. B.
GROOM
Mr. Connell and Miss Mitchell are
at the house, sir.
D. B.
Oh, they are? All right, come on.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. D. B. 'S STUDY
MED. SHOTPANNING: As ANN, D. B. and CONNELL enter and
cross to D. B. 's desk.
ANN
(as they walk)
Personally, I think it's just plain
stupidity to drop it now.
They reach D. B. 's desk and stop.
ANN
You should see his fan mail!
Thousands! Why, it's going over
like a house afire!
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. He studies her a moment before he turns
to CONNELL.
D. B.
What are you afraid of, Connell?
It's doubled our circulation.
WIDER SHOT: To include all three.
CONNELL
Yeah, but it's got everybody sore.
Ads are being pulledthe Governor's
starting a libel suitwhat's more,
they all know John Doe's a
phoneyand they insist on seeing
him.
ANN
Well, what about it? Let them see
him! We'll go them one better.
They can also hear him.
(to D. B.)
You own a radio station, Mr. Norton.
Why not put him on the air?
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. He admires her fight.
CONNELL'S VOICE
Watch out for this dame, D. B.
She'll drive you batty!
ANN
Ohh!
WIDER SHOT: To include all three.
CONNELL
Look. We can't let 'em get to this
bush-league pitcher and start
pumping him. Good night! No telling
what that screwball might do. I
walked in yesterdayhere he is,
standing on a table with a fishing
pole flycasting. Take my advice
and get him out of town before
this thing explodes in our faces!
ANN
If you do, Mr. Norton, you're just
as much of a dumb cluck as he is!
Excuse me.
CONNELL
(to Annhotly)
No, you've got yourself a meal
ticket and you hate to let go.
ANN
Sure, it's a meal ticket for me. I
admit it, but it's also a windfall
for somebody like Mr. Norton who's
trying to crash national politics.
(she turns to D. B.)
That's what you bought the newspaper
for, isn't it? You wanta reach a
lotta people, don't you? Well,
put John Doe on the air and you
can reach a hundred and fifty
million of 'em. He can say anything
he wants and they'll listen to
him.
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. Fascinated by ANN.
WIDER SHOT: CONNELL stares at her derisively. D. B. is
completely absorbed.
ANN
All right, let's not forget the
Governor, the Mayor and all small
fry like that. This can arouse
national interest! If he made a
hit around herehe can do it
everywhere else in the country!
And you'll be pulling the strings,
Mr. Norton!
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. His eyes have begun to light up with
extensive plans.
WIDER SHOT: D. B. continues to study ANN with deep interest.
Then he turns to CONNELL.
D. B.
Go down to the office and arrange
for some radio time.
CONNELL
(protesting)
Why, D. B., you're not going to
fall for
D. B.
(interrupting sharply)
I want it as soon as possible.
CONNELL
(shrugging)
Okay. I just came in to get warm,
myself. Come on, let's go.
He starts out. ANN picks up her bag, prepared to follow
CONNELL.
D. B.
Er, don't you go. I want to talk
to you.
CONNELL goes. ANN waits, somewhat nervously.
D. B.
(when CONNELL is
gone)
Sit down.
MED. TWO SHOT: ANN and D. B. D. B. studies her for a moment.
D. B.
. . . Er, this John Doe idea is
yours, huh?
ANN
Yes, sir.
D. B.
How much money do you get?
ANN
Thirty dollars.
D. B.
(probingly)
Thirty dollars? Well, er, what are
you after? I mean, what do you
want? A journalistic career?
ANN
Money.
D. B.
(laughs)
Money? Well, I'm glad to hear
somebody admit it. Do you suppose
you could write a radio speech
that would put that fellow over?
ANN
Oh, I'm sure I can.
D. B.
Do it, and I'll give you a hundred
dollars a week.
ANN
A hundred dollars!
D. B.
That's only the beginning. You
play your cards right and you'll
never have to worry about money
again. Oh, I knew it.
ANN'S eyes brighten with excitement. They are interrupted
by the arrival of TED SHELDON, in uniform.
D. B.
(to TED)
Hello. Whenever there's a pretty
woman around, er
(laughing)
This is my nephew, Ted Sheldon,
Miss Mitchell.
ANN
How do you do.
TED
How do you do!
D. B.
All right, Casanova. I'll give you
a break. See that Miss Mitchell
gets a car to take her home.
TED
Always reading my mind, aren't
you?
ANN
(laughing)
Thank you very much for everything.
D. B.
And, Miss MitchellI think from
now on you'd better work directly
with me.
ANN
Yes, sir.
They exit. D. B. walks to the door, a pleased expression
on his face.
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. His face wreathed in a victorious smile.
FADE-OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. ANNE'S LIVING ROOM
CLOSE SHOT: Of ANN. She sits at a typewriter reading
something she has written. Suddenly, impulsively, she yanks
the sheet out of the machine and flings it to the floor.
As she rises, camera pulls back. We find the floor littered
with previously unsuccessful attempts to get the speech
written. For a moment, ANN paces agitatedly, until she is
interrupted by a commotion.
MED. SHOT: At door. ANN's two sisters, IRENE and ELLEN,
aged nine and elevenand dressed in their sleeping pajamas,
dash in, squealing mischievously. Camera pans with them as
they rush to ANN and leap on her.
ANN
Oh! Hey! Oh, hey! I thought you
were asleep!
ELLEN
We just wanted to say good night,
Sis.
They embrace and kiss her.
ANN
Oh, oh! Oh, you little brats! You're
just stalling. I said good night!
MED. SHOT: At door. ANN'S MOTHER appears in the doorway.
She is a prim little womanher clothes have a touch of the
Victorian about themher hair is done up in old-fashioned
style, her throat is modestly covered in lace.
MOTHER
(above the din)
Come, come, come, children. It's
past your bedtime.
ELLEN
Oh, all right.
MOTHER
Go on!
ELLEN
Come on, Pooch! Come on, come on.
MOTHER
Now, keep Pooch off the bed.
The CHILDREN exit, squealing. ANN'S MOTHER goes to ANN's
desk and searches for something.
ANN
Stick a fork through me! I'm done.
I'll never get this speech right.
MOTHER
Oh, yes you will, Ann dear . . .
you're very clever.
ANN
Yeah, I know. What are you looking
for?
MOTHER
Your purse. I need ten dollars.
ANN
What for? I gave you fifty just
the other day.
MOTHER
Yes, I know, dear, but Mrs. Burke
had her baby yesterday. Nine pounds!
And there wasn't a thing in the
houseand then this morning the
Community Chest lady came around
and
ANN
And the fifty's all gone, huh?
Who's the ten for?
MOTHER
The Websters.
ANN
The Websters!
MOTHER
You remember those lovely people
your father used to take care of?
I thought I'd buy them some
groceries. Oh, Ann, dear, it's a
shame, those poor
ANN
You're marvelous, Ma. You're just
like Father used to be. Do you
realize a couple of weeks ago we
didn't have enough to eat ourselves?
MOTHER
Well, yes, I know, dear, but these
people are in such need and we
have plenty now.
ANN
If you're thinking of that thousand
dollars, forget it. It's practically
gone. We owed everybody in town.
Now, you've just gotta stop giving
all your money away.
Her MOTHER looks up, surprised at her tone.
MRS. MITCHELL
Oh, Ann, dear!
CLOSE-UP: ANN realizes she has spoken sharply to her MOTHER
and immediately regrets it. Her face softens.
MED. SHOT: As ANN crosses to her MOTHERand places an arm
around her shoulder, tenderly.
ANN
Oh, I'm sorry, Ma. Oh, don't pay
any attention to me. I guess I'm
just upset about all this. Gee
whiz, here I am with a great
opportunity to get somewhere, to
give us security for once in our
lives, and I'm stuck. If I could
put this over, your Mrs. Burke can
have six babies!
MOTHER
Do you mean the speech you're
writing?
ANN
Yeah, I don't know. I simply can't
get it to jell! I created somebody
who's gonna give up his life for a
principle, hundreds of thousands
of people are gonna listen to him
over the radio and, unless he says
something that's, well, that's
sensational, it's just no good!
MOTHER
Well, honey, of course I don't
know what kind of a speech you're
trying to write, but judging from
the samples I've read, I don't
think anybody'll listen.
ANN
What?
MOTHER
Darling, there are so many
complaining political speeches.
People are tired of hearing nothing
but doom and despair on the radio.
If you're going to have him say
anything, why don't you let him
say something simple and real,
something with hope in it? If your
father were alive, he'd know what
to say.
ANN
Oh, yes, Father certainly would.
MOTHER
Wait a minute . . .
ANN
Huh?
MRS. MITCHELL crosses to a desk, finds a key and unlocks a
compartment. ANN watches her, curiously.
CLOSE SHOT: MRS. MITCHELL extracts a diary from the
compartment, which she handles very tenderly.
CAMERA PANS with her as she goes back to ANN.
MOTHER
That's your father's diary, Ann.
ANN
Father's . . . I never knew he had
a diary.
MOTHER
There's enough in it for a hundred
speeches, things people ought to
hear nowadays. You be careful of
it, won't you dear? It's always
helped keep your father alive for
me.
ANN
(holds MOTHER's
hand to her cheek)
You bet I will, Ma.
Her mother abruptly leaves.
CLOSE-UP: ANN turns her attention to the diary. As she
opens it, her eyes sparkle expectantly. She becomes
interested in the first thing she sees.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CORRIDOR OF HOTEL
MED. SHOT: At door of JOHN's suite. A crowd of people are
around the door trying to crash it. The LUG on guard stands
before the door.
LUG
Wait a minute. John Doe don't wanta
sign no autographs.
INQUIRER
Well, what does he do all day?
LUG
What does he do all day? He's
writin' out his memories!
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM
MED. SHOT: BEANY is on the telephone. He is apparently
weary from answering them all day.
BEANY
Sorry, lady. you can't see Mr.
Doe. He wants to be alone. No, no,
he just sits around all day and
commutes with himself.
CAMERA SWINGS around to JOHN. He stands in the middle of
the floor, his pitcher's glove on, playing an imaginary
game of ball. He winds up and throws an imaginary ball.
CLOSE-UP: Of the COLONEL. He wears a catcher's mittand
smacks it as if he just caught the ball.
BEANY
(umpiring)
Ba-ll!
COLONEL
I don't know how you're gonna stand
it around here till after Christmas.
FULL SHOT: At the door are the two LUGS, watching the
imaginary ball game. The COLONEL takes a couple of steps
over home plate, and throws the "ball" back to JOHN who
picks it up out of the air.
COLONEL
(as he steps back
behind the plate)
I betcha yuh ain't heard a train
whistle in two weeks.
He crouches on his kneesand gives JOHN a signal.
BEANY
St-rike!
COLONEL
I know why you're hangin'
aroundyou're stuck on a girlthat's
all a guy needs is to get hooked
up with a woman.
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He shakes his head, and waits for
another sign. When he gets it, he nods. He steps onto the
moundwinds up and lets another one go. This is apparently
a hit, for his eyes shoot skyward, and he quickly
turnswatching the progress of the ball as it is flung to
first base. From his frown we know the man is safe.
CLOSE SHOT: Of the two LUGS, ANGELFACE and MIKE. ANGELFACE
is seriously absorbed in the game. MIKE leans against the
wall, eyes narrowed, a plan going on in his head.
ANGELFACE
(seriously)
What was that? A single?
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN.
JOHN
(explaining)
The first baseman dropped the ball.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANGELFACE.
ANGELFACE
(shouting at
"firstbaseman")
Butterfingers!
(back to John)
That's tough luck, Pal.
MED. SHOT: JOHN disregards him completely. He is too much
absorbed with the man on first. He now has the stance of a
pitch without the windup.
COLONEL
When a guy has a woman on his
handsthe first thing he knows his
life is balled up with a lot more
thingsfurniture and
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He catches the "ball"gets into
positionnods to his catcherraises his hands in the air,
takes a peek toward first baseand suddenly wheels around
FACING CAMERA, and whips the "ball" toward first base.
Almost immediately his face lights up.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANGELFACE.
ANGELFACE
Did you get him?
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He winks.
BEANY
(umpiring)
You're out!
FULL SHOT: JOHN flips the glove off his hand so that it
dangles from his wristand massages the ball with his two
palms.
ANGELFACE
That's swell! What's thisthe end
of the eighth?
JOHN
Ninth!
He steps into the "pitcher's box".
WIDER SHOT: Just as they take their positions, the LUG,
from outside, partly opens the door.
LUG
Hey, Beany! There's a coupla lugs
from the Chronicle snooping around
out here!
BEANY immediately comes from background.
BEANY
Come on, Angelface! Gangway!
As they reach the door, the LUG speaks to ANGELFACE.
LUG
What's the score, Angelface?
ANGELFACE
Three to twoour favor.
LUG
Gee, that's great!
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He has heard this and grins
mischievously. He starts winding up for another pitch.
CLOSE-UP: Of MIKE. He looks around mischievously, then
turns to JOHN.
MIKE
You've got swell form. Must have
been a pretty good pitcher.
WIDER SHOT: JOHN is just receiving the ball.
JOHN
Pretty good? Say, I was just about
ready for the major leagues when I
chipped a bone in my elbow. I got
it pitchin' a nineteen-inning game!
MIKE
Nineteen!
JOHN
Yep. There was a major league scout
there watching me, too. And he
came down after the game with a
contract. Do you know what? I
couldn't life my arm to sign it.
But I'll be okay again as soon as
I get it fixed up.
MIKE
(picks up
newspapersighing)
That's too bad.
JOHN
What do you mean, too bad?
MIKE
(pretending
distraction)
Huh? Oh, that you'll never be able
to play again.
JOHN
Well, what are you talking about?
I just told you I was gonna get a
MIKE
(interrupting
carelessly)
Well, you know how they are in
baseballif a guy's mixed up in a
racket
JOHN
(walking over)
Racket? What do you mean?
MIKE
Well, I was just thinking about
this John Doe business. Why, as
soon as it comes out it's all a
fake, you'll be washed up in
baseball, won't you?
JOHN
Y-yeah. Gee, doggone it, I never
thought about that. Gosh!
MIKE
And another thing, what about all
the kids in the country, the kids
that idolize ball players? What
are they gonna think about you?
(shakes his head)
Close shot: Of the COLONEL. He has
dropped his gloveflopped into a
chairand has taken out his ocarina.
JOHN'S VOICE
Hey, did you hear that, Colonel?
The COLONEL nods, disinterestedly, and begins to play.
WIDER SHOT: JOHN ponders his dilemma for a second.
JOHN
I gotta figure some way out of
this thing!
COLONEL
The elevators are still runnin'.
MIKE
(carelessly)
I know one way you can do it.
JOHN
How?
MIKE
Well, when you get up on the radio,
all you have to do is say the whole
thing's a frame-up. Make you a
hero sure as you're born!
John thinks this over, but something troubles him.
JOHN
Yeah, but how am I gonna get my
arm fixed?
MIKE
Well, that's a cinch. I know
somebody that'll give you five
thousand dollars just to get up on
the radio and tell the truth.
COLONEL
(eyes popping)
Five thousand dollars?
MIKE
Yeah. Five thousand dollars. And
he gets it right away. You don't
have to wait till Christmas.
COLONEL
Look out, Long John! They're closing
in on you!
JOHN
(ignores COLONEL)
Say, who's putting up this dough?
MIKE
Feller runs the Chronicle .
(takes it out of
his pocket)
Here's the speech you makeand
it's all written out for you.
JOHN takes it.
CLOSE-UP: Of the COLONEL.
COLONEL
(eyes heaven-ward)
Five thousand dollars! Holy
mackerel! I can see the heelots
comin'. The whole army of them!
MIKE
It's on the level.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BROADCASTING STATION
CLOSE SHOT: TELEPHONE OPERATORS.
1ST GIRL
No, I'm sorry. Tickets for the
broadcast are all gone. Phone the
Bulletin.
2ND GIRL
Sorry. No more tickets left.
MED. SHOT: Crowd chatteringthey recognize JOHN DOE coming
in.
CLOSE SHOT: At a side door in broadcasting station. As the
COLONEL and MIKE take their places.
INT. OFFICE IN BROADCASTING STATION
FULL SHOT: JOHN is led by BEANY into the office. They are
immediately followed by several photographers.
BEANY
Here he is.
ANN
Hello, John. All set for the big
night? Swell!
PHOTOGRAPHER
Turn around.
2ND PHOTOGRAPHER
One momenthold it! Now stand still,
Mr. Doe.
ANN
Okay, Beany, take them outside.
TWO SHOT: JOHN and ANN.
ANN
Now, look, John. Here's the speech.
It's in caps and double-spaced.
You won't have any trouble reading
it. Not nervous, are you?
JOHN
No.
ANN
Of course not. He wouldn't be.
JOHN
Who?
ANN
John Doe. The one in there.
(pointing to speech)
BEANY
Hey, don't let your knees rattle.
It picks up on the mike!
ANN
Oh, Beany! You needn't be nervous,
John. All you have to remember is
to be sincere.
WIDER SHOT: Man pokes his head in.
MAN
Pick up the phone, Miss Mitchell.
It's for you.
ANN
(takes phone)
Hello? Yes, Mother. Oh, thank you,
darling.
FULL SHOT: While she speaks on the phone, MRS. BREWSTER
barges in, accompanied by two other ladies.
MRS. BREWSTER
Oh, there he is, the poor, dear
man! Oh, good luck to you, Mr.
Doe. We want you to know that we're
all for you. The girls all decided
that you're not to jump off any
roof a'tall. Oh, we'll stop it!
ANN completes the phone callcrosses to MRS. BREWSTER.
ANN
Sorry, ladies. Mr. Doe can't be
bothered now. He's gotta make a
speech out there, and
While she gets them outMIKE slips into the room.
CLOSE SHOT: MIKE and JOHN.
MIKE
Have you got the speech I gave
you?
JOHN
(taps breast pocket)
Yeah.
MIKE
Now, look. I'll give this money to
the Colonel just as soon as you
get started. We'll have a car
waiting at the side entrance for
you.
JOHN
Okay.
FULL SHOT: ANN turns away from the door.
ANN
(to MIKE)
How'd you get in here?
MIKE
Huh? Oh, I just came in to wish
him luck.
ANN
Come on, out. Out!
(turning to John)
Mother says good luck, too. John,
when you read that speech, please,
please believe every word of it.
He's turned out to be a wonderful
person, John.
JOHN
Who?
ANN
John Doe, the one in the speech.
JOHN
Oh. Yeah.
ANN
You know something? I've actually
fallen in love with him.
FULL SHOT: They are interrupted by the arrival of CONNELL.
He is accompanied by several photographersand a beautiful
girl in a bathing suit. A banner across her front reads:
"Miss Average Girl".
CONNELL
All right, there he is, sister.
Now, come onplenty of oomph!
The GIRL, all smiles, throws her arms around JOHN's
shoulderand strikes a languid pose. The flashlights go
off.
ANN
What's the idea?
CONNELL
No, no, no. Now that's too much!
PHOTOGRAPHER
One moment, please.
ANN
This is no time for cheap publicity,
Mr. Connell!
CONNELL
Listen. If that guy lays an egg. I
want to get something out of it.
I'm getting a Jane Doe ready!
ANN
(trying to get rid
of them)
That's fine, honey. Now, get out!
PHOTOGRAPHER
All right. I need one more.
ANN
Go right ahead.
While there is this confusion, the COLONEL pushes in and
stands in the doorway.
COLONEL
How're you doin'?
CONNELL
(calls to Beany
outside)
All right, Beanybring 'em in!
While CONNELL speaks, two MIDGETS push the COLONEL out of
the way and enter the room. The COLONEL glances downand
nearly jumps out of his skin. BEANY follows them in.
COLONEL
Holy smoke! A half a heelot!
BEANY
There you are, Boss, just like you
ordered. Symbols of the little
people.
CONNELL
Okay. Get them up.
BEANY lifts them and places them, one on each of JOHN's
arms. The flashlights go off.
ANN
This is ridiculous, Mr. Connell!
Come on, give him a chance. The
man's on the air!
While she speaks, she tries to shove the photographers
out.
BOY MIDGET
(to girl midget)
Come on, Snooksyou better bail
out.
GIRL MIDGET
(coquettishly)
Goodbye, Mr. Doe!
BEANY lifts her offand ANN pushes them all outjust as
the STAGE MANAGER reappears.
STAGE MANAGER
Better get ready. One minute to
go!
TWO SHOT: JOHN and ANN. ANN turns quickly to JOHN.
ANN
Wow! One minute to go, and the
score is nothing to nothing! Now,
please, John, you won't let me
down, will you? Will you? 'Course
you won't. If you'll just think of
yourself as the real John Doe.
Listen. Everything in that speech
are things a certain man believed
in. He was my father, John. And
when he talked, people listened.
They'll listen to you, too.
Funnyyou know what my mother said
the other night? She said to look
into your eyesthat I'd see Father
there.
STAGE MANAGER
Heywhat do you say?
ANN
Okay! We're coming. Come on! Now,
listen, John. You're a pitcher.
Now, get in there and pitch!
(kisses his cheek)
Good luck.
For a moment he just stares at her, under a spell. Then,
turning, he exits. After a second of watching him, ANN
follows.
STUDIO OFFICIAL
Give him room, let him through.
Come on.
Int. broadcasting stage: Med. shot: Camera retreats in
front of JOHN and the official, as they leave the office
and proceed to the microphones. Everyone stares curiously
at JOHNwhispering to each other.
MED. SHOT: Shooting through glass partition, toward control
booth. We SEE the TWO MEN at the board. They glance
nervously at their watchesthen at the clock on the wall.
CLOSE SHOT: Of ANN. She has taken a position at a table
near the mike. Next to her sits CONNELL. ANN watches JOHN
with intense interest.
The COLONEL has followed JOHN up to the microphone.
COLONEL
(to John)
Hey. Let's get out o' here. There's
the door right there.
M.C.
Hey, what're you doing here?
COLONEL
That's what I'd like to know!
M.C.
Come on, out. Out.
JOHN
Say, he's a friend of mine.
ANN
(at John's elbow)
Never mind. Let him alone. He's
all right. I'll be right over there
pulling for you.
JOHN starts to follow ANN away from mike. ANN leads him
back to mike again.
ANN
No, Johnover here.
2ND M.C.
Stand by.
MED. SHOT: At door. The COLONEL surreptitiously tries the
door, to see that it opens readily. Standing near him is
BEANY and the others.
MED. SHOT: Group around SPENCER. They wait expectantly.
Their eyes sparkling with excitement.
SPENCER
Phone the Chronicle . Tell 'em to
start getting those extras out.
MED. SHOT: Toward control booth. The man with the earphones
on has his hand up ready to give the signal. He listens a
moment, then abruptly drops his hand.
CLOSE-UP: The man near the announcer throws his HAND up as
a SIGNAL to someone off scene.
MED. SHOT: An orchestra in a corner. The conductor waves
his batonand the orchestra blasts out a dramatic fanfare.
CLOSE SHOT: ANNOUNCER and JOHN. ANNOUNCER holds his script
up and the moment the music stops he speaks dramatically.
ANNOUNCER
(rapid-fire)
And good evening, ladies and
gentlemen. This is Kenneth Frye,
speaking for the New Bulletin .
Tonight we give you something
entirely new and different. Standing
beside me is the young man who has
declared publicly that on Christmas
Eve he intends to commit suicide,
giving as his reasonquote: "I
protest against the state of
civilization." End quote. Ladies
and gentlemen, the New Bulletin
takes pleasure in presenting the
man who is fast becoming the most
talked-of person in the whole
country, JOHN DOE!
The man next to him waves his handthere is an outburst of
music.
A FLASH: Of ANNshe looks at JOHN intently.
MED. SHOT: Group around BEANY. They all applaud, except
for MIKE and the COLONEL. MIKE, with his hand hanging down,
nudges the COLONEL.
CLOSE SHOT: Of their hands meeting and we SEE the envelope
change hands. CAMERA PANS up to the COLONEL's face which
is twisted into a miserable grimace.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He glances around, uncertainly.
CLOSE SHOT: Of MIKE and the COLONEL. MIKE elbows the COLONEL
to throw his signal. The COLONEL looks toward JOHN and
nods his head.
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He catches the COLONEL'S signal and
quickly his hand goes to his pocket. Just as he is about
to bring it out, his hand pauses. He turns and looks at
ANN.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. A warm, pleading look in her eyes.
MED. SHOT: Around JOHN. He is still staring at ANN, when
the ANNOUNCER reaches over and nudges himpointing to the
mike. JOHN snaps out of itturns his face to the mikepushes
the paper back in his pocketand starts reading ANN'S
speech.
JOHN
(reading speech)
Ladies and gentlemen: I am the man
you all know as John Doe.
(clearing his throat)
I took that name because it seems
to describebecause it seems to
describe
(his voice unnatural)
the average man, and that's me.
(repeats,
embarrassedly)
And that's me.
MED. SHOT: The COLONEL and MIKE. The COLONEL realizes JOHN
is not going to make SPENCER'S speech, and his face breaks
into a broad grin. He takes MIKE'S hand and slaps the
envelope into his palm. Over the shot we hear JOHN'S voice.
JOHN'S VOICE
Well, it was mebefore I said I
was gonna jump off the City Hall
roof at midnight on Christmas Eve.
Now, I guess I'm not average any
more. Now, I'm getting all sorts
of attention, from big shots, too.
MED. SHOT: To include JOHN and ANN.
MED. SHOT: Around SPENCER, as MIKE enters to him and hands
him envelope.
MIKE
(whispering)
We've been double-crossed!
SPENCER stares at the envelope, frothing at the mouth.
SPENCER
We have!?
MED. SHOT: Featuring JOHN and ANN.
JOHN
The Mayor and the Governor, for
instance. They don't like those
articles I've been writing.
Suddenly they are startled by SPENCER's voice.
SPENCER'S VOICE
You're an imposter, young fella!
That's a pack of lies you're
telling!
QUICK FLASHES: Of reaction from audience, CONNELL and
others.
SPENCER
Who wrote that speech for you?
(pointing accusing
finger at JOHN)
CONNELL
Beany, get that guy!
MED. SHOT: Around SPENCER. It is as far as he gets. Several
attendants, BEANY among them, have reached him and start
throwing him out.
CUT TO:
INT. D. B. NORTON'S STUDY
MED. SHOT: D. B. and TED SHELDON are listening to JOHN's
speech over the radio. D. B. is astonished at the
disturbance in the program.
D. B.
(recognizing the
voice)
That's Spencer!
CUT TO:
INT. BROADCASTING STAGE:
CLOSE SHOT: Of ANNOUNCER.
M.C.
Ladies and gentlemen, the
disturbance you just heard was
caused by someone in the audience
who tried to heckle Mr. Doe. The
speech will continue.
MED. SHOT: Featuring JOHN and ANN.
JOHN
Well, people like the Governor
(laughingad libs)
People like the Governor and that
fella there cancan stop worrying.
I'm not gonna talk about them.
ANN smiles admiringly.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He is becoming strangely absorbed in
what he is saying.
JOHN
I'm gonna talk about us, the average
guys, the John Does. If anybody
should ask you what the average
John Doe is like, you couldn't
tell him because he's a million
and one things. He's Mr. Big and
Mr. Small. He's simple and he's
wise. He's inherently honest, but
he's got a streak of larceny in
his heart. He seldom walks up to a
public telephone without shoving
his finger into the slot to see if
somebody left a nickel there.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. Her eyes are glued on JOHN.
JOHN'S VOICE
He's the man the ads are written
for. He's the fella everybody sells
things to. He's Joe Doakes,[8] the
world's greatest stooge and the
world's greatest strength.
(clearing throat)
Yes, sir. Yessir, we're a great
family, the John Does. We're the
meek who are, er, supposed to
inherit the earth. You'll find us
everywhere. We raise the crops, we
dig the mines, work the factories,
keep the books, fly the planes and
drive the busses! And when a cop
yells: "Stand back there, you!"
He means us, the John Does!
CUT TO: INT. D. B. 'S STUDY:
MED. SHOT: D. B. and TED listen near the radio. TED's eyes
flash angrily.
TED
Well, what kind of a speech is
that? Didn't you read it?
D. B. stops him with a gesture of his hand. He doesn't
want to miss a word.
CUT TO:
INT. BROADCASTING STAGE
MED. SHOT: Toward JOHN.
JOHN
We've existed since time began. We
built the pyramids, we saw Christ
crucified, pulled the oars for
Roman emperors, sailed the boats
for Columbus, retreated from Moscow
with Napoleon and froze with
Washington at Valley Forge!
(gasping)
Yes, sir. We've been in there
dodging left hooks since before
history began to walk! In our
struggle for freedom we've hit the
canvas many a time, but we always
bounced back!
MED. SHOTPANNING: Around audienceto get a variety of
interested faces.
JOHN'S VOICE
Because we're the people and we're
tough!
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN.
JOHN
They've started a lot of talk about
free people going softthat we
can't take it. That's a lot of
hooey! . . . A free people can
beat the world at anything, from
war to tiddle-de-winks, if we all
pull in the same direction!
MED. SHOT: To include radio announcer and other radio
officials. Their interest centers on JOHN.
JOHN
I know a lot of you are saying
"What can I do? I'm just a little
punk. I don't count." Well, you're
dead wrong! The little punks have
always counted because in the long
run the character of a country is
the sum total of the character of
its little punks.
INT. D. B.'S STUDY
MED. SHOT: D. B.'s expression of disturbance has vanished.
It is now replaced by one of thoughtfulness and interest.
He looks off toward the foyer, and impulsively goes in
that direction.
CUT TO:
INT. FOYER
MED. SHOT: D. B. crosses to a pantry door and pushes the
swinging door open slightly.
INT. PANTRY
MED. SHOT: All we can SEE through the slightly open door
is one side of the room. Clustered around the radio on a
table are all the household help. They listen, fascinated.
INT. FOYER
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. His eyes begin to brighten with an idea.
Meantime, over the foregoing shots, JOHN's voice has
continued.
JOHN'S VOICE
But we've all got to get in there
and pitch! We can't win the old
ball game unless we have team work.
And that's where every John Doe
comes in! It's up to him to get
together with his teammate!
CUT TO:
INT. BROADCASTING STATION - MED. SHOT:
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN.
JOHN
And your teammates, my friends, is
the guy next door to you. Your
neighbor! He's a terribly important
guy, that guy next door! You're
gonna need him and he's gonna need
you . . . so look him up! If he's
sick, call on him! If he's hungry,
feed him! If he's out of a job,
find him one! To most of you,
your neighbor is a stranger, a guy
with a barking dog, and a high
fence around him.
MED. SHOT: Somewhere in audience.
JOHN'S VOICE
Now, you can't be a stranger to
any guy that's on your own team.
So tear down the fence that
separates you, tear down the fence
and you'll tear down a lot of hates
and prejudices! Tear down all the
fences in the country and you'll
really have teamwork!
MED. SHOT: Around BEANY and the LUGS. They, too, are
interested.
JOHN'S VOICE
I know a lot of you are saying to
yourselves: "He's asking for a
miracle to happen. He's expecting
people to change all of a sudden."
Well, you're wrong. It's no miracle.
It's no miracle because I see it
happen once every year. And so do
you. At Christmas time! There's
something swell about the spirit
of Christmas, to see what it does
to people, all kinds of people . .
.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. Her eyes go from JOHN to the audienceas
she watches their reaction.
FULL SHOT: Shooting toward audience over JOHN's shoulder.
JOHN
Now, why can't that spirit, that
same warm Christmas spirit last
the whole year round? Gosh, if it
ever did, if each and every John
Doe would make that spirit last
three hundred and sixty-five days
out of the year, we'd develop such
a strength, we'd create such a
tidal wave of good will, that no
human force could stand against
it.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He has become visibly affected by the
speech himself.
JOHN
Yes, sir, my friends, the meek can
only inherit the earth when the
John Does start loving their
neighbors. You'd better start right
now. Don't wait till the game is
called on account of darkness!
Wake up, John Doe! You're the hope
of the world!
He has finishedbut does not move. He drops his head to
conceal the moisture in his eyes.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She, too, remains seated. Her moist eyes
riveted on JOHN.
MED. LONG SHOT: Of Audience. There is no outburst of
applause. All continue to stare forward, emotionally
touched.
MED. SHOT: Of ANN. She runs over to John.
ANN
John! You were wonderful!
MED. SHOT: Of the audience. They too realize it is overand
gradually they rise and applaud him wildly, and the radio
station rings with cheers.
MED. SHOT: JOHN and ANN. JOHN stares at ANN, then turns to
COLONEL.
JOHN
(as he reaches
COLONEL)
Let's get out of here.
They exit through the door at which the COLONEL has been
on guard.
COLONEL
Now you're talking!
MED. SHOT: At side door. The COLONEL opens it, and a little
crowd of autograph hounds wait for JOHN.
COLONEL
Gangway, you heelots!
They push their way to a taxi waiting at the curb.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She stares at them leaving, follows and
tries to stop them, but her efforts are unsuccessful.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. UNDER A BRIDGE
MED. SHOT: JOHN and the COLONEL are in a secluded spot.
The lights of the city can be seen in the distance. The
COLONEL is building a fire.
COLONEL
I knew you'd wake up sooner or
later! Boy, am I glad we got out
of that mess.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He reaches around and pulls his pitcher's
glove out of his back pocket, and starts pounding his fist
into it.
JOHN
I had that five thousand bucks
sewed up! Could have been on my
way to old Doc Brown!
(imitates Ann)
"You're a pitcher, John," she said,
"Now go in there and pitch!
(self-beratingly)
What a sucker!
Wider shot: To include the COLONEL, who has quite a mound
of twigs built, under which he lights a match.
COLONEL
Yeah, she's a heelot just like the
rest of them. It's lucky you got
away from her.
JOHN
What was I doin' up there makin' a
speech, anyway? Me? Huh? Gee, the
more I think about it the more I
could . . .
COLONEL
Tear down all the fences. Why, if
you tore one picket off of your
neighbor's fence he'd sue you!
JOHN
Five thousand bucks! I had it
right in my hand!
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. D.B.'S STUDY
CLOSE-UP: D.B. on telephone.
D.B.
What do you mean, he ran away?
Well, go after him! Find him! That
man is terrific!
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. A BOX CAR (PROCESS)
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN and the COLONEL. They play a duet on
their instruments.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
EXT. A SMALL TOWN STREET DAY
Med. shot: As JOHN and the COLONEL come from around a
corner. Camera pans with them as they enter "Dan's Beanery".
INT. DAN'S BEANERY
FULL SHOT: They enter and flop down on stools. Half a dozen
other customers are present.
MED. SHOT: Kids dancing to phonograph.
COLONEL
Jitterbugs.[9] Close shot: JOHN
and the COLONEL.
JOHN
Yeh. Say, how much money we got
left?
COLONEL
Four bits.
JOHN
Better make it doughnuts, huh?
COLONEL
Yeh.
DAN
What'll it be, gents?
JOHN
Have you got a coupla steaks about
that big and about that thick?
(measuring)
COLONEL
Er, yeh, with hash-brown potatoes
and tomatoes andand apple pie and
ice cream and coffee
DAN
And doughnuts! I know. Hey, Ma!
Sinkers, a pair!
MA'S VOICE
Sinkers, a pair, coming up.
COLONEL
Glad he took the "T" out of that.
JOHN
(sees something
offnudges the
Colonel)
Hey look!
LONG SHOT: Shooting from their view through the store
window. In the street outside, a delivery wagon is passing.
On its side is a sign reading "JOIN THE JOHN DOE CLUB".
INT. DAN'S BEANERY
CLOSE-UP: JOHN and the COLONEL.
COLONEL
Join the John Doe Club.
JOHN
John Doe Club?
CLOSE SHOT: Of the WAITER standing near the coffee urn.
From back of it he has taken a local paperon the front
page of which is JOHN's picture. The WAITER looks at it
and then turns his head to JOHN.
TWO SHOT: JOHN and the COLONEL. They turn and see the waiter
watching them peculiarly.
COLONEL
Oh-oh.
WIDER SHOT. As the WAITER approaches them.
WAITER
Are you John Doe?
JOHN lowers his head.
COLONEL
Who?
WAITER
(pointing to paper)
John Doe.
COLONEL
You need glasses, buddy.
WAITER
Well, he's the spittin' image of
COLONEL
Yeah, but his name's Willoughby.
DAN
Oh!
JOHN
Long John Willoughby.
(takes glove out of
pocket)
I'm a baseball player.
COLONEL
Sure.
DAN
(eyes brightening)
Oh, no. I'd know that voice
anywhere. You can't kid me! You're
John Doe! Hey, Ma! Ma! That's John
Doe!
MA
John Doe?
DAN
Yeah. Sitting right there, big as
life.
CUSTOMER
Who'd you say it was?
DAN
John Doe! The big guy there!
Picture's in the paper!
JOHN gives the COLONEL the office and they hastily exit.
Several customers, who had gathered around, now evince
interest. DAN identifies JOHN as JOHN DOE, and the people
follow JOHN out into the street. DAN hastily seizes the
phone.
DAN
Hey, Operator? Dan's Beanery.
Look. Call everybody in town. John
Doe was just in my place. Yeh. He
ordered doughnuts.
LONG SHOT: Shooting out of window toward street. We see
JOHN and the COLONEL as they hurry away, being followed by
the crowd which is gradually growing larger . . . as we
see people crossing the street to get to them
TOWNSPEOPLE
There he is! John Doe!
There he is! Come on! Gotta see
John Doe!
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. SIDEWALK
MED. SHOT: Millville City Hall. The sidewalk is crowded
with people. Those near the entrance are trying to force
their way in. MAYOR HAWKINS guards the door.
MAYOR HAWKINS
I know, you all voted for me and
you're all anxious to see John
Doe. We're all neighbors, but my
office is packed like a sardine
box.
GIRL
What does John Doe look like, Mr.
Mayor.
MAYOR HAWKINS
Oh, he's one of those great big
outdoor type of men. No, you can't
see him.
MAYOR notices one member of the crowd particularly.
MAYOR HAWKINS
You didn't vote for me the last
time. Shame on youget off my front
porch!
(turning)
Mr. Norton come yet? What's keeping
him? He should of been here fifteen
minutes ago. Oh, there he comes
now. Now, everybody on your dignity.
Don't do anything to disgrace us.
This is a little town, but we gotta
show off.
WIDER SHOT: Of curb. From off-scene we hear the wail of
sirens, and as the crowd on the sidewalk turn they see two
motorcycle cops drive in, followed by a limousine.
TWO SHOT: ANN and D. B.
ANN
Better let me talk to him.
D. B.
All right, but present it to him
as a great cause for the common
man.
ANN nods as they start toward building. Camera pans with
them as the cops break through the curious mob.
MED. SHOT: MAYOR HAWKINS endeavors to assist them.
MAYOR HAWKINS
Ah, here he comes! Give him room
down there! Give him room, folks!
How do you do, Mr. Norton! I'm the
Mayor
COP
(to Mayor)
Come back here!
MAYOR HAWKINS
(to cop)
Let me go, you dern fool! I'm the
Mayor! Mr. Norton! I'm Mayor
Hawkins. Your office telephoned me
to hold him.
INT. CITY HALL
Med. shot: As they walk toward MAYOR'S office.
D. B.
(to Mayor Hawkins)
Well, that's fine. How is he?
MAYOR
Oh, he's fine. He's right in my
office there. You know, this is a
great honor having John Doe here,
and you too. Haven't had so much
excitement since the old city hall
burned down.
(chuckling)
People were so excited, they nearly
tore his clothes off.
(turns to secretary)
Oh, Matilda darling, phone the
newspapers. Tell them Mr. Norton
is here. Step right inside, Mr.
Nortonmy office is very comfortable
here, Mr. Norton. Just had it air-
conditioned. Gangway, please. Make
room for Mr. Norton. Gangway,
gangway. Here he is, Mr. Norton,
well taken care of. The neighbors
are serving him a light lunch.
INT. MAYOR'S OFFICE
FULL SHOT: JOHN and the COLONEL are surrounded by a room
full of people, including the SHERIFF in full uniform and
several policemen. JOHN sits at the MAYOR'S desk, which is
filled with edibles. D.B., ANN and the MAYOR enter. JOHN,
upon seeing ANN, gets to his feet.
ANN
Hello, John.
JOHN
Hello.
D. B.
Mister Mayor, if you don't mind,
we'd like to talk to him alone.
MAYOR
Why, certainly, certainly. All
right, everybody, clear out.
They all start to shuffle outthe MAYOR excitedly egging
them on.
MAYOR'S WIFE
Quit pushing.
MAYOR
Don't argue with me here. Wait
till we get home.
WIFE
Don't you push me around like that!
Even though I'm your wife, you
can't push me around
MAYOR
Ohhhh!
They all shuffle out, and D.B. shuts the door. JOHN watches
him, doesn't like his proprietary manner.
JOHN
Look, Mr. Norton, I think you've
got a lot of nerve having those
people hold us here.
D. B.
There's nobody holding you here,
Mr. Doe.
(laughing)
It's only natural that people
JOHN
Well, if there's nobody holding us
here, let's get going. Incidentally,
my name isn't Doe. It's Willoughby.
ANN
(gets in front of
himpleads)
Look, John. Something terribly
important's happened. They're
forming John Doe Clubs. We know of
eight already and they say that
there's going
JOHN
(interested despite
himself)
John Doe Clubs? What for?
ANN
Uh-huh. To carry out the principles
you talked about in your radio
speech.
JOHN
(regains his former
attitude)
I don't care what they're forming.
I'm on my way and I don't like the
idea of being stopped either.
ANN
Oh, but you don't know how big
this thing is. You should see the
thousands of telegrams we've
received and what they're saying
about you.
JOHN
Look, it started as a circulation
stunt, didn't it?
ANN
Uh-huh . . .
JOHN
Well, you got your circulation.
Now, why don't you let me alone?
ANN
Oh, it started as a circulation
stunt, but it isn't any more. Mr.
Norton wants to get back of it and
sponsor John Doe Clubs all over
the country. He wants to send you
on a lecture tour.
JOHN
Me?
ANN
Uh-huh.
D. B.
Why, certainly. With your ability
to influence people, it might grow
into a glorious movement.
JOHN
Say, let's get something straight
here. I don't want any part of
this thing. If you've got an idea
I'm going around lecturing to
people, why you're crazy! Baseball's
my racket, and I'm sticking to it.
Come on, Colonel, let's get out of
here.
ANN
John!
The beaming COLONEL starts to follow him to the door. When
they get there, the door suddenly flies open and a crowd
of townspeople push their way inwith the MAYOR and the
SHERIFF trying to hold them back.
MAYOR
Please, please! I just got rid of
one crowd.
WOMAN
Oh, but please. Mr. Mayor, tell
him the John Doe Club wants to
talk to him.
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. He gets an idea. These people might
influence JOHN.
D. B.
Let them in, Mr. Mayor. Let them
come in.
FULL SHOT: As the MAYOR and the SHERIFF back away.
MAYOR
Okay, folks, but remember your
manners. No stampeding. Walk slow,
like you do when you come to pay
your taxes.
MED. SHOT: Of the group. They shuffle forward grinning
happily. Those in the rear rise on tiptoes for a better
look. The men doff their hats as they come forward.
MED. SHOT: Of JOHN, the COLONEL, ANN and D.B. John glances
around nervously. The COLONEL is worried.
MED. SHOT: Of the townspeople. They just stand there,
awkwardly, some grinning sheepishly, others staring at
JOHN. Finally someone nudges a young man in the foreground
and whispers.
SOMEONE
Come on, Bert.
BERT
Okay. All right, give me a chance.
WOMAN
(making room for
him)
Come right in.
WIDER SHOT: As the group around JOHN wait expectantly.
BERT
(clearing throat)
My name's Bert Hansen, Mr. Doe,
I'm the head soda jerker at
Schwabacher's Drug Store.
CLOSE SHOT: Of BERTas he plunges into his story.
BERT
Well, sir, you see, me and my wife,
we heard your broadcast, and we
got quite a bang out of it,
especially my wife.
WIDER SHOT: To include JOHN and the others.
BERT
Kept me up half the night saying
"That man's right, honey. The
trouble with the world isnobody
gives a hoot about his neighbor.
That's why everybody in town's
sore and cranky at each other."
And I kept saying, "Well, that's
fine, but how's a guy gonna go
around loving the kind of neighbors
we got? Old Sourpuss for instance!"
(laughing)
You see, Sourpuss Smithers is a
guy who lives all alone next door
to us. He's a cranky old man and
runs a second-hand furniture store.
We haven't spoken to him for years.
I always figured he was an ornery
old gent that hated the world cause
he was always slamming his garage
door and playing the radio so loud
he kept half the neighbors up.
(laughing)
CLOSE-UP: Of BERT.
BERT
Well, anyway, the next morning I'm
out watering the lawn and I look
over and there's Sourpuss on the
other side of the hedge
straightening out a dent in his
fender and, er, my wife yells to
me out of the window. She says,
"Go on. Speak to him, Bert." And
I figured, well, heck, I can't
lose anythingso I yelled over to
him "Good morning, Mr. Smithers."
He went right on pounding his
fender, and was I burned! So I
turned around to give my wife a
dirty look and she said, "Louder,
louder. He didn't hear you." So,
in a voice you could of heard in
the next county, I yelled. "Good
morning, Mr. Smithers!"
MED. SHOT: Featuring JOHN and BERT. JOHN is very interested.
BERT
Well, sir, you coulda knocked me
over with a feather. Old Sourpuss
turned around surprised like, and
he put on a big smile, came over
and took my hand like an old lodge
brother, and he said. "Good morning,
Hansen. I've been wanting to talk
to you for years, only I thought
you didn't like me." And then he
started chatting away like a happy
little kid, and he got so excited
his eyes begin waterin' up.
MED. SHOT: Of a group of neighbors. They smile
sympathetically.
BERT'S VOICE
Well, Mr. Doe, before we got
through, I found out Smithers is a
swell egg, only he's pretty deaf,
and that accounts for all the
noises.
WIDER SHOT: To include BERT, JOHN and others.
BERT
And he says it's a shame how little
we know about our neighbors, and
then he got an idea, and he said,
"How's about inviting everybody
some place where we can all get
together and know each other a
little better?" Well, I'm feeling
so good by this time, I'm ripe for
anything.
CLOSE SHOT: Of ANN and D. B. They listen, amused and
excited.
BERT
So Smithers goes around the
neighborhood inviting everybody to
a meeting at the school house and
I tell everybody that comes in the
store, including Mr. Schwabacher,
my boss.
(laughing)
Oh, I'm talking too much.
MED. SHOT: JOHN and BERT.
BERT
Well, I'll be doggoned if over
forty people don't show up. 'Course
none of us knew what to do, but we
sure got a kick out of seeing how
glad everybody was just to say
hello to one another.
BERT'S WIFE
Tell him about making Sourpuss
chairman, honey.
BERT
Oh, yeah. We made Sourpuss chairman
and decided to call ourselves The
John Doe Club. And, say,
incidentally, this is my wife.
Come here, honey.
His WIFE comes forward and stands beside him.
BERT
This is my wife, Mr. Doe.
MRS. HANSEN nods her head shylyand JOHN acknowledges the
introduction by a half wave of his hand.
WIFE
How do you do, Mr. Doe . . . Er,
Sourpuss is here, too.
BERT
(turns around)
Oh, is he?
WIFE
(pointing)
Uh-huh.
MED. SHOT: Of a group around SOURPUSS. He is as described,
except when he smiles, his whole face warms up. Those around
him push him forward. At first he looks bewildered, then,
understanding, he starts toward BERT, grinning sheepishly.
MED. SHOT: Around BERTas SOURPUSS comes forward.
BERT
This is Sourpuss. Er, excuse me.
Er, Mr. Smithers, Mr. Doe.
SOURPUSS
Ththat's all right. If you didn't
call me Sourpuss, it wouldn't feel
natural.
(laughing)
There are snickers from the
background.
BERT
Well, anyway, II guess nearly
everybody in the neighborhood came,
except the DeLaneys. The Delaneys
live in a big house with an iron
fence around it and they always
keep their blinds drawn, and we
always figured that he was just an
old miser that sat back counting
his money, so why bother about
inviting him? Until Grimes, the
milkman spoke up and he said, "Say,
you've got the Delaneys all wrong."
And then he tells us about how
they cancelled their milk last
week, and how, when he found a
note in the bottle he got kinda
curious like and he sorta peeked
in under the blinds and found the
house empty. "If you ask me," he
says, "they're starving."
SOURPUSS
Old man Delaney has been bringing
his furniture over to my place at
night, one piece at a time, and
selling it.
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. Profoundly impressed by this.
WIDER SHOT: BERT clears his throat.
BERT
Yeah. And, well, sir, a half a
dozen of us ran over there to fetch
them and we got them to the meeting.
What a reception they got. Why,
everybody shook hands with them
and made a fuss over them, and,
well, finally, Mr. and Mrs. Delaney
just sat right down and cried.
He smiles, embarrassed, and JOHN, as well as the others,
clear their throats.
SOURPUSS
And then we started to find out
about a lot of other people.
BERT
Yeah, sure. Er, you know Grubbel,
for instance.
BERT'S WIFE
Grubbel's here. See?
(pointing)
BERT
Yeah. That'sthat's him. Of course,
you don't know Grubbel, but he's
the man that everybody figured was
the worst no-account in the
neighborhood because he was living
like a hermit and nobody'd have
anything to do with him. Er, that
is until Murphy, the postman told
us the truth. "Why, Grubbel," he
says, "he lives out of garbage
cans because he won't take charity.
Because it'd ruin his self-respect,"
he says.
BERT'S WIFE
Just like you said on the radio,
Mr. Doe.
SOURPUSS
Well, sir, about a dozen families
got together and gave Grubbel a
job watering their lawns. Isn't
that wonderful? And then we found
jobs for six other people and
they've all gone off relief!
BERT
Yeh. Er, and my boss, Mr.
Schwabacker made a job in his
warehouse for old man Delaney
WIFE
And he gave you that five dollar
raise.
BERT
Yeah! Wasn't that swell!
(laughing)
MED. SHOT: Around MAYOR HAWKINS. He steps forward.
MAYOR
Why, Bert, I feel slighted. I'd
like to join but nobody asked me.
MED. SHOT: Around BERT and SOURPUSS.
SOURPUSS
Well, I'm sorry, Mayor, but we
voted that no politicians could
join.
BERT'S WIFE
Just the John Does of the
neighborhood. Cause you know how
politicians are.
(becomes embarrassed)
Close-up: Of the MAYORcompletely
deflated.
SOURPUSS
Yeah . . .
MED. SHOT: Around JOHN. As they smile, amused at the MAYOR'S
discomfiture.
MED. SHOT: Around BERT. He looks over at JOHN, hesitates a
moment, and then speaks.
BERT
Well, er, the reason we wanted to
tell you this, Mr. Doe, was to
give you an idea what you started.
And from where I'm sitting, I don't
see any sense in your jumping off
any building.
GROUP
No!
SOURPUSS
No!
BERT
Well, thank you for listening.
Goodbye, Mr. Doe. You're a wonderful
man and it strikes me you can be
mighty useful walking around for a
while.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. Deeply touched. Shifts awkwardly, unable
to say anything.
MED. SHOT: As D. B. and ANN watch his face to see the
effect.
GROUP
Well, goodbye.
SOURPUSS
Goodbye Mr. Doe.
BERT has turned to go, and the rest follow suit. They all
shuffle silently out.
MED. SHOT: Of an old couple who remain looking up at JOHN,
as those around them leave. The old lady takes the old
man's arm and starts toward JOHN. Camera pans with them
until they reach him.
OLD LADY
I'm Mrs. Delaney, Mr. Doe . . .
and God bless you, my boy.
(she gently kisses
his hand)
The two OLD PEOPLE leave.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He swallows a lump in his throat. He
watches the old people until they have left, then with a
quick glance at his handand self-consciously in front of
the others, stuffs his hand into his pocket.
FULL SHOT: As they all watch him, without speaking. JOHN
runs his hand through his hair, stealing a fleeting glance
at the others, and grins awkwardly.
CLOSE SHOT: Of D. B. as he signals to the MAYOR and the
SHERIFF, who have remained, to leave.
MED. SHOT: Of the MAYOR and the SHERIFF, who receive the
signal and discreetly exit.
FULL SHOT: They wait for JOHN to speak, but JOHN begins
walking around, profoundly thoughtful.
CLOSE-UP: Of the COLONEL watching him, concerned.
TWO SHOT: Of D. B. and ANN. Their eyes glued on him,
expectantly.
FULL SHOT: JOHN still paces, disturbed by clashing emotions.
He stops, glances at the door, a soft, thoughtful expression
in his eyes. Then, as his thought shifts, he runs his left
hand over his pitching arm.
JOHN
Gee, whizI'm all mixed upI don't
get it. Look, all those swell people
think I'm gonna jump off a building
or something.
He looks toward the door.
JOHN
I never had any such idea. Gosh!
A fella'd have to be a mighty fine
example himself to go around telling
other people how toSay, look,
what happened the other night was
on account of Miss Mitchell, here.
She wrote the stuff.
ANN walks over to JOHN.
TWO SHOT: ANN and JOHN. She faces him, looking up into his
face.
ANN
Don't you see what a wonderful
thing this can be?
(softly)
But we need you , John.
CLOSE-UP: Of the COLONEL. He stares at JOHN, sees him
weakening, and grimaces disgustedly.
WIDER SHOT: The COLONEL watches JOHN as he continues to
turn it over in his mind.
COLONEL
(suddenly)
You're hooked! I can see that right
now.
They all look up, startled.
COLONEL
They got you. Well, I'm through.
(crosses to
doorstops, turns)
For three years I've been trying
to get you up to the Columbia River
country. First, it was your glass
arm. Then it was the radio. And
now it's the John Doe clubs. Well,
I ain't waiting another minute.
He opens the door and when he sees the townspeople still
gathered outside, he yells to them.
COLONEL
Gangway, you heelots!
He pushes his way out.
JOHN
(calling)
Hey, Colonel! Wait a minute!
He starts after the COLONEL, but when he gets to the door,
the townspeople surge toward him and block his way.
JOHN
Hey, Colonel!
CROWD
Oh, please, Mr. Doe
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN.
JOHN
(calling futilely)
Hey, Colonel!
He tries to peer over the heads of the townspeople who go
on chattering. There is a trapped look on JOHN's face.
TWO SHOT: D. B. and ANN. They exchange victorious glances:
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. OFFICE OF HEADQUARTERS
CLOSE SHOT: Of large map of the U.S. over the top of which
WE READ: "John Doe Clubs." There are a dozen pegs scattered
over the map, indicating where the clubs are. We hear D.
B.'s voice.
CAMERA DRAWS BACK and we find D. B. talking to a group of
men in front of him.
D. B.
I want you personally to go along
with John Doe and Miss Mitchell
and handle the press and the radio.
CHARLIE
(an experienced
promoter)
Me?
D. B.
Yes. I don't want to take any
chances. And Johnson?
JOHNSON
Yes. D. B.
D. B.
Your crew will do the mop up job.
They'll follow John Doe into every
town, see that the clubs are
properly organized and the charters
issued.
CHARLIE
Right.
D. B.
There are only eight flags up there
now. I want to see that map covered
before we get through!
MED. SHOT: D. B. is still speaking as CAMERA MOVES DOWN to
the MAP again, which constantly remains a background for
the montage following. As the montage proceeds, pegs begin
to appear in abundance on the map.
A MONTAGE: ACCOMPANIED BY A FANFARE OF MUSIC.
1. FLASHES of banners reading: "JOHN DOE COMING""JOHN DOE
TONIGHT" "GOODBYE JOHN DOE, CALL AGAIN"
2. CLOSE-UPS of JOHN speakingsuperimposed over long shots
of audiences of various types.
3. FLASHES of ANN typing.
4. FLASHES of sheets of paper being ripped out of a
typewriter.
5. FLASHES of JOHN on the radiowith ANN by his side.
6. FLASHES of people listening.
7. FLASHES of people applauding.
8. SERIES of SIGNS being nailed up: "JOHN DOE CLUBBE A
BETTER NEIGHOR."
9. SUPERIMPOSED SHOTS of JOHN and ANN riding in trains,
planes and automobiles.
10. Against STOCK SHOTS of these cities, the names zoom up
to the fore-ground of Kansas City, Chicago, Buffalo,
Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York.
11. SUPERIMPOSE MAP over the above titles, showing the
states they are in being covered with pegs.
12. A PICTURE of JOHN DOE on front page of Time magazine,
with a caption under it reading: "MAN OF THE HOUR."
13. CONFERENCE ROOM.
SPEAKER
This has been growing like wildfire!
If they only made demands, but the
John Does ask for nothing!
14. A man sits at a desk on which is a nameplate reading:
"Relief Administrator."
MAN
People are going off relief! If
this keeps up, I'll be out of a
job!
15. STOCK SHOTof Capitol Hill.
16. CORNER OF A CLUB SMOKING ROOM. A group of
legislatorssome sitsome stand. The room is filled with
smoke.
MAN
As soon as he gets strong enough,
we'll find out what John Doe wants!
Thirty every Thursdaysixty at
sixtywho knows what!
17. INSERT: SIGN READING: DEMOCRATIC HEADQUARTERS. A man
reports to the boss behind the desk.
MAN
I'm sorry, boss. they just won't
let anybody talk politics to them.
It's, it's crazy.
18. INSERT: SIGN READING: REPUBLICAN HEADQUARTERS. A man
at a desk talks to several in front of him.
MAN
We've got to get to them! They
represent millions of voters!
DISSOLVE TO:
INSERT: Of Map. Nearly every state in the union have pegs
in them, varying in volume. Camera pulls back and we find
the map is on a stand near a door, the sign on which we
see in reverse. It reads: "OFFICE OF JOHN DOE HEADQUARTERS."
INT. JOHN DOE HEADQUARTERS
MED. SHOT: D.B. standing behind his desk, speaking to a
group of people in front of him. We recognize the MAYOR,
and the President of the Chamber of Commerce.
Representatives of several other branches of the City
Administration are also present. CONNELL sits near D.
B.scrutinizing him thoughtfully. On the other side of D.
B. is TED SHELDON.
D. B.
I tell you, ladies and gentlemen,
this thing has been nothing short
of a prairie fire. We've received
so many applications for charters
to the John Doe Clubs we haven't
been able to take care of them.
MAYOR LOVETT
I'd hate to have that many pins
stuck in me!
Group laughs.
D. B.
This John Doe convention is a
natural. It's gonna put our city
on the map. Why, over twentyfour
hundred John Doe clubs are sending
delegates. Can you imagine that?
You, Mr. Mayor, will be the official
host. You will make the arrangements
for decorating the city, parades
and a reception for John Doe when
he gets home! Anddon't wear your
high hat!
MAYOR LOVETT
(disappointed)
No high hat?
D. B.
No high hat. And from you, Connell,
I want a special John Doe edition
every day until the convention is
over.
(DISMISSING THEM)
And now, if you will please just
step into the outer office and
look your prettiest because there
are photographers there to take
pictures of this committee.
They start to exit. The MAYOR is full of excitement.
MAYOR
Don't worry, D. B. Everything'll
be taken care of!
D. B.
Good.
COMMITTEE WOMAN
Isn't it all too wonderful?
The group, chattering, exit into outer office.
PHOTOGRAPHER'S VOICE
(from the outer
office)
Oh, Mr. Mayor, would you step right
in the front row, please? Will you
ladies get close to him? That's
it!
CLOSE-UP: Of CONNELL. To inter-cut with above speech. He
has been watching D. B.deeply disturbed about something.
WIDER SHOT: All have left except CONNELL, TED, and D.B.
CONNELL rises from his chairwith a deep sigh.
CONNELL
(shaking his head)
Well, I don't get it.
D. B.
Huh? Get what?
CONNELL
Look, D. B. I'm supposed to know
my way around. This John Doe
movement costs you a fortune. This
convention's gonna cost plenty.
D. B.
(annoyed)
Well?
CONNELL
Well, I'm stuck with two and twobut
I'm a sucker if I can make four
out of it.
(cocking his head)
Where do you come in?
D. B.
Whyuh
(SUDDENLY SMILES)
Why, I'll have the satisfaction of
knowing that my money has been
spent for a worthy cause.
CLOSE-UP: of CONNELL. He stares at D. B. a moment. He
realizes he has been told to mind his own business.
TWO SHOT: CONNELL picks up his hat.
CONNELL
I see. I'd better stick to running
the paper, huh?
D. B.
I think maybe you'd better. And
ConnellI'd like to have the John
Doe contract, all the receipts for
the money we have advanced him and
the letter Miss Mitchell wrote,
for which I gave her a thousand
dollars.
CONNELL
Yes. Sure.
CONNELL leaves.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. A HOTEL LIVING ROOM NIGHT
FULL SHOT: ANN's luggage is packed and ready to be taken
out. She stands near a desk stuffing papers into a
manuscript case. She seems lost in worried thought. The
door opens as CHARLIE, high pressure exploitation man,
enters.
CHARLIE
Well, we leave for the airport in
half an hour. Is that Johnny-boy's
room? I'd better hustle him up!
ANN
He'll be ready on time. He's packing
now.
CHARLIE
Ah, good!
(crosses to Ann)
Did you see his picture on the
cover of Time ?
ANN
Yeah.
CHARLIE drops the magazine on the desk in front of her.
ANN glances at it, unenthusiastically. CHARLIE goes to a
table where there are several bottles of coca-cola and
starts to pour himself a drink.
CHARLIE
I gotta give you credit, Annie-
girl. I've handled a good many big
promotions in my time . . .
everything from the world's fair
to a channel swimmer, but this one
has certainly got me spinning. And
now a John Doe Convention! Wow!
Say! If you could only get him to
jump off the City Hall roof on
Christmas Eve, I'd guarantee you
half a million people there.
ANN
Charlie!
ANN is lost in troubled thought.
CHARLIE'S VOICE
Huh?
ANN
(nods toward door)
What do you make of him?
TWO SHOT: CHARLIE and ANN.
CHARLIE
Who, Johnny-boy?
ANN nods.
CHARLIE
Well, I don't know what angle you
want, but I'll give it to you quick.
Number one, he's got great yokel
appeal; but he's a nice guy. Number
two, he's beginning to believe he
really wrote that original suicide
letter that you made up. Number
three, he thinks that you're Joan
of Arc or something!
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. This is definitely troublesome to her.
ANN
(hoarsely)
Yeah, I know.
WIDER SHOT: ANN walks awaypacing perturbedly.
CHARLIE
Number four, well, you know what
number four is. He's nuts about
you. Yeah, it's running out of his
ears.
ANN runs her hand through her hair. Suddenly she wheels
around to CHARLIE.
ANN
You left out number five. We're
all heels, me especially.
She returns to her packing. CHARLIE watches her a second.
CHARLIE
Holy smoke!
They are interrupted by a knock on the door.
ANN
(calling)
Come in.
JOHN enters, carrying a suitcase.
JOHN
I'm all packed.
CHARLIE
(starts out)
Good. I'll go and get Beany-boy.
JOHN
(kidding him)
Okay, Charlie-boy!
CHARLIE
Huh?
(laughing)
CHARLIE winks good-naturedly and exits. JOHN turns to ANN,
who concentrates on her packing.
MED. SHOT: He looks at ANN with great interest, and walks
toward her, camera panning with him. ANN feels him coming,
but does not turn.
JOHN
(after a pause)
Can I help you pack?
ANN
No, thank you.
JOHN wanders over to a chair and sits on the edgewatching
her.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She is conscious of his eyes on her and
fumbles with her packing. Finally she turns.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He stares at her, a warm smile on his
face.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She becomes self-conscious and resumes
her packing.
MED. SHOT: JOHN.
JOHN
Do you care if I sit down out here?
ANN
No.
A broad smile appears on JOHN'S face.
JOHN
(laughing)
You know, I had a crazy dream last
night. It was about you.
ANN
About me?
JOHN
(laughing)
Sure was crazy. I dreamt I was
your father.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. The fact that he has seen himself in the
image of her father disturbs her. She turns slowly.
TWO SHOT: JOHN clears his throat nervously.
JOHN
There was, there was something I
was trying to stop you from doing.
So, er, so I got up out of bed and
I walked right through the wall
here, right straight into your
room.
(laughing)
You know how dreams are.
ANN stares at himfearful of the trend his dream is taking.
JOHN
And there you were in bed.
(quickly apologizing)
But youyou were a little girl.
You knowabout ten.
He pauses and recalls the scene.
JOHN
And very pretty, too. So, I shook
you, and the moment you opened
your eyes, you hopped out of bed
and started running like the devil,
in your nightgown. You ran right
out the window there. And you ran
out over the tops of buildings and
roofs and everything for miles,
and I was chasing you.
(laughing)
And all the time you were running
you kept growing bigger and bigger
and biggerand pretty soon you
were as big as you are now. You
know grown up. And all the time I
kept asking myself, "What am I
chasing her for?" And I didn't
know.
(laughing)
Isn't that a hot one? Well, anyway,
you ran into some place, and then
Iran in after you andand when I
got there, there you were getting
married.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He suddenly becomes aware he is treading
on sensitive grounds.
JOHN
(awkwardly)
And the nightgown had changed into
a beautiful wedding gown. You sure
looked pretty, too.
(laughing)
And then I knew what it was I was
trying to stop you from doing.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She, too, begins to feel uncomfortablenot
quite knowing how to handle it.
TWO SHOT: JOHN glances at her.
JOHN
Dreams are sure crazy, aren't they?
ANN smiles, noncommittedly.
JOHN
Well, would you like to know who
it was you were marrying?
ANN
(forced lightness)
Well, a tall handsome Ubangi, I
suppose.
JOHN
No, not that bad. It was a fella
that sends you flowers every day.
Er, what's his name? Mr. Norton's
nephew.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She recognizes the significance in this.
ANN
(quietly)
Ted Sheldon.
JOHN
Yeah, that's the one.
ANN turns back to her packing.
WIDER SHOT: JOHN starts to chuckle.
JOHN
But here's the funniest part of it
all. I was the fella up there doing
the marrying. You know, the Justice
of the Peace or something . . .
ANN
You were? I thought you were chasing
me?
JOHN
Well, yes, I was. But I was your
father then, see? But the real
me, John Doe, er, that is, Long
John Willoughby, I was the fellow
up there with the book. You know
what I mean?
ANN
(amused)
I guess so. Then what happened?
JOHN
Well, I took you across my knee
and I started spanking you.
ANN turns and stares at him, eyes widening.
JOHN
(quickly explaining)
That is, I didn't do it.
(correcting himself)
I mean, I did do it, but it wasn't
me. You see, I was your father
then. Well, I laid you across my
knee and I said: "Annie, I won't
allow you to marry a man that's,
that's just rich, or that has his
secretary send you flowers. The
man you marry has got to swim rivers
for you! He's got to climb high
mountains for you! He's got to
slay dragons for you! He's got to
perform wonderful deeds for you!
Yes, sir!"
BEANY enters and stands back of him, listening.
JOHN
And all the time, er, the guy up
there, you know, with the book,
me, just stood there nodding his
head and he said, "Go to it, Pop,
whack her one for me, because that's
just the way I feel about it, too."
So he says, "Come on down here and whack her yourself." So
I came down and I whacked you a good one, see? And then
he whacked oneand I whacked you another one, and we both
started whacking you like . . .
He demonstrates by slapping his knees, first with one hand
and then with the other. Suddenly he becomes aware of BEANY
and stops, embarrassed.
BEANY
(interrupting)
Well, if you're through whacking
her, come on, let's get going.
(to bell boys)
Okay, fellows, right in here.
(to JOHN)
You go out the side entrance.
There's a bunch of autograph seekers
out front. We'll be down with the
bags in a minute. Come on!
(speaking to boys)
Don't make a government project
out of this!
The bell boys have lifted her luggage and all exit.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He has been left with his proposal
unfinished.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. AIRPORT LUNCHROOM NIGHT
MED. SHOT: Scene opens with BEANY entering airport lunchroom
to end of counter at which CHARLIE is seated.
CHARLIE
How're you, Beany?
BEANY
When does our plane take off again.
CHARLIE
In a couple of minutes.
CAMERA MOVES DOWN COUNTER to pick up JOHN and ANN at table.
They sit silently for a moment. We hear the strains of
music from a "juke" box.
JOHN
(after a pause)
How many people do you think we've
talked to already, outside the
radio, I mean?
ANN
I don't know. About three hundred
thousand.
JOHN
Three hundred thousand? What makes
them do it, Ann? What makes them
come and listen and, and get up
their John Doe Clubs the way they
do? I've been trying to figure it
out.
ANN
(in an effort to
disillusion him)
Look, Johnwhat we're handing them
are platitudes. Things they've
heard a million times: "Love thy
neighbor," "Clouds have silver
linings," "Turn the other cheek."
It's just a
JOHN
(sincerely)
Yeah, I've heard them a million
times, too, butthere you are.
Maybe they're like me. Just
beginning to get an idea what those
things mean.
ANN is deeply concerned. She watches him, helplessly.
JOHN
(continuing)
You know, I never thought much
about people before. They were
always just somebody to fill up
the bleachers. The only time I
worried about them was if theyis
when they didn't come in to see me
pitch. You know, lately I've been
watching them while I talked to
them. I could see something in
their faces. I could feel that
they were hungry for something. Do
you know what I mean?
ANN nods.
JOHN
Maybe that's why they came. Maybe
they were just lonely and wanted
somebody to say hello to. I know
how they feel. I've been lonely
and hungry for something practically
all my life.
ANN forces a smile. The moment threatens to become
awkwarduntil they are saved by the pilot's voice.
PILOT
All aboard, folks!
They suddenly snap out of their moodand as they rise:
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. D. B.'S DINING ROOM
FULL SHOT: As D. B., ANN and TED SHELDON enter and cross
to table. ANN starts to sit and notices a fur coat flung
over the back of the chair.
ANN
Oh, somebody else sitting there?
D. B.
No, no, nothat's your seat.
TED
And this is your coat.
ANN
Mine?
D. B.
A little token of appreciation.
Ann pauses a moment, glances toward D. B.while TED throws
the coat over her shoulders.
ANN
(glances into a
mirror)
Oh! Oh, it's beautiful, D. B. WellI
don't quite know what to say . . .
D. B.
Well, don't say anything at all.
Just sit down.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She sits down, picks up her servietteand
something she sees suddenly makes her look with surprise
at D. B.
Camera pans down to a jewel box which had been under the
serviette.
CAMERA PANS back to ANN. She glances up at D. B. somewhat
bewildered.
ANN
Oh!
D. B.
Go ahead, open it, open it.
ANN opens the box and holds up a lovely diamond bracelet.
Her eyes dance.
ANN
Oh! Oh, it's lovely!
TED
And a new contract goes with it.
WIDER SHOT: D. B. and TED exchange satisfied glances. ANN
admires the bracelet on her wristand then turns to D. B.,
looks directly at him.
ANN
(shrewdly)
Well, come on, spring it! You've
got something on your mind.
D. B. laughs.
ANN
Must be stupendous.
WIDER SHOT: As D. B. roars with laughter.
D. B.
You know, that's what I like about
her. Right to the point, like that!
All right, practical Annie, here
it is.
He leans forward. ANN waits. TED watches her face.
TWO SHOT: ANN and D. B.
D. B.
Tomorrow night, before a crowd of
fifteen thousand people, and talking
over a nation-wide radio hook-up,
John Doe will announce the formation
of a third party.
ANN
(eyes widening)
A third party?
D. B.
Yes. The John Doe Party.
WIDER SHOT: TED watches ANN, expectantly.
D. B.
Devoted entirely to the interests
of all the John Does all over the
country. Which practically means,
ninety per cent of the voters. He
will also announce the third party's
candidate for the presidency. A
man whom he, personally, recommends.
A great humanitarian; the best
friend the John Does have.
ANN
(in an awed whisper)
Mr. D. B. Norton!
D. B. verifies her guess by leaning back, a pleased grin
on his face, his huge chest expanded.
D. B.
Yes.
Ann looks from one to the other, a little awed by the size
of the project.
ANN
(on her breath)
Wow!
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BROADCASTING BOOTHBALL PARK NIGHT
MED. SHOT: The place is a bee-hive of activity. Announcers
walk about with "mikes" in their handsall speaking at
onceas they describe the scene below.
CLOSE SHOT: Of N.B.C. ANNOUNCER
N.B.C. ANNOUNCER
And although the opening of the
convention is hours off, the
delegates are already pouring into
the ball park by the droves, with
lunch baskets, banners and
petitions, asking John Doe not to
jump off any roof . . .
CAMERA PANS over to KNOX MANNING.
KNOX MANNING
It is still a phenomenal movement.
The John Does, or the hoi polloi
as you've heard people call them,
have been laughed at and ridiculed
but here they are, gay and happy,
having traveled thousands of miles,
their expenses paid by their
neighbors, to come here to pay
homage to their hero, John Doe.
CAMERA PANS over to JOHN B. HUGHES.
JOHN B. HUGHES
And in these days of wars and
bombings, it's a hopeful sign that
a simple idea like this can sweep
the country, an idea based on
friendliness, on giving and not
taking, on helping your neighbor
and asking nothing in return. And
if a thing like this can happen,
don't let any of our grumbling
friends tell you that humanity is
falling apart. This is John B.
Hughes, signing off now and
returning you to our main studio
until nine o'clock when the
convention will officially open.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. ANN'S LIVING ROOM
MED. SHOT: At Door. ANN's MOTHER opens it and JOHN stands
on the threshold. He has a small box of flowers in his
hand. Water drips from his hat.
MRS. MITCHELL
Oh, John. Come in.
JOHN
SAY, I'M KINDAIT'S RAINING OUT A LITTLE
MRS. MITCHELL
That's all right.
WIDER SHOT: MRS. MITCHELL lays his hat down somewhere.
John takes a few steps inside the room, not quite knowing
what to do.
MRS. MITCHELL
(turning to him)
It's good to see you. Sit down.
JOHN
(mumbles)
Thanks.
He sits on the edge of a sofa, still clinging to the little
box. Then holds box out awkwardly.
JOHN
(awkwardly)
It's for Ann . . .
MRS. MITCHELL
(taking the box)
Oh, how nice! Thank you very much.
JOHN
Flowers.
MRS. MITCHELL
I'm terribly sorry she isn't here.
JOHN
She isn't?
MRS. MITCHELL
No, she just left. I'm surprised
you didn't run into her. She went
over to Mr. Norton's house.
JOHN
Oh!
MRS. MITCHELL
Did you want to see her about
something important?
JOHN
Yeah. I, uh, well . . . No. It'll
wait.
(suddenly)
Say, he's a nice man, isn't he?
Mr. Norton, I mean. He's, er, he's
done an awful lot for the
CLOSE-UP: Of MRS. MITCHELL. She watches him, amused.
JOHN
Say, my coat's pretty wet. I'm
afraid I might have wet the couch
a little.
WIDER SHOT: JOHN is still struggling to find conversation.
JOHN
Well, I guess I'll see her at the
convention later.
MRS. MITCHELL
Yes, of course. I'll see that she
gets the flowers.
He rises and looks around for hat on the floor and back of
the chair.
JOHN
Thanks. Good night, Mrs. Mitchell.
MRS. MITCHELL
(finds his hat and
gives it to him)
Good night, John.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He starts away and suddenly stops,
speculatively. He glances out of the corner of his eye
toward MRS. MITCHELL.
JOHN
(going back to her)
Say, Mrs. Mitchell, I, er, I'm
kinda glad Ann isn't here. You
see, I was, I came over here hoping
to see her alone and kinda hoping
I wouldn't, too. You know what I
mean? There was something I wanted
to talk to her about. But, well,
IIt'll wait, I guess. Good night.
CLOSE-UP: Of MRS. MITCHELL. She begins to sense what is on
his mind, and her face becomes serious.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He smiles helplessly. Starts toward
door.
MRS. MITCHELL'S VOICE
Good night, John.
TWO SHOT: JOHN and MRS. MITCHELL. He stares at her a second.
JOHN
(suddenly)
Say, look, Mrs. Mitchell, have you
ever been married?
(catches himself)
Oh, sure you have.
(grins sheepishly)
Gosh! That's pretty silly! I guess
you must think I'm kinda batty!
JOHN shakes his head at his own stupidity.
JOHN
(can't get over it)
Well, I guess I'd better be going
at that!
He bows again, and starts for the door. When he gets there,
he is stopped by MRS. MITCHELL's voice.
MRS. MITCHELL'S VOICE
John. My husband said: "I love
you. Will you marry me?"
JOHN
(whirls)
He did? What happened?
MRS. MITCHELL
I married him.
JOHN comes right back to her.
TWO SHOT: JOHN and MRS. MITCHELL.
JOHN
(full of excitement)
Oh, yeah. That's what I mean. See?
It was easy as all that, huh?
MRS. MITCHELL
Uh-huh.
JOHN
Yeah, yeah, but look, Mrs. Mitchell,
you know I love Ann and it's gonna
be awfully hard for me to say it
because, well, you know, she's so
wonderful, and, well, the best I
ever was was a bush-league pitcher.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN.
JOHN
And you know, I think she's in
love with another man, the one she
made up. You know, the real John
Doe. Well, that's pretty tough
competition.
TWO SHOT: JOHN and MRS. MITCHELL. She is terribly fond of
JOHN and deeply sympathetic.
JOHN
I bet you he'd know how to say it
all right. And me, I get up to it
and around it and in back of it,
but, but I never get right to it.
Do you know what I mean? So the
only chance I've got is, well, if
somebody could kinda give her a
warning sort of, sorta prepare her
for the shock!
MRS. MITCHELL
You mean you'd like me to do it,
huh?
JOHN
Well, I was thinking thatYeah,
you know, sort of break the ice.
CLOSE-UP: Of MOTHER. She doesn't know how she can, with
her present strained relationship with ANN, but JOHN's
sincerity touches her.
MOTHER
Of course I will, John.
TWO SHOT: JOHN's face lights up, gratefully.
JOHN
Gee whiz! Thank you, Mrs. Mitchell.
(grabs her hand)
Gee, you'reuhyou're okay!
He exits from scenebut almost immediately he is back. He
plants a kiss on her cheek and goes.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDEWALK - FRONT OF ANN'S APARTMENT
MED. SHOT: An automobile stands at the curb, in front of
which is BEANY. Also waiting, are four motorcycle policeman.
BEANY
(to the other men)
This John Doe meeting is gonna be
one of the biggest things that
ever happened.
As JOHN appears in the doorway of the apartment house, he
pretends to throw a baseball at them.
BEANY
Why, they're coming from all over;
trains, box cars, wagons
(SEES JOHN)
look out!
MED. SHOT: Reverse angle. As BEANY holds the door open for
JOHN.
JOHN
Hello, bodyguards! Hey, had your
dinner yet?
BODYGUARD
Not yet.
JOHN
Well, look. No. Go ahead and have
your dinner. I'll
He is about to enter the car when a voice from off-scene
stops him.
CONNELL'S VOICE
Wait a minute, John.
CAMERA PANS over to a taxicab which has just driven in.
CONNELL hands the driver a bill and walks, rather unsteadily
toward JOHN.
MED. SHOT: Around BEANY's car. CONNELL ambles into the
scene.
JOHN
Hello, Mr. Connell.
CONNELL
Hiyah, John.
(broad wink)
John, I want to have a little talk
with you.
(lurchesJohn holds
him up)
What's the matterare you falling?
Come here.
Takes his arm to lead him off.
BEANY
(protesting)
Hey, Boss.
CONNELL
Oh, quiet, quiet, quiet.
(to John)
Say, tell me something did you
read that speech you're gonna make
tonight?
JOHN
No, I never read the speeches before
I make them. I get more of a kick
out of it that way.
CONNELL
(wisely)
Uh-huh. That's exactly what I
thought. Beany, go on down to the
office, tell Pop to give you the
speech. There's a copy on my desk.
BEANY
(protesting)
Gee whiz, Boss, you know Mr. Norton
told me not to leave him, not even
for a minute.
CONNELL
(shooing him away)
Go on, go on, go on. And we'll be
at Jim's Bar up the street.
He points in the general direction and again takes JOHN's
arm. JOHN watches him, rather amused to see CONNELL off
his milk diet, and allows himself to be led away.
WIPE TO:
INT. A BARROOM
CLOSE SHOT: In a corner booth, JOHN and CONNELL sit, close
together, drinks in front of them. JOHN's drink has remained
untouched. CONNELL is just taking a long swig. From off-
scene we HEAR the strains of an old-fashioned torch ballad,
coming from an automatic piano.
CONNELL
(after a pause)
You're a nice guy, John. I like
you. You're gentle. I like gentle
people. Me? I'm hardhard and tough.
(shakes his
headdisparagingly)
I got no use for hard people. Gotta
be gentle to suit me. Like you,
for instance.
JOHN smiles, amused at him. CONNELL starts to light his
cigarette, which is bent. He hold the match up, but it
never reaches the tip of the bent cigarette. He puffs,
satisfied.
CONNELL
Yep, I'm hard. But you want to
know something? I've got a weakness.
You'd never guess that, would you?
Well, I have. Want to know what it
is?
JOHN nods.
CONNELL
The Star Spangled Banner.
(looks directly at
John)
Screwy, huh?
(turns back to his
glass)
Well, maybe it is. But play the
"Star Spangled Banner"and I'm a
sucker for it. It always gets me
right here
(thumps his diaphragm)
You know what I mean?
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His face has become serious.
JOHN
Yeah.
(points to back of
neck)
It gets me right back here.
TWO SHOT: JOHN and CONNELL. CONNELL speculates about this
with his head cocked.
CONNELL
Oh, back there, huh?
(shrugs, dismissing
it)
Well, every man to his own taste.
JOHN smiles at him. CONNELL tries lighting his bent
cigarette againwith the same resultwhile JOHN watches,
amused.
CONNELL
You weren't old enough for the
first world war, were you?
JOHN starts to answer, but CONNELL goes right on.
CONNELL
Course not. Must have been a kid.
He pours JOHN's drink into his own glass.
CONNELL
I was. I was just ripe. And rarin'
to go.
(takes drink)
Know what my old man did when I
joined up? He joined up too.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He finds himself intensely interested.
CONNELL'S VOICE
Got to be a sergeant.
TWO SHOT: JOHN and CONNELL.
CONNELL
(as he raises his
glass)
That's a kick for you. We were in
the same outfit. Funny, huh?
CLOSE-UP: Of CONNELL. He lifts his glass to his lips, and
without drinking, lowers it.
CONNELL
(voice lowers)
He was killed, John.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His face enveloped in an expression of
sympathy.
TWO SHOT: CONNELL stares down at the glass which he revolves
between his palms.
CONNELL
I saw him get it. I was right there
and saw it with my own eyes.
Without glancing at JOHN, he lifts the glass and drains
it.
CONNELL
(turns to JOHN)
Me? I came out of it without a
scratch. Except for my ulcers.
Should be drinking milk.
(picks up his glass)
This stuff's poison.
As he holds up his glass, he realizes it is empty.
CONNELL
(yelling to bartender)
Hey, Tubby!
BARTENDER'S VOICE
Yes, Mr. Connell?
CONNELL
(indicates the empty
glass)
Whadda you say?
TUBBY
All right.
CLOSE SHOT: JOHN and CONNELL. CONNELL looks around
guardedly, to make certain he is not overhead.
CONNELL
(confidentially)
Yessir. I'm a sucker for this
country.
(gets a little sore
about it)
I'm a sucker for the Star Spangled
Bannerand I'm a sucker for this
country.
(taps table with
his middle finger)
I like what we got here! I like
it!
(emphasizes each
point)
A guy can say what he wantsand do
what he wantswithout having a
bayonet shoved through his belly.
MED. SHOT: As he leans back and nods his head, satisfied
he made his point.
CONNELL
Now, that's all right, isn't it?
JOHN
You betcha.
The BARTENDER comes in with drink and departs.
CONNELL
All right. And we don't want anybody
coming around changing it, do we?
JOHN shakes his head.
JOHN
No, sir.
TWO SHOT: JOHN and CONNELL.
CONNELL
No, sir. And when they do I get
mad! I get b-boiling mad. And right
now, John, I'm sizzling!
JOHN looks at him, puzzled.
CONNELL
I get mad for a lot of other guys
besides myselfI get mad for a guy
named Washington! And a guy named
Jeffersonand Lincoln. Lighthouses,
John! Lighthouses in a foggy world!
You know what I mean?
JOHN
(huskily)
Yeah, you bet!
CONNELL takes a drink and looks at JOHN a moment before he
speaks.
CONNELL
(leans on the table)
Listen, palthis fifth column
stuff's pretty rotten, isn't it?[11]
JOHN
Yeah. It certainly is.
CONNELL
And you'd feel like an awful sucker
if you found yourself marching
right in the middle of it, wouldn't
you?
JOHN glances up sharply.
CONNELL
And you, of course you wouldn't
know it because you're gentle. But
that's what you're doing. You're
mixed up with a skunk, my boy, a
no-good, dangerous skunk!
JOHN'S resentment vanishesand is replaced by puzzlement.
JOHN
Say, you're not talking about Mr.
Norton, are you?
TWO SHOT: JOHN and CONNELL.
CONNELL
(emphatically)
I'm not talking about his
grandfather's pet poodle!
CONNELL again makes an effort to light his bent
cigaretteand again is unsuccessful.
JOHN
You must be wrong, Mr. Connell,
'cause he's been marvelous about
the John Doe Clubs.
CONNELL
(sarcastically)
Yeah?
(suddenly)
Say, you're sold on the John Doe
idea, aren't you?
JOHN
Sure.
CONNELL
Sure. I don't blame you. So am I.
CLOSE-UP: Of CONNELL.
CONNELL
(sincerely)
It's a beautiful miracle. A miracle
that could only happen right here
in the good old U.S.A. And I think
it's terrific! What do you think
of that! Me! Hard-boiled Connell!
I think it's plenty terrific!
TWO SHOT: John is rather pleased to hear him say this.
CONNELL
All right! Now, supposing a certain
unmentionable worm, whose initials
are D. B., was trying to use that
to shove his way into the White
House. So he could put the screws
on, so he could turn out the lights
in those lighthouses. What would
you say about that? Huh?
JOHN
Nobody's gonna do that, Mr. Connell.
They can't use the John Doe Clubs
for politics. That's the main idea.
CONNELL
Is that so? Then what's a big
political boss like Hammett doing
in town? And a labor leader like
Bennett? And a lot of other big
shots who are up at D. B.'s house
right now? Wolves, John, wolves
waiting to cut up the John Does!
(snorting)
Wait till you get a gander at that
speech you're gonna make tonight!
JOHN
You're all wet. Miss Mitchell writes
those speeches and nobody can make
her write that kind of stuff.
CONNELL
(cynically)
They can't, huh?
(then barking)
Who do you think writes 'em? My
Aunt Emma? I know she writes them.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His jaw stiffens, angrily.
CONNELL'S VOICE
And get a big bonus for doing them,
too. A mink coat and a diamond
bracelet.
JOHN glares at him, his rage mounting.
CLOSE-UP: Of CONNELL. Unaware of JOHN's wrath.
CONNELL
Don't write 'em? Why, that gold-
grabbin' dame would double-cross
her own mother for a handful of
Chinese yen!
JOHN
(in an outraged
outcry)
Shut up! If you weren't drunk I'd
Simultaneously his hand comes in and grabs the startled
CONNELL violently by his shirt front, lifting him out of
his seat. CAMERA PULLS BACK to include JOHNwho towers
over CONNELL.
WIDER SHOT: JOHN is still holding CONNELL, glaring down at
him, enraged, when BEANY runs into the scene.
BEANY
(holding out the
envelope)
Hey, Boss! Here's the speech, Boss.
Suddenly he sees what's happening, and stares open-mouthed.
BEANY
Hey!
MED. SHOT: As JOHN pushes CONNELL back into the seat,
snatches the envelope from BEANY, and exits.
CONNELL
Go on and read it, John, and then
start socking!
WIDER SHOT: As JOHN exits from place. BEANY suddenly
realizes he has goneand chases after him.
BEANY
Hey, wait a minute, Mr. Doe!
CONNELL
. . . Tubby?
BEANY'S VOICE
Yes, sir?
CONNELL
Better bring me a glass of milk.
CLOSE-UP: Of CONNELL. He stares at his unlighted
cigarettegrimaces unhappily.
CONNELL
(mumbling)
I'm smoking too much.
He grinds out the unlighted cigarette in the tray.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. D. B.'S DINING ROOM
CLOSE SHOT: Of D. B., who is at head of table, talking on
phone.
D. B.
(into telephone)
. . . Yes, Charlie? You've got
everything all set? Fine! Has John
Doe been taken care of? Good! How
many people do you think will be
there?
A pleased expression comes over his face.
D. B.
Fifteen thousand? Oh my, that's
fine. Now, listen, Charlie, as
soon as John Doe stops talking
about me, I want you to start that
demonstration. And make it a big
one, you understand?
As D. B. hangs up.
WIDER SHOT: Including TED SHELDON.
TED
Don't worry about that, D. B. My
boys are there. They'll take care
of it.
D. B.
(into telephone)
What? yes, I'll be there fifteen
minutes after I get your call.
CAMERA DRAWS BACK as he speaks. We see that dinner has
been concluded. His listeners, besides TED and ANN, are
half a dozen distinguished looking men, some with cigars
stuck in their mouths, others sip from champagne glasses.
ANN sits to D. B.'s right.
CUT TO:
INT. FOYER
MED SHOT: At D. B.'s front door. A butler is opening the
door for JOHN.
BUTLER
Why, Mr. Doe . . .
JOHN
Where are they?
BUTLER
In the dining room, sir.
JOHN strides toward the dining room. Camera pans with JOHN,
who is dripping wet, as he crosses the foyer until he comes
within sight of the open door of the dining room. JOHN
stops.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. D. B.'S DINING ROOM
WIDER SHOT: D. B. addressing the group at the table.
D. B.
Well, gentlemen, I think we're
about ready to throw that great
big bombshell
SOMEONE'S VOICE
Yeah, well it's about time.
D. B.
Even a conservative estimate shows
that we can count on anywhere
between ten and twenty million
John Doe votes. Now, add to that
the labor vote that Mr. Bennett
will throw in . . .
He indicates BENNETT who nods, importantly.
D. B.
and the votes controlled by Mr.
Hammett and the rest of you
gentlemen in your territories
(emphatically)
and nothing can stop us!
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She seems distressed. She apparently has
been listening to things that have caused her considerable
anxiety.
WIDER SHOT: WESTON leans forward and speaks to D. B.
WESTON
As I said before, I'm with
youproviding you can guarantee
the John Doe vote.
D. B.
Don't worry about that.
BENNETT
You can count on me under one
condition. Little Bennett's gotta
be taken care of!
D. B.
Didn't I tell you that everybody
in this room would be taken care?
My agreement with you gentlemen
stands!
BARRINGTON
I'm with you, D. B., but I still
think it's a very daring thing
we're attempting!
D. B.
These are daring times, Mr.
Barrington. We're coming to a new
order of things. There's been too
much talk going on in this country.
SOMEONE'S VOICE
Exactly
ANN glances up at D. B., a startled look in her eyes.
CLOSE SHOT: D. B.'s audience beams with satisfaction as he
continues.
D. B.
Too many concessions have been
made! What the American people
need is an iron hand!
WESTON
You're right!
BENNETT
That's true. You're quite right,
D. B.!
D. B.
Discipline!
GROUP
Quite right! Exactly!
There are cries of: "Hear, hear!" and applause.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. She is completely seized by panicand
although she attempts applauding, it is feeble.
MED. SHOT: Shooting through open door toward dining room.
Prominently in view is ANN, still lost in troubled thought.
D. B. is still on his feet.
D. B.
And now
(lifting champagne
glass)
may I offer a little toast to Miss
Ann Mitchellthe brilliant and
beautiful lady who is responsible
for all this!
The men rise.
GROUP
Miss Mitchell! Miss Mitchell!
ANN
Mr. Norton, I'd like to talk to
you alone for a moment.
D. B.
Oh, oh.
(CHORTLING)
Miss Mitchell has something to say
to us.
GROUP
Well, that's fine. Speech! Speech!
Ann spots John.
D. B.
(spotting John)
Hello?
ANN
John! I'm so glad to see you. II
was terribly worried.
JOHN
(showing her a copy
of the speech)
Did you write this?
ANN
Yes, I did, John. But II had no
idea what was going on.
JOHN
You didn't?
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His mouths screws up bitterly.
JOHN
(quiet contempt)
That's a swell bracelet you're
wearing.
He leaves her, abruptly.
INT. DINING ROOM
FULL SHOT: JOHN enters and looks the men over appraisingly
as he goes toward D. B. They all stare at him.
D. B.
John
(concerned)
Why aren't you at the convention?
JOHN doesn't answer.
D. B.
Is there anything wrong?
JOHN
(after a pause)
Oh, no. Nothing's wrong.
Everything's fine! So there's
gonna be a new order of things,
huh? Everybody's gonna cut himself
a nice, fat slice of the John Does,
eh?
(turns toward D. B.)
You forgot one detail, Mr. Big
Shotyou forgot me, the prize stooge
of the world. Why, if you or anybody
else thinks he's gonna use the
John Doe clubs for his own rotten
purpose, he's gonna have to do it
over my dead body!
D. B.
Now, hold on a minute, young man!
Hold on! That's rather big talk! I
started the John Doe clubs with my
money and I'll decide whether or
not they're being properly used!
JOHN
No you won't! You're through
deciding anything!
D. B. cannot believe his ears.
JOHN
And what's more, I'm going down to
that convention and I'm gonna tell
those people exactly what you and
all your fine-feathered friends
here are trying to cook up for
them!
He looks up at ANNand starts tearing the speech in his
hand.
JOHN
(strongly)
And I'll say it in my own words
this time.
He flings the torn paper toward ANNand starts out.
HAMMETT AND OTHERS
Stop him, somebody! He'll ruin us,
D. B.!
MED. SHOT: At Door. As JOHN reaches it, TED steps up in
front of him.
TED
(menacingly)
Wait a minute, young fellermy
uncle wants to talk to you.
D. B. walks up to JOHN.
D. B.
Listen to me, my son! Before you
lose your head completely, may I
remind you that I picked you up
out of the gutter and I can throw
you right back there again! You've
got a nerve accusing people of
things! These gentlemen and I know
what's the best for the John Does
of America, regardless of what
tramps like you think! Get off
that righteous horse of yours and
come to your senses. You're the
fake! We believe in what we're
doing! You're the one that was
paid the thirty pieces of silver!
Have you forgotten that? Well, I
haven't! You're a fake, John Doe,
and I can prove it! You're the big
hero that's supposed to jump off
tall buildings and things! Do you
remember? What do you suppose your
precious John Does will say when
they find out that you never had
any intention of doing it? That
you were being paid to say so?
You're lucky if they don't run you
out of the country! Why, with the
newspapers and the radio stations
that these gentlemen control, we
can kill the John Doe movement
deader than a doornail, and we'll
do it, too, the moment you step
out of line! Now, if you still
want to go to that convention and
shoot your trap off, you go ahead
and do it!
FULL SHOT: D. B. leaves JOHN and returns to his chair.
JOHN stares at him, unbelievingly.
CLOSE SHOT: of JOHN.
JOHN
(after a pause)
Do you mean to tell me you'd try
to kill the John Doe movement if
you can't use it to get what you
want?
D. B.'S VOICE
You bet your bottom dollar we would!
JOHN
(cynically)
Well, that certainly is a new low.
I guess I've seen everything now.
WIDER SHOT: As JOHN's lips curl up contemptuously and he
steps up to the table.
JOHN
(throwing his hat
on the table)
You sit there back of your big
cigars and think of deliberately
killing an idea that's made millions
of people a little bit happier! An
idea that's brought thousands of
them here from all over the country,
by bus and by freight, in jallopies
and on footso they could pass on
to each other their own simple
little experiences.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. Her eyes light up happily.
JOHN'S VOICE
Why, look, I'm just a mug and I
know it. But I'm beginning to
understand a lot of things. Why,
your type's old as history. If you
can't lay your dirty fingers on a
decent idea and twist it and squeeze
it and stuff it into your own
pocket, you slap it down! Like
dogs, if you can't eat something,
you bury it!
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His voice is pleading.
JOHN
Why, this is the one worthwhile
thing that's come along. People
are finally finding out that the
guy next door isn't a bad egg.
That's simple, isn't it? And yet
a thing like that's got a chance
of spreading till it touches every
last doggone human being in the
worldand you talk about killing
it!
FULL SHOT: They listen to himunmoved.
JOHN
Why, when this fire dies down,
what's going to be left? More
misery, more hunger and more hate.
And what's to prevent that from
starting all over again? Nobody
knows the answer to that one, and
certainly not you, with those slimy,
bolloxed-up theories you've got!
The John Doe idea may be the answer,
though! It may be the one thing
capable of saving this cockeyed
world! Yet you sit back there on
your fat hulks and tell me you'll
kill it if you can't use it! Well,
you go ahead and try! You couldn't
do it in a million years, with all
your radio stations and all your
power! Because it's bigger than
whether I'm a fake! It's bigger
than your ambitions! And it's bigger
than all the bracelets and fur
coats in the world!
WIDER SHOT: ANN runs to JOHN.
ANN
(sincerely)
You bet it is, John!
JOHN starts to exit.
MED. SHOT: Shooting toward door.
JOHN
(turning to them)
And that's exactly what I'm going
down there to tell those people!
As JOHN reaches door, TED SHELDON jumps in front of him.
CLOSE SHOT:
TED
Wait a minute, you ungrateful rat!
My Uncle's been too good to
While he speaks, JOHN looks down at the fist clutching his
shirt, and then, with a suddenness that startles TED, he
steps aside and clips TED on the jaw. TED's knees buckle
and he goes down. JOHN exits.
WIDER SHOT: As several men rush to TED's assistance. D. B.
does not move.
MAN
He's getting away!
ANN
John!
EXT. ENTRANCE TO D. B.'S HOUSE
MED. SHOT: As JOHN hurries out. He goes by half a dozen
members of TED SHELDON's motorcycle troops who wait around
to escort D. B. to the convention.
INT. DINING ROOM
FULL SHOT: The room is full of commotion. ANN is running
out of the room, going after JOHN. Several men bend over
TED. D. B. glares toward door, his face hardening. HAMMETT
is barking at him.
D. B. reaches under the table, lifts up two phones. Hands
one to HAMMETT.
D. B.
Get the Bulletin !
He, himself, dials the other phone.
ANN
John!
BARRINGTON
I've always told you, D. B. you're
playing with dynamite!
D. B.
(calling to men)
Don't let that girl get away!
The butler rushes out.
WESTON
Before he gets through tonight
he'll ruin us all!
BENNETT
You've got to stop him, D. B.!
D. B.
I'll stop him! I'll stop him cold!
Don't worry, I've been ready for
this!
CUT TO:
EXT. D. B.'S ENTRANCEAT GATE
MED. SHOT: As ANN runs alongside JOHN.
ANN
John! Oh, John, please listen to
me! PleaseI can explain
everything, John. I didn't know
what they were going to do! Let me
go with you, John! John, please!
JOHN gets into taxislams doorANN runs beside cab as it
starts off.
JOHN
Go ahead, driver! Ball park!
ANN
John, please let me go with you!
Please, John!
Several troopers grab ANN.
TROOPER
Mr. Norton wants to see you.
ANN
Oh!
As the men get a firmer grip on her and ANN fights to get
loose:
CUT TO:
INT. D. B.'S STUDY
MED. SHOT: D. B. is on the phone. The others pace around,
perturbedly. HAMMETT has the second phone in his hand.
D. B.
(into phone)
Listen to me, Mayor Lovett, you do
as I say. I want them both arrested.
You tell the police department to
pick up Connell. I've got the girl
here.
HAMMETT
(holds out phone)
I've got the Bulletin !
D. B.
(hotly)
I don't care what you charge them
with! If you're worried, let them
go in the morning, but keep them
in jail over night!
He bangs up the receiver. Grabs another phone from HAMMETT.
D. B.
Hello, Bulletin ? Put Pop Dwyer
on.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. ENTRANCE TO BALL PARK:
MED. SHOT: Over the entrance gate a huge banner reads:
WELCOME TO JOHN DOE CONVENTION
People come from all directions and pour through the gates.
Some carry umbrellas over their heads, others have their
coat collars turned up. Women hold newspapers over their
heads to protect their hats. It is a misty, drizzling rain.
EXT. BALL PARK
LONG SHOT: Shooting from ANNOUNCER's view down at the
Speaker's platform which has been erected on "Home Plate."
On it, in the rear, is a brass band. In front of it is a
speaker's table, over which dangles the microphone of a
public address system. Attached to the table are several
microphones with names of broadcasting stations on them.
MED. SHOT: Shooting toward audience. They sing: "Oh,
Susanna."
MED. SHOT: Toward people seated in grandstand. They join
in the singing.
ANOTHER ANGLE: Toward a third section. They also pick up
the song.
LONG SHOT: Taking in as many as possible. Everyone sings,
and the volume has risen considerably.
MED. SHOT: Shooting down an aisle. A stream of people take
up the song, as they march to their seats.
MED. SHOT: At entrance to Park. Crowds are coming inand
they, too, begin singing. They are also joined by the
policemen posted at the gates.
MED. SHOT: A second entrance to Park. Another crowd is
entering, also singing.
MED. SHOT: Of BERT and SOURPUSS in the foreground of a
group on platform, all of whom sing. BERT has a large rolled-
up scroll in his hand.
CLOSE-UP: Of the COLONEL. Sitting in a corner somewhere,
looking around speculatively, with a stubborn mental
reservation that they are still all heelots.
SEVERAL CLOSE SHOTS: Of small groupswith their wet faces
held high, singing lustily, eyes sparkling.
LONG SHOT: Shooting from the platform down toward the
audience. The song finally comes to a climaxand
immediately, lusty cheering starts, as they see JOHN coming
on platform.
MED. SHOT: Toward platform. JOHN goes to the microphone of
the public address system.
MAN
Three cheers for John Doe!
JOHN
Listen, ladies and gentlemen!
Before he can go any further, the band strikes up the strain
of "AMERICA" and immediately the large assembly begins
singing it.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. As his lips form the words. His
expression is solemn.
VARIOUS SHOTS: Of groups, singing.
LONG SHOT: As people sing. Finally the song is ended, and
an enthusiastic cheer is emitted by the crowd.
MED. SHOT: On platform. JOHN again steps toward the
microphone and makes another effort to speak, but the
CLERGYMAN places a detaining hand on his arm.
CLERGYMAN
Just a moment, John. We begin with
a short prayer.
LONGER SHOT: Shooting over the heads of the audience toward
the platform in the background. Gradually the cheering
subsides.
CLERGYMAN
(speaking into public
address system)
Quiet, please. Ladies and
gentlemenlet us have a moment of
silent prayer for the John Does
all over the world . . . many of
whom are homeless and hungry. Rise,
please. Everybody rise.
The CLERGYMAN and JOHN, standing next to him, immediately
bow their heads.
LONG SHOT: Shooting toward audience. As far as the Camera
eye can see, heads are bowed in prayer. The reflection on
the wet umbrellas creates a strange and mystic light.
SEVERAL CLOSE SHOTS: Of small groupsin silent prayer.
CLOSE-UP: Of the COLONEL. Rather grudgingly, he has his
head lowered.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His eyes are shuthis face wreathed in
an expression of compassion.
MED. SHOT: At press section. They, too, bow respectfully.
The reporters are quiet for the first time.
EXT. STREET
LONG SHOT: Directly in front of entrance to ball park. A
stream of news trucks pull up, filled with newsboysthey
immediately alight.
EXT. STREET
MED. SHOT: In front of another entrance. More trucks
arrivepacked with newsboys.
EXT. STREET
MED. SHOT: Shooting toward entrance. As an army of newsboys,
each carrying a stack of newspapers, run toward us yelling:
NEWSBOYS
Extry, extry! Read all about it!
MED. SHOT: Toward another entrance. Another swarm of
newsboys dash in, also shouting.
NEWSBOYS
Extry! John Doe a fake!
LONG SHOT: Of audience with their heads still bowed. Slowly,
they begin turning around, puzzled, as from all directions
and down every aisle, boys are running, waving papers in
the air.
NEWSBOYS
(shouting)
Here you are! John Doe a fake!
Read all about it! John Doe movement
a racket!
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He looks up, terror-stricken.
MED. SHOT: At press section. Great excitement prevails
here.
ANNOUNCER (JOHN B. HUGHES)
Newsboys! Hundreds of yelling
newsboys are swarming into the
park like locusts! They're yelling,
"John Doe's a fake! Fake!"
MED. SHOT: Of audience. As newsboys are distributing papers
to the baffled people.
NEWSBOYS
Here you are! No charge! John Doe
a fake!
MED. SHOT: Of a second group. Some already have papers and
peer, unbelievingly, at the headlines. Others grab papers
from newsboys' hands.
MAN
(reading)
"Federal investigation urged by
Chamber of Commerce."
MED. SHOT: Speaker's platform. SOURPUSS and BERT, reading
paper.
SOURPUSS
How could he be a fake?
(laughing)
BERT
It must be some kind of a gag.
SOURPUSS
A what?
BERT
A gag. A gag!
EXT. SOMEWHERE INSIDE BALL PARK
LONG SHOT: We hear the shrieking of sirens and almost
immediately a limousine, escorted by Sheldon's motorcycle
troops, pulls up. Directly behind it is a string of cars.
MED. SHOT: The door of the limousine flies open and D. B.
comes out. He immediately heads for the platform.
CAMERA PANS OVER and we see troopers pouring out of the
cars with TED SHELDON directing them.
TED
Come on, come on, step on it! Step
on it! Step on it! You all know
your places now, so let's get going!
Wait for the signal!
MED. SHOT: DRUNK with a balloon. He holds balloon up to
TED, getting in TED's way.
DRUNK
Hey, mister, will you autograph my
balloon?
TED
Sure!
(and breaks balloon)
TROOPER
(pushing drunk aside)
Gangway!
EXT. PARK
MED. SHOT: At Speaker's platform. JOHN is in front of the
microphone trying to make himself heard over thousands of
voices, all speaking at once.
JOHN
Ladies and gentlemen! This is
exactly what I came down here to
tell you about tonight. Please, if
you'll all just be quiet for a few
minutes I can explain this whole
thing to you. As you all know,
this paper is published by a man
by the name of D. B. Norton . . .
MED. SHOT: Shooting towards audience. Down an aisle stalks
D. B., his hand waving in the air.
D. B.
(shouting)
Don't listen to that man! He's a
fake!
CAMERA PANS with him as he hurries down the aisle to the
platformall eyes turned toward him.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. As he stares at D. B. approaching, too
flustered to know what to do.
MED. SHOT: Toward platform. As D. B. runs up the few steps
and proceeds to the microphone, troopers clearing the way
for him.
TROOPER
(drags John from
mike)
Stand back!
D. B.
Wait a minute! Everybody wait a
minute! Wait a minute, ladies and
gentlemen! My name is D. B. Norton
. . . you all know me! I accuse
this man of being a faker! We've
been taken for a lot of suckers!
And I'm the biggest of the lot!
I spent a fortune backing this man
in what I believed to be a sincere
and worthy cause, just as you all
did! And now I find out it's nothing
but a cheap racket! Cooked up by
him and two of my employees for
the sole purpose of collecting
dues from John Does all over the
country!
JOHN breaks away from the troopers and gets to the mike.
JOHN
That's a lie!
D. B.
It's not a lie! Nickels and dimes!
To stuff into their own pockets!
You can read all about it in the
newspapers there!
JOHN
That's a lie! Listendon't believe
what he says . . .
D. B.
(overlapping above
speech)
Let go of me! This man had no
intention of jumping off of the
top of a building! He was paid to
say so!
(turning to John)
Do you deny that?
JOHN
That's got nothing to do with it!
D. B.
Were you paid for itor weren't
you?
JOHN
Yes! I was paid! But the
D. B.
(over-lapping above
speech)
And what about the suicide note?
You didn't write that, either!
JOHN
What difference does that make?
D. B.
Did you write itor didn't you?
JOHN
No, I didn't write it, but
D. B.
Ah, you bet your life you didn't!
You look in your papers, ladies
and gentlemen, and you'll find
Miss Mitchell's signed confession
that she was the one that wrote
it!
JOHN
Listen, folks, it's a fact that I
didn't write the letter, but this
whole thing started
D. B.
There! You see? He admits it! You're
a fake, John Doe! And for what
you've done to all these good
peoplethey ought to run you out
of the countryand I hope they do
it!
He leaves the platformfollowed by his troopers.
SEVERAL SHOTS: Of groups as they stare at JOHN, silent and
stunned, waiting for him to speak.
FULL SHOT: The whole park full of people wait in breathless
anticipation. From somewhere in the distance we hear a
single voice of a man.
VOICE
Speak up, John! We believe you!
MED. SHOT: Under the platform. We see several of D. B.'s
troopers pulling at the cables of the public address system.
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He speaks into the microphone.
JOHN
Please listen, folks! Now that
he's through shooting off his face,
I've got a couple of things to
tell you about
CLOSE SHOT: Under the platform. One of the troopers
disconnects the public address system by cutting the cable.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He realizes the loud speaker is dead,
and looks around helplessly.
MED. SHOT: Somewhere in audience TED SHELDON directs
troopers.
TED
Come on! The rest of you get in
here and riot! Break this crowd
up! Come on!
MED. SHOT: Of a group of John Does. They still stare
uncertainly. Suddenly, the head of one of SHELDON's troopers
appearand cupping his hands over his mouth, he yells toward
platform.
TROOPER
John Doe's a fake! Boo! Boooooo!
LONG SHOT: From ANNOUNCER's view. Shooting toward audience.
The crowd is all yelling at once now.
MED. SHOT:
ANNOUNCER
I'm sorry, folks, but we can't
hear him any more. Something's
gone wrong with the loudspeaker.
MED. SHOT: Of JOHN. Trying to talk over microphone.
JOHN
Say, they can't hear me! The thing's
not working!
(shouts)
Ladies and gentlemen! Lookthis
thing's bigger than whether I'm a
fake
(turns to BERT)
Look, Bert, you believe me, don't
you?
BERT
(cynically)
Sure, I believe you. Walking my
legs off digging up five thousand
signatures for a phoney!
Suddenly, nervously, he begins tearing up the petition in
his hand.
BERT
Well, there you are, Mr. Doe!
(flinging crumpled
petition at him)
Five thousand names asking you not
to jump off any roof!
He turns to leave.
CLOSE SHOT: Of SOURPUSS, who, heartbroken, stops BERT.
SOURPUSS
It makes no difference, Bertthe
ideas's still good. We don't have
to give up our club.
BERT
(harshly)
Yeah? Well, you can have it!
He exits.
LONG SHOT: From ANNOUNCER's view. Crowd is yelling wildly.
ANNOUNCER
They're starting to throw things!
2ND ANNOUNCER
Somebody's going to get hurt!
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He looks helplessly down at the hostile
crowd.
INT. POLICE STATION
FULL SHOT: ANN and CONNELL are surrounded by several
policemen. A sergeant sits at his desk, on which is a radio.
ANN's face is haggard and desperate as she listens to the
radio announcer.
ANNOUNCER
I'm afraid it'll be John Doe. Listen
to that mob!
Unable to stand it any longer, ANN suddenly jumps out of
her seat.
ANN
I've got to go to him!
OFFICER
Sorry, ladyI can't let you out.
ANN
(sobbing)
Oh, let me go! Let me go to him!
Oh, please, please let me go!
They're crucifying him! I can help
him!
OFFICER
Sorry, sister. We got orders to
hold you.
ANN
Orders from who? Can't they see
it's a frameup?
She is still desperately struggling to get freewhen her
mother comes hurrying in.
MRS. MITCHELL
Ann, darling!
ANN
Oh, Mother! They won't let me go!
They won't let me go!
The police release her and she throws herself into her
mother's arms.
EXT. BALL PARK.
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He still attempts to get himself heard.
JOHN
Listen, folks! You gotta listen to
me, everybody!
MED. SHOT: Of a group of John Does.
A MAN
(yelling toward
JOHN)
Back to the jungle, you hobo!
2ND MAN
(disgustedly)
Just another racket!
JOHN'S VOICE
Stick to your clubs!
MAN
(shouting)
We've been fed baloney so long
we're getting used to it!
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He disregards the missiles that fly
around his head.
JOHN
(supplicatingly)
The idea is still good! Believe
me, folks! . . .
EXT. BALL PARK.
MED. LONG SHOT: Toward platform. The crowd pushes menacingly
around the platform, with policemen struggling to control
them. JOHN still stands there, pathetic and helpless.
Missiles of all kinds fly into the scene. The members of
the band are scrambling off the platformas well as the
others, until John is left alone.
LONG SHOT: Shooting toward audience. They still boo and
yell.
MED. SHOT: Of the COLONEL. Fearful for JOHN, he starts
pushing his way through the crowd toward him.
MED. SHOT: Of a group of people. Suddenly a woman reaches
into a lunch basket she carries and takes out a tomato.
WOMAN
(shouting)
You faker!
She reaches back to throw the tomato.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. His voice is gone. His eyes are glassy.
He is making one last effort to speak.
JOHN
(hoarsely)
Listen . . . John Does . . .
(weakly)
You're the hope of the world . . .
As if in challenge to that statement, the tomato flies in
and strikes him on the forehead. It seems to stun him. He
remains motionless, staring before him with sightless eyes.
The red smear of the tomato trickles down his face.
MED. SHOT: Of the COLONEL, amidst the crowd. He sees JOHN
hit and winces. Then, setting his jaw, he pushes people
violently aside, trying to reach JOHN.
MED. SHOT: On platform, JOHN stares futilely before him.
The COLONEL reaches his side and glancing sympathetically
up at his face, starts to lead him off the platform. A
squadron of policemen also rush to his rescue and precede
JOHN and the COLONEL.
TRUCKING SHOT: Down the aisleas police disperse the crowd
who boo and threaten JOHN from the sidelines.
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He is oblivious of the jeering,
shouting moband of the wet newspapers flung in his
direction.
MED. SHOT: At dug-out exitas the police finally manage to
get him safely out of the park.
MED. SHOT: ANNOUNCER's booth.
JOHN B. HUGHES
The police finally manage to get
him out of the park! If that boy
isn't hurt, it'll be a miracle!
INT. POLICE STATION.
MED. SHOT: ANN and her mother sit on a bench. A policeman
is in the background. ANN stares into space. Her mother
has an arm around her.
ANNOUNCER'S VOICE
Ladies and gentlemen, this certainly
looks like the end of the John Doe
movement.
A policeman snaps the radio off.
CONNELL
(lifts glass of
milk)
Well, boys, you can chalk up another
one to the Pontius Pilates.
TWO SHOT: ANN and her mother.
ANN
(sobbing)
I should have been there. I could
have helped him.
(desolately)
He was so all alone!
Her MOTHER draws ANN consolingly to her, and lays her head
on her breast.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. A HIGHWAY
MED. SHOT: Of BERT's car on the way home.
INT. CAR
CLOSE SHOT: BERT and SOURPUSS. They both look depressed.
After a silence, SOURPUSS speaks.
SOURPUSS
(throatily)
A lot of us are going to be mighty
ashamed of ourselves after tonight.
We certainly didn't give that man
much of a chance.
They lapse again into silence. BERT stares grimly at the
road.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CLEARING UNDER THE BRIDGE.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He sits on a rock, his head bent low,
tears streaming shamelessly down his cheeks. Camera draws
back and we find the COLONEL before the fire, boiling water
in a small tin pan.
COLONEL'S VOICE
Have some more coffee, Long John?
JOHN
No, thanks, Colonel.
JOHN lifts his eyes skyward, stares profoundly, a curious
expression over his face.
DISSOLVE TO:
A MONTAGE:
LONG SHOT: Of JOHN, a lonely figure, walking dejectedly.
As he walks, faces begin to appear one by one, to taunt
him. Their accusing voices are heard.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Faker!
MAN'S VOICE
Racketeer!
2ND VOICE
Liar!
3RD VOICE
Cheat!
4TH VOICE
Imposter!
5TH VOICE
Why don't you jump!
GIRL'S VOICE
Christmas Eve at midnight!
(she laughs,
sneeringly)
DISSOLVE TO:
ANOTHER SHOT: OF JOHN WALKING, HIS EXPRESSION IMMOBILE.
OVER THE SHOT APPEAR SEVERAL SCENES THROUGH WHICH JOHN HAS
LIVED:
1. BERT shaking hands with him, saying:
BERT
You're a wonderful man, Mr. Doe.
2. MRS. DELANEY kissing his hand and saying:
MRS. DELANEY
May God bless you, my boy.
3. ANN in Broadcasting Station, kissing him:
ANN
Now, get in there and pitch!
4. D. B. issuing his tirade at JOHN:
D. B.
You're a fake, John Doe, and I can
prove it! You're the big hero that's
supposed to jump off tall buildings
and things. You remember? What do
you suppose your precious John
Does will say when they find out
that you never had any intention
of doing itthat you were being
paid to say so?
5. Again the girl who laughed appears:
GIRL
Christmas Eve at midnight?
And again she laughs sneeringly.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CITY HALL TOWERNIGHT
LONG SHOT: It is a picturesque scene of the City Hall
outlined in silhouette against the sky. A peaceful mantle
of snow silently descends upon it. Over the shot we hear
the plaintive voices of children singing "Holy Night."
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. OUTSIDE OF D. B.'S HOUSE
MED. SHOT: Outside D. B.'s Studythrough window. A group
of eight young carolers sing "Holy Night." It is a
continuation of the music from previous scene.
CUT TO:
INT. D. B.'S STUDY.
MED. SHOT: In the dimly lit room, we see the lonely figure
of D. B., as he stands near a window staring out,
meditatively. The voices of the children singing Christmas
carols are faintly heard.
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. He peers into the night, enveloped by
disturbing thoughts. After a moment, he takes out his watch
and glances at it. Then, as if annoyed by his own
apprehension, he shoves it violently back into his pocket.
CAMERA RETREATS in front of him as he crosses, determinedly,
to a humidor, takes a cigar and shoves it into his mouth.
Just as he is about to light it, he becomes aware of the
signing, and cocks his head, listening.
WIDER SHOT: As he drops the match and the unlighted
cigarand starts toward door. Just then the BUTLER comes
through.
BUTLER
Merry Christmas, sir.
D. B.
Oh. Merry Christmas.
D. B. hands him a bill and nods toward the children. The
BUTLER exits.
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. Staring out into space moodily. We hear
the voices of the children saying, "Thank you, sir! Merry
Christmas!" D. B.'s mouth screws up, unhappily. It is far
from a "merry" Christmas. It is a very lonely, conscience-
stricken one.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. POLICE STATION
MED. SHOT: A SERGEANT sits in front of his desk. Opposite
him is a POLICEMAN. Their rummy game has been interrupted
by a phone call which the SERGEANT is now answering.
SERGEANT
Who? John Doe? Is that screwball
still around?
(laughing)
POLICEMAN
(with disgust)
Aw, that dame's been callin' all
day.
DESK SERGEANT
Sure, sure, I know. Yeah. At
midnight, huh? Okay, lady. We'll
have the place surrounded with
nets.
He hangs up the phonetwirls his finger at his temple,
shrugsand reaches for a card.
CUT TO:
INT. ANN'S BEDROOM
CLOSE SHOT: ANN is in bed. She looks wan. Her hand still
rests on the phone.
CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal a doctor by her side and her
mother at the foot of the bed. They watch herconcerned.
ANN
Ohthey're laughing at me!
Impulsively, ANN picks up the receiver and starts dialing
again.
DOCTOR'S VOICE
You're a sick girl, Ann. You'd
better take it easy.
MRS. MITCHELL
Whom are you calling now? You called
that number not ten minutes ago!
ANN
(into phone)
Hello. Mr. Connell? Have you seen
him yet? Have you
CUT TO:
INT: CORRIDOR OF CITY HALL
MED. SHOT: Toward a telephone booth. CONNELL speaks into
the phone.
CONNELL
Now listen, Annhe can't possibly
get in without our seeing him. I'm
watching the side door and the
Colonel's out front, so stop
worrying.
INT. ANN'S BEDROOM - CLOSE SHOT:
ANN
Thank you.
She hangs up the receiver, despairingly. Then, suddenly,
she jumps out of bed and runs to a clothes closetgrabbing
a coat and scarf.
MRS. MITCHELL
Why, Ann! . . .
DOCTOR
Ann, don't be foolish!
DISSOLVE TO:
INSERT: The City Hall tower clock registers 11:45.
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY
MED. SHOT: BERT's car driving in the snow.
INT. CAR
FULL SHOT: BERT HANSEN drives. In the car with him are his
wife, SOURPUSS and several others.
BERT
(complainingly)
If this isn't the craziest, the
battiest, the looniest wild goose
chase I ever heard of?
MRS. HANSEN
Oh, shut up. Bert. Sourpuss is
right.
BERT
Yeah? Well, if he is, I'm a banana
split!
SOURPUSS
That man is gonna be on that roof.
Don't ask me how I know. I just
know. And you know it as well as I
do.
BERT
Sure, sure. I'd like to believe in
fairy tales, but a guy that's fake
isn't gonna jump off any roof.
MRS. HANSEN
I don't think he was any fakenot
with that face. And, anyway, what
he stood for wasn't a fake.
BERT
Okay, honey, okay.
CUT TO:
INT: MAIN FLOOR CORRIDOR, CITY HALL
FULL SHOT: It is vast and empty, except for a colored
porter, scrubbing.
MED. SHOT: At entrance. As ANN enters from outside.
Determinedly, she starts toward elevators.
CLOSE SHOT: At elevator. ANN pushes button impatiently.
She feels weak, and has to brace herself to stay on her
feet. Suddenly, she is startled by the COLONEL'S voice.
COLONEL
Elevators ain't running.
CAMERA PANS OVER to the COLONEL, who sits on the stairs,
next to the elevator.
MED. SHOT: ANN walks over to him, her face lighting up
hopefully.
ANN
Colonel!
COLONEL
You shouldn't have gotten out of
bed, Miss.
ANN
Has he been here?
COLONEL
No.
ANN
Have you seen him?
COLONEL
(sadly)
I ain't seen him for a week.
ANN
Where's Connell?
COLONEL
He's watching the other door.
ANN
Oh. Gee, you're swell! Oh.
ANN stares at him a moment, then, impulsively, she starts
to pass him to go up the stairs.
COLONEL
(grabs her)
No sense in going up there! I been
here for hours. He ain't here!
ANN
(pulls away from
him)
Oh, let me go, will you!
COLONEL
(calling after her)
Now, that's crazy. It's fourteen
floors!
But ANN vanishes. The COLONEL shakes his head and resumes
his post.
MED. SHOT: At entrance. As the MAYOR, followed by D. B.,
HAMMETT, and the others, enters. Camera pans with them as
they go toward the elevator.
MED. SHOT: They arrive at the elevator. The MAYOR takes
out his keys and unlocks the elevator door.
CLOSE SHOT: Of the COLONEL. He watches them, puzzled. Can't
figure out what they are doing here.
CUT TO:
INSERT: Of elevator dialas the light flicks on to number
14, indicating 14th floor. Camera pans down to elevator
door, which opens and the men come out.
MAYOR
This is as far as the elevator
goes. We've got to walk up to the
tower.
He indicates the stairway.
CUT TO:
WIDER SHOT: As they cross to stairway, silently.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CITY HALL ROOF
FULL SHOT: The men enter. They glance around searchinglyand
then slowly move toward the edge of the parapet.
CLOSER SHOT: The men look obviously self-conscious. No one
speaks for a while.
BENNETT
(breaking the silence)
That tramp is probably full of
Christmas cheer and asleep in some
flop house.
There is again silence. After a few minutes, the MAYOR
speaks.
MAYOR
Let's go. I've got to decorate my
tree.
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR 14TH FLOOR
MED. SHOt: Outside Men's Washroom. JOHN comes out, and as
camera pans with him he proceeds to letter chute next to
elevator. We see that it is the top of the chute, and from
the elevator being there, we know it is the 14th floor.
JOHN drops the letter into the chute.
EXT. CITY HALL ROOF
FULL SHOT: The place is silent except for occasional
scraping of feet as several of the men move around. They
continually refer to their watches. Finally, D. B. gives
up impatiently.
D. B.
Well, I give up. I don't know what
gave us the idea that hehe'd
attempt anything like this.
WESTON
I guess you're right. I'm afraid
the joke's on us. Let's go.
D. B.
I hope nobody finds out we've been
here.
They all start to exit, when suddenly D. B. stops. He puts
his hand out, and they all stop to listen. They hear
footsteps, and back into the shadows.
MED. SHOT: Shooting toward stairs. JOHN appears around the
bend and mounts the last few steps.
MED. SHOT: Of the huddled group. They watch breathlessly.
In the darkness, their eyes dominate the scene.
MED. SHOT: Over their shoulders. As JOHN, expressionless,
his cigarette in his hand, crosses to the parapet, and
looks out. He takes a puff of his cigarette and exhales
the smoke.
MED. SHOT: Of the huddled group. The MAYOR is for stepping
forward, but D. B. with an extended hand stops him,
indicating for them to wait and see what happens.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He takes the envelope out of his pocket
and examines it.
CLOSE SHOT: Of the group. Their eyes glued on him tensely.
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. He stares at the envelope.
INSERT: Of envelope. On it is written: "TO JOHN DOES
EVERYWHERE".
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He replaces the envelope in his pocket.
INT. TOWER
CLOSE SHOT: The group. Their eyes riveted on JOHN. They
feel the moment has come. Several of them glance toward D.
B.
WIDER SHOT: To include them all, and JOHN. He drops his
cigarette on the ground, and bending over, crushes it with
his foot. Just as he straightens out again, D. B. speaks.
D. B.
(restrained voice)
I wouldn't do that if I were you,
John.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. As he turns sharply, startled. He stares
blankly at the five people.
MED. SHOT: Of the group. They move slightly forward and
stop.
D. B.
It'll do you no good.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He continues to stare at them, strangely.
WIDER SHOT: To include them all.
D. B.
The Mayor has policemen downstairs
with instructions to remove all
marks of identification you may
have on your person. You'll be
buried in Potter's Field[12] and
you will have accomplished nothing.
CLOSE SHOT: Of JOHN. After a moment, he speaks.
JOHN
(in a sepulchral
voice)
I've taken care of that. I've
already mailed a copy of this letter
to Mr. Connell.
MED. SHOT: Of the group. Amazed that he thought of this.
They feel themselves helpless. D. B. tries taking an
authoritative tone.
D. B.
(his throat is dry)
John, why don't you forget this
foolishness?
He steps forward as he speaks.
JOHN
(quicklythreatenin
gly)
Stop right where you are, Mr.
Norton, if you don't want to go
overboard with me.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN's face. His eyes have a wild, maniacal
look in them.
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. He stares into JOHN's eyes and a
terrified expression covers his face.
WIDER SHOT: As D. B. instinctively backs up.
JOHN
(throatily)
I'm glad you gentlemen are here.
You've killed the John Doe movement,
all right, but you're going to see
it born all over again. Now, take
a good look, Mr. Norton.
INT. LANDING TO TOWER
MED. SHOT: As ANN practically has to pull herself up to
the last step. Her face is wet from fever and exhaustion.
ANN
(an outcry)
John!
INT. TOWER
FULL SHOT: As everyone, startled by the outcry, turns. ANN
staggers into scene.
ANN
(crying)
John!
She rushes and throws her arms around him.
ANN
(muffled sobs)
Oh, John, darling. No! No!
CLOSE SHOT: JOHN and ANN. He stares down at her, blankly.
ANN clutches him, her head buried in his shoulder.
ANN
(muffled sobs)
I won't let you. I love you,
darling.
MED. SHOT: Of the group. They remain motionless, watching.
CLOSE SHOT: JOHN and ANN. She emits wracking sobs, then
lifts her eyes up to him.
ANN
(in a desperate
plea)
John. Please, John, listen to me.
We'll start all over again, just
you and I. It isn't too late. The
John Doe movement isn't dead yet.
Suddenly she becomes conscious of the others present, and
she turns her head.
CAMERA PANS OVER to what SHE SEES. The group of men
watching, silently.
CAMERA PANS BACK to ANN. Her eyes widen slowly. She looks
from them to JOHN and back again, and her face takes on an
excited, breathless look, as the reason for their being
there becomes comprehensible to her.
ANN
(excitedly)
See, John! It isn't dead, or they
wouldn't be here! It's alive in
them . They kept it alive. By being
afraid of it. That's why they came
up here.
CLOSE SHOT: ANN and JOHN. He continues to stand with his
hands at his sides, looking at her, while she clings to
him desperately. While she speaks, he turns his face from
her and stares at the men.
ANN
Oh, darling. Sure, it should have
been killed before. It was
dishonest.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He is staring strangely at the group of
menas slowly, gradually, the curtain is being lifted from
his clouded brain.
ANN'S VOICE
But we can start clean now. Just
you and I. It'll grow again, John.
It'll grow big. And it'll be strong,
because it'll be honest!
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. Her strength is fast ebbing away. She
clings to JOHN more tenaciously.
ANN
(last bit of effort)
Oh, darling, if it's worth dying
for, it's worth living for. Oh,
please, John . . .
She looks up at his face, seeking some sign of his relenting-
but she finds none.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN, who still clinging to him, lays her cheek
on his chestand lifts her eyes heavenward.
ANN
(a murmured prayer)
Oh, please, Godhelp me!
FLASH: Of the menas they stare transfixed, waiting
breathlessly.
MED. SHOT: At entrance. BERT, SOURPUSS and others
appearhaving run up the stairs breathlessly. Their eyes
are filled with apprehension. CONNELL and the COLONEL are
with them. When they see the scene before them, they stop,
awed.
CLOSE-UP: Of ANN. Suddenly she stares before heras a divine
inspiration comes to her. Her eyes light up with a wide,
ecstatic fire.
TWO SHOT: ANN and JOHN. ANN turns and glances up at JOHN's
face.
ANN
(tensely)
John!
She takes his face in her two hands and turns it to her.
ANN
John, look at me. You want to be
honest, don't you? Well, you don't
have to die to keep the John Doe
idea alive! Someone already died
for that once! The first John Doe.
And He's kept that idea alive for
nearly two thousand years.
CLOSE SHOT: BERT, his WIFE and SOURPUSS. The cynical
expression on BERT's face begins to soften.
ANN'S VOICE
(with sincere
conviction)
It was He who kept it alive in
them and He'll go on keeping it
alive for ever and always! For
every John Doe movement these men
kill, a new one will be born!
TWO SHOT: ANN and JOHN. JOHN remains grimly unmoved. ANN
continues.
ANN
(ecstatically)
That's why those bells are ringing,
John! They're calling to usnot to
give upbut to keep on fighting!
To keep on pitching! Oh, don't you
see, darling? This is no time to
give up!
SEVERAL FLASHES: To intercut with ANN's speechone of BERT;
his WIFE; CONNELL; D. B.
MED. SHOT: Toward ANN and JOHN. ANN's strength is slowly
waning.
ANN
You and I, John, we can
(suddenly)
No, John, if you die, I want to
die, too!
(weakly)
Oh, I love you so
Her strength leaves herand as her eyelids slowly shut,
she collapses limply in his arms.
MED. SHOT: Of BERT's group, as they react to this. BERT
stares, profoundly moved.
MED. SHOT: JOHN and ANNas he stares bewildered, at ANN at
his feet. Mechanically, he reaches down and lifts her in
his arms.
BERT'S VOICE
Mr. Doe . . .
JOHN vaguely becomes aware of BERT's presence and glances
toward him.
MED. SHOT: BERT, his WIFE and SOURPUSS.
BERT
(his voice
chokedhaltingly)
You don't have toWhy, we're with
you, Mr. Doe. We just lost our
heads and acted like a mob. Why,
we . . .
BERT'S WIFE
(jumping in)
What Bert's trying to say iswellwe
need you, Mr. Doe. There were a
lot of us didn't believe what that
man said.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHNas he listens to her, expressionless.
WIFE'S VOICE
We were going to start up our John
Doe Club again whether we saw you
or not.
MED. SHOT: BERT, his WIFE and SOURPUSS.
WIFE
Weren't we, Bert?
BERT nods.
WIFE
And there were a lot of others
that were going to do the same
thing. Why, Mr. Sourpuss even got
a letter from his cousin in Toledo,
and . . .
SOURPUSS
(joiningeagerly)
Yeah, I got it right here, Mr.
Doe!
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. The bewildered look in his eyes has
vanished. It is now replaced by an expression of softness
and understanding.
WIFE'S VOICE
(choked)
Onlyonly it'll be a lot easier
with you. Pleaseplease come with
us, Mr. Doe!
JOHN remains standing, thoughtful.
MED. SHOT: Of BERT's group. They all look supplicatingly
at him.
CLOSE-UP: Of JOHN. He stares at BERT's group and, shifting
his gaze, looks at D. B. and his crowd. Then, turning back
to BERT, his eyes light up and something of a warm smile
appears on his face.
FULL SHOT: As JOHN, having decided on his course, starts
forward with ANN in his arms. The church bells chime loud
and victoriously.
MED. SHOT: Around BERT. Their eyes brighten ecstatically
as JOHN walks toward them. They all speak at once.
BERT'S GROUP
(ad-lib)
Mr. Doe! She'll be all right!
We've got a car downstairs . . .
They follow JOHN out, chattering excitedly. Only CONNELL
and the COLONEL remain.
COLONEL
Long John!
CLOSE-UP: Of CONNELL. He glares at D. B. defiantly.
CLOSE-UP: Of D. B. awe-stricken by the scene he has
witnessed.
MED. SHOT: CONNELL and the COLONEL.
CONNELL
(to D. B.defiantly)
There you are, Norton! The people!
Try and lick that! Come on, Colonel.
They exit, arm in arm, as the music swellssuggesting
emergence from darkness and confusion to light and
understanding.
FADE OUT:
THE END
| screenplays |
@interface DataFormatTableViewControllerViewModel : DFITableViewModel
@end
| slim_pajama |
How to determine accurate mass of beta-carotene from beta-carotene extract using spectrophotometer?
In [this video](https://www.youtube.com/user/ekuchemlab/videos), a beta carotene extract(the first yellow fraction) is obtained from $0.5$ g of presumably raw spinach. The extract contains beta-carotene dissolved in organic solvent (9 to 1 hexane to ethyl acetate solution). My question is how to determine mass of beta-carotene contained in this extract using spectrophotometer. I am doing a research that requires quantification of beta-carotene in specific mass of spinach but my school does not offer advanced equipment such as HPLC.
The video [Beta-Carotene from Spinach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf3_2GFPC50) from the Eastern Kentucky University Chemistry Lab describes the extraction and purification of $\beta$-carotene by flash chromatography, a method developed by [W. Clark Still](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Clark_Still) in [*J. Org. Chem.*, **1978**, *43*, 2923-2925](http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jo00408a041).
Note that this is **not** HPLC, but preparative column chromatography (on silica) under pressure. It's an awesome method every organic chemist should be familiar with.
Typically, you would run the (flash) chromatography, collect your material in test tubes, check the composition of every test tube by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), combine identical fractions and evaporate the solvent (on a rotary evaporator). This will give you the total mass of each fraction.
In order to have a closer look at these fractions, prepare solutions of defined concentrations in *n*-hexane and examine them in a UV spectrometer. In *n*-hexane, the molar extinction coefficient $\epsilon$ of $\beta$-carotene is $139500~\mathrm{L\,cm^{-1}\,mol^{-1}}$ at $\lambda = 451~\mathrm{nm}$.
Supposed that your solutions are not too concentrated, their absorbance will obey to the *Lambert-Beer* law.
$$E\_\lambda = \epsilon\cdot c \cdot d $$
This means that the absorbance is proportional to the concentration of the absorbing species and that the concentration can be calculated from the absorbance $\mathrm{E\_\lambda}$, the thickness $d$ of the cuvette and the molar extinction coefficient $\epsilon$.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Connection between Poisson bracket and Anti-commutator?
Canonical quantization promotes Poisson brackets in classical mechanics to commutators in quantum mechanics. Is there any classical counterpart similar to the Poisson bracket for the anticommutator?
FWIW, in classical Hamiltonian formalism, the phase space is a [supermanifold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermanifold) with a [super-Poisson bracket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson_superalgebra) $\{\cdot,\cdot\}\_{SPB}$. The super-Poisson bracket corresponds to a [super-commutator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lie_superalgebra) $\frac{1}{i\hbar}[\cdot,\cdot]\_{SC}$ upon quantization. The super-commutator is a commutator (an anticommutator) in the Grassmann-even (Grassmann-odd) sector, respectively.
See also my Phys.SE answer [here](https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/282321/2451).
| stackexchange/physics |
The Story of HMS Scylla
HMS Scylla, launched in August 1968, was the last naval warship ever to be built at Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. She enjoyed 25 years of service in the Royal Navy, during which time she was involved in the Cod Wars with Iceland, Hurricane relief operations in Caymen Brac, and extensive tours of Australia and the South Pacific. In 1993 she was decommissioned by the Royal Navy and placed in dry dock in Portsmouth awaiting a decision on her future use.
The Artificial Reef Consortium (ARC)
Familiar with the variety of wrecks in UK waters, a group of divers were inspired by diving on artificial reefs overseas and hatched a plan to create a custom-built diving reef for the UK.
Having identified a suitable vessel in the decommissioned HMS Scylla, the consortium put together plans to create a reef on the seabed near Plymouth – the first of its kind in Europe.
A case was made to the South West of England Regional Development Agency for funding. It was argued that an artificial reef, bringing more divers into the region, would provide a significant boost for the local economy.
It has been estimated that since placement Scylla Reef has attracted over 30,000 divers and contributed in the region of £5m to the local economy.
Why Sink a Ship?
Divers and scientists have long been drawn to shipwrecks and Britain's coasts boast more wrecks than any other country in the world.
When a ship settles on the seabed, it provides a new home for marine life. These artificial reefs provide a solid base for marine animals and plants to thrive and, in turn, attract a variety of fish looking to feed or find shelter.
However, wrecks are often inaccessible, in inhospitable waters or are resting too deep for many divers. Also, sadly, many wrecks have deteriorated badly over the years.
The Scylla Project intended to create a brand new reef in relatively shallow water close to Plymouth.
By planning a "shipwreck", it would be possible to prepare the vessel for divers prior to sinking and remove harmful materials to protect the environment.
The preparations prior to placement would also allow local scientists to create a unique "underwater laboratory" for carrying out long-term studies on colonisation and the effects of artificial structures upon the environment.
Scylla Reef now provides a place of work for some and leisure for others. It also provides a home for millions of marine animals, increasing local biodiversity against a backdrop of habitat destruction and environmental degradation.
After a series of negotiations, and with the support of the RDA, the National Marine Aquarium took on the project to create an artificial reef and purchased HMS Scylla for £200,000 in November 2003.
The Aquarium team then began a five month project, working with ARC and a Canadian team with expertise in preparing and placing artificial reefs, to convert the vessel into a reef for the future.
The licence to place the ship on the seabed was granted by the Department for Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs, DEFRA, on the condition that the ship was made environmentally safe.
The clean-up process involved the following:
Salvage and recycling of metals.
Cleaning of tanks.
Removal of copper pipework and wiring.
Removal of hazardous materials including batteries, antifreeze, radioactive materials and refrigerants.
Removal of the masts and sonar domes to allow the ship to be placed in shallow water while still allowing boats to pass over.
Finally, a total of 58 diver access holes were cut and warning plates were placed around the vessel.
The access holes were re-sealed and charged with explosives to allow the ship to be towed into position and, at 3pm on 27th March 2004, the explosives were detonated to allow water into the hull and the ship slowly sunk out of view to start its life as a reef.
HMS Scylla on route to decommisioning
HMS Scylla – Port side during decommisioning
HMS Scylla – Scuttling Shot
HMS Scylla – At final Rest. | slim_pajama |
An intensive care unit ICU, also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit ITU or critical care unit CCU, is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensive treatment medicine.
Intensive care units cater to patients with severe or life-threatening illnesses and injuries, which require constant care, close supervision from life support equipment and medication in order to ensure normal bodily functions. They are staffed by highly trained physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists who specialize in caring for critically ill patients. ICUs are also distinguished from general hospital wards by a higher staff-to-patient ratio and access to advanced medical resources and equipment that is not routinely available elsewhere. Common conditions that are treated within ICUs include acute or adult respiratory distress syndrome, hypertension, metastases and other life-threatening conditions.
Patients may be referred directly from an emergency department or from a ward if they rapidly deteriorate, or immediately after surgery if the surgery is very invasive and the patient is at high risk of complications.
History
In 1854, Florence Nightingale left for the Crimean War, where triage was used to separate seriously wounded soldiers from the non-life-threatening conditions.
Until recently, it was reported that Nightingale reduced mortality from 40 to 2 on the battlefield. Although this was not the case, her experiences during the war formed the foundation for her later discovery of the importance of sanitary conditions in hospitals, a critical component of intensive care.
In 1950, anesthesiologist Peter Safar established the concept of Advanced life support, keeping patients sedated and ventilated in an intensive care environment. Safar is considered to be the first practitioner of intensive care medicine as a speciality.
In response to a polio epidemic where many patients required constant ventilation and surveillance, Bjørn Aage Ibsen established the first intensive care unit in Copenhagen in 1953.
The first application of this idea in the United States was in 1955 by William Mosenthal, a surgeon at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. In the 1960s, the importance of cardiac arrhythmias as a source of morbidity and mortality in myocardial infarctions heart attacks was recognized. This led to the routine use of cardiac monitoring in ICUs, especially after heart attacks.
Staffing
Most studies addressing staffing of ICUs have had significant limitations, and this literature does not yet provide a consistent view of the best model to use. This subject is complicated by the fact that optimal ICU staffing may depend on ICU characteristics.
Despite calls for all ICUs to function as closed-model units with intensivists as the primary physician of record, evidence supporting this view is contradictory. Likewise, studies of around-the-clock intensivist presence have not consistently shown that it is associated with superior outcomes.
The data do not supply a consistent answer to the question of whether ICUs would obtain better outcomes if they added nurses to reduce their patient:nurse ratios.
Increasingly, nonphysician providers are playing innovative roles in the ICU, and care provided by teams including nurse practitioners or physician assistants appears to be safe and comparable to that provided by other staffing models.
The conditions of ICU staffing will continue to change under the stresses of shortages of a variety of health care workers relevant to ICU care, and increasing duty hour limitations for physician trainees. Nonphysician providers, innovative staffing models, telemedicine, and other technologies will be increasingly used to cope with these realities.
Since only quantitative evaluation can tell us whether one staffing model is better than another, we need more research from multiple sites to develop a consistent and integrated understanding of this complex topic.
Specialities
Hospitals may have ICUs that cater to a specific medical requirement or patient, such as those listed below:
Neonatal intensive care unit NICU. This specialty unit cares for neonatal patients who have not left the hospital after birth. Common conditions cared for include prematurity and associated complications, congenital disorders such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or complications resulting from the birthing process.
Pediatric intensive care unit PICU. Pediatric patients are treated in this intensive care unit for life-threatening conditions such as asthma, influenza, diabetic ketoacidosis, or traumatic neurological injury. Surgical cases may also be referred to the PICU postoperatively if the patient has a potential for rapid deterioration or if the patient requires monitoring, such as spinal infusions or surgeries involving the respiratory system such as removal of the tonsils or adenoids. Some facilities also have specialized pediatric cardiac intensive care units, for patients with congenital heart disease are treated. These units also typically cater for cardiac transplantation and postoperative cardiac catheterization patients if those services are offered at the hospital.
Geriatric intensive-care unit GICU, a special intensive care unit dedicated to management of critically ill elderly.
Psychiatric intensive care unit PsICU. Patients who may voluntarily harm themselves are brought here for more vigorous monitoring.
Coronary care unit CCU: Also known as Cardiac Intensive Care Units CICU or Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit CVICU, this ICU caters to patients specifically with congenital heart defects or life-threatening cardiac conditions such as a myocardial infarction or a cardiac arrest.
Neurological Intensive Care Unit NeuroICU. Patients are treated for brain aneurysms, brain tumors, stroke, rattlesnake bites and post surgical patients who have undergone various neurological surgeries performed by experienced neurosurgeons require constant neurological exams. Nurses who work within these units have neurological certifications. Once the patients are stable and removed from the ventilator, they are transferred to a neurological care unit.
Traumatic Intensive Care Unit TICU. These are found in hospitals certified in treating traumatic injuries/illnesses requiring a dedicated Trauma Emergency team equipped with the expertise to deal with serious complications. A traumatic specialist team includes surgeons, nurses, respiratory therapists, and radiological staff.
Post-anesthesia care unit PACU: Also known as the post-operative recovery unit, or recovery room, the PACU provides immediate post-op observation and stabilisation of patients following surgical operations and anesthesia. Patients are usually held in such facilities for a limited amount of time and have to meet set physiological aspects before being transferred back to a ward with a qualified nurse escort. Owing to high patient flow in recovery units, and to the bed management cycle, if a patient breaches a time frame and is too unstable to be transferred back to a ward, they are normally transferred to a high dependency unit HDU or post-operative critical care unit POCCU in order to receive progressive treatment.
High dependency unit HDU: In the United Kingdom and elsewhere known as step down unit or progressive care unit in North America, most acute hospitals have a transitional high dependency unit HDU for patients who require close observation, treatment and nursing care that cannot be provided in a general ward, but whose care is not at a critical stage to warrant an ICU bed. These units are also called step-down or progressive intensive recovery units and are utilised until a patient's condition stabilizes to qualify for discharge to a general ward or recovery unit.
Surgical intensive care unit SICU: Also known as the surgery critical care unit, the SICU is a specialized service in larger hospitals that provides inpatient care for critically ill patients on surgical services. As opposed to other ICUs, the care is managed by surgeons or anesthesiologists trained in critical-care.
Mobile ICU
Mobile intensive care unit MICU
A specialized ambulance with the team and equipment to provide on-scene Advanced Life Support and intensive care during transportation. These type of ICUs are generally used for people who are being transferred from hospitals and from home to a hospital. In the Anglo American model of pre-hospitalisation care MICUs are generally crewed by ECT practitioners or advanced life support paramedics. In the European model, Mobile ICU teams are usually managed by a critical care nurse and an emergency medicine physician/medical doctor M.D.
Equipment and systems
Common equipment in an ICU includes mechanical ventilators to assist breathing through an endotracheal tube or a tracheostomy tube; cardiac monitors for monitoring Cardiac condition; equipment for the constant monitoring of bodily functions; a web of intravenous lines, feeding tubes, nasogastric tubes, suction pumps, drains, and catheters, syringe pumps; and a wide array of drugs to treat the primary conditions of hospitalization. Medically induced comas, analgesics, and induced sedation are common ICU tools needed and used to reduce pain and prevent secondary infections.
Quality of care
The available data suggests a relation between ICU volume and quality of care for mechanically ventilated patients. After adjustment for severity of illnesses, demographic variables, and characteristics of different ICUs including staffing by intensivists, higher ICU staffing was significantly associated with lower ICU and hospital mortality rates. A ratio of 2 patients to 1 nurse is recommended for a medical ICU, which contrasts to the ratio of 4:1 or 5:1 typically seen on medical floors. This varies from country to country, though; e.g., in Australasia and the United Kingdom, most ICUs are staffed on a 2:1 basis for high-dependency patients who require closer monitoring or more intensive treatment than a hospital ward can offer or on a 1:1 basis for patients requiring extreme intensive support and monitoring; for example, a patient on a mechanical ventilator with associated anaesthetics or sedation such as propofol, midazolam and use of strong analgesics such as morphine, fentanyl and/or remifentanil.
International guidelines recommend that every patient gets checked for delirium every day usually twice or as much required using a validated clinical tool. The two most widely used are the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU CAM-ICU and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist ICDSC. There are translations of these tools in over 20 languages and they are used globally in many ICU's.
Operational logistics
In the United States, up to 20 of hospital beds can be labelled as intensive-care beds; in the United Kingdom, intensive care usually will comprise only up to 2 of total beds. This high disparity is attributed to admission of patients in the UK only when considered the most severely ill.
Intensive care is an expensive healthcare service. A recent study conducted in the United States found that hospital stays involving ICU services were 2.5 times more costly than other hospital stays.
In the United Kingdom in 200304, the average cost of funding an intensive care unit was:
£838 per bed per day for a neonatal intensive care unit
£1,702 per bed per day for a pediatric intensive care unit
£1,328 per bed per day for an adult intensive care unit
Remote collaboration systems
Some hospitals have installed teleconferencing systems that allow doctors and nurses at a central facility either in the same building, at a central location serving several local hospitals, or in rural locations another more urban facility to collaborate with on-site staff and speak with patients a form of telemedicine. This is variously called an eICU, virtual ICU, or tele-ICU. Remote staff typically have access to vital signs from live monitoring systems, and telectronic health records so they may have access to a broader view of a patient's medical history. Often bedside and remote staff have met in person and may rotate responsibilities. Such systems are beneficial to intensive care units in order to ensure correct procedures are being followed for patients vulnerable to deterioration, to access vital signs remotely in order to keep patients that would have to be transferred to a larger facility if need be he/she may have demonstrated a significant decrease in stability.
See also
ICU quality and management tools
Intensive Care Foundation, a charity in Australia and New Zealand
Intensive Care Medicine journal
Open-source ventilator
References
Further reading
External links
Society of Critical Care Medicine
ICUsteps Intensive care patient support charity
Organisation for Critical Care Transportation
Category:Intensive care medicine
Category:Hospital departments | wikipedia |
One Piece 1. The Dreaming in the Story
Orange flames blazed as the forest burnt, the rush of heat that roiled off it swamping the night air along with the fire's roar. It bathed the ramshackle temples of the place of small gods in orange light, casting giant shadows over the young ones. The newest of the small gods shrank back in fear as their playground burnt, but the older ones knew enough not to worry, and one in particular stood far too close to the flames, watching them eagerly.
Slowly, the flames died and flickered out everywhere except right in front of the waiting god, and a god far larger than any of those gathered in front of the houses became tangible and stepped from the flames.
"Right, then," he said, waving an arm to put out the remaining embers, "which story do you kids want to hear today?"
The small gods rushed him, each shouting their suggestion as loud as they could while tackle-hugging what parts of the fire god they could reach. The god who had waited for him jumped above his siblings and threw stretched arms around his shoulders, yelling incoherently. The fire god stumbled under the combined weight of the small ones and set about peeling them off his legs and stomach.
"Hey, now!" He shook another couple of small gods off his right leg and gave them a mock-indignant glare. "If you're going to be like that, I think I'll pick the story myself!"
The rubber spirit whined, "Awww, Aaaaace…"
Ignoring him, the fire spirit grinned and said, "Okay, I've decided! I'll tell you about the Bright King and the end of everything."
The small gods all suddenly perked up. A new story was nothing to be sniffed at, and this Bright King was definitely nothing they'd ever heard about before. The fire god sat on the well-charred stump he always sat on, and the small ones gathered around his feet.
Ace, for that was the name he took among his brothers, took a deep breath and began to speak.
"_Look around you. Everything you see, the hills, the forest-"_ he pointed off into the distance, _"-the mortal world-"_ he pointed skyward, _"-the heavens-"_ he pointed downwards and lowered his voice, _"-even the underworld and the land of beasts, all that _is_ and exists must be destroyed. Not merely razed and defiled, _destroyed_. The lands, the seas, the skies, even the void, will be taken and made to not exist. It's a task that will take a hundred days and a hundred nights, and not a hundred of just anyone's days and nights; a hundred of the Bright King's days and nights._
_The Bright King is the great destroyer, the god or spirit or possibly even mortal – I doubt it, though – who will take everything and make it into nothing. He cannot be stopped, and he cannot be made of one who lacks his will. His iron will is what he has that shall give him the strength to travel the worlds and find his warriors, what shall give him the strength to stand up to Universe Man, who holds the universe on his great shoulders, what shall give him the strength to make nothing from everything._
_His time is coming._
_Nobody knows who he is yet. He could be me, or you, or any god or spirit, maybe even one who is not yet born. But when he finds who he is and comes for his throne, he will shout his name to the god lands and the heavens and the underworld, and he will bring the world to its knees._
_That's all that can be seen now."_
Silence, save for the soft whistle of the wind, reigned over the small gods and their world. Even the rowdiest little ones were quiet, comprehension failing in the face of the idea of sheer destruction and the possibility that the harbinger of it sat among them now.
Luffy the rubber god was first to break the silence.
"That," he said quietly, "is so cool."
Immediately, chatter broke out among the gods. Arguing amongst the ones who agreed and those who were terrified out of their minds was the first thing to happen, with crying from those most scared a close second. Ace took advantage of the confusion to stand up and compose himself.
"Okay, okay, okay," he said. "Time for you kids to sleep, okay?"
There was whining from the mob of small gods, of course, but not nearly as much as usual. "C'mon, go," muttered the fire god as he hustled the young ones towards their temples. Most went to bed without a fuss, and even the mechanical god of magnetism made much less of a bother than usual. Once every young one was tucked safely in bed, Ace returned to the embers of the forest to go home…
…but he sensed a small presence behind him, and he turned to face the god who had followed him. It was Luffy, standing there in his sleep shirt, small fists clenched in determination. He took a deep breath and said, "Ace."
Ace cocked his head to one side. "Yeah, Luffy?"
Luffy declared with a slight tremble in his voice, "I'm gonna be the Bright King, Ace."
Ace looked him up and down, then kneeled and pulled the small god into a tight hug. Pulling the strings from his boots and weaving them into a band, with some of the shiny stones that littered the ground in the place of the small gods, he said quietly, "Okay."
He tied the band around Luffy's head, with the brightest of the nine stones resting in the center of his forehead. "There. Every king needs a crown, and now you have one."
Ace let go of his brother, patted him on the head and said, "Come tell me when you're king, okay?"
Luffy puffed up his chest and nodded stoically. Ace tilted his hat in recognition, burst into flame and disappeared from the place of small gods.
Small hands clasped firmly to his loose 'crown', Luffy lay down in the grass, dug a few stones that stuck into his back out of the dirt, and went to sleep.
And when the morning sun's rays shone into the shoddy temples, the small gods gathered around Luffy in awe because, as he slept, the small god had stopped being small and become a proper god.
* * *
Prologue, yay! ;) So, uh… yeah. Every ending needs a beginning, don'tcha know. Spot the cameo.
Oh, and just so you know, I'm trying to make this story as short as possible, 'coz frankly, I hate it when I find an awesome story but it's so fucking long that I completely lose interest by the third chapter. I don't want to slog through twenty damn pages of setup and setup alone.
2. The Warrior in the Graveyard
As the morning sun passed and gave way to bright noon, Luffy dragged the only non-leaky boat in the place of the small gods down to the beach. A few of the small gods, who now mostly only reached his knees, followed him as he pulled along his new ship, which was happily large enough for him to inhabit comfortably. The small gods peppered him with questions as he went:
"Where are you going?"
"What's that thing on your head?"
"How come you know you're gonna be the Bright King?"
Luffy chuckled happily and answered, "I'm going to sail around all the lands to find my Bright Warriors! They're pretty important for the end, you know. This-" he pointed to the band with stones that now encircled his head perfectly without drooping or falling, "-is my crown, 'coz every king needs a crown, and I know I'm gonna be the Bright King 'coz I just do! You know?"
"Uh-huh!"
They reached the beach and Luffy gently pushed the caravel into the water before springing on board with his things. "Bye, guys!" he called, waving to the small gods on the beach, before grabbing the oars and rowing for the horizon.
* * *
The day passed, as it does, and eventually Luffy spotted land in the distance as the sun set. He redoubled his efforts, and he made landfall just before darkness fell. Never one for sitting around, Luffy jumped ashore and began to explore this strange new land.
It was a lot greener than the place of small gods, with grass growing long and a great many trees scattered around. Someone had cut a path through the trees not too long ago, and Luffy followed it to a small town. Small in human terms, anyway; it was still far bigger than the gathering of dwellings in the place of small gods, and Luffy found himself staring in awe of the buildings that lined the streets.
It was far quieter than the place of small gods, though. There wasn't a single person in the street or on the steps of the houses, and there weren't any lights shining through the windows either. Actually, a lot of the houses had their windows smashed, and more than one was a bit lacking in front doors…
It was altogether rather creepy, and Luffy raced through the empty streets in search of people, but his search was in vain. He didn't see or hear a single soul, and he became more frantic with every house passed and every corner rounded, and before long his thoughts turned from finding people to getting out of this place as soon as he could.
At long last he burst from the claustrophobic streets and into the town's graveyard. It was still silent, but Luffy could handle that; graveyards were meant to be quiet. Not towns.
He surveyed the graves quietly, and frowned. Now he was looking, a great deal of the graves seemed pretty fresh…
"Come to gloat, you fucking bastard?"
The words cracked the night air like a whip, filled with hatred and despair. Luffy turned, and had to duck very quickly to avoid getting his head sliced off. "Agh!" he yelled and bounded out of the swordsman's reach, and stretched and punched, hitting the man on the chin with enough force to knock him off his feet. He felt a stinging in his fingers, and to his surprise found that the backs of his fingers were lined with a shallow cut. The swordsman turned out to have three swords, and he removed the white-hilted one from his mouth to spit blood onto the ground.
"Since when do you motherfucking fish monsters stretch? You make a deal with the devil or something?"
"What?" Luffy asked in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a rubber god, not a fish god."
The swordsman picked up a lantern from the cemetery fence and shone the light on Luffy. He looked him over and raised a green eyebrow. "I don't know about god, but I suppose that would explain the size and stretching. Sorry I mistook you for one of those fish guys. They like to gloat."
Adjusting his crown, Luffy said, "It's okay, you can't kill me anyway. You talking about fish-men? Aren't they supposed to stay in the land of beasts?" He remembered his manners and added, "Oh yeah, my name's Luffy."
The swordsman took a deep breath and said, "Okay, Luffy. I'm Roronoa Zoro. I don't know about any beast lands or anything, I'm no scholar, I just know that these fishy fuckers came here maybe a week, two weeks ago while I was out hunting. I was too late. Everyone was dead when I got back. Except Kuina." He took another deep breath and brushed a few tears from his cheeks. "She gave me her sword, and she told me to live. So that's what I've been doing."
Luffy was speechless. "Oh," was all he could say.
"It's not enough, though," admitted Zoro. "I… need revenge. I don't think I can live with myself as long as they're alive. I'm not strong enough to kill them yet, all I can do is defend myself and live. It's just not enough."
He sat on the grass in front of one of the graves. "And now you know. You better go back to your village before they show up again."
"Hey, no way!" Luffy scrambled over to him and knelt down. "I'll help you kill them, I mean, I'm strong, I can definitely take them-"
Zoro held up a hand and cut him off. He took a pull of something from a flask on his belt and said, "This is my battle, Luffy. If I don't do it myself, I might as well not do it at all."
Silence.
After a bit of thought, Luffy said, "Will you at least let me draw out your inner strength, so you _can_ do it yourself? It's not really cheating, right?"
Zoro gave him a sidelong glance. "You can do that?"
Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, 'course!"
"Okay, then."
The swordsman turned to face Luffy, who put both hands on his shoulders and concentrated hard. Eyes closed, he started to chant softly in a language Zoro didn't know- _"Auoba tika uala, auoba tika uoh," _-and as he chanted those strange words, Zoro felt a huge power welling up inside him. His swords responded too, shaking in their sheaths, and his heart started to beat faster as the feeling of being undeniably, irrevocably _strong_ flowed through every inch of his body. He felt it from his fingertips to the soles of his feet, and as Luffy finished his chant with a shout of _"Uoh!"_, Zoro felt as though he and his swords were one single entity with strength enough to shatter the land itself.
Luffy blew a few strands of his black hair out of his eyes and asked, "Ready?"
Zoro took the black bandanna he wore in mourning from his upper arm, tied it on over his head and said, "_Yes_."
The rubber god grinned and pointed back into town. "That way."
He didn't need to be told twice. He turned and ran into town, a demonic roar of vengeance bursting from his throat as he went.
* * *
The swordsman gone, Luffy ambled out of the cemetery, climbed up the wall of someone's house and onto their roof. He bounded from rooftop to rooftop until he reached the roof of the church and looked down along the main street, waiting for Zoro to find the fish-men.
It took a while longer than Luffy had expected, but eventually Zoro rounded a corner into the main street, just a few blocks down from the fountain, where the fish-men were. They saw him, and all grinned savagely.
"Hey, pussy! Not had enough of a beating yet?" yelled one with gray skin.
He barely had enough time to laugh at his own joke before Zoro sliced him in half.
The remaining three went for their weapons. The next closest to Zoro wasn't fast enough to draw his before Zoro swiveled and cut three deep slashes into him, his enraged howl almost drowning out the fallen fish-man's cry of pain as he fell to his knees. He turned and slashed at the biggest, but the octopus fish-man blocked Zoro's three swords with his own six before slashing wildly, desperately at Zoro. The swordsman ducked, weaved and blocked the octopus fish-man's strikes, found an opening and struck, thrusting one of his swords deep into his stomach and slashing another against his chest. He was dead before he hit the ground.
The last, a shark man, bared his teeth and hissed like a wild animal. He rushed Zoro mindlessly, eyes glinting madly as he slammed the swordsman to the ground with his shoulder. He didn't allow him to rise, straddling him and punching him repeatedly in the face, not even registering the pain in his right hand when it struck the edge of the sword that Zoro held between his teeth. Summoning up his newfound strength, Zoro raised his arms and thrust both swords straight through the shark man's body, striking for his vitals.
The shark man was so far gone that he struck Zoro three more times before he realized he was dying. Even then, the berserk rage that gripped him still drove him to bite at Zoro's shoulder as his life slipped away, and he died with his teeth buried deep in the muscle of it.
Zoro gritted his teeth, seized each jaw and forced them apart. That done, he shoved the shark man's corpse off of him, pulled his swords out of him and set about cleaning them, before tending to his wounds. Luffy jumped down from the church and walked over to him as he did this, sitting next to him on the dusty street. Zoro finished cleaning out his shoulder wound with water from the fountain, then got up, went into someone's house and came out a few minutes later with his shoulder bandaged somewhat sloppily. Luffy waited patiently as he returned, all three swords sheathed.
After a while, Zoro looked at Luffy and said, "Is there a reason why you're hanging around?"
Luffy nodded. "Yep! You know about the Bright King and the end of everything, right?"
He got an exasperated look for that. "Who doesn't?"
Shrugging, Luffy replied, "I don't know. Anyway, I'm gonna be the Bright King, and I'm sailing around looking for my warriors who'll help me with the end. Say, you wanna join me?"
Zoro considered for a moment. There was no point to staying in town anymore, and he was in need of something to do…
"Okay."
* * *
And he said, "Come be my warrior!"
And I said, "Okay."
AND WE PLAYED THE FIRST SONG THAT CAME TO OUR HEADS AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE
IT WAS THE SONG THAT WOULD END THE WORLD
IT WAS THE SONG THAT WOULD END THE WORLD~~
(shot for totally stupid and unnecessary Tenacious D reference)
Yeah, sorry about that. By the way, other than Zoro just now, I'm going to have the Bright Warriors (coughStrawHatscough) come together out of order, coz in order is all fine and good, but everyone does it so much that it makes stories that do it that much more boring and predictable. "Yay, Zoro's joined, I wonder who- ohwait look there's Nami, cool beans, and Usopp, awesome, and… oh Sanji next, what a frickin' surprise. Not." That's not something I want happening here. I like a bit of unpredictability in my fiction.
And yes, I know the Fish-Men were in Nami's character arc, but I'm giving them to Zoro in the interests of brevity. If it makes you feel any better, Nami gets my second favourite bad guy in her chapter…
Not really happy with Arlong vs. Zoro, but I figured if Zoro had trouble against Arlong, he'd probably be completely boned against the next enemy. I mean, this is all happening pretty quick, and Arlong has nothing on the Grand Line baddies (except Wapol, but he's a wanker so who cares?).
Well, till next time.
3. The Cook in the Void
A week and a half after leaving Zoro's town, the ship sailed through the waves, all sails raised. Luffy was at the wheel; he may not have been terribly good at navigation, but it had become apparent that Zoro was even worse when he'd sailed them away from his town, in a neat circle and straight back to where they'd departed.
They'd visited more islands of the mortal world since they'd banded together, but all they'd seen was war, disease and worse. It wouldn't have been so bad if they'd at least found another person worthy of being a Bright Warrior, as Luffy called them. Sadly, they had had no luck, and so they sailed further afield.
Zoro, who was sitting on the deck, sighed with boredom. They hadn't spotted land for four days, and their food supplies were starting to run low. Luffy had asked if they might be nearing the edge of the mortal world, but Zoro had told him that was stupid, the mortal world wasn't that small. In any case, he'd been steering them in the nights, so they ought to be safe.
Zoro picked up his bottle of grog and was about to take a deep swig when he heard Luffy yell, "Holy shit!"
He frowned, got up and ran to his king. He called out "What is…" but trailed off, because not more than ten metres in front of the ship was the edge of the mortal world. It wasn't a waterfall, like the legends said; it was more just… an edge, where the sea just stopped. There was nothing beyond it, just empty darkness, as if someone had meant to put something there but forgotten. There was something about the empty void that struck fear into his heart more than anything he had ever seen before. Panic rising in him, he yelled, "Turn, damn it, turn!"
"Way ahead of you!" yelled Luffy, and Zoro noticed that the ship, was, indeed, turning. He felt a little better, until he noticed that the other end of the ship was about to go over the edge between sea and void. Heart beating double time, he stared at the inexorable turn of the ship, sure that it would tip and fall into the void, passengers and all…
…the back of the ship went into the void…
…and nothing happened.
Still afraid, but also rather bewildered, he said to Luffy, "Do you have any idea of what that is?"
Luffy nodded, his tongue stuck out with the concentration of turning the ship. "Yeah, it's the void. It just goes on forever. You can go in it, but you won't fall. It's just like walking on ground or swimming in water, only not, because you don't get wet. It's where the sun goes at night, see?" He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder.
Zoro looked, and indeed the sun was right over the line between sea and void. He breathed in, then out, to calm himself and said coolly, "Creepy, huh."
"Kinda, yeah."
He heard a noise from the direction of the void, and froze. He slowly turned back to the void, thankful for his lack of imagination, and saw a man, swimming through the darkness of the void. "Oh, shit," he muttered, wondering what to do.
Luffy wandered over to him, asking, "Whatcha looking at?"
Zoro pointed, and Luffy made a surprised noise. "Huh! That's weird. Is he coming towards us? Yeah, he is."
As the swimmer got closer, Zoro heard him shouting, "Hey! Help!" The surface of the void was rippling, like water might, but it wasn't splashing or moving other than that. The swimmer crossed the line between void and sea, and kept going until he was nearly up against the side of the ship. Luffy went off to the other side of the deck, and returned with a rope, one end of which he threw down to the man. Zoro didn't want this man coming aboard, for some reason he couldn't explain, but at the same time he thought Luffy shouldn't do all the work, so he helped Luffy haul the blonde stranger up onto the deck.
Once on board, he flopped exhaustedly onto his back. Luffy went back to the wheel, to make sure they didn't accidentally end up in the void, and Zoro sat beside the drenched stranger, glaring suspiciously at him. After a few minutes, he got bored, so he jabbed the stranger in the side with his sword hilt. "All right, who are you and what happened to you?"
The stranger glared back at him and said, "I'm Sanji. I _was_ in the heavens, but Eneru the lightning god kicked me into the void, okay?"
"Why'd he do that?" called Luffy from the wheel.
"He went crazy and started killing everyone, and he took the wind singer and made her marry him. I tried to rescue her, but…"
"So you're a god then? Cool, me too," said Luffy, "which god are you?"
"Well… I'm not," admitted Sanji, "I'm human, but the wind singer let me go to heaven so I could cook for her."
"Oh, you're a cook?" asked Luffy, suddenly sounding a lot happier. "Good! You want to travel with me and Zoro?"
Zoro snapped, "Hell no he doesn't!"
Sanji gave him a dirty look and said, "I'm not fussed on this guy, but if you rescue the wind singer, yeah, I'll be your cook."
"Yeah, well, we have better things to do with our time," said Zoro, at the same time as Luffy said cheerfully, "Hey, sure!"
Zoro looked at him incredulously as he turned around. "Well, c'mon, I can't cook, and you'd rather train, right?" asked Luffy.
The swordsman slumped. "If he tries anything, I'll kick him off this boat myself," he growled, slamming the door as he retreated below decks.
* * *
That evening, when they were safely moored some distance away from the edge of the sea and Sanji had made dinner, Zoro made his way up to the deck to train. As he did his stretches, warming up, Luffy walked up to him and sat down a short distance away. Zoro kept stretching, but focused some of his attention on Luffy anyway, in case he had something important to say.
Idly picking his nose, Luffy nodded to the plate of food the cook had given to Zoro and asked, "You gonna eat that?"
Zoro grunted. "Hell no."
"Okay then."
The swordsman finished stretching and moved on to practice slashes as the would-be king devoured his food in near silence. After perhaps ten minutes, Luffy speared a sausage with his fork, waved it at Zoro and said, "Hey, we're going to the heavens tomorrow."
Zoro took his third sword out of his mouth so he could speak. "Like that shitty cook wants, you mean."
Luffy shrugged. "I guess, yeah, but I was more thinking about dealing to Eneru. And maybe getting the wind singer on our side, 'coz she's wicked powerful, but yeah."
"There you go again, talking about stuff I know nothing about," growled Zoro. "You ever think about giving me an explanation?"
"Mfghgyre-" Luffy swallowed and continued, "I thought you already knew this stuff, but I guess not. Eneru's the lightning god, you know? You probably know him, he's got a lot of names."
The swordsman nodded. "Yeah, Raiden. Go on?"
"Well, my brother Ace reckons he wants to be the Bright King himself, so I'm gonna have to beat him up, you know?"
"Yeah, I get that," replied Zoro. "What about this wind singer then?"
"Aha!" cried Sanji, sauntering through the open door, "the lovely wind singer! She is cunning, amazingly beautiful-" he smirked at Zoro- "far more intelligent than _you_, and best of all she has the power to manipulate all the winds of the world! She does it oh so wonderfully too, the way her hair flutters in her breezes, how the winds blow her skirts up-"
Luffy, perhaps recognizing something of the reverence he himself reserved for food in Sanji's voice, eagerly asked, "Does she taste good?"
The cook fell to the deck with a faint thud.
Zoro prodded his prone form with the hilt of his sword and grinned. "I don't know about this wind singer, but maybe we could boil this guy into a soup and see how he tastes…"
Luffy frowned and said sternly, "Hey, he's gonna be one of my Bright Warriors too."
Zoro sighed. "True. And I suppose we don't know where he's been."
The rubber god picked up Sanji's left leg and began dragging him below decks. As he went, he called out to Zoro, "Hey, I told you we're going to the heavens tomorrow, right?"
Zoro just grunted and went back to practicing his katas.
* * *
Whee, Sanji~
I like writing for Sanji, he's a lot more fun than Zoro. Luffy is okay to write, I guess, but there always has to be someone else to bounce his sheer ditziness off, and I'm afraid Zoro's not very bouncy…
Couldn't not have Sanji fawning over Nami's hotness. Luffy's line about how she tastes comes courtesy of Kem, but everything else is all mine. She wanted me to have Sanji get a nosebleed, but, like, really, this is a serious story darnit. And quite aside from anything else, putting visual metaphors into writing just doesn't work. Every time I read about someone getting a nosebleed in fanfics, I don't lol, I wince. And making your readers wince instead of laugh is probably not something anyone wants.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Why can't a nucleophile attack the intermediate of an electrophilic aromatic substitution?
During an electrophilic aromatic substitution, the aromatic pi cloud interacts with an electrophile to form an arenium ion (AKA sigma-complex). The following image (from my organic chemistry class) suggests that aromaticity is always restored and that a nucleophile can't interact with the resonanced carbocation of the arenium ion.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zKKOa.jpg)
If I were to replace the base in the above image with a nucleophile that is an extremely poor base (such as iodine), could the nonaromatic cyclodiene be formed?
Or would the reaction just halt instead?
Follow up question: If electrophilic aromatic subsitution doesn't work, how would one go about making the cyclodiene (with Nu and E substituents) from an arene? Is it possible?
The intermediate is non-aromatic arenium cation which is stabilized by resonance. Deprotonation of sigma complex is a fast process as it leads to much thermodynamically stable i.e., aromatic ring. Aromatization or deprotonation step is fast as Kinetic Isotopic effect is not observed. Hence even a weak base will extract the proton from the substituted site which is sp3 hybridized.
As for another nucleophile to attack the $\sigma$ complex, the positive charge is delocalized and deprotonation step is much faster. I think that it would be easier for the base to extract proton than to attack the Delocalized positive charge. The proton already has a $\delta$+ charge due to Hyperconjugation effect. I think that even if the base if a strong acid, it can dissociate to give H+ but the non-aromatic intermediate will not remain the solution as it is.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Teen Titans Second kiss (bbxrae week 2015)
"Raven…" Beastboy sang as he whistled down the corridor. Ravens breath hitched as she heard him close in on her. Her breathing became heavy and her insides bubbled with excitement. She knew she could just teleport away but where was the fun in that? Where was the fun in losing the game?
Raven and Beastboy were alone in the tower for two hours already and still had plenty of time before the others came back. The game was only beginning.
Their game didn't have a name or any rules. It was only just beginning.
"Raven, I can smell your scent. You can't hide from me." Beastboy's tone was stern but husky making Raven's heart leap to her throat.
She turned around and found his emerald green eyes pierce into her. He was so close that she could smell his musky forest scent surround her. They were inches apart and Raven could see him fighting off the animal which was trying to surge forth. His hand weaved around her waist pressing his body against her.
"Gar…"she whispered.
His free hand caressed her cheek as his fang pressed over his lip. Leaning close he could taste the faint tea that still lingered on her breath as his lips tickled hers. He was teasing her and it was all adding to the game. She smirked as an idea unravelled in her mind. She ran her tongue on his bottom lip and slowly removed his hands off her. It was time for her own teasing.
Raven began to turn around but was stopped as he pulled her even closer. A shiver ran down her spine as Beastboy began to plant soft wet kisses along her jaw. He hummed deeply from the back of his throat. His eyes met her amethyst ones. Leaning down he stopped and whispered against her lips.
"Time for your second dose"
Their lips instantly merged together as they kissed with an eagerness that could only be drowned by each other. Ravens hands instinctively wrapped around his neck bringing him closer while Beastboy's hands ran down her curves. He reluctantly pulled away from the warmth of her lips and began to trail kisses down her neck to her collarbone. She grabbed at his hair and decided to play the game a bit longer. Pushing him away roughly, she laughed at his confused and shocked expression before turning around and running down the hall.
"Come get me for your third" she shouted and disappeared behind the corridors walls.
"Game on." He smirked.
End file.
| fanfiction |
a systemic skeletal disease is characterized by low bone mass and micro - architectural deterioration with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture .
asia has the highest increment in the elderly population ; therefore , osteoporotic fracture should be a noticeable health issue .
the incidence rate of hip fractures in asia could rise to 45% by the year 2050 .
complementary and alternative medicine ( cam ) is a group of various medical and health care systems , practices , and products that are not presently considered as part of formal medicine .
cams have been described as diagnosis , treatment , and/or prevention which complements mainstream medicine as a holistic , subjective and various natural approaches to medical problems by contributing to a common whole , satisfying claims not met by orthodoxy , or diversifying the conceptual frameworks of medicine .
peer - reviewed publications were identified through a search in scopus , science direct , cochrane , pubmed , and google scholar using keywords osteopenia , osteoporosis , menopause , cam , phytoestrogens , phytotherapy and herbal medicine .
the search was completed in july 2015 and was limited to articles published in english .
we categorized our results in different classifications including : lifestyle modifications ( cigarette , alcohol , exercise and food regimen ) , supportive cares ( intake supplements including vitamin d , c and k ) , treatments synthetic ( routine and newer options for hormone replacement and none hormonal therapies ) and natural options ( different types of cam including herbal medicines , yoga and chiropractic ) .
established osteoporosis is difficult to treat because bone density has fallen below the fracture threshold and trabecular elements may have been lost .
antiresorptive agents can be used to prevent further bone loss and stimulation of new bone formation by the use of anabolic steroids or fluoride may increase the overall amount of bone . | pubmed |
Naruto, Negima! Magister Negi Magi/魔法先生ネギま！ 1. The Smallest of Mistakes
A/N
Hey. It's me TKK. I hope you enjoy my first fanfiction ever. This is inspired by the anime Mahou Sensei Negima. I decided that these abilities would mesh nicely with the ninja world of Naruto and who better to give those abilities to than Naruto. That is about all I have to say except for the disclaimer.
I do not own Naruto or any other Anime for that matter. I really wish that I did. I really do.
"Hello World" Speaking
"_Hello World" Thinking, flashbacks, reading, spells and jutsu_
"**Hello World" Demonic Speaking**
"_**Hello World" Demonic Thinking**_
Chapter 1
The Smallest of Mistakes
It truly is amazing how the smallest of changes can alter everything in the end. It's amazing how the tiniest of slipups can either come back to bite you or be a blessing in disguise. When you think about it, a lot of life really comes down to luck. Every step you take could be the one where you trip over your own feet and the guy behind you either steps on you neck and kills you or perhaps the person of your dreams will end up on top of you and looking into your eyes. Luck, Destiny, and Fate are all really what you make of them but always remember that you have free will. But sometimes, it feels like something is tweaking events in a certain way to get you to do certain things. This is one of those times, where something as simple as opening a scroll upside-down can alter everything. What will Naruto do when he finds out whom his parents were and that he has a bloodline that was thought to be lost to the world?
We currently find our favorite blond hero lying in a patch of grass with the Scroll of Seals to his side. How a mere academy student, not even a genin, managed to break into the Hokage's personal vault, steal a scroll with enormous value to all of their enemies, and get out without getting caught by the 20 odd chunin, 9 jonin, and 3 or 4 ANBU that were on duty, no will ever be able to explain. The closest that anyone will every get to figuring out how this massive breach of security happened is the saying, "Pure dumb luck." But hey, people have always said that Naruto had the devil's own luck, perhaps it is some sort of retribution for his crappy lot in life, or the good karma he builds up just by not going demonic on the villagers. Kami-sama knows that the boy has every right to hate the villagers, but one can't completely blame them. It is, after all, one of the natural flaws with humanity that it fears what it does not understand and fear easily turns to hatred.
But we are getting off point. The important fact here is that Naruto is about to open the Scroll of Seals to try to learn the jutsu that will not only allow him to graduate from the academy but will also become one of his signature techniques in the future. The only problem is that somewhere during the commotion of stealing a highly classified document, sneaking past countless ninja that were guarding the scroll, and getting to the patch of forest that he was told to go to, he had managed to flip the scroll upside-down.
Naruto, sitting up from his resting position, grabs hold of the scroll and does what comes naturally from opening and closing many scrolls of varying sizes. He opened the scroll only to find that the kanji for the technique he was to learn was written strangely. Instead of opening the scroll and seeing a load of techniques, what he first saw was unintelligible and foreign kanji that he had never read before, seconds later, he realized that he was holding the scroll upside-down. Blushing a little in embarrassment from the rather elementary mistake and happy that no one was there to see him do something so completely characteristic of the dead-last that he was categorized as, he promptly flipped the scroll to read the true beginning. However, he was met with the first of a long string of surprises of that night when a letter fell out that was actually addressed to one Uzumaki Naruto. Somewhere between flabbergasted and completely confused, perhaps flabber-fused or con-gasted (?), he wondered why there was a letter addressed to him in the Forbidden Scroll. Then he had a realization, this was the _Forbidden _Scroll and if he hadn't found this letter now, he probably would have never found it. Letting curiosity get the better of him, he began to read the letter and found the second surprise of this night.
_Dear Naruto,_
_Hello, if you are reading this letter than it means that I am dead. I hope that you have been able to live a good life, but if I know people half as well as I think I do, then the likelihood of that is very low. In that case I am sorry for your life up until now and know that I deeply regret that I am leaving you alone. First and foremost, you need to know that I am your mother. _
Naruto abruptly stopped reading. He reread this part several times before feeling all hope of meeting his long lost mother die. However, as one dream died another dream had come true in that he had finally found out who his parents were. It also came with the reassuring knowledge that his parents didn't abandon him.
_My name is Uzumaki Kushina and I am the last of our clan except for you. As the last of the Uzumaki clan it falls upon your soldiers to bring our clan back to greatness and to show the world what the Uzumaki are made of._
Now that came as a shock. There was one part of him that was sad that his entire family was gone yet another was gleeful that he knew who they were at all and that he even came from a clan, a powerful and respectable clan at that.
_Also, never doubt that I love you with all of my heart and always will. I can't tell you what your father's name is because his enemies will try to hunt you down, but know that he loves you too and always will. You will always be our son and we hope to see you one day far away._
Naruto was now doing his best to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. For the first time ever, someone had said that they loved him, that they cared about him, and he now knew, for the first time, that his parents didn't hate him like the people at the orphanage had told him countless times, but that they loved him. It's amazing, how much a single instance of acceptance means to someone who has never had any, even if it is from their dead parents. Naruto blinked away unshed tears and wiped the one that had managed to escape and continued reading.
_Now sochi-kun (son) _Naruto's heart felt like it wanted to fly and break at the same time after reading that. _I don't have much time before I have to leave so I will tell you about our bloodline._
Naruto had to stop reading again at this. Not only did he have parents that loved him, not only did he come from a reputable clan, but he also had a bloodline! This was starting to become overwhelming. The identity of his parents, or at least one, the knowledge that they loved him, and the fact that he has a clan with a bloodline were all revealed to him. Almost all of the major mysteries of his life were being answered by one letter that he would have never gotten if not for his fluke. The only answer the eluded him now was the reason that the entire village hated him. However he had long resigned himself to never learning the truth behind their hatred after being refused an answer every time he asked someone. Getting back on track, he kept reading.
_Our bloodline, while sounding very simple, allows us to naturally use a set of abilities that are completely unique to our clan and to be able to unlock this ability in other people using a specific ritual. Our ability is to be able to split our chakra back into the base components, mana (the mental energy) and ki (the physical energy), and wield them to do things no other ninja could do. Mana is used to launch spells of varying power and elements while ki is used to amplify and project physical attacks. Learning to do either of these takes hard work and study to master._
_In order to learn our art, below you will find two blood seals. The first is a scroll of three beginner spells that you will find useful and how to cast spells in general. The second scroll is our summoning contract with the Ermines. Let me warn you now, do not call them ferrets, many an Uzumaki has made that mistake and it never ends well. After you unseal the contract, sign your name with blood and put a hand print under it. Make these seals and put some blood and chakra into the technique: Boar, Dog, Monkey, Bird, and Sheep. Because you are my son and current heir of the Uzumaki, your first summon will be the head tutor and your future familiar, Albert Chamomile, regardless of the amount of chakra you use. Along with being the head tutor for the Uzumaki clan, he is also the leading authority for pactio and other mana powered seals. He will be your teacher in the ways of our clan._
_Naruto, my son, my time is drawing to an end, I prey for your happiness and that you get the life that you deserve. Just remember that I love you with all of my heart and so does your father._
_Lovingly yours,_
_Uzumaki Kushina _
Naruto wiped the tears that had long fallen. He broke a promise that he had made long ago and sat down and cried. The relief that there was someone who loved him even if he couldn't meet them, the sadness of knowing that he would never meet his family, the rage at knowing that he might have never found this letter, all of these emotions and more swirled around in a maelstrom of conflicting feelings. Naruto stood up while wiping his tear streaked cheeks. He looked at the scroll with a new determination and followed the instructions from his mother's letter.
He easily drew blood by pricking his thumb on his unusually sharp canines then smeared the blood across the seal for the ermine contract and repeated the process to sign the contract itself. He looked at the scroll again to memorize the five hand seals and went through them before slamming his hands into the ground. A complex seal array sprouted from his hand and covered the ground before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Sitting there in the middle of the dissipating smoke was a creature that, if he hadn't been prepared, he would have immediately called a white ferret. The entire creature was snow white except for the patch of black on the end of its tail. Its beady black eyes just somehow screamed mischief while its two whiskers and tiny arms and legs made it look more like a plush toy than a powerful and intelligent summon. From its size, it didn't look like it could overpower a common house cat.
Then it spoke. It spoke in a voice that one could only expect would come out of a creature of its size. "Hey there aniki, (big brother) my name it Albert Chamomile but you can call be Chamo," he said while pulling a cigarette out of seemingly nowhere. A better question than where did the cigarette came from was how the hell was he holding it considering his complete lack of fingers.
Writing off the details as an ermine thing, Naruto responded, "Oh, hi. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you."
The small creature did an ermine version of a smile before dashing up Naruto's clothes and taking a seat on his shoulder. "Aniki, I get the feeling that we are going to get along very well," he said with that same ermine smile. Then he noticed the rather large scroll that was lying across Naruto's lap. "Hey Aniki, what is that big scroll?"
Naruto pondered what he meant before remembering that he had the Forbidden Scroll of Seals across his lap and that he was supposed to learn a jutsu from it. Naruto let out a nervous chuckle while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh, um, I kinda forgot about that. Hehehe."
Chamo fought off the urge to face plant right off his shoulder, "Well then, what is it and why do you have it?" This led to Naruto explaining the whole situation with school, graduating, Mizuki telling him about the "hidden exam" and leading right up until he summoned Chamo after reading the letter. Now Chamo, being a devious little bastard himself, instantly saw the foul play from Mizuki but decided to not tell Naruto for one simple reason. How often does a not-even-genin kid get a chance to look in the _Forbidden _Scroll of Seals? Why pass up a wonderful opportunity for a powerful technique?
Following Chamo's prompting, Naruto began to read the scroll and saw the very first jutsu on it was called _kage bushin no jutsu. _Naruto began learning the technique with the help of his tutor and familiar, Chamo. While Chamo was watching Naruto learn the technique he learned a few things about his new charge. One was that, just like every other Uzumaki out there, Naruto had ridiculous amounts of Chakra which was good because only half of it would be usable for spells and the other half physical techniques. Unfortunately, this also resulted in his chakra control being absolutely abysmal. Chamo knew that if Naruto was going to have even half-way decent chakra control anytime soon, he was going to need a staff. And not just any staff, he would need the most powerful staff in the Uzumaki clan. This was the same staff that was the weapon of the Thousand Master, the founder of the Uzumaki clan. This was the same staff that would be passed down from clan head to clan heir to help them master their special abilities. This was the same staff that was Naruto's birthright and future weapon. This was the same staff that Chamo had no idea where it was located, but that was a simple matter to correct. After seeing Naruto finally create a clone, Chamo decided that now was as good a time as any for his Aniki to summon his future staff.
"Hey, Aniki," he called, "I'm going to teach you your first spell in the Uzumaki style. It is invaluable to any Uzumaki incase they are disarmed during combat." Naruto was a sucker for any new technique to get stronger, and agreed wholeheartedly to learn this new spell. "Good Aniki. Alright, this is one of the few Uzumaki techniques that can be used without a wand or something else to focus your power and one of the simplest spells that exist. It is also one of very few spells that can be done with chakra because of how simple it is. Just repeat after me and imagine reaching out and calling something towards you. Say the words _Mea Virga_."
Naruto nodded and concentrated on his energy. He followed his familiar's instructions and said the spell.
_Mea Virga_ (My Staff)
Naruto felt a piece of his mind leave his body and travel to an unknown location. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel, but he knew where he was and he knew what was around him. He was deep within the walls of some kind of house or compound. He felt himself being guided through the dark, dank maze of the compound as he neared an exit. He found himself in open air and flew strait for Naruto's current position. The staff made its way to Naruto as he was still controlling it. The staff's sense of observation was focused on Naruto as Naruto watched his staff. It's surreal to observe oneself with a sense that they have never experienced before. It's like a blind man seeing his own reflection for the first time.
Naruto shook his head to free himself from the train of thought and grabbed the staff. It was a long wooden stick that was a little less than twice Naruto's height. It was wrapped in what looked like white bandages until the end. The end deviated from the strait line of the rest into what could only be described as the love child between a question mark and a lightning bolt. It was also at this curious ending that the bandages covering the rest of the staff separated into three separate pieces that shot out as if blown by a nonexistent wind.
"Aniki, with this staff you'll be able to access the full power of the Uzumaki bloodline, and it will help you focus your mana, ki, and chakra. Put it on your back and it will lock on automatically. Then try the _kage bushin no jutsu_ again." (Shadow clone technique)
Naruto nodded to show that he understood. He went through the hand seals for the technique and tried to summon as much chakra as when he got it to work the first time. Where the first time he barely got the clone to appear at all, this time it came far more easily and there were six more than last time. That meant that he wasted that much chakra and that his chakra control was that pathetic beforehand. No wonder he was never able to pull off a simple bushin no matter how hard he tried.
Chamo was thinking along a similar train of thought. _"Hmm, it looks like Aniki's control has gotten better like I thought it would. From what I saw before I would say that it is low genin level now. Not bad considering the chakra he would have wasted on a simple henge before could kill a normal genin." _"Aniki," Chamo shouted out loud to get Naruto attention, "Now that we have the staff, we should work on the Uzumaki techniques in the scroll that is still in the letter."
Naruto decided that Chamo hadn't led him wrong yet and quickly unsealed the last scroll. It was small scroll that was labeled, "Uzumaki Novice Scroll." Naruto laughed a little at how true that was before opening the scroll. There he found the three easiest elemental spells that existed, how they worked, and the appropriate way to channel his energy. However, before he started he realized something important. He had no idea how to control or use mana.
"Chamo, how to I actually use mana?" It was a simple question with a not-so-simple answer.
"Aniki, mana is the mental aspect of your chakra that is used to fuel your spells. For now, the only way for you to use it is to use a spell key that will allow you to split your chakra into mana and ki. The spell key that you will use will be the key that all Uzumaki use in the beginning. _Practe Bigi Nar. _After you use the spell key to access and channel your mana, you say the chant and name of the spell. The more complicated and powerful the spells, the longer the chants usually are while the beginner spells don't even need one. After you get to a certain level of skill, you can use a personalized spell key to use more mana and use larger more powerful spells but for now, the beginner key is plenty."
Once Naruto was done asking Chamo questions and felt that he understood what to do, he grabbed his staff from behind him and began chanting.
_Practe Bigi Nar Ardescat _(Practe Bigi Nar Burn)
To say that Naruto was disappointed with the result would be like saying that Orochimaru is only a little creepy. It's so understated that it's practically a lie. Naruto was expecting a stream of fire or a towering inferno. No. What he got was the equivalent of lighting a match. In fact, it would be far easier and more convenient to actually light a match. But he guessed if he ever needed a light, this spell would be useful one day. He moved on to the next one.
_Practe Bigi Nar Lux _(Practe Bigi Nar Light)
This one was slightly more impressive than the fire one. Instead of a small flame, Naruto got a medium sized orb of light that floated at the end of his staff. It also turned out that he could will the orb to move around him and make it go a couple of meters away. Naruto stopped channeling mana to the spell so he could try the last one when the small orb cracked then shattered violently. It released a blinding flash of light that stunned Naruto and Chamo. After recovering from being temporarily blinded, Naruto put that little bit of info away to use at a later date. The spell turned out to be an easy flashlight and, if needed, a flash grenade to blind enemies. He could definitely see use for that. Onto the next and final spell.
_Practe Bigi Nar Vente _(Practe Bigi Nar Breeze)
Now, from the other spells that Naruto had used, he was expecting a light breeze like the name says. He was expecting something that could maybe lift a few leaves from a tree. What he was not expecting was for a huge gale to exit his body in all direction, sending poor Chamo nearly flying through the woods and skipping along the grounds until he hit a tree. Mercifully, he was relatively unscathed if not a little dizzy. He was extremely lucky that he decided to lean the scroll against the shack he was training in front of or else his letters and the Scroll of Seals would have been blown away also. But then again, it was already stated that the boy had the devil's own luck. Ah, it seems that Chamo has made his way back into the clearing.
"Aniki, that was amazing. I have never seen a _Vente_ spell that powerful before. Your affinity for wind must be incredibly powerful," then it seemed the Chamo realized something because he made the most perverted look an ermine could possibly make, "Hey Aniki, I didn't tell you about the Uzumaki Curse did I."
Now Chamo had Naruto attention, "No you didn't. What's going to happen? I'm not going to die or grow extra limbs now am I?" he asked in a near panic.
"No Aniki, none of that will happen. The real curse on the Uzumaki is that every member has one element that they are strongest in and that element becomes their primary element. Well, that is a part of the curse; the curse is that the Uzumaki are infamous for having obscene amounts of chakra, mana, and ki. Not to mention the difficulty of trying to control three different types of energy at once. This basically means that chakra control has always been a major issue for the Uzumaki clan. To solve this problem, they came up with using staffs and wands like the one you're holding that help to regulate and control their various energies, because once an Uzumaki accesses their mana, their bodies have to regulate all three different energy sources. However, the only way that the body can keep all of these energies in check is for the body and mind to be calm and focused, but there are times when being calm simply is not possible. Some example are when one is sneezing or angry," said Chamo before he was interrupted by Naruto.
"So my clan had problems with control, but they fixed it with staffs like this one," said Naruto in confusion, "Why is this worthy of being called a curse?"
"I wasn't finished," stated Chamo before flicking Naruto with his tail for interrupting him, "When an Uzumaki loses control of their powers, random events happen. This leads to what has been affectionately coined as the Uzumaki Curse. There have been cases where powerful Uzumaki had powerful curses. One used to simple catch fire every time he went to sleep. His wife was a powerful ice specialist that would always freeze the entire room when she slept also. Everyone always knew when they did…certain activities…because they could flood an entire floor. There was once an Uzumaki that every time he burped a fireball flew out and others that could cause blackouts when they got upset," Chamo stopped speaking when he noticed that his Aniki wasn't listening anymore.
Chamo watched his face and eyes as emotions passed through. The most prominent emotions he could see were a wishful longing and sorrow to know his family. He saw the desire to get to know his family mix the new dream to create his own, he saw the sadness of knowing that he will never meet them contradict the happiness of at least knowing who they are, or were, for the first time. Then he saw the one emotion that overshadowed the rest, an adamant determination to make his parents proud and bring back his clan to its former glory. That same determination to make the world see him for who he is, Uzumaki Naruto, heir of the Uzumaki clan, holder of the Ermine contract, and future master of chakra, mana, and ki. It was at that moment that Chamo saw in Naruto the makings of the next Thousand Master.
It was to this scene that Iruka arrived and spotted Naruto in the clearing, him, staff in hand, looking like he had just found his purpose in life. This nearly caused Iruka to pause but there were matters that were much more important, namely the large valuable scroll that was leaning against the cabin. "Naruto, what the hell do you think you are doing stealing the Forbidden Scroll. Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"
Naruto just looked at him while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, "Hehehe, I guess you found me. I only got to learn one jutsu out of the scroll but my friend Chamo here helped me learn a lot of other stuff," he said as he held up the white ermine on the palm of his hand to show.
Iruka looked at the ermine skeptically but dismissed it as less important than the scroll, "Naruto, you've been here learning all of this time?" Upon getting a nod from the blond boy he asked another question, "Naruto, where did you get that scroll over there," he said indicating the Scroll of Seals.
Naruto gave a toothy smile to his sensei, "Oh this? Mizuki-sensei told me about this scroll and about this place too. He told me that if I showed you a skill from this scroll, I'd definitely graduate," Naruto said with that big toothy grin of his.
That was when Chamo's ears picked up the sound of air being sliced. "Aniki, dodge right NOW," he warned urgently. Something about his voice told Naruto to listen so he did as instructed and jumped the hell out of the way. Iruka, unfortunately, was so stunned by the fact that the ermine spoke that he didn't dodge the barrage of kunai that nailed him to the wall.
Mizuki appeared crouched on a nearby tree limb, "Naruto, give me the scroll," he commanded.
"No, don't give him the scroll even if you die," shouted Iruka, "That is a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsu sealed within it, and Mizuki used you in order to get his hands on it."
"Naruto, there's no point in you having it. I'll tell you the truth," Mizuki began which prompted Iruka to scream at him to not say whatever he was about to say but he continued anyway, "Naruto, you know about the demon fox being sealed twelve years ago right?" This was giving Naruto a very bad feeling and Chamo had an even worse one about where this was going. "Naruto, the truth is that you are the demon fox that killed Iruka's parents and nearly destroyed the village. You were sealed away by the very man you admire." Mizuki's voice then became quieter, like some sick corruption of calm logic, "Didn't you find it odd how everyone hated you?" A simple question that, any other time, could have easily been ignored. A simple question that was devastating for the young blond. His fingers clenched around his staff until the knuckles turned white as his anguish sent his chakra, mana, and ki haywire. His energy dragged the wind along for the ride creating his namesake. Naruto Uzumaki, a small boy in pain, was surrounded on all side by a maelstrom of gale force winds.
Chamo, having made the intelligent choice of hopping inside Naruto's shirt when Mizuki appeared, popped his head out of Naruto's collar. "Aniki, you have to calm down," he tried to tell Naruto but he was too far from the world. He was trapped in his memories, reliving his tragic past as pieces of the puzzle fit themselves together with frightening clarity. Chamo would have no choice but to hope he got through to him, "Naruto, you aren't the demon fox, you aren't the Kyuubi. Would a demon cry after reading that letter? Would a demon try to have friends? Would a demon be my Aniki? You are Uzumaki Naruto, the heir of the Uzumaki clan, sole wielder of the Mahou Uzumaki (Mystic Whirlpool) bloodline, and this village's future hokage." Just when Chamo was about to say something else, he noticed that the wall of wind around them was slowly dissipating.
Iruka and Mizuki watched the wall of wind in wonder. (A/N alliteration) They both could have sworn that they heard a voice from within the super-localized storm that was the Uzumaki, but it didn't sound like Naruto's voice and they couldn't make out what it was saying over the howling winds. Then the storm began to dissipate and both of them met a surprise when the wind and dirt finally settled. There was Naruto, holding that strange staff of his, pointed strait at Mizuki, and glowing in a bright white light. Then they heard it.
_Practe Bigi Nar Vente_
What came out of this made the gust from the first spell look like a summer breeze. Mizuki tried his best to stay attached to the tree, and in the end he succeeded in keeping his feet firmly attached to that tree. It was just too bad that the tree didn't do that good of a job keeping itself attached to the ground. Mizuki, that tree, and about half a dozen others were thrown through the air and launched away at very literal breakneck speeds. Mizuki, from what could only be described as pure unadulterated luck, managed not to be killed by the many tons of wood flying though the air along with him. However, he did not manage to avoid being pinned to the ground by the very tree he was standing on. Naruto let a small smile slip onto his face as he fell to one knee from the exhaustion of using almost all of the mana in that one attack. He heard Chamo yell his name as he crawled out of his jacket and watched over him and saw Iruka limp his way closer to him.
Iruka stopped in front of the blond boy and plopped himself down on his butt, partly out of exhaustion from getting stabbed so many times and partly so that he is at eye level with the kneeling boy. "Naruto, close your eye. There is something that I want to give you." Naruto looked skeptical seeing how Mizuki said he killed Iruka's parents not five minutes ago. However, with a little prodding from Chamo, he acquiesced to Iruka's request. When he opened his eyes though, he looked up to see that Iruka was no longer wearing his hitai-ate. He slowly reached up and touched the cool metal and traced the engraved symbol like it was a holy message in Braille. On his head was the symbol of one becoming a ninja and reaching adulthood in the village hidden in the leaves. Naruto did the only thing that he could think of; he tackled Iruka in the biggest hug he could give.
* * *
Omake (my first one, also an exhibition of Chamo's abilities)
Naruto gave a toothy smile to his sensei, "Oh this? Mizuki-sensei told me about this scroll and about this place too. He told me that if I showed you a skill from this scroll, I'd definitely graduate," Naruto said with that big toothy grin of his.
That was when Chamo's ears picked up the sound of air being sliced. Chamo suddenly jumped from Naruto's shoulder and cast a spell.
_Camo magi camo magister, Reflexio. _(Chamo's personal spell key, Reflection)
In front of Chamo appeared a large spinning disk of ice that blocked and deflected the barrage of kunai. Both Iruka and Mizuki had the same WTF look on their faces at seeing Chamo use what they thought was a jutsu. But the small ermine wasn't done yet.
_Frigerans Exarmatio _(freezing disarmament)
Mizuki saw the blast of icy wind coming towards him but didn't have time to dodge. He tried to protect himself as best he could as what he thought was a jutsu was soon upon him. The first thing that the spell did was blow away all of his fuuma shuriken and his weapons pouch. He opened his eyes only to see his sleeves were freezing over before quickly shattering. Soon his entire sleeve was gone but the spell didn't end, it kept going and going until Mizuki was stripped of all of his clothes.
Mizuki was left covering himself as well as he could while Iruka was pointedly looking anywhere but at him. Naruto cocked his head to the side in a show of confusion before turning to Iruka. "Iruka-sensei, isn't that supposed to be bigger?"
Poor Iruka couldn't even sputter a response while Mizuki turned red in either embarrassment or anger; it was hard to tell. "Your damn ferret just hit me with a blast of cold, it's not usually like that," yelled the traitor in his defense.
"Sure it isn't," came an unconvinced reply from behind Mizuki. He had just enough time to widen his eyes in surprise before being knocked unconscious and falling out of the tree. Chamo landed daintily on the back of his head, before looking at the other two and saying "Well that was easy."
Iruka looked like his brain was having a meltdown. He then heard the distinct sound of a puff of smoke to his right and saw Naruto with seven different clones. "So Iruka-sensei," they all spoke in tandem, "do I get to graduate now? Iruka-sensei? Iruka-sensei! Chamo, he fainted."
* * *
Well, that was the first chapter of Naruto of the Mystic Whirlpool. I really like the Negima series and it just works with Naruto. Also, I know that I am a new writer but please give a review. Complements are appreciated as are constructive criticism. If there is a large hole in the plot that I didn't see, tell me so I can fix it. Also, if anyone knows of a good English to Latin translator I would appreciate it.
Go ahead and write a review.
2. Training, Team Placement, Introductions
A/N
Yo. This is chapter number 2. I hope that you enjoyed chapter 1 and will enjoy this one also. If any of you don't know what Mahou Sensei Negima is, I would definitely recommend seeing it. It is one of the funniest series that I have seen with liberal amounts of fan service. Also, sorry it took so long to get this through, I've had it written for several days now and I just kept procrastinating on the editing. I finally sat down and got this (along with several days of back homework) done with.
Alright I guess that it is time for the disclaimer. I do not own Naruto or Negima or any characters associated with them. If I did the first thing I would do is replace Sakura with…really almost anyone else. Hell some civilian were probably stronger than her.
SetsunaG: Thank you for all of the tips and for being my first reviewer, they are all much appreciated. As for the Kushina being a Kyuubi container, I have no idea about that as it has been quite a while since I read ahead in the manga. But I am working off the idea that Naruto is the first and only container of the Kyuubi. Further details will be given a few chapters later.
Fg7dragon and Nana-chan753: Thank you for the Latin translators. You have no idea how much research it takes to figure out these spells and it is because of you that I managed to get this out so early.
The First Kitsukage: It's just great that you're actually reading this. Great name by the way.
Fan of Fanfics21: Don't worry, the Negima sneeze will live on in Naruto. Although I don't have the assistance of 31 different girls to pull shenanigans with, I'll definitely find the time.
I recently updated my profile and picture so that there is something there and if you are wondering what Naruto sounds like when he is chanting; there is a link in there to let you hear it. And I know that you're all wondering what the pairing is going to be. I have decided that it is to be a small harem of about 3 or 4. The chaos I have planned, I'm giddy just thinking about it. I won't reveal those in the harem yet as they will come when the story permits, but you won't be disappointed. Also, I'm thinking about changing the category to just Naruto until I introduce more Negima characters. That's it, let the story roll.
"Hello World" Speaking
"_Hello World" Thinking, flashbacks, reading, spells and jutsu_
"**Hello World" Demonic Speaking**
"_**Hello World" Demonic Thinking**_
Chapter 2
Training, Team Placement, Introductions and…gesundheit?
We find Naruto in his apartment the day after the Mizuki incident. He is rather merrily resting in slumber. Dreams of ramen and being hokage fill his head as it rests gently on the pillow. His spiky blond hair, as completely unmanageable as usual, completely defies gravity by refusing to even sag in its direction. All is calm in the village outside of his window as the vendors and the merchants set up their shops to begin a day of profitable business. You can see the sun rising above the clouds and hokage monument to nourish the various plants in Naruto's apartment as they sit patiently for their caretaker to water and love them. All is calm and right with the early morning world.
"HEY. ANIKI. WAKE UP!" Well, all _was_ calm and right in Naruto's world. Naruto was thrown from his dream world, both literally and metaphorically, and fell out of his own bed. Naruto, now looking like a tangle orange sheets, blond hair that looks like it was kissed by the sun, and his white t-shirt, fights his restraints. He finally wrestled his way out of the sheets and shot a scathing glare at the small white ermine. Chamo gave him an apologetic smile as he at least had the decency to look sheepish.
Naruto looked out of his window and gave a small sigh to the world. He still had the rest of the week before the team placement meeting among the graduates, and he had no idea how he is going to spend it. Luckily Chamo, as if reading his thoughts, gave him the perfect idea to use the time effectively, training. He had still yet to learn any ki attacks and could only be considered a novice with his mana and chakra. He was a novice with a kick-ass staff that can blow you away like a hurricane, but a novice all the same.
Chamo stood in front of Naruto, now in tutor mode. That's the mode that usually ends up with an incredibly longwinded speech about why something works, how you are supposed to do it, and what it is. Oh if only Naruto knew how rights he was about that sentiment.
"Aniki, last night because of the incident with the white haired traitor, we never got to teach you any ki attacks. Now these attacks are quite different from your mana spells in that they are all physical in nature and ki is used to enhance or launch your attack at a distant target. After you master a single ki attack with a weapon, most likely your staff or fist, you will learn the branching ki modifiers. Ame (rain) will be used to split an attack into several weaker versions of the original attack and launch them. However, they will all still aim for the same point. It is primarily used to confuse a target and make it harder to block. Kiri (mist) uses your ki to turn the attack into a feint or illusion. This is used to unbalance an opponent and open up holes in their defense. Rai (lightning) will be used by adding the absolute maximum amount of ki into an attack to make it several times more powerful and deadly. The downside of this is that it is very draining on your ki to use and easy to dodge. Kaze (wind) will be used to launch attacks that would usually be up close. Additionally, they can be launched for quite a long distance. The downside to this ki modifier is that the longer the distance, the weaker the attack becomes."
Naruto nodded, absorbing as much of the information as he could understand. Really when Chamo told him about ki he thought that it would just make him hit harder, but he could see how using this energy could make a style many times more deadly and confusing. If someone mastered the use of ki, they would have enough tricks to give any taijutus or kenjutsu master a run for their money. As Naruto let that thought run through his head, he was so excited that he was practically jumping up and down in anticipation of learning such cool attacks. In fact, he actually was jumping up and down. "Chamo, when do I get to learn how to use ki attacks?" he asked with all of the excitement of a boy that would receive a new toy.
"Well Aniki, you first have to learn how to channel and use the ki itself. And there are only two way to do this. The first is through meditation so that you can find your ki and bring it to the surface the same way you did with Chakra." Naruto remembered that exercise and how much he hated it. It took him nearly a month to unlock his chakra because not only did the teachers not help him at all, but some of them explicitly sabotaged him by lying to him about the process. It was only pure luck and his insane chakra levels that allowed him to get the breakthrough that he had. Whatever option two was, he was taking it. "And option two for unlocking ki is to exhaust almost all of your mana and draw on what's left by using your normal chakra summoning methods. What will be left will be almost all ki. Then you just memorize that feeling and practice drawing it again. This process takes anywhere from 5-13 days." Now that sounded like the way to go to Naruto. Not only was it much faster, but he would be active while doing it and wouldn't have to sit still for long periods of time.
Chamo, having known Naruto for less than twelve hours, could already tell that he was going to pick option two as almost every other Uzumaki did. That was why he already knew that next question that Naruto was going to ask and had prepared his answer the previous night while he was resting from his battle. "Ano…Chamo. How do I drain that much mana? The only spell I have that could drain that much power quickly would get me in a lot of trouble." Chamo had the ermine version of a smirk on his face; really the boy was definitely an Uzumaki.
"That's why I am going to teach you two useful spells that don't require an incantation or a spell key. The first one is the mana barrier and the second is flight." Naruto's eyes nearly bulged right out of his head; he would be able to fly? As far as he knew, not even old man hokage knew how to fly. "Alone, neither of them is very draining and they are as easy to learn as the beginner spells. However, together, they make an excellent mana control exercise. Even novice Uzumaki can learn how to fly if they have a staff, broom, or something else to focus their mana into and sit on, but it takes a truly skilled Uzumaki to learn how to fly without using one. The secret to doing this is to first create a mana barrier strong enough to stop physical attacks then you have to maintain that barrier while feeding more mana into it to will it to rise with you inside. This skill was the hall mark of true Uzumaki elite."
Chamo finally exited tutor mode and crawled up Naruto's jacket again. As Naruto's mind tried to assimilate all of the new information, he simply followed Chamo's instructions to his favorite training ground. It was a fairly unused one on the outer reaches of the village, nice out-of-the-way place to practice his new secret clan techniques.
Naruto looked around the training area for a while to make sure that no one was following or spying on him and when he felt satisfied that he was indeed alone, he closed his eyes and focused on the mana aspect of his chakra. In himself he could feel three energies with different "feels" to them. One felt like it had a pounding beat to it, something reminiscent of a blacksmith pounding metal into a sharp weapon. This energy he assumed was his ki. The next in the series felt like it was cool and orderly, while at the same time being free and random. It was like a perfect square was zipping around hopped up on caffeine. He figured that this one was his mana. Then there was the last energy that he could feel. The first two felt like they branched off of it like two halves of a zipper so he guessed that it was his chakra. The only words he could think to explain its feel were completeness, balance, and life. Naruto opened his eyes and found that the sun had moved about a thumb's width. He'd been out for quite a while, he surmised.
Chamo on the other hand had been watching Naruto closely as he tried to search for his mana, and what he saw pleased him to no end. What took other members of the clan weeks to visualize and draw out, he saw Naruto do in mere hours. He could feel as Naruto unconsciously drew upon his ki, then his mana, and finally both in the form of chakra. Naruto had just advanced at a _prodigy_ like level. Yet from what he had been told, Naruto was the dead last of his class. This brought a dark look over the ermine that looked completely misplaced on the brightly colored creature. Either every single student in the academy was a genius beyond comparison with the previous generations, or much more likely, especially considering his burden, the academy teachers had purposefully rigged everything against Naruto to make him fail. Hell, if the second was half true then he would have had to be a genius or damn lucky just to pass at all. He thought back to the days when he had tutored the late Kushina, who would be clan head if there was a clan to be head of. Naruto was definitely his mother's son.
Chamo decided that this was a matter to dwell on at a different time. Right now, he had a student that was eager and able to learn. And he was going to teach everything he could. "Aniki, it seems that you accidentally went through the first part of the mediation method. While it won't unlock your ki unless you do it constantly for about a week, it will help immensely in your mana exercises. Now, try to remember what your mana felt like, and then command that feeling to cover your whole body and bring it forth." Naruto followed Chamo's instructions as best as he could. It took about 10 minutes but he finally felt the mana beginning to wash over his body. He felt a calm, cool feeling that was not unlike being immersed in water from the inside out. "Good Aniki, you just summoned your mana without the assistance of a spell key, now command your mana into the staff and levitate it."
Naruto tried to follow Chamo's instruction and after about eighty minutes of trying finally got the staff to levitate. He also found that manipulating the staff was the same as moving the small ball of light from the _lux _spell. The next step seemed self explanatory. He hopped on his staff and straddled it like a witch does a broom. He willed the staff to rise and found that the staff pushed on his body to make him rise as well. He slowly floated one foot off the ground, then two, then three. Finally he just said screw it and skyrocketed into the afternoon sky with Chamo safely tucked inside his jacket. It might go without saying, but the rest of the day was forfeited to the new freedom and experience of flight.
The next day, we see our favorite blond hero already at the training grounds and perfecting calling on the minimum amount of mana required for flight. Unsurprisingly, the ability to fly really cuts down on the travel time to other locations. He took several hours to make sure that he could take flight as soon as he touches his staff, even if Naruto didn't understand why Chamo wanted to stress that need so much. They then continued with their training from yesterday. Chamo explained that the mana barrier was basically the mana the escaped from the body when in use and that the only way to strengthen it was to be able to draw more mana. Naruto didn't have to concentrate on it as it was practically automatic and, luckily for him, the mana required to fly was more than enough for a barrier capable of weakening strong blows. It still wasn't strong enough for the flight exercise or to even stop senbon, but it was enough to turn a punch that would break a rib into a hairline fracture. This is why Naruto spent the entire day learning to draw on more and more of his mana without the use of his spell key. At the end of the day, the barrier still wasn't strong enough for the flight exercise but it could now slow senbon to being a pinprick instead of sliding through his flesh. Kunai and shuriken however would still cut into him, even if it was with less force than without the barrier.
The next day, Chamo made Naruto practice bringing up his barrier without his spell key until he deemed it worthy of being ready. Naruto's mana barrier without the spell key could now completely stop thrown senbon, thrown shuriken would be slowed enough so that they equated to a light maiming, much like a pissed off cat, instead of being pierced by metal. Kunai however would still puncture his flesh by about an inch. Also, a punch that would normally break three ribs would only bruise his ribs.
On a side note. Chamo, through means that he never explained to Naruto, actually had these weapons. Even stranger, he was adept at hurling them at Naruto's non-vital spots to test the barrier. A fact that still baffled Naruto considering the small ermine had no discernable fingers. As for how is this small creature able to test physical blows that would break ribs on normal people, that is explained by his tail. Chamo, rather unlike most ermine, has a tail that is easily the length of his entire body, plus some. And this tail, again rather unlike most ermine, has a girth that is about half of the width of Chamo's entire body. One could easily wager that his long, practically prehensile, tail could be more than 25% of Chamo's total mass. Also know that Chamo is the head tutor of the entire ermine summoning species. He is not the boss ermine as he has no where near the size. He did, however, earn his place as head tutor by being a master at the basics and using them in amazing ways. One of those basics is what he is teaching Naruto now, controlling ki energy. And Chamo's favorite place to channel said energy is to his very long tail. A tail that could leave a nasty bruise when not enhanced and rip a chunk of wood out a tree at full power. Although almost no one would believe it, between his advanced mana barrier training, the knowledge of countless low level spells along with one or two of high level, and his ki enhanced tail swipes, Chamo could take down most chunin.
Back to the topic of training, on the fourth day, Chamo was having Naruto try to levitate his own barrier. The mechanics of which were so incredibly complicated that Chamo decided that it would save more time and effort to just say, "Go for it, Aniki." Chamo didn't expect Naruto to get this anytime soon. It took prodigies weeks to get this down and any normal Uzumaki months. But the ability to fly was not what Chamo wanted Naruto to get; he could summon his staff and be ready to fly in an instant for that. He wanted Naruto to try to control his mana well enough to manipulate the barrier around him. A feat that is an incredibly difficult and efficient mana control exercise. Not only that, but it was incredibly exhausting on the mana reserves. This was a fact that Naruto learned himself when he found that he was completely drained after just half an hour.
"Great job Aniki. We finally managed drain you of all of the mana and we managed to increase your control at the same time. Now, just try to call on your chakra like normal and you should feel the difference," explained the white ermine with what looked like a proud smile at his Aniki. Naruto nodded his understanding and attempted to call upon his chakra. Instead of the warming embrace of life that he expected, he was met by the pulsing energy that reminded him of a blacksmith striking iron. He followed Chamo's coaching about how this energy was completely physical so it won't respond to the mind willing it to work. It would respond to his body using energy and actively flow there to supplement it. Naruto looked at his hand and tried to make the energy travel there but it refused to bulge. He decided to try raising his hand into a fist and he found it was a glowing golden color. Naruto relaxed his hand and watched as the energy dissipated. He repeated the process just to make sure it wasn't a fluke then punched the ground with his still glowing hand. Where normally he would have made a small fist shaped indent in the soft dirt, there was a small crater about the size of his head.
"Wow," Naruto said looking at his hand in wonder, "So that's what ki does. That's amazing Chamo."
Chamo nodded his head sagely as if he found the answers to the universe, "Yes, ki energy is rather impressive the first time you use it. Now that you have managed to use it for the first time, we are going to spend the rest of the day teaching you to channel ki into various parts of your body and using it for different physical activities." And Chamo wasn't lying because he worked Naruto into the ground by having him quickly channel ki to punch an unfortunate training dummy to splinters. Then they worked on kicks and using it for jumping. By the time that Naruto got home, he was damn near exhausted of both his ki and his mana. The next day, they repeated the process but it was much harder to access his ki energy when he still had his mana. It took nearly five minutes just to manage a simple punch; that is far too long in a ninja battle. In all honestly, five seconds is too long. So for the rest of this day, Naruto was pounded into the grounds ruthlessly. At the end, he still didn't have it quite down but he had managed to shave the time down to 17 seconds for a ki enhanced punch. Apparently, that wasn't good enough because on the sixth day, Chamo still had him punching and kicking until channeling and using ki came as quickly as the punches themselves. It was around two or three in the afternoon when Chamo decided that he had reached a satisfactory level.
"Aniki, you've performed better than I expected and we finished early today, so you have two options," Chamo said even though he knew without a doubt which one Naruto would choose, "Option one is to rest up for the remainder of the day so you can be ready tomorrow at the team placement since something might happen. Option two is that I teach you the _kaze: panchi _(wind: punch)_. _This is the easiest of the ki techniques to learn but also the hardest to master. You will use your ki energy to power up a punch but instead of punching an object like normal, you will launch you punch for a distance. Like all of the kaze branch ki techniques, the longer the distance, the less powerful the attack will be. So aniki, what do you say?"
As if he even had to ask, but it is good policy to give the one being taught a choice or at the very least, let him feel like he has one. Naruto was up and eager to learn a new technique just as Chamo expected. "Alright Aniki, all that you have to do is gather ki like you have been and punch like you are attacking the air. The success of launching the attack is based entirely on how fast your punch is moving and how fast you stop it. If you need to, you can use some ki to speed up the punch. If your punch was fast enough, the ki you gathered will leave your hand in the shape of your fist and attack whatever it hits just like a regular ki enhanced punch."
It didn't take long at all for Naruto to be able to launch his first _kaze: panchi. _It seemed that the hell like training that Chamo put him through for the last few days had enhanced the speed of his punch to the point that it was fast enough to launch without enhancement. It did, however, take Naruto until nearly midnight to actually be able to aim the attacks at anything. The slightest twitch, hiccup, or mistake when launching the attack could send it a millimeter off course or five feet (1.5 meters) off course. Naruto had just managed to get ten hits in a row in a target about twenty feet (6 meters) away when Chamo said to call it a night and that he had done well.
On the next day, we find our favorite blond walking towards the academy while having a comfortable conversation with Chamo on his shoulder about his future study schedule, accounting for things that his jonin sensei would teach him of course. He entered the classroom completely unaware of the incredulous looks that he is getting from the class. Either for the fact that he made it when they could have sworn that he failed a week ago or perhaps the fact that he was having a conversation with what looked like a white ferret. Even though they couldn't hear the ferret because he was right next to Naruto's ear and thus didn't need to speak loudly at all, they could easily make out Naruto's end of the conversation. Said conversation had somehow been steered to girls since Chamo revealed to him the existence of pactio last night, and they were still discussing its uses. That was a conversation that Naruto wished that he could forget, but he knew his life changed for the better because of it.
Furasshubakku no jutsu (flashback, yay my first one)
Naruto and Chamo had just gotten relaxed in Naruto's bed in preparation to go to sleep. Naruto was searching around for the extra pillow that Chamo liked to sleep on when said ermine asked a question. "Hey Aniki, what's going to happen tomorrow?"
Naruto thought about it for a second before answering as much as he knew, "Tomorrow, we will go to the classroom to get out team placement assignments. We will probably be waiting for a while because I've heard kids in earlier years complaining about that."
Chamo thought about that information and tried to extract anything useful from it. It seemed that the kids had no idea who their teammates were going to be or any influence in who they could choose. He still needed more information though, "Aniki, do you know anything about what the teams are usually like? Like a pattern you might have seen before."
This required Naruto to pause and think again. From what he had seen when his past teammates had graduated and bragged about being genin before mysteriously ending up back in class, there were two things that he could guess. "Um…I think so. The only things that I can guess at are that the teams are usually two boys and one girl unless enough don't graduate. They also try to put the highest scoring boy and girl with the lowest scoring student. I think that is to balance things out."
Chamo nodded his head slowly. Now that was information that he could use. He then asked, "Naruto, do you know who the highest scoring and lowest scoring people are?" When Chamo saw Naruto's head drop he cursed himself for forgetting that Naruto was the "dead last" of the class.
Naruto offered a halfhearted smile before responding, "I have the lowest score in the class while the one with the highest is Sasuke-teme. The highest scoring girl is…" his sad smile turned into an ecstatic grin in an instant, "That mean that I get to be on a team with Sakura-chan, YATTA," he screamed in celebration and proceeded with his own personal victory dance.
Chamo smiled at seeing his Aniki in a better mood now. "So that means that you like this Sakura girl?" he asked in an oh-so-innocent manner, "tell me a little about her."
Naruto was excited as a child describing a toy that they wanted as he spoke, "Oh, I've liked Sakura-chan ever since I first saw her. She's really pretty." Chamo looked at him as if waiting for the rest of the sentence. When it became obvious that was it, Chamo's smile turned to a frown. "What?" Naruto asked, feeling a little defensive.
Chamo stared directly at Naruto with an examining gaze, "You said that she's pretty Aniki," he said in a slow, suspicious voice, "Is she nice?" Chamo watched as Naruto's face passed from confused to pensive to downtrodden. Naruto shook his to indicate the negative answer. "Is she fun to be around?" Naruto again had to shake his head, no. "Is she strong or powerful?" Naruto thought about that but he knew that the only reason that she was rated the top kunoichi was because of her test scores. "Do you know anything about her other than her name; favorite books, foods, hobbies, anything?" Naruto again answered with a shake of his head. "Is she even interested in you, or at least friendly?" Naruto head hung low as that answer was painfully obvious. If hitting each other over the head was friendly, he didn't want any friends. "Does she have one redeeming quality that you can think of besides she's pretty?"
Naruto was about to give up when he finally thought of something, "She's really smart. She aces her test all the time." He finally found someway to defend his crush. Or at least that was what he thought before he heard Chamo sigh.
"Aniki," Chamo began to make sure that he had Naruto's total attention for this, "Smart doesn't count. Everyone has something that they are "smart" in. Even people that most others would call 'dumb as a doorknob' often have a hidden skill that they are a genius in."
Chamo gazed Naruto in the eyes with a look the displayed his wisdom and position of head tutor, a look that didn't seem right on such a small and usually carefree animal. "Naruto…you don't love this girl. You probably don't even like her. You are infatuated with her. In your longing for her attention, you most likely made a mental image of this perfect girl and placed it on a pedestal while ignoring all of the signs that she isn't what you think she is."
Chamo jumped from the bed and onto Naruto's shoulder before flicking Naruto with his tail to keep his attention. "The girl you described doesn't sound like a good ninja. She doesn't even sound like a good person. Think long and hard about what you think she is like and whether or not her behavior matches that. If not, then she is definitely not pactio worthy."
Naruto took that advice to heart before something from Chamo's last sentence caught his attention. "What's a pactio?"
Chamo switched to tutor mode with slightly disturbing speed, "A pactio is a contract between an Uzumaki and a person from outside the clan. It will allow another person access to some of your mana and ki for a speed and jutsu boost. It will also come with an outfit change and a special weapon with mystical abilities. The mysteries behind the workings of the pactio process have long been lost to the clan since the Thousand Master disappeared long ago but it is a powerful ability that only the Uzumaki can give. Because of your age, you would only be able to enter a probationary contract with someone by kissing your partner in a special sealing circle. Whenever you're ready, I'll draw the sealing circle and invoke the pactio spell." Chamo yawned and decided that was enough talking about pactio for one day and jumped onto his sleeping pillow. "Now go to sleep Aniki, we have a long day tomorrow."
Furasshubakku no jutsu, Kai. (end flashback)
Naruto had thought long and hard about Chamo's words and thought about just how Sakura treated him. He was surprised at the repressed anger he found built up from constantly being insulted, maimed, and yelled at. They always say that there was a thin line between love and hate. If only they knew how right they were.
As Naruto was reliving the memory of the previous night, he completely missed most of what Chamo said and unknowingly agreed to things that would come back to bite him later. Soon, Naruto's discussion with Chamo was interrupted by an obnoxious voice, "Hey dead last. What are you doing here? This meeting is only for people who graduated. And what the hell is with the ferret on your shoulder. He looks like he'll make a nice snack for Akamaru," Kiba said with a cocky grin on his face.
Naruto turned slowly and looked at Kiba with only the corner of his eye, "First of all, this forehead protector on my head means that I did graduate. Second, Chamo would _destroy_ your puppy. And third, don't call him a ferret, he's an ermine." Chamo decided not to add anything since Naruto already got his point for him. Naruto and Chamo continued their conversation while Kiba left in a huff. They both continued to talk about other random matters until Sakura and Ino came bursting though the door. They then proceeded to argue about who would get the seat next to Sasuke, the seat that Naruto already occupied.
Then they both came over and began yelling at Naruto, "Naruto-baka, get up so I can sit next to Sasuke-kun," Sakura yelled at the blond boy.
It was after Sakura yelled that Chamo whispered a question in Naruto's ear, "Aniki, who is that?"
Naruto decided that answering Chamo's question took precedence over Sakura's demand even if he didn't realize is consciously, "Oh, that's Sakura. She the girl I was telling you about before…," a pause was heard as Chamo asked Naruto another question, "…what's that question supposed to mean? Of course she's a girl."
It was at this point that Sakura first noticed the small ermine that apparently held Naruto's attention. Said ermine was also staring strait at Sakura as if examining her. No one likes being examined like that. It makes a person relive every single flaw they know about themselves and wonder of the examiner noticed them or not. Even worse, what of the examiner noticed a flaw that the person didn't know about themselves? Then the ermine turned his attention to look over every single person in the entire room then back to the blond and whispered something else in Naruto's ear.
"Oh come on Chamo, she isn't the least attractive girl in the entire room." Sakura was actually seeing red as she zeroed in on the mutant weasel as he whispered something else in his owner's ear. "Well, I guess when you put it like that then you're right…," another pause for whispering, "Hehehe, Chamo there has to be something there right?"
Several of the girls were blushing red as their thoughts went along their own tracks. Several of the boys were actually nodding halfway through the conversation before having to restrain their laughter at the last comment. Sakura however was barely thinking at the point in her rage. The only thought on her mind was to strangle that tiny white weasel. And that was exactly what she planned to do as she reached her hand out grab the weasel by the tail. Well she would have grabbed it, if it hadn't used its tail to slap her hand away like it was nothing. She tried again only to get the same result. Then again and again and again before finally, she just lunged for the cursed weasel.
What happened next could only be described as Sakura having the ever-living crap beaten out of her by a rodent without it even batting an eye. The damn thing didn't even look up or interrupt its conversation with Naruto. Every single time that Sakura tried anything to attack the evil weasel, its tail would simple bat the attack away like she was barely worth the effort. She even tried using a kunai but the tail caught her hand by the wrist and simply threw her, not her hand, not her arm, but her entire body almost halfway across the room where she still lay unconscious with her mouth frozen shut. Did I forget to mention that Chamo is a powerful ice specialist?
Over at the Hokage tower, the future jonin of this year's class were watching the spectacle of Sakura, the top scoring kunoichi of the year, being completely outclassed by a rodent in three minutes flat. The hokage was fighting hard to suppress the smirk that wanted desperately to worm itself on his face. It was amusing to see the daughter of his least favorite council member being humiliated like that. His son, Sarutobi Asuma, was outright laughing at the poor girl's misfortune, having no qualms about showing his mirth. Kurenai was stuck somewhere between being ashamed for all kunoichi everywhere that this was the best one of the class and laughing at the amusing image of such a one-sided fight.
Kakashi was trying to figure out what was with his future team. From what he read in their profiles, Naruto had a huge crush on the rosette girl. Yet what he just saw was practically the opposite. Not only did Naruto not even try to defend the girl but he even agreed to whatever that rodent said. And then Naruto didn't even so much as turn his head as his pet completely demolished Sakura with what looked like little effort. He had a feeling that the rodent probably had a hand in breaking Naruto of his crush on the girl, but to completely ignore the girl to such a point indicated some form of malice. Then again, who wouldn't hold some malice for a girl that used to give him brain dusters on a daily bases. He was sure that the teamwork issues would work themselves out and if not then the ferret would be a fine replacement for Sakura.
Meanwhile, Sakura had finally regained both consciousness and a thawed tongue before she stalked up to Naruto. Having realized that physically attacking them would be foolish, she went with what she does best, "Naruto-baka, teach your stupid ferret a lesson not to harm a lady!" she yelled at the young blond in a voice normally reserved for banshees.
This prompted Chamo to ask what lady had he harmed and for Naruto to laugh quietly at the joke before responding to Sakura for the first time that day, "Sakura, he is an ermine, not a ferret." That was end of his response before continuing with his conversation with Chamo.
Sakura however wasn't going to let it end like that after being so thoroughly humiliated, "Listen Naruto-baka. I don't care if that beast is an ermine, a ferret, a weasel, or a rat. You had better make it up to me before I knock you into next week. Now you better apol…" that was as far as she got before Chamo decided that he was tired of her loud voice and used his tail to tickle Naruto's nose, which caused Naruto to sneeze.
What he expected was for the Uzumaki curse to kick in when he sneezed and for her to be blown away. What he got instead when Naruto sneezed was a wind so sharp that it ripped the clothes right off of Sakura's body, leaving her nude except for her lacy pink training bra and panties. The screams of a pink haired banshee were heard all the way from the academy to the Hokage Tower.
And imagine that, Iruka chose that very moment to walk into his classroom and find a very nude Sakura covering as much of her person as she could. She was standing in front of a very embarrassed Naruto who looked as shocked as Sakura at the events. But the strangest thing was the small ermine that was doing a victory dance on Naruto's desk. Then everyone in the classroom heard a voice they weren't familiar with, "You're right Aniki. She is a girl!" That was the final straw. Every boy that was fighting to hold back their chuckles simple burst out laughing, a few actually falling out of their seats in their mirth. All of girls blushed varying shades of red while one poor pale-eyed girl actually fainted.
Iruka enjoyed the chaos that seemed to follow his favorite student for a moment before calling for order, only to be completely ignored by his students. He tried again and got the same result. It was time to pull out the big guns, "SHUT THE HELL UP AND PAY ATTENTION!" yelled a rather irritated Iruka with his head several times the normal size. Now that grabs a class's attention. After they all quieted down, he began the calling of the teams.
"…Team 7 will be Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura …" Naruto banged his head against the desk as he let out a rather vivid curse, "…and Uchiha Sasuke." The words that came out of Naruto's mouth after that statement would have made even a certain sound kunoichi blush bright red. "Team 8 will be Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Team 9 is still in circulation. Team 10 is Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akamichi Choji…" the rest of the names are unimportant as they are going to fail anyway, "Okay students, go have lunch and your jonin sensei will be here in an hour."
Those were the words that Naruto had heard _three hours _ago and he and his teammates were still waiting for their sensei. Naruto was trying to remember the merits of becoming a ninja when Chamo jumped off his shoulder and traveled to the board in the front of the room. Naruto watched curiously as Chamo took the eraser from the board and propped it on top of the door before he let a toothy grin reach his face and joined his familiar is setting up similar traps for their sensei. Sakura was berating Naruto for trying to prank a jonin while being ignored by both of her teammates, when their sensei opened the door and a small eraser fell on his head. That was followed by a second eraser that had been launched as soon as he opened the door, and with a quick and near silent chant, his hair was set on fire with an _Ardescat _spell.
Now Kakashi, as a jonin, had easily spotted the eraser that was on top of the door and let that fall on his head just to humor the kids. Then there was the second eraser that he didn't see as it was flung from a blind spot but he heard it long before it hit and allowed it to hit him. What he didn't expect was for his hair to suddenly catch fire. For a jonin, that is not only worrying in the fact that he didn't see it coming but that it could have been a much more powerful flame and been aimed at a much more valuable location than his hair. Going though the process for a quick water jutsu for put out his now singed hair, he took this opportunity to glare at the Uchiha as he was the only one in the room that knew fire jutsu as far as he knew. And he wouldn't be wrong as Naruto's new abilities were not jutsu. "My first impression of you guys is…I hate you. Meet me on the roof." With that said, he was gone in a poof of smoke.
It didn't take long for them to get to the roof and now they found themselves staring at their incredibly strange teacher, "Okay guys, the first thing we'll do is some introductions," said the silver-haired scarecrow.
Sakura raised her hand, "Sensei, couldn't you go first so we have an idea of how to do it?" asked the rosette girl.
"Oh…me?" he said as if surprised that he actually had to put in the effort, "My name is Hatake Kakashi, I have no desire to tell you guys about my likes and dislikes, dreams for the future…? Hmm… well I have lots of hobbies." The rest of the students nearly face planted when they realized that he had only told them his name. "Alright, you're next blondy."
Naruto nodded along with the ermine on his shoulder, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, My likes are Ramen and Chamo here," he said while indicating the ermine with a movement of his head, "My dislikes are the three minutes is takes for ramen to cook and ignorant people who judge others before getting to know them. My dream for the future is to revive my clan and bring them back to greatness." That one shocked all present as they didn't know that he even came from a clan. "My hobbies are training and talking with Chamo," he again indicated the white ermine, "and pulling pranks on people that I don't like."
At this point, Kakashi was wondering if he should just throw the file he had on Naruto into the garbage. It had given him almost no accurate knowledge on the blond yet as he seemed to change who he was in a mere week, a feat that shouldn't be possible. He decided to ponder on that later as he called the next student, "Alright… next."
That was when Kakashi had nearly had a heart attack as the ermine in Naruto's shoulder spoke up before the Haruno had a chance. "Hello, my name is Chamomile Albert." Luckily Sasuke and Sakura already knew that the thing could talk from the fiasco that happened in class earlier. Said fiasco would be forever known only as the Sneeze Incident. "My likes are flavored cigarettes and my Aniki. My dislikes are people who call me a ferret when I am obviously an ermine and those who hurt my Aniki," he said giving a pointed glare as Sakura and confirming Kakashi's suspicion about who broke Naruto of his crush, "My dream for the future as to be able to tutor Aniki's children one day." That just confused the hell out of everyone who didn't know of Chamo position as head tutor. "My hobbies are getting my Aniki more partners," Kakashi, not knowing that he meant pactio partners, took the worse possible meaning for those words if the perverted giggle was any clue, "and other stuff." Now not even Naruto knew what "other stuff" was but from the creepy giggle that Chamo was giving off, he wasn't going to ask anytime soon.
When Kakashi saw that the ermine was done he called the next student, "Already pinky you're up."
"I'm Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is… Well the person I like is… Should I say my dream for the future…?" she said, emitting a girly squeal and looking at Sasuke with every pause. At this point Chamo and Naruto were making bets on whether she would quit being a ninja or get killed. "The things I dislike are Naruto and his pet weasel." Now they were making bets on how quickly she would be killed. The odds were somewhere between being murdered by her teammates during a D-rank or being murdered by an enemy ninja on a high C-rank. "And my hobby during my free time is…" Now the polls were between which teammate would try to murder her first. Naruto was leading these odds by a wide margin, even Kakashi put down a small bet during her intro.
Sasuke knew that he was the last one so he got ready to get his intro over with. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I dislike tons of things and don't particularly like anything. I don't have a dream but an ambition; it is to resurrect my clan and to kill a certain man." This confused Naruto and Chamo as they didn't know the full history behind the Uchiha Massacre. Sakura, completely in fan-girl mode just thought that he sounded sooooo cool and voiced her sentiments. While Kakashi knew of the history of the boy and could tell that this was going to suck royally.
Kakashi almost wanted to cry at his strange team, _"So I have an avenger, his head fan girl, and complete unknown. I really can't figure out how this could be worse. None of them seem to be completely sane. Then again, it's practically a requirement for high level ninja to be at least a little insane."_ He decided to get this over with before he was forced to kill one of them, namely the girl. "Alright guys," he was interrupted by Sakura pointed clearing her throat to hint her displeasure at being called a "guy". Too bad it went completely ignored by all in hearing distance. "Tomorrow you will have survival training against me and…" he paused for dramatic effect, "Of the 27 graduates, only 9 will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the academy. This is a very difficult exam with a failure rate of over 66%." He finished that encouraging message off with an almost sinister cackle. "The details are on this printout and don't eat unless you want to throw up," he then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
All three separated into their own directions. Well…Naruto and Sasuke separated into their own directions, I'll give you three guess where Sakura went. Sasuke was going to his compound to do whatever it is he does during his free time. One could always ask Sakura of they're curious. Naruto was flying back to his favorite training area where Chamo said that he would teach him to be able to channel his ki into his staff before he went to sleep. Little did he know that Chamo meant that quite literally. He learned that little fact when he finally got home mere minutes before midnight, completely exhausted. Tomorrow would be the day that team 7 would have its genin exam and Naruto and Chamo had a special surprise ready for Kakashi.
* * *
OMAKE
Naruto was pissed as he was walking to his favorite ramen bar. Not only did he get teamed up was Sakura, who's existence he just wanted to completely forget for a while, but he also was teamed up with the class showoff and eternal emo, Sasuke. Add to that the fact that his teacher showed up 2 hours late to their meeting for no good reason and you can understand why he would need to vent a little and blow off some steam. Luckily for one ramen stand owner, the best way for Naruto to blow off steam was by gorging himself on inhuman amount of ramen. He was just a couple of turns from being within seeing distance of his favorite eatery when he heard the not-so-quiet whispers.
"There he is, the demon boy."
"I can't believe that they allowed him to be a ninja?"
"We should get rid of him before he gets too powerful."
Okay, that last one was crossing the line. General hatred wasn't really anything new to him. Fear of him becoming a ninja was something that came up every year around exam times. But that last one was the straw that broke the camel's back. Without even realizing it, he spoke the word that would be repeated many times over when in the presence of those stupid villagers.
_Ardescat_
Naruto accidentally learned three things that day. The first was that after the mana control exercises he had done the week before, he didn't need the spell key to use spells but that they would be about half strength without it. The second was that the Ardescat spell would apparently keep burning until he willed it to stop or stopped feeding it mana and that he could make the flames hotter if he was really angry. The last one was the fact that mana spells didn't give off a chakra signature so when three people in the street experienced the oh-so-wonderful feeling of spontaneous combustion, the ANBU watching the scene couldn't figure out for their lives just who the hell had done it.
Naruto could now add a new hobby to his list and a new way to blow off steam. Oh the fun he would have.
* * *
Alright, not really the best ending for a chapter ever but this was just going too far and I need to get started on writing the next one and finding a beta. I use the word however waaaaay to much. Guess I'll find a thesaurus next time. Well, I'll start working on chapter 3 now.
Oh, and sorry that it took like a month to get this out but I just kept procrastinating in editing this chapter. But I finally got it out. I'll try to get these out every two weeks. One weekend to write it, another weekend to edit and proofread. YAY. Oh, and by the way, don't forget to review.
3. The True Genin Exams
A/N
Hola. TKK here, large and in charge. So this is still my first fanfiction ever and I'm feeling pretty good about it so far. I'm sure that it will only get better as I read and write more. I am really enjoying the process of writing this too. It's weird to laugh at my own jokes as I write them, but it feels good too. So the next thing I have to do is give the declaimer.
I don't own Naruto, Mahou Sensei Negima, Rosario + Vampire, Inuyasha, Bleach, Familiar of Zero, Reborn or any other anime. If I owned any one of those I would be much richer than I am now.
HolyMage Mouto: Sorry I couldn't in the Wind Flower spell but I really don't want Naruto getting into the habit of stripping people of their clothes to win, effectually that isn't going to work and the fight is going to get really weird after that. He will learn that skill before the end of chunin exams because what better way to fight Tenten than with a spell made to disarm. Not that he will fight her any time soon. As for the summoning, while I agree it would have been hilarious, it would be too much of an "I win" button if he could summon the boss Ermine at every battle.
GoldenGod Rah: All of those were very interesting ideas that I'm thinking about using in the future. But don't worry, there will definitely be some Negima girl in this later on and they will be part of the harem later on. YAY.
Ignisha: Thanks. Ciaossu. BTW, cute baby + weird gun powers = win.
dm5elite007: I was under the impression that the academy started at 9 years old and went to 12 years old, excluding war time and super geniuses. Also, that Naruto elected to take the exam early every year because of his impatience to become Hokage. Unless this is another plot twist revealed by the manga that I'm not aware of, all of the rookie nine are pretty much the same age. And if I'm completely off base, then if people can have Naruto return to the past then I can mess with the ages.
fg7dragon: Thank you. Sakura bashing cookies for everyone.
Vandenbz: You get a Sakura bashing cookie too. As for future pactio and skills, well that's a secret.
The First Kitsukage: Your name makes me wonder if there are a 2-8. Anyway, thanks.
bankai777: That was so evil that I must use it. Thanks.
Fan of Fanfics21: Asuna = Sakura. Abrasive, loud, overly willing to cause physical harm. Yep. Nodoka = Hinata. Quiet, Shy, secret crushes on main protagonist after being rescued by them. Yep. Tenten = Setsuna, Ku Fei, or Chao. Hmm, is Tenten more similar to Setsuna, Ku Fei, or Chao? That's a good question. That's a poll good question. I've been itching to use that feature and now I have my first question. So people look on my page for the poll of "Is Tenten more similar to Setsuna, Ku Fei, or Chao?" Who knows, I might even add the winner into the harem later on. I was having trouble choosing which one to add. Let's put Kaede in there too since they are the only other female fighters in Negima.
HyuugaPrincess15: You get a Sakura bashing cookie. As for Ino? Hmm… Maybe. Just have to read to find out.
IgnisHeart: Will there even be a female Haku in this fanfic. Maybe…Maybe not. You just have to read to find out. But if I do make her female, you already know she's going to live. I have yet to find a fanfic which made Haku female only to kill her off right after. As for some of the older Konoha kunoichi? Hmm…Maybe. Just have to read to find out.
the DragonBard: Sorry but if she get to become a respectable character, I get to break her and remake her. The process should be over by the third part of the chunin exams…Maybe. But even then she has to go through hell to join the harem. Or maybe I'll give her to Lee. Decision, decision…
daydreamer727: Thanks, that really means a lot. In fact, it was your review that reminded me that I had yet to edit and post this, so everyone thanks you.
"Hello World" Speaking
"_Hello World" Thinking, flashbacks, reading, spells and jutsu_
"**Hello World" Demonic Speaking**
"_**Hello World" Demonic Thinking**_
Chapter 3
The True Genin Exams
Naruto arrived at the designated location of their genin exam two hours before hand. Chamo had decided late last night that in order to pass this test against a jonin level ninja; he would need to be able to attack with more than his _Vente _spell and a ki enhance staff and body. This would also be the first true attack spell that he ever taught Naruto and the simplest one that he could learn.
"Aniki," began Chamo already in tutor mode, "The spell that I am going to teach you is called _Sagitta Magica_. (Magical Archer) It is the simplest attack spell and at the same time, it is the most versatile. Its versatility comes from the fact that there are several different versions of this spell with several different elements. These elements are wind, lightning, light, ice, dark, fire, water, and sand. It is also one of few spells that can be delayed after chanting and released later. Since your strongest elements so far seem to be wind and light, I am going to teach you those two elements. The wind version is not used for attacking but for binding one's enemy and immobilizing them. The light version is a strait forward attack, and a single arrow is capable to breaking a rock the size of your head. I am going to show you the wind version first. It is also known as the _Sagitta Magica, Aer Capturae_ spell.Now channel mana into your staff and repeat after me. Practe Bigi Nar, septendecim spiritus aeriales, vinculum facti inimicum captent. Sagitta Magica, Aer Capturae." (Practe Bigi Nar. Seventeen spirits of the wind become a seal and bind my enemy. Magical Archer, Binding wind arrow.) Naruto nodded to show his understanding and cast the spell.
_Practe Bigi Nar, septendecim spiritus aeriales, vinculum facti inimicum captent. Sagitta Magica, Aer Capturae._
Out of his hand shot seventeen bolts of energy that immediately converged on Chamo. The attack itself was a beauty to behold. White-blue bolts of mana charged air, shimmering like sunlight off of the ocean, converged on a very surprised Chamo before tying him to the ground as if they were ropes. After seeing that he accidentally attacked his teacher, Naruto stopped pumping mana into the spell and it dissipated into shimmering sparkles. Chamo stood himself up after being released and gave Naruto a biting glare before sighing. "I guess I forgot to tell you that these spells have a homing ability that tracks the nearest source of energy. In this case, it targeted me. All that you have to do to is focus on the target that you want to attack. Remember that this is a novice level spell so don't over think things. Just focus on a target and fire." Naruto nodded before trying the spell again.
_Practe Bigi Nar, septendecim spiritus aeriales, vinculum facti inimicum captent. Sagitta Magica, Aer Capturae._
Again, seventeen beautiful arrows of wind flew at an innocent tree and wound their way around it before anchoring themselves into the grounds, as if the tree might try to get away. Naruto jumped up in joy at getting a new spell so quickly and did his own personal victory dance for a couple seconds before Chamo got him back on track to learn the other technique. "Aniki, since you managed to successfully use one technique, the rest of the _Sagitta Magica_ are cast in identical manners except for a slightly different chant. The light spell is the following: septendecim spiritus lucis, coeuntes sagitent inimicum. Sagitta Magica, Series Lucis." (Seventeen spirits of light, gather and attack the foe. Magical Archer, Barrage of Light arrows.) Naruto grabbed his staff and channeled his mana, eager to try out the new spell.
_Practe Bigi Nar, septendecim spiritus lucis, coeuntes sagitent inimicum. Sagitta Magica, Series Lucis._
This time, seventeen bolts of light fired from Naruto's palm. They all curved rather inelegantly, more reminiscent of jagged lines than a smooth arc, and slammed into the tree with surprising force. When the dust finally cleared, the tree looked more closely related to Swiss cheese than its wooden brethren. Naruto was doing back flips in joy from learning two incredible techniques. Chamo however was inspecting Naruto's work on the tree. The technique did punch seventeen holes through quite a bit of wood, but it could have been stronger. He also noticed that all the holes looked uneven as if cut out with a dented spoon. It wasn't master level, but it was at least intermediate level and that was more than he expected.
"Aniki, it's good that you are getting the spells down, but it still takes you too much time to chant them. We are going to practice chanting them until you can say both spells within ten seconds, five times in a row." Naruto reluctantly noted the truth in that statement. If he had taken as long as he did in a real battle, he could be dead several times over before he finished the spell. Taking that rather depressing fact to heart, he began chanting, and re-chanting, and re-re-chanting the spells. It was tedious and annoying work but the knowledge that it would likely save his life many times over reassured him to keep doing it with all his ability. It would be an hour and some change of constant chanting before his taskmaster of a familiar felt satisfied.
In fact, he was so satisfied that he agreed to teach our favorite blonde another spells, a defensive one this time. Luckily for him he still had more than half an hour to learn it well enough for battle. Chamo, still in tutor mode, began the lecture on the defensive spell, _Reflexio. _(Reflection)"Aniki, the _Reflexio_ spell is the easiest defensive spell there is. It is similar to the mana barrier but more focused and capable to sending elemental attacks back at their user. It generally is supposed to be a non-elemental spell but most of the time the spell takes the form of the element that the caster is strongest in. This also gives the spell a power boost. That is why I would bet that your shield will have a wind element to it. Now, try out the spell." Naruto nodded and channeled his mana into his staff.
_Practe Bigi Nar, Reflexio._
A circular disk of wind flickered to life in front of Naruto. It was practically transparent except for the stray dust that the wind had picked up. Chamo inspected the barrier and made a final decision on it. "Aniki, this is barely strong enough to stand against a D-rank fire jutsu. You don't seem to have enough control to form the required shape with your mana alone."
Chamo struck a thinking pose to find a way to remedy this problem. As far as he knew, the best ways to manipulate mana were through the control that one eventually gains though use and special artifacts that are specially created for use with one spell. Naruto watched the small ermine think for about seven minutes before Chamo's face lit up like he found the answer to world hunger. "Aniki, we can't fix your control soon enough for the spell to be battle ready before the test, but we can use your staff to physically mold the mana into the required shape. Go through the process of using the spell except this time when you channel mana into your staff, levitate it and spin it as fast as you can. The spinning motion should get you closer to the correct shape and allow you to pull off the spell much more easily. All you have to do is let the _reflexio_ spell form over the spinning staff and you should have a working barrier."
Naruto looked at Chamo strangely for a second as he tried to comprehend what Chamo wanted him to do and why it would be helpful. After a few moments the pieces seemed to fit together as he finally understood and looked at the white ermine with awe in his eyes, "Wow Chamo. That's pure genius. How did you come up with that?"
Chamo, pulling a cigarette out of who knows where, began to smoke his cancer stick in a designated "cool" way before answering, "You don't become the head tutor without having the brains, Aniki." Deciding that this was a sufficient answer to his question, Naruto recast the spell.
_Practe Bigi Nar, Reflexio._
The staff floated from Naruto's hands and mere centimeters away from his fingers began to spin until it was nothing more than a disk shaped blur. Then the blur seemed to fill itself with a light translucent blue energy and wind that Naruto assumed was his new _reflexio _spell. Chamo decided to test out the barrier with a single ice arrow and was greatly impressed that the barrier did not only stop the attack but reflected it back at Chamo's general direction as well. Chamo gave Naruto a smile filled with pride for his charge, even if it was difficult to see it on the face of an ermine, before declaring Naruto battle worthy.
Chamo apparently decided that they should rest until his teacher got there as illustrated by him going over to the Swiss cheese like tree and promptly falling asleep. Naruto decided that he hadn't been led wrong by Chamo yet, when women weren't involved, and joined his familiar and friend under the shady tree for a nice short nap. This turned out to be a wise decision considering Kakashi came 2 hours late while Sakura and Sasuke had been up waiting for him the entire time.
"YOU'RE LATE," were the words that Naruto had the pleasure of waking up to. Naruto sat up and inspected his surroundings to find a fuming Sakura, a silently scowling Sasuke, a waving Kakashi, and Chamo, who was still lying asleep in Naruto's lap. Naruto couldn't help but let a smile cross his face. For the devious little bastard that led him into the women's side of the public baths _twice_, he looked so adorable when he slept all curled up into a ball.
It was then that Naruto noticed that the others were looking at him, or rather, the tree that was doing a good impression of Swiss cheese. Sakura, Kakashi, even Sasuke looked at Naruto expectantly, waiting for an answer to how that was done to the poor tree. "Hehehe," Naruto chuckled nervously before just giving a vague answer, "training?" That seemed to satisfy Kakashi's curiosity or he understood that Naruto didn't want to tell them yet. Sakura and Sasuke however weren't convinced but luckily for Naruto, Kakashi drew their attention to him by placing an alarm clock on a training post. After seeing the alarm clock, Sakura was turning red with anger while the Uchiha's eye seemed to be twitching rather quickly.
Naruto's question of why they were reacting like this was answered when Sakura yelled, "You were two hours late and you have an alarm clock with you!" she ground out like gravel across asphalt. Naruto thought that she was going to blow a gasket, and being the supportive teammate that he was, he quickly woke up Chamo to let him see the show too. Unfortunately for Naruto and Chamo's entertainment plans, Sakura's confusion replaced her anger when Kakashi also produced two small, silver bells.
"Here are two bells," began Kakashi by stating the obvious, "Your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who can not get a bell before noon get no lunch." Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura began cursing their teacher for telling them not to eat breakfast just so that he could do this test, "Not only will I tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll eat right in front of you. You only need to get one bell. There are only two bells so one of you will definitely be tied to a stump. And the one who doesn't take a bell fails. So at least one of you will be sent back to the academy. You can use any technique you want because you won't succeed unless you come at me with the intent to kill."
Sakura looked worried for the fate of their teacher while Naruto looked a little cocky, "Ha, you got hit by two black board erasers and got your hair lit on fire. We'll definitely win."
That statement irritated Kakashi a little because he still couldn't figure out how the Uchiha lit his hair on fire without him noticing and he had become the joke of the jonin because of it. Damn Guy and his big mouth, he couldn't even figure out why he told him in the first place. So in retribution, he decided to annoy Naruto back, "In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Let's just ignore Mr. Dead Last and begin when I say…"
That was as far as Kakashi got into his introduction when Naruto grabbed his staff and channeled as much ki into the end as he could. This earned a what-the-hell look from Sasuke and Sakura who had never noticed the staff on Naruto's back. That is because one of the many charms on the staff is the suggestion to ignore its presence. It is very powerful and nearly infallible unless attention is drawn to it by wielding it as a weapon or if a person already knows it's there. Kakashi was surprised to see the golden glow on the end before Naruto used an overhead swing to bring it down towards him, who was still nearly fifteen feet away. He was about to suggest that Naruto get glasses until his danger sense screamed at him to get the hell out of the way. Any experienced jonin can tell you that the danger sense that one acquires after a certain point is a ninja's best friend and is always to be obeyed no matter what your other senses are telling you. So Kakashi lazily jumped a short distance to the right and nearly gaped at the fist sized hole in the stump that would have been his head.
Kakashi looked back at Naruto, who also had the eyes of Sakura and Sasuke on him. He was giving the biggest most innocent smile that could only appear on the face of a cherub. Chamo was on Naruto shoulder, mirroring his actions with the infamous puppy dog eyes-ermine version. A large sweat drop materialized on the side of Kakashi's head, _"Well at least he has the intent to kill part down." _"Well it seems that you're ready to come at me with the intent to kill. I guess that means that you've finally acknowledged me," he said with that strange cyclopean grin and laugh, "It seems that I'm beginning to like you guys." He walked until be was about ten paces in front of his team and continued, "Okay, lets get going. Ready… START!"
Moments later, Sakura and Sasuke had hidden themselves in the trees while Naruto was still standing in front of Kakashi. "Um, you're supposed to hide you know," said a mildly confused and embarrassed Kakashi. _"This is the punk that nearly killed me just minutes ago?" _
Naruto just shrugged in response, "If I really wanted to kill you I would just spam the entire forest with shadow clones and have them attack you at long range until they finally hit you. You already saw one my attacks, imagine fifty of me launching those things at you." Kakashi paled a little behind his mask because he couldn't see the attack or sense any chakra behind it. He was still a jonin and knew that he would be able to get away, but it wouldn't be without a scratch and it would almost certainly require his sharingan. Kakashi had to admit that he was lucky that the blond wasn't using that tactic. Not only would it make the next two hours the so annoying that he would rather hang out with Guy, but it would make the test nearly useless since his teammates wouldn't be able to enter the area without getting caught in the crossfire.
With an indifferent shrug that belied his thoughts, Kakashi reached into a pouch on his ninja belt and pulled out his favorite orange book. Naruto actually sweat dropped at this new development. "Ano…Why do you have a book? And why are you reading it during a fight?"
"Why? Well because I want to read what happens next. Don't worry about it; it won't make a difference against you guys," he said while turning to a new page.
Naruto looked back at his supposed sensei with a deadpan expression, "You know you're going to regret that right?" Upon seeing Kakashi's uninterested glance, Naruto decided that it was his decision to not take him seriously, "Don't say I didn't warn you," he exclaimed as he charged at Kakashi with a ki enhanced punch that was lazily blocked.
The next words that went through Kakashi's mind were, "BIG MISTAKE!" Kakashi could actually feel the bones rattling like a shaker in his hand. It took nearly everything in him not to show that the attack had been as painful as it was. Keeping up his jonin level coolness, he simply decided to dodge everything from now on. And dodge he did. Easily ducking under a roundhouse kick and stepping behind Naruto when he tried a wild haymaker. Kakashi made the hand seal for tiger around his book and prepared his attack while Naruto was still wondering where the hell Kakashi had disappeared to.
Then he heard Chamo to his right screaming, "Aniki, get out of there."
Kakashi gave a dark chuckle as he said in a sing-song voice, "Too late," he then proceeded to scream, "_Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutus Supreme Technique: 1000 Years of Pain." _With that stated, Kakashi rammed his fingers right into Naruto's arse and launched him high into the air where he quickly dissipated into smoke." _"Huh, so he was just a clone, impressive. Though I wonder where the original got off to."_
Naruto was hiding behind a tree, thanking and mentally promising Chamo his favorite meal of…whatever ermines eat. He was just about to jump to the top of the trees when he was overcome with the feeling of being _violated_. He checked himself to make sure that he had successfully gotten away. Kage bushin plus kawarimi was a success so he had gotten away without damage. That made him ask why did he still feel like he could remember being in the clone's place. Then a thought hit him. He remembered it as if he were the clone so what if it wasn't his memories but the clone's memories. This warranted further study later on but for now, he still needed to pass this damn test.
Naruto jumped up into the canopy of the small forest and created nearly a hundred clones. They all immediately leaped away to initiate Naruto's master plan. When Naruto thought that his clones were sufficiently separated, he raised his staff and all of his clones followed suit. Their staffs began to glow a golden color and the original Naruto called out the attack. _Kaze: sutoraiku. _(Wind: strike)As one, the clones and the original swung their staffs and launched a volley of ki missiles at their jonin sensei. Kakashi decided that now was a good time to get the hell out of the way and jumped from the middle of the clearing into the tree line. What happened at Kakashi's previous location could only me equated as ten exploding tag going off at the same time. Kakashi's mask was the only thing keeping his jaw off the ground when he saw the results. _"Is that boy really trying to kill me?"_
From Naruto's position he knew that Kakashi had gotten away just as he expected him to. Although he did admit that last combo might have been a little much. He commanded his clones to search for Kakashi while he jumped out of the trees to find his ermine companion that he'd lost in the fray.
It was as he was jumping that he came across a small silver bell on the ground. Naruto wasn't sure whether to be happy or insulted that Kakashi thought that he would fall for such a simple trap. He decided to take advantage of the opportunity and simply have his clones trip the trap for him. He made six shadow clones and told them to retrieve the bell. The first and second ones got strung up like pigs and dispelled but the third managed to grab the bell without molestation from traps. It seemed like a waste to just dispel the other clones and he still wasn't sure if the bell was booby trapped so he commanded the last three clones to protect the bell bearing clone. The three clones surrounded the assigned bell bearer in a triangle pattern before activating their mana barriers at full power and spinning their staffs for a _reflexio _spell to defend from all three sides while the middle clone prepared a _Sagitta Magica, Aer Capturae_ spell. Seventeen balls of sky blue and white circled around the clone, ready to fire at will and capture any enemy.
Naruto commanded the clones to take to the sky on their staffs, securing their catch in the process before he leapt away to find his familiar. Kakashi came out of a group of bushes and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Well…that was a stupid way to lose a bell. I didn't think he would be able to fly though. I really have to start using my sharingan around him; he has a lot of interesting skills," Kakashi said to himself as an afterthought. He then was forced to use kawarimi to avoid the barrage of kunai and shuriken that Sasuke had just thrown at him.
Sasuke was leaping away as quickly as he could while still maintaining stealth. However, he did not notice that he had passed under a hidden Naruto clone that was henged into a rock. Said rock quickly disappeared and sent its memories to the original. Naruto, the original, was running in a random direction when he got the memories of his clone. A wicked grin crossed his face as his experiment was a success and the usefulness of shadow clones had just increased three fold. He then got the memories of a clone that had spotted Chamo stalking Sakura. He ran in her direction and got there just in time to catch the full blast of Sakura screaming her head off before fainting. Naruto looked at the girl just shaking his head. "Either the genjutsu that Kakashi used on her was incredibly powerful and sadistic, or she's just pathetic."
Chamo must him heard him because after he said that, he responded with, "I think it's the second option Aniki." The small ermine then turned around after realizing that he was speaking to the one person he was looking for. "Aniki, where have you been? I was looking all over for you and then I saw your sensei following this girl and decided to see what she can do. From what I saw, it's not much." Naruto nodded and smiled as he found his best friend before offering a hand so Chamo could climb onto his favorite perch, Naruto's shoulder.
"I managed to get my hands on a bell and had some clones take it up into the sky where it'll be safe. Right now I'm trying to enlist some help in order to actually pass this test. You are the one who told me yesterday that the genin exam is always about teamwork so I have to get their help if I want Kakashi to actually pass us, right?" Naruto then created some shadow clones and told them to carry Sakura while they traveled to where he knew Sasuke was buried.
It was a short walk back to the clearing where he managed to get a bell. Sasuke was currently neck deep in dirt after a failed attempt to beat a jonin into submission. A very, _very_ stupid attempt. Sasuke glared up at the blond that was now standing over him with an amused smirk. "What the hell do you want dobe?"
"I want to get your help so we can pass this damn exam. You and I both know that one on one; we will get creamed by Kakashi. But if we were to double team him, my long range abilities with your superior taijutsu, we might be able to get a bell from him."
Sasuke couldn't ignore the logic in that statement, especially since he had already tried to do it alone and had his butt handed to him on a silver platter. It's hard to be arrogant when you're nothing but a head in the ground. But this still left some questions unanswered. "Why would you try to help me when I saw you get a bell already?"
"The bell that I got was a fake. My clones came back later and told me that it shocked the one that was carrying it and dispelled it." The information wasn't a lie because it actually happened. Naruto was never so glad for being so paranoid.
"Okay that answers that question," he said still a little reluctant to accept the blonde's help incase of treachery, "Which one of us doesn't get a bell if we get them." The answer he got was a pointed look at the still dozing Sakura, "Okay, then what do we do when she finds out that she will be the one to go back."
Naruto had to think about that one a bit, "She won't do anything against you because she is your head fan girl so she will try to demand it from me and when I don't give it up she was try to attack me but I can easily overpower her," then Naruto got a devious smirk, "Unless you want to be on a team alone with Sakura. Who knows what she might do when you two are out all by yourselves on missions." The paling of Sasuke's face was enough of an answer for him. "In fact, I'll give up my bell to her willingly if she asks politely instead of demanding it from me," he said contemplatively.
Sasuke had one last question before agreeing to help out Naruto. "Where did you get all of those abilities and could you teach me?" He asked as he saw it as the exact kind of power that he could use to defeat his brother. It was at that moment that Sakura decided to wake up. She sat up and saw Sasuke up to his chin in dirt. Sasuke blinked…she fainted.
Naruto shook his head at the uselessness of the girl before he blanched when he remembered the requirement of teaching another person that isn't an Uzumaki his abilities, a requirement that he was never going to fulfill with Sasuke or any other male for that matter. (Not that you pervs) "I won't tell you the secret behind my techniques but know that I can't teach it to you." He wasn't going to risk telling Sasuke how to use his techniques because he didn't know exactly how motivated Sasuke was to get stronger. It seemed that Sasuke understood that the ninja world is full of secrets and didn't push it any further.
With Chamo's help and a little ki, Naruto quickly dug Sasuke out of the hole then went to Sakura to wake her up. Unfortunately, that was when the bell decided to ring. The string of curses out of Naruto's mouth is too vivid to be put into a story of this rating. Sasuke was none too please either and Sakura was still unconscious. "Sasuke, I know that we failed but did she do anything useful during this entire test. In face, did she even fight Kakashi?"
"Well…no. But has your ferret…"
"I'm an ermine, not a ferret."
"Has your ermine done anything useful during this time either?" said Sasuke, trying to defend the unconscious girl who even he believed to be useless.
"Hey, I've done plenty. I saved Aniki from that super butt poke of death and I've been dispelling Kakashi's clones that he was leaving around the forest. I took care of the distractions so that you two could handle the real thing. That girl just happened to go to the next clone I was planning on dispelling."
Naruto was laughing like a maniac, "An ermine is more useful than Sakura. That is just pathetic. The only way this could get better is if Sakura was somehow tied up."
Ten minutes later
Sasuke and Naruto were leaning against two of the post. Sasuke was looking as cool as humanly possible and Naruto had the biggest shit eating grin on his lips. Tied to the middle post, still unconscious, was Sakura. Kakashi used a weak water jutsu to bring her back to the land of the living. "Huh, what, who? She sputtered as she figured out where she was, "Why am I the one tied up?"
Her question went ignored as Kakashi began speaking to the team. "Oh…you guys look really hungry." The glares he received could have melt lead. "Well, since none of you managed to get a bell, all of you get to go back to the academy." Sasuke gave Kakashi a dark glare while Sakura looked fearful and Naruto was talking with Chamo about how life would be like in the desert. Kakashi gave them all that strange eye smile before continuing, "But I'll you one more chance. However, you need to know that after lunch, I will make it much more difficult to get a bell. Now Naruto and Sasuke can eat lunch but you can't give any to Sakura."
"What! WHY?" was the response from the rosette girl.
"It's punishment for being the most useless in the group. Now if anyone gives her any food, they will immediately fail. I am the rules here, got it? he said while giving them a frightening glare considering he only had one eye showing.
With that said, Kakashi left them to do…whatever. Naruto and Sasuke were silently eating while thinking of what to do for their next try when Sakura's stomach made a rather embarrassing growl. "Don't worry about me Sasuke-kun, I'm not hungry at all," she said to try and disguise her hunger but both Naruto and Sasuke knew that she was starving. Sasuke offered his lunch with one hand with Naruto soon following. She looked at her two teammates, "Why are you doing this, you know that you'll fail if he sees us?" she asked with worry leaking into her voice.
"Don't worry about that, I don't sense him anywhere near here. After the bells, we need to work together to have a chance to take down Kakashi and get the bells. If you're starving while we are fighting, you'll just be in the way. So go ahead and eat," stated the last Uchiha as he held out the food for Sakura.
Naruto had a small smile on his face at this point, "Yeah, while you aren't really cut out for combat like me and Sasuke, you are the smartest one of us here and we could really use your plans. But you won't be able to do your best if you are distracted by your own growling stomach. So yeah…take my lunch too," he then took out a little with his chopsticks to help her eat.
Sakura was about to take her first bite when a giant explosion of smoke appeared in front of them. Kakashi flew out of the smoke looking every bit like a demon as he dashed up to his students yelling in an angry voice, "YOU GUYS…" Sakura was fearful again while Sasuke and Naruto were getting ready for a fight, "…pass." Confused looks all around, Kakashi saw that he would have to explain it to them. "You guys are the first to pass my exam. Everyone else just did whatever I told them and they were all just morons. There two rules of ninja in my book. A ninja must see underneath the underneath. And that those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are scum, but those abandon their comrades are worse than scum." Kakashi looked up into the sky as if remembering a day he would rather forget but couldn't. He then looked at his students with his patented eye smile and said, "All of you pass. Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will begin their ninja missions."
"Hey guys, let's have a victory party at Ichiraku's on me," scream a far too excited Naruto as he bound forward. Kakashi agreed because it was a good chance for free food while Sasuke decided that he didn't have anything better to do.
Neither of them heard the voice of Sakura behind them, "Hey guys. You forgot to get me. I want to eat too. SASUKE-KUN."
Omake
Sasuke and Naruto were leaning against two of the post. Sasuke was looking as cool as humanly possible and Naruto had the biggest shit eating grin on his lips. Tied to the middle post, still unconscious, was Sakura. Kakashi used a weak water jutsu to bring her back to the land of the living. "Huh, what, who? She sputtered as she figured out where she was, "Why am I the one tied up?"
Naruto looked at her as if she asked the dumbest question possible. "Sakura, can you name one useful thing that you did during this test?" He waited for a response but knew that she didn't have one. "Can you at least name a time that you attacked Kakashi?" She again tried to think of one but knew that falling to his genjutsu would not count as a fight. "Can you list how many jutsu you know that aren't taught in the academy?" Sakura tried again to answer but knew that there was not answer. "Sakura, you are completely useless. I fought Kakashi hand to hand and bombarded him from afar, then stepped around a trap; found you passed out on the ground and dragged you here after finding and teaming up with Sasuke. Sasuke attacked Kakashi with shuriken and kunai from far away before fighting him hand to hand and even managed to touch the bells. Even Chamo went around dispelling some of Kakashi's traps, saved me from Kakashi's perverted attack, and was the first one to find you. Out of all the people on Team 7, including my pet ermine, you are the weakest and most useless."
Sakura turned her head to Sasuke to dispel Naruto's claims, "Sasuke-kun, you don't thing that I am useless do you?"
"…" Sasuke was silent
"Kakashi-sensei, you don't think that I am useless and weak do you?"
"…" Kakashi was silent.
"Come one guys, you don't really think that an animal is more powerful and useful than me, right?"
"Damn strait," was the only response she got, and it came from said animal.
Woo, I finally finished this. And on Halloween. Sorry I don't have a Halloween Omake but I finally got around to editing this. So yeah, remember when I said this would be out in two weeks, kind of ended up being closer to two months. What can I say, school, looking for colleges, all that stuff really takes up time. But I can definitely guarantee that the next chapter will be out before Christmas. Although I am trying for before Thanksgiving.
If you didn't already know because you're one of those people who don't read the top comments (I know who you are) then there is to be a poll shortly after posting. The question is Is Tenten more similar to Setsuna, Ku Fei, or Chao? This question was given by Fan of Fanfics21. I'm also adding Kaede to the list so that it gets all the girls that are warriors in the show. Please give your answer on the poll that should be on my profile page shortly after posting this.
Not much else to say so, See ya.
Oh, one more thing. Angelson1992, my friend that helped me start writing fanfiction, has given me permission to adopt his crack fic, 30 Days to Kill. So if you've ever heard of it and want it to continue, or maybe just like nonsense with splashes of overpowered Naruto and citrus, you'll enjoy this. First chapter begins posting soon I will change a few things though.
End file.
| fanfiction |
What are the "x" marks in a bubble chamber image?
Upon looking at a decent number of bubble chamber images I noticed an x shape [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/t1qum.jpg). What particles are producing these trails?
They’re “[stereo fiducials](http://hst-archive.web.cern.ch/archiv/HST2005/bubble_chambers/BCwebsite/08.htm)”: marks used to calibrate from the distances on the (somewhat deformable film image) to accurate 3D positions during the scanning process. On the chambers I'm familiar with, they were precision scribe marks on the inner side of the windows.
In the chamber in the Question photo they're found in pairs, with one on the front window and a nearby one on the back. They’ve been very accurately measured independently of the camera and scanning optics.
| stackexchange/physics |
For the British Radio station owned by Global company see Gold radio network
GOLD 905 is an English radio station of Mediacorp in Singapore. It broadcasts classic hits from the 1980s and 1990s similar to that of BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom and PBS FM2 in Philippines. Their DJs include Brian Richmond, who has more than 40 years of experience in the radio industry. It is one of the nation's oldest stations.
Content
Music
Gold 905 adopts the Classic hits radio format, with the majority of the playlist consisting of music from the 1980s, along with a small minority of easy listening hits from the early 2000s. The station has both general daytime programmes and specialist programmes of particular types or eras of music.
On weekday nights, Nite Flight features ballads, soft rock and easy listening hits. On Saturday evenings, Rock of Ages features classic rock, and Solid Gold features disco and dance music. This specialist programming previously ran from 6pm to 2am in February 2016, but was changed to run only from 8pm to midnight in November 2017. On Sunday mornings, The Vintage Showcase features Oldies music from the 1960s and 1970s.
News and current affairs
News, sports, weather, and traffic bulletins on Gold 905 generally air at 53-57 minutes past the hour.
The traffic updates are aired at 15-minute intervals in the mornings 6-10am, and 30-minute intervals for the rest of the day 12-8pm.
The news bulletin is provided by CNA938. Prior to November 2017, the news bulletin was only aired during primetime hours 6am-12pm, 5-8pm. In November 2017, Mediacorp mandated the news bulletin to be aired every hour. On weekdays, the news is aired hourly from 6:53am to 8:53pm, while on weekends the news is aired hourly from 10:53am to 7:53pm.
Staff
Directorial Staff
Senior Programme Director: Erina Cook
Music Director: Colin Minjoot
Senior Creative Producer: Wayne Ong
Weekday Presenters
Mike Kasem
Vernetta Lopez
Gurmit Singh
Denise Tan
Catherine Robert
Chris Ho
William Xavier
Weekend Presenters
Brian Richmond
DJ Boy
See also
List of radio stations in Singapore
Mediacorp
References
External links
GOLD 905's Official Website
Category:Radio stations established in 1936
Category:1936 establishments in Singapore
Category:Radio stations in Singapore | wikipedia |
Home»Main Story»BREWERY ENHANCES SAFETY FOR ITS 212 EMPLOYEES
BREWERY ENHANCES SAFETY FOR ITS 212 EMPLOYEES
August 31, 2022 No Comments3 Mins Read
A Press release from the St. Vincent Brewery Ltd – A Culture of Safety.
St. Vincent Brewery Ltd – A Culture of Safety
The St. Vincent Brewery (SVBL) is embracing safety as a way of life through safety standards set for its employees.
SVBL prides itself on implementing and maintaining global safety standards and developing a company-wide safety culture. At SVBL, Safety is non-negotiable.
SVBL is part of the multi-national company Anheuser-Busch Inbev (ABI), the world's largest brewer, headquartered in Lueven, Belgium, with an ecosystem that includes major hubs in Brazil, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. SVBL is part of what is known as the "Middle-America" group, which includes Central America and the Caribbean. The parent company sets international safety standards, such as Norme Regulamentadora/Regulatory Norm (NR) standards.
Thus, SVBL has been using international best practices as its benchmark, including Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards that are practised by their regional group of companies, including all the Caribbean breweries under the ABI umbrella and through-out the "Middle-America" zone.
From the moment someone enters the gates of the SVBL compound, they are entering a high-level safety zone. The objective is to have every worker return home safely to their family.
For their own safety, employees are educated in the general safety rules, such as appropriate and safe attire, including no wearing of jewellery on the compound, wearing long pants, as opposed to shorts, work boots, and strict wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE).
There are designated areas for cell phone use, designated walkways and designated areas for vehicle traffic.
All new SVBL employees are trained in company safety and environmental policy as part of their onboarding.
According to Safety Supply Analyst, Mr Kurtley Jack, safety is about positive influence and creating awareness. This includes regular safety meetings, held twice daily (one for each shift), employees being encouraged to report unsafe conditions and behaviour, safety data being displayed for transparency and shared to all the Departments.
He indicated that from the participation of the workers in safety meetings, they are usually very open and interactive in meetings and clearly feel a sense of ownership in keeping their workplace safe.
According to Mr Jack, who has worked with the Brewery for five (5) years "It's intriguing and no two days are alike".
He began his tenure at SVBL in the Commercial Department as Safety and Fleet Supervisor and then moved to being Supervisor of Safety & Environment, then to his current role as Safety Analyst.
He feels motivated to support employees in keeping their safety standards high when he hears that they have even implemented some of these practices in a home environment with their own families, and can observe and confidently identify when workers in other companies are not adhering to safe on-the-job practices.
SVBL is proud of its stance as a leader in St Vincent & the Grenadines in setting high standards & keeping their employees safe.
As the prominently displayed safety statistics would attest, with over 897 days without an injury resulting in lost time among full time employees and a current record of over 1268 days without incident among casual employees, surpassing the previous record of 983 days, there is much to be proud of.
SVBL currently employs some 212 employees. | slim_pajama |
Field equations of a given action [duplicate]
**This question already has answers here**:
[Derivation of Maxwell's equations from field tensor lagrangian](/questions/3005/derivation-of-maxwells-equations-from-field-tensor-lagrangian)
(5 answers)
Closed 4 years ago.
Provided an action:
$$S[A\_\nu] = \int\left(\frac{1}{4\mu\_0}(A\_{\gamma,\mu}-A\_{\mu,\gamma})(A\_{\zeta,\alpha}-A\_{\alpha,\zeta})\eta^{\gamma\zeta}\eta^{\mu\alpha}+\frac{1}{2}\nu^2A\_\mu A\_\gamma -\beta A\_\mu J^\mu\right)\sqrt{-\eta}~dtd^3x,$$
How would one go about finding the field equations for the same? I do understand that using the Euler-Lagrange method is how one should start out.
Does it tell us what kind of field we're looking at, at a glance?
As already mentioned, the action corresponds to massive electrondynamics, including external sources, in Minkowski spacetime. This is also known under the term Proca action.
As you mention, the corresponding equations of motion can be found using Euler-Lagrange equation, that is
$$0 = \frac{\partial \mathcal{L}}{\partial A\_\mu} - \partial\_\nu \frac{\partial \mathcal{L}}{\partial (\partial\_\nu A\_\mu)}$$
Both terms are calculated rather straightfowardly and you should and up with the equations of motion
$$0=\partial^\nu F\_{\nu \mu} - m^2 A\_\mu + \beta j\_\mu$$
or
$$0= \partial^\mu \partial\_{[\mu} A\_{\nu]} - m^2A\_\mu + \beta j\_\mu$$
I have put in the field strenght tensor $F = dA$, or $F\_{\mu \nu} = \partial\_\mu A\_\nu - \partial\_\nu A\_\mu$ for simplicity and substituted $m^2$ for $\nu^2$ since I think $\nu$ is kind of reserved for coordinate indices (in that sense, your definition is also a bit formally incorrect as on the right hand side you write $S[A\_\nu]$).
Writing down the Lagrangian with the field strenght tensor, I think, also allows for a more direct identification of the underlying theory.
Proca fields are the most straightforward massive generalizations of vector fields and can be studied also in a quantum mechanical, or quantum field, context. But note that, unlike Maxwells equation, Proca's equation are not gauge invariant, as the symmetry is broken by the mass term!
EDIT: Note, that in another answer it is stated that the equations of motions are $(\square - m^2)A\_\mu = \beta j\_\mu$, but this is a priori incorrect. However, if you try to solve Proca's equation you find that it is actually equivalent to the mentioned wave equation PLUS a constraint, $m^2 \partial^\nu A\_\nu = \beta \partial^\nu j\_\nu$. This is in a sense analogue to the case in electrodynamics where you find that Maxwell's equations can be solved by solving a wave equation (of the four-vector potential) and a constraint (the Lorenz constraint).
by the Euler-Lagrange method you would simply get the following field equation:
$(\square-\nu^2)A\_\alpha=-\beta J\_\alpha$,
which is the Proca equation. You can read up about the Proca action online. I'm new to field theory, and someone should correct me if I am wrong.
This is just the lagrangian for electromagnetism.
The A is the vector potential and the expressions in parenthesis are the F tensor. You can read about it [here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_(field_theory))
| stackexchange/physics |
Tilișca ; is a commune in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania, in the Cindrel Mountains, 26 km west of the county capital Sibiu, in the Mărginimea Sibiului ethnographic area. It is composed of two villages, Rod Rod; Ród and Tilișca.
References
Category:Communes in Sibiu County | wikipedia |
How can I choose the correct mechanism for nucleophilic substitution of aryl halides?
I was reading about nucleophilic substitutions of aryl halides, and there are three different mechanisms discussed, namely the SN1, SNAr (addition-elimination), and benzyne (elimination-addition) mechanisms.
However, I am confused as to how to identify which mechanism is operative. How can I tell this from the reaction conditions and reagents?
Before comparing the three main mechanisms, I will first explain why aryl halides typically do not undergo SN2-type reactions. Take bromobenzene as a typical example of an aryl halide. A nucleophile, like hydroxide ion, cannot simply displace the bromide from bromobenzene. Quoting from *Organic Chemistry* (1st ed., p 589) by Clayden et al.,
>
> In the aromatic compound, the C–Br bond is in the plane of the ring as the carbon atom is trigonal. To attack from the back, the nucleophile would have to appear inside the benzene ring and invert the carbon atom in an absurd way. This reaction is not possible!
>
>
>
---
In rare cases, SN1 reactions can take place; these characteristically occur when there is an excellent leaving group on the arene. One of the few examples is in the case of an aryldiazonium ion, where the corresponding leaving group is nitrogen gas.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LdswX.png)
Note that the presence of a diazonium ion does not necessarily imply a SN1 mechanism; there are also other possible mechanistic pathways, mainly involving radical chemistry.
---
The next possibility is that of an addition-elimination reaction, commonly termed SNAr. This is made possible by electron-withdrawing groups (e.g. nitro or carbonyl groups) when they are *ortho* and/or *para* to the halogen, as the negative charge in the intermediate can be delocalised into these electron-withdrawing groups:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mWXak.png)
---
Finally, the benzyne mechanism. Consider bromobenzene: it cannot undergo SN2 reactions (as explained above), SN1 reactions (bromide is not a sufficiently good leaving group), or SNAr reactions (no electron-withdrawing group *ortho* or *para* to bromine). However, under strongly basic conditions, it is possible to eliminate HBr by abstracting a proton *ortho* to the halide. Examples of such strong bases include sodium amide (NaNH2), LDA/lithium diisopropylamide (LiN*i*-Pr2), or potassium *tert*-butoxide (KO*t*-Bu).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XBsPS.png)
---
To summarise the three categories:
1. If you have a very good leaving group - primarily nitrogen gas - on the aromatic compound, then a SN1 mechanism is possible.
2. If you have good electron withdrawing groups *ortho* or *para* to the halide, then it is likely an addition-elimination or SNAr reaction.
3. If the above two are not possible, and if you have an extremely strong base such as NaNH2 or KO*t*-Bu, then the benzyne mechanism may be applicable.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Inuyasha Behind the Scenes of Taiyoukais Reason for Hostili
A companion fic to Taiyoukai's Reason for Hostility. Remember though, there's no real fic, it's just words for songs and such kay? In case you all don't recognize the song it is "My Lullaby" from Lion King 2: Simba's Pride by Zira.
**Koto:**
Sleep my little Sesshomaru,
Let your dreams take wing.
One day when you're big and strong,
You will be a...king!
**Sesshomaru:**
Good night...
**Koto:**
Good night my little prince.
Tomorrow your training intensifies.
I've been exiled, humiliated!
Left alone with no defense,
When I think of what that brute did,
I get a little tense.
But I a dream so pretty,
That I don't feel so depressed.
'Cause it soothes my inner puppy
And it helps me get some rest.
The sound of Inutaisho's dying gasp!
His halfbreed son squealing in my grasp!
His human mistress mournful cry,
That's my lullaby!!
Now the past I've tried forgetting,
And my foes I could forgive.
Trouble is I know it's petty,
But I hate to let them live.
**Akasha: **
So you found yourself somebody who'd put Inutaisho in his place!
**Koto:**
Oh, the battle may be bloody, but that kinda works for me.
The melody of angry growls,
A counterpoint of painful howls.
A symphony of death, oh my!
That's my lullaby.
Niro's (her father) gone...but Koto's still around,
To love this little lad.
Until he learns to be a killer,
With a lust for being mad!
**Akasha:**
Sleep you little bitch!
Uh...I mean precious little thing.
**Nakita:**
One day when you're big and strong...
**Koto:**
You will be a king!
The pounding of the drums of war!
The thrill of Sesshomaru's mighty roar!
**Akasha:**
The joy of vengence!
**Nakita:**
Testify!
**Koto:**
I can hear the cheering:
**Akasha and Nakita:**
Sesshomaru! What a guy!
**Koto:**
Payback time is nearing,
And than our flag will fly!
Against a blood red sky!
That's...my...lullabyyyyy!!!
Mou, this was based mostly on chapter 3 of the fic, if you guys liked it and want more just let me know and I'll do other chapters neh?
End file.
| fanfiction |
Naruto There Will Always be Death
I rose to his feet. Missions always had a price, be it money or life, but war. War just had the price of lives. The stone was just a painful reminder of the lost family, friends, and lovers that the village took. Yet, that was the life of the shinobi.
A silent tear fell down my cheek as I traced the recent names on the black stone. Some of them had just graduated the academy, just made it into the life of a ninja, only to have it ripped right out of there hands. My hands stopped and re traced the name last name over and over. They never recovered the body, I never got to say good-bye.
I hold my breath, and chat over and over to myself what I have since the day the War ended.
"A shinobi must never cry, must never show weakness"
I couldn't hold it anymore, it hurt so much. Everyone had at least one person that returned to them, but not me. Every friend I had. Every person I loved. There name is on the fucking stone, and it just hurts to be alone, again.
I try to stop my tears, but I can't. I can't even balance myself to stand. I just cry like I'm a child again. Why? Why was he always left alone?
I bite my lip until I bleed, and I feel the coppery taste in my mouth. I feel so helpless, and I didn't even have anyone to turn too, and I freeze as I feel a hand on my shoulder. I wonder how long they saw me in my helpless state, how weak I looked to them.
"You know...," he squeezes my shoulder, "You don't have to hold back , you are human."
I freeze, and turn slowly. His name was on the stone, he was suppose to be dead, and yet here he was smiling at him.
"Kakashi...", the name sounded strange on my lips.
"Yes, Iruka?", his voice so soft.
I stood, uneasy legs to hold me. I touch his face to make sure he was alive, he was warm. The heat reaching into my fingers, and I truly smile for the first time in weeks. My legs give out, and I fall right into his arms. I feel his hands going through hair, words lost in everything. He was alive, he was here with me and that was all that mattered.
End file.
| fanfiction |
clinical and imaging data , obtained as part of the standard clinical stroke care at our institution , were retrospectively reviewed with approval of the institutional review board . between april 2009 and november 2011 , 21 patients ( all men ; ages , 49 - 82 years ; mean , 67.8 8.4 years ) with > 70% carotid stenosis on mdcta ( according to nascet ) within 2 weeks from ischemic episode and in whom carotid stent
the patients were def ined as " symptomatic " based on clinical presentation at admission and positive diffusion - weighted imaging at follow - up during admission .
we defined the " asymptomatic " side as the contralateral carotid artery with no relevant correlation to clinical symptoms in a patient .
all patients were scanned from the aortic arch to the head using a 64-multi - detector - row ct scanner ( brilliance 64 , philips medical systems , best , the netherlands ) with a standardized optimized contrast - enhanced ct angiography protocol . in our protocol for the analysis of carotid arteries , an unenhanced baseline acquisition of the entire carotid artery was performed .
an automatic bolus - tracking program was used to start acquisition after contrast injection ( 370 mg i / ml , ultravist 370 , bayer schering pharma ag , berlin , germany ) . after the start of contrast material injection ,
the software measured the attenuation value for a region of interest ( roi ) within the ascending aorta and scanning started after 3.2 seconds as soon as the threshold of 150 hu was exceeded .
the injection rate of contrast media was 6 ml / sec , for a total volume of 100 ml .
ct technical parameters included : 120 mas , 120 kv , a 1-mm slice thickness , 64 0.625 mm detector configuration using a pitch of 0.89 for pre - contrast phase ; 180 mas , 120 kv , a pitch of 0.89 for early arterial phase ; 100 mas , 120 kv , a pitch of 0.67 for delayed phase ( 90 sec after contrast injection ) .
subsequently , the images were processed at a workstation to create multiplanar reconstruction for analysis of degree of stenosis and plaque morphology .
we evaluated severity of stenosis according to the nascet and carotid plaque wall on pre - contrast , early arterial , and delayed phase measured in hounsfield units ( hu ) .
carotid wall enhancement was considered present if > 50% of the carotid wall circumference was enhanced at the level of maximum stenosis with a 10-hu increase .
the mdcta were separately analyzed by two experienced neuroradiologists by consensus . in the contrast - enhanced early and delayed phases , a circular roi , three to f i ve in number and with 1 mm in diameter , in the predominant enhancing area of carotid wall overlying plaque was used to measure hu value at the most stenotic site ( fig .
a roi of the same area as that used in the contrast - enhanced phase was positioned in the same position at carotid artery wall to measure the unenhanced hu value at an equivalent level . in order to measure the degree of enhancement , we calculated the hu difference between pre - contrast and contrast enhanced early arterial and delayed phases . during the image review
, the center level was set at 100 - 150 hu and the window width at 250 - 350 hu , which allowed for optimal plaque component distinction .
severe calcified components covering the vessel wall were excluded from the roi . for the analysis of the data ,
friedman 's test was used to correlate averaged hu values and the difference of the carotid wall between pre - contrast and contrast - enhanced phases within each symptomatic and asymptomatic group .
the wilcoxon signed - rank correlation test was used to test averaged hu values and difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups .
all analyses were performed using the spss 15.0 statistical package for windows ( spss inc . , chicago , il , usa ) .
clinical and imaging data , obtained as part of the standard clinical stroke care at our institution , were retrospectively reviewed with approval of the institutional review board . between april 2009 and november 2011 , 21 patients ( all men ; ages , 49 - 82 years ; mean , 67.8 8.4 years ) with > 70% carotid stenosis on mdcta ( according to nascet ) within 2 weeks from ischemic episode and in whom carotid stent
the patients were def ined as " symptomatic " based on clinical presentation at admission and positive diffusion - weighted imaging at follow - up during admission .
we defined the " asymptomatic " side as the contralateral carotid artery with no relevant correlation to clinical symptoms in a patient .
all patients were scanned from the aortic arch to the head using a 64-multi - detector - row ct scanner ( brilliance 64 , philips medical systems , best , the netherlands ) with a standardized optimized contrast - enhanced ct angiography protocol . in our protocol for the analysis of carotid arteries , an unenhanced baseline acquisition of the entire carotid artery was performed .
an automatic bolus - tracking program was used to start acquisition after contrast injection ( 370 mg i / ml , ultravist 370 , bayer schering pharma ag , berlin , germany ) . after the start of contrast material injection , the software measured the attenuation value for a region of interest ( roi ) within the ascending aorta and scanning started after 3.2 seconds as soon as the threshold of 150 hu was exceeded .
the injection rate of contrast media was 6 ml / sec , for a total volume of 100 ml .
ct technical parameters included : 120 mas , 120 kv , a 1-mm slice thickness , 64 0.625 mm detector configuration using a pitch of 0.89 for pre - contrast phase ; 180 mas , 120 kv , a pitch of 0.89 for early arterial phase ; 100 mas , 120 kv , a pitch of 0.67 for delayed phase ( 90 sec after contrast injection ) .
subsequently , the images were processed at a workstation to create multiplanar reconstruction for analysis of degree of stenosis and plaque morphology .
we evaluated severity of stenosis according to the nascet and carotid plaque wall on pre - contrast , early arterial , and delayed phase measured in hounsfield units ( hu ) .
carotid wall enhancement was considered present if > 50% of the carotid wall circumference was enhanced at the level of maximum stenosis with a 10-hu increase .
the mdcta were separately analyzed by two experienced neuroradiologists by consensus . in the contrast - enhanced early and delayed phases , a circular roi , three to f i ve in number and with 1 mm in diameter , in the predominant enhancing area of carotid wall overlying plaque was used to measure hu value at the most stenotic site ( fig .
a roi of the same area as that used in the contrast - enhanced phase was positioned in the same position at carotid artery wall to measure the unenhanced hu value at an equivalent level . in order to measure the degree of enhancement , we calculated the hu difference between pre - contrast and contrast enhanced early arterial and delayed phases . during the image review ,
the center level was set at 100 - 150 hu and the window width at 250 - 350 hu , which allowed for optimal plaque component distinction .
for the analysis of the data , averaged hu values between unenhanced and early arterial and delayed phase were calculated .
friedman 's test was used to correlate averaged hu values and the difference of the carotid wall between pre - contrast and contrast - enhanced phases within each symptomatic and asymptomatic group .
the wilcoxon signed - rank correlation test was used to test averaged hu values and difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups .
all analyses were performed using the spss 15.0 statistical package for windows ( spss inc . , chicago , il , usa ) .
the clinical characteristics of the study population are as follows : hypertension in 19 patients ( 90.5% ) ; diabetes mellitus in 7 ( 33.3% ) ; hyperlipidemia in 11 ( 52.4% ) . the mean luminal stenosis degree in the symptomatic side measured 82% ( range , 70 - 99% ) , and the mean luminal stenosis degree in the contralateral asymptomatic side measured 40% ( range , 0 - 99% ) .
the hu of carotid wall enhancement overlying plaque and statistical analysis in all patients are demonstrated in table 1 . in the symptomatic side of all patients ,
the mean hu of carotid wall enhancement at the stenotic portion was higher in the delayed phase ( 65.8 14.2 hu ) compared to the early arterial phase ( 54.2 12.6 hu ) .
the hu difference of carotid wall enhancement between the pre - contrast and delayed phase ( 28.0 14.8 hu ) was significantly higher than between the pre - contrast and early arterial phase ( 16.4 12.1 hu ) with p < 0.05 .
in contrast , in the asymptomatic contralateral side , the averaged hu difference between the pre - contrast and delayed phase ( 15.5 12.0 hu ) showed no significance higher than between the pre - contrast and early arterial phase ( 14.9 10.9 hu ) with p = 0.05 . between symptomatic and asymptomatic sides , relative statistically significance existed in the averaged hu value and difference of pre - contrast and delayed phase ( 28.0 14.8 hu vs. 15.5 12.0 hu , p = 0.008 ) .
however , there was no significant correlation in the averaged hu value and the difference between the pre - contrast and early arterial phase between the symptomatic ( 16.4 12.1 hu ) and asymptomatic side ( 14.9 10.9 hu ) with p = 0.823 .
for all patients in this study , there was a statistically higher hu difference of carotid wall overlying plaque between the pre - contrast and delayed phases than the hu difference between the pre - contrast and early arterial phases demonstrated on the symptomatic side ( fig .
plaque neovascularization , first described by koester is thought to participate intimately in the growth and progression of human atherosclerosis .
it has previously been demonstrated , by using different imaging techniques , that enhancement of carotid plaque correlated with increase of neovessels within the carotid plaque and that the cause of enhancement is due to increased vascularity of the adventitial vasa vasorum feeding the plaque neovasculature .
kerwin et al . reported that , on dynamic contrast - enhanced mri , temporal increase in enhancement on the outer rim or adventitia until delayed phase due to neovascularization is a sign of plaque inflammation and vulnerability linked to increased risk of clinical vascular events .
conf irmed pronounced enhancement of the adventitial vasa vasorum on contrast - enhanced carotid ultrasound was associated with clinical events and that the presence of vasa vasorum - derived intraplaque neovascularization was associated with plaque instability .
recently reported cta enhancement of the ica wall is significantly more common in symptomatic than in asymptomatic patients with severe stenosis and explained it as vasa vasorum noevascularization in the early arterial phase . to our knowledge , this is the first study that examined carotid wall enhancement until the delayed phase using mdcta and its correlation with a patient 's clinical history .
in contrast to our study , recently it has been reported that an increase in hu from the early to delayed phases on mdcta indicates plaque stability . however , their study analyzed dynamic contrast enhancement of variable plaque components , including fibrous tissue , lipid core , intraplaque hemorrhage , and neovascularization , with free - hand segmentation of the roi .
in contrast , considering heterogeneity in the carotid plaque component , we focused on wall enhancement overlying the carotid plaque , and hypothesized that it would reflect plaque vulnerability more accurately and constantly with respect to adventitial neovascularization .
additionally , saba et al . recently reported that using contrast enhanced mdcta , contrast plaque enhancement is statistically associated with neovascularization and microvessel density in symptomatic patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy .
however , our study analyzed the arterial wall enhancement overlying plaque specifically , and our result may be complementary and allow better understanding of the behavior of vulnerable and non - vulnerable plaque . some limitations in this study should be addressed .
first , mdcta leads to ionizing radiation exposure . however , cta is a routine and adjunctive imaging modality that is obtained as part of the standard of care in a few seconds , without any requirement for a specif ic protocol in acute or chronic cerebrovascular disease .
moreover , mdcta is a useful and noninvasive modality that gives information about the degree of luminal stenosis , extent of intra - plaque calcification , or ulceration with acceptable range of radiation during our study .
second , our study used contralateral carotid arteries as controls , since it has the advantage of accounting for various factors such as age and cardiovascular risk factors . however , an alternative method could have used asymptomatic age - matched controls with severe atherosclerotic disease . third , this study did not quantify hu for the entire plaque volume with free - hand segmentation for a roi because of technical diff iculty and limited spatial resolution .
however , we selected the circle segmentation roi method to measure the carotid wall hu specifically , because we hypothesized this method would be more accurate in measuring the wall in which we are interested
. finally , we could not correlate findings with histologic results , because all patients with severe stenosis were eligible for intervention , which in our hospital includes carotid stenting ; and unfortunately , it is not possible to obtain preserved carotid endarterectomy specimens that include an adventitial layer . in conclusion , the pronounced enhancement of the carotid wall in the delayed phase on mdcta was seen in symptomatic patients with severe internal carotid artery stenosis . in the future , | pubmed |
Wrong No. 2 also written as Wrong Number 2 is a 2019 Pakistani romantic comedy film. It is a sequel to the 2015 film Wrong No., directed by Yasir Nawaz-produced by Sh Amjad Rasheed and Hassan Zia. It is the second installment in Wrong No. film series. The film features Sami Khan and Neelam Muneer in leading roles. Supporting cast includes Jawed Sheikh, Mehmood Aslam, Ahmad Hassan and Danish Nawaz.
The film was released on Eid al-Fitr, 5 June 2019, and was distributed by Distribution Club and Eros International. The film emerged as a box-office success and became the third highest-grossing Pakistani film of 2019.
Plot
Neelum Munir stars as Zoya, a rich heiress who falls in love with a man who is not as financially stable as herself. Her father mistakes her lover for someone else and they face a comedy of errors
Cast
Sami Khan as Omar
Neelam Muneer as Zoya
Mehmood Aslam
Jawed Sheikh as Gul Nawaz
Shafqat Cheema
Danish Nawaz
Yasir Nawaz as Mehboob
Sana Fakhar as Masooma
Ahmed Hassan as Happy
Fareeha Jabeen
Ashraf Khan Cameo appearance
Shehnaz Pervaiz Cameo
Yashma Gill Cameo
Release
The first teaser of the film was released on 13 April 2019. The film was released on 5 June 2019.
Reception
Box office
On its first day the film collected 1.60 crores. The film earned a total of 10.60 crore in its first weekend. After eight weeks it earned Rs. 20.00 crores domestic and Rs. 1.65 Crores overseas.
Critical reception
Hassan Hassan of Galaxy Lollywood rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars saying that If you have loved JPNA series or any other feel-good masala entertainers that don't defy logic, Wrong Number 2 is the film you should go for. There are very high chances that you will leave the cinema halls amused, for all the right reasons. Zeeshan Ahmad of The Express Tribune remarked, ''Wrong No 2 lays groundwork for a plot only to completely ignore it later. The central romance is shallow and half-baked, with the only upside to the film a few moments of genuine humour.''
Soundtrack
See also
List of Pakistani films of 2019
References
External links
Category:Pakistani films
Category:Pakistani romantic comedy films
Category:2010s romantic comedy films
Category:Urdu-language films
Category:Lollywood films
Category:Pakistani action comedy films
Category:2019 films | wikipedia |
Physatocheila is a genus of lace bugs in the family Tingidae. There are at least 50 described species in Physatocheila.
Species
References
Further reading
Category:Tingidae | wikipedia |
Optical interferometer using software
I understand that optical interferometer is a technique by which we can combine light from multiple telescopes and combine them in optical interferometer to simulate effect of larger telescope with mirror diameter of largest distance between any two telescopes.
Currently telescopes use complex process of combining light obtained from different telescopes using beam combiner, this has limitation of telescopes to be colocated at the same place with interferometer arrangement in place.
Is it possible to combine the light collected from two telescopes via software to produce same effect as optical interferometer which can allow us to treat telescopes located at large distances as a single telescope? Is there any software solution already available for that?
It works fine with radio telescopes. The oscillating electric fields in the radio range can be measured as a function of time, displayed on oscilloscopes, waveforms can be digitized. After that one can do amazing things in software: <http://www.lofar.org/>
At the frequencies of visible light we cannot do that (yet). So interference has to be done in hardware.
| stackexchange/physics |
What's the explanation for the chelate effect? [duplicate]
**This question already has an answer here**:
[Why do dianions (such as malonate) bind cations more strongly than anions?](/questions/28065/why-do-dianions-such-as-malonate-bind-cations-more-strongly-than-anions)
(1 answer)
Closed 6 years ago.
I got that multidentate ligands form more stable coordination complexes than monodentate ligands, but why?
The **chelate effect** is generally agreed to be a thermodynamic effect caused by the change in entropy upon binding of a bidentate ligand.
---
**General description of the chelate effect**:
Consider a coordination complex, [M]L2, where L = a standard monodentate ligand. If we now add a bidentate ligand, two monodentate ligands are released.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JwJDc.png)
The ligand substitution reaction in the forward direction is therefore generally favourable: ∆S, the entropy term is positive due to two molecules reacting to become three, with this favourable entropy term having the effect of tending to make ∆G negative (negative ∆G is favourable, i.e. the reaction likely to proceed).[\*]
Once a bidentate ligand is bound, it then becomes less favourable to go in the other direction (the entropy term would be negative due to entropy decreasing in the system, which in turn would tend to make ∆G positive, and hence the reaction unfavourable).
**Example and thermodynamic data**:
To give a more concrete example demonstrating the significance of the entropy term, consider the following reaction and associated thermodynamic data (taken from *Physical Inorganic Chemistry*, S. F. A. Kettle, 1996):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/z7MXI.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pOIOV.png)
Clearly, the entropy term dominates, causing ∆G to be negative in both cases (hence causing the forward reaction to be favoured in both cases).
[\*]: The caveat here is that we're assuming that enthalpy really isn't contributing a whole lot, this is clearly a vast over-simplification, and there are cases where enthalpy becomes important (i.e. when the complex is significantly more stable than the starting materials). We're also ignoring the fact that the act of binding a bidentate ligand itself has some unfavourable entropy, since we're containing the ligand and removing some conformational flexibility
| stackexchange/chemistry |
The following is a list of notable deaths in March 2001.
Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence:
Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent country of citizenship if applicable, reason for notability, cause of death if known, and reference.
March 2001
1
Erik Aschehoug, 74, French Olympic rower men's eight rowing at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Ray Dorr, 59, American college football player West Virginia Wesleyan and coach Southern Illinois, Kentucky, Texas A&M.
Albert Heschong, 82, American television, film and theater production designer winner of Emmy Award for Art Direction for Requiem for a Heavyweight.
John Painter, 112, American supercentarian, world's oldest man.
Hannie Termeulen, 72, Dutch Olympic freestyle swimmer bronze medal winner in the 1948 Summer Olympics and two-time silver medal winner in the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Colin Webster, 68, Welsh international footballer.
2
John Diamond, 48, British Journalist.
Lonnie Glosson, 93, American country musician, songwriter, and radio personality.
Wallace D. Hayes, 82, American professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and one of the world's leading theoretical aerodynamicists.
3
Louis Edmonds, 77, American stage, film and television actor Dark Shadows, All My Children.
Hugh R. Jones, 86, American lawyer and politician Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.
Eugene Sledge, 77, American Marine and professor.
Ronald Smith, 75, English cricketer.
4
Glenn Hughes, 50, mustachioed, leather-clad biker of the pop group The Village People, lung cancer.
Brian Jones, 72, British motorcycle designer.
Fred Lasswell, 84, American cartoonist Barney Google and Snuffy Smith.
Jim Rhodes, 91, American politician 61st and 63rd Governor of the State of Ohio.
Harold Stassen, 93, American politician 25th Governor of Minnesota, multiple year candidate for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States.
5
Peggy Bernier, 93, American comedian and film actress.
Rankin Britt, 85, American football player Texas A&M, Philadelphia Eagles.
Ian McHarg, 80, Scottish architect.
Leo Thomas, 77, American baseball player.
6
Mário Covas, 70, Brazilian engineer and politician.
Portia Nelson, 80, American cabaret singer, songwriter, actress The Sound of Music, Doctor Dolittle, All My Children, and author.
Jim Taylor, 83, English footballer.
Sir Anthony Tuke, 80, English businessman.
7
Frankie Carle, 97, American pianist, bandleader and composer Sunrise Serenade.
Hank Foldberg, 77, American professional football player Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Hornets and college football coach Wichita, Texas A&M.
F. Ray Keyser Sr., 102, American politician and judge.
Al Palladini, 57, Canadian politician, heart attack.
8
Dame Ninette de Valois, 102, British ballet dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet.
John Morrow Godfrey, 88, Canadian pilot, lawyer and politician Senate of Canada representing Rosedale, Ontario.
Bent Hansen, 67, Danish Olympic football player silver medal winner in men's football at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Edward Winter, 63, American actor Cabaret, Promises, Promises, M*A*S*H.
9
Vincent Alo, 96, American mobster.
Henry Jonsson, 88, Swedish Olympic runner bronze medal winner in men's 500 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Leopold Page, 87, Polish-American Holocaust survivor motivated creation and production of Schindler's List.
Richard Stone, 47, American composer and songwriter, pancreatic cancer.
10
Algodão, 76, Brazilian basketball player.
Michael Elkins, 84, American broadcaster and journalist CBS, Newsweek, BBC.
Nicholas Georgiadis, 77, Greek-born British set designer for ballet, stage and film.
Sir Walter Verco, 94, British officer of arms.
Michael Woodruff, 89, British surgeon and scientist, and a pioneer in organ transplant surgery.
11
Jack Bavin, 79, English footballer.
Finn Ferner, 81, Norwegian Olympic sailor silver medal winner in 6 metre sailing at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Rafaela Chacón Nardi, 75, Cuban poet and educator.
Jørn Ording, 85, Norwegian actor and screenwriter.
12
Morton Downey, Jr., 67, American television personality The Morton Downey Jr. Show, lung cancer.
Alan Greene, 89, American Olympic diver bronze medal winner in men's 3 metre springboard diving at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Henry Lee Lucas, 64, American convicted killer, natural causes.
Robert Ludlum, 73, American author of spy novels The Bourne Identity.
Bill Reeder, 79, American baseball player.
Sidney Dillon Ripley, 87, American ornithologist and conservationist Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Sir Lancelot, 98, Trinidadian-American singer Rum and Coca-Cola and actor.
Victor Westhoff, 84, Dutch botanist.
13
John A. Alonzo, 66, American cinematographer Chinatown, Scarface, television director and actor.
Bill Bland, 84, British communist.
Vincent Dantzer, 77, Canadian politician member of the House of Commons of Canada, mayor of Edmonton, Alberta.
Walter Dukes, 70, American professional basketball player New York Knicks, Minneapolis Lakers, Detroit Pistons.
Cranley Onslow, Baron Onslow of Woking, 74, British politician.
Norman Rodway, 72, Irish actor Royal Shakespeare Company.
14
Arthur Deremer, 83, American professional football player Brooklyn Dodgers and coach University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Anne George, 73, American author and poet, complications during heart surgery.
Della Sehorn, 73, American competition swimmer.
Herman Tucker, American suspect regarding the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner.
15
Fern Battaglia, 70, American baseball player All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Durward Gorham Hall, 90, American politician U.S. Representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district from 1961 to 1973.
Ann Sothern, 92, American actress Maisie Ravier film series, The Ann Sothern Show, stroke.
16
Dame Marjorie Bean, 91, Bermudian politician.
Sir Edward Howard, 2nd Baronet, 85, British businessman and Lord Mayor of London.
Juliette Huot, 89, Canadian actress The Plouffe Family, 14, rue de Galais, Amanita Pestilens, The Luck of Ginger Coffey.
Norma MacMillan, 79, Canadian cartoon voice actress The New Casper Cartoon Show, The Gumby Show, Davey and Goliath.
Bob Wollek, 57, French race car driver.
17
Michiyo Aratama, 71, Japanese actress.
Arthur Covington, 87, Canadian physicist and radio astronomer.
Zinaida Voronina, 53, Soviet Olympic gymnast who won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
18
Rupert Nurse, 90, Trinidadian musician.
John Phillips, 65, American singer, promoter and co-founder of The Mamas & the Papas, heart failure.
Dirk Polder, 81, Dutch physicist.
19
Robert Blair, 70, American gospel musician Robert Blair and The Fantastic Violinaires.
Gordon Brown, 53, Scottish rugby union player.
Boris Gregorka, 94, Yugoslavian Olympic gymnast bronze medal winner at the 1928 Summer Olympics, 1936 Summer Olympics.
Charles K. Johnson, 76, American flat-earther President of the International Flat Earth Research Society.
Ian Johnston, 71, Australian pioneer of reproductive medicine.
Norman Mitchell, 82, English actor It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Oliver!, Beryl's Lot.
20
Luis Alvarado, 52, Puerto Rican baseball player.
Henry Carpenter, 75, British Olympic boxer men's flyweight at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes, 81, British author, bronchial pneumonia.
Doreen Gorsky, 88, British politician, feminist and television producer and executive BBC Television.
John J. Hennessey, 79, United States Army general, stroke.
Peter Peltz, American artist.
Hidaya Sultan al-Salem, Kuwaiti journalist and author, shot.
21
Dora Alonso, 90, Cuban journalist and writer.
Chung Ju-yung, 85, South Korean entrepreneur, businessman and founder of the Hyundai Group, natural causes.
Ken Donahue, 76, American college football player University of Tennessee and coach University of Alabama.
Bill Johansen, 72, Canadian professional ice hockey player Toronto Maple Leafs.
Leonard Rotherham, 87, British metallurgist.
Billy Ray Smith, Sr., 66, American football player.
Anthony Steel, 80, British actor and singer The Wooden Horse, Malta Story, West of Zanzibar, Checkpoint.
22
Stepas Butautas, 75, Lithuanian basketball player.
Tony Gibson, 86, English psychologist and anarchist, known for being a conscientious objector over Great Britain's involvement in World War II.
Sabiha Gökçen, 88, the first Turkish female aviator and the first female combat pilot of the world.
William Hanna, 90, American animator, co-founder with Joseph Barbera of the Hanna-Barbera animation studio, throat cancer.
Newt Kimball, 85, American baseball player.
Barry Maxwell, 12th Baron Farnham, 69, British aristocrat.
Edward Samuel Smith, 81, American federal judge.
Toby Wing, 85, American actress and pin-up star Palmy Days, True Confession.
23
Dugan Aycock, 92, American professional golfer and golf course designer.
Anthony Bevins, 58, British journalist.
Sully Boyar, 76, American actor Dog Day Afternoon, Car Wash, Fort Apache, The Bronx, Prizzi's Honor.
Louis Dudek, 83, Canadian poet, academic, and publisher.
Rowland Evans, 79, American journalist and television host Evans, Novak, Hunt, & Shields.
Arthur D. Hasler, 93, American ecologist, known for explaining salmon's homing instinct.
Willie Horne, 79, British rugby league player.
Margaret Ursula Jones, 84, British archaeologist, known for directing excavations at Mucking, Essex.
24
Debabrata Basu, 76, Indian statistician.
Boris Berlin, 93, Russian-Canadian pianist, teacher and composer wrote over 20 pedagogical works for music students.
N. G. L. Hammond, 93, British classical scholar.
Tambi Larsen, 86, Danish-American set designer.
Muriel Young, 77, British television announcer, presenter and producer.
25
Dominick Basso, 63, American mobster and bookmaker.
Terry C. Johnston, 54, American writer of the Old West.
Tiger Prabhakar, 53, Indian film actor, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.
Brian Trubshaw, 77, British test pilot Concorde.
26
Antoni Adamski, 68, Polish field hockey player.
Michael Cocks, Baron Cocks of Hartcliffe, 71, British politician.
Brenda Helser, 76, American Olympic swimmer gold medal winner in women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle swimming relay at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Cleo Odzer, 50, American author, stroke.
Bill Yates, 79, American cartoonist and comic strip editor, complications from pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease.
27
Jim Ailinger, 99, American basketball and football player.
Sir Kenneth Alexander, 79, Scottish economist.
Anthony Dexter, 88, American actor Valentino, Captain John Smith and Pocahontas, The Black Pirates, The Story of Mankind.
William K. Lanman, 96, American philanthropist.
Tereza Štadler, 64, Serbian and Yugoslav chess player.
Irene Thomas, 79, British radio personality.
28
Jim Benton, 84, American football player.
George Connor, 94, American racecar driver.
Moe Koffman, 72, Canadian flautist and saxophonist, cancer.
Constantin von Liechtenstein, 89, Liechtenstein prince and alpine skier.
29
Myra English, 68, American performer and Hawaiian celebrity The Champagne Lady of Hawaiian music.
Gordon Hahn, 81, American politician Los Angeles City Council, California State Assembly.
Helge Ingstad, 101, Norwegian writer and explorer, and discoverer of a North American Viking landing site.
John Lewis, 80, American jazz pianist Modern Jazz Quartet, cancer.
30
Fatiu Ademola Akesode, 61, Nigerian professor of paediatrics.
Cyrus H. Gordon, 92, American scholar.
George Mutch, 88, Scottish football player.
Gakaara wa Wanjaũ, 80, Kenyan author, historian, and publisher.
31
Mariette Bosch, South African murderess, execution by hanging.
Brian Cole, 22, baseball player, car accident.
Naum Meiman, 88, Soviet mathematician, and dissident, died in February 1987 in Georgetown Washington, D.C..
David Rocastle, 33, English professional footballer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Clifford Shull, 85, American Nobel Prize-winning physicist.
Coenraad Frederik Strydom, 69, South African rugby player.
Arthur Geoffrey Walker, 91, British mathematician.
References
*2001-03
03 | wikipedia |
soft x - ray transients ( sxt ) are accretion - powered binary systems , hosting a compact object ( either a neutron star or a black hole ) , which spend most of their lives in quiescence , and are detected in x - rays as they undergo episodes of outburst . during an outburst
, a given source can transit through spectral states defined by its spectral and temporal properties ( see e.g. mcclintock & remillard 2003 for a recent review on spectral states ) . the power density spectrum in the low / hard state ( hereafter lhs )
is characterized by strong aperiodic noise .
the total fractional variability is high ( often up to 50 - 60@xmath12 rms ) , and strong ( @xmath13 rms ) low frequency qpos ( 0.1 - 10 hz , hereafter lfqpo ) are often observed .
the continuum of the power spectra can usually be approximated as a broken power - law with a flat power spectrum below @xmath14 hz and a power spectrum that decreases with frequency above the break .
a powerful compact jet is an ubiquitous property of this state ( fender 2001 ) . in the high / soft state
( also referred to as the thermal dominant state or td ) , the fractional variability is weak ( a few @xmath12 ) , and the power spectrum typically has a power - law shape , scaling roughly as the inverse of the frequency .
the power density spectra for the intermediate and very high states ( is / vhs ) are similar to each other , with a fractional variability between @xmath15 and @xmath16 .
low and high frequency qpos are sometimes present in the is / vhs ( e.g. remillard 1999 , and references therein ; homan 2001 ; miller 2001 ) . based on the analysis of _ ginga _ data , rutledge et al .
( 1999 ) showed that the vhs is spectrally intermediate between the lhs and the td .
the similarity between vhs an is may indicate that both are the same state observed at different luminosities ( mndez & van der klis 1997 , homan et al . 2001 ) .
we will refer to this state as to steep power law state ( spl , mcclintock & remillard 2003 ) .
+ 1550 was first detected by the all - sky monitor ( asm ) on board _ rxte _ on 1998 september 7 ( smith 1998 ) as it was transiting from quiescence into a lhs .
it exhibited , a few days later , one of the brightest flares ( @xmath17 crab ) observed with _
rxte_. extensive spectral analysis is reported in sobczak ( 1999 ) and sobczak ( 2000a ) .
homan ( 2001 ) , based on the spectro - temporal properties of xte j1550564 , showed that although the source was generally found in a td during the second part of the outburst , hard flares and state transitions toward spl and lhs could occur over a wide range of luminosity .
they interpreted this behavior as evidence that spectral states are set not only by the mass accretion rate , @xmath18 , but that changes in at least one other physical parameter are also required .
based on its spectral and temporal properties , it was believed early - on that 1550 hosts a black hole rather than a neutron star ( sobczak 1999 , cui 1999 ) .
its black hole nature was confirmed with a compact object mass measurement of @xmath19 @xmath20 ( orosz 2002 ) .
low and high frequency qpos have been detected in some _ rxte _ observations ( resp .
@xmath21 , and @xmath22 hz ) , making 1550 one of the eight black hole binaries for which high frequency qpos have been reported ( remillard 1999 ; sobczak 2000b ; homan 2001 , miller 2001 , remillard et al .
2002a , homan et al .
2003a , homan et al .
radio monitoring has shown jet features with an apparent motion @xmath23 ( hannikainen 2001 ) , firmly establishing the source as a microquasar .
1550 is also the first microquasar for which large scale x - ray jets have been observed ( corbel 2002 ) . after a @xmath24 month outburst , 1550 returned to quiescence in june 1999 ( mjd 51346 ) .
+ on 2000 april 6 , 1550 became active again ( smith 2000 ) after several months of quiescence , undergoing a new outburst that lasted for @xmath0 .
this outburst was monitored with _
rxte _ , the _ unconventional stellar aspect ( usa ) _
experiment , and _
chandra_. reilly ( 2001 ) report on the _ usa _ observations of the entire period , and tomsick , corbel & kaaret ( 2001 , hereafter tck01 ) report on the energy spectra measured by _
rxte _ and _ chandra _ during the decay of the outburst .
radio observations showed evidence for a compact jet on mjd 51697 , and a discrete ejection , possibly associated with a state transition ( corbel 2001 ) .
based on an analysis of the spectral evolution of 1550 over its whole 2000 outburst using the _ rxte _ data , we showed that the source transited from an initial lhs toward a spl , which probably reflected a change in the relative importance of the emitting media , rather than an increase of the accretion rate ( rodriguez , corbel & tomsick 2003 , hereafter rct03 ) .
in addition , we proposed that the decrease of the x - ray luminosity right after the maximum peak on mjd 51662 might be due to the ejection of coronal material .
it is also interesting to note that the cut - off in the energy spectrum disappears at the same time ( rct03 ) . during the spl ,
the low values of the color radius returned from the fits and their steadiness over @xmath25 days suggest that the inner disk is close to its last stable orbit ( lso ) , in good agreement with the detection of a hfqpo with little variation in frequency over this time period ( miller 2001 ) .
kalemci ( 2001 ) ( hereafter k01 ) studied the temporal behavior of the source as it was entering the lhs , and they report on the detection of a @xmath26 hz qpo .
k01 discuss the possibility that this qpo could be of the same type as the higher frequency ( @xmath27 hz ) qpo detected earlier during this outburst ( miller 2001 ) at a frequency 249276 hz and suggest that if the qpo is related to the accretion disk ( orbiting clumps , lense - thirring precession or diskoseismic oscillations ) , the frequency of the qpo may indicate that the inner edge of the disk moves outward during the decay of the outburst .
this interpretation is compatible with the spectral studies of tck01 and rct03 .
+ we present here a detailed analysis of the evolution of a lfqpo during the 2000 outburst of 1550 , from mjd 51644 until mjd 51690 .
to the previous study of k01 ( covering mjd 5168051690 ) , we add the complete analysis of the lfqpo during the initial ( mjd 5164451678 ) part of the outburst , including the beginning of the transition to the lhs .
the organization of the paper is as follows : we start by presenting the data reduction and analysis methods used .
then , we describe the characteristics and evolution of the lfqpos .
finally , we discuss our results in the framework of theoretical models .
we reduced and analyzed the _ rxte _
data from the dates preceding those presented in k01 , i.e. from april 12 ( mjd 51646 ) to may 14 ( mjd 51678 ) , and we incorporate the results from k01 below , allowing us to study the complete outburst .
we used the _ lheasoft _ package v5.3 for our analysis .
we restricted ourselves to the times when the target elevation angle was more than @xmath28 above the limb of the earth , the satellite pointing was within @xmath29 of the target , and we rejected the data taken while crossing the south atlantic anomaly .
we then extracted proportional counter array ( pca ) light curves using all proportional counter units ( pcus ) that were simultaneously turned on over a single observation .
the data we used came from several different _ rxte _ programs ( p50134 , p50137 , and p50135 ) , and not all the observations used the same pca modes , leading to different data formats .
however , in every case , we were able to extract light curves with @xmath30 s ( @xmath31 ms ) time resolution .
for each observation , we extracted four light curves in the energy ranges shown in table [ tab : energychannel ] , and we also extracted a 240 kev light curve .
we produced poisson noise corrected power spectra for each observation using _
powspec v1.0 _ over intervals of 64 s duration , between @xmath32 hz and @xmath33 hz .
we averaged power spectra of observations taken the same day and applied geometrical rebinning in all cases . for each power spectrum , we estimated the background rate using _ pcabackest _
v3.0 , and used the average rate in order to estimate the true rms normalization following , e.g. , berger & van der klis ( 1994 ) and k01 + in order to characterize the qpo with the best possible sampling , we included in our study the data obtained with the _ usa _ satellite , as described in reilly et al .
in particular , we focus on both the qpo centroid frequency and its fractional amplitude .
note that the latter is barely comparable with that obtained from the _ rxte _ observations due to the fact that the _ usa _ energy range of 116 kev is lower than the _ rxte _ energy range .
[ cols="^,^,^",options="header " , ] from the very beginning of the outburst ( in the lhs ) until mjd 51662 , the @xmath34 kev power spectra show a strong ( up to @xmath35 rms amplitude ) lfqpo that is detected along with its first harmonic ( up to @xmath36 rms amplitude ) .
we note , in some cases , the presence of a second harmonic , but the feature is weak and is not detected in majority of the observations .
+ during the first part of the decline ( mjd 5166451672 ) , in the spl , while the energy spectra show the presence of a thermal component with a constant inner disk temperature around 0.8 kev ( from mjd 51664 to mjd 51674 , rct03 ) , we detect a @xmath37 hz qpo with a rather low rms amplitude ( @xmath38 ) in some observations ( table [ tab : qpo1fit ] ) .
these qpos are not reported in the reilly ( 2001 ) paper on the _ usa _ observations , and non - detection of these weak qpos by _ usa _ may be expected due to the smaller effective area of _ usa _ compared to _ rxte_. as discussed in detail in sec . 4.1 , these qpos are a different type from the strong @xmath39 rms amplitude qpos seen in the lhs .
in some cases , we detect a rather broad feature , which we do not consider to be a qpo as it has a q value @xmath40 2 . on mjd 51664 , for example , just after the soft x - ray maximum
, we detect a broad feature with a centroid frequency @xmath41 hz , and a q value equal to 1.7 .
broad features can be due to the presence of a frequency evolving qpo ( as is sometimes the case for 1915 , e.g. rodriguez 2002a ) .
we produced a dynamical power spectrum for the observation on mjd 51664 to check for frequency evolution in the components of the power spectrum , and we do not see any evidence for a variable feature . + on mjd 51674 , while the source remains in the spl , and the spectral parameters show no particular variations , we detect a lfqpo with a rather low frequency ( 3.60 hz ) compared to the previous day ( table [ tab : qpo1fit ] ) . ] a harmonic is also detected on mjd 51674 .
both features ( qpo+harmonic ) are present in the next 12 observations ( mjds 51675 - 51690 , k01 ) . from fig .
[ fig : overview2 ] , one can see that the frequencies increase during the rise of the outburst , whereas they decrease during the return to quiescence .
+ the power of the fundamental is high during the initial lhs and decreases significantly after the state transition . at the maximum of the soft flux on mjd 51662
, the rms amplitude has dropped to @xmath42 ( fig .
[ fig : overview2 ] ) . during most of the spl ,
the qpo is weak and sometimes no qpo is detected ( see also reilly 2001 ) . for a 1 hz fwhm qpo ,
the @xmath43 upper limit on the rms amplitude is around @xmath44 during the spl ( @xmath45 on mjd 51664 , and @xmath46 on mjd 51671 ) . from mjd 51674 through the end of our study ,
the trend of the amplitude is rather complex . on mjd 51674 , when the source was in the spl state , the rms amplitude is @xmath47 ( see table [ tab : qpo1fit ] ) .
interestingly , on the following day ( mjd 51675 ) , although there is no significant change in the energy spectrum , the qpo properties are much different with a drop in the rms amplitude to @xmath48 and an increase in frequency from 3.6 hz to 7.7 hz .
after that day , the amplitude slowly increases , reaching a local maximum once the transition to the lhs has completed on mjd 51682 ( k01 ) .
the mean amplitude during that period is slightly lower than that of the initial lhs . given the uncertainties on the harmonic parameters , it is difficult to deduce a precise behavior in that case ( fig .
[ fig : overview2 ] and table [ tab : qpo1fit ] ) . in order to study the energy dependent behavior of the qpo
, we extracted power spectra in four energy bands as explained in section [ sec : analysis ] .
each power spectrum is fitted with the same multi - lorentzian model described above .
the resultant plots of qpo amplitude vs. energy ( hereafter referred to as `` rms spectra '' ) for the fundamental are shown in fig .
[ fig : qpo1spec ] ( from mjd 51680 through mjd 51690 the results are plotted in fig . 4 in k01 ) .
+ during the lhs ( mjd 5164651658 ) , at the @xmath49 level , the rms spectra are roughly flat ( fig .
[ fig : qpo1spec ] ) . a clear change is observed during the spl ( mjd 5166051678 ) , where the rms spectra increase with energy , and seem to flatten in the highest energy band . from mjd 51664 through mjd 51674 , the @xmath37 hz feature appears weak in the 240 kev band ( @xmath50 ) .
when we look at the energy dependence of its fractional amplitude , it is detected only in the 715 kev range , at a weak level ( @xmath51 ) , and it is not visible in the other energy bands .
+ given the errors on the disk inner radius returned from the fits ( rct03 ) , the frequency - radius , or frequency - temperature relation can not be explored here .
therefore , we first focus on the dependence of the qpo frequency with the flux , which also allows us to study the qpo behavior over the whole data set
. + the evolution of the qpo frequency with time , as seen by _ rxte _ and _ usa _ is plotted in fig .
[ fig : overview2 ] , while the evolution of the frequency vs. the flux ( as seen by _ rxte _ only ) in different energy bands is plotted on fig .
[ fig : qpovsflux ] . when looking at the frequency evolution with time ( fig .
[ fig : overview2 ] ) , it is quite interesting to note that the qpo appears / disappears at the same frequency during the rise and the decline of the outburst .
after it reappears , the frequency increases and then decreases , while the asm count rate decays .
the possible inversion could have different origins as will be discussed in the next sections .
for both epochs ( initial lhs and final stage of the outburst from 51674 through 51688 ) , the evolution of the frequency correlates better with the @xmath52 and @xmath53 kev band fluxes .
however , there are some differences between the two epochs . for the points corresponding to the rising part of the outburst , the evolution of the frequency vs. the 2 - 4 kev flux starts out flat and then becomes linear ( above @xmath54 erg @xmath55 s@xmath56 ) , up to @xmath57 erg @xmath55 s@xmath56 , where a flattening ( hereafter plateau ) is visible .
a similar trend is seen in the 47 kev band .
+ for the points corresponding to the decline , the evolution of the frequency with the 24 kev flux is linear up to @xmath58 erg @xmath55 s@xmath56 .
then , the frequency decreases from @xmath59 hz to @xmath60 hz , while the 24 kev flux is still increasing ( fig .
[ fig : qpovsflux ] ) .
the 47 kev band shows a similar trend .
we observe two opposite directions of the qpo frequency vs. flux evolution : a more common one , where the frequency is positively correlated with the ( soft ) flux , and an inversion of this correlation , although based on few points , occurring at higher flux .
the plateau ( fig .
[ fig : qpovsflux ] ) occurs at high soft flux ( @xmath61 erg @xmath55 s@xmath56 ) at times where the disk reaches the highest temperatures , and contributes the most to the energy spectra , meanwhile the power law contribution has decreased significantly ( fig . [ fig : overview2 ] and rct03 ) .
there are no such clear trends in the higher energy ranges ( fig .
[ fig : qpovsflux ] ) .
the lfqpos in 1550 can be classified in three types ( remillard 2002a , and references therein ) .
the first type , type a , corresponds to broad qpos ( q@xmath62 ) with low coherence and negative time lags .
the second ones ( type b ) are narrower ( q@xmath25 ) , have high coherence , and positive time lags . both these types have a rather faint fractional amplitude ( a few @xmath12 ) , centroid frequencies between @xmath63 hz , and are usually observed simultaneously with hfqpos .
type c corresponds to narrow ( q @xmath64 10 ) qpos with variable frequency .
they have a high coherence and usually display negative time lags , although positive time lags are sometimes seen with values up to @xmath65 s. they are usually not simultaneous with hfqpos .
[ fig : powspec ] shows 265 kev power spectra extracted on mjd 51646 ( strong lhs lfqpo ) , mjd 51670 ( weak spl qpo ) , and on mjd 51674 ( strong spl lfqpo ) .
the strong qpos we observe here , are likely to be of type c ( see also the discussion in reilly 2001 ) .
+ the @xmath66 hz faint qpo appears at times where the soft bands are dominated by the thermal component ( rct03 ) .
therefore , the non - detection of the qpo in the soft bands could simply reflect the fact that the disk photons are un - modulated , making the qpo appear fractionally weaker .
however , the type c lfqpo has an amplitude that is usually higher than @xmath67 rms , whereas the @xmath66 hz qpo has an amplitude that is lower ( 3@xmath12 at maximum ) . even in the 715 kev range ,
where the @xmath66 hz qpo has its maximum rms amplitude , it is always weaker than the type c qpos .
this suggests that the qpos are different types .
the lack of ( detected ) harmonics may further confirm the qpo difference , although they might not be detected due to low fractional amplitudes .
+ the @xmath66 hz qpo is observed at the same time that hfqpos are observed ( miller 2001 ) .
although no lag study was performed for the observations before mjd 51674 , a comparison with the analysis of remillard et al .
( 2002a ) indicates that the @xmath66 hz qpo may be type b. + the qpo on mjd 51674 has a low frequency , a high amplitude , and is rather narrow .
in addition it has a high coherence and a slightly positive time lag ( @xmath68 s , see fig 4.40 in kalemci 2002 ) .
it is therefore very likely that this qpo is type c. from mjd 51675 to mjd 51676 the qpos do not satisfy all the criteria in the definition of type c qpos , and may not be of type b either .
this leads us to suggest the possibility that the qpos seen on mjd 51675 and 51676 are type a , although the type c qpo has re - appeared on mjd 51674 . from mjd 51678 through the end of our study ,
the qpos manifest all properties of type c ( see also fig . 4.42 in kalemci 2002 ) .
in the following , we will not consider type b qpos further .
furthermore , the non - detection of this feature in the lowest energy bands prevent any spectral study of this qpo as the one presented below .
there have been several reports on a relation between qpo frequency and soft flux ( e.g. grs 1915 + 105 , markwardt , swank & taam 1999 ; rodriguez et al . 2002b ; 4u 163047 ,
trudolyubov et al . 2001 ) .
such a correlation is , however , not always observed , as e.g. in xte j1118 + 480 ( wood 2000 ) , or gx 339@xmath54 ( nowak , wilms , done 1999 ) .
the correlation of the qpo frequency with the soft flux might indicate a connection with the keplerian frequency of the inner boundary of the accretion disk .
this interpretation seems in good agreement with our observations , especially during the outburst decline , during which the qpo frequency is linearly correlated with the soft flux ( fig .
[ fig : qpovsflux ] ) , which has been suggested to track changes in the accretion disk ( rct03 , k01 ) .
the flatness of the frequency vs. flux ( fig . [ fig : qpovsflux ] ) during the rise to outburst may appear in contradiction with such an interpretation .
this apparent lack of correlation , however , most likely reflects the influence of the corona , and may be a signature of the source spectral hysteretic pattern ( rct 03 , kalemci 2002 , kalemci et al .
+ the observation of a clear change of the shape of the rms spectra between the lhs and the spl ( fig .
[ fig : qpo1spec ] ) is rather interesting .
this change is clearly related to the source state ( fig .
[ fig : qpo1spec ] in this work and fig .
4 of k01 ) . at low energies
, the amplitude of the qpo is anti - correlated with the soft x - ray flux , which may simply reflects the influence of the disk on the overall spectrum of the source .
the local maximum at around 10 kev seen in k01 , and the change in slope of the rms spectra ( k01 ) at the end of the outburst raises challenging questions on the origin of the feature .
the fact that the qpo rms amplitude is higher when the disk thermal component is weak or absent ( and vice versa , rct03 ) may indicate that the accretion disk is not the source of the modulated photons .
we should note that a disk origin can not completely be ruled out since some amplification by the corona could lead to the observed qpo spectra ( e.g. lehr et al .
furthermore , it is important to note that during the first lhs , the amplitude of the qpo seems to increase ( although very little ) when getting closer to the transition ( at least until mjd 51658 , fig . [
fig : overview2 ] ) , while the evolution of the source flux is , in part , due to the approach of the accretion disk ( rct03 ) .
+ a connection of the qpo frequency with the keplerian frequency , and an anti - correlation of its rms amplitude with the flux from the accretion disk can be understood , if the qpo is produced at a transition layer between the accretion disk and an inner hot accretion flow ( chakrabarti & titarchuk 1995 ) . in that case , the qpo would represent radial oscillations of the transition layer ( the cenbol for centrifugal dominated boundary layer ; molteni , sponholz & chakrabarti 1996 ; chakrabarti & manickam 2000 ) , with little or no contribution from the disk photons to the qpo ( chakrabarti & manickam 2000 ) .
the qpo frequency should be comparable to the free fall time scale in the inner hot region ( molteni 1996 ) .
therefore , a smaller inner disk radius will lead to a higher qpo frequency . +
another possibility would involve a qpo produced by a `` hot spot , '' vortex , or spiral pattern rotating ( at a characteristic frequency ) in the disk as e.g. the accretion ejection instability ( aei , tagger & pellat 1999 ; tagger et al .
2004 ) . in this model ,
a spiral pattern rotates at @xmath69 of the keplerian frequency at the inner edge of the disk .
the relation between the qpo frequency and the flux is therefore a natural consequence of the instability .
note that in both of these models , the disk photons do not contain the modulation , explaining the absence of connection between the disk luminosity and the qpo amplitude , in good agreement with our observations .
+ if the two qpos observed on mjd 51675 and 51676 are of type a ( or even b ) , as discussed in the previous section , it is interesting to note that the type c qpo re - appears on mjd 51674 at a frequency close to that observed just before its disappearance on mjd 51662 ( @xmath70 hz ) , and that it then shows the same kind of plateau value before it decreases after mjd 51680 .
this plateau frequency may indicate some saturation , or some limiting value in the mechanism(s ) producing the type c qpo .
we should note , however , that during the 1998 - 1999 outburst , type c qpos were observed up to higher frequencies .
the two outbursts are rather different , in particular in their durations and their maximum luminosities .
it is , therefore , conceivable that the accretion flows manifest different characteristic size or time scales .
it is worth mentioning that in either of the two aforementioned models ( cenbol and aei ) , some kind of symmetry between the rise and fall is expected .
we also note that changes in the physical properties of the source are seen between mjd 51662 and the following days ( disappearance of thermal comptonization , rct03 ) , and between 51672 and 51674 ( sudden increase of power - law flux , kalemci et al .
the transition between two different types of qpos may indicate some rapid changes in the physical properties of the accretion flow , before the system stabilizes and slowly decays toward the end of the outburst .
+ on the other hand , if the two qpos observed on mjd 51675 and 51676 are of type c , the inversion of the frequency - flux relation after mjd 51674 ( fig .
[ fig : qpovsflux ] ) , also visible in the _ usa _ data ( fig .
[ fig : overview2 ] ) , is notable . a clear inverted relation was seen during observations of another black hole system , gro j1655@xmath540 ( sobczak 2000b ; rodriguez 2002b ) . in this system ,
the inverted relation was interpreted as being due to general relativistic effects when the disk was close to its last stable orbit ( varnire et al .
2002 ) . in the case of xte
j1550@xmath5564 , the reversal could have the same origin since it occurs at time when the accretion disk is close to its last stable orbit ( rct03 , kalemci et al .
. this would be the first observation of a source showing the `` opposite '' behavior when the disk is close to the black hole , and the normal relation when it is further out .
however , the number of points involved in this inversion is small , and the behavior of the qpo frequency as a function of time has only been observed during this outburst . however , this does not necessarily mean that this is a unique case as a very frequent monitoring campaign was needed to catch the frequency inversion ( or the rapidly changing qpo - type ) .
it will be interesting to see if similar behavior is observed from other sxts with the ongoing observing programs of _
rxte_. j.r . would like to thank ph .
durouchoux , d. barret , j - m .
hameury , g. henry for careful reading of the manuscript and useful comments .
j.r . also acknowledges financial support from the french space agency ( cnes ) .
ek acknowledges partial support of tbitak .
the authors warmly thank p. ray for providing the _ usa _ data and the anonymous referee for useful comments which allowed to improve the quality of this paper .
+ this research has made use of data obtained through the high energy astrophysics science archive center online service , provided by the nasa/ goddard space flight center .
homan j. , klein - wolt m. , rossi m. , et al .
2003a , apj , 586 , 1262 .
homan j. , miller j.m . , wijnands r. , et al .
2003b , atel 162 .
kalemci e. , tomsick , j. a. , rothschild r. e. , pottschmidt k. , kaaret p.,2001 , apj , 563 , 239 , * k01*. kalemci e. 2002 , phd thesis , university of california san diego . | arxiv |
If you could magically tweak the strength of nuclear force, would some radioisotopes decay faster and others slower?
As far as I understand, there are forces in opposition within a nucleus: the protons are pushed apart by their positive charge, but held together (along with neutrons) by the strong force. For a nuclide to be stable, the forces must be balanced.
In [this chart](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Table_isotopes_en.svg), it appears that the type of radioactive decay that occurs in an atom is determined by its composition; eg, those that undergo beta minus decay have excess neutrons (compared to stable isotopes) and those that undergo beta plus decay have excess protons.
Suppose you had a sample with a mix of radioisotopes representing various types of decay. If you could wave a magic wand and weaken or strengthen one of the atomic forces throughout that sample, would some of the radioisotopes decay faster than usual and others slower?
In addition to overlap integrals, decay rates depend on the energy gaps between the initial state and the final state, with high-energy decays proceeding more rapidly than low-energy decays with the same quantum numbers. The spectrum of nuclear excited states is quite complex and depends on many factors, and a change to one of the couplings that defines the strong force would cause some states' energies to increase and some to decrease. So a small tweak to the strength of the strong force would cause some decay transitions to go faster and others to go slower, depending on the effects of the tweak on the energies of the initial and final states in the decay.
This argument was used a few years ago to make a controversial claim that the electromagnetic fine structure constant, $\alpha$, may have a value which differs by a few parts per million over the volume of the visible universe. In that case the observable was the (relative) wavelengths of light in the (redshifted) spectra of heavy atoms in distant galaxies. A small change in $\alpha$ would increase the energy of some transitions and decrease the energy of others, in a way that is both predictable and observable.
Using [Fermi's golden rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi%27s_golden_rule#The_rate_and_its_derivation) one can express the [decay rate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_decay#Decay_rate) of elementary particles (and, by extension, of composite isotopes). One can see that this rate is proportional to the [transition amplitude](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scattering_amplitude), which is computed through [Feynman diagrams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feynman_diagram) in Quantum Field Theory. These diagrams tend to be proportional to the [coupling constants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_decay#Decay_rate), which control the strength of the interactions.
So in principle changing the values of these constants would change the amplitudes, which in turn change the decay rates. Due to interactions (or equivalently due to [virtual particle production](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_particle)), however, several different coupling constants (EM force, weak force, strong force) can play a role in the calculation of the amplitude and they might have both a positive and a negative contribution (or in general complex) to the amplitude so it is not easy to see precisely which atoms will decay faster and which ones slower.
| stackexchange/physics |
small round cell tumors ( srcts ) are a group of tumors composed of small , round , and uniform cells with high nuclear / cytoplasmic ( n / c ) ratios .
srcts include ewing sarcoma ( ews)/primitive neuroectodermal tumor , small cell variant of synovial sarcoma , rhabdomyosarcoma , non - hodgkin 's lymphoma , neuroblastoma , wilms tumor , desmoplastic small round cell tumor , and others . srcts often occur during childhood , and accurate diagnosis has become increasingly crucial , as disparate approaches to therapy are used for distinct tumor types .
rather , the diagnosis should be based on standard clinical and laboratory diagnostic modalities , immunohistochemistry , cytogenetics , and molecular studies . in diagnosing an srct by effusion cytology ,
, numerous immunocytochemical analyses of effusion samples have been reported using various primary antibodies and fluorescence in situ hybridization ( fish ) to detect malignant cells in the effusion fluid .
these techniques can be used in combination with effusion cytology to help distinguish benign cells from malignant cells .
however , it might be possible to diagnose srct malignancies by cytology alone because these tumors have the characteristic cytologic finding of small round cells with high n / c ratios .
in cytological diagnosis , most pathologists and cytotechnologists use diagnostic criteria acquired from experience such as nuclear size , cell size , anisokaryosis , and cellularity .
these cytologic findings in general are very useful for histologic classification and distinction of malignancy . in this study , we measured the length of the nucleus and cytoplasm and the cell cluster area of cells from the effusion fluid of 40 srct cases , and we performed statistical and mathematical analyses in order to compare with the conventional cytologic diagnostic criteria acquired from experience , and we describe the cytologic characteristics of srcts including ews , synovial sarcoma , rhabdomyosarcoma , small cell lung carcinoma ( sclc ) , and diffuse large b - cell lymphoma ( dlbl ) .
although sclc and dlbl are not strictly srcts , we included these tumors because it is necessary to distinguish srcts .
effusion specimens were obtained from a cohort of patients with srcts and malignant effusions between january 2002 and december 2011 at the national cancer center hospital .
all cases of srct were confirmed by surgical biopsy or resection of the primary site .
a total of 40 effusion specimens were evaluated and included pleural ( n = 24 ) , peritoneal ( n = 14 ) , and pericardial ( n = 2 ) effusions .
the 40 cases of srct included 14 ews cases ( males : 5 ; females : 9 ) , 5 synovial sarcoma cases ( male : 1 ; female : 4 ) , 6 rhabdomyosarcoma cases ( male : 2 ; female : 4 ) , 9 sclc cases ( male : 7 ; female : 2 ) , and 6 dlbl cases ( male : 2 ; female : 4 ) .
clinicopathologic features of the 40 patients with small round cell tumors for the cytological examinations , each sample of effusion fluid was centrifuged at 1,500 rpm for 60 s using autosmear ( sakura seiki co. , tokyo , japan ) , and the smears were fixed with 95% ethanol and stained using the papanicolaou method .
for all 40 cases , the nuclear size , cytoplasmic size , and cellular cluster size of the stained specimens were measured using a microscope digital camera / measuring device ( ds - fi2-l3 ; nikon co. , tokyo , japan ) .
the diameters of the nucleus and cytoplasm were determined from 20 randomly selected and singly scattered cells at a magnification of 1000 .
the cell cluster area was determined from 20 randomly selected clusters at a magnification of 600 ( data not shown ) . when fewer than 20 scattered cells and/or cellular clusters were observed , all scattered cells and clusters were measured .
the cluster area , the number of nuclei in the cluster , and the mean nuclear diameter were used to calculate the cluster 's nuclear density , which is the ratio of all nuclear areas in the cluster .
the equation used to determine the cluster 's nuclear density is as follows : cluster 's nuclear density = r r ( the number of nuclei in the cluster)/(the cluster area ) , where r is the radius of the mean nuclear length . in the statistical analysis , p values for nuclear length , cytoplasmic length , and nuclear density
the standard deviations of these measurements were calculated from a weighted average and analyzed by hierarchical modeling . in all analyses ,
effusion specimens were obtained from a cohort of patients with srcts and malignant effusions between january 2002 and december 2011 at the national cancer center hospital .
all cases of srct were confirmed by surgical biopsy or resection of the primary site .
a total of 40 effusion specimens were evaluated and included pleural ( n = 24 ) , peritoneal ( n = 14 ) , and pericardial ( n = 2 ) effusions .
the 40 cases of srct included 14 ews cases ( males : 5 ; females : 9 ) , 5 synovial sarcoma cases ( male : 1 ; female : 4 ) , 6 rhabdomyosarcoma cases ( male : 2 ; female : 4 ) , 9 sclc cases ( male : 7 ; female : 2 ) , and 6 dlbl cases ( male : 2 ; female : 4 ) .
clinicopathologic features of the 40 patients with small round cell tumors for the cytological examinations , each sample of effusion fluid was centrifuged at 1,500 rpm for 60 s using autosmear ( sakura seiki co. , tokyo , japan ) , and the smears were fixed with 95% ethanol and stained using the papanicolaou method .
for all 40 cases , the nuclear size , cytoplasmic size , and cellular cluster size of the stained specimens were measured using a microscope digital camera / measuring device ( ds - fi2-l3 ; nikon co. , tokyo , japan ) .
the diameters of the nucleus and cytoplasm were determined from 20 randomly selected and singly scattered cells at a magnification of 1000 .
the cell cluster area was determined from 20 randomly selected clusters at a magnification of 600 ( data not shown ) . when fewer than 20 scattered cells and/or cellular clusters were observed , all scattered cells and clusters were measured .
the cluster area , the number of nuclei in the cluster , and the mean nuclear diameter were used to calculate the cluster 's nuclear density , which is the ratio of all nuclear areas in the cluster .
the equation used to determine the cluster 's nuclear density is as follows : cluster 's nuclear density = r r ( the number of nuclei in the cluster)/(the cluster area ) , where r is the radius of the mean nuclear length . in the statistical analysis , p values for nuclear length , cytoplasmic length , and nuclear density
the standard deviations of these measurements were calculated from a weighted average and analyzed by hierarchical modeling . in all analyses ,
the average age of the 14 patients with ews was 32 years ( range : 3 - 67 years ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths of each case were 9.4 - 14.1 m and 11.4 - 16.7 m , respectively [ table 2 ] .
the nuclear length was significantly different among all the cases and within each case [ figure 1 ] .
the range of the mean nuclear density of each case was 0.64 - 1.17 [ table 2 ] .
two cases showed numerous tumor cells in the effusion specimen , two cases showed nuclear molding , five cases had conspicuous nucleoli , and three cases had prominent irregular nuclei .
figures 2a and b show the effusion cytology from a representative case of ews , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( a ) and cellular clusters ( b ) . for one case of ews ,
the measured lengths and data of the 40 cases of small round cell tumors the nuclear length of 14 cases of ewing sarcoma / primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( mean with standard deviations ) .
the nuclear length was significantly different among all cases and within each case cytologic features of effusion fluid samples from patients with small round cell tumors ( pap , 1000 ) .
( a and b ) effusion cytology of ewing sarcoma / primiti ve neuroectodermal tumor from case no . 10 ( b ) this cluster consists of 39 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 7129 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 0.85 ( c and d ) effusion cytomorphology of the synovial sarcoma ( c : case no .
17 ) ( d ) this cluster consists of 32 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 5915 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 0.45 ( e and f ) effusion cytomorphology of rhabdomyosarcoma ( e : case no .
23 ) ( f ) this cluster consists of 71 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 8474 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 1.14 ( g and h ) effusion cytomorphology of small cell lung carcinoma from case no .
29 ( h ) this cluster consists of 45 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 6891 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 0.81 ( i and j ) effusion cytomorphology of dlbl ( i : case no .
35 ) ( j ) this cluster consists of 74 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 8584 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 0.86 effusion cytology of ewing sarcoma / primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( case no .
a different cytologic form was observed in the same patient by the difference of the time , which extracted the effusion .
( a ) neoplastic cells disposed in loose cohesive clusters , which consist of round - to - oval nuclei ( b ) the cellular cluster is three - dimensional and consists of smaller nuclei ( leftpanel ) .
the cluster 's nuclear density is very high the average age of the five patients with synovial sarcoma was 34 years ( range : 22 - 60 years ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths of each case were 10.3 - 13.9 m and 13.2 - 18.6 m , respectively , and the range of the mean nuclear density was 0.41 - 1.28 [ table 2 ] .
spindle - shaped cells and epithelioid cells were not seen in all cases , and fine chromatin and remarkable irregular nuclei were seen in most cases .
figures 2c and d show the effusion cytology from representative cases of synovial sarcoma , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( c ) and cellular clusters ( d ) .
the average age of the six patients with rhabdomyosarcoma was 23 years ( range : 15 - 35 years ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths of each case were 10.9 - 15.1 m and 13.0 - 19.7 m , respectively , and the range of the mean nuclear density was 0.77 - 1.51 [ table 2 ] .
rhabdoid cells with abundant , dense cytoplasm and eccentrically located nuclei were seen in two cases .
figures 2e and f show the effusion cytology from the representative cases of rhabdomyosarcoma , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( e ) and cellular clusters ( f ) .
the average age of the nine patients with sclc was 69 years ( range : 48 - 79 years ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths were 9.2 - 12.8 m and 9.9 - 14.4 m , respectively , and the range of the mean nuclear density was 0.87 - 1.81 [ table 2 ] .
seven out of nine cases showed nuclear molding , six cases showed the appearance of many cellular clusters with scanty isolated cells , and one case showed a necrotic background .
compared to the other histologic classifications of srct , cases of sclc showed fewer isolated cells . figures 2
g and h show the effusion cytology from a representative case of sclc , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( g ) and cellular clusters ( h ) .
the average age of the six patients with dlbl was 65 years ( range : 50 - 79 ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths were 8.9 - 11.3 m and 10.6 - 12.2 m , respectively [ table 2 ] . in five of the six cases , neoplastic cells consisted entirely of singly scattered cells . in the single case with a cell cluster , case number 35 ,
figures 2i and j show the effusion cytology from a representative case of dlbl , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( i ) and cellular clusters ( j ) . for cases of ews , synovial sarcoma , and rhabdomyosarcoma
, there were no significant differences in nuclear and cytoplasmic morphologies including chromatin pattern , nuclear shape , presence of nucleoli , quality of the cytoplasm , and type of background cells .
figure 4 shows that the cytoplasmic length of effusion cells in sclc and dlbl were significantly smaller than those in ews , synovial sarcoma , and rhabdomyosarcoma .
cytoplasmic lengths of the small cell lung carcinoma ( sclc ) and dlbl are significantly smaller than those of synovial sarcoma ( ss ) and rhabdomyosarcoma ( rms ) as seen in figure 5 , the nuclear density of the cell cluster for sclc was significantly higher than those in ews ( p < .0001 ) and synovial sarcoma ( p = .0026 ) . the cell cluster nuclear density .
the nuclear density of the cluster for small cell lung carcinoma ( sclc ) is significantly higher than that of the ewing sarcoma / primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( ews ) and synovial sarcoma ( ss ) .
a significant difference in cluster nuclear density is not seen between rhabdomyosarcoma ( rms ) and dlbl . a significant difference in the standard deviation of nuclear length ( data not shown ) and cytoplasmic length
were shown between dlbl and ews , rhabdomyosarcoma , synovial sarcoma and sclc [ figure 6 ] . with a significantly smaller standard deviation ,
dlbl cells lack anisokaryosis and anisocytosis compared to cells from the other srcts . the standard deviation of cytoplasmic length represents the dispersion of size .
a significant difference in the standard deviation of cytoplasmic length was observed between diffuse large b - cell lymphoma ( dlbl ) on the one hand and ewing sarcoma / primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( ews ) , synovial sarcoma ( ss ) , rhabdomyosarcoma ( rms ) , and small cell lung carcinoma ( sclc ) on the other hand , showing that the effusion cells from cases of dlbl had more uniform cytologic features
the average age of the 14 patients with ews was 32 years ( range : 3 - 67 years ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths of each case were 9.4 - 14.1 m and 11.4 - 16.7 m , respectively [ table 2 ] .
the nuclear length was significantly different among all the cases and within each case [ figure 1 ] .
the range of the mean nuclear density of each case was 0.64 - 1.17 [ table 2 ] .
two cases showed numerous tumor cells in the effusion specimen , two cases showed nuclear molding , five cases had conspicuous nucleoli , and three cases had prominent irregular nuclei .
figures 2a and b show the effusion cytology from a representative case of ews , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( a ) and cellular clusters ( b ) . for one case of ews ,
the measured lengths and data of the 40 cases of small round cell tumors the nuclear length of 14 cases of ewing sarcoma / primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( mean with standard deviations ) .
the nuclear length was significantly different among all cases and within each case cytologic features of effusion fluid samples from patients with small round cell tumors ( pap , 1000 ) .
( a and b ) effusion cytology of ewing sarcoma / primiti ve neuroectodermal tumor from case no . 10 ( b ) this cluster consists of 39 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 7129 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 0.85 ( c and d ) effusion cytomorphology of the synovial sarcoma ( c : case no .
17 ) ( d ) this cluster consists of 32 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 5915 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 0.45 ( e and f ) effusion cytomorphology of rhabdomyosarcoma ( e : case no .
23 ) ( f ) this cluster consists of 71 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 8474 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 1.14 ( g and h ) effusion cytomorphology of small cell lung carcinoma from case no .
29 ( h ) this cluster consists of 45 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 6891 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 0.81 ( i and j ) effusion cytomorphology of dlbl ( i : case no .
35 ) ( j ) this cluster consists of 74 neoplastic cells with a cluster area of 8584 m .
the nuclear density of the cluster is 0.86 effusion cytology of ewing sarcoma / primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( case no .
a different cytologic form was observed in the same patient by the difference of the time , which extracted the effusion .
( a ) neoplastic cells disposed in loose cohesive clusters , which consist of round - to - oval nuclei ( b ) the cellular cluster is three - dimensional and consists of smaller nuclei ( leftpanel ) .
the average age of the five patients with synovial sarcoma was 34 years ( range : 22 - 60 years ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths of each case were 10.3 - 13.9 m and 13.2 - 18.6 m , respectively , and the range of the mean nuclear density was 0.41 - 1.28 [ table 2 ] .
spindle - shaped cells and epithelioid cells were not seen in all cases , and fine chromatin and remarkable irregular nuclei were seen in most cases .
figures 2c and d show the effusion cytology from representative cases of synovial sarcoma , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( c ) and cellular clusters ( d ) .
the average age of the six patients with rhabdomyosarcoma was 23 years ( range : 15 - 35 years ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths of each case were 10.9 - 15.1 m and 13.0 - 19.7 m , respectively , and the range of the mean nuclear density was 0.77 - 1.51 [ table 2 ] .
rhabdoid cells with abundant , dense cytoplasm and eccentrically located nuclei were seen in two cases .
figures 2e and f show the effusion cytology from the representative cases of rhabdomyosarcoma , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( e ) and cellular clusters ( f ) .
the average age of the nine patients with sclc was 69 years ( range : 48 - 79 years ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths were 9.2 - 12.8 m and 9.9 - 14.4 m , respectively , and the range of the mean nuclear density was 0.87 - 1.81 [ table 2 ] .
seven out of nine cases showed nuclear molding , six cases showed the appearance of many cellular clusters with scanty isolated cells , and one case showed a necrotic background .
compared to the other histologic classifications of srct , cases of sclc showed fewer isolated cells .
figures 2 g and h show the effusion cytology from a representative case of sclc , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( g ) and cellular clusters ( h ) .
the average age of the six patients with dlbl was 65 years ( range : 50 - 79 ) .
the ranges of the mean nuclear lengths and cytoplasmic lengths were 8.9 - 11.3 m and 10.6 - 12.2 m , respectively [ table 2 ] . in five of the six cases , neoplastic cells consisted entirely of singly scattered cells . in the single case with a cell cluster , case number 35 ,
figures 2i and j show the effusion cytology from a representative case of dlbl , with singly scattered neoplastic cells ( i ) and cellular clusters ( j ) .
for cases of ews , synovial sarcoma , and rhabdomyosarcoma , there were no significant differences in nuclear and cytoplasmic morphologies including chromatin pattern , nuclear shape , presence of nucleoli , quality of the cytoplasm , and type of background cells .
figure 4 shows that the cytoplasmic length of effusion cells in sclc and dlbl were significantly smaller than those in ews , synovial sarcoma , and rhabdomyosarcoma .
cytoplasmic lengths of the small cell lung carcinoma ( sclc ) and dlbl are significantly smaller than those of synovial sarcoma ( ss ) and rhabdomyosarcoma ( rms ) as seen in figure 5 , the nuclear density of the cell cluster for sclc was significantly higher than those in ews ( p < .0001 ) and synovial sarcoma ( p = .0026 ) . the cell cluster nuclear density .
the nuclear density of the cluster for small cell lung carcinoma ( sclc ) is significantly higher than that of the ewing sarcoma / primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( ews ) and synovial sarcoma ( ss ) .
a significant difference in cluster nuclear density is not seen between rhabdomyosarcoma ( rms ) and dlbl . a significant difference in the standard deviation of nuclear length ( data not shown ) and cytoplasmic length
were shown between dlbl and ews , rhabdomyosarcoma , synovial sarcoma and sclc [ figure 6 ] . with a significantly smaller standard deviation ,
a significant difference in the standard deviation of cytoplasmic length was observed between diffuse large b - cell lymphoma ( dlbl ) on the one hand and ewing sarcoma / primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( ews ) , synovial sarcoma ( ss ) , rhabdomyosarcoma ( rms ) , and small cell lung carcinoma ( sclc ) on the other hand , showing that the effusion cells from cases of dlbl had more uniform cytologic features
in fine - needle aspiration cytology , various cytologic forms are observed in the nucleus , cytoplasm , cluster , background , and other areas .
. however , these findings are less reliable in fluid specimens . in effusion cytology ,
descriptions of the cytomorphologic features of srcts are scarce , and the features that exist are not useful for morphologic comparisons among the various types of srcts . in a broad study of 226 specimens from 146 patients over a 40-year period , wong et al .
studied the effusion cytology of children and reported 88 positive specimens including lymphoma and leukemia ( 52% ) , bone and soft tissue sarcomas ( 7% ) , and ewing sarcoma ( 2% ) . in the present study
, we describe the cytomorphologic features of effusion samples from five histologic types of srct . in the diagnosis of small cell carcinoma from cytologic specimens , it is well - known that the cytologic findings exhibit clusters with a high nuclear density .
our results showed that the mean nuclear density of sclc effusions , computed from the cluster area , nuclear size , and the number of nuclei comprising the cluster was 1.38 [ figure 5 and table 2 ] .
this is a significantly higher value than the nuclear density of effusions due to ews ( mean nuclear density : 0.83 ) , synovial sarcoma ( 0.83 ) , and rhabdomyosarcoma ( 1.15 ) , confirming that a higher nuclear density of the cluster is characteristic of small cell carcinoma .
the most important morphological feature that helps to distinguish lymphomas from other srcts is a total lack of cell clustering . of the six cases of dlbl from our study ,
only a single case had a cellular cluster ; the remaining cases showed only singly scattered cells .
the case with the cellular cluster , case number 35 , was distinguishable from the other srcts because it was small , with many isolated neoplastic cells . in this study
, we examined the dispersion of nuclear and cytoplasmic sizes by measuring the length and calculating the standard deviation using statistical analysis .
compared to the other srcts , the standard deviations of the dlbl cases were small for both , the nucleus ( data not shown ) and cytoplasm [ figure 6 ] , showing that effusion cells of dlbl lack anisokaryosis and anisocytosis ; we believe that lack of cell clustering and small size dispersion could be very useful in differentiating dlbl from other srcts .
although our results suggest that it might be possible to diagnose dlbl and sclc from cytomorphologic findings and image morphometry in effusion samples , it is very difficult to distinguish synovial sarcoma , rhabdomyosarcoma , and ews .
characteristic effusion cytology findings to classify these three histologic types were lacking , and the significant values were not obtained in the data of measurements and statistical analysis because the size of the nucleus and cytoplasm varied within each case and among cases with the same histologic classification [ figure 4 and table 2 ] .
reported a case of the cytologic diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma in a patient with pleural effusion .
they described a papanicolaou - stained smear of the pleural effusion that showed highly cellular fluid containing isolated and clustered cells with rather scanty cytoplasm and large , round , slightly polymorphous nuclei ; the nuclei were accompanied by very large cells with abundant cytoplasm , conspicuous perinuclear clearing , and very prominent nucleoli .
other articles have described the effusion cytomorphologic features of rhabdomyosarcoma as having scattered multinucleated tumor giant cells , eccentric nuclei , dense and opaque cytoplasm , multinucleation , coarse chromatin , and inconspicuous nucleoli . in our study , we confirmed similar morphologic findings of abundant , dense cytoplasm , and eccentrically located nuclei but we were unable to find cytomorphologic features common to the six rhabdomyosarcoma cases .
oliveira et al . reported two cases of ews among the four srct cases studied ; one of these cases showed neoplastic cells in cohesive groups with no superposition , favoring the hypothesis of a neuroendocrine origin .
cytology of the second case showed poorly differentiated tumor cells suggestive of neuroendocrine lineage . in our study
, we examined pleural and peritoneal effusions from 14 cases of ews but did not see cytologic findings suggestive of neuroendocrine differentiation , such as rosette formation , although small round monotonous cells with high n / c ratio were seen . in all four cases of srct studied by oliveira , lymphatic cells were seen in the background . in our study , there were no common findings in the background .
we suspect that the background finding varies with the period for which the tumor cells are floating in a fluid , and/or that the background finding is affected by disease treatment .
interestingly , for one case of ews ( case number 3 ) , an unexpected and different cytologic form was observed [ figure 3 ] ; differences in nuclear size , chromatin , three - dimensional structure , and nuclear density were seen in the cluster of this case . in this sample
we believe that this different cytologic form could have resulted from the influence of treatment , the duration of effusion in the body cavity , or the duration of the sample processing period , among other reasons .
although it is interesting to see the different cytologic forms in the same patient , this case exemplifies how difficult it is to determine disease classification in an effusion sample . in effusion specimens ,
it is important to realize that neoplastic cells change to a round shape and often form a cellular cluster in many cases , as is the case with effusions from srcts .
therefore , it is necessary to understand secondary variations of tumor cells in the diagnosis by effusion cytology .
in conclusion , patients with srcts who have tumor cells in effusion specimens have an extremely poor prognosis . accordingly
, it is very important to diagnose malignancy by cytology of the effusion specimens . in this study ,
statistical and mathematical analyses , including the nuclear density and the dispersion of nuclear size and cytoplasmic size , are novel methods in cytologic analysis . | pubmed |
Bones 1. Chapter 1
**Summary:** Suddenly, everything she had been planning to say to him over the past 7 months, escaped her mind and there was only one thing she could do.
**Rating: **T, subject to change ;)
**Disclaimer:** The only Bones thing I own is the season 1 DVD I just bought… I love it
**Authors Note**: Hey guys, well I was kind of disheartened by the lack of reviews on the final chapter of Body at the Monument, but I decided to write this anyway. I haven't decided if I want this to be my new multi-chapter fic, or just another little ditty. I hope you guys all like this story, and since my telepathic powers don't work over the computer, you have to review to let me know what you're thinking… Much Love!
No River's Too Wide
"Yeah… okay Angela," said Brennan in an unconvinced tone, as she opened the door to her office and flipped on the light. It was 9 o-clock and pitch black outside, she knew she should have gone home after court but she had paperwork to finish.
"No, seriously Bren, that really happened. He really did that; I couldn't make this stuff up." She heard Angela say on the other line. She walked over to her desk and tossed her coat over the back of the chair.
"Sure, whatever you say. I swear Ange if you spent half as much time in the lab, as you do…" she stopped short when she saw a person on the couch. He stood, when he noticed that she had finally seen him. All phone conversations forgotten, she stared in to the dark brown eyes of the man she thought she'd never see again… Seely Booth. The muffled Sweetie's coming from her phone were lost as it fell to the ground, as was the loud crash of tile meeting plastic. Suddenly, everything she had been planning to say to him over the past 7 months escaped her mind and there was only one thing she could do.
Before she knew it she found herself running into his embrace. His arms closed tightly around her and she felt herself melt into him, clinging for dear life. Brennan knew it was silly but she felt if she let go, even for a second, he would be gone. It seemed that Booth felt the same way, from the way he was holding her so close there was no room between them. After a few minutes, Brennan slowly pulled away from him and stared back into his eyes. All of a sudden, anger flashed in her eyes and before she could stop herself she slapped him hard across his cheek. Booth was frozen for a minute before he slowly turned his head back towards her.
"I guess I deserved that…" said Booth realigning his jaw by opening his mouth, and rubbing his cheek. She didn't know why she did it but she slapped him again, hard on the other cheek. "I deserved that too," said Booth wincing, then he smiled slightly and waited for the verbal beating he was about to receive. She didn't disappoint.
"Booth, What the HELL is the matter with you!!! I haven't seen or heard from you in seven months, and you just walk in here with that smug look on your face and expect a warm welcome!!!" Booth opened his mouth to say that that hug felt pretty warm, but decided against it after the look in her eyes.
"You left no message, no note. I had to find out from Cullen that I would be receiving a new partner!!! Then I went to your apartment and found the Vacancy sign on your window, your office cleaned out. Nobody knew where you were, why you left… and to make it worse they all came to me; thinking, of course he would have told his partner. I had no answers; still have no answers, Booth. Do you have any idea what that feels like?!?!" Brennan sighed finally finishing her rant, but when she looked up at Booth he was smiling, she didn't know the simple pleasure, hearing her yell at him again, brought to him.
"Bones," he sighed "God it feels good saying your name again, I'm sorry okay. It's all I can say; I can't give you the answers you want right now. Just know I would never leave you if it want something really important." Booth said closing his eyes, and scrunching his face in anticipation of the slap he knew was coming. When nothing happened he slowly opened one eye and was surprised to find her sitting on the couch, head in hands. She sighed, and looked up at him, resting her head on the top of her knuckles.
"I guess, deep down, I knew that you wouldn't have left if it wasn't for a really good reason." She said smiling; it was good to have him back. For a while they stood there smiling at each other.
"I'm so glad things can finally go back to normal." Said Booth sitting down next to Brennan, whose smile had faded a little.
"Um, Booth things can't go back to exactly how they were before you left." Said Brennan looking at her hands, and playing with the ring on her left hand.
"Why, Bones, nothings changed." He said placing his hand on her shoulder, and she flinched slightly.
"Booth, I have a boyfriend, his name is Mark. He's an archeologist, and we're… well" she said holding up her left hand and showing him the platinum band on her ring finger.
"You're engaged!" he said shocked.
"No, no Mark knows how I feel about marriage. It's a promise ring, it means we're committed" Booth leaned back on the couch an unmistakable look of hurt and sadness on his face. Brennan couldn't understand why, they weren't in a relationship. They'd only had their first kiss the day before he left. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't the best kiss of her life, and who knows what would've happened if he hadn't left, but the fact is he did, and she moved on. She didn't need to explain herself to him but for some reason she did.
"Booth, Mark and I, we just make sense." She said gently, it was the truth, with Mark she wasn't arguing all the time. There was no conflict over kids, marriage or religion, in fact there was no conflict at all. Booth stood up and headed for the door, but he turned around.
"You like this guy?" he asked.
"Yes, I do" she answered.
"And, you're happy?"
"I am, I really am." She said looking into his eyes where she found emotion so deep that she felt compelled to look away. He turned to walk out, but she called to him. "Booth, it really is good to have you back." He gave her a sad smile before leaving her with her conflicted thoughts.
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Please review… should I continue?
2. For You to Make it Across
**Summary:** Suddenly, everything she had been planning to say to him over the past 7 months, escaped her mind and there was only one thing she could do.
**Rating: **T, subject to change ;)
**Disclaimer:** The only Bones thing I own is the season 1 DVD I just bought… I love it
**Authors Note**: I am so glad that you guys are enjoying this story and that you still do after this chapter. (hides behind a chair) I know that this might not go the way you wanted or expected it to. I can't really say anymore without completely spoiling everything. Let me know if you think it is crappy or if you love it. I really would prefer the second one. Actually I change my mind, don't tell me if you hate it… I'd prefer to live in my own little world (covers ears and sings lalalala)… Much love
For You to Make it Across
"Sweetie, you better have a damn good reason why you hung up on me last night." Said Angela walking in to Brennan's office the next morning. The first thing she noticed was Brennans broken cell phone, she was about to say something but then she saw her friend. She looked as though she had slept on the couch all night and maybe even cried a little, but Angela wasn't sure.
"Booth's back." Said Brennan simply in a light breathy voice, as if she didn't even believe it.
"Yep… that would do it," said Angela in shock. She walked over and sat down next to her best friend, placing a hand over hers tenderly, causing Brennan to look up at her. "What happened?" she asked gently, Booth was back she never thought she'd live to see the day.
"Nothing really, he said he couldn't tell me where he was or why, just that it was important." Said Brennan quietly, fingering the tassels on the pillow she now held to her stomach. "He wanted things to go back to the way they were."
"Did you tell him about Mark." Angela asked, as much as she had wanted Brennan and Booth together before, Mark had really grown on her. She had never seen Brennan happier than when she was with Mark. Booth seemed to always get on her nerves, get her angry or sad, make her feel, but maybe that wasn't a bad thing… _No!_ She thought, she could not think like this. Mark would never hurt Brennan, and Booth did. She didn't care if it was an accident or for a good reason. She had never seen Brennan more hurt than the day Booth left. Booth might be able to waltz back in here with his charm smile and forget what happened, but Angela couldn't. After all he wasn't the one that stayed up all night comforting her, he wasn't the one who had to see the look on her face when she got the call from Cullen. No, she'd be damned if she ever let her friend get hurt like that again.
"Yes." Brennan sighed.
"How did he take it?" she asked slowly, almost hesitant to ask. She knew that he wouldn't have taken it very well.
"He didn't say much really, just asked me if I liked him and, if I was happy." She said in the monotone, emotionless voice and Angela found it difficult to decipher the emotion behind it.
"You said yes right?" asked Angela hopefully.
"Of course I did, I mean why wouldn't I. Mark is great and I lo—" she sighed "… really really like him." Angela could only watch the inner struggle Brennan was facing, but she knew that she would eventually come to the logical conclusion. After all, Brennan was all about two things, truth and logic. For once she wouldn't say or dispute anything; she wouldn't chastise Brennan for her logic. This time Angela completely agreed, unless… _No_ _there is no unless_ she yelled inwardly.
"How do you feel about all this, Bren?" She asked, turning Brennan gently so she faced her. Brennan met her gaze for a moment, but then leaned back on the couch raising a hand to her head.
"I don't know Angela, I am just so… ugh… I am never like this." Said Brennan, and Angela couldn't help but smile a little.
"What? Confused?… well get used to it, sweetie, it's a human emotion." Angela said chuckling a little. It was amazing, Booth had only been back for a day and he already had her behaving like a human again. Angela just let that one go she didn't even try to deny it, but it didn't change any of her opinions.
"Yes, I like Mark and I am happy, but…" she trailed off.
"But what?" she asked, knowing the answer.
"I don't know, I guess there is no but." Brennan answered, Angela smiled.
"Well, it sounds like you've made your decision." She said looking out the windows of the lab and seeing somebody who could very well ruin everything. She needed a distraction. "Hey, I happen to know that a certain archeologist is stopping by the lab to take you out to a surprise lunch." She said with a mischievous grin. "You only have 2 hours to go home and change, better hurry." Brennan looked shocked, she stood and made her way to the mirror, the face looking back made her cringe.
"Good idea Ange, I just have to grab a few things." Said Brennan hustling around the lab grabbing papers.
"You do that Sweetie," she said quietly as she exited the lab, just in time to witness a male group hug, with Booth in the middle. She watched as Booth slowly untangled himself from it, and continued on his way toward Brennan's office. She walked over to her office door, and grabbed him and pulled him in. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.
"Nice to see you to, Angela." He said with a smile.
"I swear Booth, if you do anything to ruin what she has going…" she started
"Wait, who are you talking about?" he asked only slightly confused.
"Don't play smart with me Seely Booth, you know damn well who I am talking about." She said shaking her head, her tone serious. Booth's smile faded, when he realized that Angela was being completely serious.
"Bones…" he said softly.
"Yes… She has a good thing going with Mark… You know, you really hurt her." This got his attention and he looked into Angela's stony eyes. "There is nothing, I repeat nothing, worse than finding somebody you care about gone, with no explanation." Booth looked down at his shoes, Angela felt bad but she had to tell him, right now was about Brennan. Later, maybe she could think about him and his feelings, but right now she had to think about what was best for her friend. "And it took a long time, but she finally pulled herself back together, and she's happy. Happier than I've seen in a long time. If you do anything to hurt her, trust me when they find your body it will be a work of art."
"Okay…" said Booth slowly, she could tell he was a little taken aback, he had not been expecting that.
"Now that we've come to an understanding." She said changing moods quickly and pulling him into a hug. "It's good to have you back, your replacement sucked. I think he was afraid of Brennan, of all of us." Booth could not follow women and their mood swings; he just stood there for a moment before he hugged her back.
"It's good to be back, I think." He said unsure if he should be crying or laughing. He looked at his watch 9:15; "I got a meeting with Cullen in 15… I'd better go," he said smiling, but Angela noticed it lacked its usual charm.
"See ya." She said as she watched him go. As soon as he was gone she whipped out her cell phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello."
"Hey there" she said seductively.
"Angela? What do you want?"
"You are taking Brennan out to a surprise lunch, or at least it was a surprise until I told her, but you shouldn't know that I told her. She still thinks that you don't know that she knows. So act like you don't know okay?" she finished out of breath
"That will be easy because I really don't know…" Angela could hear Mark smiling through the phone. Mark sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay Angela, what time am I supposed to pick her up." Angela squealed.
"Eleven and thank GOD you don't have anything going on or I would have been in big trouble. Just make sure its something special and not like McDonalds or anything." Said Angela smiling.
"In these past three months have I ever taken her to McDonalds?" he asked laughing, a deep heartily laugh.
"How would I know?" she asked feigning innocence.
"Oh, Come on Angela, I know that you interrogate her after every date " He said playfully.
"I do not…" only silence at the other end. "Okay, but not after every date, I'm not that nosy." She said chuckling.
"Yes you are."
"True… Sad, but true… How come your not asking why?" she asked wrinkling her brow in confusion.
"Because, I know you, and I know that you care about Tempe as much as I do. So I figured you probably had a good reason." He said truthfully.
"You have no idea," she said quietly.
"What?"
"Nothing… Remember eleven, no McDonalds." She commanded him.
"Sir, yes sir." Said Mark, using his Marine voice. Angela hung up and smiled to herself before she put the phone back into her bag.
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I hope you weren't thinking I was going to make Mark into a guy you could hate… I really wanted to emphasize that Brennan was in a normal healthy relationship, sorry to disappoint but he isn't a psycho killer. I can't wait for the new episodes when Brennan goes out with Agent Sullivan because I am sick of her always being stuck with crappy guys while Booth gets all the real relationships. I really felt bad for her when she said "I really know how to pick 'em don't I," I always appreciate suggestions and comments so please review…
3. All you have to do
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing… yadda yadda yadda, you know the drill. Don't sue you wouldn't get very much money out of me anyway. Show me a rich college student and I'll show you the Taj Mahal.
**Pre-Authors note: **I know its been for ever, lets just say I've had some family issues and wasn't in the writing mood. In order for you to remember what happened I suggest you read the first 2 chapters, their relatively short and there's only two. For those of you too lazy I'll sum it up for ya…
**Summary:** Booth disappeared seven months ago without a trace. Now he's back and Brennan is happy, but want's answers. He wants to pick up where they left off, which was their first kiss the say before he left. There's only one problem Brennan has a serious boyfriend, an archeologist named Mark. Oh, and Angela is not very happy with Booth at the moment…
**Authors Note:** I'm sorry if some of you didn't like the last chapter, and were questioning my true colors. Trust me I am BB all the way, I just like to make it a little difficult for them… ;) I know I went a little overboard with the last chapter, but I was just trying to prove a point and now that that is done I can focus more on them and their relationship, okay I lied but I swear its coming. Much Love and Enjoy…
All you have to do
"You okay?" asked Mark pressing a small kiss into his girlfriends hair.
"Yeah, I'm fine… Why do ask?" remarked Brennan hastily, coming out of the trance she had been in for the past five minutes. They were sitting on the couch of her apartment and were about to watch a movie on her plasma TV. She had gotten one two days before Booth left and had wanted to surprise him.
"No reason, you've just been sitting here staring at that picture in your hands for over five minutes." He replied looking at her, concern evident on his tanned face. Brennan looked down at the picture, she hadn't the slightest inclination as to how it had gotten there, one moment she was staring at it on her side table, and the next she was holding it.
Sid had taken the picture in a booth at Wong Foo's, back when the whole team used to go there after a case. It was the perfect picture to represent the team. Zach was at one end of the table listing intently to something that Hodgins was telling him, most likely some tall tale. Next to him was Angela whose head was thrown back in laughter at something no one else found funny. Beside Angela was Hodgins his body noticeably close to hers, and although you could see he was talking to Zach it was obvious his attention was on Angela. Booth and Brennan sat at the other side of the table in there own little world, completely oblivious to all others. Booth was relaxed his arm lazily strewn across the back of the booth behind Brennan, his gaze focused solely on her and he was smiling as if he'd won a 1960 Eldorado Biarritz. Brennan was looking into his eyes, completely laid-back and comfortable, a huge smile also gracing her lips.
Mark watched, as she seemed to drift back down memory lane. "If you going to continue watching that silent movie playing in your head, then you better find a way that we can share it, because that smile on your face has gotten me mighty curious." He joked.
"Sorry… sorry…" She said shaking her head and hurriedly returned the picture to its rightful place on her side table. "What movie were we going to watch?" She inquired, tilting her head and looking at him. "Stickerman or something?"
"Wickerman," laughed Mark. "You are so cute sometimes." He said patting her on the top of the head as he got up to put in the movie. She couldn't help but feel a little patronized, or to wonder what Booth would have done in this situation. She had found herself wondering that all day, no matter how hard she tried to stop it. Mark returned to the vacated spot beside her and smiled, she returned it half-heartedly.
Shaking the negative thoughts from her mind she turned to him. "So, what is the historical relevance of this movie?" she asked with a smile.
"The movie itself is fictional, but it bears some resemblance to earlier tribes." Said Mark starting their unspoken game.
"Oh yeah, what ones?" She said following suit.
"You think I'll fall for that simple trick? You need to figure it out on your own." He jested poking her in the stomach causing her to squirm.
"Hey, you fell for it last time." She retorted with a pinch to his bicep.
"Only because you distracted me." He got in the last word before the opening credits of the movie. She settled in against him and he reached next to them to shut off the light. As the opening scenes of the movie began to unfold, Brennan's thoughts returned to Booth. While she enjoyed playing this game with Mark she missed learning new things, and watching movies just for the fun of it. While Mark sought out movies with historical meaning because he thought she'd like them, Booth had always picked movies he deemed classics, like Dumb and Dumber and Forest Gump. He also hadn't minded pausing the movie and explaining to her when she didn't understand. She missed that…
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"Damn, his first day back and he's already got a hotty in his office." Agent Felix Bishop said watching the blond women saunter into Booth's office. "I think he's my hero." He shook his mop of dark brown curly hair; his deep blue eye's following the shadow of her form as she sat down behind Booth's desk.
"I guess he's alright." Said Agent Randy Mathers, turning away from the direction of Booth's office and facing the Glass wall behind him. He checked his reflection; his sandy hair, green eyes, and striking good looks got him almost any woman he wanted.
"Dude, your just mad because he gets to work with Dr. Brennan," Felix stated with a sly smile aimed at his partner.
"Used to, used to work with Dr. Brennan." Defined Randy or Mathers has he was referred to by just about everybody, other than Felix.
"Hate to burst your bubble, but I talked to Clearwater this morning. He said that he talked to Cullen last night, and Cullen told him that Booth is once again the liaison to the Jeffersonian and Dr. Brennan's partner." Corrected Felix.
"Whatever…" started Mathers but then he felt a strong hand on his back. He turned around to look into the eyes of Special Agent Seeley Booth.
"Good Morning." He said, and Mathers winced as he smacked his back again, with a little more force than necessary. Booth flipped his poker chip and caught it with ease; he turned from his young comrades and headed for his office. He was feeling considerably better this morning, mostly because he'd come to the conclusion the night before that he was not going to let this punk Mark get to him. He was even whistling slightly as he leaned against his office door and sauntered in. He was surprised to see his office chair spin around, and he was even more surprised at the person who was sitting in it.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he said to the beautiful blond woman sitting behind his desk. She slowly pushed away from the desk, revealing her long legs protruding from the hem of her mid-calf length, gray, pencil skirt.
"Didn't your mother teach you how to great a friend, Seeley?" she said suggestively, taking a step closer to him. Her long blond hair was pulled up in a bun, with a few choice pieces hanging down. She was wearing a low-cut maroon top, and a gray suit jacket that matched her skirt.
"Hello Cecilia, now answer my question." He said sternly, his facial expression not wavering even as she inched closer to him, pulling on his tie seductively.
"Can't someone just come visit a friend, a close friend" she said.
"Not when that friend is over 8,000 miles away." He interjected taking a step back from her. "Didn't I make it clear when I left that this…" he gestured between them. "Whatever it was, was… is over."
"Yeah." She said sighing, she'd hoped the only reason he said that was because he was leaving, but now it was obvious that was not the case. "And I wish I could say that I was the only one that followed you here from Finland." Booth looked at her confused, and when the realization hit a look of anger crossed his face.
"No… We caught him… He's in jail." He said in disbelief.
"No Seeley, we caught someone, he was an accomplice." Cecilia shook her head, she was no happier about this than Booth was.
"No, you're wrong!" he shouted, slamming his fist down on his desk making everything on it jump a little, and sending his nameplate to the floor.
"Seeley, I wish I was, I wish I could just cozy up to you, and say that was the only reason I came." She said retrieving something from her purse. "The truth is, we made a mistake ,we got the wrong guy." She handed him the picture she had taken from her bag.
"This doesn't prove anything, anyone could have burned the body." He accused his voice still above normal volume.
"That is true but…" she said handing him a second portrait of the scene under a black light. "We were very closed mouthed, there is no way that it could have got out. It has to be him." Booth looked at the message scrawled in blood next to the burned body.
"jotta pölyttää te ehtoa edestakainen" murmured Cecilia in perfect Finnish
"To dust you shall return." Said Booth quietly his face pale.
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I'd like to apologize for any errors in my Finnish, I got it from a translator site. Even though I am 50 percent Finnish, I have never been there, nor do I know the language. The only word I know is Sisu, but even people who aren't Finnish know that one, so its not a very big accomplishment. I've decided to take this opportunity to learn about my home country. My grandmother came here when she was little so she doesn't remember much. I am going to have to do a lot of research for this story, I've never done that before, so bear with me. Review…BB is coming I promise, soon very soon…
End file.
| fanfiction |
Home | University hubs | University of Bristol | Bristol University reviews | Diverse backgrounds
Diverse backgrounds
Please let us know whether you think your university does enough to attract and cater for students from a diverse range of backgrounds?
"It's improving now. However, it needs to work hard in this area to bring diversity to the university."
"Most people seem to be from London private schools."
"The uni brings in many foreign students and many British students. However, there is a tendency to have mainly rich students. This is probably due to the cost of uni in general and not a fault of Bristol."
"The University of Bristol doesn't do as much to encourage or support students from lower income backgrounds as I'd like."
"The University of Bristol has a large proportion of its students coming from private schools."
"There is not a very diverse range of students from a range of different backgrounds, but I believe the university is trying to correct this problem."
"I think it does do enough to attract students from a range of backgrounds but, unless you apply for a maintenance loan or have financial support from home, it can be quite pricey to live in Bristol, especially if you're living closer to the university."
"There are a variety of students but most are white and middle class."
"I don't think my university does very much to attract students from a diverse range of backgrounds."
"It has programmes promoting diversity and caters to all different religions."
"Very middle/upper class. In my experience there are few people from state schools and those that are have normally come from specialist/grammar schools etc. It can be isolating if you're from a lower class background."
"I believe there is enough to cater for students from diverse backgrounds and Bristol is very diverse as a city. However, the majority of students seem to be white and middle class."
"There are quite a lot of foreign students but, when it comes to students from the UK, the majority of students seem to be typically white, upper-middle class and privately educated."
"Yes. There are societies for people from different backgrounds."
"I think they do okay. They do various things with international students in mind although there is an overwhelming majority of white, middle class students. Other universities can be far more diverse by representing a lot more minorities and social classes."
"There are a lot of international students at Bristol and the university offers a three-week 'welcome' to help them arrive, settle in and get the important things (eg opening a bank account) done. However, tuition and living costs are very high, making it difficult for students from lower income families to attend. Scholarships are really hard to get too, especially when coming from certain countries. Therefore, there are a lot of students from wealthy families in Bristol, making it less diverse." | slim_pajama |
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using NMF.Expressions;
using NMF.Models.Meta;
namespace NMF.Models
{
[ModelRepresentationClassAttribute("http://nmf.codeplex.com/nmeta/#//ModelElementExtension/")]
public abstract class ModelElementExtension : ModelElement, Meta.IModelElementExtension
{
protected internal ModelElementExtension(IModelElement extended)
{
if (extended == null) throw new ArgumentNullException("extended");
}
protected abstract IModelElement ExtendedElementInternal
{
get;
}
event EventHandler<ValueChangedEventArgs> Meta.IModelElementExtension.ExtendedElementChanged
{
add { }
remove { }
}
event EventHandler<ValueChangedEventArgs> Meta.IModelElementExtension.ExtendedElementChanging
{
add { }
remove { }
}
public abstract IExtension GetExtension();
IModelElement Meta.IModelElementExtension.ExtendedElement
{
get { return ExtendedElementInternal; }
set { }
}
}
public abstract class ModelElementExtension<T> : ModelElementExtension where T : IModelElement
{
public ModelElementExtension(T parent)
: base(parent)
{
ExtendedElement = parent;
}
public T ExtendedElement { get; private set; }
public static implicit operator T(ModelElementExtension<T> extension)
{
if (extension == null) return default(T);
return extension.ExtendedElement;
}
public override Meta.IClass GetClass()
{
return ExtendedElement.GetClass();
}
protected override IModelElement ExtendedElementInternal
{
get
{
return ExtendedElement;
}
}
}
}
| slim_pajama |
Thanks for the size help for Style Arc patterns. I purchased my patterns today and I expect I'll get them next week.
I have one for the special occasion of my friends wedding in May and I think it will be a lace dress (hint for one of the patterns) made from either a vintage guipure lace that my Mum bought many years ago, or some more modern lace with sequins I brought at last years fabric sale.
I shall reveal all when I get the patterns.
I want to order some Style Arc patterns (they have a great deal for this month - basically 4 patterns for the price of 2 and I wanted one or two anyway...). Anyway, if I want a sheath dress pattern and I am a 10 up top and a 14 on the bottom, do I order the 10 and just grade it out at the hips? That's what I was taught at fashion school years ago but at the patterns don't have any other sizes how do others fix this problem?
Any help would be appreciated - special ends at the end of the month!
See what I mean? Same; same but different. I knew of the Simplicity 8498 - Carmen at Carmencitab sent me a while ago and the Simplicity Retro 3833 has been out for a while, but I didn't know about the Vogue Couturier Design pattern. The different is the open back... is that how Simplicity can get away with a near exact copy? I saw the Vogue on an ebay site but it doesn't say when it was issued.
Lauren of Rosie Wednesday (a new to me blog) is doing a sew-along with either of the Simplicity patterns and I will make one up (probably not with the sew-along as I am making some other things at the moment but I will use the fitting posts to help fit mine. There is even a post on the comparison of the old and new issue of the Simplicity (I don't remember which Blogger did this but Lauren links to it).
One of our favourite meals is dumplings. I first had these was in Auckland; we'd buy 20 for about $7 and they were yummy! When I came back to Australia I noticed the dumpling wrappers in the supermarket (were they there before? I don't know but I never noticed). I then started making my own and they are so easy. I made them once with prawn mince (keep it quite chunky, and chicken - not such great flavour but still nice). Have a go!
I have been sewing. I finished off the Simplicity Amazing Fit Pants and they are very comfortable and fit well. So comfy they feel like pj pants! I think I may go down to the 12 around the waist and side seams when I use stretch fabric. I have another pair planned in a heavier black cotton stretch.
Well I have block fused the facings... Yes, I know I should have fused the front pieces but as these are a test run, I didn't worry. I have always done it this way...put the interfacing on the ironing board, place the facings on the interfacing, put a piece of newspaper over the whole lot and iron it on. I just make sure it's grabbed, then I peel the newspaper off and cut around the facings. This works best for me and gives a really accurate fit. Earlier in my sewing life when I cut the interfacing separately, I found it didn't always fit right (not that it makes much difference due to seam allowances, but it's messy). This is much quicker and easy.
This was in the winter and despite it being just 2 pieces, it is still not done! Why? My overlocker was threaded in white. I fear the black overlocking thread - it always plays up (funnily the overlocker tune up guy told me black always poses a problem - anyone else been told that or have the same problem?)Actually today it chewed up a piece of the fly of the trousers I'm working on. | slim_pajama |
absorbing - state phase transitions , i.e , transitions from a fluctuating phase to an absorbing ( trapped ) state , are related to several nonequilibrium critical phenomena @xcite such as chemical catalysis @xcite , interface growth @xcite , epidemic spreading @xcite , etc .
the study of such transitions in spatially extended systems has been experimenting an ongoing interest , strengthened by recent experimental confirmations of absorbing - state phase transitions in a liquid crystal system @xcite , and in a sheared colloidal suspension @xcite .
notwithstanding a complete classification of their critical behavior is still missing , it has been conjectured @xcite that models with a positive one - component order parameter , short - range interactions and deprived of additional symmetries or quenched disorder belong generally to the universality class of directed percolation ( dp ) , which is considered the most robust universality class of the absorbing - state phase transitions .
the contact process ( cp ) @xcite is one of the simplest and most studied models of the dp universality class .
of particular interest is how spatially quenched disorder affects its critical behavior @xcite .
quenched disorder , in the form of impurities and defects , plays an important role in real systems , and may be responsible for the rarity of experimental realizations , in spite of the ubiquity of the dp class @xcite . the so - called harris criterion @xcite states that quenched disorder is a relevant perturbation , from the field - theoretical point of view , if @xmath2 where @xmath3 is the dimensionality and @xmath4 is the correlation length exponent of the pure model ( in dp this inequality is satisfied in all dimensions @xmath5 , since @xmath6 1.096854(4 ) , 0.734(4 ) and 0.581(5 ) , for @xmath7 , @xmath8 and @xmath9 , respectively @xcite ) . the first numerical studies of the cp with quenched disorder , introduced by the means of a random deletion of sites @xcite or bonds @xcite ( dilution ) or by random random spatial variation of the control parameter @xcite , confirmed that the disordered system does not belong to the dp class @xcite , and also revealed that the critical spreading is logarithmic , not a power law @xcite .
in the subcritical regime , a griffits - phase , with critical dynamics dominated by nonuniversal power laws was also reported @xcite .
however , the contact process in a voronoi - delaunay lattice , which has an intrinsic quenched disorder in the distribution connectivity , belongs to the dp class @xcite .
hooyberghs et al .
@xcite , employed a strong - disorder renormalization group approach to conclude that the unusual critical behavior of the disordered system can be related to the random transverse - field ising model , for sufficiently strong disorder . at such infinite - randomness
fixed point , the scaling is activated , i.e , the temporal and spatial correlation lengths ( @xmath10 and @xmath11 , respectively ) are related by @xmath12 where @xmath13 is a universal exponent . for weak disorder they found nonuniversal critical exponents depending on the disorder strenght .
more recently , votja and lee @xcite used this activated dynamic scaling to show that the interplay between geometric criticality and dynamic fluctuations leads to a novel universality class , with the exponent @xmath13 equals to the fractal dimension of the critical percolation cluster of the diluted lattice .
previous numerical studies of the one - dimensional contact process with quenched spatial disorder , performed by votja and dickinson @xcite also supported the activated exponential dynamical scaling at the critical point .
moreover , they found evidences that this critical behavior turns out to be universal , even for weak disorder .
novel strong disorder renormalization group calculations in a very recent paper by hoyos @xcite predict that the system is driven to the infinite - randomness fixed point , independently of the disorder strength .
thus , despite of a deeper understanding of the effects of quenched disorder in the critical contact process achieved in the last decade , a certain controversy remains : do the static critical exponents change continuously with the degree of disorder @xcite , or do they change abruptly to the values in the strong disorder limit corresponding to the universality class of the random transverse ising model @xcite ?
obtaining the static exponents is a hard numerical task because at criticality the infinite disorder fixed point is characterized by a ultra - slow dynamics , @xmath14 , leading to a unusual long relaxation towards the quasi - stationary ( qs ) values .
thus , in a tentative to shed some light into this issue , we present results of extensive large - scale qs simulations @xcite of the two - dimensional diluted contact process .
the balance of this paper is organized as follows : in the next section we review the definition of the contact process and describe the simulation method . in sec .
iii we present our results and discussion , and sec .
iv is devoted to draw some conclusions .
the contact process is a stochastic interacting particle process in which the particles lie on the sites of a @xmath3-dimensional hypercubic lattice .
each site can be vacant or occupied .
an empty site becomes occupied at a rate @xmath15 , where @xmath16 is the number of its occupied nearest - neighbors , while occupied sites become vacant at unitary rate @xcite . for a certain critical value @xmath17 , the model exhibits a continuous phase transition from an active state ( with a positive density of sites occupied ) to an absorbing configuration with all sites vacant , since none particle can be created from the vacuum .
in the simulation we employ the usual scheme @xcite : with probability @xmath18 , one nearest neighbor @xmath19 of the selected site @xmath20 is chosen at random and occupied if the site @xmath19 is vacant . with complementary probability @xmath21 the particle at site @xmath20
is annihilated . at each step , the time is increased by @xmath22 , where @xmath23 is the total number of occupied sites .
moreover , occupied sites are sequentially selected at random from a list constantly updated , in order to improve efficiency . in the original diluted contact process ( dcp ) @xcite
, a quenched disorder is introduced by labeling each site as diluted or nondiluted with probabilities @xmath24 and @xmath25 , respectively . in the present work ,
we mark as diluted exactly a fraction @xmath26 of the sites , in order to avoid undesirable extra fluctuations .
thus , dcp is the cp model restricted to the nondiluted sites since those diluted are never occupied .
notice that , for large systems , the dilution process used in this work is equivalent to those used in reference @xcite .
stationary analysis nearby the critical point of systems with transitions to absorbing configurations are hard to be done due to very strong finite size effects .
indeed , the unique real stationary state of finite systems is the absorbing configuration . a common alternative to avoid
this difficulty is to restrict the averages to the surviving samples and proceed a finite size analysis .
this procedure @xcite , involves careful scrutiny in the data analysis which is not always free of ambiguities or misinterpretations @xcite . in order to circumvent such difficulties ,
we employ a simulation method that yields quasistationary ( qs ) properties directly , the qs simulation method @xcite .
the method is based in maintaining , and gradually updating , a list of @xmath27 configurations visited during the evolution ; when a transition to the absorbing state is imminent the system is instead placed in one of the saved configurations .
otherwise the evolution is exactly that of a conventional simulation . by this procedure
one obtains an unbiased sampling of the quasistationary distribution of the process .
the simulations were performed as follows .
firstly , the list of configurations is incremented whenever the time increases by a unity up to a list with @xmath28 configurations is achieved . secondly
, a configuration of the list is randomly chosen and replaced by the current one with a given probability @xmath29 .
we used a large value of @xmath30 for a initial relaxation period , more precisely for @xmath31 where @xmath32 is the linear system size , in order to speed up the erasing of the memory of the initial condition .
also , @xmath33 was adopted for the remaining of the simulation .
we studied lattice sizes varying from @xmath34 to @xmath35 , averaging over 200 to 300 independent realizations of disorder , of duration up to @xmath36 .
averages were taken after a relaxation time @xmath37 .
the larger sample sizes and longer run times apply to the larger @xmath32 values .
the first step in analyzing our results is to determine , for each dilution value studied , the critical creation rate @xmath38 . for this purpose
we study the number of active particles , @xmath39 via spreading analysis .
the critical value @xmath40 is then defined as the smallest @xmath41 supporting asymptotic growth ( vide fig.1 ) .
this criterion avoids misinterpretations associated to the effects due to the griffiths phase , in which power laws in @xmath39 are observed @xcite . in fig .
2 we show a log - log plot of the critical quasistationary density of active sites @xmath42 , as function of @xmath32 for dilutions ranging from 0.02 to 0.30 . at criticality , such quantity decays as a power law , @xmath43 .
( this permits us to check the critical values @xmath40 obtained from the spreading analysis ) .
the values for the critical exponent @xmath44 , obtained from linear least - squares fits to the last four points of the data are shown in table i. our results suggest that the critical exponent ratio @xmath44 is _ independent _ of the amount of dilution , with @xmath45 , at least for dilutions @xmath46 . .exponent ratio @xmath44 for several dilution values .
@xmath47present work using @xmath48 .
@xmath49taken from @xcite where @xmath50 $ ] was used .
[ cols="^,^,^,^",options="header " , ] now we turn to the dynamical exponent @xmath51 . in the nondiluted cp
, the lifetime of the qs state ( which we take as the mean time between two attempts to absorbing in the qs simulation ) , follows @xmath52 . on the other hand , in the activated dynamical scenario ,
such power - law scaling is replaced by @xmath53 , with @xmath13 being an universal exponent . in other words , the critical exponent @xmath54 is formally infinity in this scenario .
early works @xcite found a nonuniversal power - law behavior , with an exponent @xmath54 varying continuously in direction to the strong disorder values . otherwise , our results , shown in fig.3 , reveal that at criticality the lifetime behavior is not a power law , clearly diverging with an increasing slope for all @xmath46 .
this suggest that the activated scaling emerge even for weak disorder , enforcing the universality hypothesis .
furthermore , applying the activated scaling to the the data for the last four points for highest dilution , @xmath55 furnishes the value of @xmath56 , consistent with the values of the exponent @xmath13 in the range @xmath57 found in the literature for the random transverse ising model @xcite . for weaker disorder , our results do not permit to distinguish between a scenario with continuously varying @xmath13 to a possible crossover to a universal value at larger system sizes , as predicted by the activated dynamics .
another consequence of the activated dynamics scenario is that the distribution of the observables become broader , implying that the averages are dominated by the rare events in which the process is locally supercritical .
thus , some quantities such as moment ratios of the order parameter ( which converges to universal values in the nondiluted cp @xcite ) exhibit non - self - averaging properties , in the sense that they do not converge to limiting values even when @xmath58 @xcite .
this is exemplified in fig .
4 where the moment ratio @xmath0 is plotted as a function of the system size @xmath32 .
the effects of the rare ` favorable ' regions dominate the statistics , and the moment ratio is drifted from the dp value of @xmath59 to smaller values ( in the favorable regions the process is locally supercritical , and @xmath60 in the limit @xmath61 ) .
we observe that for high dilutions the effects of the rare regions become observable even for modest system sizes , while for low dilution the effect only appear at considerable larger system sizes .
notice that for the dilution @xmath62 these effects are not evident for the system sizes we used , what may justify the difference in the exponent ratio @xmath44 for the smallest value of @xmath26 .
we performed extensive large - scale simulations of the two - dimensional contact process with dilution .
the dilution is known to change the critical behavior of the contact process .
our results indicate that the novel static exponents do not depend on the amount of dilution , and we present numerical evidences that the apparent nonuniversality observed in early works was due to finite - size effects .
our findings are in agreement with recent simulational results for the one - dimensional contact process with quenched disorder @xcite , and with strong disorder renormalization group results @xcite . on the other hand
, our results can not exclude a nonuniversal variation of the exponent @xmath13 with the disorder strength .
finally , the critical moment ratios @xmath0 deviate from the the universal ratio @xmath1 of the non - diluted system to smaller values , due to rare favorable regions which dominate the statistics . | arxiv |
we are interested in covering a graph with ( overlapping ) pieces in such a way that ( 1 ) the number of pieces is small , ( 2 ) each piece is simple , and ( 3 ) every small subgraph is fully contained in at least one piece . despite the graph theoretic interest in such coverings , it also has nice algorithmic applications .
consider e.g. the subgraph isomorphism problem . here , we are given two graphs @xmath11 and @xmath12 as input , and we are asked to determine whether @xmath11 contains a subgraph isomorphic to @xmath12 . in many natural settings the pattern graph @xmath12 we are looking for is small and in such case a covering as described above is most useful . by the first property , we can then iterate through the small number of pieces , by the third property , one of the pieces will contain our pattern graph . by the second property , we can test each piece for containment of @xmath12 .
we can formulate the covering problem in an equivalent way from the point of view of graph coloring as follows .
_ how many colors are required to color the vertices of a graph @xmath11 such that the union of any @xmath13 color classes induce a simple subgraph _ ( understanding any @xmath13 color classes as a piece in the above formulation ) ? it remains to specify what we mean by _ simple _ subgraphs . from an algorithmic point of view , trees , or
more generally , graphs of bounded tree - width are very well behaved graphs .
many np - complete problems , in fact , all problems that can be formulated in monadic second order logic , are solvable in linear time on graphs of bounded tree - width @xcite . in particular
, the subgraph isomorphism problem for every fixed pattern graph @xmath12 is solvable in polynomial time on any graph of bounded tree - width .
taking graphs of small tree - width as our simple building blocks , we can define a _ @xmath13-tree - width coloring _ of a graph @xmath11 as a vertex coloring of @xmath11 such that the union of any @xmath6 color classes induces a subgraph of tree - width at most @xmath14 . using the structure theorem of robertson and seymour @xcite for graphs excluding a fixed graph as a minor , devos et al .
@xcite proved that for every graph @xmath12 and every integer @xmath15 , there is an integer @xmath16 , such that every @xmath12-minor - free graph admits a @xmath13-tree - width coloring with @xmath17 colors .
_ tree - depth _ is another important and useful graph invariant .
it was introduced under this name in @xcite , but equivalent notions were known before , including the notion of _ rank _
@xcite , _ vertex ranking number _ and minimum height of an _ elimination tree _
@xcite , etc . in @xcite , neetil and
ossona de mendez introduced the notion of @xmath13-tree - depth colorings as vertex colorings of a graph such that the union of any @xmath6 color classes induces a subgraph of tree - depth at most @xmath18 .
note that the tree - depth of a graph is always larger ( at least by @xmath19 ) than its tree - width , hence a low tree - depth coloring is a stronger requirement than a low tree - width coloring .
also based on the structure theorem , neetil and ossona de mendez @xcite proved that proper minor closed classes admit even low tree - depth colorings .
not much later , neetil and ossona de mendez @xcite proved that proper minor closed classes are unnecessarily restrictive for the existence of low tree - depth colorings .
they introduced the notion of _ bounded expansion classes of graphs _
, a concept that generalizes the concept of classes with excluded minors and with excluded topological minors . while the original definition of bounded expansion is in terms of density of shallow minors , it turns out low tree - depth colorings give an alternative characterisation : a class @xmath0 of graphs has bounded expansion if and only if for all @xmath3 there exists a number @xmath20 such that every graph @xmath4 admits a @xmath13-tree - depth coloring with @xmath5 colors @xcite .
for the even more general notion of _ nowhere dense classes of graphs _
@xcite , it turns out that a class @xmath0 of graphs closed under taking subgraphs is nowhere dense if and only if for all @xmath3 and all @xmath21 there exists @xmath22 such that every @xmath23-vertex graph @xmath4 with @xmath24 admits a @xmath13-tree - depth coloring with @xmath25 colors .
furthermore , there is a simple algorithm to compute such a decomposition in time @xmath26 in case @xmath0 has bounded expansion and in time @xmath27 for any @xmath21 in case @xmath0 is nowhere dense . as a result
, the subgraph isomorphism problem for every fixed pattern @xmath12 can be solved in linear time on any class of bounded expansion and in almost linear time on any nowhere dense class .
more generally , it was shown in @xcite that every fixed first order property can be tested in linear time on graphs of bounded expansion , implicitly using the notion of low tree - depth colorings , and in almost linear time on nowhere dense classes @xcite .
note that bounded expansion and nowhere dense classes of graphs are uniformly sparse graphs .
in fact , bounded expansion classes of graphs can have at most a linear number of edges and nowhere dense classes can have no more than @xmath27 many edges .
this motivates our new definition of _ low rank - width colorings _ which extends the coloring technique to dense classes of graphs which are closed under taking induced subgraphs .
rank - width was introduced by oum and seymour @xcite and aims to extend tree - width by allowing well behaved dense graphs to have small rank - width . also for graphs of bounded rank - width
there are many efficient algorithms based on dynamic programming . here
, we have the important meta - theorem of courcelle , makowsky , and rotics @xcite , stating that for every monadic second - order formula ( with set quantifiers ranging over sets of vertices ) and every positive integer @xmath28 , there is an @xmath29-time algorithm to determine whether an input graph of rank - width at most @xmath28 satisfies the formula .
there are several parameters which are equivalent to rank - width in the sense that one is bounded if and only if the other is bounded .
these include _ clique - width _
@xcite , _ nlc - width _
@xcite , and _ boolean - width
_ @xcite .
[ [ low - rank - width - colorings . ] ] low rank - width colorings .
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + we now introduce our main object of study .
a class @xmath0 of graphs _ admits low rank - width colorings _ if there exist functions @xmath30 and @xmath31 such that for all @xmath3 , every graph @xmath4 can be vertex colored with at most @xmath5 colors such that the union of any @xmath6 color classes induces a subgraph of rank - width at most @xmath7 .
as proved by oum @xcite , every graph @xmath11 with tree - width @xmath28 has rank - width at most @xmath32 , hence every graph class which admits low tree - depth colorings also admits low rank - width colorings . on the other hand ,
graphs admitting a low rank - width coloring can be very dense .
we also remark that graph classes admitting low rank - width colorings are monotone under taking induced subgraphs , as rank - width does not increase by removing vertices .
let us remark that due to the model - checking algorithm of courcelle et al .
@xcite , the ( induced ) subgraph isomorphism problem is solvable in cubic time for every fixed pattern @xmath12 whenever the input graph is given together with a low rank - width coloring for @xmath33 , using @xmath5 colors .
indeed , it suffices to iterate through all @xmath13-tuples of color classes and look for the pattern @xmath12 in the subgraph induced by these color classes ; this can be done efficiently since this subgraph has rank - width at most @xmath34 .
the caveat is that the graph has to be supplied with an appropriate coloring . in this work
we do not investigate the algorithmic aspects of low rank - width colorings , and rather concentrate on the combinatorial question of which classes admit such colorings , and which do not .
[ [ our - contribution . ] ] our contribution .
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + we prove that for every class @xmath0 of bounded expansion and every integer @xmath35 , the class @xmath9 of @xmath8th powers of graphs from @xmath0 admits low rank - width colorings .
it is easy to see that there are classes of bounded expansion such that @xmath9 has both unbounded rank - width and does not admit low tree - depth colorings .
we furthermore prove that the class of unit interval graphs and the class of bipartite permutation graphs admit low rank - width colorings .
on the negative side , we show that the classes of interval graphs and of permutation graphs do not admit low rank - width colorings .
finally , we also prove that every graph class admitting low rank - width colorings has the erds - hajnal property @xcite and is @xmath10-bounded @xcite .
all graphs in this paper are finite , undirected and simple , that is , they do not have loops or parallel edges .
our notation is standard , we refer to @xcite for more background on graph theory .
we write @xmath36 for the vertex set of a graph @xmath11 and @xmath37 for its edge set .
a _ vertex coloring _ of a graph @xmath11 with colors from @xmath38 is a mapping @xmath39 . for each @xmath40 , we call @xmath41 the color of @xmath42
. the _ distance _ between vertices @xmath43 and @xmath42 in @xmath11 , denoted @xmath44 , is the length of a shortest path between @xmath43 and @xmath42 in @xmath11 .
the _ @xmath8th power of a graph @xmath11 _ is the graph @xmath45 with vertex set @xmath36 , where there is an edge between two vertices @xmath43 and @xmath42 if and only if their distance in @xmath11 is at most @xmath8 .
rank - width was introduced by oum and seymour @xcite .
we refer to the surveys @xcite for more background . for a graph @xmath11
, we denote the adjacency matrix of @xmath11 by @xmath46 , where for @xmath47 , @xmath48=1 $ ] if and only if @xmath49 is adjacent to @xmath50 .
let @xmath11 be a graph .
we define the _ cut - rank _
function @xmath51 such that @xmath52 is the rank of the matrix @xmath53 $ ] over the binary field ( if @xmath54 or @xmath55 , then we let @xmath56 ) .
a _ rank - decomposition _ of @xmath11 is a pair @xmath57 , where @xmath58 is a subcubic tree ( i.e. a tree where every node has degree @xmath19 or @xmath59 ) with at least @xmath60 nodes and @xmath61 is a bijection from @xmath36 to the set of leaves of @xmath58 .
the _ width _ of @xmath62 is define as @xmath63 where @xmath64 is the vertex bipartition of @xmath11 each @xmath65 is the set of all vertices in @xmath11 mapped to leaves contained in one of components of @xmath66 .
the _ width _ of @xmath57 is the maximum width over all edges in @xmath58 , and the _ rank - width _ of @xmath11 , denoted by @xmath67 , is the minimum width over all rank - decompositions of @xmath11 .
if @xmath68 , then @xmath11 has no rank - decompositions , and the rank - width of @xmath11 is defined to be @xmath69 .
a graph is an _ interval graph _ if it is the intersection graph of a family @xmath70 of intervals on the real line , an interval graph is a _ unit interval graph _ if all intervals in @xmath70 have the same length .
a graph is a _ permutation graph _ if it is the intersection graph of line segments whose endpoints lie on two parallel lines .
tree - decomposition _ of a graph @xmath11 is a pair @xmath71 consisting of a tree @xmath58 and a family @xmath72 of sets @xmath73 , satisfying the following three conditions : 1 .
@xmath74 ; 2 . for every @xmath75
, there exists a node @xmath76 of @xmath58 such that @xmath77 ; 3 . for @xmath78 , @xmath79 whenever @xmath80 is on the path from @xmath81 to @xmath82 in @xmath58 .
the _ width _ of a tree - decomposition @xmath71 is @xmath83 .
the _ tree - width _ of @xmath11 is the minimum width over all tree - decompositions of @xmath11 .
let @xmath11 be a graph and let @xmath84 be its connected components .
then the _ tree - depth _ of @xmath11 is recursively defined as @xmath85
in this section we show that the class of @xmath8th powers of graphs from a bounded expansion class admit low rank - width colorings .
the original definition of bounded expansion classes by neetil and ossona de mendez @xcite is in terms of bounds on the density of bounded depth minors .
we will work with the characterisation by the existence of low tree - depth colorings as well as by a characterisation in terms of bounds on generalized coloring numbers .
[ thm : be - lcw ] a class @xmath0 of graphs has bounded expansion if and only if for all @xmath3 there exists a number @xmath20 such that every graph @xmath4 admits a @xmath13-tree - depth coloring with @xmath17 colors .
our main result in this section is the following .
[ thm : be - lrw ] let @xmath0 be a class of bounded expansion and @xmath35 be an integer .
then the class @xmath9 of @xmath8th powers of graphs from @xmath0 admits low rank - width colorings . for a graph @xmath11 ,
we denote by @xmath86 the set of all linear orders of @xmath36 . for @xmath87 and a non - negative integer @xmath8
, we say that @xmath43 is _
weakly @xmath8-reachable _ from @xmath42 with respect to @xmath61 , if there is a path @xmath88 of length at most @xmath8 between @xmath43 and @xmath42 such that @xmath43 is the smallest among the vertices of @xmath88 with respect to @xmath61 .
we denote by @xmath89 $ ] the set of vertices that are weakly @xmath8-reachable from @xmath42 with respect to @xmath61 .
the _ weak @xmath8-coloring number @xmath90 _ of @xmath11 is defined as @xmath91\bigr|.\end{aligned}\ ] ] the weak coloring number was introduced by kierstead and yang @xcite in the context of coloring and marking games on graphs .
as shown by zhu @xcite , classes of bounded expansion can be characterised by the weak coloring numbers .
[ thm : charbddexp ] a class @xmath0 has bounded expansion if and only if for all @xmath92 there is a number @xmath93 such that for all @xmath4 it holds that @xmath94 .
in order to prove [ thm : be - lrw ] , we will first compute a low tree - depth coloring .
we would like to apply the following theorem , relating the tree - width ( and hence in particular the tree - depth ) of a graph and the rank - width of its @xmath8th power .
[ thm : tdtorw ] let @xmath95 be an integer . if a graph @xmath12 has tree - width at most @xmath13 , then @xmath96 has rank - width at most @xmath97 .
we remark that gurski and wanke @xcite proved this bound for clique - width instead of rank - width , but clique - width is never smaller than the rank - width @xcite
. the natural idea would be just to combine the bound of [ thm : tdtorw ] with low tree - depth coloring given by [ thm : be - lcw ] .
note however , that when we consider any subgraph @xmath12 induced by @xmath6 color classes , the graph @xmath96 may be completely different from the graph @xmath98 $ ] , due to paths that are present in @xmath11 but disappear in @xmath12 .
hence we can not directly apply [ thm : tdtorw ] .
instead , we will prove the existence of a refined coloring of @xmath11 such that for any subgraph @xmath12 induced by @xmath6 color classes , in the refined coloring there is a subgraph @xmath99 such that @xmath98\subseteq h'^r$ ] and such that @xmath99 gets only @xmath100 colors in the original coloring , for some fixed function @xmath101
. we can now apply [ thm : tdtorw ] to @xmath99 and use fact that rank - width is monotone under taking induced subgraphs . in the following
, we will say that a vertex subset @xmath102 _ receives _ a color @xmath18 under a coloring @xmath103 if @xmath104 .
we first need the following definitions .
let @xmath11 be a graph , @xmath105 and @xmath35 .
a superset @xmath106 is called _ an @xmath8-shortest path hitter _ for @xmath102 if for all @xmath107 with @xmath108 , @xmath109 contains an internal vertex of some shortest path between @xmath43 and @xmath42 .
let @xmath11 be a graph , let @xmath103 be a coloring of @xmath11 , and @xmath35 and @xmath110 . a coloring @xmath111 is a _
@xmath112-good refinement _ of @xmath103 if for every vertex set @xmath102 that receives at most @xmath13 colors under @xmath111 , there exists an @xmath8-shortest path hitter @xmath109 of @xmath102 that receives at most @xmath113 colors under @xmath103 .
we use the weak coloring numbers to prove the existence of a good refinement .
[ lem : goodrefinement ] let @xmath11 be a graph and @xmath95 be an integer .
then every coloring @xmath103 of @xmath11 using @xmath28 colors has a @xmath114-good refinement using @xmath115 colors .
let @xmath116 be the set of colors used by @xmath103 , and let @xmath117 .
the @xmath112-good refinement @xmath111 that we are going to construct will use subsets of @xmath116 of size at most @xmath118 as the color set ; the number of such subsets is at most @xmath115 .
let @xmath61 be a linear order of @xmath36 with @xmath119\bigr|={\mathrm{wcol}}_r(g)$ ] .
we construct a new coloring @xmath111 as follows : 1 .
start by setting @xmath120 for each @xmath40 .
2 . for each pair of vertices @xmath43 and @xmath42 such that @xmath121 $ ] , we add the color @xmath122 to @xmath123 .
3 . for each pair @xmath124 of non - adjacent vertices such that @xmath125 and @xmath126 $ ] , we do the following . check whether there is a path @xmath88 of length at most @xmath8 connecting @xmath43 and @xmath42 such that all the internal vertices of @xmath88 are larger than both @xmath43 and @xmath42 in @xmath61 .
if there is no such path , we do nothing for the pair @xmath124 .
otherwise , fix one such path @xmath88 , chosen to be the shortest possible , and let @xmath127 be the vertex traversed by @xmath88 that is the largest in @xmath61 . then add the color @xmath128 to @xmath123 .
thus , every vertex @xmath42 receives in total at most @xmath129 colors of @xmath116 to its final color @xmath123 : at most @xmath130 in step ( 2 ) , and at most @xmath130 in step ( 3 ) , because we add at most one color per each @xmath126 $ ] .
it follows that each final color @xmath123 is a subset of @xmath116 of size at most @xmath129 .
we claim that @xmath111 is a @xmath112-good refinement of @xmath103 .
let @xmath105 be a set that receives at most @xmath13 colors under @xmath111 , say colors @xmath131 .
let @xmath109 be the set of vertices of @xmath11 that are colored by colors in @xmath132 under @xmath103 .
since @xmath133 for each @xmath134 , we have that @xmath109 receives at most @xmath113 colors under @xmath103 . to show that @xmath109 is an @xmath8-shortest path hitter of @xmath102 ,
let us choose any two vertices @xmath43 and @xmath42 in @xmath102 with @xmath125 and @xmath108 .
if there is a shortest path from @xmath43 to @xmath42 whose all internal vertices are larger than @xmath43 and @xmath42 in @xmath61 , by step ( 3 ) , @xmath109 contains a vertex that is contained in one such path .
otherwise , a shortest path from @xmath43 to @xmath42 contains a vertex @xmath127 with @xmath135 other than @xmath43 and @xmath42 .
this implies that there exists @xmath136\setminus \{u\}$ ] on the path such that @xmath137 , and hence @xmath138 by step ( 2 ) .
therefore , @xmath109 is an @xmath8-shortest path hitter of @xmath102 , as required .
let @xmath11 be a graph , let @xmath105 , and let @xmath92 be an integer . a superset @xmath106 is called _ an @xmath8-shortest path closure of @xmath102 _ if for each @xmath107 with @xmath139 , @xmath140 $ ] contains a path of length @xmath141 between @xmath43 and @xmath42 .
let @xmath11 be a graph , let @xmath103 be a coloring of @xmath11 , and let @xmath35 and @xmath110 .
a coloring @xmath111 is a _
@xmath112-excellent refinement _ of @xmath103 if for every vertex set @xmath105 there exists an @xmath8-shortest path closure @xmath109 of @xmath102 such that if @xmath102 receives @xmath13 colors in @xmath111 , then @xmath109 receives at most @xmath113 colors in @xmath103 .
we inductively define excellent refinements from good refinements .
[ lem : excellentrefinement ] let @xmath11 be a graph , @xmath95 an integer , and let @xmath142 . then every coloring @xmath103 of @xmath11 using at most @xmath28 colors has a @xmath143-excellent refinement using at most @xmath144 colors .
the proof is by induction on @xmath8 . for @xmath145 , an @xmath8-shortest path hitter of a set @xmath102 is an @xmath8-shortest path closure , and vice versa .
hence , the statement immediately follows from [ lem : goodrefinement ] .
now assume @xmath146 .
by induction hypothesis , there is a @xmath147-excellent refinement @xmath148 of @xmath103 with at most @xmath149 colors . by applying [ lem : goodrefinement ] to @xmath148
, we obtain a @xmath150-good refinement @xmath111 of @xmath148 with at most @xmath151 colors .
we claim that @xmath111 is a @xmath152-excellent refinement of @xmath103 .
any set @xmath102 which gets at most @xmath13 colors from @xmath111 can be first extended to an @xmath8-shortest path hitter @xmath109 for @xmath102 which receives at most @xmath153 colors .
then @xmath109 can be extended by induction hypothesis to an @xmath154-shortest path closure @xmath155 of @xmath109 that receives at most @xmath156 colors .
it remains to show that @xmath155 is an @xmath8-shortest path closure of @xmath102 .
take any @xmath107 with @xmath139 .
if @xmath157 , then @xmath124 are already adjacent in @xmath158 $ ] . otherwise , since @xmath109 is an @xmath8-shortest path hitter for @xmath102 , there is a vertex @xmath159 that lies on some shortest path connecting @xmath43 and @xmath42 in @xmath11 .
in particular , @xmath160 and @xmath161 for @xmath162 satisfying @xmath163 and @xmath164 .
since @xmath155 is an @xmath154-shortest path closure of @xmath109 , we infer that @xmath165}(u , z)=\ell_1 $ ] and @xmath165}(z , v)=\ell_2 $ ] .
hence @xmath165}(u , v)=\ell$ ] by the triangle inequality .
let @xmath11 be a graph in @xmath0 and let @xmath166 .
since @xmath0 has bounded expansion , by [ thm : charbddexp ] , for each @xmath8 , @xmath90 is bounded by a constant only depending on @xmath0 .
we start by taking @xmath103 to be a @xmath167-tree - depth coloring with @xmath168 colors , where @xmath17 is the function from [ thm : be - lcw ] . then its @xmath152-excellent refinement @xmath111 has the property that @xmath111 uses at most @xmath169 colors , and every subset @xmath102 which receives at most @xmath13 colors in @xmath111 has an @xmath8-shortest path closure @xmath109 that receives at most @xmath170 colors in @xmath103 .
thus , the graph induced on @xmath102 in the @xmath8th power @xmath45 is the same at the graph induced on @xmath102 in the @xmath8th power @xmath140^r$ ] . since @xmath140 $ ] has tree - depth at most @xmath170 , by [ thm : tdtorw ] , @xmath140^r$ ] has rank - width at most @xmath171 .
therefore , @xmath172 $ ] has rank - width at most @xmath171 as well .
we now give two example applications of [ thm : be - lrw ] .
a _ map graph _ is a graph that can be obtained from a plane graph by making a vertex for each face , and adding an edge between two vertices , if the corresponding faces share a vertex .
one can observe that every map graph is an induced subgraph of the second power of another planar graph , namely the _ radial graph _ of the original graph .
every map graph is an induced subgraph of the second power of a planar graph .
let @xmath11 be a map graph , and let @xmath12 be a planar graph defining the map for @xmath11 .
consider the _ radial graph _
@xmath173 of @xmath12 : the vertex set of @xmath173 consists of vertices and faces of @xmath12 , and a vertex @xmath43 is adjacent to a face @xmath174 iff @xmath43 is incident to @xmath174 in @xmath12 . obviously @xmath173 is planar .
it follows that @xmath11 is the subgraph induced in @xmath175 by the vertices corresponding to faces of @xmath12 .
thus , map graphs have low rank - width colorings .
a similar reasoning can be performed for line graphs of graphs from any bounded expansion graph class .
thus , both map graphs and line graphs of graphs from any fixed bounded expansion graph class admit low rank - width colorings .
if @xmath0 is a graph class of bounded expansion , then there is a graph class of bounded expansion @xmath176 such that all line graphs of graphs from @xmath0 are induced subgraphs of graphs from @xmath177 .
observe that for any graph @xmath11 , if by @xmath178 we denote @xmath11 with every edge subdivided once , then the line graph of @xmath11 is a subgraph of @xmath179 induced by the subdividing vertices .
it follows that we may take @xmath176 to be the class of all @xmath19-subdivisions of graphs from @xmath0 .
this class also has bounded expansion .
we now prove that unit interval graphs and bipartite permutation graphs admit low rank - width colorings .
[ thm : unit - interval ] the class of unit interval graphs and the class of bipartite permutation graphs admit low rank - width colorings .
our results follow from characterizations of these classes obtained by lozin @xcite .
let @xmath180 .
we denote by @xmath181 the graph with @xmath182 vertices which can be partitioned into @xmath23 independents sets @xmath183 so that for each @xmath184 and for each @xmath185 , vertex @xmath186 is adjacent to @xmath187 if and only if @xmath188 , and there are no edges between @xmath189 and @xmath190 if @xmath191 .
the graph @xmath192 is the graph obtained from @xmath181 by replacing each independent set @xmath189 by a clique .
[ lem : rwbound ] the following statements hold : 1 .
( lozin @xcite ) the rank - width of @xmath181 and of @xmath192 is at most @xmath193 .
( lozin @xcite ) every bipartite permutation graph on @xmath23 vertices is isomorphic to an induced subgraph of @xmath194 .
3 . ( lozin @xcite )
every unit interval graph on @xmath23 vertices is isomorphic to an induced subgraph of @xmath195 .
hence , in order to prove [ thm : unit - interval ] , it suffices to prove that the graphs @xmath181 and @xmath192 admit low rank - width colorings .
for every positive integer @xmath13 , let @xmath196 and @xmath197 for each @xmath198 .
we prove that for all @xmath180 , the graphs @xmath181 and @xmath192 can be vertex colored using @xmath5 colors so that each of the connected components of the subgraph induced by any @xmath199 color classes has rank - width at most @xmath200 . as rank - with and rank - width colorings are monotone under taking induced subgraphs
, the statement of the theorem follows from [ lem : rwbound ] .
assume that the vertices of @xmath181 ( and @xmath192 , respectively ) are , as in the definition , named @xmath201 .
we color the vertices in the @xmath18th row , @xmath202 , with color @xmath203 where @xmath204 and @xmath205 .
then any connected component @xmath12 of a subgraph induced by @xmath6 colors is isomorphic to @xmath206 ( @xmath207 , respectively ) for some @xmath208 .
hence , according to [ lem : rwbound ] , @xmath12 has rank - width at most @xmath209 , as claimed .
in contrast to the result in [ sec : other - positive ] , we prove that interval graphs and permutation graphs do not admit low rank - width colorings .
for this , we introduce twisted chain graphs . briefly , a twisted chain graph @xmath11 consists of three vertex sets @xmath210 where each of @xmath211 $ ] and @xmath212 $ ] is a chain graph , but the ordering of @xmath213 with respect to the chain graphs @xmath211 $ ] and @xmath212 $ ] are distinct .
[ def : twi ] for a positive integer @xmath23 , a graph on the set of @xmath214 vertices @xmath215 , where @xmath216 , @xmath217 , and @xmath218 , is called a _ twisted chain graph _ of order @xmath23 if * for integers @xmath219 and @xmath220 , @xmath221 is adjacent to @xmath222 if and only if either ( @xmath223 ) or ( @xmath224 and @xmath225 ) ; * for integers @xmath219 and @xmath220 , @xmath226 is adjacent to @xmath222 if and only if either ( @xmath227 ) or ( @xmath228 and @xmath229 ) ; * the edge relation within @xmath230 and within @xmath213 is arbitrary .
we first show that a large twisted chain graph has large rank - width .
we remark that a proof of this fact seems to follow also from a careful examination and modification of general constructions given by dabrowski and paulusma @xcite ; however , we prefer to give our own direct proof for the sake of completeness . [
lem : twistedgrid - rk ] for every integer @xmath231 , every twisted chain graph of order @xmath232 has rank - width at least @xmath23 . before we proceed to the proof of [ lem : twistedgrid - rk ] , we need to introduce some basic tools a vertex bipartition @xmath233 of a graph @xmath11 is _ balanced with respect to a set @xmath234 _ if @xmath235 .
we will need the following standard fact .
[ lem : balancedpartition ] if @xmath11 is a graph of rank - width at most @xmath236 and @xmath234 with @xmath237 , then @xmath11 admits a vertex bipartition @xmath233 with @xmath238 that is balanced with respect to @xmath213 .
let @xmath57 be a rank - decomposition of @xmath11 of width at most @xmath236 .
we subdivide an edge of @xmath58 , and regard the new vertex as a root node . for each node @xmath239 , let @xmath240 be the number of leaves of @xmath58 that are descendants of @xmath76 and correspond to vertices of @xmath38 .
now , we choose a node @xmath76 that is farthest from the root node and such that @xmath241 . by the choice of @xmath76 ,
either @xmath76 is a leaf or for each child @xmath242 of @xmath76 we have @xmath243 .
therefore , since @xmath237 , in any case @xmath244 .
let @xmath62 be the edge connecting the node @xmath76 and its parent . by the construction
, the vertex bipartition associated with @xmath62 satisfies the required property .
we now proceed to the proof of [ lem : twistedgrid - rk ] .
let @xmath245 and let @xmath11 be a twisted chain graph of order @xmath246 . adopt the notation from definition [ def : twi ] for @xmath11 .
suppose for the sake of contradiction that the rank - width of @xmath11 is smaller than @xmath23 . by [ lem : balancedpartition ]
, there exists a vertex bipartition @xmath247 of @xmath11 with @xmath248 such that @xmath249 and similarly @xmath250 .
suppose we have vertices @xmath251 and @xmath252 with the following property satisfied : @xmath253 such a structure will be called an _
@xmath254-ordered @xmath247-matching _ of order @xmath28 . by the definition of adjacency in @xmath11
it follows that the submatrix of @xmath255 $ ] induced by rows corresponding to vertices @xmath256 and columns corresponding to vertices @xmath257 has ones in the upper triangle and on the diagonal , and zeroes in the lower triangle .
the rank of this submatrix is @xmath28 , so since @xmath248 , there is no @xmath254-ordered @xmath247-matching of order @xmath23 .
we similarly define the @xmath254-ordered @xmath258-matching of rank @xmath23 , where the vertices @xmath256 belong to @xmath58 and vertices @xmath257 belong to @xmath38 .
likewise , there is no @xmath254-ordered @xmath258-matching of order @xmath23 .
suppose now we have vertices @xmath259 and @xmath252 with the following property satisfied : @xmath260 such a structure will be called a _
@xmath261-ordered @xmath247-matching _ of order @xmath28 , and a _
@xmath261-ordered @xmath258-matching _ of order @xmath28 is defined analogously .
again , the same reasoning as above shows that there is no @xmath261-ordered @xmath247-matching of order @xmath23 , and no @xmath261-ordered @xmath258-matching of order @xmath23 .
let @xmath262 and @xmath263 be lexicographic orders on @xmath264 , with the leading coordinate being the first one for @xmath262 and the second for @xmath263 .
[ cl : a - side ] if there is a sequence @xmath265 such that @xmath266 for odd @xmath267 and @xmath268 for even @xmath267 , then there is either an @xmath254-ordered @xmath247-matching of order @xmath28 , or an @xmath254-ordered @xmath258-matching of order @xmath28 .
denote @xmath269 for @xmath270 . for @xmath271 , we define @xmath272 and @xmath273 as follows : * if @xmath274 , then @xmath275 and @xmath276 , and * if @xmath277 , then @xmath275 and @xmath278 .
it follows that vertices @xmath279 and @xmath280 satisfy @xmath281 and for each @xmath18 we have that @xmath256 and @xmath257 belong to different sides of the bipartition @xmath247 .
now , if for at least @xmath28 indices @xmath18 we have @xmath282 and @xmath283 , then the subsequence induced by elements with these indices gives an @xmath254-ordered @xmath247-matching of order @xmath28 . otherwise , there are at least @xmath28 indices @xmath18 with @xmath284 and @xmath285 , and the subsequence induced by them gives an @xmath254-ordered @xmath258-matching of order @xmath28 . a symmetric proof gives the following .
[ cl : b - side ] if there is a sequence @xmath286 such that @xmath266 for odd @xmath267 and @xmath268 for even @xmath267 , then there is either a @xmath261-ordered @xmath247-matching of order @xmath28 , or a @xmath261-ordered @xmath258-matching of order @xmath28 . from [ cl :
a - side ] and [ cl : b - side ] it follows that the largest possible length of sequences as in the statements is smaller than @xmath287 . for @xmath288 , call the sets @xmath289 and @xmath290 the _ @xmath18th row _ and the _ @xmath267th
column _ , respectively . a row or a column is _ mixed _ if it contains both elements of @xmath38 and elements of @xmath58 .
observe that if there were at least @xmath287 mixed rows , then by choosing vertices from @xmath38 and @xmath58 alternately from these rows we would obtain a sequence of length @xmath287 as in the statement of [ cl : a - side ] .
then [ cl : a - side ] gives us an @xmath254-ordered @xmath247-matching of order @xmath23 or an @xmath254-ordered @xmath258-matching of order @xmath23 , a contradiction .
hence , there are less than @xmath287 mixed rows , and symmetrically there are less than @xmath287 mixed columns . observe that if there were two non - mixed rows such that the first one was contained in @xmath38 while the second was contained in @xmath58 , then all the @xmath232 columns would be mixed , a contradiction .
hence , either all the non - mixed rows belong to @xmath38 , or all of them belong to @xmath58
. however , there are more than @xmath291 non - mixed rows , so either @xmath38 or @xmath58 contains more than a third of vertices of @xmath213 .
this is a contradiction with the assumption that @xmath247 is balanced with respect to @xmath213 .
we now observe that if a graph class contains arbitrarily large twisted chain graphs , then it does not admit low rank - width colorings .
[ thm : interval - permut ] let @xmath0 be a hereditary graph class , and suppose for each positive integer @xmath23 some twisted chain graph of order @xmath23 belongs to @xmath0 .
then @xmath0 does not admit low rank - width colorings .
we show that for every pair of integers @xmath292 and @xmath293 , there is an graph @xmath4 such that for every coloring of @xmath11 with @xmath246 colors , there is an induced subgraph @xmath12 that receives at most @xmath59 colors and has rank - width at least @xmath23 .
this implies that @xmath0 does not admit low rank - width colorings .
we will need the following simple ramsey - type argument .
[ cl : prod - rams ] follows , e.g. , from ( * ? ? ?
* theorem 11.5 ) , but we give a simple proof for the sake of completeness .
[ cl : prod - rams ] for all positive integers @xmath294 , there exists an integer @xmath295 such that for all sets @xmath296 with @xmath297 and all functions @xmath298 , there exist subsets @xmath299 and @xmath300 with @xmath301 such that @xmath174 sends all elements of @xmath302 to the same value .
we prove the claim for @xmath303 .
let @xmath304 be an arbitrary subset @xmath102 of size @xmath305 .
for each @xmath306 , define the _ type _ of @xmath50 as the function @xmath307 defined as @xmath308 .
there are at most @xmath309 different types possible , so there is a subset @xmath300 of size @xmath28 such that each element of @xmath310 has the same type @xmath101 .
since @xmath311 , there is some @xmath312 such that @xmath101 yields value @xmath18 for at least @xmath28 elements of @xmath304 .
then if we take @xmath109 to be an arbitrary set of @xmath28 elements mapped to @xmath18 by @xmath101 , then @xmath313 for each @xmath314 , as required .
let @xmath315 , @xmath316 , and @xmath317 .
let @xmath318 be a twisted chain graph of order @xmath319 ; adopt the notation from definition [ def : twi ] for @xmath11 .
suppose @xmath11 is colored by @xmath246 colors by a coloring @xmath103 . by [ cl : prod - rams ] , there exist @xmath320 with @xmath321 such that @xmath322 is monochromatic under @xmath103 .
now , for an index @xmath323 , let @xmath324 be the unique pair such that @xmath325 , and let @xmath326 be the unique pair such that @xmath327 . by reindexing vertices @xmath254 and @xmath213 using pairs @xmath328 and @xmath329
, we may view coloring @xmath103 on @xmath254 and @xmath213 as a coloring on @xmath330 . by applying [ cl : prod - rams ] to the vertices from @xmath254 indexed by @xmath331 , we obtain subsets @xmath332 and @xmath333 such that @xmath334 and the set @xmath335 is monochromatic . finally , by applying [ cl :
prod - rams ] to the vertices from @xmath261 indexed by @xmath336 , we obtain subsets @xmath337 and @xmath338 such that @xmath339 and the set @xmath340 is monochromatic .
now observe that the subgraph @xmath341 $ ] receives at most @xmath59 colors , and is a twisted chain graph of order @xmath232 . by [ lem : twistedgrid - rk ] it has rank - width at least @xmath23 , so this proves the claim .
we now observe that a twisted chain graph of order @xmath23 is an interval graph , provided each of @xmath254 , @xmath261 , and @xmath213 is a clique , and there are no edges between @xmath254 and @xmath261 .
similarly , for each @xmath23 there is a twisted chain graph of order @xmath23 that is a permutation graph .
see figures [ fig : interval ] and [ fig : permutation ] for examples of intersection models . .
] . ]
[ lem : twistedgrid1 ] let @xmath11 be a twisted chain graph of order @xmath23 , for some positive integer @xmath23 . if each of @xmath254 , @xmath261 , and @xmath213 is a clique , and there are no edges between @xmath254 and @xmath261 , then @xmath11 is an interval graph . let @xmath342 . consider the following interval model : * for each @xmath343 , assign interval @xmath344 $ ] to @xmath345 .
* for each @xmath343 , assign interval @xmath346 $ ] to @xmath347 .
* for each @xmath348 , assign interval @xmath349 $ ] to @xmath350 .
it can be easily seen that this is an interval model of the twisted chain graph of order @xmath23 .
[ lem : twistedgrid2 ] for each positive integer @xmath23 , there is a twisted chain graph of order @xmath23 that is a permutation graph .
let @xmath351 .
consider the following permutation model , spanned between horizontal lines @xmath352 with @xmath50-coordinate @xmath69 and @xmath353 with @xmath50-coordinate @xmath19 : * for each @xmath343 , assign the segment with endpoints @xmath354 and @xmath355 to @xmath345 . * for each @xmath343 , assign the segment with endpoints @xmath356 and @xmath357 to @xmath347 .
* for each @xmath348 , assign the segment with endpoints @xmath358 and @xmath359 to @xmath350 it can be easily seen that this is a permutation model of some twisted chain graph of order @xmath23 . by [ thm : interval - permut ] , we obtain the following .
the classes of interval graphs and permutation graphs do not admit low rank - width colorings .
a graph class @xmath0 has the _ erds - hajnal property _ if there is @xmath21 , depending only on @xmath0 , such that every @xmath23-vertex graph in @xmath0 has either an independent set or a clique of size @xmath360 .
the conjecture of erds and hajnal @xcite states that for every fixed graph @xmath12 , the class of graphs not having @xmath12 as an induced subgraph has the erds - hajnal property ; cf .
we prove that every class admitting low rank - width colorings has the erds - hajnal property . the proof is based on the fact that every class of graphs of bounded rank - width has this property , which was shown by oum and seymour @xcite .
since this claim is not written in any published work , we include the proof for the completeness .
a graph is _ cograph _ if it can be recursively constructed from isolated vertices by means of the following two operations : ( 1 ) taking disjoint union of two graphs and ( 2 ) joining two graphs , i.e. , taking their disjoint union and adding all possible edges with one endpoint in the first graphs and the second endpoint in the second .
it is well - known that every @xmath23-vertex cograph contains either an independent set or a clique of size @xmath361 ; this follows from the fact that cographs are perfect .
[ lem : ehbddrw ] for every positive integer @xmath13 , there exists a constant @xmath362 such that every @xmath23-vertex graph of rank - width at most @xmath13 contains either an independent set or a clique of size at least @xmath363 .
let @xmath364 and @xmath365 .
we first prove by induction on @xmath23 that every @xmath23-vertex graph of rank - width at most @xmath13 contains a cograph of size at least @xmath366 .
assume @xmath367 , for otherwise every graph on at most @xmath60 vertices is a cograph .
let @xmath11 be an @xmath23-vertex graph of rank - width at most @xmath13 . by [ lem : balancedpartition ]
, @xmath11 has a vertex bipartition @xmath368 where @xmath369 and @xmath370 . since @xmath369
, there exist @xmath371 and @xmath372 with @xmath373 , such that either there are no edges between @xmath374 and @xmath375 , or every vertex in @xmath374 is adjacent to every vertex in @xmath375 . by induction hypothesis ,
@xmath376 $ ] contains a cograph @xmath377 and @xmath378 $ ] contains a cograph @xmath379 , both as induced subgraphs , such that @xmath380 .
note that @xmath381 $ ] is a cograph .
since @xmath382 , we have @xmath383 .
we conclude that @xmath11 contains either an independent set or a clique of size at least @xmath384 .
[ prop : lowrweh ] every class of graphs that admits low rank - width colorings has the erds - hajnal property .
let @xmath0 be the class of graphs in question .
fix any @xmath4 , say on @xmath23 vertices .
since @xmath0 admits low rank - width colorings , there exist functions @xmath1 and @xmath385 , depending only on @xmath0 , such that for all @xmath13 , @xmath11 can be colored using @xmath5 colors so that each induced subgraph of @xmath11 that receives @xmath199 colors has rank - width at most @xmath200 .
let @xmath103 be such a coloring for @xmath386 ; then @xmath103 uses @xmath387 colors .
let @xmath388 be the function defined in [ lem : ehbddrw ] .
we define @xmath389 and claim that @xmath11 has an independent set or a clique of size at least @xmath360 .
first , assume @xmath390 .
then there is a color @xmath18 such that @xmath391 .
thus , the subgraph @xmath12 induced by the vertices with color @xmath18 has at least @xmath392 vertices and rank - width at most @xmath393 .
since @xmath390 , by [ lem : ehbddrw ] , @xmath12 , and thus also @xmath11 , contains either an independent set or a clique of size at least @xmath394 second , assume @xmath395 .
then @xmath396 , so any two - vertex induced subgraph of @xmath11 is either a clique or an independent set of size at least @xmath360 .
a class @xmath0 of graphs is _
@xmath10-bounded _ if there exists a function @xmath397 such that for every @xmath4 and an induced subgraph @xmath12 of @xmath11 , we have @xmath398 , where @xmath399 is the chromatic number of @xmath12 and @xmath400 is the size of a maximum clique in @xmath12 .
it was proved by dvok and krl @xcite that for every @xmath13 , the class of graphs of rank - width at most @xmath13 is @xmath10-bounded .
[ thm : bddrwchi ] for each positive integer @xmath13 , the class of graphs of rank - width at most
@xmath13 is @xmath10-bounded .
we observe that this fact directly generalizes to classes admitting low rank - width colorings .
[ prop : lowrwxbdd ] every class of graphs that admits low rank - width colorings is @xmath10-bounded .
let @xmath0 be the class of graphs in question , let @xmath401 , and let @xmath402 . since @xmath0 admits low rank - width colorings , there exist functions @xmath1 and @xmath385 , depending only on @xmath0 , such that for all @xmath13 , @xmath11 can be colored using @xmath5 colors so that each induced subgraph of @xmath11 that receives @xmath199 colors has rank - width at most @xmath200 .
let @xmath103 be such a coloring for @xmath386 , and w.l.o.g .
suppose that @xmath103 uses colors @xmath403 . by [ thm : bddrwchi ] ,
there is function @xmath404 such that for every graph @xmath12 of rank - width at most @xmath393 , we have @xmath405 . for @xmath406 ,
let @xmath407 $ ] be the subgraph induced by vertices of color @xmath18 .
since @xmath408 is an induced subgraph of @xmath11 , we have that @xmath409 , so @xmath408 has a proper coloring @xmath410 using @xmath411 colors , say colors @xmath412 .
then we can take the product coloring @xmath111 of @xmath11 defined as @xmath413 .
observe that since each coloring @xmath410 is proper , @xmath111 is a proper coloring of @xmath11 .
it follows that the chromatic number of @xmath11 is at most @xmath414 , so we can take @xmath415 as the @xmath10-bounding function for @xmath0 .
in this work we introduced the concept of low rank - width colorings , and showed that such colorings exist on @xmath8th powers of graphs from any bounded expansion class , for any fixed @xmath8 , as well as on unit interval and bipartite permutation graphs .
these classes are non - sparse and have unbounded rank - width . on the negative side ,
the classes of interval and permutation graphs do not admit low rank - width colorings . the obvious open problem is to characterise hereditary graph classes which admit low rank - width colorings in the spirit of the characterisation theorem for graph classes admitting low tree - depth colorings .
we believe that [ thm : interval - permut ] may provide some insight into this question , as it shows that containing arbitrarily large twisted chain graphs is an obstacle for admitting low rank - width colorings .
is it true that every hereditary graph class that does not admit low rank - width colorings has to contain arbitrarily large twisted chain graphs ? in this work we did not investigate the question of computing low rank - width colorings , and this question is of course crucial for any algorithmic applications . our proof for the powers of sparse graphs can be turned into a polynomial - time algorithm that , given a graph @xmath11 from a graph class of bounded expansion @xmath0 , first computes a low tree - depth coloring , and then turns it into a low rank - width coloring of @xmath45 , for a fixed constant @xmath8 .
however , we do not know how to efficiently compute a low rank - width coloring given the graph @xmath45 alone , without the knowledge of @xmath11 .
the even more general problem of efficiently constructing an approximate low rank - width coloring of any given graph remains wide open .
finally , we remark that our proof for the existence of low rank - width colorings on powers of graphs from a class of bounded expansion actually yields a slightly stronger result
. precisely , ganian et al .
@xcite introduced a parameter _ shrub - depth _ ( or _ sc - depth _ ) , which is a depth analogue of rank - width , in the same way as tree - depth is a depth analogue of tree - width .
it can be shown that for constant @xmath8 , the @xmath8th power of a graph of constant tree - depth belongs to a class of constant shrub - depth , and hence our colorings for powers of graphs from a class of bounded expansion are actually low shrub - depth colorings .
we omit the details .
r. ganian , p. hlinny , j. neetil , j. obdrlek , p. ossona de mendez , and r. ramadurai .
when trees grow low : shrubs and fast @xmath416 . in _
mfcs 2012 _ , volume 7464 of _ lecture notes in computer science _ , pages 419430 .
springer , 2012 . | arxiv |
Sailor Moon X-overs 1. Default Chapter
**First a few things, I am new to this, so be a little kind. Second, I will try to be original. Last, I do not own either of these shows nor will I claim otherwise, the people who design this shows are tap into a realm of imagination that I cannot.**
**Now Onward.**
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**The moon glisten in the shadows of space twinkling with the breath of new life. For the reigning white moon queen Selenity had given birth to the young perfection of the Princess Serenity. Selenity with her husband Apollo watch their darling girl sleep, treasuring the innocence she portrayed. Apollo hug his wife to him, placing his head against his wife's and signing in despair. Selenity raised in eyebrow in question to his sigh. "She is going to be a heart-breaker, all those suitors I shall have to test for our Angel." He mumbled to his queen. Selenity laughed, "Poor Apollo, that is years from now." She gently soothed her put-out king. **
**Apollo gripped Selenity closer to him, his sayianjin instincts kicking in, his solar half of his power granted him visions. The Sun-King was sad at the end he would encounter at the hands of a warrior battle, but refused to burden his Queen with his news just yet. Selenity's empathy was screaming at her in terms of her mate, and gently turned in his arms. "Apollo?" she questioned.**
**"Later, my Queen, much later." He said and hugged her to him with utter content. "For now, let our angel soothe us with her presence." Again the glances settled on the gilded crib, with smooth mahogany keeping the princess safe. Inside the crib was a small infant of a golden crown of curls, blessed with silver strands as well. Though asleep, when awaken the orbs of crystal sapphire and silver specks dance upon her heart-shape cherub face. A pixie nose and a small rosebud blossomed into an angelic smile. Selenity stepped forward from her king and went to lean upon the crib to be closer to her little light. Apollo stepped forward as well, a thoughtful smile on his face. "She looks like a baby bunny, yes my bunny."He said, Selenity smiling in joy.**
**The family moment was interrupted by a herald, ushering the family to the meeting room for an important galaxy debate. Apollo grumbled in dissatisfaction and walked to the room with Selenity gracefully gliding by him. Leaving the angel to her dreams. **
**In the moment the royal couple left the princess's room two stars drifted to the bedside of the sleeping saint. As these stars resemble forms of the two sisters of deciding life, Fate and Destiny. Fate was wrapped in the gold dust from the first burst of life from the planetary stars. Which resembled gold silk, designed in a toga fashion. Her hair as white as snow , tipped by a rainbow of colors, hung long and wavy brushing the back of her knees. Fate's eyes of silver glistened with hidden knowledge. Her feet bare and a single bracelet rest on her right wrist. The bracelet was golden with a snake eating it's tail.**
**Destiny was dressed similar except clothed in silver dust of the dying stars. Also resembling silver silk, but instead of a toga fashion. She clothed herself in a silted form-fitting dress. The snake was silver as well, and on the left wrist. Her hair as black as night also tipped by a rainbow of colors, hung long and straight to her knees. Destiny's eyes of gold burned with desire of direction.**
**Each approach the crib on either side, smiling compassionately at the sleeping infant. Fate stroke the child's golden curls and Destiny rocked the crib. Serenity gurgling in her sleep to the two comforting spirits. Destiny cooed at the sight and grinned at her older sister, happiness filling the room.**
**"Look, she knows us, she likes us too." Destiny chirped to Fate.**
**"Amazing, Des, someone who actually cares for our person instead of cursing us." Fate spoke bitterly admiring the little one. Fate caught Destiny's hand and placed it over the forehead of the princess, the golden crescent moon mark glowing in response. Fate placed her hand as well over Destiny's hand.**
**"From now she is as much our child, she will inherit great things, as well as the toughest tragedies, but we will train her as she grows and with that the Cosmos shall bow at her feet." Fate declared, as wisps of power flowed from the sisters hand into the crest of the symbol, which blazed with new power.**
**Destiny glanced at her sister a thought crossing her mind. "You know, dear sister, we just changed her destiny." She said.**
**"Sister in exchange we gave her a greater fate." Fate said then chuckled at their running joke. The young princess's light personality filing the lonely sisters. **
**Time passed and the princess grew being trained by the sisters in her dreams and being sworn to secrets between them. Train in physical combat by her ever giving father, and mental combat as well. Selenity and her court training the young princess in the ways of a lady of court. At the age of five the princess met her court and protectors. **
**The Outer older court consisted of the friendly, but distant and lonely Time guardian, Princess Setsuna Meiou, Lady Pluto, the sailor of the element of time. Princess Hotaru Tomoe, Death and Rebirth's guardian, Lady Saturn, and the sailor of the element death and rebirth, a young, but kind soul. The gentle Sea guardian, Princess Michiru Kaiou, Lady Neptune, and the sailor of the element of water. Last of the outer court and strongly known to be close to the princess, saturn, and neptune. She is the fiercely protective Air guardian, Princess Haruka Tenou, Lady Uranus, and the sailor of the element of wind.**
**The Inner and younger court which shares the age of the princess. Included the hot-tempered and passionate Fire guardian, Princess Rei Hino, Lady Mars, and the sailor of the element of fire. Next is the caring, some what ditzy Love guardian, Princess Minako Aino, Lady Venus, and the sailor of the element of love. The strong and stalwart Earth/ Plant-life/Thunder guardian, Princess Makoto Kino, Lady Jupiter, and the sailor of lighting/earth. Last of the inner court is the shy, and intelligent Ice/Water guardian, Princess Ami Mizuno, Lady Mercury, and the sailor of the element of ice.**
**Each blessed with their own gifts to protect the princess of the moon, but most importantly their friend. On the cusp of her fifth birthday the protectors were bonded to the young princess sharing their powers with her. By pricking the middle finger of each senshi and adding a couple of drops of blood to a be-jeweled goblet, each jewel representing a senshi, begun a bond between them. The princess would add hers as well and then the goblet would be sealed by the maboroshi no ginzuishou, or the moon family's heirloom the Imperium Silver Crystal, descended from the Cosmic Cauldron galaxy crystal. Placing in the security vault of the Royal galaxy families. **
**In order to train the young princess in handling the Galaxy crystal, which will come to her many years in the future. The sisters Fate and Destiny secured a small crystal from the ginzuishou, by making the Golden Crystal. Hence, training her in the way of handling the silver crystal. Preparing her only in her dreams, when about the golden crystal changes into a very pretty gem necklace. **
**Avast, the fate has been laid as Serenity curious to the power of the ginzuishou unlocks the security vault and enters. Being the age of ten and still learning grace and balance trip over her lavish dress brushing the ginzuishou and knocking it into the goblet of the Sera Senshi blood. Serenity worried picks the ginzuishou out and places it in her hand to wipe it off. As soon as she touches the bloodied jewel wisps of each power over many generations of senshi enter the confused and nervous princess. Her power sky rockets and her symbol flares in a multi-facet star burst the symbol of Cosmos upon her brow coursing with the new power she has receive. Another symbol flashes upon her crown and a blinding light swallows the young princess. When the light settles the room is undisturbed and two objects are missing the jewel of the royal family and the angel like princess.**
**Looking down from the section of the galaxy, Fate and Destiny smile pensively. Happy for the gift the young princess is to receive and worried at the turn of events that will follow if all does not got well. Fate goes to the princess presence and brings her to a new dimension and family loyal to the ways of Destiny and Fate. Making them swear a holy oath to watch her, train her, and care for her as if she where their own. Their young son welcoming a new baby sister.**
**Across the dimensions, a young woman has awaken the Plutonian sign flaring briefly. "The High Princess is gone, but to where?" she whispers, then hurries to the room of the royal couple. Alerting them to the news.**
**The castle, the galaxy is search high and wide for the kind angel, but no trace can be found. In junction to the rules of the High Council, the royal couple adopt the Venusian princess as the next to the throne. The engagement being planned for Serenity to Edymion Chiba, Earthian Prince, now switch to Minako, princess of Venus, and stand-in for High Princess Serenity. **
**Mina, and Darien, fell in love and willing honored the engagement. Still, securing a link between the Earth and the Moon. Hoping across the stars that Serenity would return to them. **
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**Okay a little note their will be no betrayal, that is kind of over-used at the moment. Yes, the Silver Millennium will go on as plan except for a few minor changes. For Serenity will return, the next chapter shall shed some light where she has gone. For the first person to guess where she went I will send the next two chapters to them. Review please, I enjoy criticism, it helps me grow in my writing. Thanks.**
**Wolf Child Blazer **
2. A New Home
1A few notes before we get started. You guys are making awfully hard to keep this guessing game going with all your kind reviews. So I am just going to continue and stop baiting. A few words of thanks as well.
**Hopeful Artimas-** my first reviewer thanks, I will try not to let you down. Your guess was close, but no, however I do have and idea for that cross and in that I will use your favorite pairing as a thank you.
**EnuNR-Zero**- Thank you as well. You are to kind. However, no she did not go to that dimension.
**Maiden Genisis**- Wow, when I first enter this site as a reader, you were one of my favorite authors, and still are. So, it was so cool to get a review from you. Thank you.
**Silver Moonlight-81**- Thank you, and your kind words were touching.
**Kitty-demon 82-**Thanks I live in a fairytale land sometimes, only when I write. Are you a fan of Kirara the fire-cat demon from InuYasha?
**Mage Raistlin-**Thank you, hmm yes the flavor of the month. Makes it hard though to think outside the box. Yes I like those pairings as well from those dimension crosses. However, she didn't go to those.
I don't own a thing of the two shows, except collectibles.
Fate descended from on high, a sleeping ten-year old resting gently in her arms. Letting her powers spread into the house in front of her awaiting the patriarch to open the door. Fate breathed easier when a familiar figure darken the doorway.
"Fate! Come in." The decidedly male voice spoke.
"Honey, we have important visitors." He called into the house, leading his quest into a well-lit living room. A sweet female voice echoed through the room.
"Is it the phara.....oh?" Her voice trailed off as she saw who perched in her living room.
"Fate." A hushed whisper escaped the couple before her. She took the time to study the loyal couple.
The male a tall 6'2'', with long dark lavender locks. His eyes blue, flashing green with power. A form-fitting elastic Egyptian armor, light purple with a triangle support and protective shell behind the head. A violet half-mage cloak casually tossed over his upper body and draping to his booted feet. A green scepter grasped in his hand with a lime-green orb on top. The man before her was the Dark Magician, the high mage and trusted advisor to the Pharaoh and his son.
The female was an average 5'4'' with medium long blonde hair curling slightly at the edges. Her eyes of sky-blue and wide with power. She was wearing a feminine version of her male counterpart's out-fit, with a few differences. She went with out the shell, her clothing was powder blue and pink. Instead of a half-mage cloak, she preferred a long ribbon that enhanced her magic power which was a light baby pink. Her staff was carved in a sage's wisdom gnarl at the top, golden in color. The rod part was light blue, sectioned at the ends with rings of pink. She was the Dark Magician Girl, High Magetress, and trusted advisor to the Egyptian royal family. She was also wife to Dark Magician and mother to their single offspring, a son. A creak interrupted Fate's analyzing as said offspring walk into the room, a young boy of twelve, resembling the father's clothing instead of shades of purple, he was clad in shades of dark apple red. Remarking also his father's physical looks except for the light blonde-white hair, and eyes of cornflower blue-green. His staff a navy-blue with a golden orb on top. His statue form of a moderate 4'0'' was lean and within time will adhere to his fathers' genes becoming tall and lean. Dark Magician Jr. , or Magick to his family. He smiled worriedly at Fate and gripped his mother's hand.
Fate smiled reassuringly at the young mage. Slowly turning her full attention to the family, she curled her arms around the sleeping princess. Drawing the family's attention to the angel resting in the lap of Fate. Magick peered curiously from behind his mother at the sleeping child.
"Here I hold a great and powerful princess of a foreign land. Her name is Serenity and she has a great fate before her. I ask you only this, take her and raise her as her own. Destiny and I will visit to train her for her fate, but I ask you to train her in the way of court and your magic. She is such a sweet and innocent soul." Fate implied of her reason to being there. Shifting her arms to make the princess more comfortable as she again looked to the family of magicians.
"What is your decision?" She inquired to the quiet family. The decision was silent and unanimous.
"Well, you always wanted a little girl." Dark Magician said turning to his wife. Dark Magician Girl stepped forward and gently took the sleeping cherub, a mother's love blossoming in her eyes. "My little Seraph, Serenity." she christen the sleeping one.
"Yay! A little sister, can I call her Seren?" Magick exclaimed in joy.
Fate watched as Serenity's light infected them all, the family making her one of their own. Fate stepped back and away from the family moment, tears shimmering in those timeless eyes.
"Forgive us Serenity, we love you little bunny." Fate whispered and left to galaxian spot of her home. Awaiting her was her sister Destiny arms opened in comfort. Together the two hug, not wanting to relish the confusion soon to follow their little one. Tears dried and masks placed back Fate and Destiny stepped forward to watch through a viewing cauldron. Destiny turned to Fate a sly grin on her face.
"You know growing up there is going to be fun, especially adolescence all those young males." Destiny said. Fate turned to his sister a disbelieving look on her face.
"You are incorrigible, and almost as bad as Aphrodite." Fate told her sister swatting at her arm. Yet, a small rested on her face, she will get to see her little bunny grow up, to be a great woman. A moment was spared to check on the Silver Millennium, a heavy sadness hung in the back ground. Fate whispered gently in the dreams of all, "She will be home again." Revolving the cauldron picture back to Serenity, awaiting the princess awaking moment. A promise hanging in their air about the changes to come in the world of Egyptian wonder. They will all start with the princess and her light.
As promised a little shedding of light as to where she had gone. In the next chapter you will see the growing up of the young angel and the reason I made her father half-sayian. Again reviews surely do speed things along. Next time in my stories I will put a couple of hints in the chapter, to which dimension she went to. Thanks to everyone for participating.
WolfchildBlazer.
3. Awaking and Adjusting
Thanks guys and girls for your super cool reviews. I know some of you don't know much about YGO, but I will try my best to be informative with out boring you to death. For those of you that do know much, there will be some differences, but that is an artistic licence. So, as a thank you for the nice reviews, here is the next chapter.
I do not own either of these two shows.
Serenity dreamily rose from the deep sleep Fate and the maboroshi no ginzuishou had placed her in. Serenity blinked warily at the unfamiliar surroundings, but knowing the ginzuishou would not willing place her danger. Remembering the training of her father she scanned the room memorizing the layout and details. It was a fairly simple room, a four-poster bed which she lain upon, with white satin sheets. Walls a blank canvas, awaiting the mistress to decorate with her soul. Fairly spacious and a small desk sat in the corner, its materials unknown to the young princess. The most noticeable feature was they bay window with a balcony over looking a small oasis. Yawning and stretching the kinks out of her shoulders she climbed from the bed. As she awoken more to the surroundings she notice her clothing was different.
A white Egyptian silk cloth was wrap around with a clasp of an eye on her shoulder. Upon her wrist sat a familiar bracelet that resembled the snake bracelet on the two sisters. The snake bracelet glowed with the golden crystal imbedded in the snake's head. The ginzuishou hung about her neck on a golden chain. It was slowly pulsing with the new power it had gained from the goblet. Serenity though curious was bested by a more primal need, hunger.
Hunger drew our normally cautious bunny out of the room into a moderate hallway. With her awoken her magic spiked, along with her ki. Signaling those sensitive to it in a thirty mile radius that she was up. A figure appeared in front of Serenity, shocked she stepped back nervous, but curious as well, making her stay her need of fleeing.
The figure came into the light, it was Magick, inquiring to their knew addition. Serenity seeing it was a kid around her age felt comfortable. Introducing herself to the young boy.
"Hello, I'm Serenity, do you know where I can find food?" She said hyper at the idea of fellow children. Magick blinked at the rapid change in the young girl processing what she had said. Then he laughed gaily at her and gestured to follow him. The two children ran down the hallway to a lit room. In the room was sitting Dark Magician, and Dark Magician Girl, their attention directed to the children entering the room. Serenity shy, ducked behind Magick, who giggled, but stood there none the less. Dark Magician grinned, while Dark Magician Girl smiled softly.
"It is okay Serenity we are friends." Dark Magician Girl spoke to the hidden girl. Serenity's head popped out from behind Magick. Peering at the two adults.
"Fate said you were a ball of energy, I bet you are hungry." Dark Magician said looking at her.
"Yes, I am hungry, if you are friends of Fate, then your friends with me!" She yelped rushing toward the adults dragging Magick. Magick just grinned at his new friend. Serenity jumped and tackled the two sitting on the couch. "Where's the food?" She question sitting on Dark Magician, with Magick sprawled on him as well. Dark Magician Girl laughed at Serenity's enthusiasm and Dark Magician expression.
She gathered the two children and herded them toward the kitchen. Still, laughing at her husband. Dark Magician Girl took two plates down along with a pair of glasses. She seated the pair at an oak table and poured milk into the glasses handing them to the children. She turned questionably toward Serenity. "How about some cookies?" she inquire, only to be met with affirmative nods and a happy squeal. Deep chuckling was heard from the doorway as Dark Magician came in and hugged his wife.
Serenity was happy at the family, but sadden by her own. She mutely wondered where they were. Everyone notice the change in the angel's demeanor, Dark Magician look to his family a question in his eyes. Two nods answered the silent question. He glanced to the girl that was his new daughter, a father's pride in his eyes. "Serenity, there is something we must tell you." He said and sat at the table. Beginning his tale, and explaining up to now about what was to become of her. Through this Serenity was silent assessing the information with a wisdom that belied her age. When he was through he stared at the wall awaiting her decision to their tale. Worried slightly that she might reject them, in the few hours she had come to his home she had made a place in all of their hearts.
"Well, I will miss home, but if Fate said it is for the best..." Serenity stopped and swallowed. "Then, I guess it's okay, Mom and Dad." She choke out, swallowing her tears until a more private time. Dark Magician whipped around and rose out of the chair. He quickly walked over to the semi-distraught princess and hugged her. Dark Magician Girl also walked forward and hugged her. Magick bounced out of his chair and embraced Serenity around her waist. Each sharing their comfort, support, and joy with the sadden angel. "May I be excused to my room?" Serenity politely asked. They all nodded and Dark Magician swept her up into his arms carrying her to her room.
He placed her on her bed and quietly left the room giving her space. When Serenity was sure that he was away she allowed her tears to run unchecked. Only to feel comforting arms around her. She turned to the person's face to find Fate holding her. She curled up to Fate crying out her sorrow. After a few minutes, she hiccuped to slow her tears enough to ask a few questions.
"Why?" She murmured to Fate, tears gleaming in her sapphire eyes.
"To teach you to control the powers you will inherit." Fate whispered to her. Cooing to Serenity to comfort her.
"Why can I not learn at home?" Serenity questioned desperately.
"Your powers are restrained at home, here they can grow accordingly." Fate answered.
"Will I ever see home again?" Serenity inquired.
"Of course you will honey!" A familiar voice responded. Destiny strode in, a consoling smile on her face. Serenity blinked at her, small joy returning to her crushed eyes. "You will return to your home dimension at the age of coming. Until then just think of this as an adventure, and them, she gestured to the hallway, as extended family. They already love you as their own." Destiny said speaking softly.
"They love me?" Serenity asked in wonder. Fate and Destiny both nodded to the innocent princess. "I will go home?" She questioned again. She was met with nods. "Then, let's do this!" Serenity exclaimed her childish happiness flowing through the room. Destiny and Fate merely laughed and shook their heads. Serenity looked at them serious in her expression. "I forgive you, and I love you too." She said and hugged them both.
Fate and Destiny were shocked and tears of joy were welling in their eyes. Their little princess with her golden heart and lunarain understanding. Serenity yawned and sat back upon her bed. Fate and Destiny stood and Destiny picked up the tired princess. Fate pulled back the comforter on the bed, and smoothing the sheets. Destiny placed Serenity down and Fate flipped the comforter back up. "Better get some rest kiddo, you got a busy day tomorrow." Destiny said and kissed her forehead. Fate nodded to Destiny's statement and hugged Serenity. Serenity smiled and wave good-bye.
I know I said the next one would be about growing up, but technically you could see this as maturing a little. However, I am going skipped a span of time and giving some insight to her adjustment to the situation was just to explain how she is going to act later on. I mean over a length of time she would accept it fully and be our normal bunny, but sometimes no light is shed on her child way of thinking. She is portrayed loving everyone and it is true, but she is still a child. With a promise from two well-known adults would help the child adjust and greet the world with a smile. Next chapter will introduce one of the Yu-Gi-Oh cast, and a few memories with her sayian father.
WolfchildBlazer.
4. A Secret Keeper
A few notes before we begin.
**Kitty-demon 92-** Thank you for you review sorry for the typo of your name.
**DMS-** Thanks, I haven't quite decided on the couple yet. They do make a cute pair though.
**Lady Serenity-**Thank you kindly.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed even if I forgot to address you personally.
I don't own any part of these two shows.
Serenity brushed her long golden locks staring deeply into the oval mirror. Fondly remembering a time of sitting in front of her moonstone vanity, her mother gently brushing her hair.
"Momma, this isn't the royal hairstyle." Serenity pointed out.
Selenity laughed at her young daughter, finishing her looped single ponytail. "You are training with your father today." She said hugging her daughter.
"Try to go easy on me, okay princess." Her father asked standing in her doorway.
"Nope!" Serenity stated sticking her tongue out at her father. Selenity giggle at her daughter's spunk, Apollo rushed over and picked up Serenity. He twirled his baby girl around, then tucked her under his arm marching the direction of the training arena. "Hey! I can walk!" Serenity exclaimed at her father.
Apollo looked down, a mischievous grin on his face. "That's nice." He said and continued to carry her. Selenity gleefully laughing at the training pair.
"Mom!" Serenity shouted at her mother, pouting.
Apollo stopped and raised an eyebrow at his girls. He leaned his head down toward his daughter. The grin spreading, itching with the fun revenge he had planned.
"Hey angel, want to get mom back for laughing at us?" Apollo asked glancing at his daughter. She nodded her agreement. "Alright, how about a tickle attack?" He offered. Serenity concurred with fever. Apollo gazed to his wife; the grin full spread, and eyes twinkling. Selenity raised a sculpted brow at her family.
Apollo placed Serenity down and, "Tickle Attack!" He shouted. Apollo picking Selenity up and placing her on the bed in Serenity's room. Serenity leaping at her mother hands stretch and ready. Three different laughs flew through the moon's castle, filling it with light.
Serenity's reminiscing was cut short by a soft call and gentle shake. "Seren, dad's waiting for us." Magick said. Serenity nodded and finished fixing her hair. "Race you!" Magick shouted running out of the room, Serenity hot on his heels. Speeding past Dark Magician Girl.
"No running in the house." She reminded the two blurs. The reminder fell on deaf ears drowned by laughter. She shook her head and started to pick up fallen objects knocked over in the rush. A small smile on her face, "Thank you Serenity, Magick was such a shy, and quiet child." She whispered.
"I won!" was the declaratory statement from one of the panting children.
"No fair, you know the house better!" came the answer from the other winded child. Once they caught their breath they glanced up. Serenity's eyes were drawn to the new child standing next to the Dark Magician. She studied the child curiously. Medium light blonde hair hung to the shoulders, which spiked at the ends. Eyes a light purple hue. A white short-sleeved robe's top and black long pants. Soft black shoes adorn the feet, the arms were crossed and personality closed off. Serenity cluck to herself at the silent power surrounding him. She leaned closer to Magick, a question swimming in her eyes.
"Who is that?" She asked gesturing to the person next to Dark Magician.
"Him? That is Marik of the Ishtar's , a family of tomb keepers." He answered.
"Cool, I'm going to say hello." Serenity chirped, rushing toward Marik.
"Wait!" Magick yelped, too late to stop her. "He is not the world's most nicest person." He mumbled to himself, stalking to his sister.
Serenity reached Marik with eagerness of a new friend. Marik's eyes slanted at her, closing him off more. "Hi! I am Serenity, why are you wearing long pants in the hot sun?" She happily asked him, awaiting his answer. Dark Magician kept a silent eye on them, along with his son.
Marik was uncomfortable with this energy being forced upon him, blissfully ignoring his slightly cold behavior. Dark Magician interfered with the building tension.
"Serenity, this is Marik Ishtar, he is the son of our neighbors." Dark Magician introduced him. "He will be training with us." He added. Dark Magician rotated to the boy. "Marik, this Serenity, my daughter." He told him, hoping the light of Serenity would open the boy up.
"Tch, be careful princess you could break a nail." Marik said, challenging her with his stance. Serenity smirked in return, a challenge indeed.
"Well, will see who will break a nail." She simply responded slipping into a comfortable stance her father taught her.
The two Dark Magician's watch the scene with peaked interest. Magick turned to his father, one eye on his sister, if she needed him. "Seren's going to beat him, isn't she dad?" He asked. Dark Magician laughed and petted his son's head.
"Well, we will see, but she's got mom rooting for her." He said pointing to the window.
Dark Magician Girl was watching her angel take on the cold male. "You can do it Serenity, show him true female power." She shouted encouragingly. "Sorry Dear!" She apologized to Dark Magician.
"Let us make this a little interesting." Serenity suggested.
"You have my attention, princess." Marik remarked
"I win, you tell me a secret, you win, I'll tell you one." Serenity proposed to her opponent confidant in her abilities.
"You're on!" Marik agreed.
Dark Magician stepped in between the two. "Alright, there is an obstacle course set before you, the first one down and back with the spell card in hand wins." He said setting the ground rules. "On my mark." He stated raising his staff, he let a jet of spiral energy out, and the children took off.
Serenity with her lean form and sayian inheritance reached the spell card first. Marik just barely after, grabbing his spell card too. They race neck and neck down to the finish line, both crossing the same time.
"You tied!" Magick shouted at the end.
"We tied?" They both exclaimed Dark Magician nodded.
"Then we both have to tell each other a secret." Serenity said.
"Fine!" Marik agree.
Marik trusting the young girl told her of his fear of the initiation into the tomb keepers, at the coming of age. Serenity in exchange of trust told of where she came from and fear of what was happening there. She also gave Marik a pinky-swear promise she would not let him go through the ritual by himself. Marik surprise by the concern of his fear, smiled childishly at her. Offering his hand, "Friends?" he asked.
"Friends!" exclaimed Serenity, grabbing Marik's hand. "Now, let's go celebrate with milk and cookies!" She screamed dragging Marik into the house. Laughter swelling from everyone around. They finish training that day and Marik went home promising to meet Serenity and Magick at the bazaar tomorrow.
Later when Serenity went to her room for the night, Fate and Destiny were waiting.
"You held back." Fate pointed out.
"Yep, it was more fun crossing together, everyone wins." Serenity explained. "I made a new friend." She added.
"Indeed you did." Destiny agreed then the sister's put her to bed.
"Good-Night, tell everyone I love them." Serenity said.
"We're sure they know." They promised leaving in a sparkle of stars.
The fact her father is a sayian helps give her a physical advantage. Also, it helps her determine whether an approaching person is a threat or not. A Lunarian can read eyes very well and are gifted with empathy, but that can only work at close range. At the bazaar she meets more then Marik.
Please Review
WolfchildBlazer
5. Enter Bakura Tomb Robber
**A** few things then onward.
Okay, as fair as pairings go I haven't a clue. In fact the way the story is coursing she will not be with anyone, until the sequel. In that case you can vote for your favorite pairing, as much as you want. You are welcome to vote now if you want. This chapter and the next are going to be a bit darker, so I am going to have to change the rating to PG-13. Thanks for all your nice reviews.
**Kitty-demon92- **I am a young adult of eighteen, who excelled in English class. Thank you for you compliment. Not to mention my mom was a teacher, and she is dead-set on fair grammar.
I don't own these two shows, and continuing to disclaim that I do.
The bazaar was bustling with activity, the Magician family in the thick of it. Dark Magician glanced at his two children his arm sitting tightly around his wife's waist.
"Mom and I have a few items to pick-up." He said sharing a wink with his son, while looking pointedly at Serenity.
"You are on your own for a little while, keep an eye out for young Marik." Dark Magician Girl added.
"Yes Ma'am!" The children said saluting at their parents. With small words of information shared, the two pairs went their separate ways.
"How are we going to find Marik?" Serenity inquired.
"I do not know, but we should start looking." Magick implied.
"Okay, let us spilt up, I'll go this way." Serenity said heading deeper into the throng of people.
"Wait!" Magick called out unheeded. "We shouldn't separate." He murmured to himself, sighing at the thought of finding two people in the mob.
"Hey Magick!" A voice called from behind him. Magick turned to greet the caller, pleased to see Marik.
"Hello, Marik!" He cried out in relief. One down, he thought, now to find Serenity.
"Where's the princess?" Marik asked looking for his other friend. Magick gestured to the growing group of people. Marik whistled in amazement. "Shall we look for her?" Marik questioned. Magick nodded and together they set off to find Serenity.
With our young angel, she had found her way to the novelty stands of the bazaar. There in the shades of palm sat a boy with light colored hair, his back to Serenity. Found you, she thought and rushed to the boy. Tackling him to the ground, chirping Marik's name.
"Get off." was a brutish reply to her, struggling to push her off. In the process of trying to escape Serenity the pair tumbled into the sunlight. The boy's hair was highlighted as a shocking white. Serenity seeing this scampered off of the boy. Said boy sat up and twisted his body to glare at Serenity. His sharp sky-blue eyes starring intensely at her.
"You will tell me why you felt the need to jump on me." came the smooth order from the youth in front of her.
"Sorry, I thought you were Marik, a friend of mine." Serenity explained.
"I feel sorry for your friends if this is how you greet them." He spoke sneeringly.
"I don't greet any of my friends like that, it was in relief of finding him, ah you, who are you?" Serenity asked in wonder.
"If I tell you, will you go away?" He asked.
"Yes." Serenity said sincerely.
"Bakura." He said.
"Well, Bakura, come on." Serenity urged grabbing his hand.
"Wait, I thought you said, you would go away." Bakura asked.
"We are going away from this area." She explained with logic.
"But, I meant.." Bakura was cut-off.
"Look, I'm hungry, I bet you are too, it's high noon." Serenity said dragging Bakura back the way she came.
"You don't here the word No, very often do you?" Bakura questioned.
"No, you're not hungry, or no, you don't want to get food with a friend?" Serenity inquired.
"Never mind." Bakura grumbled resigning himself to be dragged.
"That's what I thought, look an open food court." Serenity said hauling Bakura to it. "I see Magick and Marik too, come on." She said speeding up. "Magick, Marik, over here I made a new friend." Serenity called them over.
Lunch hour was spent getting to know each other. They were joined by Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. Presenting a staff and clothing modeled after the three Magician's to Serenity. Also, giving an upgraded spell caster light gold orb to Magick. "Well, Serenity, welcome to the first stage of formal training." Dark Magician spoke.
"What do I do, hit my opponents over the head with it?" Serenity asked. Everyone laughed at the question. Dark Magician Girl blushed at a memory. "Mom, why are you red?" Serenity wondered. This was met with heavier laughter. Dark Magician grinned boyishly at his wife.
"Mom and I trained together, and she did wallop me on my head, she didn't ask." Dark Magician told, hugging his wife closer. "Honey, talking about that, makes the spot hurt again, can you kiss it better?" He teased his wife. Dark Magician Girl stood up and whacked Dark Magician over the head with said staff.
"You swore you would never tell, and behave!" She said in her defense. Sitting back down, everyone laughed harder.
The day was spent combing the bazaar, looking at different things. Serenity bought two necklaces, with a split staff charm. One half said her brother's name on it, the other her's, she gave that one to Magick. She also bought two gold arm bands for Marik, and a Eye of Ra cloak pin for Bakura. Serenity gave them their gifts, in return she receive two well-cut stones, an Amethyst from Marik, and a Aquamarine from Bakura. Magick got her a cloak with the family crest on the back as well as her name. As the sun began its descent, good-byes were shared and promises to see each other tomorrow were made. Each going their separate ways, Marik home, and Bakura to an inn he was staying at with his father the innkeeper.
Bakura frighten to return to the inn, his shoulders tensed at the greeting he would receive from his father. A shadow fell over him, his head down.
"Now boy, where is the money you pinched, to help keep this inn running." His father's course voice demanded. Bakura handed over the money he had acquired. Squinting with guilt as the coins glinted in his father's hand.
"Good, soon, I will teach you tomb-robbing." His father crowed. Bakura winced, he had no desire to become the next King of Thieves, but the other option wasn't desired either. Bakura hearten by the father's pride of Dark Magician in his kids made a painful flaw that night. He told of his day with the Magician family. His father became enraged, the Magician family is the trusted advisor to the High Pharaoh which made them very wealthy and very dangerous to his way of life.
"This was all you brought back, a measly seven-hundred gold coins?" He raged at Bakura. His hand descended toward Bakura knocking him to the floor, Serenity's gift falling out of his pocket. "Ah, I see, you were holding out on me." His father said reaching toward Bakura's only treasure.
"No, father!" Bakura screamed, his defiance seeping from him.
"Hmm, this means something to you, insect?" He questioned flipping the cloak pin in the air.
"Yes." Bakura stated, his will fading with the glowing ideas in his father's eyes.
"Very well, you may keep this trinket, only if you go back tomorrow and bring me the Magician family heirloom." His father gloated. Bakura had never heard of this item, but nodded his head. "Good, now louse, don't you ever talked back to me again." His father order his hand falling to the knife at his hip. "You will learn to respect me." He grounded out, drawing the knife out. Bakura tensed, knowing he would hurt tonight, but he will refuse to cry out. Darkness fell onto Bakura's world, saving him from the pain he would experience.
With Serenity she had arrived in her room just as the moon reached it's peak. Fate and Destiny were waiting to begin training her again in her dreams. However, they had a few new things to explain.
"Serenity the gems you receive from your friends today, place them in your bracelet." Fate instructed.
"Where?" Serenity questioned.
"Look closely." Destiny explained.
True enough two gem shape holes sat on the ridges of the snake's back. Serenity slipped the two stones into them, when snug they glowed warmly.
"You will be even closer to your friends, the gems will alert you to their status, and lend you unique powers." Fate elaborated.
"Now to bed, little one." Destiny spoke. They tucked Serenity in, tears hidden in their eyes.
"Tomorrow's going to be hard for her." Destiny whispered to Fate.
"Not all of it." Fate replied. Serenity sensing their sadness, spoke up.
"Good-night and I love you." Serenity wished to them, then curled into sleep. The sisters disappeared in a glimmer of stars.
Oh, you are not going to be happy with me, especially Bakura fans.
Though let me explain there has to be some reason Bakura becomes a tomb robber of epic proportions. This is one of the more demanding reasons I can think of, that would make his personality jaded. Don't worry he will be fine, and away from that man in the next chapter. In A Lady, two healers, and a warrior.
Much Care,
WolfchildBlazer
6. A Lady and Two Healers
Alright I made some minor changes to this chapter. Instead of a Lady, two healers, and a warrior. I cut the warrior part out to place in the next chapter. The reason is the next chapter would of been awfully short. Also according to the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh, Joey last name is Jonouchi in Japanese, his first name is Katsuya. He just prefers to be called by a variation of his last name. Now I know you are anxious about Bakura, so onward.
I don't own either shows.
Morning came with promises of a new start. It was also treacherous to the young Bakura. His body ached and screamed at him, a painful reminder of his promise today. He grinned sardonically, his father had went easy on him. Gripping his late mother's make-up, he blended a concealing tone, virtually flawless against his skin. His practiced hands doctoring his face and body, wrapping bandages around his lower ribs. Gingerly cleaning the deep knife tracks, and binding them closed. Tossing on a loose fitting shirt and pants, he grabbed his small treasure whispering a small sorry to the pin. Affixing the pin to his cloak he stepped out of the dismal inn. Pulling his bangs under the hood of his cloak, he began the vitriolic trek to the Magician's house.
Serenity was up at the first blink of sunrise, excited to see her friends, but bothered by an off-feeling. Squealing in joy, she rushed to the kitchen. Dark Magician Girl greeted her with breakfast, laughing at her enthusiasm. Dark Magician was seated at the table, studying some court affairs. He glanced up at the sound of his daughter, laughing silently, he went back to his papers. A few minutes later Magick stumbled into the kitchen, yawning he took his seat at the table. "Morning." chirped Serenity. Magick nodded and waved, his head resting on the table. Laughter filled the kitchen of the Magician family.
A knock broke the laughing fit, Serenity sped off toward the door. "Marik!" Her cheery greeting reverberated through the house. "Come in, we are having chocolate-chip pancakes!" Serenity's mirthful invite rung throughout the hallway. The doorway still wide-open.
"They let you have sugar, this early?" A sarcastic comment answered Serenity's declaration.
"Bakura!" came affronted call.
"Serenity!" was the response.
"Serenity, bring them in here." Dark Magician Girl called setting extra places.
"Yes, mom." the affirmative reply reached the kitchen, followed by three fair-haired children.
"Morning boys, want some breakfast?" Dark Magician Girl greeted.
"Yes, ma'am." was the answer from the two flaxen-haired males.
"Serenity." Dark Magician requested Serenity's attention.
"Yes, father?" She wondered
"Mom and I have a few things to do for the pharaoh, we will be back in an hour, listen to your sitter." He explained.
A dainty tap bespoke their attention. Dark Magician rose to answer the door, he came back with a blonde haired lady. Clothed in hues of violet, drawing the attractive feature of her eyes almost similar in color. She walked with graced, reminding Serenity of the harpies of legend. "Children, this is Lady Mai, she will watch you for the hour, behave!" Dark Magician told the children, waving good-bye, and urging his wife along.
Breakfast finished to quickly for Bakura, face with his ushered decision. Guilt struck his throat making it very hard to breathe. "Come on Kura." Serenity called. "We're going to play hide and seek, come on Bakura, Magick is it." She said and hurried along. Bakura found that his vision became blurry with tears of guilt, frustration, and anger. This wasn't fair, they were practically giving him the family heirloom, by letting sneak around un-supervised. His fist clenched white with despair. Yet, a painful reminder jerked him, his hand had been cut by his father's knife.
Resigning with broken spirit, he went hunting for the heirloom. Entering the parent's room a flash caught his eye. Sitting on a mantled shelf, was a gold orb with the Eye of Ra, imprinted on it. Bakura snatch it and put it in his pocket. Wincing at the shame burning his skin, and the injuries at the reminder if he didn't take it.
"Bakura, come out, you won." Serenity's trusting voice called. He swallowed and stepped out. "Let's listen to a couple of stories by Lady Mai, you hide to well." Serenity suggested. Bakura hastily nodded, with that he grabbed her hand, and made his way back to the living room. The hour was quickly spent with story telling and the children fell into a short nap. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl came home to find them resting, they thanked Lady Mai, and just watched them sleep.
Dark Magician noticed a glow on Serenity's bracelet originating from the Aquamarine. Before he could study it further, it flashed brightly awaking the sleeping children. When it died down an answering flash came from Bakura's pocket, and the orb floated out.
"The orb of Amon Ra." Dark Magician whispered, looking questionably at Bakura. Bakura broke, a haunted look framing his face. He told of everything that had happen, and how his father acts. Dark Magician Girl ran over and picked him up examining him closely. Dark Magician stood up and walk past Bakura, stopping to pick up the orb and petted Bakura's head. He turned to his wife, his face contorted in barely controlled fury. "Honey, take his to the healers, Serenity I want you to use the low-level healing spell I taught you on Bakura, on the way over to the healers, Magick, Marik, go with them, I am going to see the constable." Dark Magician said starring into the frighten eyes of Bakura. "You are a very brave young man." He said and with a swish of a cloak was gone.
"Come on children, in a circle, Serenity stand next to me." Dark Magician Girl ordered, holding Bakura gently to her. With a flash of magic, they were gone. Appearing at the Jonouchi's, the healer's home, Marik anxiously rapping at the door.
"Hold on I am coming." A shout answered them. A tall boy with short canary-blonde hair opened the door. His eyes a rough mahogany brown peered at the assorted group, his white healers robe draping his form. "Hurry in." He said gesturing them inside. His chassis sweeping down the hallway before them.
"Katsuya, who is here?" A sweet feminine voice questioned.
"Someone who needs our help, Shizuka." He answered.
A cinnamon haired young female walk into the room. Her amber eyes smiling kindly at them. Through this time Serenity had been feeding healing energy to Bakura, fainted after the strain of transport.
"Serenity!" They all shouted, phasing the healers to act. Katsuya gathered Serenity and carried her to a small couch. Shizuka took Bakura into the healing room where her parents hurried straight to work. Shizuka headed to where Katsuya stood feeding some of his energy to Serenity.
Magick marched over to the pair and tugged on Katsuya's robes, he looked down at Magick. "Yes?" he questioned kindly.
"Excuse me, Mr. Katsuya, is she going to be alright?" Magick questioned in concern.
"Call me Jono, kid, she will be fine, she's just tired." Katsuya explained.
"Thanks Jono, but you're not much older then me." Magick said and went to hold his sister's hand. Jono laughed and nodded.
"You are right, I am fourteen." He said and relinquish his healing flow.
"He's the same age as Lady Mai." A tired Serenity croaked out.
"Mai, as in Mai Kajaku?" Shizuka inquired. Dark Magician Girl nodded. "Hey, Katsuya, they know your crush." Shizuka sung out.
"That's nice." an embarrassed Jono grounded out. "Alright, we need an account of what happened." He said, grabbing some writing papyrus paper, and a feathered pen. Bakura's story was reiterated to the two healers. When the chronicle of the events were finished, Bakura walked in. Serenity in her joy, jumped off the couch and tackled Bakura.
"I thought you didn't greet friends like this." came the astute comment from the boy on the ground. Serenity blushed sheepishly and extended her hand to Bakura.
"We love you anyway." Marik spoke and wrapped his arms around his friend, Serenity.
"Even in your spaced moments." Bakura added standing and hugging his two friends.
"Group hug!" Magick called out, dragging Shizuka and Jono over to the friends. Everyone sharing a hug including the two healers.
"You know we make a friendship circle bracelet." Serenity commented studying her growing group of friends. With Bakura well, and the Jonouchi's paid they made ready to leave. "Wait!" Serenity yelped and left the transport circle running to Jono and Shizuka. Picking a few wildflowers on the rush over, she quickly made a flower-chain crown for Shizuka. "Here, for my new friend." she offered to Shizuka. In exchange Shizuka offered her an Amber stone. "Friends." Serenity said and embraced Shizuka.
Serenity then turned to Jono. "I promise to help you become better friends with Lady Mai." she happily stated.
"Promise?" Jono questioned
"Pinky-swear." Serenity said gripping his pinky with hers.
"Thanks, here little Serenity." Jono spoke handing her a Turquoise. Serenity thanked him, and him a quick hug.
"See you later." she promised, rushing back to the waiting transport group. "Home, momma!"exclaimed Serenity. With a swirl of colors they arrived back home. "Mom, may Bakura, and Marik stay the night with us, please?" Serenity begged. Dark Magician Girl nodded and strode inside to make lunch. The children hurried inside hunger tickling their bellies.
Dark Magician was waiting inside for them a brooding look on his face. "Bakura, your father has been arrested." He said carefully, studying Bakura's reaction. "How would you like to stay with a nice family I know in the castle?" Dark Magician ventured. Bakura happily agreed. "I will introduce you tomorrow, I hear tell you and Marik are staying tonight." He said Marik and Bakura concurring with his statement.
"Well, everyone, go wash your hands for lunch." Dark Magician ordered. A whirlwind of children blew past him the direction of the bathrooms. He chuckled and went to hug his wife.
The rest of the day and into the early night was filled with the sounds of joy. When it came time to retire they said their good-nights, Marik and Bakura being shown guestrooms right next to Magick and Serenity's rooms.
Serenity went around giving everyone one last hug, before heading to her room where she knew the sisters waited for her. Fate and Destiny were sitting on her bed a book in hand. "Is that the Book of Destiny?" Serenity asked. Fate nodded and glanced her over.
"Serenity, check your bracelet." Fate instructed. Again two more holes appeared on the spine of the snake. She place the Amber and Turquoise into the slots, then crawled into bed.
"Why is the Book of Destiny here?" Serenity inquired.
"We are going to read you a bed time story." Destiny responded.
"You pick." Fate said.
"I want to hear about my grandmother Selene." Serenity whispered. The sisters nodded, the story spilling from their lips in rehearsed unison. Before long soft snores greeted their story telling.
"Goodnight Angel." They both whispered, kissed Serenity's forehead, and disappeared. Minutes later Marik, Magick, and Bakura entered the room and curled up with Serenity falling fast asleep. Destiny quickly re-emerged, and snapped a picture with a futuristic camera. "She will want a copy of this when she is older." she said and vanished.
There I made up for being mean to Bakura. Children are so adorable when they are young. The warrior will show up in the next chapter. The next chapter is called A priestly mistake, and a warrior's courage. That answers who shows up in the next one. Well thanks and review.
WolfchildBlazer.
7. A priestly mistake, and a warrior's cour...
I am glad everyone is enjoying this story. Some personal notes and then onward.
**Chibi Hikari 1 -**Thanks, Imagination is one of the greatest gifts everyone can have and share.
**Flame Ivy Moon-** Thanks. Your description is fascinating in your bio. Kitsune, Inu-yokai, and wolf, wow busy bloodline.
**Cosmos270-** Thanks I try to update as quickly as I write, sometimes it is hard.
**Maiden Genisis-** Thanks, I see you updated, way cool.
**Silver-Moonlight 81-**Thanks, I will continue to update.
**Kitty-demon92-** Yeah, but most good teachers are like that. I wouldn't enjoy writing as much if I couldn't make the story flow. Thanks.
**Lady Serenity-** Since you ask who she was going to meet next and specified two names. She will meet Seto, a.k.a. Seth in this one, and the pharaoh in the next chapter. She doesn't meet Shaadi until the ninth chapter.
Big thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially those I didn't thank personally, you are all very special.
I don't own any part of these shows nor do I claim to.
The horse ride to the castle was blissfully uneventful. Except for the uncontainable rejoice the children expressed. Marik was excited to ride the buckskin mare, because the tomb-keepers hardly venture out-doors, and scarcely on horse back. Bakura was thrilled for two reason, one his father was out of his life, and two he had never ridden a horse before. The chestnut mare reacted to his cheerfulness, merrily skip-trotting down the desert road. Magick enjoyed free-riding without his father, besetting a roan mare. Serenity had never been on a horse before, she had ridden Elysian pegasus's, but never a beautiful Earthian horse. Her's was a pure black gelding that rode smoothly and proud. All the horses were of Arabian descent, including the two bay mares her mother and father were riding. They were enjoying their quiet moment together. Happily experimenting with the gaits of the horses, their cloaks billowing in the wind. To soon the ride came to an end, Serenity toying with the idea of making a spectacle by riding through the palace of the pharaoh. Her countenance betraying her thoughts.
"I would advise against that Seren." Magick commented. "Though I wouldn't mind joining you." He continued. Reading his sister's face like an open book. Serenity laughed at his statements.
"I was only imagining the thought of parading the horse through the palace." Serenity defended. Everyone shook their heads, slipping off their respected mounts.
"The pharaoh is a fair and kind man, but I think he might draw the line at a horse in his home." Dark Magician proffered.
"Though the pharaoh's son would probably congratulate her." A familiar voice humorously said. Serenity turned and rushed to the figure. Bakura glanced over to watch a known scene. Serenity catching his glance slowed her pace and tenderly hugged the person.
"Jono, why are you here?" Serenity curiously asked.
"Visiting a palace friend." Jono answered mysteriously. Serenity peered at him, but shrugged her shoulders. She quickly walked back to the group.
"Will you esquire us in?" Serenity questioned.
"Sure, why not?" came Jono's flippant reply. Jono leading the group to the horse caretaker tent. "Rishid, come here young one." Jono called into the tent. A scrawny boy of thirteen exited the tent. His head was shaven except for a high raven hair ponytail. Eyes a shade of lazuline, which flicked up to look at them. He hurriedly gathered the horses reigns, nearly tripping over his tunic in his haste. He took the horses to a shaded tent outfitted for them.
Serenity turned to Jono and her parents sucking on her bottom lip. "Thanks Jono, but I am going to go after Rishid." she said. Jono chortled and shook his head.
"Making friends with everyone?" Dark Magician quipped. Serenity nodded and shuffled her feet. Soon she was joined by Bakura, Marik, and Magick. "Alright, stay together, so I can find you later." Dark Magician consented, then he, Dark Magician Girl, and Jono headed in the direction of the palace. Jono twisting to offer one last wave. Serenity and her friends sprinted after the stable boy.
"Rishid, wait!" Serenity called when she saw the crow's color ponytail. Rishid ceased glimpsing at Serenity in question.
"Is not everything to your satisfaction madam?" Rishid inquired worriedly.
"Wha? Oh no, everything is fine." Serenity assured.
"Then how can this one be of further use?" Rishid queried.
"You want to be our friend?" Serenity piqued.
"Yes ma'am." came the automated response.
"Rishid, I am asking, not demanding." Serenity explained.
"Sure." Rishid mumbled self-consciously.
"Cool, come on." Serenity said linking her arms through his and Magick's rushing to the palace. Marik and Bakura hurrying behind them.
"Serenity, do you even know where you going?" Marik enquired.
Serenity's pace halted a sheepish expression coloring her cheeks.
"Nope." came the chipper response. Rishid cleared his throat, attention snapped to him, he shifted uncomfortably.
"I could show you around, if you want?" He offered, his shoulders hunched, afraid of being struck for talking to a superior. His answer was Serenity hugging him joyfully. Rishid's skin tone whiten in shock, he cautiously hugged back. Serenity eased out giving him space.
"Lead on Captain Rishid." Serenity jostled. "Onward into uncharted territory." Serenity crowed. The three flaxen-haired males shaking their heads, and a raven-crowned one starring in amazement. Slowly the group made their way through the palace, observing different objects, and fascinating art that lined the hallways. In time the troupe made their way to the decorative east wing.
"This wing is where the pharaoh's guest stay, such as the High Priest and his family." Rishid explained.
"Such as that is, you and your rag-tag friends shouldn't be here." A cold voice made itself known. A chestnut brunette youth stepped out his ice-blue eyes glaring superiorly at them. Surveying them in contempt, his eyes scanning his targets. His lean form was clothed in a Egyptian priest robes of purple. His eyes picked Rishid standing there. "Horse-boy." he sneered at Rishid, not knowing the others.
"Young Master Seth." Rishid honored bowing low.
"Did I give you permission to speak?" the youth demanded.
Rishid bowed lower. "No most gracious one." His voice shook.
"Did I just say you could speak?" Seth spoke harshly. Serenity by now was angry at the treatment of her friend.
"Hey, back-off, he already apologized." Serenity snapped at Seth. Seth's head snapped to his new prey, his eyes narrowing.
"Servant Girl, you." Seth was cut-off.
"Name's Serenity." Serenity spoke. Her whole body tightening with her anger. "I don't like how you are treating my friend, apologize." She spoke gritting her teeth. Her power spiking wildy, Seth smirked at her.
"Ah, how admiral, the peasants are sticking together." He leered. Bakura and Marik maneuvered in front of Serenity, their stances protective. Magick went to help Rishid, he moving him away from the curling vipers. A form appeared between the two adders, Dark Magician surveyed the scene. He look curiously at the simmering Serenity his back to Seth. Seth seeing Dark Magician grinned predatorily at Serenity.
"Sir, Dark Magician, this group." Again he was silenced, but by a more happier cry.
"Daddy." Serenity cried leaping at Dark Magician. Dark Magician peered in wonder at Serenity when he caught her. Seth visibly blanched at his gregarious mistake.
"What is going on angel?" Dark Magician questioned.
"Nothing, Seth was going to formally introduce himself after his apology to Rishid for bumping into him, isn't that nice daddy?" Serenity explained, catching everyone's incredulous looks.
"If you say so." Dark Magician said. Seth was appalled at the thought of shaking hands with a servant, but admired Serenity's tack. He begrudgingly offered his hand. Rishid glanced at him, then at Bakura and Marik who flashed him quick thumbs-up. Rishid looked at Magick who smiled encouragingly, and finally at Serenity who nodded. He took Seth's hand and shook it quickly, both dropping their hands like they had caught fire. Seth back tracked a few steps and starred at Serenity, finding whatever he was looking for, he cleared his throat.
"I am Seth, son to current High Priest, next in line for High Priest, and.." Seth was once again cut-off by a familiar voice.
"Currently hard to keep track of." Jono's voice rang.
"He was the friend you came to see?" Serenity exclaimed.
"Yes." Jono said. Seth constricted his eyes at Serenity, wondering why she sounded surprised.
"Well, I guess that is just you." Serenity said, jumping from Dark Magician's arms and went to hug Jono.
"That is the second hug today you have given Jono, what about us?" question Bakura, Marik, and Magick together.
"Oh you guys." Serenity said and went to embrace each of them including Rishid , and Seth who tensed at the initial contact, but quickly warmed to the girl. "Now that is settled, let's go do something." Serenity suggested.
"Not now angel, Bakura's got to do something, and I know you won't let him go alone." Dark Magician interrupted. "Will you three be joining us?" He asked looking at Jono, Seth, and Rishid. Three nods answered his question. "Very well, Bakura there is something you must face." Dark Magician said leading them to the dungeon.
A dungeon is not a particular welcoming atmosphere, this dungeon was no exception. It was damp, moss grew in every crack, and sand littered the floor, making the trek hazardous. The dungeon was soundless, except for the occasional clang of bars, and the sweeping of their cloaks. The children huddled together and close to Dark Magician. When their imagination was reaching it's peak, Dark Magician ceased his travel before a cell. The children look searchingly around Dark Magician.
"Bakura, come." Dark Magician gently ordered. Bakura stepped beside Dark Magician, his whole body stiff. "Bakura, this man is your father." Dark Magician said pointing to a figure in the cell. Bakura pulled back ready to flee, until six hands placed themselves on his shoulders offering their silent support. He look back at the encouraging circle behind him, lending him courage to face his demon. Serenity smiled gently, unmatched in the peace she radiated.
"I promise, he will never harm you again." Serenity whispered squeezing his shoulder. The moment was broken by the cage door swinging open, and a shadow hurling itself at Bakura. It's momentum was eradicated by a well-placed sword handle to the stomach. Before it was stopped a grimy hand had brushed Bakura's cloak pin.
"Get back in there." A fierce voice ordered. The sword handle disappearing into a sheath, and a two-toned chocolate haired youth stood up. His short hair ended in a point, dark eyes studying them dubiously. "Name's Hiroto Honda." He said offering a quick salute. His armor following his moves. "Jono, Seth, Dark Magician Sir, who's your entourage?" Hiroto questioned starring at the assembled group. Dark Magician stepped forward.
"Hiroto, these two are my son and daughter, Magick and Serenity." He said pointing to them. "This is Marik Ishtar, and Rishid." Dark Magician further explained, his hand gesturing in their direction. "This is Bakura, he is the boy that will be staying with you and your family." He finished, resting a hand on Bakura's shoulder.
"Right, let's get out of here." Hiroto said leading them out of the dungeon. The group left the dismal place, their backs to the cells.
"Bakura, one day I will have revenge." His father's dark voice promised, his hands clenching at the thought. The dungeon door slamming with a finality.
"The day's gotten late, perhaps, you should retire to the guest rooms." Hiroto suggested glancing at a window. "The evening meal will be served, in the quarters as you specified Dark Magician." He continued. Dark Magician nodded turning to his room, he paused and sent a glimpse over his shoulder.
"Hiroto, can you have a room made ready for Rishid, and show the other's to their chambers?" He requested. Hiroto nodded, escorting Magick, Marik, Bakura, Rishid, and Serenity to their rooms. Serenity was the last to be escorted, at the doorway Hiroto stopped her.
"Serenity, here, I feel you need this." Hiroto said handing over a Tiger's-eye. Serenity smiled and hugged him, then dashed into the room. A few minutes later a torrent of knocking sounded, Serenity hopped off the bed and opened the door. Seth stood there shoulders squared, one hand cupping something.
"Here, as a way of apology." Seth said thrusting a Sapphire at her.
"No, as a marker of a new friendship." Serenity said holding the Sapphire. She waved, hugged him, and shut the door leaving an awe-struck Seth. He shook his head in amazement and left. "I am a walking gem magnet." Serenity said in exasperation placing the stones in the new slots of the snake. One hand stroking the ginzuishou, wondering about home and her family. Serenity shrugged and turned to the sky. "I miss you and I love you." she whispered. Tears playing on her eyelashes, the ginzuishou flashed in comfort, sending her prayer across dimensions.
That's done. I know some Seto fans are going to be slightly miffed. Please don't be Seto is my favorite character. I am just as much sure though he would still be his egoistical self.
Review Please.
Much Care,
WolfchildBlazer.
8. Friends of Great Respect
Hmm, how kind, thank you all. As several have asked about Yugi, and Tea. Chapter 8, this chapter to be exact is their's along with one other. I like how I picture Serenity meeting the pharaoh, but the other two weren't as cleared. Small note, Tea equals Anzu , and Dark Yugi/Yami equals Mou Hitori no Yuugi or Atemu Hokarhati , but as a simple thing, he will mostly be referred to as Yami as of right now. Oh and as far as pairings go their will not be any in this one, this is a set for the sequel. In the sequel I need you to vote for your favorite pair, you are welcome to vote as many times as you want.
Thanks for all of your reviews.
I do not own a single share of these two shows, and will continue to say so.
Serenity's routine of the morning hours were slightly off, she spent most of the early morning searching her way through the palace. She was currently nibbling on her lower lip, anxious because she was suppose to meet the pharaoh and his son today at the cusp of nine. Her eyes scanned the hallways hoping for some sign or help in the direction of the throne room. Passing a sundial she cast a worried glance at the shadow deriving that the hour was eight and a quarter. Serenity was close to breaking, her notions tickling her with the disapproving glances from the royal family, and the disappointed faces of her family current, and on the moon.
Etiquette was one of the things she prided herself in, and she was torn at the thought of blemishing her record on a important meeting. Fate heard her and spared her angel of that pain, sending Seth in Serenity's direction.
Seth was not a morning person of notable kindness, his mood was not improved by the fact he had to hunt down Serenity by _request_ of Dark Magician. He was to bring said person to the pharaoh's throne room for a gathering. Seth's mood was darkened by every step he took, he wondered why Dark Magician didn't have someone wait for Serenity in front of her chamber. He did not care for this excursion, why couldn't that conferred Magician, sent Rishid or Jono, he muttered to himself. His mood was close to souring for the day when he spotted the lost princess. Seth's aura sprung to life around him in relief and anger. Warring within him until he reached Serenity and noticed her distress. Mentally sighing at his gallantry and quenching his anger, he softly tapped the shoulder of Serenity.
Serenity whipped around to look at her savior and with relief hugged the annoyed youth. A few minutes later you could see a panting Seth and a chittering Serenity. Mumbling sincere apologies's at almost sending Seth to see Anubis before his time. Seth caught his breath and glared at Serenity a question foremost in his mind.
"Girl, are you one of those primal amazons that roam the western lands?" Seth questioned, wondering why anyone would have that strength of the female persuasion. He also thanked Amon Ra for watching over him yesterday, sparring him from a painful tussle with Serenity. Seth's question was met kindly with a blank stare. Serenity shook her head at the strange customs practiced by Seth and twined her arm with one of his. Again she was met with a tightening of muscles, before relaxing.
Serenity glance curiously at Seth. "Are you to be my knight, rescuing me from my distress?" She questioned, gleefully watching Seth's expression.
"What?" Seth uproariously demanded. He attempted to walk away from the giggling princess, until the other arm of his was reminded that it was attached. "To what pleasure does it bring you to torture me?" Seth inquire his tone nearly close to whining. Serenity balefully disagreed squeezing his arm gently as a way of apology. Seth heaved a sigh and guided Serenity to the throne with ten minutes to spare. He turned to head away, after all he was now longer needed. Serenity stopped him, picking up on his discord emotions.
"Seth, could you stay with me to meet the pharaoh?" Serenity questioned.
"Aren't your family in there, and friends?" Seth asked. His back to Serenity.
"Not all my friends, and you are the only one that truly knows the pharaoh's mannerism's you could save me from myself." Serenity said, boosting Seth's ego mildly. Seth nodded, his stance now full of importance.
All glanced at the pair when they arrived Marik, Magick, Rishid, Jono, and Bakura stayed their spots. They were under orders of the two adult Magician's to not move a muscle. They all sent encouraging smiles to Serenity, and a gentile nod at Seth. Seth bowed to Serenity and went to stand by his father.
Serenity approached her family curtsying to the demanding figure upon the throne. She was studying the potential ally with side looks. His hair was golden, shades similar to hers, spike at the edges. He had a noble face, and kind violet fuchsia eyes. The pharaoh was clothed in a royal purple tunic, and his head weighted with a golden crown. He smiled kindly at her and gestured for her to rise.
"Forgive me, I apologize that my son is not here to greet you, he is currently getting his portrait finished." The pharaoh explained motioning to the empty throne to the left of him. "The portrait was to be finished yester-eve, however, my son is not one for sitting long term." He added and waved her closer. "I wish to study the daughter of my best friend." The pharaoh explain, looking at her evenly. "You have a kind and trusting daughter, Dark Magician." The pharaoh said. "May I request a favor of you, Serenity?" He asked. Serenity nodded. "May you fetch my son from the portrait studio?" The pharaoh requested. Serenity nodded, curtsied, and turn to leave. She stopped at Seth , a thought dawning on her.
"Sir, may I have someone accompany me, I am afraid I do not know my surroundings to well." Serenity requested. The pharaoh nodded and waved Rishid over to Serenity. "Thank you, your Majesty." Serenity responded, and left with Rishid leading.
They easily reached the room in which the portrait was being painted. Rishid entering first to explain who they were and why they were there. The painter nodded and laid his brush down, his portrait half done. Meanwhile the pharaoh's son wondered at the intrusion, didn't they know it was going to make this painting session longer. He slipped off the stool he was perched on and made his way to the newcomers.
Serenity turned when she head sounds from the general direction of where the pharaoh's son posed. She caught the morning light falling on they boy illuminating his features. You could effortlessly see he was descended from the pharaoh. The same noble face, the closely shaded eyes of violet fuchsia. His hair was two-toned bearing his father's aureate hair toned, but shadowed by a fuller ranged of hair of a reddish coloring. The hair spiked in every direction in controlled chaos two long spikes framing his face. He was dressed in a flawlessly white tunic, cordon by a gilded chain of gold bringing attention to his graceful neck.
Serenity noted he was coming over and his walk was stiff from the long hours of sitting. To make it simpler for him Serenity walked closer not seeing the rug bunched up. She tripped hitting the painter's paint, one small carton color of bright green went arching into the air. Serenity prayed it would not land where she knew it would. The carton crowned the two-toned haired prince dyeing the red tips bright green and dripping onto his golden locks.
The picture made was a humorous one, and Serenity was hard-pressed not to laugh. The paint was leaking down the pharaoh's son's face leaving trails of color on his face. Serenity could feel her lips twitching and heard a group of footsteps approaching the room. She tried to maintain her composer to save the last of the prince's pride. The door was heard swinging open.
"Serenity, what is taking you and my son so long?" The pharaoh's voice rang. "Atemu, why do you not answer me?" He asked, glancing around Serenity. Shock etched his face, the corner of his lip lifting up. Serenity thought this would be a good time to introduce herself and apologize.
"Hi, I'm Serenity." She quipped with a small wave. Curtsying gracefully to the painted prince. He stared etiquette postulating he follow suit. He bowed and gracefully swept his arm out in the fashion of his family's salute.
"Hello, my full court title is Mou Hitori no Yuugi, or Atemu, Yami to my close advisors and friends." Yami said. His dignity upholding his painted visage. Serenity cracked and laughed childishly at him. Yami raised his eyebrow at the joyful girl. "Perhaps you can share the joke, milady." He said, leaning closely to her and the painter's palette. "Or maybe you can join it." Yami added grabbing a light rose pink color and dashing it over Serenity. He chuckled at her shocked face and her painted figure. Serenity glance at him curiously and then laughed at the both of them.
Enjoying the moment they each laughing with happiness. Lifted by the moment Yami and Serenity grabbed two more colors and pitch them at the group. Marik being highlighted by a purple, and Magick dyed with a bright yellow, the group rolling with laughter at their misfortune. Marik and Magick wanting revenge also grabbed paints flipping them toward Bakura and Seth. Seth was marked with orange and Bakura was metaled with bright blue. Rishid was spared along with the pharaoh, Dark Magician, and the High Priest express mirth at the children and their palette of fun colors.
The pharaoh stepped forward holding his hand up. "Painter, I want a portrayal of this now." He ordered.
"Of course milord, but I will require more paints." The artist explain looking at his new venue. The pharaoh nodded sending a page to retrieve more acrylic paints. Before long the page returned with the required hues, handing them to the painter. Two hours were spent positioning them in the light, then another three were spent being painted. After, all the children were ordered to the baths to be cleansed.
The baths were oriented and spacious, two halves a large heated spring were walled off separating the baths. Foreign plants were potted and placed around the spring and natural rocks jutted here and there. Sprinkled in the spring was sprigs of lavender and petals of roses.
On the female side of the bath was were Serenity headed still chuckling at the prior hours. Stripping lazily she slipped into the warm water, letting the paint dissolved. Her quiet moment was shattered by a quiet female voice. Serenity turned to study the intruder. The other female was brunette of a cedar brown. She had shy blue eyes that burned with a small flame of determination. Her clothing was a white toga fashion, her feet strapped with sandalwood sandals. Her voice interrupted Serenity's thoughts again. Serenity looked to her a question her eyes. "Forgive me, but did you say something?" she asked looking to the other female.
"Yes ma'am, I said I am Anzu, a maidservant sent by the pharaoh to aid you, and present you this clothing wear." She said bowing slightly at the waist. Serenity nodded, and thanked her before a thought crossed her mind.
"If you want to aid me, find some clothes for yourself and join me, it feels nice in here." Serenity offered.
"Ma'am?" Anzu questioned.
"You are now a friend, and friends have fun together, so please hurry." Serenity explained. Anzu nodded and hurried off returning quickly with a spare toga. She stripped quickly and joined Serenity in the spring. The ladies spent a while telling stories to each other, bonding together.
Pruning the women exited the baths and dressed quickly, heading in the general direction of the dining area. Anzu hesitated before the grand doors, halting Serenity's trek as well. "Anzu?" Serenity questioned worriedly.
"Serenity, I cannot enter there." Anzu explained. Serenity was puzzled before it dawned why Anzu would refuse to enter.
"You are my friend and my guest, do not worry." Serenity assured and linked her arm through Anzu's directing them into the dining hall. As time indicated the two females were the last to join the dining crew. The pharaoh studying the two. He grinned at the pair noticing their twined arms.
"I send her a helper, and she brings back an equal and a friend." The pharaoh said marveling at Serenity. Dark Magician nodded, gesturing to the assorted group of social status. Serenity went to sit in the open chair, by Yami, waving Anzu over to sit in the empty chair beside her. Anzu blushed and took a seat beside Serenity her head bowed. When she sat she notice Rishid also sitting at the table, she glanced at him in wonder. Rishid caught her glance and nodded his head in the direction of Serenity. "Well, now that everyone is here, let us feast." The pharaoh declared and started into his food.
Noon meal was passed in a friendly fashion all social status being discarded except for the High Pharaoh. The day was passed with the group doing various activities together. Each sharing their favorite thing to do. When dusk was setting Dark Magician rounded up his family and the few returning with him. Serenity chatting with Yami and Anzu when he found her. Serenity nodded and went to follow her father.
"Wait, Serenity!" Anzu called, stopping Serenity who peered at her curiously. Serenity walked back over to Anzu, her eyebrow raised in question. "Here." Anzu said offering Serenity a stone from a necklace she wore. "This is one of my greatest treasures, I want to share it with you, my friend." Anzu said holding a Topaz stone. Serenity generously accepted the stone and hugged her friend. She again tried to leave when a restraining her hand halted her pace. Serenity glimpsed over her shoulder at Yami and spun around. He offered her a Garnet stone, which she also accepted and bowed before hugging him as well. "Serenity, your not suppose to hug him!" Anzu cried. Serenity pulled back and glanced at Anzu in curiosity. Anzu catching that look shook her head. "Never mind." she said.
Serenity turned to leave gracefully waltzing to her father, where in turn she tripped crashing head long into him. Leaving the Pharaoh, the High Priest, Jono, Bakura, Rishid, Hiroto, Seth, Yami, and Anzu a fond and funny memory. The Magician family along with Marik hopped on to their awaiting horses and sprinting off into the sunset.
The Magician family had to make a stop first to drop Marik off at home. When they arrived a raven-haired azured eyed female was waiting. Her Egyptian clothing whispering in the silent wind. Marik flipped off the horse and hugged the female. "Ishizu!" Marik cried. Ishizu hugged Marik and then approached Serenity. She gave Serenity something her eyes glittering with a silent knowledge. Then with the blowing of the wind entered the home of the Ishtar's.
Serenity opened her hand, resting in her palm was a beautiful Lapis Lazuli stone. With the other two she had received placed it into her growing be-jeweled snake. Then the Magician family rode toward their home their silhouettes framed by their billowing cloaks.
Ah yes please vote for you favorite pair, for the sequel. You can vote as many times as you want. Please review. Thank You.
WolfchildBlazer
9. A Premonition of Sacrificial Light
Oh wow, the voting is a landslide for one character. Keep voting, like I said you can vote as many times as you want. I had one super reviewer who voted for her favorite ten times. Amazing. Warning time skip.
I do not own any of these two shows.
A turban covered headed youth woke from his sleep sweating, panting with the images that flashed in his mind. His lapis eyes stared unfocused in to the grey shadows of the room. His mouth was open, and his whole visage screamed nightmares. He caught his breath and crawled hurriedly out of his bed. Dressing quickly and focusing to pinpoint aura's.
"I must find the one called Serenity." He whispered urgently. Rushing to the place he pick-up a strong aura, searching. He arrived at the Magician's dwelling where a large group of people outside where celebrating a young lady's birthday. "Serenity." the male spoke softly. He made his way over to the joyous festivities.
"Marik, I demand you put me down." Serenity screamed, being held over a small lake of water.
"Are you sure you want that?" Bakura questioned from the sidelines. Serenity nodded and granting her wish Marik dropped her into the crystal lake. Serenity surfaced to the laughing group of friends. Mumbling she searched for the ones close to her. Marik and Seth were standing close to water edge gleefully laughing. Serenity's quick hands darted out tugging them both in, they fell face first into the lake.
Laughter rang out louder when the two surfaced. The three in the lake shared a look, then hopped out and pushed the observers into the water as well. When all surfaced from the watery depths from which they were introduce to, they each started flinging water at each other. Soon a large water fight broke amusing the adults that were watching from the side lines, each cheering for their offspring. Each offering a comment and a praise to the young lady who brought sunshine wherever she went.
"Seth has lighten up a lot over the years due to your darling daughter, Dark Magician." The High Priest noted. Glancing at the scene of Seth and Yami plunging Serenity into the water.
"Atemu, has loosen up and now does not spend so much time indoors." The High Pharaoh pointed out, also watching the scene.
"Bakura, and Hiroto, have a lot to be thankful for, that light that surrounds your daughter is amazing." The Honda's, the High Knights, thanked, laughing gently as the two tempted to out dip each other.
"Rishid, and Anzu, were quiet children in my service, now the light that shines off your daughter reverberates from them too." The High Pharaoh added, keeping an eye watching as the said pair dunked Seth.
"Marik has become so charming over time, and Ishizu has even joined the fun." Mrs. Ishtar said, watching her children splash Yami.
"Katsuya and Shizuka are so glad to have a group friends to spend time with." Mr. Jonouchi spoke, observing his two splashing the large group.
"You know, we have all found an attachment to each other through Serenity." Dark Magician Girl said praising her birthday angel. Dark Magician decided to add his two cents.
"Magick has really come out of his shell, and aren't the clothes going to be ruined when they get out of there?" He said. Dark Magician Girl whacked him over his head with his staff, while the other's laughed.
"We have drying spells." She pointed out. "Beside it's her birthday let her be." Dark Magician Girl added. None noticing the approaching boy his tunic snapping wildly in his haste to reach them.
By then all the children had dredged out of the lake, dripping and laughing. Serenity was at the lead of the group marching over to the adults. "Hi, honey, has my maturing fourteen year old?" Dark Magician girl asked waving her staff over to the children's direction drying them instantly. Serenity hugged her mom and then the rest of the adults, curtsying to the High Pharaoh before hugging him as well.
"Well, don't get the party started without me." A suave female interrupted.
"Mai!" Serenity quipped rushing to the older girl, hugging her on impact. Mai smiled gently, hugging Serenity back with one hand while the other held a wrapped gift. Serenity noticing the gift glancing questionably at Mai. "What's in there?" Serenity asked pointing to the gift. Mai shook her head and gestured to the growing pile of presents. Then she handed Serenity the present to be placed with the others. By then the anxious figure had reach them.
"I must speak with Serenity." He urged, his face taunt. The High Pharaoh stood and looked over the panting youth.
"Shaadi, what brings you here?" He questioned. Staring hard at the young male.
"A matter of most importance, High Sir, but for Serenity's ears only." Shaadi explained, bowing at the waist. The pharaoh nodded, not doubting the son of the High Seer's.
"If it is as you have seen, then very well." The adults agreed. Shaadi gracefully walked to Serenity, tugging her lightly away from the group. Shaadi pulled Serenity quite a distance away before sharing what he had seen.
"My dearest fate-child, I bring you unhappy news." Shaadi whispered his voice reminding her of the sands of the desert. "Today, my night was filled with premonitions of analytic proportions." He continued. "As instructed by Fate I can only share very little, but I beseech you heed me please." Shaadi cried, grasping Serenity's free hand. Serenity nodded her pale face bleached with apprehension.
"At the coming of age party for the young pharaoh, a darkness will threaten this peaceful land." Shaadi said fear echoing through his voice. "Fate will come to visit the light child with a spell to stop the darkness." Shaadi continued his voice tightening. "However, for the spell to cast she must sacrifice one thing, innocent blood, her own." He whispered his voice straining. "Sealing the darkness, sending those souls who will die later from the backlash to be reborn into the future, but in order for the spell to work they must be sealed into golden objects blessed with power." Shaadi said, his eyes staring past Serenity.
"She, the light child must craft the sacred objects, built with a piece of the souls that will inhabit them, their will be seven objects that will be crafted, the millennium items." Shaadi spoke. "In this shall they be sealed to battle the darkness at their strongest time, and the light child shall leave this plain, fated to return to her place of birth, until needed again." He whispered his eyes closing tears leaking from them. Serenity whiten beyond description dropped her present and fell to her knees.
"Where will I learn this craft, and spell?" Serenity croaked out. Her hands digging into the sand.
"Fate shall visit tonight princess." Shaadi answered kneeling before her. Serenity nodded accepting her fate, then threw herself at Shaadi her cries pouring into Shaadi's tunic. The group had been watching this exchange quietly, rushed over when Serenity collapsed to the sands.
Yami reached her first, his lean form adding to his speed. He yanked Serenity from Shaadi, handing her over to Magick when he came up behind him. Yami, flanked by Bakura, and Marik growled angrily at Shaadi, their forms all screaming pain to the one that hurt the one they cared for. Seth stood towering behind Shaadi, his face was twisted in a menacing scowl. Magick and Anzu comforting Serenity while Ishizu, Rishid, Jono, Mai, and Shizuka stood protectively in front of her. The adults pooling around the children each body taunt with worry.
"I demand to know what was said!" Dark Magician demanded his knuckles white from the grip on his staff. The pharaoh laid a restraining hand on the worried parent.
"Shaadi, please tell us what distresses the young Serenity." The High Priest asked.
"I cannot sir, it is forbidden." Shaadi verbalized. Serenity's tears slowed at the rising tension in the group directed toward Shaadi. She pulled gently from Anzu and Magick, pushing pass the protective line in front of her and stepping in front of Yami, Bakura, and Marik. Her arms thrown out in a protective gesture. Serenity smiled shakily at her family and friends.
"Please."Serenity whispered her voice horse. "Shaadi is not at fault for what was spoken, I was just being childish." She added, her stance unfaltering. "Now, I know it's my birthday, let us open presents!" Serenity cried, hiding her pain and hauling Shaadi to his feet. Acknowledging him as part of her circle of friends. Everyone cooled down at the reassurance from Serenity, and turned to walk back to the party area. She was met with the baleful concern glance from her brother, but he respected her privacy, he knew she was lying. A thankful and encouraging squeeze came from Shaadi's hand she gripped. Serenity in the spirit of playing fine bounded over to the mountain of gifts, her fake smile fooling no one. Still, they adhered to her decision and continued with the party. Shaadi gave Serenity a stone of courage , a Red Jasper, which she slipped into her snake bracelet. Mai also gave a stone of Emerald, that which joined the snake as well. Serenity's fears were pushed back as she was busy thanking everyone for their kind gifts. Everyone had decided to leave after the party had whined down to let Serenity calm down and enjoy time by herself.
Serenity entered her room to find Fate and Destiny waiting for her their faces forlorn. Upon her bed laid tools of a metal smith and curious spell card. Serenity nodded and found a small knapsack to place the items in. Destiny handed her a deed to a small workshop where she could create what was needed and brew the potion. Also giving her a space just for herself. "Everything will be alright here?" Serenity asked bluntly, tears threatening again.
"Within time." Destiny answered wrapping her arms around Serenity and transporting her to the workshop. Serenity place her materials down and turned to look at Destiny. Destiny set to work showing Serenity how to forge the Millennium items.
Over a month's time Serenity forged the items, cutting a piece from each stone of her friends and placing them into the items. Her finishing touches were disrupted at a knock on her workspace's door. Serenity open it to find Shaadi waiting there, she lead him in and offered him the Ankh Wisdom Key. Describing the powers of it. Shaadi nodded and thanked Serenity, helping her wrapping the items as gifts for her friends. Tomorrow, Yami would celebrate his coming of age birthday.
Serenity marked each gift, Seth to receive the Rod of Magic, Marik to receive the Scales of Balance and Truth, Bakura was to inherit the Spirit Ring, Ishizu was to retrieve the Tauk. Serenity sighed arranging the gifts. Placing Jono's name on the Eye of Truth, She also crafted a Sword for Hiroto, and a Healing Staff for Shizuka. Mai was to get the Ring of beauty, and Rishid the Dagger of Loyalty. Anzu was to receive the Pairing Bracelets. Serenity stopped and stared at the last grouping of items. All of these she crafted for Atemu.
The millennium puzzle, the controlling crown, and the armor which protected the wearer. Since she gave the prince the controlling crown, she chipped a piece from it and melded it with her golden crystal. Just in case something was to ever happen, she could regain control of all items. Serenity glance to Shaadi a brewing thought in her head, as she watch her cauldron bubbled with the needed spell. Tomorrow night held too many promises to think about.
"Shaadi, I charge you with guarding them, do you accept?" Serenity royally toned at her friend.
"Of course my friend, may their souls and mine be guarded with a peaceful mind, I swear it!" Shaadi spoke his oath resigning through the halls of the Gods. Serenity nodded, then hugged her dear friend crying into his shoulder. Stricken with the knowledge of tomorrow, the friends shared their sorrow of the day to come. "Come we must rest for Yami's coming out party." Shaadi joked, his teary eyes red.
"My dear friend, stay the night with me at home, I cannot bear to face the next sunrise alone." Serenity said clenching her snake bracelet, and her ginzuishou. Shaadi nodded and they set off for the Magician's house, the gifts layering their arms. Placing the items in Serenity's room then going their separate ways to their sleeping quarters.
Okay that was dismal, but I figured with Shaadi and Ishizu sharing the gift of sight one of them would mostly understand Serenity's predicament. Since Ishizu is going to suffer from her brother's mental lapse, I decided Shaadi should be the one to share Serenity's grief. As for the added items, they will come into play later in the sequel. Also, I know some of the items are not with the right soul that is okay too. The main ones are noted. Since later on in the Yu-Gi-Oh world everything changes any way. Please Review and Vote! WolfchildBlazer.
10. Gifts for Everyone and Lasting GoodByes
Ah my sincere apologies I am very sorry I didn't update for a bit. Life picked up volunteering at the Humane Society Events, Helping the Dog Rescue group, and not mentioning studying. My creativity was push aside to focus my energies for task managing.
**CosmosAngel1-**Ah hah, what a great way to get your voice heard.
**Blackrosebunny451-**Thank you, that means a lot. A quick question is your name picked after Black Rose off of Hack:/ or a twist on Mamoru's roses?
**Platinum Star-**Wow! 45 votes as you wish.
**Maiden Genisis-** Alright original couples, I will add those to the polls.
**Angel-**Thank you, I like trying different things.
**Flame Ivy Moon-**Thank you
**Cosmos270- **I hope you received my e-mail that answers you questions. Thank you.
**UnspoiledRini-**Thank you, you are one of the few that voted for Bakura, poor Kura-kun.
**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!**
I do not own a share of these two shows, nor will I ever claim to.
Morning was normally a friendly time for our joyful moon bunny. However, when her sapphirine orbs saw the halo of the sun creeping over the horizon, she buried deeper into her covers, willing the sun not to rise today. A sharp crack made the miserable princess jolt awake, her eyes dashing to the maboroshi no ginzuishou it was fighting to grant her will. Serenity cried at the sight of the family heirloom fighting fate's dictated course. She gathered her courage and will settling the crystal away. Serenity knew that if dawn did not rise today, the world in itself could not heal, and the predetermine order would break apart.
Though Serenity dreaded the day she could not rip mother Earth to pieces because of her hollow fear. Fate had assured her she would she her family again, and would return one day to her friends as well. Trusting her mother figures she dressed and picked up her gifts, she hauled them onto her bed, and went to retrieve Shaadi.
Entering Shaadi's room, she gently shook the boy awake. Shaadi awoke and nodded to his trusted friend. He had dreamed again that night, but he would not tell Serenity, he knew it would destroy her fragile insistency. For Serenity knew what would happen if she were to refuse or fail today, but she knew not what would happen when she succeeded.
Shaadi squeezed his eyes shut at the images that crawled through his mind neither side pleasant. He knew that when Serenity succeeded, and her gone, the friendships she work so hard to build will crumble without their support column.
Seth would challenge Yami ensuring the downfall spiral. Marik's gentile conscious would spilt leaving Malik, and Marik, both jaded and hating the pharaoh. Bakura to become the tomb robber, he hated with a passion, slated to destroying the ones he called family and friends. Soon, the overflowing hatred and anger would summon the fallen Egyptian Gods, to destroy their much loved homeland.
Shaadi hated knowing both sides of the coin would be rough, but at least he had Serenity's work and promise of being reborn again in a future time to work out the wrongs that are fated. Still, it would of made it easier to believe if he didn't know the horrors to follow. Perhaps, the terror made the second chance all that more precious. He gather his clothing, dressed and followed Serenity back to gather the blessed and cursed gifts of the millennium items.
Together they hauled the gifts to the awaiting cart and piled them in. Almost solemnly they roused the rest of the family. With that the Magician family and Shaadi traveled to the palace. Though they had to stop to pick up a few items at Serenity's workshop, the ride to the palace was quick.
Shaadi shared a glance with Serenity, knowing the items needed was a athame and the potion vial. These items sat in a pouch that was a gift from all of them. A small rawhide pouch with a circle of Egyptian symbols standing the ring of friends. Each symbol a name of one of the friends. Serenity's name symbol was in the middle and small branches of stitch in beads traveled from her name to each of the others in the circle.
The carriage drew up to a celebration just starting, the Magician family stood up and swept inside smiles upon their faces. Shaadi and Serenity declined to enter right then, preferring to strap the millennium items to their persons and walked around. Serenity and Shaadi wanted to memorize everything, for Shaadi would have to guard the tombs of the items alone in the shadowy confines of the desert. Serenity would return to her home dimension, not to see here for many eons. They both knew that when they would see it again the world would be different.
"I should of known you two would be meandering around the grounds." A rough male voice filled with self-confidence in toned. Serenity sadly smiled with her back turned to the voice. She knew who it was.
"Hello, Seth." Serenity said, her back still turned, a small tear trailing her cheek. Shaadi glanced over to his burden partner. Seth watch this exchange a puzzled frown on his face.
"Start talking." Seth demanded looking between the two turned bodies. Serenity took a deep breath, and gathered her courage. She whirled around, a playful frown on her face.
"Oh, whatever are you going on about now, Mister High and Mighty?" Serenity teased Seth. Burying all thoughts of the harbinger of sorrow. Seth frowned deeply at Serenity, swatting at her playfully.
"Knock it off Amazon." Seth teased back, his frown twitching.
"You know, your face could get stuck that way." Shaadi pointed out. Seth raised an eyebrow at the High Seer. Serenity muffled her giggles. She turned conspiratorially toward Shaadi, placing a hand beside her mouth to hide her lip movements.
"Personally it might be seen as an improvement." Serenity whispered loudly. Her eyes shining with laughter. Seth growled and leapt at Serenity. She quickly tossed the presents down gently and dodged Seth's lunge. "To slow, High Priest." Serenity chirp to Seth. Seth flipped back and rushed at Serenity again. Serenity side stepped Seth and caught his arm. "I win." Serenity and hugged Seth.
Seth muttered and shook his head, hugging Serenity back. Serenity tighten her hold burying her head in the tall priest's shoulder. Her good-bye to the tempered High Priest. Seth looked down at Serenity, his puzzled frown appearing again. He tighten his hold, sensing some sense of urgency from the two. Seth felt like this was a good-bye, but Serenity wasn't going anywhere right? She had a promise to keep and she didn't seem like one to break them. Serenity had promise to spar with Seth every day until he could actually beat her, her promise to keep him within their circle of friends. Seth shook his head and blamed these strange thoughts on Serenity's slightly weird behavior.
Serenity picture every moment with her priestly friend and etched them close to her heart, also burning them deeply with her mind into the rod she was to give to him. At last Serenity pulled away, and bent down to retrieve the items on the ground to hide her face. Once she slowly retrieved the packages with care and strapped them back on Serenity turned to Seth.
"Seth, why are you out here?" Serenity questioned.
"I was sent to find Shaadi actually." Seth answered. Serenity nodded, peering out of the corner of her eyes at Shaadi. Serenity and Shaadi had already said good-bye yesterday. "The High Seer is always present at the Pharaoh's side during the coronation to give hope to the people, that the gods favored the Pharaoh." Seth added and started to lead Shaadi away.
"Wait !" Serenity called, nodding to Shaadi, who gave her the packages strapped on him. "Here Seth, this is for you in case I don't see you later, because I am sure we are both going to be busy," Serenity said handing Seth the gift wrapped Millennium Rod. Seth smiled at Serenity's generosity and accepted the gift.
"See you later tonight Serenity, I want a dance." Seth said, then he turned and left. Serenity watched her two friends sadly for the last time. No Seth, you won't, Serenity thought and continued walking around the palace. I need to find Rishid, Serenity acknowledged, knowing she would ask Rishid to keep an eye on Marik. Serenity changed her direction and followed it to the stables, where Rishid still enjoyed working.
The stables were filled with noise, as almost every stabling unit was filled. Serenity said good-bye to the four she knew from the Magician family. She then saw Rishid struggling with her horse, the horse had picked up her scent and her distress. Serenity walked over and laid a calming hand on the horse's withers. The Arabian calmed and nickered hello. Rishid sighed puzzled, he did not see Serenity, she had approached from the other side. Rishid then tried to place the horse in the stable, problem was the horse wasn't moving. The horse wanted to stay by his rider. Rishid turned to the horse a question in his eyes.
"You normally are very well behaved, what is wrong?" Rishid questioned the horse. Serenity muffled her giggles when her horse snorted at him. Serenity decided to save Rishid.
"What is wrong with a horse wanting to stay with his rider?" Serenity asked from beside the horse. Walking up to the horse's face and feeding him a sugar cube from her pocket. Rishid looked to Serenity, his face somewhere between frowning and laughing. He walked the lead back to the horse and handed the gelding to Serenity. Serenity lead the horse easily in to a stall and petted his nose gently. "Good boy." Serenity said rubbing his ears.
She turned to Rishid, "See, now that was not hard." Serenity said and hugged Rishid. Rishid hugged Serenity back, releasing one hand to ruffled her hair. Serenity would normally bantered at him about her hair, but she allowed him his fun. She felt the Dagger of Loyalty grew warm against her hip, as she memorized everything about the steadfast Rishid. Serenity pulled back, and undid the strap that held the wrapped dagger to her side. "Hey, Rishid, may you please do me a favor?" Serenity asked Rishid. Rishid nodded wondering what was wrong with Serenity. "Could you please stay close to Marik in the coming days?" Serenity requested gripping the dagger tightly.
"Sure, Serenity, as you wish it Ma'am." Rishid agreed and joked with her. Serenity frown playfully at him.
"Fine, be like that, then you don't need this gift." Serenity teased. Rishid laughed and nodded. Serenity smiled at him and handed over the wrapped dagger. "Please, do watch Marik." Serenity said turned and walked off.
"Like my own brother." Rishid swore. Wondering why Serenity would ask him this. None the less, he would do anything for his friends. Serenity smiled as she heard Rishid parting words. A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Some one has a crush." A velvety female voice intoned. Serenity smiled gently and shook her head.
"Mai, you are the one with a crush, or has it reached puppy love now?" Serenity bantered with Mai. Mai laughed gaily and hugged her younger friend. Serenity smiled with tears swimming in her eyes, feeling happy but lost within saying good-bye. The ring of beauty hummed promising to watch it's carrier. Mai released Serenity when she felt Serenity shuffled. "Here you go Mai, a gift for you, it should match any outfit." Serenity said handing Mai the Ring of Beauty. Then she jauntily waved and walked on toward the palace entrance. Mai smiled and shook her head, she glanced toward the sundial off toward the side. She gasped and hurried to finish dressing.
Serenity entered the castle dead-set on finding Anzu. She thought to herself wondering where Anzu would be. Then Serenity laugh to herself Anzu would be in her room getting ready for the party. She swirled around and bumped into a solid body. Serenity apologized and looked up. Jono, Shizuka, and Hiroto were standing there grinning at Serenity. Jono helped Serenity up and gripped her hand.
"I heard you have been giving away presents, where is mine?" Jono quipped. Serenity laughed and shook her head.
"Oh, and who told you this?" Serenity questioned. Jono frowned and thought hard, remembering who he bumped into.
"Seth." Jono said, his hand out.
"Right, I could just imagine Seth relaying this information." Serenity said. Shizuka spoke up.
"Well, he did not tell in quite the fashion you would think." Shizuka told Serenity smiling evilly at her brother. Serenity raised her eyebrow at the smile and the statement, and glance toward Hiroto for help. He sighed and laughed silently.
"Jono, here in his haste to catch Mai, bumped into Seth and knock Seth and his gift down." Hiroto said, Serenity nodded seeing where this was going.
"Seth in his righteous anger yelled at Jono, and talked about his gift right?" Serenity replied. The three opposite her nodded, and Jono pouted. Serenity twittered and unstrap the Eye, the Healing Staff, and the Sword. Keeping to her, she shook her head. "These couldn't be them, could they?" Serenity wondered aloud looking at the packages. Jono nodded, moving his feet back and forth.
"Yes, it is, I see my name on that one." Jono said pointing to the circular one. "Why is mine so small?" Jono questioned. The others sighed and laughed at Jono's childish question. Serenity handed out the gifts followed by a tight hug to each of them. Serenity then left them and continued to Anzu's room. "Why did that feel like a good-bye?" Jono's voice cut through the hallway and Serenity's heart.
"It was." Serenity whispered entering Anzu's room. "Hi, Anzu, my don't you look pretty today." Serenity said appearing behind her friend. "Who is the lucky guy, that caught my friend's eye?" She chirp at Anzu. Anzu blushed and looked down, smiling nervously. Serenity seeing this, hugged Anzu comfortingly. "Not to worry we will fix you right up, the guy would have to be blind not to notice you!" Serenity said letting go of her friend.
Together the girls shared small stories, and fixed each other's make-up. Well, more like Serenity put on Anzu's make-up and left herself well alone. Once girl time was done she handed Anzu the gift wrapped Pairing Bracelets. "The perfect accessory to any outfit." Serenity whispered and then left the room as silent as butterfly wings.
Serenity was slowly running out of time and hurried to the Ishtar guest rooms. She also knew Bakura would be there to. In her haste down the hall she tackled somebody.
"We have got to stop meeting like this." A sarcastic comment was thrown at Serenity. Serenity looked down and blushed, she scurried off and offered a hand. The voice was reveled to be Bakura as he stood up. "Well, where is my hug of apology?" Bakura asked, gazing at his friend. Serenity chuckled nervously and hugged Bakura.
When she felt the return, she tighten her hold and buried her golden halo into his shoulder. Again, another good-bye she thought as she stood within the embrace of her friend. Bakura looked down at his pixie short friend, wondering if something was wrong. He gently detached Serenity's arms and tilted her head up.
"Alright, what is wrong?" Bakura questioned. Serenity smiled serenely and shook her head with negativity. Bakura frowned, but laughed at his friend none the less. "How many times do you crash into me?" Bakura inquired to Serenity. Serenity shrugged her shoulders.
"Mayhaps, you enjoy being acquainted with the floor?" Serenity wondered. "I mean you are always there to be knocked into." Serenity replied, giggling at the sour face Bakura was giving her. "Now, don't kill me, I have a gift for you." Serenity added. Bakura stepped back and studied her.
"Are you trying to bribe me?" He questioned teasingly. Serenity nodded acting with the game. "Okay, it works, where is it?" Bakura said gesturing his arms outward. Serenity laughed and handed him the covered Spirit Ring. Bakura smiled and took the gift. "Oh, by the way Ishizu is looking for you, and Marik's there too, so hurry." Bakura reminded Serenity, he left to show off his gift. Serenity waved sadly at his back, then continued her trek to the Ishtar room.
"Why does it have to be so far?" She whined walking down the west wing of the palace.
"Maybe, they make it so raiders will wimp out like you." A teasing female voice countered.
"Ishizu, that is so mean." Serenity scolded as she turned to look at the shadowy figure off to the side. Ishizu stepped into the light, and hugged Serenity, saying her own good-bye. Serenity gasped realizing that Ishizu had also seen what she must do.
"I know, good luck princess." Ishizu whispered. Serenity nodded and handed Ishizu the Tauk. "Finish you good-byes, he comes." Ishizu added, embracing Serenity once more, then shooing her down the hall. She reached the Ishtar room and noticed Marik standing off on the balcony of the room.
"Star-gazing in the daylight?" Serenity teased, Marik whirled around and glared at her. "Maybe, you are trying to think of a way to beat me in racing?" She continued. Marik stalked over and looked down at Serenity. "Then again you might be resigning to the fact that you cannot beat me." She teased her long time friend. Marik glared crossly at Serenity before yanking her into his arms, and ruffling her hair. "Hey, I just brushed that again, what is with you and Rishid with my hair?" Serenity inquired.
Marik laughed at her, continuing to rearrange her hair. "It just shows I am better, I don't worry about my hair." Marik intoned to the furious princess. Serenity heard his challenge and spiked his hair up in revenge. "Hey, do you know how long it takes to get this smooth?" Marik snapped. Serenity nodded grinning playfully. They both looked at each other and laughed. Serenity embrace Marik tightly, saying a silently good-bye before skipping out and tossing him the scales. Marik caught the gift and stared wordlessly at the leaving princess.
Serenity drew out her brush and put her hair back into her exotic buns. Atemu was the last to be seen, she gathered the last of the gifts and checked to make sure they were well wrapped. Her trek to the throne one was a slow one. She was hoping to catch the young pharaoh by himself, but that would be near impossible today. Imagine her surprise when she saw Atemu by himself at the throne. She then caught Shaadi pulling Seth out of the room, arguing about something or another. Before leaving Shaadi threw a wink at Serenity. She smiled, her friends.
Atemu looked up when he heard the throne room doors close. Seeing his friend Serenity, he leapt of the throne and walked gracefully to her. Serenity looked admirably at her friend. "I can never seem to walk that gracefully with out something happening." Serenity commented as Atemu approached. "Yami, how is everything?" she questioned the distinguish youth. Atemu stopped and shook his head.
"This is ridiculous, I swear the coronation is more stress then needed on everyone." Atemu told Serenity shaking his head.
"Are you sure it is everyone and not you?" Serenity teased the pharaoh incarnate. Atemu frowned at Serenity, he had hope for at least some sympathy form his friend. Serenity laughed at his kicked puppy routine and pulled him in for a hug.
"Hey, I am the pharaoh now, you must ask permission." Atemu teased Serenity.
"Very well, I rather not." Serenity teased back dropping her arms. Atemu pouted and pulled Serenity back for a hug.
"Some friend." he muttered to her. Serenity chuckled and squeezed her friend in comfort. Her final good-bye before fighting.
"Here, oh proud one, I bring you gifts." Serenity teased. She handed off her last few gifts to her friend. She turned and left walking to the palace entrance. Atemu called to her as she left. "You will dance with me at least once tonight." He called, as Serenity waved. Serenity curled her sorrow deep into a ball and place it deep within her. She would need all her courage to face the darkness. As the noon sun shown down on her she felt the darkness tickling her senses.
Serenity walked to the hill that crested north of the palace. She place the potion vial down and pulled out the Athame. She cut her pointer finger to allow a few drops into the vial. Shaadi would bring it back and cast it into the cauldron that bubbled in her workshop. She mutely studied the cut, it mirrored the one she had on the other hand from the Sera Senshi oath binding ceremony. A foul wind begin to shift around her taunting her.
Serenity merely waved it off, her stance screaming her absolution. Before long an army of shadowed warriors began building in the distance. Led by a black armored general king, who rode a spelled beast from the shadow realm. As they came a few meters away from Serenity the warning was sent through the palace. A horn of caution was sent up and the palace broke into panic. Serenity stood against it and as the leader approached to felled the one that stood against him.
Serenity place the vial into the pouch that was given too her, along with a letter and spelled them to Shaadi so they will be safe from the blast sure to follow. Serenity then pulled the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou from around her neck and place it into her hand that was circled with the snake bracelet. "For you my friends." She whispered with a tear sliding down her cheek. "I will sacrifice my happiness, so they may live to see a dawn of a new beginning." Serenity spoke her voice gaining volume.
As she ready herself for the backlash of power, her friends and family had arrived on a balcony that face the battle. They noticed Serenity standing against the horde that was sure to swallow the defenseless palace. Serenity turned when she felt their worry through their gems. She offered a peaceful smile before activating the Ginzuishou. Good-bye she mouthed to the group and face the enemy.
The Ginzuishou speared a beam of light through the general leader.
"You will not win, I will banish your kind, and in the distant future the young pharaoh incarnate will destroy your king." Serenity said as her anger poured into the gem. The beam spread enveloping the massive army eradicating their presence from the sands of Egypt. When the backlash hit Serenity it tied her to the realm they had come from. However, instead of it becoming a curse the Ginzuishou turned it so Serenity would have domain over the realm of shadows.
Collapsing to her knees Serenity absorbed the wave of power that headed toward her. She smiled serenely as she felt drained and fell into unconsciousness the cries of "Serenity." the last lullaby she would hear from the desert sands.
The group on the balcony watched as she fell, the shadow army gone from their quiet sands. They all cried out as she passed from their realm. "She knew!" One of them cried when they went over her behavior of today. "She knew, that she would not see the night of today." Another cried. With the fallen angel being caressed by the sand on with she laid they each went to say good-bye to the princess full of light. With their good-byes said inside they trek to finish the coming of age coronation.
When they disappeared inside Fate appeared and picked up Serenity's body. Together with Destiny they delivered Serenity home as promised. When that was done Fate and Destiny appeared before the Royal of the Moon. Queen Selenity was ecstatic to have her angel back. She swore she would not question Serenity when she awoke. Instead she set the galaxy on notice that their would be a grand ball for Serenity's return, when she awoke.
Fate also handed over the Ginzuishou and the Golden Crystal. Selenity decided the golden crystal should be given to Earth to protect it, the only planet without a Sera Senshi. Fate shook her head at the queen's foolishness, the golden crystal belonged to Serenity, as it was part of the Imperium Crystal that Selenity clutched. Destiny saw Fate's face and knew that Selenity should of given the golden crystal to Serenity. For it belong to Serenity's snake bracelet that glowed dully with the despair of the ones it was connected to.
She sighed as she saw Selenity prepare a ball for the young Serenity. Both the sisters left in disgust, but understanding at the joy of having the angel back and wanting to share with the world. Together they talked to Serenity in the astral world, explaining Egypt was safe as were her friends. Then they left to let Serenity sort out her thoughts and sleep. Serenity knew when she awoke she would face many questions, not to mention a ball. Why, she wondered, did that not feel like a good idea. Serenity thought toward the ball, and with that faded into the whites of dreamless sleep.
Okay well Serenity is back home, and her Egyptian adventure ended on a sad note. Remember to vote for your favorite couples, here is a look at the poll so far. There is a total of two chapters left to this story.
**Yami/Serena-104 Jono/Serena-2 Marik/Serena/Bakura-25**
**Marik/Serena-25 Hiroto/Serena-2 Bakura/Serena/Seto-4**
**Bakura/Serena-10 Yami/Serena/Marik-57 **
**Yami/Serena/Bakura-6 ****Seto/Serena-12 Seto/Serena/Marik-24 **
**Seto/Serena/Yami-15 ****Jono/Mai-4 Hiroto/Shizuka-2 **
**Anzu/Atemu-5**
**There are still plenty of time to get your votes in. Review please.**
**Much Care,**
**WolfchildBlazer **
11. Broken Promises and Shadows of Light
**A few notes**
**Samantha-**Serena is fourteen years old. I am willing to do any coupling that wins the polls.
**Demonkitty2007-**Serena meets back up with the people of Egypt in the sequel.
**Angel-**Yes I am still doing a sequel, it would be down-right rude to leave all you nice people hanging, and I gave my word I plan to keep it.
**Shura-**You can vote for whoever you want.
**Sailor-Star-healer-5000**-I am going to do a sequel.
**Moon-n-Universe-Goddess-**You can vote as many times as you want.
Egyptian sands swept back and forth with the buried grief of the leading players in the palace. The grief process would not be spared for the duties that weighed heavily on each of the residents that Serenity had touch. With that their anger boiled to a point and then snapped their first lash was of unity directed at Shaadi. Shaadi sighed as he poured the vial into the bubbling cauldron hypnotized by the changing colors of the potion. Going over his fresh memories and comparing them to the visions he knew of the coming days. He sighed again the last time he would see them all united was when they lash out at him, the High Seer. Blaming him for not informing them of Serenity's decision, for not stopping her. However, he might to explain it they refused to listen, and to that Egypt silently began to crack and crumble.
"I will hold you to your promise princess, or else I dread what comes of the future." Shaadi whispered as he glanced at the simmering potion. Tired of staring into the cauldron, he gripped the lip of the cauldron tightly as he felt the stinging sensation in his left eye. Shaadi brought one hand to cool the heated bruise, a parting gift from one of the males. Slowly his vision was stain red from a cut above his eye, also and united front from the males, their terrible anger from their grief. Smearing away the fresh blood he place his hand in front of him to study the redness. It was as blood was described dark red and sticky, filled with life and vile promises.
Shaadi's thoughts turned to anguish for a brief moment, how quickly civilize men were reduce to primal actions without their guiding light. He doubted Serenity would be please by the bloodshed to come in her name. Shaadi laid his hand back down on the lip of the cauldron again place in a complaintive trance, not watching as a few drops of life essence from his cut dripped into Serenity's potion, memories she fought so hard to embrace the potion wisped away from the potion burying deeper into the millennium items. The secrets of each person she loved became so buried and entwine with the item it belong to it began the recreation spell with the incarnate host and spirit would have little to no memory of this time. Perhaps this is what Fate saw as the easiest way of handling the following events.
Shaadi poured the potion into a separate vial for each soul to be saved and sent forward in time. Slowly he packed his few menial items he owned and trudged to the New Pharaoh's already built tomb. To guard the tomb, the souls, and the items until Serenity came to set him free. A lonely, dubious existence, but worth the sworn loyalty to one that guarded their hearts and light. Awaiting the bodies that would come so he could pour the potion over the corpses. His first sigh of waiting was of the fate of the young Tomb Robber.
Bakura was cursing the fallen fate of Serenity and the broken promise that held in his heart. When Serenity disappeared from the plains of the desert palace, Bakura lost a little faith in his self and when sent to feed the prisoners, his father worked his twisted mind games on the young man. Each time his steps called in to the dismal dungeon, his father slick and putrid voice corrupted a little part of him. Though Bakura fell to the dark path, thinking when Serenity passed from this plain taking her innocent promise, that he was beyond saving. She had never broke that promise for his cloak pin glowed as a beacon, now stuck deep within folds of cloth. He ignored the trinket, blessed with a bit of Serenity's soul. Each time that man whispered part of the trade, evolving the once slightly jaded child into a twisted game master tomb robber. A soul passing into shadow with each successful steal he made. Bakura, the misguided one, tell me how does the darkness sound?
With Bakura swallowed by the darkness Hiroto lost his will to fight for righteousness, falling to wayside. His last thoughts and actions beyond scrutiny for there was none. Hiroto, the forgotten one, lost beyond the sun.
Jono, mourning for his lost friends, and balancing to stay strong for Shizuka, the masquerade draining his abilities. His lust for life, slowly slipping into the very sands he once loved. Jono, the dismal one, how many faces must you fool?
Shizuka, closest to her brother, seeing his fated fooling. Leading with the charade, pretending nothing is wrong with the silent tremors that howled beneath the washed soul. Shizuka, everlasting peace, is the light lonely with out others?
Mai, beautiful one, is the sorrow worth the tears you do not shed?
Anzu, mourning for things that cannot be. The light brings no comfort, no laughter of the one it belongs to. Sadness penetrates the safe haven of the palace, nothing left to do but cry and move on with the joy once shared.
Ishizu sister to a spilt mind of falling shadows, seeing beyond the horizon. Tell me pensive one, is the sun red with dark promises?
Rishid, ever loyal, ever truthful, ever watchful, tell me what is that you have seen? Keeping the promise Serenity couldn't, keeping close to Marik, who fears initiation to his own family of secrets. True to a fault, rest your trouble soul.
Marik, the bitter king, as you see your worst fear come to greet you. You tear a the thought of facing it alone, Serenity gone physically from your side. Acknowledging the fact Rishid wishes to stand in your place, but your father will not allow it. Branded deep on your back the secrets of the one you are beginning to despise. He with the powers, Atemu is said to possess could not save the fallen princess. Broken was the oath of fetal protection, torching your broken soul with the last words whispered during his trial. Gregariously you stand in your budding hatred, twisting away from the very thing Serenity cherished. Only held by your sister, and your ever loyal guardian and friend. Tell me, broken one, does a dual fate lead to fallen faith?
Seth, closest to the shattered pharaoh, see now what Serenity carried. Without her caring and leadership, it falls to you, but without her strength can you shoulder the burden alone again. The oath kept, now means nothing for the friendships once so treasured crumble and disregards all that built it. You feel cast out among each of them, and turn you rage to the one you swore to protect. Challenging Atemu for his crown, so sure he does not deserve it, he could not save the Serenity. How alike you and Marik think, and yet neither share their grief. Misbegotten one, how you bleed.
The last standing, the only one against the tide. Atemu how you scream in your sleep, crying out for the one that does not come. Shattered are your noted kindness. Rather reserved in all your feelings. Perhaps the worst betrayal is the one not committed? For after all, no thoughts is worst then bad ones. Yearning for the laughter and smiles of the once large circle. A promised dance, a promised youth, all gone young king. Fending off the very ones you need, a single strand unwoven against the tapestry. Tell, shattered one, your crown is hollow, upon the fated throne. Is the last one ready for what must be done?
The circle is broken, the starting strand is no longer tied. For the world must began anew, so call down the angry gods. Disappointed in how quickly the darkness infected when they all had something to stand against it. The shadow realm opens and out pours all the negative energy that has built up. Together with the Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk, Oberisuku no Kyo Shin Hei, the warrior god of destruction with his angry fist. Saint Dragon of Osiris, Oshirisu no Tenkyryu, the red dragon god of suffering with his desolate double mouth of power. The Winged Divine Dragon of Ra, Ra no Yokushin Ryu, noted god of rebirth, with his fiery wings of craving of solution. Terrible was their might as the tore the Egyptian sands to shreds. Fated was the fall of Egypt, no matter the choice of Serenity, but it grew with a hope of a new future. Elegant Egypt doomed to fall, because to many sought it's blaze of faded glory. Prosperity lost, and paradise sunk in to the darkest sands. All this as Shaadi watch over the very items they once carried their souls screaming for Rebirth and new chances at their promises. Serenity's serum slipping into their mummified corpses, and the loyal ones watch praying their New Dawn will be soon.
There the next to last chapter. Showing the fall of Egypt, the three Egyptian Gods are named that in the Japan version. Soldier of Obelisk equals Obelisk the Tormentor. Saint Dragon of Osiris equals Slifer the Sky Dragon. The Winged Divine Dragon of Ra equals The Wing Dragon of Ra. This was basically a look on Egypt when you pulled the light away, since all the souls in the YGO show are Yami or Dark. Hope this met your approval. Keep voting, the polls close on the second chapter of the sequel.
Please Review,
Much Care, WolfchildBlazer
12. The High Council's Defiance and The Fina...
**SORRY,** it has taken so long, but I had to kitten sit on top of school work. The kitten is only four to five weeks old, so she has to be fed every two hours with replacement milk. I have gotten very little sleep, but she is resting right now, so I can finish this. Oh by the way I know the shadow realm/Serena thing is done, but there is a reason I tied her to it. However, if she is Cosmos what difference does it make?
**CosmosAngel1-** Thanks, but don't get in trouble over me. Your so sweet.
**Samantha-** I know, but it is easier to keep vows when the person is there. Besides when you are in a position of power, you cannot grieve as normal, you must always maintain a placid front.
**Angel-**Betrayal is overdone, I propose harmony between them, besides to me the seem like a close-knit group. As for the couples due to the large numbers and the over whelming response we shall see.
**Lady Serenity-** There is going to be a sequel. I do not know how fast it will be out but it will be.
**ShadowIncGoddess-** Your powers of persuasion are very tempting and yes I will count your votes to that tally. I thought the whole point of having a story was to have a plot?
**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Oh you guys don't have to type your vote to your total just write your couple down times your vote number. I hate to see or hear about my readers getting tendinitis because they type so much.**
I do not own either of these shows.
Serenity rose as the Earth trekked its holy light into her window. She peered at it, the surface so peaceful to space. Though it hummed with energy, unsure in the way it sways to the balance. The whole atmosphere sung with emits of pulses of grander, Serenity pondered the tense air. Now that she was home, what would be the repercussions through the two dimensions? Her thoughts analyzing all she has learned about time lines and actions that affect them.
The Terran Prince, and the Venusuvian Princess crowned by the moon were joined by their bond of love, but is it enough to soothe the people of Mother Earth? Musing deeply, would their bind souls be locked away and switch to foreign hosts? For the people of Earth wanted a alliance with the Terran Prince and the _Moon_ Princess, not her stand in. Serenity shrugged off these thoughts, as she dressed in splendor for the court meeting that was called at her consciousness. Still, a thought nagged at her, to be promised to Edymion when the arranged marriage was between Edymion and Minako. Would the court demand the arrangement be changed once more? Unsettled, but her face smooth and placid of her uneasy thoughts.
Serenity gracefully swept out of the room, only to trip at the change in gravity. Face flat to the marbled floor, she muttered about the irony of it all. Clicks of heels alerted to her to more presences.
"Well, it seems some things haven't changed." A silky voice of warmth teased the princess. Waving from her position on the floor, Serenity glanced at her company. Her eyes were scorched red with the sight before her. A long raven haired beauty stripped with fiery red highlights glowed in front of her, her violet eyes shining humorously. She was clothed in her Senshi uniform with hues of red embers dressing the white body suit. Serenity studied her before a name could be situated with the face of the fire nymph.
"Lady Mars, a pleasure should thou grace us with your blazing persona." Serenity teased back, her Sapphire speckled silver eyes lit with a small flame of joy. A deep chuckle drew her eyes from fire into nature's loving green with promises of deadly thunder. The laugh belong to the tallest one of the inner court. Her hair a mahogany brown with streaks of evergreen hiding, her forest green eyes sparkled with laughter and electricity of life. The Sera Senshi was clothed in the white uniform with tones of tree green fleshing the suit.
"Lady Jupiter, does thou possess the strength you once thrived for?" Serenity asked the Jupitarian Amazon. A nodded and a light giggle answered her question.
"She still has you pegged Jupiter." A lovely voice said. Serenity turned her eyes to her almost double. The one that partly shared her crown. Her long blonde hair was canary colored and bespeckled with orange strands. Sky blue eyes sung with love of all kinds, and her Sera Senshi uniform was decorated with tones of sunny orange. She flounced up to the princess her arm casually around another. Lady Venus, her soul sister, and yet not. Her arm was thrown was perched on the only inner court that hadn't been mention.
"Step forth shy Lady Mercury and share your beautiful knowledge." Serenity spoke to the mousey senshi. Hues of navy blue licked with cerulean blue strands crowned the Mercurian one, her ice blue eyes danced with hidden wisdom. Her outfit was iced with hints of navy blue.
They all stepped forward in unison to Serenity then bowed as was custom dictated. Serenity curtsied back and wave off the formalities. "We are sisters in everything, do not treat me with formalities, dear ones." She said the opened her arms for hugs, and Serenity was rushed with tears. A moment was spared for reunions, then the tears were wiped away and bright smiles adorned the faces of the ladies. "Are you to escort me to the council chambers?" Serenity asked. They nodded and together they marched down numerous corridors to the meeting room. When they reached it the inner Senshi bowed and left Serenity to face the Elder High Council.
When Serenity entered the room was strangely silent and again she was hit with an anxious feeling. Steeling herself as the large doors swung shut behind her she stared toward the council. Each of the gods and goddesses of the planets stared back their eyes clear of any telling emotions. Her mother, Queen Selenity, stood from the head of the council table and search Serenity's eyes before addressing her.
"Young Princess Serenity, your absence has been numerous and the changes great." Selenity begun her tone of a royal bureaucrat. "Are you ready to take your place once more as High Princess of the White Moon, wielder of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou?" Selenity's voice inquired no hint to her feelings.
Serenity curtsied to the gathered royals and bowed her head to them in acknowledgment. She raised her head, her stance filled with propose. "Though trained through my tragedies, my place is forever known and prosed to you, High Council, that which I serve the will of the people." Serenity answered honestly, the combine upbringing of the court of the moon and the Magician family showing through. A few nodded to her statement, and a few studied her convictions. Moments of deep scrutiny by each leader of the planetary alliance before they asked Serenity to stepped out to convene. She curtsied once more to the Planetary Alliance, sweeping out in a demure fashion.
Outside Serenity gathered her wits and her frazzled courage. The council would decided her fate of ruling, but they could not disregard her heritage. She mused listlessly about whether the physical battle in Egypt or the mental battle in the council room was harder. Empty thoughts raced through her mind, sure that the Plutonian Queen was sifting through her past and thoughts, and the Neptunian Queen watched her with the spelled mirror of Neptune. This was also a test that must be passed, to keep her past and thoughts to one self, and to reveal nothing to the watching eye.
A hollow knock sounded one the another side of the door. Serenity alert to her cue, strode humbly into the room. Selenity's voice drew Serenity's head upward to face the High Council. "Ordained by the High Council, Welcome back into the fold High Princess Serenity of the White Moon." Selenity's deceleration echoed into the quiet hall. "You claim to serve the will of the people, yes?" Selenity questioned Serenity. Serenity nodded to the statement her eyes glowing with her truth and conviction. "Very well, to serve the people you must marry the Terran Prince." Felled the doomed reply. Serenity nodded to the council and curtsied to them, before leaving to tackle her building emotions. She did not see Fate and Destiny arrive in the council room.
Fate glared coldly at the assembled alliance. Her disgust showing clearly in her eyes, stabbing pointedly at The Moon Queen and the Venus Queen. Destiny was aghast at the poor decision making the council had shown and was quick to share her opinion.
"Are you all crazy, willing to sacrifice your children's future, just so you can perfect your arranged marriage?" Destiny questioned the silent council. The Mercurian Queen stood up and Destiny's statement.
"No, Destiny-wielder, it must be done to secure the future!" The Mercurian Queen defended. Fate's harsh glare snapped to her, her arms crossing across her mid-section. Her lips curling in a disgusted sneer.
"Who are you to lecture about the future, to the tapestry wielders!" Fate inquired fiercely to the Mercurian Queen before sweeping her gaze around the council table. "Your future was beautiful with the arrangement between Venus and Earth, now shadows creep of jealously, this cannot be done!" Fate declared. Both sisters now stood back to back their angry gazes slicing through each ruler. With combine shakes of their heads, they disappeared in a violent shower of sparkles and harsh winds.
Their galaxian home shook with their bafflement at the High Council's obstinance and disregard to the bond between the Venusuvian and the Terran. Fate and Destiny drew the hands across the viewing cauldron. Fate whispered to her sister. "To switch the marriage so easily to Serenity caused the ever caring lady Beryl of the Earthian court to dipped into jealousy." Fate said watching as Beryl received news of the change in the alliance. "She had grew to understand the bond between Edymion and Minako waving off her crush on her prince, but to tie him to Serenity who have just returned shattered her will, and brought forth her anger." Fate added watching as Beryl runs into a shady forest and led to the cave which held the evil entity which the goddess Selene sealed so long ago. "So a kingdom rises, so must it fall, and the cycle shall began again." Fate whispered into the cauldron stirring the active waters.
"It all must end, they have forgotten their place and must return to the core of the sacred cauldron." Destiny whispered as the waters settled a moment on a destroyed Egypt, before blurring back to the Silver Millennium watching as the preparations of the ball take place. "Turn once more to the light and may all be made right." Destiny demanded to the still waters.
The High Council was shaken by the blunt declaration of the Sister's Wielders. Still, they thought their decision was the right one and will be announced at the ball. They each smiled in their confidence and left to be pampered and place accessories on for the party.
Serenity cried brokenly in her room, her soul sobbing was shared by Venus at the news. Edymion stayed shocking quiet at the news, his will to fight drain from him. Serenity's cries echoed in the Sister's home and they came to visit assuring her that the plan will not carry through. Serenity nodded cleaning her face of the evidence of sorrow and asked the sister's to relay the information to Minako and Edymion. They nodded and disappeared to the rooms of the hurt ones sparring the vague comfort sentence. They all prepared a front to hold at the ball, to pretend they were alright with the change. They dressed in splendor as was demanded by court rules, the dresses and the armor swaying brightly in the fake happy ball room. Dressed and ready to assume their mantles the trio walked to the ballroom and mingled into the crowd.
While their Queen Selenity announced proudly the upcoming marriage between Edymion and Serenity, awaiting the joining of the last planet to join the alliance. The trio cringed unnoticeable at all but themselves. Midnight rung loudly in the ball as Serenity and Edymion shared a required dance, when Beryl struck. Hordes of dark armies swarmed over the plaint ball dancers. As one by one the aligned planets fell unprotected because the royals spent their time on the moon. The last battle of the quick war drew on as each one fought for their beliefs. The battle field drenched in blood as the Senshi fell to turned lovers and overwhelming odds. Until the last defense was Serenity, Edymion, Selenity and the two Lunarian cats. Beryl set her anger on Serenity and threw a large ball of negative of power at her only to be pushed away at the last second and watch as Edymion crinkled to the ground.
"Minako has pass, but her love, duty to you still burned and my friendship carried me to defend you Serenity, remember us always." Edymion whispered to the crying princess as she saw her final friend fall. "Minako, I am coming, my love." Was his final words before he journeyed to Hades's realm. Serenity closed his eyes placing the rose he always carried in his clasped hands.
"Be at peace my friends, we shall see each other again." Serenity said the walked serenely to Venus's body. Reaching it she kneeled down in the pool of blood gathered beside her and tore the Sword of Artemis away from the corpse. Standing up she resolutely stared at the blade, the blood she absorbed from kneeling making her look like a fallen angel. Serenity turned her eyes to Beryl and Selenity as they watched her movements. Plunging the sword into her abdomen, as the sword rode deep the body of the sword split her heart. She watched a moment at the torrent of life essences, before turning her fading orbs to her mother. Watching her mother once last time then offering her soul to the Fate's will.
Beryl cackled at the shallow soulful eyes of the determine Queen. Selenity raised the Ginzuishou to her heart pouring her energy into it. Sealing away the evil one to a later battle and sending the souls of the young fallen royals to the future along with the two Mau advisors. "I shall make this right, I love you my daughter may your future be bright." Queen Selenity whispered as her dying vision was the globes of hope that carried the children to a new chance.
Fate and Destiny descended upon the battle ground beside Serenity's body. Carefully they detached the snake bracelet from her wrist to be given at later time. They also picked up the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou and sent it to Serenity's soul to be called on again. The feet then carried them to the Terran Prince tightening the soul bond between the him and Minako. They also place the golden crystal within his soul to be the last gift to Serenity from him when she comes time to ascend. Sorrowful gazes swept the blemished face of the white orb, two hands swept in a circle and the carnage disappeared. Dust and sparkles was all that was left as the Sun broke the horizon.
"The sun rises and it begins again." The Sisters voices echo over the barren moon.
There the final chapter to Dawn of the New Beginning. I figure I can not jump straight to the sequel. So as I write the sequel, their will be a story called Interlude that shows the happenings between the YGO and SM worlds and cast.
Oh the decided couples.
**Mai/Jono**
**Shizuka/Hiroto**
**Anzu/Otogi (Duke Devlin)**
**Shaadi/Ishizu/Rishid**
**Please Review! Much Care, WolfchildBlazer**
End file.
| fanfiction |
How do I identify resonating structures for an Organic compound [closed]
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Basically, my concepts regarding Resonance are not totally clear. I just need some help, on how to find the no. of resonating structures, given a molecule, and how do I draw those structures. Some examples would be pretty helpful. Thanks 🙂
Essentially, resonance structures are explained by Resonance Theory. Resonance theory looks to answer the question: **How do we reconcile the differences between Lewis Structures of species and their observed characteristics?** There are a few rules that must be followed when determining resonance of compound.
1. Resonance occurs in species for which there are two or more valid Lewis structures.
For a species, each valid Lewis structure is called a **Resonance Structure** or **Resonance Contributor**. In these cases, you are simply moving an electron or pair of electrons to another location in a molecule. An example is [HCO2-](http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/@api/deki/files/4628/image063.png?revision=1).There are two possible resonance contributors in this molecule. As shown in the example, resonance structures differ only in the placement of their valence electrons, not their atoms.
2. Resonance structures are imaginary; the one, true species is represented by the resonance hybrid.
The **Resonance Hyrbid** is the *weighted average of all resonance structures.* An example of the resonance hybrid occurs in either of these [molecules](http://11452-presscdn-0-51.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2-summary-hybrid.png).
3. The resonance hybrid looks most like the lowest energy (most stable) resonance structure. Essentially, the least formal charges on the molecule, or most evenly distributed charges.
A few tips I have for drawing resonance structures based on Lewis structures for different molecules include:
1. Move away from a negative charge. If presented with a negative charge on a specific atom, it means that there is an excess of electrons on that atom. Either take electrons away from the atom, or move a bond that it is involved in.
2. Move towards a positive charge. A positive charge represents a lack of electrons, this means that you should move electrons to the atom with the charge, or move a double/triple bond to allow it to become involved in another bond.
3. Move away from a radical. A radical does not represent a charge, as it is only a single electron, but you should (in most cases) move electrons away from the radical.
Also, always remember that electrons are the only things that move in resonance structures. They can also not be added or subtracted, but only moved. Make sure not to move/add/remove any atoms, and you cannot move electrons to an atom that is already saturated with bonds for example, an sp3 hybridized Carbon as it is already saturated with Hydrogens.
Best of luck!
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Speed skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics, was held from 9 to 20 February. Ten events were contested at L'anneau de vitesse.
Medal summary
Medal table
Germany, in its first Olympics since reunification, topped the medal table with five gold medals, and eleven total medals. All the medals were won by athletes from the former East Germany. Germany's Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann led the individual medal table with two golds and a silver, and Norway's Johan Olav Koss was the most successful male skater, with one gold and one silver.
South Korea's Kim Yoon-Man and China's Ye Qiaobo became the first ever medalists for their countries at the Winter Olympics. Bonnie Blair collected two gold medals to become the second most successful female speed skater of the games.
Men's events
Women's events
Records
There were no Olympic or World records set at the 1992 Games, as the outdoor rink in Albertville was not conducive to fast times.
Participating NOCs
Twenty-three nations competed in the speed skating events at Albertville. The Unified Team made its only Olympic appearance.
References
Category:1992 Winter Olympics events
1992
Category:1992 in speed skating
Olympics, 1992 | wikipedia |
Harry Potter 1. The Timewarper
Well, this is my version of reading the books, though I've added the time twist to put all these people there at the same time. I'm also going to write a fic about how Keyro met James, Albus, and Lily and why he decided to do this for them. I thought it be interesting to add them all together and to see what would happen. I'll try to update on a daily basis. Reviews are always appreciated. Sorry for errors, I have no beta and I don't always catch all my mistakes when rereading.
* * *
**Chapter 1**
**The Timewarper**
There was a sudden bright flash of light in an empty room, devoid of any furniture and plain looking. As quickly as it had happened, it happened, again, then twice more the flash appeared. Dazed, four people looked around in confusion, unable to see a thing as there was no light in the room any longer.
"Lily, Lily, are you-"
"I'm right here James."
"James, Lily, is that you?"
"Ye-"
"Frank?"
"Alice?"
Suddenly, the lights flashed on, and the four looked up to see a man stepping through a door they had failed to notice. His dark eyes gazed at them all, his arms crossed. "James Potter, Lily Evans, Frank and Alice Longbottom. These are your names?" he asked.
"Who the hell are-"
The stranger held up his hand, "Are they your names, or do I have the wrong people?" he asked again.
The four looked to each other, before back at the man, and simply nodded.
At this, he gave a weak smile. "I have brought the four of you here to get to know your children, to get to know Harry and Neville-"
"What do you mean, get to know?" Lily asked, slightly frightened.
"In this time, you," he pointed at Lily, "and him," he pointed at James, "are dead."
They gasped slightly, but before any one could respond, the man looked towards Frank and Alice, and continued. "And these two suffered a fate worse than death, they where tortured into insanity by the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.."
More gasps followed this, and Frank grabbed Alice. "How the hell do we know any of this is true?" Frank spat.
"Chose to believe me or not it changes not what is, and what must be...Normally, I would never interfere with the timeline, though after all the hell your grandchildren," he motioned to James and Lily, "To restore it after it was tampered with to disastrous scales, I will condone this once and only once, for them."
"Our grandchildren?" at the words, Lilt practically beamed, before becoming crestfallen at knowing she would never live to hold them in her arms..
"Yes, I'm going to take you all to 1995, to your sons, both of them, fifth year. This is serious magic though, and I'll probably have to erase your memories afterwords-"
"Then why are you taking us, if your just going to erase our memories?" James asked.
"For your grandchildren, and your sons, to know you. To get to meet you before the time is up. I cannot mess with the timeline, I cannot leave your memories intact after this since it might change everything and that can have disastrous results as we have already seen. Well, as I have seen considering all that happened.. The choice is yours, forward, or back?" the man offered.
The four look to each other, as if silently deciding, before turning back and nodding. The man beamed at them. "Good, now, wait here for a few minutes, when its time, the door will shine with a light after I've collected the others." he turned to depart, before stopping, and looking back one last time, directly at James. "I will ask you please not to reveal the identity of Padfoot until it comes up, which it will in due time, not even to them, for now." he motioned to those around the room.
"Sirius?" Lily asked confused.
The man nodded at her, before looking back at James. "Do I have your word, James Potter?"
"Yes." James nodded, anything to see his son.
The man smiled. "Good, this constitutes a binding verbal magical contract, your voice shall go mute if you try as extra insurance."
"Wait, what?" James demanded, eyes wide.
"It will return within the minute, nothing to worry about, good day." With that, he turned and departed, the door ceiling and leaving the four friends to look at each other and wonder, what the hell was going on?
* * *
In another room, something similar happened, except instead of four flashes, there where nine. The inhabitants looked around in each other in confusion.
"It worked!" Albus Potter exclaimed, excited.
"What worked, Al?" Teddy Lupin asked.
The room had become filled with the children of the future, the three Potters, Fred, Victorie, Rose and Hugo Weasley, and last of all, Scorpius Malfoy.
Before Al could answer, the door opened and in walked the same man that had brought James, Lily, Frank and Alice, some of the kids of the future looking at him with shock, save James, Albus, and Lily.
"Keyro, what are you doing here?" James asked.
"You know him?" Teddy asked.
"_Long _story..." Lily muttered.
"All of you, silence and I will explain." Keyro hissed, and some of them looked at him defiantly, but found no noise could escape their mouths. "On the request of young Albus here, I'm taking you all to the past to 1996, to, for you three," he motioned to the Potters, "To meet your grandparents, for the rest of you to know the through story behind your parents history, and to you," he motioned at Teddy, "To meet your own parents.."
"Wait, what?" Teddy said, excitement in his voice, "Actually meet them?" he asked, awed, a smile creeping onto his face, disregarding the impossibility of it all.
"Yes, though I ask you not reveal the secrets of the future just yet.. I'll enjoy watching everyone react differently. You can reveal yourselves to your parents if you like, but," he stopped here, looked at them all, "I ask that you, Victorie and Fred don't reveal that one yet, I want to see if they can figure it out, and I ask you three," he motioned to the Potters, "Not to reveal yourselves to mommy dearest yet as she has and your father aren't even together yet and if you reveal it to quickly, daddy will be shocked to say the least. And Scorpius, say nothing to mommy yet, she and daddy do not get along at this point. I'd say not to tell your father, but any fool can tell your his son, practically identical if you ask me.. If any of you don't want this, I can send you back now."
They shook their heads at him, and he took it as them wanting to stay. Keyro smiled, before looking at Albus. "Explain the rest if you will, I must get the few others that remain." with that, he turned, leaving them to gather the last group. He was going all out on this one if he was going to mess with time, he would gather practically everyone in his determination.
* * *
In the third and final room, the lights flashed, revealing Alastar Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Narcissa Malfoy, Arthur, Molly, Bill and Charlie Weasley, along with Fleur Delacour. They looked around at each other in confusion, before the door of the room opened and Keyro strode in.
Attention turned to him and they fell silent, Mad-Eye watching him suspiciously.
"You may be wondering why your here, very simple; I have been asked by the son of Harry Potter-"
"Harry doesn't have any-" Sirius began.
"His child from the future," Keyro interrupted, "As he helped me restore the timeline as it, sadly, was meant to be. They've asked for all your presences, and I've agreed to oblige. As added merit, I've brought four people from the past that many of you will be delighted to see. James and Lily, Frank and Alice, all that, in my opinion, you need to confirm I speak truth." Finishing these words, he lifted the silencing charm he had put to keep Sirius and Remus from interrupting.
"James?"
"Lily?"
"No magic can resurrect the dead." Mad-Eye spoke, looking at the stranger wearily.
"They haven't been resurrected, I've taken them from the past. Time is currently frozen in this plane of existence. Once we are done, I'm afraid events, as they where written, must come about.."
"What!" Sirius exclaimed, "You have the power to save them, you ha-"
"I cannot save them. Even a minuscule change in the past can cause catastrophic results, unbalances the whole of the universe. But you will get to see them one last time." Keyro replied.
Sirius looked mutinous, but he nodded.
"And why am I here?" Narcissa asked.
"Simple; I've brought your grandson from the future along as well."
"Why?"
"He is crucial to the future, which is all you need to know. I cannot elaborate. Come with me, and I'll take you all to your friends from the past."
Keyro turned, and they all followed, even Mad-Eye, who's electric blue magical eye was spinning about in every which direction, in case this was all some mysterious trap that they had walked into.
"I'm worried, James.. Why aren't we there for Harry, why doesn't he know about us?" Lily asked.
"I'm never, ever, letting you go, that bitch wont touch you, over my dead body!" Frank hissed as he held Alice against him tightly.
"I don't know, love, but were going to find out, I guess.." James replied.
Suddenly, the door opened and in walked the stranger, along with-
"Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, running up to his brother and bringing both him and Lily into bone-breaking embraces, quickly followed by Remus, who gasped at first before doing the same at the sight of his old friends.
The others marched in right behind them, chat broke out, before Keyro interrupted; "I'll leave you all here for now, when the door shines bright, all of you leave, save Sirius, Remus, James and Lily.. So you can get reacquainted. You'll find that you'll become mute if you try to tell them of the future, any of you. Time to finish this.." Keyro muttered, turning and leaving the emotion filled room, a thing he could never stand..
* * *
Students piled into the Great Hall for breakfast, some talking about the brilliant way Dumbledore embarrassed the Toad when he hired Frienze the day before. However, something strange met their eyes; there where some new people up at the staff table, the Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, and pompous looking as ever, Percy Weasley and a beaming Umbridge as if she had just swallowed an extremely juicy fly.
Harry looked at her suspiciously. What could make the Toad so happy, and why was Fudge here? He turned to Ron and Hermione to voice this, but before he could speak, the Toad stood and addressed them.
"Today we will finally know the truth about , the truth about all his dirty little lies, spread out before us." She beamed viciously as every head turned to look at a confused Harry.
"What?" he replied, confused.
"We have acquired a set of books that describe, in detail, the school years of Mister Potter-"
"Shut it, Umbridge, you hideous Toad." a voice hissed, and they all turned to see, there at the entrance to the Great Hall, Keyro.
"A, Mister Key-" Umbridge began, not even glaring at him angrily for insulting her since he was the one that made this all possible.
"I said silence, while I speak." Keyro spoke in a venomously quiet voice, and Umbridge obliged, fear in her evil little eyes.
Harry stood defiantly. "What is this about?" he demanded.
"Your life, Harry Potter. And the full truth behind it, all your secrets, and all the proof needed to confirm whether or not you are an attention seeking brat." Keyro replied, knowing full well what the boy would respond with.
"I am not an-" Harry hissed.
"I know, but they don't." he motioned to the rest of the people in the room, at which Umbridge turned a deep red in anger, he had told her that he would expose Potter's dirty lies!
Snape, on the other hand, scoffed. Potter was an attention seeking brat, that much was evident.
None spoke. Keyro had a way of instilling silence in a way neither Minerva nor Snape could manage, and he did it well. "I've brought a few people with me, some from the past, others from the future, and some from the present."
"What is this? Dolores, you told me this man would help expose Potter's lies, not spread some of his ow-"
"Cornelius Fudge, if you value living, something I believe you do, you will be silent." a dark aura practically spread about Keyro, and most looked at him in shock. Keyro looked back at the defiant Harry, and smiled at him. "I've brought your parents, and your as well.." he motioned to Neville, and both of the boys exchanged looked before turning back to Keyro, astounded.
Snape looked up at him, his eyes wide in longing. Lily? Was it- no, it was obviously a deception, his Lily was dead, gone forever..
"Mu- Mum?" Harry asked.
"You brought them here!" Neville hissed, standing up in rage, others looking at him confused.
"I brought them from the past, before _it_ happened.." Keyro said slowly, not wanting to reveal their dark fate. "And here they are!" he turned, lifted his hand towards the door, and light shined through it as James, Lily, Remus, Frank, Alice, and a great shaggy dog entered the Great Hall. Snape stared at Lily, to shocked to rush forward and apologize for everything, while Minerva's hands closed above her mouth as she stared in shock.
Jaws dropped as Harry and Neville stared hungrily at their parents, while others wondered what a great black dog was doing here, before Professor Treleway stood and screamed, "The Grim, the Grim!"
Gasps echoed the hall and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Grim? This is Snuffles!" Remus laughed, "I assure you, I'd be dead a long time from now if it was the Grim.
"Mum? Dad?" Harry and Neville both said, and said parents smiled and nodded at them, both girls with tears in their eyes. With swiftness, the two boys, caring not that hundreds of eyes where upon them, rushed forth as fast as they could, reaching their parents and bringing them into their embrace. Some of the girls had tears in their eyes as they watched the reunited families.
A tear fell from Hermione's eyes, and she felt a hand clasp around her own, looking up and seeing Ron's face, and she smiled at his attempt to comfort her. It was so sad that both Harry and Neville had lost their parents, sad to see how in near desperation they jumped at them, but there was a little joy there too; they where reunited, and that was what mattered in the end.
"Enough, please sit before I regret ever agreeing to this..." Keyro said, slightly disgusted at the show of emotions. He couldn't let his heart feel them again, it was far to dangerous for the future...
They nodded at him, the group moving towards the Gryffindor table where they all sat down.
"Now, there are more.." Keyro spoke, motioning to the doors, they shined again and in walked the members of the Order of the Phoenix, along with Narcissa, Moody still looking around suspiciously.
"Mum?" Draco asked, incredulous, and she quickly strode towards her son, sitting next to him. When he tried to question, she put her finger to her lips and told him to wait. The Order members each took seats at the table, Molly looking sternly at her son who gulped, knowing that everything he had done over the years would be revealed. Some gaped at Fleur, who took a seat next to Bill, attempting to ignore the stares.
"Now, we have a few more, this should be the last group. These are the people responsible for this little sojourn, a few people from the future.." Keyro spoke, motioning to the doors for a third and final time, and in came James Sirius, Albus Severus, Lily Luna(all three of whom had been instructed not to reveal their middle names, or that Ginny was their mother), Teddy Lupin(who practically ran at his parents, and embraced each of them, causing them to look at him in wonder since they had no idea who he was), Fred, Rose, Hugo(who had been instructed not to reveal their parents identities.. yet) and Victorie(Several of the males looked at her longingly, which she ignored, making her way towards her husband), both following behind their cousins, and finally, Scorpius, who spotted his father and went towards him, before a hand stopped him. Looking up at Keyro, he saw the man shake his head.
Keyro lifted his hand and a new table materialized, right in the middle of the hall, the other tables moving as the floor expanded. Many looked at him astounded, at which he laughed. "This is no great feat of magic, this hall is now in another plane of existence, one where time is still and I can manipulate. All those that I have brought, please sit at the new table, along with, let's see; Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Draco, and, since I'm to lazy to list you all, the Weasleys."
"I'm not sitting next to those filthy blood traitors!" Draco hissed.
"Mr. Malfoy, hold your tongue!" Minerva exclaimed, and he shut up, looking at her with anger.
"Do it now, please, if you will." Keyro responded kindly, though the look in his eyes spoke otherwise. As Draco scoffed, standing and obeying, the Weasleys and half the hall glared at him. "Ah yes, I almost forgot. Astoria Greengrass, you as well, you have my full permission to smack Malfoy should he put a toe out of line."
She looked confused as eyes turned to her, but stood none the less, going forth and sitting next to the other Slytherins at the central table as Malfoy turned, looking at Scorpius, and asking, "Are you my son?"
"Yes." He said simple, then turned away, causing Draco to wonder why his son was mad at him..
"Now, let us begin, and I can finally sit and stop talking, since I honestly hate giving speeches, but as I am doing a friend a favor," he glanced at Albus, who smiled back, "I warn you all. While here, I will instantly intervene should any of you attack one another for something said in the books. Wait to the _very_ end." He lifted a book, where he had conveniently crossed out the title to keep any from guessing what it was about, other than the fact that it was Potter's first year.
"This will reveal the full truth, starting with Potter's first year."
"Wait, o you mean all my-"
"Secrets will be revealed." on the staff table, Fudge, Umbridge, and Percy smirked. Dumbledore had stayed quiet this entire time, staring forth in wonderment, and had been one of the few unsurprised by the mans blatant entrance, as he had come to Dumbledore in his office the night before and explained it all to him. "While we are here, time is frozen in the mortal world. You shall not leave, when it is time for rest, sleeping chambers shall appear, and when it is time to be fed, so shall food also appear. Now, who wants to read first." he held up the book.
Umbridge stood, here toad like eyes filled with a malevolent gleam. "I will." Harry groaned. Keyro levitated the book to her, and she took it, glancing at the first chapter. He then went and sat at the table, away from the others, who where still wondering who the hell he was, as Umbridge's falsely sweet voice echoed across the hall, "**_The Boy Who Lived_**".
* * *
A/N; as stated in the summary, there will be no actual text copied from the HP books in. However, I think I might take some of the comments I posted to put in the next chapter, depending on the comment.
Anyways, I'm trying to see if I can post the full version on Google docs. If I can, I'll post a link to it and make it so anyone can view the thing.
I am not going to post it on those other sites people have set up for reading the books series. I shall be honest. The reason is that I am just plain too lazy to post each chapter, one by one, up on there.
Adios peoples.
2. The Horse, the Walrus, and the Pig
A/N; This is kind of mashed. I managed to get the third PPFRB onto Google docs. Sadly, however, the other two refuse for some odd reason.. Hmm...
Just so you all know, the story really is discontinued. I'm just going to finish up the plot points and tie up loose ends. I shall not be writing anymore commentaries on chapters from the books. Just telling you all now before you get your hopes up.
Prongs is James Potter I, James is James Potter II. Fred is Fred Weasley I, Freddie is Fred Weasley II. Lily is Lily Evans, Lils is Lily Potter II. Albus is Albus Potter and Dumbledore is Dumbledore.
* * *
**Chapter 2**
**The Horse, the Walrus, and the Pig**
The first five chapters of the book went bye in a blaze.
Several surprises had graced them in that time.
Teddy declaring Fudge was the worst Minister in history was one of the more amusing.
Scorpius smacking his future father for calling Lils a 'filthy blood traitor' was another wondrous moment.
The one revelation that had shocked them all, however, was the way Harry's relatives treated him. The undiluted fury that discovery sparked was great indeed.
The words 'beat it out of him' continued to echo in many minds, despite Harry's continued protest that the words meant absolutely nothing.
Lily had to admit, she was mad. Very, very mad. She wasn't sure at whom she was madder at. Dumbledore, or her sister. Dumbledore left her child on the doorstep, the night of Voldemort's fall, with dozens of Death Eaters about. Petunia, on the other hand... The very name made her seeth. She was divided between overwhelming sadness and anger. Her sister treated her son in ways a child should never be treated. What the hell?
As much as she found Petunia increasingly annoying, it was Vernon that had her on edge. She didn't like that man. She didn't like him at all.
Snape was looking at Harry in curiosity. At first, he had assumed the Dursleys treated Potter like any other brat, but the book spoke different. He had assumed Potter's hatred of them was due to them treating him normal, instead of indulging his attention-seeking needs.
Now, he comes to find they treated him similarly to the way his father treated him... Sans the beatings.
And, to some extent, he reasoned, Potter's attention seeking ways seemed to be psychologically triggered. He had been deprived of it for so long, and now, suddenly, there it was, right before him, in the reach of his finger tips. It didn't make it any less annoying, but at least it explained it.
Harry was a Parselmouth. The reaction that one got... Well, it ended and began as follows;
_"Your a bloody Parselmouth!" Prongs exclaimed, jumping up away from his son in surprise._
_Several people gasped and Umbridge and Fudge exchanged triumphant looks. A Parselmouth. Exactly what they needed to paint the picture of a Harry Potter obsessed with the dark arts and cavorting in dark magic._
_"Yeah, so?" Harry demanded, standing defiantly, though on the inside, it felt like something was breaking in him; of course, he should have known his parents would hate him.. The Durseleys had already thought him how worthless he truly was, and the years had proved it more as people tended to end up in life threatening situations around him..._
_"There's nothing wrong with that, right, James." Lily said, ice in her voice as she glared, raising her eyebrows._
_"Aha, Mister Potter!" Umbridge declared, standing up(though it made almost no difference), "Proof that you, even at such a young age, cavorted with snakes! They thought you dark magic, didn't they, thought you-"_
_"Are you effing out of your mind." Prongs interrupted, looking to shocked to scream._
_Lily, however, had no problem with that as half the hall glared incredulously at the toad. "HOW DARE YOU INSINUATE THAT MY CHILD IS A DARK WIZARD, HOW DARE YOU SIT HERE AND RIDICULE HIM! I SWEAR, ONE MORE WORD-" she looked livid, and, filled with fear, the Toad quickly sat as quickly as she could, toppling over in the process. Lily smirked, then turned back to her son. "There's nothing wrong with that Harry." she smiled at him, and he smiled back._
_"I'm just wondering how he can speak it.." Prongs mused. "It passes through blood, and none of my ancestors cou-"_
After which Keyro demanded they all shut up. Which, surprisingly, worked, instead of the expected hexes being shot at his overly large head.
Which led up to Lily stunning Umbridge when she wouldn't shut up about her son's ability to speak to snakes.
The food materialized out of nowhere, and, of course, Ron was the first to dig in, stuffing an antire turkey leg into his mouth before his mother hised at him to have some table manners, causing Rose and Hugo to laugh at their father.
Keyro himself dissapeared the second the food had appeared. He had decided, after much deliberation, to drag a few more people along for the ride. Victorie, however, noticed as he was making his escape and rushed after him before he could truly leave.
"Keyro! Wait!" she hissed. He sighed and turned, knowing what this was likely about.
"Yes?"
"My sister? Can't you-"
"I might have before, but I could tell from a mear glance; she would pounce on her father the second she sets eye on him." He said coldly.
"Can you blame her?" Victorie demanded, narrowing her eyes.
"I suppose I can't, but still, that little detail, somehing that isn't even written in these books-" he continued.
"Please?" she pleaded.
He considered. He was bringing more, so why not? "Fine. But you'll have to- ah- personally make sure she doesn't pounce on Bill."
"Deal." her expression was smug as we shook.
"Follow." he commanded, turning, walking straight out the glowing door, the blonde girl right behind him.
On the Ravenclaw Table, Cho and Micheal had their heads together.
"Okay, how do we handle this? Those two can't keep their hands of each other." Cho said.
"I don't know, but if your little boy friend likes his face the way it is, he's got to stop touching what's _mine._"
Cho narrowed her eyes at him fircely. "She's a person, not a pet!" she hissed. "And she's the one that's telling him he'd look great in rags because then there would be less to obsturct her view!" her eyes dazzeled with jelousy.
"Hmmm..." Micheal considered.
"Idiot." Cho declared. She shot a look towards the central table, felt a slight jelous pang at seeing her Harry laughing at something the freckled freak had told him. Then, a smile danced on her lips. Well, she could be a little devious herself. Nothing brilliant, but still, she ould give him something else to think about, other than that little girl that was dieing to get his autpograph. Stupid fangirl, Cho thought. But, boys where boys, so this should be rather easy. "Wait here.." she murmered, standing up.
Micheal didn't even respond as she made her way to the central table, to Harry, her Harry. "Harry?" he looked up, and Cho noticed with grim satisfaction how his cheeks flushed lightly at her being so close, how the mask Ginny wore well around Harry sprang with a jelous tinge, how the other Weasley's eyes narrowed at the sight of her and, the last thing she noted, not with pride but something that caused her to nearly jump away in fright, where the vicious glared being sent to her by Harry's future daughter and the one who's name she thought was Rose.
"Ye- yes?" he stuttered, trying to compose himself.
"Can you come with me?" she asked. He nodded, and she smiled triumphently, turning, failing to notice the apologetic glace he shot at Ginny as he stood. Ginny simply shrugged, and told him to go. Again, only Hermione noticed the slight edge in her voice, the drop of pain in her eyes. One wondered how she could notice all this in the person in front of her yet not see these things when they where litteraly shoved right under her nose, example proven by the red head male sitting beside her.
Cho wondered where she would lead him, when she noticed a door materialize out of nowhere. "In here." she said, looking back. He just nodded. The two entered the room, which had two comfy arm chairs and a roaring fire. It looked strangely like the sitting room at Cho's own house, minus the couch and pictures.
She turned to face him. "So.."
"So..." he said. She could here the guilt in his voice. So, he knew what this was about. Her eyes narrowed.
"I see you and Ginny are.. Getting along. Granger and me not enough for you anymore?"
"What! No, it's not-"
"Isn't it? What about me Harry? Am I nothing to you, what about- what about how I- how I-" she began crying.
"No, Cho, don't cry!" he hissed, then his eyes started darting around the room, prehaps looking for something, anything, that might consul me so he wouldn't have to.
"Oh, but when Ginny Weasley even looks like she's going to shed one you pounce on her like a lion!" Cho hissed. Guilt flashed in his face.
"Cho- I'm so sorry, I-"
"Kiss me, Harry." Cho said.
"What?" Harry asked, confused. Only e would say such a thing after a girl told him to kiss her, only he, Cho thought..
"I just.. I just need to know that you still want me. Kiss me." He looked at her for a second, composing himself.. He was starting to really like Ginny, but he couldn't deny what he still felt for Cho. So, without really thinking it, with guilt screaming in the back of his head, telling him yes and telling him no, he clossed the distance, and his lips met hers for the second time in her life- the fire behind him as one of his hands snaked itself behind her, his desire however shy- was undeniable. They broke apart after a few seconds, staring into each others eyes. "Thank you." she smiled at him.
"Any time." Harry replied, smiling back.
So, the pair walked back into the hall, their fingers intertwined. Cho felt smug as she saw the stupid Weasley girl look down, felt triumpht that this boy was hers. Hers, and only hers. Maybe a little mental, but hers. She, Cho Chang, a nobody, had landed Harry Potter, the 'Boy Who Lived', the guy that was famous before he even knew his name, her champion. This time, the vicious looks _all _the kids from the future when Harry wasn't looking made her cringe. They all liked Ginny, even Scorpius, and seeing what Cho was doing simply pissed them of. Cho departed to her table, Harry to his, taking a seat next to a Ginny who was attempting to feign not looking hurt. Only Harry saw through it.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"Nothing." she said simply, looking him in the eye. But he could see in her own eyes, no matter how much she wanted to lie- unmasked pain.
"Ginny, you can-"
"No, Harry, I can't, and I barely even know you, if you recall." she told him dryly. Harry was confused. What had gone wrong? Even Ron wanted to slap him, but resisted since his parents where in the same room.
Suddenly, there was a loud, sharp noise, and all heads turned to the entrance as Keyro walked in. Behind him filled a few people- Harry felt a pang of anger boiling in him at recognizing three of them, the Dursleys. Many looked at the walrus of a man wioth confusion, as he fidgeted uncontrolably,his wife hiding behind him, a whale hidding behind the pair of them.
Harry stood, rage in his eyes. "You brought them!"
Hermione, however, was thrilled. "Mum! Dad!" Harry shot her a confused look, but Hermione ignored him, instead standing and moving towards the two brown-haired strangers standing beside the Dursleys. She dragged them away, leaving the Dursleys scowling at being ripped apart by the only other 'normal' people in this place, standing nxt to a pair of blonde haired girls and that freak that dragged them here in the first place.
"You!" Vernon hissed. "I should have know this all had to do with your lot, boy!"
The resulting growl from the crowd of students and even some of the staff caused the Dursleys to cower. Keyro burst out laughing.
"This is exactly why I dragged them here! Their expressions- priceless." he laughed. The Dursley's eyed him suspiciously, then the students when they lauged at them. Even Vernon Dursley had the intellect not to insult them. That would not due well for them. They where sorrounded, trapped like rats, here, with hundreds of wizard, no, freaks, all about them, ready to turn them into tea cups.
Victorie and her little sister, who was James' age, eyed each other, before they made their way to sit next to Teddy. Dom bit her lip, looking away from her father, and meeting James' eyes. He grimmance slightly, feeling her pain. Uncle Bill's death ahd effected them all. But none more than these two, Dom because she was so close to her father, and James because he had watched him die, unable to do nothing as his Uncle was murdered.
Keyro walked in next, sitting, motioning the Dursley's to sit at the far end of the table, away from the rest. Lily was desprate from a glance at her sister, but Petunia ignored her as she sat, all the Dursley's acting as if they had electric shocks running through their veins, many people laughing at Dudley, who's hands where clapped tightly to his bottom, before looking up to Hagrid and winking. Most, however, growled at them.
"Who would like to read?" Keyro asked. The Dursleys hissed. They knew what this was about, and in their opinion, it was a very cruel joke indead.
"Can I?" Lily asked, wanting to know more about her son.
Keyro tossed it carelessly, not noticing the murderous glaces sent his way for daring to mistreat a precious book. Lily tunred the page, and read in a looud, clear voice.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Chrome delete, blacked out, murdered out… however you say it, it's a real trend and super popular among car enthusiasts of all ages. AutoTintz can modernize your vehicles appearance by blacking out that dated chrome trim.
Our chrome delete service is popular on vehicles of all makes and models. We use the same high quality wrap films used to wrap full vehicles, predominantly in a matte, satin or gloss black finish to give a sleek, more modern look to your car, truck, bike or boat. Where a vinyl wrap is too complex to be applied, such as badges & mesh grilles, we use a specialized spray called plasti-dip which gives a long lasting, 100% removable finish, just like vinyl. Chrome is dated… time to refresh your ride with a chrome black-out at AutoTintz.
Wrap films used in the purpose of chrome delete are the best way to cover larger, less complicated areas or areas that will have the most human contact such as door handles, roof rails, side steps, window trims & chrome bumpers.
For chrome-delete, Plasti-dip is most commonly used on fiddly, more complex areas such as badges, logos, grille inserts, vents, & spotlight surrounds. When applied correctly, Plasti-dip can have a smooth, vinyl like finish that is durable & easily removed when desired, but not by accident. | slim_pajama |
Mass Effect, inFAMOUS Mass Effect: inFamous Second Coming
Mass Effect: inFamous MK II
Alert: Spoilers for inFamous I and II.
Synopsis: Cole MacGrath, the man they unjustly called "The Demon of Empire City" and later "The Patron Saint of New Marais". The most powerful Conduit and the first to ever exist chose the path of Sacrifice. Knowing full well the repercussions of what his actions would have. With one single act, he ended the lives of thousands, but saved the lives of millions. Yet, fate will not let him rest. Now he awakens in a new age on a new world. Yet, now, after so much, he begins to lose faith in 'the common good'. And his past is not yet finished, old flames return with a different soul, and a new one rises from old friends. And even after a hundred and fifty years Bertrand's ambitions have survived.
Yet there is hope. Cole is not as alone as he thinks. The Legacy he left behind lives on. Kessler's Legacy lives on. And he is not the only MacGrath to have survived.
Author's note at the bottom please read.
Prologue: A Hero's Return
Location: Earth
Moment: Battle for New Empire City
A Sovereign-Class Capital Reaper marched across the ruined city, stomping out the last of the resistance pockets firing upon it. Letting a groaning roar, it fired its main cannons, cutting a bloody swath of fire and destruction across half the city. Across the three islands, in the Neon, Historical and the Warren, its siblings did the same, six other smaller destroyer-class Reapers marched across the city, along with one other Sovereign-Class Reaper. In the center of the Historical district, guarded by one of the two Sovereign-Class Reapers stood a spire of Reaper design; it, along with two others were connected to the Citadel in orbit by mass effect bridges. At its base were piled mountains of corpses, ranging from the newly dead, to corpses a century old.
Husks of varying designs carried the bodies and dumped them into the bridge, sending them at phenomenal speeds to the Citadel. Desolation, the name of the Reaper guarding the spire watched his fellow Reapers prepare the organics for the Great Harvest. The race it had been from, its name long since lost to the ravages of time millennia ago, would have balked at the level of death and destruction their undesired legacy was helping create. The only thing going through the mind of Desolation was why these particular ones, those who had long since died and been buried, was desired for the Great Harvest. Never before did they do this since its first awakening. It had no intention of going against what it had been commanded.
Meanwhile, an ocean away, in the ruins of London, the battle of the ages would soon be underway. All of those who had been fighting on Earth since the first invasion of the Reapers months ago, and the new arrivals who had blasted their way through fire death and metal to reach the planet. Turians, Quarians, Krogan and Salarians, Asari and Batarians, Elcor, and Volus all joined together. The most numerous, and those who longed for battle more than any other, stood Humanity. Thousands upon thousands prepared for what could very well be the last battle of this war. Every single sentient being that would partake in the battle began final preparations. Some readied the last of their gear, repeating monotonous actions of sharpening their blades or loading their weapons, either to take their minds of what was to come, or in their eagerness. Other made a last few hope filled prayers to their deities, for victory and survival. A few lucky others found solace in the arms of another, some with total strangers, old flames and new loves. And those who already lost everything simply took solace and comfort in the last few mementos they possessed of those now long gone.
All of them were waiting for the signal. The signal that would show the Reapers that this would be the day their cycle would be broken. They had already proven they would not surrender without a fight. Now it was time to prove that they would overcome. Suddenly, night turned to day. The Battle for London soon began.
Back in New Empire City, inhuman screeches suddenly filled the air as half of the Neon district was suddenly flash-frozen. Desolation felt the Husks in the area die as the sub-zero temperatures shut their systems down or were completely shattered to pieces. In the Warren, massive beasts of ice and man began to appear across the district, reaching incredible heights but still begin dwarfed by any of the Reapers, soon tearing into the ranks of Husks across the island. But Desolation did not notice anything beyond the initial freeze. The skies above, which had before been a clear sky, marred only by the light from the mass effect bridge, had grown dark. Blotting out the sky and the only light coming from the spire.
Desolation steered its bulk towards where it had detected a massive energy surge. Focusing its lenses at the source, it was shocked, a Reaper, by what it saw.
A single man, with lightning arcing across his body, his arms crossed above his head. Focusing on the man's face, it heard one word, "Die." And then Desolation burned, and so did the other Reapers across New Empire City. Eight Massive Pillars of energy and death slammed down into the Reapers, burning a hole clean through their bodies, the pure energy bypassing their barriers with ease. Thousands of other small towers of energy struck across the city, striking one Husk and then arcing towards another.
As the Pillars faded and the clouds dispersed, all that remained of the Reapers on island were shattered and burnt out husks.
At the London Spire, Harbinger soon took off. The attackers routed, its job done.
At the New Empire City Spire, Cole MacGrath, leapt forward, and entered the Spire.
A/N: Well, you people voted, least 16 of you did. This is the revamp of my first story and THE first of its kind. This is not the greatest intro I've ever done. Sorry about that. This, when I post it, is hopefully over a thousand words at least. If you have any suggestions to improve the intro or for the story, message me or tell it to me in a review. Also, please tell me what you think of it, and of any issues that were present in the first version that you would like me to avoid or I should know about. Until then, this is the first chapter of my third rewrite.
A/N: End: Yeah, sorry for the poor quality guys. This will probably be edited at some point down the line. Bear with me my readers, if you read the first version you realize that the beginning is always is poor quality but as the story progresses the quality jumps up considerably from the first chapter.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Boon is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Boon Township, Wexford County, Michigan, United States. Its population was 167 as of the 2010 census. The community is located within the Manistee National Forest and was platted in 1889. Boon has a post office with ZIP code 49618, which opened on December 19, 1889.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the community has an area of , all of it land.
References
Category:Unincorporated communities in Wexford County, Michigan
Category:Unincorporated communities in Michigan
Category:Census-designated places in Wexford County, Michigan
Category:Census-designated places in Michigan | wikipedia |
The metric of world lines in Newtonian and Galilean spacetimes
Consider a flat Newtonian or a flat Galilean 2+1 spacetime. So, mainly a flat 2D Euclidean space, evolving over time, where each time-slice is connected with the next one by a world line. Like in this picture:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RUgRR.png)
I am confused about how exactly to understand the metric structure of world lines in these contexts. Do the world lines in Newtonian or Galilean spacetimes follow the Euclidean metric, just like the individual time-slices in the global structure? Can we even speak of distances between the time-slices in a meaningful way?
A Newtonian spacetime is not a metric manifold, and so the length of a worldline is not a well-defined notion. Instead, it is a smooth manifold $\mathcal M$ equipped with a torsion-free connection $\nabla$ and a privileged function $t:\mathcal M \rightarrow \mathbb R$ which has the properties that $(i)$ $\mathrm dt$ is a nowhere-vanishing covector field and $(ii)$ $\nabla (\mathrm dt)=0$.
The interpretation of $t$ is that it maps an event $p\in\mathcal M$ to the *absolute time* of that event $t(p)$. The condition that $\mathrm dt$ is nowhere vanishing essentially tells us that $\mathcal M$ can be foliated into time slices $\Sigma\_t$ of constant $t$, while the condition that $\nabla(\mathrm dt)=0$ tells us that the "flow of time" is uniform. Given a tangent vector $X\in T\mathcal M$, we may categorize it as future-directed, spatial, or past-directed based on whether $\mathrm dt(X)>0, \mathrm dt(X) = 0,$ or $\mathrm dt(X)<0$, respectively.
The worldline of a particle is therefore a future-directed curve through $\mathcal M$ (that is, a curve whose tangent vector is everywhere future-directed). If $x^\mu$ are the coordinates along the worldline, then Newton's 2nd law can be written
$$m\big(\ddot x^\mu + \Gamma^\mu\_{\alpha\beta}\dot x^\alpha \dot x^\beta\big) = F^\mu$$
where $F^\mu$ is a spatial vector field, i.e. $\mathrm dt(F) = 0$.
Given a worldline which begins at some event $p$ and ends at another event $q$, the time elapsed for an observer following that worldline is simply $t(q)-t(p)$ and is therefore independent of the worldline itself; this is reflected in the fact that Newtonian spacetime does not feature kinematic time dilation.
>
> Can we even speak of distances between the time-slices in a meaningful way?
>
>
>
Given two time slices $\Sigma\_t$ and $\Sigma\_{t'}$, one can speak of the difference in absolute time $t'-t$, which could be interpreted as a kind of "distance." However, because Newtonian spacetime is not a metric manifold, one cannot define the length of a generic curve, and so this is a very different notion of distance than the one present on a manifold equipped with a metric.
---
It's not *necessary* to refer to a metric - or indeed, any notion of distance - in order to formulate Newton's laws in this way. That being said, a typical Newtonian model takes the spacetime to be $\mathcal M := \mathbb R\times Q$ for some manifold $Q$, and $t(a,b,c,d)=a$. We also assume the existence of a privileged vector field $V$ and a symmetric $(0,2)$-tensor $\gamma$ which has the following properties:
1. $\mathrm dt(V) = 1$
2. $\forall Y, \gamma(X,Y)=0 \iff X=k V$ for some $k\in \mathbb R$
3. $\forall X, \gamma(X,X)\geq 0$ with equality if and only if $X=kV$ for some $k\in \mathbb R$
The vector field $V$ is intuitively the vector field which points in the direction of increasing $t$. Because $\gamma$ is degenerate along $V$, it is not a metric on $\mathcal M$; however, the restriction of $\gamma$ to each time slice $\Sigma\_t\simeq Q$ constitutes a Riemannian metric on the spatial vectors. In coordinates $(t,x^1,x^2,x^3)$ - in which the absolute time is taken to be the zeroth coordinate $x^0$ - $\gamma$ takes the form
$$\gamma\_{ij} = \pmatrix{0&\matrix{0&0&0}\\ \matrix{0\\0\\0} & g\_{ij}}$$
where $g\_{ij}$ are the components of a Riemannian metric on $Q$.
| stackexchange/physics |
What is the logical way to understand Iso, Sec, Tert and Neo prefixes?
I'm only familiar with Alkanes at a basic level currently.
What seems logical to me is that an Alkyl molecule with the:
"***iso***" prefix means its an isomer of that alkyl, the usual way i'd see it would be the alkyl group with a substituent (the way an *hexane* could be *isopentane* if I got it right)
as for the "***sec***" prefix, the alkyl group is connected to the main molecule through a secondary carbon (meaning the carbon on the alkyl is bonded with two other carbons in the alkyl, no consideration given to the main chain here)
I find the "***tert***" prefix similar to the latter, it is connected to the maine chain through a tertiary carbon (bonded with three carbons on the alkyl)
I couldn't find a basic logical way to address the definition of the "***neo***" prefix.
Are the ways I described the rest of the prefixes correct?
The prefixes, iso-, sec-, tert-, neo- are all traditional names when structural organic chemistry was still developing. You have already rationalized all except neo-. Neo- is Greek term for new. I looked up the *OED* etymological dictionary for older meanings, and the earliest use is traced to 1876. Now you can see in no 2, that neo- was a good option.
1. Used in the names of chemical compounds, minerals, etc., which are closely related to, or **new forms of, known substances**.
neocatechu n. (Obsolete) a kind of catechu.
2. Used in the names of compounds and radicals in which one carbon atom is linked to four others.
Not part of standard chemical nomenclature although well established in neohexane and neopentane (and related terms).
(a)
Categories »
† neo-acid n. Obsolete
1876 W. Odling in London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 5th Ser. 1 216 The names which call to mind that the normal, iso-, and **neo**-acids are mono-, di-, and **trimethyl & etc. derivatives** would seem to be most advantageous.
---
Neo- even it is used today represents a terminal tert-butyl group, just like the prefix iso- represents a iso-propyl group at the end.
IUPAC names have superseded all.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
General Hospital 1. Prologue & Part One: I Don't Want to be
**Title:** The Call
**Author:** Court
**Rating:** PG-13
**Summary:** A late night phone call could be the turning point for Patrick and Robin.
**POV:** Sometimes it's Patrick's, sometimes it's Robin's, sometimes it goes back and forth between the two. Marks will indicate a change, when necessary.
**Author's Note 1: **First of all, I want to thank everyone for their support on **More Than a Memory**. I'm going to use that one shot as a prologue to this story, since the very basis of this story stems from the ending of it. It will consist of 3-5 parts.
**Author's Note 2:** I know what you're thinking - first she says that she's going to continue MTAM, then she says she isn't and NOW she's writing a second part to it? Well, I wish I could tell you something more creative than the simple fact that I have a tendency to act nuts sometimes. Forgive me. LMAO!
**Song Credits:** "More than a Memory" by Garth Brooks.
Prologue - More Than a Memory
_People say she's only in my head
Gonna take time, but I'll forget
But when she's in every minute of every day
Every thought I think
Every breath I take
She's everywhere and she's everything
She's more than a memory_
He was cold. Not the kind of cold that stems from lack of heat, making you crave a steamy cup of coffee or a toasty fireplace; the kind that makes you numb inside. It was like a part of himself was gone forever and it wasn't in his power to get it back. The sense of loss he felt only seemed to intensify each day, until there was nothing left but a hole. This hole could be filled by many things he knew, but nothing that would ever mount to anything meaningful. Because what had once been there was something that most people never got to have even once, and through the chain of shattered hope that was his life, he had failed to be stronger than his fears one time too many. There would never be another like her. He would never know the utter bliss of simply being with her, yet finding himself more at peace in those moments than any he had known in the days prior, when he was a content man walking around with a void in his heart. Now, having come full circle, he wasn't content at all. And what was once a void was now a piece amongst a thousand others, left shattered...broken inside of him. Their razor sharp edges had once hurt like the fires of hell, like a gaping wound left impaired. But now, there was nothing. Nothing at all. And he had only himself to blame for it.
Sitting on the park bench he once shared with her, he recalls his own words that seemed to depict an ideal life for the both of them...together. Always together. It wasn't a perfect life, but the closest to one he or any other man could hope for. Yes, he had been on top of the world that day. Almost losing her and having her again...he felt blessed and thanked God for granting a desperate man's prayer on a darkened street one terrifying night. He had vowed to the Almighty and himself that he wouldn't let her go and that he'd always keep her safe, and now, nearly a year later - he had failed on both accounts. To be that man with that beautiful woman again...lazing around in bed doing a crossword puzzle, eating french toast and making love all day...to be there again...he'd trade anything. Give anything. Deep down inside, he knows this. But as the soft sprinkle shifts to a raging downpour of water from above, thunder thrashing in the air around him, he closes his eyes in defeat. The sun wasn't out, the sky wasn't blue and there were no flowers blooming around him. It was a harsh reality, but a reality at that: there was nothing to trade, because everything that mattered was her. She had been everything. His everything.
The wind howls, the trees hiss and together they act as a song against the silence that has surrounded him since the moment she said goodbye. He rises, seeking shelter from the storm, the sheets of rain like needles on his body. It seems like hours pass before he happens upon a small church, the tiny structure appearing amidst the chaos as if from nowhere, for his own benefit. She would have liked this place, he thinks, instantly cursing himself and whoever else was to blame for the perpetual connection she seemed to have to everything both directly and indirectly involving his life. It was always about her, and it had been that way since she had burst through those OR doors and professed him to be her miracle. Like a shimmering, brilliant star, she had become the center of his world. And even though she was no longer his, that hadn't changed...and it probably never would. Imagining her fascination with the classic features and the story behind it she'd most likely make her mission to discover, he smiles to himself. The memory of her face in these moments would always bring a smile to his.
Reaching for the handle on the left hand side of the set of doors, he pulls and is met with resistance. Trying the other side, he's met with the same fate. The towers of oak seem to mock him as the rain shows no signs of letting up, but he refuses to give up. Walking around the side, he happens upon a window. Luck ever on his side, the small frame would barely fit a child, much less a tall man. But the whispered sound of music soon reaches his ears, and instead of walking away, he allows his curiosity to guide him. Wiping first at his face and then the foggy glass before him, his vision remains blurry, but the canvas set before him is mainly clear: a wedding was going on inside. About fifty or so guests sit in the modest yet magnificent room, set aglow by dozens of tapered candles scattered throughout the space. Countless flowers kissed by a rainbow added charm and elegance to the floor, the altar and the empty threshold that would soon frame the bride.
Though he can't make out their faces, he can't seem to tear himself away from his spot, outside looking in. It's a mere moment before the guests are rising to their feet, turning in the direction of the doorway for the first glimpse of the lady of the day; the lady in white. His gaze starting at the ground, the tips of her shoes peak out with each unhurried step she takes, two other pairs of black in plain view on either side of her. The candlelight creates a shadow in the folds of her dress, the gentle v of her skirt flowing like satin pearls. Both of her arms are tucked into another's, guiding her down the aisle to give her away. Her smile is exquisite...familiar. Her face...her face...
"Robin," he mutters in disbelief, placing his hands on the window and leaning in closer. Unlike the others, he could see her lovely features as he had almost everyday for the past two years of his life. The dark, silken hair that he had ran his fingers through at every opportunity was down and twined in soft waves, a red rose pinned near her right ear. The rich, glorious brown eyes that had once told him more than her words ever could glittered with unshed tears of happiness. The ravishing smile that lit up her whole face and once teased him before a sweet or sultry kiss now beamed at the faceless man at the altar that wasn't him. The love of his life was about to marry someone that wasn't him!
Suddenly, as if he were a snow ball that had been tossed into a fire, panic sets in and all he can think is that he is watching the end of his life happening right before his eyes, and he has to stop it. Starting with his hands, he begins to pound his open palms against the window with all his might. "Robin!!!!!!!!! Robin, don't do it!!!!"
But she doesn't stop. It doesn't stop. It just keeps going and it's as if no one is hearing him. His protests go unnoticed, and he watches in horror as Robin looks to the faceless man and begins to speak her vows. "ROBIN STOP!!!!!!!!! ROBIN!!!!!!"
His heart racing a mile a minute, his blood roaring in his eardrums, he wails into the night, the faces in the church slowly coming into view, one by one. "MAC!!!!!!!! ROBERT!!!!!!!! ANNA!!!!!!!!! PLEEEEASSSSE SOMEBODY!!!!!! DON'T ROBIN, PLEASE!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! I'M SORRY!!!!!!! DON'T DO THIS, ROBIN!!!!! ROBIIIIN!!!!!!"
The agony of what felt like his worst nightmare becomes a pain so intense that it cripples him, and he can no longer fight against the torture of it all. The words trapped in his throat, tears and raindrops beading his face...he has no choice but to surrender. Wincing as the faceless man bends down and captures his Robin's lips in a kiss that makes her officially not his - but another man's - he still can't bring himself to look away. Perhaps it's because he needs to know the face of the man that took what mattered most to him...his Robin. The time comes at last as Robin takes her new husband's hand and turns her head to meet his eye through the barrier of the window. As he suspected, the man he would now and forever dub his worst enemy looks towards him as well.
The man was Patrick Drake. The man...was him.
Shooting up in his bed, drenched in sweat, Patrick feels as though he's run a marathon. Every night this happened. Every night since she left him. The dreams were always different, but this one definitely stood out, above the rest. It was true that he had already lost Robin, but as long as she was still out there and he was still out there and they were both unmarried...there was still a chance. He wasn't an expert on the subject or anything, but he knew that what they had was something that only happened once. He wasn't naive enough to believe that he could find that kind of bond with another person ever again. He had simply resigned himself to the fact that he would have to live life as he once had, before Robin. Because nothing would ever be better than the life she had shown him; the life they had experienced together. He had told her that on more than one occasion, and he had meant it.
Kicking the sheet away, he swears. He blamed the bed. It held too many memories. This apartment held too many memories. After all, she had picked it out for him, as well as the furniture in it. And the damn couch was even worse! It would be impossible to count the number of times they'd made love on that couch...the floor...the kitchen counter...the kitchen floor...the bed. Back to the blasted bed. How could he sleep in it and not think of her? Be haunted by dreams of her? Of what might have been? Of what should be? It didn't matter where he was, though. She was always with him. No matter what he said about their breakup, about how he was moving on...it just wasn't true. No amount of time or meaningless flings could erase her from his heart...his mind...his soul.
The guilt nagged at him relentlessly...it was his fault. And he knew that the ball was very much in his court. If he would stop being a selfish, scared moron for two seconds and get over himself, his ultimate fear of crashing and burning - of failing like his father - he could have it all. He knew it, and he still did nothing. But as his latest dream had pointed out to him, Robin wouldn't wait for him forever. She would never admit it to him or maybe even herself, but she still loved him, too. And she was still hoping that he would go out on a limb for her and be the man she wants him to be...needs him to be...a husband to her, and a father to their children.
Yes, he was a coward, indeed. Robin deserved better than him. But even as he claimed what he always felt in his heart to be true, the selfish guy inside of him knows that even that isn't reason enough for him to make himself fully let her go. Robin had taught him to live through his heart instead of his ever brilliant mind, and Robin was his heart. Without her, there was no true life to be had. Even a career as one of the top neurosurgeons in the country wouldn't fulfill him in the ways it once had. His perspective had been changed. Love is all that matters - that's what he had started to believe. But if that were true, then why wasn't Robin with him now? Why was he alone in what he had come to think of as their bed for months? Why couldn't they just be together and not think about the future so much? Logic told him he knew why.
Dropping his head between his knees, he breathes in and out, trying to calm himself down and force the tears that are threatening to spill over to disappear. Looking up, he gazes at their picture across the room, sitting atop his dresser. It wasn't a special occasion, just an ordinary day. Well, ordinary for them. It was one of those Sundays where they'd spent the day alone...that particular day in bed mostly. Pressed cheek to cheek, their smiles wide and eyes dancing with laughter, he remembers and cherishes that moment and all those before and after that he spent with her. And he yearns for more.
Reaching for the phone, he dials her cell phone number with every intention of telling her just that, but stops himself before he hears the connection. She'd probably just hang up on him anyway...
Or not. Hitting the redial button, he waits...and waits...and waits. As her voice mail picks up, he listens to the cheerful sound of her voice, finding comfort in that unintentional gift alone. Debating with himself on whether or not to leave a message, he finds himself speaking the words he felt but couldn't or wouldn't say to her face. "Robin, it's Patrick. I don't know if you missed this call or if you ignored it..." looking towards the clock, he sees that it's after three, and groans, "by the timing, I guess you're sleeping. I'm calling because...I can't...I can't sleep. The truth is, I haven't had a good night's sleep since the last time you were here with me...and I keep dreaming about you. I was looking at our picture...the one on the dresser...we were really happy, weren't we? How did we lose that? I don't know...I just...I needed to talk to you...my best friend. My only real friend. I just...needed to hear your voice, Robin. I just...miss you. I love you...I love you."
Whatever words he had left say went unsaid as he pressed the off button on his handset. His tears never went away and now left stains on his cheeks, his tongue tasting the salt of them as he bites his lip to stop it from trembling. Placing the phone back in it's cradle, he stretches out once more and adjusts the blankets over his lower body. Rolling to his side, he takes what used to be Robin's favorite pillow and wraps his arms around the plush object...instead of Robin. The intoxicating scent of her still remains, a delicious mix of vanilla and roses. No one could ever be what Robin was and still is to him...and he didn't want them to. He just wanted Robin, because he was lost without her. His home was no home without her. She was his home.
* * *
Part One: I Don't Want to be a Spinster!
Steam lingers in the air, licking the walls of the small bathroom, the beads invisible to the naked eye, overshadowed by darkness and soft flecks of candlelight. The space was immaculate, just as the rest of her apartment was. No shaving cream remnants on the sink, no towels on the floor. Scents of lavender and honeysuckle tease her nostrils, as opposed to the rich, heavy scent of cologne. The stereo whispers tunes of classic rock, sitting atop the small wicker table beside one candle…one towel…one glass of wine. The magnificent tub cradles one person…her. She, Robin Scorpio, who six months ago had been surrounded by two's was now drowning in one's. Even this personal treat that had once provided solace was now a mere reminder of just how alone she had once again become.
Perhaps it was because taking baths and showers together had become part of their routine. It was usually one or the other, everyday, for as long as she could remember. Or maybe it was simply because they had a morning ritual in their much larger bathroom…his much larger bathroom. They'd brush their teeth, then he'd assist her with taking her meds, while she'd lather him up for a shave. Yes, that was it. That was why she was thinking of him now, doing anything but relaxing.
"Jerk," she growls lowly, bringing the chilled white wine up to her lips for a taste. Six months, and he was still with her. Still in her thoughts, still shaping her heart. And the worst part about it was, he had become her friend before they had become lovers. He had become her…person. Her confidante. In breaking up with him, not only had she lost a boyfriend…she had lost her best friend. Apparently, judging by the message he had left her not so long ago…he felt the same way.
That message. That lovely…wonderful…beautiful message. The vulnerability she'd heard in his voice those few moments had brought tears to her eyes…made her weep. It was a vivid reminder of why she had fallen in love with him in the first place…as if she needed one. She'd felt adored…safe in his arms, in his eyes. It was a feeling she'd experienced before…but not really. With Patrick, it was different. It was a happiness that surpassed her wildest dreams, even on the bad days. Perhaps that was because even when they were less than friends…mere coworkers, acquaintances…he fought for her. He never gave up on her. He was relentless and arrogant and refused to leave her to fall back into a life that, career aside, added up to just about nothing. And for all the times that she'd acted as though she didn't believe in him or trust him to stay with her…that tiny voice inside of her reminded her of those things. It reminded her of the fact he so desperately wanted her to believe: he wouldn't abandon her like the others.
But he had abandoned her. No…they'd abandoned each other. Sure, she'd said the words. She shattered his heart, and he shattered hers. Not with lies, not with betrayal. Just the truth. That ugly, unfair twist of fate that was destined to keep them apart then, now and always. Different dreams…different life goals. To her heart, it all sounded like a bunch of bullshit, but in her mind, the part of her that was logical…it just couldn't work. They were fundamentally incompatible, as she'd always told him. Well, at least in the most important way she could imagine: she wanted children, and he didn't. When neither one was willing to budge on the issue, how could they move beyond it? Compromise?
Closing her eyes with a shudder, she tilts her head to the side and bites down on her lip that has taken to a slight tremble. Upon reopening them, she catches a glimpse of her silhouette, turning away quickly to abolish the image that was not of herself and the man she loved. Never again would she look to the walls and see her shadow tangled with his. Never again would she feel the marvelous felicity of lying against his chest, wrapped in his arms and treasured by his lips, his hands…his heart.
A sudden wave of cold rushes over her, and she scrambles to get out. Grabbing for her towel, she folds it around her body and knots it in place. She yanks the chain to drain the water and blows out the candles placed throughout the room. Near empty wine glass in hand, Robin pads her way to her dresser, and automatically picks out a fresh pair of underwear, sweat pants and one of Patrick's old t-shirts she'd come to possess somewhere along the way, in the past two years.
Dressed comfortably, she walks into her kitchen and washes her glass, leaving it to dry on the rack beside her sink. Opening her freezer, she grabs a pint of Ben and Jerry's, a spoon and moves to flop down on her couch. Taking that first delicious bite, she turns her gaze from the boring sitcom on her TV screen to her coffee table. There sits her remote…and her cell phone. The cell phone with Patrick's voice mail from two months ago still on it. The voice mail that she had yet to delete, that she listened to at least once a day…though she'd never admit it to him.
Decidedly swiping up the remote, she takes another bite and stops at the sight of Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth in one of her favorite movies, Bridget Jones Diary. Funny and romantic, just what she needed to relax…not.
Grabbing her cell phone, she punches a few buttons until she hears the voice of Dr. Kelly Lee on the other end. "Kelly, I don't want to be a Spinster!"
"Robin?" Kelly's confused voice comes through the speaker, making Robin giggle.
"I'm sorry! Yeah, it's Robin."
"What did Patrick do this time?"
"Nothing…everything. What else is new? I mean, gosh, Kelly - I just wanted to take a bath! You know, have some wine, soak in some bubbles, forget my troubles? But I kept thinking of Patrick! I kept thinking of him and all the different ways we used to be together in the bathroom -"
"Whoa - too much information!"
Robin laughs. "This coming from YOU? Seriously? Anyway, I was talking about brushing our teeth and him helping me with my meds, not sex on the counter! I mean, that happened, too, but -"
"Stop!"
" I know, I know. Too much. It's just - GOD! He's - EVERYWHERE! Kelly, he's everywhere! He's at work, he's at home. And he's never even been to this apartment! Which, by the way, sucks! I mean, I'm the one that picked out his apartment! That thing is a palace compared to this hole in the wall! I think he should move out, and we should trade apartments, that's what I think! It's only fair! Am I right?"
"Honestly?"
"Yeah?"
"I think that you 'hate' your perfectly acceptable, perfectly nice apartment because you miss your home aka Patrick's apartment. That's why it took you four months to decide on a place."
Torn between being amused and suspicious, Robin shakes her head, as if to clear it. "Hold on a second - is this really Kelly, or did I dial Lainey by mistake? Or is she just listening in and feeding you lines?"
Laughing, Kelly replies, "No, it's me. I guess our Dr. Winters is rubbing off on me - we've been hanging out a lot. She's the only person I have to talk to anymore, you know. My good friend Robin is always working or hiding away in her pathetic little apartment."
"I know," Robin groans, slapping her forehead in dismay. "I told you, I'm going to be a Spinster! I'm going to star in Bridget Jones Part Three, only it's going to be called Robin Scorpio and it's going to suck, because sequels always suck! And I'm going to gain thirty extra pounds, stuffing my face with Patrick's favorite ice cream! I'm going to turn into a Chunky Monkey! And I won't have two hot guys fighting over me, either! I mean, Hugh Grant was a douche bag, but he was still cute. Kind of like Patrick. UGH - it always HAS to go back to Patrick, doesn't it? He's such a jerk! But I love him anyway. Does that make me crazy? Does it?!"
Met with nothing but silence, Robin checks the screen on her phone to check for a dropped signal. "Hello? Kelly?" Suddenly, a high pitched sound burns her ear and she pulls her phone back. "Are you LAUGHING?"
"No," Kelly poorly fibs, choking on her giggles.
"You are! You're laughing at me!" Robin fumes. "I knew I should have called Lainey!"
"You're right," Kelly agrees, her laughter dying down. "I love you, Robin, but you should hear yourself! Maybe I should record it, then play it back for you sometime. That would probably cheer you up!"
"You're out of your mind!"
"Well, I guess that makes two of us, then."
Grinning, at last finding the humor in the situation, Robin agrees, "Yeah."
"Robin?"
Robin notices that Kelly's voice appears more serious, and listens intently. "Yes, Kelly?"
"I'm not trying to tell you what to do, or how to feel, and I know that this isn't what you were hoping to hear when you called me up, but…"
"What?"
"What you and Patrick have…it's special. It's not one of those cheesy, unreal fairytale loves that you see in movies or on Lifetime Television…it's real. It isn't easy. When you guys fight…you rip each other up real good. But when you love…that's something pretty great. And I'd be lying if I said I'd ever seen anything even remotely close to it, even in dealing with babies and parents everyday. There's a respect and an understanding…like something inside both of you knows that you're supposed to be together. And I think…that's why it's so hard. It's why neither of you can move on. So, if there's a way - any way that you two can work this out…stop being stubborn. That goes for Patrick, too. Do it for yourself. You told me once that Patrick not only gave you back your life, but he made it better than it ever was before. That's not something that comes along everyday, or even more than once in a lifetime, Robin. So, fight for it. And do whatever you can to make Patrick do the same. Otherwise, it just makes you both fools."
Rendered speechless, Robin can only think of two words to say as Kelly's wisdom begins to sink in. "Thank you."
Smiling, Kelly teases, "I'd say anytime, but I'm better at the fun stuff. Gossip. Lick It, Slam It, Suck It."
"I think you're better than you think you are," Robin challenges fondly. "Night, Kelly."
"Night, Robin."
Hanging up, Robin navigates to her voice mail, and listens to the one saved message in her box. Allowing his voice to comfort her, she finds herself whispering his final words, tears staining her cheeks…coating her lips as she does. "I love you…I love you."
Two hours later, Robin finds herself backpedaling. After talking to Kelly and listening to Patrick's message for the fiftieth time, she turned the television off and headed to bed. Alas, sleep refused to come. She tossed and turned and couldn't shake off the sounds of her friend, nor her ex. Jumbled together, they quickly began to drive her crazy. In a fit of annoyance, she'd kicked the covers away and stalked back into her living room. For the past ten minutes, she'd been in the same spot, pacing the floor in front of the small table that held her house phone. She'd stop, look at the phone for a few seconds, then begin pacing again. To call him…or not to call him?
Making up her mind, Robin takes the handset in both hands and dials his number. When it begins ringing, she raises up on her toes and bends her knees, one at a time, releasing her nervous energy…waiting.
The second he picks up, she hangs up.
Still holding the phone in her hand, she curses herself for acting so stupid. And it only gets worse when a mere ten seconds later, it begins to ring.
"Shit," Robin moans, holding the phone up and away from her, willing it to stop.
But it doesn't, and when the machine clicks on, Patrick's voice comes through - panicked and demanding. "Robin! Robin? Are you there? Are you okay? Are you hurt? If you can hear me, please pick up! I swear, I'll come over there -"
Eyes widening in alarm, Robin interrupts his rant by pressing the power button. "Patrick, Patrick. I'm here! I'm okay! Don't come over!"
"Thank God!" He sounds relieved at first, but then spits out harshly, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something? There's a damned serial killer on the loose and you're calling me in the middle of the night and hanging up without a word!"
"I know," Robin sighs, thinking of Georgie and Emily for a brief moment. They'd lost their lives, their chances at happiness and love through no fault of their own, and here she was alive and in love, willing to throw it all away because the man she loved knew what it was like to be abandoned too, and couldn't give her what she wanted as a result. Or wouldn't. Did it really matter? It didn't hurt any less either way. "I'm sorry."
"Me too," Patrick echoes, his voice normal, softer. "I didn't mean to shout. I just…worry. It's not the same when I'm not there to protect you all the time…not that I was ever good at that when we were together."
His reference to the MetroCourt disaster makes her frown. "That wasn't your fault, Patrick. Nothing that Craig ever did was. It was all him."
"I wish I could believe that as easily as you, but since we're clearly never going to agree on it, I guess we should just agree to disagree."
"Fair enough," Robin concedes.
"So…why did you call?"
Tossing a throw pillow onto the floor, she props it against the side of the couch and sits, legs out in front of her. "I was just returning your phone call…"
_To be continued…_
THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. Part Two: Let's Pull an AllNighter
I'm horrible. I'm terrible. I know, I know. I promised an update like - well...a while ago. LMAO! But ya know, life happens. But I'm going to try my best to get these out quicker, for your sake and mine - as I am trying to get two other ideas down on 'paper' as well. I appreciate the WONDERFUL feedback from all of you. It means so much to me. Thanks so much!!!!
A couple of things:
1.) There is no whatshername in this fic. As far as I'm concerned, she fell down an elevator shaft back in July before she started making regular appearances again in August or September or whenever it was. If you're not a violent person, pretend she got transferred to the basement like the stapler guy on Office Space.
2.) This is a little bit shorter than I originally intended it to be, but I'm trying to do each part from either Patrick or Robin's POV. This one is Patrick's, but what comes next I need to write when it's Robin's.
Part Two: Let's pull an all-nighter
He couldn't think straight. The words on the paper appeared jumbled and out of focus to him, partly from lack of sleep, partly from disinterest. Propped against a mountain of pillows in his empty bed, the brilliant doctor was drawing a blank upon studying the patient's chart before him. The hour wasn't severely late, but his mind was on other things. One other thing in particular, anyway: Robin.
He probably needed to have his head examined. He was clearly losing his mind, little by little. Once upon a time, he'd been driven…inspired. Certainly before meeting her, but even more so after. She'd been his muse of sorts, his partner. And having experienced that sort of excitement, the void of that challenge made even the most interesting cases seem dull. Ordinary. Without her, the thrill was definitely gone.
Turning his gaze from the file on his lap to the bare space beside him, Patrick's thoughts drift to a happier time, when instead of rumpled bed sheets, he'd find a beautiful woman…the most beautiful woman he'd ever known…Robin. Whether she was wearing boxers and one of his t-shirts or a slip of sexy lingerie, she never failed to take his breath away. What made her even more alluring to him was the absurd fact that she didn't see herself the way he did. A radiant, modest blush would always follow a compliment, no matter how many times he'd said it before. He missed the softness of her long, chestnut hair tangled about his fingers…he missed her smile - how it could light up her whole face, and yank at his heart strings. Most of all, he missed her eyes. Big, brown and full of truth…all the things she neglected to say…or couldn't at the time. One look could comfort him, envelope him in peace…in love.
How many nights had they sat together like this? He couldn't recall. There were too many. They'd start out against the headboard, at a respectable distance, working semi-quietly, only talking when asking or answering a question. But soon, what began as a perfectly innocent act would result in clothes being strewn across the room, papers and books being tossed onto the floor and doctors becoming lovers…joining in a fierce passion he'd only known with her, before and after. They simply couldn't get enough of each other - from the beginning, in the middle and even at the end. Their need, their desire never faltered. He missed holding her…being held by her…touching her…being touched by her…making love to her. He'd never felt more connected to another person, and it was a feeling that he longed for now that it was gone.
Swiping a hand across his face, he groans in irritation. He just couldn't let her go. No matter how much time had passed, his love for her just wouldn't fade. And while a part of him insisted that he needed to move on, as she seemed to be doing so, another part wanted to keep hanging on forever. In loving her, in sharing his life with someone for the first time…it was the greatest thing he'd ever done. No matter how much it hurt now, he still believed that to be true. For having known that glimpse of true, unexpected happiness, he'd known the best days of his life. And if nothing else, those precious memories would hold him until he breathed his last breath. Presently bitter and angry with the world, in that respect, he still considered himself to be quite lucky. As his father had once told him, he'd been loved by an amazing woman, and he'd lived alone. The former was definitely much better.
The only difference is, he's still loved by that woman. She's still here, on this earth…waiting. Or was she ? Had she given up? Tired of waiting on him to change - be who she wants him to be for the sake of their future? He really was a perfect imbecile. His mother was probably looking down on him and glowering. If she were here, she'd give him a hard time, just like Robin. She'd tell him to stop being stupid and be the man that she raised, and not the one that she unwittingly left behind, scarred by her death and the unfortunate events that followed it. She'd tell him to learn from his father's mistakes, and not repeat them. She'd tell him everything he already knew, but couldn't seem to find the nerve to trust.
The soft buzzing of his phone vibrating snaps him out of his trance, and back to reality. Tossing the folder onto the bed, he reaches over to the nightstand and picks it up, answering it automatically, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "Patrick Drake."
Instead of hearing a response, the line goes dead. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion and annoyance, Patrick pulls the phone away from his ear and looks at the screen. "Robin," he mutters, jumping up from his place on the bed to his feet as if he'd been bitten. In the six months they'd been broken up, he'd only seen her. He hadn't received one phone call from her. Not even after his embarrassing late night confession to her voice mail. In fact, she never even mentioned it to him. So, why the hell would she be calling now? And why would she hang up? Unless…
"Oh God," Patrick breathes, frantically pressing the necessary buttons to call her back, pacing the room as he does. "Pick up, Robin. Pick up. Come on, Robin. Please, pick up. Please, be okay…" After the fifth ring, he hears her answering machine click on and begins to plead into the phone. "Robin! Robin? Are you there? Are you okay? Are you hurt? If you can hear me, please pick up! I swear, I'll come over there -"
A split second away from hanging up, throwing on the first set of clothes he can find and bolting out the door, he checks himself when Robin's voice abruptly comes through. "Patrick, Patrick. I'm here! I'm okay! Don't come over!"
Relieved beyond words, he exclaims, "Thank God!", but soon finds himself caught in the fear of the moment and lashes out, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something? There's a damned serial killer on the loose and you're calling me in the middle of the night and hanging up without a word!"
"I know…I'm sorry."
She sounded incredibly vulnerable, and sad. And he felt like an ass. "Me too," he echoes, lowering his voice. "I didn't mean to shout. I just…worry. It's not the same when I'm not there to protect you all the time…" What a joke. Protect her? From who? Craig? Well, he failed on that account not once, but twice. She'd been taken hostage, shot, and forced to lie to everyone she cared about and he couldn't do a damned thing to stop it, no matter how much he loved her. "Not that I was ever good at that when we were together."
"That wasn't your fault, Patrick. Nothing that Craig ever did was. It was all him."
It scared him how she could read his mind, even now. She knew him better than he knew himself. "I wish I could believe that as easily as you, but since we're clearly never going to agree on it, I guess we should just agree to disagree."
"Fair enough."
Dropping on the edge of the bed, he licks his lips in thought and asks the only question he can think of at the moment. "So…why did you call?"
"I was just returning your phone call…"
"What phone call? I don't remember -" Realization hits him, and he stops short of finishing his initial thought. "Ohhh…"
"I know it's absurd. It's been two months and I never even said anything about it -"
"No, it's okay," he insists quickly. "Better late than never, right?" he adds with a shy chuckle.
"Yeah, I guess so…"
There's an awkward silence that lingers for what seems like hours. He hates this. He hates not knowing what to say to the one person he's come to share everything with. He misses her so damned much.
"Robin?"
"Yes, Patrick?"
"Was there - is there something that you wanted to say? Or are you just trying to think of a nice way to tell me to lose your phone number?"
"I'm sorry, I just - hate this." Sighing in frustration, she explains, "What you said…in your message, I - I feel the same way. I miss talking to you…I even miss you telling me how wrong I am…I miss the sound of your voice. It's stupid, I know, but gosh, I - I just feel so -"
"Alone? Miserable? Lost?" He offers words that describe his own feelings, not caring at the moment what putting himself out there might cost him. And really - what did he have left to lose?
"Yeah," she confirms, her voice raspy with emotion. "I just got used to us, I guess. You've been there for so long now, even before I realized I wanted you to be…when it was all I wanted and I denied it anyway, just so I could protect myself from you."
"I did the same thing. I kept telling you that I was afraid of hurting you, but you knew different. You knew it was about me."
"We were both cowards."
"We wasted a lot of time," he declares, his tone regretful. Just like we're doing now, he adds to himself.
Laughing fondly, Robin hums. "I like this."
"Me too," Patrick agrees, standing and moving towards his dresser, tracing his thumb over the image of her cheek. Closing his eyes briefly, he yearns for the warmth of her skin beneath his touch, instead of the cool glass of the frame holding a constant reminder of what once was, and would never be again.
"You know what we never did?"
"What's that?"
"Pulled an all-nighter."
"Oh contraire," he teases, glancing back towards the bed, his mind replaying vivid memories of the two of them doing anything but sleeping in it. "I recall many days where I could barely keep my eyes open at work because you'd kept me up all night in bed."
"Patrick," she gasps, "get your mind out of the gutter! I wasn't talking about sex!"
"Nice to know I can still shock you," he laughs, walking out of his room, towards the kitchen. "What then?"
"We never had one of those nights where we just stayed up all night and talked. You know, tell each other our deepest, darkest secrets. Eat junk food. Laugh. Cry. Maybe even argue. What am I saying - it's us - of course we'd argue!"
"I'm sure you're right," he snickers, flicking the light on and walking towards the fridge.
"I've never done that with anyone, you know. But I always wanted to. Especially with you."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I guess…I guess it's because you were always so honest with me about everything. Even if it hurt sometimes, you always gave it to me straight. You never treated me like I was fragile. You made me feel like….me. That it was okay to be me."
"You did the same for me," he vows. You still do, he thinks, refraining from saying it aloud. He wants so badly to say all the right things. He wants to tell her so much - all the things he wishes he would have said when they were still together. "We could, you know…"
"What?"
"Pull an all-nighter."
"Yeah?"
"Why not? I mean, I know we're not a couple anymore -"
"But maybe that's better," she cuts in. "I mean, that way there's no expectations. We can just say whatever we want to say…whatever we need to say…and we can just hang up. We can forget this whole thing ever happened if we want to."
"Okay," he nods, his response enthusiastic. Thinking for a second, he asks, "Should I go first? Or did you want to ask me something?"
"It doesn't really matter, I guess…"
Another bout of silence stretches on as they both ponder who should make the next move. But before too long, Patrick finds himself sinking down onto a barstool - food forgotten - the words coming through his lips before he even realizes it's happening. "Your pillow…it doesn't smell like you anymore. It used to smell like roses…and vanilla. Sweet. Not too sweet, though. Not heavy either. I could always tell when you'd been somewhere before me…like you were unintentionally leaving a part of yourself behind so you'd always be with me. But uh…it's gone now. And when I hold it every night…instead of you…I realize how much I miss the little things about you, too."
Sniffling, Robin opts to recite her own confession, instead of countering his. "Over the past two months, I've listened to your message so many times I've lost count. Everything you said…was so beautiful. I know it couldn't have been an easy thing for you to do, and I know I didn't make it any better by pretending like it never happened. It was rude of me, and selfish and it hurt me so much to do it, because I knew that it was hurting you, too. I wish…I wish I had an answer for you. I wish I knew why we got here…how. Maybe it's supposed to be glaringly obvious, but if it was that simple - surely it wouldn't hurt so much, right? It hurts SO MUCH, Patrick," she chokes on a sob, "I can't even breathe most of the time. Everyday, I have to tell myself to breathe in and breathe out and get up and get dressed and go on!"
"So do I," Patrick divulges, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I dream about you. I know I already told you that, but it keeps getting worse. I keep losing you, Robin. Over and over and over again. I wake up, and you're not there anymore. I reach out for you, and there's nothing. Part of me wants to stay awake forever just to avoid another nightmare…but another…another just wants to keep falling asleep, just so I can be with you. I hate being away from you, more than anything. I hate having to see you everyday, knowing that I can't have you anymore. And most of all, I hate myself, because I know that it's my fault."
to be continued...
THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!!
3. Part Three: I Wouldn't Change a Thing
Thanks for the replies, everyone. It's much appreciated.
The Call
Part Three: I Wouldn't Change a Thing
The storm came seemingly out of nowhere, like a car spinning out of control, around a corner like a bat out of hell, shooting into an unsuspecting fellow driver. Somewhere in between the silence and the raw words of love and brutal truth, the town had been crowned by a dark cloud. Raindrops smeared the windows carved into the doors leading to her balcony. Lightning lit up the sky at random moments, an echo to the thunder that lashed at the night like a whip.
It only took a few minutes, but just as it started to settle down, her electricity went right down with it. And since Robin was using her land line, she lost her connection with Patrick as well. She didn't have enough time to debate on whether or not to call him back, though, as it took a mere thirty seconds for her cell phone to light up, his name appearing on the caller ID.
"Hey, sorry about that. My electricity just went out," she explains into the phone, walking over to the window to peak outside at the wreckage. "Is yours still on?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe it's a good thing, you know?"
"What do you mean?"
"Things were getting kind of…heavy."
"That's the point though, right? Or did I misunderstand the rules of the game?"
Moving to light the candle on her coffee table, Robin strikes a match and places it to the wick, carefully pulling it back and blowing one flame out as another ignites. Reaching for the forgotten pillow on the floor beside her couch, she stretches out on her rug and lays flat on her back, resting her head against it. Biting her lip in thought, she looks up at the ceiling.
"It is. And I guess…no matter what we talk about, it's bound to make us sad, right? We're talking about us…when there is no us anymore…"
If it was possible, the shattered pieces of her heart that remained jagged and worn inside of her broke a little more at her own words as she spoke them. And what made the ache even greater was the very real possibility that he had been hurt just as much by them; though she couldn't see his face right now, she could imagine the look of utter torment that was surely sketched upon it. It was the kind of anguish that only a man in love could suffer.
"I'd prefer to think about when we were, if you don't mind…at least for a little while. Otherwise, I'm not sure I can take much more of this."
"Okay," she agrees, twisting a strand of her hair about her fingers absentmindedly. "But I just need to say one more thing."
"What?"
"It's not your fault. Well, not entirely your fault anyway…" Taking a deep breath, she starts over. "I know…I know I've done a real good job of making you think that it was all your doing. That you failed me in some way. That because you couldn't or wouldn't have a baby with me it meant that you never really loved me. And it's not true. Not even close. When we were together…and even now, when we aren't anymore…you make me feel more loved than any person ever has before in my whole life." Swallowing down her fresh onset of tears, she continues on, just above a whisper. "We quit on each other. We broke our own rules."
"Walking out is acceptable, giving up is not," he softly recites from memory. In that moment, she can see them in his old room, her own voice saying the words…taste the sweetness of the kiss that had sealed the deal.
"They sounded simple enough at the time," she attempts to joke, failing miserably. "Patrick, I just…I just don't want you to feel guilty. You shouldn't. I don't want to change you. Who you are…it's why I fell in love with you. The good and the bad. I just…thought you should know that."
"Thank you," Patrick replies, his voice unsure. "And for the record, I feel the same way about you. I wouldn't change a thing. You're as close to perfect as a person can get, Dr. Scorpio."
"Oh, you mean I'm not perfect?" Robin chides, smiling in spite of herself, and their current situation.
"Uh, sorry, but any woman that squirts ketchup on top of a steak cannot possibly be perfect."
"Oh, but a man that puts half a bottle of ranch on his salad is? I'm sorry, doctor, would you like some salad with your dressing?!"
"Hey, you can never have too much ranch! And when did I say that I was perfect?"
Rolling her eyes, Robin laughs. "Oh, please! Mr. Ego?"
Chuckling, he concedes. "Yeah, yeah."
"Hmm," she hums, her spirits suddenly high. She missed this.
"I miss this," he says, as if he's reading her mind.
"Me too."
"Your lights still off?"
"Yeah. They probably won't be back on until morning. That's what happened the last time anyway."
"That sucks."
"Yup."
"Hey, remember that one night? The blackout?"
"Like I could forget that," she huffs. "It was quite an eventful night."
"Yeah, I acted like a jerk, but somehow managed to get you to feed me anyway."
"Like I said then, you were allowed. You had a lot going on. That's not really what I remember anyway…"
"What do you remember?"
"I remember how wonderful you were with April. I remember how amazing you were to her…and to me. I remember laughing with you…eating chocolate cake with you…dancing with you…"
"I remember you telling me that I could never hurt you…how you kissed my hand…I wanted you so damned much. The way you looked at me, I…I was lost. It scared me to death…"
"I remember you coming to my door and looking all flustered…telling me in your own way to give you time. I laughed it off and tried to make it insignificant, but…it wasn't. I was falling in love with you, and all I wanted was for you to fall in love with me."
"I was…I just…couldn't say it. I wish I would have. You have no idea how much. Especially now. We -" Patrick stops, swearing under his breath. "We wasted so much time. Not just then…but before. And that was my fault. Because I couldn't be honest with myself and admit that what was going on between us was more than I bargained for. No - no…that 's a lie. I knew. I knew what was going on between us. I knew way before we ever went to that cabin that you meant more to me than anything, anyone did or had since my mother died. I just ran away from it. Just like you said I did. And now look at us -"
"That doesn't matter now, Patrick. We still would have ended up here," she interrupts, sadly.
"It does matter. Don't you see, Robin? If it only meant one more day - one more day that I could have told you that I loved you. One more day that we could have lived together. One more time that I could have kissed you…made love to you, knowing how I felt about you…embracing it and you and maybe even making it a little bit harder to let go."
"How?" She laughs humorlessly, rolling over onto her stomach. "How could this possibly get any harder than it already is? Tell me, Patrick, because I'd really like to know!"
It was rhetorical question, so it didn't surprise her when he merely continued on without answering her. "That day in the cabin…I'd never experienced anything like that before. Not with anyone. The way you felt…the way you feel…it's like you were made for me to touch you…like I was made to touch you. You're the only woman I've ever made love to."
"You always made me feel beautiful. Sexy. Certainly nothing that I ever thought I was or could ever be because of my HIV. Maybe even before that. No one ever made me lose control like you. I felt free…alive. Safe to do anything I wanted…be anything I wanted. But mostly…just me. I could be me and not be afraid of it."
"It was never just sex for me, but I loved being close to you in that way."
"I'm sure the hospital supply closet, my lab and just about every surface of your apartment would have to agree with you on that," she teases, blushing.
They had been one of those insatiable couples. If they were fighting, makeup sex soon followed. If they weren't, it was part of their daily routine - like taking a shower together every morning or eating Mr. Chang's every Friday night. And oddly enough, it only got better over time. Each experience seemed to be more powerful, passionate and memorable than the last. To say she missed being with him would be an understatement: she'd gladly give up chocolate cake or Mocha Fudge Ice Cream Bars for the rest of her life if it meant she could have one more night with him; feel the weight of him on top of her, the gentle yet strong feel of his hands on her body, his hungry, searching lips on her skin…the utter perfection and unbelievable pleasure of having him inside of her.
His mind must have been entertaining the same thoughts, because it's not long before the silence is disturbed by the clearing of his throat. "Umm, maybe we should -"
"Change the subject?"
"Yeah."
"Good idea," she raves, suddenly fully aware of the lack of cool air in the room.
There is silence on both ends as both sides contemplate where to take the conversation next. Again, it's Patrick that speaks first.
"Okay, I've got it."
"What?"
"I want you to tell me about Jason and Carly."
Stiffening in reaction to his suggestion, Robin raises up on her elbows and furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "I already told you about Jason."
"No. Not everything. You've told me the good, but you skip right over the bad. And the history with Carly is only in bits and pieces. I want it all. I want to know what that bastard did to you to make you leave your home, your family and run to Paris and stay there for seven years."
"Why? Why now?"
"Because I want to know. I think at one point I deserved to know, but since we're no longer together, I'll just say want. And need. I think it's part of what kept us at a distance, even when we were a couple. A big part."
"Patrick -"
"I'm right, aren't I?"
"Ye - yes -" she stumbles over her words, wanting desperately to leave the past in the past. "But -"
"Tell me, Robin. Please. You said it. You made the rules. You said anything and everything."
Pondering his question, she suddenly thinks of one of her own. "Okay, Patrick. You win."
"I do?"
"Yes, you do. I'll tell you about Jason."
"And Carly."
"And Carly -"
"Oh, no. There's a 'but' isn't there? I can feel it coming."
Robin can't help but laugh at his apprehension. "You're absolutely right, Dr. Drake."
"Alright, let me have it…"
"I will tell you about Jason and Carly - if YOU promise to tell me about your mother."
To be continued…
4. Part Four: Enough
**The Call**
**Part Four: **Enough
* * *
Maddie Drake had been a true, classic beauty. An All-American girl with long, curly brown hair and eyes as big as her heart; it wasn't hard to figure out how she had inevitably tamed the infamous bachelor, Dr. Noah Drake. But the allure didn't stop with her looks, which was what made her so mesmerizing. The small town, southern girl was incredibly generous, and kind to any creature that she crossed paths with. But still, she wasn't all sugar and sweetness. She was a fighter. She was courageous. And just as quick as she'd blow you a kiss or pat you on the back for a job well done, she'd give you a swift kick in the ass for an act of stupidity or disrespect. A force to be reckoned with, Patrick's mother was beloved, and remembered, by many.
At thirty years old, Patrick had only loved two women in his life. Maddie had been one of them; Robin the other. Not a day goes by that he doesn't think of her…miss her. Thinking about her now, in this moment…tears fill his eyes. Perhaps it was foolish of him, but more than a decade after her passing, he was still mourning the loss. Then again, he never truly got to do so back then. He'd been too concerned with playing into his drunken father's disappearing act, then picking up the pieces, locking them inside himself…the shattered fragments of his world tucked away, like a newly sharpened knife, waiting to strike at unsuspecting victims at anytime. A cocky smile and a personality that spoke volumes of how much he didn't care about anyone or anything but himself was a mere mask, hiding the person that was broken and bleeding…if someone, anyone…would dare to look. Really look. Up until two years ago, no one had. Until then, he'd walked around a shell of his former self, desperately seeking distraction from his miserable, lonely assistance. Until Robin…
"Patrick?"
He hadn't realized how quiet he had been, or for how long, until the sound of Robin's voice came through amidst his thoughts…thoughts she had inspired. She wanted him to talk about his mother. It was only fair, he reckoned. He had asked her about Jason and Carly. And it was high time they stopped dancing around their tortured pasts and figured out a way to move on from them. Clear the air, and make peace.
"I wish you could have known her…"
"Your mother?"
"Yeah."
"Me too," she admits, softly.
"When I told you before, that you reminded me of her…I meant it. You two would have gotten along so good…"
"She'd approve?"
"Most definitely. I can't tell you how easy it is to imagine you ganging up on me with her. And you would have."
"Probably," she laughs.
"She was a waitress at a restaurant on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. My dad was down there for the weekend, partying with some old college buddies during Mardi Gras -"
"Sounds strangely familiar," she drawls, causing Patrick to roll his eyes, good-naturedly.
"Do you want to hear this story or not?"
"Sorry. I couldn't resist."
"I'll bet," he chuckles. "Anyway - he went in there, she waited on him, he flirted, she called him a jerk, he flirted some more, and she ended up pouring a pitcher of beer over his head."
"Oh, yeah. Your mother and I would have gotten along tremendously well. You do realize I did the same thing to your father when we first met? Well, almost."
Patrick was absolutely stunned. "You poured a pitcher of beer over my father's head?!"
"Not beer - water. And it was only because he was passed out on -"
"Of course," Patrick sneers.
"Stop that right now, Patrick Drake! Your father is sober now. That's what matters."
"You make it sound so simple," he remarks, dumbfounded, shaking his head in disbelief.
"That's because it is, Patrick. At least your father is here now. Mine's off on some mission - God knows where - anywhere but here with me, after pretending to be dead for half of my life. You'd think he'd be here, trying to make up for some things, but he's not, now is he? But your father is. He wants to make things right, and I know that you do, too. Don't waste the time that you have being bitter and unforgiving. You need him, and he needs you."
Robin was right, but it still wasn't an easy thing for him to admit. "I know…" he whispers, gruffly.
"So, what happened? How did they end up together?"
Taken aback at the quick change of subject on her part, Patrick recovers in record time, clearing his throat and continuing his story. "They fired my mother - right there, right then, in front of my father. He tried to talk them out of it, but it was too late. She was out the door, cursing under her breath the entire way. He followed her out and managed to get her to stop long enough to kick him in the shin."
"Oh my God! I love your mother!"
Half amused, and half concerned, Patrick gulps. "Does this mean I should expect you to kick me in the shin in the future?"
"Trust me, if I was going to kick you in the shin, I would have done it by now. There's been plenty of opportunities." They both laugh. "So, how did they meet up again?"
"The next night, they ran into each other - literally - at a club. My father told me once that he was already in love with her at that point, as crazy as it seemed. He claimed it was love at first sight. And he wasn't about to let her go. He wore her down enough to buy her a drink, and they ended up dancing and talking all night. They closed the place down."
"How romantic," Robin gushes.
"My mom said she fell in love with him that night. It just seemed natural for her to pack what little possessions she had and move back to New York with my father. Shortly after, they got married and had me."
"And they were happy?"
It was an answer she already knew, as he had told her about the way they were, what they were to one another as he was growing up. "In every sense of the word. I mean, they fought. He spent some nights on the sofa. But there was never a doubt in my mind…they were it for each other. The way he looked at her…it was like she was the one thing he would ever really need…that mattered. The way I imagine I look at you…"
"It makes my heart stop. The way you look at me…no one else has ever looked at me like that. It's like you can see everything…inside and out…even the things I try so hard to hide."
"I want to make you that happy, Robin. I don't want you to be afraid. I don't want to be afraid. But I am. We are. And I hate it. I just…want you so damned much."
"I want you, too, Patrick. So much that I wish I could forget how much I want to have a baby with you. But when I see you…think about you…when we talk to each other like we are now…I only want it more. I wish you did, too…I wish…"
Listening to her words, thick with pain and regret, Patrick sighs. Reaching for his wallet on the counter beside him, he thumbs through the photos inside, until he finds the one he had managed to keep with him for the past decade. The one of himself at the age of five, in his mother's arms…his mother in his father's. Glancing at the photo adjacent to that one, he sees a much older version of himself, embracing Robin in much the same way. And for a moment, he envisions a little girl with Robin's eyes, freckles and smile, in her mother's arms…their little girl, in Robin's arms…
"Robin, I -"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I just -" He hears her sigh into the speaker. "Nevermind. You wanted to hear about Jason. What all do you want to know? Or should I just start from the beginning?"
"From the beginning," he answers, without hesitation. He'd waited a long time for this, and he wanted it all.
"I knew Jason before his accident - when he was still Jason Quartermaine. I had a crush on him, actually. But nothing ever came of it." She pauses, seemingly collecting herself for the emotional story ahead. "After Stone died, I was…devastated. I knew that I had HIV, and at the time…it was hopeless. The protocol didn't exist at that point. I felt alone and scared and…I felt like I had nothing to live for. And Jason…Morgan saved my life."
Curiosity peeked, Patrick raises an eyebrow and asks, "How?"
"I was going to jump off the bridge. And he saved me. And for a while, we were friends. Then we became lovers…and it was beautiful. Alan told me about the protocol and I decided to go to Yale. Just before I went away…I found out that Jason had been sleeping with Carly."
Patrick is torn between wanting to shake Jason's hand for saving Robin's life once upon a time, and wanting to knock him into next week for betraying her and breaking her heart. "That bastard…"
"He didn't know any better -"
"Come on, Robin. The guy might be brain damaged, but he had you! He didn't need to be with anyone else! For that matter, why would he want to?"
"Because I wasn't having sex with him. I was afraid to. And…he's a man. You of all people should understand that."
At this point, all he feels is rage. "Don't defend that horse's ass to me! What he did was wrong, Robin."
"I guess it's not easy to understand how I could understand, but…" Pausing, Robin dismisses the topic. "Nevermind. I got over it, he promised he wouldn't do it again, and I went to school. I visited whenever I could, and during one of those visits…Jason got shot. I was with him. I wanted him to quit the business, but…he refused. So, we broke up, and I moved to Paris."
"But you came back."
"Yes. Brenda was sick and needed me…she was there when I needed her. I didn't plan on staying, but one thing led to another and pretty soon…I was back for good. There was a misunderstanding between Brenda and Jason because of Sonny and it led to me going to Jason, and him telling me that Carly had came to him and asked him to lie for her. She had slept with Jason's brother - AJ Quartermaine - and gotten pregnant. But she didn't want AJ to know about it, because he was an alcoholic. He was my friend, and because of my love for Jason, I had to lie to him about the most important thing that ever happened to him."
"I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you…"
"It was terrible. And things only got worse when another man - the man that Carly also lied to about being the father of her baby - Tony Jones -"
"Dr. Tony Jones?!"
"That's the one," Robin affirms, as-a-matter-of-factly. "Tony had a breakdown and ended up kidnapping Michael. I accidentally found out about it, and decided to try and fix the situation myself…I thought I could talk him into letting Michael go. But he ended up keeping me there instead. I got pneumonia, and Jason found out where we were just as I was starting to get really bad. When I recovered, I testified at the trial, and defended Tony's actions. Carly shot him in the courtroom."
Patrick couldn't believe what he was hearing, yet, somehow…it didn't surprise him all that much. "Did she go to prison?"
"They sent her to a mental institution. Not very long after that, Brenda and Jason were in a plane crash. It made me reevaluate things. When they were rescued, I went to him and told him that I could accept his life, that I loved him, and wanted to be with him. We stayed together for several months…raising Michael…and we were happy. I moved in with him. There was an…incident with a car bomb and Jason left the business temporarily. We even moved into a house, without bullet proof glass. I went to PCU. Jason worked in a shop."
"Hard to imagine," Patrick huffs, hating the images of domestic bliss of Robin and another man that had invaded his mind at her recollections.
"Well, it didn't last. Carly came home, and she wanted me gone. She wanted everything that was mine - including Jason. She lived with us for a while at the cottage, until Jason went back into the mob and we moved back into the penthouse. He got Carly her own place, which he seemed to stay at more than ours. It was all for Michael, he said. Meanwhile, Carly's either trying to redecorate my house or seduce my boyfriend - and he's just letting it happen. I couldn't do it anymore."
"So, you left him," Patrick concludes, with obvious satisfaction.
"Yes. But I also decided that I couldn't stand playing a role in covering up the truth about Michael any longer either. So, I went to AJ, and I told him the truth. I knew that Carly and Jason never would have. They would have kept on lying forever. Jason loved that baby too much, and Carly…well, she's Carly."
"And how did Jason take the news?"
"Not good. I told him, and he was furious. He…yelled a lot. He swept our picture off the mantel and onto the floor…he…he told me it would be easier if he never saw my face again."
"He told you WHAT?"
"You heard me, Patrick."
"Oh, Robin…"
"This is the part where you agree, and you say that you would have been just as angry. That I was manipulative and spiteful and wanted to get back at Carly -"
"I said it once before, and I'll say it again, Robin - I.am.not.Jason."
"I know that…"
All the sudden, Patrick feels ill. His stomach is tied up in tight knots, the bile starting to rise up in his throat. He couldn't be more ashamed of himself if he tried. "I'm an asshole."
"No, you're not," Robin protests vehemently, as if she knows exactly what he's referring to.
"I played into Carly's games. I didn't even bother to ask you why you hated her so much. I should have known better."
"Patrick, how could you have possibly known? Carly is a master at twisting things around and making others look like the bad guy."
"That's no excuse, Robin. All this time I thought that it was something so much simpler, and the two of you were just blowing it out of proportion. I mean, I knew about Michael, to an extent, but…I didn't know that you had to carry that around, and put up with another woman in your house. And one that hated you at that."
"I came out of it okay. For a long time…I didn't think I would be. Hell, I even let myself believe that I was wrong to tell the truth for a while. The entire world was against me it seemed…but then, I realized, the only thing I had done wrong was allow the secret to go on for as long as I did. What we did was wrong."
"Yeah, well, I bet you're the only one that will admit to that. It just goes to show what an amazing woman you are." Patrick felt protective of her in the moment, wanting to shield her from all the Jason's and Carly's of the world. "Don't ever let Carly or anyone else tell you different, Robin. You're better than her. And I'm sorry for ever allowing her to come between us…"
"Well, compared to Jason -"
"It doesn't matter, Robin. I still used her to play games with you. And to think I accused YOU of being childish," Patrick scoffs. "What a damned joke."
"It was a long time ago, Patrick. And I suppose I should move on from it, but I just can't stand to see her do the same things to other people. Carly has never learned from her mistakes, and she never will."
"And Jason?"
"What about him?"
Patrick couldn't bare of think it, but he had to say it. To ask her. "Do you…still love him? Even after all of that?"
"Honestly? For all the awful things that happened back then, I can't forget the good. I might not be here right now if it weren't for Jason. But…we're cut from two different cloths. I thought I could make him into the person I wanted him to be…but I was wrong. No one should have to change who they are for someone else. Believe me, I know - I tried to do it when I went to Jason that day and told him I could live in a life where violence was always lurking around us."
"You hate violence," Patrick mutters.
"Yes, I do."
"And he wouldn't give it up? Even if it meant being with you?"
"Would you give up being a surgeon, if I needed you to?"
"Of course -"
"Don't finish that sentence, Patrick. We both know it would be a lie. And even if it wasn't, I wouldn't be happy about it. It's who you are, Patrick. It's part of the reason I fell in love with you. Your brilliance…what you do to help people -"
"It's not really a fair question to ask, anyway, Robin. Jason Morgan represents everything we're against. His actions are what bring patients into my OR. It's wrong. And it's not the same thing."
"It's what he was taught."
"Yeah, well, meanwhile, twelve years later - he's still doing the same thing. He's worked for the mob long enough to decide for himself whether or not it's worth risking innocent lives, including the people he supposedly loves."
"You're right, Patrick. Jason hasn't changed. And like Carly, he probably never will. And that's why I'm not with him."
"It's his loss, Robin. And my gain," he says, unthinkingly.
"Not anymore," she whispers, sadly. "Right now, it's nobody's gain."
"Robin…" his voice trails off, his heart stung from her words that seemed to lash at him like a whip. "I don't ever want to do that to you. I never want to make you change who you are…even if it means being away from you. I don't want to be the reason why you pack up and leave for Paris again. I just…I just want to fix this."
"How are we supposed to do that without changing, Patrick? I want children - and you don't. One of us is going to have to give up what we want if we want to be together. It's just like Jason all over again -"
It was the truth, but he denied it. "NO! No, Robin. Don't you dare say that. It's NOT the same!"
"Yes, it is Patrick! I wasn't good enough for Jason to give up being in the mob with Sonny, and I'm not good enough for you to make you want to become a father!"
What the hell was he doing to her? How could he make her believe such bullshit? "It's not you, Robin! It's me! God, please, don't say these things. You can't possibly believe -"
"Well, you know what, Patrick? I do! There. That's the ugly truth, out there for you to see. I'm not enough for anyone! Least of all you!"
"You ARE enough Robin! And you're too damned good for me, don't you get it? I'm damaged goods! Who the hell wants that in a husband? A father?"
"And what does that make me, Patrick? My parents supposedly died when I was a teenager, and just when I had managed to grow up and get used to the idea of living without them - they both showed up - alive! You don't think that's done something to me inside? You don't think I'm damaged? That I'm just as broken as you?"
They had so many things in common, especially the things they both wanted so desperately to forget. "I don't want to hurt you, Robin -"
"No! You don't want to hurt yourself! You're selfish, and you're a coward! Why can't you just take a chance for once in your life? Why can't you just have a little faith and trust me? Trust yourself for that matter?"
"Oh you mean like you have faith in me? Like you trust me? I'm paying for Jason Morgan's mistakes! I'm paying for your parents mistakes!"
"Yeah, well, SO AM I!!!!!!!"
Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, Patrick drops his head in agony, listening to the torturous sounds of her sobs. It didn't occur to him that he was crying, too. Maybe because it didn't matter…Robin was all that mattered. And he was hurting her. "I'm sorry…I….don't want…I never want to hurt you. God, baby, I just…I just want to…I just want to love you. Take care of you. And you never let me…"
"I know," Robin chokes out, her breath shaking as she utters her confession. "I know I've punished you. I know I didn't give you all of me...but I'm scared…I'm afraid you'll see what they saw…that you'll leave me, too. So, I left you instead."
"We left each other," he sniffs, not bothering to swipe away the tears smearing his lips, wet and salty to taste and touch. "But I haven't let you go, Robin. I can't. And maybe…I don't know. Maybe I've spent my whole life running from something that might be the best thing to ever happen to me."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you're right. I am a selfish coward. I've been so busy focusing on what happened to my father when my mother left us that I've almost forgotten why he fell apart so tragically."
"Why?"
"Because he loved her, more than he loved himself. The way I love you. And even though he lost her, they still had a life. They had me. And for many years, they had it all. They were happy. They were…complete."
"I want that with you, Patrick," Robin tells him, her voice soft and loving.
Like an epiphany, a light bulb seems to go off in his head, shedding light on everything that had been lingering in the dark. He was making a decision, choosing to take that leap…dive into the deep end…for her, for them. "So do I…"
_to be continued..._
THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!!!
5. Part Five: Let's just say I'm a work in
The Call
Part Five: Let's just say I'm a work in progress
She remembers the dream like it happened yesterday. It wasn't a new dream, but one that seemed to come to her sporadically as the years progressed and she grew older. It wasn't unique to her subconscious mind, she knew. It was shared by most, if not all women that fancied having it all. Playing the images over in her mind now, she recalls how it once was a bit of a blur. Until the last time - a year ago to be exact - it had been her, walking through the park, a little girl bouncing along the concrete path between her and what had once been a faceless man…clutching onto their hands and smiling up at the sky. The little girl belonged to her, she knew, because she had the same hair, the same eyes. And she belonged to the man, she knew, because of that adorable little dimple that graced her cheek.
The night that Patrick told her he loved her, she dreamt of him this way. In hearing his sweet words of devotion, he had unwittingly removed the last of her resolve to keep him at a distance. And in doing so, she had opened her heart to him as she had yet to do before. And not just to him, but to anyone before him as well. He'd had her heart for a long time, but not as freely as she had given it to him since that moment. Her walls were still in place, but with every minute spent in the safety of his arms, she let them down more and more. Together, the love they had for each other had given her the complete picture to her ultimate fantasy.
Alas, life just wasn't that easy. It never had been. So why should it have come as such a surprise to her when she found out just how serious he was about never wanting to have children? But it had. It shook her to her very core, even though she tried her damnedest to act like it was no big deal in the beginning.. But she wanted to believe that he could change, like he had before about love and commitment. She wanted to believe that he loved her enough to take that risk, even if it was the biggest one of his life. But she had been wrong. And now, here they were. Her heart was like broken glass, scattered in shards deep down inside of her…and still, each tiny fragment still belonged to him. He held the key to her happiness, her future. That's why she couldn't let him go.
She wanted to believe what he was saying to her now, but it just felt too unreal. Too perfect. And they were anything but perfect. They weren't some couple out of a weepy black and white film. No happily ever after through a heart shaped window. Their reality was far less romantic. They both had far too much baggage on their backs for that. That's what the practical side of her chanted over and over again, anyway. But the other part…the part that was connected to her heart…it said that even the unthinkable could be true this time. That's what love did. But love was a guessing game. Chance. A deal that you can make that can cost you everything. She knew that better than anyone.
There was a time when she would have gotten angry with him for saying such things. For failing to give her what she wanted, then turning around and trying to give it to her when she had given up on him ever doing so. But she was too tired for that now. Not physically tired, but emotionally. She didn't like how her heart leapt and rattled against her chest when he made such moves. She didn't like the control he had over her, but she was powerless to stop it. And in some twisted place inside of herself, she knew she didn't want it to. She figured she had the same affect on him. It was very basic….animalistic, yet….beautiful; their connection was as raw as it was poetic. Like a love ballad crooned by a sexy rock 'n roll star.
"Robin? Robin, are you still there?"
Patrick's voice is like a caress, but it jolts her back to reality as if she's been stung. "Yes," she whispers, sitting back down on her couch. "I'm still here."
"I didn't mean to upset you, I just….wanted to be honest with you."
"I don't think you are being honest, Patrick," she accuses, a bit more harshly than intended. "I think that you miss me, and you love me, and you would say or do anything right now to fix this."
"You know what? One of these days you're going to stop telling me how I 'really feel' and I'm not going to know what to do with myself! Maybe you should just do all the talking, and I can just listen intently. At least I wouldn't be called a liar!"
Robin is momentarily stunned by the combination of hurt and outrage in his voice, but recovers quickly with the same tone in hers. "I didn't call you a liar, Patrick! I think you do believe the things that you are saying. I DO! But how am I supposed to believe this sudden change of heart when you practically spray painted 'I, Patrick Drake, do not want to be a father' all over the damn city!? You wanted EVERYONE to know it, including me! Well, guess what? I got the message! LOUD AND CLEAR!!"
"I fucked up, Robin! I know I did. I know I made you feel like you weren't important. Like being some famous surgeon meant more to me than you. But it wasn't like that! It still isn't! That night at the Metro Court, I would have chopped off my damned hand and given it to Craig or anyone else that would have let me get to you, save you! I STILL would! You're IT, Robin! Don't you get it? No matter what I've said, no matter what I've done, all you have to do is look into my eyes and see the truth. You always could. I know you could. You just didn't want to see it. But it IS the truth! You're all I want. You're all I need!"
"And that's our problem, Patrick! You resent me for wanting more than just you. I'm enough for you, but you're not enough for me. Or at least that's what you think when I say that I want a baby, even if it means giving you up to get one. Even if it hurts more than anything I could have ever imagined in my whole life. Having a baby means everything to me. Everything!"
"No, Robin. If that was true, you would have gone out and found your donor by now. You would be pregnant and I'd be a long forgotten mistake. But you love me. And you don't want a baby. You want a family. With ME! Say it. Say it, Robin. I know it's what you want, so, why can't you just let me give it to you?"
Rolling her head back to rest against the top of the cushion, she sighs, deeply, as if she's been holding it in for hours. "Because you don't want it. And I don't want to be the reason you wake up in ten years and resent me even more than you already do for living out my dream, just because you love me."
"I don't resent you, Robin. I could never resent you. How could I? You've given me so much. I can't even tell you what you've given me since the first second I laid eyes on you. You never gave up on me, so, please…don't give up on me now."
"We gave up on each other, Patrick. The day I walked out, we both said the words, and I just did the moving. Hell, we gave up long before that. We were just too afraid to admit it. We both care about winning too much. Neither one of us want to admit defeat even when it's pouring down rain and sirens are going off all around us. We're too stubborn for our own good."
"Not tonight," he responds, softly.
"No, not tonight. But what happens in the morning?"
"We can't go back, Robin. Not after this. We've said too much. Too much is out there now. We've admitted our mistakes and now we can move on. We can be together."
Robin slaps her hand to her forehead, feeling as though it's a brick wall. "Patrick, you're not listening to me! How can we be together when we still want different things?"
"No, you're not listening to ME! I'm telling you that that's not true anymore, Robin! I want what you want!"
Groaning, she pounds her fist into a nearby throw pillow. "Patriiiiiick!"
"Look, can we just pretend for a second here that I didn't go to Vegas? That I didn't act like a royal ass and get on a plane with Pete and go to a bunch of strip clubs - even if I didn't enjoy one damned minute of it? Can we forget that for some reason, you seem to think that I'm going to go back to the way I was when we first met? I'm asking you to trust me, Robin. I'm asking you to go out on a limb and forgive me. To let go of all of that stuff with Jason and Carly and be with me. REALLY be with me. In all the ways you were and weren't before we broke all of our rules and gave up?"
"That's easier said than done, Patrick."
"I know it is. But it's not impossible right? I mean, I've been a coward and I've tried to keep you at a distance, even if that distance lessened over time….and I'm still afraid. But I'm willing to take that leap of faith with you, Robin. I'm willing to live with you, and love you and make babies with you and build a home with you….start our life for the first time…even if it does mean crashing and burning someday. I know I let my stupid fear come between us, and I'm sorry -"
"It's not stupid, Patrick. It's a very valid fear. I told you before that it was. We both have been through a lot. It's not your fault that it's made you cautious."
"Robin, there's being cautious and there's being irrational. I mean, how stupid could I be? I saw my parents, and I envied them. I wanted to have what they had. I'd forgotten how much. And you know why? Because I watched my father fall apart, and I took the easy way out. No commitments, no strings, no problem. Until you. You made me start wanting all the things I'd buried all those years ago. And the more I realized that, the more scared I got."
"And you realized all of this just now? Tonight?"
"No," Patrick admits. "I've had a lot of time to think. And since you've been avoiding me, I've been keeping a lot of things to myself. Feelings. Talking to you tonight has just brought it all to the surface. And yeah….maybe I didn't realize all of this until this moment, but let's just say I'm a work in progress."
Robin laughs, biting down on her lip, the scratchy fringe of the pillow rubbing against her fingers as she toys with it absentmindedly. "That makes two of us, then."
"See that? We're perfect for each other."
He was teasing, but at the same time he wasn't. His words had a double meaning, and again her heart betrays her as it thumps relentlessly against her chest. "I want to trust you, Patrick. Believe in you. I always did."
"So did I. And I'm sorry that I never fully could. I'm sorry I wasted so much time trying to prove that I didn't need you as much as I did….as much as I do. I tried to make up for it when we were together, after we said I love you, but…all I did was screw that up, too."
"It wasn't all bad between us, Patrick. We had good times, too. You made me very happy."
"I was only happy when I was with you. Maybe before my mother died, but…I didn't know the true meaning of the word until you let me into your life."
Laughing, she teases him. "You mean when I barged into it and you wouldn't leave me alone?"
"Yeah," he chuckles, fondly.
"I'm glad you didn't."
"Really? Even now?"
"Even now. Being loved by you….it's a joy I never expected…and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm very proud and very blessed to be in your heart, Patrick. It's so beautiful…your heart….it's just so good."
"Not as good as yours. Not as forgiving…as full of incredible gifts. To be in it…even if it was just for a little while…that's the greatest honor of my life."
She was extremely touched by his sentiment, and felt a little breathless at his words of adoration. "You're still in it, Patrick. You never left. You never will."
"So, how bout it then?"
"Patrick, I just don't -"
"Don't say no again, Robin. Please, baby. Just think about this. What are we doing here? We can't even talk to anyone but each other. What are we supposed to do? Live the rest of our lives like this? You know what that would make us, Robin? Selfish. Selfish to those people that are out there, that love each other and really can't be together. But we can. We can do this. One day at a time, we can."
Long moments pass as she sits there, silent. He says nothing. He doesn't prod. He doesn't beg. He doesn't demand an answer. He knows that she needs time, and he's giving it to her. Or so she assumes. He had yet to hang up the phone. Somewhere in the passing hours, the lights had come back on, and she keeps the phone to her ear as she blows out the candles, her nervous energy sending her into overdrive. She can't stop moving, and she can't sit still. And then suddenly, she starts talking again.
"I'm wearing your shirt. The one I wore the first night you spent the night at my apartment."
"You mean the night of seven times?"
"That's the one," she affirms, blushing at the memories of her and Patrick on her couch, the floor beside her couch, the kitchen counter, against her bedroom door, in the shower and finally, in her bed. Twice. They had been out of control, and she had never felt more satisfied in her entire life. After six months of desiring, yet not having one another - it was bound to happen. The time at the cabin had been wonderful, sweet and romantic. But that night, at her place…they held nothing back. All the nervous energy was gone. It was just them, and it was amazing.
"You were incredible…."
"So were you," she tells him, tracing his picture that accented her mantel, amongst several others of family and friends. She'd taken it when they went to the stock car races together. He was smiling like a little boy, relaxed and content in familiar territory. Like he belonged there.. That day, being with him, the feeling was mutual.
"It's black, right?"
"What?" Robin asks, distractedly, still gazing at the picture, caught up in the memory.
"My shirt? The one you're wearing?"
"Oh! Yeah," she shakes her head in disbelief. "How did you know that?"
"I remember a lot of things…most when it comes to you. And that night…that night's going to be etched in my brain when I'm old and gray, Dr. Scorpio."
Instead of laughing, she merely smiles, then recalls the reason why she brought up the shirt to begin with. Tracing the edge of the wearing material with her free hand, she remarks, "It's starting to unravel a little. The thread's coming loose on the edge of it. I wear it all the time…"
"You do?"
"Yeah, I only have a couple of your shirts here, and….I still can't bring myself to sleep in anything else anymore. It's like a security blanket or something. Silly, I know, but…I felt safe with you. Safer than I've felt in all my life….and I guess….wearing your clothes make me feel closer to you somehow. Like you're with me, even though you're really not."
"I'm always with you," he whispers, reassuringly.
"I feel like you are sometimes…but it's not the same as the real thing. I miss you holding me when I sleep…waking up to your kisses…I even miss your snore," she quips.
"Don't you mean your snoring, sweetheart? I don't snore!"
"Oh, that's what they all say," she rolls her eyes, feeling herself falling more and more in love with him, just by engaging in simple conversation. She missed it. God, she missed him!
"Look, Robin…if you need to think about this, it's okay. But I just want you to know that I'm not going to give up on this. I'm not going to back down and sink away and pretend like I'm okay with you moving on without me. The only way I could ever do that, is if you tell me that you would be happier if I left you alone. If that's the truth…I'll do it. For you, I'll do it."
"That's the craziest part about all of this. I don't want you to stop. I want you to say all of these things, even if they do scare me. Even if they do make me look at myself and ask the same questions you've been asking yourself and me all night. I just know that I love you, and all I have ever wanted is to find a way to make this work. But with the baby -"
"We can have a baby, Robin. Someday, we can. But can you honestly tell me right now that you're ready for it? That I am? That we are? Right here, right now, today? A baby makes three?"
She could just scream, 'yes' without thinking, but she doesn't. Instead, she considers the questions he's putting forth for her to answer. Questions that could make or break them. Seal their fate once and for all. In the end, the answer isn't so simple. "No."
"No, we're not. Someday, I think we can be. We will be. But I think that we need to work on this….on us first. Take that vacation we always wanted to, but never actually got to go on. Get to know each other again, like we are now. Live together and grow together, without holding back so much."
"Communicating?"
"That, too. All of it. One day at a time. And when we're ready, we can take those bigger steps. Together."
"You mean you actually want to try being on the same page? Walking the same pace?"
"It'll be new for us, but…at least it'll be us, right? And I want to go so many places with you, Robin. We are so not finished here. Not even close."
They weren't. She knew it as well as he did. What were they doing? Pining for each other from a short distance without even bothering to try to fix it? That wasn't them at all. They were fighters. And they always fought for each other. When had that stopped? Why?
"One day at a time?"
Met with silence, Robin furrows her eyebrows and speaks into the phone, bewildered. "Patrick?"
Checking the screen on her cell phone, she sees the dropped call message and hisses, jumping to her feet, pacing once again and she tries to call him back. Nothing. She curses aloud, stomping her foot and shaking her phone in frustration. "You have GOT to be kidding me! How could this happen?!"
The knock on the door only becomes a further irritation, as she only has one thing on her mind: Patrick. She doesn't consider the time, the lateness of the hour. She goes over to the land line to try it out, but before she can make it, the knocking becomes more persistent. "I'm coming!" she shouts, marching over to the door, and swinging it open, ready to give whoever it was a piece of her mind. "What do you -"
There he stood. Dripping wet, a glint of laughter in his eyes, and a nervous smile upon his lips - there he was., when all she wanted was to see him. Neither one speaks, nor moves at first. But then, just as he opens his mouth to explain himself, she makes her decision. In a movement that is familiar to them in the best, most special kind of way, she leaps forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist. It's not awkward or strange, even though it probably should be. But the only thing that either one of them feels is complete and utter relief, love and bliss as their mouths find their way back home, fusing together hungrily,. For the first time that night, words aren't needed at all.
To be continued….
End file.
| fanfiction |
a 76-year - old male who was 169.7 cm tall and who weighed 65.2 kg was scheduled for robot - assisted radical prostatectomy under general anesthesia .
preoperative transthoracic echocardiography ( tte ) and an electrocardiogram ( ecg ) for cardiologic evaluation were done , with no abnormal findings except sinus bradycardia .
the results of chest x - ray examination , pulmonary function testing , and other preoperative laboratory tests were normal .
ecg , non - invasive blood pressure ( nibp ) , end - tidal carbon dioxide , and oxygen saturation ( spo2 ) were monitored .
the patient 's initial vital signs were : nibp , 125/67 mmhg ; spo2 , 98% ; and heart rate , 64 beats / min .
general anesthesia was induced with 120 mg propofol ( anepol , hana pharm , hwaseong , korea ) and 50 mg rocuronium ( esmeron , n.v .
mask ventilation was applied with 100% oxygen , and tracheal intubation was done without incident 2 minutes after rocuronium administration .
the anesthesia was maintained with 6 volume % desflurane ( suprane , baxter healthcare , puerto rico , usa ) and remifentanil ( ultiva , glaxosmithkline , san polo , italy ) infusion at 0.1 g / kg / min .
a right internal jugular vein catheter was inserted for fluid or blood administration , and the patient 's continuous central venous pressure ( cvp ) was monitored .
invasive arterial blood pressure was monitored at the right radial artery , and the flotrac / vigileo system ( edwards lifesciences , irvine , ca , usa ) was used to monitor the stroke volume variance ( svv ) and cardiac index ( ci ) .
the operation was done in a steep trendelenberg position at an angle of 45 degrees .
the patient 's intraoperative vital signs were maintained within the following ranges : systolic blood pressure , 90100 mmhg ; cvp , 1015 mmhg ; svv , 1015% ; ci , 2.02.5 ; and body temperature , 35.536.0. the operation was completed uneventfully and took 4 hours and 15 minutes . at the time when the pneumoperitoneum was removed and the patient was taken out of the trendelenberg position , his blood pressure and heart rate had not changed significantly .
an additional 50 mg of rocuronium was administered during the operation to maintain muscle relaxation , so the total dose of rocuronium was 100 mg .
the total fluid input was 3,100 ml ( 500 ml colloid and 2,600 ml crystalloid ) , and the estimated bleeding count was 570 ml .
after 5 minutes , the patient 's train - of - four ( tof ) was 2 ; we gave him 130 mg sugammadex ( bridion , n.v .
two minutes later , sudden ventricular premature contraction ( vpc ) bigeminy appeared on the ecg , the heart rate decreased to below 40 /min , and the systolic blood pressure decreased to below 60 mmhg . despite the administration of 10 mg ephedrine and 80 mg lidocaine i.v . , the heart rate remained under 20 /min .
after immediate chest compression for 10 seconds and administration of 0.5 mg atropine i.v . , the patient 's vital signs returned to the baseline values .
after 10 minutes , the patient 's heart rate and blood pressure decreased , and we gave him 10 mg ephedrine .
we initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation ( cpr ) within seconds ; other anesthesiology and cardiology staff arrived to help . during cpr , 1 mg epinephrine
the patient was immediately cardioverted with 200 j , but he did not respond and cpr was continued . over the 10 minutes during which cpr was performed ,
twice , cardioversion with 200 j was done twice , and 0.4 mg nitroglycerin was given i.v . ; the patient 's ecg showed a sinus rhythm of 110 /min .
after 10 minutes , vt recurred ; 200 j cardioversion was delivered immediately and 2 g magnesium was given i.v .
the patient recovered directly ; his ecg showed a sinus rhythm with mild tachycardia and a heart rate of 90100 /min .
we monitored the patient for 30 minutes , during which time his vital signs were kept stable with dopamine infusion at 5 g / kg / min and norepinephrine infusion at 0.25 g / kg / min .
the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit . his arterial blood gas and electrolytes were checked ;
all values were within the normal limits , including a serum magnesium level of 2.1 mg / dl .
his myoglobin was elevated to 302.9 ng / ml , and his ck - mb / troponin i level was normal on the day of the operation . on postoperative day 1 ,
his ck - mb / troponin i level was increased to 15.6/8.21 ng / ml ; coronary angiography was done , which showed coronary artery obstructive disease .
concentric tubular stenotic lesions in the right coronary artery and left circumflex artery , which blocked 40% and 50% of the blood flow , respectively , were observed . also , a coronary spasm was observed on the ergonovine test , and the patient was diagnosed with variant angina ( fig .
the ecg results of the vpc bigeminy obtained from the ergonovine test were similar to those obtained in the two minutes after sugammadex administration ( fig .
the patient 's trachea was extubated ; oxygen saturation was maintained well with spontaneous respiration .
on postoperative day 8 , the patient was discharged uneventfully with normal ecg and laboratory results .
after 4 weeks , the patient visited our outpatient clinic ; intradermal testing was done with a 1 : 100 dilution of sugammadex 100 mg / ml , rocuronium ( 1 : 50 ) and sugammadex - rocuronium complex , and the results were negative .
in this case , the patient had three occurrences of sudden cardiac arrest after administration of sugammadex .
cpr was done for about 40 minutes total ; after the third cpr , the patient recovered and showed hemodynamic stability .
several cases of anaphylaxis or severe cardiac collapse after administration of sugammadex have been previously reported . however , intradermal testing with sugammadex , rocuronium , and sugammadex - rocuronium complex showed negative results .
in addition , the patient had no symptoms of an allergic reaction , such as a skin rash or angioedema .
second , we considered that the cardiac arrest resulted from acute myocardial infarction accompanied by a coronary spasm .
the preoperative laboratory results were also normal . however , the patient had infrequent chest pain preoperatively and was diagnosed with variant angina postoperatively .
factors that contribute to the development of coronary spasms are smoking , cocaine use , hypomagnesemia , insulin resistance , vitamin e deficiency , hyperventilation , cold stimulation , and administration of sumatriptan and ergotamine .
we suspected that the coronary spasm was caused by either hypomagnesemia or the administration of sugammadex .
we were not able to measure the serum magnesium levels before and during the surgery .
however , it is reasonable to assume that it did develop , because the patient 's ecg and blood pressure stabilized after the administration of 2 g magnesium during the third cardiac arrest . the magnesium level measured after the surgery was 2.1 mg / dl , a low normal value , which indicates that the level was lower than the normal values before the administration of 2 g magnesium .
however , it was not clear whether hypomagnesemia was a direct cause of the coronary spasm or an aggravating factor that indirectly sustained the arrhythmia .
we identified the administration of sugammadex as a more probable cause of the coronary spasm .
vpc bigeminy appeared 2 minutes after sugammadex administration and severe hypotension ; bradycardia occurred simultaneously .
in addition , the ecg results of vpc bigeminy obtained 2 minutes after the administration of sugammadex were similar to those obtained from the ergonovine test .
therefore , we considered that the patient 's severe dysrhythmia and cardiac arrest could have been triggered by sugammadex given the time course of drug administration .
there are few lines of evidence that suggest that sugammdex is associated with coronary spasms . as a modified gamma - cyclodextrin , sugammadex can reverse muscle relaxation by dissolving steroidal non - depolarizing neuromuscular blockades , especially those caused by rocuronium .
however , one study found that sugammadex has no effect on the release and metabolism of acetylcholine , unlike acetylcholinesterase inhibitors .
another study found that sugammadex does not cause qt prolongation , which can lead to severe arrhythmia .
however , hoshino et al . reported a case of repetitive cardiac arrest due to coronary vasospasm after sugammadex administration .
also , there was one case in which coronary spasm was caused by administration of neostigmine , which was used to reverse muscle relaxation before sugammadex was developed .
however , the coronary spasm in that case was caused by an increased level of acetylcholine , and the mechanism of action of neostigmine is different from that of sugammadex .
our study has the limitation that we could n't rule out hypomagnesemia as a cause of coronary spasm .
therefore , more studies and case reports are needed to determine how sugammadex can cause coronary spasm . in conclusion | pubmed |
four strong thermonuclear ( type - i ) x ray bursts were observed with the _ rxte _ proportional counter array ( pca ) from the accreting millisecond pulsar sax j1808.43658 when this source was in outburst in 2002 ( chakrabarty et al .
such bursts are produced by thermonuclear burning of matter accumulated on the surfaces of accreting neutron stars ( woosley , & taam 1976 ; lamb , & lamb 1978 ) .
all the bursts exhibited strong brightness oscillations near the known stellar spin frequency ( @xmath2 hz ; wijnands & van der klis 1998 ) , which confirmed that this timing feature originates at the neutron star surface . during the burst rise , an expanding burning region ( hot spot ) on the spinning stellar surface may give rise to these oscillations ( strohmayer , zhang & swank 1997 ; miller , & lamb 1998 ; nath , strohmayer , & swank 2002 ) , while during the burst decay ( when the whole stellar surface may be engulfed by thermonuclear flames ) , the origin of this timing feature may be temperature variations due to surface waves ( heyl 2005 ; lee & strohmayer 2005 ; cumming 2005 ; piro & bildsten 2006 ) .
three of these bursts ( oct 15 , 18 and 19 ) from sax j1808.43658 exhibited strong oscillations during the intensity rise .
bhattacharyya & strohmayer ( 2006c ) found evidence for complex variation of the oscillation frequency during the rise of the oct .
15 and 18 bursts . the oct .
19 burst did not show evidence for similar variation , although the other properties of this burst were akin to those of the oct . 15 and 18 bursts . analysis of high time resolution lightcurves just prior to the bursts reveal a weak precursor event to the oct .
19 burst . to our knowledge
this is the first report of such a precursor to a normal , hydrogen helium powered thermonuclear burst .
several superbursts , which are likely powered by fusion of heavier elements ( strohmayer & brown 2002 ; cumming & bildsten 2001 ; schatz et al .
2002 ) , have shown precursor events which have the characteristics of shorter , normal bursts .
the precursor to the oct .
19 burst looks like a typical thermonuclear burst except it lasts less than a second , and has a peak photon flux only 1/25 of the main burst . also unique
is the fact that strong pulsations are detected during this precursor . the oct .
15 and 18 bursts do not show a similar precursor . in this letter
we describe the properties of the precursor , and discuss the implications for its size and oscillation content in the context of ignition and spreading of thermonuclear instabilities on neutron stars .
we analyzed the oct . 19 , 2002 archival _ rxte_-pca data from sax j1808.43658 . during this observation
the source was in outburst , and the data contain a thermonuclear x ray burst , some of the properties of which were reported in chakrabarty et al .
we found an excess of intensity less than a second prior to the rise of this burst , that lasted for @xmath3 s. figure 1 shows the lightcurve of the burst at 1/16 s using a logarithmic intensity scale .
the precursor is evident as the spike just prior to the rising edge of the main part of the burst .
the precursor has a peak count rate of 2300 s@xmath4 ( 1/16 s intervals , 4 pcus ) , while the average persistent count rate prior to this feature was @xmath5 s@xmath4 .
this shows that the feature is significant . the rapid rise and slower decay of intensity during the precursor ( see fig .
2 ) is similar to that seen in most normal bursts , only the peak intensity and timescale are smaller and shorter , respectively .
the spectra of thermonuclear bursts can usually be modelled with a blackbody function ( strohmayer & bildsten 2006 ) .
we , therefore , fitted the precursor spectrum ( using 0.25 s of data ) with an absorbed blackbody and found a temperature of @xmath6 kev ( reduced @xmath7 , 28 degrees of freedom , see figure 2 ) .
the reduced @xmath8 is acceptable , and supports the idea that the precursor is indeed thermonuclear in origin .
next , we searched for oscillations in the 0.3 s of event mode data ( shown with dotted lines in figure 2 ) for which the precursor intensity was significantly above the persistent level .
we computed a power spectrum with a nyquist frequency of @xmath9 hz , and a frequency resolution of @xmath10 hz , and found a peak ( power level @xmath11 ) near the known stellar spin frequency @xmath12 hz ( fig .
3 ) . as burst oscillation frequencies are not known to evolve by more than @xmath13 hz ( giles et al .
2002 ; muno et al .
2002 ; bhattacharyya & strohmayer 2005 ) , considering the number of trials @xmath14 , we have a significance of @xmath15 , which implies a @xmath16 detection of oscillations during the precursor .
the fractional rms amplitude for this 0.3 s interval is @xmath17 ( reduced @xmath18 from fitting a constant+sinusoid model to the persistent emission subtracted , phase - folded light curve ) , and no significant harmonic component was detected .
this high amplitude and the comparatively broad peak in the power spectrum show that these oscillations originate from the precursor , and are not accretion - powered pulsations .
we also calculated dynamic @xmath19 power spectra ( strohmayer & markwardt 1999 ) , and the corresponding power contours .
figure 2 shows that there are two sets of disconnected power contours , one during the precursor , and another during the rise of the main burst .
this shows that the oscillations during the precursor are unique to it , and , are not connected to the main burst .
now , several important questions are : ( 1 ) why does the precursor occur about a second prior to the main burst , and ( 2 ) why was it so much fainter than the main burst .
note that this burst may not be considered as a single double - peaked non - photospheric radius expansion ( non - pre ) burst , because such bursts are always weak ( ie .
sub - eddington , sztajno et al .
1985 ) , while the main burst was a strong pre burst . therefore
, sequential emissions from two different portions of the neutron star surface ( bhattacharyya & strohmayer 2006a ; 2006b ) , or a two step energy generation due to convective mixing of the nuclear fuel ( fujimoto et al . 1988 ) probably can not explain the precursor event .
a two step energy release might answer the first question .
the second question may be addressed in the following way . near the peak of the main burst ,
most of the neutron star surface is expected to emit near the eddington temperature .
therefore , a smaller emission region and/or a lower temperature during the precursor would explain its faintness compared to the main burst .
this might happen in three ways : ( 1 ) if the fuel for the precursor is confined to a small portion of the stellar surface ( possibly by the magnetic field ) and the burning region has a high temperature ( the small hot spot can produce high amplitude , spin modulated pulsations ) ; ( 2 ) if the thermonuclear flame spreads all over the stellar surface in @xmath20 s at the onset of the precursor , and the whole surface emits at a low temperature ( in such a case , surface modes might account for the oscillations ; see 1 ) ; and ( 3 ) if the thermonuclear flame with an intermediate average temperature takes @xmath21 s to spread ( in this case , the expanding hot spot may give rise to the oscillations ) .
joint timing and spectral modeling can help us discriminate between these alternatives . to be more specific about the joint analysis ,
let us first assume that the observed photon flux ( after the subtraction of the persistent emission ) in any time bin during a burst is @xmath22 .
then we note that the ratio ( @xmath23 ) of @xmath22 near the peak of the main burst ( the last time bin of the lower panel of fig .
2 ; hereafter bin 1 ) to @xmath22 during the precursor ( the first bin of the lower panel of fig .
2 ; hereafter bin 2 ) is @xmath24 ( the energy flux ratio is about 45 to 1 ) . the corresponding observed blackbody temperatures during these bins are @xmath25 kev and @xmath26 kev ( mentioned before ) respectively .
we also note that the fractional rms amplitude of oscillations during bin 2 is @xmath27 . from our spectral
modeling we also find that the precursor contained only @xmath28 of the energy in the main burst .
now for the joint modeling , assuming the stellar and other source parameter values , one needs to reproduce the oscillation amplitude @xmath29 , and then , with the same parameter values ( including the average burning region size ) , one needs to reproduce @xmath23 from @xmath30 and @xmath31 .
we do this in 3.2 .
the primary aim of our modeling is to understand both the faintness of the precursor ( relative to the peak of the burst ) , and the presence of high amplitude brightness oscillations . in our simple model , we assume emission from a circular burning region ( hot spot ) on the rotating stellar surface ( bhattacharyya et al .
2005 ; see also some other works , e.g. , muno , zel , & chakrabarty 2002 ; miller & lamb 1998 ; cadeau et al .
2006 ; braje , romani , & rauch 2000 ; poutanen & gierliski 2004 ) .
brightness oscillations occur as the image of the hot spot in the observer s sky periodically changes with the stellar spin . the corresponding fractional rms amplitude ( @xmath32 )
can be determined by fitting the phase - folded light curve ( normalised to have the observed count rate ) .
the total observed photon flux can also be computed from the blackbody spectrum for an assumed temperature .
for these calculations , we combine the model with the appropriate instrument response matrix .
our model includes the following physical effects : ( 1 ) doppler effect due to rapid stellar spin , ( 2 ) special relativistic beaming , and ( 3 ) gravitational redshift and light bending ( assuming schwarzschild spacetime ) . in our numerical calculations , we track the paths of photons in order to incorporate the light bending effect in the calculated photon flux ( bhattacharyya , bhattacharya , & thampan 2001 ) .
we use the following parameters in our model : ( 1 ) neutron star mass @xmath33 ( in @xmath34 ) , ( 2 ) dimensionless stellar radius - to - mass ratio @xmath35 , ( 3 ) stellar spin frequency @xmath36 ( @xmath2 hz ; 1 ) , ( 4 ) observer s inclination angle @xmath37 measured from the upper rotational pole , ( 5 ) polar angle of the hot spot center @xmath38 , ( 6 ) angular radius of the hot spot @xmath39 , and ( 7 ) the blackbody temperature @xmath40 . for sax j1808.43658 ,
( 1999 ) and bhattacharyya ( 2001 ) calculated constraints on @xmath33 and @xmath35 ( although they assumed that the stellar magnetic field is entirely dipolar ) .
for example , if the lower limit of @xmath35 is 4.0 , the upper limit of @xmath33 is @xmath41 ( equation 6 of bhattacharyya 2001 ) . here for our illustrative model , we assume @xmath42 and @xmath43 ( i.e. , radius @xmath44 km ) .
however , other values of @xmath33 and @xmath35 in reasonable ranges do not alter our conclusions significantly . in our calculations , we mostly use @xmath45 , as this is the average value for a randomly oriented stellar spin axis .
we use @xmath46 as the upper limit , because the absence of a deep eclipse indicates @xmath47 ( chakrabarty & morgan 1998 ) . for a source distance @xmath48 kpc , wang et al .
( 2001 ) suggested @xmath49 ( with 90% confidence ) based on the modeling of the x ray and optical emission from sax j1808.43658
. a higher value of @xmath50 ( @xmath51 kpc ; galloway & cumming 2006 ) would shift this range of @xmath37 towards slightly smaller values .
we , therefore , consider the case @xmath52 in our joint spectral and timing modeling in
we vary the other parameter values for our model calculations . before conducting the joint spectral and timing modeling , we explore whether or not a hot spot model can reproduce the observed amplitude @xmath53 ( 2 ) during the precursor . a burning region with @xmath54 , @xmath55 , @xmath56 and
the observed @xmath57 kev gives the amplitude @xmath58 , which is consistent with @xmath59 .
here we note that the harmonic content of this model light curve can not be significantly detected because of the small number of observed counts , consistent with the observations .
next , we change @xmath40 to @xmath60 kev , which does not alter @xmath32 ( @xmath61 ) much , and @xmath62 can also reproduce @xmath59 for similar values of @xmath63 , @xmath39 and @xmath64 .
we note that @xmath32 increases with the increase of @xmath37 and @xmath63 ( up to @xmath65 ) , and with the decrease of @xmath39 .
for example , keeping @xmath54 and @xmath57 kev , if we change @xmath63 to @xmath66 , then to reproduce an @xmath32 ( @xmath67 ) which is consistent with @xmath59 , @xmath39 has to be @xmath68 .
this demonstrates two points : ( 1 ) for fixed values of other parameters and a lower limit on @xmath39 ( such a lower limit should exist , as the burning region has to have a finite size ; spitkovsky , levin , & ushomirsky 2002 ) , there is a lower limit on @xmath63 ; and ( 2 ) the size of the burning region can not be meaningfully constrained from the lower side using the observed oscillation amplitude alone .
however , this size can be constrained from the upper side , as @xmath62 and @xmath69 ( that allow the near - maximum value of @xmath39 for a given oscillation amplitude @xmath59 ) gives @xmath70 .
therefore , our modeling of the timing data shows that a hot spot , that does _ not _ encompass most of the stellar surface , can give rise to the observed oscillation amplitude . for our joint modeling ( last paragraph of 2 ) , we assume emission from the whole stellar surface during bin 1 ( a time bin during the peak of the main burst ; see 2 ) .
this is because a smaller burning region would give rise to significant oscillations ( which are not observed at this time ) , and would probably imply a super - eddington luminosity .
for this analysis , we consider the same values of @xmath33 , @xmath35 , @xmath36 and @xmath37 ( as mentioned earlier in this section ) , and vary the values of @xmath63 and @xmath39 for the precursor .
however , for @xmath40 , we use the surface color temperature @xmath71 , which is related to the observed temperature @xmath72 by @xmath73 ( where the surface gravitational redshift @xmath74 ) . moreover , due to spectral hardening in the neutron star atmosphere , the effective surface temperature ( @xmath75 ) is related to @xmath71 by @xmath76 , where the color factor @xmath77 is greater than 1 ( london , taam , & howard 1984 ) . therefore , in order to calculate the observed photon flux , we use @xmath78 as the emitted specific intensity ( fu & taam 1990 ; bhattacharyya et al .
2001 ) . here , @xmath79 is the planck function and @xmath80 is the energy of a photon in the emitter s frame .
zel ( 2006 ) has recently suggested the following expression for @xmath77 ( based on the model atmosphere calculations of madej , joss , & raska 2004 ) : @xmath81 . here , the surface gravitational acceleration @xmath82 is given by @xmath83 , and @xmath84 is the hydrogen mass fraction . for our illustrative model , initially we assume the cosmic abundance @xmath85 for both bin 1 and bin 2 ( time bins from fig .
2 ; see the last paragraph of 2 ) . however , we note that a change in the value of @xmath84 does not alter our timing results , as the oscillation amplitude does not depend on @xmath77 , and hence on @xmath84 . for our assumed values of the parameters , @xmath86 ( @xmath87 kev ; bin 1 ) and @xmath88 ( @xmath89 kev ; bin 2 ) . here
we note that , although @xmath90 is high , the corresponding luminosity is less than ( but close to ) the eddington luminosity , which shows the consistency among our assumed parameter values .
now , we follow the procedure that is described in the last paragraph of 2 .
first , we calculate the photon flux ( for @xmath91 ) for the emission from the whole stellar surface at the color temperature @xmath92 kev ( corresponding to @xmath30 ; bin 1 ) .
then we compute the oscillation amplitude @xmath32 and the photon flux for bin 2 using @xmath93 kev ( i.e. , @xmath71 corresponding to @xmath31 ) , @xmath94 , and various values of @xmath37 , @xmath38 and @xmath39 . for @xmath45 , @xmath95 and @xmath96 , we find @xmath97 and @xmath98 , which are consistent with @xmath99 and the observed value of @xmath23 respectively .
these two observed parameter values can also be reproduced for @xmath100 for slightly different values of @xmath63 and @xmath39 . moreover , for @xmath52 , @xmath101 and @xmath102 , we get @xmath103 and @xmath104 . these show that our simple hot spot model is consistent with the timing and the spectral data simultaneously , and the inferred size of the hot spot ( i.e. , burning region ) is similar to that inferred in 3.1 . for @xmath45 , @xmath105 , and @xmath106 , @xmath32 ( @xmath107 )
is consistent with @xmath99 , but @xmath23 ( @xmath108 ) is widely different from the observed value .
this shows that the spectral data do not allow a small hot spot for the precursor burst .
in fact , for a variable @xmath63 and for @xmath109 ( and other assumed parameter values ) , @xmath39 can not be much less than @xmath110 .
as in 3.1 , we next try to determine @xmath111 for @xmath100 and @xmath69 .
we can reproduce @xmath99 well for @xmath112 , but the corresponding @xmath23 ( @xmath113 ) is much less than the observed value .
therefore , spectral data indicate that @xmath114 , and support the inference from the timing data ( 3.1 ) , that the average angular radius of the burning region of the precursor can not be much larger than @xmath115 . in fig .
4 , we summarize these results . in the previous paragraph
, we assumed @xmath85 for both the time bins .
but if the precursor ( bin 2 ) and the main burst ( bin 1 ) were ignited at different layers of accreted matter ( 2 ) , @xmath116 might be greater than @xmath117 . here
we assume the extreme values ( @xmath118 , i.e. , hydrogen - rich , and @xmath119 , i.e. , helium - rich ) , and check if the inferences of the previous paragraph still hold .
clearly , the new value of @xmath117 alters ( increases ) only the photon flux for bin 1 ( as @xmath77 becomes @xmath120 ) , and hence the value of @xmath23 changes . for @xmath45 , @xmath121 and @xmath122 ( for bin 2 ) , we find @xmath123 and @xmath98 , which are consistent with the observed values .
therefore , our simple hot spot model can simultaneously explain both the timing and the spectral data , even when the chemical composition of the burning matter of the two bursts are very different . for @xmath124 ,
as the value of @xmath77 ( for bin 1 ) decreases , and hence the corresponding model photon flux increases , the model photon flux ( and hence the hot spot size ) of the precursor has to increase in order to reproduce the observed @xmath23 .
therefore , a small hot spot is even more disfavored for @xmath118 and @xmath124 . but do these extreme values of @xmath84 allow a precursor burning region that is much larger than @xmath115 ? for @xmath100 and @xmath125 ( for bin 2 ) , we can reproduce @xmath99 for @xmath126 , but the corresponding @xmath23 ( @xmath127 ) is significantly less than the observed value . therefore ,
even when the chemical composition of the bursts are considerably different , the modeling of the spectral data indicate @xmath128 for the precursor . the results of our modeling show that the hot spot during the precursor burst was neither small , nor large enough to cover most of the stellar surface .
this , along with the faintness of the precursor compared to the main burst , argues against the scenarios 1 and 2 ( mentioned in 2 ) .
the scenario 2 is further disfavored , because the large observed oscillation amplitude can not originate from surface modes .
therefore , as the joint analysis suggests , the oscillations were produced by a hot spot ( burning region ) of moderate size ( @xmath129 ) .
now , if the burning region expansion does not happen , then the fuel ( accreted matter ) has to be confined in this hot spot .
but it is very difficult to understand what confines the fuel .
magnetic field can not do it , because , ( 1 ) the polar cap is unlikely to be as big as the hot spot , ( 2 ) the magnetic field of sax j1808.43658 may be of the order of @xmath130 to @xmath131 g ( psaltis & chakrabarty 1999 ) , which can not confine the fuel , and ( 3 ) bhattacharyya & strohmayer ( 2006c ) have argued that thermonuclear flame spreading likely occurs in the case of sax j1808.4 - 3658 ( and hence the fuel does not remain confined ) .
therefore , it is very likely that before the precursor , there was accreted matter all over the stellar surface , and during the precursor , the burning region ( with a relatively low temperature ) expanded for @xmath132 s to engulf the whole stellar surface ( scenario 3 of 2 ) .
in such a case , the @xmath39 of our model represents an average angular radius ( during time bin 2 ) , which is consistent with the moderate hot spot size found from the joint analysis .
the expanding burning region can naturally account for the observed oscillations , and when the burning covered most of the stellar surface , the oscillations ceased .
in this letter , we have reported the discovery of a unique precursor to a thermonuclear burst that ; ( 1 ) occured about a second prior to the main burst , ( 2 ) existed for a portion of a second , ( 3 ) had a peak intensity more than a order of magnitude less than that of the main peak , and ( 4 ) showed strong spin modulation pulsations . with
relatively simple modeling , we have found that an expanding burning region at a relatively low temperature can explain the oscillations , as well as the faintness of the precursor .
the low temperature and fluence of the precursor ( compared to the main peak ) suggests that the amount of fuel involved in the precursor is small compared to the total available for the whole burst .
it would seem that there are at least three possibilities to account for the precursor . in the first scenario
the release of nuclear energy at depth could have such a two - step time dependence . in this case
the observed time dependence would be a direct reflection of the time dependent energy release due to nuclear burning . in the second class of models ,
the precursor could be produced by a physical separation of fuel layers .
this , combined with the finite energy transport time - scale through the surface layers results in the observed two - step energy release .
this scenario , or one very like it , is thought to be responsible for the precursors observed with superbursts ( see strohmayer & brown 2002 ; strohmayer & markwardt 2003 ; weinberg et al .
2006 ) . in superbursts
, ignition is thought to occur via unstable carbon burning , perhaps in a background of heavy _
rp_-process ashes ( cumming & bildsten 2001 ; schatz et al . 2001 ; strohmayer & brown 2002 ) .
this occurs at much greater column depths ( @xmath133 g @xmath134 ; cumming et al .
2006 ) than the unstable helium burning which ignites normal bursts ( @xmath135 g @xmath134 ; woosley et al .
the energy released at depth by a superburst diffuses upwards and , partially , inwards . the outward going flux triggers the hydrogen - helium fuel above it , resulting in the precursor burst . in this case , the combination of radial separation of the fuel layers and finite energy diffusion time - scales results in the observed precursor .
a third possibility is that the precursor acts as a `` trigger '' which initiates the burst .
if unstable burning begins somewhere on the star at a column depth above that where simple considerations of the ignition physics would suggest then it could act as a `` spark , '' setting off the remaining combustible fuel below . to date , most theoretical investigations have considered ignition conditions based on spherically symmetric perturbations .
recent observations , in the context of burst oscillations , suggest that non - axisymmetric processes are likely crucial for a complete understanding of ignition and spreading .
recent theoretical work has also reached this conclusion ( see spitkovsky , levin & ushomirsky 2002 ) .
perhaps temperature , composition , and or accretion gradients across the stellar surface might bring about such a condition .
once nuclear energy release begins locally , then heat will flow from that layer both in and out .
if ignition conditions are relatively finely `` balanced , '' then it might not take much additional heat flux to set off the rest of the fuel .
while the physical quantities which govern ignition are almost certainly not uniform across the star , it remains uncertain whether such conditions vary enough to make this kind of triggering possible .
can we say whether either of these alternatives is at work ( or not ) in the october 19 , 2000 burst ? based on the recent study of galloway & cumming ( 2006 ) it seems highly likely that the bursts from sax j1808.43658 were ignited in a helium rich environment .
while the exact nuclear composition is not known , and indeed , details of some of the relevant nuclear processes are uncertain , it seems unlikely , though not impossible , that a pure helium ignition would have such a delayed energy release .
for example , the calculations of woosley et al .
( 2004 ) indicate a rapid , monotonic rise of the luminosity ( without any precursor ) from helium - rich ignitions , although we note that these were one - dimensional ( radial ) calculations .
we suggest it is more likely that a situation like the 2nd or 3rd scenarios is responsible for the precursor , but it is difficult to be more precise with only the one example at present
. an additional clue might be the fact that the oct .
19 burst was the last observed ( of the 4 bursts detected ) , and happened at the lowest accretion rate ( see galloway & cumming 2006 ) .
previous theoretical work has shown that there exists an accretion rate regime in which bursts can be triggered by unstable hydrogen burning ( fujimoto hanawa & miyaji 1981 ; fushiki & lamb 1987 ; narayan & heyl 2003 ) .
galloway & cumming ( 2006 ) argue that the bursts observed from sax j1808.43658 in october 2002 were in or near the pure helium shell ignition regime , with the accretion rate per unit area of the stellar surface @xmath136 g @xmath134 s@xmath4 .
this is close to the critical @xmath137 below which stable hydrogen burning switches off ( see , for example , fujimoto et al . 1981 ) .
if @xmath137 dropped below this threshold some time after the 3rd burst , then an accumulating hydrogen layer could form above a partially formed helium layer .
if unstable burning were then triggered in the hydrogen layer , it would inject enough energy to raise the temperature and stabilize the hydrogen burning , but it might not take much additional energy input to destabilize the helium layer below , and set off the remainder of the accreted fuel .
this could explain the faintness of the precursor in that the burning timescale is longer for the temperature - dependent cno cycle ( than for the triple-@xmath138 process ) , and/or the fact that it might only take a small amount of energy to stabilize the hydrogen burning once started ( fujimoto et al .
we speculate that such a process might explain the precursor .
if this reasoning is correct then the duration of the precursor , @xmath139 , and the time between it s start and the rising edge of the main burst , @xmath140 s , can provide some rough constraints on several relevant time - scales .
if energy must flow inward to trigger the main burst , and then flow back out for us to see the main burst
then @xmath141 is approximately twice the radiative diffusion time from the trigger layer to the column depth of helium fuel responsible for the main burst .
this gives a diffusion time - scale of @xmath1 s , which is roughly consistent with theoretical calculations ( cumming & bildsten 2000 ) .
while we do not claim to be able to precisely infer this quantity , the fact that it is in qualitative agreement with theoretical expectations provides some support for the idea of radially separated fuel layers . what about spreading time - scales ? for this scenario to work the intensity profile of the precursor would have to be largely controlled by the spreading of the hydrogen burning layer . in order to account for the overall rise - time and duration of the precursor
, the spreading time would have to be approximately several tenths of seconds .
indeed , the rise and decay of the precursor would directly represent lateral spreading across the surface .
this time - scale would also accomodate the observed duration of the oscillations during the precursor .
one would likely require that the cooling time for the hydrogen layer be less than or of order the spreading time , or else the decay of the precursor would be difficult to understand .
we note that there is evidence for weak emission between the precursor and main burst ( see figure 1 ) , which provides some support for the idea that the initial ( possibly hydrogen ) energy release had a longer time - scale .
finally , we reported evidence that this burst had a somewhat different frequency evolution of the oscillations observed on the rising edge ( of the main burst ) compared to the two other bursts ( bhattacharyya & strohmayer 2006c )
. it may be possible that the different ignition condition suggested here also contributed to this difference .
while the arguments above seem to provide a reasonable qualitative description , they will remain largely speculative until more detailed calculations are done .
it is another indication that high quality data is forcing us to explore interesting details of nuclear burning on neutron stars .
indeed it seems clear that these results point towards the necessity of a realistic , three dimensional model of thermonuclear ignition and flame spreading that considers all the major physical effects including magnetic field , stellar spin , chemical composition , and time variable accretion . | arxiv |
Models of gravitational waves: Do we need to modify our understanding?
So, now we got [the first observation of gravitational waves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_observation_of_gravitational_waves), and that's indeed an amazing revolution in the field of astronomy and cosmology. So one can start discussing whether the previous model(s) were completely to the point or not, isn't it ? I mean, for decades gravitational waves were kind of a myth in science, but now one can confront models and experiments, as in any experimental science.
So I was wondering whether the theory of gravitation needs to be adapted to some unexpected behaviours of the gravitational waves already detected, if they are alternative models describing the observations, and so on. In short, where are we in the scientific debate about modelling gravitational waves ?
I guess it's well too soon for discussing this now, but still I can ask the question ;-)
The best review of tests of general relativity, and including the results that can be obtained from gravitational waves is from a Living Reviews article at <http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrr-2014-4/title.html>
The other good place to look is at the LIGO publication from the first and second detections. The first one in particularly had a whole paper or section on tests of GR. See <https://dcc.ligo.org/public/0122/P1500213/031/paper.pdf>
All results so far have been as predicted by General Relativity.
The tests and parameters of the theory depicted in the first reference above are the 10 parametrized post Newtonian expansion of any metric theory of gravity. Those 10 are the only ones determining any metric theory. It includes GR, any linear-tensor theory such as Brans-Dicke and many others related, and for instance vector-tensor theories. The latter have been proposed as one way to predict the galaxy rotation curves without any need for dark matter. That first reference also shows the limits on those 10 parameters form many of the relativistic effects measured before gravitational waves were detected, most are pretty tight but a couple in the 1 percent uncertainty wrt GR. It also talks about some of the gravitational wave (GW) tests possible - for instance a metric theory could conceivably predict 6 different polarizations for GWs, but GR says only two are possible, Scalar-tensor theories adds another possible scalar polarization, and others add 3 others. The GW detectors for now can only detect two. There will be other LIGO like detectors where those other possibilities can be ruled out.
The LIGO papers and many others before the LIGO results also identified other test, for instance the possible detection of gravitational wave multipole patterns that are NOT consistent with the known only-possible solutions for a black hole (BH) that are consistent with the 'No Hair' theorem (that BHs can only have mass, angular momentum and charge, nothing else. The observations from LIGO have been consistent with that. With additional LIGO like detectors aligned differently, longer baselines, and later space-based interferometers, this will be able to be mapped much more accurately, and allow us to determine if BHs became as GR dictates. With longer baselines and space based 1 million km baseline Interferometers we will be able to see gravitational waves from much larger structures such as supermassive BHs, and even from cosmological effects. Those will test the cosmology theories, as well as GR.
With GW astronomy we wil be able to see where no electromagnetic observations are possible, such as inside neutron stars and earlier in the cosmological expansion, before the recombination time from where electromagnetic waves can not escape (and thus we can not see).
It s going to test more exactly GR, as well as get more astrophysical and cosmological data.
I think the answer is clearly no, we don't. The detections have agreed extremely well with numerical models based on GR so far. So this is another test that GR has passed with flying colours.
It may well be that we will learn new things -- and with luck *surprising* things -- about the statistics of objects and this might influence cosmological models. Indeed the initial detection was of black holes with masses which were thought to be uncommon I think. However this will take time as there need to be many detections.
(It's clear from the comments below that 'myth' in the question is not meant in the sense it now often has of something presumed not to be true).
| stackexchange/physics |
Reaction Kinetics and Stoichiometry -- Mass conservation
This question has been bothering me for some time, and I can't seem to find a good answer online.
Say I have four chemical species $\ce{A}$, $\ce{B}$, $\ce{C}$, $\ce{D}$, and these four react in the following ways:
\begin{align}\ce{
A + A &-> B\\
A + B &-> C\\
A + C &-> D\\
A + D &-> B + C\\
}\end{align}
The kinetic reaction equations for these four species should be:
\begin{align}
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{A}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= -k\_1[\ce{A}]^2-k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}]-k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}]-k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{B}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= +k\_1[\ce{A}]^2 -k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}] +k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{C}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= +k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}] -k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}] +k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{D}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= +k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}] -k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\end{align}
where $k\_i$ is the Arrhenius coefficient for that reaction.
In my mind, the stoichiometry does not seem to add up right. It seems that when the system undergoes $\ce{A + A -> B}$, the concentration of $\ce{A}$ should decrease by twice as much as a reaction like $\ce{A + B -> C}$. Similarly, the products of $\ce{A + D}$ should be split evenly between $\ce{B}$ and $\ce{C}$.
Therefore, stoichiometrically, I want to write:
\begin{align}
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{A}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= -2k\_1[\ce{A}]^2-k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}]-k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}]-k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{B}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= +k\_1[\ce{A}]^2 -k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}] +\tfrac{1}{2}k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{C}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= +k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}] -k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}] +\tfrac{1}{2}k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{D}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= +k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}] -k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\end{align}
Is this wrong-headed? What conceptual issue am I missing?
Reaction rates should be defined in terms of the [Extent of reaction](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extent_of_reaction) ($\xi$) that corresponds to the number of moles (or the molarity for reactions in solution) of specie $i$ divided by the the stoichiometric number, $\nu\_i$:
$$\xi = \frac{[i]}{\nu\_i}$$
Therefore, considering that the first reaction should be:
$$\ce{A + A -> B ~=~ 2A -> B}$$
The corresponding reaction rates are:
$$\frac{\mathrm{d}\xi}{\mathrm{d}t} = -\frac{1}{2} \frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{A}]}{\mathrm{d}t} = \frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{B}]}{\mathrm{d}t}$$
In this way, the reaction rate is always the same (positive) number, independently on the specie we are referring to.
The global rate equations are:
\begin{align}
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{A}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= −2k\_1[\ce{A}]^2−k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}]−k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}]−k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{B}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= 2k\_1[\ce{A}]^2−k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}]+k\_4[\ce{A}][D]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{C}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= k\_2[\ce{A}][\ce{B}] -k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}] +k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\frac{\mathrm{d}[\ce{D}]}{\mathrm{d}t} &= k\_3[\ce{A}][\ce{C}] -k\_4[\ce{A}][\ce{D}]\\
\end{align}
It is conceptually wrong to assume that
>
> the products of $\ce{A + D}$ should be split evenly between $\ce{B}$ and $\ce{C}$.
>
>
>
The reaction scheme you described is the "parallel reactions" model. The amount of $\ce{A}$ consumed by each reaction depends on the specific rate. The stoichiometry of the first step says that every time 1 molecule of $\ce{B}$ is produced 2 molecules of $\ce{A}$ are consumed. But maybe $k\_1$ is very small and so all the other process will consume $\ce{A}$ much more rapidly than this one.
You cannot predict what will happen in a reaction system just looking at the stoichiometry of each step. If you have a large amount of $\ce{C}$, it will probably consume a lot of $\ce{A}$ in the third step, producing a lot of $\ce{D}$ that, in turn, will produce a lot of $\ce{B}$, etc. Stoichiometry is just one piece of information. But kinetics is much more that this.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Like any other insurance, such a insurance coverage provides a safety or compensation. To do that, you will want to take a look at every sort of insurance and work out if it's one thing that your small business needs. Unlike most property coverages, they don't cowl physical harm to property. Also, take advice of our current insurance firm from whom you will have purchased the rental or home-owner insurance coverage policy.
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Mind, Self, and Society is a book based on the teachings of American sociologist George Herbert Mead's, published posthumously in 1934 by his students. It is credited as the basis for the theory of symbolic interactionism. Charles W. Morris edition of Mind, Self, and Society initiated controversies about authorship because the book was based on oral discourse and Mead's students notes.
George H. Mead shows a psychological analysis through behavior and interaction of an individual's self with reality. The behavior is mostly developed through sociological experiences and encounters. These experiences lead to individual behaviors that make up the social factors that create the communications in society. Communication can be described as the comprehension of another individual's gestures. Mead explains that communication is a social act because it requires two or more people to interact. He also explains that the self is a social process with communication between the I, the pure form of self, and the Me, the social form of self. I becomes a response to the Me and vice versa. That same I deals with the response of an individual and the Me is considered the attitudes you take on, both being related to social selves.
Biography
George Herbert Mead was an American philosopher. He was born on February 27, 1863 in South Hadley, Massachusetts. He died on April 26, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. George H. Mead studied at Oberlin College and Harvard University. Mead was an instructor in philosophy and psychology at the University of Michigan from 1891 - 1894. In 1894, Mead attended the University of Chicago as an instructor and remained there until his death. Mead was known for his work in Social Psychology and Pragmatism.
George Mead contribution to Social Psychology showed how the human self-arises in the process of social interactions. Mead was a major thinker among American Pragmatists he was heavily fascinated with the theory of relativity and the doctrine of emergence. Objective relativism is the center of Mead philosophical work. Great minds such as Mead was exploited to other great philosophers such as John Dewey and Josiah Royce.
Mead never published any of his work. His students edited his lectures and notes from stenographic recordings and unpublished papers and published his work after his death.
Mead Work on the concept of the I and the Me
The main concept of the irony between the I and the Me is that the self is a social process. It states that man or the individual is a social process, meaning that we are unfinished. This is a big question that many Sociologists today are studying. How can the self be social and yet unfinished? The book looks at this concept in the point of view of conduct and social attitudes on how the I and the Me are parts of the same whole which constitutes the self.
The I is the I and the Me is the Me they cannot be one or the other, or top each other in any way because although they are separate, and occur at different times, they work together hand-in-hand; to help individual navigate society in different circumstances we might present ourselves with.
The state of the I, the individual feels they have a position in society, that they have a certain function or privilege, yet they are not fully aware of it as in the state of the Me the individual is calling for a response and can organize a community in their own attitude because the Me is a social, reliable, and predictable self - that is conscious and has an understanding of the social norms of society. Whereas the I is a small pure form of the self where our existence gets to act, make a decision in a split second, and has no self - also conscious, unpredictable immediate response of the I is not available until after. According to the book, remembering what you were a minute ago, a day ago, or a year ago.
According to the book, taking in the attitude introduces the Me and then reacts to it as an I. Meaning the individual is the I and in the split second when the decision was made the I becomes the Me and then back to the I. It is an ironic continuous circle because the question of which one comes before the other is the same analogy as; what comes first? The chicken or the egg. Usually, the I is historical and comes into effect much later, the Me is more present and fast acting in situations. The I is in a certain sense that with which we do identify ourselves.
The I is a response to other's attitudes while the me is attitudes an individual shares with others. That is, the me is the shared beliefs and the I is a reaction to the beliefs of others.
Construction of the book
Mind, self, and Society Construction was not created by an individual self wish without considering other social actors, available documents, and practical constraints. During the construction of the book there were several projects in place to bring Mead to greater attention. According to Smith and Wright, the books were decided to be written as one Festschrift for Meadalong with James H. Tufts, Addison W. Moore, and Edwards S. Ameshad already come out in print
The book is divided among four major parts:
The point of view of social Behavior
The Mind
The Self
The Society
Sociologist today
George Mead is a prominent figure in sociology best known for his book Mind, Self, and Society which was put together after his death. Mead was famous for a principle of his own notion in which he did not teach for a book he did not write.
In Becoming Mead, Daniel R. Huebner provides a novel approach on the history of sociology in the form of a critical dialogue that faces issues discussed in the field of Sociology. The author Daniel Huebner back traces the ways knowledge on Mead had been gathered and produced. Huebner considers Mead's biography and reputation as knowledge. Mead is used as a case study and is used in a way to give a new view to critical questions sociologist struggle to answer today.
See also
Articles that shares the thoughts of George H. Mead
Blumer, Herbert. Sociological Implications of the Thought of G.H.Mead, American Journal of Sociology, 71 1966: 535-44
Batiuk, Mary-Ellen. Misreading Mead: Then and Now, Contemporary Sociology, 11 1982: 138-40.
Writings of Mead
1990 Suggestions Towards a Theory of the Philosophical Disciplines
1910 Social Consciousness and the Consciousness of Meaning and The Mechanism of Social Consciousness
1913 The Social Self
1926 The objective Reality of Perspectives
References
Category:Sociology books
Category:1934 books | wikipedia |
How to prove this inequality for the Hamiltonian operator?
I am trying to prove the following:
>
> $$\langle\psi|\hat{H}|\phi\rangle\langle\phi|\hat{H}|\psi\rangle-\langle\psi|\hat{H}|\psi\rangle\langle\phi|\hat{H}|\phi\rangle\leqslant0.$$
>
>
>
I tried some ideas but could reach nowhere. I exploited the fact that $\hat{H}$ is hermitian, and thus the first term in the inequality became $\langle\phi|\hat{H}|\psi\rangle^\*\langle\phi|\hat{H}|\psi\rangle=|\langle\phi|\hat{H}|\psi\rangle|^2$ and then by Cauchy Schwartz inequality, $|\langle\phi|\hat{H}|\psi\rangle|^2\leqslant\langle\phi|\phi\rangle\langle\psi|\hat{H}\hat{H}|\psi\rangle$,but I can see this just removes $|\phi\rangle$ from the game.
Another idea was to write $\hat{H}$ in the first term in outer product notation, this gives:$$\langle\psi|\hat{H}|\phi\rangle\langle\phi|\hat{H}|\psi\rangle=\sum\_{i,j}E\_iE\_j\langle\psi|i\rangle\langle i|\phi\rangle\langle\phi|j\rangle\langle j|\psi\rangle$$I tried to work on this to get the inequality, but it got me nowhere.
Any help is appreciated.
1. *2D Counterexample:* Assume
$$ \langle\psi| \psi \rangle ~=~1~=~\langle\phi| \phi \rangle, \qquad \langle\psi| \phi \rangle~=~0, \qquad \hat{H}~=~| \psi \rangle\langle\psi| -| \phi \rangle\langle\phi|. $$
2. OP's inequality is true for a semi-positive operator $\hat{H}\geq 0$, since then it has a well-defined square root $\sqrt{\hat{H}}$, and it becomes the standard Cauchy–Schwarz inequality.
| stackexchange/physics |
Negima! Magister Negi Magi/魔法先生ネギま！ 1. Chapter 1
Titre : Demon ou Ange ?
Auteur : Nini
Rating : K
Pairing : Setsuna/Konoka
Resume : Setsuna s'interroge sur sa véritable nature… On ne juge pas une fic a son résumé ;) lol
NDA : L'histoire se passe quelques années apres l'école Mahora. Nos deux amies se sont retirées dans le temple de la famille Konoe où Konoka apprend toujours la magie.
PS : ''Se-chan'' est le petit nom que donne konoka à setsuna. Ojou-sama a été traduit par Mademoiselle dans le manga. C'est un terme utilisé pour designer une jeune fille de niveau social plus élevé que soi.
(les pensées sont en italique)
PPS : L'absence d'accent au cours de la fic est normale : j'écris sur un clavier qwerty. Et j'ai un peu la flemme de remettre les accents, surtout que la fic se lit très bien sans.
Bonne lecture !!
(Et on n'oubliera pas la review à la fin, merci d'avance ! )
Setsuna était assise nonchalamment sur le rebord de la fenêtre à demi-nue ( elle avait un bandage pour couvrir sa poitrine et portait le pantalon traditionnel du kendo) ailes deployées, elle carressait une cicatrice qui lui parcourait tout le buste, partant de l'épaule droite, passant entre les seins pour se terminer sur la hanche gauche. Elle était perdue dans ses pensées.
Se –Un démon… murmura-t-elle.
_**Flash back :**_
Deux semaines plus tot. Devant le temple de l'association de magie du kansai, démons et magiciens assistés de guerriers s'affrontaient. La bataille faisait rage.
RAS TEL MA SCIR MAGISTER ! Esprit du vent et de la foudre, venez à moi ! Vents du sud soufflez et faites rouler vos éclairs ! TEMPETE DE FOUDRE DIVINE !!!
Negi déchaina sa magie. Une centaine de démons périrent mais d'autres vinrent à la charge. Asuna s'interposa et en un seul violent coup d'épée en expedia 10 autres aux enfers. Kasumi donna des coordonnées très précise et Mana fit feu. 10 autres moururent. Ku-fei se prit un violent coup mais Kaede surgit et anéantit son adversaire. La combattante spécialiste en art martiaux chinois vexée se reprit et chargea, Kaede à sa suite, protégées par les tirs à balles magiques de la prêtresse Tatsumiya.
Pourvoir sacré de Shinmei ! Double lame pourfendeuse de démons !!!
Setsuna se fit une percée dans les lignes ennemies, les fantassins ne résistaient pas à cette attaque et rejoignit la ninja.
Nodoka signala une attaque et Yue lanca un puissant sort repoussant les forces ennemies.
Negi et ses partenaires faisait front, empêchant ainsi les démons de pénétrer dans le temple et de s'emparer de Konoka que nos amis avait pris soin d'enfermer dans la grande salle du temple avec ses prêtresses. Celle-ci était concentrée sur un sort créant une barrière magique autour du batiment. Ses prêtresses lui prêtaient main forte.
Quelques instants plus tard, Negi rappella ses partenaires et Setsuna vers lui. Il ne restait plus que les 4 capitaines ainsi que leur chef. Tous les fantassins avaient été vaincus.
Le chef –Et bien ! Je ne m'attendais pas à une telle résistance. Mais cette fois, la partie est terminée.
Il appella ses 4 capitaines qui se mirent en position d'attaque. Ku-fei, Kaede, Asuna, Negi se mirent chacun face à un ennemi. Setsuna se placa devant leur ligne au milieu.
Se –Je ne laisserai jamais un démon toucher ne serait-ce qu'à un seul des cheveux de Konoka ojou-sama.
Le chef ricana.
Le Chef –Dans ce cas, tu devrais être la première à t'éloigner d'elle. Démon Sakurazaki.
Setsuna tiqua. Negi et les autres la regardèrent étonnés.
Asuna –Comme si on allait croire ce que peut bien raconter un démon ! Allez ramenez-vous qu'on vous fasse votre fête ! vociféra Asuna.
Autres –Ouais ! lui répondirent ses amies.
Setsuna leur jeta un regard. Elles étaient toutes fatiguées et Negi n'était pas en meilleure forme non plus. Elle serra le poing. C'était à elle de proteger Konoka.
Alors que les démons-capitaines agassés étaient sur le point de passer à l'assaut, Setsuna tendit son épée à l'horizontale comme pour créer une barrière entre les deux lignes ennemies.
Se –Partez.
Les capitaines ricanèrent.
Se –Ce n'est pas à vous que je m'adresse.
Negi –Setsuna ?
Se –Partez ! Retournez à l'intérieur du temple. Je me charge d'eux.
Asuna –Mais toute seule tu n'y arriveras pas !
Se -Je vous remercie pour tout ce que vous avez fait jusque là mais c'est à moi de finir. Allez, partez.
Negi –Setsuna…
Se –Foutez le camp !!
Les capitaines en eurent marre d'attendre et s'élancèrent. Setsuna déploya alors son aura. Ils se stoppèrent net. Negi et les autres furent prit d'un incontrolable frisson.
Se –Partez.
Kaede –On te fait confiance. Replis toi si necessaire. Finit par dire la ninja.
Asuna –On la protegera. Ceda la rouquine aux yeux verrons.
Se –Merci.
Le chef –Ohoo ! Alors tu te décides enfin à nous montrer ton vrai visage ?
Asuna fit demi-tour, empoigna Negi et rameuta les autres filles. Elle courrurent jusqu'au temple.
Un des capitaines –Si vous croyez qu'on va vous laisser partir !
Il s'élanca, passa à côté de Setsuna qui sembla le laisser filer. Les filles se retournèrent pour voir que deux pas derrière Setsuna, le démon se détacha en deux parties puis s'enflamma et disparut. Une goutte de sang perla de la lame de la kendoka. Le démon avait été tranché net dans le sens de la hauteur. Un des capitaines jura.
Se –Vite ! cria-t-elle à l'intention de ses amies.
Elles disparurent derrière les portes du temple.
Setsuna rabaissa sa lame et déploya ses ailes blanches.
Le chef –Interressant. Voyons voir ce que tu sais faire. Capitaines !
Les 3 restant attaquerent. Setsuna releva la tete. Elle arborait un regard dur. Elle executa de nouveau la Double lame pourfendeuse de demons. Deux perirent. Le dernier s'etait protege avec un sort. Il en lanca un contre Setsuna qui de sa lame devia l'attaque. Le demon tranforma alors son bras en arme et partit a l'assaut. Mais avant qu'il ne comprenne, il se retrouva empalle sur le sabre de la kendoka et mourrut.
Le chef –Je vois, je vois. La fameuse Double Lame pourfendeuse de demons de l'ecole Shinmei.
Il decroisa les bras. Le chef etait le demon qui avait le plus l'apparence d'un humain. Seul des yeux rouges et noirs le differenciaient. Accroche a sa ceinture pendait une epee. Il la degaina tandis que Setsuna se remettait en position pour relancer son attaque.
Le chef –Mais crois-tu etre la seule a posseder pareille technique ? ricana-til.
Setsuna fronca les sourcils. Que voulait-il dire ? Lui aussi ?
Il se mit dans la meme position qu'elle.
Le chef –En une attaque. Qu'en dis-tu, demon Sakurazaki ? Voyons voir lequel de nous deux est le plus fort.
Setsuna serra un peu plus fort la poigne de son sabre. Le chef des demons sourit et deploya son aura. Puissant. Il etait vraiment le plus fort des demons qu'ils avaient affronte ce jour-la. Setsuna fit de meme et deploya son aura au maximum.
Le vent souffla. Une feuille se detacha d'un des arbres qui bordaient l'allee ou ils se trouvaient. Au moment ou elle toucha terre, l'attaque partit :
DOUBLE LAME POURFENDEUSE DE DEMONS !!! rugirent-ils dans un meme cri.
Pendant ce temps la, Negi et les autres avaient rejoint Konoka.
Konoka –Negi ! Asuna !
Negi –Tout va bien ?
Konoka –Oui et vous ? Ca va ? Ou est Se-chan ?
A ce moment la, Negi, Kaede et elle ressentirent l'aura du demon et de Setsuna.
Ko –Qu'est-ce que…
Negi resserra sa prise sur son baton et deglutit. Il n'avait jamais ressentit pareille puissance jusque la chez quelqu'un d'autre. Konoka tremblait des pieds a la tete. Asuna s'approcha et lui demanda ce qui n'allait pas. Kaede froncait les sourcils, signe de preoccupation. Et puis d'un coup, on entendit le tonnerre fendre l'atmosphere…
Ko –Se-chan !
_**Fin du flash back. **_
Setsuna soupira. Elle avait repris connaissance une semaine plus tard. Le pere de Konoka lui avait dit que ce n'etait pas passe loin et que c'est Konoka avec l'aide du pactio de Negi qui l'avait sauve. Seul a seule, il lui avait explique que c'etait une partie d'elle qui avait ete grievement atteinte et qui l'entrainait vers la mort. Il n'avait pas precise laquelle mais elle se doutait bien qu'il s'agissait de « cette partie la » vu la technique employee. D'ailleurs cela la tracassait, voir meme plus l'effrayait. Comment un demon pouvait-il connaître la double lame ? Un demon… Elle caressa sa cicatrice.
Se –Est-ce que je suis vraiment un demon, moi aussi ? murmura-t-elle.
Konoka etait entree dans la chambre avec du linge dans les mains. Lorsqu'elle releva la tete, elle faillit laisser tomber ce qu'elle tenait. Setsuna se tenait sur la fenetre, ses ailes deployees, la tete penchee sur le cote. Le cœur de Konoka s'accelera. Ce n'etait pourtant pas la premiere qu'elle la voyait comme ca. Pourquoi cela la troublait-il autant alors ? Elle deglutit et se decida a se manisfester lorsqu'elle entendit la question de son amie. Cela la stoppa net. Un demon ? NON ! cria son esprit. Lorsque Setsuna se tourna vivement vers elle, elle se rendit compte qu'elle avait parle tout haut.
Se –Kono…
Ko –Non ! Tu n'es pas un demon ! dit-elle en se precipitant vers elle, lachant au passage sa pile de linge qui tomba mollement au sol.
Se –Ojou-sama !
Elles se tenaient l'une en face de l'autre. Setsuna etait genee d'avoir devoiler cette faiblesse mais egalement du regard que lui portait Konoka : elle y lut de la determination et autre chose aussi. Konoka avait les larmes aux yeux.
Ko –Tu n'es pas un demon ! repeta celle-ci. Toi tu n'as jamais voulu me faire du mal. Tu t'es toujours preoccupée de moi, tu m'as toujours protegée… Alors… alors…
Konoka sanglotait a present. Setsuna esquissa un geste vers elle. Elle avait horreur de la voir pleurer et encore plus lorsque c'etait de sa faute. Konoka se jeta dans ses bras.
Ko –Se-chan !
La kendoka hesita un instant avant de finalement la serrer contre elle.
Ko –Ne me laisse pas ! Tu m'as promis ! Je.. je…
Se –Kono… chan…
Setsuna n'utilisait ce surnom que lorsqu'elles etaient seules toutes les deux. Konoka reserra son etreinte. Setsuna lui caressait les cheveux poour la calmer ce qui marchait generalement a merveille.
Ko –Tu te souviens… reprit la magicienne quelques instants plus tard. …lors de la fete donnee pour mon diplôme de magie.
Setsuna rougit violemment. Comment oublier ? Durant la fete, Konoka avait beaucoup tro bu. Setsuna l'avait donc enmenée dans la salle de bain histoire de la rafraichir un peu avant d'aller la coucher. Mais Konoka etait plus intenable que jamais. Elle virevoltait dans la piece, son kimono à moitié défait. Cette vision troubla un instant la kendoka qui se reprit juste a temps pour amortir la chute de la jeune étourdie.
Se –Ojou-sama !
A quatres pattes au-dessus de sa jeune maitresse, sa main gauche sous sa nuque ce qui avait empeché la demoiselle ivre de se cogner violemment la tête contre le sol, la main droite la maintenant en équilibre, Setsuna soupira de soulagement. C'était moins une. Konoka se mit à rire à gorge deployee.
Ko –Oula ! Ca tangue encore ! Hihihi.
Setsuna voulut se relever mais Konoka passa ses bras autour de son cou, la rapprochant du coup dangeureusement de son visage.
Ko –Se-chan !
Les yeux de Konoka brillait de mille feux. Ce regard transperca la kendoka dont le rythme cardiaque s'accelera brusquement. Et ce qu'elle redoutait et esperait en meme temps se produisit : Konoka l'embrassa. Elle resta interdite un moment, ce qui ne genait nullement une Konoka debridee qui continuait son ouvrage et cherchait meme plus. Lorsqu'elle lui lecha les levres, cherchant une ouverture, Setsuna se repoussa vivement.
Se –N…non !
Ko –Hé ? Bah ? Ca te plait pas ?
Se –Ce… c'est pas ca ! rougit-elle violemment. Mais, vous n'etes pas vous-même et…
Ko –Allons ! J'ai jamais ete aussi moi-même depuis… euh… toujours ! Hihihihi
Setsuna attrapa les poignets de la magicienne et chercha a rompre son etreinte. Konoka perdit d'un coup sa gaiete. Elle avait maintenant les larmes aux yeux ce qui stoppa net la kendoka.
Se –Que ?
Ko –Mon Dieu ! Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai fait ?
Konoka se mit a pleurer en se cachant derriere ses mains. Le cœur de Setsuna se serra a l'en faire mal.
Ko –Tu dois me detester…
Se –Bien sur que non ! Je t'aime! S'emporta Setsuna. Je… Je taime. Reprit-elle plus calmement, aussi rouge qu'une tomate. Et c'est pour ca que je ne ferai rien. Je ne veux pas que tu es honte de quoique ce soit demain matin lorsque tu te reveilleras…
Apres ceci, Setsuna n'avait trouvé rien d'autres a faire que de prendre son amie dans ses bras en attendant que ses pleurs cessent. Konoka avait finit par s'endormir et Setsuna l'avait ramenée dans sa chambre…
Se –Oui, je m'en souviens. Repondit la kendoka troublee.
Ko –Tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais.
Se –Euh… oui… acquiessa-t-elle dans un murmure.
Ko –Un demon ca n'aime pas ! Alors tu n' es pas un demon ! Tu es un ange ! Mon ange…
Konoka s'etait eloignee un peu pour pouvoir lui dire ces mots en la regardant droit dans les yeux. Setsuna ne sut que repondre, totalement perdue.
Se –Un ange… ?
Ce n'etait pas la premiere fois que Konoka lui disait cela. Elle le lui repetait a chaque fois qu'elle voyait ses ailes. Setsuna se souvint de la premiere fois ou elle avait du montrer sa veritable apparence a la demoiselle. Elle avait ete enleve par Chigusa qui avait invoque un puissant demon a deux tete. Refugiee, sur les hauteurs, Setsuna avait du devoiler ses ailes afin de les atteindre et de recuperer sa maitresse. Lorsque ce fut fait et qu'elle ota la papier magique qui empechait Konoka de parler, celle-ci s'etonna de ses appendices et lui sourit. « C'est jolie. Tu ressembles à un ange. » Quelle immense joie elle avait ressentit alors !
Les larmes lui monterent aux yeux. Elle esquissa un petit sourire tandis qu'elles coulaient le long de ses joues.
Ko –Se-chan ?
Se –Pourquoi… ? Pourquoi est-ce que tu me souris toujours ? Pourquoi m'acceptes-tu de la sorte ? Je…
Konoka effaca les larmes avec son pouce en caressant son visage.
Ko –Pourquoi est-ce que tu me proteges ?
Setsuna eut un petit rire…
Se –Vous vous souvenez, le jour ou on s'est rencontre ?
Ko –Oui ?
Se –On devait avoir, je ne sais plus, 4, 5 ans peut-etre. C'était la première fois qu'on se voyait et vous m'avez souris. Ce sourire… Je l'attendais tant ! D'aussi loin que je me souvienne, il n'y avait eu que regards haineux, des cris, les femmes qui ramenaient leurs enfants vers elles, les éloignant de moi comme de la peste. Ces regards, ces mots qu'elles disaient sur moi… ( Ses larmes redoublerent) Comme si je ne comprenais pas ! Demon ! Fille de demon ! Elle n'apportera que le mal ! Encore et encore ces memes paroles. Et bien sur les enfants suivaient l'exemple. Combien de fois je me suis fait battre en tentant d'etablir un contact. Je me souviens encore. J'avais juste marmoner un faible bonjour… (elle se cacha derriere une de ses mains)
Ko –Se-chan…
Se –Ensuite j'ai rencontre mes maitres de Shinmei. Elles m'ont montré que l'humanité ne se résumait pas a cette violence. Qu'on pouvait avoir confiance dans les autres. Mais je crois que le jour ou je suis née, c'est le jour où je vous ai rencontré. On m'avait dit que j'allai voir l'équivalent d'une princesse dans notre monde. J'avai peur. Peur d'être encore rejetée. Peur de revoir cette haine, ce mepris. ( Konoka tira sur le bras de Setsuna qui lui montra alors un faible sourire) Mais non. Vous m'avez souris. Vous m'avez acceptée sans savoir qui j'etais, sans savoir ce que j'etais. J'etais tellement contente !
Ko –Je ne savais pas…
Se –C'est pourquoi je voulais vous proteger. Vous m'etiez si precisieuse ! J'avais enfin l'impression d'exister. Mais vous etes tombee dans cette riviere… Je n'ai rien pu faire. Je m'en voulais… Je m'en voulais tellement. Je n'etais meme pas capable de proteger ce qui m'etais cher. C'etait risible.
Ko –Se-chan.
Se- Alors depuis je m'entraine. Je ne veux pas voir ce sourire disparaître. Je… je ne veux pas te perdre. (elle recommenca a sangloter) Je…
Ko –J'etais toujours toute seule. Dans cet immense temple. J'etais seule. Commenca konoka
Setsuna releva la tete etonnee. Konoka lui souriait encore et continua.
Ko –Je n'avais personne avec qui jouer, avec qui parler. Les adultes etaient là, bien sur, mais c'était différent. Et tu es arrivée. Ma premiere amie. J'etais si contente ! Mais tu t'es eloignee de moi. J'ai cru que je t'avais fait quelque chose, du mal. J'avais l'impression que tu m'en voulais et je ne savais pas pourquoi. J'etais triste. Et puis j'ai rencontre Asuna. Elle ne m'a plus quitté. J'allai mieux. J'ai rencontre les autres. Et je me suis mise a vivre de nouveau. Puis les ennuis sont arrives. La magie est arrivée dans ma vie. Et tu es reapparue. (Elle lui carressa le visage, effacant au passage les sillons qu'avaient laissés les larmes) Tu m'as sauvé du danger, encore et encore. Et tu me proteges encore et encore. Je n'en demandai pas tant. Je n'en demande pas tant. Je voulais juste que tu sois mon amie.
Konoka se mit a carresser la longue cicatrice de son amie qui rougit immediatement, embarassee au plus haut point mais qui ne l'arreta pas pour autant.
Ko –J'ai cru te perdre ce jour-la. Quand j'ai pu enfin quitte le temple et partir a ta recherche, on t'a retrouvé gisant dans une marre de sang. Il n'y avais plus trace de ton opposant. Tout ce sang. (Konoka trembla) Je t'ai cru morte ! Tu ne reagissais meme pas a mes appels ! Sans Negi et le pactio, je ne sais pas…
Se –Ojou-sama…
Ko –C'est pourquoi ! (Elle releva vivement la tete, se retrouvant du coup tout pres du visage de son amie) C'est pourquoi j'etudie toujours autant la magie ! Je veux pouvoir te proteger moi aussi ! Et sans l'aide de personne ! Pouvoir te proteger… Te rendre tout ce que tu me donnes… C'est tout ce que je demande. Je ne veux pas te perdre moi non plus !
Se –kono…chan…
Ses yeux brillaient d'une telle force, Setsuna en etait troublee. Elle etait proche, si proche d'elle. Elle n'avait qu'a se pencher un peu pour… _Mais a quoi je pense ?!!! Arrete de delirer ! _Setsuna se mit une ou deux claques mentales avant de la regarder de nouveau. Konoka s'apercut de sa gene causee par sa proximite. Elle aposa alors sa main droite sur sa joue.
Ko –Dis, tu veux bien rester avec moi pour toujours ?
Ceci dit, Konoka se pencha vers son amie. Setsuna croyait delirer. _Impossible ! Konoka ne ferait jamais…ca… _Et pourtant ce n'etait pas sur la joue que Konoka avait l'intention de l'embrasser. Ca elle le voyait tres clairement. Que faire ?
Alors que leurs levres etaient sur le point de se froler, alors que Setsuna etait sur le point de craquer, la porte s'ouvrit.
Servante –Mademoiselle Konoka ! Vous avez de la visite… euh ?
Setsuna avait repousse Konoka et la maintenait fermement par les épaules aussi loin d'elle que la longueur de ses bras le permettait. Elle avait la tete baissee.
Ko –J'arrive. Declara la magicienne.
Servante –Bien.
Elle ressortit. Setsuna poussa un long soupir accompagnee de sa maitresse. Ce qui les fit rire l'espace d'un instant.
Ko –C'etait moins une. Desolee. Je dois y aller. Tu m'attends, hein ?
Se –euh… Oui. Bien sur.
Alors furtivement, Konoka l'embrassa sur la joue et sortit. Cinq secondes plus tard, Setsuna revenait a elle et se demandait si elle n'avait pas rêvé tout ca…
Fin…
ou
A suivre…
Je ne sais pas.
Une petite review please, pour me dire si vous voulez une suite et aussi si l'absence d'accent gène vraiment votre lecture ou non. ;)
Amicalement,
**Nini**
2. Chapter 2
Démon ou Ange ?
Et voila le chapitre deux ! J'espère qu'il vous plaira
Chapitre 2
Setsuna s'était rassise a la fenêtre et profitait de la brise de cette fin de journée. Le regard au loin, elle ressassait ce qui venait de se produire. Konoka avait voulu l'embrasser. Pour ca, il n'y avait pas de doute. Setsuna rougit. Ce n'était pas la première fois que son amie avait un tel comportement envers elle. Il y avait eu cette fois la, au village du cinéma pendant leur voyage a Kyoto où Konoka l'avait déguisée en homme et c'était amusée avec elle. Puis cette autre fois, où Setsuna l'avait rappelée Kono-chan par mégarde, celle-ci lui avait demande si elle voulait l'embrasser. Voyant sa surprise, elle avait aussitôt dit qu'elle plaisantait. Mais plaisantait-elle réellement ? Parfois Setsuna en doutait. Des regards, des gestes, s'ils étaient adresses à un homme on aurait dit sans hésiter qu'elle la draguait mais là… Peut-on vraiment parler de séduction ? Ou Konoka s'amuse-t-elle simplement ? Setsuna était un peu perplexe. Parfois elle se mettait à espérer et d'autres fois elle se refreinait.
_« Dis, tu veux bien rester avec moi pour toujours ? » _
Elle entendit à nouveau cette phrase. Son rythme cardiaque s'emballa. Bien sur qu'elle le voulait ! Elle le voulait plus que tout au monde. Mais était-ce raisonnable ? Etait-ce possible ? Et puis… Oui elle voulait rester avec elle mais d'une manière qu'elle ne concevait peut-être pas… Rah ! Ca devenait un peu confus tout ca !
Setsuna respira un bon coup et se calma. Parfois, vaut mieux laisser faire les choses et voir en fonction des évènements. C'est ce qu'elle se dit mais c'était plus pour se rassurer qu'autre chose.
Son attention fut détournée. Un homme marchait dans l'allée. Il s'en allait. Setsuna cacha instinctivement ses ailes. Elle ne le connaissait pas et il ne lui disait rien de bon. D'ailleurs celui-ci se retourna et la regarda droit dans les yeux, un sourire aux lèvres. Setsuna se releva vivement. L'homme poursuivit son chemin sous le regard étonné et un peu effrayé de la kendoka. Lorsqu'il fut hors de son champ de vision, Setsuna put enfin se détendre. Qui était-ce ?
Konoka fit alors son entrée.
Ko –Pfiou ! Qu'est-ce qu'ils peuvent être têtu parfois ! C'est dingue !
La magicienne s'affala sur le futon. Setsuna la regarda étonnée. Elle enfila un haut noir moulant.
Se –De qui parlez-vous ?
Ko –Mon père et mon grand-père bien sur ! Ils sont décidés plus que jamais à me marier.
Setsuna s'étrangla. Elle ne s'habituera jamais à cette idée…
Se –C'est normal… Ils veulent des petits-enfants… murmura-t-elle.
Ko –Je sais tout ca mais c'est pas pour autant que je doive épouser le premier venu ! gros soupir
Setsuna s'assit près d'elle et la regarda d'un air bienveillant. Konoka avait fermé ses yeux et semblait prendre un peu de repos.
Ko –Je sais tout ca. Reprit calmement la jeune femme. Mais…
Elle rouvrit les yeux et leurs regards s'accrochèrent.
Ko -…moi j'ai déjà quelqu'un.
Se –Hein ?? S'emporta-t-elle provoquant l'hilarité de son amie. Qui est-ce ?!
Ko –Tu ne devines pas ? fit-elle amusée.
Se –Non. Pourquoi ? Je devrais ?
Konoka attrapa la kendoka qui se retrouva allongée à son côté.
Ko –Oui. Tu devrais. Dit-elle plus sérieusement.
Setsuna déglutit et rosit. Non ! Impossible !
Ko –Dis moi. Pour toi, c'est quoi un époux ?
Se –Un homme ? répondit-elle un peu déboussolée par le changement de sujet.
Konoka rigola.
Ko –A part ca. Quels sont ses devoirs ?
Se –Et bien il doit veiller sur son épouse, lui assurer un foyer, une stabilité financière, la protéger de tout danger… et accessoirement lui faire des enfants…
Ko –Et a part ca ?
Se- Ben… il doit l'aimer bien sûr.
Ko –Très bien. Supposons que ce soit ca. Je n'ai pas la réponse bien sur, mais disons que ma définition se rapproche de la tienne, qui remplit le mieux ses critères ?
Se –Comment ca ?
Ko –Qui veille sur moi ? Qui me protège de tout danger même au péril de sa vie ? Qui…
Se –Attends ! Je ne peux pas ! Je ne peux pas être celui dont tu parles ! dit-elle en se relevant sur les coudes.
Ko –Et pourquoi donc ?
Se –Déjà d'une, faut être un homme pour être qualifie d'époux…
Ko –Tu sais de nos jours, il n'est plus nécessaire d'être un homme et une femme pour se marier…
Se –Et de deux, je ne peux pas…
Konoka se détourna, la gorge serrée. Elle avait tout tenté mais Setsuna semblait déterminée à jouer les autruches aujourd'hui. Elle fit mine de se relever et de partir. Le cœur de la kendoka se serra à l'en faire mal. Non ! Pas cette fois ! Elle ne fuirait pas. Setsuna la rattrapa alors et la rallongea de force se plaçant au-dessus d'elle.
Se –Plus que tout ! Plus que tout j'aimerai être cette personne ! Etre avec toi… De cette manière… …Mais c'est impossible !
Elle avait le visage baissé de manière à ne pas rencontrer le regard de la magicienne.
Ko –Si c'est possible ! Il suffirait juste que tu ouvres les yeux et…
Se –Je ne peux pas faire ca ! Je ne peux pas te priver de ca ! Je n'en ai pas le droit.
Ko –Mais de quoi tu parles ?!
Se –D'enfants !
Ko –Mais je m'en moque !
Se –Pour le moment ! Mais viendra un jour où inévitablement tu en voudras. Et moi aussi. Et…
Ko –Rah ! Setsuna !
Se –Je ne veux pas être la cause de tes souffrances ! cria-t-elle les larmes aux yeux en relevant la tête.
Ko –Alors arrête tes simagrées et embrasse-moi ! répondit-elle de même.
Setsuna se mordit violemment la lèvre et ferma les yeux. Dieu qu'elle voulait répondre a son attente ! Elle en tremblait. Mais elle ne pouvait pas !
Un filet de sang coula sur son menton.
Et voilà. Elle se blessait à nouveau. Konoka retint un soupir de justesse. Têtue, bornée, obstinée, tous ces adjectifs convenait parfaitement à la guerrière, mais également à la magicienne. Si Konoka voulait quelque chose, elle l'aurait. Après tout, elle avait laissé beaucoup de chose sous le contrôle des autres. Mais ça. Ca non. Ca, c'était uniquement à elle. Ca, c'était Setsuna.
Konoka s'étira et lécha le sang. Setsuna ouvrit les yeux instantanément. Konoka continuait de lécher et remonta lentement jusqu'à la source. Le cœur de Setsuna se mit à battre vivement. Il cognait si fort dans sa poitrine qu'elle cru qu'il allait en sortir ! Konoka arriva enfin à la lèvre blessée et l'embrassa. Bref. Furtif. Un baiser au gout de sang. Puis Konoka se laissa tomber sur le futon et regarda la kendoka qui essayait de reprendre le souffle qui lui avait échappé. Elle déglutit et s'allongea sur elle, mettant sa tête dans son cou. Konoka referma ses bras sur elle, empêchant ainsi toute retraite.
Se –Tu crois… Est-ce qu'on peut vraiment…
Setsuna s'interrompit. Sa gorge beaucoup trop nouée pour laisser passer un seul autre son. Konoka soupira.
Ko –Tu sais quoi ? Je crois que tu réfléchis trop Secchan. Pourquoi tu ne te laisses pas un peu aller de temps en temps ? Ca te ferait du bien. Et à moi aussi…
Setsuna prit appui sur ses coudes et regarda de nouveau son amie. Elle lui souriait encore. Le regard de la kendoka faisait des allers-retours entre les yeux de la magicienne et ses lèvres. Allait-elle… Pouvait-elle…
Au moment où, lasse d'attendre, Konoka tendait le cou pour atteindre Setsuna, la vitre vola en éclat. Setsuna s'aplatit alors complètement, la protégeant de son corps et plaça son bras devant le visage de Konoka pour la protéger des bouts de verres. Une fois menace de coupure écartée, elle se retourna en se relevant vivement prête à en découdre. Elle eut juste le temps de voir une lame s'abattre sur elle. Konoka cria.
A suivre !
Et oui en plein suspence et j'aime ça xD Comment ça sadique ? Pour une fois que c'est pas moi la lectrice
Bien sûr, la suite arrivera aussi vite que possible.
Un merci à ceux/celles qui arrivent à me suivre P
A bientôt !
Nini
End file.
| fanfiction |
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2008: A Look Back
Well, that really sucked.
In High Places
When it comes to pain, I'm a Class A wimp.
Even a steady, moderate-level headache mixed with a little nausea makes me all whiny. I've been sluggish for two days, and you'd think I had some chronic illness from the way I'm sleeping and complaining.
It's just altitude sickness. Happens to lots of people when they come to La Paz, Bolivia. It's happened to me before once, in Cuzco more than a decade ago.
I'll just leave it alone. It'll go away eventually.
Categories: Bolivia, Travels with Myself
Day Job the Article
Hey, look, it's me in an online Jersey City magazine.
The sound of rain striking corrugated steel roofs seeps into my consciousness slowly; my head is throbbing and I have my La Paz hotel room's heater on full-blast. The sound is so familiar that at first I don't even think to check it out. Part of the buzzing soundtrack of the developing world.
When I gradually realize that the racket isn't the neighbors, I open the curtains and look outside at a quiet Bolivian street which was full of people a few hours ago. The windows of the buildings across the street twinkle brightly with strings of Christmas lights, taunting my dull brain, numbed from flying into thin air this morning from Lima's sea level. I'm at the back of Hotel Rosario, and my map tells me that I'm in front of a market called "Mercado Negra." Intriguing name. The steel roofs covers the stalls of the market. If I can rouse myself from my altitude-induced haze, I'll go check it out tomorrow.
Bad Luck Charm?
The first time I came to Peru, it was the early 90s. I flew with Faucett Airlines.
It was great—one of those old planes, kind of like flying on Air India. But the flight attendants passed out game cards and made everyone on the plane play Bingo. Which was awesome.
Faucett is out of business now.
The second time was only a year later, a trip to Machu Picchu tacked onto a longer trip to the Galapagos. I took AeroPeru.
AeroPeru is out of business now.
This time I flew with American, intent on proving that the previous two incidents were just coincidence.
Categories: Peru, Travels with Myself
Pushing It
Yesterday, I left my mother's at 10, ran by the post office, drove to Alexandria where I bought some last-minute things at REI (which I already own but stupidly did not look at my packing list for Bolivia until I was underway), got a manicure, ran by Target, and dropped the rental car off at National Airport with only six minutes to spare.
I got to hang around the airport for hours. What fun.
Then I was off to Miami, but because we had NO PILOT, our flight was delayed. I barely made my Peru connection in Miami.
I picked at my plane food and slept poorly, as one does on airplanes.
This morning, my plane arrived an hour late. But the hotel taxi driver waited. In Spanish too screwy to qualify as broken, I convinced him to take my bag to the hotel and drop me off at the bus station.
Which, of course, was sold out of seats on the 7:30 bus to Ica. So I jumped into another taxi and rushed over to Soyuz bus terminal. Their buses are not as nice as the Cruz del Sur buses I'd been aiming for, but they leave every 8 minutes.
I got on the 7:34 a.m. bus, wished for coffee or breakfast, but knew it was only a day of inconvenience.
Four-and-a-half hours later, I tried to stop the bus as we passed the hotel that holds the office of AeroCondor, but there was a toddler plopped down in the aisle, so I continued on to Ica like the other passengers. There I got a taxi to the Hotel Las Dunas, where I wheedled for ages until a single seat suddenly became available.
"I e-mailed ahead! Three separate people responded that I had a booking."
"That happens all the time."
It was another 4.5 hours back to Lima afterwards, which didn't include a 45 minutes wait to buy a ticket or the fact that all I got eat all day was a Popsicle, and my ankles were swollen while my brain was numb.
But I got to see the Nazca Lines, something I never got around to before.
The Muggings
On Christmas Eve, I interviewed my mother and sister about the traumatic experience of having pyscho neighbors while we were growing up.
Which went well, though there is a lot more to ask about.
But my mother reminded me of the times when she was mugged, which I had completely forgotten about given the bigger picture. We were terrorized daily, so what's a little urban mugging?
Once, Mom was walking home from the grocery store across the ball park on the night before Thanksgiving. Just as she noticed the streetlight overhead was out and that it was really, really dark, she heard someone run up behind her. "Maybe it's a jogger," she thought, wishful-thinking the obvious away.
Wishing didn't work and a man grabbed her purse and kept running. She held tight, was pulled down, and found herself dragged along as she fought to hold onto the bag.
"I am getting scraped up for $5," she thought. She let go and the man ran away with her bag. She still had her groceries. Replacing the ID and credit cards was a drag, but the mugger would have done better to grab her groceries.
My sister then told a story about someone grabbing her bag when she was waiting down near The Birchmere, a famous music club in Alexandria. All she'd had it the bag was her bus pass, but damned if she didn't need that bus pass. She chased the guy all the way down into a part of town called "The Hole," so named for unsavory reasons involving crime and poverty. And perhaps for an inability to spell the word "waffle" with two Fs.
"When I looked up and realized I was in the Hole, I turned around and ran back the way I came. Forget the bus pass. I walked home."
The second time Mom was mugged, she was walking to work and again, a kid/man (older teenager, I guess) ran up behind her and grabbed her bag. She held tight and pulled back. "Stop, thief!"
A minibus full of senior citizens was loading up a half-block away. They turned around and eyed the situation.
"What would they have done, Mom?" I asked. "They couldn't well chase him!"
"I don't know, but all those people watching seemed to work. The mugger let go of my bag and grabbed my beret instead. I liked it—it was brown and had a silk lining. He grabbed my beret and ran away!"
"And later, I saw him on the Metro. I'm sure it was him. I *glared.* AND HE WAS WEARING MY BERET."
And on that note, I am boarding a plane to Miami, to connect through to Lima, Peru. Hasta mañana.
A Shark Ate My Internet
Three of the four telecommunications cables connecting the Middle East to Europe were cut last week. As far as I could tell, this didn't seem to affect Kuwait much, but it diminished Egypt's Internet access by 80 percent.
This isn't the first time. It happened before earlier in the year. That time, ship's anchors were blamed for the cuts. Or maybe sabotage. Conspiracy theories abound.
My favorite theory is the one my Cairo-based designer heard: Sharks!
Categories: Egypt
Christmas With My Family
Mom's husband's Wii is making chirpy, friendly noises in the living room, as I interrogate my sister at the dining room table. I've stuck my new digital audio recorder in front of her to ask about her memories of our teenage years. Mom's bratty cocker spaniel barks like it's defending the homestead from zombies.
Sis: "Tony was doing tattoos down in our basement."
Me: "What? Tony was doing tattoos in our basement? I didn't know that."
Sis: "You didn't know that?"
Me: "No. Where was I?"
We talk a while, then I ask when my parents split up. No one can remember exactly when.
Mom: "He left at least three times."
Me: "He did? I only remember once."
Mom: "There was that time he went and stayed in a tent."
Me: "Why did he do that?"
Mom: "He was mad about something."
Me: "What?"
Mom: "I don't know."
Me: "How come I didn't notice any of this? Tattoos... leaving... "
Sis: "Cuz you were reading your books. You were in your room reading your books while life went on around you. You were always reading your books. Until you got a job at Roy Rogers, and then you were always working."
Mom: "You were ... escaping."
Some things never change. But at least I come by it honest.
An Experiment in Live Blogging
I can think of few things duller than live blogging my bus ride to Washington, DC, but because the BoltBus has wi-fi, I simply cannot help myself. Here goes.
0815: I've "tornado packed" for Bolivia (12/27), and I totally underdid it on the clothing front. This happened when I went to C-olombia earlier this year. I texted C in a panic as he was already at Newark Airport, having been more disciplined than I am since his train from Princeton ran less often than the on-demand taxi from my apartment. "What's the weather like in Colombia?" "Just throw something in a bag and come on." I am pissed now when I read his Facebook update which notes that he is already packed and ready for his own trip home. I guess I can buy clothes in Bolivia if I run out. Cheery Alpaca sweaters, anyone?
0823: I couldn't get a taxi to the PATH because it was raining, and everyone wanted a taxi to the PATH. And I have my backpack, which is a lot heavier than I remember. But there's a bus that goes from in front of my house to Port Authority, so I am waiting on it.
0824: I see the bus up the block, leaving. It wasn't waiting at its usual stop because, as I now notice, the bay was full of ice. I trudge to the PATH in the rain. Not so bad. Half the walk is through the Newport Mall and an attached office building.
0835: Train pulls in just as I do. Off to 33rd and 6th. BoltBus stop is at 33rd and 7th.
0900: Standing in line at BoltBus stop. There's a big gap between me and the guy in front of me, cuz he has an umbrella and I am huddled under an awning next to SBarro.
0902: Driver calls out "B!" My printout says "B." Apparently A and B get to board first. The driver puts my pack under the bus and I board. Another customer tells me that if you sign up at the BoltBus website, you are always an A no matter how late you buy you ticket.
0920: A large man smushes in from the aisle and crushes my a/c adapter, which make a horrible crack. He doesn't notice, nor does he hear my whining pleas to "EXCUSE ME!" I have visions of no power for two days (I doubt the Apple Store is open on Christmas). I pull it out from the outlet and inspect it. Bent. Fortunately, it still works. I glare at him. He switches seats and a nicer, smaller man sits next to me. A sensible man.
0930: Departure.
0932: The driver gets some kind of call, then announces that the Lincoln Tunnel is closed in both directions. What? It's going to be a long day. NJ Turnpike in rain on Christmas Eve. Joy to the world indeed. We head south to the Holland.
0950: The same passenger who told me about the hot Boltbus A tip informs the driver that the next right is Varick Street and will get him to the Holland Tunnel. The driver is like "No duh, woman." She's gone too far.
0955: We are in the Tunnel. There is wi-fi. THERE IS WI-FI IN THE HOLLAND TUNNEL, on the BoltBus. That's strange. I am kind of freaked out by this revelation.
1000: We sail by my apartment, only three blocks away. What a shame I cannot flag the bus down from the Hess station.
1006: Doing about 40 mph on the NJ Turnpike Spur.
1012: By Exit 13, I make the astonishing discovery that staring at a laptop on a moving bus makes me want to vomit. Shutting down.
Categories: New York, Travels with Myself
Hair Don'ts
Here's what you don't want to hear while getting the hair color and shampoo rinsed out of your hair at a posh salon:
"We don't have any water! What happened to the water?"
I was lucky. Normally, my colorist waits "five more minutes" after the timer to wash out the color, but today, she was like "Oh, whatever, it's baked, springs back when touched" and sent me off to get doused.
And the water gave out halfway through. There was exactly enough left in the pipes to drizzle on me and get the color out. But I don't know what happened to everyone else.
The owner of the salon was yelling at a man from the building as I left. "What do you mean it will be back on later? This is a HAIR SALON and tomorrow is Christmas Eve! We have hundreds of customers today! We have people in the middle of their process."
"Use toilet water," snarked an assistant. Then, looking at me, "She isn't laughing."
No. No, I wasn't.
Categories: New York
Christmas in Springfield
Here's a little video that Thanos and I made in 1987.
It's kind of like A Christmas Carol, but not.
I put the easy-to-view low-res video here on the blog, but those of you with nice big computers and Quicktime plug-ins can go watch the nicer-quality video here.
My Christmas Gift to Me
Today is a snow day and somehow I've already finished my Christmas shopping. I even mailed it all to myself at my mother's PO Box in Virginia, to avoid carrying too much on the bus. So instead of running around the mall with the rest of the region's population, I am playing with my new toy.
I bought a Zoom H2 digital audio recorder after Thanos recorded Denise and me on the one he got at B&H when he was in town. It's known for excellent sound, portability, and all I have to do to move the sounds onto my laptop is plug in the USB cable, then drag-and-drop. Yee-haw.
We've come a long way from my days of dragging around a Marantz recorder and cutting tape with razor blades, back at school in the mid-80s.
Today I learned to use my Zoom by recording messages off my answering machine (Hello, Jessica Wolk-Stanley, thanks for cooperating with my experiment). There was ambient noise from 'fridge (oops, better turn that back on) and the neighbors, so I threw a blanket over the answering machine's speaker and the Zoom, and turned the Zoom on "Front Record" so it was directional.
My plan now is to take this down to Virginia, put it down on the dining room table, and sit my mother in one chair and my sister in the other. I am hoping we can straighten out exactly what happened in Del Ray in the early 80s. I put some of the story in my comic "Scorched Birth" (free for the asking) and some of it here on the multimedia project that Thanos helped Denise and I with. But this brought up all kinds of "It wasn't like this, it was like that" back-and-forth between the rest of my family.
And maybe, once we get that straight, maybe I'll take the Zoom to Bolivia with me. Along with my tiny flash video camera.
You've been warned.
Avenue B Christmas
In 1999, I made a Christmas postcard out of this image. It's the view from my studio, in my 2-bedroom Avenue B condo that I sold in January, 2001 so that I could go around the world.
Back then, I actually had a list of people I sent holiday cards to.
I haven't bothered sending out cards in many years.
Another Event that Baffles
Buy why? Why would the comic strip Mary Worth quote Daniel Johnston?
Worse, why would they attribute it wrong? Would the writer have used the quote (not the most insightful) if she'd known it was a Jad Fair lyric, not a Daniel Johnston lyric? When did Daniel out-cool Jad? (I think it might be when the movie The Devil and Daniel Johnston came out.)
The world of the Sunday funnies is a strange and mind-boggling place. But I'm not the only one wondering about this.
Categories: comics, Daniel Johnston
I Am So Not Impressed
Jeff T sent me a scan of the Parade article. "Marie Jarvins?" WTF?
Lame, lame, lame.
Categories: book
Everyone Loves a Parade
A half-dozen friends and e-acquaintances have e-mailed or Facebooked me to say that the 3-D World Atlas & Tour was recommended in Parade magazine this past Sunday.
Lisa W is sending me a copy from Seattle. She said that it read:
Kids will also love *3-D World Atlas and Tour* by Marie Javins, with its more than 50 3-D photos of world maps and sites--from the Grand Canyon to Athens to Antarctica.
And is pictured nearby.
No wonder the atlas screamed up the charts at Amazon yesterday.
Sunday the 14th of December was a big day in Sunday newspapers. More about that tomorrow.
Shame I Don't Get Royalties
Wow! The 3-D Atlas is at #604 on Amazon this morning. Amazing.
An Empty Promise to Myself
Every time I rent a car (which admittedly, isn't that often), I remind myself to look into the LDW and insurance options before the next time I rent a car.
I know that whatever credit card I use covers me to a point, but I also know that car rental employees are somehow not doing their job if they aren't trying to sell me additional coverage. And they make it sound like the world will collapse if I don't take the LDW or whatever it's called. They always confuse me. Is there some value to what they are selling or is it a total racket? I have no idea. I smile, decline the coverage, and hope nothing hits my cheesy little rental.
I'm renting a car at Christmas, as part of my scheme to end up in Bolivia. No, I'm not driving to Bolivia. I'm taking the BoltBus down to Washington DC and renting a car there. I'll drive that to my mother's for a few days, then drop it off at National Airport (no "Reagan National Airport" for those of us who grew up in the shadow of "National," nosirree) on the 27th before flying to Peru via Miami. Neither of which is Bolivia. It's complicated.*
So this morning, I am perusing credit card websites. Apparently, "Terms and Conditions Apply." And it's "Subject to Change Without Notice."
My, how helpful.
Now I remember why I never worked this out before. It takes hours. Maybe even days.
Maybe I'll work on this some other day. Sure, that's it. Some other time.
Before the next time I have to rent a car.
*Actually, not that complicated. 30,000 frequent flyer miles gets me to Lima. 50,000 gets me to La Paz. I had 30k. Once I get to Lima, I have a paid flight to La Paz via a LAN South America Airpass, which is insanely cheap compared to direct flights. See? Easy.
E, a friend of mine from college, found me on the Instant Message function of Facebook the other day.
I have to say, I kind of abhor the IM function...it seems so abrupt. One minute you're minding your own business—or rather everyone else's business as you voyeuristically observe the activities of your Friends—the next you've got this message screaming across your screen at you. Uh, hello.
But I was quite happy to hear from E, who I hadn't talked to since 1987 or maybe 1986. My college was funky in that only half the students were on-campus at once, the rest spread out across the country and even world. E was a poet, and my most vivid memory of her is of her performing at a cafe in town. There were other poets too, and some music. CM from Youngstown was there, reading his poetry just before or after E. I don't remember the rest, except that they both kicked butt over a faculty poet, one who'd given me a sarcastic evaluation about my writing skills and my sense of humor. I didn't take poetry seriously. Ha. Truer words have seldom been spoken.
E is divorced these days, lives in a northern city in the Midwest, and works hard to support her kids. So many of us have had to come to terms with our hopes and dreams dissolving into the drudgery of work. I say that as someone who clearly has NOT come to terms with it. I fight routine, reject boredom, and resist, sometimes passively, sometimes out loud and with ferocity.
"Marie," typed E. "What would make you happy?"
I thought for a second before typing back. I could talk about creative disappointment and how I want to write my own books again, not spend my days facilitating someone else's dreams in exchange for a paycheck that allows me to subsist and nothing else, or I could mention how routine is dulling my senses and makes my brain flat, or I could talk about how my body has started betraying me with wrinkles and pockets of unexpected flab and how I'd like that to stop short, or I could talk about how I don't want to be reminded of cultural elitism and of how I am not part of the intellectual class, how when push comes to shove, I'm not of that world. I could mention that I want to be challenged daily, to learn new things and to be engaged, and if I can't travel as a shortcut to get this, I'd like to find a way to be more "alive" at home.
Or I could tell her the truth.
"Company." I typed. "I'd like some company."
She paused before typing back.
"Me too."
The Surprise
Yancey and Andrea are beyond the reach of the blog right now, where they are on dial-up, and when they get access, they'll spend it on work and e-mail, not on reading my blog.
So here it is, the surprise I sewed for them last weekend. I'm still kind of inept at sewing, but I made them a diaper bag and matching changing pad for their upcoming life-changing event, which is scheduled to occur in the spring of 2009.
It's still in the mail, and I'm missing their baby shower tomorrow because I just couldn't fit in a drive to Maryland and back this weekend.
I sewed in pockets this time, a first for me and bag-sewing. And I tried to use non-cutesy fabrics so that Yancey could carry the bag as well as Andrea. Though knowing Yancey, he wouldn't care in the slightest if anyone looked at him sideways. He'd probably do a little dance for them.
Categories: Miscellaneous, Procrastination
Last Class of the Year
My second coloring class finished up last night.
"I'm telling my friends to take your class," said XX.A., son of a famous comic book artist (turned advertising illustrator).
Wha--? The pressure!
"Really?" My voice might have quivered just a little. He could see I was a little freaked out.
"I just want them to stop asking me questions about Photoshop." He backtracked.
Ah, relief.
"Don't do that," I thought. "I want students to come in here with low expectations. There were already three students in here who could out digital-paint me, though they claimed to have learned something. I had to use snarkiness to keep the class under control this time. Fortunately, I am a skilled snarker."
No more coloring school until January 14. Phew.
Categories: Miscellaneous, New York
An Uncomfortable Truth
I haven't learned much in writing class, but there's been a steady parade of entertaining guests. Today's guest had just written a Times piece that made me laugh, but there was nothing funny about the close-to-home Graham Greene line he quoted at the end of his essay.
"As the years pass writing will not become any easier, the daily effort will grow harder to endure, those powers of observation will become enfeebled; you will be judged, when you reach your forties, by performance and not by promise."
-Graham Greene, The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen
Cambodia Photos
Yancey and Andrea went on a long trip to Southeast Asia. They sent back beautiful photos, including lots of them petting baby elephants near Bangkok.
I can't upload their photos (for one thing, there are hundreds but for another, they are not mine) but I scanned in some of my own photos from Cambodia in 2001 and from a trip a year earlier in 2000. I have loads more of the rest of the region, but one place at a time. Though I didn't get to pet any baby elephants. Not in Thailand, anyway.
Looking through the photos makes me pine for mango and sticky rice on the street near the Viengtai Hotel, and for green curry served in a coconut in Siem Reap. I want to outsmart Bangkok traffic and argue with touts by the lake in Hanoi. I'd love to stumble onto someone I know unexpectedly on Khao San Road again, or hail a kid on a moped to take me to get pizza by the river in Phnom Penh. Or ask Mrs. Thuy in Hoi An to sew me up a replica of a dress I wore in 1992, but make it cover my knees this time.
Instead, I will send a few more pages of next month's comic to the printer, trudge through the cold to the deli for lunch, and fight with a corrupt font.
Top-Secret Project
Sorry I've been quiet on the blogging front.
I'm working on a top secret gift.
The 3-D children's atlas has shown up in a few unexpected places, setting off my Google Alerts.
TrustyPony mentioned it, and a spot called A Book Blogger's Diary.
Words to Dream By
Here's a Chinese proverb that was quoted in Alison Wright's book, Learning to Breathe: One Woman's Journey of Spirit and Survival. So true...and yet...in the end, it's just a proverb. I've had so many romantic coincidences in my life, and in the end, they just dissolve into poetic nothing. I want to believe. But I don't.
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break.
Linky Tuesday
A couple of interesting links today:
Max from GoNOMAD.com has been blogging as he travels around Iran. His trip there is what inspired me to scan in and post the photos from my 1998 trip across Iran. Read about his adventures on his own blog.
Meanwhile, World Hum writer Frank Bures has taken a trip to Uganda. I had to giggle as he waited for hours for the bus to fill up at the end, and then a tire blew out en route from Gulu to Kampala. ("Flat of the day," thinks the voice of experience.)
A Cold, Hard Look
Pernille's blog linked to an excellent post over the weekend.
The post writer offers a dose of reality on pay-to-volunteer programs and explains why overseas programs won't take just anyone. Put another way, think of it like this. Could anyone walk into your workplace and do your job? It doesn't change just because it's in another country. Aid and development work takes training too, and not everyone can do it. As for "I'll do anything, even sweep floors," well of course there are plenty of people who are willing to sweep floors, and many of them already live near the office.
After-Thanksgiving
I took the PATH to the Amtrak to the Metro yesterday, to get from my home in JC to where I met my mother, sister, and the Other Marie for an afternoon, before I took the Metro to the Amtrak to the PATH to get back home just after midnight.
My mother posted a photo of me and the Other Marie on her blog.The Other Marie has her eyes open in that one.
One of the day's highlights was when a certain person that I know pulled her wallet out of her coat pocket in Staples and as she pulled it out, a Tampax flew up in the air and landed on the floor at Staples. The cashier, a dignified older man, didn't miss a beat and stared straight up like he hadn't seen it, though my mother and I were collapsing in giggles while the other person grabbed the Tampax and shoved it back into her coat.
Staples Alexandria Duke Street cashier: All class.
Giving Thanks for Not Having to Blow Up Giant Frogs for a Living
Actually, the idea of blowing up giant Kermits for a living sounds kind of appealing. I don't mind the idea so much.
I went to the Macy's balloon inflation on Wednesday night. I've almost gone many times, but it's usually too cold to brave the streets after dark the night before Thanksgiving.
It was a mob scene, with the mob mostly being made up of wee children.
Guinea Fowl with That?
For years, I thought this was a photo of l'il me with my color-by-number acrylic painting, my turkey drawing, and my pilgrim hat.
But I just took a close look, and it is clearly not a turkey. This Marie-art is a guinea fowl. So my Thanksgiving photo has gone off-course a bit.
Which means somewhere, there is a turkey photo. Maybe next year.
Atlas-Reading Grown-Ups
My sister forced everyone she met to look at my 3-D World Atlas & Tour. Even our mother. And then she took their photos.
And put them on Facebook. Have a look.
Wall Street Journal. Day job.
Headless Me
Kelly sent me some photos of me at the bookstore appearance.
Strangely, I had no head in several of them. But here, in this shot, I had a head.
Categories: book, New York
I'm the guest blogger right now on the Chronicle Books blog.
I did a little self-cannibalizing of my own blog and works, and I also took the opportunity to dispel the myth of seeing the Great Wall from space.
Think about it. How ridiculous is that? The Great Wall is, what, ten feet across? Sometimes it crumbles and almost disappears into the landscape. It's not even as wide as your house, unless you live in a NYC railroad, in which case your 8-foot-wide apartment is probably in a large building that is way wider than the Great Wall but duh, cannot be seen from space.
Okay, sure, bring a telescope with lots of power and you can see anything. We're talking naked eye here.
I personally have not been to space to confirm all of this, and I think in China it's a "fact" that the Wall can be seen from space, but I went to a lot of trouble to look it up and NASA astronauts agree—nope, can't see it.
Knitting With Marie
I went to my second (and final) knitting class last night with Roberta and Michael Kraiger. There's a new coffee shop dedicated to knitting in JC, so it seemed wise to take advantage of it while it is still here. This new shop could surprise me and be in business in a year—it sells coffee, after all—but it does seem bit too nichey to survive. Knichey. Whatever.
I was discouraged. Roberta showed up with a good six inches of knitted red scarf, perfectly stitched. Kraiger had done even more, though less perfectly. I'd had a great deal of practice and "casting on" (loading up one stick at the start) and the "knit stitch" (the basic movement that is the basis for knitting), because I'd screwed up about 12 times, and had to rip out what I'd done to start over.
But every time I finished a few rows, I'd end up with a big knot. This repeated itself in front of the others. I pulled the mess off the needle and dangled it in the air.
"I'm good at sewing," I whined plaintively. "You can't be good at everything."
"She's a perfectionist." Kraiger dismissed the teacher's concerns when the teacher worried that she hadn't taught me well.
I glared at him, thinking "You'll pay for that Monday, when you are my assistant at work."
I hate knitting. I am a lousy knitter. That's fine, I suppose. I can leave knitting to those who appreciate it.
Photos of Iran, the Sequel
I posted more photos of Iran.
Photos of Iran
In 1998, I visited Iran.
This trip was part of a longer expedition, an overland truck trip from Kathmandu to Damascus. You know about overland trucks, right? Remember in Stalking the Wild Dik-Dik, when I went on that Dragoman truck around Ethiopia? Each truck is modified to have bus-style seats for passengers, a small fridge, a card table, a small library, safes, overhead nets or racks, storage space for luggage, camping gear and additional storage on top of the truck, and kitchen gear underneath. Trucks also carry spare parts and spare water/fuel.
Anyway, Americans were not getting into Iran independently or with groups when I signed up for the Kathmandu to Damascus overland truck trip. But I had a plan.
I'd read on this here Internet-thingy (yes, kids, we had Internet in 1998) that the way to get into Iran was to hire a special visa expediter. I hired an Iranian travel specialist in Switzerland and he did it! He got me a visa.
I didn't run around advertising my nationality inside Iran, but I didn't deny it either. Most people didn't seem to mind.
I posted some photos of Iran here and I'll scan in more tomorrow.
I Got Clout
Wasta is an Arabic word that makes the world go 'round in the Gulf. It means influence, or clout, or connections. Need to get paperwork through a ministry in a hurry? You better have wasta. If you don't, it's acceptable to know someone with wasta, so long as that person will contact their connections on your behalf.
I had no wasta of my own in the Gulf, but I knew people who were well-connected. This translated into a kind of semi-wasta for me, where if I had asked the right person to ask another right person, I could possibly have accomplished something.
Here at home, it's not always so different. And here at home, as in the Gulf, I have a terrific shortage of my own wasta. This might be due to my working class childhood, my choice of colleges, my disrespect for normal society, or my career choices. Whatever. I don't have wasta. Sometimes I don't care, because in my heart of hearts, I naively believe that living with sincerity, hard work, and honesty will pay off one day. Though this belief is challenged so frequently that I am having a hard time sticking to it as I age and wilt.
Wasta is kind of like being on the guest list. All the time.
For months now, we've been trying to switch my office's storage unit out of the name of a colleague who left the company and into my name (since I have the corporate card that the bill needs to go to).
D, the kid who does support work in my office, called Manhattan Mini-St0rage some time back.
"I need to change the name on the storage unit."
"The guy whose name is currently on it needs to come in. So does the person whose name it's being changed to."
But that wasn't going to happen. The former colleague has a job too...he cannot go to the storage place during the day. And I have made myself so busy after work that I can ONLY go during the day.
And so we waited. The former colleague got a new bill for the storage unit.
"Tell D to take care of this!"
Uh...hmm. What to do?
D called the storage place again.
"Is there some other way to do this?"
"What about...?"
"Can't I...?"
He gave up. Another week went by.
"Take care of this," I groused at him.
"What should I do?"
"I don't care. Do something. Fix it." I'm a firm believer in continuing to push until you get an answer you can deal with. And I didn't want to spend my time chasing this.
He called the storage place again. Somehow, he got a manager on the phone.
"I need to change it from one name to another, please, isn't there something you can do? I need to put the unit in the name of my editor in chief, Marie Javins."
"Marie Javins? You mean the writer who travels all over Africa?"
Turns out the manager of the mini-storage place owns the garage next to my single-car condo-garage. Minutes later, he cheerfully agreed that the ex-colleague could write a letter, and I just had to come on down with it, and he'd get all the paperwork sorted out.
I have wasta at Manhattan Mini-Storage.
What a waste of wasta.
Today's Bookstore Event
My in-store appearance for the 3-D children's atlas was unlike any other event I've ever participated in.
I'll be speaking and showing photos tomorrow at Book Culture on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at 11 a.m.
It looks like rain.
Come on out and make a girl feel useful, okay?
536 W. 112th St (at Broadway)
Children's section (upstairs)
But I Didn't Inhale
Did everyone see this NY Times story that China is covered in toxic industrial soot? That it's blotting the sun out by 20 percent in some places?
Yancey and I could both have told you that. We were there in April of 2001, and yeah, I don't remember who ended up sicker. No, I do remember. Yancey was sicker than me at that point. But I'd been assimilating already by then, through Bangkok and Hanoi. Didn't help me in Cairo though. I got a horrible cough there initially.
I wonder how the clouds would have looked over the Northeast US during the Industrial Revolution, or if it was just too much "smaller" a world then to have the same impact.
Whatever It Is, I Think It's Important
On Saturday, I am speaking to impressionable young minds about the merits of dik-diks, Djibouti, and Lake Titicaca.
And this site mentioned my appearance. Though I've never heard of the site, they apparently get a lot of traffic because the bookstore in question has been flooded with orders for the 3-D World Atlas & Tour.
Come on by. I'll be at Book Culture on W. 112th just east of Broadway, starting at 11 a.m. I'll wear my new skirt and boots, even.
Insult or Compliment?
I had to go to Brooklyn yesterday to pick up my new custom-made Flirt-skirt and to see a designer about taking in another article of clothing that I'd bought from her flea market stand.
Brooklyn is a big place, with lots of different neighborhoods. I started in Carroll Gardens, which I like, and walked through Gowanus over the canal (now one of my favorite parts of Brooklyn) and then on into Park Slope. After taking care of the business I was there for, I dodged strollers and training wheels on my way to the coffee shop, where I intended to get a snack and do some work on a 3-D atlas piece I'm trying to write for the Chronicle Books blog.
I scanned the menu and addressed the counter help.
"What bread does the hummus and avocado sandwich come on?"
"Whole grain or alsatian."
"Alsatian?" I was puzzled. "Sounds like a dog. What about the chili? Does that have tofu in it?"
I didn't mean to spit it out like tofu was the devil. But y'see, to me, it is. I'm horribly allergic. But the guy behind the counter didn't know that.
"No, no tofu." He laughed at me a little. "It's turkey. It's really good."
"Turkey chili?" I probably looked a little appalled. "I'll have... the BLT."
I thought for a second and then realized I should make sure.
"That's pig meat, right? Not turkey bacon or tofu bacon?"
Shocked, the counter help looked at me.
"You're not very Park Slope."
I squirmed. "I'm not from around here," I said after a minute.
Proudly.
Welcome to New York, Now Go Home
This sign is posted in front of the Woolworth Building. Which made me wonder, since I'm not a tourist, could I march right in?
More Brain Work
We started knitting school last night. Me, Kraiger, Roberta. Well, Roberta had to start the night before due to a scheduling conflict, but she'll be knitting with us next time at the Stockinette Cafe around the corner from me in JC. It's in a place that used to be a deli belonging to the brother-in-law of my friend Pete (who used to be assistant editor on X-Men when I was coloring X-books).
Our teacher was patient and sweet, and coincidentally belongs to the same knitting group as Kraiger's neighbor. His neighbor knows me too, from 20 years ago, when life for me, the Other Marie, and Nancy was about splitting our time between work, sleeping, and watching music at Maxwell's. I've seen the knitting group down the street at BASIC, and I always thought it was odd, all these people sitting around a table chatting and clicking needles.
And now I am one of them. Well, not really. I assume they know what they are doing. I do not.
I did work out how to get the yarn onto the needle, and then how to knit it off onto the other needle, and then switch hands and start over. But it looked like a bunch of knots.
Which is what it is, I suppose. So maybe I'm doing okay.
But Isn't That A Bit Risky?
Eight babies in a Kisumu, Kenya, hospital were named either Barack or Michelle yesterday. Two of them were twins, a boy and a girl.
I know it's like getting a Superman logo tattoo and then hoping the franchise doesn't start to suck. But how cute.
At quarter past eleven, New York City erupted in a community primal scream, a shout so jubilant that only one person appeared to not be swept up in it.
"What's going on up there?" The token booth clerk at 86th and Broadway asked a customer.
"It's for Obama."
"Oh."
"You don't care?"
"No. Obama. Whatever."
I guess if I had to sit in a bullet-proof booth night after night, handing out MetroCards, I'd be kind of dejected too.
But for the other New Yorkers, there was no stopping the joy. The horns, the hoots, the shouts. The occasional "It's over!" But why quarter-past, why not at eleven on the dot when California, Oregon, and Washington reported in and tipped the scales?
Cuz people were crying. Total silence for a minute, and then gasps and sniffles. I looked around the room I was in, watching my friend's big-ass flat-screen TV. Not a dry eye in the house. Earlier that evening, when I'd rushed uptown after class, the streets had been abandoned as New Yorkers gathered around televisions and held their breath. We're not exactly a stronghold of the right-wing up here, plus any way you cut it, the neocons were out. Now the question was, what direction would we go in?
I don't envy Obama his new job. It's no secret that two things that got him where he is now are Iraq and the economy. Neither of which has any obvious or easy solution. Neither of which can be repaired without significantly unpopular choices and some national—and global—pain. A bit of perceived betrayal is inevitable. But damned if we didn't witness a cultural and generational shift last night. Baby boomers were put on notice. The balance of power shifted from old-school to something as-yet-unnamed.
And you know that scene at the end of Star Wars, where celebrations take place around the galaxy? Keep your eyes on the BBC today, that's all I'm saying.
Election Day Edition
Have you ever tried to explain the concept of "tyranny of the masses" to a non-English-speaking man in an unindustrialized country? Have you ever been cornered by a person who lives in a hut, has no plumbing, makes three thousand dollars a year, and wants to know how the USA can go around making demands of other countries when it cannot even get its own elections straight? Stuttered out something vague about the Electoral College to a local guide on a hike in Papua New Guinea?
Have you ever watched as the opinion of your country changed from grudging respect tinged with envy to distaste? Have you seen foreign taxi drivers to academics shake their heads in disbelief at the actions of your very own government?
I have. Most of these moments are immortalized online in one place or another.
I know that next January, we'll all be disappointed, and that the problems our country—and by extension, the world—faces are massive and unmanageable and that on some level, we are all deeply screwed, but seeing the handmade signs that read HOPE, or the WE ARE READY TO BELIEVE AGAIN banner on the window at Gray's Papaya, or the photos of Tanzania on Pernille's blog really does get cynical me all misty-eyed for just a minute.
From Target to 8th Street
Here's my new toy.
We've only had one fight so far, but a quick look at the instruction manual straightened that out.
Skirt Class: Part 3
I'm sorry to report that I did not make a brilliant, cool skirt in skirt class.
Instead I produced something that didn't quite work, and looks like someone's kid sewed it in Home Ec in high school. No, someone's kid probably would have done a little better.
I was doing really well in Classes 1 & 2, but in Class 3, I lost the plot. First, we were a little late. Second, I was more interested in showing off my old Whitegirl brand party dresses from an indie designer in JC in the early nineties. Third, my bobbin spazzed (so did Denise's), and finally, I managed to sew my zig-zag stitch right into my straight stitch along the hem.
I took out the zig-zag stitch with the seam ripper, but meanwhile the class was moving on to twill tape waistbands. Things were getting away from me.
I industriously plowed ahead, but could feel frustration rising in me. Denise was having the same problem, as her machine rebelled. I could hear her lecturing it, but nothing seemed to work.
Then, one of the other students kind of lost it. She was even more frustrated than we were, and looked quite upset.
Denise and I talked about it at the coffee shop afterwards. That was the moment when we'd both caught ourselves, stopped our rising frustrations, laughed a bit, and gotten back to work.
Neither of us was that thrilled with our final products, and we both made the mistake where our top hems don't meet at the zippers. So she bought another skirt and I ordered a custom-made one.
Made by Patti at Flirt, that is. Not by me.
Categories: New York, Procrastination
Giving Thanks for Not Having to Blow Up Giant Frog... | slim_pajama |
Harry Potter 1. Prologue
**_Summary: _**_Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
**_Notes: _**_Post OotP (Order of the Phoenix) Set just before Harry's Sixth Year_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
_Pairings:_
_Harry/Snape_
_Hermione/Ron_
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
**………………………………………………………………………………………………….**
**_Devil's Snare_**
Prologue: Another Realm
**…………**
"**_T_**_his child will be the one_ who claims all seven levels of Hell as his own. He alone shall rid us of the damned Angels who do everything in their God-given power to smite us. He shall gain the power to crush the Middle Earth and give us free reign over all levels of existence; Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell. Nothing must befall him. He is the Chosen One."
"What if he learns of the other world and doesn't want to uphold his duties? Having him created in a world among humans will teach him many things. When the time is right to bring the Chosen One back to Hell to teach him our ways he may not want to become his destiny. You know how sentimental humans can be with their foolish ideals."
"Our Savior may be knowledgeable in humans ways by the time he returns to us, but with our constant supervision and diligence he will forget the shameful world in which he will be born in. He will reject the ways of the foolish mortals and rise in his powers. On his sixteenth birthday his powers will come forth and he shall have charge over everything! _I have foreseen it!_"
"You forget yourself, The Ones of Heaven shall watch over your Chosen One. While you try to manipulate him into the ways of Evil we shall lure to the ways of Good. He shall have charge over his own destiny. Manipulation of the mind and spirit never brings anything good, even for the benefactor. It always brings havoc and ruin. Both sides will fall and you will be left with nothing but coldness and despair."
"Spare me, Light, for Darkness shall destroy you! There is only so much goodness in anyone's heart, human, demon, the Living, the Dead. Even Angels have their shortcomings. Even our lord, Lucifer, himself was a fallen Angel, one of you Light! He would have never gained the power in which he possesses now if he weren't here. You are just afraid. Your forces shall always crumble beneath ours."
"As long as there is Light in anyone's heart, there is a chance for goodness. Lucifer was a fool from the beginning. Going against the higher power of God will never come out with good. You wish to use this child as a tool! Instead of giving him choices in life you will twist his ideals. You are a fool, a thrice-damned fool. Your other "Chosen One's" failed you, but nonetheless you still look for that perfect Savior. You waste your life, or what resembles living rotting over some backwards prophecy. It all goes to waste.
"Keep your shadows if you will, but let thins child have a chance to experience what life can be like. He is not for you. Don't force him into this war. He has the chance to grow up to be normal. Don't take that away from him. You cannot control Fate."
"Thrice-damned you say. Bah! In every war against the Higher Powers we have fought. Heaven against Hell, Light against Dark. Thought you have always come out victorious, you have not escaped unscathed. There are always a few fallen ones to answer out beck and call. We have more recruits now more than ever. We, the Darkness, are winning! You see? All over the world there is more evil consuming the hearts of everyone, in your opinion they are tainted. In ours we see a new beginning. With more of us we shall crush you.
"The Chosen One is not for us you say? Who is he for, then!" What will you do with him? He will become a tool for you as well. In either case he has no path to walk on his own. One or the other must have one piece of his soul. The end result will be determined by who holds the bigger piece.
"Let us make a deal; we let him grow up in the human world as a wizard. He shall grow and learn until he is of a certain age then his training in our ways shall commence. You can follow him throughout Hell, monitor him, and let him decide what side he wants to be on. Let him have the choices you keep harping at me about. Good or Evil."
"So, you're saying that the Chosen One will be able to grow up as a normal wizard until he is required to start training. He will be exposed to either side and be able to follow his own convictions and have an equal opportunity and choice in the matter in which he is entitled to?"
"Yes."
"I believe that this is fair enough. The Light shall guard him and you shall train him."
"Yes, but I must say one thing; he will train here until a few months before his sixteenth birthday. He will master his trade and then he will have the chance to decide which side he prefers…"
"…"
"You may take it or leave it. That is all we're willing to offer. I believe that it is quite generous considering who we are… Of course, negotiating with a devil doesn't come without a price… If he wants Darkness you must never try to bring him back to the light. If you do you would have forsaken your word and we will rage an all out war upon you all."
"The Light shall not go back on their promise. You, however will be closely monitored."
"Yes, yes, I—we know…"
"Good. It's set. I'd like to ask you just one other thing; please, don't hurt him. While you have seen that he will be your Chosen Savior I have seen that this boy's life will be cold and filled with hatred, false pretenses, and negligence. He doesn't need anymore suffering."
"Some believe that pain and suffering toughen you up in a way that nothing else can and can seen as a better good and an advantage. It hardens you, forces you to push aside your emotions. In the end no emotions save you. Yo don't feel remorse, pain, sorrow. Those feeling distract you. They serve no purpose."
"I believe that emotions make you stronger, not having them or hiding is what makes you weak. You need to feel something. Accepting you feelings is what strengthens you."
"Bah! Foolish words that would only come from a Pure Hearted arse like you!"
"Mock me all you'd like but, I believe that this conversation has worn itself out quite nicely. I shall be taking my leave. I trust that what we've discussed here will be carried out as planned without any trouble?"
"Yes, and I trust that you will not fall back upon your word as well?"
"The more you ask me whether or not the Light will betray you, the more I think that you're trying to hide your own insecurities with blame."
"You think so wisely. I shall see you in ten years."
"May the meeting be blessed."
"Likewise…"
**…………………………….devil's snare…………….devil's snare……………………………….**
_I hope that this prologue got you interested. I'm swiftly working on Chapters 1 and 2, you they will be showing up soon. I have this all planned out and I hope that you'll like the upcoming results. With this prologue I tried to make this sound as out of place as I could, even thought I'm sure that you can figure out who the "Chosen One" is. It's somewhat obvious…_
_In either case, if you're discouraged by the length of this beginning, never fear. Prologues are sort of hard to lengthen for me, but Chapters are a lot longer anyway. This was only supposed to be an introduction. The two people who were speaking shall be revealed later; one in Chapter 2, the other, I'm not sure._
_Also, I'm going to try to keep the characters as "IC" as possible._
_I hope that you enjoy my story. Chapter 1 and 2 are their way! _
****
**_Korogi-chan _**
**_Korogi-chan_**
2. Capitulus Unus
**_Summary: _**_Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
**_Notes: _**_Post OotP (Order of the Phoenix) Set just before Harry's Sixth Year1_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
_Pairings:_
_Harry/Snape_
_Hermione/Ron_
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
**Notes (2):** Review responses can be found in my profile unless I emailed you back personally.
**………………………………………………………………………………………………….**
**_Devil's Snare_**
Chapter One: Number Twelve Grimwald Place
**…………**
_"Boy!"_
**_H_**_arry Potter groaned and sat up in bed,_ reaching up to ruffle his bed-mused hair even more in a poor attempt to clear the fringe out of his drowsy green eyes.The boy blinked tiredly towards his window and squinted against the early morning sun. His window; in the morning; was placed directly into the sun's glare. He reached towards his nightstand and grabbed his glasses while seeking out the LCD light of the broken alarm clock next to his bed.
"It's ten thirty? They never let me sleep in this late!" Harry finally swung himself out of bed, pulling up the pants of his oversized hand-me-down pajamas as he went. The smell of bacon and French toast wafted up to him and Harry heard and felt his stomach answer in response. He dashed down the stairs and stopped in the kitchen as he took in the most unusual sight before him.
Petunia was standing at the stove cooking and humming a soft tune to herself and Vernon sat at the kitchen table reading the newspaper with a smile at his face. Dudley was taking plates out of the cupboards and setting the table without a fuss or complaint. He pulled out the silverware and set it beside each plate. Harry stared in disbelief as the overweight boy set out four placemats, plates, and the like on the table. Petunia was now bustling to the refrigerator to get out jugs of orange juice and milk to fill up the four glasses that her son had set out.
'Okay, who the hell are they and what have they done with my relatives?' Harry thought as he moved over to Vernon's side. Petunia and Dudley were too preoccupied with their tasks so Harry decided to risk asking his uncle about what was going on. The beefy man didn't acknowledge Harry's presence at all so the Boy-Who-Lived cleared his throat softly.
"What do you want?" Harry was surprised that the man's voice wasn't full of its normal venom; it was distracted and somewhat cheerful if anything else.
"Are you having a guest coming over for breakfast, Uncle Vernon? You could have woken me up, I didn't mean to sleep in that late." The truth was that Harry wasn't sorry at all. He had learned a long time ago that the best way to counteract his relative's rage and cruelty towards him was to pretend that he had no self-respect for himself. This strategy worked well most of the time except for when the foul Muggles enraged him. The man shook out his paper and glared silently at the boy before rolling his too-small eyes and looking back at the tiny black print in front of him.
"No, you stupid freak, you get to eat with us today." Harry tried to keep his mouth from dropping open. Ever since he had gotten back from Hogwarts a week ago, his relatives had treated him worse than ever. His uncle was still sore about the Dementor attack and the false "Best Lawn in Britain" award, that had tricked him and the rest of his family, save Harry, into leaving to receive their rewards so the abused boy could escape. Petunia and Dudley hadn't been much better, the bony woman had forced Harry to do even more horrendously stupid chores within a small time limit and Dudley and his mates had been extremely harsh with their game of "Harry Hunting" so far. They were getting a head start on him.
Another thing that had made the first week of his summer back at the Dursley's more terrible was that his uncle had found some of the letters from Hermione and Ron that Harry had received via Hedwig without the man's knowing. He had noticed them sitting on the boy's desk after yelling at him for not completing some sort of strenuous chore when he picked them up. Harry's friends had written to him, trying to help him stop blaming himself for Sirius's death. Their words had made Harry feel even worse; he had never said out loud that he blamed himself. They must have thought it was indeed his fault if they had inquired him about it.
In any case, when Vernon had read that Harry's godfather was dead he had laughed mockingly at the boy relishing in the fact that Harry had supposedly, by the tone of the letter, killed someone he had really cared about. That ex-convict that Harry had said would hurt them in the event that Harry was mistreated was gone. That shadow hanging over them was no more and Vernon had spent no time in waiting to abuse the poor boy again. While beating Harry senselessly into the cold, hardwood floor beneath him, he had yelled repeatedly that Harry was nothing but a freak that would never amount to anything at all. That everyone around him that he got close to would be killed by that "Dark Freak" just like his parents. The words had stung more than the fists and swift kicks that landed repeatedly his already frail body.
Harry shook himself out of his thoughts and looked back at his uncle again. The burly man had just refocused upon his coffee and newspaper again. He couldn't figure out why his uncle would let him sleep in so late, have his wife make breakfast and his son help with the preparations and let Harry not only eat in the same part of the house but eat at all. The most he ever got was table scraps and that was considered a surplus during the times that he was being punished and didn't receive anything at all.
"Instead of standing there like the idiot that you are, maybe you could sit down and start eating. The sooner we finish, the sooner I can clean this up and we can leave!" Petunia barked at Harry who repressed a scathing remark and a glare. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his fat lump of a cousin smirking, if you could call that a smirk. Harry was surprised that the boy's muscles could handle lifting all of the fat that resided in his cheeks.
Harry sat down at the table obediently and waited for everyone to follow suit before tucking into his breakfast. His uncle was never one to say prayers before eating, or for anything else. The smell and taste of the food overwhelmed Harry slightly as he felt his undernourished body try to adjust to receive the morsels. He swallowed heavily and earned a glare from Petunia from across the table. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just concentrated on his uncle unusually joyful voice.
"I can't wait until we meet the realtor, Pet. He said that at this time of the year there are many great deals for houses and the prices are just within my price range."
"I loved the catalog with all of the descriptions and details for the houses. They were beautiful. The lawn was just perfect on that two story ranch!"
Harry's ears perked up at this. He knew that his uncle had just gotten a raise at that damned drill company of his but he didn't think that the amount was enough for the man to warrant the man to buy a house.
"Neighborhoods in that area are top notch, too. High-class blokes with money. Good sort of atmosphere for our son to be in. It's who you know that matters, right Dudley?"
MUNCH CHOMP "Yes—MUNCH—Dad."
"Maybe you'll get recognized by some of our new neighbors there and you'll get another job. People with money always want someone with good skills like you. Good with your hands, good with your brain; that's the sort of thing that lot prefers," Petunia gushed.
Harry swore that if Vernon's chest expanded anymore than it already had with selfish pride that he'd burst the buttons off his jacket. The man was just red in the face with arrogance. It made Harry sick.
"Now, now, Pet; lets not get ahead of our selves here," the hefty man chortled loudly. "Even though I'm sure that anyone would want my services as their own, we don't even know if we want that house yet. It all depends on the price."
Harry's curiosity was too much for him. "Uncle Vernon, are you planning on moving soon?" This comment seemed to have given Harry's uncle another chance at gloating so the man replied haughtily, "Yes we are. I just got a raise from the company and I was thinking that it's time for us to get out of this crummy neighborhood and get more of the better things in life. Your aunt and I have a meeting with the realtor this morning at a quarter to twelve so you need to hurry up with your eating so we can get to the house showings on time."
Harry's eyes widened slightly; the fact that his relatives might be moving must have put them in a very good mood to be doing their own chores and such with forcing Harry do them. 'Good, now I'll have some time to take out my holiday work,' he thought to himself 'That is if Dudley decides to get out of the house for some reason.'
"So, Dad" Dudley piped up as he reached for his third helping of bacon, "Out of the catalogue, what is your favorite house?" Vernon smiled at his son and Harry winced as bacon flew out of the boy's mouth and landed on his French toast. "I like the one that's close to my office, on Burlington Avenue…"
Harry looked back down at his plate with distaste at the food that was now covered with his portly cousin's chewed-up food and pushed backwards from the table, gathering his plate. He walked towards the counter and set the dishes down near the sink and proceeded to scoop the uneaten food into the garbage.
"You're not planning on throwing that away are you?" Petunia asked her voice cold. "I wasted perfectly good food on you and you don't even eat it. We didn't even yell at you for not waking up early enough to cook breakfast and this is how you repay me? What is it, our food isn't as good as the slop they feed you at that freak school?"
Harry bristled in anger and clutched the plate, his knuckles paling in response to the tight grip. His uncle noticed his anger and sneered nastily at him. "It' all right, Pet; just make him clean the dishes instead and I'll give him some extra chores. We need to leave now anyway, its takes nearly half an hour to get there with all of this morning's traffic." Vernon's chair squealed loudly as he pushed back from the table and set his pate down in the sink. Dudley stuffed the rest of the bacon into his mouth and chucked the plate at the back of Harry's head. Harry winced as the ceramic crashed to the floor, shattering into little pieces.
"BOY!" Vernon roared stomping loudly back into the kitchen. "What the bloody hell have you done now?" Petunia swept in after him and gasped loudly at what she saw. "That was one of the plates my mother gave me, you ungrateful wretch! How dare you!" she screeched.
"Instead of screaming at me for something that I didn't do why don't you yell at your precious little sod of a son Dudley? He's the one who threw the damned thing at me in the first place!"
Vernon's face was rapidly turning purple and he was shaking with rage. He reached out and grabbed Harry roughly by the collar and slammed him back into the counter. Harry ignored the pain and stared right back at his uncle his anger covering his fear and pain. Enough was enough.
"We've had this talk before, you ungrateful son of a bitch; we take you into our home when we should have left you on the streets and starve. We give you clothes and food, a roof over your head and this is how you thank us?" He punched Harry in the jaw and the boy's head snapped back and hit the wall behind him, the force behind his uncle's strike was so powerful. "We should throw you out right now, especially with that Lord Voldy-thingy sending his dismembers after you and hurting Dudley!" He hit Harry again and dropped him on the hard linoleum floor.
"Ooh, hit him again Dad!" Dudley laughed, the cruel sadistic bastard that he was. If Harry hadn't of been so disoriented by his had smashing against a wall he would have glared at him. Vernon turned away from the boy and stomped back out of the room Dudley by his side. Petunia gazed silently at Harry for a few seconds with an unreadable expression before turning away from him and following her husband out of the room.
Harry rose shakily from the floor and winced as he noticed that when he fell he had landed directly in the pile of plate shards. His legs had a few gashes and they bled through the baggy material of his pants. He heard the front door open and his relatives step out.
"I left you a list of chores, Freak. They had best be finished before we get back or else." The door slammed loudly and Harry heard another fragile item crack as it fell from the tremble of the slam.
**…………………**
Harry pulled a T-shirt on over his head and bent down to check that his bandages were still in place. After cleaning up the mess that his uncle had made, he had taken a shower enjoying the feel of hot water against his skin and running through his hair. His door had been locked for most of the week and he hadn't had any time to escape except for chores. Afterwards, he had applied bandages to his wounds, which weren't as deep as he had initially thought. He pulled on some pants that he had Transfigured to fit him before school ended, glanced in the mirror at his unruly hair and walked out of his room and walked grudgingly down the steps.
"Let's see," he murmured reading over the list of chores that Vernon had left him to do. "'Trim hedges, wash siding, clean gutters,' I already did that a week ago, what's he playing at?" Harry crumpled up the slip of paper and stalked into the kitchen reaching for a broom to clean up the dirt from the potted plant that his uncle had managed to break when he slammed the door. He noticed that it was a particularly ugly vase that his Aunt Marge had given to Petunia a few years ago. Truth to be told, Harry was glad that it was broken. He hated that woman.
As Harry knelt down to scoop up the dirt and clay, he heard a loud rumbling sound from the fireplace. The room began top shake and Harry jumped up as quickly as his injured legs would allow and he backed away, dustpan held out in front of him like a weapon. Suddenly a bright burst of light exploded from the fireplace and the sound of coughing and sputtering could be heard. As the chimney soot and dirt cleared Harry was surprised and pleased to see his best mate, Ron Weasley step out of the pile of ashes and begin to dust himself off.
"Ron!" Harry laughed setting down the dustpan and walking over to his friend to help him get the soot off of his clothes. The effort was futile however. Ron sneezed loudly and swore in irritation as he looked back into the fireplace.
"Don't those bloody Muggles ever lean out that hellhole? It's absolutely filthy!" Ron dusted the soot out of his flaming hair and walked farther into the living room. He winced as he stepped in some of the broken shards of the vase that had been forgotten after his loud entrance.
"What happened here?" Ron asked curiously. Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Vernon got angry and slammed the door. He made me clean it up. Thanks to you though I have more to clean." Ron smiled apologetically at his friend and knelt to pick up the fallen broom and began to sweep.
"Just to make it up to you, I don't mind cleaning this up." He turned his back to Harry and began to sweep. "You'd best be going to get your stuff so we can to back to Grimwald Place." Harry started and turned back around to look at his friend. "I can leave? I thought that I had to stay here all summer, that's what Dumbledore always tells me." Harry spat with a hint of bitterness in his tone. He still hadn't forgiven Dumbledore for keeping him in the dark all last year. It had hurt him more than helped him. Losing Sirius was also part of that bitterness and even thought he knew that it was partially his own fault, he would most likely never forgive his headmaster for what he had done.
"Well since we couldn't send letters from the Headquarters we due to being discovered an Dumbledore's orders he decided to let you spend the remainder of your summer with us! Sirius left the Manor to you anyway so we're just finishing the rest of the cleaning. Besides the Order still has meetings there." Ron went back to sweeping. "Now go upstairs and get your stuff, we need to get back."
Harry didn't need to be told twice; he bounded up the steps and ran into his room crawling under the bed to reach under the floorboards to get out what his relatives hadn't locked away. He smiled as he pulled out his holiday work and his wand along with a small bag. He walked back towards the door and picked up Hedwig's empty cage, he had sent the owl to the Weasley's just in case Vernon's rage at Harry caused him to injure the snowy owl.
As Harry walked back down stairs he reached into his bag and looked for the handy pocketknife that his godfather had entrusted him with. He smiled sadly as his hand closed over the smooth surface of the handle and found a lock pick. He walked to the cupboard and opened the rusty lock. The small door squeaked as it swung open and Harry reached inside to grab his trunk and broom. He kicked the door shut and walked back into the living room where Ron had just finished sweeping the floor.
"Cleaning without magic sure is annoying. I don't know how Muggles can stand it." The redhead set the broom down and reached into his pocket for a small pouch. He undid the tie and pulled out a small pinch of green powder. Harry sighed as his friend poured some of the dust into his hand. He didn't particularly enjoy traveling by Floo; he was still sore about the incident from second year…
"Remember Harry, slowly and clearly," Ron sniggered as Harry walked past him into the fireplace. Harry smacked Ron on the back of the head and dodged the redhead's retaliation. As soon as Harry turned forward a large amount of ashes tumbled onto his hair. Coughing he called out his destination.
"Number—cough—Twelve Grimwald Place!"
In a swirl of bright green fire, Harry disappeared. He covered his eyes and mouth in a poor attempt to keep all of the offending dirt out of his eyes. Before he knew it he was tumbling out of the fireplace into the sitting room of his godfather's inherited mansion.
"Nice entrance, Potter," a cool and familiar drawl sounded from somewhere in front of Harry. Harry looked up and before he could focus his attention on the owner of the voice his trunk, book bag, and Firebolt came crashing in after him. They landed directly onto his back and head. Harry yelled loudly in pain and dragged himself out from under the offending items. Laughter reached his ears and he looked up a glare of death already settled onto his face.
Harry's glare instantly disappeared when he met the eyes of Draco Malfoy. The Slytherin King sat on a couch that was in front of the fireplace his sides shaking as the blond howled with laughter. Harry stood up and angrily snatched up his truck and threw his bag over his shoulder before picking up his broom. He glowered at Draco until he stopped laughing and looked up at Harry tears of mirth in his eyes.
"That was rich, Potter. First you tumble head first out of the fireplace and then your stuff pummels you straight in the head. Bloody hilarious! That's the best laugh I've had all week!" Draco started laughing again but with a bit less vigor. Harry rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently on the wooded floor waiting for the boy to stop mocking him.
"Okay, okay, that was funny, ha, ha. Can you please explain why you're in here? What happened, did the Order find you and they dragged you Voldemort-robe-kissing-arse down here?"
Draco immediately sobered up and rose gracefully to his feet. He stood directly in front of Harry and noticed with some distain that the Golden Boy had grown a few inches and the two teens were now equal in height. "No, for your information Potter, Severus brought me here." He held up a hand as Harry opened his mouth to protest. "My father decided that it was time for me to receive the Dark Mark and I told him that I didn't want it. We argued and then my father beat me, saying that I had no right to refuse something that he's been teaching me my whole life to follow. Then hit used the Cruciatus Curse on me for fifteen minutes." Draco stepped back and looked away from Harry. The boy was speechless, he had thought that Draco would accept the Mark as soon as possible and join that damned father of his with Voldemort killing Muggle-borns.
"I know that you probably think that I'm lying about this, but I do mean it. I never wanted to follow in my father's footsteps. I just went along with what he wanted me to do because that's what he expected." He looked back into Harry's eyes and stared at him intently. "One of the reason that I asked you to be my friend in first year was to get close to you and find out your weaknesses so I could tell Father so he could report back to Voldemort. The main reason was that I really did want to be your friend, but when you rejected me, I just massacred you with my resentment. I couldn't stand the fact that you were the first person to resist me and go against what I wanted, selfish, yes I know," he said at the look on Harry's face.
"Don't worry, I've matured quite a bit, especially after this year." Harry nodded and noticed that Draco was swaying on his feet and caught the other boy's arm before he collapsed. He helped him sit back down on the couch remembering that he had been under the Cruciatus Curse for a quarter of an hour. Draco smiled gratefully and looked out of a window next to the fireplace.
"I never really meant of the things I did to you and your friends, but it seemed that you disliked me as much as I acted to dislike you so after a while I began to dislike you all if only a little."
Harry smiled and good-naturedly shoved the blond boy as he gave Harry a look of annoyance. "I think you're going soft, Draco. Normally you would never say something like that." Draco opened his mouth to utter an uncouth remark until he saw the teasing smile on Harry's face. He smiled back slightly and punched Harry back.
"I'm surprised that you're taking this so well, Harry. I could be just sticking lies up your arse and you would never know." Draco simpered. "It doesn't take you a long time to trust people, Potter, especially since you called me Draco."
Harry laughed. "Well that's your name isn't it? Since I called you Draco, you should call me Harry." The blond surveyed Harry with interest before nodding. "Okay, then…Harry." Said wizard smiled and held out his hand to help the other boy up. Draco took it and both of them looked to wards the fireplace as Ron came in, cursing loudly as he tried to get sot out of his eyes.
"Took you long enough, Weasley. Harry and I settled our differences and you still took all of that time to get here. Did you get lost?" Ron frowned at Draco and pushed past the boy into the kitchen. "Shove off, ferret," he snarled as he stomped off, a long trail of ashes following him. Harry raised an eyebrow at his new friend as Ron walked off.
"I guess that you haven't won Ron over yet?"
"Nope."
Hermione's brushy head poked around the corner and she flew into the room throwing herself into Harry's arms and laughing. "Harry!" she cried in delight as she hugged him. Harry beamed as he squeezed the girl back. Hermione let go and smiled at both boys and proceed to tell Harry about the things that he had missed.
"Professor Dumbledore sent us a letter saying that he wanted us to stay here until further notice because this is one of the safest places other than Hogwarts to hide. We've been staying here, Ron, Draco, and I and some Order members. Mrs. Weasley, and Professors Lupin and Snape have been here too. Mr. Weasley is still at the Burrow and Ginny is there too. They're just staying at the house for a while. Professor Moody is here as well."
Harry and Ron snorted at that. Hermione's referring of Remus and Alastor as professors and the fact that the ex-Auror was there. He was probably driving the occupants of Grimwald Place up the wall. Harry frowned at Hermione's mention of Snape. The professor and he had never been on friendly or respectful terms at all, but ever since the incident with the Pensive it had gone from bad to worse. The older wizard had been furious at Harry and every time Harry was in his presence Snape would give him a glare that could make Hell freeze over. He wasn't exactly looking forward to see his stoic professor with the event still fresh in both of their minds even thought Harry was sure that none of them would ever forget.
As if on cue Snape stalked into the room, his ever present robes billowing out behind him dramatically. His carriage just radiated annoyance and as soon as his onyx eyes rested on Harry a sneer formed on his face and his expression became icy cold.
"Well, Potter, it seems that all of that noise from earlier was your doing? I'm surprised that the chimney didn't fall down from that racket you caused." His eyes trailed over Harry's form and his lips curled into a distasteful frown of disgust. "And you managed to bring in nearly all of the soot from the fireplace that accumulated over the centuries with you as well?" Harry turned slightly red in embarrassment and anger. He wanted to hex that greasy bastard and his fury must have shown through his appearance because Draco and Hermione held onto Harry's arms to hold him back as the teen's hands gripped his wand that resided in his pocket.
Snape raised a thin eyebrow in interest before seemingly noticing Draco for the first time. He strode over to his godson and gripped the boy's arm. "You shouldn't be out of bed. You're still recovering from that nasty go Lucius pulled on you. Go on upstairs." The wizard's face revealed nothing but his eyes showed his concern for Draco. It was interesting to see any sort of emotion in the man's eyes save absolute loathing.
"All right, Severus," Draco mumbled. He swayed slightly on his feet but moved towards the stairs. Harry followed his to place his things in a room upstairs and to talk with Draco a little more. He could feel Snape's cold stare burning holes in his back. He ignored it and placed a hand on Draco's back to steady him as the two made their way upstairs.
They reached the landing to the second floor and walked down the hall and turned to the right. Draco walked ahead of Harry and motioned to a door that was slightly ajar. "This is my room but you can share it if you'd like." Harry glanced at Draco and smiled slightly before pushing the door open with his foot and walking inside. Two beds at opposite corners of the room stood there with curtains. Harry let his things fall to the floor next to his bed and watched Draco as the blond sat down on his bed and fluffed the pillows.
"So Draco how did Snape find you and bring you here? I'm sure that he wasn't just standing around watching your father torture you." Draco rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at Harry before laying back down on his bed.
"Well you'd better not tell anyone this but Severus taught me how to Apparate illegally last summer…
**…………………**
"Well Hello Harry dear!" Mrs. Weasley said warmly. She enveloped Harry into a tight hug and held him out at arms length. "You're still looking too thin, dear, good thing there's some food left over from lunch." The warmhearted woman set out to fix Harry a plate of food and Hermione and Ron chortled behind their hands as their friend's plate was loaded with food that even all three of them couldn't finish. Molly just bustled around the kitchen and hummed happily to herself. Then Remus entered the room and his face brightened when he saw Harry.
"Remus!" Harry exclaimed hugging his godfather's best friend. The older wizard hugged Harry back and when the two pulled back Harry could see that his friend was looking slightly peaky. The full moon was approaching. The four companions sat down at the kitchen table and talked quietly while Molly made Harry's plate of food.
"Well, it's the Potter boy!" Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody clunked into the room his wooden leg creating a loud thump and came up behind Harry and thumped him roughly on the back. Harry grimaced and Remus' eyes crinkled with amusement. "So you got here in one piece, eh? I tried to talk these ones into gathering the Order to come collect you nut they said it was too much trouble. Well at least you got here in one piece."
Harry smirked and shook his head as the grisly ex-Auror turned away from him and started to talk to Molly about the possibility that that "Junior Death Eater" might have poisoned the food. He still didn't trust Draco along with Ron. Harry couldn't really blame them, but something about the other boy made Harry want to trust him.
The quiet atmosphere in the kitchen remained that way until the house began to rumble and plates and other fragile things began to shatter and fall off of the shelves. Harry quickly pulled out his wand along with his friends and the adults in the room even though they were still underage and not allowed to use magic. It felt like there was a magic surge traveling through the house. The rumbling increased its strength and windows shattered as well. Hermione screamed and Ron dragged her down onto the floor. Harry toppled over and his wand flew out of his hand and clattered under the table.
A sudden burst of blue light exploded from the sitting room and Molly, Remus, and Moody ran out into the room first ready to defend the children. Snape was pointing his wand at the light that was pooling out of a hole in the center of the floor. He was yelling something but no one could hear him over the rumble. The light grew in intensity and soon everyone had to cover their eyes less they be blinded. Just as soon as it became unbearable it disappeared and a lone figure stood in its place. A source-less wind whipped around the room causing the person's robes to swirl around them in a unearthly way. Their magical aura glowed brightly and the magic rendered all of them powerless.
Hermione tugged frantically onto Harry's sleeve. "They got inside despite all of the wards put onto this house. Even Professor Dumbledore would have trouble getting in!" Hermione said in a rushed whisper. Harry and Ron held out their wands ready for anything, even if they had to perform illegal magic.
The entire room was silent. There was no movement except for the figure's cloak which still swayed around them. A few more minutes passed until they raised one slender hand to point straight at Harry. The boy's expression grew guarded and Hermione and Ron stood in front of him.
"Your Fate has been decided and there is no going back…"
**………………………..………………Devil's Snare……1……Devil's Snare……………………………………**
CLIFFHANGER! Not the best but I had to stop it there.
_I hope that this chapter was interesting enough for everyone. I made it longer, YAY-ness. Anyway, Chapter 2 was halfway done before Chapter 1 had even started so it'll be out soon._
_I'm going to wait a few days until I post it. From previous experiences if you post a lot of chapters at once sometimes you don't get as many reviews. _
_I went with my longings to make Draco on the "Side of the Light". He'll be slightly OOC, but for the main part he's still himself. I had to go back in my books and make sure I got everyone's personality right, especially Snape's and Draco's._
_I'm kind of looking for at least ten reviews a chapter until I update again. Please? _
I'll see you in Chapter 2
****
**_Korogi-chan_**
3. Capitulus Duo
_**Summary: **Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB(mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
**Thanks to the following people for their reviews:**
ApocSM
RavenWarrior05
Hazel Wolf
Mia
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Shikyo66613
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
_**Devil's Snare**_
………
_Chapter Two: Memories from the Past_
_**A**ll of the occupants of Number Twelve Grimwald Place _moved into a wary half circle around the cloaked figure in the middle of the front hallway. Five wands were held out unmoving at the intruder and Harry was still frozen, unable to move due to shock and slight fear. The slender hand was directed straight at him, pale almost translucent flesh, made to look even lighter by the dark robes that adorned the figure's outstretched arm.
Harry felt the oddest sensation traveling through his body. It felt as if his magic was more out of control than usual and a bit more powerful. He had an odd urge to protect himself from the figure in the room but at the same time he felt as if they were familiar, and old friend. He shifted slightly his fingers still closed over the smooth wooden handle of his wand, even though he knew that he couldn't use it to defend himself anyway. The odd feeling of his magic shifting inside of him was cut off abruptly and he felt strangle empty. He felt lightheaded all of a sudden as well but barely kept his balance.
"State your business!" Mad-Eye-Moody barked out in his raspy drawl. "Or more importantly," the retired Auror growled, "tell us how you managed to enter this building. The wards around here wouldn't have let you in or weakened unless you use the Dark Arts." The figure turned slightly causing the cloak to twist around their feet.
"I can assure you, that I by no means used any Dark Arts to enter this structure, I can tell that the wards placed upon are weak enough for almost any witch or wizard to get through." The half circle advanced upon the figure. "Surrounding me wouldn't do you any good. I could disappear so fast and return to this exact same spot so fast that half of a second wouldn't have gone by. Now if you'd let me speak you would find that I'm not someone who you could call an enemy."
An annoyed huff of indignation sounded from Harry's left and he glanced at his potions professor who was sneering at the unknown person at the center of the group. "The decision to whether or not you mean us harm will be made by us. If you would grace us with the honor of being able to see your face," he said, voice silky with cynicism.
"As you wish." The figure turned around and reached up to uncover their hooded face. The mass of fabric fell away to reveal the face of a beautiful young woman. Her skin was pale and supple, a soft pink blush dusting her high cheekbones. She reached up to pull her hair from the confines of her robes and a sheet of silver hair tumbled past her waist, shimmering as it caught the fading golden light of evening. Dark violet eyes with flecks of silver in the irises and around the pupil gazed calmly out at them all. The girl's appearance was strange enough but the thing about her that really drew your attention was the dark crimson snake that was coiled around her slender neck. Its forehead was adorned with a golden star and it's dark turquoise eyes glittered as the poisonous-looking creature surveyed the entire room and it's occupants.
The strange young woman let her eyes travel to Harry again as she turned to face him once more. Emerald clashed with amethyst as the two stared at each other. Harry had a slight sinking feeling in his chest as a tingle covered his body as his magical signature was scanned by the eyes of the silver-haired creature. The tingling sensation continued to flood his body and he couldn't break his gaze from her until the indigo eyes flashed briefly. Harry's posture, which had stiffened during the inspection relaxed. His gaze met hers again and then as she advanced in his direction the adults moved to step in front of him again. Remus pushed Harry back towards his friends and he watched the circle of wizards continue to hold out their wands towards the figure. Her face held a look of indifference as she was scrutinized carefully.
Behind the group of adults, Harry felt Ron nudge him in the side. He glanced up at the older boy who was blushing furiously. "Is she a Veela?" he whispered. Harry shrugged with both indifference and lack of knowledge. He was more interested in figuring out who this person was. There was something about her that sparked some sort of recognition in his head he just couldn't place what connected with her. Hermione let out an irritated sigh and whispered roughly to Ron. "That doesn't matter right now. It doesn't matter who she is. If she got inside of these wards then she has to be a very skilled witch! We need to be cautious!" Harry smirked and prodded the redhead in the side. "Yeah, mate, you'd best be leaving your raging hormones for another place and time," the Boy-Who-Lived sniggered.
Ron was about to retort with a "Sod off you git," when the newcomer's eyes rested on the three teens. Ron stiffened and looked away from her gaze. Something about it made it feel as if you were inferior. Hermione and Harry met her gaze unwavering and the three stared at each other intently. Remus and Mrs. Weasley moved over slightly to guard the two if there was a need, but the girl waved a slender hand with indifference. "Don't worry, if I wanted to hurt them or any of you I would have done it long before now." Her eyes focused on the brushy haired girl and then to the boy with the bright green eyes. Indigo steadily met emerald and everyone watched the two with apprehension. Harry's eyes suddenly lit up with recognition. "Dessmona," he murmured softly. The girl smiled softly at Harry and moved closer to the young man. "I'm glad that you remember me. It has been a long time."
Everyone started in disbelief and mistrust. The guarded silence in the room increased as the girl moved closer to Harry and wrapped her arms around him in a loose embrace. At first Harry didn't move but after a few seconds he squeezed the girl back. She tightened her hold and the two ended their reunion after hearing an impatient clearing of one's throat a ways behind them. Harry pulled away from Dessmona to look in the potions master's dark obsidian eyes. The older wizard looked down his bulbous nose at Harry with a look of distain. "If you didn't lack the necessary parts of your brain that allowed you to process information then this situation would have solved itself a lot sooner than your slow mind would have permitted it." Harry glared at Snape and refrained from rolling his eyes. "Now would you please care to explain the appearance of our visitor," the man snapped.
"I am known as Dessmona. I am pleased to meet you." Her voice was soft and melodic; it had pleasant warmth to it that made you want to get to know her. Her eyes focused calmly on each and every one of them. She gracefully bowed her head and her silver hair fell into her face. She lifted her gaze back up to the others, first focusing her gaze on Harry. "I cannot yet tell you my reasons for being here, but I assure you that in time I will." Dessmona froze for a second and turned her wide-eyed gaze to Snape. The professor's and her eyes met for a moment briefly before a soft smile fell onto Dessmona's soft pink lips. "You will find that I'm quite good at blocking others from my mind. Your Legilimency, though impressive, will not work against me."
Snape's expression steeled itself before his thin lips curled up into a sneer once again. Before he could say another word Moody moved in front of him wand raised. Dessmona gazed back at him her expression revealing nothing. "Since you refuse to tell us who you are, I think that a little persuasion is in order. Impedimenta!"
The spell flew straight towards Dessmona and Harry couldn't move fast enough to block it for his friend. The girl held out her hand to block him from guarding her and the curse hit her with a forceful blow. When the light faded she still stood there, not moving. The only sign of movement was the grace floating of the silver hair around her face. A soft white glow surrounded her and the snake that encircled her neck was glowing red.
"Blimey, it didn't do anything!" Ron gasped in amazement. "Harry was standing almost right behind her and it didn't affect him either!" Everyone had been focusing on the fact that the spell hadn't hurt Dessmona; they had forgotten about Harry. Dessmona's arm was still in front of Harry holding him back. Her magic had blocked the curse from hitting him.
"You must be very powerful for that curse to not hurt you even without a shielding spell," Moody said as he gave Dessmona an once-over. "The snake around your neck is very suspicious, of course. When the curse dissipated it was glowing so that along with your own magic must have stopped the curse from hitting you am I correct?" The girl nodded and reached up to stroke the serpent gently on his head. It's tongue flashed out to taste her fingers.
"My own magic blocked the spell and he negated the dark energy of the curse," she murmured. Hermione frowned slightly and stepped forward. "That wasn't a curse, nor was it a dark spell." Dessmona inclined her head in the brunette's direction and gazed at her quietly for a moment before answering. "You're right, but every spell that you use to catch someone off guard or injure them in any way holds some sort of dark energy no matter how small or insignificant." Hermione looked slightly miffed at this realization and Ron and Harry smirked slightly at their friend's annoyance at not knowing everything about that particular subject.
"How did your snake block the attack?" Remus asked. Dessmona looked at him slowly analyzing him. "You are a werewolf, are you not?" Remus blinked and nodded. The girl nodded in response and gently took the snake from around her neck.
"This is my familiar, Saengen."
Gasps of surprise, suspicion, and fear sounded in the room. Dessmona didn't move or show any other sign of surprise. She seemed to be used to this reaction. Harry looked around the room in confusion. He assumed that this was some sort of Wizarding term that he didn't know. It was unfortunately another one of those times when the fact that Muggles had raised him annoyed him more than usual.
"What is a familiar?" Harry asked looking at his friends and the adults in the room. Snape rolled his eyes and was about to throw a scathing remark the boy's away until a voice sounded from the stairwell.
"A familiar is one way that a witch or wizard can channel their magic. Usually it is some sort of animal and it's tuned in directly to its owner. The familiar an it's master bond for life; it one dies so does the other unless it's master has entrusted it to another person. Certain familiars channel the energy offered to them in different ways and they usually guard their owner with it. Although, snakes, since they are considered to be Dark creatures are kept by Dark wizards and since you claim to oppose them it's very interesting that you would have a serpent as a familiar…"
Everyone looked towards the stairs were Draco stood, gripping onto the banister as to steady himself, his knuckles clenched and ashen. His face had the same pale color; he was still ill from the affects of the Cruciatus that his father had placed on him a few nights prior. He wavered slightly on the stairs as he descended and Snape glided forward to steady his godson before he fell down the remaining steps.
"You shouldn't out of bed," the man said, his eyes showed his concern while his voice revealed nothing. Draco smirked and shrugged out of his godfather's arms. "You can't possibly have expected me to stay asleep with all of that noise being made down here. I assume that the wards are broken? Nothing else could have caused all of that racket," he grumbled.
Dessmona blinked slowly and as her eyes opened they flashed silver at the blond standing unsteadily before her. Her eyes drifted slowly over his form and landed back onto his face. She looked as she was remembering something.
"You are Lucius Malfoy's son, are you not?" she inquired softy. The snake that adorned her neck hissed angrily, and Harry caught the last bit of his sentence, 'Nasty, murdering, bastard." He would have chuckled had the atmosphere in the room proved that sort of gesture to be extremely inappropriate.
"Yes, I am," Draco said, no emotion in his voice. The Slytherin mask was back on the boy's face and the familiar cold sneer curled the boy's mouth in a way that should never befall anyone's expression. "What do you know of me?" he asked, his voice still icy. Most people would have squirmed under that intense gaze but Dessmona leveled it with one of her own. "Nothing, I was just inquiring. I've heard much about him, and I noticed how much alike the two of you look."
Draco's eyes narrowed. "What do you know about him? That's he's a Death Eater opposed to Muggles and mudbloods?" Hermione bristled at that term. "I don't need you to bring that up." Draco made his way closer to Dessmona and the girl just gazed silently at him as the boy advanced towards her.
Dessmona shook her head, silver tresses shimmering as she did so. "No, no, Draco, you misunderstood me. I was just inquiring about him, that is all. I didn't mean to upset you."
Draco's eyes hardened as he continued to gaze at the strange woman in front of him. The way he was acting was humiliating him and going against his convictions. Even though he did sometimes hide behind an emtionless mask and he had let down his guard for Harry and the rest of the Golden Trio, he would never show this much of his stress to a complete stranger. As the steady violet gaze bore into him the blond's annoyance with himself grew into anger and he sneered at the fair girl a who stood less than a foot away from him.
The violet eyes narrowed at Draco and the silver hair caught the light again as its owner shook her head in disgrace. "You shouldn't act so defenseive, Draco. It makes it appear as if you're hiding something." Soft pink lips twisted slightly into a sneer that matched Draco's. "I thought that it was against the Malfoy's code of honor to show any emotion at all."
That was the final straw. Draco ignored Dessmona's words, no matter how true and reached into his pocket to whip out his wand. At that moment he didn't really care about his reaction and that he was rising to the other's comments. No one insulted him directly or his family.
Draco pointed the wand straight at Dessmona's heart but before he could even come up with a spell to aim at the other girl he froze and shuddered violently. HIs eyes glazed over and he dropped the polished piece of wood to the floor. It clattered loudly in the silent room as th eboy swayed dangerously on his feet. He threatened to topple to the floor until Snape went to his side and grabbed his godson before he landed onto the unforgiving hardwood beneath him. Cold yet fearful azure eyes flickered up to Dessmona who's aura was glowing suspicously again.
"What the hell did you do to me?" Draco whispered hoarsely, his throat suddenly dry. He was having a hard time breathing as well. Snape quickly took his godson's distress in with a critical eye before fixing Dessmona with a withering glare. "Yes, what did you do to him may I ask," his voice dripping with mock politeness. "His sudden collaspe, though he is weak from from his inuries should not have happened. The way he is acting is similar to the way a wizard would act if his magic had just been cut off from his use..."
Dessmona tilted her head to the side a bit and gave Snape a critical stare. "You are quite observant, and yes, that is exactly what I did to him." She turned her gaze to her left and met emerald eyes before continuing. "That's what I did to Harry as well, but he's not injured so it didn't affect him so harshly."
Harry's eyes widened and he frowned. "I know that I'm known to have magic outbursts that I can't control but you really didn't have to lock off my magic, Dess. That really isn't fair," Harry said with a little distain. Dessmona shook her head and glanced back towards Draco who was still shaking in his godfather's arms. His skin was flushed; the blond looked as if he were about to come down with a fever. His eyes were clouded over and he swallowed hard, clearly nauseous. He still glared at Dessmona. She returned his stare with indifference.
"I know that you probably trust me even less than what dd before even if you did at all but I thnk that it's time that I tell you why I'm here. Harry and I know each other as you may have noticed," she said guesturing towards Harry who nodded slightly. "I am here to unlock Harry's magic that he hasn't been able to have access to due to certain events. Also to train him for a battle that will be taking place concerning Voldemort and Lucifer--"
"Wait a minute," Remus interjected confusion spreading over his tired features. "When you say Lucifer, are you speaking of the devil? If so, what does that have to do with anything?"
Dessmona shifted and looked around the room as she spoke. "Voldemort has made a deal with the devil that has to do with him purging the Wizarding world of non-Pureblood wizarding familes and such. Some half devils live on this earth and some of them are in league with Voldemort as his Death Eaters. THey don't all reside in Britian of course, but they exist all over the world, killing Muggleborns and even just regular Muggles for their enjoyment.
"Due to the fact that devils are very powerful and have the most influence over the creatures of the Underworld, you can imagine how much power they have at their disposal. That;s why their such a valuable asset. A devil bows to no one, so eventually they'll destory Voldemort through his own greed and turn his followers against him only to fall under the control of Lucifer himself."
Hermione stepped forward. "If the devil is opposite of God anyway and he is the root of all evil then aren't all people under his control regardless even though we have our own choices about what we say or do?" Dessmona smiled and nodded at the brushy-haired witch. "Yes, Hermione, wonderful observation, but there is another level of control that can be achieved with proper preparation..."
"How is it that you know all of this?" Mad-Eye-Moody said, suspicion still heavy in his voice and body language. "You must have something to do with this plot if you have so much information."
"Think about it. Who would be completely opposed to the devil? Who would have been fighting for milleniums to destroy him? THat is your answer to who I am and whom I serve."
Everyone in the room as silent as they thought until the possible answer clicked in their brains. It only took at the most ten seconds for everyone to come up with a similar solution, bit it seemed so unbeliveable that no one wanted to speak up. The odds were too great.
"Are you an angel?" Ron spoke up quietly in awe and disbelief. Murmuring immediately arose in the room and all eyes were focused on the one at the center of the circle. Violet eyes quietly shifted around the room waiting for the wave of questions that were about to hit her.
"How can you possibly be an angel? I thought they had wings and halos and the like?" Ron blurted. Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked Ron on the back of the head. "Maybe she changed her appearance, dolt!" Dessmona smiled and her eyes lit up briefly before she answered again.
"I have altered my appearance so as to not cause too much of a distraction, that is true, but in order to exist among humans and other mortal beings I had to have part of my soul bound to a mortal or half mortal to remain on this earth. Staying here takes a lot of energy and strength that I can't afford to loose, especially if the time comes for a battle. Only then can I use my true powers and change to my true form, but even then I have a time limit on how much time I can remain that way."
"Aren't angels supposed to be pure and good?" Draco said scornfully from the ground. "I don't think that cutting of fmy magic from me and making me feel as sick a dog is very high and godly."
"I did that for too reasons, Draco. First of all, if you had of attacked me that curse wouldn't of just dissapated into my defenses, it would have rebounded back into you and you would have killed yourself. I think that a short time of nasea is better than an eternity of death. Second of all, you're emotions were running too high and using magic in such a bothered state would have been dangerous to anyone."
Draco sneered slightly then winced in pain. Dessmona took a bit of pity on the boy and waved her hand over him. Draco's eyes widened and he instantly felt better. he no longer felt as if he were about to throw up and his injuries that his father had given to him were healed. He moved a bit out of Snape's hold on him and stood up. He looked a liot better.
"Thanl you for taking that damned restraint off me and for healing my wounds," the boy said a bit grudgingly. Snape's eyes shot immediatey to Dessmona who was nodding back at Draco in welcome. "You healed his wounds." It was more of a statement that a question.
"Yes, I did," came the calm reply. Before the dark-hair man could respond Harry spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Dess, but even though I remember that I know you I don't know why I do. I feel empty, like I'm missing something that's very important."
Dessmona looked back then, catching the boy's gaze. "That's because your memories have been locked away from you to protect you from reality." When Harry and the others got confused, and suspicious looks across their faces Dessmona continued. "A long time before your birth a deal was made between Heaven and Hell, and it involved you. Between God and Lucifer, the greatest enemies of all time and existance. Each one sent a messenger to a secret place to discuss the proposition. A fight over your soul."
Harry looked dumbfounded and stepped back away from Dessmona, a stricken and shocked look crossing his features. 'My life, has it been a lie for all of this time? Who am I really?' Harry shuddered and moved farther away when Remus and Mrs. Weasley moved forward to comfort him as well as Ron and Hermione. He wrapped his arms around his thin frame. 'A fight over my soul? Has it been resolved? Well if it had of, then I most likely wouldn't be here, would I?' he mused.
Harry dropped his hands and clenched his fists argrily to his sides. 'What's worse than knowing that all I know might be a lie is that I've been manipulated again! I know that people rely on me to defeat Voldemort and other things like it but, can't I just go through life without being used like this. People who care about me, or claimt hat they do so should have realized by now that I hate being twisted aorund like this!'
"If you're finished with your inner turmoil, then it would be nice if your aquaintance could finish her tale of this bargain for your soul, Potter," a snarky voice came from his left. Harry lifted annoyed green eyes to his potion's professor and gave him a half-hearted glare and turned towards Dessmona, who looked expectantly at him as if waiting for him to explode.
Harry took a few calming breathes and began to speak. "There was a bargain over my soul?" A calm nod answered his question. "It is still going on as we speak. Your soul is fighting against itself, against you, your morals, values and the like are all at conflict with one another. That's why I'm here, to help you gain control of your magic and to train you and your friends to protect themselves against Voldemort and Lucifer."
"You can't possibly expect them to fight against 'You-Know-Who' and the devil, can you?" Mrs. Weasley blurted out in exasperation and anger. "They are only children who haven't even the slightest idea of what tricks he might have up his sleeve."
"Molly, I doubt that The Dark Lord would be low enough to use these so called 'tricks' you mentioned against them." Snape snapped.
"Yeah, you would know," Ron mumbled under his breath, but everyone heard him just the same. Snape's onyx eyes hardened as he stared down Ron, and the boy did look indeed slightly terrified. The man moved closer and stared down his prominent nose at the redheaded boy who flinched at his angered glare. At that moment Mrs. Weasley moved in front of her son and turned towards Ron with an expression of anger.
"You shouldn't speak of things you don't understand, Ronald." Said boy winced at the use of his full name. Mrs. Weasley turned away from from Ron whose face was still a brillant shade of red that nearly matched his hair. Harry smirked slightly at Ron before focusing again upon Dessmona.
"The fact that you're soul is being fought over is important but right now there are more important things to do." She stepped closer to Harry who unconciously stepped back. Dessmona shook her head and came closed and reached up with one slender hand to Harry's face. Their eyes met and Harry froze, he tried to move, but he couldn't. His magic had been locked again.
Dessmona reached out and gently touched the side of Harry's face and ran her fingers down the slightly flushed skin in a calming motion, and that was the affect it had on Harry. His eyes clouded over slightly and he wavered on his feet a bit. The angel finally reached up and pressed two graceful fingers to Harry's scao and the boy's eyes widened as he felt torrents of magic course through him.
A uncomfortable tingling sensation began to spread through Harry's body, it felt as if all of his magic was coming to the surface of his skin. It was a warm feeling that quickly turned burning hot. He wavered on his feet again, the heat and rush of magical energy being almost to much for him. Then a pounding headache tore through his scar, not unlike what happened with the visions from Voldemort, only a bit worse. All of his memories inside of his head were being shifted and uncovered and Harry stumbled back until he felt his back hit the wall and leaned heavily against it for dear life.
Soon the terrible burning and headache were gone and Harry reached up to touch his scar. It felt sticky and warm and wet and had a certain consistancy that only one liquid could have. Blood. His struggled to open his eyes but they felt as if they were being weighted down. Then he heard the concerned voices.
"Harry? Harry? Are you alright?" Hermione was trying to rouse Harry from the strange trance that he was in. Ron stood next to her along with Mrs. Weasley and Remus. Moody and Snape on the other hand had rounded on Dessmona again after Harry had nearly collasped after whatever strange spell she had placed on the boy.
"The only thing that I did was restore his memories that we had covered up." Two wands were pointed towards her. "The reason why they were hidden is becuase if harry ha dthe memories of his powers and who he is, he might have lashed out unentintionally on his peers and with his powers being as unstable as they are, he might have killed someone."
"And just how did he get these powers you keep rambling about?" Moody growled. Dessmona shook her head in slight annoyance. "The only time that Harry is aware of them is when he is asleep and in his dreams he is transported to a secret place to train for the battle that I've been telling you about. Only then is he aware of who he is and the knowledge disappears as soon as he awakes!"
"Where is this place you speak of?" Snape asked.
"Hell," Dessmona said simply.
Complete silence covered the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and froze. Seven pairs of eyes stared at the angel in disbelief. Harry still hadn't recovered from his memories being unlocked so his eyes were still closed but he wasn't leaning against the wall anymore. The only sound in the room was his rough breathing.
"He was trained in Hell?" Ron stared back at Harry in disbelief. He didn't know that much about Muggle religions but he knew that you only went to Hell when you died and were an evil person. Harry was not dead nor was he evil, so why...
"Yes. All of that will be explained soon enough. It has to do with the battle over Harry's soul. Part of the deal was that Harry would be born as a wizard to experience the good and bad aspects of life through a mortal point of view. He could see both good and evil, but in exchange he would have to go to Hell and train for the tasks that will befall as soon as his memories take hold. He has to make a choice."
Harry shifted slightly and calmed his breathing and opened his eyes slightly. Everyone was watching him worriedly or annoyingly in a few people's cases. Harry blinked and then finally opened his eyes. Mrs. Weasley gasped and Ron, Hermione, and Draco backed away slightly from the boy.
Harry's eyes glowed bright red as they slowly surveyed the room. The tired and worn expression had fallen from his face to reveal a hard and mistrustful look. Each person that he looked at with those eyes flinched or looked away in fear except for Snape and Moody of course even thought they did look quite unsettled with those bright orbs shining fron the boy's face. They showed the hidden power that resided within the boy and eeryone in the room could feel it.
Only Dessmona seemed unfazed by Harry's change in appearance. She bowed her head slightly in greeting as if Harry and she had never met. A soft smile came to her face.
"Ah, Avenairu, it seems that you have decided to surface once again."
The harsh ruby eyes flashed briefly before a sneer twisted the boy's mouth; an expression that had no right to be there. "It's about time too, I'm getting quite tired of being trapped inside of this weak, pathetic body." Harry/Avenairu smirked as he gazed around the room again. "What is it, has my appearance frightened you all so much that are can;t find your tongues? Amusing..." he thoughtfully rubbed his chin and the smirk widened even more. "I don't think that my counterpart, the Innocent One could ever do that."
Harry/Avenairu sudden shook his head and closed his eyes, trembling. When he opened them again, they were back to their calm, if not confused, emerald. Harry put his head in his hands and ran his fingers down his face.
"What _was_ that?" were the first words out of his mouth. He looked around quizzically at everyone. They were staring at him in astonishment, wonder, suspicion, and slight fear.
"Whatever just happened to you Harry, it seemed as if you were a completely different person," Draco said, his gray-blue eyes assessing the dark-haired boy carefull. "It looked like you were a completely different person, it was just plain weird! You, Avenairu, or whatever was speaking of you in third person; it was like you have two personalities!"
Harry shook himself one more time. "I know, but I can;t explain why it happened. I know that it's strange, but I fell as if I have another presence in me, another half... I can't really explain it."
"Bonkers," Ron blurted out. "You're just completely bonkers, mate, there's no doubt about it." Hermione hit the redhead in the ribs again in annoyance. Harry laughed slightly but the soft sound faded at the intense looks that he was getting from everyone else.
"This is unbelievable," Mrs. Weasley said hoarsely. "I don't know what you just did to Harry, but you've most likely opened him to all sorts of Dark Magic. Don't even try to say anything; I saw that look in his eyes. He's been possessed by something, something evil and you're to blame!"
Dessmona shook her head. "The only way to remedy this is for Harry to gain control over his other half. It will be hard work, but you can do it," she said, looking intently at the raven-haired wizard. Harry said nothing.
"I remember who I am," he whispered. "My other half, I mean. I can't accept it, I just can't!"
"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione asked gently. "I can't accept myself beause I'm so evil, such a revolting and despised creature."
Dessmona huffed in annoyance. "Harry, you can't classify yourself as a creature. A half-mortal, yes, but not a creature."
"He's not entirely human? What are you talking about?" Snape rose an eyebrow in question. "It isn't possible for someone to be half-mortal. There would be certain characteristics that would be painfully obvious were you to look at the boy or pay close enough attention to him."
"He's part of some Dark Creature, I'm sure of that," Moody said in distain. "It's not your fault, Potter, but this monstosity who claims to be a Heavenly being, not that I believe in that nonsense myself."
"If you cannot accept Harry who he is right not, you will never be able to handle what te future holds for this boy! All of you need to put aside your prejudices and fears and join the fight against Voldemort and Lucifer unless you want this world to fall into more trouble than it's already in!"
No one spoke for a few seconds. Everyone was trying to let what Dessmona said sink in. To have to accept that Harry was some sort of half-mortal being that was evil and could harm them at any moment was appalling and they didn;t know how to accept it.
Remus was the one who spoke up finally. "Harry, what is your other half, exactly?" Harry turned sorrowful green eyes towards Remus and sighed softly before closing his eyes, steeling his facial expression and opening the green pool again.
"The other half of my soul is a Devil."
(I'm planning on adding more to this chapter, but hopefully this will satisfy your need for an update for a few days... IT"S NOT A CLIFFY!)
**..………………Devil's Snare……2……Devil's Snare…………………**
_I hope that all of you forgive me for not updating! I just got my computer back today and even though my mom let me use her laptop, the document obviously wasn't saved on it so I couldn't update. I'm using WordPad until I reinstall Microsoft Word so please forgive me again if there are misspelled words and other grammar errors. My e-mail account is messed up, I need to have my mom reactivate it (my computer was VERY messed up as you may or may not have gathered from my tale of its incompetiance) so I can e-mail one of my reviewers (Hazel Wolf) who seems interestd in being my beta._
_Well, if any of you are wondering why Dessmona, isn't acting so "angelic" that will be explained in the next chapter. _
_If you're wondering about the name "Avenairu" I know that it sounds Japanese, but it's not. It just popped into my head; I made it up and it just stuck with Harry's other half so just in case you wanted to know..._
_On another note, I might put in my idea of how to bring Sirius back from the veil, but that's only if you want me to. He and Remus will be together if that happens, if not then Remus will only mention to Harry (later on in the story) about their relationship. ; _
_**Please Review!**_
_**Korogi-chan**_
4. Capitulus Tres
_Summary: __Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal __Wizarding__ World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat __Voldemort__ but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS __CoS__PoA__GoF__OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, __slashy__, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/__SB(__mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter __Fanfic_
JubblyWubbly
Verdragon
Kira6
Notes (1):
_Let me warn you before you decide to flame me about spelling and grammar errors. I just got my computer back and I need to reinstall Microsoft Word so for now I'm using WordPad, which sucks! So please don't flame me about spelling and all of that! I'm going to eventually fix all of the chapters and repost them and more soon so please bear with it for a bit. Thanks._
_Any other flames are welcome. _
_Notes (2):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is __offically__ AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
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_Devil's Snare_
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_Chapter Three: Adjusting to What We Don't Understand_
H_arry sat silently on his bed_ picking dejectedly at a piece of loose thread on the quilt. Dinner that night had been so uncomfortable and awkward. Everyone had been subdued and the conversations were forced and too polite. Mad-Eye-Moody had remained for dinner along with Snape, via Mrs. Weasley's request. That in itself had made conversation even more strained becasue of Moody's naturally suspicious nature and the lack of friendlyness from the Potions Master. Harry and Dessmona sat next to eat other and Hermione was on Harry's right and Ron sat next to her. Draco had sat across from Harry next to Snape who sat next to Remus. Mrs. Weasley had sat next to Moody was was inspecting his food as if expecting it to jump off of the plate and curse him.
The entire table was too quiet and tense and the hairs on the back of Harry's neck were standing on end; he could feel the glances and mistrusting stares that he was getting from everyone. This unconfortable silence and shifting of utensils as Mrs. Weasley finished passing the food to everyone at the table. Harry had just picked at his dinner and pushed the food along on his plate until Dessmona pocked his in the side.
"Harry you need to eat," the angel had sad softly scolding him. If anything that made Harry even more annoyed. Even though she meant well Dessmona was just going to end up as another one of those peopl who was too overprotective of him.
Harrry scowled and stabbed the meat on his plate before pushing it into his mouth with anger and annoyance as he mercilessly pounded the poor meat with his teeth. The smacking sounds were loud in the deathly quiet room as Harry chewed. Hermione was gazing at Harry with a sympathetic look and Draco, along with Snape, were looking at Harry's table manners in disgust. Dessmona was looking at him disapprovingly and Harry ignored her until he heard a soft hissing sound coming from the snake on the angel's neck.
The sounds were low and comforting to the aggitated boy, but as he continued to listen he noticed that he couldn't understand a word that the snake was saying. It unnerved him; Harry was a Parseltongue, how could he not understand a snake? As he continued to listen he was surprised to hear Dessmona say something back to the crimson serpent. It was in the same strange language and it irked him to no end that he couldn't understand them. Harry noticed that nearly everyone had stopped staring at him to listen to what Dess and her familiar were talking about even thought they couldn't understand.
Hermione nudged Harry in the side and when he looked at her she tilted her head and asked softly, "What are they saying?" Harry frowned back and shrugged. "I don't know; they're not speaking Parseltongue. It sounds familair, but I don't know what language it is..."
Draco was watching Harry and Hermione as they talked and he raised an eyebrow at Harry. "You don't understand it but it sounds familiar? It can't be a human language; that's for sure."
Harry shrugged again. He focused his gaze on Saengen and Dessmona's conversation, which had stopped. The snake turned its gleaming turquiose eyes on the boy and a long forked tongue flicked out to taste the air, most likely to taste the boy's scent.
_"Is everyone here always this quiet and subdued? I thought that dinner was a talkative occasion?" _Saengen hissed softly. Harry blinked and hissed back, _"No, well some of the people here are, but it's not supposed to be this quiet at all."_
Everyone was focusing on Harry and Saengen with rapt attention. Harry ognored their stares and silently berated himself for using Parseltongue around them. The fact that he had the strange ability was looked down upon by most wizards and was thought to be a Dark Art. Harry continued to ignore the stares that he recieveing from his friends and continued to focus on Saengen.
_"Everyone is stiff because of the knowledge of what you are, yes?" _Harry nodded and smiled slightly at the snake's particualr speech pattern. _"They fear what they know not, typical of weak-minded human mortals."_ Harry laughed out loud at that comment and smiled at the reptile who regarded him in return with calm turqoiuse eyes. _"That's true," _Harry hissed softly while moving his gaze back to his plate and began to eat again with enthusiasim.
Tense moments passed by after that until Harry looked up from his food and glanced down the table at Ron. The redhead was sitting there picking at his food quietly just as Harry had done earlier when he had been stared at. Out of all the others, he hadn't really done anything in regards to the fact that Harry was a devil. Harry was concerned about that, Ron was his best mate after all and when the boy was silent it either meant two things; he was angry with Harry for some way or jealous of him. Harry hoped that wasn't the case. It always unnerved him that Ron had so much jealousy inside of his mind aimed towards him.
"Ron, you're not eating," Mrs. Weasley said looking over at her son in concern. The boy grunted in responce and kept pushing foood around on his plate. Hermione nudged the boy in his side and gazed at him until blue eyes rose to her brown ones.
"Ron, you'd better not end up getting mad at Harry again for something that's not under his control. Being jealous of him is going to ruin your friendship even more." Ron frowned at Hermione's words and turned back towards his plate but the bushy-haired girl hadn't finished her speech. "Instead of moping around you should be trying to find some way to help Harry adjust to this. We're his best friends and he needs our support!"
Harry smiled slightly at his friend's words but silently berated the girl for speaking about his as if he weren't even in the same room, sitting next to her no less.
Hermione turned her gaze back towards Harry again and smiled slightly at her friend. She was getting tired of the silence in the room and decided to start a conversation. "So, Harry," she began, "Earlier when you started speaking of yourself in third person, could you still hear what was going on?"
Harry looked thoughtful for a few moments before answering. "Yeah, it just felt like someone was pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind so I couldn't speak or anything. I could still hear what was going on, but I felt like I was far away from everything, as if I were watching from afar... it was really strange."
"I still don't understand how you can have two souls," Draco said looking at Dessmona. "Also the fact that Harry is a half-devil. If that is a part of his soul why isn't he evil?"
"You have to be concious of your soul and what it is to be able to act on it. If the memories are locked away, then Harry has no knowledge of his other half. If you're not aware of your powers then you don't have the motivation to use them. It's odd, but that's the way it works. Besides that's not how it works; Harry being evil and whatnot. Harry's soul overrides Avenairu's actions as long as he doesn't lose control of magic or if Harry relinquishes control over to Avenairu."
Draco still looked a bit confused but he wasn't alone. Being consious of a certain part of yourself just to be able to access it? Hermione glanced at Ron who was still sulking and pushing his food around and them to Harry who was just staring down at his plate with that lost look on his face. His eyes were clouded over and Hermione sighed and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I didn't mean to bring that up Harry, if that made you upset... I was just curious."
"You should be aware of the fact that wanting to know everything will cause people grief, Ms. Granger," Snape spoke up from his side of the table. Harry's head rose in disbelief; was the man defending him? "Of course, Mr. Potter is always trying to get unnessasary attention from everyone so you are not the only person whose faults they refuse to aknowledge."
_Scatch__ that idea,'_ Harry thought argrily, not noticing the rise in his already unstable magic as he reached out to pick up in glass of pumpkin juice. His fingers hadn't even touched the smooth surface when the glass shattered into hundreds of tiny sparkling shards and the orange liquid inside went splattering all over the table and its occupants.
"Argggghhhh, dammnit, Potter!" Draco yelled, holding up his the sleeves of his sweater which appeared to be made out of an expensive material. "You messed up one of my favorite sweaters!" The blond furiously shook out the sleeves throwing more cool droplets around the room.
"Stuff it you ferret!" Mad-Eye-Moody growled. (Though it hadn't been him who had casted the spell, Harry and the gang had replayed what Crouch had done during their Fourth Year and Moody found it quite amusing as he didn't like the Slytherin Prince.) "It's a bloody sweater, it can be replaced. You should be more concerned about other things--"
"I don't care about that!" Draco griped, gray-blue eyes flashing at Harry who was trying to refrain from chuckling at the pissed boy sitting across from him. A glance to his left showed that Dessmona was trying not to smile and he could hear Saengen's amused hissing as well.
Remus reached inside of his pocket and was about to pull out his wand to clean up the mess while Mrs. Weasley was trying get the broken glass out of what was out of the food, temorarily forgetting her wand. Ron was smirking at Malfoy's tirade and Hermione, Harry noticed had gotten a cut in her hand from the glass.
Dessmona sighed as she reached got up from her chair to heal Hermione who was holding her hand out in front of her as if the glass splinter might jump out and bite her. "Harry, You must learn how to control you magic." Said wizard opened his mouth to argue but the angel cut him off. "Having your memories of Avenairu are going to make you unstable and your body is adjusting to the magic that it has to absorb. Having your powers when you're asleep is a lot different than when you are awake."
Snape rolled his eyes at Dessmona and concentrated on getting slivers of glass out of his hand. The glass had cut his hand right between the index finger and thumb and was bleeding quite a bit. He could the glass out himself, but would need a potion to get rid of possible infection and to stopp the flow of blood. He felt a pair of eyes on him and glanced up briefly to see Harry watching him with an apologetic look on his face. He sneered back at the boy, not wanting his pity over such or small injury, nor anything for that matter.
Harry looked away as his professor sneered at him and looked around the table. Dessmona was healing Hermione's hand and the brown-eyed girl was smiling at the angel in thanks. Malfoy was still royally pissed over his stupid outfit and Ron was trying to help his mother with the glass, but the older woman kept pushing his hands away from the glass, not wanting her son to cut himself on it.
Harry wished that ths evening could just reset itself and start over, or at least skip the awkwardness and get to when he could fall asleep. Not really thinking about what he was doing, he waved his hand in the direction of the table and immediately everything began to right itself. The glass moved back into a solid shape and the spilled juice filled the dish accordingly.
Everyone froze and stared at the glass and Ron was the first to speak. "What happened," the boy said somewhat dimly. Hermione had seen Harry wave his hand over the table and stared up at him in awe. "You just did wandless magic!"
Dessmona whipped around, thankfully letting go of Hermione's hand or else the poor girl would have gone flying out of her chair. Her eyes swept over the confused wizard slowly; she could--in a way--see his magic. Both of his souls--Harry's being green and Avenairu's being red--were conflicting against each other as if they were trying to find space inside of Harry's body.
'I had been expecting this,' she thought looking back into Harry's eyes, 'but not so soon...' Dessmona walked over to Snape and began to heal his hand even though she knew the man didn't want her help or pity. She held his hand firmly and the wizard was surprised by the strength of her hold, but that didn't stop him from snatching his hand away when his wound was gone.
"Harry, your magic is trying to find a center, so until then, it will be extremely unstable. The glass exploded because of your anger and unease, but you fixed it in the end--"
"He used Wandless Magic, did he?" Moody said his magical eye on Harry and then soon after his normal one. "It takes a lot of magic and concentration to do so, but I noticed that you weren't even looking at the glass when you did it. Has this sort of thing ever happened before?"
Harry sighed. "Yes, I've done wandless magic before, but not intentionally." Moody nodded. "I thought so."
Glancing around the table, Harry saw that everyone was staring at him. Draco had given his sweater a check after Harry repaired the glass and was staring at him in awe and a slight bit of jealousy. Hermione was gazing at him interestedly and wondering if it was related to Avenairu's magic. Mrs. Weasley and Remus watched Harry warily and Snape's gaze was unfathomable.
When Harry's eyes settled on his best friend he saw anger and jealousy. The redhead was glaring at him in contemp and Harry braced himself for insults and so he wouldn't get to mad about the angry words that he knew would spill from the boy's mouth.
"What do you think you're playing at?" Ron spat viciously at Harry whose eyes hardened as he tried to keep his magic down. "You could have hurt someone!" Harry opened his mouth to protest that he had no control over the outburst but Ron cut him off. "You're probably going to say that you didn't have any control over it weren't you, just like how you didn't have any control over the TriWizard Tourament or anything else that happens to the Boy-Who-Lived!"
Harry was fuming by now. "I thought that what happened during Fourth Year had been resolved, Ron. I thought that you understood." Dessmona gazed at Ron and thought silently to herself that this boy would have to let go of his jealousy of Harry if they wanted to be friends. What Hermione had said earlier was right; Harry needed all of the support that he could get, but if Ron wouldn't offer support and he was Harry's closet friend, where would that missing friendship come from?
"You always act like you don't like being Harry Potter--" he spat out the name with venom--"but you know that you like all of the attention and you fell like you're higher than the rest of us. Everyone lets you do whatever you want! Don't pretend that you don't like it!"
"Many of the things that I've gotten to do without consequences were to help me find some ways to set Voldemort back and you and Hermione were right there with me! You got out of truoble, just as I did! You enjoyed it even more than I ever could! Being friends with me does have its benefits, doesn't it?" Harry said coldly. Hermione looked stunned at his icy tone and Draco was looking at him smugly as if to say, 'I was right in the beginning wasn't I Potter? You could have had better friends had you of accepted my hand in First Year...' Under that smirk Harry could tell that the blond was a bit interested in where this conversation would lead.
Ron looked stunned for a moment at Harry's anger but his eyes hardened again and he glared at the raven-haired wizard. "Don't try to turn this on me, Harry."
"Why can't you see past your jealousy for once? Everything that I have that you don't makes you angry, especially if it's something outside of my control! One example, my inheritance!" Harry knew that this was the worst thing to bring up into a arguement with Ron, but he needed to get his point across. "I can't help that can I? Or the fact that I have this scar on my forehead? Do you want to be the one who has to kill Voldemort?" Ignoring the shudders that went throught the room at the name, Harry continued. "Do you want a prophesy stamped on your head that says that you have to kill a Dark Lord all the while knowing that you don't have the power to kill him?"
That caught everyone's attention. "What the bloody hell are you rambling about?" Ron said his tone bitter but his face held slight interest.
_"'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have powers the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the __ither__ survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies_
Harry recited those words that he knew by heart softly, his eyes clouding over. Everyone was silent, there was no movement at all. Harry lifted his gaze to Ron and sighed wearily before speaking again. "Is that what you want, Ron?"
The boy in question did nothing, his face slack and devoid of any emotion save confusion and sadness, both of which quickly fused into anger and betrayal. Before anyone could react, Ron hauled back and punched Harry in the face; the boy staggered backwards, obviously caught off guard. Hermione grabbed onto Ron's arm to keep the boy from hitting Harry again and Remus took the boy's wand as he had been in the process of taking it from his pocket. Mrs. Weasley made to rush towards Harry to see if the boy was alright, but stopped when the young wizards eyes rose up to Ron who was being restrained.
Harry's eyes were blood red and glowed eerily from within, a malicious look in them. They were narrowed and his entire posture was rigid. Dessmona reached towards Harry to restrain him if the need came and Moody and Snape had their wands pointed at the boy just in case they needed to stun him.
"Calm down Avenairu," Dessmona said softly, but none of the other people understood what she said except for Saengen and Harry. The angel had spoken in another language and Harry visibly responded at the simple words, his tense muscles relaxing and his eyes loosing their feral glow and fading to their normal (for Avenairu anyway) blood-red hue.
"You will do well to watch your actions in the future, mortal," Avenairu hissed warningly at Ron. He reached up to his face and slowly ran his fingers over a bruise that was beginning to form over his cheek. The feeling of swollen flesh angered him even more and his eyes flashed at Ron who recoiled while Hermione and the others flinched. "Next time I will not hesitate in my retaliation should you choose to try my patience again."
Avenairu's eyes traveled to Dessmona briefly and the half-devil whispered something to the angel who nodded in reply. Again, none of their words could be recognized due to the strange language. Slowly Avenairu's eyes faded into emerald and Harry was back in control of his own body.
"I'm sorry for scaring you all," Harry said, "but I have to agree with Avenairu on this. Don't try my patience; I won't be the one who punishes you, it will be him." Everyone watched Harry warily and with that final statement the boy turned away and walked swiftly from the room and they could hear his quick footsteps as he proceded to his room and promptly slammed the door.
Harry sighed as he lay back down onto his quilt and stretched out over the cool fabric. He reached to his face and pulled off his glasses and set them on the nightstand next to his bed. He rolled over onto his back again and stared up at the dark blue canopy of his poster bed letting his thoughts drift as he tried to ignore the sounds of people bustling around in the kitchen below him. He could here the heated tones of Mrs. Weasley as she was most likely yelling at Ron for being so rude to Harry earlier. He felt no amount of guilt at the thought of his best friend getting a lecture because of him.
Soon Harry's thoughts drifted far enough for the troubled half-devil to fall into a fitful slumber.
_A fourteen-year-old Harry stood in a large dimly lit room, the only sources of light being the torches near the large stone doors that led out into an even darker hallway. The room was very warm, almost being on the border of uncomfortable and the shadows that hid the other occupants in the room weren't helping to ease the boy's fears at all. _
_To his right, a __Dessmona__ stood next to him, her facial features slightly younger, as were his. The effect was caused only by the way their souls and magic were combined so as to not cause too much __suspision__amoung__ the devils who didn't know that she was connected to Harry. Her expression was wary and cautious and she had a good reason to wear that look. Twenty or so devils that were in training just as Harry was to gain ranks were surrounding the two, but their target was Harry._
_Everyone knew about Lucifer's plan to have a "Right-Hand" at his disposal to do his evil bidding. Most of them approved of it, but to __chose__ a human for such a task was low. __A half-human for the __Prine__ of Hell?__ Absurd was the word that came to most minds. Humans were full of errors and mistakes and changed sides too quickly when they were in tight situations. Most of the devils knew about Harry's weakness, about how he didn't want to accept the __responsibily__ and what their eyes appeared to be an honor. His compassion and care for others and resistance against evil added more negative parts to the boy. _
_Most of them had heard about the myth of the "Boy-Who-Lived" and how he had nearly killed __Voldemort__ when he was only an infant; that was impressive, if you looked over the fact that he did it using love from his mother's sacrifice. Love had saved the boy, something that was extremely uncommon __amonst__ cruel and heartless devils. They took what they wanted without ever giving back; raping any humans or other creatures that were like them but didn't possess the prowess and dignity that a devil had. _
_In any case, Harry was surrounded by many angry devils __who__ looked at the youngest member of their group with hate and contempt. Harry's face was hardened, but you could see his fear and unease. _
_"Is there something that you want?" Harry said keeping the apprehension out of his voice and playing the fool. As long as he kept them in __th__edark__ about his intelligence and __intelect__ they would never suspect him of being anything other than a weak half-devil._
_"We're sick and tired of you parading around here as if you own this place, Harry," a tall silver-haired devil spat out the boy's name like a profanity. His darkly-tanned face twisted into a sneer and his golden eyes flashed in anger. "You may try to act as if you are ignorant and __don't care__ about the fact that you are a "__Chosed__ One", but the rest of us can see behind your facade." Many of the devils surrounding him nodded and murmured their agreement. _
_"Everyone thinks that Lucifer is at an all-time low; choosing a filthy human to be the Prince. The only way he could have gone lower was if he had of slept with your half-breed mother!" Harry growled low in his throat and felt his magic flair to the surface of his skin and burn his flesh. A faint red aura surrounded him and the boy nearly launched himself to the taller devil in utter outrage. __Dessmona__ grasped his arm fiercely and a rush of calming energy swept over his. The rage remained but now what would have been Harry's __uncontroled__ burst of magic was now docile and harmless...for the time being._
_Cruel laughter echoed throughout the room. "You are so weak that you let an _angel_ control your power? That is lower than low." Hard golden eyes flickered over __Dessmona's__ figure. "I can why you would want __her,__ a __messanger__ of God has got to have rewards, of course." Harry froze and his eyes flashed red briefly before returning to __a__ unsettled jade. _
_"Your greatest weakness is that you care for people. Typical of a filthy human; I suppose that I couldn't expect anything otherwise. If it weren't for the other soul residing inside of you, your __existance__ would be a complete waste. If it didn't exist you would have been dead long before now." The devil was circling Harry now, a feral look in his light colored eyes. "Lucifer, in all of his greatness and knowledge was a fool in selecting you to be the next 'Chosen One'. If the others didn't work out, then how could you--" He pressed a slender finger against Harry's chest-- "ever hope to take charge over Hell? You can barely handle this training let alone what will happen later on!"_
_Harry pulled away and frowned. "You should know that I don't even want this responsibility and that this is not under any of my control. If I had a choice I would just forsake my powers and leave this place; to rid myself of all of the evil around me! Surely you've heard of this because of all of the rumors flying around about me and Lucifer."_
_All of the devils around Harry gasped and looked at him with the upmost contemp. __THere__ were looks of shock and dismay and anger on their faces and the devil that was taunting Harry stalked up to the boy until Harry had to __crain__ his neck upwards to look at him._
_"Forsake you powers and rights as a Prince and Hell Master? How dare you insult this way you mortal filth!" He grabbed Harry by the throat and lifted him off the ground and due to the boy's lightness, it wasn't a hard feat. He ignored the sounds of his victim's coughs and gasps for breath and __Dessmona's__ angry shouts of concern. Hard gold eyes pieced pain-clouded emerald and the devil used his free hand to backhand Harry across the face._
_"I don't care how much you hate being a half-devil. No matter how low you are you must never, ever insult Lucifer by suggesting __to give__ up your powers! Not only is his word law, but __everytime__ he __choses__ someone else to become a Prince of Hell he tears away at God's resistance. Even if Lucifer's plans fail, we in a small amount damage the one your people call 'Lord'. You are part of this plot to bring Him down!" He flung Harry to the ground and the boy sputtered and gasped rapidly trying to get some of the air back that he had lost due to the previous restriction to his airway. __Dessmona__ kneeled down to help him and glared angrily up at the devil and his followers who stood smirking above him._
_"You have no right to harm him like this. Harry is right; he never wanted any of the responsibility that comes along with being a Prince." __Dessmona__ held onto Harry as the boy's erratic breathing began to slow down slightly. They ones that Satan chooses are random. No doubt that you would love to bear the position, __Varajie__. You would just hold yourself in higher regard than what you're worth even more than you already do."_
_Varajie's__ eyes widened and then turned red and in a flash of movement his had taken out a sword and slashed __Dessmona__ across her chest close to her neck. Angels, of course, cannot bleed, but due to her bond with Harry's souls she was part human while on earth unless she unleashed her true powers to fight or help Harry. Blood rushed from the wound which was deep and she pushed Harry away as he tried to help her. She could __her the__ wound, no matter how serious._
_"I don't care about the agreement between Heaven and Hell; I don't care that attacking an angel could cause all out war between the two powers again! No one insults __Varajie__, I don't care who they are!" He crudely wiped the blood off on Harry's robes as the boy's back was to him and knocked the boy over by slamming the hilt of his sword in the small of his back._
_Harry was tired of being pushed around by people who were stronger than him and he finally lashed out. Calling up his magic from a deep well inside of him, the half-devil turned on his heel and ran towards __Varajie__ and prepared to strike him. Long blade-like weapons of bone tore themselves from his skin and cut deeply into the other devil's flesh and blood and yells filled the air. __Varajie__ fought back just as fiercely tearing into Harry's flesh with his sword and throwing curses at the boy._
_The fight went on for a while, each time the retaliation from the other opponent growing more fierce and violent. Harry couldn't think anymore; he wasn't in control of his own body. He was obeying the cold voice that was running through his head._
Kill him...
Destroy him...
Make each blow more painful than the last...
_Harry continued listening until it was clear that if someone didn't stop them from fighting that the young half-devil would __egt__ the upper hand and kill __Varajie__Dessmona's__ screams weren't even penetrating the wizards __conciousness__ all he wanted was to see more blood; hear more screams of pain, as they were feeding him __strenghth__ and power..._
_"STOP THIS AT ONCE!"_
_Harry and __Varajie__ froze and while __Varajie__ nearly crumpled to the ground in all of his injuries, Harry stood there trying __desparately__ to catch his breath. His eyes were wide and glowing crimson and he could feel his magic whirling around the room. He tried to comprehend what had happened earlier; that voice, how had it spurred him in such a way to make him want to kill another being; devil or not?_
_Both devils turned towards the voice that had interrupted their battle. A tall devil with black hair and vivid silver eyes glared down at both of them anger and disappointment in his eyes. Both devils straightened up despite their injuries; this devil was one of the notorious Hell Masters; Delano. Harry held respect for him, due to his __helpfullness__ in his training._
_"You should know better than to you waste your energy over __arguements__ such as these. You're dismissed," he said roughly. __Varajie__ spat at Harry's feet before turning around and limping proudly (if that's possible) away from the trouble wizard and his angel._
Harry sat up abruptly in bed, gasping harshly and he groped wildly towards his nightstand to retrieve his glasses and pushed them sloppily onto his face. He turned his sleep-clouded vision to the doorknob which was shifting about slightly as somefrom was trying to open it from the outside. Harry straightened out his shirt and ran his slender fingers throught his mused hair before calling out, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Hermione, Draco and Dess."
Harry smiled at Hermione's shortening of his first friend's nickname and rose from his bed and unlocked the door. Hermione opened it and Draco walked in after her, with Dessmona bringing up the rear. The silver-haired girl shut the door behind her and sat next to Harry on the bed. Draco moved a chair closer to Harry's bedside and Hermione sat on Harry's other side.
"I know that you're upset with Ron, but he you know how he gets when stuff like this happens..." the girl was defended Ron poorly and even though he had an idea, Harry wanted to know what 'stuff like this' meant.
"What do you mean 'Mione by, 'stuff like this?'" Harry sat there a mock pensive look on his face watching Hermione shift in discomfort. Draco rolled his eyes and reahced out to cuff Harry on the side of his face that was unblemished. "Stop bating her, you ponce." Harry bristled slightly at the insult. "You know that Weasley is subject to jealousy. During Fourth Year nearly everyone knew that you two had a falling out because of the TriWizard Tournament. To be honest, I thought that you had had another one of those Golden Boy Moments to get your way into the contest. Obviously you hadn't," he continued seeing the angry look on the boy's face. "Of course, i still hated you that year..."
Harry rolled his eyes and glanced at Dessmona who had reached out to heal the side of his face. "I know that you're going to lecture me about what happened with Ron, Dess, so could you please get it over with?"
Dessmona let a tiny smill cross her face before healing the boy's wound completely. "What Ronald said was unacceptable, but you really shouldn't have brought up the Prophesy like that. Another time and place perhaps who have warrented less commotion, but you let your anger get the best of you.
"Avenairu, even though he hates the 'Light' side of you is possessive over your body in a way." At the looks of confusion, she continued. "Harry is in control of his body, thoughts, emotion, most of the time, unless he becomes enraged. Avenairu is an extention of that anger. That's when he has a chance to take control."
Hermione and Draco nodded but Hermione spoke up with an annoyed voice, "Harry, I know that you have your reasons, but why didn't you tell Ron and I about the Prophesy? I hope that you hold us in higher value than that. You can trust us."
Harry met Hermione's eyes steadily. He trusted her more than Ron at this point and those feelings hadn't just surfaced; they had been building very slowly over a long period of time. Eventually, he might be able to trust Ron again, but until then he didn't have that many people to rely on...
"I'm sorry but I can't tell you that right now. Maybe tomorrow, when some of the stress has blown over." Harry smiled at his friends. "I appreciate the fact you're helping me though, I really do."
They all nodded and then proceeded to fall into a relaxed conversation until a small clock on the eastern wall chimed a quarter to ten. As Harry's friends walked out of the room, Draco--being the last to exit the room--turned back to the Boy-Who-Lived and smirked at the other teen.
"I forgot to mention something; Granger had asked awhile after your little tirade with Weasley if your mental shields would rise due to having another soul that was more powerful and if you needed to study Occlumency anymore." Harry sat up straighter paying more attention to the lanky blond standing in the doorway. "Dessmona said that your magic is so unstable that your shields ar weaker than before, but once you gain controlo of your magic they'll be very powerful--" Harry sighed but Draco took away his relief before he could completely savor it.
"--but that will take a while to occur so Severus will have to teach you 'Remedial Potions' again." Harry's mouth gaped in disbelief and anger.
"Wait a minute, how did you know that those lessons were really for Occlumency?"
Draco just smirked and shrugged before pulling the door closed behind him with a snap so the emerald-eyed Gryffindor to fume silently before preparing to go to bed.
..………………Devil's Snare……3……Devil's Snare…………………
_I __perfer__ saying __Parseltongue__ to __Parselmouth__, just in case any of you are wondering..._
_When the devil who is taunting Harry in his dream/memory is calling his other half without a name it's because after a __cermony__ when a devil completes his training then he is named. Harry in his dream hasn't done this so the name __Avernairu__ doesn't exist. Later on the origin of the name and the creature who suggested it for his will be revealed, just __be__ patient!_
_I hope that you're all enjoying this so far. I am at least. The "__Snarry__" won't be happening for awhile, the need to establish the foundation of the plot is more important for right now, but I __assue__ you that it will happen! _
_PLEASE REVIEW!_
Korogi-chan _a.k.a_Shoushi Ame
Word Count: 5,
5. Capitulus Quater
_**Summary: **__Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB(mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
**Thanks to the following people for their Reviewers)**
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**Notes (1):**
_**Let me warn you before you decide to flame me about spelling and grammar errors. I just got my computer back and I need to reinstall Microsoft Word so for now I'm using WordPad, which sucks! So please don't flame me about spelling and all of that! I'm going to eventually fix all of the chapters and repost them and more soon so please bear with it for a bit. Thanks.**_
_**Any other flames are welcome. **_
_**Notes (2):**_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
**I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEWS!**
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
_**Devil's Snare**_
………
_**Chapter Four: Occlumency and a Bucket of Lemon Drops**_
_The next morning Harry woke up to the smell of another wonderful breakfast the Mrs. Weasley had created. _At first the young man looked around his room in confusion before remembering that he was at Grimmald Place. He reached up and rubbed his eyes and in his sleep muddled brain Harry didn't notice that his vision was completely clear until he tried to put on his glasses. His vision was completely warped when the lenses slid over his face and he jerked them off in confusion before trying to place them over his face again. The same thing occurred and Harry sighed and set them back down.
'It's odd not having my glasses on,' the boy thought absently while running his hands down his face while glancing around the room. Draco had already gotten up, the half-devil noticed as he took in the neatly-made bed. Harry shifted and finally rolled out of bed, stretching and walking stiffly towards his trunk to pull out his clothes and then proceed to walk into the bathroom.
When Harry finished with his shower and putting on his clothes he looked into the mirror, starting with what he saw. His facial features were a bit sharper; cheekbones and jaw stronger than what they had been before. Also his skin--which was normally a light and healthy tan--was a shade or two darker. His hair was no longer resembled what less-than-polite people liked to call a 'rat's nest' but was now longer and sleek and shiny. Harry--still in a sleep-induced haze--had noticed the change in thickness and texture during his shower but hadn't thought that much about it until he saw his own reflection in the mirror.
Running his fingers idly through his hair--which was now a few inches down his back--Harry glanced at his reflection one more time before opening the door to his room and walking down the stairs. He paused when a clock in the staircase corridor struck 10:15 and he silently berated himself for sleeping in.
"Harry, what happened to you? You look so different!"
Harry turned around abruptly and smiled when his eyes rested on Ginny who had just exited from a room that was a few feet away from his own. The pretty redhead gazed appreciatively at Harry who blushed slightly under the younger girl's scrutiny and ran a hand nervously through his hair.
"I suppose that it grew longer, I guess. I have to ask Dess about it."
Harry glanced at Ginny in surprise to see the girl nod in understanding. She smiled and then told him that after she and her dad had come back to Grimmald Place it had been after the rest of them had gone to bed and her mother had told her about Dessmona, Saengen, and the fight over Harry's soul in a brief overview. Ginny had spoken to Dessmona as well due to the fact that she, she, and Hermione shared a room. She also knew about the argument with Ron that had happened that night as well.
"I wish that he would be more open-minded about things! He's just really insecure, you know?"
Harry nodded and noticed that Ginny was still looking at him with that odd expression on her face. She noticed Harry's stare and stopped, offering a sheepish smile in apology.
"Sorry, Harry, but you look very handsome! Not that you didn't before," she stammered blushing, and Harry wondered if she still harbored feelings for him. Even though, the last he heard she was going out with Dean Thomas, the way she was acting now didn't confirm that idea...
"Ginny, are you still going out with Dean?" Harry asked casually, noticing that the girl nearly turned as bright as her hair.
"Well, Mum won't let me write to him over the summer or visit him so and I told him that so he said we should break it off until school starts again, I suppose." Her bright brown eyes shone hopefully as she gazed up at the raven-haired wizard. "Why do you ask?"
Harry shrugged, his suspicions correct. "I was just wondering, that's all." He smiled and walked down the hall and stopping by the stairs, waiting for Ginny to catch up. He glanced in her direction and noticed the slightly disappointed look on her face, and regretted it. He didn't like her anymore than he had in second year when she had fancied him. He only saw her as a sister.
Ginny suppressed a sigh that threatened to rise from her throat and smiled up at Harry. "Since you woke up kind of late, Mum fixed breakfast for you and set it in the kitchen. Fawkes came here about a half hour earlier with a message from Dumbledore saying that he wanted to talk to you and that Snape and Professor McGonagall were coming too."
Harry groaned and turned the corner walking towards the kitchen sullenly letting his feet drag on the floor. Dumbledore must have somehow found out about his powers. He clenched his fists tightly, thinking, that if the older wizard had known about this along with Dessmona that he would explode. His ears perked up as he heard the angel's voice coming from the kitchen.
"--the fight over Harry's soul is a large part of the deal between Voldemort and Lucifer. Even if Avenairu did completely take over Harry's mind a body, he would never join Voldemort completely because a devil would never be in alliance with a human. Lucifer is only using Voldemort anyway, so in the end he'll be destroyed as well."
As Harry entered the room, Dessmona stopped her explanations and looked in his direction. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape were situated around the table and Hermione, Draco, and Ron were off to the side. Mrs. Weasley was standing there as well and as soon as she saw Harry her face lit into a smile.
"Good morning, Harry-dear," she began. "I have a plate of leftover breakfast for you--" She broke off and gave Harry a once over. "Your hair!"
The boy smiled slightly and ran his fingers through it somewhat nervously. Everyone was staring at him now and he didn't like their scrutiny.
"It's looks good, Harry. It's so straight and silky." Hermione gushed.
"At least it doesn't look like a mop anymore," Draco smirked.
Harry rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I'm surprised that you're not making a big deal out of it."
Snape looked as though his wanted to reply with a biting remark, but Dumbledore cut the Potions Master off and offered the boy a genial smile. "Your friend Dessmona told us about your new powers and how they will affect you, my boy. She said that your body is just adjusting to your magic. It should stop soon."
Harry smiled at Dumbledore slightly and glanced away from him. He was still a bit uneasy around the headmaster and was still guilty about trashing the wizards' office at the end of the previous schooling year. All of the nasty comments that he had said suddenly rushed back to him and he wasn't very proud of his actions.
A plate full of French toast, bacon, and eggs was shoved into Harry's hands by Mrs. Weasley. He stared wide-eyed at the amount of food on the plate and glanced up at her with a look of disbelief on his face. Did she really expect him to eat all of this?
"I saved you a plate, Harry so eat up. I don't want to see an ounce of food left!"
Harry nodded and walked over to the table, sitting across his teachers and Dumbledore. Going from being practically starved to death to having a full plate of food wasn't an easy transition and Harry sat there picking at his food, waiting for anyone to say something.
"Dessmona told us about Voldemort's plans to join the devil." Dumbledore said watching Harry shove his food around his plate. "We had suspected something after what Severus told us about all of the extra activities that Voldemort has been doing lately. This plan will eventually hurt Voldemort himself, or so I've been told, and I don't understand his motives. Why would he want to join with someone who will eventually destroy him, if only to gain a bit of power?"
Dumbledore stopped talking and continued to watch Harry push his food around his plate and take very small bites. Mrs. Weasley had told him that the boy hadn't been eating well, and had looked thinner than ever when he had arrived from the Dursley's this summer.
"Harry, how has this been affecting you? Having memories and suppressed powers being returned to you must be giving you some stress; do you have anything to say?"
Harry set down his fork and raised his gaze to the headmaster. "No, Professor, I don't have anything to say."
"Mrs. Weasley told me about your little outburst yesterday after Ron commented about your powers." Harry ground his teeth together slightly at that memory and his friends betrayal was still fresh in his mind. The people surrounded that table were looking him, watching the boy's inner turmoil cross his face. Dumbledore continued by saying, "the boy just needs time to mature; he'll come around."
"I don't want to disrespect you Professor," Harry murmured through clenched teeth, "but I think that by now, Ron should have matured enough by now. There have been things that happen to me before that he was jealous of, but this takes the cake. The only thing that you really could be jealous of is these powers that are supposed to re-awaken inside of me, but they will destroy me if I don't accept the other half of my soul."
Harry glanced in Ron's direction and saw that the redhead looked annoyed about being spoken about as though he weren't even in the room with them all.
"Well, if you didn't act so high and mighty about what you are, then maybe I wouldn't do anything," the boy hissed. Harry blanched and opened his mouth to reply, but Ron cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. You can't even be considered a human being anymore! How can we possibly trust you?"
"If all humans are like you than I would rather be immortal." Harry's eyes had red flecks in them and his magical signature was beginning to rise. Ron backed up, but still pointed his finger at Harry wildly yelling, "See? He's part devil! I don't know that much about Muggle religion, but I know that devil's are evil creatures!"
"Ron," Hermione said, trying to grab his arm to calm his down. "They aren't creatures--"
"Fine, they're demons!"
Harry made to rise out of his chair, but Remus grabbed his arms and restrained him. Draco rolled his eyes and smirked down at Remus who was having a very hard time holding Harry back. "You should just let him go. I want to see him rip Weaselby apart."
"Sod off, Ferret."
Draco pressed his hand to his heart. "Oh, you've wounded me, Weasel-King. Really you have. Only you can come up with worse comebacks than Potter."
Harry smirked at Draco briefly before turning his eyes back to Ron. "Did you not learn your lesson yesterday, Ron? I told you that next time you insult me over something that is completely out of my control, that I would let Avenairu have his way with you did I not?"
Hermione held onto Ron still, but noted silently to herself that Harry's change is speech pattern was a warning that Avenairu was rising to the surface. Harry's pace of speaking was entirely different, and at times he was angry, his voice deepened and turned to a hypnotizing yet dangerous drawl. It could almost put you into a trance...
"I don't care that Harry has no control over you, whatever you are. You're entirely evil--"
"Not quite, Ron," Dessmona said harshly. "Harry's influence over Avenairu, no matter how weak it may be at the moment, is having an impact. He could have broken out of Remus' grip a long time ago and you could be rotting in a puddle of your own blood right now. Avenairu is not completely bad, but a large majority of him is." She turned violet eyes towards Harry, who was pulling slightly, testing Remus's hold. "Even now, Harry is restraining him."
Ron scoffed and muttered under his breath, "He's not doing that good of a job--"
"Ronald Weasley, I've had just about enough of you! I didn't stop you before, so you could let off a bit of steam, but this is too much!" Mrs. Weasley glared at her youngest son. "You complain about Harry being a half-devil, and yet you still provoke him by insulting him. I thought that you had more sense than that."
Ron shrank away from his mother a bit and flushed with anger and embarrassment. Inwardly, both Harry and Avenairu cheered, and they weren't the only ones in the room that were happy that Ron was being put into his place.
"Mr. Weasley, I can't exactly blame your mother for berating you," McGonagall spoke up. "I must say that, even though I know that you aren't exactly one of my most mature students, but I am very disappointed in you."
All throughout this banter, Dumbledore just sat there calmly, with that annoying twinkle in his eye, holding his hands clasped in front of him on the table top.
"Are you sure that Potter will be able to restrain himself when others provoke him, Headmaster?" Snape sneered. "He barely has any self control as it is when it comes to insults. Having a devil as the other half of his soul isn't exactly going to improve that. He is prone to violence."
The man paused and settled his gaze on Harry. The boy's eyes were still mixed with speckled with garnet hues, but Harry's eyes were emotionless, or so they seemed. They revealed nothing, but were cold and bottomless. Nearly everyone felt a shiver going down their spine, but Dessmona watched Harry with interest.
'There's nothing threatening about that look or his posture. The only tension that I can feel is what remains from his reaction to Ron.' Her eyes glanced back and forth between the two wizards. 'If I didn't know any better, I would think that Avenairu is measuring Severus. Harry would never look at anyone like that...'
After a few seconds, Harry blinked and shook his head; eyes finally turning to normal. He glanced at Snape once more and then focused on a random spot on the table. His eyes clouded over slightly as he lost himself in his own thoughts.
'Why I can't I suppress my other half? At times, it's easy, but just now...'
"Harry."
Said boy snapped out of his jumbled musings and focused his eyes on Dumbledore. The man was watching him closely; twinkle absent from his eyes. Harry didn't like that gaze; he could almost see the gears working in the headmaster's head.
"Even though Professor Snape's comment was a jab at yourself control, I must find that I agree with him. You're going to need to learn how to control Avenairu if you're going to be able to return to school.
"What? You're not letting me go back to school?" Harry all but yelled, jumping out of his seat. The thought of not returning to school was the worst thing that Dumbledore could possibly say. He couldn't stay here forever. Returning to the Dursley's was the first option, and that didn't really terrify him, per se, but it wasn't a daunting prospect.
Of course, returning to train in Hell was definitely intriguing...
"Don't fret, I'm not banning you from returning to Hogwarts, Harry, I was just making an observation. Controlling yourself is an important issue that we must discuss on a later date, of course."
Harry slowly settled himself back into his chair and slowly relaxed, ignoring Ron's comment about it being safer for the whole lot of the school if Harry was banned anyway. His eyes flashed red, but soon returned to their calm jade.
"I'm going to help Harry train, sir. Also, if they would like, it would help if I taught Harry's friends combat tactics. Knowing how to fight with a weapon will help immensely, as devils are immune to most spells. Half-devils are vulnerable to a few, but they are spells that they would most likely not be aware of."
Dumbledore smiled. "That would be quite helpful. I assume that Harry's friends are now targets more than ever because his true heritage is known?"
Dessmona nodded and glanced at the youth that occupied the room. Draco kept his face unreadable, but he looked interested in learning other fighting techniques. Hermione looked very excited, but a bit uneasy; you can't study how to fight with weapons in a book. Ron looked intrigued, despite himself. The angel smiled.
Harry immediately felt guilty about the fact that his friends' lives were in even more danger now than ever before. Voldemort was one thing, but the King of Hell himself? That was another thing entirely.
"Now, let's get some of that depressing conversation out of our heads for a bit, shall we? I wanted to talk to you about your godfather's will, Harry--"
"Headmaster," Snape interrupted, "if you don't mind, I'm going to return to my quarters. I trust that you will not need me for this conversation." His comment wasn't a question, it was a statement.
Dumbledore regarded Snape critically for a few moments and nodded. "Of course, Severus."
The dark wizards swept out of the room with his usual overly dramatic flair of his robes and you could clearly hear him stalking off to his rooms and his door shutting with a resounding "snap". Before he closed the door however, he called down the hallway, "Be in here in ten minutes, Potter."
Before Harry could start to complain about Snape actually staying in his godfather's house, Dumbledore laid out a long sheet of aged parchment in front of him. He glanced around the room, noticing that this talk with Harry was more private than e had originally thought.
"Harry, Dessmona, I need to speak to you alone. I kind ask the rest of you to leave," Dumbledore said.
Ron and Hermione got up first to leave and then Remus left. Mrs. Weasley tried to linger for a while and then Draco and Ginny left together. Harry felt a little uneasy about what Dumbledore might have to say. Asking everyone to leave, save McGonagall and Dessmona didn't sound that good.
"Sirius left his will in my hands, and you are included in it. You are now owner of the entire Black estate and his fortune is now yours to do with what you wish."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't think that Sirius would leave his entire fortune to him. He reached out to the parchment, but Dumbledore covered it up with one fine boned hand.
"You won't be able to access the money until you are of age, and until then, I'm going to keep track of it for you. You may divide up the money between your friends of course; it's all up to you the fate of the fortune." Harry frowned at the mention of his money being handled by the headmaster. It just seemed like nothing he had could be left to his own devices.
Harry smiled at the thought of sharing his money with his friends. His first thoughts were Remus and the Weasleys, but he knew that the latter would be a bit squeamish about accepting money, especially from Harry. The pride that resided in their family was very high. Fred and George were well off with their business, so they wouldn't take the money at all, but the rest of the family needed it quite a bit.
"I'm going to divide it up, sir. I don't need it all, anyway.
Dumbledore smiled and rose from his chair. McGonagall gave him a nod of approval as she rose along with the Headmaster. "That's a good choice, Harry. The two of us need to leave, but I'll return in about a week to discuss how you would like to divide up your money. We'll need to go to Gringotts, of course, and your decisions won't be fine print until you are of age, but you can still plan out how you're going to distribute your inheritance."
Dessmona glanced in Harry's direction and then looked back at the Headmaster and Headmistress. Both of them were watching the two of them as well.
"I hope that you train well, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said as she moved towards the fireplace. "That soul of yours needs a lot of restraint." She nodded her head towards Dessmona. "You seem to have a good hold on Avenairu."
The angel nodded back and the two of them watched as McGonagall disappeared in a burst of flame. Dumbledore moved to follow and before he threw in his Floo power his offered Harry a smile over his shoulder. "I hope that you and Professor Snape come to an agreement, Harry. You two are going to be spending a lot of time together with Occlumency this summer."
Harry groaned inwardly and slumped slightly. Dumbledore's smile grew wider. "I do believe that he asked you to meet him in ten minutes."
A glance towards a clock on a far wall, told the Boy-Who-Lived that the older wizard was right and he turned swiftly on his heel to make his way to meet his professor for their Occlumency lessons.
Snape glanced up from his caldron as he heard a knock on the door. The Potions Master had set up a small lab in his room and he smirked as he mulled over how the late Sirius Black would have reacted if he knew that 'Snivellus' was residing in his home, let alone creating potions in one of the rooms.
He wasn't particularly looking forward to giving Potter Occlumency lessons again. His intense disliking of the boy had escalated from what he thought could go no higher to a boiling point of anger. He couldn't even look at the carbon-copy of James Potter without wanted to curse him or say a comment to the boy that would make him extremely mad. Snape knew that it was petty, but he enjoyed getting Dumbledore's "Golden Boy" riled up. He could see through the glory attached to the boy's name; Potter was just a mediocre student with no extraordinary powers. Sure, he had escaped Voldemort's clutches for the past five years, but each time the odds narrowed for the boy. His luck was running out.
Of course, that was before Potter's powers were brought into the light.
Snape, though he didn't want to admit it, was very intrigued by these new powers. The fact that the boy had an "alter ego" so to speak was odd in itself, but the fact that Potter had no control over it made it all the more strange. "Avenairu" was an extension of the boy--that he obviously detested-- with a disposition completely opposite of the Potter's annoying Gryffindor. To see both sides of the boy at war; it could prove to be interesting...
Another knock sounded on the door and Snape rolled his eyes at his own musings before calling out, "Enter". Potter walked into his rooms, looking around quietly, until his eyes settled on the Potions Master; an expression of distain on his face.
"I thought that I told you to be in here in ten minutes, Potter," Snape said gesturing with one hand towards a large clock on the far wall. "You're ten minutes late. I didn't think that keeping track of time would be outside your meager amount of abilities as well but I suppose that I was wrong."
Harry clenched his fists together; digging his nails into the tender flesh of his palms. "Professor Dumbledore had more to say to me that would fit into your ten minute timeframe Professor."
"I thought that I told you to be here in ten minutes, Potter, not to be ten minutes late."
Harry clenched his fists together; digging his nails into the tender flesh of his palms. "Professor Dumbledore had more things to say to me after you left; it's not my fault for his lecture going over your ten minute time frame Professor," the younger wizard ground out through clenched teeth.
Snape regarded the boy in front of him with a critical eye. "I won't tolerate any of your lip, Potter. I think what happened last year has left no room for any more of your incompetence." He watched as Potter opened his mouth to probably blurt out some apology that he didn't mean. He cut him off immediately. "Save it, I don't want to hear your pathetic excuse. You most likely told all of your Gryffindor what you saw."
Harry's eyes flashed red for a moment and the boy fought to keep his other half from surfacing. Having Avenairu make an appearance right now was probably the worst thing that could happen.
"I know that you don't think very highly of me sir--" Snape snorted, but Harry continued. "--but I have more dignity than to blurt out something that embarrassing and personal out to the whole school. I know that you don't believe me, but I do know when to keep my mouth shut."
Snape's lip curled and he narrowed his eyes at Harry again. "That's laughable; you being able to keep your mouth shut," the man smirked before bantering at the emerald-eyed boy again. "Stupid Gryffindor tendencies again. I don't want your pity. Tell me, did you think that you were going to gain something from the fact that you never told any of your friends about my Pensive? Did you think that you were going to get my undying gratitude at your unselfish actions?"
"You don't understand do you?" Harry all but yelled at his potions professor. "I didn't want to gain anything! I understand what it's like to be degraded for no reason! I know that you and practically everyone else who has ever heard of me thinks that I've lived a perfect life full of riches, a loving family, and the like, but you have no idea that none of that is the truth! The Dursleys despise everything that has to do with magic! That includes me, Professor!"
"Don't you ever take that tone of voice with me again, Potter," Snape growled. "You're a spoiled, pompous brat who thinks that he is above the rules. Above the normal people who aren't good enough for you. Don't feed me lies about how you were treated. What you consider abuse is probably nothing more than being punished for something that you deserved to be punished for. Stop wallowing in self pity. The way you take your arrogance to another level contradicts everything that you have just vocalized and I will not tolerate anything else that you have to say!"
By now the older wizard was towering over Harry, the worst scowl possible marring his features. Normally that look would have made Harry back down, but Avenairu wasn't about to let that happen. The devil in Harry was not about to be talked down to by some pathetic human how still held grudges against his host about something the boy's father did in the past.
Harry stepped away from Snape and kept his gaze to the floor. The Potions Master took that as a sign of defeat and smirked triumphantly at the dark-haired boy.
"So, you finally realized that this isn't a fight that you cannot win?"
Harry lifted his head slightly, but not enough to meet the other man's gaze. "No, you understood me wrongly," Harry spoke in a voice that was not his own, but deeper and much harsher than the boy's could have been. Harry lifted his face finally and his crimson gaze met with the onyx gaze of that of Snape. "The Innocent One may back down from you but I will never let some mortal filth talk me down or put themselves over me!"
A flare of magic rushed through the room and nearly every piece of glass shattered into a million shards. Potion ingredients and other substances fell to floor to mix into deadly combinations that would cause either a numerous amount of poisonous gases to arise from the floor or terrible explosions to destroy Grimmald Place and at least anyplace within a fifty-mile radius.
Avenairu glanced around the room at the damage that he had caused and looked at Snape who had abandoned his look of indifference to acquire a horrified expression. The older man knew what would happen if those potions combined and there was no way that he could salvage all of them in time before fumes overcame them or a lethal blast destroyed them all.
"Don't you know what those ingredients can do you imbecile?" Snape yelled, in his haste forgetting that Harry was no longer in control of his body but Avenairu was. "If this all combines we'll most likely die!" At that Snape began to either banish some of the mess or replace what had been lost. Avenairu watched with amusement before waving a careless hand over the room which caused everything to be put back into some semblance of order. The vapors that were suspended in the air vanished along with the broken glass.
Snape turned towards Avenairu, his anger flaring as he took in the half-devil's smug facial expression and amused eyes. "You planned that all along didn't you?" the man hissed, finally taking in Avenairu's eyes and remembering that Harry no longer stood in front of him, but his counterpart.
"Yes, and it was quite amusing seeing you rush about with your pathetic attempt to fix the mess that I made."
Avenairu continued to gaze calmly at Snape, his eyes beginning to have green flecks in them. His anger was toning down quite a bit. "Don't let that happen again, or next time I won't be so lenient. I know that you will most likely punish Harry for this, but I warn you, if you treat him badly because of me..."
The half-devil didn't complete his sentence because Harry finally got control over his own body again. He hated it when Avenairu just decided to take him over like that. He had almost no control over what his other half did and anything could happen. People could be hurt just because of his anger and Harry was a bit more rational than his counterpart.
"I'm sorry, Professor, I truly am." Normally, Harry wouldn't think of apologizing to the stoic man before him but what had just happened warranted a huge apology. "I can't control Avenairu, if I could, this never would have happened."
Snape just glared at the boy and looked away. He gestured to a chair. "Just sit down so we can begin. The sooner we get this over with, the faster that you'll be gone from my sight." The older wizard was weary of having the boy around, and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible
Harry just complied and sat down in an uncomfortable wooden chair that was adjacent to Snape's workbench and cauldrons. He ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his face for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day. He groaned inwardly at the fact that due to his emotional imbalance at the moment, Snape would probably need no effort to get inside of his mind.
Harry watched Snape as he strode over to a cabinet and rummaged inside of it for a few seconds before pulling out a small pensive. He set it on his workbench and pulled out his wand. He placed it near his temple, but paused slightly before taking any memories.
"From now on, before we begin our lessons, we shall be using this Pensive," Snape began. "I'm going to teach you how to extract your memories, so pay attention, if that is not beyond you." Harry grumbled, but for the next quarter of an hour, he was shown how to focus on a specific memory and how to extract it with his magic. His wand refused to work, they discovered. Harry just decided that his magic, was too unstable, and didn't want to be channeled through the slender piece of wood. As Harry made an attempt to extract a memory, just as Snape had showed him, the older wizard cautioned him, "Be careful with what you remove." Harry expected yet another jab, waiting for the man to say that he had too little an amount in his brain to lose anything else, but the man continued by saying, "The memory will be completely lost to you while it is in the Pensive. While it is gone from your mind, you will have absolutely no memory of it. When you decide to replace your memory, it will be as if you are experiencing the situation that it raised from all over again, and depending on the mood of the memory, it can be extremely unpleasant."
Harry's confused expression must have shown on his face because Snape snapped, "If you remove the memory of Black's death, you will stop mourning him. While your memory is in the Pensive you will believe that he is alive, but when you replace the memory, it will all come crashing back to you, and your grief will be as strong as it was when he died before."
Harry winced; partially because of the Professor's sharp tone, but mainly because of the reminder of his godfather's death. Though he was learning to hide it well, Harry was still distraught over the loss of the man that he looked to as a father figure. His mind traveled to the inheritance that he was going to receive when he was of age. No doubt that Ron would become green with envy at the thought of his rich best friend getting even more money.
"Potter, my patience with you is growing thin. I suggest that you don't try me anymore than what you have."
A glare in the former Death Eater's direction did not cause him to flinch or stall in his lecturing. "Before we go through with my new method of teaching however, I'm going to test how weak your shields are. No doubt that you haven't practiced during the short interim that you were away from school."
Before Harry had any time to protest, a cry of "Legilimens," made him stiffen as he felt his mind being opened and his thoughts being shifted through. He tried as hard as he could to block Snape from seeing his memories and thoughts, but resistance was futile.
_Sirius falling through the veil in slow motion as Bellatrix threw a curse at him_
_Uncle Vernon throwing him down onto the floor roughly onto the broken plate shards_
_Ron punching him in the face_
_Bits of the dream of Verajie and his duel in Hell_
_Wide blue eyes flecked with green, gazing up at him with a quiet, yet trusting gaze_
Finally, Harry shoved his professor out of his mind. He would have been angrier at the man for not giving him a proper warning, but he was too interested in finding out what the last memory had been. Blue eyes, flecked with green. Whose eyes were those? None of his friends had blue-green eyes; maybe it was something from his days training that he still hadn't been able to remember yet.
"Terrible as always. That was the most pathetic attempt I have ever seen, if you tried at all of course." Snape observed Harry with a critical eyebrow raised as he noticed that once again the half-devil wasn't paying attention to him. For once he decided to overlook that fact and question what he had seen in the boy's mind.
"What was that fight that I saw?" Harry sighed. The older wizard didn't need to elaborate.
"That was Sinner Verajie." At the man's questioning look he continued, "Sinner is the title given to any devil that is a Hell Master or of a very high rank. There are seven levels of Hell and they can only be guarded by certain devils. Anyway, we had gotten into an argument. He was insulting Dess and me, and my magic got a bit out of control."
Snape just continued to regard him with that particular look, his eyes unfathomable as always. "You must have been extremely unstable to have a voice in your mind yelling, 'Kill him...Destroy him...Make each blow more painful than the last...'"
Despite himself, Harry let a bit of color flood his cheeks. "I was very angry, but I'm protective over the people that I hold in high regard. My friends, of course, are a part of that group and Dess. Avenairu is part of that anger that I had when I attacked Verajie, but there was something else beneath that."
Harry glanced up at his professor in astonishment to realize that the two of them had just had a somewhat civil conversation, save a few insults on Snape's part. The older wizard must have realized this as well and then reverted back to his "bastard Professor" mode.
"At any rate, that was an extremely weak attempt at guarding yourself--"
"You didn't give me any time to prepare!"
Snape snorted and then said, "Do you think that the Dark Lord is going to count to three and then assault you, Potter? How daft can you be? You used the exact complaint last year; I thought that you had learned something."
The two of them glared at one another and the Snape whipped out his wand and waved it at the door. It flew open with a bang and Harry winced as it hit the wall.
"Leave. I have much work to do. We'll continue this later."
A large pile of books flew towards Harry and the emerald-eyed boy struggled to keep them in his arms when they hit him in the chest. He wobbled a bit under the weight and frowned when he saw Snape smirking at his over the pile.
"I expect you to look through all of those books and give a foot of parchment on all of the important theories that we will be studying." Harry opened his mouth to protest that he already had a lot of homework, but a brush over his mind stopped him from responding.
"This is just the beginning, Potter. Did you think that I was going to let you off that easily. Your friend Dessmona said that your mental shields would be exceptionally vulnerable, so you need to learn and practice all that you can."
As Harry continued to glare at him Snape turned his back to him. "I believe that the door is behind you."
The agitated young wizard stomped his way out of the door and jumped slightly when it slammed behind him. He dropped one of the books and then just dumped them all on the floor. We has half tempted to just kick them down the hallway, but then a voice rang through the heavy door.
"Those are very valuable books, Mr. Potter and I expect you to take good care of them."
Harry kicked one of the books intentionally and contemplated dumping them in a fire and then blaming it on Avenairu's anger, but in protest he felt a rise in his magic at the thought as the other half of his soul flared at him. Harry sighed and made his way down the hall to see if anyone could levitate the books up to his room.
………………………**..………………Devil's Snare……4……Devil's Snare……………………………………**
**Many thankies to HAZELWOLF for being a wonderful beta! Love Ya!**
I'm not writing too much Dumbledore bashing in this fic. In general, I like him as a character but I don't agree with the quote, "Ignorance is bliss" when it comes to the war between Voldemort and Harry. He shouldn't have been left in the dark. I think that while Dumbledore might see Harry's revealed powers as a good weapon against the Dark Lord, I'd like to think that the wizard has learned by now that Harry doesn't want to be used a weapon. Not that Harry can help it of course.
Personally, I hated the idea of Harry going out with Ginny, as I don't like her as a character that much. She's not going to be a big part of this fic at all only Hermione, Draco, Harry, Severus, Remus, Dessmona, and finally Saengen (and a few more characters I haven't mentioned yet) are going to be a big part of the story.
If you're wondering about Saengen, you won't be able to see his true form until Chapter Five or Six. I'm not sure how to introduce him yet...
I'm sorry if you guys are tired of the whole "Sev gives Harry Occlumency lessons and they get close and etc, etc..." plot, but for now, that's the easiest way to give their relationship a jump start.
PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, REVIEW! When I see little reivews in my Outlook Express Folder it makes me want to write more for you guys so click that little purple button on the left hand of your computer screen! I would like at least EIGHT to ELEVEN reviews a chapter! I have a lot of hits and many people have me on their alert/favs list, but I like to see those reviews, too! Flames will be tolerated, but not welcome, but if need be, you may send them!
See you in Chapter Five
Korogi-chan
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**Words 7,331**
6. Capitulus Five 5
_**Summary: **Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
**Thanks to the following people for their Reviewers)**
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_Notes (1):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but also it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW!
This story is beta-ed by the wonderful, Hazel Wolf! Tons of Love to You! I©U!
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Devil's Snare
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_Chapter Five: Training and Unsettling Visions_
_**W**hen Dessmona walked into Harry's room holding a letter from the Dursley's _Harry could barely hold in his astonishment. The Dursley's never contacted him outside of the pathetic Christmas presents that he received at school, and even that was a stretch for him. They probably assumed that what they gave him was a really treat; who wouldn't want knobby old socks or a halfpence for Christmas?
The indigo-eyed angel gave Harry and warm smile, and perched onto his four-poster bed. Harry sat up from lying on his stomach trying to finish his summer work, and took the letter, curiosity clear on his confused features. He glanced at Dess who just shrugged her shoulders and then tore the letter open.
_Potter,_
_How could you just sneak out of the house like that and leave it in a mess! After Petunia wasted good food on you and you didn't even finish it and we didn't even make you do your chores? You ungrateful wretch of a boy. Should have just left you on the sodding doorstep to rot._
Harry snorted at that comment and rolled his eyes. Dess was leaning over his shoulder reading it as well. He sighed and a slender hand came up reassuringly to run gently down his arm.
_We found a new house. It's the most popular thing on the market and we don't want you to live with us anymore. I don't care that your crackpot teacher at that school of yours made Petunia promise to let you live here; you're not coming with us. The house costs loads of pounds and even though I have another promotion, I can't afford to have you messing up the place and wasting food._
"Humph, the only reason why you don't have enough money for food is that fat lump of a cousin of mine stuffing his face while you're gone and blaming the missing food on me."
Dess continued to scan the rest of the letter and looked at Harry with a bit of concern. "Dumbledore wont be very pleased if your uncle won't let you live in their new home. He may confront them about their mistreatment of you and then Vernon will be even more angered by the interference of that "crackpot old fool" as he likes to call him."
Harry sighed and raked a hand through his hair. It fell right back into his face and he pushed a bit behind his ear. It fell back again and Dessmona giggled and with a wave of her hand a light green ribbon appeared intertwined in her fingers. She moved behind Harry and summoned a brush as well, gently pulling back the hair out of his face. Harry relaxed as he felt the brush run through his hair and looked out to a distant window.
"I don't know what Uncle Vernon will do. I think that the letter that I got last year frightened Aunt Petunia enough, but after the Dementor attack, my uncle hates me even more. He thought that I had made Dudley so cold and ill. After all of the other things that I have done on top of just existing, I think that he's broken his last straw.
"He is afraid of Moody and the others, but I don't think that will stop him from not letting me stay in their house. Even if he did get to kick me out, there's no place that I could go. Dumbledore will never let me stay at Hogwarts over the summer, even if it is just for one more year. He doesn't care that Hogwarts is the safest place to be, he thinks that my mother's blood will save me."
Harry paused in his rant to glance over his shoulder at Dess. She had braided his hair and was tying a bow at the base of the silky mass. Harry groaned and reached behind him to touch the heavy coil and laughed.
"Just think, if I whipped my head around, this would hurt quite a bit."
Dess nodded and set down her grooming tools to move to Harry's side once more.
"Maybe if I do that to Ron the next time he gets to me he'll sod off."
Dess shook her head and then followed Harry's earlier suit of staring out the window. The sunlight was reflected in her wide eyes making them appear to be lavender.
"You need to let him come around. Your true identity is not just stressful for just you, Harry."
Harry set the letter down on his nightstand and pushed his books further out of the way before stretching his arms above his head and lying back down on his bed, his slightly longer legs hanging off the side. Dess looked down at him as the half-devil closed his eyes and relaxed completely onto the mattress.
"Why can't I control him?"
Dess didn't answer; she waited for Harry to continue on his own.
"It's so bloody hard. When I trained in Hell, now I can remember that while I lost control of Avenairu at times, it was never as hard as it is now to restrain him. I lost control with Ron again today and Snape. I almost made this entire place explode and who knows how far around us would have been damaged as well. Having to apologize afterwards was extremely humiliating."
"Part of the problem is that now that you're not unconscious when you're aware of your other half is that you regret what the two of you are. That puts a damper on your control. Your emotions are very troubled along with your mind. You need to overcome that barrier on your own, Harry."
Harry just sighed and arched his back, letting out a loud gasp of contentment when it cracked. He rolled over onto his side and glanced up at Dess, who was still looking out the window. "When I did Occlumency with Snape, I could feel him going through my memories and he pulled up one that I can't remember. Someone was looking up at me with eyes that had a mix of blue and green. I can't remember anyone that has eyes like that..."
Dess shifted on the bed and looked down at Harry and smiled slightly to herself. "I think that I might know who that is--"
Harry sat up quickly. "Who is it, Dess? Are they important to me because I had some odd feelings come from that memory? It's been bothering me ever since this morning!"
"You're going to have to wait for that person to contact you, Harry. I can't tell you anything else than the fact that you will be hearing from them very soon." Dess smiled softly and slowly twirled her hair in between her slender fingers.
The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes until he picked up one of the many Occlumency books that were sitting on the floor next to his bed. There were eight in all and he had no idea where to start reading them. They were so thick and looked as if they had been written when Dumbledore when he was born. Harry held the book with ease; the strength that he had as a devil had been returning his body all morning.
Harry began to thumb through the book to see if any of the many titles and subtitle jumped out at him when Dess spoke up by saying, "This morning when you looked over at Professor Snape, what were you feeling?"
Harry looked up from his book and gave Dess a weird look. "What do you mean? I didn't look at him."
Dess rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Remember we were all in the kitchen? You gave him a look that was neither non-threatening nor friendly. "You just watched him. It almost looked like you were analyzing him or something along those lines."
After a few moments in deep though, Harry nodded slowly. "Oh yeah, after I got mad a Ron? I think that Avenairu was just; I dunno how to put it, scanning him or something like that. I think that he was trying to measure him. Avenairu finds him interesting."
A look of amusement crossed the angel's smooth features. "Interesting? That doesn't exactly sound holy."
Harry looked shocked for a second before shaking his head. "No, no! I didn't mean it that way, Dess!" Harry hated himself even more when he felt his face heat up, but then he tried to cover it up by yelling at Dess. "Angels aren't exactly supposed to have inappropriate thoughts, you know."
Dess rolled her eyes. "I'm an exception, besides I have been around humans for too long." She gestured towards the large pile of books that were sitting on Harry's right side. "You might want to get done with that Harry. I don't think that Professor Snape is going to be very pleased with you if you don't take adequate notes. You two are going to take lessons every couple of days, so you better get started now."
Harry groaned and gave Dess a half-hearted glare. "Why do you call him 'Professor'? He's my teacher not yours." _'Besides_,' Harry added to himself in his mind, _'he doesn't deserve the respect that his title gives him.'_
Dess smacked him on the back of the head and retorted, "That is the title given to him and he deserves the respect Harry. You shouldn't be so rude to him. You two have your differences but I think that it's time that you get over them."
"It's mainly his fault, Dess. I never did anything at all besides be the son of James Potter and "The-Boy-Who-Lived" and he hates me. He should grow up and let go of his stupid grudges. He hates me, not the other way around. Treating me like shit just because of my father's stupidity is just immature!"
"Watch your language, Harry."
Harry turned around with a look of incredulously marring his features. "Is that all you have to say? 'Watch your language'?" Harry put his head in his hands and got off of the bed and moved towards the door. He grabbed the handle and then jerked backwards in pain when a searing burn ran through his hand and up his arm. He turned towards Dess, whose aura was glowing a soft blue. Her eyes were a shade lighter, and they glared at Harry in annoyance.
"You should keep your emotions in check Harry. Soon, I was going to ask Hermione, Draco, and Ron if they had time to start training with you today, and if you go out there with that sour attitude then the tension between you and Ron will get worse." Harry looked a bit frightened and very annoyed as he gazed down at his hand and stared at a blister that was forming from the burn that ran across it. It was a minor injury, but it left the boy unsettled.
He knew that Dessmona would never hurt him on purpose, but being injured by someone usually made him feel guarded around them; whether it was emotional or physical damage.
Dess rose from the bed and moved past Harry to push open the door. She held it open and then turned to gaze hard at him.
"I'm going to invite the others to supervise and watch. You need to learn to keep yourself in check. Avenairu is just another part of you and if you don't accept it, you're going to drain all of your magic; not to mention your life."
Harry avoided the angel's eyes as she gently lifted up his hand and ran her fingers along the blister. The pain began to dissipate quickly and then she squeezed it and let it drop to the boy's side.
The half-devil sighed as he let Dessmona's words wash over him. He had nearly forgotten about the fact that his life was linked to whether or not he accepted Avenairu or not. Keeping the two apart apparently took a lot of magic, even though he couldn't feel it. If Harry used too much power at once, on day it could kill him. Besides, not accepting the darker side of his soul would drain him of all of his magic and shorten his life in general.
Harry sighed as Dessmona brushed past him, her silver hair brushing against his face. "I'll be in the dueling room, when you're calm."
"Dueling room? Since when is there a dueling room in here?"
"Just join my later on, okay?"
………
Dessmona stood in front of Draco, Ron, and Hermione, who stood there with attentive expressions on their face. Draco looked smug. Dessmona had talked to him while Harry was doing Occlumency with Snape and had learned that his father had let him take a few lessons in Muggle fencing. The boy was quite good, but what he knew would be nothing in case of an attack on the manor.
Hermione held her weapon cautiously and struggled under the weight. Even thought they were just starting their training today, Dessmona had given them all weapons that were heavy and uncomfortable.
Dessmona walked over to Ron to fix the boy's posture that was slouching. He didn't want to learn how to fight. He was in a bit of denial about how much danger they were in due to the release of Harry's powers. He didn't want to have anything to with Harry or Dessmona at all. He was angry at Hermione for wanting to learn about fighting and with his mother for agreeing to let them learn how to fight as well. Most of the time Mrs. Weasley never wanted the children to get into any form of trouble no matter what the circumstances even if it included something that would protect them all from death. Ron had expected his mother to object to them having anything to do with Harry and the young woman who called herself an angel, but Mrs. Weasley wanted Ron and the others to be prepared.
"So, even thought I don't like to complain, these weapons are a bit heavy to start training with." Draco set down the blade against the stone floor and gazed over at Ron who was slouching over his weapon. "Some of us can't seem to hold our weight."
Ron flashed Malfoy a dirty look and began to retort, when Mrs. Weasley spoke up from the sidelines. "Ronald, don't argue, just focus on learning how to protect yourself!"
Ron rolled his eyes and struggled to stand up straight. His eyes met with Hermione's and she gave him a brief smile, which he returned half-heartedly. The he glanced Harry's way. The "Boy-Who-Lived" just stood there watching the rest of them, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Why isn't he fighting?" Ron said annoyed, pointing at Harry. "He's just standing there watching us!"
Harry folded his arms over his chest and was about to retort, but Dessmona shook her head. "He already knows how to fight and I'm going to work with Harry later on. He's going to assist me while I help you train as well."
"Harry, how much do you know about fighting?' Remus asked. He and the rest of the adults had filtered into the room a few moments ago watching the teens train with Dessmona. They were interested in seeing them learn how to fight as well. To Harry's surprise, even Snape stood there his face as impassive as always but his eyes betrayed a hint of his interest. He stood in the shadows while Remus and Mrs. Weasley watched close-by.
"I can't really tell you anything right now. When I hold a sword again, I'll be able to show you what I know. Not all of my memories are back yet…"
Remus nodded and watched Dessmona who helped Hermione with the weight of her sword. "The reason why I'm giving you these swords is to show you that these are the weapons that you'll be able you use later on when your training increases your strength and agility. Your powers as Wizards and Witches cannot be the only thing that you rely on when facing a devil. Knowing how to fight with a weapon will help you as well."
Draco slowly twirled his sword around with his wrist. "Even though your skills are father than Hermione and Ron's, Draco, you really shouldn't try anything with that sword right now. You might pull some muscles…"
Draco scoffed, but still just held his sword at his side. Dessmona smiled at him and then waved her hand in front of her face. Hermione and Ron stood up straighter immediately, the weight of their weapons gone.
"I took away the extra weight," the angel explained.
Hermione looked up at Dessmona who was holding a sword at her side as well. It glowed with a sort of power.
Harry turned towards Dessmona slowly as he felt a wave of magic wash over his body. Avenairu stirred inside of him recognizing the magic signature as one of a request for a duel. That was the traditional way that devil's approached an ally if they wanted to have a friendly competition. If the advanced were a threat, the magic would have shocked him instead of being a gentle brush. His flesh tingled slightly and a shiver ran down his spine.
Hermione looked on with concern. "Harry, are you alright? You look a bit pale."
"It's nothing," Harry murmured softly. "I'm just feeling the aura that Dessmona is sending off is affecting me." Seeing his friend's confused look, Harry began to explain. "When devils want to have a duel they send of a brush of magic to the one that they want to challenge. Depending on the nature of the challenge, the magic may caress you like what Dess did or it may burn you. She's not threatening me, so it sent tingles down my spine, that's all."
Harry turned his attention back to the angel who stood there in front of him holding out her sword in a defensive stance. Her violet eyes watched his every move, traveling slowly over his body trying to judge his posture. Her eyes travel to his hand and then she relaxed her body slightly as a smile came over her face.
"Well, I can't expect you to be able to fight if you don't have a weapon."
A bright white light surrounded her hand as she held it outstretched in front of her. Everyone watched in awe as the light faded revealing the hilt of a sword. Harry slowly reached out and grasped the handle and pulled it towards him, his face a mask of emotions as he studied the hilt.
"I expect that you remember how to use it."
Ron frowned and Draco looked at Harry strangely. "How can he fight without a blade?" the blonde asked.
The answer to that question was soon revealed as a soft light appeared around Harry. The boy's eyes flashed red for a brief moment and he raised the hilt in front of him with both hands. Soon the light around him blinded everyone in the room and soon dissipated so it formed the blade of the sword.
"Satar Dyo Ocylem!"
The blade stopped glowing and then formed a blade of soft green light. Harry raised it a bit higher and then did a few moves and different stances for it. He moved with ease and precision. It seemed as if he were dancing, each move flawless and beautiful. His body moved slowly with total concentration and his long hair flowed about him. The sight was one to cherish and behold.
Harry stopped and held out his sword in front of him again, facing Dessmona held on. Everyone watched him as the young wizard's face stilled and his thoughts became focused on the upcoming battle.
Hermione stared at both fighters studying their movements, when her eyes rested on the angel's familiar Saengen; the bushy-haired girl noticed that the serpent's eyes glowed red.
Dessmona relaxed from her stance and then reached up to press her fingers against the red scaled reptile. The sound of hissing rose in the room and Hermione glanced over to Harry to see if he understood. His eyes were clouded over as if he were trying to figure out what they were saying but he couldn't tell.
The angel gently removed the blood-red familiar from her slender neck and set him down on the floor a few feet away. Saengen quickly slithered over to a nearby wall and his bright eyes stared at the upcoming battle.
Dessmona suddenly flew towards Harry, slashing quickly to the boy's right and then changing to his left to throw off his defense. Harry whipped around in a circle and created a sort of vacuum with his spin drawing the angel towards him. It nearly worked, but Dessmona broke free and appeared suddenly behind and raised her blade above her head, bringing it down to strike him on the head. Harry raised his sword over his head and then a bit farther to block his head and shoulders from attack. When the two blades connected, at the sound of a "clang" Harry pulled away and quickly turned away from Dessmona's sword. The angel's eyes were blazing with power, and she leaped in to the air above Harry and brought down her sword on top of his head. The young wizard was ground into the floor, breaking the stone floor.
"Harry!" Hermione cried out in fear and concern. Harry remained still for a few moments but then slowly began to rise. His entire body shook in pain and blood ran from his lip and his nose in a steady stream. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley gasped and Ginny whimpered and turned away. Ron looked concerned despite his anger towards the boy. Draco turned towards Dessmona who was waiting calmly with her sword held out in front of her waiting for the boy to get up completely.
"How could you just do that? I thought that this was just a exercise and you were just trying to test his skills!"
"I am testing his skills. If Harry gets in a fight, he won't be shown any mercy. I'm just trying to keep this fight as real as possible."
Harry was finally on his feet again and was glaring at Dessmona, his eyes glowing with power. They were bright green mixed with a bit of red.
"You will never win against anyone if you can't control the devil inside of you, Harry!"
Harry froze and then it was plain that he was having a mental struggle. His eyes flickered and then changed back to emerald. He raised his sword and it glowed brightly with power. It floated in front of him just above his upturned palms. Then it split into two separate weapons.
Harry grabbed each sword out of the air and twirled them around in his hands and ran towards Dessmona who didn't move out of the way until the last minute. She disappeared completely.
"Where did she go?" Hermione murmured.
Harry looked around and tensed as he felt a brush of magic against him again. He held up both swords, and waited.
"Just a few more moments…" Harry whispered as he looked around.
"Ahhhhh!"
Harry crossed his swords over his head as Dessmona struck him again. Harry pushed her off and slammed her into the wall with both swords. Dessmona crashed through the wall and landed in the other room. Soon after, she flew back into the room and pushed Harry again the opposite wall. The two of them struggled against one another until suddenly Harry's weapon snapped under the pressure.
Dessmona still pursued the half-devil, and Harry turned away and jumped into the air and hit the wall with his feet, pushing off as hard as he could so reached the ceiling and then fell down so he could strike Dessmona. The angel easily dodged.
"How can he do anything? He doesn't have his wand," Hermione cried. Ron looked over at the table and noticed that it was sitting there. "Why doesn't he Accio it?"
"Dessmona probably told him not to use his wand. Our magic most likely has no effect on devil's you dunce," Draco scoffed at the redhead.
Everyone continued to watch as Harry dodged every attack that Dessmona threw at him. The angel managed to get in a strike and Harry yelled in pain. He cradled his side as blood poured from it, and stood there panting.
Dessmona just leaned casually against her sword as she watched Harry with a critical eye. "In a real battle, an opponent wouldn't just give you a few minutes to catch your breath and try to figure out a strategy. You need to be more focused. Don't forget your training!"
Harry leaned heavily to one side and each breath was forced. The boy was obviously in a lot of pain. He could barely stand the wound in his side. His eyes were clouded over in pain. Blood was now dripping on the floor. A puddle was surrounding him.
'I need to heal this wound, but I doubt that Dess will give me enough time to do so.'
_**T**ransform, Innocent One. Even half way, it will do you better than standing here watching your blood paint the floor crimson._
Harry shuddered as he felt Avenairu's magic burning him, the harsh voice echoing in his mind.
'Dess told me to control you, not unleash you!'
_**N**o matter. Without your health, you will perish. Oh, no, Dessmona will never kill you, but you will shame me, and yourself._
'I don't care! I'd rather lose than have you get out of control!'
_**F**oolish! I won't run amok, just use the power…_
Harry froze, not sure what to do.
_**D**o it now! Use anything you can to replace your weapon. Once it's destroyed in battle it takes too much time to bring it back! _
Harry stood up to his full height. His eyes glowed brightly and then the air around him began to crackle with magic; green sparks flew from his body. A breeze picked up and ruffled his hair, throwing it into his eyes.
Soon, red sparks joined the green and both flew around his body. They slowly surrounded the wound on his body and settled onto it, healing the angry swelling and cutting off the steady flow of blood.
"You released your powers," Dessmona breathed out in awe. "Even without me unlocking them."
The light grew brighter and then all of the sparks grew in size and flew into Harry's body. He closed his eyes as the magic flowed through him, then exploded outward.
Everyone shielded their eyes from the blast of magic and light until it slowed toned itself down. Their eyes slowly adjusted to the light and they gasped in awe and fright.
A pair of jet black wings adorned Harry's back. They were taller than him by at least a foot or so. They were beautiful and shiny. Each feather shone brightly as if it had just polished. They ruffled slightly in the breeze left over from Harry's power. The half-devil's eyes were glowing with power, a bright red with green around the pupils.
Dessmona backed away and stared. "You're not completely Avenairu, but you're not completely Harry either. It's a combination of the two…"
Harry didn't wait for a reply. He moved into a defensive stance and waited for the angel to ready herself. Dessmona flew at him again, but Harry flew into the air and dropped behind her. Everyone watched as each feather turned into a small gleaming blade and the air hummed slightly.
In half a second, half of the feathers on Harry's right wing shot towards Dessmona. Nearly all of them hit her and slashed at her ruthlessly. Silver "blood" ran from her body and she pulled back wincing slightly. Her sword had a few feathers penetrating it; the edges were that sharp. She threw it down to the ground and stood up straighter.
"Ah, your favorite means of attack, Feather Slash. Nice, Harry, very nice."
Dessmona threw a bright orb of power at Harry and the half-devil screamed in pain as each feather left his wings and turned towards him, piercing him with millions of daggers. Immediately, he waved his hand causing most of the feathers to return to normal, but not all of them.
"You shouldn't have had to resort to half transforming just to beat me. You've lost some of your touch."
Harry nodded in defeat and closed his eyes. What was left of his wings shattered like millions of pieces of glass.
"However, you fought quite well. Today's training session is over. Well done."
Harry brushed his hair out of his face, and then glanced over at his friends and everyone else. They were watching him with a mixture of awe, fear, and indifference; Snape of course. Harry had forgotten about them while he had been fighting Dessmona, but now, he felt exposed. A display of his power, no matter how small, wasn't the wisest thing to do.
_**D**on't worry about those mindless creatures. You are better than them._
'No one is better than anyone else, Avenairu, including you.'
Harry turned away and made his way over to the door. The silence followed him all the way to the staircase and up to his room as he prepared for a well-need rest.
………
Harry walked wearily into his bedroom and pulled off his sweaty clothes, tossing them unceremoniously into a pile in the corner of his room. Draco would most likely complain about the mess later on, the boy was a neat freak, but at that moment he didn't care. He was still pissed off at Ron who had gotten jealous of him again and about the fact that everyone had another reason to be afraid of him and to set him apart from everyone else.
The exhausted boy had to admit that it had felt good to duel Dessmona even though it had ended in a tie. Avenairu had flared inside of him with anger that Dessmona had tied with him. "'A tie was just as bad as a defeat,'" the devil side of his soul countered his happy mood. Harry ignored Avenairu and reveled at the fact that his body hadn't lost too much of the training that he had undergone in Hell.
Harry just sat down on his bed ad tried to get to sleep. He shoved the heavy books off of the bed and winced slightly as they crashed to the floor. "Snape will probably kill me for throwing his book around, but I'm exhausted."
Slumping back onto the bed Harry yawned widely and stretched out his body over the cool sheets. Soon after falling into a peaceful and much needed sleep Harry unfortunately fell into a restless sleep that turned into a vision of Voldemort.
………
"_What news do you have, Bellatrix?"_
_The woman bowed down in front of the Dark Lord and kissed his robes before raising her head slightly letting her hair cover her eyes._
"_The spies that surround the Black Estate felt some odd magic signatures coming from the interior of the building. One of them was recognized as the Potter-boy's but the other one could not be distinguished amongst our ranks. Whosever the magic belonged to it was very powerful. No matter how hard we tried to figure out who was the holder of the magic, they had themselves sealed off very well. I doubt that even Dumbledore himself can do such a thing._
_Voldemort hissed in anger. "Severus has been ordered by Dumbledore to stay in close proximity with Potter ad his friends during the summer. Even though he was moved from the Dursley's house in which most of his protection lies and he would be the most vulnerable, Dumbledore did not move him to Hogwarts. Interesting…"_
_Bellatrix raised her eyes to meet those of her master's. "We do not know why the old fool chose to hide Potter somewhere that he could be located. They think that we don't know about them using the Black Manor for some kind of meeting place, but we are smarter than them, my lord._
"_Crucio!"_
_Immediately, Bellatrix began to scream and writher about on the cold stone floor, her body convulsing terribly. Her cries of absolute agony echoed off the stone walls and Voldemort's grotesque face was twisted into an even more repulsive smirk of satisfaction. _
"_You foolish whore, Dumbledore may act like a foolish old man outwardly, but he, I regretfully admit that he is extremely crafty. He is the only wizard that is equally matched to me after all…"_
_Bellatrix still convulsed on the floor, and Voldemort glanced down at her as if he had forgotten about he screams of pain and that held her under an Unforgivable. He waved his wand once and the woman's terrible cried stopped. Bellatrix coughed up blood and mucus all over her robes and onto the floor. _
"_You are glad that I didn't do something else to you, bitch. Now remember to hold your tongue and rid me of your unwanted presence. Your information was not in the very least helpful."_
_Bellatrix still lay crumpled on the ground, her chest heaving and still occasionally coughing up blood and phlegm. Slowly she began to rise from the floor holding onto the her stomach and pushing herself up with great difficulty. She bit down on her lip breaking the chapped flesh as she struggled not to scream. _
………****
Harry woke up gasping, his eyes wild and unseeing. He tried to wrench himself out of the vision, but he was being held down by two sets of hands. He yelled in protest and with all of his strength threw whoever was holding him down across the room.
"Arrgghh, Potter!" Draco yelled as he was slammed against the wall. He slowly rose from the floor holding the back of his head and continued to watch Harry as he thrashed against Remus and then Ron as the two of them tried to stop him from hurting himself because of his vision.
Snape soon stalked into the room holding two vials of an unknown potion and her called out to Remus and Ron over Harry's cries of pain, "Try to wake him up or restrain him! This potion will help the visions."
Harry's eyes suddenly flew open again and they were opaque and their soft green hues were mixed with an angry red. His eyes rolled back into his head and he suddenly stopped struggling against Remus and Ron who relaxed a bit out of fatigue.
Dessmona rushed over to Harry's bedside moving Hermione out of the way who was holding a basin and a towel, just in case the half-devil became ill. She pressed her hands against his temples and began whispering in hushed tones. It appeared as if she were trying to calm Harry down, but waves of purple light were flowing out of her hands in the young wizard's body.
Everyone watched as Harry's body slowly relaxed and his face lost it's pained look. His aura mixed with Dessmona's healing magic and his body glowed brightly.
"What is that light surrounding him?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Harry's body will naturally begin to heal itself after an attack like this. I'm assuming that he had a vision of some sort involving Voldemort." Everyone in the room shuddered at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. I just had to make him relax enough so he could open his magic reserves to start the healing process. Doing so is very dangerous so I can't do it often."
"Potter has enough magic to automatically heal himself if the need arises and yet he cannot protect his mind from the Dark Lord's grasp?" Snape regarded Dessmona with a sneer as she gently brushed some of Harry's bangs out of his face. The angel's jaw tightened slightly as she turned to Hermione to take the cloth out of the girl's hands to wipe off the boy's damp forehead.
"I already explained this to you; Harry's magic is very unstable right now. His mental defenses are even weaker than what they were when the two of you first began his Occlumency training. I don't think that your immature childhood grudge against Harry has any room here, or anyplace for that matter.
Everyone turned wide eyes from Dessmona to Snape who despite his efforts to hide his emotions was obviously shocked. Rarely anyone had the nerve to challenge him in this manner. He had to be honest to himself and say that he was stunned.
The older wizard said nothing to the angel who was still preoccupying herself by gently wiping Harry's face clean of the perspiration that lingered there. Her familiar Saengen, however, had turned towards him and was giving a reproachful look. The normally turquoise eyes were a bright red and the serpent had its lethal fangs bared to the Potions Master in warning that the man did not expect to see.
Snape still gave Dessmona a steady glare as the angel turned around to face him, her eyes shining brightly with power and anger.
"Harry has had enough hardships in his life without you adding your grudges against him that he doesn't even deserve. As an adult you should be more mature. In many ways Harry is more than you will ever be."
Snape openly blanched at that comment and stepped closer to the angel opening his mouth to protest when he gasped and clutched his arm. The room, which had been buzzing slightly at what had just transpired between him and Dessmona instantly quieted as the former Death Eater was summoned.
Without another glance around the room, Snape strode out of the room and moved towards his room to prepare himself for the meeting with the Dark Lord. Judging by the intensity of the burn, he was not in any immediate danger, but Voldemort could be deceiving him just as he had done many times before.
Dessmona watched silently as the Potions master left the room and glanced over towards everyone else. Hermione was giving Dessmona a look mixed with reproach and pride, Draco was giving her a slightly awed look and Ron was looking as if Christmas had come early, despite himself.
"Harry will be fine after he gets some sleep. You don't need to concern yourselves about him until he wakes up later on."
Dessmona turned around and gave everyone a stern look and they filtered out of the room reluctantly, of course. The angel continued the gently wipe the boy's face and brush his hair away from his closed eyes.
"What did you see this time? How will it affect you and everyone you care for?
………………………**..………………Devil's Snare……5……Devil's Snare……………………………………**
Hey everyone. Sorry about the late update. I've been busy with school… What a bore. I hope that you liked this chapter. Harry will slowly regain his memories. As was mentioned at the first part of the chapter, some things will come back to him by seeing them or hearing them. Those turquoise eyes won't be mentioned until the Interlude, which will pop up after Chapter Seven.
It's still going to take some time for Harry and Severus' relationship to develop. They will come to a truce/friendship in a few chapters. Hopefully that will settle your desire for them to get together for a while. I like it when other stories have them build up their relationship slowly and I have gotten some complements.
With Nov 11th and 14th being "No School" Days for me and having the weekend to work on this story I'll have some time to work on Chapter Six. Thanksgiving is coming up too.
Ron is incredibly immature and I think that he would be very jealous and afraid of Harry's powers. He'll gradually mature, but I have some plans in store for him, heh, heh…
ATTENTION GINNY LOVERS: I don't like Ginny. I have never liked her ever since the second book and my feelings of dislike have only increased due to the fact that she and Harry went out in the 6th book. I don't like her at all, and I'm not including her in this story. She doesn't fit in with my plot at all.
I'll see you in Chapter Six.
Korogi-chan/Shoushi-Ame
Word Count: 7,035
7. Capitulus Six 6
_**Summary: **Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
Thanks to the following people for their Reviewers)
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_Notes (1):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but also it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW!
Unfortunately, my beta Hazel Wolf has disappeared. I don't know if it's because I haven't updated or that she just isn't around. I don't know if I want to try to get another beta, but if anyone really enjoys this story and can stand to put up with my haphazard updating schedule, please review or email me if you'd like to beta.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
_Devil's Snare_
………
_Chapter Six: Controlling Avenairu_
………
_S_everus Snape stumbled into the kitchen at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and clutched wildly to anything that he could to prevent himself from tumbling from the fireplace. He landed gracelessly on the cold floor and cursed himself for being so weak. Blood dripped onto the floor from a cut on his lip and from the side of his face. His face was bruised and there were slashes all over his torso. His robes were tattered and bloody. His normally greasy hair was now soaked with sweat and blood, making the texture even worse. All in all, he looked a terrible mess.
Voldemort had been ruthless as usual; trying to pry information from him about Potter's whereabouts. Some how the evil bastard had found out the boy was residing in Grimmauld Place for the summer how Snape had no idea. He could only hope that Lucius had not also found out that Draco was hiding out at Grimmauld Place as well, or there would more Hell to pay. Voldemort was indeed looking forward to having Draco on his side, and he wouldn't cease until he got what he wanted or killed the boy for his insolence. Thankfully there was no one in the kitchen to see him in such a pitiful state.
………
Harry groaned and automatically clutched to his forehead, flinching as some left over pain coursed through his head'I must have had a vision, but even though my head hurts, I feel surprisingly better…' Slowly, he ran his fingers through his tousled hair, blinking as he looked around the dark room.
'I can see in the dark!' Harry gasped softly, remembering that Draco was only a few feet away from him in his own bed. He glanced over at the Slytherin Prince, who was tangled up in his bed sheets and, to Harry's amusement, snoring somewhat loudly.
Harry covered his mouth to prevent a laugh and then climbed slowly out of bed. He was still very tired and mentally exhausted from the vision, but he was hungry. Dueling with Dessmona and missing dinner was gnawing at his stomach. He stretched, gasping softly as he cracked his back in three places.
Slowly making his way downstairs he noticed with his acute hearing that someone was moving around downstairs. Harry could hear that they were struggling a bit, the steady pitter-patter or heavy footfall not reaching his ears. The metallic smell of blood got to his nostrils and finally woke him out of his sleep-induced haze. Slowly he made his way down stairs, just in case whoever it was became startled.
Of course, it could be some sort of spy.
Harry tried to sustain a gasp when he saw that it was Professor Snape there, standing in a puddle of his own blood. The ex-Death Eater had a firm hold on the countertop and was trying not to fall over. His breathing was rough and slightly bubbly, most likely from some injury to his lungs. His black robes were ripped and drenched in blood and sweat and the Death Eater's mask was resting on the floor by his feet, the usual white soaked in blood.
Snape felt eyes on him and painfully turned around. He hissed softly when his and Harry's eyes met, partially due to being discovered (by Potter no less) and from the pain the slight movement had caused.
Neither of them moved until the man staggered and Harry rushed to his side, supporting him.
"Potter, what in the blazes do you think you're doing?"
The half-devil struggled to move Snape into a more moveable position so as not to hurt the injured man any further. Snape was fighting not to go completely limp in his arms, but he was fading, and if Harry wasn't too careful, he might drop him.
"What you think I'm doing Professor? I'm trying to keep you from keeling over!" Harry hissed in the darkness.
Snape grunted as the boy moved them so his head was resting against the boy's shoulder—or would be if he weren't so reluctant to accept Harry's assistance—and he felt one arm going around his waist while the other tried to reach the counter to push the two of them into a better standing position. He suppressed a sharp gasp of pain when he rested gently against Harry's hand which was trying to block his actually body from pressing into the counter's edge.
"Wouldn't you rather just leave me here and mock my predicament? Surely you wouldn't want to help your "evil git" of a Potion's Master?"
Harry rolled his eyes and was glad that the other man couldn't see in the dark like he could. He wanted to get the man upstairs to his quarters, but getting both of them there would cause too much noise. Even carrying him was out of the question. For one, the stairs would creak so much that everyone would wake up, not to mention that Snape would NEVER let Harry or anyone else help him. The older wizard just had too much damn pride.
"Oh yes, I had forgotten, your pathetic Gryffindor nobility won't let you leave anyone in need." He stressed need with a mocking air to his voice.
Harry growled in anger, his temper rising. "Do you want me to just dump you on the floor and let the noise wake up everyone? That will be a nice scene won't it?"
Snape raised his head and looked over Harry's shoulder. His dark eyes rested on the mask, or what he could see of it. Only a part of it was still white, and visible due to the blood from his wounds.
"Even you do manage to get me to my rooms, you will indeed wake up someone and they will come down here. You can't leave my blood and the mask down here now can you?"
Harry pulled back from his position of supporting Snape's body and looked at the Death Eater's mask. He decided to try his luck and wandlessly summoned the blood soaked cloth to his hand.
"At least I didn't destroy something," he murmured to himself.
Snape snorted and took the mask from his hands. "I wouldn't want it to become tainted from your filthy hands, Potter."
Why couldn't of he just have taken the accursed thing? "Just by you touching it alone and what it actually stands for dirties it more than my hands or anyone in this house ever could!"
Harry ignored the Snape and focused deep into his mind where he knew that Avenairu was residing. He reached out to the dark part of his soul and felt a cold feeling rush through him as the entity stirred inside of him.
_**Y**ou need my assistance, Innocent One? _
'Yes,' Harry thought back. 'Is there some other way that I can get the two of us upstairs without making too much noise?' Harry paused a second. 'Also, I need to clean this up and heal Snape's wounds.'
_**W**hy waste your time with this worthless piece of human filth. He lowers himself to work for the worst human and does even the "Light's" dirty work. He is nothing but a pawn that causes you grief. Leave him here to drown and rot in his own blood._
If he could, Harry would have recoiled in repulsion. 'Avenairu! I'm serious. If you think about, so are we. I'm Dumbledore's pawn, of so he would like to think and technically I have to do The Devil's bidding. In a way we are no better than him.
_**N**onsense! You were born into this, thus having no choice. He on the other hand, made his own choices, and is, and will be paying for them for the rest of his life!_
Harry groaned out loud in frustration but was still too connected to his other half to notice Snape's attention change to him. 'Just help me, damn it!'
_**Y**_our nobility sickens me.
Before he could respond, Harry could feel his will being pushed into the back of his mind. He could feel his body change slightly to accommodate the changes Avenairu brought when the devil took control. His body felt stronger and he grew a bit taller. His eyes burned slightly as they changed to blood red, and his eyesight became even clearer.
Avenairu hefted Snape into his arms and began to move slowly and quietly to the steps. Ignoring the human in his arms who was struggling to move away from him, he raised a foot and placed it onto the first step. What would normally not be that terrible a noise was very loud in the dead silence, save Snape cursing him under his breath.
After stepping down from the steps, Avenairu was hit in the chest by the man in his arms.
"What do you think you're doing! Release me this instant!"
"Gladly."
Snape felt himself falling from nearly five feet in the air and nearly hit the ground when he was caught roughly just before he reached the cold stone floor.
"Trust me, I would have let you crash into this floor and laugh as your disgusting brain spewed across the stones, but the protests in my head prevented me. Next time, I will not be as lenient."
Had Snape not have been fuming at his nearly being dropped, he would have noticed the bitter tinge to the half-devil's voice and the difference in the magic surrounding him. He didn't have time to think about it when the younger man murmured, "Hold on," and swiftly raced up the stairs. It felt as if they weren't even touching the steps; the only sound was the rush of air as the two traveled. Each movement was smooth, and instead of the jerkiness that would have aggravated his wounds, Snape felt nothing other than the pain he was currently in.
By the soft light of the small candles lining the hallway, Snape saw the door into his chambers spring open wandlessly and the two of them stepped into the room just as silent as they had come in. The candles in the room burst into flame so as to provide light and Avenairu stepped swiftly around the lab tables that the Potions Master had conjured to another door that led into his actual bedchamber. The candles lit there as well and the man's bed was exposed in the soft light. Avenairu gently deposited the man in arms to the bed after he wandlessly pulled back the covers. He ignored the man's rasped protests as he pulled away the tattered and bloody robes and threw them to the side. Crimson eyes quickly surveyed the bloodied body of the man beneath him and he pulled back and held him hands not to far from the wounds.
"Try not to make any noise, this will hurt."
Before Snape could say anything, he was encased in a dark mist, mixed with mostly black and red. It slowly gathered around his wounds and seeped inside, healing the surface and then closing up any abrasions with red-tinged skin. Snape couldn't hold back a gasp of pain as the healing was done. His palms clenched so hard that he drew blood from his own hands.
"Stop making my job harder," Avenairu snarled, wrenching the man's hands from the sheets and forcing them open. The mist filtered into those wounds and then healed them. They were shallow enough to be healed completely by the dark magic. This time, Snape did nothing except wince slightly, but that didn't stop him from glaring hatefully at the younger wizard in front of him as he healed him.
"Must you be rough? You hardly helped the pain; might as well have left me to bleed to death. Your healing is nearly twice as bad as the wounds were in the first place. I've also noticed that they aren't entirely healed. Is that beyond your awesome power, Potter?"
The hand that had been holding his hand open clenched painfully and claws dug into the newly scarred skin, nearly breaking it once more. Snape looked fully into the boy's face and then paled slightly as his onyx eyes met fiery garnet. The latter of the eyes were gleaming in contempt and loathing as they stared down at his battered form and Snape finally realized the source of the uncharacteristic rough treatment.
"Can you not be grateful? If hunger had never woken my counterpart from his slumber, you would be unconscious and drowning in your own blood. I should have completely suppressed his protests when I nearly threw you to the floor earlier. You deserve none of his kindness, nor are you worthy of any sort of compassion! If I were not bound by the angel and the Innocent One, I would condemn your rotten soul to the deepest, most painful corner in Hell!"
While he was lecturing, Avenairu's hand has positioned itself around the ex-Death Eater's neck and was gripping him, not hard enough to do damage but enough to spark fear into those normally fathomless eyes. Avenairu's heightened senses could feel the pulse running through the neck in his hand, smell the fear and lingering blood, and feel the man's inner disgust at being so helpless against Potter.
"Like I have said before, do not blame my actions on my counterpart. He took no part in my cruelties towards you, which you deserve, might I add. Even now, his voice rings through my head, pleading with me not to kill you. You should be thankful, for it is something that you do not deserve."
Snape had steeled himself to not show his anger and revolting fear, but it still shone through to the devil above him.
"I will inform Dessmona of your injuries and later on, she will completely heal them. Even if I could fully unlock my powers, I wouldn't completely heal you. Show her no disrespect."
Avenairu glared at Snape once more before relinquishing control back to Harry. The boy's emerald eyes fluttered open and in his surprise he nearly tumbled into Snape who was watching him with wide eyes. As soon as Harry got his bearings he quickly pulled his hand away from the other man's throat. He then stood up from his earlier position of sitting next to the other wizard and stood silently by the bed.
"I apologize for Avenairu's actions and I will tell Dessmona to heal you tomorrow."
Before Snape could do anything else, Harry fled from the room, silently closing the door behind him.
**………**
Harry wrapped his arms around himself as he moved through Snape's collection of lab tables and cauldrons, pausing only to open the door and exit the room. As he went by, the candles blew out and the darkness surrounded him again. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he was overcome with dread. Snape would most likely kill him as soon as he was well enough to do so. He hated Avenairu for being so cruel.
**_I_ **wasn't being cruel; he deserved it.
Harry snorted as he made his way to the stairs ad quickly descended them. 'You were almost as immature as the impudent brat he accuses me of being.
_J_ust be glad that you have a direct influence over me or he wouldn't be alive for you to worry over.
At the last step, Harry moved towards the kitchen and walked over to the sink to find a rag or something to clean up Snape's blood. He want to use too much more wandless magic, it might overtax him. He was still weak from healing Potions Master and from the vision that he had earlier. As Harry searched for a rag he frowned in annoyance when his stomach growled. He had forgotten all about true reason for his awakening; hunger.
Harry knelt down and began to clean away some of the blood on the floor and trying to ignore his stomach when the stairs began to creak behind him. Harry immediately tossed the rag back into the sink and against his better judgment, used magic to clean up the bloodstained floor, the puddle from the wounds, the bloody footsteps from the fireplace and the drops on the stairs. He nearly tumbled over from the excursion and kept his back to the person who was descending the stairs.
Ron carried a small candle in one hand while the other was scratching his side in a sleepy fashion. Wild clumps of red hair stuck out from all directions and his face was flushed slightly. The boy yawned widely and smacked loudly. He finally opened his eyes and focused on Harry as he stood with his back to him facing the sink.
"What are you doing down here so late?"
Harry didn't turn around to acknowledge him; he just acted as if he was trying to get a glass of water. He turned on the tap and found a clean class from the sink. Watching as the light from Ron's candle reflected off of the glass and water alike, he stiffened slightly and murmured,
"I'm just getting a glass of water. I was hungry, I decided to come down here and get something to eat."
Ron grunted in reply and walked over to the cabinets to hunt for a glass to drink from. He stopped after pulling out one and looked around curiously.
"Was anyone else down here? I could have thought that I heard noises from more than just one person?"
Harry shook his head and kept turning away from Ron so he couldn't see his face. "Nope, just me."
Ron shook his head and moved to the sink. Immediately, Harry moved out of the way and made his way to the counter; reaching for a small plate of leftovers from dinner the Mrs. Weasley must have left him. He smiled slightly and uncovered the food. As he did so, he could feel Ron's eyes flow over him from behind.
"What is that odd smell?"
'Shit! He can't be smelling the blood can he?' Harry thought frantically.
Ron placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and tried to turn the other boy around to face him. Harry jumped in surprise, not expecting any contact.
"I know that I've been a complete arse, but—" He broke off.
Harry looked towards Ron's face and followed the other boy's eyes to what had caused him to stop talking. He looked down at his own chest and saw to his horror that the front of his pajama top was smeared with blood.
'I forgot about cleaning up Snape's blood from my clothes!' Harry thought wildly. Ron was slowly backing away from him and his blue eyes were wide with fear. He was shaking his head in disbelief and fear. His lips were trembling and then he opened his mouth to let out a loud cry, but the only thing that came out was a whisper.
"What did you do!"
Harry tried to get closer to Ron. But the boy continued to back away until he was pressed against the sink.
"Ron, it's not what you think—"
"Then what is it then?" the boy cried; nearly going into hysterics. "I was going to forgive you, but now I see that you really are evil." His voice trembled, but he kept speaking. "Did you go out and have a late night killing spree?"
Harry shook his head and opened his mouth to tell Ron what had really happened, but the he stopped. 'I can't let him know that it was Snape who cause all of this, but at the same time, I don't want to get in trouble by Ron either!'
_**Y**_ou just can't stay out of trouble can you?
In a flash, Harry was shoved to the back of his mind again and Avenairu had his hand firmly pressed against Ron's mouth in an effort to silence his cries. The boy flailed wildly, but Avenairu hissed and wrapped the other hand around the boy's neck and squeezed. Choking sound emitted from the shorter redhead and Avenairu hissed in his ear,
"Shut your mouth, human filth, or I will do so permanently."
Ron's eyes focused on Avenairu's and saw the frightening red, which glowed in the dark. The burning smell from the candle that he had dropped wafted up to his nose and the lingering smoke burned his eyes.
"I will make a deal with you; stay quiet about what you saw here and I will spare you. If not, I'll make you suffer worse than this Voldemort of yours ever could."
That shut Ron up and made him stop his struggles. His mind went numb and his body limp as Avenairu cast a smell on him and proceeded to carry the boy upstairs into his bedroom. Thankfully no one heard him as he deposited the boy onto his bed and cast a sleeping charm on him.
Avenairu crept back into his bedroom and closed the door behind him with a soft snap and turned around to come face to face with none other than Draco. The silver-blond haired boy smirked at the annoyed flash that went through Avenairu's eyes. The candle that the slightly older wizard was holding reflected eerily into the half-devil's eyes.
"I was wondering where you where," Draco murmured stepping back to let Avenairu step farther into the room. The crimson eyes never left the Slytherin's form as he followed his own movements. "I heard a bit of the commotion downstairs, but I couldn't bring it upon myself to investigate."
Avenairu crossed his arms over his chest, and didn't respond. Draco's eyes traveled to the front of his pajama top.
"Is Severus back? That is why you have blood splashed all down your front, am I right?" When all he got was a quirked eyebrow in response the blond kept speaking. The emotion that the boy showed unnerved his counterpart slightly, but he ignored that.
"The Dark Lord must have gone rough on him then. I hope that the slimy bastard didn't find my whereabouts, or else everyone in here is dead."
Draco broke off and glanced at Avenairu. The devil was watching him silently with piercing eyes that were a mix between slight interest and mistrust. He didn't answer the other boy's question nor ignore him.
"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine as well.
"That's not really it. I have access to my counterpart's memories and I know that in the years past you two have been enemies, not unlike another acquaintance of mine. I'm just trying to determine if I should trust you or not."
Draco nodded and glanced over to a clock that was on the nightstand between both of their beds. The light from the candle reflected on the face of the clock, and the time was around 2:54 AM.
"Well, I'm completely awake now, and I don't suppose that you want to go back to sleep either?"
Avenairu's eyes flashed with slight amusement. "What do you propose we do until more reasonable waking hours?"
The blond just smirked and glanced over to the side of the room where his sword and bags were resting.
"We could train…"
**………**
Remus walked down the stairs, curious as to what the noises were in the training room they had set up for the young wizards to train. With his heightened werewolf senses he could hear the soft swishing of swords and smell sweat from exertion. He walked towards that room after crossing through the kitchen and pushed the door open.
The sight that met his eyes was a bit surprising to say the least. Harry and Draco were practicing with sword fighting. Harry was blocking Draco's attempts to hit him with his sword and parrying him. Draco did have nice skills Remus noting (from the little bit he knew about fighting with swords) and Harry looked almost bored. Draco wouldn't let up on his assault, and kept trying to land at least one blow on Harry.
Avenairu turned his gaze towards the slightly open door were the older wizard was standing and observing quietly without losing a beat in blocking Draco. Remus noticed the burgundy eyes and stiffened slightly. From what he had seen so far, Harry didn't have that great control over Avenairu; the devil could get out of bounds easily.
"Remus," Avenairu said softly. "Come to watch?"
The amber-eyed wizard just smiled softly and moved farther into the room. Draco looked fairly annoyed that even with his opponent being distracted, he couldn't even get in one hit.
"Damn! Why can't I get in at least one bloody hit? You always evade my every move, and look as if this were the most boring thing that you've ever done in your life!"
Avenairu twirled with sword around and then rested the blade against his shoulder with a smirk on his face. He didn't even look like he had even worked up a sweat.
"That's the beauty of my intense training, Dragon. If you want to learn, then accompany me to Hell one day and request training. The only downside is that I don't think you've live to return to the surface."
Remus blanched slightly. "Is it really that bad?"
Draco nodded as well. "I suspected that the training would be very intense, but a part of you is indeed human. How could you handle it so easily? Didn't you struggle, at least a bit?"
The devil's eyes became lost in thought. "My counterpart struggled a bit. I didn't inhabit his body at the time. There is a ritual that a devil half devil has to go through to gain their other half. The two entities are connected but the actual binding has to be forged before it can be used. It's very complicated to explain, and some of the information can't even be revealed to you at all."
Avenairu just shrugged, out of character of him, not that the two humans in the room would know. His eyes rested on Remus and he regarded him silently for a few moments.
"Draco, you go out into the kitchen, and check to see if anyone is out there yet? I don't want anyone to discover us."
Draco nodded if not a little confused and set down his weapon and moved towards the door and slipped out quietly. Remus looked a bit confused as well.
"What is it?
Avenairu moved closer, long ebony locks shimmering and flowing as he moved. "You are a werewolf, are you not?"
"Yes," the other man answered quizzically. "I don't understand what that has to do with anything…"
"I can tell that my counterpart cares a great deal about you, and hates the thought of you suffering during the full moon. I could do something about that—"
Remus could barely keep himself from overreacting from the excitement going through him. "You could?"
Avenairu schooled his features as he felt Harry's happiness and excitement through the bond they shared. "Yes, I can't take away the actual transformation, but I can make the pain that comes with it go away. Also, you wont need the Wolfsbane Potion to keep you sane during the full moon."
Remus' eyes were bright with content and he had a relieved smile on his face. Avenairu nodded slightly and glanced around him to see that Draco was watching the two of them with an cool expression, but his eyes had a hint of curiosity in them. The devil raised his head and gazed silently at the blond.
"It seems that everyone is up and eating at the table. People were asking after you Remus, you too, Avenairu."
Remus turned to Draco and nodded and walked towards the door and reached out to open it. Avenairu set his sword sheath and weapon down and waved his hand once to put everything in the room back in order. Draco and Remus watched with wide eyes at the incredible display of wandless magic. The devil did it with such ease and carelessness.
"Oh, you were practicing?" Hermione said as Draco sat down across from her, Remus a couple seats down the table and Avenairu right next to her. Ron was glaring daggers at the devil, but Avenairu ignored him. He focused his eyes on Hermione and the girl blanched slightly at the sight of his scarlet hued eyes. She nearly dropped his fork in surprise and turned red at the smirk the graced Avenairu's face. The devil just placed another piece of sausage in his mouth and chewed silently, the smirk still gracing his handsome features.
Mrs. Weasley noticed that Avenairu hadn't taken that much food when he had sat down and tried, carefully, to persuade him to get more food.
"Me, myself, don't need food to survive, but his body does, so I take as much food as his body wants at this point. This isn't particularly healthy either; I shouldn't be eating this after I trained for about three hours." Avenairu reached across the table to the basket of fruit and started eating an apple. Five sets of eyes watched him as he pushed back from the table and still holding a glass of apple juice and the apple in his other hand walking towards the kitchen, the plate of half-eaten food following behind innocently.
As soon as the devil was out of earshot, Ron burst out in hushed fear, "Mum, he's pure evil!"
Mrs. Weasley gave her flustered son a skeptically look. "Ronald, don't be so judgmental. It's hard enough walking around on pins and needles with him. Harry feels left out when you treat him so poorly. It isn't his fault, you know that he has a devil locked to his soul."
Ron gave his mother a look of incredible disbelief. "Mum," he breathed, "You can't possibly think that he's safe! Harry doesn't have any control over Avenairu or whatever his name is at all. He could lash out at us any minute."
Draco slammed his glass onto the table, a bit of milk sloshing out and landing on the wooden table and his eggs. "Could you stop complaining, Weaselby? Merlin, you act as if he's come to you personally and threatened you. Of course, if I were Avenairu, I would have slit your throat by now. Stop being so shallow. I thought that you were supposed to be Harry's best friend. Avenairu may be blocking some of Harry's pain at being ridiculed by you aside but much of it hits home! Just grow up for goodness sake—"
"Don't tell me what to do, you Death Eater scum. You're just trying to get on their good side so you can take Harry down when he's not looking! You're trying to trick us all, you and your conniving Head of House, Snape! You Slytherins are all full of it!" Ron yelled, his face bright red with anger.
"Don't you try to turn this conversation away from the problem at hand, which is you, and don't you ever insult my godfather in my presence!"
"Oh, that's definite proof that you're a Death Eater. What do you do, have all of your filthy relatives get together at your manor and try to find ways to destroy Harry and get back at the Light side? Your father is in Azkaban now, but I'm sure that doesn't keep all of you from getting together and having a Death Eater convention!
"Stop it!" Hermione cried, standing up as well. Draco stopped and looked at her but Rob kept mumbling under his breath. "Both of you, or do you think that you're above everyone Ronald?" Said wizard turned red at the mentioning of his entire name. "Ron, I'm surprised at you for being so cruel. I thought that after the Tri-Wizard Tournament that you would have learned not to be so judgmental of Harry and his differences. You always have to become jealous, and what problems Harry has are nothing to want to have. I am in awe of his magic; we all are, but you of all people should grown up enough and tried to help his through this!
"Draco, I'm happy that you've matured enough to support Harry and Avenairu. That makes my very happy. You've dropped your hatred towards Harry and you're accepting towards Avenairu."
Ron's face was blazing with embarrassment and his ears were bright red as well. He looked like he wanted to punch someone in their face. Hermione watched his body tense up and reached out to stop his hand from rising to hit someone. The boy flinched and pulled away, stepping towards the back door out to eh back of the house. He slammed the door open and then let it slam shut after him.
Mrs. Weasley rose and offered an awkward smile. "I appreciated your input Hermione, dear and even though I didn't like how you yelled at me son, I appreciate that you did show a level of restraint." She began to pick up some of the plates that were on the table and started to make her way into the kitchen. Hermione moved to open the door a bit farther for her. Draco picked up some more of the dishes.
As Hermione and Draco made their way to the staircase a soft rush of air brushed their backs and Draco whipped around on reflex reaching for where his wand would be if it were with him. Hermione almost had a delayed reaction as she turned.
"Why did you take up so energy defending me?"
Hermione sighed and Draco groaned in exasperation, a very un-Malfoyish expulsion of emotion. "Why wouldn't we? You never did anything to us, now did you?" Draco smirked and folded his arms to his chest. "Anyway if I insulted you, then you might refuse to give me private sparring lessons."
Avenairu scoffed in amusement and gave his first open smile to them both. It was a very sinful smile, making both Hermione and Draco turn the slightest red. His dark red eyes lit up to a bright red, flashing in amusement.
The devil took in their flushed faces and raised an eyebrow. "Does a smile really make you tow that unsettled?" He pushed past the two and stepped up to his room. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, "I need to talk to Dessmona about healing someone for me."
Draco's eyes widened slightly with recognition and he was about to ask more, but a narrowing of his eyes stopped the blond from speaking. Hermione perked up and began to ask about Avenairu's powers and wondering if they transferred to Harry as well. The trio began to travel upstairs; of course one of them was missing and sulking outside on the back steps wondering about how to get back at Avenairu for his humiliation.
**………………………**_**..………………**_
_**Devil's Snare……6……Devil's Snare**_
_Sorry about the extremely late update. ODD PLACE TO STOP THIS CHAPTER…Thankfully, I had a huge burst of inspiration and wrote 3,000+ words in an hour or you guys would still be waiting for me! _
_Don't forget, no one knows the rest about Harry being the Prince of Hell. That will actually be revealed quite a bit later, hopefully in Chapter 12 or so. Harry will get in a duel with (I won't tell you) a formidable opponent and then his true title will be revealed._
_If anyone is really annoyed by the stupid bolded print when I upload, I'm not doing it. I go back into the EDIT page on the site and try to fix it, but it won't let me. It's really starting to make me mad! GGRRRRRRRRR! _
_ahem_
_Please give me some reviews! _
_Korogi-chan_
_Word Count: 6,283 _
8. Capitulus Seven 7
_Summary: Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
Thanks to the following people for their Reviewers)
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_**Notes (1):**_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but also it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
**I would like at least 10—15 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW! **
Unfortunately, my beta Hazel Wolf has disappeared. I don't know if it's because I haven't updated or that she just isn't around. I don't know if I want to try to get another beta, but if anyone really enjoys this story and can stand to put up with my haphazard updating schedule, please review or email me if you'd like to beta.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
_**Devil's Snare**_
**……… **
_Chapter Seven: A Lethal Reunion _
_**………. **_
_Avenairu made his way upstairs with Hermione at his side asking animatedly about "the properties of a devil" and Draco was a few steps behind laughing silently at the odd questions the girl was bombarding the devil with. _Avenairu was in a semi-good mood so he calmly answered few questions that wouldn't give away too much.
As the teens walked up the steps Avenairu stopped talking and turned his gaze to the top of the steps. Dessmona stood there; her face was set into a stern frown. It really didn't fit her face, it made her soft features seem hard and unforgiving. Her right hand was clutching the banister and the already pale skin was whiter still. Her eyes were blazing and glowed slightly in power. Her familiar was hissing in anger its eyes were glowing as well. The angel's aura was waving in the air as well around her. Hermione and Draco shivered slightly as the power emitting from Dessmona was painful.
"I thought that you weren't just going to take over when you felt like it Avenairu."
Said devil tossed his head in amusement and stepped up to Dessmona's level. He towered over the angel and sneered down at her.
"That insignificant piece of sod deserved everything that he got. He treats my counterpart so poorly, and takes no one else's feelings into consideration."
"That by no means gives you any reason to harm him the way you did, no matter what he did to Harry."
"When something is wrong with him, that negative energy is transferred to me. What do you want me to do? Ignore it?"
"Better to let it slip by than to cause a confrontation."
Avenairu snorted. "You must have found an alternative way to finding out what really happened. There is no way that pathetic excuse for a mortal would have revealed to you what I did this morning." Two bright red orbs searched the angel's annoyed face. "Unless you broke into his mind and took what you needed."
Dessmona narrowed her eyes. "What I did to him is none of your concern."
Hermione and Draco were just standing by watching the argument with expressions of confusion on their faces. For a few words from both parties. Both powerful entities were glowing slightly with power due to their massive amounts of anger and other emotions.
"Now because of your careless acts, Snape will treat Harry with even more hatred than he normally did. Even though he knows that you cannot be controlled very well, Avenairu, he could twist that around so he could blame Harry. It is a very poor quality to a person, but that man knows how twist situations around to blame others for things they never did!"
"I doubt that he could find it in himself to hate my counterpart more than what he has before."
"You don't know that."
"Harry's well being means more to me than anything."
"Only because he's your vessel."
Avenairu and Dessmona chose to end their argument there. Remus and Mrs. Weasley were standing at the foot of the stairs, looking them with concerned. Dessmona gave Avenairu a final look of reprise and then turned swiftly on her heel and walked down the other hallway, but not without calling over her shoulder in the other language, "Snape wants to have a lesson at three sharp." Avenairu just rolled his eyes and gave a startlingly disarming smile down at everyone.
"Don't worry, there are no problems here. Just a little heated discussion is all."
When everyone kept looking, especially with disbelief, the smile faltered.
"What?"
"You weren't even speaking in English," Hermione said softly, a look of hard concentration was on her face.
"Of course. I rarely use English to talk to Dessmona, especially not with others around to hear what we were talking about."
Draco and Hermione just kept staring at them.
"What she most likely meant was, 'What language were you using?'
"Devil's Tongue. It can't be translated to any other creature except for devils ad the few other being they trust. It's against code.
"Could you at least tell us what you were angry about? I'm sure that isn't against code."
"Maybe not, but our discussion had nothing to do with you. Now, if you excuse me, I'm leaving."
"Wait a minute!"
Avenairu surrendered his hold on Harry's body and then the boy shook his head, raven locks falling into his face, and startled green eyes gazing down at his friends.
"Sorry about Avenairu. He didn't want to let all of his anger out on you."
"Does that mean that you can tell us about him and Dessmona were arguing about?" Draco asked.
Harry smiled and shook his head. "Nope, code of honor."
Draco groaned and then Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and began to pull him to the library lecturing about the rest of his summer work that he needed to finish and Snape's Occlumency outlines that were due. Draco shrugged to Remus and Mrs. Weasley and followed the two upstairs to watch Harry get pummeled by Granger's study lectures.
**………. **
Ron sat outside sulking quietly to himself. Avenairu was getting on his last nerve. If the devil got in his way again…
He had even gotten his own mother and his girlfriend to side against him. Ron had thought that Hermione's loyalty and his mother's natural motherly care would support him no matter what, but Avenairu had torn that away from him.
In his truest mind, Ron knew that Harry had no control over his other half, but that didn't stop him from blaming the boy for his problems. How could Ron not forgive him?
When Harry had first shown that he could do wandless magic, that had really set Ron off. The fact that he could do so was definite a sign that his magic was too out of control. Only very powerful wizards could do wandless magic. He had never even seen Dumbledore do wandless magic, and he was supposed to be the most powerful wizard in Britain, if not the world!
Another thing that pissed Ron off was that Avenairu had threatened to attack him at least three times. The time early that morning when Harry had blood all down his front was the worst. The devil would have killed him.
'He probably didn't want to get caught killing people.'
Harry's other half would have had no other reason to threaten him if he hadn't of done something bad and was trying to hide it at around 2:00 AM. Ron had almost forgiven Harry for treating him so poorly until he had seen the blood coating the boy's clothes. He had killed someone and didn't want anyone to find out about it.
Ron turned around when he heard hesitant footsteps come onto the porch. He glanced over his shoulder and relaxed when he saw that it was only Hermione. He gave her a smile, but instead of returning it she just moved closer to him and sat down.
"Hermione, what—"
"Ron, I don't want to do this, but if you don't start trying to treat Harry more civilly, I can't be with you."
The redhead stared at the bushy-haired girl in shock.
"What?' Ron murmured incredulously, his blue eyes widening almost comically. "Hermione, how can you side against me to protect him?"
"Harry has been our friend since First Year. You and I have both known him long enough to realize that he hates being the center of attention and that he hates being set apart from others because of his strange abilities. He feels like he's being pressured too much."
"He's EVIL, Hermione! Don't you see that? He could come over to us while we're sleeping and kill us. Dessmona is supposed to be teaching him to control himself but he's not doing a good job of that is he? He's nearly killed me twice now!"
"You made Avenairu angry! He was trying to protect Harry. As long as you don't ever hurt him emotionally or physically, then Avenairu won't have any reason to bother you."
"Yeah right, Hermione. Nothing that evil could protect someone. Harry is have just crossed over to the Dark Arts. No one can just get wandless magic abilities. He must have been holding back. He probably has other powers too that we don't know about and he's just waiting for us to turn our backs on him."
"Ron, what happened to you," the witch asked, taking a better approach than blaming the boy in front of her. "I thought that you understood Harry after all of this time. How can you doubt him? After everything that's he's been through, you know that Harry stays positive and tries to look to the bright side of things!"
"He's probably used that "sadness" as an excuse so we won't notice how he's sunk into the Dark Arts. I'm sick of everyone trying to defend him."
Hermione was close to tears. "Please, Ron. Try to understand…"
Ron threw up his hand in exasperation. "Why am I the one who has to understand? Harry has blinded you to what his true intentions are. Dessmona is in on it too!"
"She's an angel; how can she possibly be tied to evil powers? She's Harry's binding. She is the only thing holding back Harry's true powers. Without her, Harry might have been consumed by Avenairu's magic."
"If Dessmona is so good and pure, how the bloody Hell does she have a snake familiar? You couldn't have looked that over."
For once, Hermione had to stop and think about that. Dessmona was mysterious in herself but the fact that she had a serpent familiar was just too much. Harry trusted her and held her in high regard, but she couldn't think of why she would have the sort of animal to protect her.
Ron folded his arms over his chest smugly. "You don't know do you, Hermione?"
The witch just turned away. "I can't be with you anymore Ron. I thought that by now you would have matured a bit more. If you're going to hurt my friends, new or old (Draco), then I don't want to have anything to do with you."
Ron's eyes widened and he gaped at Hermione as she walked into the house. As she walked away, something began to burn inside of him.
'Yet again Harry has taken something away from me. I'll find someway to get back at him.
**……….**
Snape walked around his worktable a look of anger on his face.
'That is the second time that devil has taken advantage of me.'
He stalked around the cauldrons that were bubbling slowly and gazed at them with unseeing eyes. The boy would be coming in soon for lessons once more. Even though angering the boy was an amusing pastime, if he wanted to keep his life, then he had best leave the Potter-boy be. His devil's side was ruthless and cruel not unlike the Dark Lord he served, seemingly unconditionally. Almost anything could set him off, and it seemed that he, himself, had a knack for doing it.
Snape stopped at one table to check the list of books that he had let Potter borrow. 'He most likely hasn't read any of them,' the man scoffed to himself.
Between all of the training, visions, and "rescuing" his hated Potions Master, Potter didn't have time to study the books. He had seen Granger drag the boy off once to make him start on his homework. Draco had already finished most of his summer work and well, if he could say for himself. Granger was most likely giving the foolish boy all of the answers; him and Weasley, even Potter and him weren't getting along that well.
That in turn made him think about how immature Weasley was being about Harry becoming a devil. The initial shock was bad enough, but the overall situation wasn't terrible to deal with. Weasley had blown it up into an entirely different situation. The boy mad Potter's other half lash out, almost as badly as he himself did.
Glancing at a clock that resided on the eastern wall, Snape realized that the boy had only four minutes to get into his rooms.
A few moments later, Snape heard steps racing up the stairs and then a thud of something that sounded suspiciously like a book fall to the floor. An annoyed huff and then more steps running to his rooms finally lead to the Potter-boy entering his chambers.
"You're late."
Harry looked into the man's eyes incredulously. He looked down at his own watch then looked at the clock on the wall, emerald eyes full of confusion and annoyance.
"Sir, forgive me, but you instructed for me to be here a three o'clock sharp, and I do believe that is the current time." The last bit of that statement held a bit of cheek.
Snape rolled his eyes. "Be that as it may, you shouldn't be rushing in here at the stated time. You're late for being on time; on time for being early."
Snape turned his back to potter as he heard the boy grumble softly under his breath. He reached out to find a few more books for the boy to look at.
"Tell me Potter, did you even have time to look through those books?"
Harry sighed and gazed at the older wizard's back.
"Yes, I even wrote a few outlines on a couple of chapters. That's all I had time to do…"
Snape let his mind wander back to the earlier musings of seeing Granger drag the boy off to do his homework.
"Granger made you study didn't she? She probably did you notes for you. I saw her drag you off the other day and make you do your homework."
Harry bit his lip to keep from saying something that would get him hexed. She only wanted to make me start my summer homework as well. I had almost forgotten about studying the books; that's why she was bothering me."
Snape took down a few more books and put them down on the table. Harry glanced at the titles and then jumped slightly when Snape turned around sharply and murmured,
"Legimens"
Harry was totally unprepared as his mind was plundered. Memories rushed past him and the overload of emotion was almost too much. Certain memories went by that had too much feeling behind them.
Harry trying to 'Crucio' Bellatrix after Sirius had fallen through the veil.
Ron backed up against the countertop as Harry with blood splashed down his front tried to explain what had happened the night before.
Dessmona walking towards him holding up a sword poised for attack.
Swarms of Dementors surrounding him and Hermione's unconscious body by the lake, him holding up his wand and yelling "Expecto Patronum" the stag shooting out of his wand.
Harry finally managed to shove the man out of his head, but heard a sound of disgust from above. He got off of the floor and rubbed his scar, which was irritated.
"At least this time you managed to push me out, but far too late for my taste." He noticed the boy rubbing his forehead and shook his head slightly.
"Stop fighting me Potter. I'm here to teach you, as horrible as that is for both of us. You need to do as I say. Stop holding yourself above others—"
"At least I got you out of my mind at all!" Harry yelled before he could think rationally. Snape's gaze turned murderous and Harry blanched, moving back a few steps from the older wizard.
"Watch yourself Potter. I don't need anymore lip from you."
Harry stared at the man as he turned his back to him and left that open statement up in the air. If it had been any other day, Snape would have cursed him into oblivion. For once he was glad that he was a half-devil; even Avada Kedrava couldn't do more to him than give him a slight migraine now.
_**T**he only reason you weren't "hexed into oblivion" is because Dessmona could have said something and because of what I did last night. Hold your tongue, you bring his wrath upon yourself, my counterpart._
Harry didn't have anymore time to answer Avenairu when he was suddenly seized with a burning pain that rushed through his body. He hissed in pain and clutched to the side table. His pain clouded gaze focused on Snape who hadn't of noticed as his back to the suffering boy.
'Please stop,' Harry willed his head to stop pounding and his body to stop throbbing. He was losing the battle and his grip was loosening on the table.
"Ugh…"
Snape whipped around juts in time to see Harry collapse to the floor. He went to the boy and knelt down.
"Potter, I hope that this isn't an attempt to get out of lessons, because—"
Harry's eyes were glazed over and he reached out slightly in the dark man's direction.
"N-no, I'm not."
Snape's face showed nothing, but his onyx eyes held a trace of concern. Had Harry not have been distracted by so much pain, he would have noticed.
Harry moaned in pain and closed in on himself, wrapping trembling arms around his shaking form. He closed his eyes and willed the nausea to leave him, but closing his eyes made him terribly dizzy.
Snape finally snapped out of his intense gaze on the boy and reached out to pick him up from the floor.
"Can you tell me what's wrong at all?"
Harry moaned softly in pain and focused his eyes on his teacher's.
"I feel like my magic is being drained from my body. It's still there, but not at the same time. I can't explain it rationally."
Snape could hear rapid footsteps rushing to his room. The door opened and Dessmona stood there. As here eyes took in the scene, she rushed to Harry and knelt next to the two wizards.
"When did this start?"
"A few…" Harry tried to say.
"I believe it started a few minutes ago." Snape said matter-a-factly.
The angel looked over Harry's body with concern. Suddenly, Harry's body went rigid. A glow surrounded his body and his eyes went blank. The glow traveled up his body and then turned red.
"Oh no." Dessmona said softly. "I was afraid of this."
"What?" Snape said. "What is going on?"
"Someone is pulling Harry's subconscious into Hell. I suspect that it's Lucifer, as he is the only one who can do this to Harry."
"Is there anything we can do to stop it?"
"No, he will have to pull himself out on his own."
Verajie began attacking Harry and the boy had to move out of the way quickly. He didn't have the sword in his use so he dodged.
"I haven't seen you in a long time, Sinner," a cold voice mockingly said the title in scorn. Another flare of magic went his way so Harry dodged it as fast as he could. The magic followed him so he threw out his hands and caught the ball of energy in his hand and turned it back to it's caster. The magic slammed into Harry's assailant and knocked him into a wall of to his left.
Harry still couldn't see who was attacking him, but he could sense where they were. He held out his hands and began to summon his magic. He began to glow softly and then the air whipped around him showing his power.
'I still can't see who's attacking me, but I can take them out while they're down.'
Suddenly a blast of energy came rushing towards him and struck him in the chest. Harry screamed in pain as the curse rushed through his body and slashed at his skin at the same time.
**………. **
Harry's body in the real world was suddenly thrown off the couch and landed a few feet away. He got up and began to make a series of rapid fighting moves in the air. It looked as if an outside force was controlling his body. He was suddenly flung against the wall. Hermione had to move out the way as his body was slammed into the wall.
He stood up again and extended his hand in front of him and a light began to form. Harry's eyes burned red.
Dessmona constructed a shield between them and Harry.
"What are you doing?" Draco yelled as he shielded his eyes from Harry's attack.
"When he lets that energy go it could take out the entire house. Do you want to get caught in it?"
"Hell Fire!"
The magic exploded out from his hand and the barrier shook. It nearly gave out, but the serpent familiar began to glow softly and its power was added to the barrier. Hermione was the only on who saw that and her eyes widened.
"Dessmona, what—"
A loud explosion blocked off Hermione's question. Harry's magical outburst filled the shield constructed around him and made it shake violently.
As Dessmona let the shield down after the magic dissipated, she thought with alarm that Harry wasn't armed. If the half-devil used up his energy too fast it could make him vulnerable to attack. Quickly she summoned Satar Dyo Ocylem and transferred it to Harry. It would get there no matter where he was. Hopefully it would get there soon.
**……….**
Harry felt a burning pain rip through his body, which nearly forced him to his knees. Avenairu's magic flowed through him, almost as painfully as the shockwave in order to keep him from falling over and being exposed to whomever was trying to attack him. The half-devil bit his lip in an effort to stop him from crying out in agony.
A cold laugh rose up from the edges of his mind. Harry lifted his head, straining against the magic holding him down. Slowly opening one eye, he caught a glint of silver and began to fight against his binds.
"So weak, Sinner? I would have thought that your angel would have let you improve a bit. Is she that restricting? How could you let a creature of light hold down a member of the darkness?"
"Verajie," Harry ground out between clenched teeth. "I should have known that you would greet me like thins
Harry stumbled and clutched to his side. There was blood running into his clothes, soaking them with its sticky warmth that turned cold. The sword Sato Dyo Ocylem was flickering and nearly destroyed. There were cracks in the light, as if the blade was crafted from glass instead of raw magic.
Verajie stood above him, a smile on his face, leaning casually on his sword. He picked it up and twirled it around in his hand. Walking around the suffering half-devil, he kicked the boy in the same side that he was nursing.
"Argh, damn you, Verajie!"
A cold pair of golden eyes glared down at him with a smirk.
Harry shifted slightly to rise to his knees.
"How could you drag my soul down here, but leave my body up there? Even for you, that's low. Giving yourself an unfair advantage over your opponent; are you that afraid of me?"
Another kick, but this time to his back.
"What—did I hit a—nerve?"
A strike to the back of the head with the hilt of the sword, causing blood to pour from the wound.
Harry struggled to rise a bit more. He reached for the hilt of the Satar Dyo Ocylem, but Verajie kicked it away.
Their eyes met, a clash of gold and jade. In a flash, the devil jerked the startled wizard up from the floor by his collar. The sputters and soft choking sounds didn't deter him from his rage towards Harry.
"You think that you have any hold over me, you weak, pathetic, little excuse for a Hell Master? If Avenairu, the sensible half of you I add, weren't intelligent enough to follow Lucifer's orders, you would be dead by now. Don't let the fact that you are the longest lasting "Right Hand" of the Devil get to your head. You're an experiment, and trust me; you can fail."
The enraged Hell Master tightened his hold.
"Never mind, I will make sure that you will fail."
He threw Harry back down onto the floor and the boy gasped and clutched for his throat. Verajie was drawing his sword up over his head to bring it back down on the boy's head.
Harry dodged his swipe and Verajie nearly lost his footing. Harry would have taken the time to marvel at the uncharacteristic faux pas of the devil's balance, if it hadn't of been for the devil blocking his path to the hilt of his sword.
_**N**o! Transform, NOW!_
I can't! How can I if half of our power is located on Earth?
With no response from his counterpart, Harry grasped his sword and tried to activate it. It rejected his power transfer and he threw it away from his body; purposely at Verajie. The devil struck the hilt with his own sword.
"You fool!"
Harry moved away from Verajie and summoned more of his power.
**……….**
"What's happening?"
Harry's body had frozen in place and was glowing. The breeze going through the room showed his aura's power. Harry's hair was whipping around his body, the silky strands catching the glint of the glow around the boy's body.
Dessmona's eyes widened in surprise and worry when a particular glow caught her eye. Harry's appearance was the same as it was in Hell with Verajie. His clothes were ripped and his body was covered with scratches. His shirt was tore in a certain way that his chest was showing and an odd insignia was burned into his skin.
"What is that?" Draco murmured eyeing Harry's frozen body in concern. The burned mark was glowing; it almost looked like a beacon was glowing from inside of him.
Dessmona cried out as the mark burned darker and Harry's body unfroze and his hand reached towards his chest. She ran past the barrier and grabbed onto his hand and kept him from using up the rest of his magic.
"Dess, what is going on?" Hermione cried, shielding her eyes from the light.
As the angel struggled with Harry's body, she glanced over her shoulder to shout, "Harry's magic is bound by a curse. The longer it takes him to accept Avenairu as his other half the more magic it will drain from him. The drain is slowly killing him."
Remus had gotten into gotten into the room, pulling an anxious Mrs. Weasley and an annoyed Ron behind him. Mrs. Weasley gasped as she took in Harry's battered appearance and tried to get closer to him. Ron stood there with no expression on his face except for something along the lines of "He gets what he deserves."
"What's been happening in here?" The matronly woman cried out in anguish.
Hermione turned and told her about Harry's subconscious being taken into hell by someone who wanted to fight him and get back at him for something. She told her about Harry's power drain and the death that it could bring. Mrs. Weasley looked very upset and cried softly. She considered Harry like another son, and it hurt her to see the boy in so much pain and suffering about something he had no control of.
Ron stood there listening and turned red with anger and jealousy. Once again Harry had taken something away from him. His mother was so concerned about the boy, who had everything he could possibly want. Money, fame, power, even, he thought grudgingly, good looks.
Harry was still fighting Dessmona and trying to reach his most powerful weapon. Dessmona knew that by holding Harry's magic back she was most likely hurting him, but dying would be worse.
"All of this seems to be futile. If that is the boy's only means of attack, then he should be allowed to use it. Besides, you should be finding a way to actually get to wherever Potter is instead of blocking his magic. You're supposed to be his guardian, are you not?"
Draco and Hermione looked at Snape with a bit of surprise. Hermione, because the stoic wizard was defending her friend at all and Draco because his godfather never showed any concern for anyone if he could help it, not to mention that the object of concern was Potter.
"I can't interfere unless I have direct proof that he is in serious danger.
At that moment Harry let out a dreadful screech of pain and the skin on his back and neck was slashed and blood rushed from the wounds to coat his clothes, the floor, and Dessmona.
Snape gave a somewhat smug smirk and raised a thin eyebrow.
"Does that constitute as life-threatening?"
Dessmona gave Snape a hateful look and supported Harry's body as it slumped slightly in her arms.
**……….**
"Have you had your fill of blood, Verajie?"
The gold eyes regarded him steadily. "No."
He plunged his sword into Harry's chest. No sound came from the boy's lips, but blood ran from the slightly agape mouth. His body had gone numb, from his own magic and from the pain from the other injuries.
Verajie watched as Harry's body fell to the ground. He smiled and pushed the boy's battered form over to his side so he could stare into his face.
"You will never amount to anything. I was sent to test your abilities by Lucifer. So much for our powers being equal; you didn't even get a chance to injure me."
Harry stared up at the devil above him. He struggled to rise and then concentrated as hard as he could on his magic deep inside of him. It was very hard; the numbness in his body was almost too much for him to take.
"I need to find another means for defeating him…'
_**D**essmona is blocking your magic, Innocent One. My half of it, I'm afraid. You do have other means of attack, just try to remember._
Harry groaned softly and rose from the floor. He trembled and swayed on his feet. He looked straight in Verajie's eyes.
'What power? I have nothing left. I don't have my wand, and even If I did, it wouldn't help me at all. Devils are impervious to magic…
Harry kept searching inside of himself to find his magic and then finally he found a thin stream of it that he could pull up to the surface. The magic was warm and comforting to his fatigued and battered body. He continued to pull on it and it slowly strengthened him and healed his wounds.
Harry finally gathered up enough magic and then closed his eyes gathering it into his hands. He turned his face upwards and let his magic flow through him.
The overwhelming feeling of magic rushing through his body made him feel weak, but he released it then Verajie's screams of pain echoed in the chamber. Harry could feel himself rushing back to reality and to the surface…
**……….**
Harry snapped back into the world and found himself looking into Dessmona's eyes. The bright violet looked at him in awe. Slowly Harry looked around the room and saw every person in the house look at him with a surprised look on his face.
Parts of Snape's chambers were destroyed possibly from his magical outbursts. His clothes were covered with blood and tattered, but the only thing that Harry felt was a slight amount of lingering pain from the fight and a little cold from his skin's exposure.
"Why are you looking at me so oddly?"
"You were acting you were possessed and were fighting as if your opponent were right here in the room with you. It was like you were having a nightmare and were acting it out! I think that gives us a right to stare a bit!" Draco said annoyed.
"It's not my fault that I got partially pulled into Hell against my will, nearly died, had my magic blocked by a certain angel, and then came back. I couldn't control any of that!"
Draco rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, but Hermione rushed past him and threw her arms around Harry.
"I'm so glad that you are alright! You had us worried!"
Harry swayed under his best friend's assault but put his arms around her. Over her shoulder, Ron was glaring at him. He looked ready to rush over and yank them apart. Harry let his eyes flash warningly at the boy before releasing Hermione.
While Mrs. Weasley, Remus, and the rest of his friends, save Snape and Ron fussed over him, he turned his gaze to Dessmona. She was quietly talking to her familiar and the snake was nodding it's head and hissing softly back. Now that he gotten his memories back of Devil's Tongue, he could hear snippets of their conversation.
"—He's remembering more of his powers—"
"—It will be harder to keep the truth from him—"
"—More of a danger to himself than the rest of them—"
Harry frowned at them and Avenairu stirred inside of him. Feelings over anger and annoyance washed over him and left him in an aggravated state.
_**T**hey are keeping things from us. If I could, I would help you unlock more memories, but Dessmona holds the key to those powers too. _
Harry's eyes remained focused on Dessmona and Saengen.
'If Dess's true intentions are to protect she is not doing a good job of it. Blocking my powers during a fight can be fatal. I nearly died.
_**S**he wouldn't let you die, Innocent One. There are rules to this you know._
'I'm sick of rules. I just want to be included in whatever they're planning.'
After a few seconds, Avenairu murmured softly, _**I** don't think that Saengen is all that he appears to be. His powers, and his intelligence are too advanced, even for a familiar. You had best keep a close watch on him. His loyalty lies with that angel, not you. _
'There's too much secrecy and hatred going on around here,' the latter part of that statement referring to Ron who was still staring at him with contempt. Harry turned his eyes to Snape and the ex-Death Eater regarded him with an unfathomable gaze. The two just gazed at each other silently.
Harry closed his eyes.
'I'm getting sick and tired to being lied to. I just want answers.'
_**Y**ou're looking in the wrong places for support. There are some around you that you can find on your side at odd times. They may not defend you directly, but they will be there when you least expect them…_
Harry finally got his friends to stop fussing over him and moved away from them. He gave Dessmona a sad look and the angel stared at him and Saengen hissed in his direction.
'The longer they hold me down and try to suppress my memories, they don't gain control over me, they lose it.
_………….…………Devil's Snare……6……Devil's Snare..._
Humph, I remember the first time I uploaded this story. 5/30/05. I updated later on 6/1/05. If I could do that now…
One of the reasons why it takes so long to update is that I have a person chapter length quota that I need to fill; at least 5,000 to 6,000 words. That length in enough for decent chapter; I hate short chapters as do most people I know/reviewers.
I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. I got 13 reviews for one chapter. I think that changing the summary of the story helped as well. It draws you in better, in my opinion.
Next Chapter: Interlude: Adrian
NOTE: The above installment of the story is an Interlude instead of a chapter is because Harry has a lot of flashbacks and memories. They don't add nor take away from the story too much. I have about 1/3 of it done already (as of 8/05) so it should be out earlier than most…
PLEASE CLICK THE PURPLE BUTTON! Thankies
Korogi-chan
Word Count:6,384
9. Capitulus Eight 8
_Summary: __Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/__SB(__mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
Notes (1):
_Let me warn you before you decide to flame me about spelling and grammar errors. I just got my computer back and I need to reinstall Microsoft Word so for now I'm using WordPad, which sucks! So please don't flame me about spelling and all of that! I'm going to eventually fix all of the chapters and repost them and more soon so please bear with it for a bit. Thanks._
_Any other flames are welcome. _
_Notes (2):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is offically AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
_Devil's Snare_
………
_Interlude: Adrian_
_When __a__ ebony owl with blue tipped wings flew into the manor during breakfast with a dark metallic box and a think envelope and landed on the breakfast table in front of Harry, _the half-devil held out his hands in astonishment. The owl hooted softly as it landed next to Harry's plate of unfinished eggs and bacon, dropping the package into his hands. Harry reached out and stroked the owl's glossy feathers, feeling as if the owl was familiar. Everyone looked on with interest and slight apprehension. Hermione frowned at the package and leaned over to Dess, whispering,
"Should Harry touch that package? It could be dangerous."
Dess shook her head, waves of silver shimmering brightly in the morning light. "No, I know the sender of the owl. It's safe."
Just as Hermione was going to ask more questions, Harry was opening the letter. Out fell a piece of parchment and a couple of photos. Harry reached for them just before they hit the table, honing in on his Quidditch and training skills. He flipped over the pictures and saw that they were Wizarding photos. Both of them had the same person in them and as Harry looked closer he saw something that amazed him.
A pair of beautiful turquoise eyes gazed up at him from one photo in particular. A young boy stood there, leaning casually against a doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, wand in one hand. He had light brown hair with silver blonde highlights and a gentle tan. A bright smile took up his face and he waved every few seconds.
Those eyes are so familiar, Harry thought as he continued to study the picture. He looked at the other one and a woman who was bit less than being middle-aged stood there with the same hair as the boy with light brown eyes with green flecks in them. Both of them were smiled and waving up at Harry, who smiled back.
'That must be his mother, but—'
Harry broke off as he shifted through his memories. Dess had told him that one of the setbacks from having his memories hidden was that in some cases the people from his memories had to be in his presence or contact him in some way before he remembered them completely.
'This must be one of those cases,' he thought bitterly.
_Dear Harry,_
_Hello. I know that by the time you read this, your memories might still be locked. Ask Dessmona to at least let you have access to a few of them (mostly of me). If they still are then here are a few facts about me:_
_My name is Adrian de Ravin Sinclaire and I am thirteen. If you're wondering about the last name, I take my mum's maiden name (de Ravin) and put her husband's name (Sinclaire) on the end. I'm home schooled due to the fact that my "devil's side" can be unexpected and damaging when the power gets loose. I live alone with my mum (Dad was murdered by some rogue devils). I like boysenberry pie and fish and __crisps__ even if the latter is a Muggle dish. _
_Those are just some basic and silly things. I hope that Dess unlocks the memories. I want to come by and give you some things. If she does then you will know about me. If you try hard enough maybe you can break the hold on you! _
_Note: The things I'm writing next are confidential. Mum showed me how to __put a charm on it so no one can read it except you. _
_I know why your Satar Dyo Ocylem isn't working—_
At the mentioning of Harry's only known weapon he bit his lip to prevent a soft gasp.
'He knows? But how? Even Dess is trying to blame it on me saying that my magic isn't strong enough…
—_Your magic is too powerful for it now. You've gotten a lot stronger and the sword can't handle the strain. I have another hilt that will transfer your power to it and be used as a weapon. I had to meet with Verajie and while I was there I went to one of the weapon storage chambers. You have your own room, did you know that? I snuck in (the crest on my hand from my apprenticeship has your magic signature so it was strong enough to recognize it as you and let me in) and took out a hilt. It's an upgrade of your sword and it's very powerful. I hope that you won't be angry knowing that I went into your things, but it was for the best._
_I have it enclosed in your package. Only you can open it and __it's__ voice activated. Just say the password "Emerald Flame" and you can open it. _
_It's best if you don't let anyone know, especially Dess. I really can't understand why she has you under wraps. I would hate it if I __were__ you and I bet that aren't happy either._
_I'll see you later on. Mum says hello as well. _
_Adrian de Ravin Sinclaire _
Harry glanced at the box and grabbed onto it. He gazed at the smooth shiny metal and slipped it away inside of his jacket. Hermione watched him and motioned to it with her fork.
"Are you going to open it Harry?"
The half-devil nodded absently. "Later on. I have some other things that I want to do."
The girl was persistent. "Like what? You are done with your holiday work or nearly and you trained the other day." Her expression became concerned. "Was something bad in that letter?"
"No Hermione, it's fine."
After that awkward moment, Ron and Draco came downstairs; Draco first. Draco sat down with his usual flair and whipped out the napkin and settled it into his lap. Hermione pressed her own napkin to her lips to stifle laughter and Harry schooled his face, but his eyes were full of laughter. Dessmona watched with a raised eyebrow and when Ron got to the table he just slumped down into his seat away from everyone else. Her rolled his eyes at Draco and the boy looked around at everyone as if they were addled.
"What?" He then proceeded to eat his breakfast very stiffly as if it might jump of the utensils and stain his outfit. It was quite amusing and even Dessmona had to smiled. Her familiar Saengen hissed and Harry heard the laugher-tinged hiss and let his face crack into laughter.
"Did I miss something?"
"No, Draco nothing."
Everyone finished his or her breakfast and went on to do their own things. Harry immediately tried to steal away to his room, but Dessmona suddenly appeared in front of him as he ran up the stairs. Harry almost tumbled back down the stairs in surprise but clutched the banister.
"Harry, I know who that is from. Why were you so reluctant to show any of us what it is? I can understand you not wanted Hermione to know, but me?"
The angel gazed into his eyes. With her being a few stairs above him they were basically the same height. Harry had to narrow his eyes because of the glare from the sunlight hitting her silver hair.
"It's important and I want to see what it is alone. That also reminds me; could you unlock more of my memories? I'm really getting sick of being left in the dark. The more you keep from me the more you hurt me. You're supposed to be my guardian. Are you not supposed to protect me?"
Dessmona just looked at him intently as if trying to see through him. She moved and gestured up towards the hallway to his room.
Lets go to your room so you can rest after I unlock more of your memories. You can't have everything rush back at once. It can be too stressful, you know. If I were trying to hurt you, you would know that by now."
Harry just nodded in thanks and led the way to his room. When they arrived Dessmona pressed her fingers to Harry's forehead like she did the first day she came to Grimmauld Place. Harry fortunately was sitting down on his bed and he could lay back after receiving the memories. His head was spinning and Dessmona sat down next to him and gently brushed his hair out of his forehead. Harry's eyes were flickering between crimson and emerald.
"You'll be a bit tired. I stay here until right before you wake up. You'll be able to access your memories then, all right."
"Mmmhmmm," Harry mumbled and fell asleep promptly.
Harry woke up and gazed around the room and shifted slightly on the bed to stretch out his back. There were too many memories floating around his head and they were making him dizzy. He could see glimpses of Adrian and his mother. Finally he knew more about the mysterious boy in the pictures.
Adrian was the product of a higher-classed devil that had raped his mother during a raid. Raelyn Sinclaire was part of a group of wizards that had gotten information about the Devil and his plans to assist Voldemort. They had gotten too much information and wone night there was a raid. Her husband was made to watch as his wife was raped and then he was killed. That had scarred the young Raelyn for life but she still stayed in the organization. She had considered using an abortion potion to get rid of Adrian but as time went along she decided to keep the young child. He had turned out to be the pride and joy of he life even though she had him at the young age of twenty-one. Alone she raised him and then at the age of eleven, he received training from Harry.
Those were foggy memories but Harry knew the gist of his relationship to the boy. They were close and Adrian looked up to his intensely. He didn't care for Dessmona; the angel had been oddly cool towards the boy. She really didn't trust him and he didn't she.
………
A small boy was perched on in the sitting room staring out the large picture window waiting impatiently for his master to finally come and give him a lesson. He had gotten a letter only a few days earlier (or to be more precise, his mother did) that he would start his Devil's training in a few days. That had led to many questions that he had asked his mother about the true nature of his Devil's heritage.
His mother had been raped in a raid that some devils had made nearly twelve years ago. She and his father had been a part of a group that was actually studying devils and their activities in the Wizarding World. Voldemort had been in power only a few years before and even after Harry Potter obliterated him they still studied how Satan could work with Voldemort to further destroy the Wizarding world.
They had been studying about some of the ideas that had come up and then there had been a raid. He was murdered and she raped. Then Adrian was born.
His mother looked out from the kitchen turning away from the stove, which had a spoon stirring the soup that was in a pot. The rich aroma flowed out into the sitting room and Adrian turned around with a smiled on his face.
"Mum, are you making stew? I hope that there aren't any carrots or celery in it. Nobody likes those at all!"
His mother shook her head. "'Dri, not everyone hates vegetables like you, love. They are good for you."
Adrian smiled wider at his mother and cocked his head like a little puppy. "Mum, you're not supposed to tell children that something is good for them; that will make them not want to eat it even more!"
She smiled warmly at her son and had to let out a small laugh. Adrian was a very intellectual child. He learned spells quite easily and they had more power than normal for a young wizard his age. It was due to his devil's side.
When the letter had come in Mrs. Sinclaire had been very surprised. She knew about devils that only plundered and killed their offspring. The fact that Adrian would be chosen to have a master that would show him how to enhance his power was good but then bad. They could somehow manipulate his mind and make him evil.
She opened up the door and gazed up at the hooded face of the figure standing in the doorway. Her grip tightened on the door and she steeled herself to keep herself in check. If she lashed out at Adrian's instructor it might mean harm to her son.
"Hello, I'm Mrs. Sinclaire. You are…"
The figure reached out with one lightly tanned hand and waved in towards the inside of the house.
"It would be better if I revealed who I am inside."
She stepped aside and shuddered at the magic that he radiated as he walked by. Whoever he was Adrian's master would be very strong, but she couldn't help but be confused. His voice was quite young.
That hand came out and pulled the cloak from his head. She gasped at the radiance of those emerald eyes. Raelyn stared in disbelief
It was Harry Potter.
Only he was so much different. The telltale vivid eyes shone through and the scar adorned his forehead, but those eyes held wisdom beyond their years and sadness that no one should have to feel. His ebony hair fell to his waist and was pulled back from his face in a loose braid that allowed stray strands to fall into his face. He was much taller and mature looking. Without the cloak you could see the muscles under the shirt he wore.
"You are Harry Potter, am I correct?"
"Yes ."
"Is this a joke? You can't possibly be a devil!"
"I am. I've heard of you by the way. That you work for a society that tries to uncover the connections between Voldemort and Lucifer. They raided your meeting place once and that is how Adrian my future apprentice came to be."
Raelyn stared at him with wide eyes and turned when she heard the shy steps of her son as he approached them. Adrian's turquoise eyes peered up at his soon to be Master and they seemed to glow from within.
"Are you my Master?" He asked in a timid but somehow strong voice.
Harry smiled at the boy and knelt down to his level (not quite, he was very tall).
"Yes."
They continued to gaze into each other's eyes and a connection seemed to be forged. Raelyn just watched them transfixed. She knew that in the Master- Apprentice relationship the first eye contact initiated would create a bond between instructor and instructee. She just watched them.
Harry closed his eyes and the connection was broken. Adrian swayed on his feet a bit and then Harry reached out and caught the boy before he hit the ground. He rose to his full height and asked Raelyn where the boy's room was.
It's upstairs," she murmured softly. "Will he be alright?"
Harry smiled at her over his shoulder. "He'll be fine, just needs a bit of rest that's all."
Raelyn followed the Boy who lived upstairs and showed him where her son's room was. The devil wandlessly moved the think blanket aside and placed the slumbering boy onto the soft sheets. He watched him for a few minutes and then covered him up again with the blanket.
Raelyn crossed her arms and then remembered all of the questions that she had to ask the young man standing before him.
"How can you be a devil but be the Savior of the Wizarding World. Your mother was a half-blood and your father was a pure-blood. There is no way that you could be a full devil unless you have sold your soul to Satan."
"This is none of my doing. My life was gambled over between a devil and an angel and all of this is a plan to see whether or not a fail of gain great power. The only reason that I was chosen was to be Hell Master was because Lucifer wanted to try a different way to have a "Right Hand" like God's. The others failed but so far I have not.
"I've been chosen to instruct your son Adrian. He was the son of a famous devil and he had inherited some powers that Lucifer would like to have at his disposal. Also He shows signs of having his own powers."
Raelyn looked thoughtful as she mulled over Harry's words. Her son was quite powerful when provoked. It became dangerous at certain points as well. That was why she decided to home school Adrian. If his powers were found out he might be taken away. The government was too unstable anyway. Fudge would have him locked away forever.
"All right, but Adrian is my son not some rogue devil's. I love him and he is my son." She paused. "Also what did you mean by 'He was the son'?"
"The devil that sired Adrian was killed." He left it at that.
The memories shifted a bit to when the boy woke up. He turned and gazed silently at Harry who had his back to him and was watching silently out the window
The memories shifted to what must have been a year later. Adrian was holding up a sword a doing some exercises with it. He was struggling under the weight but was moving it efficiently.
Harry walked around and smiled at the boy's efforts.
"You're doing a good job, it is quite heavy but that is the only sword that I could find that wasn't as heavy."
Adrian looked up with wide eyes. "Do you mean that your sword is even heavier?"
"Yes."
Adrian had gained a good amount of muscles for a boy his age and through his training knew a lot about devil customs and magic, but their weapons were insanely heavy. It was pointless in his opinion.
Harry held out his heavy sword that was incrusted with gold and jewels. It brimmed with its own power. Adrian touched it cautiously and his fingers tingled as he felt the magic run through them. He tried to pick it up but when Harry let most of the weight rest on his hands the boy gasped as he struggled to even hold onto it. The combination of magic and weight made it even heavier.
………
Harry pulled out of his memories. He glanced back at the letter sitting on the night and gazed at silent box that sat on the nightstand. He felt warm feeling rush through him at the thought of his young apprentice Adrian. It had been a while since he had seen him or contacted him at all. Harry hated being left in the dark.
He had even received letters from the boy during the summer. Dessmona had blocked those memories as well, but now he remembered more letters coming to him than just the customary from Ron and Hermione. They were always from that beautiful owl and on an odd colored piece of parchment; dusky blue or pure white instead of the standard golden paper. He smiled to himself as he remembered the little drawing that Adrian always put on the edge of the parchment; a tiny lightning bolt.
'Always thinking of me.'
Adrian was unfortunate to never have a father in his life. That was all Lucifer's fault. Everything was, but then if the devil's had never raided Raelyn's compound due to their extensive research, Adrian would have never met Harry or existed for that matter.
"The goods even out the bads," Harry murmured rolling up the parchment and tying it with the small rope it had come with. He finally reached over to the steel box that the package was in. He glanced over his shoulder and made sure that his door was shut and put a charm over it to make sure no one could get in.
"Emerald Flame."
The box opened and a glowing hilt gleamed in the soon to be afternoon light. The hilt was adorned with many different designs and a glowing jewel was at the center. It was a wicked looking blade all in itself and could be a weapon all on it's own.
"It guess that this was stored away for a reason," he murmured to himself. He picked it up and held it in his hands. It attuned to his magic and Harry reached inside of himself and thrust the magic into the sword. The blade ended up being a product of his own magic, just like the old one. Only the magic burst outwards and a spiral of power.
_You put too much force behind it; be gentle._
Harry was startled by the voice in the back of his mind.
Avenairu, I wasn't expecting you to show up.
_Imbecile, I never "show up" because I'm always in your head! Now, stop using the sword before the angel comes in here. She already felt the burst of magic from this room and is coming up here to investigate._
"Damn." Harry swore softly and stopped the flow of magic. It had taxed him a bit anyway. He placed the sword back in the case and set it under his bed. It wouldn't matter anyway; no one else could open it.
"Harry," the angel's voice was muffled behind the door. "What was that? Does it have something to do with the package?"
_DON'T TELL HER!_
'Okay!'
"No, I'm alright!'
One the other side, Dessmona couldn't be fooled, but she went on her way.
Harry sighed and sat down on his bed and reached for his school bag. He pulled out a bit of parchment and a quill and started writing a letter to his long lost apprentice
………………………..………………Devil's Snare……9……Devil's Snare……………………………………
Wow, it's been over a year since I started. I really did think that I would have more done than this and I'm very disappointed with myself.
Happy birthday to me (6/11) I'm SEVENTEEN! BIG SENIOR! YEAH!
ahem
This was supposed to be an Interlude instead of a chapter, but it got too long so I just decided to make it into a chapter. I hope that you enjoyed it and are looking forward to more.
Seems like everyone is cautious around Dessmona…
Next Chapter: There is an Order Meeting and Harry uses his newly discovered (or remembered) Shadow Magic to listen in.
See ya,
Korogi-chan
Word Count: 4,149 (shorter, but hey)
10. Capitlus Nine 9
_**Summary**: Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
_Pairings:_
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
_Warnings:_
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
_Thanks to the following people for their Reviewers)_
_ApocSM_
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_Sofia Reviewers)_
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_Notes (1):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
_**I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW!**_
_**…………………………………………………………………………………………………**_
_**Devil's Snare**_
_**………**_
Chapter Nine: Of Meetings and Betrayal
"**W**ell hullo, Harry!"
Harry turned around and was promptly glomped by two unruly twins. Fred (or was it George) grabbed Harry in a headlock and gave him a noogie and when he let go George wrapped his arms around him and hugged him hard pulling him up into the air and twirled him around.
Harry flailed his arms around, not liking being up in the arms. George overbalanced because of Harry's increase in height and set the dazed boy back onto his feet. Hermione giggled and Draco had his arms crossed over his chest with a stony expression on his face but you could tell that he was trying not to laugh by the color in his cheeks.
Ron knew that his brothers were coming due to the Order meeting and came down the stairs to greet them, hoping for a few interesting things from their shop, but when he saw them laughing with Harry who was introducing Dessmona along with Draco and Hermione, he slowed his steps and moved towards them with a worried expression on his face.
"Get away from him you twits! He's going to attack!"
Fred and George turned towards their paranoid brother and Fred put his hands on his hips in and grabbed Ron by the ear and shook him.
Now Draco did laugh.
"Now, now, Ronnykins, Mum told us all about Harry's wonderful new powers and such and all. You're just being too paranoid."
"I think that this is wonderful; it gives us an opportunity to see how our candies have an effect on devils."
Harry's eyebrows rose to his hairline and Avenairu growled slightly from deep in his chest and the twins laughed.
"Calm down, Harry. We would never dream of doing such a thing-"
"-but you might find a small piece of a canary cream tucked into your kidney steak-"
"-but you would take it all in good stead wouldn't you, old chap?"
Harry just laughed but when his gaze fell on Ron he stopped almost immediately. He boy was looking at them all laughing and talking with a sad and forlorn look on his face. He looked left out. His and Harry's met and them Ron's own eyes hardened.
"You know what he is and you still talk to him? Are you insane?"
"No, little brother you are just acting selfish. I'm very disappointed.
Ron just walked off and Hermione made to walk after him but Harry gently grabbed onto her arm.
"'Mione, you can't keep running after him. He needs to grow up."
Hermione just smiled sadly. "I know, but he's taking too long. Why is the only one who can't see that you aren't evil?"
"I am technically. Or at least Avenairu is."
Harry felt the said devil stir inside of him and a flash of annoyance went through him. Harry smiled vaguely but at his friend's odd looks he stopped.
Harry went into the next room that was by the room the Order met in. It was nearly pitch black. Hermione followed and looked around.
"It's so dark in here, I'm going to get a candle.
"Potter, why did you come into this room? They most likely put barriers on the walls so we can't here anything!"
Harry just rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Draco. I'm not that thick. I've been here longer than you, remember?"
The ice blond just scoffed and turned away. Hermione came in holding a candle and the light flickered around the room.
"I have a plan."
"What is it?"
Harry straightened up and then stepped even deeper if that were possible into the dark shadows surrounding him.
'Let's see if I can remember how to do this…"
Harry felt the familiar feeling of being drawn towards the darkness. His sank into the shadows and his vision adjusted almost immediately to the darkness. His eye glowed brightly he slipped into the meeting room.
At first everything was a soft shades of gray. The room seemed tilted a bit and sounds coming from the other members of the Order were distorted. Then, everything shifted into focus and Harry's view was perfect.
_**G**ood, at least something you did, hasn't gone wrong yet._
'Shove off, Avenairu.'
Harry watched, quite literally, from the shadows. He could see Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall sitting by each other. Tonks walked in from the entrance to the kitchen. She smiled apologetically, being a bit late, and tripping over the rug on the floor. She laughed good-naturedly and sat down on a chair.
Kingsley Shackelbolt was sitting by Remus, who was looking over some notes. Mad-Eye Moody was regarding Dessmona with an extreme glare of dislike. Fred and George were conversing with angel, who had an amused smile on her face. They were finally starting the meeting.
"I have a bit of information to share about Voldemort's plans."
The angel proceeded to describe what she knew about Lucifer's plans to lead Voldemort on and then eventually take advantage of him and kill him.
"Voldemort thinks that his power I equal to Lucifer's and that if they bond magically, they can control the entire world and rid it of "blood impurities". Lucifer could care less about that sort of thing; he only wants to draw people uncertain about their faith and others weak at heart to his side of evil against good. In this alliance, both can benefit, but Voldemort can only do so much. When he accomplishes his goals, Lucifer will kill him. Of course, that is good considering Voldemort is the most evil wizard of this age, but he will have plundered the Wizarding world and it would be in shambles."
* * *
Harry pulled out of the shadows and leaned heavily against the wall. He was surprised about what he had heard, but also angry.
'She kept that information from me, and she just had to give them hints about Adrian having paperwork on Voldemort's plans because of his mother's organization! Damn her!
Ah, I see that you're finally agreeing with my opinion of that bitch.
'Avenairu, for once I'm going to ignore that comment and agree. I'm getting sick of her going behind my back and telling things that she should be telling me. I need the information more than they do.'
Harry stopped grousing to himself enough to realize that he had done magic that Dessmona had no idea he could do. The angel had not been there when Harry gained his Shadow Shifting powers for doing a great service to the Dark Shadows. He had stopped an all out war and overthrown the prince who would have been as evil as the Devil himself and sided with the evil spirit.
He wasn't that evil, my counterpart.
Harry just scoffed in responce and turned away. He was met with Hermione and Draco in the hallway.
"Where did you go!" Hermione hissed wildly. "You just vanished into thin air!"
"I'll tell you later."
* * *
Snape glanced down at his lab tables and picked up his list of books that Potter still had out that had yet to read. Dumbledore had heard about the many failed Occlumency lessons and had requested that eh give Potter one today. He was already angered about the Order meeting, now he had to deal with the Potter brat.
"Hello, Mr. Potter. Let's hope that this lesson will not be ruined by all the others…"
The older wizard stopped as he took in the dazed look on the half-devil's face. His eyes were bright and his skin flushed. He had a very accomplished demeanor about him and Snape could tell that if he didn't stomp this happy attitude out of the boy they would never get this lesson done with.
"Potter, what the blazes are you so happy about?"
The boy just smiled and leaned against the doorframe. As Snape regarded him closer he could see the crimson flecks mixed in the boy's eyes. He upped his guard; the devil in the boy might become loose.
"If you must know, I unlocked another ability that Dessmona thought she had a tight hand on. She doesn't know about my discovery, either."
Snape folded his arms over his chest. "What is this wonderful ability might I ask?"
Harry just laughed.
"I can't tell you sir, there is just too much informatio behind it that I would like to keep disclosed."
Snape just rolled his eyes and turned away. Potter was acting quite odd and it was beginning to grate on his nerves. He was too giddy.
"Let's hope that your happiness is a good enough shield for your ming Potter; Legilimens!"
Harry tried to focus but Snape's assault on his mind was too strong. He saw memories flashing by like clips from a movie. Snape delved through his memory slowly, studying each memory he saw instead of stabbing the boy's mind.
Harry finally stood on shaky legs, clutching the lab table roughly. He was cutting circulation from his hand but still tried to stare Snape down.
"Pathetic, Potter; your glare and your efforts."
He began to stalk slowly around the boy and Harry turned so he wouldn't have the man move out of his sight.
Your efforts are pathetic. Innocent One, I have to agree.
Harry was pushed back into the corner of his mind just as Snape murmur Legilimens. HIf he could have, Harry would haev gasped in astonishment as nothing went past his mind. No memories, nothing. Just cold emptiness. The half-devil could feel Snape's confusion as he was blocked from getting into the boy's mind.
He put more force behind his magic, but Avenairu held on. Finally, the older wizard stopped his assault of Harry's mind and stepped back locking at the boy critically.
"I suppose the only reason you were able to do that is because of your counterpart, am I right?" Harry just looked back at him, looking slightly tired because of the magic Avenairu had drained from him. That concluded Snape's thoughts on why the boy's mind was so heavily guarded.
"If you can do that with his help then you have no need for me to teach you.
"Sir, Avenairu is protecting me. I can't depend on him all of the time. I still need training."
"Then act like it, and stop using other means to defend yourself. Not everyone has two souls that can protect them where their weaknesses lie!"
That led to two gruling hours of training and neither was very pleased about the other's company.
* * *
**………**
"Harry, may I speak to you for a moment?"
The half-devil turned around and looked down slightly at the wizened wizard. Though Dumbledore was tall in his own right, Harry's sudden growth spurt had given him enough height to have to tilt his head down slightly to meet the man eye-to-eye.
"Yes, sir?
"Harry, Remus, Molly, Severus, Minerva and I were talking about your magical and emotional outbursts and how they are quite hazardous to others." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but the older wizard raised his hand for silence.
"Over the years, Harry I've watched you grow and develop into the young man you are now. You have grown into a fine young man in most aspects but in some ways you have shortcomings. Your temper is quite strong when you are provoked and sometimes it doesn't take a lot to set you off. Having you, your family or friends threatened makes you act irrationally.
"Also, your sarcasm and demeanor have become a bit darker as the years have gone by. You tried to torture a fully-grown Death Eater not thinking about the consequences and sometimes your anger can cloud your judgment and hurt others.
"I'm not saying that all of the recent events, such as young Mr. Weasley being sore around you is your fault, but you must try to keep your other half in check. He is powerful and is another key to help us figure out a way to defeat Voldemort-"
"Professor, Avenairu may give me powers that can take out Voldemort, but will he stay gone forever? You said that I have the power he knows not and that love is my greatest power. How can I defeat evil with evil?"
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Dessmona informed me that while Avenairu is quite ruthless in his ways he is very protective of you. Also with your recent contact with your student Adrian, you can come up with other way to defeat Voldemort without using "evil" power."
Harry sighed and turned his gaze away from the older wizard. He looked over his shoulder and saw Dessmona standing there. Her familiar was hissing softly in low dulcet tones. His eyes were glowing softly and the hairs on the back of his neck were rising as the snake leveled him with a stare.
'They are still keeping things from me, damn them!'
Dumbledore felt the rise in Harry's magic and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Harry jumped slightly and turned his gaze back to the Headmaster.
"You have great potential Harry. Just use it wisely..."
* * *
"I'm very concerned about Ronald. He's been acting very hostile towards Harry and it's driving not only a wedge between him and Harry, but Hermione too. She is forever trying to run after him and try to calm him down, but he pushes him away. She came to me upset because Ron yelled at her when she decided to break off their relationship so he can grow up."
Mrs. Weasley was sitting at the table nursing a slowly cooling cup of tea. She had been worried about her youngest son. Remus watched the distraught woman she sighed and took a drink from the mug.
"Molly, Avenairu may be quite rough around the edges, but Ron has to understand that he is provoking the Devil. He is not that bad once he gets to know you. He's very protective of Harry and even does favors for him. Just the other day, Avenairu offered to heal my Lycanthropy, or at least take away the pain."
"Once again, I have to say," Snape interjected rudely. "If the boy had enough power to cure that sort of ailment, how can he not shield his mind?"
"Cut the boy some slack, Severus. It's a different branch of magic."
Snape just regarded the werewolf with a sneer and settled back against his place leaning on the counter.
Arthur placed a calming hand on his wife's shoulder and squeezed gently.
"Ron will come around in time, Molly-dear. He's too blinded by his jealousy.
Little, did they know that Ron was nearby at the stairs on the second landing listening to their conversation. He hated how they automatically took Harry's side, aside from Snape of course.
'That git's on no one's side but his own...'
He walked very silently up the stairs and went into his room.
Ron slumped down onto his bed and rolled over facing away from the door and staring stonily out the window. The fading evening light created odd shadows in the slowly darkening room and in a way reflect the annoyed redhead's mood.
The boy knew deep down that he was being too paranoid and selfish, but Harry was really pissing him off. He got everything he wanted; fame, money, power. He knew that Harry didn't like those things and could care less about them, but Ron didn't care. Even though Harry had once said that he would rather trade it all away and have a family like his that cared about him and was alive, Ron was nonplussed. His family was close, save Percy of course, but they were poor.
The Wizarding World, especially snobby families like the Malfoy's, often ridiculed his family. Ron growled softly. That was another thing that made Ron angry. Harry was dark now so him being friends with Malfoy didn't surprise him, but Hermione too?
'Everyone is against me. I hate this.
"Then why don't you stop whining and do something about it?"
Ron rolled over and looked around wildly. For one, those had been thoughts in his head, not voiced out loud. Two, No one else was supposed to be in the room with him.
"I can show you a way to get rid of Harry if you'd wish, or at least get rid of Avenairu…"
"How can you do that? You can't just rip someone's soul or whatever it is out of their body can you?"
"Don't accuse me of not knowing what the facts if you are more ignorant than the questions you ask, mortal!"
Ron shied away as the woman moved closer. Her aura was deadly and even Ron with his inattentiveness could feel it go by.
When the boy was backed up against the wall, the woman stopped advancing on him. She pulled back her hood and revealed silver hair pulled back from her lightly tanned face, steely-blue eyes glowed from within watching him as a animal would monitor their prey. She was taller than him by quite a bit and her magic added to the intimidation.
"W-who are you?"
Those cold eyes rolled. "Who I am is none of your concern for now. You won't learn my name until you decide to side with me to destroy Harry Potter."
"Why would you want to help me? You have nothing to gain from it."
"I hate him as much as you are beginning to now, and I have the power to help with his demise. You know him quite well, don't you; having been his friend for the past five years… You have information about him that might be useful, and since you live amongst him and that angel, you can slip me information."
Ron was beginning to think that this could be a good idea.
"Okay, but I don't want anything to happen to my family or Hermione. Only Harry."
She looked amused. "What about Draco?"
Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I could care less what happens to that bastard."
She turned away from Ron, and pulled her hood back over her face.
"I'll be back in two days to see what information you might have to bring me. You had best try to stick with Harry and easedrop on their conversations. Someone is coming by soon that could have information that will make or break Harry's chances at defeating Voldemort."
Ron just nodded and then covered his eyes to block that bright amount of light swarming into the room from his visitor's exit.
'I hope I know what I've gotten myself into...'
_**..………………Devil's Snare……5……Devil's Snare……………………**_
_I went to and found some very good information about Harry's personality. I knew about him having a bit of a short fuse and that he acts irrationally when people he cares about are threatened but one thing that I saw made me think about Harry's upbringing a lot closer. As the years have gone by Harry has become a bit colder and sarcastic and has biting comments that hurt others, even if he doesn't truly mean them. That's most likely from his cousin Dudley considering how often Harry had to deal with his relatives being so horrible to hi,. He grew up in a uncaring household and that has scarred him._
_Also another thing that I found is that a reason that Harry has a very hard time learning Occlumency is because many of his memories are so terrible that his emotions keep him from actually focusing and protecting his mind. Don't worry; Harry will eventually learn how to Occlude his mind._
_This chapter is too short and a bit choppy. I need to send it my new beta! I wanted to post soon and then repost later on._
_Click that wonderful lavender button!_
_Korogi-chan_
11. Capitlus Ten 10
_**Summary:** Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
_Pairings: _
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
_Warnings: _
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors..._
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
_Thanks to the following people for their reviews: Reviewers) _
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Notes (1):
I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but also it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!
_I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW! _
_This chapter has NOT been beta-ed. Siri02 is not available for whatever reason. _
_**………………………………………………………………………………………………… **_
**_Devil's Snare_ **
_**……… **_
_**Chapter Ten: Snape's Secret** _
_Dessmona found Harry in the training room and walked in silently watching the boy move about. _The early morning sunlight outlined his features making him look to be made of light instead of a young man. His sword danced about with him.
The angel noticed with slight annoyance that Harry's sword form was off. The boy looked agitated and his movements were jerky. If his friends were there they wouldn't have noticed anything. Dessmona had trained Harry herself and was disappointed in his sword style. She was still annoyed about the fight that the two of them had had only a few days ago.
She decided to let it go for now. Harry did look like he had a problem. She walked over to him and began to pull her familiar from around her neck. The serpent hissed softly and his eyes began to glow. At the soft sound Harry slowed down his attacks on his invisible opponent
"Harry, you seem stressed out, why don't you take Saengen for a bit. He tends to have a calming effect…"
Harry gave her an odd look. "You never take him off of your neck, Dess, why are you doing it now?"
The angel just turned away and saw that she had been holding a cloak behind her back. She swept it on over her shoulders and pulled the collar up closer around her neck.
"I have to go back to Heaven for something, and he wouldn't be accepted, you know that much."
Harry just watched the angel as she walked past him. She was beginning to glow and show signs of the power that she normally kept hidden. The light moved from her and then turned into a portal.
Her wings burst from her back and shone brightly casting beautiful pure light around the room and reflecting rainbows on all of the shiny surfaces. She disappeared into the portal with a flash of light.
Harry watched and then sighed as Saengen hissed softly and squeezed his neck in a comforting way. The half-devil smiled and gently stroked the beautiful creature. He glanced at the clock and sighed again hissing softly in Parseltongue, "I suppose that I had best be getting to Snape's rooms to have that lesson. 'Late for being early,' humph."
Saengen hissed in laugher if serpents could laugh. "That would be wise or else the Dark One will commence with his loud complaining about your lack of expertise in that area of mind shielding."
Harry just put away his sword and proceded to walk from the room to go up to his own to get the outlines that was supposed to do. The snake around his neck moved to his arm but kept it's head on his shoulder. Harry wondered if somehow it could read.
"You found the theory, now can you do it?"
Harry startled. "You can read English?"
"Little ability given from having an Angel for a master."
The two proceeded to Snape's chambers and Harry braced himself for another lesson. He suddenly remembered that he needed to talk o Remus about the Lycanthropy and stopping the pain that overtook the man everytime he transformed.
……….
"Severus, are you in there?"
Remus stood at the Potion Master's chambers and folded his arms while he waited for the door to open. He knew better than to touch it, Snape had put all the wards he could around his room without going against the wards on Grimmauld Place itself.
"What do you want, Lupin?" Snape hissed the werewolf's name as if it were a curse.
The tawny-haired wizard stepped inside of the room his nose twitching in distaste at the fumes from the potions brewing away. Her could smell the distinct ingredients from the Wolfsbane potion.
Snape noticed the other wizard's gaze and nodded slightly.
"I've been working on your potion, Lupin, so don't worry. In all of this fiasco, I haven't forgotten about your "furry Little Problem." "
Harry knocked on the door even though it was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and then two sets of eyes met his. Harry smiled apologetically.
"I apologize if I'm interrupting…"
Remus sighed and glanced at Snape. "No, Harry you are fine, Severus and I are finished with our conversation."
With that the werewolf moved towards Harry to leave the room. Harry looked down at him with a concerned look and the man just smiled and squeezed the boy's shoulder and left the room. Harry suddenly remembered that he needed to talk o Remus about the Lycanthropy and stopping the pain that overtook the man everytime he transformed.
"Remus, wait! When do you want me to heal you?"
The werewolf stopped and smiled. "After your lesson, of course anytime that is good with you is good with me."
Harry smiled bright and then stepped back into the room. Snape was glaring at him and Harry looked at his wide-eyed wondering what he had done this time.
"What happened? Did you two argue."
Snape folded his arms and then regarded Harry with a sneer.
"That, Mister Potter, is none of your business." Harry scoffed under his breath and Avenairu flared in annoyance. "Let's just hope that this lesson is better than most.
Harry didn't have time to block his thoughts, because Snape assaulted his mind immediately. He wavered under the strain. He was trying to only let certain memories go by and hide the ones that were more important.
He and Adrian were in some dark room looking through a collection of weapons. The young half-devil reached towards one and pulled it slowly off of the display case.
Dessmona was trying to fight off multiple devils while a ten-year-old Harry stayed behind her, eyes wide and covered in scratches.
A young man was walking slowly towards Harry, a wicked looking sword in hand with spikes on it. He was stalking towards Harry, who stood there confidently, his own sword out. The two stared at each other before the other disappeared and Harry whipped around and struck out behind him and the clang of swords hit the air.
Harry was confused. Those weren't memories that he remembered yet, but Snape had pulled them out with ease. That was a good thing; he did want to have more of them brought to the surface. At least the ones that went by weren't harmful to him.
Snape pulled back from the boy's mind. He looked at Harry strangely.
"You have never even witnessed those memories, but I could access them?"
Harry nodded. "I was trying to block my other memories from you by letting certain ones that aren't harmful to me or anyone else go past, but somehow you found them."
Snape regarded Harry with a closed expression. "While this is interesting and I would like to look into it more, you still didn't block your mind well enough. If you had other memories that you can't access yet, anyone else could see them and use them against you.
"Tell me, in Hell are there any devils that can use mind attacks?"
Harry thought carefully. "Well, they reside in Hell, but they're not Devils. Dark Shadows have this curse that breaks into you mind and uses your worst memories to torture your mind. If it involved pain, you feel everything that happens to you. It's terrible. I saw someone go mad from it. They had gotten hurt badly, and then all of their wounds were reopened. They died as well. I don't know if the memories are used against them."
Snape just shook his head. Don't think that this gets you off the hook, Potter. You still didn't block your memories from me. I still witnessed them and I caught onto your little plan. Showing me memories that you want other to see is distracting. It's easier to block them all than to let little cracks of them be viewed."
Harry opened his mouth to protest but Snape went on. "You still don't understand the theory." Snape knew that if he taunted the boy it might bring out the wrath of Avenairu but he was willing to take that chance. Unfortunately for Harry the only time you got successful results from his was when you taunted him.
"So ignorant just like your father and Black."
Low blow but it worked. Harry was starting to get angry and a flicker of red went through his eyes.
"Still think that basic theory is above you. Being pampered and given everything that you have ever wanted has made you soft."
"Damn you!" Harry growled, and his anger was so direct that Avenairu's voice combined with his as well making it loud and commanding along with a warning echo of power. Snape looked at the boy surprised and then Harry began to advance on him.
"You don't believe me when I say that I was mistreated and not some spoiled little brat, then let me show you!"
Harry drew in all of his power and focused it on projecting his memories into Snape's head. The man was caught off guard by the magic onslaught and the memories soaring before his eyes.
Dursley was giving Dudley another video game system to replace the one that "the freak" had broken. In truth Dudley and Piers had gotten too rough with the boy and threw his into it. While the machine could have been repaired then from Harry's lightweight impact, Dudley and Piers were so angry with Harry for "ruining" their games, which they smashed it up themselves and then later that night Dudley had told his father that he had broken doing "freaky things."
When Vernon had heard that he had missed out on another promotion, he stayed at a Pub getting drunk. Fortunately for him, Petunia and Dudley had been out together, spoiling the pig boy no doubt. He stomped into the room drunk and wasted, but he yanked Harry out of the small room and slapped the boy
Harry was stuck in the cupboard under the stairs covered in bruises after Vernon had gotten home from work pissed that he hadn't gotten a promotion.
The Dursley family was sitting under a tree laughing and exchanging presents or rather giving Dudley a mountain of presents while Harry was forced to watch from the kitchen where he was making Christmas breakfast. Dudley was ripping open the packages laughing, and squealing at what he got. His parents cooed over him and Harry sniffled as he cooked and then cried out when some grease from the bacon jumped out of the pan and burned him.
"Shut up you worthless piece of sod! You're ruining or present opening!"
Harry whimpered and walked over to the sink to find something to put on his burn. He forgot about the bacon and it burned to a tasteless crisp in the skillet, making large puffs of black smoke rise into the air.
When Vernon got the whiff of burning food he got up as quickly as his mass of fat would let him and stomped into the kitchen grabbing the boy while he tried to take the offending food from the stove and throw it out.
"First you ruin presents, then you ruin our breakfast!" He backhanded Harry across his face and the boy cried out in pain. Vernon dragged him to his cupboard and threw him inside.
Finally the torrent of memories ceased. He looked at Harry in awe and disbelief. The boy was standing there; eyes narrowed and looking as if he hadn't of broken a sweat. If a normal person had done that, they would be collapsed on the floor in a magical coma. His eyes were glowing brightly, the emerald burning before Snape felt his mind being torn through by the distraught boy in front of him
……….
Harry was suddenly looking inside of Snape's mind; his previous magical outburst must have been enough to get past the man's high mental defenses. As memories and emotions washed over him, one scene caught itself in Harry's mind in particular; Snape was walking on Hogwarts grounds with another boy, holding his hand. The two were quite far from the castle; were they hoping not to be seen?
The other young man gazed towards Snape and stopped the two from walking and laid one hand on the ex-Death Eaters cheek. His dark blue eyes stared into the Potion Master's onyx ones and he pulled his hand away and pulled up the sleeve of his robes and the sweater underneath.
Snape in the memory gasped as the boy revealed his forearm and the ugly insignia of Voldemort marred the slightly tanned skin. Harry, for one reason or another, couldn't hear any of the words spoken between the two as Snape's face contorted in anger and was that fear? The two of them continued to argue until the boy grabbed Snape by the collar of his robes and crushed his lips to his.
The two teens parted, with flushed faces and bruised lips. The other wizard turned from Snape, but the dark-eyed wizard, grabbed onto his apparent lovers robes. The other boy yanked himself out of Snape's grasp and moved swiftly towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Snape ran to follow as his lover disappeared into the mist, but he was then encased with a bright red light and he crumpled to the ground.
Harry assumed that by the light he had been hit with the spell Stupefy, but before he could contemplate what he had just seen, he was being wrenched from Snape's mind and he found himself back in his own mind crumpled on the cold, unyielding floor.
Snape stood in front of him, face paler than usual with a glazed look in his eyes, breathing harsh and uneven. He was supporting himself on the edge of his lab table, his gaze focused on the floor. He refused to look up at Harry, whom of which he could feel his fixed stare.
'I can't believe that the younger version of Snape is the same man who stands in front of me right now,' Harry thought to himself. 'It seems that he did once have a heart.'
Many pregnant minutes passed before any words were said. The only sounds in the room were of Snape trying to control his ragged breathing and the calm bubbling of the potion sitting in a cauldron on the opposite side of the lab table.
"I'm surprised that you could enter my mind as easily as you did, Potter, but that's to be expected with your lack of control over your magic."
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Snape held up a slightly trembling hand. "I was wondering when one of those memories from my time at Hogwarts would show up. That young man that you saw was my lover, Bryan Sanford. It was during our sixth year that he joined Voldemort. That night he left with other Death Eaters that he met with in the forest. He cast Stupefy on my to stop me from following him.
"I never saw him after that day, but he continued to send me letters, until he was killed by Voldemort, or should I say one of his lackeys, for not torturing one of his cousin to death for not wanting to join the Death Eaters. His heart wasn't totally hardened by having to work with the Dark Lord, and in the end it cost his life."
Harry stared at the broken man in front of him with disbelief on his face. He was amazed that his teacher would tell him anything about his life, let alone something so personal.
"One of the reasons I hated your father and Black was when they found out that I was homosexual, they increased their "fun" as they liked to call it hundredfold. Everyday was horrible when I was around them, and since I never had that many friends anyway, no one defended me, save Bryan."
Harry's breath caught in his throat, which had suddenly turned dry. His eyes began to cloud over in pain.
"Sir, will we be continuing our lessons today?"
Snape tuned his eyes to Harry who was shaking slightly. His inky eyes narrowed as he took in the boy's rigid posture and pale face. His skin looked clammy as well and his breathing was irregular. The boy rushed to feet, nearly loosing his balance and he groped wildly for the edge of the lab table to support himself, his sweaty palm accidentally resting on Snape's as he searched for a stronghold.
Harry jerked his hand from the other man's as if he had been burned and he practically sprinted to the door. "Please excuse me," he managed to rasp before running out of the door.
Snape's fathomless black eyes narrowed in anger and disgust as he heard Harry's crazed steps running down the hallway and then rushing up the stairs. The older wizard could hear the distraught boy walk to some place above him in the upper floor. Snape growled slightly and swept out of the room clenching his fists together.
……….
Left alone, Harry ran into the attic and slumped down onto the floor against some dusty old boxes. Despite the massive clean up nearly a year ago, there was a huge collection of dust and it flew into the air at his impact of sitting down. Harry grew even more agitated as it flew into his nose and made him sneeze and his eyes burn he was sitting on and leaned back against it. Even though the room was full of grime, it was quiet, and he doubted he'd be disturbed up here. The only person who knew his lessons were over for the morning was Snape, and he trusted that the man would not come back looking for him.
He tried to clear his mind, to calm down, but his thoughts refused to cooperate. He still was not entirely sure what had just gone on. Everything happened too fast. His father hated Snape because Snape was gay. His father would have hated him as well. He thought about the veil in the Department of Mysteries. His godfather was probably somewhere back beyond that curtain, hating him right now as well.
Harry sunk into his mind. He knew he was pitying himself, and he did not care. He deserved a little self-pity now and then. There was nothing, nothing at all, about his life that would ever be normal. Harry closed his eyes and hugged his knees. He felt the tears coming back and fought them off. He could almost hear his father laughing at him.
The grief was around him like a blanket, dampening everything else. He only felt the pain in his scar when it was strong enough to cause flashes of light across his vision. Harry just rested his head against the cool glass. This was not a good time to have a random vision.
………
"Potter!"
Snape wrenched open the door open and after his eyes adjusted to the poor lighting from the obstructed window, he saw Potter sitting propped up against one of the many storage boxes in the crowded and dusty room. He was shivering as he gazed silently out of the window; his long hair had come loose from its bindings hiding his green eyes from view.
The half-devil did nothing to acknowledge the Potions Master's presence. He only reached up and ran his slender fingers through his dark curtain of silk.
"Potter, I wouldn't think that you are so rude as to ignore me, and run out of our lesson. I did not dismiss you, and even if I had you should have not have just rushed out of my rooms."
Harry just shuddered in answer.
Snape crossed his arms in front of his chest and his lips curled into a snarl.
"If you share your father's or that mutt's prejudices, you had best get over it now. I won't tolerate your behavior—"
Harry cut the many off with a choked voice. "No, sir, I don't share my father's prejudices." His voice broke on the last word.
"Potter," Snape murmured almost incuriously. "Are you homosexual?"
Harry's eyes rose to the older wizard and the man saw that they his face was streaked with tears. His eyes blazed challengingly and he watched for any signs of ridicule.
"This isn't extremely important at the moment, but what will your angel say when she finds out. Of course with my limited research on Muggle Religion, I know that homosexuality is a sin."
Harry placed his face in one slightly trembling hand and then slowly ran said hand through his mused hair.
"She might have an idea, but I could care less about her opinion on the subject."
Snape just watched as Harry curled up on himself and placed his head on his knees. The older wizard could hear the boy's soft muffled cries, and very awkwardly placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
'Blast it Potter,' the stoic man thought. 'If Minerva were available, even the werewolf. Anyone would be better at handling this sort of thing.' Snape was used to handling Harry's other emotions such as his "rule breaking", and his "I'm-better-than-everyone-else" complex, but not this emotionally distraught boy.
Harry looked up; his face tear-streaked and eyes red from crying.
"My father would have hated me!"
"NO!" Snape said so forcefully that he started himself a bit; he certainly startled Harry. "James had a narrow mind in school as do nearly all students until they are exposed to the real world. He eventually grew out of it, and of course he could have never hated you."
"That's probably another thing that moved you towards being a Death Eater, isn't it? Being ridiculed by my father and Sirius…"
Snape snorted. "Don't give them too much credit, Potter. They alone were nowhere another to move me to make that poor choice."
The half-devil looked up at the man silently and regarded him silently. Through Harry's gaze, Avenairu studied the man as well. Harry was astounded by how civil Snape was being towards him, and Avenairu's opinion of the man, while not completely changing, was shifting slightly.
"But, they had to have given you another reason to side with Volde—I mean the Dark Lord. Being ridiculed."
"I made my own choices Potter."
Harry looked up at the older wizard with red eyes. Saengen who he had forgotten about hissed comfortingly and rubbed his head against his cheek. Harry stroked the crimson familiar and smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Professor, I appreciate this even though I can tell that it is outside of your comfort zone."
Snape rolled his eyes. "You have no idea Potter."
The emerald-eyed wizard smiled and then curled up again wrapping his arms around his knees and letting his head rest against them. His long hair fell around his like a curtain hiding his face and the serpent from view.
"Could you just give me some time alone?"
Snape complied and then decided to walk out of the room. He glanced back at Harry as he raised his head and gave him a very slight smile
When Snape closed the door Harry brushed his hair out of his face and sighed to himself. He felt drained the magic that he had used and the sadness that was around him. Saengen moved away from his body and slithered away onto the floor. He turned around and then looked at the boy silently.
Harry was going to ask what he was doing when a burst of pain hit him. He bit his lip trying not to cry out. Either Voldemort was doing something, or it was a side-effect from the magic that was depleted. He hoped that it was the latter.
Suddenly he was seized with pain and he slumped over on the floor onto his side. His vision swam and the last thing that he saw was Saengen hissing loudly and glowing a bright red. Then everything went black.
**...Devil's Snare……5……Devil's Snare…………………………**
_Oh no, what happened to Harry? ARGH! Bad cliffy, humph, I know. _
_I'll update again next week or the week after. One more update for July! Hurray! Hopefully this will continue to be a trend. _
_Next Chapter: A Conversation Between Two Half-Devils. Harry finally learnes Saengen's identity; Remus talks with Harry about James' homophobic attitude; Harry takes away the pain from the Lycanthropy. _
_Word Count: 4,624 _
_Click that wonderful button, _
_Korogi-chan_
12. Capitulus Eleven 11
_**Summary: **Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
**Thanks to the following people for their Reviewers)**
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_Notes (1):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but also it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW!
I don't have a beta right now. Siri02 is not available for whatever reason and I think that I really don't want a beta anymore. You will just have to deal with my errors until I go back and re-post some of these chapters. Humph (smiles)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
**Devil's Snare**
………
_Chapter Eleven: A Conversation Between Two Half-Devils_
………
Harry slowly woke to the feeling of magic brushing across his forehead, taking away the throbbing pain that still lingered after that odd mental attack. His eyes were blurry and unfocused and to his pain fogger mind, those hands weren't familiar.
He shifted slightly but another hand resting on his side held him in place. The grip was strong but not meant to be hurtful only to keep him still so as not to fall from the lap he was in and hurt himself more.
'Wait, a LAP?' Harry was sure that was what he was resting in, the comforting warmth from another being calming him down. He shook his head slightly to clear the fuzziness in his head and opened his mouth trying to get rid of the odd cottony feeling.
Finally his vision cleared a bit more and he could see a flash of red hair. A pale shape that he assumed was a hand threw the lock back over its owner's shoulder, which was broad by the way. So, his rescuer was male and NOT a Weasley. None of them had hair as long as that or as dark.
Harry reached with a questing hand to his neck missing the weight of Saengen draped on his shoulders. He vaguely began to panic; what if he had crushed the familiar when he fell over. He tried to sit up and was hit by a wave of dizziness. Those hands were back trying to pull him down so he wouldn't be sick on the floor.
"You took a nasty fall, Sinner. We can't have the Prince of Hell getting a concussion can we?"
The voice was definitely male and Harry would even go as far to say sensuous.
Harry's rescuer smirked at the light blush that slowly covered the young half-devil's face and ran a slender hand through Harry's long hair. "Like my voice, Sinner?"
Harry groaned in annoyance at the title, "Sinner". It reminded him too much about his place in all of this mess that he was in.
After about ten minutes of rest and the calm stroking of his hair Harry felt a bit better and was free to slowly make his way into a sitting position and strong arms were holding him up against a firm chest. Harry twisted around in the other man's arms and finally was able to see his face.
A man not much older than him sat there his long dark auburn hair was nearly as long as Harry's. His skin had a tan that was slightly darker than Harry's own that he had recently acquired. He was slender but had noticeable muscles and was a startlingly beautiful for a male.
His eyes were what grabbed Harry's attention. They were a deep turquoise with odd amber streaks through them, as if they were clouds drifting over the greenish-blue mixture that was his eyes. In short, they were beautiful.
The devil purred in Harry's ear and his breath ghosted over the boy's neck. He trembled and the devil murmured,
"Like what you see and hear? I'm so delectable am I not, Prince?"
"Ugh! Please stop calling me any sort of title! I do have a name, and I do believe that it is Harry. Got that? H-A-R-R-Y. Not Sinner, nor Prince, nor Hell Master, any of that lot!"
"Well, H-A-R-R-Y, my name is S-A-E-N-G-E-N." It took Harry a couple of seconds to spell out the odd name and then his eyebrows shot to his hairline.
"Yes, yes, the angel's familiar, or so you think. I posed as her familiar to learn information about this situation that you are in and I decided to help you. I'm not that loyal to her, I'd rather be on your side."
Harry looked at his skeptically and the other devil smiled slightly. "Of course I made it look like I wanted to keep information from you. She might even know that I'm not entirely loyal to her, but that doesn't matter anymore."
Avenairu was accessing the other devil's magic and his voice sounded in Harry's mind.
This rogue is a half-devil turned into a true devil. You might be able to trust him for now but be wary.
"A synthetic half-devil?" Harry murmured under his breath.
Saengen turned his amber-streaked eyes to Harry and narrowed them a bit. "Avenairu doesn't trust me does he? Just because I chose to throw away my useless human half doesn't mean that I can't be trusted."
They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Harry still in the other devil's arms not really paying attention to that fact other than the fact that eh was comfortable and beginning to fall asleep. He let his thoughts drift to the earlier parts of the day.
Harry turned his gaze towards the window watching silently as raindrops slowly began to cloud over his view of the rapidly darkening sky. Thunder rolled in the distance and the less than pleasant weather reflected his sour mood. Even though Snape had somehow been able to convince him that James would have accepted the fact that he was homosexual even though during school the deceased wizard had tormented his own oddity, Harry still felt as if he had disappointed his father in some way.
'If Dad were still alive now, would he accept me like Snape said?' the half-devil mused to himself, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair which as always fell into his eyes when it wasn't tied back. While he slept at night, he always lost hair ties in his sleep. Dessmona had just smiled and told him that she was getting tired of making/finding new ones for him to use.
Turning his thoughts back to his earlier musings, Harry himself wasn't at ease about his sexual preferences, especially with the way his aunt and uncle had rambled on about his abnormities. Homosexuality wasn't accepted in the Muggle world and Harry wasn't sure about how wizards felt about it. He didn't have the courage to ask Snape about it since he wasn't even comfortable about it himself yet.
'I'll most likely never tell the rest of my friends,' Harry thought gloomily. 'They would take it the wrong way anyway.' He thought about that for a few more seconds. 'Maybe Hermione would try to understand, but Ron would hate me.' Harry scoffed. 'More than he does now, anyway.'
Saengen tightened his hold on the boy and gently shook him awake. Harry groaned in annoyance and then Saengen said something that he knew would wake up the other boy.
"You know, Sinner, most Devils are bi-sexual if not fully attracted to the same sex. It matters not to us what the gender is but the power levels and rank. I'm homosexual for example, and if any short minded humans cared about that I would have no thoughts about their discomfort what so ever."
Even though that was reassuring, it was something that Harry had already known. That was in Hell, not here on earth. He wasn't even sure what the Wizarding world thought about homosexuality. He was sure that Snape would be able to tell him because they shared the same preferences, but just because the man had comforted him earlier that day didn't mean that Harry could just waltz right into the Potion Master's room and ask such a thing.
'He would just scoff at me and accuse me of being ignorant about the world I'm in and my own mental capacity,' Harry grumbled in his head.
"You're being too pensive, and I think that what you're thinking about isn't a good thing, Sinner."
Harry rolled his eyes and gave Saengen a half-heart glare.
"Would you please stop calling me that title? I hate it."
Saengen just shrugged his shoulders and pulled a strap of dark silk out of a hidden pocket in his jacket. He pulled back his luscious hair and tied it into a ponytail close to the middle of his head. The hair that wasn't quite long enough to stay back fell into his face framing it. He smirked as Harry watched and flipped the hair over his shoulder.
"While you're enjoying your view, Sinner," He smirked at Harry whose glare intensified "We should venture out of this crusty room and find your angel. She's wondering where you are, so are those two humans you converse with."
Harry slowly got to his feet with Saengen's assistance. "I don't understand how you can call them humans when you yourself are a half-devil."
The crimson-haired demon just put an arm around Harry's shoulders and stretched out his hand in front of him to open the door magically.
"I traded my human side so my devil side could be completed. I'm still viewed as half devil and my appearance makes it obvious. You should know that most devils have black hair and very dark eyes, either blue or black. None have had your electric green and certainly not my turquoise-ish mix with amber streaks."
Harry just nodded; Saengen did have a point.
They made their way down stairs and practically ran into Hermione whose eyes widened at the sight of Saengen. The devil was towering over her and Harry who was taller now himself was a bit short next to the red-haired man in front of her.
"Harry what happened, are you alright?" Her brown eyes surveyed Saengen cautiously; even though the other was helping Harry to stand he might have been the one that put him in his tired state.
"Hermione, I'm fine. I passed out from some sort of vision and hit my head as well. Saengen watched over me until I woke and brought me down here."
Harry smiled as the witch's eyes widened even more when she heard Saengen's name. The devil in question just smirked and bowed his head in greeting to the teen.
"Nice to have made your acquaintance, Ms. Granger," amber-streaked eyes rising to the girl's face.
The brown-haired witch gasped stared at the taller devil. She turned her gaze towards Harry and he just gave her a sheepish grin.
"Well, I'm glad to have met you as well, I suppose." Hermione said with a nervous lilt to her voice.
The devil's eyes brightened and then he turned his gaze over to the next room where he had heard someone approaching.
Saengen's eyes focused on Draco who had just stepped into the room. He was brushing back a stray hair (he had stopped slicking it back) and his silver eyes rose to the sight of Harry, Hermione and the unknown figure in the other room.
'Ah, the posh blond has finally made an appearance. I'm going to enjoy this.'
Staring shamelessly at the other boy, Saengen smirked and his eyes flashed in interest at the blond wizard who raised an elegant eyebrow in return. The two of them just watched each other silently and then Saengen let Harry stand up on his own and moved towards Draco.
The blond looked at Harry who had Hermione as a means of support. Both of them had mildly amused looks on their faces and Draco looked slightly unsettled as the auburn devil stalked towards him as if he were a piece of meat that he wanted to devour.
When Saengen was about a foot away he began to stalk around Draco taking in every aspect of the wizard's features. Draco turned with him and even though it would have not effect he whipped out his wand and pointed it at the devil's chest.
"And just what do you think you are doing? You are in my personal space and I do not think that I gave you permission to be there."
Saengen just reached out and touched the side of Draco's face. The wizard started to jerk away but Saengen froze the boy by using his eyes. They flashed and the magic froze Draco in his tracks.
"W-What did you do!"
Saengen just smirked and ran a hand through the blonde's hair
"Well, if you're going to freeze me for no reason and get into my face you should at least give me your name." Draco was trying to fight the spell that the devil had cast on him and ignore the fact that the caress didn't feel all that bad… His wand was still pointing into the devil's chest but Saengen just smirked and moved closer as if he didn't mind having a stick of wood stabbing him in the chest.
Saengen narrowed his eyes and pulled away from Draco as he felt another magical presence enter the room. He didn't relinquish his hold on Draco and the boy still stood there with his wand extended towards nothing as the devil moved away from him and crossed his arms.
"S-Harry, it seems that your angel has come back to plague us again."
Hermione gave Harry a confused look when suddenly a burst of light came forth from the other side of the room. As it faded Dessmona's true form was visible; her aura was glowing and her beautiful wings were spread, gleaming. Her eyes were glowing brightly in power and the magic was a heavy weight in the room.
Saengen smirked and Dessmona narrowed her eyes at him.
"So you finally decided to reveal your real form and stop spying around?"
"Yeah, it got a little boring staying around your neck all day and not being able to transform. This is the longest I've ever been in my serpent form.
……….
Dessmona and Saengen sat next to each other quietly eating their food and then Harry sat down as well, taking some of the soup from the self-stirring pot and a slice of homemade bread. He set down his bowl on the table then went back in the kitchen to pour some milk into a glass and grab a spoon.
When Harry got settled at the table Hermione walked in and then Draco and Remus followed. Draco's eyes met Saengen's and the devil's eyes darkened a shade and he smirked at the blond, who in turn smirked right back with the lightest shade of blush that you could barely see only if you looked closely.
Surprisingly Snape wandered into the kitchen, but Mrs. Weasley could be heard behind him saying that he spent too much time holed up in his rooms with potions and that he had to eat. Harry couldn't help but snigger and the Potions Master narrowed his eyes at the amused half-devil.
Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Snape and Ron who had come in last were eyeing Saengen with curiosity. The devil didn't ignore their gazes but smiled and introduced himself with the same suave greeting that he gave Hermione and Draco.
Ron sputtered and nearly choked on his bread that he had dipped in steamy soup. His eyes widened and he shifted uncomfortably as the crimson-haired devil raised an arched eyebrow at the wizard.
"There's another one?" Ron yelled in outrage his face an unattractive shade of red. "What, are you trying to overrun the place?"
Harry hissed and Saengen sneered and Ron blanched. Hermione elbowed the boy in the side and Draco couldn't resist and kicked the boy from under the table.
Dessmona looked at the boy with annoyed eyes. "Ronald, you keep bringing this upon yourself. If I were them I might have lost my own self control by now, and my tolerance level is quite high."
Mrs. Weasley smacked the back of Ron's head and the boy blushed even more.
"How can you be so rude?"
Remus decided that a change of subject was in order. "So you were posing as Dessmona's familiar? I didn't think that someone could take the shape as someone else's familiar."
"That's just a form that I can take. We do have a bit of a connection that allows me to feel a bit of Dessmona's emotions and magic. I can share some of my magic with her and she with me, but only when I'm in my serpent form."
Remus nodded and Hermione piped up with, "You said that you used to be a half devil; how can you go from being a half to a whole devil?"
Saengen placed his spoon back into his bowl and swirled it around in the thick liquid, while he thought of an answer.
"Well, I chose to sacrifice my human side and gained new powers and abilities. I was cast out of my home by my own parents and decided that a life in Hell was better than anything they could give me. Say it's selfish but I like the new powers that I have and abilities. Of course it is very obvious to other true-devils that I'm not like them. Most devil's have black hair and very dark eyes; blue or just black. Rarely do devil's have any other eye color than those, so we are singled out. Just as I was telling S—Harry earlier, his brilliant eye color sets him apart from others if they pay close enough attention his aura is too unique due to his power levels.
"That's one way; another is that a woman can be raped and the child is a half-devil. They live out life a half-breed, and are scorned by humans and devils alike if they ever have the chance to enter Hell. They never have as much power as a true devil or a half devil that has powers given to them for a certain purpose.
"That leads to Harry's case. His powers were granted to him for a certain purpose and by chance and Fate. Avenairu is his own person and so is Harry. Avenairu's soul is connected to Harry's in a temporary bond that if Harry doesn't accept but keeps using the magic that his devil side provides it will eventually take many years off his lifespan which even though it is lengthened by being a half devil is taken back because the magic is too much of a wear upon his body."
All eyes turned to Harry who had been looking at Saengen intently, hoping that the other devil didn't reveal too much of his true powers and identity. He had nearly called him 'Sinner' earlier and that would have led to many more questions that couldn't be answered for their sake as much as his own.
Mrs. Weasley raised an eyebrow at Harry and gave him a very concerned look.
"Harry-dear, is there a reason why you don't accept Avenairu?"
Harry's eyes became shuttered and glazed over slightly in self-loathing.
"I would rather die than use all of Avenairu's destructive power on anyone, even a devil. I've been ordered to kill by Lucifer and every time, I let Avenairu have more control than usual so I become numb to it. I know that it's still my fault because it's still me doing it but still…"
Everyone at the table was regarding Harry with a mixture of pity and a bit of sadness. Snape and Ron were exceptions; Ron looked disgusted and Snape had a slightly thoughtful look on his face. Dessmona frowned at Harry and Saengen looked at his sympathetically.
"I knew there was something off about you when you fought. You let Avenairu have control? Do you realize how foolish that is? Even when you don't transform when you use powers that are mainly your other half's are still draining your life!" The angel was now rising out of her chair, her long hair spilling into her eyes, which were blazing with anger and power.
"How could you be so ignorant!"
Harry slammed down his spoon and nearly knocked down his bowl of soup as he rose to his feet. His hair whipped around as his power levels increased and his eyes blazed red.
"You are ignorant, you blasted angel! My counterpart knows the implications of actions! Don't try to undermine him."
Harry no longer stood there but Avenairu his voice echoing with power and everyone in the room could feel that same aura burning them. The room shook as if there were an earthquake and Harry began to take on a strange glow.
Dessmona moved away and just crossed her arms over her chest. Saengen had already stood up and held Avenairu in an arm lock. The half-devil let his magic flare and then Saengen let out a cry of pain and wrenched away from Harry. The half devil smirked in amusement.
"Try that again and the arms come off."
Avenairu sat down as if nothing had happened and smiled disarmingly. Harry was finally back in charge of his body and his eyes changed back to that shocking green.
Moments passed win a very tense fashion. No one spoke and Harry barely ate his food. He glanced up for a second and met Dessmona's condescending look and then glanced towards Snape. To his surprise the man was already looking at him with a slightly thoughtful look n his face. They continued to look at each other until Dessmona and Saengen began to speak to each other in hushed tones.
There was too much tension at the table so Dessmona and Saengen decided to liven things up a bit.
"Harry needs to have his magic levels tested. I think that a duel is in order. What is your opinion Saengen?"
The devil smirked and nodded at Harry who was giving him a cautious look.
"Why not? The conversion has gotten a little dry.
Both devil and angel sent a wave of magic towards Harry that signaled a request for a duel. Dessmona put more magic behind her magic but Saengen's brush of magic burned. The other occupants could actually feel the power surge as well and the room's constant chatter filed down to nothing.
Everyone watched the two devils and the angel as Harry's eyes widened and then narrowed and they flashed red briefly and a sneer crossed the boy's face. Harry's eyes had green flecks in them that signaled Avenairu's rise of power inside of him.
"You're requesting a duel I assume," the proud half-devil murmured.
"Of course," Saengen said with an evil smirk on his face.
"I accept your request, after dinner of course…"
………
Dessmona and Saengen began to circle around Harry. Hermione and Draco moved back and Ron was already watching. Maybe by staying here he could leak a bit of information back to that girl…
Saengen fought with an ancient looking sword filled with power. Harry's sensitive ears could hear the other half-devil's aura that was sealed inside of the sword. Harry could tell by using his own instincts and Avenairu's that he would be a challenging opponent, but he had to keep his focus on Dessmona.
The angel was holding onto her sword and moving around Harry menacingly. Hermione gasped at the change in the silver-haired girl's demeanor
Dessmona held her sword in her hands and Saengen did as well. Harry was quietly accessing their power levels and could tell that the real target in this battle would still be Dessmona. Saengen was powerful devil but his skills and power were not a threat to Avenairu or Harry himself at all. He was just going to be a distraction and try to get Harry knocked out so Dessmona could have a full advantage. The angel was just using her to her own devices and the devil knew his place and didn't mind it at all.
Harry held the hilt for the sword Adrian had given him behind his back. With his long hair it wasn't visible anyway. He still didn't want Dessmona to know that he had another weapon yet, because she would get angry at Adrian for snitching it for him and not getting the angel's permission he started using the weapon.
Now's your chance to show her that you don't need some lowly angel to hold back your powers. You have the memories and the power to fight her and the half-breed and win.
Dessmona and Saengen launched themselves at Harry in a rush of speed that stirred the air around them. Hermione let out a cry of surprise and grabbed onto a nearby chair as the air pushed her back.
Harry used the hilt to guard against Saengen's fierce attack from behind and whipped around to catch Dessmona in the head with the wicked blades that were on the sword. The angel was caught in the assault but didn't falter as silver blood ran down into one of her eyes. She tried to knock the sword from Harry's hand but didn't succeed as the half-devil quickly moved out of the way. Dessmona and Saengen tried to follow his movements but Harry kept disappearing when they thought they had found him again.
'It's a good thing that I remember my Shadow Shifting,' Harry mused as he jumped from shadow to shadow. One minute he would appear and strike Dessmona or Saengen still using the hilt of the sword and then disappearing again. Once both entities tried to come at him from opposite sides and they nearly didn't stop in time before they ran into each other.
Harry stopped dodging and Saengen spotted him and whipped around in an impressive show of speed. Harry finally let his magic run through the hilt of the sword. The blade formed and a swirl of magic whipped around the weapon creating a blade of light and magic.
'Thank you Adrian.'
Harry struck Saengen in the back of the neck and the force of the impact crushed the other devil against the other wall. His body slipped down onto the floor into a limp heap. Saengen let out a moan of pain and then slowly lifted himself off of the floor. He grabbed onto his sword and made his way off of the floor. Harry was already fighting Dessmona again thinking that he was out of the game.
Saengen gained his equilibrium and crept up behind Harry and raised his sword. The half-devil was too focused on Dessmona's assault but at the last second he Shadow Shifted away and Dessmona nearly struck Saengen instead who barely moved out of the way just in time.
"Watch what you're doing!" The devil grumbled moving away and looking around for Harry.
Dessmona was perplexed, she still had no idea about Harry's powers.
Harry stood there slashes across his arms and breathing heavily. Saengen was unconscious on the floor bleeding. Dessmona was barely standing her hair loose from her silver braid blood of the same color running from two major wounds on her side and leg. She was leaning heavily on her sword and was glaring at Harry from under her bangs. Her eyes were glowing faintly with anger and power.
"Good job, Harry. You didn't use too much of Avenairu's power and you defeated Saengen and I fairly. Your fighting tactics have improved.
"They would have stayed the same if you hadn't of locked away my memories."
Dessmona just stood a bit higher and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She fixed Harry with a heated glare.
"Orders that I had to follow, you know that!"
Harry just sighed and turned around. Hermione looked at his wounds and promptly turned green.
"Is it just me or does your blood look black instead of red?"
Harry glanced at his arms, which were covered with blood.
"Side effect from being a half devil. It shows how much magic is in my blood actually. The only reason it never appeared that way before now is because Dessmona and I put a glamour on it. All blood that becomes visible turns to the normal red that it is supposed to be. It only faded now because all of you know my secret now anyway."
Harry glanced at Remus and murmured to him. "I'll heal you in a while if you..."
Harry nearly collapsed onto the floor and then stood up straight again. He let Avenairu's magic flow through him and heal his wounds slowly. In about five minutes he was healed again.
Harry knocked on Remus' door wondering if the older man was in his chambers. It was going to be a full moon in about a week so, Harry mused to himself. He didn't get an answer so he called out tentatively, "Remus, are you in there?"
"Harry?"
Said wizard turned around with a smile. Remus was standing there with a steaming cup of tea and the Daily Profit along with a book under his arm. He already looked a bit fatigued and Harry's heart immediately went out to him.
"Remember, I was going to come by your rooms and see when you wanted me to help with you Lycanthropy?"
The tawny older wizard nodded and smiled warmly. "Sure Harry I was actually looking for you. Are you sure that you are up to it? I'm sure that fighting Dessmona and Saengen has taken its toll on you magically and physically."
Harry just shrugged his shoulders, but silently agreed. Fighting them had been exhausting, but he had promised Remus that today he would start healing him.
"I can't go back on a promise, even if I am tired. It won't take too much work anyway. The magic has to be placed on you in stages and though it's inconvenient for you, its close to a full moon and that's when the magic will have a better effect."
Remus opened the door to his chambers and walked in setting down his tea on the nightstand next to his bed and putting the newspaper and book next to it. Harry gestured to the bed.
'You might want to lie down. It will make you sleepy."
Remus nodded and sat down on the bed but didn't lie down. Harry gave him an odd look then sat down next to him. He brushed a few stray graying hairs out of Remus' face and rested his hand on the man's forehead. Their eyes met and Harry let his healing magic flow into Remus.
About half an hour later Remus woke up and started slightly as he looked to his right and saw Harry laying next to him on the bed sound asleep. His hair was mused and covering up one eye. Remus shifted and sat up slowly noticing that he was a bit sleepy and moved the blanket so it covered up Harry. The boy must have moved him to sleeping position and put the blanket over him. Remus smiled and glanced over at the clock that was just over the half-devil's shoulder. It was nearly ten o'clock at night. The man looked over to the window which curtains had not been drawn.
There were only four days until the next full moon.
Remus finally noted that his did indeed feel better. Normally, before the full moon he was weaker than normal and had an anxious feeling in his chest that didn't want to go away. He senses were normally heighten and before the full moon they became even more so; that hadn't changed. Remus slowly slid off of the bed and onto his feet. After wavering slightly he made his way over to the mirror next to his dresser.
Remus had to do a double take at the image the mirror supplied him. The tired lines on his face that prematurely aged him were gone. He looked a bit younger than his thirty-six years. His hair was no longer grayed and rough in texture but its natural tawny-golden color and silky to the touch. The scars that had marred his face were gone and his skin looked healthy and slightly flushed. His eyes were still amber but now they glowed; the tired and haunted look gone from them.
"Like what you see, Remus? Your next transformation should be painless and after that you can change whenever you'd like."
Remus turned around and saw Harry sitting up on his bed with a sleepy look on his face and his hair mused up on his head.
"Yes Harry, thank you so much."
Harry nodded and then he swayed slightly on his seat on the bed and fell over onto his side a little dizzy.
"I'm all right, Remy," Harry murmured as the werewolf rushed towards him in alarm. "I just used up too much power today that's all…"
"I'll just get some more rest and then I'll be right as rain."
………
Ron stood at his window and then a sharp bang behind that resembled someone apparrating into his room made him turn around sharply.
"Have you been collecting information or me?"
She wasn't in the room but there was a strange bird with golden eyes sitting on the edge of the bed.
Ron stared and looked at it quizzically.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Of course you fool. You know who I am; I'm talking through a familiar. Have you been collecting information about Potter?"
Ron nodded feeling foolish for talking to a bird.
"He fought with Dessmona and Sae-Saengen? I think that's what his name is. They fought and I saw some of the attacks that Harry uses. Apparently he has gotten a new sword and it's very powerful."
The bird spread its silver-tipped wings.
"Good, that is good, but you not getting enough information. I assume that he is still cautious around you and won't discuss more important details about his powers around the others."
Ron sighed and said, "Yeah, but he barely talks to the angel now. He doesn't trust her."
"Hmm, interesting…"
The bird flapped its enormous wings and lifted itself into the air and a sort of portal formed behind it. It flew towards it and turned its head over its shoulder.
"I will return in a day or two. Keep getting information and I can plan my attack."
Ron looked anxious.
"You won't hurt my mum or Hermione will you?"
The bird cawed in an unsettling sound like laughter.
"That is what we agreed on, is it not?"
The redhead still looked unsettled as the bird disappeared into the portal.
"I hope that I'm doing the right thing…"
……………**.Devil's Snare………………………..11………………………….Devil's Snare………………**
Finally, Saengen's real form is revealed. Yeah, I wanted to update on July 29th, 30th, or 31st but I couldn't get onto the internet because my mom told me that in order to conserve energy because of the extra work electric companies need to run stuff because of the heat wave we had to unplug things we weren't using. She even turned of the air conditioning! ARGH! Yeah, so the Internet boxes got unplugged. Then, this past week I had band camp from 9 to 4 and then I worked out everyday from 6 to 7.30. Blah…
What do you think of my new summary? I changed from, "What happens when Harry becomes a darker being than the Dark Lord he's supposed to destroy?" or something like that to the current one. I thought that it might peak a little bit more interest. Of course, on chapters 8 and 9 got 12 and 15 reviews because of the interesting chapter summary to; 8: Harry's apprentice comes visit. 9: Harry and Verajie duel in Hell. If Chapter 9 wasn't intriguing I don't know what is.
Chapter 12: Apprentice's Visit. Adrian comes to visit and Ron gets another visit from the mysterious girl who has a vendetta against Harry.
Word Count: 6,230
Press that wonderful lavender button to your left.
Korogi-chan
13. Capitulus Twelve
_**Summary:** Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
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_Notes (1):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but also it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
**I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**
**I have not beta as of now and I'm not trying to entertain the thought of getting one…**
**…………………………………………………………………………………………………**
**Devil's Snare**
**………**
**Chapter Twelve: Apprentice's Visit**
**………**
Harry turned around at the flare of magic and saw to his astonishment, Adrian. The boy smiled and ran over to Harry, jumping up into his arms and squeezing the other boy around the neck. Harry swayed on his feet as the boy clutched to him and squeezed back.
"It's been _so_ long, Harry!" the boy laughed happily, putting more emphasis than necessary on the word so. He pressed his face into Harry's neck and the pressed a kiss there. Harry shivered. That started to remind him about the bond that a Master and Apprentice had together. It seemed to affect Adrian a lot stronger than it did him and that it increased over the time that they were apart.
Dessmona walked into the room and offered a smile to Adrian that didn't quite make it to her eyes.
"Well, Adrian, it's been a while."
Adrian turned his face from Harry's neck and let go of his master giving the angel the same frosty smile that she had given him.
"Yes, it has been quite a while hasn't it?"
The two of them continued to stare at each other. Adrian had grown a few inches and he was only an inch or so shorter than Dessmona. She could no longer look down her nose in distaste at him.
Harry pulled Adrian back against him and the boy physically relaxed. Dessmona's cool violet gaze shifted to him and amethyst clashed with emerald. The waves of magic flowing through both of them towards the other made Adrian move away from Harry and stepped closer to Dessmona.
"Just leave Harry and I alone, Angel." He spoke the last word as if it were the foulest word in existence.
Dessmona flinched in surprise and Harry stared at the golden-haired wizard before him. His eyes had a strange crazed look in them and flashed red.
The angel's face changed from startled to smug and she crossed her arms over her chest and tossed her head in amusement.
"You had best keep your apprentice in line, Harry."
Harry reached out and pulled Adrian back against his chest. The boy still regarded the angel with the same steely look in his eyes and the glowing red. Harry whispered calming sounds into the boy's ear and the look in his eyes went away and he sighed and relaxed in Harry's arms.
"Come on, 'Dri; we can go up to my room okay?"
The smaller boy just nodded and went followed Harry upstairs.
**…………**
Adrian walked in Harry's room and stretched out on the bed with a smile and turned his face into a pillow and clutched it to his chest. He pulled his head back from the soft cushion and looked over to the steel box that he given Harry with the hilt of the new sword in it.
'I wondered if he opened it yet?'
"Harry, did you open the package yet?"
Said half-devil turned around and brushed his bangs out of his face and then glanced in the direction of the boy's eyes.
"Yes, I opened it the day you sent it, and don't worry Dess knows nothing about it."
Adrian shifted so he was sitting up straight on the bed with his back against the headboard. He looked around the room and saw the other bed and dresser.
"Do you share this room with someone else?"
"Yeah, Draco Malfoy. He is from my school and we haven't had our truce long enough to become friends but he's a pretty good person once you get to know him a bit better."
Adrian's eyes widened and Harry noticed the other half-devil had slits for pupils instead of circles. Harry had forgotten about that. His memories were still hazy. Occasionally he would dream of the past but most of the time he was still left in the dark.
As Harry sat down on the bed next to Adrian he asked in a soft voice, "Harry, have you thought about accepting Avenairu yet?"
The emerald-eyed wizard turned his head away and Adrian rose up onto his knees on the bed and pressed his chest against Harry's back burying his face into the other half-devil's thick hair.
"You know that you'll eventually have to…"
Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled sadly.
"I know that you're trying to look after my welfare and everything, 'Dri, but don't you know all of the bad things that will happen if I do accept Avenairu? Dessmona will consider me a traitor and then there will be another Holy War. You don't even know if I'll live long enough to accept it anyway. If I disobey Lucifer enough times he will have me destroyed or I might use up all of my remaining life span."
"Don't talk like that! I'll still be with you and Dessmona knows that you have to make your own choice to stay the way you are now or become a full devil. You don't need her. Besides, the lock that she has over your powers is already deteriorating and if you accept Avenairu fully, it will be gone forever."
Harry sighed and turned around pulling Adrian into a hug, and the boy slumped against his chest.
"I'm tired of being used as someone else's tool. Dumbledore thinks of me as a key in winning this war against Voldemort, even though he hates the thought of it. Lucifer thinks of me as a tool against God, Dumbledore thinks of me as a tool against Voldemort. Everyone in the Wizarding World save my friends and sometimes not even them think that I'm some great savior who will vanquish the dark and bring light back to our world."
Harry pulled away and sighed, putting his head into his hands.
"I'm just tired, 'Dri. So tired."
The boy just sighed and moved next to Harry letting his feet dangle from the end of the bed.
"I can't pretend to understand what you go through Harry, but I don't like having to live up to other people's expectations either. The devils expect me to become a tool to them as well. The only reason you are my master is so some of your skills will be passed down to me and I'll just be another servant to Lucifer's plans."
Harry didn't respond other than shifting on the bed and letting his hands fall into his lap while letting out a deep sigh.
'I feel so useless…' Adrian thought as a light sheen of tears covered his turquoise eyes.
"Don't feel that way, 'Dri, you mean a lot to me."
The half-devil smiled at Harry and gasped when Harry reached out to touch the side of his face where a tear was slowly running down the boy's cheek.
Adrian turned a bright red and Harry smiled and caressed his apprentice's cheek by chance when he took his hand away.
The two held each other's gaze until Draco barged into the room slamming the door open looking annoyed with a smirking Saengen right behind him.
"Potter, you're wanted out here by your angel."
Harry and Adrian jumped apart and Harry tumbled off the bed with a loud thud. As he climbed to his feet Saengen's rich laughed filed the room and the Hell-master rolled his eyes in the redhead's direction as he brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"So what were you doing, Sinner? Seems like it's a bit too early in the day to be getting frisky with your apprentice."
Saengen just glared even fiercer and even Draco had to raise an eyebrow in query at Adrian's flustered stare the boy's face caught between embarrassment and amusement at his master falling off the bed.
"Really now, what exactly were you doing?"
Harry just brushed himself off and stalked out the door shoving Saengen and Draco out of the way as he did so.
"So what does she want?"
"To talk you and Adrian of course. She's not really happy about him being here and his disrespectful nature. I find it amusing however…"
Harry walked into the room and found Hermione sitting at the table giving Dessmona uneasy glances. She angel was the picture of anger, her aura was radiating and you could feel it from the second flight of stairs if you paid attention to it. Her eyes were flashing in annoyance and when they landed on Harry and his apprentice, they narrowed even further and glowed eerily.
"You should probably begin discussing what this war is about and what part you play in it Harry. You can't keep to much information from your friends."
Her tone was pleasant but under it was annoyance and something along the lines of hatred aimed towards Adrian. Both master and apprentice sat down and Adrian kept close to Harry while pulling out a list of information that he had collected about the war so far.
As the discussion went on Dessmona abruptly rose from the table and walked over to the kitchen and a loud thump and grumbling was heard. Everyone turned to see Dessmona standing over a flustered Ron who was rubbing a sore spot on his head. He looked annoyed but afraid of Dessmona doing something to him.
"What were you doing standing in a corner listening? Spying perhaps?"
"N-no, I wasn't doing anything," the boy's voice wavered.
"Well why don't you continue your lack of action in another place away from here?"
Ron surprisingly did as he was told and backed away in a hurry and went down another hallway.
Adrian just cleared his throat and went on.
"So far, Voldemort's plans are to work with Lucifer to destroy the rest of the Wizarding World; not just in London but the world. Destroy all Half-borns and "Mudbloods" and only keep the pure bloods. Of course that takes his followers down by a lot.
"Actually my mother's sources actually found some evidence of Voldemort wanting to connect his soul with a devil just like Harry, but Lucifer won't allow him to. Only one devil can do that and that is Harry. There's really no true reason why you're only that can do that but I think that's because of— "
"Adrian, stop."
The boy raised a confused eyebrow at Harry's sharp tone but obeyed his master and shut his mouth and nodded. He had figured out that Harry didn't want his friends to know that he was the Prince of Hell yet…
"Well anyway, Voldemort won't be able to use a devil's power that way."
Hermione had liked Adrian instantly as the boy enjoyed research and was very intelligent. He didn't shy away from hard work when it came to academics. He was bright and full of life and happiness (from what she could see).
"So Saengen, what made you want to become a full devil?"
The witch had no idea what painful memories that would bring up within the devil; things that he wanted to forget. He decided to just tell them anyway.
"My mother was taken advantage of by a devil, but she was a whore, drunk and foolish. My father didn't even care about her sins, but when I was born it was like I was not fit to wipe spunk from their shoes. The ones who were the lowest of low, lived in filth with three other children. When I was old enough to understand their treatment my entire family let me know that I was worthless. My mother would stand by as her husband whipped me and starved me and my siblings beat me as well. They got to go to trade school, which was all my family could afford. I stayed home and was basically a servant. My father had a pub and with what service he had I had to live in the kitchens and do all of the cooking and cleaning. I had to run around taking people's plates and the customers were hardly better than my father. Some drunk human cast Cruciatus at me. It was a weak spell due to his inhabitations, but to a six-year-old child it burned as bad as my father's whip on my back.
"My siblings laughed at me and spit on me. Even though I was treated badly, I still thrived through my devil's half. My magic was a bit out of control and once when my father's associates tried to take advantage of me, I ended up blasting him through a stone wall, and setting another one on fire. My parents, if it was possible, hated me even more.
"My mother actually told her husband to put me into the Thistle Glade. It's not as horrible as the Forbidden Forest, but it has its strong points. A full moon the night they left me there. Twice a werewolf bit me and the pack tore me up as well. Thankfully, a half-devil is impervious to werewolf bites…"
"I stayed in that forest for about a month I learned later. I wanted to be taken from the world that had destroyed me. I suddenly thought, 'What about my devil's side? What if I went to Hell?'
"In a dream a devil came to me and told me that I only had one chance to become a full devil. I followed his orders.
"I came back from the forest and returned home. My family was still living in squalor, and it was actually worse, without me to constantly clean up after their filth. As I slipped deeper into the darkness of hell and my heritage the stronger I became. I hid it until one day
After the telling of Saengen's tale the room was filled with a tension that just wouldn't go away.
"I suppose there's a good side to all of it. I gained my magic and even though some still scorn me no one can ever knock me about or tell me to scrub floors and steal poisons for my father's associates. My rotten "family" will never again scorn this earth. There's enough filth in this world without them taking up the air from the only good creatures in it."
"Don't you think that you are doing a poor job of gaining their trust by saying that you hate humans, Saengen or you enjoy the thought of people fearing you?"
Dessmona was standing in the doorway again and her eyes regarded Saengen with a hateful stare. The devil in question did nothing but brush a stray lock of hair behind one of his pointed ears and give the agitated angel a careless look.
"What they think of me is of there concern in which I have no intentions of changing. I am what I am and that is it. Unlike someone here I did not have the blessing (or curse) of having an angel helping me whenever I needed them. I suffered long and hard to have what I do now."
Harry gave Saengen an odd look. It had sounded as if the other devil was trying to insult him but he had done nothing to make him dislike him; so far anyway.
Dessmona strode into the room her eyes flashing and she looked down disdainfully at her pseudo familiar.
"You need to stop making more of yourself than what you are. You will never be accepted by the devils nor will humans want you. You are in a lose-lose situation."
"Are you trying to say that half-devils are worthless?"
Adrian stood up glaring at Dessmona who regarded him silently. His mother had been raped and it was by no means her fault or his for that matter.
The look on the angel's face said it all and in a rage Adrian rushed her. The movement was so fast that it couldn't be seen by anyone except for Harry and Saengen. When it ended Dessmona had four bloody lines on her face and Adrian was standing behind her, eyes blazing red.
Holding herself back, Dessmona just focused her magic on the wounds and leveled her gaze at Harry who was putting a small bond on his apprentice's magic. Adrian had a stricken look on his face and looked down at his hands which were covered in silver blood.
"I-I didn't–"
"I know," Harry said and he turned blocking the frightened half-devil from Dessmona who was seething in anger. Instead of striking out like Harry anticipated she stalked from the room. But stopped before she exited it completely.
"You might want to keep him in line, Harry. Adrian's strong feelings for you are going to be a weak point in the future… Keep that in mind.
………
Hermione followed Dessmona into the hall as the angel stalked towards her the room the two girls shared. Hermione could feel the magic rolling off the girl in waves. She was angry, humiliated, and felt betrayed. Her own charge would rather side with some immature little half-devil borne from a brutal rape than with her, the angel would had travel down to Hell with him and protected him from before he was even born!
Dessmona whipped around hitting Hermione in the face with her long hair. The girl looked at the distraught angel and gathered her courage to confront her.
"I'm not trying to be overly critical, but you did provoke Adrian into fighting you."
"How exactly did I do that Hermione? I was criticizing Harry about the lack of focus he was using to find ways to exploit Verajie and whatever plans he has to overthrow Harry and take his position and the little brat overreacted and had to make a gash on my face. What else did you expect me to do Hermione?"
The bushy-haired witch moved past Dessmona and walked into their room. "Harry told me that you know how protective of him Adrian is. They've close ever since Harry started to give him lessons. Also, Harry said that Adrian has really strong magical bursts when he's provoked."
"If that wretch hasn't learned how to keep in his magical outbursts in check by now, then he will forever be a failure." Dessmona twirled a stray lock of hair around her finger. "Of course, considering that Harry is his Master, it's not that much of a surprise to me."
Hermione sighed.
"You used to give Harry more support when you came here but lately it seems like you are quick to cut him down and criticize everything he does. What's going on?"
"I have no desire to discuss this with you right now. Harry needs to remember that there are others that he affects with his actions; he should have especially learned this at the end of the school year."
Hermione gasped as she realized that Dessmona was referring to the incident in which Sirius had been killed. She really had no right to mention it in such bitter tones. Even though Harry did not think things through that fateful night not all of the blame could be placed on him. Many other factors were in place that day, and Harry was known to lose a sense of rationality when the people he cared for were in danger.
**………**
Harry made his way back up to his room. Dessmona had lashed out and said things that were better not to mention. Adrian had reacted badly of course but without the constant hold on his magic from Harry's contact the boy had less control. Harry picked up the case containing Satar Dyo. The cool metal burned slightly to the touch.
"Master?"
Harry turned around, his hair falling into his eyes.
"'Dri, please, don't call me 'Master'. That is what I may be, but I'm also your friend, and according to Dess You have a slight crush on me."
Adrian blushed and then his eye widened as Harry kneeled in front of him and took his chin into his grip and then moved his hand to stroke his cheek. Adrian unintentionally leaned into the touch but then snapped out of it when he caught sight of the half-devil's eyes which were flecked with red.
Adrian gasped and tried to pull away but Avenairu had a lock on him. His red eyes were intense and Adrian shuddered under the intense gaze. That cocky smirk just escalated into a suggestive smirk. The half-devil advanced onto the frightened boy and Adrian tried to jerk his head out of the other's grip.
"Have I ever told you how attractive you have become? You still have a ways to go, but you show promise…"
Avenairu shook his head and then his eyes cleared back to green. Harry sighed and let Adrian go.
"I'm sorry about that Adrian. I hate the fact that I have so little control over him."
The two of them just sighed softly and Adrian's face still held an embarrassed color to it.
"It should be time for dinner, shouldn't it?
**…………**
Harry walked into the room with Adrian not too far behind. The golden-haired boy smiled at Hermione who was already sitting at the table sipping quietly at her pumpkin juice and took a seat next to her. Harry sat down across from the two and then Ron came in as well. He took in the sight before him of the two half-devils and his former girlfriend and frowned going around the table to avoid coming in close contact with them.
Adrian regarded Ron with a piteous look while Harry scowled and Hermione sighed sadly. The redhead just sat down dejectedly at the other end of the table and looked down at the table not looking at anything else.
Dessmona walked in her eyes finding Harry immediately. She gave him a cold stare and then her eyes flashed at Adrian and she paid no attention to Hermione. She sat a seat down from the bushy-hair witch and then gave Mrs. Weasley a smile that didn't reach her eyes as the older woman came into the room.
Mrs. Weasley was levitating a few dishes into the room and was talked in slightly worried tones to Remus.
"Arthur should have been home nearly an hour ago…"
The whooshing sound of someone coming in through the Floo made Mrs. Weasley stand up with a smile on her face and move to the other room.
"Arthur," She began with a genial voice, but she stopped in horror and let out a sharp cry of fear.
"Arthur!"
Immediately everyone rushed into the other room and found Mrs. Weasley collapsed next to the felled form of her husband. His body was battered and bruised; blood staining the floor around him. One of his eyes was swollen shut and a bit of blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Dessmona knelt by the fallen man and began to remove his jacket. She did it magically so she would cause him less discomfort and gently began to assess his wounds.
"What happened!"
Arthur opened his good eye and tried in vain to smile reassuringly at his wife. It came across as a grimace. He groaned when Dessmona pressed a hand against the man's chest trying to see if any of his ribs were broken. There were in fact, unfortunately, three ribs that were broken and ugly bruises betrayed were they were under the skin.
"Don't hurt him! Be gentle!" Mrs. Weasley cried while she cradled his head in her lap. Dessmona just shook off the woman's hands and her eyes were blazing as she lifted her eye to the distraught woman's level.
"We need to get him off of the floor."
Snape transfigured a sturdy Hospital-like bed in the middle of the room and Remus transfigured more comfortable pillows for the man to rest his aching head on. Harry used his magic to slowly lift Mr. Weasley up onto the bed and Adrian picked up the man's bloodstained coat.
"How did this happen Mr. Weasley?"
The man gasped in pain as Dessmona worked some of her healing magic on the gash in his side.
"I was just getting—off from work and then–– there was an alert that the wards had been breached; completely ripped down. Then the intruders started firing off curses. They were too powerful and I could tell somehow that they were not human…"
Harry stood up and turned towards the fireplace.
"After you heal him, we need to go there and help the others. Also, this must be one of the first stages of Lucifer's and Voldemort's attacks. There is no doubt in my mind that devils caused this."
"You speak as if you were not one of them."
"Dessmona! If you don't want to help them, then I have no choice but to go alone!"
The angel pulled back from Mr. Weasley to glare at Harry over her shoulder, but before she could speak Harry cut in.
"I could take away the dark energy surrounding the wounds so you could heal him faster."
That enraged Dessmona even more. 'Does he think I lack the magic to do so myself?'
"No. You will stay here until further notice and not help me with this. You never think before you act and this is not a time to display your stupidity."
Dessmona pushed Harry back with a flare of magic. Everyone watched in horror as the magic struck the boy causing him to freeze in mid-fall mouth open in an expression of pain. His eyes were wide with surprise and a look of betrayal. A light appeared at his chest for a minute before dissipating and a sound not unlike a locked being latched sounded. He tumbled backwards but not without grace.
"Harry!" Adrian yelled, rushing over to his master. He collapsed onto his knees by Harry's prone body.
The distraught boy whipped around his eyes blazing red giving Dessmona a glare that would have seared her. The angel even looked slightly taken aback.
"Stop it Adrian! He will be fine. I only did that to keep him from rushing off until we heal Mr. Weasley and figure why there are devils there."
"What if Harry's right? They could follow Mr. Weasley's magical signature when he floo-ed back here and they could attack us too! You have to admit, with your powers restricted Harry is the most powerful one here!"
Saengen crossed his arms over his chest and fixed the caramel-blond boy with a annoyed glare.
"Am I not acknowledged as anything anymore?" He grumbled. Draco glanced over he shoulder at the other young man and smirked. Saengen raised an eyebrow suggestively in return.
Dessmona placed a hand over Mr. Weasley's chest and slowly began to heal his broken ribs. The process took a while because of all of the negative energy from the other devils.
Mrs. Weasley had gotten a cloth and was gently wiping away all of the blood that was draining out of the wound. Soon the wound was clean and Dessmona was nearly done with her healing process.
The angel smiled and brushed her hair out of her eye and in the process gotten a bit of blood on her forehead.
"I think that he'll be okay for now. It took a lot of energy to remove the dark magic from the wounds. One of the devils must have had some sort of poison on whatever weapon they used on him. It prevented some of the open wounds from getting healed properly.
"We just need to wait a few more hours and then we can—"
A sound that resembled a sonic boom rang throughout the room and then in the next split second, Dessmona was flying across the room and the angel ended her pseudo flight by crashing in the other wall.
"Oh my!" Hermione cried. She pulled out her wand as did the others expecting the attacker to be one of the rogue devils that Adrian and Harry had warned about but to hers and everyone else's surprise, it was Harry who stood there; chest heaving from the burst of energy it had taken him to flash into the room and the power behind the attack.
He stalked over to Dessmona who was rising from the floor, silver blood dripping down from her lips. Harry snatched the angel by her collar and pulled her up from the ground. Dessmona struggled to get out of his grip and then even pulled out a hidden blade and tried to stab him with it, but he brushed it away like it was nothing.
"What were you thinking?"
Harry's voice was thick with anger but at the same time clear and strong. The power from the half-devil's voice rang throughout the room. It made a shiver go down everyone's spine.
Harry Shadow-Shifted out of the room leaving a flare of magic leaving very stunned individuals behind.
Saengen looked over at Dessmona who was wiping her mouth of on her sleeve her eyes filled with murder.
"Looks like this time he had the upper hand." Saengen was secretly glad, Dessmona needed to be reminded sometimes what her place was. She was meant to be a mentor to Harry and teach him that whatever path he chose in this war over his soul, that it was his choice. The angel wanted to make the half-devil he own little puppet. She would soon learn that it would take more to control the boy.
"What are you going to do, angel. Sin–-, Harry, just left and he humililated you in from of all of them.
"The most important thing to do right now is help Mr. Weasley get healed. What that fool does is no fault of mine."
"Humph, it is you who is the fool."
Dessmona ignored him but her body radiated tension and anger.
'He will not get away with this.'
**…………….Devil's Snare…………………..11…………………….Devil's Snare………………**
_Really crappy ending to this chapter but I have to get it out._
_I have no real excuse for not updating, but I did have severe Writer's Block. I hate it when that happens._
_I'm going to start incorporating some potential "Snape Harry" bonding soon, so don't give up on me just yet._
_I need to get done with this before August 2007 or else I'm not going to garentee that this will be finished during college…uh…_
_Don't worry; this will remain a "Snarry" story. As this chapter supplied, Harry and Adrian have a bond that is very close, and basically it's one-sided. I'm not trying to be overly cruel to Adrian, but alas…_
_So, what do you think of Draco and Saengen? This is a kind of new idea. Their personalities are a lot alike so they just click._
_I'll see you all next chappy_
_CLICK THAT PERIWINKLE BUTTON, DARN YOU!!!!!!!!!!_
_JK!!!_
Korogi-chan
Word Count: 5,445
14. Capitulus Thirteen 13
_**Summary: **__Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
_Notes (1):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but also it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have not beta as of now and I'm not trying to entertain the thought of getting one…
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Devil's Snare
………
_Chapter Thirteen: The Massacre _
………
Shadow Shifting was just like running through fog in the darkness. A strange light reflected off of the fog that surrounded you but at the same time everything was visible. The entire trip between Grimmauld's Place and the Ministry of Magic took less than five seconds, but every single one of them, Harry enjoyed.
"I've missed this," he murmured as he strode through the magic surrounding him, leading him to his destination. In his bliss he did not notice that he was talking in the ancient language of the Dark Shadows from which his power had been gained. instead of English. The brief power surge needed to travel via shadow put his magical core back into a state of pure energy instead of what Dessmona blocked
The bliss dissipated when Harry arrived at the Ministry of Magic. There was damage all around him. The marble floor was shattered and stood up from the ground as if a great weight had dropped from the sky crushing it. The windows were shattered and as he took in the sight around him, Harry could see blood coating the ruins and bodies lying everywhere.
Harry moved through the wreckage as if through a dream as he saw the source of the attack. There stood Verajie, the devil who had tormented him from the moment he had stepped into Hell that fateful day with Dessmona. He stood there with his sharp nails puncturing the neck of an already dead victim their blood running in a sluggish path down into their shredded clothes and painting the skin that wasn't already covered in blood crimson.
"It seems that you got here a little bit too late, Sinner," Verajie said the title mockingly and slowly angled the limp body in his grasp so the damage was more visible to Harry. Without lifting his eyes, the devil squeezed the throat in his grasp harder, the fragile bones there finally giving way to the pressure and snapping. The bones punctured the bloodied skin and more blood ran to mix with the slowly cooling fluid.
Verajie just smirked and let the body fall to the ground, and Harry saw that the eyes were still open, a light brown forever staring, sightless, at nothing. The body landed crudely on a pile of stones that were no doubt a fallen wall. More bones were broken and each crack made another part of Harry's control snap.
"You see, this is what true power is–"
"What!" Harry ground out, his eyes flashing in anger and rage his aura flaring out and even catching the cocky Hell Master off guard. "Killing innocent people and then mutilating their bodies until they are nearly unrecognizable? You are worthless and a coward if you think that this shows that you have anything resembling power at all!"
It was then that Harry noticed that there were twelve other devils slowly surrounding them. They were only low to mid-rank, so Harry knew that he could handle them. They were only lackeys doing Verajie's dirty work. Knowing Verajie like he did, Harry knew that the devil would stand back and let the others try to get rid of Harry.
One of the devils stepped on the body of a victim the bones crushing under the heavy weight. He was low class his appearance not unlike a demon from a human's twisted fantasy, lacking the human-like features a high-ranking devil had. It was ugly grotesque.
That was it. Harry's control snapped. His magic flared out in his rage, even startling Verajie who turned abruptly.
Harry's magic burst forth and a burning pain ran from his elbow to the start of his wrist. A blade was pulled from both arms as Harry rushed at Verajie and used his weapons to tear at the devil's flesh.
"How could you do this to all of those innocent people?"
Harry slashed Verajie numerous times and then darted away from the devil when tried to retaliate and then disconnect the blades from his arms and threw them at the devil. The devil suffered the loss of one arm and then nearly having his head sliced from his body by another blade before they both flew back to Harry like a boomerang. They reconnected to his arms and then Harry rushed the other devils. Even in his rage he did not kill them, he only rendered them immobile or unconscious. Their bodies fell to the ground and Harry surveyed the damage briefly before moving back to Verajie.
The other devil fought back but Harry's rage overpowered him. This was not at all like the last fight that the two had encountered with Harry being the one who would most likely loose. Harry was relentless and endured much less pain than he was giving out. Finally, the bloody tussle ended with the devil laying one the floor in a puddle of his own blood.
"You said once that you wanted to know why I refuse to fully accept my devil's side and become the true Prince. I don't want the darkness to consume me and turn me into a twisted being such as yourself."
Verajie laughed and by doing so coughed up blood. What should have been red was mixed with black, the same color as the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Hell Master's soul. His silver eyes regarded Harry with an evil gleam something that even unsettled Avenairu who was slowly leaving Harry and letting the wizard come back into control.
"Then you fear yourself and what you might become. That is your greatest weakness and it will destroy you in the end. I will wait in the shadows for that day and with it I will strike you down. You know this and still you waste your life…"
Harry twisted the blade again and he felt through the hilt that more ribs snapped. Verajie laughed into the pain and with the jerk more blood spilled from his bruised lips.
"You contradict yourself, Sinner. As your blade carves itself into my heart, you become more like me. You revel in causing me pain; you think that it somehow justifies the life that I and me followers took away from these fools."
As Harry opened his mouth to protest, Verajie cut him off.
"Do not even try to hide it by saying that Avenairu is fueling this anger and joy in suffering. Deep inside yourself you keep all of the pain that people inflicted on you and one day that will overflow as each human's blood spills upon the floor of this room. In that day you shall lose yourself and become what you were meant to be, a devil."
"I will never become anything remotely like you," Harry whispered.
"You will, Prince."
Harry pulled his blade out of Verajie's body roughly causing blood to fly everywhere, even on his face. His eyes were stricken and Verajie closed his eyes in triumph. He felt the air around him change and when his eyes opened again Harry was gone.
The devil slowly raised himself off of the ground and leaned heavily on his sword to steady himself. He looked around at the devil's bodies strewn out on the floor, all of them close to death, too close, but still hanging on the weak thread of life. In his rage, Harry had nearly killed them but had somehow held back.
'Foolish boy. Miserable wretch.'
Verajie lifted his head to the ceiling where a gaping hole let in the evening light the colors like fire, not unlike the one his actions had caused one to light in Harry's heart.
"When you fall, Sinner, I will be there to triumph over your own weakness…"
………
Adrian was the first to sense the change in the air around them, his heartbeat speeding up when he felt the tell-tale magic of Shadow Shifting make itself known. Tears filled his eyes as he whipped around, yelling the first thing that came to mind.
"Harry!"
People began pouring into the room; Remus and Snape were the first and they stopped at least seven feet from the wizard. Hermione and Draco came in along with Saengen who just sighed and crossed his arms over his chest when he saw Harry's eyes. Dessmona was the last to come in and even though she had been hard on Harry for the past few days she could not find even one harsh word to say towards him with the broken look on his face.
"Oh, Harry."
Hermione's breathed words were filled with sorrow at the sight that greeted them all. Harry stood there, his clothes tattered and blood covering what was left. He had bruises along his arms and neck and a long gash over the side of his face. A trail of blood trickled from his nose and mouth and even his ear. His posture was so weak that a slight gush of air could make him fall over.
His injuries were not the worst thing. His eyes burned with sorrow and tears were in them, the telltale shine making them bright. The liquid began to build and then as he spoke one tear began to fall down his cheek.
"Dead, all of them…"
His voice, unlike his body was not broken but hard. The words that spilled from his chapped and swollen lips were like shards of glass not unlike the glass that littered the Ministry. It made everyone in the room recoil, even Snape with his stoic nature could not be uneffected by it.
Snape was the first to speak up.
"What is "all", Potter?"
The words were spoken without their usually venom for which Harry was grateful.
"Thankfully many people were gone that day and there were only fifty people left in the building that I know of. I tried to heal some of them but they were too far gone. Some of the injured had gotten away and were outside, but still they _died_."
The last word was filled with so much anguish that even Ron who had recently entered the room felt compassion for Harry.
"Was the act by devils, Potter?"
Harry nodded, but kept his eyes focused on the ground. "Verajie was leading them."
Saengen, Dessmona, and Adrian stirred and became focused. Snape nodded in understanding of who the devil was but the others were looking confused.
The distressed half-devil didn't stop to explain. "There were twelve other devils with him low to mid-rank. They were just mindlessly killing, taking pleasure from others pain."
Harry suddenly stopped and lifted his eyes to Dessmona. "Do you see now why I hate Avenairu? He represents everything that I don't want to be. I don't want to be evil and take innocent lives!"
Snape surprisingly made his way to Harry and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder offering support. The gesture was awkward but Harry appreciated it all the same. He smiled inwardly and thought, 'I must look a wreck if Snape is openly trying to comfort me.'
The Potion's Master felt the eyes on his from behind but paid no mind and lightly squeezed the other wizards shoulder.
"Stay on track, Potter."
Emerald eyes shining with tears regarded the other man deeply and Harry felt Avenairu's opinion of the wizard shift once again.
The two stayed that way until Snape removed his hand and Dessmona quietly approached and murmured softly, "What happened to the other devils?"
If possible, Harry sank deeper into despair.
"My magic tore from me and it nearly destroyed all of them."
Dessmona walked towards Harry and put her hand on the side of his face. The boy's eyes shot up and Dessmona just moved her hand down to trail along his neck and then make it's way finally to his chest. Harry jerked slightly at the movement as the contact, no matter how light, burned him.
"I felt the power surge of you magic and I just had to ask…"
The angel let her words trail off and Harry just nodded.
"Perhaps it would help if you shared your memories of the attack with us all. Then they would finally understand what the situation is that we are dealing with."
Harry abruptly shook his head and the wounds on his arms ran freely with blood once more. His eyes were wild and frightened.
"No! They will not understand! They will fear me!"
Dessmona reached out and caught Harry's hands and forced some calming magic into the half-devil through the contact. In his fear, Harry had slipped in Devil's Tongue, and the effect of the occupants of the room was obvious. Saengen's eyes were glowing softly as were Adrian's and the humans were troubled by the odd language. The harsh undertones of the speech would put anyone at ill ease.
"Harry, please, calm down. Releasing the pent up magic through viewing your memories will take away some of the tension and help you heal yourself."
That was partially true. Dessmona could heal the boy's wounds but at the same time the dark magic in them from Verajie and Harry was too much for her to handle without releasing more power.
After a few tense moments Harry calmed down slightly, and nodded.
"Okay, I will show them.
Everyone filled into the _living room _and sat down where there was space available. Snape and Remus created a large couch for themselves and Saengen made things easier on himself by reverting to his serpent counterpart and placing himself on Dessmona's shoulder. The angel walked to the front of the seating area and erected a large screen that was made completely from magic. It was not unlike a Muggle movie screen and as was to be expected, Hermione was fascinated by it.
"How exactly does it work?"
Adrian saved Dessmona the trouble and answered the inquisitive witch.
"Harry will project his memories onto the screen. It will show everything from different points of view, from Harry's own eyes and also from other points in the room as well. The magic used to make memories is not unlike having multiple cameras in a room. Everything is taken into account."
Harry walked stiffly towards the screen and pressed his hand against the swirling bits of magic there. A light flared at his chest and Harry gasped in pain as the magic was drained. It was also using up a bit of his life time to let go of the memory and that was something that he needed to focus on building up, not the other way around.
Slowly an image began to build up and Harry backed away and nearly collapsed on the couch behind him between Snape and Remus. Remus reached out to steady him but recoiled at the sharp pain he encountered just before touching Harry. He was sending out magic that prevented any physical contact.
"I'm sorry, Remus, I just–– just don't want–"
"It's okay Harry I understand…" the werewolf murmured quietly, his eyes full of compassion and sorrow for the young half-devil.
Everyone watched through the memory as Harry arrived at the horrible scene of the wrecked Ministry of Magic. Hermione gasped at the horrible carnage and even Draco had to cover his mouth and narrow his eyes in disgust. Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Snape couldn't help but feel disgusted at the death he saw there.
Dessmona was more concerned about how much power Harry had used in his rage that had nearly killed the devils and Verajie. As the burst of power ripped out and finally dissipated, Harry was shown in his nearly transformed state. Blood red eyes glowed dangerously and wings so black that they seemed blue spread out from his back. A circle of light was under his feet and it was shaped out like the face of a clock with seconds going by the hands flying to show the life that Harry was slowly being drained of.
With the cry of "Hellfire!" Verajie was blasted back. The power from the spell did not have a positive affect on Harry and when the light stopped gashes appeared on his arm.
"Why does that happen?" Draco asked softly.
"Whenever Harry uses his power that is connected to Avenairu, when it leaves his body the force is so strong that it cuts through his skin. Accepting the devil would stop the wounds from occurring, but…"
Dessmona let another sentence die off. The comment she was about to make was not necessary.
Harry deliberately left out parts of the conversation between him and Verajie.
When the memory clip was over, everyone stayed silent and their gazes were lingering on Harry who had tears brimming in his expressive eyes. He barely had any control over his emotions at that point in time and Avenairu was very close to the surface and with any false move the devil would be brought out of him.
"It's all your fault!"
Harry turned around slowly and the side of his face met Ron's fist. Harry jerked back from the recoil that he should have avoided and blood flew from his mouth.
"You! If you weren't what you are then Dad would have never gotten hurt, none of those people would have died today!"
Dessmona stood up her eyes full of malice.
"This was destined to happen anyway. Lucifer was planning this from at least five years ago to the best of my knowledge. Harry has nothing to do with it! At least him fighting Verajie bought us some time!"
"They still got hurt."
Ron turned to Harry who was up on his feet. Only sheer willpower kept the wounded half-devil from falling over from exhaustion and Avenairu helped with that too.
"What is this; some new twisted hobby that gets everyone around you killed?"
There was a flare of magic and Ron was snatched up by the collar of his robe dangling in the air. Glowing red eyes found his frightened blue and Avenairu was enraged. The frightened boy's eyes looked around and grew even more stricken when no one moved to help him.
Avenairu used his free hand to wrench Ron's face back to him.
"After all you have seen; the grief in his eyes, the pain in his heart, the self-hatred that burns deep inside of him you still deny my counterpart sympathy?"
The enraged devil shifted his gaze over to Dessmona who just stood there her arms crossed over her chest.
"I'm surprised that you're not trying to stop me, Angel. Aren't the actions that I'm committing go against your might and all-powerful God?"
Dessmona ignored the biting comments and shook her head.
"The boy needs to be taught. At this point I don't think that anything else is going to get through to him."
Once again, Avenairu and Dessmona were talking in the ancient language of the Devils. Only Adrian and Saengen could understand them. Saengen had to agree that even though he had known Ron for a short while that he boy was grating on his nerves.
"Typical human behavior, they fear what they do not understand and hate what they envy," the auburn-haired devil sad in English. All eyes turned to him and Ron cried out indignation,
"You think that I'm jealous of him? Of _you_? You're insane!!!"
Avenairu dropped Ron to the ground. The boy was flustered and embarrassed but not hurt. He turned hateful blue eyes onto the devil towering over him.
"You just have to ruin everything! Dad is hurt because of you! My own mother and girlfriend have turned against me! You invite traitors into your house and they are against me too!"
"You're right about it being his house, and the Innocent One can invite all he would like into here," Avenairu said sharply cutting him off.
"He's right! Harry has been trying to protect us all! He went to the Ministry of Magic to find out what was happening and to stop it. He tried to heal your father, and he's tried to gain back your trust. All of this is overwhelming, but you have no idea! You're putting a pressure on all of us that doesn't need to be there!"
Everyone turned to Adrian for who had, for the most part, been silent around the others until now. Hurting his master was one of the only ways to get under his skin and now Ron was going to see one of the deeper sides of the half-devil's anger.
Adrian's eyes were blazing with anger and sadness. They had an eerie red glow to them but tears were running slowly down his flushed cheeks. The air around him was charged with power and despite his age he struck a bit of fear into the one around him.
Ron stood there, shaking with anger and betrayal. He looked as thought he wanted to punch someone when he finally lifted his head and looked at everyone in the room. Their stares were too much for him and he quickly turned away and ran towards the stairs towards his room. One the way out he slammed his shoulder into Hermione uncaringly and nearly sent the witch to the ground. Saengen moved at a speed unnoticeable to the human eye to catch the girl before she hit the floor.
"Thank you," she murmured softly as she watched Ron run down the hall and then heard him slam his door closed.
"Yes," Saengen murmured back just as quietly as he righted the girl on her feet.
There was no movement in the room until Avenairu relinquished his hold on Harry's body and the boy slumped over in exhaustion, finally giving in to the pain that raced through him. Dessmona knelt by him and placed two fingers onto his temples as she did before to heal him.
"He needs rest and time to heal. Harry went through too many things today and I had forgotten how much death affects him."
"It affects us all negatively, but not so much as others," Snape nodded towards Dessmona as she effortlessly picked up Harry's broken form and made her way to the stairs. Adrian followed close behind her out of concern for his master.
Dessmona had no reply to what the Potions Master said but kept making her way to Harry's room. She paused at the doorway and turned to Draco.
"You might not want to be in Harry's room tonight Draco. His magic will be running wild trying to heal his body and the effects on you or anyone would not be very good."
Draco just nodded stood by the doorway.
Harry was laid out onto his bed and at once a soft light began to form around his still form. Dessmona pressed two fingers against the boy's chest and murmured something to him. A sound not unlike a lock clicking open ran through the room and sparks flew around Harry's body, half were green the others red. An insignia burned just above the place Dessmona touched and the magic began to fill the room with light.
The angel moved from the room just before the light could gain brightness and become blinding. The moment she shut the door a great power exploded inside of the room shaking the foundation of the house and making everything rattle dangerously.
"What was that release of power?" Remus asked softly.
"In order for him to heal, S-Harry must have his magic released. The conflict between him and Avenairu slows the process down so Dessmona had to release it," Saengen explained.
"It will drain his life but there is no other way to heal those wounds," Dessmona murmured softly as she turned and began to descend the stairs.
"He will be all right in a day or so. Until then no one must disturb him."
………
Ron was sitting in his room when the wave of magic went through. Some thing fell from his shelves and landed on the bed, thankfully none of them breaking.
"Why can't things just go back to the way they were?"
"They would if you could just get rid of one little hindrance."
Ron turned sharply and saw the mysterious woman who said that she could defeat Harry. She stood there at his window, as always looking at him with an annoyed and impatient look.
"Harry will be destroyed soon, don't worry. You will have your mother and precious girlfriend back."
She stopped at the look on the boy's face.
"That is what you want isn't it?"
"I just don't want anyone to get hurt. You are still holding up your promise, right?"
The woman smirked. "Of course I am."
She flitted out of the window and Ron heard her voice in her mind.
'I only cam to relay that message to you. Next time I come I want information."
Ron shivered and sat down on his bed again his hatred coming up in waves. Even so he couldn't get rid of the empty feeling deep inside of him that was telling him that everything he was doing was wrong.
…………………….Devil's Snare…… ………13………… …………Devil's Snare……………
Okay, that chapter is out. There is going to be a huge battle soon but don't worry before that there will be some more Snape and Harry interaction.
Sorry about the end of this getting choppy. I need to go back and edit but I wanted to get this out sooner.
Hopefully you'll give me some wonderful reviews
Cheers,
Korogi-chan
Word Count: 4,598
15. Capitulus Fourteen 14
_Summary: __Harry Potter has never been normal but now the "Boy-Who-Lived" has another thing that sets him apart from the normal Wizarding World. Two people from his past will return and unlock memories of new powers he's never been able to access or remember until now. These powers are more than enough to defeat Voldemort but along with them come new enemies and trouble. Will the new magic that Harry's accessed help or destroy everything that he holds dear?_
_Post: SS/PS CoS PoA GoF OotP_
_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just another obsessed, slashy, fan-girl._
Pairings:
_HP/SS, HG/RW, RL/SB (mentioned), DM/OC HP/OC (One-sided)_
Warnings:
_Abuse, Violence, Swearing, Slash, AU, Bloody Gory Details, unedited grammar errors... _
_That's pretty much it! Enjoy my first Harry Potter Fanfic!_
_Notes (1):_
_I'm sorry to say that this story will most likely not follow the story line of "The Half-Blood Prince" at all. Not only am I disappointed with the book, but it messes up my storyline completely. Now this story is officially AU so I hope that you will still enjoy it anyway. I wish that I could follow the book, but it will only give me a severe case of writer's block!_
I would like at least 8-11 reviews a chapter so please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This story will be coming to a exciting point soon so don't get discouraged!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
_Devil's Snare_
………
_Chapter Fourteen: Memories and Secrets_
……….
_Adrian raised his head from its resting place in his folded arms_. He looked around him with blurry eyes and let his head fall back to rest upon the wall.
'Harry has been asleep for two days. This is the longest he's been asleep, and he didn't even use his powers…'
The young half-devil blinked twice and moved his head so his ear was resting against the closed door sighing softly. It had been about a day since he had begun to sit there by the door, waiting for Harry to wake up. Every moment that he sat there, more anxiety build up in him.
'The look on Harry's face will never leave me. He looked so broken. Even though he has seen violence like that before and worse, if Dessmona didn't hide his memories from him he would be a lot better off.'
As a soft rumbling arose from his stomach and Adrian sighed softly and ignored the slight hunger pangs that had been going on for the past few hours. Even though his presence at the door did nothing to help Harry's condition, he didn't want to leave. He could ignore it, one of the perks of being a half-devil.
Adrian heard footsteps nearing the stairs and shifted slightly, focusing on the sound of the steps. They were light and quiet. Soon a bushy head of brown hair followed the steps. Hermione was coming up the stairs, a soft smile on her face and the smell of dinner wafted up with the plate in her hands.
"Hello, Hermione."
The witch smiled softly and held a plate of food in her hand. She knelt down next to Adrian and set the food in his lap. When a pair of confused turquoise eyes looked at her in query, Hermione's smiled widened slightly, not reaching her tired eyes.
"I thought that you would want some food. You've barely left this spot the past couple of days."
Adrian smiled and picked up the plate, picking up a piece of chicken and chewing it slowly. He smiled slightly at the warm comforting feeling.
"Thanks, Hermione."
The witch's smile reached her eyes and she shifted so she was resting her head against the wall like Adrian had done earlier. The two of them sat there in silence until she turned her head to look closely at Adrian concern on her face.
"Do you think that Harry will wake up soon?"
Adrian put down his fork and glanced over his shoulder to look at the door. He could sense, to a degree, Harry's aura and it seemed troubled to him.
"Even though Harry used up a lot of his strength fighting earlier, he shouldn't be asleep still. I'm worried about him. There has to be another reason that he is still asleep."
The half-devil jerked up in surprise when a warm hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up to meet Hermione's gaze. She squeezed his shoulder warmer and then moved closer to give him a hug. He stiffened in her embrace, a normal reflex that occurred when anyone outside of Harry and his mother touched him.
"I've only known you for a few days but I feel as if we've been close friends, Adrian."
She squeezed a little harder until the boy relaxed in her arms.
"Don't worry, Harry will be okay. From what Dessmona said, he has pulled out of worse."
Hermione slowly got up from her spot and Adrian offered her a soft smile, but looked down afterwards. Hermione just turned away and started to go down the steps until Adrian's soft voice made it's way to her ears.
"If Dessmona just let Harry have his memories back and unlocked his powers instead of trying to keep a leash on him, then Harry would better off. Keeping his powers restrained puts an extra strain on him and Avenairu. While Harry's other side is unstable sometimes, if Dessmona would just Harry handle it on his own, then he would probably be fine right now."
The witch looked closely at Adrian and finally realized how deep the boy's feelings were for her friend. There were tears shining in Adrian's turquoise eyes and he looked so upset. Hermione heard about the bond that a Master and an Apprentice formed but it seemed to go a bit deeper than it should…
"Maybe if you share this with her and point out that her control is hurting Harry, Dessmona might let him have more memories—"
"No," Adrian cut her off. "I'm sorry for cutting you off, but Dessmona will never listen to me. I'm sure if she has considered her influence to be the downfall of Harry, that doesn't mean that she will change what she is doing when it comes to his well-being."
Adrian put his head back down on his knees and moaned softly in frustration.
"Please leave me alone Hermione. I really don't want to be rude to you, but I need to think for awhile."
Hermione wished that Adrian would feel better so she went back to him and picked up the plate of half-eaten food, knowing that the boy wouldn't want to finish it anytime soon. She squeezed his shoulder and then moved towards the stairs, turning around before she began to descend.
"If you need anything, just call."
With no response from the golden-haired boy, Hermione turned away and walked down the stairs, hoping that Harry would wake up soon, to ease the tension in the house and for Adrian's peace of mind.
………..
Dessmona was sitting quietly in the sitting room thinking about the condition that Harry was in at that moment in time. Even though she knew that Harry had exhausted some of his magic reserves, there was no true reason that he should be asleep for so long.
By being asleep, Harry was causing a lot of problems. He needed to begin training harder and to learn Occlumency. Avenairu was becoming restless and Harry needed to start getting a tighter rein on the devil.
'This is highly unusual. I know it and so does Adrian. Harry has sustained more pain than this is he never stayed unconscious for longer than maybe a day, definitely not this long.'
The angel shifted on her chair and brushed some stray strands of her silver hair that had escaped her braid out of her face. Her violet eyes were creased around the edges out of stress.
'I must admit that Harry was put through a traumatizing situation the other day, but still. He has seen worse…'
Dessmona knew that by locking away his memories that she was hurting him. The violence that Harry had seen was bad and horrible, but it shouldn't have affected him to that degree.
"I'll give you one more day to wake up Harry."
_……….._
Harry was shifting around on his bed dreams beginning to plague him. There was so much blood and people that he cared for were being hurt. Little parts from the battle with Verajie and the incident at the Ministry were running through his head along with other memories that he hadn't unlocked yet. It was painful, even though his body was healed and as good as it could be at the moment, but his mind was broken.
A soft light was floating through the room, red and green sparks conflicting with each other signifying Harry's own magic and Avenairu's. When the lights met together, they flared and snapping filled the room. The air was charged with magic.
Even sleeping, Harry was disturbed. He was thrashing back and forth in the bed. There was an incredible heat inside of his body as his magic was trying to find a place inside of him to rest and heal the last of his injuries.
At least his dreams weren't troubled…
Harry found himself standing in the middle of a field; the sky was close to twilight, beautiful orange, red, pink, and purple lights. There was a river stretched out in front of him and the bubbling of the water reached his ears even though he was standing on the top of a hill looking out at the scene before him. The air was clear and cool in the twilight hour.
'This place seems very familiar,' Harry thought while basking in the calm that this setting was giving him. He stood there with his eyes closed just taking in the feeling until he noticed the different aura that surrounded him. It was more powerful than his normal state and a bit wilder somehow.
Harry's eyes snapped open and he looked down at himself and saw for the first time that he was in his armor that only appeared when he transformed. The heavy material covered his entire body and even his cape was attached. His hair was longer and he reached up to the side of his head and felt his ears, which were elongated and were covered with a fine layer of silky fur. Turning his head and glancing over his should also proved his suspicions of being transformed he saw his tail.
"Interesting," Harry murmured aloud. "I'm transformed but Avenairu is dormant within me."
Harry stood there confused but let his musing go when he felt a presence behind him. The magical signature was very familiar and was coming closer. It wasn't threatening at all but a source of calm for Harry. He turned around and gasped at the sight that met him.
A woman was walking towards him. Long midnight hair flowed behind her and was shining with dark blue highlights. Her lithe body was encased in a leather jacket and pants with boots to match. The clothes were the uniform of a higher-ranking she-devil Harry's memory reminding him. Her skin was a beautiful pale alabaster and her face was striking but held a sad quality to it that told a story of someone who had suffered through a great deal in their life. Her electric blue eyes shone with a sort of longing as she made her way to him and her soft pink lips formed into a sad smile as she finally came into his range.
When she made it there the devil stood there in front of Harry. In spite of the fact that she was a female, the devil stood nearly eye-to-eye with Harry. The wind blew around them blowing their long hair into their faces and twisting it around them.
"Do you remember me, Harry?"
Her voice was soft and low. Her eyes blazed at him in a quiet intensity.
"Adalyr…" Harry murmured in a sudden realization.
Memories began to crash into him, memories of the woman standing in front of him.
_Adalyr being collapsed on the ground and Harry picking her up and taken her to his haven_
_Her waking up and the two of them meeting for the first time and healing her injuries_
_The two of them meeting later on at one of the many assemblies held for higher ranking devils and finally learning each other's names_
_Dessmona's blatant dislike of Adalyr and cruel matter that she used around the she-devil_
_Himself, Adrian, and Adalyr laughing together _
_Adalyr running towards him with Verajie on her heels_
_The two of them falling backwards together with Verajie's sword through both of their chests_
_Adalyr __laying__ prostrate on the floor blood pooling on the floor beneath her…_
Harry held Adalyr closely to him and when he opened his eyes he had tears pooling in his eyes.
"I remember now…"
Dessmona had held a massive dislike towards Adalyr. Harry ha dnever understood why the angel had such strong negative feelings towards the she-devil, but the tension between the two had been suffocating at times.
'She most likely sees me as a weakness for you,' Adalyr had told Harry one day. 'Your care and love towards your friends is so strong and while that can be helpful at times, others it can not only endanger you but the others around you…'
That was true. Once, in an attempt to save Adrian and Adalyr, Harry had ended up being blasted off of a cliff and blown nearly in half. Only sheer luck and a newly discovered source of power on his behalf had saved him. Dessmona had hated Adalyr even more after that and had treated Adrian even colder than normal.
Harry gasped as he had more memories flow through his head of Adalyr being fatally wounded and even though there had been a chance for Dessmona to save her, she had let the devil perish.
A burning hate began to swirl around inside of Harry and his magic levels rose, in his dream and in his room. Adalyr held him tighter.
"Don't hold a grudge against her, Harry. It would have happened sooner or later. She was right, I was holding you back…"
"NO!" Harry's outburst made the other devil pull back from his tight embrace and look up into his burning eyes that had swirls of red burning in their depts.
"IT wouldn't have happened and it shouldn't have happened. Dessmona let herself be blinded by her jealousy!"
Adalyr didn't say anything but she just moved back to her previous position with her head resting on Harry's shoulder. Harry rested his head against hers and inhaled the scent of her hair letting the comforting sent sooth his frazzled nerves.
"If this is a dream, then how am I experiencing all of this?"
"Technically this is not a dream. You placed my soul in a protected part of one of your Hell Levels and that advantage lets me be able to send visions and contact whoever I choose to. I've already spoken to Adrian.
"The main reason that I've done this is to help you unlock more memories. Dessmona will probably let you have more of them over time, but not soon enough."
Harry nodded against her head and let his eyes gaze outwards towards the sunset. The colors shone in a beautiful array across the sky. It reminded Harry of how much magic it had taken him to create this place. It was hidden, even Lucifer didn't know about it.
Harry was broken out of his reverie by Adalyr pulling away and brushing her hand against his cheek and their eyes met briefly. Jade clashed with Sapphire and they held each other's gaze intently until Adalyr turned a slight red and turned away.
"You will find something that will help you uncover more of your memories when you awaken. Don't let Dessmona know, many of the memories will show you different powers that she doesn't know about anyway."
Adalyr broke away from Harry's hold and looked around with a small smile. It lit up her face with a rare content look that he remembered from the days that she had been alive.
"You will wake up soon after this. I had to find a way to get in contact with your subconscious; you would have woken up much earlier if I could have done it faster…"
She turned away and soon faded into the shadows cast from the cloud passing over the sky. Everything around Harry began to fade into gray color and Harry could feel himself rising back into the world of the living.
……….
Adrian's head snapped up from its place on his arms. He turned around and moved to the door, pressing his ear against Harry's door. With his sensitive hearing, Adrian could hear Harry begin to stir in the bed.
The door wasn't burning with the magic anymore so the young half-devil could push it open. Adrian slipped into the room and then shut it softly looking towards the bed. The sparks from Harry's magic were still floating around in the air but they weren't as bright and the tension from there was draining away from the air.
Harry opened his eyes and he stared towards Adrian's general area with unseeing eyes until his eyes focused on the boy.
" 'Dri?"
At his name, Adrian moved swiftly towards the bed and sat on the edge, remembering at the last minute that his master could still have a few injuries left.
"Don't worry, I'm healed. Adalyr had to contact my subconscious to leave me a message…"
"Adalyr contacted you? What did she have to say?"
Harry shifted slightly as Adrian moved to lie next to him on the bed and moved so the other boy could rest his head on Harry's shoulder. He knew how tired he was by sitting outside of his door all night.
"She told me that she was going to show me some more of my memories and leave me something that is important to me. I think that she said you had it for me…"
Adrian's eyes lit up and he sat up and reached up around his neck and pulled a necklace chain and pulled it over his head. At the end there was a gem that reminded Harry of the deep blue color of Adalyr's eyes. It was shaped like a teardrop and glowed softly as if it were holding magic inside of it.
Harry turned around and lifted up his slightly tangled mass of hair and pulled it over his other shoulder so his neck was bare. Adrian took the hint and moved closer to place the necklace around his Master's neck. He hooked the clasp in the back and wrapped his arms around Harry from behind, resting his face into Harry's hair.
The two stayed that way for a few moments until Harry shifted and said softly,
"I should probably get cleaned up and go downstairs to talk with Dessmona. I know that she is upset with me."
Adrian sat back on his knees and watched as Harry got up and pulled off his clothes. Adrian moved to lie down on the bed, the exhaustion that he felt was finally catching up with him and he stretched out on the bed. By the time Harry came back to place blankets on his body the half-devil was already asleep.
……….
"Worried about him?"
Saengen had just entered the room leaning against the doorframe an amused look on his handsome face. He brushed his deep red hair out of his eyes and smirked slightly before waiting for the angel to answer.
"There is no reason for him to be asleep for so long."
The two of them sat there in pensive silence before a sudden though appeared to Dessmona.
'I haven't checked the amount of time that Harry has used in the past year and how that effects his lifespan. Every fifty years that is taken away leads to a slight shift in the energy that is building up on Avenairu's side. When the first fifty was gone, Harry experienced something along the lines of a seizure and collapsed.'
"I think that I might know why he's like this."
At this moment in time Snape and Draco had come downstairs and were passing into the kitchen to find something to drink. Kreacher had been missing for the past two weeks or so rending everyone to do simple tasks the elf normally did (if he didn't loath your existence) themselves.
"You've finally figured it out? It has taken you long enough," Snape drawled. As much as the boy annoyed him, seeing Harry in that broken state had somehow changed his opinion of the young wizard.
Dessmona opened the door magically, ignoring Adrian who called out in query as he was roused from his brief doze. She walked over to the nightstand that held the charm that Harry wore around his neck that showed how much time he had left.
"Do you know why Harry didn't wake up until now?"
Dessmona gave Adrian a look of distain but sighed and said, "It might be because another fifty years have gone by that he has used up of his life force."
The angel inspected the bauble in her hand and after a few seconds she gasped in surprise and anger.
"One hundred and seventy-five years…"
"What did you say?" Adrian gasped in horror.
"Well, that doesn't put a huge dent on his life does it?" Saengen said. "Having a devil as his other half lengthens his life about one thousand years, so it's not that big a deal."
'It is a big deal. He's using up too much magic. It takes a toll magically and on his life force. Just because Harry has all of this extra time doesn't mean that he has to let all of it go away.'
Saengen and Dessmona looked up as Harry opened up the bathroom door steam following him out. His long wet hair fell down his bare back and he started slightly at the company in his room.
"So, I see that you are awake now."
Harry just nodded at Dessmona and ignored the heated looks that Saengen was raking over his partially nude form.
"Yes…"
The angel just regarded him silently.
"It has just come to my attention that you have used up about one hundred and seventy-five years off of your lifespan. Between having your magic released to heal your injuries, the battle with Verajie and past excursions, you're draining your life too fast."
Harry just looked at her with an unreadable expression and moved towards his dresser and pulled out a shirt and a pair of pants.
"I can't help that Dessmona. The only thing I can do now is to stop using up so much time."
Dessmona sighed in exasperation. "If you just accepted Avenairu—"
"No!"
"You can't just use the power whenever you want. You'll waste your life and throw away what we are trying to do here!"
Harry turned blazing eyes towards Dessmona and the angel flinched slightly.
"Adrian, Saengen, leave us, please."
Both devils silently left the room without protest. When the door clicked shut, Harry slowly moved towards the angel and glared down at her."
"I won't accept him. There is too much evil involved and I won't stand for it in any way."
"Harry, if you don't do this—"
"I'm done talking about this right now. Please tell the others that I'm awake." Harry murmured softly interrupting the annoyed angel once again.
"I am not your personal servant, Harry."
"But it seems that I am that way to you."
Harry fixed Dessmona with an empty gaze, his eyes clouded over. For the second time she found herself flinching at the cold stare.
Dessmona stood there turned towards the door while Harry put on his clothes. When she heard the rustling stop, Dessmona turned to reprimand the half-devil, but a rush of magic met her instead of the eerily calm boy.
Harry Shadow Shifted out of the room and Dessmona looked around in confusion, still not being aware of the boy's ability.
"You can't avoid your destiny, Harry"
'No,' ghost of the boy's voice answered. 'But you can change it.'
……………………………………
It's been a long time. There is no excuse for not updating other than writer's block, sports, school getting ready for college and other things.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The plot thickens.
Tell me what you think of Adalyr!!
Please Review
Word Count 4,156
End file.
| fanfiction |
Foxtrot is a dance and style of music.
Foxtrot or Fox trot may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
Foxtrot 1976 film, a British drama film directed by Arturo Ripstein
Foxtrot 2017 film, an Israeli drama film
Music
Foxtrot album, 1972 album by Genesis
Foxtrot compilation album
Other uses in arts, entertainment, and media
FoxTrot comic strip, syndicated comic strip by Bill Amend
The Foxtrot, television play
Horses
Fox trot gait, horse gait
Missouri Fox Trotter, a breed of horse
Other uses
The letter F in the NATO phonetic alphabet
Foxtrot class submarine | wikipedia |
where does the energy of water droplet go?
My experiment:
I took a string (3 mm diameter and wet) and a water source (1 drops per 2 seconds). Then I attached the string to the water source. The string was then tied to ground
Observation : I saw some small droplets coming down.
Question : where is the energy of droplet getting dissipated ?
Reason for questioning : the droplet moves slowly so it means its loosing some energy somewhere it can be fluid friction but that friction is too small then what is making water droplet go too slow
Interestingly, the shape of the droplet you've drawn in the schematic explains it quite well. In droplets moving over a surface (at relatively low velocities) there are two forces counteracting gravity: viscous forces and surface tension forces.
Viscous forces are essentially caused by the no-slip condition at the interface between the droplet and the string. Surface tension forces on the other hand, are a result of the out-of-equilibrium contact angles at the front and the back of the droplet as shown in the schematic below:
In equilibrium the contact angles are a result of the balance of surface tensions as: $\gamma\_{sl}+\gamma\_{gl}\cos\theta\_e-\gamma\_{sg}=0$ where the subscripts indicate solid (s), liquid (l) and gas (g). This is in essence a force balance (per unit length) so a contact angle other than $\theta\_e$ results in a net force instead of the 0 on the rhs. The magnitude of this force (per unit length) can easily be shown to be: $F/l=\gamma\_{gl}(\cos\theta\_e-\cos\theta)$ where $\theta$ is the out-of-equilibrium contact angle.
If you apply this to a droplet sliding down you will have an out-of-equilibrium angle both at the front $(\theta\_f)$ and the back $(\theta\_b)$ that results in a net force of $F/l=\gamma\_{gl} (\cos\theta\_b-\cos\theta\_f)$. It turns out that the sliding velocity would be roughly 5 times higher if this term was neglected with respect to the purely viscous friction, meaning that this is in fact the dominant term (see [this presentation by Prof. Limat and references therein](http://www.lmm.jussieu.fr/~josseran/SingMeca/en/dropsLimat.pdf)).
**So what velocity can we expect?** To find an exact answer is extremely difficult, but I can give you an estimate based on a simple force balance. We balance the gravitational force $F\_g=\rho V g \sin \alpha$ (where $\alpha$ is the angle of the string from horizontal) with the 'drag' force. Again referring to the presentation of Prof. Limat you can see that the contact angles of the droplet are in fact dependent on the velocity of the droplet:
$$\theta\_{b}^3=\theta\_e^3- 130 Ca \;\;\text{and}\;\; \theta\_{f}^3=\theta\_e^3+ 130 Ca$$
where I have taken the prefactor of the capillary number ($Ca=\frac{\mu u}{\gamma\_{lg}}$) the same as in the presentation. As you can see $Ca$ is a dimensionless velocity. So we can write the net force from the out-of-equilibrium angles in terms of the velocity:
$$F\_d=\gamma\_{lg} \sqrt[3]{V} \left[\cos \left(\sqrt[3]{\theta\_e^3-130 Ca}\right)-\cos \left(\sqrt[3]{\theta\_e^3+130 Ca}\right)\right] $$
where I have estimated $l$ as the cube root of the volume $V^{1/3}$.
Solving $F\_d=F\_g$ should give us $Ca$ then, but unfortunately we can only do this in the limit of small $Ca$ due to the transcendental form of $F\_d$ with respect to $Ca$. The linearization in $Ca$ then results in:
$$u= \frac{3 g \rho \theta\_e^2 V^{2/3} \sin \alpha }{260 \mu \sin \theta\_e}$$
For reasonable values of the parameters (water droplet of $V=30 \mu L$) this results in around $0.1-1\; \text{m}/\text{s}$ which is indeed much smaller than the free falling velocity of such a droplet which is in the tens of meters per second.
| stackexchange/physics |
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Story by
Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
& Ronald D. Moore
Screenplay by
Brannon Braga & Ronald D. Moore
First Draft
September 29, 1995
1 A BLACK VOID 1
We can hear movement. Strange skittering sounds, like
razor-claws on metal... the hiss of pneumatic hoses...
the whirr and click of servos... liquid gurgling... an
eerie, alien cacophony.
2 EARTH 2
appears, hanging now in the starry blackness. The
alien noises continue, and far in the distance we hear
the muffled THUMP of what could be a distant explosion.
Alien TEXT suddenly appears next to Earth, and we
REVEAL we are in --
3 INT. BORG RECON CENTER 3
The image of Earth is actually on a monitor, which is
only one of DOZENS of MONITORS covering a huge wall.
We don't see anything of the rest of the room, but the
technology in view is distinctly alien and bizarre --
a mixture of organic and mechanical elements.
Circuitry and optical cabling are side-by-side with
what looks almost like arteries and organs. We can
still hear the creepy skittering and gurgling noises.
Occasionally, a SHADOWY FORM sweeps past the camera,
vaguely humanoid but we can't tell who or what it is.
All of the monitors are active, and they present myriad
IMAGES and SOUND -- all related to EARTH HISTORY. The
screens show everything from written Chinese... to
Renaissance paintings... to black and white newsreel
footage of World War Two... to what look like clips of
space battles from the 24th century. The entire range
of human history dancing across the monitors. The
effect is dizzying -- we get the feeling that whoever
is watching this is studying the human race.
There is another THUMP and the wall of monitors
SHUDDERS slightly. We hear the VOICE of what we will
come to know as the BORG COLLECTIVE -- thousands of
voices speaking at once :
BORG
Restrict search parameters to 1-9-
9-8 through 2-0-8-4.
The images on the monitors now change to show us images
from 21ST CENTURY Earth history.
Again, it's a collection of still photography, video
footage, text, artwork, etc. We hear snippets of sound-
bites, music, speeches from the period. A lot of
enticing details. As the images race across the
monitors, we should learn the following.
-- The turn of the 21st century brought chaos.
Regional wars, the collapse of the United Nations.
Societal break-down. Crime, starvation, desperation.
-- A Third World War. Nuclear explosions,
environmental disasters, tens of millions dead. The
United States ceases to exist. All political authority
vanishes. Humanity teetering on the edge of the Second
Dark Age.
-- The image of a single man -- ZEPHRAM COCHRANE. A
visionary scientist. He see the spacecraft he created
out of a nuclear missile. He flies the first warp
test, breaking the light barrier. It changes history.
-- Grainy black and white images of a VULCAN SCOUT SHIP
landing on Earth. They saw Cochrane's flight, followed
him back to Earth, and made First Contact with the
human race.
-- Humanity turns the corner. First Contact with an
alien civilization brings the planet together as never
before. Humans and Vulcans working together, beginning
to solve long-standing problems with new technology.
We see an early replicator producing food for the
starving millions. A new World Government is formed.
-- People from planet Earth and people from Vulcan form
an Alliance. They call it the United Federation of
Planets. And they commission a fleet of starships for
protection and exploration. They call it Starfleet.
-- These are images recounting the birth of the Star
Trek universe.
Another muffled EXPLOSION, this one stronger, SHAKES
the entire wall. One of the monitors BLOWS OUT in a
shower of sparks. And now a new voice, a woman's
voice, low, threatening, with a slight metallic
inflection, speaks for the first time:
WOMAN'S VOICE
Stop search. Calculate temporal
coordinates. J-Fourteen.
Another explosion ROCKS the room and it takes us to:
4 EXT. SPACE - A BORG SPHERE 4
A huge, spherical Borg warship as it takes a phaser
shot from an unseen vessel. The BLAST smashes into the
Borg Sphere, but the massive ship continues. The
Sphere returns FIRE. FOLLOW the Borg fire to --
5 A FEDERATION STARSHIP 5
locked in battle with the Borg Sphere. The Borg fire
DESTROYS the Federation ship in a fiery blast.
6 NEW ANGLE 6
as the Borg Sphere flies away from the wreckage of the
decimated starship, and as it does, we reveal that this
is just one small part of --
7 A MASSIVE SPACE BATTLE 7
involving dozens of Starfleet and Borg vessels, engaged
in a fierce FIREFIGHT as far as the eye can see. Ships
turning, twisting, firing, exploding. Lots of movement.
It's a spectacular sight.
The Borg Sphere is moving away from the battle, heading
off in another direction.
8 NEW ANGLE 8
In the middle of the battle. A BORG CUBE is attacking
a smaller Federation starship. The starship is taking
quite a beating... explosions all along the hull... it
doesn't look like it can take much more of this.
Suddenly a spread of FOUR TORPEDOES come blazing in
from O.C. The torpedoes SLAM into the Borg ship,
causing massive damage.
9 THE USS ENTERPRISE NCC 1701-E 9
SOARS into view and moves to protect the beleaguered
starship.
The Enterprise is Starfleet's newest and most powerful
vessel. An elegant and majestic ship. But unlike the
last Enterprise, Starfleet has opted for a more
muscular vessel and the hull is studded with weapons
and other defensive armory. We get the feeling this
Enterprise is ready for anything.
10 INT. ENTERPRISE-E - BRIDGE 10
The Bridge has been redesigned. A single Captain's
chair dominates the room, and surrounding consoles and
stations all face inward instead of out, giving Picard
instant access to his officers. PICARD in the
Captain's chair. RIKER at a new Ops station. DATA at
the helm. WORF at Tactical. TROI at Communications,
various CREWMEMBERS at their posts. The ship is at Red
Alert and everyone is tense.
PICARD
Signal the Endeavor to fall back.
We'll cover them.
TROI
Aye, sir.
She works her console.
11 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE & BORG SHIP 11
The Endeavor moves off as the Borg FIRE at the
Enterprise and BLASTS the saucer section. This should
also produce an unusual effect -- instead of the
traditional "bubble" shielding, the new armor of this
Enterprise ABSORBS the blast and dissipates the energy
across the hull. The ship is undamaged.
12 INT. BRIDGE 12
The ship is ROCKED by the blast.
DATA
Dispersive armor is holding.
PICARD
Bring us about. Target Borg ship
alpha four, port side battery.
WORF
Port battery, ready sir!
PICARD
Fire.
13 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 13
As RAPID PHASER SHOTS leap out from half a dozen points
along the ship's port side. (NOTE: The phasers also
look different, more along the lines of a gatling gun).
The Borg Cube EXPLODES. The Enterprise flies through
the debris.
14 INT. BRIDGE 14
Including MAIN VIEWSCREEN, which has a view of the
chaotic battle surrounding them. Another Borg vessel
looms into view.
PICARD
Starboard battery -- fire.
15 EXT. SPACE 15
The Enterprise fires a burst of phasers -- but this
time, the phasers have no effect. We see a strange
SHIELDING appears around the Borg ship.
16 INT. BRIDGE 16
On the main viewer, the massive Borg ship looms closer.
DATA
The Borg ship has modified its
shields, Captain. Our phasers
will no longer be effective.
PICARD
Ready quantum torpedo.
WORF
Aye, sir. Only three left.
Another JOLT as we're hit.
GEORDI'S COM VOICE
La Forge to bridge.
PICARD
Go ahead.
INTERCUT:
17 INT. MAIN ENGINEERING 17
Where GEORDI and N.D. Engineers are rushing about, hard
at work. Geordi is no longer wearing his VISOR -- he
now has artificial ocular implants for eyes. They have
a distinctive electronic look to them.
GEORDI
Captain, I'm starting to worry
about the hull integrity. We've
been running the support field at
full power for three hours
straight. I don't know how much
longer it's going to hold up.
PICARD
Understood. Keep me informed.
END INTERCUT:
18 INT. BRIDGE 18
The Borg cube is huge on the main viewer as the
Enterprise rushes toward it.
TROI
Incoming transmission from the
Borg.
PICARD
On screen.
Data works and the viewer changes to a view of the
INTERIOR of the BORG CUBE. A vast CHAMBER crammed with
HUNDREDS of BORG DRONES standing upright in individual
alcoves. They're everywhere -- on the ceiling, walls,
floor. This is a BORG COLLECTIVE -- hundreds of Borg
that form a gigantic "hive" mind. The Borg are half-
man/half machine. No individual personalities. No
feelings. They have only one goal in life: to
assimilate new races into their collective. To become
a Borg is to experience living death. When they speak,
they speak as a collective -- thousands of voices
speaking as one:
BORG
Your defense perimeter is
useless. You will be assimilated.
PICARD
(to Borg)
Break off your attack. By now,
you must realize you can't win...
BORG
Your opinion is irrelevant. We
are the Borg. Resistance is
futile.
PICARD
We'll see about that...
(to Worf)
Fire.
Worf works.
19 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE - CLOSE ON TORPEDO BAY 19
A QUANTUM TORPEDO BLASTS out of the launcher and heads
toward the Borg cube. This torpedo is completely
different than the traditional photon torpedo. It
oscillates and changes shape and color as it streaks
toward the Borg ship.
20 THE BORG SHIP 20
as the quantum torpedo HITS IT. But instead of
exploding on the surface, the torpedo PIERCES the ship
like an armor-piercing shell and momentarily VANISHES
from view. The ship then EXPLODES like a star going
supernova -- bright light and shock waves.
21 INT. BRIDGE 21
The ship is ROCKED violently by the shock wave. People
hanging on.
DATA
Main power still on-line, Captain.
Riker looks at his console.
RIKER
Casualties are light, Captain.
Minor buckling on the port
nacelle. Nothing serious.
WORF
Incoming message from the Starship
Intrepid. Admiral Hayes.
PICARD
On screen.
The viewer shows ADMIRAL HAYES on the Bridge of his
starship.
ADMIRAL HAYES
The new quantum torpedoes are
doing the trick, Jean-Luc. We've
destroyed forty-seven Borg ships
so far... and only lost fifteen of
our own.
(beat)
But one of the Borg ships has
broken through our defenses, and
it's heading directly for Earth.
Can you handle it?
PICARD
Absolutely.
ADMIRAL HAYES
Good hunting. Hayes out.
PICARD
Mister Data, set a pursuit course.
Maximum warp.
22 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 22
as it breaks away from the battle...and races INTO
WARP.
23 EXT. SPACE - EARTH 23
There are Starfleet satellites and space stations in
close orbit. The Borg Sphere seen before enters frame.
The satellites open fire, but they have little effect
on the massive Borg Sphere, which returns fire,
EXPLODING them in orbit.
The Sphere heads down toward the Earth...
24 INT. BRIDGE 24
DATA
We are approaching the Terran
System, Captain.
PICARD
Go to impulse. Where's the Borg
ship?
DATA
It has entered Earth orbit.
(off console)
Correction -- it is not in orbit.
It is heading directly toward the
surface.
PICARD
What?
Picard gets up, moves to Data's console.
RIKER
(incredulous)
Some sort of suicide tactic?
DATA
Unknown, sir. Suicide tactics are
not normally associated with the
Borg.
Data reacts to his console.
DATA
Sensors show a temporal signature
emanating from the Sphere. High
concentrations of tachyons...
Picard studies Data's monitor.
PICARD
And chronometric particles... it's
as though they're trying to create
a temporal vortex...
A beat as Picard makes a shocking realization.
PICARD
Time travel... they're attempting
time travel...
(beat)
Full power, Mister Data. Worf,
quantum torpedoes at my command!
WORF
Aye, sir.
25 EXT. EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE 25
The Borg Sphere GLOWING RED and beginning to burn with
friction as it PLUMMETS toward Earth...
26 NEW ANGLE - THE ENTERPRISE 26
plunging down into the atmosphere, giving chase...
27 INT. BRIDGE 27
Urgent.
WORF
Range -- fifty kilometers.
DATA
A temporal vortex is forming
directly ahead of the Sphere.
28 EXT. EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE 28
Just ahead of the Sphere we see a TEMPORAL VORTEX
opening -- a maelstrom of light and energy stretching
into infinity. ENERGY explodes from the vortex as the
Sphere begins to go inside...
29 THE ENTERPRISE 29
as it's HIT by the tremendous energy blast from the
vortex. The ship spins around, nearly rips apart.
30 INT. BRIDGE 30
Everyone THROWN to the deck. Consoles sparking. Power
failing. SHAKING.
RIKER
Main power off-line!
DATA
Switching to emergency back-ups.
Riker checks a console.
RIKER
We're caught in some kind of
energy wake from the vortex...
PICARD
Worf... torpedo... now!
Worf works...
31 EXT. EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE 31
Another QUANTUM TORPEDO is launched from the
Enterprise. But just before it hits the Borg Sphere,
the Sphere VANISHES inside the vortex. The torpedo
hits the roiling energy of the Vortex and detonates
with a harmless flash. The Vortex itself starts
COLLAPSING...
32 INT. BRIDGE 32
The shaking subsides.
DATA
I have helm control.
PICARD
Where's the Sphere?
WORF
They have traveled into the
vortex... through time.
Disturbed reactions.
DATA
The vortex is collapsing, sir.
PICARD
Contact Starfleet Command.
WORF
No response.
(reacts to console)
I'm not reading any Starfleet com
traffic in this entire sector.
TROI
(off console)
Captain, I've scanned the planet.
The atmosphere contains a high
concentration of methane, carbon
monoxide and fluorine. The oceans
have been chemically altered, as
well.
PICARD
On screen.
She works, and on the View screen EARTH appears as seen
from orbit. The crystal blue marble is now covered by
a thick, turbulent DARK ATMOSPHERE -- polluted and
ugly. Reactions.
PICARD
Life signs?
TROI
Population... thirty-five
billion...
(reacts)
All Borg.
A shocking moment.
DATA
(off console)
The planet's surface is covered
with Borg technology.
(beat)
So is the moon... and three other
planets in this solar system.
TROI
But how?
PICARD
They must've done it in the
past... they went back and
changed history...
RIKER
(stunned)
They did it... they assimilated
Earth.
WORF
But if they changed history...
then why are we still here?
DATA
We were caught in the temporal
wake from the vortex. It must
have protected us from any changes
in the time-line.
Worf's console sounds an alarm.
WORF
Captain, there are five Borg ships
closing in on our position.
PICARD
(making a decision)
Data, set a course for that
vortex.
TROI
Captain...?
PICARD
We have to follow them back...
repair whatever damage they've
done to that time-line.
DATA
(working)
Course laid in. Engaging impulse
engines.
The ship is suddenly ROCKED.
33 EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE & BORG SHIPS (OPTICAL) 33
The Enterprise is being chased by FIVE BORG SHIPS as it
heads down toward the planet. The Borg vessels FIRE on
the Enterprise.
34 INT. BRIDGE 34
As before. The ship is shaking.
WORF
Hull integrity down to thirty
percent...
PICARD
Steady as she goes.
35 INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN (OPTICAL) 35
Ahead of the ship, we see the VORTEX collapsing. The
shaking increases. A console EXPLODES.
WORF
Borg vessels are closing to two
thousand meters.
The ship is HIT AGAIN AND AGAIN. On the View Screen,
we're nearly on the vortex, but it's closing fast.
PICARD
Take us in!
36 EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE & VORTEX (OPTICAL) 36
The Enterprise just barely makes it inside the vortex
as it finally COLLAPSES. Both the Enterprise and the
vortex VANISH.
CUT TO:
37 EXT. SPACE 37
An empty star field. Suddenly, the VORTEX APPEARS and
the Enterprise comes ROARING out into space. The
vortex VANISHES behind the ship.
38 INT. BRIDGE 38
The shaking subsides. Everyone exchanges a look, tries
to re-orient themselves.
PICARD
Report.
RIKER
We're still in Earth orbit.
PICARD
On screen.
39 INCLUDE VIEWSCREEN 39
Which shows Earth. The Borg pollution is gone.
PICARD
What year is it?
DATA
(working)
According to our astrometric
readings... the year is 2063.
WORF
Captain, I've found the Borg
Sphere. It's on the far side of
the planet...firing at the
surface.
PICARD
(to Data)
Intercept course, full impulse.
(to Worf)
Weapons status?
WORF
Phasers are off-line... we have
two quantum torpedoes left. But
the computer targeting system has
been destroyed.
PICARD
Go to manual.
Worf pops open a panel and a high-tech TARGETING console
emerges with a small MONITOR and a traditional CROSS-
HAIR in the center. Worf grabs the targeting hand-
controls -- futuristic joysticks.
40 EXT. SPACE - THE BORG SPHERE 40
The ship is FIRING its weapons down toward the planet
as the Enterprise comes up over the horizon.
41 INT. BRIDGE 41
As before. Worf works his controls. A complex array
of grids, coordinate information, speed data, and other
weapons info on the monitor screen. He begins trying
to focus the cross-hairs on the Sphere.
PICARD
(over above action, to
Troi)
Track their weapons fire.
TROI
(off console)
Western hemisphere... North
American continent...
DATA
We are within torpedo range.
RIKER
They've seen us. They're taking
evasive action.
PICARD
(urgent)
Mister Worf?
Worf struggles with the targeting system.
WORF
Target...
The crosshairs keep missing the image of the Borg
Sphere, which is now twisting and turning to evade us.
Troi reacts to her console.
TROI
Captain, they're firing at a
nuclear missile silo... in central
Montana.
WORF
(struggling)
Target...
PICARD
(worried)
Montana...
The crosshairs finally LOCK on the Borg Sphere.
WORF
Target locked!
PICARD
Fire!
42 EXT. SPACE - THE BORG SPHERE 42
The quantum torpedo streaks in from off-camera and
slams into the Borg ship. It penetrates the Sphere as
seen before... a long beat... and then it EXPLODES.
43 INT. BRIDGE 43
As everyone reacts to the destruction of the Sphere.
But Picard has no time for celebration.
PICARD
(to Data)
Mister Data, I want to know the
exact date and time.
(to Riker)
Give me a damage report on that
missile silo.
DATA
(works)
Today is March second, 2063. The
time in Montana is oh-eight-forty-
five.
RIKER
(works)
Looks like they damaged the
silo...
PICARD
Life signs?
RIKER
Can't tell. Long-range bio-
sensors are off-line.
Picard thinks for a moment... makes an instant decision
and turns to Worf.
PICARD
Worf, have Doctor Crusher, Mister
La Forge and a security team meet
me in Transporter Room Three.
Civilian clothes.
WORF
Aye, sir.
Worf works. Riker turns to him, curious.
RIKER
Captain?
PICARD
In twenty-four hours, Zephram
Cochrane is supposed to conduct
the very first warp test... from
a missile silo in Montana. If I'm
right, the Borg were trying to
change the course of human history
by killing him or destroying his
ship.
RIKER
(nods in understanding)
And if they succeed, humans won't
make First Contact with the
Vulcans tomorrow.
(beat)
As First Officer I should be the
one beaming down...
PICARD
Normally, I would agree. But in
this case, the mission requires a
certain knowledge of 21st century
history. You're many things,
Number One, but you're not much of
an historian.
He grins slightly, has to agree.
RIKER
Good luck, sir.
PICARD
I'll keep in contact. You have
the Bridge.
Picard EXITS...
CUT TO:
44 INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM 44
Picard, Geordi and THREE SECURITY GUARDS are checking
their phasers and tricorders. Everyone is wearing civilian
clothes. Geordi has a large engineering kit... Transporter
Chief pulling on a civilian jacket. She looks a little
frazzled - it's been a long day in Sickbay.
BEVERLY
Will somebody please tell me where
we're going?
Beverly joins them on the pad.
PICARD
Montana.
(to Chief)
Energize.
BEVERLY
Montana? Well, that answers
everything. Why the hell are we --
They DEMATERIALIZE.
CUT TO:
45 EXT. MONTANA PLAINS - CONTINUOUS - DAY 45
Picard, Geordi, Beverly and the Security Team
MATERIALIZE on the vast, rolling plains of Montana.
BEVERLY
(continuing)
-- going to Montana?
Picard and Geordi take out their tricorders and start
scanning the landscape.
GEORDI
(off tricorder)
I have the silo, sir. Bearing
three one zero... distance, three
hundred meters.
PICARD
Let's go.
They start walking...
BEVERLY
Go where? Hello? Is anyone going
to tell me what we're doing here?
PICARD
We're here to find Zephram
Cochrane. He may be injured or
dead.
BEVERLY
Cochrane... the inventor of warp
drive?
PICARD
Yes...
BEVERLY
But he's been dead for three
hundred...
(realizes, long sigh)
Oh God... we've gone back in time
again, haven't we?
PICARD
I'm afraid so. If the Borg
succeed in preventing First
Contact with the Vulcans... Earth
will remain in the Second Dark
Age... an easy target when the
Borg arrive in the 24th century.
BEVERLY
Well, why didn't you just say so
in the first place?
Picard gives her a look. As they keep walking...
CUT TO:
46 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 46
hanging in orbit of Earth.
47 INT. ENGINEERING 47
CLOSE ON A DEAD CREWMEMBER lying on her back. A sheet
is covering her face. A hand reaches in, pulls back
the sheet, revealing the face of a crewman.
TROI
Lieutenant Sandra Farrel.
WIDEN to REVEAL Troi and Data. Data is holding back
the sheet while Troi scans the body with a tricorder.
There is repair work going on in the b.g. Two medical
N.D.s stand by.
TROI
It appears death was caused by a
plasma discharge.
(beat)
I'll note in her record that she
never left her post.
Troi glances at Data, who is clearly disturbed by the
sight of the dead woman, holding his EMOTIONS in check
with difficulty.
TROI
Did you know her?
DATA
Not very well. We met shortly
after the Enterprise-E was
commissioned. I found her to be
a most... promising officer.
Troi looks at him in concern.
TROI
Data... are you sure you're all
right?
DATA
I am still having difficulty
integrating certain emotions into
my programming. Grief, loss,
remorse...
TROI
We still have to make reports on
ten more crewmen killed in action.
Maybe you should deactivate your
emotion chip until we're done.
Data considers.
DATA
No. Human beings do not have that
luxury, and neither should I.
TROI
I will admit... there are times
when I wish I had an emotion chip
I could turn on and off.
RIKER'S COM VOICE
Riker to Data.
DATA
(taps combadge)
Go ahead, Commander.
INTERCUT:
48 INT. BRIDGE 48
Riker, Worf, N.D.s at their stations.
RIKER
We're reading some kind of gas
leak in the Environmental Control
Room. Take a repair team down and
check it out.
DATA
On my way, Commander.
As Data EXITS...
49 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 49
A WIDE SHOT of the ship. CAMERA CLOSES ON the AFT
SECTION of the ship, moving underneath of the hull,
pushing in on an area at the very bottom of the
Enterprise.
50 INT. ENVIROMENTAL CONTROL 50
Data and ENSIGN PORTER ENTER through a set of doors.
The lights are off in the room, dim. This is a large
room crammed with many conduits, gas tanks, 24th
century machinery and monitors. It's normally unmanned --
this is where oxygen, gravity, heat, and other
environmental conditions of the ship are controlled.
In a far corner of the room a CONDUIT leading to a
series of high-pressure TANKS labeled "D-O2" has
ruptured and is SPEWING a corrosive, poisonous GAS.
Data scans it with his tricorder.
DATA
(to Porter)
One of the diathermic oxygen tanks
has been damaged.
PORTER
(shocked)
Diathermic oxygen?
DATA
It is a new subsystem of Nova
Class ships. It regulates
hydropressure and temperature
variance.
(beat)
Remain here. The gas is highly
corrosive to organic material. It
would liquefy your flesh on
contact.
PORTER
Be my guest, sir.
Data walks over to the spewing gas tank, and without
concern shoves both hands into the corrosive gas...
... groping around for the broken conduit, finally grabs
hold of it... and with android strength BENDS the metal
conduit back into the bulkhead. The gas stops leaking.
Data is completely unaffected by the corrosive gas.
DATA
(to Porter)
Begin a diagnostic on the safety
interlocks. There appears to have
been some damage during the
attack.
PORTER
Right.
Porter moves around a corner, behind some equipment,
out of Data's vision...
51 NEW ANGLE - PORTER 51
who opens a PANEL on the wall. But instead of the neat
and orderly Starfleet technology, he is confronted by
a bizarre amalgam of organic and mechanical cabling,
diodes and what almost look like arteries. Some of the
tubes are pulsing with fluids and energy. Porter
reacts.
PORTER
What the hell...
Porter pulls aside a large conduit and stops. Buried
deep within the tangle of bio-circuits is what looks
like a HUMAN FACE covered with cybernetic tubes and
chips. It's barely discernable in the darkness and
clutter. Porter isn't even sure what he's looking at.
He leans in for a closer look... and suddenly the eyes
open.
52 DATA 52
who hears a THUMP and a sickening liquid CRUNCH from
off camera. He takes a few steps in that direction.
DATA
Ensign Porter?
He stands there for a moment, puzzled. Then a faint
SKITTERING SCRAPE can be heard -- like tiny claws on a
metal surface. He whirls at the sound.
DATA
Ensign... are you all right?
No response. Data walks around the now deathly quiet
room... turns the corner to where Porter was working.
He's gone. The open panel is still there, and there
doesn't appear to be any place Porter could've gone.
Data looks puzzled, takes a step forward when his boots
make a squishing sound. He looks down...
DATA
(taps combadge)
Data to Bridge.
No response.
DATA
Data to Security.
(beat)
This is Lieutenant Data to anyone
who can hear my signal. I need
assistance in the Environmental
Control Room.
Nothing. Data quickly turns and heads for the door.
There's a metallic SCRAPE above him and he looks up --
53 TWO BORG 53
are climbing to the ceiling like two spiders ready to
pounce. One of them has Porter and appears to be
inserting some horrible Borg device into his head.
Before Data can react, the second Borg suddenly lunges
at Data.
CUT TO:
54 EXT. MONTANA PLAINS - MISSILE SILO - DAY 54
The SILO is buried deep underground, but on the surface
there is a large, poured concrete MISSILE DOOR.
Built to withstand a nuclear blast, the door has
nevertheless been badly charred and damaged by the Borg
attack from orbit. There are large, smoking CRATERS
all around. Part of the ground seems to have COLLAPSED
to a depth of ten feet, like a sinkhole nearby. Picard
and his team approach.
GEORDI
This must be it.
PICARD
How serious is the damage?
GEORDI
(off tricorder)
I'm having trouble scanning
underground. There's a lot of
radiation leaking from something.
PICARD
Probably from the nuclear warhead.
Cochrane was planning to use it to
ignite the warp drive.
As they speak, Beverly pulls out a hypospray and gives
everyone injections.
BEVERLY
This will protect us from the
radiation.
Geordi moves to the thick, concrete missile door, scans
it.
GEORDI
I'm picking up faint life signs
twenty meters below.
PICARD
There should be an access hatch
nearby...
Everyone spreads out... looking for the hatch. One of
the guards -- LANGE -- finds it.
LANGE
Over here.
Everyone rushes over to him. There's a small HATCH on
the ground that has been partially hidden by weeds and
brush. Geordi kneels down, starts working a complex-
looking LOCK on the hatch.
GEORDI
Alphanumeric lock. We need a
password to get in...
PICARD
I have the password right here.
Picard pulls out his phaser and everyone steps back.
He aims and FIRES at the hatch, which is BLOWN OPEN,
revealing a ladder that leads down into the darkness.
As they start to crawl inside...
55 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM 55
This is the "mission control" for Cochrane's test site.
The underground room is filled with 21st century
equipment, consoles and monitors. One entire wall of
the room is dominated by a huge METAL BLAST DOOR, which
is now closed. We will learn that on the other side of
that door is the nuclear missile/warp ship itself.
The ceiling has partially collapsed. Chunks of
concrete and fallen beams have destroyed some of the
equipment...Only a few of the consoles are active, most
are dark or fritzing sporadically. The lights are out,
and the room is illuminated by a few smoldering fires.
Four dead bodies can be seen strewn around the room.
It's a scene of destruction.
56 PICARD 56
and his team ENTER the dark and smoking ruin. Beverly
and Picard move to one of the dead men, while Geordi
and the Security Guards move to the other three.
Beverly rolls the man onto his back -- he's clearly
dead. The name stitched on his uniform says Rippert.
Picard looks up.
PICARD
(to others)
See if any of these men are
Cochrane.
Geordi and the Guards start checking the dead bodies.
GEORDI
Mitchell... DePaul...
LANGE
This one's a woman... named Kirby.
Picard and Beverly move toward the immense blast door.
As Beverly scans it, Picard glances at a nearby desk...
57 THE DESK 57
is littered with debris and various documents and
schematics. THREE PHOTOGRAPHS are pinned to a bulletin
board above the desk -- they show Zephram Cochrane and
two angles of his warp ship. The photos are odd-
looking, printed on what appears to be some sort of
cloth.
BEVERLY
There's a life sign behind this
door... about ten meters below.
Geordi moves to the door.
GEORDI
Blast door. It's designed to
protect the control room when the
missile is launched.
PICARD
There should be some kind of
manual release...
They hunt around for a moment. Geordi runs his hand
along the edge of the blast door. Picard turns to the
Guards.
PICARD
(to Lange)
Get those fires out and then try
to restore main power to the
control room.
LANGE
Aye, sir.
The Guards move off.
GEORDI
Got it, Captain.
Geordi has found an emergency BOX with several
pneumatic tubes and a hydraulic lever labeled
"emergency use only." He pulls down the lever, there
is a hissing sound, and the blast door slowly SLIDES
DOWN into the floor. We can now see the MISSILE SILO
itself beyond the door. Picard, Geordi and Beverly
step into...
58 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTINUOUS 58
Picard, Geordi and Beverly step onto the catwalk, which
surrounds the Silo walls. In the middle is the WARP
SHIP itself. It should look like an advanced ICBM
missile with a COCKPIT in place of the warhead, and
with numerous modifications to the fuselage. The
cockpit is on the same level as the control room. On
the side of the missile is the name "Phoenix". The
missile itself extends down another FOUR STORIES.
There are other catwalks below this one, with ladders
connecting the different levels. Beverly sees
something below.
BEVERLY
There.
59 NEW ANGLE 59
Two catwalks below we can see a man sprawled on the
grating. They all scramble down the ladders past the
massive missile. (NOTE: Because of the design of the
Silo, we will see the entire missile only in a few
shots. For the most part, our view is limited to
sections of the missile.)
Beverly reaches the man, who is lying face-down on the
metal grating. She scans him...
BEVERLY
Severe radiation exposure...
Geordi looks over at the section of the missile on
their level. The side panels have been removed,
revealing complex circuitry within.
Picard joins Beverly, who turns over the injured man.
It's ZEPHRAM COCHRANE -- the man whose picture we saw
on the Borg monitors. Beverly begins pulling devices
out of her medkit, injects Cochrane with a hypospray.
Cochrane is a man in his mid-forties. He has a
youthful, dynamic appearance marred by recent radiation
burns.
PICARD
It's Cochrane.
BEVERLY
I've stabilized him for now... but
he's in a coma and he's going to
need radiometric therapy. I want
to take him to the ship.
Picard nods, reaches into his pants pocket, takes out
a combadge.
PICARD
Picard to Enterprise.
(no response)
Enterprise, please respond.
GEORDI
It could be the radiation,
Captain. Try from the surface.
Picard nods... then takes a deep breath, tries to
orient himself to the task at hand... there's a lot at
stake and a lot to do. He turns to Geordi.
PICARD
Mister La Forge, listen very
carefully. If you remember your
history... in less than twenty-
four hours, a Vulcan ship will be
passing through this system. When
it does, this ship needs to be in
space, flying at warp speed.
Geordi takes a deep breath, it's a tall order.
GEORDI
I'd better get started.
Geordi goes to work. Picard bends down and carefully
hoists Cochrane up into a fireman's carry. Beverly
follows him up the catwalk...
CUT TO:
60 EXT. MISSILE SILO - DAY 60
Minutes later. Cochrane is lying on the ground.
Beverly is kneeling beside him, unfolding a portable
stretcher from her medkit. Picard is checking two
combadges with a tricorder.
PICARD
It's not the radiation... and
there's nothing wrong with the
combadges... the Enterprise just
isn't responding.
BEVERLY
Jean-Luc, this man needs medical
attention, now.
PICARD
As I recall, the town of
Resurrection is about two
kilometers East of here. They
might have a hospital...
Picard looks troubled at the thought.
BEVERLY
What are we waiting for? Let's
go.
PICARD
It may not be that simple. This
is an extremely difficult and
paranoid time in human history.
BEVERLY
Are you saying they won't help us?
PICARD
I'm saying they might shoot us on
sight. You have to remember...
these people have watched their
entire way of life collapse around
them.
BEVERLY
There must be some good people...
even in this time.
PICARD
Let's hope so. Because if
Cochrane dies... the future may
die with him.
Picard kneels down and they begin to carefully put
Cochrane on the stretcher...
CUT TO:
61 INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE 61
Riker, Troi and Worf studying a MONITOR which shows a
three-dimensional DIAGRAM of the Enterprise, which
turns and rotates as needed. The schematic shows
battle damage and repair efforts.
WORF
I have assigned two damage control
teams to locate the source of our
communication problems. So far,
they've had no success.
RIKER
Assign another team if you need
to. I want to re-establish
communication with the Captain as
soon as possible.
Worf nods and begins making notes on a PADD.
TROI
Are we in any danger of being
detected by Earth defense systems?
WORF
There were no planetary defense
systems in this era. Their
weapons were designed to
fight each other... not
extraterrestrials.
RIKER
We have to start thinking about a
way to get home.
(to Troi)
Analyze our readings from the
temporal vortex. We're going to
have to recreate whatever the Borg
did to --
Just then the ship SHUDDERS and the LIGHTS FLICKER.
RIKER
Report.
TROI
(off console)
We just lost main power... and
we've got Class-Three alerts all
over the ship. I'm not sure
what's --
An ALARM goes off on Worf's console. He reacts to it.
WORF
A ship-wide decompression has been
initiated!
RIKER
What?
TROI
We're venting our internal
atmosphere directly into space!
62 EXT. ENTERPRISE 62
CLOSE ON THE SAUCER as vents and hatches POP OPEN on
the hull and GIANT JETS OF VAPOR start blowing out
into space.
63 INT. CORRIDOR 63
Crewmembers walking along are suddenly KNOCKED to the
floor as hurricane force WINDS blow through the
Corridor. The ship is venting air into space, creating
a virtual VACUUM inside the ship! The people in the
corridor grab onto the bulkheads, struggling to hang on
against the force of the wind...
64 INT. BRIDGE 64
Suddenly an emergency AIRLOCK on the Bridge OPENS.
VIOLENT WIND roars through the Bridge and everyone
hangs on. Troi is ripped out of her chair, flown
across the Bridge, slams up against the bulkhead,
struggling to hang on. Worf runs over, grabs her arm,
keeps her from flying out.
Riker manages to reach a control panel -- hits a button
and an EMERGENCY BULKHEAD finally slides down over the
airlock and the wind DIES DOWN. Everyone takes a beat.
RIKER
What the hell is happening, Worf?
WORF
(off console)
It appears that someone has taken
over the Environmental Control
Room.
TROI
Someone...?
RIKER
(realizing)
The Borg. Some of them must've
beamed over before we destroyed
their ship.
(to Worf)
Seal off that entire deck with
emergency force fields.
TROI
Wil... Data was down there.
RIKER
(to Worf)
Mister Worf... find Data if you
can, but your top priority is
isolating the Borg.
WORF
Understood.
Worf heads for a Turbolift. OFF Riker's disturbed
expression...
CUT TO:
65 CLOSE ON DATA'S FACE 65
His eyes are closed. There's a beat, then his eyes fly
open and he looks around.
We PULL BACK slightly, revealing Data is lying on some
kind of tabletop with metallic clamps and restraints.
He tenses his arm and tries to move, but he is unable
to break the restraints. About two feet in front of
his face is what appears to be a bulkhead. There is a
cacophony of strange background NOISE -- scratching,
hisses, gurgling liquids, odd alien hums...
Suddenly, the table begins to MOVE. It ROTATES, and as
it does so we realize that Data has been hanging upside
down staring at the floor. It's a disorienting moment
as our perspective changes and Data rotates upright.
66 DATA'S POV 66
As the table gyrates, we REVEAL the ROOM slowly. And
we realize we're in --
67 INT. BORG HIVE 67
The Environmental Control Room seen earlier has now
been transformed into the INNER-SANCTUM of the BORG.
The room has a dark, moist, organic feel -- a tropical
jungle of cybernetic equipment.
The Borg are altering the room, converting Starfleet
technology and materials into the living, bio-
mechanical look of the Borg. We see one Borg drone
attach a small pod to a Starfleet console and activate
it. The pod immediately sends out a COMPLEX WEB of
BORG TECHNOLOGY which covers the Starfleet console
inside and out. It's like weeds overpowering a flower
bed -- within seconds the console has been BORGIFIED.
The walls, ceiling and floor are now honeycombed with
the ALCOVES that make up the BORG COLLECTIVE. Borg
drones are motionless in their alcoves, cabling and
other conduits connecting them to various equipment...
while other Borg are moving about the room, carrying
out various modifications to the room. At one point,
we see Ensign Porter. He's been completely Borgified.
His skin pale, expression blank. No hint of humanity
left.
68 DATA 68
still strapped to the table, which is twisting and
rotating, giving him frightening new glimpses of the
room. A new image appears -- SIX BORG DRONES are
clustered together in one section of the room, each
with an elaborate series of hoses and conduits
connected to its face.
Through the tubes we can see an exchange of FLUID and
ENERGY pulsing back and forth -- some sort of bizarre
"feeding" or "renewal" is going on. The tubes all seem
to lead toward the ceiling.
Data is now horizontal on his back and the table LOCKS
into position. A Borg drone OPENS A PANEL on the side
of Data's head, and begins connecting a thick bundle of
optical cabling to it.
DATA
(to Borg)
Your efforts to assimilate me will
be unsuccessful.
The Borg ignores him, activates a console... and the
cabling connected to Data's head LIGHTS UP with power.
They're trying to connect him to the Collective.
Data thinks for a moment, tilts his head slightly...
and then suddenly there's a SHOWER of SPARKS from the
cabling he's been connected to. The lights on the
cable go out. Data has thwarted their attempts.
DATA
(to Borg)
It would appear that resistance is
not always futile.
Suddenly a new VOICE is heard echoing through the room --
a woman's voice, low, seductive, deadly:
WOMAN'S VOICE
Brave words. I've heard them
before from thousands of species
across thousands of worlds...
since long before you were
created.
Data looks up toward...
69 THE CEILING 69
A RUSTLE of MOVEMNET somewhere in the cyber-tangle...
almost like a snake slithering beneath the weeds. And
for a brief instant we get a glimpse of a FACE unlike
any Borg we've ever seen. The face of a woman. Pale-
skinned... piercing eyes...raven hair slicked back...
a hauntingly beautiful image in a sea of nightmarish
technology. And then it's gone.
70 DATA 70
Frowns. He saw it, too, but he's not sure what to make
of it.
WOMAN'S VOICE
But now... they are all one with
the Borg.
DATA
I am unlike any lifeform you have
encountered before. As an
android, I am in complete control
of my neural net. The information
contained there cannot be forcibly
removed.
WOMAN'S VOICE
You are an imperfect being...
created by an imperfect being.
Finding your weakness is only a
matter of time.
Suddenly three Borg drones converge on Data with
various wicked-looking Borg devices. One of the Borg
has a specialized cybernetic ARM, which EXTRUDES a
series of stiletto-tipped DRILL SPIKES. As the six-
inch spikes begin to BORE INTO Data's head...
CUT TO:
71 EXT. MONTANA - RESURRECTION CITY - DAY 71
Resurrection is a small town -- around 1,000 people --
a rural, Western community that's probably existed for
at least two hundred years, and we can see the roots of
the original ranching community in some of the
architecture. But it's also a community of the 21st
century.
The most striking feature of the town is that it sits
in the middle of nearly a hundred WIND MILLS, which
provide the only source of power for the town. The
blades are enormous, but the structures supporting them
are little more than simple poles. Some are sleek,
fiberglass, futuristic... others have a more cobbled
together, make-shift appearance. At the moment, only
a few blades are turning in the gentle breeze.
Picard and Beverly emerge from the nearby woods
carrying the stretcher. They exchange a look at the
sight of the city and then head toward it...
72 EXT. RESURRECTION CITY - DAY 72
A few minutes later. Picard and Beverly carrying
Cochrane down the street toward the hospital at the
end. As they walk along, we get our first taste of
post-apocalyptic 21st century life:
This is a recognizable American community, but it's
definitely a futuristic town. Clothing, architecture,
technology -- all have changed over the course of
seventy years. But it is a broken future. What used
to be high-tech public COMPUTER TERMINALS are rusted
and abandoned. We can see the corroded hulks of HOVER-
CARS lying idle in the streets. Futuristic elements
now useless.
At one point, they pass a large polyurethane TENT --
the inside surface is covered with condensation and we
can see the silhouettes of people moving within. The
entrance is guarded by a single Militia Guard. Later
we will learn that this is a primitive greenhouse, the
only place where they can grow uncontaminated food.
What used to be a McDonald's, or some other
recognizable food chain, has now been gutted and has
been turned into a kind of blacksmith shop. People are
fashioning metal into various tools using hammer and
tongs.
The sidewalks are populated with PEOPLE, who congregate
in small groups, quietly talking amongst themselves,
others just staring vacantly off into space. Many of
them have visible burn scars and damage to their bodies --
victims of the war and post-nuclear environmental
dangers. A few of them are applying a special lotion
to their arms and face -- protection against the toxic
elements. A long FOOD LINE snakes around a block, as
people line up to get their daily rations.
A few people glance up at Picard and Beverly with
curious or suspicious looks. This is not a community
that welcomes strangers. At one point, they see a man
dressed in futuristic CAMOUFLAGE carrying an automatic
weapon -- we will learn he's a MILITIA SOLDIER. He
stares at them with a neutral expression, then walks
off.
The people here have that hollow-eyed, listless look
about them. They're going through something that makes
the Great Depression look like a minor inconvenience.
But there's also a toughness to these people, a
resilience and determination to survive in the face of
overwhelming odds. We are looking at our future... and
it's on the verge of collapse.
CUT TO:
73 INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY 73
A short time later. Cochrane is being lifted onto an
operating table. Picard and Beverly step back from the
table as a DOCTOR and two NURSES look him over. The
doctor is in his early fifties and has a weathered,
tired look to him. The hospital itself is like the
rest of the town -- a futuristic setting fallen on hard
times. The light in the room is provided mostly from
the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Light
bulbs and other gear flicker dimly around the hospital --
we get the feeling they have very little power.
DOCTOR
How long has he been unconscious?
BEVERLY
At least four hours.
He checks Cochran's head injury as Beverly takes out
her tricorder and scans him.
DOCTOR
It looks like he has a cranial
fracture, but I'll need X-rays to
be sure.
(to Nurse)
Get Ruby in here.
One of the nurses runs off.
BEVERLY
(off tricorder)
He has a severe fracture of the
left occipital plate. He's not
hemorrhaging... but the radiation
has damaged his KNA and his APR
cell count...
He looks at her curiously.
DOCTOR
"APR cell count?" What the hell
are you talking about?
PICARD
(quickly)
Doctor Crusher has been...
studying some advanced medical
theories.
NURSE
(re: tricorder)
What is that?
BEVERLY
It's a... new medical scanner.
It's a little more precise than an
X-ray machine.
The Doctor eyes it.
DOCTOR
Is it Japanese?
BEVERLY
Um... yeah.
(beat)
Now he's going to need a
respirator. Do you have one?
DOCTOR
We have two... but we don't have
the juice to run them.
PICARD
Juice?
DOCTOR
Power. There hasn't been a lot of
wind through here for the last
couple of weeks. Most of the
batteries are depleted.
BEVERLY
Don't you have any generators, or
other fuel sources?
The Doctor throws her an irritated look.
DOCTOR
Maybe you'd like to take your
patient to the hospital in
Bozemen... it's only two hundred
miles away.
Cochrane wheezes -- breathing becoming labored and
ragged. Beverly scans him, urgent.
BEVERLY
His automatic reflexes are
fluctuating. We've got to get him
on a respirator.
DOCTOR
(to Nurse)
Bag him.
The nurse picks up a portable respirator sack -- puts
it on Cochrane's face and squeezes the bag, forcing air
into Cochrane's lungs. Picard has been thinking
through this scene, finally has a solution.
PICARD
Beverly -- your tricorder.
She hands him her tricorder.
PICARD
(to Doctor)
Where's the battery room for the
hospital?
DOCTOR
I told you, there's no --
PICARD
Where?
DOCTOR
Outside, around back. Next to the
water tank.
Picard rushes out the doors. Beverly checks Cochrane's
pulse.
BEVERLY
His heartbeat's irregular...
Beverly climbs up on top of Cochrane, straddling him,
begins giving him 24th century CPR. She takes charge.
BEVERLY
Adrenaline -- ten CC's!
As they rush to save him.
74 EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY 74
The back of the building. Picard rushes out and spots
an old, dilapidated BATTERY UNIT providing power to the
hospital. He quickly yanks off the back panel,
revealing a tangle of wires, and several large
batteries. He kneels down, then removes the back of
the tricorder.
75 CLOSE ON TRICORDER 75
as Picard pulls out a small POWER CELL -- about half
the size of a dime. The blinkies on the tricorder go
out.
76 PICARD 76
holds the power cell with one hand, and starts pulling
out wires from the batteries with the other.
77 INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY 77
As before. Beverly, the doctor and the nurse trying to
save Cochrane.
BEVERLY
(pumping his chest)
One... two... three... compress!
The nurse squeezes the bag. Suddenly the room is
filled with the HUM of POWER and ALL OF THE LIGHTS AND
EQUIPMENT COME TO LIFE. Monitors blinking, fluorescent
lights flashing on. Everyone reacts with shock.
78 INT. HOSPITAL WARD - DAY 78
It's filled with patients. The lights and equipment
here FLASH ON, as well. Doctors and patients alike
react with surprise.
79 INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY 79
Picard enters. They've placed a RESPIRATOR down
Cochrane's throat, and attached electrodes to his
chest. Beverly has just finished giving him an
injection with a hypospray. The heart monitor in the
background is now beating regularly. The doctor turns
to Picard.
DOCTOR
What did you do to the batteries?
PICARD
Oh... just a little tinkering.
How is he?
BEVERLY
He's stable... for now.
(with meaning)
But it would be better if we could
contact... our friends.
PICARD
Yes. But until then, you'll have
to make do with what you've got.
BEVERLY
That'll be interesting.
A WOMAN'S VOICE:
RUBY'S VOICE
What happened to him?
Everyone turns.
80 NEW ANGLE 80
revealing RUBY SLOANE standing at the front of
Cochrane's bed. A striking woman in her mid-to-late
thirties -- dark hair, tall, lean, beautiful under
normal circumstances but at the moment she's not at her
best, it looks like she's just come in from a hard
day's work. She's wearing an old lab coat. But the
most striking quality of all is the innate intelligence
we can see in her eyes.
She's looking directly at Picard for an answer. Picard
realizes he has to say something. He looks into her
eyes and there is a moment here -- a brief spark of
chemistry that in normal circumstances the Captain just
might follow up. But at the moment, he shoves that
electric feeling aside and tries to give her an answer.
PICARD
There was some kind of explosion
out at the missile silo...
She looks at him for a moment, her eyes boring into him
without expression, as though probing the truthfulness
of his statement.
DOCTOR
Ruby, we're going to need a series
of cranial X-rays tonight.
RUBY
(nods)
I have a fresh set of plates at
home. I'll have them here by
eight.
She turns back to Cochrane, moves to his side, gently
takes his hand and looks at him with sad affection.
RUBY
(quiet)
Take care of him. He's a very
special man.
PICARD
Yes, he is.
She looks up at Picard, and again there's a slight
feeling of chemistry in the air. And then she turns
and starts to walk out of the room. Picard's combadge
BEEPS. Reactions.
GEORDI'S COM VOICE
La Forge to Picard.
RUBY
(stopping)
I think there's someone in your
pants.
PICARD
Excuse me. I have a... telephone
call.
Picard takes a few steps away, pulls the combadge out
of his pants pocket, taps it. Ruby watches him a beat,
then walks out of the room.
PICARD
Picard here.
GEORDI'S COM VOICE
Captain, we have a problem. I
think you'd better get back here.
PICARD
I'm on my way. Picard out.
Picard moves to Beverly.
PICARD
(sotto)
I have to go back to the silo.
Will you be all right?
BEVERLY
I'll be fine.
(re: Cochrane)
He's a different story.
Beverly begins examining the medical equipment she'll
have to work with as Picard exits...
81 EXT. RESURRECTION CITY STREET - DAY 81
A short time later. Picard walking down the main
street back toward the gates. People passing him,
taking no notice of him...Picard's mind thinking
ahead. He happens to glance down a side street, then
he stops.
82 NEW ANGLE 82
Looking down the side street. Ruby, the mysterious
woman from the hospital, is walking along with a camera
bag now slung over her shoulder. She stops for a
moment as she passes the hulk of a burnt-out old hover
car... stares at it...then pulls a home-made
FUTURISTIC CAMERA out of her bag and snaps a picture of
the car. She continues on her way. Picard is
intrigued -- wonders about this woman and what it is
she could be taking a picture of. Just then --
MAN'S VOICE
Catch.
Picard turns just in time to catch a small, metal
canister with a screw-top.
The man who threw it steps into view. It's LIEUTENANT
SCRIMM. Scrimm is the head of the town's militia.
While not a physically threatening man, there is a
quietly disturbing quality about him which conveys an
intelligence laced with a tightly reined volatility.
He's wearing futuristic combat fatigues and always
carries a sidearm. Before the war, Scrimm was probably
one of the "survivalists" who used to be dismissed as
radicals until their predictions of Armageddon came
true. At the moment, Scrimm is presenting his
friendliest face to Picard.
SCRIMM
(pleasant)
Think you'll need that.
Picard eyes the canister, not sure what to make of it.
SCRIMM
It's no zone solution.
(off his look)
You know. "No ozone."
He points to the sky.
PICARD
Oh... yes... ultraviolet
protection. Thank you.
Mister...?
SCRIMM
Lieutenant, actually. Lieutenant
Jonathan Scrimm. I'm the head of
the Resurrection Protective Force.
(beat)
And you are?
PICARD
Jean-Luc Picard.
SCRIMM
Great name. French?
PICARD
Yes.
SCRIMM
You don't sound French.
Scrimm is still smiling at him, but his eyes never
leave Picard.
PICARD
I was raised in England and here
in the States. Thank you for
the... no zone.
Picard begins to walk away, not wanting to engage any
citizens of the town. Scrimm falls in next to him.
SCRIMM
Where in the States?
PICARD
Oh... here and there. You know
how it is.
SCRIMM
Not really. I was born and raised
right here. Never had much use
for travel.
He casually steps in front of Picard, blocking his way.
SCRIMM
Where are you from most recently?
PICARD
(thinking fast)
California. San Francisco.
SCRIMM
Beautiful city. Used to be,
anyway. I didn't think anyone
still lived there.
PICARD
There's a few of us left.
Picard steps around him and continues walking down the
street. Scrimm waits a beat, then walks after him
again.
SCRIMM
That was a pretty clever trick you
did with the hospital's batteries.
How'd you do it?
PICARD
It wasn't a trick. I used to be
an electrical engineer.
SCRIMM
Huh.
He steps in front of Picard again, still pleasant but
a little bit of a smile fading from his face. Picard
realizes he isn't going to shake this man so easily.
SCRIMM
And what were you doing out at the
missile silo?
PICARD
I'm an old friend of Cochrane's...
I wanted to see how he was doing.
SCRIMM
Lucky for him you came by when you
did. He might be dead now.
PICARD
Yes.
SCRIMM
Maybe you can tell me what he's
been doing in that silo. We heard
some explosions out there this
morning...
PICARD
I think he was running a test on
an old rocket engine... and one of
the fuel cells burst.
Scrimm eyes him evenly.
SCRIMM
You seem to have an answer for
everything.
PICARD
Something wrong with that?
SCRIMM
Not yet.
A tense beat. Then Scrimm smiles easily.
SCRIMM
(re: balm)
Be sure you put that on. You need
a lot of protection around here.
He holds Picard's eyes for a moment.
PICARD
Thank you. But I've never had
much trouble protecting myself.
Now it's Picard's turn to smile pleasantly at Scrimm.
Picard walks around him and heads for the gates.
Scrimm watches him go with a thoughtful expression --
clearly, he's more than a little suspicious...
CUT TO:
83 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 83
in orbit of Earth.
84 INT. CORRIDOR 84
Worf and a large SECURITY DETACHMENT -- a dozen or so
men and women -- are moving down the Corridor with grim
looks on their faces. They are carrying new powerful-
looking phaser rifles and other equipment. The feeling
is of an elite combat squad heading for a dangerous
mission. They stop at one point and Worf lifts up a
DECKPLATE, exposing a large HATCH in the floor. Worf
hits his combadge.
WORF
Worf to Bridge. We're in
position.
85 INT. BRIDGE 85
Riker in command, Troi nearby. Riker is standing at
the security station looking at a monitor which
displays a schematic graphic of the ship. The position
of the security team is flashing -- we can see they are
on Deck 46.
RIKER
This is the Bridge. I'm releasing
the emergency force fields.
He nods to Troi, who works a console.
86 INT. CORRIDOR 86
Worf and his team watch as the FORCEFIELD protecting
the hatch flashes off. Worf reaches down and releases
the hatch, which slides open with a soft whoosh. He
glances at his men for a moment, then JUMPS down the
hatch...
87 INT. DECK 47 - CORRIDOR 87
As Worf lands on his feet. The light is dim, no power
on this deck, hard to see. He looks around warily for
a moment, phaser at-the-ready, then activates his wrist
beacon. We immediately notice that we can see Worf's
breath -- it's freezing cold down here. He shines the
light around the darkened corridor, then silently
motions his arm for the others to follow. A beat, then
we see the security officers start to drop into the
corridor from the hatch above...
88 NEW ANGLE - CORRIDOR 88
As Worf's squad spreads out along the hall, weapons at-
the-ready, everyone alert with fingers on the triggers.
We see that the phaser rifles are equipped with their
own light sources, intended to illuminate the target
before you shoot at it. The Security Officers are
constantly moving their lights back and forth through
the chilly air. Worf gives hand signals -- holds up
two fingers, then a fist, and points forward.
Two Guards trot down the corridor about fifteen feet,
stop, and take up firing positions... then two more
members of the team run down, leap frog ahead of them
and take positions further down the corridor. Classic
military deployment. Worf starts scanning with a
tricorder.
WORF
(hits combadge)
Worf to Bridge.
RIKER'S COM VOICE
Riker here.
WORF
There's a dampening field in place
on this deck. Our tricorders are
useless.
The team continue to explore Deck 47. It's spooky,
eerie, a sense of menace around every corner. They
open doors, check room by room, section by section,
still no sign of the Borg in the freezing cold
darkness.
90 ANGLE ON SECURITY GUARD 90
The Corridor directly ahead has been stripped of wall,
ceiling and deck panels -- all the normal decorative
Enterprise sheathing is gone, revealing the circuitry
and machinery of the ship itself. Unlike the rest of
the corridors, there does appear to be POWER flowing
through some of the conduits up ahead, and it gives off
an eerie glow.
We can also see that some of the machinery has been
altered and changed -- not just the neat and orderly
arrangement you'd expect to find behind bulkheads --
there's a sense of cross-circuitry, re-wiring,
equipment being rearranged. Clearly, a lot of work has
gone on in this area of the ship. Worf steps forward,
examines the corridor closely.
ENSIGN HAWK
What the hell is going on?
WORF
Borg...
Worf signals the team forward, and they slowly begin
picking their way down the Borgified Corridor. It's
not easy -- they have to choose their footing carefully
as they walk through the maze of cables, circuits, and
machinery... Ensign Hawk accidentally steps on some
circuitry, which gives off a BEEP. The entire team
suddenly whirls their lights and weapons on the
unfortunate Ensign, who pales at their sudden attention.
Worf looks irritated, then motions his team to continue
their search. They continue making their way down the
spooky corridor... and as they turn a corner...
92 NEW ANGLE - ANOTHER CORRIDOR 92
where the machinery is now THICKER and more BORG-LIKE
in appearance. Tubes and cabling hang down from the
ceiling. If anything, it's even colder in here. The
deeper they go, the worse it gets. We can now hear a
low, sinister HUM of alien power. At the end of this
corridor is the ENVIROMENTAL CONTROL ROOM, as seen
earlier. The entire doorway is gone -- and a weird
pulsing GLOW fills the room. Worf stops his team at
the sight. From this vantage, we cannot see directly
into the room, but clearly something is going on in
there.
Worf signals his men to spread out, and they take up
positions around the Corridor, all weapons trained on
Environmental Control.
WORF
Worf to Bridge. We're about to
enter the Environmental Control
Room.
RIKER'S COM VOICE
Any sign of Data, or the Borg
themselves?
As Work and Riker continue talking, we MOVE TO Ensign
Hawk, who is now the last man in the formation,
covering the rear. He's shining his phaser-beacon into
the empty darkness. He can't help looking back over
his shoulder at the rest of the team and the distant
Environmental Control Room -- that seems to be where
the action is. As he turns, his beacon moves with him,
throwing the Corridor behind them in and out of
darkness.
WORF
(continuing)
Negative. However, they've
reconfigured the ODN network...
and re-routed all power on this
deck into Environmental Control.
As Worf speaks, Ensign Hawk turns back, but this time
when he shines his beacon into the darkness, something
MOVES in the distance -- a shadow. The Ensign freezes,
brings his rifle up. But did he see it, or was it his
imagination?
A tense beat as he waits, heart pounding... but nothing
happens. On the wall next to his head we see what can
only be described as a BIO-MECHANISTIC CABLE creeping
out of the wall... which begins slowly heading for the
Ensign's neck. Just as he begins to sense that
something is happening behind him, the cable WHIPS OUT
around his neck and YANKS him deep into the bed of
circuitry in the blink of an eye -- the motion so fast
we have trouble following it.
Worf turns his head at the sound.
WORF
Stand by, Commander
(to team)
Where's Ensign Hawk?
Everyone looks around, surprised that he's not there.
Everyone is alert, keyed up. The tension is thick.
Utter silence, except for the hum of the machinery and
the frosty breathing of the team.
RIKER'S COM VOICE
Worf? Is something wrong?
WORF
Something is very wrong,
Commander. We're falling back.
Worf gives hand signals for the team to move out. But
just as they start to fall back, everything happens at
once.
93 BORG DRONES 93
EXPLODE OUT OF THE WALLS, CEILING AND FLOOR! What
follows is a BLUR of action happening so fast and
furious we never get a true sense of what's happening.
A flurry of violence and motion and images:
-- A snarling Borg face -- half-human, half-machine, a
cybernetic nightmare.
-- Strange, bio-mechanical WEAPONS extruding from Borg
bodies, RIPPING into human flesh.
-- A crewmember PULLED into a bed of machinery.
WORF
Fire at will!
But the Borg are already on top of them. It's a brutal
fight in close quarters with no escape.
Phasers and Borg lasers lighting up the corridor,
bodies flying through the air... utter chaos and
terror. The fight goes hand to hand and Worf sees that
they don't have a chance...
WORF
(throwing off a Borg)
Fall back!
The team starts backpedaling, FIRING as they go...but
the Borg are unstoppable now -- they put up personal
force fields to protect themselves.
WORF
Go, go, GO!
Worf pushes his men down the corridor. Everyone turns
and RUNS like hell. Worf bends down and grabs a
frightened Lieutenant by the collar, pulling him along.
94 VARIOUS SHOTS: 94
-- The team running through the corridors, SHOOTING
behind them at the pursuing Borg, to no effect...
-- Two of the Borg raise their arms and FIRE LASER
BURSTS out of their arms and wrists, taking DOWN two
Security Guards. Worf sees them fall but there's no
time to go back.
95 INT. DECK 46 - CORRIDOR 95
As Worf's team starts CLIMBING UP and out the dark
hatch in the floor seen earlier.
96 INT. DECK 47 - CORRIDOR 96
As the last member of Worf's team climbs out to safety.
The Borg swarm is about to overpower Worf. He quickly
hits a few controls on his phaser, sets it to overload.
We hear the building WHINE. He JUMPS straight up into
the air, GRABBING onto the hatch rim, pulling himself
up. He barely manages to vanish from view just as the
phaser EXPLODES in a FIERY BLAST, taking out several of
the Borg drones.
97 INT. DECK 46 - CORRIDOR 97
The conclusive BLAST comes up through the hatch,
causing Worf to duck for a moment.
Worf reaches out to close the hatch, when a BORG HAND
bursts up from below and GRABS his forearm. It's a
test of strength. Worf reaches over with his other
arm, hits a control and the hatch SLIDES CLOSED,
SEVERING the Borg arm in a shower of sparks.
WORF
Worf to Bridge -- force fields!
The force field FLASHES into place. Worf and his team
sit there a moment, catching their breath, stunned at
what they've just been through.
RIKER'S COM VOICE
What the hell happened down there,
Worf?
WORF
Commander... we have a problem.
OFF Worf's shaken expression...
CUT TO:
98 INT. MISSILE SILO - CATWALK - DAY 98
Geordi and Picard are walking down the catwalk ladders
toward the missile's massive engines. Now that the
smoke has cleared and the place has been cleared up a
bit, we get our first good look at the ship and the
damage done in the Borg attack.
GEORDI
(on the move)
Cochrane was going to use this
solid rocket booster to lift the
ship into orbit. Before the warp
drive took over... everything
would depend on these old chemical
engines.
(beat)
Now here's the problem...
They arrive at a point on the fuselage where we can see
a large section of the engines have been BLASTED AWAY,
leaving a deep, ugly SCAR -- broken conduit lines,
wires that now lead to nothing. It's clear that a key
piece of equipment has been destroyed.
GEORDI
(re: damage)
This used to be the throttle valve
assembly.
(observing it)
It controls the thrust of the
engines. It's been completely
vaporized... and without it,
there's no way to launch the ship.
PICARD
Can you reconstruct the throttle
valve?
GEORDI
Yeah... if I knew what it looked
like. There's probably five
hundred ways to design a valve
like this...
PICARD
We need to launch this ship in
under eighteen hours...
(beat)
There must be some design
schematics... blueprints...
GEORDI
We're tearing this place apart
looking for them... but the
computers are down, and the fires
destroyed half the files...so
far, nothing.
They look at the damage in frustration.
GEORDI
If it was just part of the warp
drive, I'd know what to do. But
this... it's like trying to
rebuild Orville Wright's airplane
with canvass and sticks.
Picard thinks, remembers something.
PICARD
Wait a minute...
99 INT. CONTROL ROOM 99
Moments later. Picard and Geordi are looking at the
three cloth-printed photographs seen earlier -- the
headshot of Cochrane and two different angles of the
three cloth-printed photographs seen earlier -- the
warp ship with people working on it. Picard spreads
them out on the desk.
GEORDI
Yeah, I looked at these already.
Geordi points to a photo of the ship -- a worker is
walking in front of the throttle assembly, blocking
most of it from view.
GEORDI
You can almost see the throttle
assembly in this one... but this
guy walked in front of it when
they took the picture.
Picard considers, absently sticks his hand in his
jacket pocket. He pulls out the canister of balm
Scrimm gave him and tosses it onto the table.
PICARD
Could you reconstruct the throttle
from a photograph like this... if
that man wasn't blocking the view?
Geordi thinks it over.
GEORDI
Maybe...
(beat)
Sure. Yeah. As long as I could
get a clear look at the intake
configuration. But so far, we
haven't found any other photos.
PICARD
(staring at photos)
If there are other photographs...
I think I may know how to find
them.
CUT TO:
100 INT. BORG HIVE 100
It's a while later, and the Borg are making progress.
Data is strapped to the table, PANELS open on his HEAD
and CHEST. Three Borg drones are working methodically
on his inner-circuitry. The jagged voice of the woman
cuts in:
WOMAN'S VOICE
Your resistance is... illogical.
To us, your neural net is simply
another piece of technology. We
will learn its secrets.
Data stares at the murky ceiling.
DATA
Who are you?
WOMAN'S VOICE
I am the Borg.
DATA
That is a contradiction. The Borg
act as a collective consciousness.
There are no individuals.
WOMAN'S VOICE
I am the beginning... the end. I
am the one who is many. I am the
Borg.
Out of the mist that hugs the top of the room DESCENDS
the BORG QUEEN.
She is unlike any of the Borg drones we've ever seen --
a humanoid female with conduits and tubes running out
of her body. She has no legs. Her torso is SUSPENDED
by a complex rig of CABLES and HYDRAULICS. Her face
and upper-torso are much more humanoid, with the pasty-
pale white of Borg flesh. Her EYES have a silvery
glint to them. Her demeanor is seductive and sensual
in contrast to the harsh, mechanical surroundings. She
is an eerie blend of two worlds -- organic and
mechanical.
With the soft HISS of hydraulics, she LOWERS herself
down to where her face is very close to that of Data's.
Her features are almost angelic, but the silvery glint
in her eyes betrays an inner-darkness.
DATA
You are the guiding intelligence
behind the Borg...?
BORG QUEEN
Intelligence... ambition...
desire... I bring order to
chaos...
She studies his face with a certain child-like quality.
BORG QUEEN
It's unfortunate we will have to
destroy you to obtain the
information we need. You are a...
unique lifeform.
(beat)
Synthetic... and yet far more than
a simple automaton.
You have no idea how close to
perfection you are.
She stares at him intently, and we get the hint that
her interest in Data may go beyond simple assimilation.
She seems fascinated by him. Data picks up on this.
DATA
How do you define perfection?
The Queen opens her arms slightly, clearly indicating
herself.
BORG QUEEN
A blending of the organic and the
synthetic. The highest form of
life in the galaxy.
Data eyes her, considering.
DATA
An interesting definition. But it
is not one that applies to me. I
am completely artificial. I have
no organic components.
She looks at him as a new thought crosses her mind.
She might've just found the chink in Data's armor.
BORG QUEEN
Have you ever wondered what it's
like to have flesh?
DATA
It is impossible to imagine
sensations for which I have no
frame of reference.
She smiles.
BORG QUEEN
That... can change.
The Queen looks to the three Borg drones and gives them
a silent command. The drones immediately stop working
on Data's open panels... and shift their attention to
his right ARM. One of the drones tears off the sleeve
on Data's uniform, exposing his bare arm. Another then
uses a small cutting device to SLICE OFF the synthetic
skin from Data's arm. As Data prepares himself for the
worst...
101 INT. ENTERPRISE CORRIDOR 101
THREE armored SECURITY GUARDS with phaser rifles run
into view, hit a control panel on the wall. A giant
EMERGENCY BULKHEAD comes SLAMMING down, cutting off the
rest of the corridor.
The security guards turn to run down the hall, but then
there is a high-pitched shriek of wrenching metal.
They drop to the deck and take combat stances.
GUARD #1
Set phasers to rotating
modulation!
They make adjustments to their weapons just as the
bulkhead doors EXPLODE INWARD in a blinding flash. The
guards shield themselves against the fire and debris...
looks up just in time to see the swift and lethal
shapes of the BORG jumping through the smashed
bulkhead, racing down the corridor toward them. The
guards FIRE, and when they do the PHASER BLASTS
alternate color -- red, blue, green, purple, orange --
a staccato of colors as the phasers shift frequency.
The phaser blasts TAKE DOWN a few of the BORG... but
then we see the distinctive PERSONAL FORCEFIELDS of the
other Borg begin to compensate, and the phasers no
longer affect them.
GUARD #1
That's it, they've adjusted --
fall back!
They turn to run but BORG PHASER FIRE lances out from
the Borg soldiers and RIPS them apart.
CUT TO:
102 INT. BRIDGE 102
The mood is tense, grim. Riker, Worf and Troi are
gathered around a SCHEMATIC of the ENTERPRISE. The
lower portion of the ship has been blocked off by
the color RED, representing the Borg advance through
the ship. A they watch, another section of
compartments and corridors suddenly turn RED.
Riker lets out a wary breath, starts pointing to
various points along the schematic.
RIKER
All right... we've lost control of
eight decks... three Cargo Bays...
one Shuttlebay.
TROI
Do we have any idea how many Borg
we're dealing with?
WORF
We saw at least thirty...and
there are twenty-two Enterprise
crewmembers reported missing...
including Commander Data.
RIKER
We'll have to assume they've been
assimilated into the Collective.
TROI
Even Data?
WORF
Data's positronic net contains
classified information on the
Enterprise. Command codes,
security protocols...
RIKER
If they control Data, they control
the ship.
A grim beat.
RIKER
We can't worry about that right
now. Let's concentrate on what we
can.
They stare at the schematic.
WORF
To control the Enterprise, they'll
have to gain access to one of two
locations. Main Engineering... or
the Bridge.
RIKER
We have to cover both
possibilities.
(to Troi)
We'll take care of the Bridge.
Worf, take your men and seal off
Main Engineering. Turn it into a
fortress -- nothing gets in.
Worf nods and EXITS. As Riker and Troi exchange a
tense look...
CUT TO:
103 EXT. RESURRECTION CITY - HOSPITAL - NIGHT 103
The hospital is completely LIT UP -- the only building
in town with this much power.
104 INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT 104
Picard walks down the hall, stops outside a door marked
"X-RAY PROCESSING." The RED LIGHT is on above the
door, but that means nothing to Picard... who opens the
door and steps inside...
105 INT. X-RAY PROCESSING ROOM 105
Much like a traditional darkroom, trays of chemicals
and washes, etc. But everything has a slightly
futuristic and cobbled-together feel. They are
developing X-rays by hand instead of by machine. The
room is lit with an AMBER glow. As soon as Picard
opens the door, we hear Ruby's voice:
RUBY'S VOICE
Shut that door!
Picard quickly shuts the door behind him, looks around
the room. Ruby, who's working at a tray of chemicals,
turns around in fury.
RUBY
What are you, an idiot? Didn't
you see the red light was on?
PICARD
Ah... yes... but, I didn't realize
that --
RUBY
Thank God this plate was already
fixed.
She pulls down a small pane of glass (probably from a
window) out of a tub of water... holds it up to the
light. And there on the glass is a X-RAY of a man's
SKULL. Picard moves to her.
PICARD
(re: X-ray)
Cochrane?
RUBY
Yes... and I only had enough
silver halide for one shot. So
you're lucky you didn't screw it
up.
PICARD
I'm very sorry.
She glances at him, sees he feels genuinely bad. She
softens a little.
RUBY
Don't worry about it.
She picks up a rubber squeegee and carefully starts to
dry off the pane of glass.
RUBY
Did you need something?
PICARD
Yes... I wanted to ask you about
some photographs I saw out at the
silo. There were three of them...
printed on some kind of fabric.
RUBY
Bed sheets.
(off his look)
I used my last set of bed sheets to
make those prints. Not the best
material, but I haven't seen a
clean piece of paper in five
years.
PICARD
Did you take any other pictures of
the rocket?
The X-ray is now dry, and Ruby turns and looks at him.
RUBY
Sure.
(jokingly)
Why, did you want to buy them?
Picard doesn't realize she was kidding -- jumps on the
opportunity to get the photos.
PICARD
Yes. I don't have any money right
now, but I may be able to get
some.
Ruby looks at him for a moment -- is he serious? She
gives him a curious smile.
RUBY
"Money." So you can get dome
money...
PICARD
I can try.
RUBY
You'd have to try real hard. No
one's used currency in over ten
years. What are you, from another
planet?
Picard hesitates, smiles at her, tries to laugh it off.
PICARD
No... but sometimes I feel that
way.
(beat)
What I meant was, I'd be willing
to trade for the photographs.
RUBY
Trade. Okay. The photographs...
for a straight answer.
(beat)
Who are you? And how do you know
Zephram?
PICARD
I'm an old friend... I met him
when he was doing his
undergraduate work at Cornell back
in --
RUBY
(cuts him off)
'Fraid not.
Ruby walks past him with the X-ray...
106 INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 106
Picard follows Ruby out into the corridor. She has a
satisfied smile on her face -- it's not easy to put one
over on this woman. And the truth is, she's enjoying
Picard's frustration. As they walk along...
PICARD
What?
RUBY
(casual)
You're lying.
PICARD
What makes you say that?
RUBY
You're not someone who lies very
easily... so it's obvious when you
do... at least to me.
PICARD
Are you always sucha good judge
of character?
She stops, turns, looks at him.
RUBY
Always.
Ruby turns and walks off. Picard follows her, doggedly
determined to get those photos...
107 INT. HOSPITAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT 107
Beverly is holding the X-ray glass Ruby made up to the
light, as the Doctor seen earlier looks on.
BEVERLY
The occipital fracture is
widening... we're going to have
to fuse the bones...
DOCTOR
I'm a little worried about some of
these bone fragments. If they
move any closer to the brain, we
could be looking at a hemorrhage.
As Beverly and the Doctor examine the X-ray, we MOVE TO
Ruby, who's looking down at Cochrane. He's still in
bed and on a respirator. She smoothes his hair with
affection. Picard stands on the other side of the bed,
watching her.
PICARD
Were the two of you... involved?
RUBY
No... not like you and Doctor
Crusher used to be.
PICARD
(surprised)
How did you know about that?
Ruby looks at him with a smile.
RUBY
I didn't.
Her smile widens, and then she leaves the bed to join
the Doctor and Beverly. Picard shakes his head and
smiles after her -- chagrinned and amused at the same
time.
RUBY
(to Doctor)
We can't take any more X-rays
until I can mix up a new batch of
the silver halide.
DOCTOR
Can you do it tonight? We may
have to operate.
RUBY
Sure. It'll be ready by morning.
Ruby turns and heads for the door. Picard moves after
her.
PICARD
Ruby... I need to talk to you
about those photographs. It's
very important.
RUBY
I'm sure it is. But it'll have to
wait until tomorrow.
PICARD
It can't wait until tomorrow...
RUBY
Too bad.
(beat)
Besides, it'll give you all night
to think up a new set of lies.
She flashes him that smile again, then darts out the
door. Picard is left frustrated -- he knows that he
can't let it go at that...
CUT TO:
108 INT. ENTERPRISE - ENGINEERING 108
Worf and a team of TEN SECURITY GUARDS are preparing
for battle. They're setting up large, heavy-duty
phaser equivalents of machine guns -- big, mean-looking
weapons on tripods. There are two of these weapons
aimed at each entrance to Engineering. The Security
Officers are strapping on body armor, checking weapons,
building makeshift barricades over each of the doors.
Worf is in command, directing the action.
WORF
(to team)
Double check each assault
phaser... make certain that the
range setting is no more than
thirty meters. We don't want to
blast through the hull.
Worf turns and picks up his BAT'LETH SWORD off a nearby
console. He checks the sharpness of the blade.
SECURITY OFFICER
Are you sure you don't want
something a little more...
sophisticated, sir?
WORF
Mind your post, Lieutenant.
The Lieutenant decides not to pursue the matter and
moves off. Worf makes a quick practiced motion with
the sword... decides he's ready.
109 INT. BRIDGE 109
Riker and Troi watching the schematic.
Riker works a control and the display ZOOMS IN to
display a cutaway view of the ship highlighting
Engineering and the surrounding deck. A SWARM of DOTS
representing the Borg is advancing on Engineering.
RIKER
(to com)
Riker to Engineering. Mister
Worf...the Borg are approaching
your position.
WORF'S COM VOICE
Understood. We're ready.
Riker and Troi watch as the DOTS move closer...
closer...right up to the perimeter of Engineering.
The dots begin surrounding Engineering -- which looks
like it's being swarmed over by a sea of ants.
110 INT. ENGINEERING 110
As before. The security guards have taken positions
around the room, all weapons trained on the doors.
Worf is standing in front of the warp core, Bat'leth in-
hand.
WORF
(calls out)
Charge weapons!
A massive HUM of power fills the room as all of the
phaser weapons begin charging. It's tense -- everyone
standing ready with their weapons charging. This is
the moment of truth.
Worf stands ready, phaser in one hand, Bat'leth in the
other. This is Worf at his purest -- the warrior ready
for battle.
111 INT. BRIDGE 111
Riker and Troi, as before, watching the schematic of
the ship. The DOTS representing Borg have now
completely surrounded Engineering on all sides,
including the deck directly above and below. In
essence, the Borg have cocooned Engineering from the
rest of the ship.
112 INT. ENGINEERING 112
As before. Worf and the security team in their
positions, tense. A few beats of silence...then they
start to hear soft SCRATCHING coming from somewhere
behind the walls -- it sounds like rats skittering
through the walls and ceiling of an old house.
Everyone stays alert, checks and re-checks their
weapons... a couple of hard swallows... then from
somewhere up above a LOUD, METALLIC CLANG. Then a
large, SCRAPING SOUND that seems to start at one end of
the room and travel to the other. There's an
overpowering sense of creatures just outside those
walls, moving about. It's unnerving, even for crack
Starfleet troops.
113 INT. BRIDGE 113
Riker and Troi watching the display. The Borg dots
teeming around Engineering like ants on a candy bar.
114 INT. ENGINEERING 114
The clawing, skittering, clanging noises increase and
get louder...
... we expect to see the Borg bursting into the room at
any moment. Worf tightens his grip on his Bat'leth,
teeth bared. Unbearable tension and then...
The noises begin to FADE AWAY... eventually
disappearing all together. If anything, the silence is
even scarier. Worf's eyes narrow. He looks around the
room, all his senses alert, waiting for the slightest
sign of the Borg... but nothing happens.
115 INT. BRIDGE 115
Riker and Troi react to the diagram as the Borg dots
begin moving away from Engineering. It looks like the
swarm of ants have left the candy bar and are on the
ground, moving toward the forward part of the ship.
TROI
They're bypassing Engineering...
RIKER
Where the hell are they going?
OFF the mystery...
CUT TO:
116 INT. BORG HIVE 116
CLOSE ON DATA'S FACE. His eyes are closed -- he is in
the android equivalent of sleep. CAMERA ROTATING and
PUSHING IN on his face as we hear the overlapping
sounds of VOICES from Data's past -- Picard, Riker,
Troi, the Enterprise crew, aliens he's met, Data's own
voice... bits and pieces of his life...
The theme of the sound bites should be Data's quest for
humanity: Picard giving him advice, Troi counseling
him, Soong talking to his son, etc. The last line of
dialogue we hear is Data saying "I want to be more
human."
BORG QUEEN'S VOICE
Data...
Data's eyes fly open, now awake. We PULL BACK
revealing that Data is still strapped to the Borg
operating table... his right arm and shoulder are
encased in some kind of strange cybernetic SHELL,
obscured from view. Clear tubes run out of the shell
into Borg machinery -- liquid is coursing through the
tubes. A couple of Borg drones are moving about the
room, carrying out various tasks.
There's been a change since we've been here last.
There are now several Plexiglass CYLINDERS surrounding
Data's table -- each of them filled with some kind of
murky red fluid, which is swirling around. Every once
in awhile, something that looks like RAW FLESH bumps up
against the clear Plexiglass, then disappears again.
We don't know what these tubes are for, but they're
definitely creepy.
Data takes all this in, but there is nothing he can do,
he's still immobilized.
Suddenly the table ROTATES and begins to MOVE up toward
the mist and cabling at the top of the ceiling. It
stops a few feet away... and Data finds himself face-to-
face with the Borg Queen again.
BORG QUEEN
You've taken your first step
toward perfection. How does it
feel?
DATA
I do not know what you are
referring to.
BORG QUEEN
That's because you haven't been
properly... stimulated yet.
A WHOOSH of hydraulic power signals another movement by
the Borg Queen. She slithers through the air and down
slightly, so that she is on the same level as Data.
She looks at the cybernetic shell that is encasing
Data's right arm, which OPENS at her silent command and
moves away...
We can now see that all of the skin has been removed
from Data's right arm, showing the INNER-WORKINGS of
his android limb -- circuitry and servos, etc. But on
the top of the mechanical forearm there is something
new -- a small PATCH of HUMAN FLESH held in place with
various nasty-looking hooks and clamps and small tubes
carrying blood. It's a delicate, fragile piece of
organic life on an ugly, mechanical surface.
Data looks down at the patch of flesh with a little
puzzlement.
BORG QUEEN
(re: flesh)
Do you know what this is, Data?
DATA
It would appear that you are
attempting to graft organic skin
onto my endo-skeletal structure.
BORG QUEEN
What a cold description... for
such a beautiful gift.
She smiles slightly, utterly confident. She leans her
face in close to Data's still immobilized right arm.
117 EXTREME CLOSE UP - DATA'S ARM 117
We are so close to the patch of flesh that we can see
the individual hairs. The Borg Queen's LIPS move into
frame, and she EXHALES a long and sensuous breath. We
see GOOSE BUMPS form on the skin, and the hairs stand
straight up in response.
118 NEW ANGLE 118
As Data's eyes widen and he looks down at the skin in
surprise -- this is a sensation he's never felt before.
The Borg Queen sees the look on his face and smiles.
BORG QUEEN
Was that good for you?
Data can barely describe the sensation. But clearly,
it was pleasurable.
DATA
It was... interesting.
He looks at her.
DATA
Do it again... please.
As she smiles...
CUT TO:
119 EXT. RUBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT 119
A tiny, single-story house -- one or two rooms at the
most, in serious need of repair and maintenance. No
yard. The house sits on dirt. The nearest other
structure is at least a hundred yards away. A very
solitary place. The windows are dark, painted over
from the inside.
Some large pieces of exotic-looking EQUIPMENT are
sitting off the front porch.
After a beat, the front door opens, letting out a soft,
feeble light.
Ruby steps out onto the porch, carrying a gallon size
plastic jug. The light from the house now lights the
equipment a little, giving us a better view. There's
a contraption that appears to be a PUMP of some kind,
with a funnel on top, spigot at the bottom, and several
stages of filters and tubing in between. Ruby sets the
jug underneath the spigot... then sits down for a
moment on the edge of the porch. She takes a breath
and runs a hand through her hair, stretches her back,
trying to work out some of the kinks in her neck. An
exhausting day.
120 PICARD 120
is watching her intently from afar. He's concealed
behind a supporting beam of one the town's many
WINDMILLS. He's in shadow, hidden from Ruby's view.
121 RUBY 121
pulls off her jacket. she's wearing a pull-over
shirt... and in one motion she pulls off the shirt,
revealing only a tee-shirt underneath, sleeves torn off
long ago. She stands up... kicks off her boots...
undoes her pants... and begins sliding the jeans off
her hips...
122 PICARD 122
is surprised. Glances around, a little awkward. This
really isn't why he came out here.
123 RUBY 123
kicks aside the jeans. She's now down to tee-shirt and
panties. She grabs the bottom of the tee-shirt...
pulls it off...
124 PICARD 124
doesn't want to look, but can't help himself...
125 RUBY 125
moves to the side of the porch... and steps into a
large ENVIROMENTAL SUIT, a bulky one-piece with gloves
and helmet attached.
126 PICARD 126
is a little relieved... keeps watching...
127 RUBY 127
has now encased herself in the thick, rubbery suit...
pulls over a HELMET with a gas mask. She walks over to
an OIL DRUM marked with a distinctive BIO-HAZARD
SYMBOL. She carefully opens the lid... takes a metal
pitcher... reaches down into the drum and scoops out a
pitcher-full of TOXIC WASTE. She closes the lid, walks
over to the pump-filter contraption. She pours the
sludge-like waste into the funnel...primes the pump...
makes a few adjustments to the filters... and then
turns the spigot...
After a beat, a trickle of CLEAR LIQUID starts to come
out of the spigot. Ruby steps back and pulls off the
helmet.
128 PICARD 128
watches, curious about what she's doing...
129 RUBY 129
is now out of the bio-suit again... pulling on her
shirt and jeans... grabs her jacket... turns off the
lights in the house, and shuts the front door behind
her. She begins walking toward the windmill.
130 PICARD 130
steps behind the girder, stays very still in the
shadows... waits quietly as Ruby passes by the windmill
without a glance and heads into town. After she's
gone, Picard steps out from his hiding place, watches
her go, then quickly heads for Ruby's house...
131 FRONT PORCH 131
Picard opens the front door and goes inside... but he
doesn't notice that at the base of the doorjamb a small
RED LIGHT starts flashing -- some sort of silent alarm.
132 INT. RUBY'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 132
Picard ENTERS and closes the door behind him. It's
dark. He fumbles around for a light switch... finally
locates one... and a soft, golden glow fills the room.
The house has only one room, which functions as a
living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc. This is also
Ruby's DARKROOM. The windows have been painted black,
and there are photographic plates and futuristic photo-
equipment all around. But the most striking feature of
the house are the large, hanging cloth-printed
PHOTOGRAPHS. They vary in size and shape. Some are
hanging on walls, others hang from the ceiling in mid-
air, still others are stacked on the few pieces of
furniture that's here. The absence of paper has forced
Ruby to print photos on anything she can find --
bed sheets, shirts, pieces of upholstery, backs of
carpeting, etc. Picard stands there for a moment,
taking in the scene -- he's never been in anyplace
quite like this. The cloth photos give the room a
feeling of a small, intensely personal gallery.
Picard moves around the room, looking from photo to
photo... hunting for the elusive shots of the missile
silo... and as he does, we get our first close look at
Ruby's images, and they tell us a great deal about
her...
She has an artistic eye for finding beauty in the
mundane and the ugly. There are pictures of hope
amidst despair... beauty amongst devastation. There
seems to be a theme running through the photographs --
a romantic, almost idealistic sense of optimism.
At one point, Picard finds a photograph he recognizes.
It's the rusted-out hover car she photographed on the
streets of Resurrection. It's an ugly, decrepit piece
of junk... but there in the center, spot-lighted by a
single ray of sunshine... is a tiny flower about to
bloom.
Picard takes in the image for a brief moment... then
pushes onward... goes to a file of photos sitting in a
box... begins sorting through them quickly... we see
PRE-WAR photos printed on real paper. They show a
younger Ruby with her parents... Resurrection the way
it used to look... Ruby with a dog...
Picard pauses, frowns... gets the odd feeling that
someone is watching him. He turns around to see...
133 HIMSELF 133
A three foot PHOTOGRAPH OF PICARD is drying in the air
behind him.
Ruby must've taken the photo when Picard was on the
street talking to Scrimm. It was taken through a
telephoto lens, a close-up of Picard's face -- he looks
focused, determined, heroic. It's a remarkable shot of
the Captain, and even Picard is a little taken aback by
the image. She's captured the essence of the man.
CLICK-CLACK! The sound of a shotgun being cocked.
Picard freezes... slowly turns around to see who's
there...
134 RUBBY 134
is standing in the open doorway, a shotgun leveled at
Picard.
RUBY
You should pay closer attention to
those little red lights.
Picard glances down at the doorway, sees the flashing
red light in the doorjamb. He's busted.
RUBY
You know, I'd be perfectly
justified in shooting you right
now.
Picard glances at the photograph of himself.
PICARD
I'd say you already have.
RUBY
Don't flatter yourself. I take
pictures of a lot of junk.
She perches herself on the arm of a small couch, holds
the gun loosely, but never taking the aim away from
Picard.
RUBY
Okay, let's hear it. I'm sure you
have a great explanation for why
those rocket photos are so
important you broke into my house.
PICARD
We're trying to repair Doctor
Cochrane's ship. It's been
damaged and --
RUBY
We?
PICARD
Myself... and a few other friends
of Zephram's.
RUBY
Friends from Cornell...
PICARD
Some.
RUBY
Lie. That's one. Keep going.
PICARD
A key piece of the ship has been
destroyed... and our only hope to
reconstruct it is if one of your
photographs shows us what it
looked like.
RUBY
(considers)
All right. Truth. I believe that
one. Why is it so urgent you
couldn't wait until morning?
PICARD
We have to launch his ship by
tomorrow afternoon.
RUBY
Or...?
Picard has to come up with something -- decides to
throw her off with a high-tech explanation.
PICARD
Or the shielding around the
plutonium core will begin to
deteriorate. Within a day, the
entire silo will become so
radioactive that no one will be
able to come near it for a hundred
years.
Ruby eyes him evenly.
RUBY
Lie. That's two. One more, and
I pull the trigger.
Picard is starting to get angry.
PICARD
Why are you being so difficult?
All I'm asking for is to look at
one of the photographs. It'll
take five minutes.
RUBY
And all I'm asking for is the
truth. That would take five
minutes.
(beat)
For all I know, you caused the
explosions at the silo... and now
you're trying to steal Zephram's
ship.
PICARD
I am not a thief...
Ruby's had enough -- her temper flares and she gets off
the couch, takes a threatening step toward Picard.
RUBY
No, you're a petty burglar and a
liar...
(beat)
You're no friend of Zephram's. He
is a great man. He's not like you
or me or any of the other zombies
walking around this town.
Picard jumps in with a quiet, forceful quality:
PICARD
No. He's a man with vision. He
can see beyond the problems that
surround us. He knows there's a
better future out there for
everyone... a future where crime,
poverty and war are things of the
past... a future where we reach
out and seek our destiny in the
stars.
(beat)
I believe in that future, too,
Ruby. I believe in it in every
fiber of my being. And I'm
telling you... if we don't launch
that warp ship tomorrow, there's
a very good chance that future
will never happen.
She eyes him for a moment -- and we're not sure if his
words have had any effect.
Ruby still has her doubts, but decides to go with her
gut...and finally hands him the photographs. Picard
glances through them -- his expression tells us the
photo he needs is in there.
PICARD
You won't regret this.
They share a look... and then Picard turns and walks
off into the night. Ruby watches him go... and we can
see on her face a confused jumble of mixed emotions.
Something about that man has touched her...
135 NIGHT SCPOE POV 135
A telescopic, green and white image of Picard walking
away from Ruby's home.
136 LIEUTENANT SCRIMM 136
is watching Picard through a set of night vision
binoculars, perched on the roof of a nearby building.
He frowns, wondering what Picard is up to...
CUT TO:
137 EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE DEFLECTOR DISH 137
The giant DEFLECTOR ARRAY at the front of the ship --
a giant, round, bowl-shaped array used for
communications and shielding. As we watch, FOUR
HATCHES OPEN surrounding the dish and BORG start to
emerge from the interior of the ship and CRAWL OUT on
the hull. The Borg do not need pressure suits or
breathing equipment -- they crawl around the hull with
ease and onto the deflector dish...
PULL BACK TO REVEAL:
138 INT. ENTERPRISE BRIDGE - VIEWSCREEN 138
Where Riker, Troi, Worf and N.D.s are watching this
image on the Viewscreen.
RIKER
What are they doing?
WORF
They appear to be modifying the
deflector dish.
TROI
To do what? If they wanted a
weapon, they could've taken over
a phaser bank or torpedo bay...
RIKER
Deflector dish... why the
deflector dish...?
WORF
It doesn't make sense. The
deflector is only used for
shielding and long range
sensors...
Riker stares at the screen... notices something.
RIKER
Computer -- magnify grid twenty-
one alpha.
The image on the Viewscreen ZOOMS IN to a specific
point on the deflector dish, giving us a clear view of
two Borg who have opened a gigantic panel on the dish.
They appear top be modifying power conduits in some
fashion.
WORF
They're re-routing the deflector
power conduits...
RIKER
Computer -- thermal enhancement.
The image now is overlaid with an INFRARED VIEW of what
they're doing. The power conduits are glowing bright
red, very hot -- we can see the heat signature travel
back behind the dish and connect to a corkscrew-shaped
coil, which is pulsing.
RIKER
They're connecting the conduits to
subspace communications...
WORF
(realizing)
They're converting the deflector
dish into an antennae...
TROI
They may be trying to send a
message to the other Borg...the
Borg in this time period...
WORF
What kind of message?
RIKER
(thinking)
If it was me... I'd say "attack
Earth now... in the 21st
century... they'll be too strong
in the 24th."
They think about this for a moment as they watch the
Borg swarming on the deflector array.
WORF
We have to stop them from sending
that message.
RIKER
Agreed. Options?
WORF
Destroy the deflector dish.
TROI
Can we aim our dorsal phasers at
it?
Riker shakes his head.
RIKER
We've lost control of all weapons
systems... Transporters are
down... we can't get to a
Shuttlecraft... and it would take
us too long to fight our way down
to deflector control...
They think.
WORF
There is another way, Commander.
Do you remember your zero-G combat
training?
Riker looks a little wary at the suggestion.
RIKER
I remember it made me sick.
TROI
(to Worf)
What are you suggesting?
RIKER
I think Mister Worf is suggesting
that we go outside for a little
stroll...
OFF their expressions...
CUT TO:
139 CLOSE ON A PHOTOGRAPH 139
Another one of Ruby's cloth-printed photos, this one a
clear view of the base of the missile engines --
Cochrane standing underneath the massive rocket nozzle.
Above him on the fuselage is the crucial throttle-valve
assembly.
GEORDI'S VOICE
I'm almost afraid to say this,
Captain... but I think it's going
to work.
MOVE TO REVEAL we're in:
140 INT. MISSILE SILO - LOWER CATWALK - DAY 140
The cloth photo is hanging from a beam on the catwalk.
Geordi and Picard are watching a couple of N.D.s attach
the newly-built throttle assembly to the side of the
ship. The N.D.s are using high-tech welding tools and
sparks are flying. As they talk, they head back up the
catwalk toward the control room...
PICARD
Where's you get the alloy for the
throttle itself?
GEORDI
They used copper pipes in their
plumbing... so I melted it down...
and fused it with some tritanium
from one of our phaser casings.
(beat)
It's not the strongest alloy...
but it's better than all this
crude aluminum and steel.
141 INT. MISSILE CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 141
As Geordi and Picard ENTER. Lange is checking out a
launch console.
The room is now humming with power -- it's beginning to
look like the place is up and running. Picard stops
near the desk.
PICARD
Mister Lange -- have you brought
the computer systems back on-line
yet?
LANGE
Aye, Captain. This trinary
language is pretty archaic... but
I think I understand it now.
PICARD
Good.
As they speak, CAMERA MOVES in on the metal canister
of lotion Picard set on the desk earlier...
142 EXT. MONTONA WOODS - DAY - CONTINUOUS 142
Scrimm and three militia guards are huddled around a
cluster of military surveillance gear, listening to
Picard and Geordi's conversation. Far in the distance,
we can see the missile silo.
PICARD'S VOICE
Are we on schedule? The Vulcan
ship will be here in less than two
hours.
GEORDI'S VOICE
It'll be tight, but we should make
it.
PICARD'S VOICE
What about our warp signature? It
has to be strong enough for them
to detect.
GEORDI'S VOICE
I've enhanced the plasma injectors --
don't worry, they'll see it.
PICARD'S VOICE
Well, with any luck... the Vulcans
will land outside Resurrection
tomorrow morning... and Earth will
never be the same again.
Scrimm and his men listen with growing alarm -- it
sounds like Picard is planning an invasion!
143 INT. MISSILE CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS 143
As before.
PICARD
All right. I'd better start
familiarizing myself with the
flight controls.
A console BUZZES. Lange moves to it, and activates a
small color video MONITOR. It shows an external view
of the MISSILE silo, just outside the hatch. Beverly
can be seen standing nearby with a now conscious
Zephram Cochrane.
LANGE
Doctor Crusher's at the access
hatch, Captain.
PICARD
Let her in.
Lange hits a couple of buttons...
CUT TO:
144 CLOSE ON COCHRANE'S FACE 144
A short time later. His head is bandaged, and he's
conscious, but frankly he looks like hell. He sits
back, looking a little overwhelmed.
COCHRANE
Let me get this straight... you're
from the future... I'm about to
change history... and all I have
to do is sit here and let you fly
my ship?
145 WIDER 145
Picard, Geordi and Beverly are standing around
Cochrane, who is sitting in a high-backed chair in a
corner of the Control Room.
PICARD
That's right.
He studies their faces -- sees they're serious. He
smiles a little ruefully.
COCHRANE
And people say I'm crazy...
Picard smiles.
PICARD
I assure you, Doctor, that after
today... no one will ever call you
that again.
Cochrane considers them...finally nods, what the hell.
COCHRANE
Just do me a favor... bring my
ship back in one piece.
PICARD
That's a promise.
Picard turns and walks off with Beverly. Geordi moves
to Cochrane with a little bit of awe.
GEORDI
Doctor... my name is Geordi La
Forge. I'm an engineer. Can I
shake your hand?
Cochrane is touched by Geordi's obvious respect. They
shake hands.
COCHRANE
I wish I could go with you. Is
there anything I can do to help?
GEORDI
Not really... but I do have about
a thousand questions I've always
wanted to ask you.
COCHRANE
Since time is short... why don't
you pick the top ten and fire
away?
Geordi smiles...
146 PICARD AND BEVERLY 146
have moved to another part of the room. Beverly looks
exhausted. She sets her medkit on a table and plops
down into a chair. Mid-conversation.
PICARD
(surprised)
You actually performed surgery...?
BEVERLY
It was an experience. Metal
scalpels... needle and thread...
She looks up with a smile, pulls a small DEVICE out of
the medkit -- a surgical transporter.
BEVERLY
(re: device)
But I had a little help. Surgical
transporter. I used it to beam
out most of the bone fragments
from his brain.
PICARD
How did Doctor Almack react to
that?
BEVERLY
He was so confused by what I was
doing, I don't think he even
noticed.
(beat)
Any word from the Enterprise?
PICARD
Not yet.
BEVERLY
You think they're still up there?
PICARD
(wry)
If they're not... we'd better get
used to living in Montana.
BEVERLY
(light)
That might not be so bad... at
least for you.
She's kidding, but Picard is a little defensive.
PICARD
What's that supposed to mean?
There is no animosity or hint of jealousy in Beverly's
attitude, she's simply making an observation about
someone she cares about.
BEVERLY
I saw the way you looker at her...
and I know that look.
Picard doesn't want to argue about this -- to him, it's
a pointless conversation.
PICARD
Regardless of how I may feel about
Ruby... our fates lie along
different paths. Nothing can
change that.
BEVERLY
You want some advice? Don't do
this again.
(off his look)
You know exactly what I mean.
PICARD
Beverly, there were many reasons
why you and I...
BEVERLY
I'd call them excuses. And the
first excuse on both our lists was
our "sense of duty." We convinced
ourselves that it was more
important than anything else. And
you know what? It's not.
She holds his look for a moment.
PICARD
(neutral)
I have a ship to launch.
Picard turns and leaves. Beverly watches him go...
wondering whether her words had any affect...
147 EXT. RUBY'S HOUSE - DAY 147
Ruby is turning off the spigot on the filter-pump. The
plastic jug is now filled with the clear fluid --
silver halide. She caps the jug, picks it up, begins
walking up on the porch...then hesitates for a
moment... looks out over the horizon.
She hesitates... then frowns and goes inside...
Ruby comes inside, sets down the jug... begins to pick
up some more glass plates... stops... thinks... looks
up. Only a few feet away is the large picture of
Picard. She doesn't want to look at him, doesn't want
to think about him... but there he is.
She glances back at the open door... struggles for a
moment... then makes a decision.
Despite herself, she can't get Picard out of her head.
With a little frustration, she grabs her camera bag and
heads for the door...
149 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 149
in Earth orbit.
150 INT. BORG HIVE 150
ANGLE ON CEILING as the Borg Queen descends from her
nesting place down towards the camera... ultimately
stopping just a few feet away. She speaks directly to
the camera.
BORG QUEEN
How do you feel?
151 CLOSE ON DATA'S HAND 151
His right hand is made of FLESH -- it has color,
fingernails, hair, sweat. It's completely human in
every way. His fingers move slightly, and then the
hand begins to rise. We follow his hand as it comes up
and touches his FACE, which is also FLESH. The gold
color is gone, his hair is tousled and natural-looking.
Even his eyes are real now -- blue. He touches his
face tentatively, his expression confused... but
intrigued.
DATA
Different.
The Borg Queen descends closer. Data's arms are now
free, but he is still restrained on the table. The
rest of his body is still android, mechanical.
Data touches his two hands together, feeling the
sensations, flesh against machine. He touches his face
and lips, discovering himself in a totally new way.
DATA
My internal sensors tell me the
ambient temperature in the room is
ten point two degrees Celsius...
(wondrous)
But my
skin
tells me it is cold.
As he talks, we can see that he's becoming seduced by
his own newfound senses.
DATA
My visual acuity has been reduced
by seventy-eight percent... and I
can no longer perceive light
beyond the ultraviolet or the
infrared...
(beat)
But I can
see
.
It's an amazing moment, Data riding a wave of feeling
and emotion like he's never had before. The Borg Queen
watches, pleased. She hovers close to him.
BORG QUEEN
Until today... your emotions were
trapped inside an artificial
shell. You didn't know what it
was to truly
feel
.
(beat)
And there's so much more for you
to experience. I will guide you
into a world of sensation unlike
anything you can imagine.
(beat)
All you have to do... is give us
access to your neural net.
Data looks at her, suddenly shocked back into reality.
DATA
No. I will not betray my friends.
BORG QUEEN
They're not your friends...
they've held you back... kept you
from your destiny...
DATA
That is not true. They have tried
to help me.
BORG QUEEN
Have they given you what I have
given you? Did they even try?
DATA
I... do not want this...
But his words have a certain hollow quality to them.
He is no longer as convinced as he was before and the
Borg Queen notes this immediately. She reaches out
with a hand and gently strokes Data's cheek.
BORG QUEEN
You're becoming more human all the
time, Data. Now you're learning
how to lie.
DATA
I wish to... go back to the way I
was.
BORG QUEEN
More lies.
She SLAPS him hard across the face. Data feels the
pain
, the shock. A small trickle of
blood
comes from
his mouth. He looks at her in surprise, but before he
can say anything she moves forward and KISSES him on
the mouth deeply and intensely. It's a disturbing and
erotic moment. She pulls back. Data reels, trying to
sort out the rapid succession of pleasure and pain.
Her voice drops to a whisper and she moves even closer
to him, face-to-face... seductive... beguiling.
BORG QUEEN
Have you ever know a woman? Do
you know what it's like to feel
her breath on your face... her
skin against yours... flesh
against flesh?
DATA
My creator did not intend for me
to experience these things.
BORG QUEEN
I'm your creator now.
She rubs her body against his, cat-like... then pulls
him to her and kisses him deeply. Off the image of
their bizarre embrace...
CUT TO:
152 INT. BRIDGE 152
Riker, Worf, and three Security N.D.s are pulling on
SPACESUITS. The suits are form-fitting, sleek, no
bulky oxygen tanks. The helmets are the same -- they
conform to the contours of the skull and face.
WORF
(to Riker)
You will have to realign the
targeting array of the quantum
torpedo... and reprogram the
warhead for the localized
detonation.
(beat)
There's only one torpedo left...
RIKER
I guess I'd better get it right
the first time.
WORF
(to all)
The Borg will undoubtedly attack.
Set phasers to rotating
modulation.
The Security Officers check their phasers and wait as
Riker and Worf finish putting on their suits. Riker
straps a tool case to his suit.
RIKER
Ready?
Everyone nods. Riker goes to a wall panel and
activates the control. The Airlock door seen earlier
OPENS. Riker turns back to Troi.
TROI
Good luck.
Riker nods. Then he, Worf, and the Guards ENTER the
airlock and Troi close the door behind them.
153 INT. AIRLOCK 153
A tiny room separating the Bridge from the outer hull.
RIKER
Depressurize.
Worf hits a control and the room DEPRESSURIZES with a
HISSING SOUND.
WORF
(to others)
Activate magnetic constrictors.
They all activate controls on their wrists and there is
a faint hum of power as the suits are magnetized.
Riker hits another control and the OUTER AIRLOCK DOOR
SLIDES OPEN, revealing the vast vacuum of SPACE. They
begin to walk out of the airlock...
154 EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE - AIRLOCK 154
As Riker and his team come out of the airlock on the
top of the saucer section. It's a spectacular sight as
the small group of figures, with weapons at the ready,
marches toward the leading edge of the saucer. The
scene is lit by light reflected by the Earth, which
hangs above the ship.
155 ON RIKER & WORF 155
As they approach the edge. Worf gives a hand signal
and the rest of the team spreads out into a tactical
deployment and drops down onto their bellies. They
crawl up to the very edge of the saucer and pause.
Worf looks at Riker, who looks a little queasy.
WORF
(to Riker)
Are you alright?
RIKER
Just a little queasy...
WORF
Try not to look at the stars...
keep your eyes on the ship.
RIKER
Right.
WORF
And Commander, whatever you do...
do
not
vomit in your exo-suit. It
would be... unpleasant.
RIKER
I'll keep that in mind.
Riker takes a few deep breaths to steady himself.
RIKER
(to all)
Over and under!
They all quickly scramble over the edge and onto the
underside of the saucer.
The CAMERA ROTATES AND SPINS with them as they
traverse to the underside of the hull -- they're
upside down relative to their previous position, but
there's no up or down in space and their magnetized
suits hold them to the hull.
It's a dizzying moment as we try to orient ourselves to
their new position. From this angle, the Enterprise
appears to be upside down!
Once they're on the underside of the saucer, they can
see the rest of the ship laid out above them.
156 NEW ANGLE - THEIR POV 156
The deflector dish (which is now
above us
) is covered
with dozens of Borg drones, who are working to modify
it. Some of them turn and see us.
157 RIKER AND WORF 157
Begin running toward the torpedo tube on the saucer.
(Running is difficult, they must keep one foot on the
hull at all times.) Several Borg PHASER SHOTS whip past
them as the Borg open fire.
158 THE BORG 158
A DOZEN of them leave the work on the dish and begin
skittering down (which is normally up) the
interconnecting dorsal on all fours toward our heroes
like a swarm of ants -- a frightening sight.
159 A SECURITY GUARD 159
Is HIT by a phaser shot and goes FLYING OFF into space.
160 THE TORPEDO TUBE 160
Riker reaches the opening to the torpedo tube, bends
down and opens the hatch. Borg phaser shots hitting
all around him. The open hatch cover provides some
protection from the Borg fire.
RIKER
Worf! I'm going to need at least
five minutes!
WORF
Understood!
Worf and his team lie down on the hull and begin
exchanging fire with the approaching mass of Borg.
They pick off a few Borg, who also go FLYING into
space. As Riker begins to work...
CUT TO:
161 INT. MISSILE SILO - SERIES OF SHOTS 161
Quick cuts:
-- Picard and Geordi strapping themselves into the
Phoenix cockpit.
-- In the Control Room, the Starfleet N.D.s put on 21st
century headsets to communicate with the Phoenix
cockpit.
-- Cochrane sitting in his chair, holding his head, but
rapt with attention. Beverly checking him with her
MEDKIT,
which is sitting open on a console nearby
.
-- The BLAST DOOR begins closing.
-- Geordi's hands flipping switches, working the
controls.
OVER THESE SHOTS:
GEORDI'S VOICE
ATR setting...
PICARD'S VOICE
Active.
GEORDI'S VOICE
Main bus...
PICARD'S VOICE
Ready.
GEORDI'S VOICE
Initiate pre-ignition sequence.
-- The Phoenix ENGINES at the base of the ship begin
spewing nitrogen gas.
162 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM 162
The Security N.D.s moving about the control room, which
is now humming with power.
The huge steel blast door separating the control room
from the silo has been CLOSED.
GEORDI'S COM VOICE
Pre-ignition sequence complete.
Going to internal power.
LANGE
(off console)
Acknowledged, Phoenix. You're on
internal power and ready for lift-
off.
GEORDI'S COM VOICE
Final launch sequence checks...
complete. Ready to begin final
countdown.
LANGE
(works)
Understood. Begin five minute
countdown on your mark.
163 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 163
Picard, Geordi making final adjustments to the control
panels. Both are wearing 21st century communications
headsets. Picard exchanges a look with Geordi.
PICARD
Ready to make a little history?
GEORDI
Always am.
PICARD
Phoenix to control.
(hits a control)
Initiating five minute
countdown... mark.
A few monitors in the cockpit indicate that the
countdown is underway.
164 INT. CONTROL ROOM 164
Lange and the other N.D.s watching the countdown.
Suddenly a console BUZZES. Lange goes to the monitor
seen earlier, hits a switch -- the monitor comes alive,
shows that
Ruby
is now standing outside at the hatch.
Lange reacts in surprise.
Picard and Geordi working the controls, watching the
readings, etc. We hear Lange's com voice:
LANGE'S COM VOICE
Phoenix, we have a problem out
here. There's a woman at the
outer hatch... says her name's
Ruby Sloan and she wants to see
the Captain.
Picard and Geordi react -- her timing is pretty bad.
LANGE'S COM VOICE
What do you want me to do, sir?
GEORDI
We can't let her in... she'll see
Cochrane isn't making the flight.
PICARD
We can't leave her out there.
When the ship launches... she'll
be killed.
GEORDI
Tell her to go back to
Resurrection.
PICARD
She's a very... determined woman.
(to com)
Phoenix to control. Mister
Lange... let her in.
LANGE'S COM VOICE
Aye, sir.
166 EXT. MISSILE SILO - DAY 166
Ruby standing by the hatch, trying to look calm...
Scrimm and three Militia Soldiers
holding her at
gunpoint. The hatch hisses and POPS OPEN. Scrimm
shoves a gun into Ruby's side -- get going. As they
start to crawl inside...
167 INT. CONTROL ROOM 167
Lange and the other N.D.s have focused their attention
on the countdown. Ruby climbs down the ladder, a tense
look on her face.
LANGE
Ms. Sloane, if you'll have a seat,
I'll let you talk to --
Suddenly, the three heavily-armed militia soldiers jump
down the ladder from the hatch. One of the Starfleet
N.D.s goes for a phaser, and a soldier BLASTS him
backward with a spray of bullets from his automatic
weapon. Everyone else freezes. A tense beat, then
Scrimm climbs down the ladder and looks around the
room...
CUT TO:
168 EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE - BATTLE ON THE HULL 168
Riker in the torpedo tube, frantically working. He
begins to physically MOVE the torpedo tube itself like
he's moving the barrel of a huge cannon... as he
struggles to aim it toward the huge deflector dish...
169 WORF AND THE SECURITY GUARDS 169
are about fifty feet away from Riker. From their prone
positions, they try to keep the Borg at bay, BLASTING
them off the hull one by one. They have taken cover
behind some outcroppings of equipment on the hull of
the ship. The Borg have to cross an open field of
metal to get to them, making then easy targets.
Suddenly the Borg change tactics. From the deflector
dish high above them, Borg begin LAUNCHING THEMSELVES
directly at the Starfleet Officers, jumping off the
dish and flying through the vacuum of space like
paratroopers. This tips the balance. There are too
many targets to defend from above and below. One of
the flying Borg CRASHES into a Security Guard and a
vicious hand-to-hand FIGHT erupts. The Borg SLASHES
the guard's pressure suit, which DEPRESSURIZES killing
the man instantly. Worf FIRES a phaser blast into the
Borg, knocking him off the hull and into space.
Worf turns to Riker.
WORF
Commander, you're five minutes are
up!
170 RIKER 170
swings the torpedo tube into place, aiming it at the
deflector dish. He hits a control on the side of the
tube... and a QUANTUM TORPEDO automatically slides up
from below and LOCKS INTO position in the tube, like a
panel on the torpedo and begins working on the
circuitry.
171 INT. BRIDGE 171
Troi in command, watching the VIEWSCREEN, which shows
a different angle of the battle on the hull.
COM OFFICER
The Borg are charging the subspace
emitters.
TROI
How long until they can send a
message?
COM OFFICER
About seven or eight minutes.
TROI
Computer -- this is Commander
Deanna Troi. Initiate self-
destruct in six minutes, thirty
seconds. Authorization Troi,
gamma six five. Enable.
COMPUTER VOICE
Countdown underway. Self-destruct
in six minutes, twenty-five
seconds...
Monitors all around the Bridge show the countdown.
172 ANGLE ON A MONITOR 172
which says "SELF-DESTRUCT IN 6:24...6:23...6:22..."
CUT TO:
173 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM 173
The Sergeant is examining one of the monitors. The
display says "LIFT-OFF, T-MINUS 50 seconds...49...
48..."
SERGEANT
No good, sir. They're on internal
power. We can't stop the launch
from here.
SCRIMM
(re: blast doors)
What about these doors?
PRIVATE
They're locked down tight from the
inside.
SERGEANT
And those doors were made to
withstand a nuclear attack.
Scrimm looks frustrated for a moment...then turns his
attention to Ruby.
174 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 174
As before.
GEORDI
One minute to launch.
SCRIMM'S COM VOICE
Mister Picard... this is
Lieutenant Scrimm. I'm going to
have to insist that you shut down
the launch. You see, I know what
you're doing... and I'm not going
to just stand by and let it
happen.
(beat)
Stop the launch, or I'll kill
every one of your people out
here... and I think you know
who'll be first.
As Picard reacts in shock...
INTERCUT:
175 INT. CONTROL ROOM 175
Scrimm is now holding Ruby by the arm. He shoves the
com headset to her mouth.
SCRIMM
Say hello...
Ruby is scared, but trying to keep it together.
RUBY
(to com)
Jean-Luc... remember that future
we talked about? It's all that
matters...
(beat)
Launch the ship
.
Picard reacts to her voice, but keeps working the
controls, trying to concentrate. Scrimm draws his gun.
SCRIMM
Go ahead -- launch it. Ruby will
be here when you get back... but
she won't have a whole lot to say.
176 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 176
Geordi and Picard exchange a tense look. Picard
struggles. It's a difficult moment -- what does he do?
The countdown clock is approaching 15 seconds...14...
13...
Everything hangs in the balance -- Ruby's life, the
future of the Earth, Picard's feelings, his duty...
Finally, Picard reaches out hits a control -- the
countdown clock
stops
at 11 seconds.
GEORDI
Captain --
PICARD
(to com)
This is Picard. I've suspended
the launch sequence.
SCRIMM'S COM VOICE
Thanks. Now, why don't you join
us and we'll have a little talk?
Picard unstraps himself and takes off the headset.
GEORDI
Captain... we've got less than ten
minutes before that Vulcan ship
leaves the system. We've got to
go
now
.
PICARD
It'll have to wait. Come on.
Geordi quickly starts unstrapping himself...
177 INT. MISSILE SILO - CATWALK 177
Picard and Geordi stop outside the massive blast doors,
which are separating them from the control room.
PICARD
Geordi, can you see into the room?
Geordi looks at the blast doors... and he does so, the
electronic PUPILS in his eyes rotate, change shape and
color.
178 GEORDI'S POV 178
A high-tech INFRARED VIEW of the door, but we can't see
through it -- it's opaque.
179 RESUME 179
GEORDI
No... the door's too thick.
PICARD
(frustrated)
Then we'll just have to assume
it's still there...
GEORDI
What's still there?
PICARD
Get a tricorder. You're going to
have to track my exact position in
that room...
Geordi moves off. Clearly, Picard has a plan...
CUT TO:
180 EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE - BATTLE ON THE HULL 180
Riker finishes working on the torpedo... he closes the
panel... turns and reaches for the fire control
mechanism. She glances up -- there's a BORG flying
through space directly at him! Riker tries to bring up
his phaser, but it's too late. The Borg SLAMS into
him.
Riker makes a desperate grab for the torpedo tube itself,
trying to hold on, but the momentum of the Borg impact
is too great -- they
both tumble off into space together
,
away from the ship.
CUT TO:
181 INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE - VIEWSCREEN 181
A shocked Troi watches Riker and the Borg tumbling away
into space on the Viewscreen. They are engaged in a
zero-gee hand to hand fight -- an incredible sight.
COMPUTER VOICE
Self-destruct in three minutes...
CUT TO:
182 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM 182
Scrimm still has the gun on Ruby. The blast door is
just being lowered, revealing Picard. Geordi has
returned to the Phoenix cockpit. A console separates
Picard and Scrimm.
PICARD
What do you want?
SCRIMM
The invasion plans.
PICARD
Invasion.
SCRIMM
These people you're calling
"Vulcans"... who are they? Where
do they come from? How many
troops? What kind of weapons?
183 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 183
Geordi is working a tricorder furiously. We're not
sure what he's doing...
CUT TO:
184 EXT. SPACE - RIKER & BORG 184
As they tumble through the void of space, in a
desperate fight.
The Borg manages to get his hand around Riker's
throat... begins choking him... Riker looks like a
goner... Suddenly they are both enveloped in a BRIGHT
BEAM OF PULSING ENERGY.
185 INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE 185
Troi in command.
ENSIGN
(off console)
Tractor beam engaged. We've
got 'em, Commander.
TROI
Prismify the beam. Get rid of
that Borg.
186 EXT. SPACE - RIKER & BORG 186
As the tractor beam from the Enterprise SPLITS in two
and separates Riker from the Borg. The second beam
disappears, throwing the Borg off into space, while
Riker is towed back toward the hull of the ship.
187 ON RIKER 187
As the beam moves him back toward the ship.
188 RIKER'S POV 188
A dizzying view of the stars and the Earth as he is
pulled through space.
189 RIKER 189
Closes his eyes, fighting off waves of nausea.
RIKER
(to himself)
Don't look at the stars... don't
look at the stars...
CUT TO:
190 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM 190
Picard still stalling for time.
PICARD
(firm)
There is no invasion...
SCRIMM
Wrong answer, Mister Picard. Try
again.
He shoves his gun against Ruby's head. The tension
rises a notch.
PICARD
All right. You want the truth...
(beat)
The Vulcans... are highly
intelligent aliens.
191 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 191
Geordi working the tricorder... he can hear their
conversation in the other room through an open com
channel...
SCRIMM'S COM VOICE
Aliens... that's what I thought.
From where... Canada?
The tricorder BEEPS and he smiles...
192 INT. CONTROL ROOM 192
As before.
PICARD
From another planet.
(beat)
Oh, I almost forgot... they
have green blood and pointed ears.
SCRIMM
(skeptical)
And you know all this... because
you're
a space-man too...
PICARD
I'm afraid you've caught me. I am
a space-man.
Scrimm smirks at him -- what gall this guy has. But
Ruby seems to discern some deeper meaning in Picard's
words. She frowns in puzzlement.
RUBY
(quiet)
Truth... he's telling the truth...
Picard looks at Ruby, and at that moment something on
a console behind her catches his eye: a LIGHT on
Beverly's SURGICAL TRANSPORTER is now FLASHING. No one
else notices.
SCRIMM
You're an entertaining man, Mister
Picard. But you're also full of
shit.
Scrimm cocks back the hammer on the pistol he's holding
to Ruby's head. The following happens
very quickly
:
-- Picard reaches out his hand, trying to stop Scrimm.
PICARD
Now, Geordi!
-- The gun in Scrimm's hand DEMATERIALIZES. Scrimm
reacts in shock.
-- Instantly, the gun REMATERIALIZES in Picard's
outstretched hand. He quickly pushes the barrel to
Scrimm's forehead.
PICARD
Actually,
you're
full of shit.
Everyone is in the room stunned by what's happened.
Picard takes charge before anyone can recover.
PICARD
(continuing)
Now, tell your men to drop their
weapons.
There's a beat, but then Scrimm sees he has little
choice.
SCRIMM
Weapons... down.
The other militia soldiers drop their weapons, which
are quickly picked up by Beverly and a Starfleet N.D.
Picard hands his gun to Lange, who covers Scrimm with
it.
Ruby turns to Picard.
PICARD
Are you all --
Ruby throws her arms around him and pulls him close.
He hugs her back, grateful she's alive. Ruby pulls
away.
RUBY
I think you have a plane to catch.
Picard smiles and heads back toward the Phoenix...
CUT TO:
193 EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE - THE HULL 193
Riker slams into the hull and the BEAM goes OFF. He
gets his bearings quickly and then RUNS toward the
torpedo tube where Worf and his few remaining men are
still fighting the Borg, who are about to overrun their
position.
194 INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE 194
As before.
COMPUTER VOICE
Self-destruct in fifeteen
seconds... fourteen...
thirteen... twelve...
195 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 195
Geordi and Picard strapping themselves back in...
196 EXT. SPACE - RIKER 196
reaches the torpedo tube, pulls up the firing control
mechanism, which shows a monitor screen with a cross-
hair targeting display. He activates the monitor,
which begins tracking over toward the deflector dish.
197 INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE 197
COMPUTER VOICE
Nine... eight... seven...
198 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 198
Picard and Geordi's hands are flying across the
controls...
199 EXT. SPACE - RIKER 199
clamps a conduit into a power junction... then grabs
hold of a rotating lever inside the tube and TURNS it.
He ducks out of the way as the torpedo is LAUNCHED with
a ROAR.
200 WIDER 200
As the torpedo streaks out from the saucer section and
slams into the deflector dish. The dish EXPLODES in a
burst of FLAME... blowing away the Borg who were
working on it...
201 INT. MISSSILE SILO - PHOENIX ENGINES 201
As they IGNITE and start pouring out sheets of FLAME.
202 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 202
which is shuddering and shaking...
203 EXT. SPACE - RIKER & WORF 203
React with smiles. They did it.
204 INT. BRIDGE 204
Troi and the other N.D.s react with relief. The
countdown on the monitors are
stopped
at 00:03.
205 EXT. MONTANA - MISSILE SILO - WIDE SHOT - DAY 205
as the concrete missile doors slide open and the
Phoenix is LAUNCHED up into the sky, riding a pillar of
fire and smoke. This is our first real look at the
ship and it resembles an oversized ICBM with a
specialized cockpit on top.
206 INT. MISSILE SILO - CONTROL ROOM 206
Lange and the other N.D.s have the militia soldiers
under guard. Ruby is watching the missile launch on a
video monitor. She smiles.
207 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 207
Picard and Geordi working the controls as the ship
bounces and shakes.
The g-forces push them back into their seats.
GEORDI
Solid rocket fuel at twenty-five
thousand kilograms...
PICARD
Altitude fifty kilometers...
GEORDI
Entering the upper ionospere...
PICARD
There's a red light on the second
intake valve.
GEORDI
Ignore it. We'll be fine.
(beat)
Prepare for first stage shut-down
and separation on my mark...
208 EXT. SPACE - EARTH ORBIT 208
As the Phoenix rockets into space...
209 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 209
As before.
GEORDI
Three... two... one... mark!
210 EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX 210
The rocket booster SHUTS DOWN as the ship leaves
Earth's orbit and coasts on its momentum. After a
beat, the first stage booster separates from the ship
and DROPS AWAY, leaving three-quarters of the ship in
space.
211 INT. BORG HIVE 211
CLOSE ON DATA, head tilted back, eyes closed,
smiling...a few droplets of WATER fall from above onto
his face. He smiles wider, reveling in the sensation.
212 WIDER 212
Data is still restrained on the table, but a conduit
has been placed above his head and is dripping
condensation onto his face. Data is now a completely
new being. His entire BODY is now made of HUMAN FLESH.
It's a shocking sight -- for anyone who ever wondered
what Data would look like human, we're now getting our
first look.
213 THE BORG QUEEN 213
DESCENDS from her nest in the ceiling. She watches
Data for a moment... rubs the moisture into his face.
BORG QUEEN
A Borg in all but name.
Data, although clearly enraptured with his new
sensations and feelings still struggles to maintain
his own sense of identity.
DATA
(weak)
I am... grateful for what you have
given me. But I still do not wish
to be assimilated.
BORG QUEEN
A universe of sensation is waiting
for you... don't you want to
explore it... with me?
To his surprise, Data finds that he is becoming drawn
to this strange creature and all that she can offer
him.
DATA
Yes...
BORG QUEEN
Then take the final step... give
me the Enterprise... and we can be
together... always.
He struggles, but ultimately there's only one answer.
DATA
No... I cannot.
Without taking her eyes away from Data, she reaches out
a hand and touches a control on a nearby console. The
color of Data's FACE turns an ASHEN GRAY -- as though
the blood has drained from his skin. Another droplet
of moisture falls and hits him on the cheek -- but this
time his eyes widen in shock.
The sensation of human feeling is gone.
BORG QUEEN
I've deactivated the sensory
inputs. That flesh on your body
is just meat, now.
DATA
No... no, please... you cannot...
She moves in close on him, an edge creeping into her
voice:
BORG QUEEN
You must give me what I want...
now. Without the deflector dish,
we can no longer send for an early
invasion. We must assimilate
Earth ourselves. I need this
ship.
She hits the control, and the COLOR returns to his
face. Data gasps -- filled with
feeling
once again.
The Borg Queen runs her hand across his cheek -- her
attitude seductive and affectionate once again.
BORG QUEEN
Isn't it better like this...?
DATA
Yes... but the Enterprise... my
duty...
BORG QUEEN
... is to yourself. Don't make me
hurt you again...
She touches the control again. Data is
shocked
back
into his cold, android self. He's like a heroin addict
being denied his "high" with the flick of a switch.
DATA
No... no, it's so... empty...
please... give it back... I need
it...
BORG QUEEN
And I need to control this ship.
Let me into your mind.
Data struggles, anguished... we've never seen him like
this before... completely beaten down... finally, he
nods. The Borg Queen touches the control again. A
sharp intake of breath as the feeling returns to Data.
And the Queen
kisses
him on the mouth.
This time, he responds eagerly, throwing himself into
the emotion of the moment. She pulls back a little,
looks at him softly, passionately. Data stares back at
her, breathless -- he seems to be completely in her
thrall.
DATA
In order to access my neural
net... you will need to create a
positronic interface.
(beat)
I will tell you how.
OFF the Borg Queen's smile of victory...
CUT TO:
214 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 214
As before. Picard and Geordi work the control in
silence for a few moments. The ship is floating in
space, now a good distance from Earth.
GEORDI
Ready to deploy the warp nacelles.
PICARD
As they used to say... all systems
are go.
Geordi works his console...
215 EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX 215
Two fifty-foot long sheets of metal fall away from the
ship on either side of the Phoenix, revealing primitive
WARP NACELLES tucked inside the craft. The warp
nacelles then begin slowly extending themselves outward
on either side -- the basic designs of the nacelles
should be familiar to anyone who's ever seen a STAR
TREK starship.
This is the beginning of a long-standing architectural
design element of our ships.
216 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 216
As before.
GEORDI
The Vulcans should be out there
right now. We need to break the
warp barrier in the next five
minutes if we're going to get
their attention.
PICARD
Bring the warp core on-line. I'll
lay in a heading.
GEORDI
The nacelles are charged...
nuclear warhead standing by.
We're ready to ignite the warp
drive.
PICARD
Engage.
217 EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX 217
The warp nacelles FLARE with power and the ship begins
moving forward in space.
218 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 218
They're SLAMMED BACK into their seats from the massive
G-forces.
GEORDI
Warp field looks good...
structural integrity holding...
Picard activates a monitor which begins showing a
digital display of their speed.
PICARD
(off monitor)
Speed... twenty thousand
kilometers per second.
219 EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX 219
The ship is going faster...
faster
...
220 INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE 220
Troi is standing outside the emergency airlock with the
Ensign, who is working the wall panel.
The airlock door OPENS after a beat, and Riker, Worf
and One Security Guard ENTER. They're exhausted after
the pitched battle. Troi smiles at them as they remove
their helmets.
TROI
I have to admit there was a moment
there when --
RIKER
(holds up a hand)
Hold that thought.
He turns away and then doubles over behind a console
and begins vomiting off screen. Worf shrugs.
WORF
Strong heart. Weak stomach.
A light beat, and then suddenly the entire Bridge GOES
DARK -- ALL POWER GONE. Console, monitors, everything.
RIKER
Report!
WORF
We've lost Bridge control!
RIKER
Emergency override!
WORF
(works)
Nothing.
221 INT. BORG HIVE 221
The Borg Queen is floating in the middle of the room,
surrounded by Borg consoles and technology. Data is
still on the table, with some kind of specialized
conduit connecting his head to a group of monitors,
which are inactive at the moment. He appears to be
caught up in the rapture of his new sensations, and his
personal connection to the Borg Queen. All thought of
his Starfleet responsibilities are gone.
DATA
(to Queen)
I am re-routing Bridge command
functions to this location.
Data thinks for a moment, and the monitors suddenly
COME TO LIFE and the equipment around the Queen HUMS
with POWER.
Information about critical Enterprise systems flows
across the monitor screens -- we might recognize
graphics from the Bridge displays. The Borg are now in
control.
BORG QUEEN
Eliminate their remaining
defenses. I will send Borg to
assimilate the rest of the crew.
Data nods... but then one of the consoles BEEPS.
DATA
(reacts)
There is a perimeter alert. A
ship has entered sensor range.
BORG QUEEN
Vulcan?
DATA
No.
Data tilts his head and --
222 A MONITOR 222
shows an exterior space shot. The image rapidly ZOOMS
IN on the distant PHOENIX. The ship is racing through
space.
BORG QUEEN
(reacts, to Data)
Give me helm control.
Data nods. Another console lights up. She moves to
work it herself...
223 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 223
As the ship turns and begins moving off at impulse
speed.
224 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 224
As before, Picard is now steering the ship with a 21st
century JOYSTICK CONTROL. The ship is moving faster
and faster, trembling now, a ROAR building.
PICARD
Passing one-half light speed. The
starboard nacelle's running a
little hot...
GEORDI
I'm on it...
The CABIN shakes a little.
GEORDI
The inertial dampers are having
trouble compensating... I don't
think Cochrane built this thing
for comfort.
PICARD
Speed -- two hundred, seventy-five
thousand kilometers per second.
WHOOSH! A weird DISTORTION passes through the cabin
like a wave, then vanishes.
GEORDI
There's no temporal shielding in
here! We're starting to pick up
relativistic effects!
PICARD
One minute to warp threshold...
225 EXT. SPACE 225
The warp ship WHIPS by... and then a moment later, the
ENTERPRISE ROARS into view, chasing the tiny ship.
226 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 226
Geordi glances out the window... does a double-take and
looks back up in surprise...
GEORDI
Captain, the Enterprise!
PICARD
(taps combadge)
Picard to Enterprise.
(beat)
Picard to Enterprise -- do you
read me?
No response.
PICARD
Their com system must still be
down.
GEORDI
Well, I feel a whole lot better
with them out there. We may need
some help.
227 INT. BORG HIVE 227
As before, the Queen floating above the helm control
console. The warp ship is on the monitor, getting
closer.
DATA
I have repaired the weapons array.
Phasers are on-line.
A floating CROSSHAIR appears on the monitor showing the
warp ship. The Queen works the console. The crosshair
moves, but refuses to lock onto the warp ship. She
frowns.
BORG QUEEN
The targeting lock isn't working.
Data looks puzzled.
DATA
I do not understand. The optical
data network has been repaired,
and all systems are functioning.
The Queen works furiously, still can't get the
crosshairs to lock onto the ship.
BORG QUEEN
Your diagnostics are in error. I
need weapons.
DATA
(thinks)
The problem must lie in the
interface between Starfleet and
Borg technology. Your console may
not be configured to handle the
data flow.
BORG QUEEN
Can you configure it?
DATA
I believe so.
BORG QUEEN
Do it.
She hits a series of Borg controls on a nearby
console... and the restraints holding Data to the table
are RELEASED. Two Borg drones move to him... as he
stands up and heads for the Queen, the specialized
cable still attached to his head...
228 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 228
closing in on the tiny warp ship. It's like a shark
chasing a guppy.
229 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 229
Ship SHAKING with power and acceleration.
PICARD
Approaching light speed...
Geordi glances out a side window.
GEORDI
They're getting awfully close...
what the hell are they doing?
PICARD
We're crossing the threshold!
The ship is really SHAKING HARD now -- and the
compartment is DISTORTING slightly, stretching,
everything becoming elongated...
230 EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX 230
The ship is STRETCHING in the familiar "rubber band
effect" that tells us a ship is going into warp... but
this effect is much
slower
. It's on the verge of
hitting warp speed. The Enterprise still on their
tail.
231 INT. BORG HIVE 231
Data is standing right next to the Queen, and is
studying the Borg console intently. Two Borg drones
stand nearby, watching closely.
DATA
I believe I see the problem.
In the blink of an eye:
-- DATA WHIRLS AROUND AND SLAMS AN ARM INTO ONE OF THE
BORG DRONES. The drone is knocked off its feet.
-- The second Borg rushes at Data, swings his arm at
Data's head. This is the same Borg with the deadly
stiletto-tipped DRILL SPIKES seen earlier. The spikes
TEAR into the flesh of Data's neck, drawing BLOOD.
-- Data reacts in pain. He GRABS the Borg's arm and
with android strength KICKS HIM IN THE CHEST at the
same time. The Borg FLIES BACKWARD, causing the
cybernetic ARM to RIP from its socket in a shower of
sparks.
-- The Borg Queen SWOOPS down at Data for the kill.
But Data's too quick for her. With one swift motion,
he turns and THROWS the BORG ARM like a JAVELIN across
the room.
232 NEW ANGLE 232
As the spikes on the severed Borg arm PUNCTURE one of
the
diathermic oxygen tanks
seen earlier. A HUGE
EXPLOSION of
DEADLY GAS
bursts out of the ruptured
tank. The WALL of roiling gas sweeps through the
entire Borg Hive.
BORG QUEEN
(screams)
No!
She lunges at Data just as the gas envelopes them!
233 EXT. SPACE - THE PHOENIX 233
As it GOES INTO WARP -- it shoots forward and streaks
away from the Enterprise!
234 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 234
As Picard and Geordi are slammed back into their seats
and the stars WHIP PAST the windows in the familiar
warp effect.
235 INT. BORG HIVE 235
Data and the Borg Queen tearing and clawing at each
other amongst the spewing gas. The Borg drones try to
get away, but they are SWALLOWED by the rush of gas,
fall to the deck, twitching in pain.
Data and the Borg Queen both fall to the deck,
grappling with each other.
236 EXT. SPACE - THE WARP SHIP 236
As it STREAKS PAST -- the warp ship flying at top
speed.
237 INT. BORG HIVE 237
Data and the Borg Queen struggling against each
other... the gas swirling around their bodies... and as
it does, we see the FLESH on their bodies start to
LIQUEFY and MELT AWAY in a horrific ooze of blood and
skin.
238 INT. PHOENIX COCKPIT 238
As before, but the ride has smoothed out considerably,
Warp stars streaking by.
PICARD
Bring us about...
A beat as Geordi works.
GEORDI
Dropping out of warp.
Out the front windows, the warp stars STOP... the ship
JOLTS slightly... turns to the left... Earth can be
seen in the distance.
They smile. It's a moment of victory.
PICARD
Let's begin the landing procedure.
239 INT. CARGO BAY/BORG HIVE 239
The onrush of gas is gone. But it has affected every
surface of the room like an acid wash. Every piece of
Borg machinery is smoking and hissing. The two Borg
drones are lying on the floor, dead -- all organic
matter and flesh have been dissolved from their bodies,
leaving only raw mechanical skeletons.
MOVE TO REVEAL:
240 DATA AND THE BORG QUEEN 240
lying on the floor, still locked together. Data is a
shocking image: all of his human flesh has been
STRIPPED AWAY, leaving only his pure android self. His
metallic skull gleams in the dim light... even his eyes
are gone. His mechanical left arm is still intact, but
the right human arm is completely gone. His torso is
stripped of the human flesh, leaving pure android with
no soft human touches. Data as we've never seen him
before -- raw and mechanistic.
Data rolls over... still locked around him is the
MECHANICAL SKELETON of the Borg Queen. A metallic
spinal column with two arms with clawed hands leading
off it... and a blinking, electronic BRAIN STEM at the
very top of the spine.
Data throws off the grotesque form. The Borg Queen
carcass writhes and claws at the air. She speaks in a
flat, mechanical voice.
BORG QUEEN
(fritzed)
Data...
Data reaches out with one hand... grabs the metal
spinal column just below the brain stem... and SNAPS IT
IN TWO. The blinking brain stem FRITZES OUT.
241 INT. CORRIDOR 241
Two Borg Drones moving down the hall suddenly stop...
twitch... the blinkies on their bodies GO OUT... and
they both FALL OVER DEAD. Their connection to their
Queen severed.
242 INT. JEFFERIES TUBE 242
Another Borg Drone reacts... lights out... slumps over
DEAD.
243 INT. BORG HIVE 243
Data releases the remains of the dead Borg Queen. He
leans back a little, as though exhausted by his
remarkable experience. CAMERA PULLS BACK, emphasizing
the loneliness of this smoking, scorched android
sitting alone in the ruins of the Borg Hive...
CUT TO:
244 EXT. MISSILE SILO - DAY 244
The missile doors now open, the ground badly scorched
from the launch. Scrimm and his militia guards are
sitting on the ground, while Lange and the other
Starfleet N.D. keep a watchful eye on them. Cochrane
is sitting against a rock, while Beverly checks him
over. Ruby is pacing, lost in thought...
PICARD'S VOICE
Isn't anyone going to say welcome
back?
Everyone looks up to see --
245 PICARD AND GEORDI 245
standing a few feet away, tired but triumphant.
BEVERLY
Did it work?
Picard nods. Beverly, Lange and the N.D. look
relieved. Ruby takes a few steps toward Picard.
246 COCHRANE 246
smiles up at Geordi.
COCHRANE
Mister La Forge... now I'd like to
shake your hand.
Geordi smiles and walks over to him.
247 PICARD AND RUBY 247
stop a few feet away from each other, their eyes
locked. They drink in sight of each other...
there's an undercurrent of unspoken feelings and words.
She smiles... he smiles back. A satisfying moment.
PICARD (V.O.)
Captain's log, March 3rd, 2063.
The voyage of the Phoenix was a
success... again.
CUT TO:
248 EXT. RESURRECTION CITY - NIGHT 248
Townspeople along the Main Street. A sense of
urgency -- something's going on.
PICARD (V.O.)
And it appears the Vulcan ship has
detected the warp signature and is
now on its way to Earth.
Suddenly something in the night sky catches their
attention. A BRIGHT LIGHT is moving down towards the
city. We now realize this is what people are reacting
to...
249 JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN 249
Just a hundred yards beyond the city limits we see the
massive VULCAN SCOUT SHIP SETTLING down onto the
ground. Dust flying everywhere. Windmill blades
spinning wildly from the exhaust.
250 THE TOWNSPEOPLE 250
squinting into the wind, trying to make out what's
happening...
251 NEW ANGLE - ON A HILLTOP 251
A good distance away, but with a good view of the
entire scene. Riker, Worf, Beverly, Troi and Geordi
watching from a distance as the Vulcan ship LANDS.
252 JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN 252
Picard, Ruby and a bandaged, but much healthier Zephram
Cochrane watching the landing. People from town are
surging around them. Everyone is shocked and amazed at
what they're seeing. Picard watches with satisfaction --
this is the moment he's been waiting for.
Cochrane and Ruby are particularly awestruck.
253 THE VULCAN SHIP 253
settles, engines whining down... dust settling.
254 PICARD 254
moves to Cochrane, takes him gently by the arm.
PICARD
Doctor Cochrane... this is your
moment.
Cochrane looks a little bewildered, tries to grapple
with the moment.
COCHRANE
My God... they're really from
another world?
PICARD
That's right. And they're going
to want to meet the man who flew
that warp ship.
Cochrane looks at him.
COCHRANE
And that's supposed to be me...
PICARD
Zephram, you had the vision to
build that ship when no one else
on this planet could see beyond
their own problems.
(beat)
You flew that ship... all I did
was push a few buttons.
Cochrane looks at him for a moment... takes a breath,
nods...
COCHRANE
All right.
(beat)
And don't worry -- I'll keep your
secret.
They hear a mechanical WHIRR and a HISS of air.
255 NEW ANGLE 255
as a HATCH opens on the Vulcan ship. The townspeople
behind them react with shock and fear... a few people
take a step back. Picard looks at Cochrane, who
hesitates for a moment... then finally takes a deep
breath... and strides out toward the alien ship. A man
alone about to change the course of human history.
Ruby moves closer to Picard and puts her arm around
him... and he puts his arm around her.
256 HILLTOP 256
As the rest of our crew is enraptured by the moment...
they glance at each other with excitement as they watch
history unfold...
257 VULCAN SHIP 257
Cochrane stops a few feet away from the ship as the
hatch swings completely open... light streams out into
the night air... and THREE HOODED, ROBED FIGURES
EMERGE. They stand across from Cochrane -- a moment
frozen in time.
258 THE TOWNSPEOPLE 258
watching in awe...
259 PICARD AND RUBY 259
watching...
260 THE LEAD VULCAN 260
pulls his hood back, revealing the familiar slanted
eyebrows and pointed ears, holding himself with that
austere, regal dignity we've come to associate with his
race. He steps forward to greet Cochrane... raises his
hand as if to wave.
Cochrane raises his hand automatically, as if to wave
in return...
But then the Vulcan splits his fingers in the classic
Vulcan greeting.
VULCAN
Live Long and Prosper.
Cochrane tries to emulate the Vulcan hand-sign...but
can't quite do the awkward finger-split.
COCHRANE
Um... thanks.
The Vulcan cocks an eyebrow at him. The very first
Alien-Human relationship is underway...
261 PICARD AND RUBY 261
are now surrounded by townspeople, who are watching the
scene unfold...
262 HILLTOP 262
Our heroes share a glance with each other and smile,
Riker taps his combadge.
RIKER
Riker to Enterprise. Five to beam
up.
The crew DEMATERIALIZES...
263 PICARD AND RUBY 263
have now moved away from the crowd... no one paying
attention to them. The bright lights from the Vulcan
ship cast them in a dramatic silhouette. Picard turns
to Ruby. It's the moment he's been dreading. This is
goodbye. She looks at him.
RUBY
You're leaving, aren't you?
PICARD
I have to...
RUBY
Where? And don't tell me San
Francisco...
PICARD
No. It's a lot further than that.
RUBY
It's the future, isn't it? Just
like you told Scrimm.
(beat)
I knew you weren't from around
here.
PICARD
(with humor)
No... I'm from France.
RUBY
I don't care if you're from France
or Venus... just take me with you.
PICARD
That's impossible.
RUBY
Why?
PICARD
This may be hard for you to
understand... but I'm duty-bound
not to interfere with you, or
anyone else here... any more than
is absolutely necessary.
RUBY
You've been interfering with my
life ever since I met you.
(with meaning)
Don't stop now.
Picard struggles... he doesn't want to do this, but
he's torn between his heart and his duty.
PICARD
Ruby... I'm sorry.
(remembering his words
to Beverly)
But our fates lie along different
paths.
A long, difficult moment... then he lets her go...
turns and starts walking off into the night. She
stands where she is, watching him go with tears in her
eyes...
Picard hits his combadge.
PICARD
Picard to Enterprise. One to...
He stops where he is.
RIKER'S COM VOICE
Riker here. Captain, we didn't
get your whole transmission.
Picard turns, looks back at Ruby. Their eyes meet...
and he makes the decision.
PICARD
To hell with fate.
RIKER'S COM VOICE
Say again, Captain?
He starts walking towards her. She sees him coming...
starts running to him. She throws herself into his
arms and he holds her close. They kiss. A magical
moment, then...
PICARD
Enterprise. Two to beam up.
They DEMATERIALIZE holding each other tight...
264 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 264
moving out of Earth orbit...
265 INT. BRIDGE 265
Riker, Worf, Troi, N.D.s. Picard ENTERS with Ruby.
Everyone reacts to seeing her there. Ruby stays in the
Turbolift, staring around the Bridge in amazement.
Picard takes her hand and leads her out onto the
Bridge.
PICARD
How's Mister Data?
Riker glances at Ruby uneasily.
RIKER
He's in Sickbay. Doctor Crusher
says he can be repaired... but we
have to wait until we...
He glances at Ruby again, awkward. But Picard finishes
his thought.
PICARD
Return to our own time?
RIKER
Yes, sir.
PICARD
Then make it so. Have you
determined how to recreate the
temporal vortex?
Picard sits in his chair. Riker hesitates.
RIKER
Yes, sir. But Captain... are
we... all going back?
PICARD
Unless you'd like to stay.
RIKER
No, sir.
Ruby stands stock-still, staring at Worf. Worf looks
up at her with a Klingon smile -- teeth and all.
Ruby manages a weak smile in return, then moves off to
stand next to Picard.
RIKER
Bridge to Engineering. Mister La
Forge... initiate the temporal
vortex.
266 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 266
moving through space... and then the TEMPORAL VORTEX
forms directly ahead of it, as seen before. The ship
ENTERS the vortex...
267 EXT. SPACE - THE 24TH CENTURY 267
The Enterprise EXITS the VORTEX and into Earth orbit.
268 INT. BRIDGE 268
As before.
WORF
Incoming transmission from
Starfleet Command. Admiral Hayes.
PICARD
Onscreen.
269 INCLUDE VIEWER 269
Admiral Hayes appears.
PICARD
Admiral... what's the status of
the Borg fleet?
ADMIRAL HAYES
It's been destroyed. The Borg
threat is over.
(beat)
Are you all right? The Enterprise
disappeared from our sensors for
a moment.
PICARD
We're fine, sir. It will take
some... time to explain.
ADMIRAL HAYES
I look forward to reading your
report.
The transmission ends. Ruby turns to Picard with
amazement.
RUBY
That makes two of us.
Picard gives her a gentle smile. OFF the moment...
CUT TO:
270 EXT. SPACE - THE ENTERPRISE 270
The great ship entering a Starfleet SPACE DOCK.
271 INT. BORG HIVE/ENVIROMENTAL CONTROL ROOM 271
Geordi is directing a work crew of a dozen engineers,
as they clean up the room and repair the damage.
GEORDI
(to a couple of N.D.s)
No, no -- we'll have to rip out
this entire bulkhead. We'll need
new bracing members for the deck
above and below.
The N.D.s move off, making notes on their PADDS.
Geordi turns and sees Data standing in the doorway.
He's now been fully restored to his original android
self.
GEORDI
Data...
Geordi moves to him, puts a hand on his shoulder.
GEORDI
You look good as new.
DATA
You could say that I'm back to my
old self.
GEORDI
That's great.
Geordi's smile fades a little as Data walks into the
room.
DATA
Her remains... are they still
here?
Geordi points over to a corner, where some N.D.s are
about to close a storage container. Data walks over.
Geordi goes with him. The N.D.s move aside, and Data
looks down into the storage container. The broken,
mangles pieces of machinery are all that's left of the
Borg Queen.
GEORDI
I'm sending them to the Daystrom
Institute for analysis.
Data stares down at the remains with a haunted look.
DATA
I never realized how powerful an
emotion temptation could be.
GEORDI
Temptation? You said in your
report it was all a ruse... you
were manipulating her.
A quiet beat.
DATA
She was... a unique lifeform. In
her own way... nearly perfect.
Geordi smiles a little.
GEORDI
(joking)
It almost sounds like you miss
her.
Data looks up at him -- his expression unreadable.
Geordi's smile fades. Data reaches out, closes the lid
on the storage container, turns and walks out of the
room. Geordi watches him go, left to wonder what Data
is really feeling.
CUT TO:
272 EXT. MONTANA - HILLTOP - DAY 272
Picard and Ruby walk up the familiar hilltop, and when
they reach the crest, we reveal...
273 A MOMENT 273
A large memorial cordoned off by a chain. A PLAQUE on
the monument reads "On this spot, Man and Vulcan met
for the first time... and changed the course of
history. March 3rd, 2063."
274 PICARD AND RUBY 274
step into view. They stare at the sculpture for a
moment.
PICARD
Welcome home.
275 WIDE SHOT 275
Picard, Ruby and the monument are at the gates of
RESURRECTION CITY as it is in the 23rd century. This
is the place where man first reached out to the stars,
and the architecture has a distinctive uplifting
feeling -- spires reaching up toward the sky.
Shuttlecraft and aircars are taking off and landing.
The tiny Western town is now a thriving, futuristic
METROPOLIS.
As Picard and Ruby walk towards the city hand-in-
hand...
FADE TO BLACK.
ROLL CREDITS
THE END
| screenplays |
Can NH4Cl react with HNO3 to give NH4NO3? [closed]
**Closed**. This question needs [details or clarity](/help/closed-questions). It is not currently accepting answers.
---
**Want to improve this question?** Add details and clarify the problem by [editing this post](/posts/170167/edit).
Closed 9 months ago.
[Improve this question](/posts/170167/edit)
I assume that the reaction would be
$\ce{HNO3(aq) + NH4Cl(aq) -> HCl(aq) + NH4NO3(aq)}$
But will this reaction really happen?
Be aware that all 4 compounds, dissolved in water, are dissociated to respective ions. E.g. $\ce{NH4Cl(aq)}$ is just a shortcut for $\ce{NH4+(aq) + Cl-(aq)}$.
So it is not combination of $\ce{HNO3}$, $\ce{NH4Cl}$, $\ce{HCl}$ and $\ce{NH4NO3}$, but of (hydrated) ions $\ce{H+}$, $\ce{NO3-}$, $\ce{NH4+}$ and $\ce{Cl-}$.
Ammonium nitrate cannot be formed even by crystallization of the less soluble salt:
$$\ce{NH4Cl(s,aq) + HNO3(aq) -> NH4NO3(s) + HCl(aq)},$$
because it is more soluble than ammonium chloride.
OTOH, if the mixture has minimum of water, there can be reaction like:
$$\ce{NH4Cl(s,aq) + HNO3(l,aq) <=> NH4NO3(s,aq) + HCl(aq,g)}$$
But, in such high concentrations, there would be significant oxidation of chlorides, forming nitrogen oxides, chlorine and nitrosyl chloride.
Dissolving those *two* compounds in water would lead to *four* species of ions floating around (without discussing solvation and oxidation).
To get the solid compounds back again would require *removing* the water, e.g., with a vacuum pump, to get the anions and cations to link (crystallize) again. Then the question arises, *which* of the resultant compounds are least soluble, and would precipitate first?
In this way, brines are separated into (relatively) purer substances through [fractional crystallization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_crystallization_(chemistry)). For example, [solar evaporation ponds](https://www.compassminerals.com/who-we-are/locations/ogden-utah/) are used commercially to separate $\ce{NaCl}$, $\ce{K2SO4}$, and $\ce{MgCl2}$ from the mix of ions in Utah's Great Salt Lake brine.
Redox reactions aside, the reaction would tend to go the other way, precipitating ammonium chloride.
Below, we note the solubilities of a few ammonium salts in water at 20°C, translated into moles of ammonium ions per kilogtlram of water. Mass solubility from which the molar solubilities are computed are given in the linked sources.
$\ce{NH4Cl}: 6.8$ (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_chloride>) (interpolated between 0 and 25°C)
$\ce{NH4HSO4}: 10.0$ (<https://www.scbt.com/p/ammonium-bisulfate-7803-63-6>) (it is assumed that in the acid solutions described below sulfate ions would be converted to bisulfate)
$\ce{NH4NO3}: 18.7$ (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrate>)
Thus given sufficient salt concentrations, the addition of $\ce{HCl}$ would precipitatethe less soluble ammonium chloride from solutions of the other salts listed:
$\ce{NH4HSO4 + HCl -> NH4Cl(s) + H2SO4}$
$\ce{NH4NO3 + HCl -> NH4Cl(s) + HNO3}$
As described by Maurice in a comment, given the high solute concentrations required plus the formation of nitric acid, the reaction with ammonium nitrate would likely be accompanied by oxidation of the ammonium and chloride ions. With sulfuric acid the oxidizing action is not as strong, so the (bi)sulfate reaction would be cleaner.
The reduced solubility of ammonium chloride may be attributed to its relatively efficiently packed [lattice structure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_chloride). This salt has a caesium chloride type simple cubic structure, with ammonium ions oriented so that their protic hydrogen atoms are facing alternating chloride ions. With this arrangement both ionic bonding and hydrogen bonding serve to stabilize the solid. The bisulfate and nitrate, with bulkier and nonspherical anions, do not offer as good a fit in the solid lattice and thus the solid is more easily attacked by the water solvent.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Significant figures and precision
Which of these two measurements is more precise, 5.1 cm or 0.002 ? As per concept of significant figures 5.1 cm is more precise because it has two signicant figures while the other oone has just one
Measuring in thousandths of a centimeter is more precise than measuring in tenths of a centimeter. As far as significance goes, 0.001 is the same as .001 or 00.001, or 000.001, so it has three significant figures however it is written, changing or omitting any of the significant figures would change the measurement. The same with 5.1, or 05.1, or 005.1, which has two significant figures. For a more complete definition of significant figures see <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Significant_figures>
| stackexchange/physics |
a 46-year - old woman presented to kyungpook national university hospital with a one - year history of chest discomfort and dyspnea , as well as a history of three operations for cardiac myxoma , including biatrial cardiac tumor resection in 1984 , followed 10 years later by the resection of a recurrent left atrial and ventricular cardiac myxoma attached to the interatrial and interventricular septa . the first surgery , in 1984 , was performed in our medical center .
the myxoma and its pedicle attached to the fossa ovalis were excised via right atriotomy and left atriotomy with enclosure of the interatrial defect . the second surgery , in 1994 ,
the interatrial septum was nearly totally excised and the myxoid mass was identified and excised . also through aortotomy , a left ventricular myxoma on the interventricular septum below the right coronary cusp was identified and excised .
sixteen years later , in 2010 , the third such operation was performed in the same center .
after the dissection of severe adhesion , a myxoma and its stalk on the inferior vena cava and right atrial junction were excised through a right atriotomy .
this patient also had a history of recurrent cutaneous and mucosal tumors , including forearm and nose tumors ( diagnosed as myxomas based on excisional biopsies of tumors on her right forearm and right nostril ) , breast ductal adenoma ( fibroadenomas diagnosed in her bilateral breasts through mammotome excisional biopsies ) , and a uterine myoma , as well as a basilar artery aneurysm .
chest computed tomography revealed a large soft tissue mass in the right atrial and ventricular cavities and findings suspicious of pulmonary embolism ( fig .
two days later , with a presumptive diagnosis of recurrent cardiac myxoma , the patient underwent cardiac surgery through a median sternotomy .
aortic and venous cannulation , the latter through the superior vena cava and right femoral vein , were performed for cardiopulmonary bypass .
the large gelatinous tumor was visualized after right atriotomy ; its stalk was located in the right atrium - inferior vena cava junction ( fig .
moreover , the tumor involved part of the distal left pulmonary artery , leading to further pulmonary arteriotomy during surgery .
postoperatively , the patient s symptoms of dyspnea and chest discomfort resolved without complications , and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 9 .
after resection , cardiac myxoma , the most common benign cardiac tumor , rarely recurs , with a recurrence rate of approximately 3% observed in sporadic cases and a recurrence rate of 22% in patients with the carney complex , an uncommon autosomal dominant hereditary disorder first described by carney et al . in 1985 .
the carney complex , which manifests with cardiac , endocrine , cutaneous , and neural tumors and spotty pigmentation , is diagnosed when a patient exhibits either at least two main criteria , reflecting the manifestations of the disease , or one main criterion as well as one supplemental criterion associated with familial or hereditary features ( table 1 ) .
the patient presented in this report had a consistent history of cutaneous myxoma , breast ductal adenoma , and cardiac myxoma .
this case of four recurrences of cardiac myxoma , the first of its kind to be reported in korea , underscores the importance of performing a detailed investigation of patients with recurrent myxoma for the possibility of the carney complex in order to facilitate better management , prognostication , and patient education regarding this condition . | pubmed |
Why isn't the scandium(2+) cation isoelectronic with potassium?
I saw that I got this question wrong on a test, and was very confused. Why aren't they isoelectronic? $\ce{Sc^2+}$ with atomic number 21 should have 19 electrons since 21 - 2 = 19, which is the same as the number of electrons as Potassium with 19 protons and electrons. Does it have something to do with being in different sublevels, one being **s** and the other **d** and all?
The neutral $\ce{Sc}$ atom has the electron configuration of $\ce{1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 3d^1 4s^2}$, and the $\ce{Sc^2+}$ ion has electron configuration $\ce{1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 3d^1}$.
The neutral potassium atom has the electron configuration of $\ce{1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^1}$. While both $\ce{Sc^2+}$ and $\ce{K}$ have the same number of electrons, their electron configurations are different and therefore they are not isoelectronic to one another. (Isoelectronic implies same number of electrons as well as the same structure)
As has already been stated, the two are not isoelectronic because their electronic structures are different: potassium’s single electron being in an s orbital while scandium(II)’s is in a d orbital.
The *reason* for this difference is the only other thing that is different: the difference in nuclear charge by 2. A higher nuclear charge causes the orbitals to contract and reduces their energy. However, not all orbitals are equally affected by a change in nuclear charge: the lower an orbital’s principal quantum number is, the more it as affected as a general rule. So the 3d orbitals, belonging to the third shell, feel the charge difference more strongly and adapt more than the 4s orbital which already belongs to the fourth shell.
While for neutral potassium and calcium(I) it is very clear that the 4s orbital has a lower energy than the 3d orbitals, the picture reverses itself once you reach scandium — the first d block element. Because the 3d orbitals’ energies have been reduced more than the 4s energy, it suddenly becomes more stable and the single valence electron of scandium(II) will reside in 3d rather than 4s.
In scandium(I), we also need to take electron-electron interaction into account to fully explain the concept. Basically, each electron you remove from an atom will stabilise all orbitals and vice-versa. Again, this effect affects different orbitals differently, mainly depending on the quantum numbers $l$ and $m\_l$. So reducing scandium(II) to scandium(I) will shift the orbital energies around to the very interesting result that one electron will occupy a 3d orbital while one will occupy the 4s orbital. (I have glossed over it, but of course spin and spin pairing also play a role.)
In my humble opinion, [chemguide.co.uk](http://www.chemguide.co.uk/atoms/properties/3d4sproblem.html) has done an excellent job at explaining this problem.
This is a very interesting question, I have also experienced this mistake, so should be careful while answering in such questions. You have accept the @ Allison W's answer he has explained it well and I try to give you a technique to answer such question very carefully without mistaking in the future.
**1.First you should write the electron configuration of the *element*** which gives you.\*\*
**Sc - 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d1 4s2**
**2.Then you should understand how many electrons are left for the given ion.** According to this question it should be 2. Then you should leave them from the outer energy level. That means they are in 4s.
Don't misunderstand this with the way of electrons are filling. When the atom is building according to the aufbau principle the first filling electrons are the 4s electrons and then the 3d. So the last electron which is filling is the 3d electron. But you should understand it is not the electron which is most outer of the atom. When the ions are making the leaving electrons which have least attraction of the nucleus. That means the most outer electrons.
*3.Then you should see the stability of the made configuration.*
*This is not affect for this question but you can face such questions. For example,*
*Sc+-1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d1 4s1*
*But this not happening while there is a more stability configuration of below.*
*Sc+-1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d2 4s0*
*So, you should give your attention in such situation to change such like that. (In primary chemistry if you not changed it is not a case, but in advance you should be careful either in this point.)*
**4.After writing the new electron configuration of the ion now compare it with the given element's configuration.**
K- 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1
Sc2+ 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d1
Generalize this steps and you will not mistake such question again.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Ranma Just the two of us
Pedro Rodriguez [email protected]
Based on Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2
Serialized in Shogakugan Comics
A million diffrent directions
By The Brown Gaijin
For best readability, Word Wrap to your preference.
Please don't sue me. I'm a turnup on my last drop of blood.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[In the far outskirts of Tokyo a bus that has seen more miles than it
wishes to remember drives past the country side and twoards the capital
of Japan. There aren't too many passengers in the bus. They are
senior citizens who still prefer a slow drive on a bus than a fast trip
on a bullet train. Some of them have suitcases with them showing signs
of a trip trip taken or maybe a trip in process; others are just long
commuting with only a couple of daily tools beside them. In the back
of the bus, however is a young 16 year old boy who seems to be riding
alone. Asleep, he seems exhausted from a tiresome journey that he has
made. There are only a few hints as to where he has come from; he is
wearing a red chinese shirt and loose black pants. He has only one
suitcase as well as some camping gear stored in the compartment above
his head; nothing else of his shows where he has been. He continues to
sleep in his seat until the bus shakes hard enough that he wakes up
from his slumber. Suprised, he looks around to see where he is. Then
he remembers that he is making a trip back home. A home which he
hasn't seen for over ten years. He feels in his pocket and notices
that something is missing. He looks around and sees a little boy no
older than six years old holding up what appears to be a wallet. The
older boy gently takes it from him.]
Older Boy: Arigato.
[He looks at the younger boy. The child is wearing a blue uniform with
a yellow hat. Before he can get a better look at him, the younger boy
walks off twoards his grandfather who is located at the very front of
the bus. The older boy looks at the two as they talk about the
scenery.]
Older Boy: (Thinking) I wonder if I was ever that young.
[The older boy looks around at the other people. Some are sleeping,
some are reading, others are looking at the scenery outside. The older
boy looks out side at the beatiful and well kept land. Outside in the
green and orange fields people are moving along getting on with thier
daily lives. He looks even further and sees a huge purple mountain in
the distance. He then looks at his wallet and opens it up. Inside are
some pictures of himself, his father, his friends and an I.D. with his
name on it.]
***
[Nerima bus depot. Nodoka Saotome has been waiting here since dawn,
but in reality she has been waiting for this day much longer. It is
the day her son would arrive. As she sits down on the metal bench she
looks around the waiting area. Although the stop is a bit rustic, it
has been well kept. The cold and smooth grey cement floor has been
washed up with a little bit of dirt left along the small cracks. A
radio talk show comes out of an old transistor radio located at the
concession stand. Just outside the depot people are walking by getting
on with thier daily lives. The every-day sounds stop as Nodoka hears
the motor of an old bus comming from the distance. Her heart jumps in
anticipation as the bus begins to make it's way into the parking lot.
The motor revs one more time as the old bus pulls into its parking spot
at the station. It finally comes to a stop, the brake release valve is
released and the bus driver opens the door as he's done a million times
before.]
Bus Driver: Tokyo, Tokyo.
[The passengers come out of the bus exhausted from the trip. Some step
to the side and stretch thier legs. Others walk over to the bus driver
to get thier luggage from underneath the bus. Nodoka steadly walks
over to them to see if her son had arrived. As the people stop
trickling out of the bus, she begins to wonder if her son was in there
at all.]
Nodoka: Um, excuse me?
Bus driver: (Turns to her) Yes, Miss, can I help you?
Nodoka: Was that all of the passengers?
[The bus deiver takes a quick head count and notices that one is still
not off the bus. The boy inside sees the conversation going outside.
Finally when the two finish thier conversation he and the woman make
eyeconcact. He dosen't recognize her as one of the passengers, and his
heart begins to do backflips. She appeared to be in her fourties;
although she is old enough to be his mother, her looks could still give
any woman twenty years younger than her a run for their money. The
woman is dressed in a blue and white kimono with a bundle in her
shoulders. Her dark brown hair is wrapped up in the back. Still,
although he thought she was bearutiful, something inside of him could
feel something diffrent, something deeper than her looks. Finally, he
reaches the exit of the bus to where Nodoka is standing. As he stands
infront of her, his tall and well built body is somewhat dulled by his
expression on his face. As Nodoka looks into the boys face, she builds
up courage, and finds the strength to ask the young man a quetion.
Nodoka's heart begins to race in fear of the response.]
Nodoka: Ra-Ranma?
Ranma: Mom?
[As he looks into Nodoka's face the expression on his turns into one
only seen in who that have made a long and valliant journey. His eyes
begin to swell up as his heart begins to tighten not kowing that Nodoka
is feeling the same thing. Step by step, he slowly walks twoards her,
slowly losing face; Nodoka slowly opening up her arms twoards him; an
aptempt to comfort him; an aptempt to comfort herself. Finally he
reaches her; he wraps his arms around her smooth sliky kimono; she
wraps her arms around his worn wrinkled shirt; both cry in silence.]
Ranma: Tadaima
Nodoka: Oakaeri nasai.
[The end... for now]
***
Authors note:
10/12/00
Well, that's it... My very first fanfic. And as mentioned this is a
oneshot so this is also where it ends. Wether or not I plan to
continue this one shot depends on how much negative response I _don't_
get.
1/30/01
Wow has it really been three months? I would like to thank my old
english teacher for proofreading this. I would give his name but I
don't know his reaction. I'm thinking about doing a series where Ranma
goes off and lives with his mother but don't keep your hopes up. Gomen!
-The bar guy in "Keeping the Faith"
Espectra
http://animae.4t.com
End file.
| fanfiction |
excess heats of reaction have often been observed to be generated in the metallic hydride cathodes of certain electrolytic chemical cells .
the conditions required for such observations include high electronic current densities passing through the cathode surface as well as high packing fractions of hydrogen or deuterium atoms within the metal .
also directly observed in such chemical cells are nuclear transmutations into elements _ not _ originally present prior to running a current through and/or prior to applying a laser light beam incident to the cathode surface@xcite .
it seems _ unlikely _ that the direct cold fusion of two deuterons can be a requirement to explain at least many of such observations@xcite because in many of these experiments , deuterons were initially absent . for simplicity of presentation , we consider `` light water '' chemical cells in which deuterons are not to any appreciable degree present before the occurrence of heat producing nuclear transmutations .
nuclear transmutations in the work which follows are attributed to the creation and absorption of ultra low momentum neutrons as well as related production of neutrinos .
although other workers@xcite have previously speculated on a central role for neutrons in such transmutations , they were unable to articulate a physically plausible mechanism that could explain high rates of neutron production under the stated experimental conditions .
by contrast , in this work electrons are captured by protons all located in collectively oscillating `` patches '' on the metallic surface .
electrons are captured by protons all located in collectively oscillating `` patches '' on the metallic surface .
since the energy threshold for such a reaction is @xmath0 one requires a significant amount of initial collective radiation energy to induce the proton into neutron conversion @xmath1 the radiation energy may be present at least in part due the power absorbed at the surface of the cathode . if @xmath2 denotes the voltage difference between the metallic hydride and the electrolyte and
if @xmath3 denotes the electrical current per unit area into the cathode from the electrolyte , then the power per unit cathode surface area dissipated into infrared heat radiation is evidently @xmath4 wherein @xmath5 is the flux per unit area of electrons exiting the cathode into the electrolyte .
typical metallic hydride cathodes will exhibit soft surface photon radiation in much the same physical manner as a `` hot wire '' in a light bulb radiates light . for the case of chemical cell cathodes
, there will be a frequency _ upward conversion _ from virtually dc cathode currents and voltages up to infrared frequency radiation .
such an upward frequency conversion requires high order electromagnetic interactions between electrons , protons and photons .
the purpose of this work is to estimate the total rates of the reaction eq.([intro2 ] ) in certain metallic hydride cathodes .
the lowest order vacuum feynman diagram for the proton to neutron conversion is shown in fig .
[ fig1 ] . for the case of the reactions in metallic hydrides
, one must include radiative corrections to fig .
[ fig1 ] to very high order in the quantum electrodynamic coupling strength @xmath6 the _ w_-coupling in terms of the weak rotation angle @xmath7 will be taken to lowest order in @xmath8 charge conversion reactions are weak due to the large mass @xmath9 of the @xmath10 .
the fermi interaction constant , scaled by either the proton or electron masses , is determined@xcite by @xmath11 in the work which follows , it will be shown how the weak proton to ultra low momentum neutron conversions on metallic hydride surfaces may proceed at appreciable rates in spite of the small size of the fermi weak coupling strength .
an order of magnitude estimate can already be derived from a four fermion weak interaction model presuming a previously discussed@xcite electron mass renormalization @xmath12 due to strong local radiation fields .
surface electromagnetic modes excited by large cathode currents can add energy to a bare electron state @xmath13 yielding a mass renormalized heavy electron state @xmath14 , with @xmath15 the threshold value for the renormalized electron mass which allows for the reaction eqs.([intro1 ] ) and ( [ intro2 ] ) is @xmath16 for a given heavy electron - proton pair @xmath17 , the transition rate into a neutron - neutrino pair may be estimated in the fermi theory by @xmath18 if there are @xmath19 such @xmath17 pairs per unit surface area within several atomic layers below the cathode surface , then the neutron production rate per unit surface area per unit time may be estimated by @xmath20 significantly above threshold , say @xmath21 , the estimated rate @xmath22 is sufficiently large so as to explain observed nuclear transmutations in chemical cells in terms of weak interaction transitions of @xmath17 pairs into pairs into neutrons and neutrinos and the subsequent absorption of these ultra low momentum neutrons by local nuclei .
it is worthy of note that the total cross section for the scattering of neutrons with momentum @xmath23 may be written @xmath24 wherein the forward scattering amplitude for neutrons is @xmath25@xcite . in the ultra - low momentum limit @xmath26 , the cross section for neutron absorption associated with a complex scattering length
@xmath27 formally diverges . for a finite but large neutron wavelength @xmath28 , the mean free neutron absorption path length @xmath29 corresponding to @xmath30 absorbers per unit volume obeys @xmath31 numerically , for @xmath32 neutron absorbers per unit volume with an imaginary part of the scattering length @xmath33 and with ultra - low momentum neutrons formed with a wavelength of @xmath34
, a neutron will move on a length scale of @xmath35 before being absorbed .
the externally detectible neutron flux into the laboratory from the cathode is thereby negligible@xcite .
similarly , there is a strong suppression of gamma - ray emission due to the absorption of such rays by the heavy surface electrons@xcite .
the mean free path of a photon in a metallic condensed matter system is related to the conductivity @xmath36 ; employing maxwell s equations and the equations @xmath37 wherein @xmath38 is the density per unit volume of heavy electrons on the cathode surface and @xmath39 is the heavy electron mean free path . for hard photon energies in the range
@xmath40 we estimate @xmath41 and @xmath42 leading to the short gamma - ray mean free path @xmath43 . in estimating such a small mean free path for hard gamma photon , let us remind the reader of the inadequate nature of single electron single photon scattering when making estimates of photon mean free paths .
for example , a single optical photon scatters off a single single non - relativistic electron with a thompson cross section . for many electrons ,
if the thompson cross section were applied then one might conclude that metals were transparent in the optical regime .
the proper estimates of photon absorption rates _ in condensed matter _ employs the electrical conductivity . in sec.[ns ] , an exact expression is derived for the emission rate @xmath44 per unit time per unit volume for creating neutrinos .
it is then argued , purely on the basis of conservation laws , that @xmath44 also represents the rate per unit time per unit volume of neutron production .
the rate @xmath44 , in sec.[ccf ] , is expressed in terms of composite fields consisting of charged electrons and opposite charged
_ w_-bosons .
the effective _ w_-bosons for condensed matter systems may be written to a sufficient degree of accuracy in terms of fermi weak interaction currents @xmath45 wherein the dirac matrices are defined in sec.[ns ] , @xmath46 and @xmath47 represent , respectively , the proton and neutron dirac fields and the vector and axial vector coupling strengths are determined by @xmath48 wherein @xmath49 is a strong interaction quark rotation angle . in sec.[emr ] , the electron fields as renormalized by metallic hydride surface radiation are explored and the effective mass renormalization in eq.([est1 ] ) is established . in sec.[epo ] , we consider the coupled electron and proton oscillations near the surface of a metallic hydride . in sec.[ispw ] the nature of the neutron production is discussed in terms of _ isotopic spin waves_. in the limit in which the protons and neutrons are _ non - relativistic _ , one may view the proton and neutron as different isotopic spin states of a nucleon@xcite with the charged proton having an isotopic spin @xmath50 and with the neutron having an isotopic spin @xmath51 . if @xmath52 and @xmath53 represent , respectively
, the two ( real ) spin component fields for non - relativistic neutrons and protons , then the operator isotopic spin density @xmath54 of the many body neutron - proton states may be written @xmath55 in the non - relativistic limit , these isotopic spin operators determine the time - component of fermi weak interaction currents in eq.([intro7 ] ) via @xmath56 the remainder of the non - relativistic weak currents are of the gamow - teller variety@xcite and require the true spin as well as isotopic spin version of eq.([intro10 ] ) ; i.e. with @xmath57 as the fermion spin matrices , the combined spin and isotopic spin operator densities are @xmath58 in the non - relativistic limit for the protons and neutrons , the spatial components of the weak interaction currents in eq.([intro7 ] ) are @xmath59 altogether , in the nucleon non - relativistic limit @xmath60 the isotopic formalism describes the neutron creation as a surface isotopic spin wave . out of many oscillating protons in a surface patch , only one of these protons will convert into a neutron .
however , one must superimpose charge conversion amplitudes over all of the possibly converted protons in the patch .
this describes an isotopic spin wave localized in the patch with wavelength @xmath61 .
the wavelength in turn describes the ultra low momentum @xmath62 of the produced neutron . finally in the concluding sec.[conc ]
, further numerical estimates will be made concerning the weak interaction production rate of such neutrons .
the conventions here employed are as follows : the lorentz metric @xmath63 has the signature @xmath64 so that the dirac matrix algebra may be written @xmath65 the chiral matrix @xmath66 is defined with the antisymmetric symbol signature @xmath67 employing @xmath68 and chiral projection matrices are thereby @xmath69 further algebraic matrix identities of use in the work below , such as @xmath70 all follow from eqs.([ns1 ] ) , ( [ ns2 ] ) and ( [ ns3 ] ) .
the average flux of left handed electron neutrinos ( presumed massless ) is determined by @xmath71 initial state averaging in eq.([ns4 ] ) is with respect to a chemical cell density matrix @xmath72 the mean number of neutrinos created per unit time per unit volume may be computed from the four divergence of the neutrino flux ; i.e. @xmath73 let us now argue , purely from standard model conservation laws , that @xmath44 is also the mean number of neutrons created per unit time per unit volume within the metallic hydride cathode in a chemical cell .
if a neutrino is created , then _ lepton number conservation _ dictates that an electron had to be destroyed . if an electron is destroyed , then _
charge conservation _ dictates that a proton had to be destroyed .
if a proton is destroyed , then _ baryon number conservation _ dictates that a neutron had to be created .
thus , the rate of neutrino creation must be equal to the rate of neutron creation .
it is theoretically simpler to keep track of neutrino creation within the cathode .
the neutrino sinks and sources , respectively @xmath74 and @xmath75 , are defined by that part of the standard model action which destroy and create neutrinos ; i.e. @xmath76 the neutrino field equations are thereby @xmath77 eqs.([ns4 ] ) , ( [ ns5 ] ) and ( [ ns7 ] ) imply the neutrino creation rate per unit time per unit volume at space - time point @xmath78 has the form @xmath79 introducing the retarded massless dirac green s function , @xmath80 allows us to solve the neutrino field eqs.([ns7 ] ) in the form @xmath81 wherein @xmath82 represents the asymptotic incoming neutrino field .
the assumption of _ zero initial background neutrinos _ is equivalent to the mathematical statement that the neutrino destruction operator @xmath83 for the initial states in eq.([ns4density ] ) .
in such a case , eqs.([ns8 ] ) and ( [ ns10 ] ) imply @xmath84 the retarded massless dirac green s function may be found by looking for a solution of eq.([ns9 ] ) of the form @xmath85 from eqs.([ns9 ] ) and ( [ ns12 ] ) it follows that @xmath86 the retarded solution to eq.([ns13 ] ) requires the step function @xmath87 in detail @xmath88 eqs.([ns11 ] ) and ( [ ns12 ] ) imply @xmath89 the neutron production rate @xmath44 per unit time per unit volume can thus be computed in terms of the neutrino sinks @xmath74 and sources @xmath75 .
the neutrino sinks and sources of interest in this work can be written in terms of the composite fields of charged electrons and charged effective condensed matter @xmath10-bosons ; i.e. @xmath90 in which @xmath91 and @xmath92 are the dirac electron fields and @xmath93 the weak interaction proton - neutron charged conversion currents @xmath94 are defined in eq.([intro7 ] ) . in feynman diagram language ,
the amplitude pictured in fig.[fig1 ] has been replaced via a field current identity of the fermi four field point interaction in fig.[fig2 ] .
eqs.([ns16 ] ) and ( [ ccf1 ] ) imply @xmath95 wherein @xmath96 the neutron production rate @xmath97 per unit time per unit volume implicit in eqs.([ns15 ] ) , ( [ ccf2 ] ) and ( [ ccf3 ] ) may be considered to be exact .
when the reacting charged particles @xmath98 are in the presence of surface plasmon radiation , then the external charged lines ( incoming wave functions ) must include the radiation fields to a high order in the quantum electrodynamic coupling strength@xcite @xmath99 . the situation is shown in fig.[fig3 ] .
to see what is involved , recall how one calculates the density of states for two particles incoming and two particles outgoing : _ case i : the vacuum _ the density of states may be written as the four momentum conservation law , @xmath100 wherein @xmath101 , @xmath102 , @xmath103 and @xmath104 represent , respectively , the four momenta of the proton , electron , neutron and neutrino . for a particle of mass @xmath105 in the vacuum , the action @xmath106 obeys the hamilton - jacobi equation @xmath107 _ case ii : radiation _ if the reaction takes place in the presence of electromagnetic radiation , @xmath108 then the density of states conservation of four momenta must also include the electromagnetic radiation contribution ; i.e. @xmath109 wherein , for a charged particle , the hamilton - jacobi equation reads@xcite @xmath110 therefore , in the density of states eq.([emr4 ] ) including radiation the full solution of the hamilton - jacobi equation must be solved for all of the charged particles in the interaction .
this constitutes the physical difference between the diagrams in the vacuum shown in fig.[fig2 ] and including radiation shown in fig.[fig3 ] . under a gauge transformation @xmath111 , the hamilton - jacobi eq.([emr5 ] ) for a charged particle
implies a change in the action @xmath112 .
the renormalized charged particle wave function thereby exhibits the expected gauge transformation rule @xmath113 making the complete amplitude from fig.[fig3 ] gauge invariant . the electron gauge contribution to the phase
is canceled by the proton gauge contribution to the phase since the two particles are oppositely charged .
the mass renormalization may be understood by averaging the local momentum @xmath114 over local space time regions .
presuming @xmath115 we have on average that @xmath116 the mass renormalization parameter in eq.([est1 ] ) is then given by @xmath117 since the electron mass is much less than the proton mass , @xmath118 , the main effects on low energy nuclear reactions are due to the mass renormalization of the surface electrons@xcite . from the viewpoint of classical physics , the lorentz force on a charge equation of motion , @xmath119 is reduced to first order via the hamilton - jacobi eq.([emr5 ] ) , according to @xmath120 from the viewpoint of quantum mechanics , there is a one to one correspondence between quantum solutions of the dirac equation and the classical solutions of hamilton - jacobi equation . in detail , the dirac equation in an external radiation field , @xmath121 may be subject to a non - linear gauge transformation employing the solution to the classical hamilton - jacobi equation , @xmath122 the resulting radiation renormalized wave function obeys @xmath123 it is worthy of note in the quasi - classical limit @xmath124 that the solution to the charged particle wave eq.([emr10 ] ) is reduced to algebra .
thermal neutron scattering from hydrogen@xcite , metallic hydrides@xcite and even from protons embedded in proteins@xcite has been of considerable recent theoretical and experimental interest@xcite .
employing the total cross section per unit volume as the extinction coefficient , @xmath125 the intensity of a neutron beam when passed through a sample of thickness @xmath126 obeys @xmath127 the neutron - proton cross section is quite large since there is a very shallow bound state ( the deuteron ) . for high densities of protons
, the neutron - proton scattering will normally dominate the condensed matter scattering of thermal neutrons .
let the momentum transfer and energy transfer to the neutron be defined , respectively , as @xmath128 decomposing the neutron scattering into various momementa and energies yields @xmath129 wherein @xmath130 is the differential cross section for a single neutron to scatter off a single proton and the dynamical proton form factor for @xmath131 protons is defined as @xmath132 in what follows we shall consider the self diffusion for a fixed proton at position @xmath133 and write @xmath134 under the assumption that the proton motions are non - relativistic , one easily shows for the many body hamitonian @xmath135 that @xmath136 wherein the velocity of the proton is @xmath137 thus @xmath138 wherein `` + '' indicates time ordering , @xmath139 from eqs.([epo6 ] ) , ( [ epo9 ] ) and ( [ epo10 ] ) one derives the sum rules @xmath140 which represent , respectively , probability normalization and the fact that the mean recoil energy is the same as would have been computed for a single free proton .
we can now discuss the experimental measurements which make proton oscillations unusual . for energetic neutrons with relatively high momentum transfer
, it was estimated that the neutron scattering event lasted on a time scale of an attosecond .
it was thought that the velocity could not appreciably change in so short a time .
therefore one might try the _ impulse _ approximation wherein eq.([epo9 ] ) could be estimated by the @xmath141 limit @xmath142 wherein @xmath143 is the probability that the proton velocity is in the range @xmath144 .
eq.([epo12 ] ) is at the heart of the theoretical analysis of so - called `` deep inelastic '' neutron scattering .
note that the impulse approximation obeys the sum rules in eq.([epo11 ] ) .
it came as somewhat of a shock that for protons inside liquid hydrogen , metallic hydrides and proteins , the impulse approximation does not work . at issue was the `` violation '' of the probability sum rule @xmath145 since eqs.([epo1 ] ) and ( [ epo2 ] ) were experimentally verified , the only reason for the `` experimental probability loss '' must have been that the integral over experimental high frequency data was missing a physical low frequency regime which persists and contributes to the probability integral .
such low frequency modes must be collective .
let us at first assume the cluster decomposition property of @xmath146 ; i.e. @xmath147 if cluster decomposition holds true , then @xmath148 represents the _ recoilless fraction _ in the sense that @xmath149 since the second of eqs.([epo15 ] ) yield the fraction that recoils , the experimental puzzle in eq.([epo13 ] ) is then resolved .
the recoilless fraction @xmath150 for the proton is the same factor as the recoilless fraction @xmath150 that appears in the mssbauer effect for the gamma ray decay in a heavy nucleus . in the case of the mssbauer effect
, the recoil of the gamma emission is taken up by the crystal as a whole .
for the case of deep inelastic neutron scattering , the proton recoil must be taken up by neighboring electrons and other protons in coherent oscillation .
let @xmath151 be the probability that the displacement of a proton from its equilibrium position @xmath152 is in the range @xmath153 .
the recoilless fraction in eq.([epo14 ] ) may be written as @xmath154 the mean square fluctuations in displacement as defined by @xmath155 can be measured via the low momentum transfer limit @xmath156 for higher momentum transfers , the fractal dimensional spectator model@xcite gives a fairly good representation of the recoilless fraction ; i.e. @xmath157^{-d}. \label{epo19}\ ] ] the harmonic oscillation result is the gaussian probability debye - waller factor @xmath158 at elevated temperatures , a small value of @xmath159 describes the fractal dimension of the probability distribution @xmath151 .
finally , for the case of collective proton oscillations , the delta function in eq.([epo15 ] ) is somewhat idealized , in experimental practice , the delta function is broadened into an infrared peak consistant in thermal equilibrium with the detailed balance condition @xmath160 neutron scattering experiments@xcite on palladium hydride at moderate momentum transfer clearly indicate a sharply defined collective oscillation peak at @xmath161 .
such a collective proton oscillation at an infrared frequency will resonate with electronic surface plasmon oscillations of the electrons leading to the local breakdown of the born - oppenheimer approximation and large collective proton oscillation amplitudes .
some theoretical insights into the nature of such oscillations can be obtained from sum rules .
the mobility tensor of a single proton at complex frequency may be defined via the kubo formula @xmath162\right > e^{i\zeta t}dt , \ \ \ { \im m}(\zeta ) > 0 .
\label{epo22}\ ] ] the mobility tensor obeys the dispersion relation @xmath163 as the complex frequency @xmath164 in the upper half plane , the mobility tensor obeys the asymptotic form @xmath165 the same asymptotic expansion can be obtained by continually integrating eq.([epo22 ] ) by parts yielding the sum rules @xmath166\right > , \nonumber \\
\frac{2}{\pi } \int_0^\infty \omega^2 \re e{\sf m}(\omega + i0^+)d\omega = \frac{i}{\hbar } \left<\left[{\bf a},{\bf v}\right]\right > , \label{epo25}\end{aligned}\ ] ] wherein the proton velocity is @xmath167 and the proton acceleration is @xmath168 . employing the _ non - relativistic proton _ eqs.([epo8 ] ) , ( [ epo25 ] ) and newton s law @xmath169 , we find that @xmath170 employing gausslaw at the proton position @xmath171 wherein @xmath172 is the electron density right on top of the proton , @xmath173 the sum rule estimate for the infrared frequency peak in the neutron scattering is thereby @xmath174 in eq.([epo28 ] ) , @xmath175 is the bohr radius . in order to understand more clearly our estimate of the proton oscillation frequency
@xmath176 , suppose that the proton was embedded in a sphere with charge density @xmath177 .
if the proton is pulled out by a displacement @xmath178 , then an electric field would exist @xmath179 pushing the proton back to the sphere center .
the equation of motion @xmath180 yields the required oscillation .
one may also note the identity @xmath181 relating the meansquare electric field at the proton position to the mean field displacement fluctuation .
suppose a momentum for a relativistic electron given by @xmath182 .
the energy @xmath183 of such an electron may then be written @xmath184 equivalent to @xmath185 .
\label{epo32}\ ] ] wherein the electric field scale has been introduced @xmath186 experimentally@xcite , for protons absorbed in pd , one finds the soft boson mode with @xmath187 wherein @xmath188 in this regard , one notes that typical atomic physics electric fields in atoms are of that order when located a bohr radius @xmath175 from an isolated proton ; i.e. with the bohr radius @xmath189 atomic electric fields are of the order @xmath190 employing eqs.([epo28 ] ) , ( [ epo30 ] ) and ( [ eqo32c ] ) along with the estimate @xmath191 yields @xmath192 thus , eq.([emr5b ] ) may be written@xcite as @xmath193}\ , \nonumber \\
\beta = \frac{\tilde{m}}{m}\approx \sqrt{1+\frac{16{\cal e}_a^2}{{9{\cal e}}_{\rm p}^2 } \left(\frac{\overline{|{\bf u}|^2}}{a^2}\right)}\ . \label{epo33}\end{aligned}\ ] ] for example , for protons in palladium eqs.([eqo32b ] ) and ( [ eqo32c ] ) imply @xmath194 which is shown in fig.[fig4 ] .
when an electrode has a current density passing into the cathode surface , then there is a power per unit area @xmath195 suppled to the surface as in eq.([intro3 ] ) . under such circumstance
the surface temperature rises to a high value . in detail , in a non - equilibrium steady state situation , one must introduce a `` noise temperature '' @xmath196 which depends on the frequency and wave number of the excitations which form due to an ohmic heating rate per unit time per unit area @xmath197 .
the noise temperature enters into the dynamic form factor via @xmath198 which is the non - equilibrium noise temperature version of the thermal equilibrium detailed balance eq.([epo21 ] ) .
experimentally , the noise temperature is high in the infrared @xmath199-regime in a small surface domain size @xmath126 related to the wave number via @xmath200 .
note that the overall temperature over the whole electromagnetic bandwidth need not be very high , but in the infrared regime at @xmath201 there should be a sharp peak in the noise temperature .
what has been observed@xcite for deuterons absorbed in palladium , are surface hot spots flashing in different domains analogous to the flashing of fire - flies during a dark evening in the country .
the flashing turns on and off in apparently random spatial and temporal patterns .
the hot spots occur when and where regions of the rough cathode surface form electromagnetic cavities of size and shape as to naturedly support the infrared radiation .
these occur randomly on rough cathode surfaces . during these flash events
the nuclear transmutations can take place .
the hot spots at any given time take up only a small fraction of the cathode surface . increasing the relative fraction of nuclear - active cathode surface area which comprises hot spots would proportionately increase the measured efficiency of neutron production on the cathode .
the higher the average density of hot spots on a given cathode surface over time , the greater the amount of excess heat that would likely be observed at the cathode device level using gross thermal measurement techniques such as calorimetry . from the nature of the surface damage on cathodes due to micron - scale hot spots ,
it is evident that the metal actually melts locally during a hot flash producing nuclear transmutations .
distinctive areas of obvious melting and explosive blow - out cratering features that are consistent with the presence of such hot spots are very commonly seen in post - experiment sem images of the surfaces of various metallic cathode materials that include gold ( melting point @xmath202 ; boiling point @xmath203 ) ; palladium ( melting point @xmath202 ; boiling point @xmath203)@xcite ; titanium ( melting point @xmath204 ; boiling point @xmath205)@xcite , and tungsten ( melting point @xmath206 ; boiling point @xmath207)@xcite .
such evidence is consistent with the noise temperature at a typical value of the peak @xmath208 corresponding to a proton displacement of @xmath209 within a domain . in accordance with fig.[fig4 ] , the mass enhancement is more than sufficent for the neutron production eqs.([intro1 ] ) and ( [ intro2 ] ) .
the sources of the neutrinos are inhomogeneous in spatial regions near the surfaces of cathodes .
also , the neutrinos are so weakly interacting that after emission they are virtually unaware of the condensed matter .
the neutrino on energy shell phase space @xmath210 has the lorentz invariant phase space @xmath211 . \label{ispw1}\ ] ] writing the neutrino emission part of eqs.([ccf2 ] ) and ( [ ccf3 ] ) as the phase space integral @xmath212 under the _ assumption _ that the initial proton spins are _ uncorrelated _ and that the free neutron density is dilute , considerable simplification can be made in estimating the rather daunting but rigorous eq.([ispw2 ] ) .
the estimate for the inhomogeneous ultra low momentum neutron production rate per unit volume is @xmath213 wherein eq.([intro13 ] ) has been invoked . if the neutrons are dilute , then it is sufficient to consider the creation of a single neutron from a proton , i.e. the propagation of the @xmath214 within condensed matter .
what is left of the heavy @xmath214 boson is merely an isotopic spin wave .
there is a superposition of amplitudes summed over all the possible protons within a patch which may be converted into a neutron .
the isotopic spin wave creation and annihilation operators in the surface patch obey @xmath215 with the neutron - proton mass difference determining the threshold value of the electron mass @xmath105 renormalization parameter @xmath216 i.e. @xmath217 for the creation of a single ultra low momentum neutron from non - relativistic protons @xmath218 for steady state production rates , eq.([ispw3 ] ) reads @xmath219 explicitly exhibiting the neutrino energy being radiated away in eq.([intro2 ] ) , yields @xmath220 the remaining correlation function in eq.([ispw7 ] ) describes how an electron which finds itself directly on top of a proton propagates in time .
the integral over time may be written @xmath221 wherein @xmath222 is the mean density per unit volume of protons and @xmath223 is the mean collective density per unit volume per unit energy of electrons which sit directly on the protons .
the steady state inhomogeneous production of neutrons per unit time per unit volume @xmath224 as estimated in eq.([ispw8 ] ) ; i.e. exhibiting the radiated neutrino energy @xmath225 , @xmath226 wherein @xmath227 must be calculated including the surface radiation energy and the driving current through the cathode .
the calculation of @xmath228 depends on the detailed physical properties of the cathode surface as well as the flux @xmath229 per unit area per unit time of electrons determining the chemical cell current as in the power eq.([intro3 ] ) . in the most simple model ,
let us consider a smooth surface with material properties and electron currents determining the neutron creation rate via the mass renormalization parameter @xmath230 as defined in eq.([emr5b ] ) .
we note in passing that a smooth surface is not likely to be the best surface for producing neutrons since rough surfaces have patches wherein the surface plasma electromagnetic field oscillations will be very much more intense .
however , the following smooth surface model will be employed for estimating the proper low energy nuclear reaction rates produced by electroweak interactions . to compute the density of surface electron states per unit area per unit energy
, one may begin with a simple renormalized electron mass @xmath231 model and take @xmath232 i.e. @xmath233 if such surface electron states are confined to a wave function width @xmath234 normal to the surface , then we have within the surface region , and after integrating over the emitted neutrino energy spectrum @xmath235 for a smooth surface , integrating the neutrino production rate over a thin slab at the electrode surface yields the estimate for the production rate per unit time per unit area , @xmath236 the above eq.([ispw14 ] ) for smooth surfaces is in agreement with the initial order of magnitude estimate in eqs.([est3 ] ) and ( [ est4 ] ) .
electromagnetic surface plasma oscillation energies in hydrogen - loaded metal cathodes may be combined with the normal electron - proton rest mass energies to allow for neutron producing low energy nuclear reactions eq.([intro2 ] ) .
the entire process of neutron production near metallic hydride surfaces may be understood in terms of the standard model for electroweak interactions .
the produced neutrons have ultra low momentum since the wavelength is that of a low mode isotopic spin wave spanning a surface patch . the radiation energy required for such ultra low momentum neutron production
may be supplied by the applied voltage required to push a strong charged current across the metallic hydride cathode surface .
alternatively , low energy nuclear reactions may be induced directly by laser radiation energy applied to a cathode surface .
they may even be induced , albeit at comparatively low rates of reaction , simply by imposing an adequate pressure gradient ( which can be as little as one atmosphere . ) of gaseous hydrogen isotopes across a metallic membrane@xcite composed of an aggressive hydride - former such as palladium .
the electroweak rates of the resulting ultra low momentum neutron production are computed from the above considerations . in terms of the radiation induced mass renormalization parameter @xmath230 in eqs.([est1 ] ) and ( [ est2 ] ) ,
the predicted neutron production rates per unit area per unit time have the form @xmath237 the expected range of the parameter @xmath238 for hydrogen - loaded cathodes is approximately @xmath239 in satisfactory agreement with the orders of magnitude observed experimentally .
more precise theoretical estimates of @xmath238 require specific material science information about the physical state of cathode surfaces which must then be studied in detail . as discussed in previous work@xcite , a deuteron on certain cathode surfaces
may also capture an electron producing two ultra low momentum neutrons and a neutrino .
the neutron production rates for heavy water systems are thereby somewhat enhanced . from a technological perspective
, we note that energy must first be put into a given metallic hydride system in order to renormalize electron masses and reach the critical threshold values at which neutron production can occur .
net excess energy , actually released and observed at the physical device level , is the result of a complex interplay between the percentage of total surface area having micron - scale e and b field strengths high enough to create neutrons and elemental isotopic composition of near - surface target nuclei exposed to local fluxes of readily captured ultra low momentum neutrons . in many respects ,
low temperature and pressure low energy nuclear reactions in condensed matter systems resemble r- and s - process nucleosynthetic reactions in stars .
lastly , successful fabrication and operation of long lasting energy producing devices with high percentages of nuclear active surface areas will require nanoscale control over surface composition , geometry and local field strengths .
v. violante , e. castagna , c. sibilia , s. paoloni , and f. sarto , _ analysis of ni - hydride thin film after surface plasmon generation by laser technique _ ,
condensed matter nuclear science , proceedings of iccf-10 , p. hagelstein and s. chubb , eds .
world scientific publishing , singapore , 421 ( 2002 ) . j. dash and d.
chicea , _ changes in the radioactivity , topography , and surface composition of uranium after hydrogen loading by aqueous electrolysis _ ,
condensed matter nuclear science , proceedings of iccf-10 , p. hagelstein and s. chubb , eds . , world scientific publishing , singapore , 463 ( 2002 ) .
y. toriyabe , t. mizuno , t. ohmori , and y. aoki , _ elemental analysis of palladium electrodes after pd / pd light water critical electrolysis _ ,
a. takahashi , k. ota , and y. iwamura , proceedings of iccf-12 , page 252 , world scientific publishing , singapore ( 2006 ) .
i. savvatimova and d. gavritenkov , _ results of analysis of ti foil after glow discharge with deuterium _ , proceedings of iccf-11 , ed .
j. biberian , page 438 , world scientific publishing , singapore , ( 2006 ) . | arxiv |
the application of stochastic geometry to the modeling and analysis of wireless networks has attained a lot of attention in recent years .
it has enabled a new framework called _ transmission capacity _ ( tc ) framework , which led to many new profound results in the topic of wireless networks ( cf .
the advantage of using a spatial model to describe the node positions rather than assuming a deterministic network topology is two - fold : first , such a probabilistic approach decouples the performance analysis from the _ actual _ topology , thereby increasing the generality of results .
second , it provides powerful means for network optimization , especially for highly dynamic networks , where interference is ( unpredictably ) fast - varying . with few exceptions ,
the node positions are mostly modeled as a _
stationary _ point process .
stationarity is a desirable property , allowing analytically tractable computations and , even more important , representing a key requirement for applying the definition of tc .
even though the stationarity assumption has not really narrowed the range of obtainable insights , it poses some shortcomings to the analysis of wireless networks : + * infinite networks : * stationarity implies that the network is infinitely large as opposed to real deployments with a finite number of nodes . +
* no border effects : * border effects are inherently neglected in infinite networks .
however , border effects cause heterogeneity in the nodes capabilities depending on their location , i.e. , being dis-/connected , interference-/noise - limited , etc . + * infinite interference for free - space path loss : * for stationary node distributions in the plane and a path loss exponent @xmath2 , the interference is infinite almost sure ( a.s . ) @xcite , resulting in a tc of zero .
more specifically , stationary models lose their accuracy as the path loss exponent decreases due to the fact that infinitely many nodes contribute to the interference . +
* application of the tc : * as already mentioned , the tc applies only to stationary networks .
when the node distribution is non - stationary , this metric must be modified to take into account heterogeneous node deployments . in reality , wireless ad hoc networks always exhibit a heterogeneous node distribution .
the most obvious example is perhaps when the nodes are distributed in a _ bounded _ region .
in such a network , the interference situation near the center will significantly differ from that at the border .
besides this simple example , more complex deployments are often found in practice , e.g. , wireless sensor networks created by airdrop @xcite , spontaneous formation of hot spots @xcite , etc .
we extend the existing framework by relaxing the requirements on the node distribution , thereby allowing for _ isotropy only_. more specifically , we have the following results : * the interference and outage statistics for slotted aloha with @xmath2 and @xmath3 are derived as a function of the receiver position and the spatial shape of the node distribution .
we consider a path loss plus block fading model .
as for the outage statistics , we focus on rayleigh fading .
we show how known results for the stationary case arise from our results as special cases .
* two global metrics , namely the differential tc and the average sum throughput , that take into account heterogeneous node deployments are proposed .
while the former metric is a refinement of the tc , the latter quantifies the first order overall network efficiency . stationary models with heterogeneous node deployment
have already been investigated . specifically , poisson - cluster @xcite and matrn hard - core models @xcite
have been studied , as they are well - suited for analyzing more sophisticated medium access control ( mac ) schemes .
treated as _ general motion - invariant _ , these and similar models were further analyzed in @xcite in a unifying way . in @xcite , a non - stationary and isotropic node distribution was assumed for analyzing multi - antenna receivers . while the analysis showed that the shape of the spatial distribution has a considerable impact on link performance , the scenario was limited only to the case of the receiver located in the origin .
we consider a wireless ad hoc network with nodes _ isotropically _ distributed in @xmath4 .
the mac employed by the nodes is slotted aloha . in a randomly chosen slot ,
some nodes wish to transmit a packet .
we assume that the set of transmitters @xmath5 follows an isotropic poisson point process ( ppp ) @xmath6 on @xmath4 with intensity @xmath7 , where @xmath8 .
due to the isotropy of @xmath9 , @xmath7 is rotation - invariant and depends only on the euclidean norm @xmath10 , i.e. , @xmath11 , @xmath12 .
when working with polar coordinates , we will use the notation @xmath13 , where @xmath14 . with @xcite
, we can describe @xmath13 as the resulting intensity after _ distance - dependent _ thinning of a stationary ppp of intensity @xmath15 , i.e. , c ( r):=f(r ) , where @xmath16 is called the _ shape function _ as it reflects the spatial shape of @xmath9 .
we will pose the following restrictions on @xmath16 : a. positiveness : @xmath17 for all @xmath18 .
b. normalization : @xmath19 . the restrictions ( i ) and
( ii ) are necessary to ensure that @xmath13 is non - negative and bounded by @xmath15 everywhere .
we assume that each transmitter @xmath20 has an intended receiver @xmath21 randomly located at fixed distance @xmath22 . from the random translation theorem @xcite
it follows that the set of receivers @xmath23 forms an isotropic ppp @xmath24 on @xmath4 with intensity @xmath7 as well .
the fixed distance assumption is commonly accepted , see @xcite .
however , we will relax this assumption in section [ sec : applications ] .
we consider a path loss plus block fading channel with independent and identically distributed ( i.i.d . ) fading coefficients .
the power path loss between two positions @xmath25 is given by @xmath26 with path loss exponent @xmath27 .
the parameter @xmath28 ensures boundedness of @xmath29 .
the power fading coefficient between a transmitter at @xmath30 and a receiver at @xmath31 is given by @xmath32 , where @xmath33=1 $ ] for all @xmath25 .
we further place a receiver at @xmath34 and an intended transmitter at an arbitrary position @xmath35 with distance @xmath22 to @xmath36 .
the pair @xmath37 is called the _ reference pair _ as it will allow us to measure the ( spatially - averaged ) link performance for receivers at distance @xmath38 from the origin . assuming fixed power transmissions for all nodes , the instantaneous signal - to - interference - plus - noise ratio ( sinr ) at the reference receiver @xmath36 is given by : rcl ( y_0)&:= & , [ eq : sinr ] where @xmath39 is the average noise - to - signal ratio and c ( y_0):= _ _ y_0(-y_0 ) is the interference power .
we assume strong channel coding , i.e. , the outage event is a steep function of the sinr .
the outage probability ( op ) at the reference pair @xmath37 is then given by the reduced palm probability rcl[eq : outage ] q(y_0):=^!x_0((y_0 ) < ) , where @xmath40 is a modulation and coding specific sinr threshold .
c a_4(y_0,c):=(f(r ) _ r=0 ^ -_0^ f(r)dr)[eq : a4 ] we now study the interference statistics at the reference receiver at @xmath36 .
before , we note the following two integral identities which are taken from @xcite : [ lemma : integral_id1 ] if @xmath41 , @xmath42 , c _ 0^=,[eq : integral_id1 ] where @xmath43 is the @xmath44-legendre polynomial .
[ lemma : integral_id2 ] let @xmath45 , @xmath46 , @xmath47 and @xmath48 .
using substitution @xmath49 , we have c = , & a_3>0 + , & > 0 + ( 2a_3t^2+a_2 ) , & = 0 .
[ eq : integral_id2 ] we are now in the position to derive the first moment of the interference at @xmath50 . [
theorem : moment1 ] let @xmath51 , @xmath28 and @xmath2 .
if @xmath52 for some @xmath53 , then c ^!x_0= a_2(y_0,c)<,[eq : exp_int2a ] where the _ interference - driving _
function @xmath54 is given by rcl a_2(y_0,c)&:=&f(0 ) + & & + _ 0^f(r)dr.[eq : a2 ] we write rcl ^!x_0&= & _ ^2 ( x - y_0 ) f(x ) dx what follows from campbell s theorem and slivnyak s theorem @xcite , and from the i.i.d .
property of @xmath55 .
applying identity [ lemma : integral_id1 ] and [ lemma : integral_id2 ] yields the result .
the function @xmath54 in ( [ eq : a2 ] ) has an interesting interpretation : @xmath54 can be described as the interference field associated with the origin @xmath56 , from which the remaining interference adds up differentially .
summary of some special cases of theorem [ theorem : moment1 ] : 1 .
when we assume @xmath57 and @xmath58 for all @xmath59 , @xmath16 can be interpreted as a complementary cumulative distribution function ( cdf ) with respect to a _ random _
distance @xmath60 to the origin , yielding + c a_2(y_0,c ) = - .
letting @xmath61 , we further have + c a_2(0,c ) = ( 1/2c)+ .
3 . letting @xmath62 , we have @xmath63=\infty$ ] , which is due to the resulting singularity of @xmath64 at @xmath65 , cf . @xcite .
sparse network ( @xmath66 , @xmath67 ) : remarkably , @xmath68 but @xmath69<\infty$ ] .
dense network ( @xmath66 , @xmath70 ) : as expected @xcite , @xmath69=\infty$ ] .
\1 ) has an interesting interpretation as well : the expectation can be seen as _ averaging _ the differential interference over @xmath60 .
such an interpretation may be appropriate when analyzing networks with a priori unknown or fast - varying spatial configurations , for which a cdf is then used to model their spatial shape .
4 ) implies @xmath71 a.s .
although infinitely many nodes contribute to the interference on average .
note that 5 ) includes the homogeneous case with @xmath72 ( @xmath73 ) .
we now extend the findings of theorem [ theorem : moment1 ] .
before , we need the following lemma .
[ lemma : pbz ] let @xmath74 , @xmath75 .
then , rcl & & _ 0^ + & = & , [ eq : pbz ] where c ( t , a_1,a_2):=. the basic idea is to decompose the integrand into partial fractions and to apply identity [ lemma : integral_id1 ] and [ lemma : integral_id2 ] , yielding ( [ eq : pbz ] ) after some algebraic manipulations .
note that according to @xcite , ( [ eq : integral_id1 ] ) and ( [ eq : integral_id2 ] ) hold only for real - valued parameters .
however , they were verified to hold also for complex - valued parameters . [
theorem : moment2 ] let @xmath51 , @xmath28 and @xmath3 .
then , c ^!x_0= a_4(y_0,c)<,[eq : exp_int2 ] where @xmath76 is given by ( [ eq : a4 ] ) below .
the proof is analogous to the proof of theorem [ theorem : moment1 ] and uses the integral identity of lemma [ lemma : pbz ] .
we further make use of ( ii ) in section [ sec : model ] to show that @xmath77 .
[ col : comp1 ] summary of some special cases of theorem [ theorem : moment2 ] : 1 .
case @xmath62 : by taking the limit @xmath78 in ( [ eq : a4 ] ) , we observe that @xmath69=\infty$ ] , cf .
3 ) in corollary [ col : comp1 ] .
homogeneous case : let @xmath72 .
then , @xmath73 and + c _
ra= + - , & a=0 + , & a= , + yielding @xmath69=\lambda\frac{\pi^2}{2\sqrt{c}}$ ] as expected , cf .
@xcite .
all results of this corollary are consistent with the literature .
the first moment of the interference is useful for bounding the interference distribution for the path loss only scenario . in case of rayleigh fading channels ,
the laplace transform of @xmath79 , i.e. , @xmath80 $ ] , is of significant importance , since it allows one to obtain the op in closed - form .
when treating the case @xmath2 , we will always assume that @xmath16 satisfies the additional condition of theorem [ theorem : moment1 ] .
[ theorem : laplace_int ] for @xmath81 for all @xmath25 ( rayleigh fading ) , the laplace transform of @xmath79 at @xmath34 is c _
( y_0)(s)=\{-s a_(y_0,s+c)},[eq : laplace ] for the cases @xmath2 and @xmath3 , where @xmath54 is given by ( [ eq : a2 ] ) and @xmath76 is given by ( [ eq : a4 ] ) .
we write rcl _
( y_0)(s)&&^!x_0 _ _ + & & \{-_^2 ( 1-_(s(x - y_0)))(x)dx } , where ( a ) follows from algebraic manipulations and the i.i.d .
property of the @xmath55 .
( b ) follows from the probability generating functional and the laplace functional of a ppp @xcite . after noting that @xmath82 for @xmath83 , the integral is computed using identity [ lemma : integral_id1 ] and [ lemma : integral_id2 ] , and lemma [ lemma : pbz ] .
note that ( a ) in the proof holds for general point processes and some approximation techniques for computing the right - hand side already exist @xcite .
the ( b ) part is for ppps only .
[ col : comp2 ] setting @xmath72 for all @xmath59 and @xmath84 , we obtain the well - known result for the homogeneous case with @xmath3 @xcite : @xmath85 .
we now study the op for the reference pair @xmath37 . in order to broadly discuss the impact of the spatial shape on the performance , we focus on the rayleigh fading scenario . for other channel models , the interference moments derived in section [ sec : interference ] can be used to effectively bound the op , e.g. , using the markov inequality @xcite .
we do not expect additional insights by considering also other channel models .
[ theorem : op ] the op for the rayleigh fading scenario and @xmath2 respectively @xmath3 is given by c q(y_0)=1-_(y_0)((c+d^))\{-}.[eq : op ] it is well - known that the op for aloha mac and exponentially distributed power gains @xmath32 can be written in terms of the laplace transform of the interference @xcite : we condition ( [ eq : sinr ] ) on @xmath86 and evaluate the op first with respect to @xmath87 .
we finally use ( [ eq : laplace ] ) with @xmath88 . by means of ( [ eq : op ] ) in theorem [ theorem : op ] we can now measure the op for rayleigh fading at an arbitrary location for an arbitrary spatial shape function @xmath16 satisfying the given restrictions . fig .
[ fig : op ] shows @xmath89 vs. @xmath38 for @xmath2 and @xmath3 , thereby confirming the analysis .
it can further be observed how the network `` moves '' from the interference - limited to the power - limited regime with increasing @xmath38 . to highlight the accuracy of the model
, we compare the op from theorem [ theorem : op ] to a straightforward way of approximating the op which consists of assuming that the intensity @xmath7 is approximately constant around @xmath36 . in this case the op can then be described as in the homogeneous case @xcite , except for the intensity in the exponential term being modulated by @xmath90 , i.e. , @xmath91 .
we will now study the logarithmic ratio of exact to approximate success probability , i.e. , @xmath92 .
let @xmath84 . the ratio @xmath93 for @xmath3
is given by c = d^2(f(y_0)-d^2 a_4(y_0,d^4 ) ) .
[ fig : gamma ] shows the ratio @xmath93 together with the shape function @xmath16 for different receiver positions @xmath36 .
@xmath16 was chosen such that the network exhibits a communication hotspot , with the density of active nodes slowly decaying between @xmath94 and @xmath95 until it becomes approximately zero .
one can see that the approximation is not satisfactory , especially in the transition region , where border effects come into play .
we now propose two local throughout metrics that are suitable for non - stationary wireless ad hoc networks .
the dtc is defined as the maximal density of concurrent transmissions in an _ infinitesimal _ region around the point @xmath8 subject to an op constraint @xmath96 , i.e. , c c(x,):=(x,)(1-).[eq : def_dtc ] the tc and its differential counterpart have similar meaning , except that the latter is _ position - dependent _ : for a given spatial shape @xmath16 and target op @xmath96 , @xmath97 yields the tc in a region @xmath98 .
hence , the dtc implicitly takes into account the spatial shape of the node distribution . for rayleigh fading , @xmath97 is obtained by solving ( [ eq : op ] ) for @xmath15 . like the tc
, the dtc can be used for comparing different transmission protocols .
the ast is defined as the ratio of average number of successful transmissions to average number of simultaneous transmissions , i.e. , c : = .
[ c][c ] [ c][c ] [ c][c ] [ c][c ] vs. @xmath38 for @xmath99 , @xmath100 , @xmath101 , @xmath102 , @xmath103 .
marks represent the simulation results.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=47.0% ] [ c][c ] [ c][c ] [ c][c ] and @xmath104 vs. @xmath38 for @xmath3 , @xmath105 , @xmath100 , @xmath102.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=47.0% ] [ fig : gamma ] the ast quantifies the first order overall efficiency of the network on the mac layer .
while the dtc highlights the spatial dynamics of the local throughput , the ast yields a single figure of merit .
in essence , the ast counts the number of successful transmissions , thereby integrating over the spatial dynamics .
note that the success function @xmath106 , indicating that transmitter @xmath20 has been successful , can be chosen arbitrarily to include additional outage - inducing effects , e.g. , energy - limitations , dis - connectivity or secrecy outage .
[ theorem : fc ] let @xmath107 for some @xmath108 . with the underlying network model and success function @xmath109 ,
the ast @xmath110 can be computed as c = .
since the denominator directly follows from campbell s theorem , we focus on the numerator and write rcl & & _
^2 ^!x ( x)dx + & & _
^2_^2 ^!x _ _ ( = y|x)dy(x)dx + & & _
^2(_^2 ^!x _ _ ( = y|x)(x)dx)dy + & & _
^2(_^2 ^!x _ _ ( ( y))(=y|x)(x)dx)dy + & & _ ^2(1-q(y))(_^2 ( = y|x)(x)dx)dy + & & = _ ^2(1-q(y))(y)dy .
\(a ) is due to campbell s theorem @xcite .
( b ) is obtained by noting that a transmitter @xmath30 is successful if the intended receiver at @xmath31 is not in outage . from section [ sec : model ] , we know that @xmath31 is placed by random translation of @xmath30 according to some probability kernel @xmath111 .
( c ) follows from tonelli s theorem @xcite and ( d ) follows from @xmath112=\mathbb{p}\left(x\in a\right)$ ] .
( e ) follows from ( [ eq : op ] ) and the fact that @xmath113 is independent of @xmath30 .
besides slotted aloha , other mac protocols such as csma / ca or local fdma , are promising techniques for reducing excessive interference generated by nodes within _ shot - range_. to study ad hoc networks with such inhibition mechanisms while ensuring analytical tractability , powerful methods based on non - homogeneous poisson approximation have been used @xcite .
when such protocols are _ transmitter - initiated _ , e.g. , transmitter sensing for csma or transmitter orthogonalization for fdma , the resulting spatial distribution of interferers becomes inhomogeneous and approximately isotropic around the transmitter @xmath30 , while the interference field at the intended receiver @xmath31 will depend on the distance @xmath114 .
hence , our model can be applied also to such modeling problems and is not limited to aloha mac .
consider the following situation : let the set @xmath23 of _ potential _ receivers be distributed as an isotropic ppp @xmath115 of intensity @xmath116 .
assume that @xmath9 and @xmath115 are independent .
that is , the set of all nodes follows a ppp , e.g. , a sensor network created by airdrop , and connectivity at distance @xmath22 is no longer guaranteed for every node .
we further assume that the routing protocol employs a nearest neighbor strategy , i.e. , transmitters aim at minimizing @xmath22 . for points distributed as a ppp ,
the cdf @xmath117 of the distance @xmath118 between a point and its nearest neighbor is well - known , see @xcite .
we would like to know the optimal sinr threshold @xmath40 such that the product @xmath119 with success function @xmath120 is maximized .
this corresponds to maximizing the expected _ sum rate _
, i.e. , rcl ^&=&_\{_2(1 + ) ( ) } + & & _ \{_2(1+)_0^ r _ 0^ ( 1-q(r,,d))f_(dd ) dr},[eq : opt ] where we altered the notation @xmath121 and @xmath122 to point out the functional dependencies .
( a ) follows from c q(x_i ) , which essentially approximates the interference field at a receiver @xmath123 by the interference field at the associated transmitter @xmath124 .
this approximation is reasonable for high @xmath125 and/or moderate slopes of @xmath16 .
[ fig : opt ] shows @xmath119 vs. @xmath40 . as can be seen , optimizing over @xmath40 yields large improvements .
[ c][c ] [ c][c ] vs. @xmath40 for @xmath2 .
@xmath126 denotes @xmath39 at a distance @xmath100 .
marks represent simulation results.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=47.0% ]
we extended prior work on the modeling and analysis of wireless networks by assuming an isotropic but not necessarily stationary spatial distribution of nodes .
we derived , for slotted aloha , the interference and outage statistics as a function of the receiver position and the shape of the spatial node distribution .
the case @xmath2 , which could not be studied yet due to the stationarity assumption , was intensively studied . for @xmath3
, we also obtain closed - form results , from which known results arise as special cases .
we proposed two metrics for measuring local throughput in non - stationary and finite networks and discussed possible applications of our model .
the authors gratefully acknowledge that their work is partially supported within the priority program 1397 `` coin '' under grant no .
jo 258/21 - 1 by the german research foundation ( dfg ) .
r. ganti , j. andrews , and m. haenggi , `` high - sir transmission capacity of wireless networks with general fading and node distribution , '' _ ieee trans .
inf . theory _ ,
57 , no . 5 , pp .
3100 3116 , may 2011 .
r. tanbourgi , j. elsner , h. jkel , and f. jondral , `` lower bounds on the success probability for ad hoc networks with local fdma scheduling , '' in _
workshop on spatial stochastic models for wireless networks ( spaswin ) _ , may 2011 . | arxiv |
ACE VENTURA
PET DETECTIVE
Written by
Jack Bernstein
Tom Shadyac
Jim Carrey
EXT. STREET - DAY
A UPS Man with a big pot belly is walking down the street, whistling and carelessly tossing a
package in the air. We hear the sound of broken glass in the box. He passes a professional woman.
UPS MAN
Good morning, UPS!
He tosses the box behind his back like a basketball, then acknowledges another passerby.
UPS MAN
UPS, good to see you!
He takes a couple of steps, then flings the package incredibly high into the air, spins completely
around and expertly drops to one knee and catches the box. A Hispanic man passes.
UPS MAN
Buenos dias. Uo Pay eSsay.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
The UPS Man dodges a couple of black kids as though playing basketball. He runs up the front
steps of the building. He reaches out to open the front door and inadvertently flings the package
behind him and back down the steps.
He goes back, retrieves the package, then enters the building.
INT. LOBBY - DAY
Several people stand in the elevator. The UPS Man just makes it, but the door closes on the
package... REPEATEDLY. He feigns embarrassment.
INT. 3RD FLOOR - DAY
ELEVATOR DOORS OPEN. The UPS Man throws the package out onto the floor and starts
kicking it down the hall like a soccer player. With one last big kick the parcel lands in front of
APARTMENT 3B. He picks it up and knocks on the door.
We hear a small dog barking.
GRUFF MAN (O.S.)
Shut the hell up, you stupid mutt!
An angry, burly man pokes his nose hairs out the chained door.
GRUFF MAN
What do you want?
UPS MAN
UPS, sir. And how are you this
afternoon? Alrighty then!
The man grumpily unchains the door. He's a big guy - 6'5", 250, and 50 of that is chest hair. A
small Shiatsu stands beside him.
UPS MAN
I have a package for you.
The UPS guy thrusts the package toward the man. We can clearly hear broken glass inside. The
man takes the package.
GRUFF MAN
It sounds broken.
UPS MAN
Most likely sir! I bet it was
something nice though! Now... I
haver an insurance form. If you'll
just sign here, here, and here,
and initial here, and print your name
here, we'll get the rest of the
forms out to you as soon as we
can.
The man begrudgingly begins to fill out the form. The dog wags his tail and whines. We can see
that he likes the UPS guy.
UPS MAN
That's a lovely dog you have. Do
you mind if I pet him, sir?
GRUFF MAN
(mumbles)
I don't give a rat's ass.
The UPS Man bends down and talks to the dog in a really sucky pet talk.
UPS MAN
Oo ja boo ba da boo boo do booo!
GRUFF MAN
(under breath)
Brother.
Before the Gruff Man can finish, the UPS Man stands back up and takes the form again.
UPS MAN
That's fine sir. I can fill out
the rest. You just have yourself
a good day. Take care, now! 'Bye
'bye, then!
THRASH MUSIC STARTS
INT. HALLWAY -- CONT'D
The UPS Man moves swiftly down the hall and into the stair well.
INT. APARTMENT 3B - CONT'D
The Gruff Man shakes the box, tosses it down and sits in front of the TV.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - CONT'D
The UPS Man bursts from the front door and hustles down the street very quickly. He passes
several people.
UPS MAN
(quickly)
UPS, S'cuse me. UPS, comin'
through.
INT. APARTMENT 3B - CONT'D
We see the back of the Shiatsu staring at the crack in the front door. He has not moved an inch.
The Gruff Man looks over.
GRUFF MAN
Hey, stupid! Get away from the
door!
The dog doesn't budge and this really pisses him off. He gets up and heads for the dog.
GRUFF MAN
What's the matter with you, I said
GIT!!!
He roughly picks the dog up by the scruff of the neck, but as he turns it around we see that it is a
stuffed dog. Around it's neck is a business card that reads, "You have been had by Ace Ventura -
Pet Detective." He breathes fire.
GRUFF MAN
Son of a bitch!
He smashes the dog to the ground.
EXT. ALLEY - CONT'D
As the UPS Man/Ace rounds the corner, his shirt opens up at his pot belly and the Shiatsu's head
sticks out. Ace is gloating.
ACE
(announcer's voice)
That was a close one, ladies and
gentlemen. Unfortunately, in
every contest, there must be...
A LOOSER!
He jumps into an old beat-up Chevy Bel Air, and lets the dog out onto the passenger seat.
ACE (CONT'D)
LOOOHOOOSERRRHERRR!
He then pulls open the car's ashtray, and to the dog's delight, it's filled with puppy chow.
He tries to start the engine but it won't turn over. The dog shoots him a look.
ACE
(to dog)
No problem, it gets flooded.
We'll just wait a few seconds.
Ace sits back. SMASH!!!
From Ace's POV we see a Baseball bat shatter the front windshield.
ACE
Or, we could try it now.
Ace frantically tries to start the car. His new friend continues around the car beating the living shit
out of it.
ACE
Oooh, boy.
ACE'S POV
We see the creep wailing on the car in Ace's side view mirror.
ACE
Warning! Assholes are closer than
they appear!
The dog is barking insanely.
ACE
(to dog)
You think you can do better?!
The baseball bat is now pummeling the trunk.
ACE
Wanna give me a push while you're
back there?
BOOM! The back window shatters. Then the car's engine roars to life. Ace rejoices.
ACE
FARFEGNUGENNNNN!!!
Ace leaves the bad guy in a cloud of dust and gravel, screaming bloody murder.
EXT. MIAMI CITY STREETS - DAY
Ace and his new pal speed away freely.
Close on the happy dog, hanging his head out the car window. PAN across the broken windshield
to Ace, also hanging his head out the window to see where he's going.
The car drives by a sign on a telephone pole: "Reward" -- with a picture of the Shiatsu in Ace's
seat.
THRASH MUSIC ENDS
INT. HOUSE - DAY
A very sexy woman is hugging and kissing the Shiatsu.
WOMAN
My little baby. You missed mommy
didn't you? Did daddy hurt you?
I won't let him, no I won't. He
may have kept the big screen TV,
but he's not gonna keep my baby.
No he isn't.
(very sexy to Ace)
Thank you, Mr. Ventura. How can I
ever repay you?
She slinks over to Ace and puts her arms around his neck.
ACE
Well, the reward would be good,
and there was some damage to my �
She cuts Ace off with a devastating kiss.
WOMAN
Would you like me to take you
pants off instead?
ACE
Ummmm� Sure.
She pulls him toward the bedroom.
WOMAN
It takes a big man to stand up to
my husband. He's already put two
of my lovers in the hospital.
ACE
How did he find out? Does he have
you followed.
WOMAN
No� I tell him
She plants a kiss on Ace's neck and pulls him down out of frame onto the bed.
EXT. DOLPHIN STADIUM PLAYING FIELD - DAY
The stands are empty, but there's plenty happening on the field. The Miami Dolphins are
practicing. Dan Marino is in top form, hitting pass after pass.
Behind one of the goal posts, the team's mascot, a rare dolphin (SNOWFLAKE), wearing #4, is
practicing his routine. The Trainer is dressed like a quarterback.
TRAINER
Blue! 42! Blue! 42! Hut! Hut!
Snowflake swims over, snatches a small football out of the Trainer's hand, and does an end zone
dance on his tail. He then returns the ball to the trainer.
The Trainer now sets the ball on the dolphin's tail and snowflake "kicks" a perfect field goal. The
Trainer blows a whistle and raises both arms.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. DOLPHIN STADIUM PLAYING FIELD - NIGHT
The stadium is now completely empty. Snowflake peacefully swims around his tank.
Suddenly, the water is illuminated by the headlights of an n.d. panel truck.
The rear door slides open. Two men jump out in wet suits.
They slip into the water while a third waits outside the tank.
Snowflake surfaces to check out the action. One of the men holds out a fish. Snowflake eagerly
takes it, then shudders as a large syringe is stuck into his back. Snowflake thrashes around.
Quick cut of a hand with the blur of a ring slamming against the tank. But the needle has done its
job. Snowflake quickly goes limp.
Snowflake is loaded into the back of the truck. Move in on Snowflake's face. His excited cackle
has turned into a painful whimper.
The truck skids away passing the guard gate. The guard is hog tied and gagged, struggling to free
himself.
INT. ADELLE'S FRIENDLY PET SHOP - NEXT DAY
Close up on a dead goldfish laying on a newspaper. We pull back to reveal ADELLE
ROSENBERG, the seventy year old owner of a cluttered pet shop. She's handing a live goldfish in
a bag to JENNIFER, a very sweet nine year old.
ADELLE
Here you go, honey. Now
remember� this kind of fish
doesn't like it in the freezer.
JENNY
But what's gonna happen to Dolly?
ADELLE
Don't worry, I'll make sure she
gets a proper burial.
Jennifer exits. Adelle calls to her cat, and tosses it the goldfish. The cat catches it in mid-air.
ADELLE
Rest in peace.
Ace enters the pet shop. It looks like he slept in his clothes.
ADELLE
Well� here comes another dead
fish.
ACE
Hi, beautiful. What time do you
get off?
ADELLE
Uh oh.
ACE
(suggestively)
I've heard some pretty great
things about your kibble.
ADELLE
Well, I hope I'm not getting a
reputation.
ACE
(switching to mock anger)
Just get me the food!
She chuckles at Ace as she loads a couple of bags with different kinds of pet food.
ADELLE
So� ahh, when can I expect you
to pay your tab?
ACE
I'm a little bit Sli Pickins,
right now, I'm a little Tight
Squeeze Louise, a little Welfare
Wolly, Potless Pissing Pete, I'm
ah �
ADELLE
If you were a horse I'd shoot ya'.
Just take it.
ACE
Gravy! I'm good for it, Adelle.
I'm on a very big case right now.
Ace reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a flyer with a picture of a white pigeon.
ACE
See this pigeon? It's a true
albino. Some rich guy lost it.
He's offering a ten thousand
dollar reward.
ADELLE
Wow, albino pigeons are very
rare. How are you going to find
him?
ACE
Just keep my eyes open, and hope
to god it doesn't snow.
Ace grabs his bags and heads for the door.
ADELLE
You're a good boy, Ace. A good
boy.
He holds the door open for an elderly gentleman who is entering at the same time. The gentleman
is walking a toy poodle on a leash. The poodle is dragging its butt along the entire length of the
floor. Ace and Adelle just stare.
ELDERLY MAN
(in a loud voice)
Do you have anything for ringworm?
EXT. SURFSIDE APARTMENT COMPLEX - DAY
Ace enters the courtyard of a two story U-shaped apartment complex carrying his groceries. It's a
crappy joint but he calls it home. Inside an open apartment on the ground floor, the landlord, MR.
SHICKADANCE, sits watching TV, stuffing his face with cheese doodles. Ace sneaks past the
door and up the stairs.
EXT. SECOND FLOOR - DAY
Ace is just putting the key in the door when the landlord steps up behind him. Ace is startled by
the dreaded 'Shickadance Rasp' (not unlike Linda Blair in THE EXORCIST).
LANDLORD
Venturaaaaa?
Ace straightens up, but doesn't turn around.
ACE
Yes, Satan?
Now Ace turns around in mock surprise.
ACE
Oh, I'm sorry, sir. You sounded
like someone else.
LANDLORD
Never mind the wise cracks
Venturaaa. You owe me rent!
ACE
Mr. Shickadance� I told you,
you're my first priority! As soon
as I find the white pigeon,
you're paid!!
LANDLORD
I heard animals in there Ventura!
I heard 'em again this morning,
scratchin' around.
ACE
I never bring my work home with
me, sir.
The landlord notices the bags of kibble.
LANDLORD
Oh, yeah? What's all this pet
food for?
ACE
(beat)
Fiber.
The landlord isn't buying it.
ACE
You wanna take a look for
yourself? Go head.
Ace rattles his keys in the door. Then he swings it open and turns on the light. The house is clear.
Ace walks in as the landlord stands there snooping and sniffing the air.
ACE
Well� are you satisfied?
LANDLORD
(still suspicious)
Yeah, but don't ever let me catch
you with an animal in there,
that's all!
ACE
Okay then. Take care now. 'Bye
'bye.
The landlord walks away as Ace closes the door.
ACE
(quietly to himself)
LLOOSER.
He then turns to the room and gives a distinct whistle.
CHAOS ENSUES! Animals jump out from every direction. Lizards crawl out of drawers, birds fly
through the air, all of them gravitating to Ace.
ACE
(to his flock)
Ooshhooboobooboodoodoo!
INT. MIAMI DOLPHIN HEADQUARTERS - LATER THAT DAY
The very imposing office of BOBBY RIDDLE, owner of the Miami Dolphins. Riddle, 70, is a
take charge, doesn't take crap from anyone type of guy. He is yelling at ROGER PODACTER,
an ex-linebacker in his early sixties, and MELISSA ROBINSON, Podacter's attractive assistant.
RIDDLE
I just want to know one thing; How
the hell do you lose a 500 pound
fish?!
Melissa's about to speak but hesitates.
RIDDLE (CONT.)
What?
MELISSA
It's not a fish, sir. It's a
mammal.
An angry Riddle stands up.
RIDDLE
Oh, thank you very much, Mrs.
Jacque Cousteau!
PODACTER
Bob, she didn't mean anything by
it.
RIDDLE calms down a little, and sits.
RIDDLE
(calmer)
Listen, personally, I don't give a
good god damn about a fish.
He looks at Melissa. She doesn't dare say anything.
RIDDLE (CONT.)
All I care about is winning this
Super Bowl! I want the players'
head in the right place. Shit,
Roger, you've been in this game
long enough, you know how
superstitious players are. Our
quarterback's been putting his
socks on backwards since high
school. And I got a lineman who
hasn't washed his jock in two
years because he thinks flies are
lucky! I want that god damn fish
on the field Super Bowl Sunday!
FIND THE FISH, OR FIND NEW JOBS!
INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS ACTION
An upset Podacter and Melissa walk through the hallway.
PODACTER
Why did it have to happen now? I
got three stinking years left till
retirement.
MELISSA
I've got forty.
PODACTER
I'll tell you who did it. It was
those goddamn animal rights nuts!
Always out there with their
goddamn signs, ANIMALS WERE BORN
FREE, STOP TORTURING SNOWFLAKE!
That goddamn fish lives better than
they do!
They stop outside Melissa's office by her secretary's desk.
MELISSA
The police are checking into the
animal rights people.
(to secretary)
Martha, have the police called
back about the dolphin yet?
MARTHA
No, but I wanted to tell you, when
I lost my Cuddles, I hired a pet
detective.
PODACTER
A what?
MARTHA
A pet detective.
MELISSA
Thanks Martha, but we'd better
leave this to professionals.
MARTHA
Well actually, he was quite good.
Pet detection is a very involved,
highly scientific process.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOF OF HOUSE - SAME TIME
CLOSE ON ACE - COOING like a pigeon. Widen to reveal, Ace precariously perched on the
roof of a two story building. He is four feet away from "The" pigeon. Ater a beat, he makes a
mad, spastic, yet scientific, lunge for the bird.
ACE
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
The bird makes a clean getaway. Unable to stop his momentum, Ace flies past the edge of the
building and slides down the side of the roof.
EXT. GROUND - CONTINUOUS ACTION
BAM!!! Ace crashes to the ground. As he lies face down, in a heap of trash, his beeper goes off.
EXT. DOLPHIN HEADQUARTERS/BOBBY RIDDLE STADIUM - DAY
Parking lot. Ace's clunker drives by some real nice cars. Employees stare at him.
INT. SECURITY CHECK POINT - DAY
A stern guard is admitting people into the stadium. He scans each one with a security detection
wand.
MAN #1
Art Wheeler. Sporting supplies.
The guard scans him. He goes.
MAN #2
Tom Anderson. Concessions.
The guard scans him. He goes.
ACE
Ace Ventura. Pet detective.
The guard stares at Ace, accusingly.
INT. MELISSA'S OFFICE - DAY
Martha enters.
MARTHA
Ah� Mr. Ventura to see you.
MELISSA
Okay, send him in.
Martha exits, Ace enters.
MELISSA (CONT'D)
Hi, I'm Melissa Robinson. Did you
have any trouble getting in?
ACE
No, the guy with the rubber glove
was surprisingly gentle.
MELISSA
(apologetically)
Super Bowl week. Security's
tight. Mr. Ventura, I'll get
right to the point�
She slips a tape in the VCR and gestures for Ace to sit.
MELISSA
Our mascot was stolen from his
tank last night. Are you familiar
with Snowflake?
The tape shows Snowflake doing a trick. The trainer, dressed like a quarterback, shouts out
signals.
TRAINER (ON TAPE)
Blue! 42! Blue! 42! Hut! Hut!
Snowflake swims over, snatches the small football out of the trainer's hand, swims the length of
the pool, does an end zone dance on his tail, then returns the ball to the trainer.
MELISSA (O.S.)
We got Snowflake from the Miami
Seaquarium. He's a rare Bottle
Nose Dolphin. That's the new
trick he was going to do during
the half-time show.
While Ace studies the tape, he chews sunflower seeds in a bird-like fashion, placing the shells in a
neat little pile on her desk.
MELISSA
Would you like an ashtray?
ACE
No, I don't smoke.
He adds more shells to the pile.
Melissa is already wondering if she has made a mistake.
MELISSA
To be honest, Mr. Ventura.
I'm pretty skeptical. Before
today, I didn't even know there
was such a thing as a pet
detective.
ACE
Well, now that you do, you'll know
who to call if your Schnauser ever
runs away.
MELISSA
How did you know I have a
Schnauser?
Ace pulls a, invisible-to-the-naked-eye dog hair off here blouse and presents it to her.
ACE
He's young, about five pounds,
black coat, white speckles�
(sniffs the hair)
�likes to chase cars.
MELISSA
Very impressive.
ACE
You should see what I can do with
a good stool sample.
MELISSA
I can hardly wait. Look, we've
got a problem. Can you help me or
not?
ACE
(coy)
Well, sea faring creatures aren't
really my expertise�
MELISSA
We'll give you three thousand
dollars on delivery.
Ace immediately becomes the narrator of a nature show.
ACE
The dolphin is a social creature.
Capable of complex communication.
Traveling in large groups or
schools�
EXT. PLAYING FIELD - A SHORT TIME LATER
The Dolphin players practice. A crowd of reporters interview Marino.
MARINO
We just choked in 82. We had a
chance to win it and we didn't.
Nobody's gonna choke this time,
and if they do, I'll kill 'em.
Ace and Melissa head for Snowflake's tank.
MELISSA
The police were here this morning.
Apparently, the kidnappers used
the back gate.
Ace bends down to look at some tire tracks on the field.
MELISSA (CONT'D)
They said some kind of a �
ACE
Four wheel drive van� loaded from
the rear.
Ace sniffs the turf. Podacter enters nervously.
MELISSA
Oh, hi, Roger. How are you holding
up?
PODACTER
Well if it looks like I'm walking
funny it's because I have a bunch
on reporters up my ass. They've
been asking me about Snowflake all
day. Who's this?
MELISSA
Roger Podacter, meet Ace Ventura.
Ace is our pet detective.
Podacter shakes his hand.
PODACTER
Nice to meet you. Martha Metz
recommended you very highly.
ACE
Martha Metz? Martha Metz. Oh
yeah, the bitch.
PODACTER
What?
ACE
Pekinese. Hyperactive. Lost in
Highland Park area. She was half
dead when I found her. Is that
the tank?
They both follow Ace as he makes a B-line.
EXT. SNOWFLAKE'S TANK - MOMENTS LATER
The tank is empty.
ACE
Cops drain it?
MELISSA
Yes. This morning.
Ace hops on the ladder.
ACE
If I'm not back in five
minutes� call Lloyd Bridges.
INT. DOLPHIN TANK - MOMENTS LATER
While eating sunflower seeds, Ace meticulously examines the tank, including the scratches where
the hand banged up against the wall when Snowflake was stolen. All the while, he is singing a
bastardized version of the theme from, "Flipper."
ACE
�Wonderful Flipper� glorious
Flipper� magnificent
Flipper� The flippiest Flipper�
Podacter and Melissa, watching from the rim, look at each other like, "What have we gotten
ourselves into?" Podacter spots something.
PODACTER
Oh, great.
A hoard or reporters are headed their way.
PODACTER (CONT)
I'll try to head them off.
MELISSA
(to Ace)
Get out of the tank.
ACE
(still singing)
�Can't hear you Flipper,
Flipper� Lookin' for Flipper,
gotta find Flipper�
MELISSA
I said, get out of the tank! Now!
The reporters draw closer. Podacter heads them off.
REPORTER
So where's Snowflake?
PODACTER
Ah� Snowflake is just, ah, not
available right now.
REPORTER
Come on, I'm supposed to get a
shot of his new trick for the
evening news.
REPORTER #2
What? Is he sick?
Other reporters chime in.
VARIOUS REPORTERS
Did something happen to
Snowflake?! What're you
hiding..?!
Melissa and Podacter don't know what to say. Then, a strange voice is heard.
ACE/HEINZ (O.S.)
(unrecognizable accent)
How cun I be getting dis vork dun
mit all da shouting? What for is
dis shouting?
REPORTER
Who the hell is that?
MELISSA
That? That's�
ACE/HEINZ
Heinz Kissvelvet. I am Trainer of
Dolphins. You vant to talk to ze
dolphin, you talk to me!
REPORTER
What happened to the regular
trainer?
ACE/HEINZ
Vy do you care about the dolphin?
Do you know him? Does he call you
at home? Do you have a dorsal
fin?
(beat)
To train ze dolphin, you must zink
like ze dolphin. You must be
getting oonside ze dolphin's head!
Just yesterday I'm asking
Snowflake� "ee, eee, eee." He
said, "Eee, eee, eee, eee." Und
you can quote him.
Ace spits at the reporters' feet. Podacter jumps in.
PODACTER
Gentlemen, please, Coach Shula's
press conference is just about to
begin. Why don't I take you over
there and let, ah, Heinz, do his
job.
He ushers the press away.
MELISSA
(sotto to Ace)
Are you finished, Heinz?
ACE
Not yet.
Ace goes to the filter outside the tank, opens it, and pours out its contents � mainly leaves, small
twigs and gunk. He roots through it, notices a very tiny amber stone. He smiles to himself.
ACE
Now I'm finished.
EXT. METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT - LATER THAT DAY
A flurry of activity in the detective division. As Ace enters, several cops taunt him on sight, led by
the obnoxious, SERGEANT AGUADO.
AGUADO
Hey, Ventura! Make any good
collars lately?
ANOTHER COP
Or were they leashes?
They all bust up. Aguado spots a bug on the ground.
AGUADO
Uh oh.
(steps on the bug)
Homicide, Ventura!
The cops are falling all over themselves laughing.
AGUADO
How you gonna solve this one?!
Ace walks up to them and looks at the squashed bug.
ACE
Good question, Aguado� first I'd
establish a motive. In this case
the killer saw the size of the
bug's dick, and became insanely
jealous.
The other cops all react with a big "ooooooo". Aguado has no comeback. Ace comes face to face
with him.
ACE
Then I'd lose thirty pounds
porking his wife.
Aguado suddenly loses it and swings at Ace.
With a lightening move, Ace sidesteps the punch and forces Aguado's face down next to the dead
bug.
ACE
Now kiss and make up.
Ace walks off.
ACE
(to himself)
LLLOOOSER!
Ace walks to the desk of EMILIO ECHAVEZ, a young energetic member of the homicide
division. Ace has a silly impish look on his face.
ACE
(playfully)
I miss you.
EMILIO
It's not a good time, Ace. If
Einhorn sees me talking to you I'm
gonna be history.
ACE
Okay. Just tell me what you got
on Snowflake. That's all I need.
EMILIO
�I can't say anything. My hands
are tied.
ACE
(effeminate)
Sounds like my kind of a party.
A cop comes to Emilio's desk.
COP
Look alive, Einhorn's on her way
down.
EMILIO
Ace, please?!
ACE
Just tell me who's working the
case?
EMILIO
Aguado.
ACE
Aguado?! He's pimple juice! He's
the poster child for lead paint
chip eaters!
EMILIO
Look, Ace. We're a little busy
with murderers and drug dealers.
A missing dolphin isn't exactly a
high priority.
The elevator is getting closer.
EMILIO
Ace, gimme a break will ya?
Ace nonchalantly sits back in a chair, pops a sunflower seed into his mouth and cracks it loudly.
EMILIO
(quickly)
Okay, okay. We checked all the
local animal rights groups,
taxidermists, and we're running a
check through DMV on all recent
van rentals. So far, nada.
ACE
Any unusual bets being made?
EMILIO
Ace, it's the Super Bowl, of
course there's bets being made.
ACE
What'd you find out about the
tank?
EMILIO
Nothing weird. Just the tire
tracks and the exit route. The
guard didn't see anything.
ACE
That's it?
EMILIO
That's it. I swear. Now please
go away!
ACE
You know something?
(again impish)
YOU'RE NICE!
Ace gets up and exits the room. Then just as Emilio sighs with relief, Ace pops back in.
ACE
What about crazy Philly fans?
The elevator bell rings. Out steps police LT. LOIS EINHORN, mid 30s, with a slender build, a
great pair of legs and a bad tude.
ACE
Holy Testicle Tuesday!
EINHORN
(to Emilio)
What the hell is he doing here?
ACE
I came to confess. I was the
second gunman on the grassy knoll.
EINHORN
Spare me the routine, Ventura. I
know you're working the Snowflake
case. May I suggest you yield to
the experts on this one? We'll
find the porpoise.
ACE
(mock relief)
Whewww� now I feel better!
Ace turns to go.
ACE (CONT)
Of course, that might not do any
good. You see, nobody's missing a
porpoise. It's a dolphin that's
been taken. The common Harbor
Porpoise has an abrupt snout,
pointed teeth, and a triangular
thorasic fin, while the Bottlenose
Dolphin, or Tursiops Truncatus,
has an elongated beak, round,
cone-shaped teeth, and a
distinctive serrated dorsal
appendage. (beat) But I'm sure
you already knew that. (beat)
That's what turns me on about you.
Hey� maybe I'll give you a call
sometime, lieutenant. Your number
still 911? Alrighty then!
Ace exits.
CUT TO:
INT. TEA ROOM - NIGHT
A wild thrasher club. An incredible thrash band is on stage cranking. Kids jump wildly into the
moshing pit.
Ace enters, sees a burnout at the bar whose head is circling insanely to the music.
ACE
(shouting)
Excuse me?! Is Greg here?!
The burnout's head thrashes on. No acknowledgement of Ace.
ACE
Thank you!
Ace heads for the basement stairs.
INT. BASEMENT STAIRS - NIGHT
Ace descends the stairs, stopping at a large steel door. Ace bangs on it three times. A voice is
heard from inside.
VOICE (O.S.)
Password!
ACE
Tom Vu! I pay for sex! You can
too!
CLICK! The door electronically unlatches and slides open.
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
Ace enters. Green Peace "Save the Whales" posters abound. GREG/WOODSTOCK, a laid
back, ex-hippy with long gray hair, sits at a very impressive computer set up. Ace and he have
their own distinct banter.
A thud from above. Ace looks up.
ACE'S POV
Part of the ceiling is made of metal grating, so you can see the bottom of the dance floor. A guy's
face gets smashed into the grate. We see that it is the burnout from the club.
ACE
(to burnout)
Found him!
WOODSTOCK
Hey! St. Francis! How's it goin?
ACE
Super, and thank you for asking.
Hope you're having a nice day.
WOODSTOCK
Do you?
ACE
Don't I? And what are you up to?
WOODSTOCK
Just watching the fishies, man.
There is a BLIP on the computer screen.
WOODSTOCK
Alright, you're just in time for
the party. You see those blips?
ACE
I certainly do.
ON THE SCREEN
A map with several ships on the ocean.
He quickly taps in some commands and the ships start sailing in all different directions.
WOODSTOCK
That's a Norwegian whaling fleet.
I'm sending them new directional
coordinates� They'll find Jimmy
Hoffa before they find any
Humpbacks.
ACE
Gravy.
Woodstock moves to a different screen.
WOODSTOCK
Check this out.
More computer graphics come up on the screen.
WOODSTOCK
Just changed the formula for
Purina's puppy chow.
(turns to Ace)
Too much filler, don't ya' think?
ACE
(acting turned on)
I'm very attracted to you right
now.
Woodstock chuckles.
WOODSTOCK
Are you?
ACE
Aren't I? Can you still tap into
all the aquatic supply store in
the area?
WOODSTOCK
Of course I can. Why?
ACE
I want to trace the sale of any
equipment for transporting or
housing a dolphin within the past
few months�
WOODSTOCK
C'mon, Ace. I thought you might
have a challenge for me�
Woodstock starts hacking away.
ACE
Okay then, try to remember the
sixties.
WOODSTOCK
Wow! God one! Let's see�
Marine winch sling, feeder fish,
20,000 gallon tank�
He waits. We hear a beep.
WOODSTOCK
That's it. I found the culprit.
ACE
Who is it?
WOODSTOCK
(dramatically)
�Sea World.
ACE
�bastard.
WOODSTOCK
Hang on, hang on�
(He taps a couple keys)
Well, what do we have here?
That's a lot of equipment for a
civilian.
The printer spits out some data. Woodstock rips off the page and hands it to Ace.
ACE
Ronald Camp? The billionaire?
WOODSTOCK
Billionaire and rare fish
collector.
ACE
RRREHEHEALLY!
A PICTURE OF CAMP
Comes up on the computer screen.
WOODSTOCK
That, my friend, is the face of
the enemy.
He pages through his file on screen.
WOODSTOCK
�Always tryin' to get his hands
on endangered species�
Newspaper articles fill the screen. One shows a picture of Camp and some Dolphin players.
ACE
Hold on, this guy's connected with
the Dolphins?
Ace leans in.
WOODSTOCK
Camp donated the land the new
stadium's built on.
(re: article)
Oh, look at this, he's throwin'
another, "I'm the richest man in
the universe" party.
ACE
(thinking)
Hmmm� I wonder if I can find
myself a date.
INT. CAMP'S MANSION - NIGHT
It's a magnificent home. There is an extremely formal party in progress. Twenty to thirty people
having champagne, caviar, and hot air. We see Dan Marino sitting with an audience around him.
DAN
We just choked in 82. We had a
chance to win and we didn't. But
nobody's gonna choke this time; if
they do, I'll kill 'em!
Everybody laughs.
EXT. CAMP'S MANSION - NIGHT
Ace and Melissa climb an impressive stairway leading to Camp's mansion.
MELISSA
I'm really going out on a limb
here, Ventura. Camp's social
events are strictly A-list.
ACE
(a la Love Connection)
'Well, Chuck� the date started
off good, but just before we got
to the party, she seemed to tense
up.'
Melissa rolls her eyes, then taps a huge door knocker.
MELISSA
I swear, if you do anything to
embarrass me in front of Camp�
ACE
You mean like this?
Ace starts doing a spastic body convulsion. Just then a bald-headed butler, who looks a little like
Gavin McCloud, opens the door. Ace doesn't notice until Melissa hits him with her purse.
ACE
Owwwe!!!
He sees the butler.
ACE
Oh, hi Captain Stubing.
Melissa storms in, already pissed.
INT. CAMP'S MANSION - CONT
Ace and Melissa enter. Camp looks over.
CAMP
Melissa! Glad you could make it!
Oh, and who is this?
MELISSA
This is my date. He's a�
lawyer.
CAMP
Well, does he have a name, or
should I call him "Lawyer"?
MELISSA
I'm sorry, it's Ace - ah, Tom Ace.
Ace is very unimpressed with her lying ability. He jumps in.
ACE
Tom Ace. Wonderful to meet you,
Mr. Camp, and congratualtions on
all your success. You smell
terrific.
CAMP
Ah, well, thank you. Please, come
in.
Ace boldly leads the way over to an hors 'oeuvre table. Melissa closely follows.
MELISSA
(sotto)
This is insane. There's no way
that Camp stole Snowflake.
ACE
(spreading pate' on a cracker)
Will you just keep him occupied,
while I work my magic please.
She crosses the room. He puts the cracker in his mouth and begins to crunch. A man in a tux
beside Ace spreads pate' on his own cracker.
ACE
(with a mouthful, to man)
Smooshy, isn't it?
Off the stuffy man's reaction�
INT. CAMP'S MANSION - SECONDS LATER
Ace approaches Camp.
ACE
Excuse me, Ron, I need to use the
bathroom?
(palms his stomach, whispering loudly)
I think it's the pate'.
CAMP
Um, it's just over there.
ACE
Thanks. Stuff probably looks
better on the way out, huh?
Ace laughs, slaps Camp hard on the back and heads for the bathroom.
INT. BATHROOM - CONT
Ace wastes no time. He locks the door, turns on the water faucet, steps onto the toilet seat, opens
and climbs out a window.
EXT. MANSION COURT YARD - CONT
Ace drops to the ground. He follows a pathway, through a gazebo and into a doorway, all the time
quietly singing the musical score to 'Mission Impossible'.
INT. CAMP'S MANSION - FISH TANKS - CONT
Ace browses through a myriad of dramatically lit, salt water tanks, still singing. They're all filled
with colorful exotic fish. Very impressive, but nothing large enough to house a dolphin. He
continues on towards a large door.
INT. TANK ROOM - SECONDS LATER
A huge above-ground tank is covered with curtains to discourage onlookers. Ace swings open the
large door and enters.
ACE
Gravy.
Ace climbs a ladder on the side of the tank, singing more intensely now. The ladder leads to a
narrow catwalk over the center of the water. Ace grabs a feeder fish from a pail and walks
carefully out there.
CLOSE ON ACE. THIS IS IT.
He looks into the dark pool, but sees nothing. Now he stops singing, quietly squats down and
dangles the fish over the water.
ACE
(gently)
Snowflake� Here, Snowflake�
Snooowflaaaake�
A GREAT WHITE LUNGES OUT OF THE WATER AND SNAPS ITS JAWS AN INCH
FROM ACE'S FACE!!! NEEDLESS TO SAY, ACE IS A TAD SURPRISED.
He reels back, falling off the catwalk, into the water.
INT. CAMP'S MANSION - SAME TIME
Melissa is admiring some beautiful tropical fish. Camp approaches.
CAMP
Wonderful, aren't they?
MELISSA
(nervously)
Yes. They're incredible.
CAMP
No matter what is going on in my
life, I can always watch them
swim and be completely at peace.
INT. INDOOR POOL ROOM - SAME TIME
The water is still for a moment. Then, Ace breaks the surface.
ACE
(frantic, to himself)
It's not Snowflake� It's not
Snowflake.
Instantly, Ace's body is thrashed around back and forth through the water, the entire length of the
pool.
ACE
(screaming)
IT'S NOT SNOWFLAAAAKE!!! IT'S NOT
SNOWFLAAAA!!!
INT. CAMP'S MANSION - LATER
A line is forming outside the bathroom. Camp and Melissa are seated nearby. He's getting curious.
CAMP
Are you sure he's okay? It's been
an awfu;;y long time.
MELISSA
Who, Tom? Oh, I'm sure he's fine.
Ace suddenly opens the bathroom door and stands there, completely drenched from head to toe,
with his pants in shreds. Everyone stops. They all stare at Ace in amazement.
ACE
(loudly to the entire room)
DO NOT GO IN THERE!
(fanning the air)
Whewww!!
EXT. CAMP'S MANSION - LATER
Ace and Melissa are exiting. Camp stops in the doorway.
CAMP
(still confused)
I'm very sorry, Mr. Ace. I'll
have the pluming checked
immediately.
ACE
Be sure that you do. If I had
been drinking out of that toilet,
I might have been killed!
Ace shakes Camp's hand and notices his ring. He holds on to get a better look. It's a very distinct,
commemorative ring.
Camp wants his hand back but Ace won't let go. Melissa finally drags Ace away.
MELISSA
We'd better go.
Camp looks on and shakes his head.
INT. MELISSA'S CAR - NIGHT
Ace is thinking. Melissa is pissed.
MELISSA
�Y'know, I don't even want to
know why your pants are missing!
I don't care what happened! You
could have cost me my job.
ACE
(on his own wavelength)
I was wrong about Camp. He's
breaking the law but he's not our
guy.
MELISSA
It's a sure thing! It's
definitely him! Just get me in
there! Let me work my magic!
Ace takes the stone out of his pocket and studies it intensely.
ACE
This is the key. Right here!
MELISSA
Hiring you was the biggest mistake
I ever made!
ACE
So small! So unnoticeable! Yet
an invaluable piece� of our
twisted little jigsaw puzzle!
Melissa stares at Ace like he's gone crazy. There is a flash of headlights and a car horn. Melissa
swerves back into her own lane. Ace drops the stone somewhere on the seat and begins to search
for it frantically.
ACE
Damn it!
(to Melissa)
Try to keep it on the road.
INT. MELISSA'S LIVING ROOM
Melissa enters, followed by Ace.
MELISSA
So, you found a pebble in
Snowflake's tank. Excuse me while
I call CNN.
ACE
I found it in the filter. And
it's not a pebble. It is a rare,
triangular cut, orange amber.
Ace hands Melissa the stone and quickly goes to one of her bookcases.
MELISSA
What are you talking about?
ACE
Tonight I saw the exact same stone
in Camp's ring.
Ace finds a book on the Dolphin team and flips through it.
MELISSA
I thought you said he didn't do
it.
ACE
N. Camp's clean. His ring
wasn't missing a stone. But
whoever was in that tank had a
ring just like his.
MELISSA
Wait a second. What ring?
Ace hands her the book. It's open to a photo of�
ACE
The 1982 Dolphin AFC Championship
ring.
Melissa holds the stone up to the picture. It's a perfect match.
ACE
I find the ring with the missing
stone, I find Snowflake.
MELISSA
How are you gonna do that?
ACE
Simple.
MUSIC UP
CUT TO:
EXT. TRACK - DAY
Ace is wheezing and gasping for air as he struggles to jog up beside a large man who's running
around the track at a very fast pace. When he finally catches up, he awkwardly tries to catch a
glimpse of the man's ring and trips. The man just keeps going.
INT. FOOTLOCKER - DAY
Ace sits waiting with one shoe off. The store manager, an ex-player for the '82 team, sets down
several shoe boxes. Ace checks out the ring.
CLOSE ON
A poster of the '82 team. The player we just saw is being crossed out.
EXT. HOTEL - DAY
Pan a few kids getting autographs from Marino and other players, ending on Ace dressed up and
looking like a pimply kid. As the players sign, he checks their rings.
EXT. TRACK - DAY
Ace is again trying to catch the large man on the track. This time, just as he draws near, the man
leaves him in the dust.
INT. SPORTS BAR - DAY
Two big guys finish arm wrestling. Ace steps up to challenge. He spends an undue amount of time
preparing his grip, as he checks out the ring. Ace finally gets set and gives the "go ahead" nod. He
is instantly thrown across the room.
CLOSE ON
The poster of the '82 team. Another group of players are being crossed out.
EXT. STREET
Ace spots a player driving along side him. He can't see his ring.
Ace deliberately cuts off the player's car and flips him off. The angry player flips Ace off. We see
his ring is intact. Ace waves and drives off.
INT. MEN'S ROOM
One huge lineman uses a urinal. Ace, using the urinal next to him, nonchalantly tries to catch a
glimpse of the guy's hands. The Lineman has a very angry look on his face, but after a beat it
changes to a "come on" smile.
CLOSE ON
The poster of the '82 team. There is only one face that has not been crossed out. Ace circles it.
EXT. TRACK - DAY
Once again we see the large, fast man jogging toward camera. Suddenly Ace runs up behind him,
with a desperate look on his face, pouring a bottle of chloroform into a cloth. He leaps onto the
man's back, smothering him with the cloth and holding on for dear life. The man slowly gives up
the fight and collapses. Ace casually checks the ring, then walks away disappointed.
EXT. MELISSA'S BACKYARD - EARLY EVENING
Ace sits in a lawn chair depressed. Melissa consoles him.
MELISSA
Ace, that stone could have come
from anywhere. An earring, a
necklace�
ACE
(with murder in his eyes)
It came from an '82 AFC
Championship ring.
MELISSA
Lt. Einhorn thinks it was an
animal rights group. Have you
heard of FAN?
ACE
Free Animals Now? Started in 1982
by Chelsea Gamble, daughter of the
famous industrialist, Fischer
Gamble? Over half a million
members from Florida to Finland?
(beat)
No. Who are they?
MELISSA
Did you know that last year they
sent threatening letters to 127
college teams, demanding the
release of their mascots? At last
count �
ACE
What do you feed your dog?
We see Melissa's dog lying near Ace's feet.
MELISSA
Ah� dog food, why?
ACE
He's miserable.
MELISSA
What are you talking about?
ACE
He's just very unhappy, I feel
sorry for him. Bad diet, isolated
environment. It's amazing he's
still alive.
MELISSA
You're just mad because your
stupid pebble theory didn't work
out and you don't know how to
express your anger.
ACE
Yeah? And you're ugly.
MELISSA
I'm not even gonna' talk to you,
please leave.
ACE
What, so you can beat him? Fatty!
MELISSA
You� are unbelievable.
The phone rings inside the house. Melissa goes to answer it.
MELISSA
Hiring you was a huge mistake!
The door slams and Ace is alone with the dog. After a moment he reaches down to pet it and we
all see that it is one of the happiest dogs in the world.
ACE
You like her, huh?� Yeah, she's
alright.
Ace, feeling guilty, walks into the house.
INT. MELISSA'S DEN - CONT
Ace walks toward Melissa.
ACE
Look, Melissa, I, ah�
Ace stops when he sees Melissa. She is sitting, holding the phone in her lap with a completely
stunned look on her face. Something is very wrong.
EXT. HIGH RISE APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
Chaos. Police, lights flashing, paramedics, crowds of people.
Ace and Melissa see Roger Podacter's body taken away in an ambulance.
ACE
You okay?
Melissa nods bravely. Emilio joins them.
ACE
What'd you find?
EMILIO
Podacter, Roger. Routine suicide.
He was alone. He'd been drinking.
No sign of a struggle. Neighbor
heard him scream on the way down.
Just your classic fifteen story
swan dive.
Melissa shudders. Ace gives Emilio a "way to go" look.
EMILIO
Sorry.
INT. HIGHRISE LOBBY - NIGHT
The three enter. Emilio pushes the button for the elevator.
MELISSA
It just seems so out of character.
He was going to retire in two
years.
ACE
Did he leave a note?
The elevator arrives.
EMILIO
No. That's nothing unusual. Some
do, some don't. He didn't.
The elevator doors close.
INT. PODACTOR'S APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER
Police are everywhere. Emilio, Ace and Melissa enter and are immediately approached by one of
the officers.
EMILIO
Miss Robinson, this is officer
Carlson.
CARLSON
Evening, ma'am. I wonder if you
could answer a few questions about
the deceased?
Ace slips away, we follow him as he eavesdrops on conversations.
NEIGHBOR
(to a cop)
I told you, I was across the hall
in my apartment, I heard a scream.
The door was locked, so I called
the manager�
The Manager reiterates her story to the cop. The Manager is about 100 years old.
MANAGER
�The place was empty, except for
the damn dog in the other room.
Then I opened the balcony door,
looked over the railing,
and� splat, bang, pancake time�
Ace, continuing his investigation notices�
PODACTER'S DESK
in perfect order.
Next, he notices police coming in and out of the balcony, closing the door behind them, shutting
out the noise.
INT. PODACTER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
A dog is cowering in the corner. Ace tries to comfort the little guy.
ACE
Hey, fella, have a bad night?
Ace examines its paws.
Ace then gets down and finds scratches in the door. TWO FEET interrupt.
Ace stands. He is face to face with Einhorn.
EINHORN
Who let Dr. Doolittle in?
Emilio steps in immediately.
EMILIO
Ah, Lieutenant. He came with Miss
Robinson �
EINHORN
This is official police business.
We'll let you know if the coroner
finds any ticks.
Cops snicker.
EMILIO
I just thought since Melissa �
ACE
E, forget it. She's right.
Besides, I wouldn't want someone
tracing my steps and pointing out
all the mistakes I made.
Ace crosses to�
EXT. PODACTER'S BALCONY - CONT
Ace examines the area. Einhorn is in hot pursuit.
EINHORN
Oh, so, you don't think this in an
obvious suicide, Mr. Pet
Detective?
ACE
Well, I wouldn't say that. Lord
knows, there is plenty of evidence
here to support your theory,
except of course that spot of
blood on the balcony.
On the railing, sure enough, there is a tiny spot of blood.
Einhorn glares at a couple of nearby cops. They look down.
ACE
May I tell you what I think
happened? Alrighty then!
Ace moves as he talks.
ACE
Roger Podacter went out after
work. He had a few drinks, and he
came home. But he wasn't alone.
Someone was with him in this
apartment. There was a struggle,
and then Roger Podacter was thrown
over that balcony. Roger Podacter
didn't commit suicide. He was
murdered.
A beat as everyone considers this.
EINHORN
Well, that's a very entertaining
story, but real detectives have to
worry about that little thing
lawyers call evidence.
Ace picks up a lottery ticket on Podacter's desk and becomes a condescending kid show host.
ACE
Let's take a trip to clue
corner, shall we? Can anyone tell
me why a man buys a lottery ticket
on the day he is going to commit
suicide? Or why the family pet,
suffering from acute canine
trauma, clawed at the bedroom door
until his paws bled? How about
the blood on the railing? I'll
bet if we put our thinking caps on
we'll see that it was the result
of the struggle that took place
inside this apartment while Mr.
Podacter was still alive!
(singing)
NEXT TIME YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE
COME ON BACK TO CLUE CORNER! BOOP!
Everyone looks to Einhorn.
EINHORN
Not a bad try for a pet detective,
but not near conclusive enough for
us real investigators.
(beat)
First, people buy lottery tickets
everyday. It's a habit. It
doesn't prove a thing. Second,
the dog wasn't suffering from
canine trauma, he was suffering
from bladder trauma. Sergeant
Neilson found a piss stain as big
as Lake Huron near the bed. And
third, the blood on the railing.
Simple. He doesn't jump far
enough and whacks his head. A
fact confirmed by the paramedics
who found cuts on his scalp, with
traces of a white chalky
substance. i.e. plaster from the
balcony.
Einhorn shows Ace the paramedics report. Everyone is impressed with Einhorn.
EINHORN
So much for your murder, Ventura.
AGUADO
Uh oh, I think I heard a toilet
flush. Maybe someone lost their
turtle?
Everyone has a laugh. Ace looks beaten.
ACE
Well, maybe I'm just a little out
of my league, here. Einhorn�
Ace holds out his hand, Einhorn shakes it.
ACE
�good work.
Ace and Melissa head for the door.
ACE
Oh, there is just one more thing,
Lieutenant.
(re: the neighbor)
This man is Roger Podacter's
neighbor. He lives across the
hall. He said he heard a scream,
is that right, sir?
The neighbor nods. Ace turns to the apartment manager.
ACE
And you said you had to open the
balcony door when you keyed into
the room?
MANAGER
That's right.
Ace walks out onto the balcony and turns, facing them.
ACE
You're certain you had to open
this door?
She nods.
EINHORN
What's the point, Ventura?
ACE
Only this�
AAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW�
Ace sustains an incredible Pavorati note, while he repeatedly opens and closes the glass door
between them. When the door is closed nothing can be heard.
ACE
(tapping the door)
This is double paned, sound-
proofed glass. There's no way
this neighbor could have heard
Podacter scream on the way down
with this door shut. The scream
he heard came from inside this
apartment, before Podacter was
thrown over the railing! And the
muderer closed the door before he
left!
(celebrates insanely)
Yes! Yesss! I have exorcised the
demons!
(a la Poltergeist)
This house is clear.
INT. ACE'S CAR - A SHORT TIME LATER
Ace drives straight ahead.
MELISSA
What are you thinking?
ACE
I'm thinking this whole thing is
connected somehow.
(frustrated)
I'm thinking I want to find that
other ring!
MELISSA
You checked all the rings.
ACE
I know, Pessimistress. Could
anyone else have gotten a ring
that year?
MELISSA
No. Camp was the only honoree.
Just players and coaches.
Everyone in the photo.
ACE
�Receipts! There must be
receipts! You have a key to the
office.
MELISSA
Ace this has been a really tough
day. Can't we do this in the
morning?
Ace looks at his watch.
ACE
Absolutely.
EXT. DOLPHIN HEADQUARTERS - 1:00 AM
Ace's car screeches to a stop, in front of the building. Ace jumps out, followed by Melissa.
INT. DOLPHIN HEADQUARTERS - HALLWAY - NIGHT
It's dark. Team pictures adorn the walls.
MELISSA (O.S.)
These files go back to seventy-
eight.
INT. DOLPHIN OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Ace is flipping through a file cabinet, looking at receipts. Melissa is starting to warm to him.
MELISSA
That was pretty impressive, what
you did back at the apartment.
ACE
(still looking)
You don't have to tell me. I was
there.
MELISSA
Maybe you should have joined the
police force� become a real
detective.
ACE
(shaking his head)
I don't do humans.
Melissa gets a bit closer.
MELISSA
You really love animals, don't
you?
Ace stops searching and looks into her eyes.
ACE
I feel a kinship with them. I
understand them. Wanna hear
something kinda spooky?
MELISSA
Sure.
She gets closer still.
ACE
One time, when I was about twelve,
I had this dream that I was being
followed by a dog with rabies. He
had these really bloodshot eyes
and foam coming out of his
mouth� and just before I got to
my front door� he jumped on me
and sunk his teeth in. Then I
woke up, and felt the back of my
neck� check this out.
Ace motions for Melissa to feel the back of his neck, but when she does, he snaps at her hand,
barking like a vicious dog.
ACE
ARARAR!!!
Melissa jumps out of her skin.
MELISSA
Ohhh!! You bastard!
ACE
(snickering)
I'm sorry. I couldn't stop
myself. Are these all the
receipts?
MELISSA
(mildly annoyed)
I don't know.
ACE
There's only a dozen of them here.
Ace turns from the file cabinet with a hopeless look on his face. Melissa begins to clean up his
mess.
MELISSA
(pointedly)
Gee� maybe they were misplaced
because somebody didn't put the
files back when he was�
ACE
Who the hell is that?
MELISSA
What�
Ace crosses to a big picture of the '82 team that hangs on the aadjacent wall and points out a
player.
ACE
That! Who the hell is that?!
He quickly pulls out his crossed out pictures of the team and begins to compare the two.
MELISSA
Oh, that's Ray Finkle� the
kicker. Don't you know who Ray
Finkle is?
ACE
No! How come he's not in this
picture?!
Melissa checks Ace's photo.
MELISSA
This was the picture you were
using? This was taken earlier in
the year. Finkle wasn't added to
the roster till mid-season.
She starts to realize what Ace has already figured out.
MELISSA (CONT'D)
He's the guy that missed the final
field goal in the Super Bowl that
year. Cost the Dolphins the game.
ACE
But he got a ring?
MELISSA
Definitely.
INT. STADIUM/PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE - LATER
Ace and Melissa look through Finkle's file on a microfiche screen. Newspaper articles, headshots
flash before them�
MELISSA
'Replacement Kicker Having Great
Year'� 'Ready For Super Bowl,
Confident Kicker Boasts'.
ACE
'Field Goal Sails Wide, Dolphins
Lose Super Bowl'.
MELISSA
The kick heard round the world.
That was Finkle. The Dolphins lost
by one point.
Another headline hits the screen: FINKLE CONTRACT NOT RENEWED.
MELISSA
Poor guy.
ACE
Poor guy with a motive, baby.
Where is he now?
MELISSA
Last I heard, he went back to his
home town, Collier County. He
used to work in a bar up there.
ACE
(pondering)
REHEHEALLY.
MELISSA
Can you drop me off before you go?
ACE
(shaking his head)
No way. It may not be safe at
your apartment, and you shouldn't
be left alone.
MELISSA
What do you suggest?
CUT TO:
INT. ACE'S BEDROOM - LATER
We see a person's butt under a sheet coming up into frame repeatedly.
SKIN, SWEAT, SHEETS FLY, as Ace and Melissa roll back and forth on the bed. Ace is taking
no prisoners.
CUT TO:
50 animals at the bottom of the bed, with eyes as big as silver dollars, watching them silently. We
cut back and forth between furious lovemaking and shots of staring animals.
Melissa and Ace simultaneously reach the pinnacle of pleasure.
MELISSA
(totally amazed and exausted)
OH man� oh man! Oh wow!
ACE
(mock embarrassment)
I'm sorry� that's never happened
to me before. I must be tired.
EXT. HIGHWAY ONE - DAY
Various traveling shots of Ace en route to a 'Deliverance' type town deep in the Everglades. A
sign reads "Gas - Food - 2 Miles" but the word "Food" is crossed out.
INT. BILBO'S GAS STATION - DAY
A pitifully sad country song plays on the radio. FERN BILBO sits at his cluttered desk with the
end of an old shotgun in his mouth. He is struggling to reach the trigger.
Through the glass behind him, we see Ace's car pull up to the only gasoline pump.
DING! The bell rings. Fern begrudgingly takes the gun out of his mouth, sets it down and walks
out.
EXT. BILBO'S GAS STATION - CONT
Ace gets out of his car.
ACE
Excuse me, sir. Do you know where
I can find the Pigskin Sports Bar?
FERN
Do I have a "kick me" sign on my
back, son?
ACE
I wouldn't know anything about
that, but if you could point me
toward the bar.
Fern breaks down, sobbing.
FERN
They all left me� all of them!
ACE
Well� Hypothetically speaking,
say they all left you and went to
the Pigskin Sports Bar. How would
they have gotten there from here?
FERN
Two miles down and take the first
left.
ACE
Thanks very much! Take care now,
'bye 'bye then!
Ace gets into his car and pulls out.
INT. BILBO'S GAS STATION - CONT
Fern enters, sits down at the desk, places the end of the shotgun in his mouth, reaches for the
trigger and�
DING! Another car pulls up to the pump. Exasperated, he takes the gun out of his mouth.
FERN
(murmers to himself as he gets up)
Can't get anything done around
here�
EXT. PIGSKIN SPORTS BAR - DAY
A weathered dive in the middle of a swamp. Ace parks.
INT PIGSKIN SPORTS BAR - DAY
If depression had a home, this is it. Several dejected men, with various degrees of missing teeth, sit
around the bar. A couple hapless guys play pool. One throws darts.
Ace enters, pops a sunflower seed in his mouth and addresses the room.
ACE
Excuse me, guy?! My name is Ace
Ventura, I'm a pet detective. I'd
like to ask you a few questions if
I could.
No one even looks at him.
ACE
Just a few questions, that's all.
Still no one reacts.
ACE
(very up)
Who wants gum?!
Again, no reaction. Ace walks over to the bartender and slides a five across the bar.
ACE
I'm looking for a guy who used to
work here.
The bartender takes the money.
BARTENDER
That right?
ACE
He was a kicker for the Dolphins.
Ray Finkle.
A pool ball flies by Ace's head shattering a mirror behind the bar. All eyes are on Ace.
ACE
(to guy who threw it)
That would be a scratch.
TOOTHLESS GIANT
You a friend of Finkle's?
ACE
(thinks)
�Yes?
CRASH! The giant guy smashes his bottle.
ACE
Sorry, I have "say the opposite of
what you mean" disease.
Several undesirables surround Ace.
TOOTHLESS GIANT
That bastard ruined this town.
ACE
Ewww� I hate that!
HICK #2
We bet everything we had on that
Super Bowl and that son of a bitch
gagged.
ACE
What a diiick!
They all move closer in a threatening manner.
HICK #3
Shanked a goddamn 26 yarder!!!
ACE
Death to Finkle! Death to Finkle!
The bartender steps in.
BARTENDER
We had a hell of a thing going
here. Tourists coming to see Ray
Finkle's home town. He was
standing right over there when he
got the call from the Dolphins.
The bartender points to a payphone. It has had the shit beaten out of it. Every expletive you can
think of is graffitied around it.
ACE
Did he come back after the Super
Bowl?
BARTENDER
Yeah� but the boys here had ways
of letting him know he wasn't
welcome.
HICK #1
Excuse me, I gotta take a wicked
Finkle.
Laughter.
TOOTHLESS GIANT
What's the difference between
Finkle and a jackass? A jackass
can kick.
More laughter.
HICK #2
Why did Finkle cross the
road?!
ACE
(facetious)
Wait� I know this one.
HICK #2
He didn't! And I've got the hair on
my bumper to prove it!
Maniacal laughter and chanting ensues.
MOB
FINKLE SUCKS! FINKLE SUCKS!
FINKLE SUCKS!
ACE
It's good you're dealing with the
anger.
(beat)
I don't suppose anyone's seen him
lately?
The chanting stops and the guys all look at Ace.
BARTENDER
No� but we know where his
parents live! Don't we boys?!
HICK #1
Yeah! We sure do!
They all laugh insanely again.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
Ace pulls up outside a two-story stilt house. The place has been completely desecrated by graffiti,
bullet holes and paint bombs. Toilet paper is strewn through the trees. Ace walks up and knocks
on the door. A wooden peephole slides open revealing a suspicious pair of eyes.
ACE
�Hi, I'm looking for Ray Finkle.
A gun slides out into Ace's face.
ACE
(with a gulp)
And a clean pair of shorts.
A deep gruff voice from inside.
VOICE
What do you know about Ray Finkle?
ACE
Southpaw soccer style kicker.
Graduated from Collier High in
June, 1976. Stetson University
honors graduate, class of 1980.
Holds two NCAA division one
records. One for most points in a
season, one for distance. Former
nickname The Mule. The first and
only pro athlete ever to come out
of Collier County. And one
helluva model American.
After a beat the peephole closes. The door slowly creaks open revealing MR. FINKLE, an
unsmiling, taciturn, elderly man holding the gun.
MR. FINKLE
Are you another one of them
scumbags from 'Hard Copy'?
ACE
No, sir. I'm just a very big
Finkle fan. This is my Graceland,
sir.
Mrs. Finkle, a sweet, adorable elderly woman comes over.
MRS. FINKLE
Will you put that gun down. The
boy's a fan of our son. So nice
to meet you. I'm Ray's mother,
and this is Ray's father.
INT. FINKLE HOUSE - DAY
ACE
It's a real honor.
MRS. FINKLE
My Ray is so appreciative of his
fans. He'll be so pleased you
stopped by.
ACE
Are you expecting Ray anytime
soon?
MRS. FINKLE
Oh, yes. I expect him home any
minute.
Ace is surprised.
MRS. FINKLE
Would you like some cookies? I
just baked them.
Mrs. Finkle hurries off to the kitchen. Ace smiles at Mr. Finkle. The guy's a corpse.
ACE
Wow� Ray Finkle's house! Can't
wait to meet him!
MR. FINKLE
Ray ain't comin' home.
ACE
But your wife said you expect him
home any minute.
MR. FINKLE
She expects him home any minute.
He points to his head, and looks toward the kitchen.
MR. FINKLE
Engines runnin but there's no one
behind the wheel. Ten years ago
our son escaped from Shady Acres
Psychiatric Hospital in Tampa.
They're still buggin' us to pick
up his stuff.
Mrs. Finkle returns with a plate of football shaped cookies.
MRS. FINKLE
(sweetly)
It was all that Dan Marino's
fault, everyone knows that. If he
had held the ball laces out, like
you're supposed to, Ray would
never have missed that kick. Dan
Marino should die of Gonorrhea and
rot in Hell. Would you like a
cookie, son?
Ace takes a cookie. Holding it up.
ACE
Hey, what do ya know. They're
little footballs.
MRS. FINKLE
Laces OUT!
CRASH!! A large stone smashes through the window. Outside, a pickup truck filled with drunken
patrons from the Pigskin Sports Bar drives by yelling their Finkle chant.
MOB
FINKLE SUCKS! FINKLE SUCKS!�
MRS. FINKLE
I told you he had a lot of fans.
Mrs. Finkle picks up the rock and hurls it out the broken window. It hits one of the vandals,
knocking him out cold, as the truck peels away.
MR. FINKLE
(aside to Ace)
She got the arm. The boy got the
leg.
INT. HALLWAY - A SHORT TIME LATER
Mrs. Finkle and Ace are walking down the hallway to Ray's room.
MRS. FINKLE
When Ray gets back and starts
kicking again, he'll never even
know he was gone. I kept his room
just the way he left it.
She opens the door to Ray's room. Ace steps in.
INT. RAY'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
It's a death shrine to Dan Marino. Complete with lifesize cutouts of Dan Marino, some with
nooses around the neck, other hacked to pieces. Painted on the walls: "Death to Marino!",
Marino must die!!!, etc.
ACE
�Oooh boy.
MRS. FINKLE
What a sports nut, huh?
In the center of the room is a movie projector.
ACE
May I?
MRS. FINKLE
Oh yes. By all means.
Mrs. Finkle shuts the lights off. Ace turns on the projector.
The film flickers over the "Marino must die!!!" graffiti. It's the final play of the Super Bowl.
Marino takes the snap, Finkle kicks and the ball sails wide. The film repeats itself ad infinitum.
EXT. BILBO'S GAS STATION - DAY
Ace on the payphone. We see the gas station in the background.
ACE
Melissa, it's Ace.
INT. MELISSA'S OFFICE - DAY
MELISSA
Ace? Where are you?
INTERCUT ACE/MELISSA
ACE
I'm in Psychoville and Finkle's
the Mayor. Where's Dan Marino?
MELISSA
Marino? Why?
ACE
Because he's about to join
Snowflake. I gotta know where he
is.
MELISSA
Okay, hold on�
Melissa checks Marino's itinerary. Ace waits, impatiently.
ACE
(to himself)
Come on. Come on�
In the background, we see two paramedics exit the gas station office rolling a dead body on a
gurney. The area of the sheet that covers the face is a giant red spot. We widen to see them load
good old Mr. Bilbo into an ambulance and drive away, ringing the station bell one more time. Ace
doesn't notice.
MELISSA
Ah, he had practice. Then� he
has a commercial shoot out at the
Prescott Sound Stage.
ACE
Where is that?
MELISSA
It's on Route One by the Six Cut
Off. Thirty minutes outside of
town.
ACE
Okay, that's about fifteen miles
from me. Call the police. Get
extra security over there now.
MELISSA
Ace, tell me what's going on.
(beat)
Ace?�
The payphone dangles off the hook. Ace is�
EXT. HIGHWAY ONE - DAY
�in his car racing out of the swampland, his heaad now back out the window so he can see. He
leaves a faded, old, barely legible sign in his wake:
"
WELCOME TO COLLIER
COUNTY. HOME OF RAY
FINKLE"
The "F" in "FINKLE" has been replaced with "ST" in spray paint.
INT. PRESCOTT STUDIOS - DAY
Rehearsal for an Isotoner ad in progress.
MARINO
�So I protect the hands that
protect me. With Isotoners.
Marino gets carted off by FIVE HUGE LINEMEN.
DIRECTOR
Good. Remember, exit camera
right. That's to your left.
Alright, let's get ready to shoot
this.
FIRST A.D.
(to the linemen)
Helmets on this time!
The linemen disperse.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Ace runs a red light causing cars to skid in every direction.
INT. PRESCOTT STUDIO - DAY
Marino is in the make-up chair.
MARINO
(to make-up girl)
See, in 82 we just choked. We had
a chance to win it and we
didn't �
DIRECTOR
Dan, are you ready?
MARINO
Ah, sure.
(to girl)
I'll tell you later.
EXT. STUDIO - DAY
The cops race onto the lot.
INT. STUDIO - DAY
Marino takes center stage.
A.D.
Quiet on the set� roll�
speed�
DIRECTOR
�And action!
MARINO
Hi, I'm Dan Marino. If anyone
knows the value of protection,
it's me�
We see an old clip of Marino getting sacked.
EXT. STUDIO - DAY
Cops scramble on foot to the sound stage.
INT. STUDIO - DAY
The commercial is winding up. The linemen ready themselves.
MARINO
�So I protect the hands that
protect me. With Isotoners.
The five linemen grab Marino and run off camera.
DIRECTOR
And cut! That was good. Again
from one.
But two of the linemen keep running with Marino�
DIRECTOR
I said cut!!
�And they keep running.
DIRECTOR (CONT'D)
What the hell are they doing?
�Right out the studio door. Then the cops arrive and race after them. Two linemen stumble out
of the dressing room holding their heads.
EXT. SOUND STAGE - DAY
Ace skids around a corner, looking way up ahead.
He sees Marino being shoved into a black 81 Ford Bronco. They drive off.
The cops come out of the building on foot. Too late.
Ace in hot pursuit almost runs the cops down.
ACE
(yelling at cops)
S'cuse meee! Pet Detective!
EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY
Ace's head is out the driver's window through the entire chase. As he starts gaining on the bad
guys, they start shooting. Ace wisely puts his head inside the car.
ACE'S POV
He can't see shit through his broken windshield.
He pokes his head out again. They shoot again.
Ace swerves off the road into�
EXT. PARK - DAY
Ace's car smashes through benches and tables. Then it flips over a few times and lands on its
wheels with a horrid SMASH. Ace is still strapped into the drivers seat, unconscious.
Ace's prized WHITE PIGEON lands on the car door right beside him. Ace cracks his eyes and
sees the bird. Then, with a sudden quick lunge he successfully traps it in his hands, and forgets all
about Marino.
ACE
I did it! I did it! I caught the
white pigeon! I caught the white
pigeon!
Ace jumps out of his car and starts skipping around the park with the pigeon held high over his
head. He looks insane.
ACE (CONT'D)
(singing)
I caught the white pigeon, I
caught the white pigeon, I caught
the white�
Ace slows down and begins to look around warily. There are now an unusual number of birds
perched on the telephone wires around the park and on the monkey bars, and on the swings.
The sky grows darker. He slowly turns and tries to get back to the car. All the birds take flight.
Ace sets the white pigeon free and starts to run, but it's too late. The birds are on him. Pecking,
and gouging, and ripping his flesh.
Now we see ten birds flying away with a leg. Five birds flying away with an arm. Twenty others
are trying to take Ace's left arm off, and half his face is missing�
ACE
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
CUT TO:
EXT. PARK - DAY
Ace is back in his wrecked car with his arm hanging out the window. A small boy is pulling it.
BOY
Hey mister. Hey mister.
Ace come to suddenly, and looks at the boy with a crazed expression.
BOY (CONT'D)
That was a really neat crash,
mister. Do it again!
Ace sighs with relief.
EXT. MIAMI - DAY
Various headlines hit the news stands: "MARINO KIDNAPPED" "STAR QB MISSING" "DAN
WHERE ARE YOU?"
THE GLOBE HEADLINE: "MARINO ABDUCTED BY ALIEN FRANCHISE!" On the cover,
Marino stands with several Space Aliens in football gear.
EXT. POLICE STATION - LATER THAT DAY
A chaotic press conference. Zillions of REPORTERS shout all kinds of questions at Einhorn.
REPORTER
Lieutenant, have there been any
ransom demands?
EINHORN
There's been no communication with
the kidnappers at this time.
REPORTER #2
What's going to happen to the
Super Bowl? Will it be postponed?
EINHORN
As of now, the game is going on as
scheduled.
REPORTER #3
Why wasn't the public told about
Snowflake's kidnapping?
EINHORN
Secrecy was essential. We didn't
want any public interference.
REPORTER
Are the crimes related? And what
about Roger Podacter's murder?
EINHORN
I'm sorry. I can't comment any
further. Now if you'll excuse me.
Einhorn pushes her way through the crowd of reporters.
INT. POLICE STATION - MOMENTS LATER
Einhorn is barking out orders to other cops as she heads for her office.
EINHORN
Emilio, get me the autopsy on
Podacter! Aguado, send out a
memo. No one talks to the
press�
INT. EINHORN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
EINHORN
�And somebody get me a cup of
coffee!
ACE
(TV announcer's voice)
Tonight on "MIAMI VICE", Crockett
geets the boss coffee!
Ace is in her office, popping sunflower seeds, kicking back. Einhorn walks to her private
bathroom.
EINHORN
Ventura, when I get out of this
bathroom, you better be gone.
ACE
Is it number one or number two?
Einhorn turns and glares at Ace.
ACE
I just want to know how much time
I have.
Einhorn goes to the sink and begins washing her hands.
ACE
Oh, by the way, I went ahead and
solved that pesky,
Snowflake/Podacter/Marino thing.
EINHORN (O.S.)
(humoring him)
Oh yeah?
ACE
yeah, ever hear of a former
Dolphin kicker named Ray Finkle?
The water shuts off. Einhorn appears around the corner.
EINHORN
Alright, Ventura. Make it quick.
ACE
I found a rare stone at the bottom
of Snowflake's tank. It's from a
Dolphin '82 AFC Championship ring.
It would have been a Super Bowl
ring, but Ray Finkle missed the
big kick. Blames the whole thing
on Marino. We're talking
paranoid, delusional psychosis. I
saw the guy's room� Cozy, if
you're Hannibal Lector.
EINHORN
So how does Roger Podacter fit in?
ACE
My guess is Finkle was snooping
around. Podacter recognized him.
End of story. As for Snowflake�
they gave him Finkle's number, and
taught him how to kick a field
goal. Finkle took it personally.
Einhorn listens with great interest.
EINHORN
So where is Finkle, now?
ACE
He broke out of a metal hospital.
Did a Claude Raines. He's been
planning his revenge for years.
Waiting for the perfect time to
get back at the Dolphins. The time
when it would hurt them the most.
Super Bowl time! Man, I'm tired
of being right!
Einhorn walks in front and sits on the edge of the desk. She's totally softened her demeanor.
EINHORN
Congratulations. You've done some
fine detective work, Ace.
ACE
Ahh, could you talk in my good
ear. I thought I heard you call
me Ace.
Einhorn gets real close.
EINHORN
Maybe I was wrong about you.
Maybe you are more than just a pet
dick.
SHE SUDDENLY PLANTS A MAJOR, TONSIL CLEANING, OPEN MOUTHED KISS ON
ACE. Objects are knocked off the desk as they lean back.
ACE
Your gun's digging into my hip.
More kissing, the Ace stops.
EINHORN
(still coming on)
What's wrong, Ace? Want me to
read you your rights?
ACE
Maybe later.
EINHORN
What is it? That bony little
bitch, Melissa Robinson?
ACE
(defensive)
No. You just don't do anything
for me.
He quickly adjusts his crotch, to conceal the erection. Einhorn withdraws with a coy smile.
EINHORN
I'll be here if you ever want a
real woman.
There's a sharp KNOCK at the door.
EINHORN
What is it?
Aguado opens the door.
AGUADO
Everything okay in here? Heard
some commotion.
EINHORN
Fine, Sergeant.
AGUADO
You want me to throw him out?
EINHORN
Why don't you throw yourself out.
AGUADO
�Yes, ma'am.
A crestfallen Aguado exits. Ace heads for the door.
EINHORN
Ace, I want you to leave
everything to us.
ACE
Can't do that, Lieutenant. I was
hired to find Snowflake.
EINHORN
When we find Marino, We'll deliver
Snowflake.
ACE
When I find Snowflake, I'll
deliver Marino.
He exits.
INT. TEA ROOM - NIGHT
A full on thrash metal band is cranking on stage. Kids leap wildly into the moshing pit. The same
Burnout is still thrashing his head wildly to the music.
ACE
(shouting)
Nice to see you again!
The Burnout just keeps thrashing. Ace spots Woodstock watching the band and joins him.
WOODSTOCK
St. Francis, how's it goin'?
ACE
(kidding)
That's none of your damn business.
WOODSTOCK
Isn't it?
ACE
Is it?
WOODSTOCK
Anything new on that dolphin?
ACE
Got his picture on some tuna cans,
but nothing so far.
A singer ROARS on stage. He sounds like a garbage disposal full of cutlery.
SINGER
Arroohhghhh! Myrrrooohghhhh!
Geroooghhh!
WOODSTOCK
So, what can I do for you today?
ACE
I need info on a football flunky
named Ray Finkle.
WOODSTOCK
Sorry, Ace, I can't help you right
now. I gotta watch this band!
They are the shit!
ACE
Are they?
WOODSTOCK
Aren't they?
ACE
Alright then. Don't worry about
it. I mean dolphins aren't
exactly an endangered species.
It's not like the whole food
chain's gonna be affected if one
highly intelligent mammal dies a
slow and painful death! Hell, if
the band is loud enough, you won't
even hear its pitiful whimpering!!
Ace does his best suffering dolphin impression. Woodstock is no longer enjoying the band.
CUT TO:
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
Woodstock is at his computer. Ace looks over his shoulder. Finkle's Social Security information
appears on the screen.
WOODSTOCK
This guy's last reported income
was September, 1982.
ACE
Well then. We know he's
incredibly thrifty.
WOODSTOCK
Is he?
ACE
Isn't he?
Woodstock types in more information. Finkle's TRW flashes on the screen.
WOODSTOCK
Well, I think we can be pretty
sure he's involved in the
kidnapping of the dolphin.
ACE
Really? What makes you say that?
WOODSTOCK
There's two-thousand dollars worth
of smelts on his VISA card.
After a beat Ace realizes it was a bad joke.
ACE
Please yank me no further. I beg
of you.
WOODSTOCK
Alright already. The last time
this guy used his credit card was
June, '84. He rented a car from
Avis. And� eww� he was a bad
boy. They found it abandoned two
months later in South Miami.
ACE
Anything else?
WOODSTOCK
Nope.
ACE
Well� you did all you could.
Thanks for nothin.
WOODSTOCK
Hey man, according to this, your
friend Ray Finkle doesn't exist.
ACE
Hmm, I know what that's like.
WOODSTOCK
Do you?
ACE
Don't I?
INT. TEA ROOM - NIGHT
Ace emerges from the basement. The band is between songs. Ace strolls by the burnout whose
head has now stopped.
ACE
(to burnout)
Did you get all the spiders outta
there?
Ace heads out, then freezes. The two thugs that took Marino are standing at the exit. Then they
see Ace and start towards him, reaching inside their coats.
Suddenly the music starts. The burnout's head wails again. His manic gyrations interfere with the
thugs long enough for Ace to bolt.
One of the thugs pushes the burnout violently against the wall as they pursue Ace.
BURNOUT
(calling, as he gets up)
Thanks, man! You're a great
dancer!
Ace pushes his way through the crowd. The thugs follow.
Ace nears the stage. It's wild. People are diving off and getting moshed.
Before the thugs grab him, Ace runs up and throws himself from the stage. The insane crowd
begins to pass him around over their heads.
The thugs exchange a look, then dive after Ace, and a "mosh" chase ensues.
Ace is passed back onto the stage as the song comes to an end. The singer is lying there
exhausted. Ace sees the crowd starting to put the thugs down, so he quickly grabs the microphone
off the floor.
ACE
(screams)
ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, SPANK ME
MOMMY!!!
The audience looks at Ace for a second. Then the band members exchange a look and go for it!!
It's a nightmarish little ditty. Ace sings like one of Satan's minions.
ACE
URGHHUURRAAAW! ARGHUURRRREEEW!
The crowd seems to understand. They throw the thugs high in the air again and mosh them away
from the stage. The Thugs are shooting stray bullets the whole time.
Ace incites the crowd, even more now, with a punching gesture. The crowd follows their new
leader, punching with one hand, moshing with the other.
The thugs get the living crap "moshed" out of them.
When the song ends, Ace raises fists in the air. The cheering crowd violently drops the thugs.
They're out cold.
EXT. TEA ROOM - NIGHT
Ace's car PEELS OUT and races by the parked '81 Ford Bronco.
EXT. MELISSA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Ace's car skids to a halt. He hops out.
INT. MELISSA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
There's a loud BANGING at the door. Melissa awakens, looks at the clock: 3:32 a.m. She drags
herself to the door.
MELISSA
Who is it?
ACE (O.S.)
Ira.
MELISSA
Ira who?
ACE (O.S.)
I refuse to do a 'knock knock
joke'. Come on, open up!
Melissa opens the door.
MELISSA
Ace, what are you doing? It's the
middle of the night!
ACE
You have to commit me.
EXT. HIGHWAY - DAWN
Ace's clunker speeds down the highway.
ACE (V.O.)
Finkle escaped from Shady Acres in
Tampa. They still have some of
his stuff.
MELISSA (V.O.)
So you think they're going to let
us just waltz in and look around?
EXT. SHADY ACRES - ESTABLISHING - DAY
A state hospital located on acres of green, manicured lawns.
INT. SHADY ACRES - DAY
The reception area. A DOCTOR is before Melissa.
DOCTOR
Mrs. Robinson? I'm Doctor Handly.
Now who is it that you'd like to
have us look at?
MELISSA
My brother� Eugene.
ANGLE ON ACE - Looking like the football player who never wore a helmet.
ACE
I'm ready to go in, Coach. Just
give me a chance. I know there's a
lot riding on it, but it's all
psychological. Got to stay in a
positive frame of mind. Memorize
the play book. Study the films.
Ace strikes a dramatic pose and freezes, with a crazed look on his face.
ACE (CON'T)
I'm gonna execute a button-hook
pattern!
He begins to make a play in slow motion.
ACE (CON'T)
Super slo-mo!
CUT TO:
EXT. SHADY ACRES HOSPITAL - DAY
Melissa walks with the Doctor. Patients are sitting around, doing outdoor therapy, etc.
DOCTOR
You're brother won't be the first
professional football player we've
treated.
MELISSA
Is that right?
DOCTOR
Yes. We're very sensitive to the
emotional stress athletes have to
endure.
Ace runs across the b.g. screaming "I'm open! I'm open!"
DOCTOR
We'll have to do some preliminary
evaluations, but I think your
brother will fit in nicely here.
MELISSA
That's a relief, Doctor.
Ace takes a "snap" from a three-foot hedge and dives over it into the end zone. Melissa and the
doctor stop to watch him.
DOCTOR
He seems to have some difficulty
letting go of the game. Has he
had a long history of mental
illness?
MELISSA
(truthfully)
As long as I've known him.
Ace does a wild touchdown dance with some of the other patients participating.
INT. SHADY GLADE ACRES - HALLWAY - DAY
The doctor is showing Melissa around. Ace is walking alongside them adjusting his imaginary
shoulder pads.
DOCTOR
This is our therapy room� Arts
and crafts�
They turn a corner. Ace squats to pick the dirt out of his cleats.
DOCTOR (CON'T)
That's the storage room. This
hallway leads to another
recreational area �
Ace WHISTLES loudly and gestures like a referee�
ACE
HALFTIIIIME!!
Ace sticks his head in the water fountain then sits down on the bench outside the storage room.
MELISSA
He'll be fine by himself for the
next twenty minutes.
DOCTOR
Well, why don't I show you the
dormitories, then?
They leave Ace.
After a beat, Ace gets up and does a quick spin pattern into the storage room door.
INT. STORAGE ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Cartons everywhere. Ace does a quick search and locates several boxes maked FINKLE.
Ace looks through the first couple of boxes and finds only clothes. In the third box, he hits the
jackpot: He finds sicko arts and crafts dedicated to Marino. Die-Dan potholders, shredded
Isotoner gloves. He opens a little diary. "Laces Out!" is insanely scrawled on every page.
Ace finds a newspaper clipping, the headline reads:
SEARCH CALLED OFF FOR MISSING HIKER
ACE
(reading)
A massive search ended today when
rescue workers were unable to find
the body of Lois Einhorn�
(stunned)
�a camper reported lost since
Friday�
(to himself)
Lois Einhorn� holy shit balls.
Ace sits bewildered.
INT. POLICE STATION - DAY
The phone rings at Emilio's desk. He answers it.
EMILIO
Echavez.
INT. SHADY ACRES - HALLWAY - DAY
Ace is on the phone. A CRAZY GUY is hovering nearby.
ACE
This is Chicken Little. The sky
is falling.
EMILIO
What?
BACK TO EMILIO
A beat as he listens to Ace's news.
EMILIO
I don't get it. What's it mean?
INTERCUT ACE/EMILIO
ACE
It means she's involved in this.
The article's dated the day before
Finkle disappeared.
EMILIO
Before who disappeared?
ACE
Finkle. Ray Finkle� the guy who
took the dolphin? The guy you're
supposed to be looking for?!
Einhorn didn't tell you, did she?
EMILIO
Hey, Ace. I see where you're
goin' with this and you're goin'
alone.
A Crazy Guy stands next to Ace now and begins mimicking everything he says.
ACE
Come on, E. I tell her about
Finkle, she doesn't tell a soul.
I have an article here that
connects her with Finkle. You
gotta' check her out.
(to Crazy Guy mimicking)
Do you mind?
The Crazy Guy stops and moves to one of the phones.
EMILIO
Ace, I like my job. I get health
insurance and benefits.
CRAZY GUY
(into receiver)
I'm the Lindberg Baby. Come and
get me.
ACE
Emilio, Einhorn is involved.
You're gonna' have to make a
decision here.
(beat)
Listen, I gotta get off the phone.
I think I just solved the Lindberg
case.
Melissa and the Doctor return.
DOCTOR
Well, look who's trying to use the
phone.
Ace covers the phone receiver and whispers to them in a heartfelt voice.
ACE
Brian Piccalo is dead.
Ace breaks down. Melissa hangs up the phone and leads him away.
We hear a thrash version of the theme to "Brian's Song" as they exit the hospital.
INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
Emilio stands at a window, watching Einhorn drive off. The coast is clear so he sneaks into�
INT. EINHORN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
He rifles through her file cabinet. He tears through papers. Then he looks in her desk.
Stuffed in the back of the drawer he finds a personal note: We can make out the signature.
Roger. He pockets it and walks out.
EXT. MELISSA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Ace and Melissa pull up in the old heap.
ACE
Good job today. You're quite a
dirty rotten filthy liar.
MELISSA
(flattered)
Thanks. Are you sure you don't
want to stay here with me?
ACE
Naw, I got some thinking to do.
Besides, you'd be safer with
Salman Rushdie
MELISSA
Okay.
She gets out of the car, then turns and leans in the window.
MELISSA
Listen� I know there isn't much
time left. The game is tomorrow.
But I know you've done your best.
It's just an impossible situation.
I don't expect..
ACE
Hey�
Ace leans over and kisses her.
ACE (CONT'D)
�bet on the Dolphins.
INT. ACE'S APARTMENT - LATE NIGHT
CLOSE UP: ANSWERING MACHINE
Wiggles' nose enters frame and hits the play button.
MESSAGE #1
(Shickadance rasp)
Venturaaaa? Your time is up!
You're out! You hear me?! No
rent� no roof!
We widen to find Ace on the couch listening.
MESSAGE #2
Ace, it's E. Got something you
might find interesting. It's a
note from Podacter to Einhorn,
thanking her for a wonderful
Saturday night. This is too
weird, man?
ACE
Wiggles, rewind.
Wiggles obediently hits another button and rewinds the phone tape. Ace pops sunflower seeds,
and holds some evidence aloft thinking. A bird eats seeds out of his naval.
ACE
What the hell does Lois Einhorn
have to do with Ray Finkle? Come
on, think!
DISSOLVE TO:
Later. Ace is posed like Rodin's "The Thinker".
ACE
Finkle and Einhorn. In it
together. How? Why?
A small monkey sits in the same position. Mocking Ace.
DISSOLVE TO:
Later still. Ace pacing, jumping up and down. Trying to get his intuitive juices flowing. The
monkey is likewise, jumping on the mantle.
ACE
Alright! Here we go! Answer's
right there! Just gotta get some
blood to the brain! Finkle and
Einhorn! Finkle and Einhorn!
Finkle and Einhorn! Finkle and
Einhorn!
The animals all watch him like he's crazy.
DISSOLVE TO:
Daybreak. Ace sits staring at a picture of Finkle on the coffee table. He's totally spent and on the
verge of tears.
ACE
(whimpering)
Finkle and Einhorn. Einhorn and
Finkle.
He turns to see the monkey crashed out in a heap on a sofa pillow.
ACE
(to sleeping monkey)
Quitter.
Wiggles jumps up onto the coffee table now. Ace can't be bothered with him.
ACE
What do you want? Huh?
Wiggles whines at the tone of Ace's voice.
ACE (CONT'D)
What? I got no food for you. You
gotta have money to buy food. I
gotta find the dolphin to get the
money. I don't see any dolphins
around here, do you? Face it,
it's hopeless� your master is a
LOSER.
Ace buries his face in his hands. His dog Wiggles does the same. Then Ace looks up again.
ACE
LOO� HOO�
Suddenly he is silenced by something amazing.
Wiggles' dark haired floppy ears are lying around Finkle's picture like a wig. Ace combs the hair
over the head shot. The "make-over" is unmistakable. It's Einhorn!!
ACE
Oh, my god! That's it!
He jumps up, estatic.
ACE
Einhorn is Finkle! Finkle is
Einhorn!� Einhorn is a man!!!
Ace's expression quickly turns sour.
ACE
OH MY GOD!!! EINHORN IS A MAN!!!
MUSIC UP: AEROSMITH'S DUD LOOKS LIKE A LADY�
Ace makes a mad dash into the bathroom.
INT. ACE'S BATHROOM - MORNING - QUICK CUTS
�Ace furiously brushes his teeth.
�Ace rinses with mouthwash, spits it out and gags.
�Ace is in the shower. He slowly curls up into a ball under the steaming water with an expression
of horror on his face.
INT. EINHORN'S HOUSE - DAY
CLOSE UP:
A woman's leg being shaved.
Woman sexily putting on nylons.
Woman hands squeezing perfume bulb.
Woman's hand putting on AFC championship ring. One stone is missing.
EXT. EINHORN'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Ace sticks wads of gum in his mouth while he watches Einhorn's house from his car.
ACE
(remembering)
You're gun is sticking into my hip.
Yeeeekkkk!
Einhorn comes out her front door and gets into her car. Ace shudders once more and then follows
her.
EXT. MIAMI STREET - DAY
The road is jammed in one direction. Going towards the Super Bowl. Einhorn drives in the
opposite direction. Out of town. Ace tails her at a safe distance, with his head out the window, of
course.
INT. BOBBY RIDDLE STADIUM - DAY
Various shots of crazy fans, piling into the stadium.
INT. STADIUM OWNER'S BOX - DAY
Melissa, BOBBY RIDDLE, and GUESTS all amidst the usual pre-game hobnobbing. Most of the
talk centers on the loss of Marino.
Emilio, in full uniform, and a couple cops are providing extra security for the box.
EXT. HIGHWAY ONE - DAY
Einhorn drives south out of town. The area's getting remote. Ace follows.
Einhorn turns down a deserted road and comes to�
EXT. INDUSTRIAL PLANT - DAY
A large, abandoned industrial facility. Einhorn parks, disappears inside�
A few beats later, Ace kills the engine and exits singing the score to "Mission Impossible".
INT. INDUSTRIAL PLANT - DAY
Immense machines and swimming pool sized cauldrons.
Ace cautiously makes his way through the desolate site, singing quietly now. He stops when he
hears a familiar voice.
JOHN MADDEN (O.S.)
I particularly like the match-ups
of the defense.
Ace sees a weird sight: A HUGE TV PROJECTION SCREEN tuned to the Super Bowl pre-game
show. Marino is tied to a football tackling sled. The two thugs take turns running into Dan with
their shoulders, driving him back five feet each time.
JOHN MADDEN (ON TV)
�But the real story of this game
is the absence of Dan Marino. Him
being kidnapped and all has got to
be a strain on this Miami team. I
really feel sorry for those guys! I
mean, it's hard enough enduring
the pressure of the Super Bowl,
without your star quarterback
gettin' himself kidnapped. This
is the whole ball of wax, folks!
You wanna' get kidnapped, you do
it in the off season!�
Marino looks incredulously at the screen. Next to him, Snowflake "watches" from a ground level
cistern serving as an ad hoc tank.
Ace sneaks closer.
INT. BOBBY RIDDLE STADIUM - DAY
The crowd quiets as Jon Bon Jovi prepares to sing the National Anthem.
Various shots of fans all standing at attention.
In the owners box, Melissa looks to Emilio. Nothing's new.
INT. INDUSTRIAL PLANT - DAY
Einhorn is now in front of the big screen TV SINGING the National Anthem along with Bon Jovi.
The thugs, VINNIE and ROC, are behind her standing at attention.
The song ends. The crowd cheers.
In a sultry fashion Einhorn circles Marino now.
EINHORN
I just love Super Bowl Sunday,
don't you, Dan? A magical
afternoon where dreams are made�
or crushed!
DAN
Look lady, if you want tickets,
you're going about it in the wrong
way.
EINHORN
Do I look familiar to you, Dan?
Does it seem as if we've met
someplace before?
DAN
I don't know� I get hit in the
head a lot!
On the TV the ref makes an announcement.
REF
It's tails. The Eagles will
receive.
Dan really struggles now.
EINHORN
Oops. Looks like we're going to
have to kick, Dan.
Einhorn steps behind a football set up on a tee. And in perfect sync with the kicker on TV, she
boots a ball through a window of the warehouse.
Marino doesn't know what to think.
EINHORN
I made some refreshments, Dan.
Would you like some refreshments,
Dan? I'll be right back,
Daaaan!!
She goes. Dan struggles, but to no avail.
MARINO
Look, I don't know how much psycho
woman is paying you guys, but I
can double it.
VINNIE
Sorry, Danny boy. Psycho woman
keeps us out of prison.
Vinnie grabs a feeder fish and entices Snowflake to the surface. Roc raises a football.
ROC
Hey, Marino, check it out. I'm
throwin' passes to a Dolphin!
He chucks the ball and hits Snowflake, hard. The thugs both laugh hysterically.
Snowflake makes an angry leap and drenches the thugs. Snowflake laughs now, the thugs are
furious.
VINNIE
Get some more fish!
INT. BEHIND MACHINERY - CONTINUOUS
Roc walks behind a big piece of machinery, reaches down for the pail of smelts, but sees nothing.
ROC
Where the hell's the smelts?
He stands up straight and we all hear that familiar "Pop" of a sunflower seed being cracked open.
Roc's eyes widen. He turns and sees�
Ace coyly smiles at him, blows the sunflower seed shells into his face and CLANG! He whacks
Roc in the head with a pail full of fish.
ACE
(doing Brando)
He sleeps with the fishes.
INT. INDUSTRIAL PLANT - CONTINUOUS
VINNIE
Hey Roc, what the hell was that?
Vinnie cocks his gun and goes to check out the sound.
INT. BEHIND MACHINERY - CONTINUOUS
Vinnie rounds the corner and sees nothing. He walks a little further and notices a trail of smelts
lined up on the ground.
He follows the trail around a corner and we see Roc, unconscious but moaning. He is sitting
against the ground, with his legs spread apart and the pail over his head. The trail of smelts leads
to his crotch. There is one halfway into his zipper, with its tail flipping.
Vinnie takes in this sight, then rushes over to Roc and stands him up.
VINNIE
Hey man! What happened? What's
goin on�?
We see Ace at the top of a giant machine. He is aiming a 200 pound steel hook, that hangs on a
chain from the ceiling.
ACE
Guess what, boys, it's nap time.
Ace gently releases the hook. Just as Vinnie and Roc turn to look, the iron hook shears both of
their heads clean off.
Two headless bodies fall to the ground in slow motion with blood gushing from their necks.
CLOSE ON ACE - HORRIFIED
ACE
Hooooly Shiiit! Oh my god! I
didn't mean to - Oh man!!!
Ace holds his head and dances around, completely freaking out what he had done.
ACE
(looking to God)
Lord, I swear! I just wanted to
knock them out!
Ace abruptly stops to think.
ACE
Is that murder? I don't know.
They were gonna kill me. But they
didn't� But they tried. That's
self defense. That's it!! I have
nothing to worry about!!
CUT TO:
Ace nervously whistling as he wipes his fingerprints off the hook.
INT. IRONWORKS FACTORY - FACTORY
Ace checks on Snowflake then goes to Marino. He signals for Dan to keep quiet, then starts to
untie him.
MARINO
(whispers)
Who are you?
ACE
(whispers)
Ace Ventura. Pet detective. I've
been sent in with a special play.
(whispers)
Quarterback sneak.
WE HEAR THE CLICK OF A GUN.
EINHORN (O.S.)
Penalty. Too many men on the
field.
Ace turns. Einhorn's holding a gun on them from the other side of Snowflake's tank.
EINHORN (CON'T)
I warned you, Ventura.
ACE
What happened to "Ace"?
EINHORN
Good question.
She pulls out a cellular phone and dials.
ACE
Be careful with that phone,
lieutenant. I wouldn't want you
to get a tumor.
EINHORN
(into phone)
Sergeant Aguado, it's Lt. Einhorn.
Get some men over to the old
ironworks factory on Victoria
Road. I've got the kidnapper
trapped in the warehouse. It's
Ace Ventura. He's killed Marino
and Snowflake.
Einhorn smiles as she puts the phone away.
EINHORN
Vinnie! Roc! Get in here!
Ace gets a very guilty look.
ACE
What? Who are they? You mean
there's other people here?
EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY
A battalion of cop cars screech away as we hear�
RADIO DISPATCHER
(V.O.)
Attention all units. Code 11 in
progress at 343 Victorville Road.
Officer needs back-up�
INT. BOBBY RIDDLE STADIUM OWNER'S BOX - DAY
The cops and Emilio listen to their ear pieces�
RADIO DISPATCHER
(V.O.)
�Suspect's name: Ace Ventura,
male Caucasian, he is armed and
dangerous�
Emilio nudges Melissa.
EMILIO
It's Ace. Let's go.
INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Emilio high tails it out of there. Dodging concession stand patrons, bathroom lines, etc� Melissa
runs behind, trying to catch up.
MELISSA
Emilio, is he in trouble?
EMILIO
Don't worry, there's nothing Ace
can't handle!
INT. IRONWORKS FACTORY - DAY
Einhorn cocks her gun. Ace's face is glistening with tears. He's a complete wreck.
ACE
Don't kill meeee!!
Pleeheeheeheeheeeezzz!!! I'll
never tell anyone! I swear!
(indicating Marino)
He's the one you want!! Kill
him!!
MARINO
(indicating Ace)
No� kill him!
The two argue. Einhorn fires a shot in the air to stop them.
EINHORN
No, I'm gonna kill the dolphin
first.
(to Ace)
I wouldn't want you to miss that.
Einhorn walks to the edge of the tank. She aims the gun at Snowflake and FIRES!
We see the bullet miss Snowflake under water.
Snowflake swims wildly. She FIRES again! Misses again. Suddenly, Ace HOLLERS!
ACE
Blue forty-two!!
Einhorn turns to Ace.
EINHORN
SHUT UP!!
ACE
BLUE FORTY-TWO!
Einhorn shoots at Ace! He dives out of the way.
ACE
HUT! HUT!
Suddenly, Snowflake leaps out of the water and takes the gun out of Einhorn's hand, like the trick
we saw earlier. Snowflake swims around the pool with the gun in his mouth.
ACE
(smug)
Yes. The highly trained dolphin.
Perhaps the smartest mammal in the
animal kingdom. See how he knew
exactly what I wanted him to do,
as if our minds were somehow in
complete synchronization. They
have been know to save men at sea
you know. They have their own
language.
(to Snowflake)
Snowflake. Come here, Snowflake!
Bring me the gun!
(makes dolphin sounds)
EEEEEE! EEEEEE! EEEEEE!
Just like the trick in his routine, however, Snowflake swims around the tank, passes Ace, then
hands the gun back to Einhorn. He finishes with a tail walk.
ACE
(under his breath)
Stupid fish.
ON TV: Miami's kicker boots a perfect field goal from fifty yards.
JOHN MADDEN
He got all of his leg into that
one!
The field goal kicker is hugged by his teammates.
ACE
Good to see someone who doesn't
buckle under the pressure?
MARINO
Yeah, not like in 82 when we
choked�
Einhorn walks to Ace and puts the gun against his head.
EINHORN
What would you know about
pressure?
ACE
Well, I've kissed a man.
JOHN MADDEN (ON TV)
Of course, there's never been a
more crucial kick than the famous
Kick heard 'round the world�
The famous footage airs on TV. They all turn to watch.
JOHN MADDEN
�I mean, it's clear to me that
it was a good hold. Finkle just
booted it.
EINHORN
The laces weren't out. THE LACES
WEREN'T OUT!!
Einhorn takes a shot at the screen, creating a hole in Madden's forehead. Ace uses the moment to
smack the gun out of her hand.
A HUGE, NO-HOLDS-BARRED FIGHT ensues. Ace and Einhorn punch each other about the
face and stomach.
Einhorn throws a punch at Ace. Ace goes down.
Einhorn goes for the loose gun. Ace leaps and tackles her.
They both crash into old rusty equipment, raising a mountain of dust. Marino struggles all the
while trying to get free.
Einhorn kicks Ace. He flies into Marino.
MARINO
Having a little trouble with the
lady, Ace?
ACE
(out of breath)
You don't understand, she's a �
Einhorn grabs Ace, throws him into a head lock and begins wailing on his face.
Meanwhile, cops start arriving, SWAT team members disperse onto the catwalk as the fight
continues. They try but can't get a bead on Ace as the two roll around on the floor.
More punches. They fight up a flight of stairs, then back down. To the amazement of the SWAT
team, Ace and Einhorn slug it out as equals.
AGUADO
(caught up)
Get him, Lois!
Now they crash through a plate glass window together. Ace gets to his knees first and wobbles
toward the gun. It's the first clear shot the SWAT team has had.
EINHORN
(screaming)
Shoot him! Shoot him!
We all hear the guns cocked. We see Ace in the rifle sights. We see fingers twitch on triggers.
A loud voice comes from off camera.
EMILIO
DON'T SHOOT! HOLD YOUR FIRE!
Melissa is holding Emilio's gun under his chin.
MELISSA
Put down your guns or this cop
gets it!
The SWAT team hesitates.
MELISSA (CONT'D)
I mean it!!
Much to Emilio's surprise, she cocks the gun.
EMILIO
(whispers to Melissa)
Ah� Melissa? That's a hair
trigger.
(loud to cops)
She's not joking!
The SWAT team leader signals his men. They lower their guns. Einhorn gets back to her feet.
EINHORN
He kidnapped Snowflake. He killed
Roger Podacter, and he was about
to kill Dan Marino and me!
ACE
Ho, ho! Fiction can be fun! But
I find the reference section much
more enlightening.
(doing his best Clarence Darrow)
For instance, if you were to look
up 'professional football's all
time bonehead plays', you might
read about a Miami Dolphin kicker
named Ray Finkle, who missed a
twenty-six yard field goal in the
closing seconds of Super Bowl
Seventeen.
(in one breath)
What you wouldn't read about is
how Ray Finkle lost his mind, and
was committed to a mental
institute, only to escape and join
the police force under the assumed
identity of a missing hker,
seducing her way to the top, in a
diabolical plan to get even with
Dan Marino whom he blamed for the
entire thing!!!
Ace gasps for air. Everyone is totally confused.
AGUADO
What the hell are you trying to
say?
ACE
She's not Lois Einhorn! She's Ray
Finkle! She's a man!
EINHORN
He's lying! Shoot him!
Ace walks over to her.
ACE
Let's just see who's lying. Would
a real woman have to wear one of
these?
Ace dramatically pulls at Einhorn's hair, thinking it's a wig. Einhorn's head flies back. The hair is
real. Ace keeps tugging it.
The SWAT team ready themselves.
ACE (CONT'D)
Boy, that's really on there! But
tell me this: Would a real woman
be missing these?!
Ace rips open Einhorn's blouse, and reveals two beautiful feminine breasts.
The sharp shooters are tensing. Ace is laughing nervously now.
ACE
Ha, ha, ha! That kind of surgery
can be done over the weekend! But
I doubt if she could find the time
during her busy schedule to get
rid of Mr. Knish!!
Ace rips off Einhorn's skirt. Einhorn now stands there fully nude. She appears to be the perfect
figure of a woman.
ACE
Oooh boy.
Ace looks at Melissa and Emilio and shrugs his shoulders. Then, just when it seems all is lost, Dan
Marino who is back behind Einhorn, motions for Ace to come over.
MARINO
Psst� Ace. Come here.
ACE
(to everyone)
Could you excuse me just a second.
Ace goes to Dan. Melissa still holds Emilio hostage.
EINHORN
Shoot him. Shoot him, now!!
MELISSA
(to cops)
Don't anybody make a move!
Marino whispers something in his ear. Ace looks confident again. He once more addresses the
crowd.
ACE
Ladies and gentlemen, my esteemed
colleague Mr. Marino, has just
brought some new evidence to my
attention. Now, history has
certainly shown that even the most
intuitive criminal minds can be
wrong, from time to time. But, if
I have been mistaken� if the
lieutenant is indeed a woman�
then my friends, she is suffering
from the worst case of hemorrhoids
I have ever seen!!!
Ace spins Einhorn around now, exposing to the world, the healthy set of male genetalia that Finkle
has learned to keep tucked between his legs. (And if we have any balls, we'll actually show it.)
Everyone gasps. CLOSE UP ON EINHORN/FINKLE. He finally drops the facade.
FINKLE
(deepest voice possible)
It was Marino's fault. The laces
were in.
(breaking down now)
They were IN!!!
Quick cuts of all the cops spitting with disgust. Then Emilio spits.
Then CLOSE ON Marino spitting. They all have kissed her/him/it. Even Snowflake blows his
spout.
Ace confidently cracks a sunflower seed.
ACE
Somebody read it its rights.
Suddenly, Finkle picks up a shard of broken glass and lunges at Ace.
FINKLE
DIE ANIMAL BOYYYYY!!!
Thinking fast Ace sidesteps Finkle and sends him head first into Snowflake's makeshift tank. After
a few seconds Finkle fights his way to the surface and thrashes around, helplessly.
FINKLE
(gasping for air)
Help I can't swim!!!
Finkle goes under again. We see him under water sinking down.
Snowflake swims to him now, allowing him to grab onto his fin and pulls Finkle gently to the side
of the pool. Finkle lies there exhausted.
Ace reaches down into frame, removing the '82 AFC Championship ring from Finkle's finger. We
see that it's the ring with the missing stone. Ace replaces it with the stone in his pocket. It's a
perfect fit.
ACE
LLLOOOSER! LLOO HOO SERR HERR
HERR!!!
Melissa is still holding the gun on Emilio.
EMILIO
Melissa� you can give me back my
gun now.
Melissa has forgotten she even had the gun. She hands it to Emilio and faints in his arms.
Now Aguado appears beside Ace.
AGUADO
I don't know how you did it,
Ventura� but that was damn good
police work. Alright guys, let's
wrap this up!
EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY
Twenty or more police cars in single file provide more than ample escort for�
�Ace and Marino in Ace's Chevy Bel-Aire with the cracked windshield. Both of them have their
heads sticking out so that they can see. Marino has a wad of gum in his mouth.
HIGH ANGLE
The long line of flashing lights and cop cars drives at top speed up Route One. Ace's Bel-Aire
right in the middle.
MARINO (O.S.)
hey Ace?
ACE (O.S.)
Yeah, Dan?
MARINO (O.S.)
Got any more gum?
CUT TO:
INT. STADIUM - DAY
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is in progress. Marino is in uniform warming up. Emilio is
drooling at the cheerleaders. Ace and Melissa are standing near the fifty yard line taking in the
awesome spectacle.
Some fireworks go off around the tank. A marching band plays a triumphant tune. We see a
helicopter come up over the side of the stadium carrying Snowflake.
ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
Ladies and gentlemen, the Miami
Dolphins are proud to welcome back
to BOBBY RIDDLE Stadium, our
beloved mascot and star of the
halftime show�
ANGLE ON
The helicopter lowering Snowflake into his tank.
ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
Snowflake!!
As the crowd roars, Melissa turns to Ace, and with Snowflake in the background performing
spectacular flips, they kiss.
ANOTHER ANGLE
As Melissa and Ace kiss, the prized 'White Pigeon' lands on a Gatorade dispenser in the
foreground. Ace spots it and starts to make a move.
Just as he closes in for the grab, the Philadelphia Eagles mascot eagle walks up to get a drink and
shoos the pigeon away. Ace is furious.
ACE
You idiot! Do you know what
you've done?!
The giant eagle head looks up at Ace.
MASCOT
Huh?
Ace grabs him.
ACE
You just cost me ten thousand
bucks, Polly!
MASCOT
Yeah Blow me.
ACE
REE HEE HEE HEELYYY?!!!
PULL BACK to find Eagle's mascot and Ace arguing. We can't hear what's said, but there's a lot
of finger pointing.
Emilio stops his leering to check out what's going on.
The ANNOUNCER up in the booth reads a release.
ANNOUNCER
The National Football League would
now like to offer a special thank
you to the man who rescued Dan
Marino and our beloved
Snowflake�
On the field the mascot shoves Ace. Ace shoves back.
ANNOUNCER (CONT'D)
A great humanitarian, and lover of
all animals� Mr. Ace Ventura!
Ace is straddling the eagle, pounding the shit out of giant head.
The image is flashed on the big stadium screen. We freeze frame on this huge picture of Ace, as he
looks into camera with his fist raised.
MUSIC UP: THRASH METAL
ROLL CREDITS
THE END
(LOKI NOTE: My copy of this script has the bloody end of Vinnie and Roc physically crossed out
by three black marker lines, presumably by the authors. Fortunately, they were crossed out
diagonally, so I could still type the scene out for all to enjoy.)
| screenplays |
the equation of state ( eos ) of nuclear matter is of crucial importance for the understanding of a large variety of phenomena in nuclear physics and astrophysics .
transient states of nuclear matter far from normal conditions can be created in terrestrial laboratories and many experimental and theoretical efforts have been devoted to the study of nuclear reactions , from low to intermediate energies , as a possible tool to learn about the behavior of nuclear matter and its eos .
in particular , the availability of exotic beams has opened the way to explore , in laboratory conditions , new aspects of nuclear structure and dynamics up to extreme ratios of neutron ( n ) to proton ( z ) numbers . over the past years
, measurements of isoscalar collective vibrations , collective flows and meson production have contributed to constrain the eos for symmetric matter for densities up to five time the saturation value @xcite . however , the eos of asymmetric matter has comparatively few experimental constraints : the isovector part of the nuclear effective interaction ( asy - eos ) and the corresponding symmetry energy are largely unknown far from normal density .
this information is essential also in the astrophysical context , for the understanding of the properties of compact objects such as neutron stars , whose crust behaves as low - density asymmetric nuclear matter @xcite and whose core may touch extreme values of density and asymmetry .
moreover , the low - density behavior of the symmetry energy also affects the structure of exotic nuclei and the appearance of new features involving the neutron skin @xcite . over the past years , several observables which are sensitive to the asy - eos and testable experimentally ,
have been suggested @xcite . in this contribution
we will focus on some effects related to the low - density sector of the nuclear eos . the first part will be devoted to the study of collective excitations in neutron - rich systems .
new exotic collective modes show up when one moves away from the valley of stability @xcite . in particular
, we will discuss results concerning the appearance of an interesting exotic mode , the pygmy dipole resonance ( pdr ) , which was observed as an unusually large concentration of the dipole response at energies clearly below the values associated with the standard giant dipole resonance ( gdr ) .
then , in the second part , we will discuss dissipation and fragmentation mechanisms at fermi energies , concentrating on isospin effects and on the sensitivity of detectable observables to the asy - eos .
nuclear collective motion and nuclear reactions are modeled by solving transport equations based on mean field theories , with correlations included via hard nucleon - nucleon elastic collisions and via stochastic forces , selfconsistently evaluated from the mean phase - space trajectory , see @xcite .
stochasticity is essential in order to get distributions as well as to allow for the growth of dynamical instabilities . in the beam energy range up to a few hundred @xmath1 ,
the appropriate tool is the so - called boltzmann - langevin equation ( ble ) @xcite : @xmath2 + \delta i[f],\ ] ] where @xmath3 is the one - body distribution function , the semi - classical analog of the wigner transform of the one - body density , @xmath4 the mean field hamiltonian , @xmath5 the two - body collision term incorporating the fermi statistics of the particles , and @xmath6 $ ] the fluctuating part of the collision integral .
here we follow the approximate treatment to the ble introduced in @xcite , the so - called stochastic mean field ( smf ) model , where fluctuations are injected just in coordinate space by agitating the density profile .
the symmetry energy , @xmath7 , appears in the energy density @xmath8 , expressed in terms of total ( @xmath9 ) and isospin ( @xmath10 ) densities .
@xmath7 gets a kinetic contribution directly from basic pauli correlations and a potential part , @xmath11 , from the highly controversial isospin dependence of the effective interactions : @xmath12 the sensitivity of the simulation results can be tested against different choices of the density dependence of the coefficient @xmath11 . -1.0
one of the important tasks in many - body physics is to understand the emergence of the collective features as well as their structure in terms of the individual motion of the constituents .
the experimental characterization and theoretical description of new exotic collective excitations is a challenge for modern nuclear physics .
recent experiments provided several evidences about their existence but the available information is still incomplete and their nature is a matter of debate . in particular , many efforts have been devoted to the study of the pdr , identified as an unusually large concentration of the dipole response at energies below the values corresponding to the gdr .
the latter is one of the most prominent and robust collective motions , present in all nuclei , whose centroid position varies , for medium - heavy nuclei , as @xmath13 . from a comparison of the available data for
stable and unstable @xmath14 isotopes a correlation between the fraction of pygmy strength and isospin asymmetry was noted @xcite . in general the exhausted sum - rule increases with the proton - to - neutron asymmetry .
this behavior was related to the symmetry energy properties below saturation and therefore connected to the size of the neutron skin @xcite . in spite of the theoretical progress in the interpretation of this mode and new experimental information @xcite , a number of critical questions concerning the nature of the pdr still remains .
our goal is to address the important issue related to the collective nature of the pdr in connection with the role of the symmetry energy .
an accurate picture of the gdr in nuclei corresponds to an admixture of goldhaber - teller ( g - t ) and stenweidel - jensen ( s - j ) vibrations .
the latter , in symmetric nuclear matter , is a volume type oscillation of the isovector density @xmath15 keeping the total density @xmath16 constant @xcite .
a microscopic , self - consistent study of the collective features and of the role of the nuclear effective interaction upon the pdr can be performed within the landau theory of fermi liquids .
this is based on two coupled landau - vlasov kinetic equations ( see eq.(1 ) , neglecting the stochastic term ) for neutron and proton one - body distribution functions @xmath17 with @xmath18 , and was applied quite successfully in describing various features of the gdr , including pre - equilibrium dipole excitation in fusion reactions @xcite .
however , it should be noticed that within such a semi - classical description shell effects are absent , certainly important in shaping the fine structure of the dipole response @xcite . by solving numerically the vlasov equation in the absence of coulomb interaction , urban @xcite evidenced from the study of the total dipole moment @xmath19 a collective response around @xmath20 @xmath21 which was identified as a pygmy mode .
it was pointed out , from the properties of transition densities and velocities , that the pdr can be related to one of the low - lying modes associated with isoscalar toroidal excitations , providing indications about its isoscalar character . here
, considering in the transport simulations also the coulomb interaction , we shall investigate in a complementary way the collective nature of pdr by studying the dynamics of the pygmy degree of freedom , @xmath22 , that is usually associated with the neutron excess in the nuclear surface @xcite .
moreover , we shall explore the isoscalar character of the mode by a comparative analysis employing three different density parametrizations of the symmetry energy .
we neglect the two - body collision effects and hence the main ingredient of the dynamics is the nuclear mean - field , for which we consider a skyrme - like ( @xmath23 ) parametrization @xmath24 , where @xmath25 for @xmath26 and @xmath27 denotes the saturation density .
the saturation properties of symmetric nuclear matter are reproduced with the values of the coefficients @xmath28 , @xmath29 , @xmath30 , leading to a compressibility modulus @xmath31 . for the isovector sector
we employ three different parameterizations of @xmath11 with the density : the asysoft , the asystiff and asysuperstiff respectively , see @xcite for a detailed description .
the value of the symmetry energy , @xmath32 , at saturation , as well as the slope parameter , @xmath33 , are reported in table [ table1 ] for each of these asy - eos . just below the saturation density
the asysoft mean field has a weak variation with density while the asysuperstiff shows a rapid decrease .
then , due to surface contributions to the collective oscillations , we expect to see some differences in the energy position of the dipole response of the system .
the numerical procedure to integrate the transport equations is based on the test - particle ( t.p . )
method . for a good spanning of phase - space we work with @xmath34 t.p . per nucleon .
we consider the neutron rich nucleus @xmath0 and we determine its ground state configuration as the equilibrium ( static ) solution of eq.(1 ) .
then proton and neutron densities @xmath35 can be evaluated . as an additional check of our initialization procedure ,
the neutron and proton mean square radii @xmath36 , as well as the skin thickness @xmath37 , were also calculated in the ground state and shown in table [ table1 ] .
.the symmetry energy at saturation ( in @xmath21 ) , the slope parameters , neutron rms radius , protons rms radius , neutron skin thickness for the three asy - eos . [ cols="<,>,>,>,>,>",options="header " , ] the values obtained with our semi - classical approach are in a reasonable agreement with those reported by employing other models for similar interactions @xcite .
the neutron skin thickness is increasing with the slope parameter , as expected from a faster reduction of the symmetry term on the surface @xcite .
this feature has been discussed in detail in @xcite . to inquire on the collective properties of the pygmy dipole we excite the nuclear system at the initial time @xmath38 by boosting along the @xmath39 direction all excess neutrons ( @xmath40 ) and in opposite direction all core nucleons , while keeping the c.m. of the nucleus at rest ( pygmy - like initial conditions ) .
the excess neutrons were identified as the most distant @xmath41 neutrons from the nucleus cm .
then the system is left to evolve and the evolution of the collective coordinates @xmath42 , @xmath43 and @xmath44 , associated with the different isovector dipole modes ( pygmy , core and total dipole ) is followed for @xmath45 by solving numerically the equations ( 1 ) . during the time evolution the number of t. p. escaping from the system corresponds , on average , to less than half a neutron , while the total energy conservation is satisfied within @xmath46 . as shown in figure [ diptime ] , apart from the quite undamped oscillations of the @xmath42 coordinate , we also remark that the core does not remain inert .
( a ) , of the dipole @xmath22 ( b ) and of core dipole @xmath47 ( c ) , for asysoft ( the blue ( solid ) lines ) and asysuperstiff ( the red ( dashed ) lines ) eos .
pygmy - like initial excitation . ]
we plot the time evolution of the dipole @xmath22 , of the total dipole @xmath19 and core dipole @xmath47 moments , for two asy - eos . as observed ,
while @xmath22 approaches its maximum value , an oscillatory motion of the dipole @xmath47 initiates and this response is symmetry energy dependent : the larger is the slope parameter @xmath48 , the more delayed is the isovector core reaction .
this can be explained in terms of low - density ( surface ) contributions to the vibration and therefore of the density behavior of the symmetry energy below normal density : a larger l corresponds to a larger neutron presence in the surface and so to a smaller coupling to the core protons .
we see that the total dipole @xmath49 is strongly affected by the presence of isovector core oscillations , mostly related to the isovector part of the effective interaction .
indeed , @xmath49 gets a higher oscillation frequency with respect to @xmath22 , sensitive to the asy - eos .
the fastest vibrations are observed in the asysoft case , which gives the largest value of the symmetry energy below saturation . in correspondence
the frequency of the pygmy mode seems to be not much affected by the trend of the symmetry energy below saturation , see also next figure [ dipspectrum ] , clearly showing the different nature , isoscalar - like , of this oscillation . for each case
we calculate the power spectrum of @xmath22 : @xmath50 and similarly for @xmath19 .
the results are shown in figure [ dipspectrum ] .
the position of the centroid corresponding to the gdr shifts toward larger values when we move from asysuperstiff ( largest slope parameter @xmath48 ) to asysoft eos .
this evidences the importance of the volume , s - j component of the gdr in @xmath0 .
the energy centroid associated with the pdr is situated below the gdr peak , at around @xmath51 , quite insensitive to the asy - eos , pointing to an isoscalar - like nature of this mode .
hence the structure of the dipole response can be explained in terms of the development of isoscalar - like ( pdr ) and isovector - like ( gdr ) modes , as observed in asymmetric systems @xcite .
( color online ) the power spectrum of total dipole ( a ) and of the dipole @xmath22 ( b ) ( in @xmath52 ) , for asysoft ( the blue ( solid ) lines ) , asystiff ( the black ( dot - dashed ) lines ) and asysuperstiff ( the red ( dashed ) lines ) eos .
pygmy - like initial conditions . ]
both modes are excited in the considered pygmy - like initial conditions .
looking at the total dipole mode direction , that is close to the isovector - like normal mode , one observes a quite large contribution in the gdr region . on the other hand , although the pygmy mode has a more complicated structure @xcite , the @xmath42 direction appears closely related to it .
indeed a larger response amplitude is detected in the pygmy region , see figure 2 ( bottom ) .
( color online ) the same as in figure [ dipspectrum ] but for a gdr - like initial excitation . ] to check the influence of the initial conditions on the dipole response , let us consider the case of a gdr - like excitation , corresponding to a boost of all neutrons against all protons , keeping the cm at rest .
now the initial excitation favors the isovector - like mode and even in the @xmath42 direction we observe a sizable contribution in the gdr region , see the fourier spectrum of @xmath22 in figure [ gdrspectrum ] . from this result
it clearly emerges that a part of the @xmath53 excess neutrons is involved in a gdr type motion and the relative weight depends on the symmetry energy : more neutrons are involved in the pygmy mode in the asysuperstiff eos case , in connection to the larger neutron skin size .
we have also checked that , if the coordinate y is constructed by taking the @xmath54 most distant neutrons ( with @xmath55 ) , the relative weight increases in the pdr region . in any case , since part of the excess nucleons contributes to the gdr mode , a low ewsr value is expected in the pdr region .
indeed , in the fourier power spectrum of @xmath19 in figure [ gdrspectrum ] , a weak response is seen at the pygmy frequency . in the case of the gdr - like initial excitation ,
i.e. boosting all neutrons against all protons , we can relate the strength function to @xmath56 @xcite and then the corresponding cross section can be calculated .
our estimate of the integrated cross section over the pdr region represents @xmath57 for asysoft , @xmath58 for asystiff and @xmath59 for asysuperstiff , out of the total cross section .
hence the ewsr exhausted by the pdr is proportional to the skin thickness , in agreement with the results of @xcite .
in this energy range , reactions between charge asymmetric systems are charecterized by a direct isospin transport in binary events .
this process also involves the low density neck region and is sensitive to the low density behavior of @xmath7 , see refs.@xcite and references therein .
moreover , it is now quite well established that the largest part of the reaction cross section for dissipative collisions at fermi energies goes through the _ neck fragmentation _
channel , with intermediate mass fragments ( imf ) directly produced in the interacting zone in semiperipheral collisions on short time scales @xcite .
it is possible to predict interesting isospin transport effects also for this fragmentation mechanism since clusters are formed still in a dilute asymmetric matter but always in contact with the regions of the projectile - like and target - like remnants almost at normal densities .
results on these mechanisms , obtained with the smf model , are discussed below . in peripheral and semi - peripheral reactions , it is interesting to look at the asymmetries of the various parts of the interacting system in the exit channel : emitted particles , projectile - like ( plf ) and target - like fragments ( tlf ) , and in the case of ternary ( or higher multiplicity ) events , imf s . in particular , one can study the so - called isospin transport ratio , which is defined as @xmath60 with @xmath61 .
here , @xmath62 is an isospin sensitive quantity that has to be investigated with respect to equilibration .
we consider primarily the asymmetry @xmath63 , but also other quantities , such as isoscaling coefficients , ratios of production of light fragments , etc , can be of interest @xcite .
the indices @xmath64 and @xmath48 refer to the symmetric reaction between the heavy ( @xmath65-rich ) and the light ( @xmath65-poor ) systems , while @xmath66 refers to the mixed reaction .
@xmath67 denote the rapidity region , in which this quantity is measured , in particular the plf and tlf rapidity regions . clearly , this ratio is @xmath68 in the projectile and target regions , respectively , for complete transparency , and oppositely for complete rebound , while it is zero for complete equilibration .
isospin transport ratios as a function of relative energy loss .
upper panel : separately for stiff ( solid ) and soft ( dashed ) asy - eos , and for two parameterizations of the isoscalar part of the interaction : md ( circles and squares ) and mi ( diamonds and triangles ) , in the projectile region ( full symbols ) and the target region ( open symbols ) .
lower panel : quadratic fit to all points for the stiff ( solid ) , resp .
soft ( dashed ) asy - eos . ] in a simple model one can show that the isospin transport ratio mainly depends on two quantities : the strength of the symmetry energy and the interaction time between the two reaction partners .
let us take , for instance , the asymmetry @xmath69 of the plf ( or tlf ) as the quantity @xmath62 .
at a first order approximation , in the mixed reaction this quantity relaxes towards its complete equilibration value , @xmath70 , as @xmath71 where @xmath72 is the time elapsed while the reaction partners stay in contact ( interaction time ) and the damping @xmath73 is mainly connected to the strength of the symmetry energy @xcite . inserting this expression into eq.([imb_rat ] ) , one obtains @xmath74 for the plf and tlf regions , respectively .
hence the isospin transport ratio can be considered as a good observable to trace back the strength of the symmetry energy from the reaction dynamics provided a suitable selection of the interaction time is performed .
the centrality dependence of the isospin ratio , for sn + sn collisions at 35 and 50 @xmath1 , has been investigated in experiments as well as in theory @xcite , and information about the stiffness of the symmetry energy has been extracted from the analysis presented in @xcite , based on the imqmd model . here
we investigate more in detail the relation between charge equilibration , interaction times and thermal equilibrium .
longer interaction times should be correlated to a larger dissipation .
it is then natural to look at the correlation between the isospin transport ratio and the total kinetic energy loss . in this way one can also better disentangle dynamical effects of the isoscalar and isovector part of the eos , see @xcite .
it is seen in figure [ imb_eloss ] ( top ) that the curves for the asysoft eos ( dashed ) are generally lower in the projectile region ( and oppositely for the target region ) , i.e. show more equilibration , than those for the asystiff eos , due to the higher value of the symmetry energy at low density . to emphasize this trend , all the values for the stiff ( circles ) and the soft ( squares ) asy - eos , corresponding to different impact parameters , beam energies and also to two possible parametrizations of the isoscalar part of the nuclear interaction ( with and without momentum dependence , md and mi ) ,
are collected together in the bottom part of the figure .
one can see that all the points essentially follow a given line , depending only on the symmetry energy parameterization adopted .
it is seen , that there is a systematic effect of the symmetry energy of the order of about 20 percent , which should be measurable .
moreover , we notice that the quantity @xmath75 is a rapidly decreasing function of the degree of dissipation , @xmath76 , reached in the collision .
this can be explained in terms of dissipation mechanisms maily due to mean - field effects , as predicted by the smf model .
indeed , according to a mean - field picture , a significant degree of thermal equilibrium ( i.e. a considerable @xmath76 ) would imply a rather long contact time between the two reaction partners , thus certainly leading to isospin equilibration , that needs a shorter time scale to be reached .
the correlation suggested in figure [ imb_eloss ] should represent a general feature of isospin diffusion , as expected on the basis of dominant mean - field mechanisms , and it would be of great interest to verify it experimentally .
-1.0 cm in presence of density gradients , as the ones occurring when a low - density neck region is formed between the two reaction partners in semi - peripheral collisions , the isospin transport is mainly ruled by the density derivative of the symmetry energy and so we expect a larger neutron flow to the neck clusters for a stiffer symmetry energy around saturation @xcite .
this mechanism leads to the neutron enrichment of the neck region ( isospin migration ) .
this is shown in figure [ nzphi ] ( left ) , where the asymmetry of the neck and plf - tlf regions , obtained in neutron - rich reactions at 50 mev / u , are plotted for two asy - eos choices . from the experimental point of view , a new analysis has been recently published on sn+ni data at @xmath77 by the chimera collab.@xcite .
a strong correlation between neutron enrichement and fragment alignement ( when the short emission time selection is enforced ) is seen , that points to a stiff behavior of the symmetry energy ( @xmath78 ) , for which a large neutron enrichment of neck fragments is seen ( left ) .
1.0 cm 0.5 cm in order to build observables less affected by secondary decay effects , in fig . 5 ( right ) we consider the ratio of the asymmetries of the imf s to those of the residues ( @xmath79 ) for stiff and soft asy - eos .
this quantity can be estimated on the basis of simple energy balance considerations . by imposing to get a maximum ( negative ) variation of @xmath7
when transfering the neutron richness from plf and tlf towards the neck region , one obtains : @xmath80 from this simple argument the ratio between the imf and residue asymmetries should depend only on symmetry energy properties and , in particular , on the difference of the symmetry energy corresponding to the residue and neck densities ( @xmath81 and @xmath82 ) , as appropriate for isospin migration .
it should also be larger than one , more so for the asystiff than for the asysoft eos .
it is seen indeed in figure 5 ( right part ) , that this ratio is nicely dependent on the asy - eos only ( being larger in the asystiff case ) and not on the system considered .
if final asymmetries were affected in the same way by secondary evaporation in the case of neck and plf fragments , then one could directly compare the results of figure 5 ( right ) to data .
however , due to the different size and temperature of the neck region with respect to plf or tlf sources , de - excitation effects should be carefully checked with the help of suitable decay codes .
-1.0 cm a detailed investigation of isospin equilibration has been recently undertaken within transport codes based on the molecular dynamics ( qmd ) approach @xcite . in comparison to the transport models considered before , mainly describing one - body effects ( such as the smf model , see eq.(1 ) ) , such approaches , where nucleons are represented as individual wave packets of fixed compact shape ( usually taken as gaussians ) , may lead to approximate descriptions of mean - field effects .
on the other hand , fluctuations and correlations should be well reproduced , especially in the exit channel of multifragmentation events .
as shown in ref.@xcite , where charge equilibration is investigated for @xmath83 reactions at 35 and 50 @xmath1 , the imqmd code predicts a quite different behavior with respect to smf : the isospin transport ratio exhibits a rather flat behavior as a function of the impact parameter .
this seems to indicate that , even in the case of central collisions , the contact time between the two reaction partners remains rather short , the dissipation mechanisms being mostly due to many - body correlations rather than to mean - field effects .
thus the more explosive dynamics would lead to the lower degree of isospin equilibration observed . to examine more in detail the origin of the observed discrepancies , results concerning imf ( @xmath84 ) properties , obtained with the smf and imqmd codes ,
are compared in figure 6 . in the left panel , the average total charge per event , associated with imf s ,
is plotted as a function of the reduced rapidity , for the reaction @xmath85sn + @xmath85sn at 50 mev / u and impact parameters b = 6 and 8 fm . from this comparison
it is clear that in imqmd a larger number of light imf s , distributed over all rapidity range between plf and tlf , are produced . on the other hand ,
mostly binary or ternary events are observed in smf , with light imf s located very close to mid - rapidity .
then the different reaction dynamics predicted by the two codes may explain the different results seen for isospin equilibration especially in semi - peripheral and central reactions ( b @xmath86 4 - 6 fm ) .
the fast imqmd fragmentation dynamics inhibits nucleon exchange and charge equilibration . on the other hand , in smf dissipation
is dominated by mean - field mechanisms , acting over longer time intervals and leading to stronger equilibration effects .
let panel : average total charge per event , associated with imf s , as a function of the reduced rapidity , obtained in the reaction @xmath85sn + @xmath85sn at 50 mev / u .
results are shown for imqmd calculations at b = 6 fm ( thick line ) and b = 8 fm ( thin line ) and for smf calculations at b = 6 fm ( full circles ) and b = 8 fm ( open circles ) .
a soft interaction is considered for the symmetry energy .
right panel : n / z of imf s as a function of the reduced rapidity .
lines and symbols are like in the left panel .
results corresponding to a stiff asy - eos are also shown for imqmd ( dashed line ) and smf ( crosses ) , for b=6 fm . ]
results on the neutron content of the neck region are illustrated in the right panel of figure 6 , that shows the global n / z of imf s as a function of the reduced rapidity .
as discussed above , smf calculations clearly predict a larger n / z for imf s produced at mid - rapidity , with respect to plf and tlf regions ( isospin migration effect ) .
the effect is particularly pronounced in the case of the asystiff parametrization .
on the contrary , imqmd calculations predict a minimum of the n / z ratio at mid - rapidity .
the reasons of the these differences need to be further investigated . -1.0
we have reviewed some aspects of the rich phenomenology associated with nuclear reactions , from which interesting hints are emerging to constrain the nuclear eos and , in particular , the largely debated density behavior of the symmetry energy .
information on the low density region can be accessed in reactions from low to intermediate energies , where collective excitations and fragmentation mechanisms are dominant .
we have shown , within a semi - classical landau - vlasov approach , the existence , in neutron rich nuclei , of a collective pygmy dipole mode determined by the oscillations of some excess neutrons against the nuclear core . from the transport simulations the pdr energy centroid for @xmath0 appears around @xmath87 @xmath21 , rather insensitive to the density dependence of the symmetry energy and well below the gdr peak .
this supports the isoscalar - like character of this collective motion . a complex pattern , involving the coupling of the neutron skin with the core dipole mode , is noticed .
this reduces considerably the ewsr acquired by the pdr , our numerical estimate providing values well below @xmath88 , but proportional to the symmetry energy slope parameter @xmath48 , that affects the number of excess neutrons on the nuclear surface . concerning nuclear reactions at fermi energies ,
we have discussed some results on isospin sensitive observables . in particular , we have concentrated our analysis on the charge equilibration mechanism ( and its relation to energy dissipation ) and on the neutron - enrichment of the neck region in semi - peripheral reactions . from the study of the latter mechanism , for which new experimental evidences have recently appeared @xcite , hints are emerging towards a stiff behavior of the symmetry energy around normal density .
this is compatible with recent results from structure data , see for instance the review article @xcite . finally , we have also considered results of different transport codes ( see section 4.3 ) , undertaking a comparison of imqmd and smf predictions for selected observables . due to the different role of mean - field effects , vs. fluctuations and many - body correlations , in the two codes , the description of the reaction dynamics is model dependent ( see also @xcite ) .
this affects also isospin sensitive observables .
thus the whole reaction path needs to be carefully checked against experimental data in order to get decisive conclusions about the density dependence of the symmetry energy .
this work for v. baran was supported by a grant of the romanian national authority for scientific research , cncs - uefiscdi , project number pn - ii - id - pce-2011 - 3 - 0972 . for b. frecus
this work was supported by the strategic grant posdru/88/1.5/s/56668 . | arxiv |
in recent years , it is widely believed that strong magnetic field could play an important role in astrophysics @xcite and high - energy physics @xcite . especially in quantum field theory , many papers have shown that external magnetic field can affect dynamical chiral symmetry breaking ( dcsb ) , which is also known as ` magnetic catalysis ' @xcite . in the massless nambu
jona - lasinio ( njl ) model , with schwinger proper time method @xcite ( one also can refer to ref .
@xcite for another method ) , it is shown that in both @xmath3 and @xmath4 dimensions a constant magnetic field can spontaneously break chiral symmetry no matter how small the coupling constant @xmath5 is , while in magnetic field free environment the chiral symmetry can be preserved when @xmath5 is smaller than a critical value @xmath6 @xcite . from the magnetic catalysis effect ,
it is clear that the external magnetic field stimulates qcd condensation , with stronger magnetic field , the the value of qcd condensation or dynamic mass is bigger . on the other hand , as temperature participating in , the temperature weakens the condensation , with higher temperature , the value of qcd condensation or dynamic mass is smaller . the effect to condensation from magnetic field and temperature
are opposite , hence putting these two conditions together can lead us to study their corporate contributions to the condensation . beside that , in the chiral limit , when the temperature is high enough ( exceeding a critical value @xmath7 ) , the system shall undergo a phase transition , the broke chiral symmetry will restore , and now with the presentation of external magnetic field , @xmath7 should be relative to the magnetic field , hence one of our purpose to study the influence of magnetic field and temperature to qcd condensation is to identify the function relation of magnetic field and critical temperature . susceptibilities and critical coefficients are important parameters to evaluate the chiral phase transition of qcd . in quantum field
theory various susceptibilities are the linear responses of qcd condensation to various variables ( e.g. temperature , current mass , chemical potential etc ) . in ref .
@xcite , it is found that the nonlinear susceptibilities are correlated with the cumulant of baryon - number fluctuations in experiments , and in ref .
@xcite s work , the researchers have calculated these susceptibilities without magnetic field and established the correlation , but in their work this correlation still has some deviation from the experiments , since in the relativistic heavy - ion collisions there are the presence of strong magnetic field , we expect the magnetic field could amend such deviation , hence in this paper we study the susceptibilities in njl model with magnetic field in order to support further work .
the following of this paper is organized in such a way : in the section ii of this paper , we give the numerical results of dynamical mass dependence on magnetic field and temperature . in section
iii we study the susceptibilities with non - zero current mass , compare them to the chiral limit case , and discuss their phase transition properties . in this section
we also calculate the critical coefficients for different susceptibilities . in appendix
a , we have proposed a new method that is different from schwinger proper time , its result is equivalent to other methods , but when there is only external constant magnetic field rather than external electric field or external electromagnetic field , this new method is more convenient than the other method , at last of this appendix we discuss how this new method serves to thoroughly evaluate the contribution from infinitesimal imaginary term of the fermion propagator . in appendix
b , we give detailed deduction and discussion to the gap equation of two flavor njl model with external magnetic field , because the electric charges of @xmath8 @xmath9 quarks are different , we need to prove the gap equation s self - consistency with rigorous in this appendix .
in @xmath3 dimensions , the bosonized two flavor njl lagrangian with external magnetic field is @xmath10 @xmath11
@xmath12 @xmath13 here we have already assumed the current mass of fermion is zero , and @xmath14 is the potential of external magnetic field , in order to serve the purpose of a constant external magnetic field , @xmath14 can be defined as @xmath15 @xmath16 and @xmath17 are the second and the the third component of time - space coordinates @xmath18 . from eq .
( [ l ] ) , the fermion propagator of different flavor with magnetic field should be @xmath19 throughout this paper , the pion condensation is thought to be zero ( @xmath20 ) , because its existence would violate parity , a detailed analysis is discussed in appendix b. a more practical version of the fermion propagator is @xmath21 @xmath22 in eq .
( [ propagator ] ) , rather than employing schwinger proper time method to rewrite the denominator of @xmath23 , we propose a new method to deal with this denominator .
the detailed deduction of this new method has shown in appendix a , here we only give the final result .
first of all , the general gap equation in two flavor njl model with zero temperature is ( the rigorous deduction of this equation is shown in appendix b ) @xmath24 now we can employ the results from appendix a , replace eq .
( [ trace2 ] ) into eq .
( [ gap ] ) , and simplify the gap equation , we have @xmath25 and by making a cutoff @xmath26 to the low limit of @xmath27 s integral , eventually we get the gap equation that is suitable for numerical calculation , @xmath28\,ds.\label{gap2}\ ] ] in eq .
( [ gap2 ] ) , @xmath29 , and the divergent part and convergent part are separated , hence the cutoff only affects the divergent part . at the finite temperature , the gap equation is slightly different with eq .
( [ gap ] ) , which is @xmath30 and comparing with eq .
( [ propagator ] ) , the @xmath31 operator has changed into @xmath32 , with an appropriate eigenstate , there is @xmath33 then we can deduce an intermediate gap equation , @xmath34 in order to inherit the same cutoff @xmath35 from eq .
( [ trace2 ] ) , we choose to sum all of @xmath36 up rather than add @xmath37 up , @xmath38 introducing the cutoff , @xmath39\,ds.\label{gap3}\end{aligned}\ ] ] now we can use eq .
( [ gap2 ] ) to identify the relation between dynamical mass of njl and constant external magnetic field @xmath40 , referring to ref .
@xcite , for @xmath41 , @xmath42 and the current mass @xmath43 , the value of cutoff @xmath44 and @xmath5 are @xmath45 dependance of dynamical mass @xmath46 when zero temperature .
when @xmath47 , @xmath48.[i],width=288 ] having set up these values , we are able to draw the @xmath46-@xmath40 relation in fig .
[ i ] , it is clear that when the strength of magnetic field increases , the dynamical mass will increases with it , the chiral symmetry is always broken , and when the magnetic field is strong enough , the dynamical mass has a nearly linear response to the magnetic field .
dependance of critical temperature @xmath7 .
when @xmath47 , @xmath49[ii],width=288 ] with different fixed @xmath40.[iii],width=288 ] dependance of dynamical mass @xmath46 with different fixed temperatures.[iv],width=288 ] actually , when magnetic field is strong enough , the gap equation can be simplified to @xmath50 because in eq .
( [ gap0 ] ) , when the cutoff @xmath51 of integral variable @xmath27 has made , there is @xmath52 of cause , eq .
( [ gapsimple ] ) can also be deduced from eq .
( [ trace ] ) by throwing away the summation of @xmath53 only leaving the @xmath54 term along .
when temperature is not zero , it turns out there is a critical temperature @xmath7 , as long as the system s temperature exceeds the critical temperature , the dynamical mass will be zero , which corresponds to the restoration of chiral symmetry .
but for different magnetic field , the critical temperatures are different , as shown in fig .
[ ii ] , @xmath7 is increasing along with @xmath40 s increase . while in fig .
[ iii ] and fig .
[ iv ] they give us magnetic field or temperature dependance of dynamical mass . in fig .
[ iii ] , the bigger the strength of @xmath40 , the upper the @xmath55 curves , while in fig .
[ iv ] , the higher the temperature , the lower the @xmath56 curves , and in this figure , the curve @xmath57 is a little different with the other two , because in this situation , the magnetic field need to exceed a specific quantity to produce dynamical mass , while below this specific quantity , the chiral symmetry is unbroken . in fig .
[ iii ] , at different @xmath40 , the @xmath46-@xmath58 curves are separating with each other , this a solid evidence that in njl mean field approximation , there will have no inverse magnetic catalysis , and here we also can use a simple mathematics analysis to support this conclusion . taking the cut off eq .
( [ gapt0 ] ) for discussion , @xmath59 is a monotone increasing function of @xmath40 , hence the rhs of eq .
( [ gapt0 ] ) is increasing along with @xmath40 increasing , this will obviously cause the @xmath46 monotonously increasing whichever the temperature is .
in this section , we refer to ref .
@xcite s works , use the known gap equation to study various susceptibilities . because we do not consider the chemical potential in this article , there will be no susceptibilities related to chemical potential , such as quark number susceptibility @xmath60 and vector - scalar susceptibility @xmath61 , but after introducing external magnetic field in njl model , we can define a new susceptibility related to @xmath40 , named as magnetic field susceptibility @xmath0 .
therefore in this section , we are going to study three kinds of susceptibilities , @xmath0 , chiral susceptibility @xmath1 and thermal susceptibility @xmath2 . in order to study these susceptibilities , firstly
, we need to enhance the njl model eq .
( [ l ] ) with current mass @xmath62 , correspondingly , the new gap equation can be simply achieved by replacing @xmath46 with @xmath63 at the rhs of eq .
( [ gap ] ) and eq .
( [ gapt ] ) .
we assume the cutoff and coupling constant is current mass irrelevant , hence the intermediate and final gap equation are @xmath64 @xmath65\,ds.\label{gapt3}\end{aligned}\ ] ] even with current mass , the properties of dynamic mass @xmath46 are qualitatively similar to fig .
[ i]-[iv ] .
because @xmath66 , and we have assumed the coupling constant @xmath5 and cutoff @xmath44 are independent of current mass , temperature and magnetic field et cetera , therefore in this article , we define the susceptibilities as @xmath67 in eq .
( [ gapt3 ] ) , treating @xmath46 as the implicit function of @xmath62 , @xmath58 and @xmath40 , @xmath68 , we can make partial differentiations of @xmath62 , @xmath58 and @xmath40 and get the corresponding equations for the susceptibilities . for ensuring the equations are easy to read and analyse ,
firstly we define a few functions to represent some complicate formulas , @xmath69\,ds,\label{fm}\end{aligned}\ ] ] @xmath70\,ds,\nonumber \\\label{ft}\end{aligned}\ ] ] @xmath71\,ds,\label{fb}\ ] ] although these formulas are complicate , but they are all positive . now by employing eq .
( [ gapt3 ] ) , ( [ fm ] ) , ( [ ft ] ) and ( [ fb ] ) , we are able to deduce the equations for susceptibilities , @xmath72 @xmath73,\quad\text{or}\quad\chi_t=-\frac{g}{4\pi^2}(1+\chi_c)\bigg[\frac{\partial(\text{rhs})}{\partial t}\bigg]_\sigma,\label{chit}\ ] ] @xmath74 for convenience of numerical calculation , eq . ( [ chit ] ) provides a second formula to calculate thermal susceptibility , in this formula , @xmath75 represents the rhs of eq .
( [ gapt3 ] ) , and the partial differentiation of @xmath75 only operates on parameter @xmath58 but treats @xmath46 as a constant . with different @xmath40.[ci],width=288 ] dependance of @xmath1 with different temperature.[cii],width=288 ] with different @xmath40.[ti],width=288 ] dependance of @xmath2 with different temperature.[tii],width=288 ] with different @xmath40.[bi],width=288 ] dependance of @xmath0 with different temperature.[bii],width=288 ] the current mass is fixed to @xmath76 , and the corresponding temperature or magnetic field dependance of susceptibilities are shown in figs .
[ ci]-[bii ] , in figs .
[ cii ] and [ tii ] , there seems to have anomalies , because the @xmath57 curves in both figures have distinct values with @xmath77 and @xmath78 curves , this phenomenon is explainable , take fig .
[ cii ] for example , making a cross - over analysis with fig .
[ ci ] , in fig .
[ ci ] the peak of @xmath1 is near @xmath57 , while at the both ends of @xmath58 ( @xmath79 and @xmath80gev ) , @xmath1 approaches small values , therefore in fig .
[ cii ] , there comes the distinct difference between @xmath57 and @xmath77 @xmath78 curves . in figs .
[ cii ] , [ tii ] , [ bii ] , the peaks of @xmath81gev curves tell us which value of @xmath40 is the crossover points . and in these figures , we can use them to identify the crossover properties , for example , in fig .
[ cii ] , the @xmath81gev curve has no steep slopes around @xmath82gev@xmath83 , which means we can find out other crossover points at the nearby of @xmath81gev with magnetic field not far from @xmath82gev@xmath83 . from figs .
[ ci ] , [ ti ] and [ bi ] , one can find the peaks are smooth , hence when the temperature increases from zero , the quark condensation will experience a crossover , and the crossover points is depending on external magnetic field , in these figures we can see when current mass has been considered , the crossover happens around @xmath57 , besides , in fig .
[ ci ] , larger @xmath40 will make the @xmath84 curve ( take the peak as referent point ) shift to right , in fig .
[ ti ] , larger @xmath40 not only makes @xmath85 curve shift to right but also makes the peak value increases , in fig .
[ bi ] , larger @xmath40 increases the values of @xmath0 , but when @xmath40 is small , the crossover behavior of @xmath86 is not so obvious , therefore when magnetic field is weak , @xmath0 is not a good parameter to study crossover or phase transition behaviors . in these three figures , we can see that with the same magnetic field , all these crossover points in different susceptibilities are basically consistent , the consistency comes from the property of @xmath87 , because from eqs .
( [ chit ] ) and ( [ chib ] ) , they are all @xmath87-relevant . for comparison ,
we let current mass @xmath62 be zero , and draw the corresponding @xmath88 curves with different magnetic field , they are shown in figs .
[ ciii ] , fig .
[ tiii ] and fig .
[ biii ] . with different @xmath40
when @xmath89.[ciii],width=288 ] with different @xmath40 when @xmath89.[tiii],width=288 ] with different @xmath40 when @xmath89.[biii],width=288 ] relation when @xmath89 , the slope is @xmath90.[ccm],width=288 ] relation when @xmath89 , the slope is @xmath91.[ccc],width=288 ] relation when @xmath89 , the slope is @xmath92.[cct],width=288 ] relation when @xmath89 , the slope is @xmath93.[ccb],width=288 ] it is clear that when temperature approaches @xmath94 , all of the three susceptibilities approaches infinity , from eq .
( [ fm ] ) and eq .
( [ chic ] ) , one can find out a reasonable explanation , because when @xmath58 crosses a critical point in the chiral limit , the dynamic mass @xmath46 is zero , chiral symmetry is restored , this causes @xmath95 being zero , which leads to the infinity of @xmath1 .
for the other two susceptibilities @xmath2 and @xmath0 , although @xmath96 and @xmath97 approach zero , but apparently the approaching rate is lower than @xmath98 , this ensures them also have infinity limits . after all , when @xmath89 , there is no necessary to study the susceptibilities properties at the @xmath99 area , because they are all infinities .
these properties ensure us at chiral limit it is a second order phase transition .
but one thing deserves mention here , at chiral limit , @xmath81gev is not the upper limit of phase transition , although from figs .
[ ciii ] , fig .
[ tiii ] and fig .
[ biii ] it seems so , but from fig .
[ ii ] , we can see that bigger @xmath40 will linearly increase @xmath7 , eventually @xmath7 can exceed @xmath100gev with no upper limit . in order to study the second order phase transition , we also have studied the critical coefficients under chiral limit ( @xmath89 ) , near the phase transition point ( @xmath58 is near and small than @xmath7 ) , the definition of these coefficients are @xmath101 @xmath102 @xmath90 , @xmath91 , @xmath92 and @xmath93 are the critical coefficients that we are going to find out , for calculating @xmath90 , on can draw the @xmath103-@xmath104 diagram and make a linear fitting , the slope of linear fitting line is @xmath90 .
the linear fittings are shown in figs .
[ ccm ] , [ ccc ] , [ cct ] , [ ccb ] , they are the logarithmic relations between these critical coefficients and @xmath105 , in these figures we have taken two different magnetic fields for comparison . in table
[ tab ] , we give the four kind of critical coefficients with different magnetic field .
.critical coefficients with different @xmath40 [ cols="^,^,^,^,^",options="header " , ] [ tab ]
in this article , we have developed a new method to study the njl gap equation with external magnetic field , this method is consistent with other method , and it is also compatible with more complicate equations such as dyson - schwinger equation , beside , this method is particularly convenient for dealing with constant magnetic field problems , while for a general external electromagnetic field the proper time method is still a better way . in our work , we have successfully repeated other researchers works , these results are shown in fig .
[ i]-[iv ] , from these figures we know the magnetic catalysis is not only enhance the qcd condensation but also increase the value of critical temperature .
this is reasonable , because phenomenologically the external magnetic field restricts the movement modes of charge particles , gives more chance for any two particles to pair up , hence the qcd condensation increases .
we have also calculated various susceptibilities , and all these susceptibilities imply that in chiral limit , the condensation has the second order chiral phase transition at finite temperature , while in non chiral limit , even the current mass is tiny , the condensation only experiences crossover . in this article
we do not study chemical potential , because with chemical potential , there is a problem of chemical potential feed back , more than that , the presence of magnetic field will entangle the feed back , one can refer to the appendix for a simple impression , rigorous study of this problem is left in proceeding articles . in the chiral limit , the wigner solution is trivial ( @xmath106 ) , the susceptibilities of wigner solution is also trivial @xmath107 ( in eq .
( [ chic ] ) , let @xmath108 first , ant then let @xmath109 , if one changes the limitation sequence , the result is infinity ) , hence we do not discuss in this paper .
for simplicity , @xmath110 is wrote as @xmath111 in this appendix . unlike free fermion propagator , @xmath112 and @xmath113
are not commutable , hence it is not possible to find a representation in which all four @xmath111 s eigenstates exist simultaneously , at least the eigenstates of @xmath112 and @xmath113 can not exist simultaneously .
but for the denominator of fermion propagator , we do not need to find the eigenstates for all @xmath111 , instead we turn to find the eigenstates of @xmath114 .
temporarily , we define the eigenstate of @xmath114 as @xmath115 , in which @xmath116 represents the eigenvalue of @xmath117 , therefore @xmath118 . from the definition
, we can see that the eigenstate only have three degrees of freedom , but to completely describe a particle there needs four degrees of freedom , therefore , in the following article , we are going to find out the rest degree of freedom .
besides , the operators @xmath119 and @xmath120 are actually @xmath31 and @xmath121 , so the eigenvalues @xmath122 and @xmath123 are equivalent to @xmath124 and @xmath125 . for the eigenvalue of @xmath122 and @xmath123 , their values vary continuously from @xmath126 to @xmath127 , while the property of @xmath116 are not identified yet . because the operators @xmath128 , @xmath119 and @xmath120 are commutable with each other , we can rewrite the eigenstate in a form of tensor product , @xmath129 , which allows us to study the property of @xmath116 separately . in the coordinates representation
, @xmath130 lies in the @xmath131 space , a general idea is to find the expression of @xmath132 through differential equation , but here we are not going to directly deduce the expression for @xmath132 , instead we try to find an intermediate expression by introducing a new representation beyond the coordinates representation and momentum representation . in the two dimension hilbert space which in the language of coordinate representation is the tensor space on the basis of @xmath131 , we can reorganize the basis tensor through eigenstates of @xmath112 .
because @xmath133 , and the momentum operator @xmath134 and coordinate operator @xmath135 operate on different hilbert spaces ( @xmath136 and @xmath137 separately ) , then we can define @xmath138 as the complete operators that cover the whole @xmath131 space , their eigenstates is @xmath139 here the eigenstate @xmath140 is for @xmath134 rather than @xmath141 , @xmath142 , @xmath143 , one must caution the sign problem , actually in the context of this article , all the eigentstates of coordinates and momentum are eignestates of @xmath144 or @xmath145 . in eq .
( [ eigenstate ] ) , the factor @xmath146 is used to normalize the basis tensors , hence we have the normalized , complete and orthogonal relations , @xmath147 @xmath148 and by employing the equations @xmath149 and @xmath150 , we have @xmath151 now with this preparation of eigenstates @xmath152 , we are able to establish a differential equation for @xmath130 . for operator @xmath128
, there is @xmath153 while @xmath154 , with eq .
( [ partial ] ) , there is also @xmath155 put eq .
( [ eq1 ] ) and eq .
( [ eq2 ] ) together , we have the differential equation of @xmath156 , the variables are @xmath157 and @xmath158 , @xmath159 if we assume @xmath156 has the following form , @xmath160 @xmath161 is an arbitrary complex constant , then eq .
( [ eq3 ] ) can be simplified to @xmath162 eq .
( [ eq4 ] ) corresponds to weber differential equation , the solutions of this differential equation depend on the property of @xmath53 , here for the physical purpose , we need the solutions be convergent when @xmath163 , therefore this requirement constrains @xmath53 be a nonnegative integer , which also determines the property of @xmath116 as @xmath164 , @xmath165 . in the following article , we rewrite function @xmath166 as @xmath167 to show the @xmath53-dependance of the solution . the general expression of @xmath167 is @xmath168}\frac{(-\frac{n}{2})_k(\frac{1-n}{2})_k}{k!}\bigg(-\frac{z^2}{2}\bigg)^{-k},\ ] ] where @xmath169 $ ] is a nearest integer function , and @xmath170 , @xmath171 obey the following rule , for an arbitrary real number @xmath172 , a positive integer @xmath173 , there is @xmath174 now we have identified @xmath116 and @xmath175 , let s go back to eq .
( [ solution ] ) to identify parameters @xmath161 and @xmath176 .
for the same physical consideration , we need @xmath156 be convergent when @xmath177 , this leaves @xmath161 no other choice but a pure imaginary number , so we redefine @xmath161 as @xmath178 , now @xmath161 is an arbitrary real number , it represents the a hidden degree of freedom , hence in the following discussion we correct the eigenstate @xmath130 to @xmath179 .
@xmath176 is a normalization factor , to identify @xmath176 s value , we shall give the orthogonal and complete relations of @xmath167 first , @xmath180 @xmath181 in order to normalize @xmath179 , it is reasonable to assume @xmath176 is @xmath53-dependant , let @xmath182 , @xmath183 therefore eigenstate @xmath179 has the following normalized and orthogonal relation , @xmath184 a short summary , for operators @xmath185 , we can use their eigenstates @xmath186 as a set of complete basis tensors in four dimension hilbert space . normally , we need to calculate @xmath187 , for example in eq .
( [ gap ] ) , the operator @xmath188 is representation irrelevant , hence with constant external magnetic field , @xmath187 can be treated as @xmath189 in order to cancel @xmath190 in lhs of eq .
( [ gap ] ) , @xmath190 must be extracted from eq .
( [ trace ] ) , we can employ the following relations to serve this purpose , @xmath191 @xmath192 replacing them into eq .
( [ trace ] ) , and let @xmath122 have a wick rotation , it will be simplified to @xmath193 in this appendix , we have developed a new method that is different from schwinger proper time method .
the original idea of developing this new method is to evaluate how much influence does the infinitesimal imaginary term of fermion propagator has to the final results .
because in quantum field theory , the infinitesimal imaginary term ( which always presents in the form of @xmath194 ) does not always play a role as pointer of integral path , in some case it can cause remarkable adjustment to the calculations , for example , in the case of zero temperature and finite chemical potential @xmath195 , in minkowski space @xcite , the fermion propagator is @xmath196 whose infinitesimal imaginary term is @xmath195-dependent , then after the wick rotation of @xmath124 , there will be nonzero residue counted in .
out of the consideration that the influence of a external magnetic field might affect infinitesimal imaginary term , therefor a thorough method is needed . for a free fermion propagator without any external field , the infinitesimal imaginary term is @xmath194 , this is well - known in quantum field theory , but when external fields or external elements interfere , it is not safe to claim that the imaginary term is @xmath194 , a convincible example is the case that the system has finite chemical potential , in minkowski space , the infinitesimal imaginary term is total chemical potential dependance , therefore one need to properly deduce the the imaginary term with caution , generally there have two methods to deduce the fermion propagator with imaginary term , one is canonical quantization , the other is path integral .
here we introduced a convenient trick for path integral @xcite , the definition of partition function of quantum field theory is @xmath197 now introducing a factor @xmath198 to change the expression of partition function , which will derive a @xmath199-dependent lagrangian , @xmath200 in njl model with external magnetic field , comparing with eq .
( [ propagator ] ) , the improved fermion propagator is @xmath201 from previous discussion , we can see that @xmath116 is quantized by magnetic field to @xmath202 , hence the imaginary term @xmath203 is permanently positive , it is equivalent to @xmath194 , the influence is trivial .
but for the finite chemical potential case , one can prove that the tricks do give the right fermion propagator with @xmath195 .
so far , we have used this new method to deduce the gap equations such in njl model with magnetic field .
in fact these gap equations are the same as the ones deduced through schwinger proper time method , the difference is the process , as mentioned before , this new method is developed to evaluate the infinitesimal imaginary term of fermion propagator , and of cause , the influence from imaginary term is trivial , but anyway , it deserves a mention how this been proved .
this method is very convenient to study njl problems with external magnetic field , because one does not need to find expression for @xmath204 at the first place , and it is also qualified for further study such as schwinger - dyson equations , but unfortunately this method can not simplify the complexity neither when higher order contributions such as fermion loop are considered .
( [ l ] ) , we are able to write the free energy as @xmath205,\label{free}\ ] ] the lower index @xmath206 of @xmath207 means beside the trace of spinor space and integral of @xmath208 dimension coordinate or momentum space there also has a trace of flavor space . from eq .
( [ free ] ) one can deduce the gap equation for @xmath209 , @xmath210.\label{cp}\ ] ] when @xmath211 , one can easily prove that @xmath209 can have trivial solution @xmath20 , normally in njl model , this solution is widely accepted , and most of the researches are study the gap equation of @xmath46 .
but in our case here , there are two reasons that we can not directly employ this conclusion , firstly , from eq .
( [ propagator ] ) one can find in the denominator of @xmath23 , the non - commutable relation of @xmath212 and @xmath213 produces the @xmath214 term in the spinor space , secondly , the difference of electric charges of @xmath8 @xmath9 quarks produces a non - identity matrix @xmath215 in the flavor space , therefore it is hard to deduce the final gap equations for @xmath46 and @xmath209 , and @xmath209 might not have a trivial solution . in this appendix , we are going to prove that @xmath209 still can have a trivial solution .
the complete propagator @xmath216 in eq .
( [ cp ] ) is @xmath217 in this propagator , because of the existence of @xmath218 , it is not easy to construct simple quadratic terms in the denominator . since our purpose is to prove @xmath209 can have trivial solution , we assume it is , then replace @xmath20 into eq .
( [ cp ] ) , if the lhs and rhs of eq .
( [ cp ] ) are equal , our assumption is proved . when @xmath20 , the lhs of eq .
( [ cp ] ) is @xmath219 , now we are going to prove that the rhs of eq . (
[ cp ] ) is also @xmath219 . for the propagator
, there is @xmath220 therefor , we have @xmath221 replacing it into the rhs of eq .
( [ cp ] ) , @xmath222=\operatorname{tr}(i\gamma^5\hat s_u)-\operatorname{tr}(i\gamma^5\hat s_d)=0.\ ] ] as for @xmath223 of @xmath224 , there definitely has @xmath225=0.\ ] ] now we have proved that with the presence of external magnetic field , we still can find trivial solution for @xmath209 .
in fact this is rational , because @xmath226 in the denominator of complete fermion propagator violates parity , hence in many papers @xmath209 is set as @xmath219 @xcite . through this conclusion ,
now we are able to simplify the gap equation of @xmath46 , @xmath227 generally speaking , @xmath46 should be a @xmath228 matrix , but from previous discussion we know that the @xmath229 part ( flavor space ) is eventually simplified by the @xmath207 operator and @xmath20 , if one demands @xmath230 , then the gap equations of @xmath46 and @xmath209 will definitely not be such simple .
on the other hand the @xmath231 part ( spinor space ) is simplified to scaler at the beginning in eq .
( [ l ] ) , because @xmath46 is introduced here as an auxiliary scaler field . actually in njl model
, it is not obvious that the dynamic mass @xmath232 should be a @xmath231 matrix ( here for convenience we only consider one flavor njl model , the flavor space is neglected ) , because either mean field approximation or auxiliary field method , it provides only a scaler rather than a matrix to the dynamic mass ( or non - approximate fermion self energy ) . while in ref .
@xcite s work , the authors had proposed a method to find out the matrix form of self energy , they used fierz transformation to identify the matrix structure .
but in a matter of fact , the result is trivial as long as chemical potential is not involved . instead of employing the method used in ref .
@xcite , here we use dyson - schwiger equation with contact interaction model to clarify this problem , the dyson - schwinger equation of fermion self energy is @xmath233 for the contact interaction model , the gluon propagator and dressed vertex are simplified into @xmath234 replacing them into eq .
( [ ds ] ) , @xmath235 in eq .
( [ dsc ] ) , it is @xmath236 rather than @xmath187 in the njl gap equation , this difference naturally leads to the assumption that @xmath232 is a @xmath237 spinor space matrix as long as it complies with some specific symmetry .
normally @xmath232 should be @xmath238 , there is no @xmath239 and @xmath240 terms because they violate parity , there is also no @xmath241 terms because if there was , in the lhs of eq .
( [ dsc ] ) , the @xmath241 terms of @xmath232 can not find corresponding terms in the rhs because @xmath242 . on the other hand , @xmath243 in @xmath232
can be absorbed by @xmath244 , hence their contributions are trivial , this leaves only @xmath46 contributes to the self energy @xmath232 , therefore a @xmath232 can be simplified to a scaler . in this article , although magnetic field has been involved , we can also prove that @xmath243 in @xmath245 is trivial , and a scaler @xmath232 is the simplest and self - consistence solution for our magnetic field case .
assuming @xmath245 ( there still not has @xmath239 , @xmath240 , @xmath241 terms for the same reason as mentioned above ) , from appendix a , we know @xmath246 and for the spinor matrices , there is @xmath247 hence there is @xmath248 the lhs and the rhs are both scalers , the assumption of scaler @xmath232 is reasonable .
this work is supported in part by the national natural science foundation of china ( under grants no .
11275097 and no . 11475085 , 11265017 ) , the china postdoctoral science foundation ( under grant no .
2014m561621 ) , the jiangsu planned projects for postdoctoral research funds ( under grants no . 1401116c and no .
1402006c ) , the national basic research program of china ( under grant no .
2012cb921504 ) , and the guizhou province outstanding youth science and technology talent cultivation object special funds ( qkhrz(2013)28 ) .
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My Little Pony Changeling Tradition (Episode Script)
MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC
SCRIPT 1
**"CHANGELING TRADITION"**
Written
by
Twitter: SaneAmongInsane
FINAL
June 28th, 2014
**CHANGELING TRADITION**
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
CANTERLOT BATTLE ARENA HALLWAY - DAY (4.5/4.5)
We're facing a big wooden door with guards on either side. Suddenly the door slams violently, surprising the guards. TWILIGHT SPARKLE stands in the doorway with her serious face on, her front right hoof hanging in the air from kicking the door in and SPIKE riding on her back. She walks into the hallways, the camera hanging on her determine face.
Then appearing from the bottom, PINKIE PIE (Dressed in a secretary outfit with her mane in a bun and glasses) appears suddenly, tablet in hoof.
PINKIE PIE
Twilight!
TWILIGHT
(Audibly Surprised)
Twilight falls to the floor, Spike tossed to the side as well. We see Pinkie pacing back and forth, fiddling with the tablet.
PINKIE PIE
Oh no no, this isn't what I have scheduled
at all. Twilight, you're suppose to be
getting your hoofs manicured and your
wings professionally maintained right now!
Twilight inspects her own hooves and wings.
TWILIGHT
What's wrong with my hooves? Or my wings?
(Snaps out of it) Pinkie Pie, what are
you doing here?
Pinkie Pie doesn't even look at Twilight, and while speaking casually turns her back to the viewer to reveal shes not even looking at Twilight's schedule but is rather playing a variation of the Angry Birds video game.
PINKIE PIE
Spike didn't tell you? He hired me to
be your assistant. (Lashing out at the
game) Stupid useless red bird! Slingshot,
boomerang, blow up, or get out of my army!
Twilight turns to Spike, giving a disapproving look, Spike shrugs.
SPIKE
What? You said I could take some time off.
Sooo, I outsourced.
TWILIGHT
Time off for what?
SPIKE
Important things… I have a life outside of you,
ya know?
We see Spike trying to be slick and hand his cell phone to his tail, which curls up on it, and its showing the same Angry Birds knock off that Pinkie Pie was playing. Twilight just shakes her head.
TWILIGHT
Pinkie, clear my schedule. I'm here to talk
to my brother and Celestia about canceling
his title defense.
PINKIE PIE
(GIANT GASP!)
Pinkie fumbles her Ipad, and it falls to the ground getting a single crack on the screen.
PINKIE PIE
(Fast)You-mean-the-Quadrenial-battle-that-takes
-place-between-the-Captain-of-the-Royal-Guard
-and-his-possible-replacement?-The-traditional
-harsh-conflict-that-has-been-one-of-the-corner
-stones-of-our-society-for-over-200-years?!(Panting)
Twilight walks past her, Spike in toe.
TWILIGHT
That's the one!
Pinkie Pie shrugs, and follows.
SPIKE
I don't suppose there's a reason for this?
PINKIE PIE
Oh! I hope it's a backstory! We can do a flashback and make the TV screen go all wibbly-wobbly!
Twilight stops and turns facing the two of them.
TWILIGHT
Well…
The screen does the warble effect transition.
PINKIE PIE
Whoaa! Purple Haze, all in my brain!
CUT TO:
CANTERLOT ARENA BLEACHERS (PAST) - DAY
We see a young SHINING ARMOR and Filly Twilight sitting in the stands. Twilight's face is face down in a book, Armor is appears excited.
SHINING ARMOR
This is going to be so good. Captain Callaway has been undefeated for the past five years!
On the field, Captain Callaway makes his way to the ring wearing a Ric Flair robe. Twilight barely looks up from her book,
FILLY TWILIGHT
You do realize that means he's 50 years old now?
A close up of Captain Callaway shows he's visibly old, and we see going up the steps he's visibly in pain from simply moving his legs.
SHINING ARMOR
Twi, age ain't nothing but a thang! He has the experience that one can only get from years of battle.'Sides, he can't lose… (grinning) Not until I beat him.
We see his opponent in the ring, a young muscle bound colt with a blonde hair cut.
SHINING ARMOR
He's going to make short work of this guy…
The camera stays on Armor and Twilight, and we hear the ring bell. We close in on Twilight's face as we hear a series of grunts, meaty hits, crunches and cracks and Twilight's face twisted in horror with each sound. The bell rings again.
CAPTAIN CALLAWAY (Off Screen)
My legs! Oh Celestia, WHY MY LEGS?!
Flashforward Dissolve back to the present
CANTERLOT ARENA HALLWAY - DAY
Twilight is in the middle of speaking when we return,
TWILIGHT
-Put 'em down. I am **NOT **letting that happen
to my BBBFF!
Twilight trots off through a door. Pinkie licks her hoof and rubs it on the Ipad screen in an attempt to remove the crack like it's a smudge.
SPIKE
She's really stressed about this.
PINKIE PIE
I'll call my guy, he's got what she needs to relax. Joey Numbers, mobile pharmacist.
SPIKE
PINK-IE!
PINKIE PIE
What?! he's also a licensed massage therapist!
CUT TO
CANTERLOT ARENA SKY BOX - CONTINUOUS
Twilight enters the room where PRINCESS CELESTIA, LUNA, and SHINING ARMOR are looking out the balcony to the ring below. Twilight appears to lose her nerve for a moment and gives a nervous gulp, Pinkie and Spike follow in behind her.
PINKIE PIE
WEEEEEE'RRRREEEE HEEERRREEEE!
Pinkie's eyes bug out cartoonishly and we see a massive catering spread of junk food.
PINKIE PIE
Zee Oh My Goodness, Twilight! THERE. IS. CATERING!
Pinkie jumps quickly over to the catering table and begins to inhale chips and various snack foods, almost cartoonishly like a Pony-Vacuum until Spike yanks on her tail which acts like an off switch.
TWILIGHT
(To Spike) Why couldn't you have just
let Owlicious handle it?
SPIKE
I tried, but Pinkie made a lower bid.
Spike shrugs as various bits of chips and foodstuffs lands on him from Pinkie's snacking. Twilight is approached by Shining Armor,
SHINING ARMOR
LITTLE SISTER! (Hugs) I'm so happy you're here.
TWILIGHT
(Being Crushed) Well, you might not be-
Shining Armor releases her from his grasp and places his forehoof around her sholder and walks her over to the balcony.
SHINING ARMOR
-Come by the Balcony! Theres a fatal four way going on to decide the rookie who gets to challenge me.
Shining Armor escorts Twilight to the balcony, next to Luna and Celestia. Celestia nods in acknowledgement of Twilight's presence.
CAMERA PANS down to
CANTERLOT ARENA RING - CONTINUOUS
A Mixed Martial Arts Octagon, 4 ponies do battle with hoove, wing, and horn. We're FAVORING one grey pony with a black main, this is STRAIGHT EDGE (Note: No Armor on any of them, Straight Edge's cutie mark is the "sXe" straight edge symbol). Two Earth Ponies at once attempt to double team him, grabbing him at both sides, which he responds by grabbing both of them by the head and smacking them into one another, effectively knocking them out. The final pony is a unicorn, who then hovers high and seems to spout electricity from his horn. Outside the ring a fat pony in a suit, Straight Edge's COMPANION (Note: QUEEN CHRYSALIS In disguise), tosses a steel saddle over the cage into the ring where it's scooped up by Straight Edge.
CROWD (OFF SCREEN)
(Booing The Blatant Cheating)
Whacking the Unicorn over the head, he then proceed to hog tie each opposing pony with they're own tails. The bell rings, confetti falls from the Arena ceiling as Straight Edge and the fat pony in the suit celebrate.
CUT TO
CANTERLOT ARENA SKYBOY - CONTINUOUS
Celestia and Shining Armor are watching all that is unfolding and stare analytically, while Twilight has a pale look of horror on the her close up face.
PRINCESS CELESTIA
He's quite good.
SHINING ARMOR
That's Straight Edge. He's got some skills, but look at him.-
CUT TO
Straight Edge doing cartwheels in celebration.
SHINING ARMOR
-He's reckless and arrogant. Like a child trying to appear like an adult, he's dangerous.
CUT BACK to the skybox
PRINCESS CELESTIA
I seem to recall that being said about another potential candidate.
SHINING ARMOR
Not a worry, I'm not underestimating him.
Twilight shuts her eyes and blurts out loudly…
TWILIGHT
Let's scrap this stupid thing!
Celestia and Shining Armor stare at her with stunned looks.
PRINCESS CELESTIA
(Sternly) Princess Twilight Sparkle!
TWILIGHT
I mean… I mean Shining Armor said so himself,
He's not ready. And, you know, it's not like Shining Armor is Captain Callaway! He's still in his prime, so why risk his health and Equestria's safety in a fight?
Celestia shakes her head and chuckles, Shining Armor's face takes on the tone of annoyance.
PRINCESS CELESTIA
Twilight, replacing the Captain of the Royal Guard is only one of the reasons we do this every four years.
TWILIGHT
What other good can come from seeing our heroes mindlessly beating on each other?
PRINCESS CELESTIA
For one, it gives the soldiers confidence. If we ever go to war, heaven forbid, the soldiers need to know the Colt commanding them is truly the best among them. Also, every four years presenting this competition gives the mindless plebeians of Canterlot something to distract from their dull day to day lives.
TWILIGHT
I see…
CELESTIA
And anyway, Twilight, we can't just declare that were not having the event. That would make us dictators!
TWILIGHT
...Um, aren't we? You're a Princess, I'm a Princess?
CELESTIA
Who are bound to the rules of our Articles Of Confederation. Ponies, Twilight, live their lives more comfortably knowing theres a set of rules and guidelines that protect them.
Cut to a behind shot, Pinkie Pie has her face in a bowl full of chips at catering while Spike munches on a ruby like it's an apple.
SPIKE
Did Princess Celestia just refer to us as "mindless Pebulians"?
Pinkie's head pops out the bowl and she looks around excitedly, wagging her tails like a dog.
PINKIE PIE
Pebbles? I **LOVE** Pebbles! Especially the fruity kind!
Spike just stares at her, deadpanned.
SPIKE
Well. She's right about Mindless. (Munch)
CUT BACK TO
Shining Armor who taps Twilight in the chest with his hoof.
SHINING ARMOR
Cut out the act Twilight, I know exactly what your problem is. You think I'm going to end up like Captain Callaway!
TWILIGHT
(Sarcastic) Oh My God! Found me out did you? What a horrible Sister I must be to not want to see my brother get his fore-hoof broken! Is it a crime? Then (Holding out her front legs) handcuff me then! Take me to jail!
One of the GUARDS in the room walks over with a pair of cuffs to concede to the arrest, and Twilight pulls her limbs away.
TWILIGHT
No! No! I was being sarcastic. Geeze, do you guys have to take everything so literal?
GUARD
Sorry Princess. The Articles-
TWILIGHT
Yeah, I get it. Strict rules of government. Go back to your post now.
A beat while the Guard walks away like scalded dog, Shining Armor resumes.
SHINING ARMOR
Twi this tradition is important to Ponies all over Equestria. It's about honor and respect! I wouldn't of wanted to be Captain of the Royal Guard without it. Callaway believed in it too, thats why he choose to stand fight instead of just giving Captain Brick the position. And even if I knew I was going to lose, I'd make the same decision!
Twilight looks out the window of the skybox, and we see a blimp fly by advertising the Flim-Flam Bros. softdrink "Glug"
TWILIGHT
Yeah I can really see the level of respect and honor on display here. Darn it, Big Brother, I don't want you getting hurt is all!
STRAIGHT EDGE (Off Screen)
Shame we don't always get what we want!
We quickly spin over the entrance of the Sky Box where Straight Edge stands, patting down his neck with a towel. Beside him is his companion.
STRAIGHT EDGE
(Waving) Hey Princess Celestia, how ya doing? (serious) Do I have your attention now?
Shining Armor was past Twilight to confront Straight Edge who stands by the entrance doorway and catering table where Spike and Pinkie Pie had been feasting. They go nose to nose and we see a quick shot of Spike and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie is now munching on the chips eagerly like the Meme of Michael Jackson watching the horror movie in Thriller. Spike pulls up a folding and sits down.
SPIKE
This is gonna be good!
They're locked eyes, serious faces, then Shining Armor pulls back and relaxes.
SHINING ARMOR
You're good kid, real good. But don't get a big head about it because you're still young and you got a lot to learn still. I really don't think it's your year.
Straight Edge looks at his Companion, and they snicker.
STRAIGHT EDGE
Well you know, I try. Granted it would be easier if I had an alicorn princess sister too.
SHINING ARMOR
Twilight had nothing to do with how hard I-
STRAIGHT EDGE
Or a wife who's ruler of the Crystal Empire.
SHINING ARMOR
My Wife-!
STRAIGHT EDGE
(cooly) I'm just saying, Cap't, I know a lot of the boys in the back whisper and murmur about how you hide behind Mares' skirts!
SHINING ARMOR
(angry) Now you listen here, boyo-
STRAIGHT EDGE
Shut up! Because I don't give a damn what you have to say. You suck as a commander and nobody likes you. I only came in this room for one reason and one reason only, and that was to humiliate you in front of the princess and shove down your throat that I am going to beat you. (looking at Twilight) and I'm going to HURT you. I'll send you out to the glue factory with old Captain Callaway. (to his companion) C'mon Silent Paul, let's go.
Straight Edge's companion exits with him out the door and shuts it. Shining Armor is fuming.
TWILIGHT
Sooo, isn't it plainly obvious to everyone that he's way too immature to be commanding our Royal Guards? I mean say Discord goes rogue, you really want that guy-
As Twilight speaks, Shining Armor's anger builds like a kettle. Steam bellows out of his snout,
SHINING ARMOR
I can beat him! Contrary to what you think Twilight, he won't be breaking my leg and putting me out to pasture! If you're not going to be supportive then just leave!
TWILIGHT
Fine. Fine you stupid Colt, get yourself hurt, see if I care!
Twilight storms out, Pinkie and Spike follow behind.
PINKIE PIE
But wait, whats this about a Glue factory? I wanna go to the glue factory! Oh do you think we get to make the glue?
FADE OUT
**END OF ACT ONE**
**ACT TWO**
FADE IN to
CANTERLOT LIBRARY INTERIOR - DAY
Twilight enters the Library with Pinkie and Spike in toe. Pinkie fiddles with her Ipad again,
PINKIE PIE
I told you guys this is completely out
of the way! Tsk, now we're going to miss
the petrified buffalo herd and the whistling
cactus patch… But gosh dang it, we're going
to see that painted Gorge!
SPIKE
Um… Pinkie?
PINKIE
Not now Doug! We're 362 miles out of the way!
Spike just stares puzzled while a riff familiar to the beat boxing transition sound from Doug. Spike then catches up to Twilight, who's already sitting at the table studying a book of Equestrian Law.
SPIKE
So… If we don't care if Shining Armor
gets beat or not anymore, what are we doing here?
Without looking up from her book,
TWILIGHT
Obviously I care if my brother gets hurt, Spike,
even if he is being a colossal mule. I want to investigate these Articles Of Confederation. Theres gotta be some loophole that allows us to change things.
PINKIE PIE
AHHHH!
Pinkie Pie violently pounces on Twilight, tumbling with her out of her chair to the floor, pinning her to the ground.
PINKIE PIE
CHANGE THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION?!
TWILIGHT, THAT IS A SACRED DOCUMENT
THAT OUR FOREFATHERS OF OUR GREAT NATION
CREATED TO GUIDE US AND PROTECT US FROM ABSOLUTE MONARCHY! IT. MUST. NOT. BE. QUESTIONED.
Close up on Twilight's face, Twilight's surprise expression changes to annoyance.
TWILIGHT
Well, Have you ever **READ** the Articles Of Confederation, Pinkie?
Quick cut, and Pinkie Pie is now sitting crosslegged off the edge of the table, tablet in hand looking completely indifferent.
PINKIE PIE
(Back to playing Angry Birds, Nonchalant) Meh, not enough time to. Oh Come on! The stupid pigs are mocking me!
Twilight looks at her chest where Pinkie was mere moments before in stunned amazement in her teleportation.
SPIKE
Um… In all fairness, Twi, have you?
TWILIGHT
...No.
SPIKE
...And you're a Princess? You hold public office?
TWILIGHT
Look, I became an Alicorn, I was learning how to fly and… Aug, just help me look, please?
PINKIE PIE
What? No I will not pay six gold pieces for an extra boomerang bird. This game is rigged! Rigged I tell you!
Pinkie tosses the Ipad into a book pile causing them to fall on top of Twilight and Spike. Twilight pops her head out of the pile, it's inches away from the fallen Ipad.
TWILIGHT
Pinkie, will you please just search how to change the Articles Of Confederation?!
Pinkie's Ipad makes a distinct DING! sound and computerized version of Pinkie's voice speaks.
SIRI-PINKIE
SEARCH FOR… HOW TO CHANGE THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION…
TWILIGHT
It can't be this simple…
SPIKE
Didn't read the basis for our whole Government, not even aware of current technology… I'm just saying you're really dropping the ball lately, Twi.
SIRI-PINKIE
I FOUND SEVERAL ARTICLES THAT MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU!
Twilight cluthes Pinkie's Ipad as if she's in sheer awe of the device.
TWILIGHT
...Yes! This Ponypedia article says the the Articles Of Confederation can be disbanded if the majority of people in the capital city petition it's repel!
Excitedly she turns to Pinkie and hugs her tightly.
TWILIGHT
Pinkie, YOU'RE AMAZING!
PINKIE PIE
I know!
SPIKE
…You do realize the gadget did all the work, right?
TWILIGHT
All we have to do is get the signature of (losing steam) over half… the pony population… of Canter…lot. (Sighs) It's never easy. We gotta get help.
DISSOLVE to
CANTERLOT STREETS EXTERIOR - CONTINUOUS
Twilight is standing in front of her friends as she briefly explains the situation. The episode's song plays here, over montages of each pony trying their best to collect signatures all over Canterlot but one by one being turned away. The song should be something about community activism. One of the final scenes is a Sean Hannity style Pony ranting about Twilight's attempt to alter the Articles. The end of the song closes in on Twilight getting rejected again at sunset.
CANTERLOT PUB EXTERIOR - DUSK
A sullen Twilight walks away from her last rejection. Her suddenly perk up,
TWILIGHT
What the-?
We see that Twilight is noticing Straight Edge and his companion entering a local pub.
TWILIGHT
Straight Edge is… Well, straight edge, that means he wouldn't dare step into a place like that. What are they up to?
Twilight trots off in their direction and enters…
CANTERLOT PUB INTERIOR - CONTINUOUS
Twilight enters the seedy little pub, it's packed with various other ponies drinking, conversing, dancing and kissing. She spots Straight Edge and his companion sitting down in a booth across the bar, and very awkwardly Twilight tries to navigate through the dense crowd to their general area. She ends up sneaking into the booth seat right behind theres, completely unnoticed, and sticks her face in a menu and eavesdrops on their conversation.
STRAIGHT EDGE
Ugh, can't stand these places. Look at them all ruining their bodies with fermented carrot juice. Why'd we have to talk here, Chrysalis?
Straight Edge's companion suddenly transforms into Chrysalis's true form, she's still wearing the blazer. She opens the coat pocket and slips a pair of groucho marx's glasses on her face.
CHRYSALIS
You moron! You shouldn't be using my name in public!
Straight Edge stands up and looks around the noisy room and hollers,
STRAIGHT EDGE
CHRYSALIS! CHRYSALIS! ATTENTION EVERYONE WE GOT QUEEN CHRYSALIS OVER HERE! … (he sits down shrugging) see? Nobody cares.
True to his word, no one in the bar looks to see. In her booth Twilight grits her teeth nervously.
TWILIGHT
(Whispering) Queen Chrysalis?! The Changeling Queen?!
CHRYSALIS
...Listen you arrogant little equine, you better not forget about our deal. I'll ensure you win in your fight against Shining Armor and in return you'll use your position of power to turn the entire Royal Guard over to me.
STRAIGHT EDGE
I'll gladly turn coat so long as you let me be your captain. I've grabbed so many of Princess Celestia's brass rings that I finally realize they're just that- IMAGINARY. I just don't know how you expect the rest of the Royal Guard to follow me just because I order it.
Chrysalis magically produces a copy of the Articles Of Confederation.
CHRYSALIS
Because you ponies believe so deeply in this outdated piece of paper right here that **DEMANDS** that they do so. Look at all them in this room right now, they crave the order and structure of an overbearing government. If they suddenly disregard this, they'd (gasp) have to think for themselves. (Laughs evilly) How frightening!
Twilight looks pale, and we see outside her friends gathering. Twilight slinks away and we cut to.
CANTERLOT PUB EXTERIOR - CONTINUOUS
Twilight exits the pub, still looking pale.
TWILIGHT
Please tell me you guys did better than me.
The group just hangs their sorry faces, and APPLE JACK comes forward. RAINBOW DASH having bits of garbage stuck in her mane and FLUTTERSHY's bunny, ANGEL, riding on her back.
APPLE JACK
...Sorry, Sugarcube. We tried, but everypony is being more stubborn than a mule over these here Articles.
RAINBOW DASH
Stubborn?! I got pelted with Garbage for it! (Noticing Twilight looking upset) Hey, it's not the end of the world right? You're brother is a fighter, theres no way he's going to lose to this Edge fool!
TWILIGHT
You don't understand, it's gotten worse. Queen Chrysalis has formed an alliance with Straight Edge. They're going to cheat to win the captain hood and then use the Royal Guards to take over.
THE GROUP
(VARIOUS WHATS?)
RARITY
Oh my! Why that's absolutely preposterous! Like somepony is going to obey orders because a piece of paper authorizes it.
CUT TO, we see Angel demanding a carrot from Fluttershy.
FLUTTERSHY
But Angel-bunny, you'll spoil your din-din.
Angel cartoonishly presents a copy of the Article, waving it in Fluttershy's face, then indignantly extending his free paw for the carrot.
FLUTTERSHY
Well… If the Government says I gotta…
Fluttershy hands over the carrot. Rainbow Dash shakes her head.
RARITY
Alright, may-be this is a problem... Twilight, darling, you haven't warned your brother yet have you? You simply must, the authorities need to know.
We look at a Twilight and
DISSOLVE TO
SHINING ARMOR'S HOTEL ROOM INTERIOR - NIGHT
Shining Armor is running on a treadmill in his room, theres a knock at his door.
SHINING ARMOR
Just a second!
He jumps off, patting himself with a towel as he uses his unicorn magic to open the door, where he finds Twilight.
SHINING ARMOR
TWi-ly? What's up? Listen, before you say anything I'm Sor-
TWILIGHT
-Queen Chrysalis is conspiring with Straight Edge to cheat you out of your Captain hood!
SHINING ARMOR
...I'm counting that as "apology accepted"
Twilight Enters the room, Shining Armor slams the door shut as Twilight lays her body on the bed.
SHINING ARMOR
Now what's this about cheating?
TWILIGHT
That's not all, Straight Edge is going to turn traitor over to her side.
Shining Armor holds his hoof to his chin in a contemplative manner,
SHINING ARMOR
...And with the power of the Articles Of Confederation, that'll mean she'll have complete control over my soldiers. "All Soldiers must obey their superior officer."
TWILIGHT
How did you know?
SHINING ARMOR
Sis, I'm not still the same knucklehead I was when we were kids. I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard. Besides,
He pulls open the nightstand draw, revealing a leather bound book.
SHINING ARMOR
Every hotel room comes with their own free copy. 4 more and I'll have the whole complete set. Besides, I'd be a complete dolt of a colt if I took public office and didn't have a basic grasp as to how our government is run.
TWILIGHT
(Nods eagerly) Riiiight! (back to serious) Then what can we do? Me and my friends have already been out all day trying to repeal this law.
Shining Armor shrugs and hops back on his treadmill,
SHINING ARMOR
I'll train harder than I was, and I beat him despite her interference.
TWILIGHT
…Seriously? You're the Captain of the Royal Guard! Can't we just go and arrest the two of them for treason and conspiracy?
SHINING ARMOR
Sure I could. Easily, except to every one of the citizens it'll look like I'm making a giant excuse to not fight Straight Edge. My Soldiers will lose respect for me and then we will be just as vulnerable to an invasion by the changelings.
TWILIGHT
Of course it all boils down to stupid bravado.
SHINING ARMOR
We can't do anything about it, we just have to play the hand as it's been dealt. (pause for a beat) Twily, I'm going to be okay. I promise you.
Twilight starts to leave and stops at the door.
TWILIGHT
You better be.
**END OF ACT TWO**
**ACT THREE**
CANTERLOT ARENA RING - DAY
Shining Armor is standing in the ring, the arena filled with people. Straight Edge makes a flashy entrance, with a light up fancy jacket and in toe with Chrysalis in her original companion disguise. (Note, while Straight Edge is not decked out in Guard armor, Shining Armor is) The two ponies make eye contact, the two scream and gallop at each other before their energy is broken by,
TWILIGHT
Attention citizens of Canterlot!
Twilight's voice can be heard from the stage, Shining Armor cranes his neck to see.
SHINING ARMOR
Twilight?! What is she doing?
Twilight stands on the stage, holding an old timey from the ceiling microphone.
TWILIGHT
I ask, in the spirit of friendship, we take this time to consider breaking with tradition. Shining Armor over the past 4 years has proved himself time and time again to be excellent in his role Captain. There isn't any reason for him to defend it in a fight. Especially to somepony that's clearly arrogant and immature.
Chrysalis reacts by grabbing a real microphone from the time keepers area,
CHRYSALIS (In disguise)
HOW DARE YOU MEDDLING-(Catching herself, disguising her voice) What I mean to say is, Princess Twilight Sparkle you argue that Captain is fit for service over my client? May I remind you it was under Shining Armor's watch that the most beautiful and sensual Queen of the Changelings nearly invaded? I don't know, Princess, it sounds an awful lot like you're DICTATING how things should be done.
We hold on Chrysalis (still in disguise), and she grins as
CROWD MEMBER (OFF SCREEN)
I'm scared and confused by this concept of change! BOO!
The crowd begins to boo, and we then see a dismayed Twilight stare into the abyss of the blood hungry crowd. We see her friends, and only Pinkie Pie is chanting,
PINKIE PIE
FIGHT! KILL! DEATH! STONE THE INFIDEL!
Pinkie Pie hurls a rock off screen. Twilight bows her head, and in an almost Lorax kind of way flys up to the skybox where Celestia and Luna are and disappears. Going back to Shining Armor, he gets pelted in the face by Pinkie's rock.
SHINING ARMOR
Ouch! ...Thanks Alot Twi.
It's then time to rumble, signified with a SPX (DING! DING!) right out of the gate, Shining Armor charges and whacks Straight Edge over the head and neck area with his unicorn horn. Beating him to the edge of the ring, Shining Armor uses his magic to propel Straight Edge off the ropes and upon his return kicks him with a mule kick that sends him reeling. Chrysalis hops on the apron, and Shining Armor grabs her by the shirt collar only for her to blatantly throw powder in his eyes, with Shining Armor blinded, Straight Edge charges him and nails him with a hard hitting tackle. Chrysalis then uses her magic to keep Shining Armor pinned to the mat while Straight Edge hog ties him with his own tail, and the bell rings again. Straight Edge is the winner.
Theres a big celebration and the confetti is unleashed in the air, Straight Edge celebrates for a bit, he peels off Shining Armor's Captain Helmet and holds it up high into the air.
STRAIGHT EDGE
Isn't this the prettiest little thing you've ever seen? Well now, please allow me to pledge my allegiance, and the allegiance of Royal Guard… TO QUEEN CHRYSALIS OF THE CHANGELINGS!
Queen Chrysalis transforms into her real self. All the underling guards look at each other in a mix of confusion and fear.
CROWD
(Panic)
QUEEN CHRYSALIS
You fell for it. Hook-line and sinker, all of you stupid ponies did. (Laughs devilishly)
STRAIGHT EDGE
GUARDS! ROUND UP THE CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT FOR OUR QUEENS FEAST!
BAM! Hitting the ring area with a thunderous thump is Celestia and Luna to shut this whole business down. Celestia goes to punt Chrysalis with her magic, but at the last second is stopped when Chrysalis magically produces the Articles.
QUEEN CHRYSALIS
Tut tut tut, not so fast Celestia! You wouldn't want to disobey the Articles, like a Dictator, would you?
We hold on her again, smiling as,
Celestia glares angrily at her, and begrudgingly depowers her horn and stands down.
QUEEN CHRYSALIS
That's what I thought. Guards, seize the Princesses. Don't worry about they're powers, they wouldn't dare harm innocent soldiers just doing their jobs.
The guards reluctantly obey their orders, turning their spears on Luna and Celestia. We see a shot of Shining Armor, still helplessly tied up.
SHINING ARMOR
TWILIGHT! HELP!
CANTERLOT ARENA SKYBOX - CONTINUOUS
Twilight is depressing laying on the floor, her head and ears perk up when she hears,
SHINING ARMOR
HELP! TWILIGHT!
CUT TO
CANTERLOT ARENA RING - CONTINUOUS
Celestia and Luna are surrounded by guards, kneeling, as Chrysalis prances back in forth.
CHRYSALIS
(Turning into a derpy looking version of Celestia) Ohhh Look at me! I'm Princess Celestia! I solve all my problems by sending them to the moon! (blows raspberry) Jerk!
Twilight Sparkle hits the ground with a thump. Chrysalis turns back to her true form.
CHRYSALIS
Oh Deja Vu! did you not get the memo?
Chrsyalis produces the document,
CHRYSALIS
DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!
Off screen Twilight zaps it with magic and turns it to ash. Chrysalis' eyes widen with shock.
TWILIGHT
It's been revoked! (Thinking) And also that's not even what Diplomatic Immunity- Oh forget it!
Twilight gets ahold of the old timey announcer's microphone.
TWILIGHT
That document is worthless without people believing in it. The very moment it can be twisted to give power to a heartless witch should be the moment we the ponies choose to abandoned. Our forefathers didn't create this document as a rigid set of beliefs but as an idea. And we can change ideas with the times if we all work together. Each and every one of us always have the right to think for ourselves, and that goes double for you soldiers in the Royal Guard.
The guards lower their weapons on Celestia and Luna
CHRYSALIS
No! What are you idiots doing? DESTROY THEM! They're progressives!
The blades of their spears now surround Chrysalis and Straight Edge.
STRAIGHT EDGE
Traitors! Judases! All of you! STAND BEHIND ME, CHRYSALIS, I'LL PROTECT YOU!
SHINING ARMOR (Off Screen)
Funny, you of all ponies calling Judas.
Shining Armor walks through the guards towards Straight Edge, and takes back his helmet.
SHINING ARMOR
I'll be taking that. Oh and by the way, your "Queen" has abandoned you.
Straight Edge peers over to see Chrysalis flying away. Shining Armor knocks him out. We stay on Shining Armor's face as we
TRANSITION TO
CANTERLOT ROYAL COURTROOOM - DAY
Now Straight Edge's face, his face bruise, it turns to stunned despair after hearing,
JUDGE
GUILTY!
We see Straight Edge in a orange jumpsuit being escorted by a bailiff out of the room. Twilight is standing with Celestia and Shining Armor (Along with Spike, and Pinkie who's returned to her assistant duties).
SHINING ARMOR
You taught us a valuable lesson, little sis. Just blindly following the rules and being afraid of change can lead us down a dark path. It's important for every pony to think for themselves.
CELESTIA
I already have our Parliament working right away on a new brand new Equestrian Constitution. You did a good thing, Twilight. By plugging these loopholes we will be stronger as a nation. The Captain Hood will now be chosen by a four year election.
TWILIGHT
I'm really just glad that I don't have to worry about Shining Armor breaking his legs every four years.
SHINING ARMOR
Aw… Little sister, come here.
Twilight and Shining Armor share a big hug, suddenly Pinkie Pie pops up in between them separating them.
PINKIE PIE
Say, so long as were changing the way we do things how about we ditch the monarchy and instead move to a democratically elected presidency?
Pause for a beat while they seriously consider this
CELESTIA, TWILIGHT, SHINING ARMOR
(BIG BELLY LAUGHS)
TWILIGHT
Lets not get carried away, Pinkie!
Close on Pinkie Pie as she turns to the camera gives a pony shrug.
THE END
End file.
| fanfiction |
Pride and Prejudice 1. Chapter 1
**Disclaimer: Unless I am getting a very big birthday present, I do not own any of Jane Austen's characters, nor her plots. I do, however, own all the ideas I put down on , er, hard drive.**
_Set: This is after Elizabeth leaves Pemberley, after the first proposal, after Rosings, after Netherfield, after the ball._
Chapter One: Kidnapped
Elizabeth was in the back of the carriage, staring blankly out the window. Her aunt and uncle and taken their own carriage back to England immediately following the news of Lydia's elopement. She was taking a hackney, alone (Lady Catherine would have a fit) back to Longbourn, where she would assist Jane with the tiring task of calming their mother's infamous nerves. She was running almost everything that had happened in the past year through her head. The first ball she ever saw Mr. Darcy at, staying with Jane at Netherfield, the Netherfield ball, Mr. Collins's proposal, Charlotte's marriage, Rosings Park, the proposal from Mr. Darcy… Oh, gracious! How horrid she had been! It was despicable what she had said to him. What person could take such ridicule? Then there was the letter… Elizabeth's hand went automatically in her pocket. She pulled it out, just to see if it was still there. Breathing out a slow sigh of relief, she replaced it in her reticule, and looked out the window.
Suddenly, there was a giant thump on the side of the coach. She whipped her dead around, only to see that a man on horseback was riding beside them, casting a hammer upon the side of the carriage. She heard the driver yell something, and then the horse moved forward more, shrieking, so that she could only see it's flank. She heard a cry of pain, and then the carriage slowed. She looked out the window to her right. There, the driver lay bleeding. Dead. She gasped, and then heard the door open. She grabbed her reticule, thrusting the entire thing in her pockets, before she was yanked from her place, and struck upon the top of the head with a block of wood. She fell into the man's arms, and became unconscious.
2. Where Am I?
**Chapter Two: Where Am I?**
Elizabeth woke, in a frigid stone cell, thrust in the corner. Her head was swollen and throbbing, and she bit back her scream of pain. Though her vision was blurry, she could see that she was not alone. In the corner to her right, another girl was laid, cradling her hand, and whimpering softly. Then, seeing that her companion was awake, the girl said fretfully, "Lizzy? Are you awake?" How could this girl know her name? The frightened young woman crawled slowly toward her. "Lizzy? Can you hear me? Please, Lizzy! Wake up!" Elizabeth heard the voice as it rung dimly through her head. She knew this voice. She placed it with a startling jolt. "Lydia? Is that you dear girl? Is it sweet? Oh, you've had us all in a right state!" Elizabeth exclaimed, weakly propping herself up. "Oh, Lizzy! I was so scared when I saw him carry you in! I wanted to kill him! But, then again, I wanted to kill him for what he's done to me," Lydia said disgusted. "Who? Who did this to us Lydia?" Elizabeth asked, anger in her voice. Lydia shuddered, and whispered softly, "Wickham."
When Elizabeth woke up, she was in a soft embrace with her youngest sister, who was humming a sweet lullaby to her. She seemed to feel that, as she had been there first, that she ought to be the one who took care of her. "Lizzy, Wickham brought food. Here," Lydia said, lifting the bread to Elizabeth's mouth. "You know, it's not so scary, now that you're here. Sitting in this cell, alone, cold, and terrified is the most awful thing that's ever happened to me. Now…of course, that doesn't mean I want you to be here, well, I do, but-" Lydia said, stroking Lizzy's hair. Elizabeth interrupted her. "I understand perfectly. If I had been in your situation, I would have wanted company too. There's nothing wrong with wanting me here, Lyddie."
Silent tears leaked down their ashy cheeks. "What are we going to do, Lizzy?" Lydia asked quietly.
"I don't know."
3. The News
**Chapter Three: The News**
Mr. Darcy was sitting in his study, talking enthusiastically with Georgiana. "Oh, Georgiana, isn't she just the most amazing person you have ever met?" he asked her.
"Undoubtedly, brother, save yourself and Cousin Fitzwilliam," she replied, fingering a book that was on his shelf.
"I mean, really! She is just-" Mr. Darcy was cut off by his butler, entering the room, and handing him a note. "Urgent, sir," said his man, and he departed. Mr. Darcy opened the note, and with every line his face grew more and more unreadable. It looked pale, yet red; angry, yet sad. "Brother," Georgiana said, hesitating. "What is wrong?"
"It's Elizabeth. She's been kidnapped." His knees weakened, and he sank into a chair. Almost as soon as he did, he leapt to his feet again, and proceeded out the door. He instructed his valet to pack him several days worth of clothes, and have the carriage ready as soon as it could be. He was going to London.
.
Elizabeth held onto her sister, as tight as she could without hurting her. They were cold, but there was nothing they could do about it. As she drifted to sleep, she recalled fond memories. Whispering to Jane in bed, making up a silly song on the pianoforte, Mr. Darcy helping her into her carriage. Then, fantasies began to materialize. Mr. Darcy holding her hand, Mr. Darcy handing her a book, Mr. Darcy kneeling before her. She smiled, and closed her eyes. Mr. Darcy.
4. Just The Beginning
**Chapter Four: Only the Beginning**
Elizabeth awoke to the slamming of a door, and the whimper of a sister. "Ah, Elizabeth, awake at last. The pleasure is of course, all mine." He laughed at his joke, and mocked a fancy bow. "Why are you keeping us here?" Elizabeth demanded. Lydia yanked on her skirt, but Lizzy rose anyway. She recalled words she had said to Mr. Darcy once. What had she said? Oh, yes, "There is a stubbornness about me that can never bear to be frightened by the will of others. My courage rises with every attempt to intimidate me." She had not realized she had said this aloud until Mr. Wickham scoffed at her. "You cannot tell me you are not afraid. You cannot tell me that you are not scared of what is happening to you now." She looked him square in the eye, and held it. No, she was not afraid. Not at all. Her anger had overtaken all fear. "Yes. I can tell you that I am not afraid. Now I demand you tell me, _Mr. _Wickham, why did you take my sister and I?" Wickham looked truly taken aback. He had not expected Elizabeth to have this much courage. He had to let her know that he was in charge. He brought his hand across her face, and it turned an angry red. She hardly flinched. He struck her shoulder, and not getting a reaction, hit her again. Before he knew it, he had hit almost her entire body, leaving it in a bruise. Lydia was weeping in the corner, too weak to set Wickham straight. Elizabeth turned to face him. Her eyes were watery, but showed determination through and through. He was not to get satisfaction. He clenched his jaw and said to her,
"Two reasons actually. One, is for money. I shall ransom you once I have had my pleasure. Two, to behold the very sight I see of that dear, dear girl on the floor, crying her eyes out."
Elizabeth picked herself up of the ground, and stood tall. "You shall not see _me_ **ever **cry before _you._" He looked at her aghast, as her fist threw a hard punch into his forehead. He stumbled to the ground, and rose in anger. Elizabeth was holding her sister close to her. He left the small chamber, and with a tip of his hat, he said to her, "This is only the beginning."
5. My Dear Elizabeth
**Chapter Five: My Dear Elizabeth**
Mr. Darcy sat in his carriage as it traveled the bumpy road, exhausted with worry. He received his report only four hours ago, and it had already aged him to about ten years older than he was. The correspondence had read,
Dear Sir,
It has come to the attention of the general public that not all the roads are safe at this present time. Recently, a carriage was attacked, and a young woman taken from it. She was traveling alone, from Derbyshire to Hertfordshire on a family emergency, and her aunt and uncle had gone ahead to London. The driver was killed, and the vehicle mauled. Take caution if you are to drive on the roads at this time.
Well wishes.
There was no doubt in his mind that the lady was Elizabeth. It fit her description perfectly, alone, family gone to London, the counties. He was simply distraught over her. He had never loved or wanted her with him more than he did now. He was, too, going to London, where he presumed would be the best place to hide. There, he would look not only for her, but for her sister as well. If Lydia was with Wickham, she was not in good hands. There was no knowing what he might do to her. He was on his way to Edward Street, where Georgiana's old companion, Mrs. Younge resided. He was sure he might dig some information from her, considering she and Wickham were thick. Lydia, however, seemed a trivial concern compared to his distress for Elizabeth. He was not sure if she was even alive! She was probably hurt, hungry, tired. All these horrible pictures flashed through his head.
He removed his thoughts to more pleasant times. Georgiana, playing a new piece for him on his birthday, Colonel Fitzwilliam playing Billiards with him, the touch of Elizabeth's hand, as they moved about the dance floor. Lost in her, he fell asleep. Lost in her, he awakened, at his house, in Grovesnor Square.
AU: I'm goin outta town 4 a few days. My parting gift.
6. Lydia's Story
**Chapter Six: Lydia's Story**
Elizabeth had only two comforts; her sister, and her letter. She read it constantly. She had moved it to her person, for Wickham had taken her reticule from her, so that he might have the money inside, and the satisfaction of taking something from her. Nothing dampened her spirits. If anything, they grew stronger, even though she grew weak. She longed for a comfortable bed, for her family, and Mr. Darcy. She knew they must all be in a terrible position, two daughters gone, one supposedly eloped, the other kidnapped, presumably dead.
Lydia moved closer to Lizzy, and held her gently. Elizabeth was almost entirely purple. Wickham had done anything he could to break her down, and in body, he was succeeding. But that was not his fulfillment. He didn't want a broken body; just a broken spirit. With Lydia, it had worked quickly, and he had no interest in her now. Elizabeth was his object of pain . "Lyddie, what happened. I mean to say, what _truly_ happened in Brighton?"
Lydia snuggled closer. "You really wish to know? For it is dreadful unpleasant. "
"Yes, Lyddie. I _do_ want to know."
"The Forsters were very kind to me. Harriet particularly. She introduced me to many officers, and they are exceedingly good at flirting. All was quite fun. Quite fun. I could not remember a time when there had been as much. Wickham spoke to me often. He walked me round the garden at moonlight, and told me the most beautiful things. I was enamored; How could I not be?! You and Jane have always been the ones who were praised, and I felt truly lovely with all his words of admiration. I had been in correspondence with Kitty. I had told her everything, and she seemed very jealous of my attention. One night, Wickham came for me. But he was not his usual self, that is to say, he was his usual self, the façade he paraded to the world, gone. He told me that I was to go with him to London.
Wickham then proceeded to give me a paper and pen, and dictated what he wished to be thought by the rest of the world. He forced me to write Harriet a note telling her that I was gone to Scotland with him, that we were to be married, that I thought it would be a great joke if I signed my name Lydia Wickham in my next letter to the family. He gripped my shoulder while I wrote, and anything I questioned, he squeezed harder. I was naturally afraid. When my note was done, I left it on the table for her, and left with him, bringing nothing with me.
Once in the cab, he tied my wrists and ankles, and covered my mouth. I was hopelessly trapped. At one point, he became so sick of me, he knocked me out, as I believe he did to you. Only, when I awoke, I was not with you. I was…alone. All alone."
Elizabeth was shocked at the end of this speech. Wickham had tricked her! He had tricked them all! Undoubtedly, the letter must have sounded like Lydia, and her parents and sisters would take it at face value, and believe her ruined. This was dreadful! Extremely ghastly. Lydia had begun crying again. Lizzy held her to her chest, as firmly as her injuries allowed, and did not let go.
"What of you, Lizzy? What of your travels?" Lydia asked. Elizabeth sighed. "It is a longer story than just my travels Lydia. Much longer. It all began when Charles Bingley came to Netherfield…"
AN: Interesting alternative, is it not? I actually like the way this story is coming out. Stay tuned, and remember... Review!!!! Love, Lady Annabelle
7. Elizabeth's Truth
**Chapter Seven: Elizabeth's Truth**
Lydia listened to the entire tale in silence. When Elizabeth got to the letter, she produced it for Lydia to read. After she had finished, she moved on with her story. When she was through, she began to cry. "I can't believe how much I miss him! I didn't realize it for so long, but I love him Lydia! Love him! And now I'll probably be beaten to death in this awful place, instead of with him, and never see him again."
"Shhh! Lizzy! You will not die in this place! You will be set free, as will I. Together we'll heal, and you'll marry him. You need not fear, if you remain as strong as you have been thus far." Lydia was truly convicted, and Lizzy understood it. "But Lyddie, Mr. Darcy… he can't love me anymore. He just can't! It's impossible! It must be! After all I've said and done to him, he could never forgive me."
"Lizzy, if he didn't still love you, why would he have invited you to meet his sister? To dine with him? For uncle to fish? Why did he come visit _you _then? I do not scruple to believe in his love for you."
The two girls shared an instance of deepest bonding. They had never been close, Lydia's foolishness driving her from Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's sensibility keeping Lydia at arm's length. Now, however, Wickham had thrust them together, making them eternal friends, binding them through experience. Their sisterly moment was intruded upon, however, when Wickham burst in the room, angrily. "How did you do it?" he demanded them, face red with fury.
"Do what?" Elizabeth asked.
"Tell Darcy you were here!" He shouted.
Elizabeth blanched. Mr. Darcy? Here? "You know something about this?" Wickham said, thrusting her against the wall.
"No, I do not. However, I also think that this is a bad position for you to put me in. No gentleman, or _gentle_ man for that matter, would do such a thing to a lady," Elizabeth said, pushing him off her. He only became more enraged. He slapped her, and turned to leave. But then he faced them again, his eyes on Lydia this time. "And what's this?" he said, pleasure returning. He leaned over, and picked up the letter off the floor. He read the first part of it, and smiled. "Ah, Darcy. But this is an old letter. I think I shall keep it safe. He placed it in his pocket, and left the room, bolting the door behind him. When he was gone, Elizabeth burst into uncontrollable sobs. That letter had meant so much to her, one of the only things that kept her sane. Lydia tried to comfort her, but it was too late. Too late for anything.
AN: Hey, thanks for reviewing everyone!!! I know, my chapters are short, but it poses a smaller strain on the author, (aka me) and creates suspense and dramatic effect. Enjoy!!!!
8. Mr Gardiner
**Chapter Eight: Mr. Gardiner**
Darcy had arrived at Mrs. Younge's house near noon the following day. He had had a fitful night of rest, if you wanted to call it that, and had fallen asleep during breakfast. When the door opened, it revealed a weathered Mrs. Younge, who was apparently appalled and shocked to see him. He had entered without her permission, thinking it would give him the upper hand of the conversation. His strategy worked, and he had gotten some out of her. She refused to give him the whereabouts of Wickham's lodgings, and whether or not he had Lydia with him. All he learned was that Wickham was, indeed, in town. He had left her with a promise to call on the morrow.
His next stop was the Gardiner's house. He arrived at the door, and ringing, a young housemaid appeared at the door. She answered him that Mr. Gardiner was home, but his brother-in-law Mr. Bennet was as well, and couldn't take him. He thanked her, and got back in his carriage. It returned him to Grovesnor Square, and he entered the house.
Thankful to have even survived the day, he practically crawled into his study to look at some brief business his steward had for him. When that was finished, he went to supper, and after that, retired early. He would see Mr. Gardiner tomorrow.
The next day, he was successfully received at the Gardiner's, thought it did raise some surprise at his being there. He offered condolences for Elizabeth, barely holding back tears, (he had never felt so silly as he did just then, trying to stop himself from crying.) and stated his purpose for finding Lydia and Wickham. He related all the knowledge he had gained so far, and after a long chat, he departed.
His next order of duty was to call at Mrs. Younge's place. She ushered him in when he arrived, and sat him down at the kitchen table with some tea. Fearing it might be poisoned, he declined, and began to interrogate her once more. She said that she would give him information the next day, only if he paid her a handsome sum. He agreed to the amount, and as he was leaving, paused. He could have sworn he had heard a slamming door, and a large racket below. He raised a brow, and she hurried into an explanation. "The kitchen girl, Mr. Darcy. She usually slams the door when she goes down to the cellar. That's my manservant, yelling at her. I'd better put a stop to it. Good day, Mr. Darcy." She curtsied and left quickly. Mr. Darcy didn't believe it. There was something she was hiding, he was sure of it. Meanwhile, he was off to Mr. Gardiner's to discuss these further developments. He climbed into his carriage, and left the area.
AN: Now things are REALLY starting to get interesting. Keep reviewing!!!! I'll keep updating!!!! Lady Annabelle
9. Suspicions Arise
**Chapter Nine: Suspicions Arise**
Mr. Darcy returned at the specified time the next day, and Mrs. Younge was waiting for him, palms practically outstretched. He left the money to remain in his coat pocket until she had provided the information he required. "Mr. Wickham resides here with me. His lady, Miss Lydia is also here, as well as- you know," his first suspicion was that she was referring to Georgiana. But then he regarded her words more. As well as… He knew that Georgiana was safe in the Colonel's hands, so that was not a worry. But who else could be with him? "And what will it take for a meeting with Mr. Wickham?" Darcy inquired. He need not have asked, for into the room came a falsely cheerful Wickham.
Mr. Darcy thought he was ready for it, but as it turned out, he was not. He motioned to the seat opposite him, and Wickham sat down. Anger surged through his body like ripples, remembrances flashing through his mind like white hot iron. "Wickham, I'm here about the lady, Miss Lydia," he said stiffly. "Ah, Lydia! She's a very adaptable young lady! She has been doing well! Simply flourishing!" Wickham said.
"That is good, for I would like to have a visit with her," Darcy replied. Wickham looked apprehensive only a moment. "That can most definitely be arranged! One minute, if you please," Wickham said, and disappeared into the kitchen.
Wickham entered the prison again, this time with an older lady, neither of the sisters recognized. Elizabeth's mind suddenly flashed back to her beloved letter. Mrs. Younge! This must be the woman who was so horrid to Georgiana! She glared coldly at the woman. Wickham lifted Lydia off the ground, and began instructing her quickly. "You are not to tell him what's really going on! You are to tell him your love for me is too great to return with him, and that you are staying. In no way are you to mention Elizabeth, in no way are you to inform him of your living conditions. Is that clear?" he asked, menace glaring in his eye. Lydia nodded timidly. Mrs. Younge re-pinned her hair, and fluffed her dress. She splashed water on the poor girl's face, and pinched her cheeks. Overall, Lydia did not look as if she lived in this hole that she did. Lydia was shaking. Wickham squeezed her arm, so hard she yelped in pain. Elizabeth could take it no longer. She started to hit, kick, bite, and pound every inch of him she could reach, leaving Mrs. Younge to try to pull her off. When she finally did, Wickham was already beginning to swell and bruise. He kicked Lizzy in the gut, and knocked her round the head. She fell unconscious, onto the hard, cold floor. Lydia cried out, but Wickham stepped on her foot. She bit her lip, and followed him out of the room.
Mr. Darcy heard all sorts of ruckus below. Screaming, shouts, and a rough thud. He was about to investigate before Lydia appeared in the room. She was trembling, either from fright or form the cold. _That's odd, _he thought. It wasn't the least bit chilly. Lydia looked distressed, but tried to hide it. Overall, the interview did not go well. Wickham did not appear, and Mrs. Younge hovered in the corner, listening to everything said. Lydia refused to accompany him back, and said that she was sure George would marry her soon. Mr. Darcy detected the doubt in her face. When she finally was able to leave, she looked scared. He wanted to force her to come, but knew he could not. So, he let her go, and Mrs. Younge stepped forth for her payment. He gave it to her promptly, when he saw a flash in the doorway. "Ah, Mr. Wickham likes to go on walks, do not be bothered by it. Come back tomorrow Darcy, and I'll see if there's anything else I can do for you. Anyone else would ask for more than I do." He bowed, and made his own way to the door. Mrs. Younge scampered away, leaving him alone. He was almost to his carriage when he noticed an envelope on the ground. Curious, he picked it up.
_Rosings Park, 8 o'clock in the morning_
_Do not be alarmed madam…_
_AN: Cliffhanger, cliffhanger!!!! Try to embrace the suspense. Pishah! That's impossible!!! Instead, be paitent with moi!!! Love, Lady Annabelle_
10. Realizations
**Chapter Ten: Realizations**
Mr. Darcy's stomach lurched painfully. This was _his _letter. The one he had given Elizabeth. _Elizabeth. _She must be here! She and Lydia both! Wickham must have been the one to kidnap her, and bring her to this awful place. And those noises! In the cellar! That's where he must be keeping them! Oh, he could hardly imagine the state his sweet, dear Elizabeth was in. No doubt he had hurt her, no question he had abused her. Lydia's eyes and countenance betrayed her words. Too many facts came together, too many pieces fit. He leaped into his carriage, and ordered the driver to the house. He must rescue his Elizabeth, he knew that. If he did not, then who would?
AN: Oh, I'm so excited!!! So excited!!! I'm posting double chapters cuz 1) I've been out of town and haven't posted for awhile 2) I can't stand the suspense!!! Tell me whatcha think!!!
11. What Have They Done?
**Chapter Eleven: What Have They Done?**
Elizabeth did not stir for hours. Lydia was consumed in fright. Her encounter with Mr. Darcy made her realize how truly powerful her situation was. Nobody could rescue them. They might just be trapped here for all their days. And if Elizabeth did not wake… Lydia shook her mind from the thought, only concentrating on the little comfort she could give her sister. She knew that sleep must be her only relief, but the gravity of their position was absolutely horrifying. She stroked Elizabeth's hair and sang her a lullaby, and eventually, drifted off to sleep.
Mr. Darcy carefully crept into the kitchen. The darkness of the night was miraculously good cover. The cellar was bolted shut, but needed no key. He was relieved of that obligation. He silently undid the lock, and eased the door open. There they were. Lydia was leaned against the wall, Elizabeth's head draped across her lap. They were both in slumber, but no matter the depth of their sleep, they both looked exhausted. He inched over to where they were, and he gently shook Lydia. She had obviously become alert in her time spent captive, and jerked awake. She breathed relief. The look on her face was clear; they were saved.
He lifted Elizabeth in his arms, and motioned for Lydia to follow him. She did, and together, they reached the outside. As soon as they were safely in the carriage, Lydia began to weep joy. Mr. Darcy tried to soothe her, but his efforts were to no avail. When she had finally calmed enough to speak, he began to quiz her. "What happened to Elizabeth?" All her bruises pained him; they were so many, they were almost one bruise completely. "Wickham was very angry that she fought back. She often hit him for me, so that he wouldn't hurt me. He must have struck her over a hundred times. I was forced to watch every time. Lizzy was so worried that she would be trapped there and never see-" Lydia stopped herself before she revealed her sister's secret. "Never see what?" he asked gently. "You. She was worried she would never see you again," Lydia finished embarrassedly. Darcy felt his ears tinge red, but then asked her why she had not asked for escape today when he was there earlier. "Wickham told me not to. He was going to hurt me and Lizzy if I didn't agree. When Elizabeth got mad at him, she started striking him. Wickham kicked her, knocking the wind out of her, and then he knocked her out. She hasn't woken up since," Lydia answered softly. She looked lovingly at her sister, her protector. If it hadn't been for Elizabeth, she might have been dead.
They finally reached their destination. The footman opened the door, and Lydia stepped out, followed by Mr. Darcy, still carrying Elizabeth. Her pale face, covered in blue sickened him. He wished he could have been there, to stop Wickham from ever hurting her. But it was done, and he could do nothing about it. Lydia pounded the Gardiner's door, until finally, a disshelved Mr. Gardiner answered the door. Nothing could have been expected less, than the appearance of his two missing nieces. Elizabeth was immediately put in a nightgown, and put to bed. Mrs. Gardiner put soothing cool cloths on her body, and even procured some ice for her larger welts. Mr. Darcy was invited to stay for the rest of the night, considering how late it was. He accepted, and though he gave his tiredness as his alibi, his real reason was to see if Elizabeth would awaken. He thought of her maimed body, given in the sacrificial place of her sister, and silently cried. Oh, Elizabeth dear, what has he done to you?
12. To See Your Face
**Chapter Twelve: To See Your Face**
Elizabeth drifted in and out of sleep over the course of the next few days. She would sometimes offer the word, "Darcy" in her sleep, but not much else was spoken by her but her family's names, especially Jane's and Lydia's. Mr. Darcy often haunted the drawing room in the house, waiting for news on his beloved, but nothing new ever came, except the improvement of her physical state. She was left with a few scars on her back and one on her shoulder, but most of the markings were healing, and she looked much like the Elizabeth Bennet he used to know, and had fallen in love with. Mr. Gardiner was not unaware of his affection for her, but only smiled to himself, and chattered to his wife about it.
One day, the rest of the Bennet's arrived in town, along with Mr. Bingley. He had frequented the Gardiner's so much, that he did not know of his friend's engagement to Miss Jane. They were both remarkably happy, and her mother was beside herself in giggles. When she saw Mr. Darcy, she thanked him profusely, and it took Mr. Bennet to calm her. He himself gave a great deal of acknowledgement and debt for his two daughters lives and safety. Wickham had been arrested, and Mrs. Younge had fled.
One day, he was greeted at the door by an ecstatic Lydia. "She's awake! She's awake!" Mr. Darcy's pace quickened. He reached the parlor, and sure enough, Elizabeth sat in her sister Jane's embrace, staring absently out the window. "Miss Elizabeth! You're finally awake!" he said, genuinely happy. She directed her eyes at him, now that he had spoken. "Mr. Darcy," she said, more a murmur than anything. A small smile graced her face, and she tried to stand, to curtsey. He assured her that she need not. "Thank you again, and again Mr. Darcy, for saving me, and my sister. We are forever in your debt," Elizabeth said. "It was nothing, I assure you. As soon as I received a report that you had been taken from your coach, I instantly came to London. I was planning on going anyway, to help your sister. Then, it turned out I could rescue you both. Much pleasure actually resides in me, for having finally put Wickham in his rightful place; prison." Mr. Darcy replied. She laughed weakly and said, "Yes, well, it's a taste of his own medicine. Being held in a small, cold room with only stale food to eat is not exactly my idea of amusement. Believe me, I know from first-hand experience!"
Mr. Darcy could not laugh at this. He could envision it perfectly. Even more vivid were the images of Wickham hurting her. He instead bowed his head, as to evade her catching his expression. Lydia, sensing the awkwardness of the moment, brightened and said,
"I fancy a walk, Lizzy. Would you like to come as well, Mr. Darcy?"
He nodded and the three of them proceeded outside.
"Lizzy, do tell Mr. Darcy what Jane brought you yesterday!" Lydia cried out.
"She brought me white orchids. They are my favorite flowers, and she had to go to a great deal of trouble to get them!" Elizabeth replied.
"That was very thoughtful of her! Georgiana loves purple orchids, and insists I bring them for her every Christmas," Mr. Darcy replied.
They talked more and more easily, and did not notice when Lydia slipped away, smiling. When they finally did notice, it was with great surprise.
"I say, where has Lydia escaped to?" Elizabeth said.
"I think you might have been boring her," Mr. Darcy teased.
" Mr. Darcy! I am sure if anyone has bored her, it should be you, because I do believe that you commented on her least favorite subject; the weather!" Elizabeth tossed back. He laughed, and they turned back toward the house. They continued on in the same vein, debating who had bored her the most, and entered the house laughing, abominably late for dinner. "Lizzy, where could you have been walking to?" Jane asked upon their entrance. "We wandered about, until we were quite beyond our knowledge. There is not need for worry," Elizabeth replied the faintest color in her cheeks. She seated herself next to her sister, and drank in the pleasure of her company. How strange it seemed that a week ago she was in a cold, ruthless cellar with her youngest sister, and now she sat with all she truly loved in a comfortable house, and with edible food, and warmth. She mused contentedly to herself about this, and remained sweetly silent the entire meal. To see his face, however, was the greatest comfort of all.
Mr. Darcy had opportunities to look at Elizabeth all night. Her family were talking to one another, about the upcoming wedding, and Elizabeth seemed lost in her thoughts. It was as sweet as it had been when he first met her. No more bruises, no more cuts. It was whole, and perfect, and lovely. To know she was alive was a great consolation; to see her face, however, was the greatest luxury of all.
13. The Reappearance of the Unwelcome
**Chapter Thirteen: The Reappearance of the Unwelcome**
Mr. Darcy was about to leave for the Gardiner's when he received a note, from the same private agency that alerted him of Elizabeth's kidnapping. It read as follows:
Dear Sir,
It may not be safe at this time to roam the streets of London, for the young ladies' kidnapper has escaped from jail, and is on the move.
Well Wishes.
Dread filled the pit of his stomach. Just when Elizabeth was safe, the rouge who had hurt her in the first place was on the loose again. He ordered the carriage on to the Gardiner's, so that he could warn them.
Elizabeth stepped into the crisp air. It stimulated her thoughts, so that they might wander elsewhere than the single subject she had speculated all last night. She knew it was not so wise to roam the streets after what had happened to her, but Wickham was put up, and there never were many crimes in this part of Town. She looked out at the beautiful beginnings of a sunrise, and sighed. She walked through the shrubbery, and was about to sit on a bench, when suddenly, a hand clamped over her mouth, and a knife was brought to her throat. "Scream and I'll do it, I swear I will," the man's hot breath whispered in her ear. She was then led away by the stranger, before she realized how un-stranger like he was.
14. Captive Again
**Chapter Fourteen: Captive Again**
Elizabeth was thrust into another dark room. Wickham tossed his knife aside, and threw off his coat. She removed herself from the floor, and stood to her full height, eyes challenging his. "You think you can mess around with me, don't you? Well, I assure you, you can't," he told her.
"Is that so? Well, I hope that you do not cherish continually false hopes of breaking me. I do not yield as easily as other young women do," Elizabeth retorted, standing her ground.
"We shall have to test your theory, then," Wickham replied menacingly.
Mr. Darcy arrived at the Gardiner's only to find the entire household in a panic. All the females were weeping, the males roaring and pacing. "What on earth could be the matter?" he cried out.
"Lizzy is gone again," Lydia whispered.
"Went out for a walk, and has not returned these three and a half hours," Jane added. Their faces were red and tired, and must have looked similar to his own when he realized Elizabeth's disappearance the first time.
"I think you are wanting me gone. Please, accept my greatest sympathies and wishes for her safe return," Mr. Darcy said, as he exited the house. Of course, he was not going to return to his own. He was going to find Elizabeth.
15. A Wicked's End
**Chapter Fifteen: A Wicked's End**
Elizabeth decided that her confidence should not waver, even if this was the end. Wickham had escaped jail only for her, she knew it, so that he might hurt her. Wickham descended upon her as he usually did, lashing out upon her with great strength. She hit him back, rage unleashed. Emotion poured from her fists like it had never before. She almost wished to laugh at her comical situation, brawling with an ex-lieutenant of the army. However, she could not bring herself to make light of the position she was in. Wickham struck a heavy blow to her back, causing her to stumble to the floor. He added a mental point to himself, and kicked her. He did it again, and again, and again, and again. No terror shone in her eyes. Pain, but not the fear he craved to see in this woman. He lifted her from the ground, and twisted her arms. She let out a brief moan of agony, before biting her tongue to stifle them. Blood oozed down her throat, and she spit it in Wickham's face. He lifted his arm, and dealt her a blow to the crown of her head. She fell to the floor, and before she could let a single tear fall, she passed out. Wickham was about to hit her again, before a hand caught his wrist, he turned to see the man whom he wanted least to come in contact with. Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Darcy disposed of Wickham to his side. Having rendered him unconscious, he moved onto the more pressing matter of getting Elizabeth to safety. Scarlet trickled down her forehead, and he wiped it away with his handkerchief. He re-bolted the door, and propped a chair against its handle, so that its occupant, in the case he should awaken, would not escape. He then proceeded to the carriage, which he ordered immediately to her uncle's. Cradling her in his arms, he stroked her hair. Oh, dear Elizabeth! What had this man done to you? He kissed the top of her head, holding her gently to himself. She did not look as worse for wear as she had last time. In fact, he could see nothing other than her single head injury at present. She was likely hurt elsewhere, places he couldn't see. She stirred slightly. Mr. Darcy lightly shook her. Her eyes fluttered open.
"Mr. Darcy? What happened? All I remember is Wickham hitting me…" Elizabeth said. He shushed her quietly.
"Wickham is taken care of. I shall contact the police as soon as I have you safely at your uncle's house."
He held her in his arms, supporting her carefully lest she be in pain. Her head, too weak to stand up, rested on his shoulder.
"Mr. Darcy, why did you come to find me?" Elizabeth asked softly.
"Because I could not stand the thought of you in pain. What if I-" Dare he say it?
"What if I never got to see you again," he finished.
"I was worried about that too," Elizabeth said weakly, a sweet smile on her face. "Elizabeth, dear Elizabeth, I love you. I love you more than anything. Please- It would be the greatest honor if you would be my wife." Elizabeth looked up at him. Then, she reached for his hand, and placed a tender kiss upon it.
"I owe you all, Mr. Darcy. Not just my life, but also my happiness. Thank you," she murmured, before closing her eyes, and falling into a much-needed slumber, arms wrapped around his neck.
AN: The way I figure it is that I have ignored you, and it is unpardonable. But, I hope that two chapters will help you forgive me!!! Please, tell me what you think of it!!! I really do like this story best, out of all that I have done. Love, Lady Annabelle
16. At Last
**Chapter Sixteen: Reunited**
Elizabeth could not walk, so Mr. Darcy carried her inside. It seemed like déjà vu, seeing as he had done the same just a week ago. Everyone rushed to her aid, propping her on the sofa, bringing cool cloths and tumblers of water. Mr. Darcy was almost forgotten, until Mr. Bennet appeared by his side. "Mr. Darcy, once again I find myself in your debt, and cannot repay you adequately enough. Therefore, I must do my best. What do you want in return for the relief you have given us all?" Mr. Darcy did not exactly know how to respond, considering he neither wanted nor needed money. All he wanted was Elizabeth.
"Mr. Bennet, I ask for no money. I only want one thing, and it seems that you are the only one who can give it to me. Mr. Bennet, may I marry Elizabeth?" Mr. Bennet seemed surprised at such an application.
"If that is what you want, Mr. Darcy, as long as Lizzy is agreeable to it. I should not like her to do something she wanted not to do, but you have proven to be a great protector, have you not?" Mr. Bennet said in reply. This man before him had proved all worthiness for his greatest daughter.
"Of course, Mr. Bennet. Elizabeth has given me her consent already, I only sought your own."
"Then it is settled, Mr. Darcy." Mr. Bennet bowed, and removed himself. Mr. Bennet was not too pleased with giving away Elizabeth, his favorite child, but to such a man he could not object. He was more than well situated, a great defender, and he clearly loved his daughter.
Mr. Darcy breathed out his relief. Elizabeth was finally his fiancée.
17. The End
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were married two months later. The joy that they experienced was unearthly; Mrs. Darcy settled into Pemberley, and held to her the promise that she made Mr. Darcy that she would take it upon herself to quarrel with him as often as possible. The more she teased him, the more relaxed he became. A year and a half after their marriage, a daughter was added to their life; She was named after her aunt Georgiana, making her full name Georgiana Adele Darcy. What became of the lovely and elegant Miss Darcy, you may wonder? She married well, but not for money or status: she had the luck of her parents; two people finding love within their own circle. Lady Catherine, (AN: The hag.) died six months before her grandniece was born, and the Darcys did nothing save wear black for two weeks for propriety's sake. They both secretly celebrated however, though never admitted it to the other. They went on to have three more children, only one, (the youngest) being a son. He inherited Pemberley, as well as the family fortune. And so makes their
Happily
Ever
After
THE END
End file.
| fanfiction |
republic of china , the incidence of aortic dissection , which poses a tremendous threat to people s health , tends to rise yearly.1 traditionally , aortic dissection was treated with aortic artificial vascular graft under thoracotomy , which is more invasive and prone to more severe postoperative complications . since its successful application by parodi for abdominal aortic aneurysm in 1991 , thoracic endovascular aortic repair ( tevar ) has been increasingly used to treat stanford b aortic dissection.2 generally , the proximal tears in stanford b aortic dissection are very close to the origin of the left subclavian artery and left common carotid artery , which means the landing zone is limited and precise localization and deployment of the stent graft is required to avoid compromising the blood supply to these side branches .
many methods have been applied to facilitate acute localization and deployment of the stent graft . among them , medication ( eg , sodium nitroprusside [ snp])-induced hypotension is the most widely used , although some disadvantages have been reported.3,4 in 2006 , the authors first introduced rapid artificial cardiac pacing ( racp ) among patients undergoing tevar for stanford b aortic dissection . the present study aimed to compare the safety and impact of racp and snp - induced hypotension in patients undergoing tevar for aortic dissection .
this study comprised prospective , randomized , case control research . from september 2007 to february 2009 , 197 patients who were diagnosed with stanford b aortic dissection and who underwent tevar were enrolled .
the patients were randomly divided into a racp group ( n=77 ) and a snp group ( n=91 ) . during localization and deployment of the stent graft , hypotension was induced by racp in patients assigned to the racp group and by intravenous snp in those assigned to the snp group , in an attempt to facilitate precise graft localization / deployment . apart from the induction method , tevar was performed according to the same protocol in each group .
talent ( medtronic , inc , minneapolis , mn , usa ) and hercules ( shanghai microport medical [ group ] co , ltd , shanghai , people s republic of china ) stents were used in this study .
for all the punctures the local infiltration , lidocaine was administered as local anesthesia before femoral artery puncture . when the puncture site was expanded or the stent graft inserted ( approximately 1 cm ) , 10 ml lidocaine was generally supplied .
the patients were in a supine position after anesthesia , and the left radial artery puncture was made with the seldinger approach.2,4 a 6f pigtail catheter was inserted into the ascending aorta for aortic angiography by the following procedure : the catheter was placed into the proximal opening of the left subclavian artery , and the booster was used to expand the aortic arch to the maximum angle ( average of 45 ) .
forty milliliters of contrast was injected at the speed of 20 ml / second and left for exposure for 1012 seconds .
the real and false lumens , as well as the dissection gap positions , were found , and then the openings of the celiac artery , superior mesenteric artery , and renal artery , within the real and false lumens , were checked .
the seldinger approach of puncture into the femoral artery was made from the ideal side of the dissection relative to the real lumen , at 12 cm above the bifurcation point between the deep and superficial femoral artery ( which was found with computed tomography angiography prior to surgery ) .
next , the sheath of artery was delivered , and the correct positioning was confirmed with angiography .
the loach wire was then passed through the catheter and shown with intermittent imaging to have entered the aortic real lumen .
the angiography catheter advanced into sent to the ascending aorta and then the loach wire was replaced by a hard guide wire .
the contralateral femoral vein was punctured to implant the temporary pacemaker at the right ventricular apex and the pacemaker adjusted for racp .
the aortic stent graft was passed through to the landing zone of the aortic arch .
the landing zone represents the normal artery tissues that are located proximally to the cleft and the hematoma , and was confirmed by main artery computed tomography angiography prior to the surgery .
the landing zone requires a distance of 2 cm . whether the landing zone would cover the opening of the subclavian artery
the landing zone should not cover the hematoma . for controlled hypertension , racp or snp was employed . for racp
, the temporary pacemaker was adjusted to 180 beats / minute , until the systolic blood pressure dropped to 45 mmhg .
then the graft was released section by section , with the bracket naturally open and fixed on the aorta wall . in the snp group ,
the stent was released section by section when the blood pressure dropped below 80 mmhg .
after the stent was released , angiography was immediately performed to examine the positioning and morphology of the stent and to check for any endoleaks or whether the upper aortic arch branch flowed well .
a second thoracic aorta angiography was performed to examine the extent of gap closure and check for reduction of endoleaks .
finally , the femoral artery puncture was closed by perclose stapler suture . before and after the operation , neurocognitive dysfunction was evaluated in all patients by the folstein mini - mental state examination ( mmse ) ( maximum 30 points).5 patients were divided into four groups : serious cognitive dysfunction ( 0~17 points ) ; moderate cognitive dysfunction ( 18~24 points ) ; mild cognitive dysfunction ( 25~26 points ) ; and normal cognitive function ( 27~30 points).6,7 the distance between the preset anchoring point and the proximal marker of stent graft was measured to evaluate the precision of deployment .
normally distributed variables were expressed as mean standard deviation , and categorical variables were presented as frequency and percent .
differences of continuous variables were analyzed by student s t - tests , and those of categorical variables by tests or fisher s exact test . the mann
whitney u test was applied to analyze abnormal distributed variables like estimated glomerular filtration rate ( egfr ) and mmse scores .
analyses were performed with spss software ( version 17.0 ; ibm corporation , armonk , ny usa ) .
this study comprised prospective , randomized , case control research . from september 2007 to february 2009 , 197 patients who were diagnosed with stanford b aortic dissection and who underwent tevar were enrolled .
the patients were randomly divided into a racp group ( n=77 ) and a snp group ( n=91 ) . during localization and deployment of the stent graft , hypotension was induced by racp in patients assigned to the racp group and by intravenous snp in those assigned to the snp group , in an attempt to facilitate precise graft localization / deployment . apart from the induction method , tevar was performed according to the same protocol in each group .
talent ( medtronic , inc , minneapolis , mn , usa ) and hercules ( shanghai microport medical [ group ] co , ltd , shanghai , people s republic of china ) stents were used in this study .
for all the punctures the local infiltration , lidocaine was administered as local anesthesia before femoral artery puncture . when the puncture site was expanded or the stent graft inserted ( approximately 1 cm ) , 10 ml lidocaine was generally supplied .
the patients were in a supine position after anesthesia , and the left radial artery puncture was made with the seldinger approach.2,4 a 6f pigtail catheter was inserted into the ascending aorta for aortic angiography by the following procedure : the catheter was placed into the proximal opening of the left subclavian artery , and the booster was used to expand the aortic arch to the maximum angle ( average of 45 ) .
forty milliliters of contrast was injected at the speed of 20 ml / second and left for exposure for 1012 seconds .
the real and false lumens , as well as the dissection gap positions , were found , and then the openings of the celiac artery , superior mesenteric artery , and renal artery , within the real and false lumens , were checked .
the seldinger approach of puncture into the femoral artery was made from the ideal side of the dissection relative to the real lumen , at 12 cm above the bifurcation point between the deep and superficial femoral artery ( which was found with computed tomography angiography prior to surgery ) .
next , the sheath of artery was delivered , and the correct positioning was confirmed with angiography .
the loach wire was then passed through the catheter and shown with intermittent imaging to have entered the aortic real lumen .
the angiography catheter advanced into sent to the ascending aorta and then the loach wire was replaced by a hard guide wire .
the contralateral femoral vein was punctured to implant the temporary pacemaker at the right ventricular apex and the pacemaker adjusted for racp .
the aortic stent graft was passed through to the landing zone of the aortic arch .
the landing zone represents the normal artery tissues that are located proximally to the cleft and the hematoma , and was confirmed by main artery computed tomography angiography prior to the surgery .
the landing zone requires a distance of 2 cm . whether the landing zone would cover the opening of the subclavian artery
the landing zone should not cover the hematoma . for controlled hypertension , racp or snp was employed . for racp
, the temporary pacemaker was adjusted to 180 beats / minute , until the systolic blood pressure dropped to 45 mmhg .
then the graft was released section by section , with the bracket naturally open and fixed on the aorta wall . in the snp group ,
the stent was released section by section when the blood pressure dropped below 80 mmhg .
after the stent was released , angiography was immediately performed to examine the positioning and morphology of the stent and to check for any endoleaks or whether the upper aortic arch branch flowed well .
a second thoracic aorta angiography was performed to examine the extent of gap closure and check for reduction of endoleaks .
before and after the operation , neurocognitive dysfunction was evaluated in all patients by the folstein mini - mental state examination ( mmse ) ( maximum 30 points).5 patients were divided into four groups : serious cognitive dysfunction ( 0~17 points ) ; moderate cognitive dysfunction ( 18~24 points ) ; mild cognitive dysfunction ( 25~26 points ) ; and normal cognitive function ( 27~30 points).6,7
the distance between the preset anchoring point and the proximal marker of stent graft was measured to evaluate the precision of deployment .
normally distributed variables were expressed as mean standard deviation , and categorical variables were presented as frequency and percent .
differences of continuous variables were analyzed by student s t - tests , and those of categorical variables by tests or fisher s exact test . the mann
whitney u test was applied to analyze abnormal distributed variables like estimated glomerular filtration rate ( egfr ) and mmse scores .
analyses were performed with spss software ( version 17.0 ; ibm corporation , armonk , ny usa ) .
baseline characteristics ( eg , age , complications , pharmacotherapy , and basic renal function ) were not significantly different between the snp and racp groups ( p>0.05 ) ( table 1 ) . when compared to the patients in the snp group , the pressure - lowering effect was more significant , the restoration time of blood pressure was shorter , and the stent graft deployment was more precise in patients in the racp group ( table 2 ) . in each of the two groups ,
the cognitive function and renal function were not significantly different before and after the procedure ( table 3 ) .
the incidence of endoleak and paraplegia / hemiplegia was not significantly different between the two groups . in both groups ,
paraplegia / hemiplegia occurred only in cases of long ( 20 cm ) stent graft implantation ( table 4 ) .
following improvements in stent graft design and manufacturing technique and innovations in the operation method , tevar has gradually replaced the traditional aortic replacement as the standard operation method for stanford b aortic dissection . how to precisely deploy the stent graft at the preset position is critically important for successful operation .
the most important factor among the several that influence precise stent graft deployment is the windsock effect:8 during stent graft deployment ( especially while opening the front end of the stent graft ) , the blood flow in the aorta is completely blocked by the partly deployed stent graft , which leads to an abrupt increase of blood pressure onto the stent graft , which pushes the stent graft backward . lowering pressure during operation is an effective method by which to avoid the adverse influences of the windsock effect.9 in general , blood pressure is lowered by the following methods : manually .
the carotid sinus is compressed to stimulate the vagal reflex in order to achieve a pressure - lowering effect .
this method is adopted by few doctors , due to the inconstant effect and poor blood pressure control . with medications ( eg , snp , nitroglycerin , and short - acting -blockers).4,8
the medication approach is employed by most doctors , but still has some disadvantages ( eg , individualized dose , unstable pressure - lowering effect , adverse effect on cognitive / renal function , and long restoration time of blood pressure).10 furthermore , it is believed that , even though the medication approach decreases peripheral resistance , it also increases cardiac output , which may subsequently offset its improvement effect on the precise stent graft localization / deployment.8 by partial right atrial inflow occlusion.11 in a normal human body , two - thirds of blood backflow to the right side of the heart comes from the inferior vena cava . if the blood flow from the inferior vena cava is blocked , the cardiac output will be immediately reduced by two - thirds , theoretically , so a pressure - lowering effect could be achieved .
this technique has been recently adopted by some american doctors to lower blood pressure , but it is used in only a few centers ; its reliability and safety require further investigation . in the present study , when compared to the traditional pressure - lowering technique via pharmacological modulation , racp could significantly reduce the cardiac output , thus effectively reduce the impact of blood flow on the stent graft , without showing additional side effects .
racp has been routinely applied during percutaneous aortic valve replacement to facilitate precise valve deployment,6 without any reported relevant complication from more than 10,000 patients .
therefore , in 2006 , our hospital ( the affiliated baoan hospital of smu and guangdong general hospital ) first applied racp for tevar in china to avoid the windsock effect during stent graft positioning / deployment .
if the stent graft jumps forward when the stent graft is partly deployed , the pacing can be stopped temporarily to allow the windsock effect to push the stent graft slightly backward , which can achieve a precise localization with one attempt . in this study
, racp could immediately decrease the blood pressure to target level , unlike snp ( p=0.003 ) .
furthermore , the aortic pressure could be rapidly restored to the physiological level before the pacing once racp was stopped .
compared with the snp group , the restoration time in the racp group was significantly shorter ( p<0.001 ) . in complicated cases requiring a second graft or postdilation , racp can be applied again immediately .
this enables the operator to solve the problem immediately rather than waiting for snp to take effect , which is very important for preventing complications and shortening the duration of the total procedure . in the present study ,
the stent grafts were more precisely localized and deployed in the racp group than in the snp group ( p<0.001 ) .
it has been determined that whether the stent graft is deployed precisely correlates to the incidence of endoleak.4,8 therefore , racp might reduce the risk of endoleak by facilitating more precise stent graft deployment .
however , we found no significant difference in the incidence of endoleak between the racp and snp groups , which might have resulted from the small sample size in our study . in the future ,
we plan to recruit more patients to see if there is any further difference between racp and snp groups .
temporary percutaneous pacemaker implantation is a common therapy for bradycardia . when the heart beat amounts to 160~200 bpm , disharmonious systole begins to occur and left ventricle filling time is significantly reduced .
these two factors remarkably reduce the cardiac output and also reduce the mean arterial pressure , to 30~60 mmhg.12 during tevar , the pacing frequency can be adjusted from 160 to 200 bpm to reduce the aortic pressure to 3060 mmhg and completely eliminate pulse pressure , which keeps a relatively stable pressure in the aorta and thus facilitates the precise stent graft localization / deployment .
aortic pressure was significantly lower in the racp group compared with the snp group , but the risk of cognitive dysfunction , renal dysfunction , and paraplegia / hemiplegia in the racp group was not higher than in the snp group , probably due to the much shorter - duration hypotension and the faster restoration of blood pressure after racp was stopped .
semmens et al demonstrated that long - lasting hypotension could result in low perfusion of the spinal cord and thus increase the risk of ischemic injury . in the present study ,
the duration of hypotension was significantly shorter in the racp group when compared to the snp group .
common complications of racp are mainly puncture - site - related ( eg , puncture site hematoma and arteriovenous fistula)13 and can be greatly reduced when racp is performed by skilled doctors . implanting the pacing lead under fluoroscopy and applying racp for less than 10 seconds could reduce the incidence of complications to an acceptable level . in addition to puncture - related complications , racp can cause tachycardia and bradycardia as well . in patients without established heart diseases or previous tachycardia ,
the likelihood of acquired tachycardia is less than 1%.14 in patients with left bundle branch block , occurrences of pacemaker dependency should be expected ; a permanent pacemaker is needed in some cases . in the present study ,
there were three cases of left bundle branch block in the racp group , yet we found no pacemaker dependency in these cases . in an attempt to achieve precise deployment
the windsock effect was still detected in the present study , even with use of the new generation of stent graft .
racp can be considered an effective , stable , safe method with which to facilitate precise deployment of stent graft and should be routinely applied during tevar for stanford b aortic dissection . in the future , we will perform long - term follow - up studies to evaluate any potential differences between racp and snp control of blood pressure during tevar .
during tevar for stanford b aortic dissection , racp was compared to medication - induced hypotension and was shown to be able to facilitate precise graft localization / deployment , without increasing the risk of complications . | pubmed |
meckel 's diverticulum ( md ) , first described in 1808 , results from failure of complete obliteration of the vitelline duct .
it is a common anomaly of the small intestine that occurs in approximately 2% of the population , often found incidentally at the time of abdominal exploration 1,2 .
the complications associated with md include inflammation , perforation , hemorrhage , intussusception , volvulus , intestinal obstruction , and malignant transformation .
most patients with md are asymptomatic , but in those that develop symptoms , it has been estimated that more than 50% are less than 10 years of age 1 , 6 - 7 .
perforation , a rare uncommon complication of md in adults , is often caused by diverticulitis , which occurs in 12.7% to 30.9% of cases 8 .
conventional diagnostic methods including plain abdominal radiographs , abdominal ultrasound , technetium tc pertechnetate scintigraphy , angiography , and exploratory laparotomy have several limitations 9 .
the aim of this study is to review our experience using laparoscopy in the management of perforated md .
between july 2003 and july 2011 , 15 patients were seen with perforated md in the second hospital of shandong university .
all patients presented with a sudden onset of peri - umbilical or right lower quadrant pain . among them
9 had a past medical history of bloody stools and /or chronic recurrent abdominal pain .
physical examination showed abdominal rigidity , guarding to palpation in the peri - umbilical area and right lower quadrant in these 15 patients . on laboratory tests , white blood cell count of all the 15 patients
exceed 14.610/l with higher neutrophil granulocyte ratio , and 7 of the 9 patients presented with bloody stools showed hypochromic anemia . in all patients with bloody stools and
/or chronic recurrent abdominal pain , upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy were done in past but failed to find the source of bleeding .
a technetium tc pertechnetate scan was performed in five patients with bloody stools , only 2 patients had ectopic uptake in the right lower quadrant .
all of the 15 patients underwent ultrosound examnination and 12 showed free fluid and among them 4 with normal appendix ultrasonographic characteristics , 8 of the 15 patients underwent computed tomography scan of abdomen and pelvis which showed free fluid .
as to preoperative diagnosis of the 15 patients , 2 were diagnosed with perforated meckel 's diverticulum confirmly and 4 suspiciously , 9 with perforated acute appendicitis .
pneumoperitoneum was created by open hasson 's technique using a 10-mm port to a pressure of 12 mmhg . through this port ,
our procedure started with complete visualization of the whole abdomen and then identification of the ileocecal segment .
the terminal ileum was examined stepwise from ileocecal junction proximally using atraumatic grasping forceps . if an perforated md with narrow - base(<2 cm , fig .
1 ) was identified , a 12-mm trocar was placed through the right accessory port for replacement of the 5-mm one , allowing the right port for the application of endo linear cutter stapler ( endo lcs ) , exteriorization of md , and extraction of the specimen .
laparoscopically intraabdominal wedge resection of the md was performed by firing endo lcs across the bowl wall near the base of md . to perforated md with broad - base ( 2 cm , fig .
3 ) , a laparoscopically assisted extracorporal bowel segment resection with end - to - end anastomosis was performed .
before terminating the procedure , the resected diverticulum was opened and carefully inspected for confirmation of complete removal of ectopic gastric mucosa .
the distance from the diverticulum to the ileocecal valve , in our study , was from 40 to 95 cm with the mean of 62 cm .
the length and the base diameter was 3.61.2 cm ( range , 3- 8 cm ) and 1.70.9 cm ( range , 1 to 4 cm ) , respectively .
4 patients with broad - base( 2 cm ) and 2 patients with narrow - base(<2 cm ) whose perforative site was near the base underwent laparoscopically assisted extracorporal bowel segment resection , the other 9 patients with narrow - base(<2 cm ) underwent laparoscopically intraabdominal wedge resection of the md .
the mean operative time for laparoscopic wedge bowel resection of the md was 52 minutes , whereas the mean operative time for laparoscopically assisted bowel segment resection was 68 minutes .
the histopathologic studies showed heterotopic gastric mucosa ( hgm ) in 10 cases ( 66.7%% ) and no pancreatic tissue or colonic mucosa , no ectopic tissues were found in the other 5 patients .
fewer than 10% of symptomatic md are diagnosed preoperatively 5 . in general , upper and
lower gastrointestinal endoscopy play no role as they are inaccessible to ileum suffering from md .
ct and sonography are usually of little value because distinction between a diverticulum and intestinal loops is usually difficult . radionuclide scans ( tc - pertechnetate ) may diagnose md when uptake occurs in ectopic gastric mucosa or by identifying the site of gastrointestinal bleeding . but
accuracy , reported to be around 90% in pediatric series 10 , drops to only 46% in the adult group 11 .
hgm and the posittive tc pertechnetate scan was found in only 10 and 2 ( out of 5 ) patients in our series , respectively .
furthermore , perforated md often presents as acute abdomen , doctors might not have sufficient time to take various diagnostic measures .
laparoscopic surgery is propitious to avoid not only negative exploratory laparotomies for patients with false - positive radionuclide scan but also delayed surgical treatments for patients with false - positive scan 12 .
our 15 patients obtained definite diagnosis by diagnostic laparoscopy , and then received timely treatment safely .
mackey et al found that symptomatic diverticula were more likely to be 2 cm or greater in length 2 .
it had been felt that broad - based diverticula were less likely to be symptomatic because of a lower risk of obstruction .
mackey et al did not find any correlation between width and symptomatology 2 . in our series ,
11 cases with narrow - base ( < 2 cm ) and the diverticulums length of all patients were more than 2 cm with md diverticulitis , hence we infer that long diverticula with narrow - base(<2 cm ) are more predisposed to perforation .
md diverticulitis , clinically undistinguishable from acute appendicitis , occurs in about 20% of patients . as in acute appendicitis ,
diverticular obstruction results in distal inflammation , necrosis , or even perforation , leading to abscess or peritonitis .
ulceration of ectopic gastric tissue , ingestion of foreign bodies , littre 's hernia , tumors such as leiomyosarcoma , lymphatic sarcoma , and poorly differentiated stromal tumor were also pathologies leading to perforation 13 . in our fifteen patients ,
9 had manifestation of bloody stools and /or chronic recurrent abdominal pain in past medical history .
most published reports opponent to incidental diverticulectomy have included only patients undergoing diverticulectomy or bowel resection through laparotomy 14 .
prophylactic diverticulectomy laparoscopically was believed to be a safe procedure in face of potential risk of future complications and the higher morbidity associated with complicated md 15 .
there is general agreement that symptomatic md should be resected by either open or laparoscopic procedures . as to perforated md in operation ,
to survey the small intestine beginning from the ileocecal valve is necessary , especially when the appendix looks normal .
laparoscopic treatment of md has been increasingly reported with techniques including intraabdominal wedge resection or extracorporeal / intracorporeal bowel segment resection 16 .
compared to conventional open procedures , laparoscopy is a safe diagnostic and the therapeutic tool that can decrease the time spent for diagnosis and theoretically avoids the morbidity and mortality of a delayed diagnosis while keeping costs at a minimum .
following the recent development of stapler devices , laparoscopic tangential resection with a linear cutting and stapling device across the base of the diverticulum or wedge resection across the bowl wall near the base has become feasible . to avoid narrowing the ileal lumen ,
however , the extent of resection is still a matter of controversy , since the surgeon has a narrow margin for safe resection ; there is a risk for impinging on the lumen of the ileum or performing an insufficient resection that leaves ectopic tissue on the ileal stump .
therefore , inspection of the specimen is obligatory to ensure the complete resection of ectopic mucosa .
an additional frozen section may be helpful 17 . because of the possibility of ectopic tissue extending beyond the diverticulum 8 , bowel segment resection is a safe therapeutic alternative . in cases of bleeding diverticulum , inflammatory or perforated base , or in case of tumor , particularly in those where the lumen is narrowed , a formal segmental bowel resection after laparoscopic proof of an md should also be considered 18 .
laparoscopically extracorporeal bowel segment resection was employed by us because of its equal extent of safety and lower cost compared to intracorporeal bowel segment resection .
we performed laparoscopically intraabdominal wedge resection of the md and laparoscopically assisted extracorporal bowel segment resection acording to size of base or perforated site , but bowel segment resection was not reported by palanivelu c et al 19 who argued that tangential resection of the lesion alone would suffice provided the base of the diverticulum was not involved , while craigie rj et al 20 performed laparoscopically assisted extracorporal resection for all of their 3 patients without using either the endogia stapler or an endoloop technique .
the key procedural step in meckel 's diverticulectomy is to achieve complete resection of md along with the ectopic epithelium and peptic ulcers on the adjacent ileum .
emergency procedures have to be performed for cases with perforated md and the pathologists may be often absent for frozen section of the specimen to assess the gastric mucosa of the presence of malignancy .
certainly , if the diverticulum is associated with hemorrhage from an adjacent ulcer , or if it is broad based , a bowel resection is indicated 21 . because the presence of functioning hgm is often associated with bleeding , perforation due to acid secretion 22 and even ectopic mucosal tumor 23
, it is our contention that re - operation should be done in case of residual functioning hgm .
md is a hot - spot where adjusted risk of cancer was at least 70 times higher than any other ileal site 24 . under the condition of meckel 's diverticulum cancer ( mdc ) proved by pathologist postoperatively ,
a second selective operation should be considered according to the type of tumor and the extent of primary resection .
for example , simple diverticulectomy is incomplete for md - associated gastrointestinal stromal tumor ( gist ) 13 . in our series
, no residual gastric mucosa or mdc was found . in conclusion , perforated md often presents as acute abdomen and its preoperative diagnosis is difficult . to patients with sudden abdomen pain mimic acute appendicitis accompanied by a past medical history of bloody stools and/or chronic recurrent abdominal pain , perforated md should be kept in mind as a differential diagnosis .
exploratory laparoscopy decreases the time spent for diagnosis and theoretically avoids the morbidity and mortality of a delayed diagnosis .
diagnostic laparoscopy has played a keystone in reaching the definite diagnosis , and accordingly , a definite treatment of our 15 patients safely in emergency .
we can conclude that laparoscopy is a useful tool in the diagnostic as well as therapeutic treatment of perforated md in adults . | pubmed |
Forming magnetite on cast iron pan
I am in the process of seasoning a cast iron pan. (Creating the black non-stick coating typical of such pans.)
This is done by causing thin layers of flaxseed oil to polymerize and bond to the iron.
In the literature there is the recommendation that the polymerized oil bonds better to the pan, if the pan is covered with magnetite rather than blank iron, in part due to the porous nature of the oxide layer.
My question is: is there a DIY method that can either create $\ce{Fe3O4}$ on a polished cast iron pan, or alternatively convert a layer of $\ce{Fe2O3}$ into $\ce{Fe3O4}$?
In the gun manufacturing trade a process called "rust bluing" is used. In it the gun barrel is encouraged to form a thin layer of $\ce{Fe2O3}$ before being immersed in boiling distilled water. This causes the $\ce{Fe2O3}$ layer to convert into $\ce{Fe3O4}$ within minutes. Apparently due to the fact that boiling water lacks dissolved oxygen.
When I attempt to apply this "rust bluing" process to a cast iron pan, the $\ce{Fe2O3}$ layer stays red rather then turning black: Clearly the conversion is not taking place.
I am not clear why this is the case. Is it due to difference in materials, i.e. cast iron vs. gun steel?
Is there any way I can promote creation of/conversion to a magnetite layer on cast iron with DIY-compatible means? The industrial solution of caustic soda solution at 150$^{\circ}$C does not sound like a good idea for home implementation.
I think the two steps that are missing from you approach are "carding", where, after immersion in the boiling water, the steel is rubbed/brushed to knock off the larger rust structures and repetition. The process is repeated several times before the piece builds up a stable blued surface.
Check out this video of Larry Potterfield applying a rust blue surface to a rifle action and barrel: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPD3GWqk-yE>
Heating the polished and cleaned pan on your kitchen stove will oxidize the polished surface. The oxide will be magnetite. If you bring the pan to a dull glow, the oxide layer can be grown in thickness to suit your needs.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
the milky way is a unique laboratory in which to test our models of galaxy formation , structure , and evolution .
the story of the efforts to obtain stellar kinematic data in the solar neighbourhood during the 20th century has culminated with esa s hipparcos astrometric catalogue ( perryman et al . 1997 ) , and with the complementary ground - based spectroscopic surveys that have provided the missing information on the line - of - sight velocities ( e.g. , nordstrm et al .
2004 , famaey et al .
2005 ) . in recent years
, drastic improvements in acquisition of stellar kinematic data outside of the close solar vicinity have been made through various large spectroscopic surveys , including the rave survey ( siebert et al .
2011a ) , as well as , for instance , segue , segue-2 and apogee , as part of sdss ( eisenstein et al .
some of these newest data might actually slightly complicate our picture of the galaxy , through possible signatures of significant deviations from axisymmetry and equilibrium .
however , their interpretation is yet made difficult by sometimes complicated selection functions , and some of these data could also still be plagued by systematic errors , currently preventing us from drawing really secure conclusions .
one of the most important sources of error could come from the distances of stars . in view of this , having an astrometric mission dedicated to parallax and proper motion measurements covering the whole sky will be of prime importance in order to refine our detailed understanding of the dynamics of the galaxy .
this is mainly what the gaia mission will be about .
+ scheduled to be launched from kourou at the end of 2013 , esa s gaia satellite ( see , e.g. , prusti 2012 ) will perform astrometry and photometry of more than 1 billion objects up to a magnitude @xmath0 , as well as spectrosocopy for some 150 million objects up to @xmath1 . in order to get six - dimensional phase - space information for the whole galaxy
, the mission will have to be completed with ground - based spectrosocpic surveys , such as 4most and weave , for stars with @xmath2 .
although there will be a plethora of science topics addressed by the mission , its primary objective will be to provide a detailed mapping of the galaxy , and to develop , through dynamical means , a precise mass model including all of its components ( interstellar gas , various stellar populations , as well as the yet hypothetical dark matter component needed in newtonian gravity ) , giving us insight into its formation and evolutionary history .
+ this main objective will be achieved through dynamical models of the galaxy .
such models have to rely on assumptions , such as axisymmetry and equilibrium .
these very legitimate first order assumptions allow us to make use of jeans theorem constraining the phase - space distribution function to depend only on three isolating integrals of motion .
there are various ways in which to compute these integrals ( e.g. , binney 2012 , bienaym & traven 2012 ) . in this context , the action integrals are the best suited , since they are adiabatically invariant and are , with their conjugate angle variables , the natural coordinates of perturbation theory . by constructing distribution functions depending on these action integrals ( e.g. , binney 2010 )
, one can , e.g. , disentangle the various stellar populations such as the thin and thick disk in a much more reliable way than with naive kinematic decomposition . in principle , one can iterate the fits with different gravitational potentials until the best - fitting potential is found , giving access to the underlying mass distribution , and hints into the missing mass question .
it is also possible to take into account the main non - axisymmetric component ( e.g. , the bar ) by modelling the system in its rotating frame .
the other non - axisymmetric components should then be treated through perturbations . in the presence of multiple perturbers with significant amplitude
, it is however not clear that this approach would work . in general , the consequences of assuming dynamical equilibrium when it is not the case might bias the results from the 0th order approach , assuming axisymmetry and equilibrium . in this respect
, it will be extremely useful to test the jeans approach on non - equilibrium models from simulations .
the answer to such theoretical questions will have an important impact on the interpretation of future kinematical data .
+ here , we list a series of questions that are still unsettled and sometimes overlooked when dealing with stellar kinematic data in our galaxy .
these questions will only be answered through a joint theoretical and observational effort , and using datasets with well - understood errors and selection functions , such as those that gaia will provide .
answering these questions will certainly help refine our understanding of the structure , formation , and evolution of our milky way galaxy , and of galaxies in general .
rotation curves are the primary observational constraint on the gravitational field and the missing mass problem in external late - type galaxies ( e.g. , gentile et al .
2004 , chemin et al .
2011 ) . paradoxically , even though one can obtain data with incomparable precision on the kinematics of individual stars in the milky way , our position inside the galactic disk makes it difficult to measure the outer rotation curve with a similar precision as in external galaxies .
this indeed requires to know our distance from the galactic center @xmath3 , the local circular velocity at the sun s position @xmath4 and the peculiar velocity of the sun with respect to this circular velocity , as well as the precise distance to tracers used to measure the rotation curve in the outer galaxy .
combining gaia astrometric data with spectroscopic ones for the brightest stars , and with ground - based radial velocities for the faintest stars , should allow us to pin down the relevant quantities with the necessary precision .
note that the modelling should include an asymmetric drift correction for the tracer population .
a possible caveat would however be that the non - axisymmetry of the galaxy biases the estimation of the relevant parameters in an axisymmetric model ( see sect .
if the non - axisymmetry was too severe , the whole concept of a rotation curve would not even make sense anymore .
+ nowadays , estimates of @xmath3 can vary , at the extremes , from @xmath56.5 kpc to @xmath59.5 kpc , while associated measurements of the local circular velocity vary from @xmath5180 km / s to @xmath5300 km / s , all these values being heavily model - dependent ( mcmillan & binney 2010 , schnrich 2012 , bovy et al .
note that the currently often preferred value of @xmath6 km / s ( see mcmillan & binney 2010 , schnrich 2012 ) would curiously make the milky way a significant fast - rotating outlier from the tully - fisher relation ( see e.g. flynn et al .
2006 , hammer et al .
2012 for a discussion ) .
these values are however slightly degenerate with the peculiar motion of the sun , and in particular with its azimuthal component , which is currently poorly constrained within a factor of five , lying in the interval between 5 km / s ( dehnen & binney 1998 ) and 25 km / s ( bovy et al .
+ independently of the absolute value of the circular velocity , another important question is the _ shape _ of the rotation curve in the outer galaxy , which is crucial in determining the gravitational field and its associated putative dark matter distribution .
it has long been argued that a dip at 9 kpc followed by a bump at 11 kpc is observed in the outer rotation curve of the galaxy , which has notably been interpreted as the signature of the presence of ring - like dark matter structure ( e.g. , de boer & weber 2011 ) .
notwithstanding the fact that such a behavior could also be created by a dark matter halo with very large constant density core or by spiral arms , the interpretation of such a feature has also been attributed to a bias in the distribution of tracers ( binney & dehnen 1997 ) , and the feature is not required in the recent dynamical modelling of apogee data ( bovy et al .
the case for the presence or absence of such a feature in the outer galaxy rotation curve will certainly be settled with gaia data , and will be of prime importance for ascertaining the presence or absence of dark matter substructures inside the milky way disk , in parallel with a better understanding of the precise density distribution of stars in the outer galaxy , including features such as the monoceros overdensity .
one of the great achievements of the hipparcos mission in terms of galactic dynamics ( crz et al . 1998 , siebert et al .
2003 , holmberg & flynn 2004 ) has been to deduce the local dynamical mass in the solar neighbourhood the oort limit and the column density from the positions and velocities of tracer stars in the direction perpendicular to the galactic plane , and relying on the boltzmann and poisson equations .
recently , using the kinematics of stars at heights of 1 to 4 kpc above the plane , the surface density as a function of height has been computed in the solar vicinity ( bovy & tremaine 2012 ) , which allows to constrain the vertical structure of the dark matter halo . with parallax distances from gaia , the precision on such measures will become watertight , and it should also be possible to directly measure the dynamical density in the disk as a function of position in the galactic plane , allowing us to measure the dynamical scale - length and to compare it with the baryonic scale - length in order to test for the presence of a ( real or effective ) dark disk " component ( read et al .
2008 , bienaym et al .
+ however , this relies on the _ a priori _ reasonable assumption that the disk is in vertical equilibrium .
this assumption might be challenged by recent observations from sdss ( widrow et al .
2012 ) measuring a 10% north - south asymmetry in a 1 kpc - wide cylinder around the sun comprising about 300000 stars : the asymmetry follows a wave - like behavior , with a south overdensity at heights of 500 pc and a north overdensity at 1 kpc . complementary measurements of radial velocities for 11000 stars with segue also reveal that the _ mean _ vertical motion can reach up to 10 km / s at heights of 1.5 kpc ( to be compared with the assumed null mean vertical velocity in the plane yielding a solar reflex motion of @xmath57 km / s ) , echoing previous similar results by smith et al .
if real , these nonzero mean vertical velocities of stars outside of the galactic plane are very intriguing , and could be a signature of the galactic warp , or of vertical perturbations excited by the recent passage of a satellite galaxy in the plane ( widrow et al .
alternatively , they could be due to self - excited vertical instabilities due to spiral arms , despite the presence of such bulk motions at relatively large heights above the plane .
galactic disk instabilities , and their associated non - axisymmetric perturbations , including the bar and spiral arms , are known to be among the main drivers of the secular evolution of disks .
questions about their nature transient , quasi - stationary , or both types co - existing , about their detailed structure and dynamics e.g. , amplitude and pattern speed , as well as questions about their influence on secular processes such as stellar migration ( see sect . 5 ) , are all essential elements for a better understanding of galactic evolution . six - dimensional phase - space information for stars in an increasingly large volume around the sun will allow us to set new dynamical constraints on the non - axisymmetric perturbations of the galactic potential .
the resonances of the non - axisymmetric modes of the galactic potential are important agents locally disturbing the stellar velocity field .
they create velocity substructures known as moving groups " in the solar neighbourhood .
these local velocity - space substructures have been reliably shown to be made of stars of very different ages and chemical compositions , so that the clumping can not be due to irregular star formation ( e.g. , dehnen 1998 , famaey et al .
2005 , 2007 , 2008 , pompia et al .
2011 ) : they are nowadays the main stellar kinematical constraints on the non - axisymmetric components of the galaxy . however , various models have argued to be able to represent these structures equally well , using transient or quasi - static spirals , with or without the help of the outer lindblad resonance from the bar .
however , all these models are making drastically different predictions on the velocity substructures when moving away from the solar neighbourhood . locating moving groups in velocity space outside of the solar neighbourhood is thus mandatory to discriminate between these models , and to obtain definitive constraints on the characteristics of the spiral arms and bar .
the rave survey has for instance allowed ( antoja et al . 2012 ) to demonstrate that the hercules moving group has a larger azimuthal velocity for regions inside the solar circle and a lower value outside , in accordance with what is expected from models where the sun is located just outside the outer lindblad resonance of the bar ( e.g. , quillen et al .
2011 ) .
the local effects of non - axisymmetric perturbations can also be analyzed by taylor expanding to first order the planar velocity field in the cartesian frame of the local standard of rest ( lsr ) , an approximation roughly valid up to a distance of less than 2 kpc .
this is done by generalizing the classical oort constants to the case of a non - axisymmetric disk , yielding the constants @xmath7 , measuring the azimuthal shear , @xmath8 , measuring the vorticity , @xmath9 , measuring the radial shear , and @xmath10 , measuring the local divergence .
axisymmetry implies @xmath11 ( but not the reverse , they can , e.g. , be zero if the main non - axisymmetric perturbation is symmetric w.r.t .
the sun - galactic center axis ) .
proper motions of a large sample of stars allow for a measurement of @xmath7 , @xmath8 , and @xmath9 , while line - of - sight velocities projected onto the galactic plane give access to @xmath7 , @xmath9 and @xmath10 . while old , rather imprecise , data were actually compatible with the axisymmetric values @xmath11 ( kuijken & tremaine 1994 ) , a modern analysis of act / tycho-2 proper motions , after corrections for the mode - mixing and asymmetric drift , yielded ( olling & dehnen 2003 ) @xmath12km / s / kpc for the red giants population , with a typical @xmath13km / s .
the measurement of the oort constant @xmath10 was , on the other hand , recently performed with the rave survey ( siebert et al .
2011b ) in the longitude interval @xmath14 , thanks to the line - of - sight velocities ( projected onto the galactic plane ) of 213713 stars ( dominated by red giants ) with spectro - photometric distances @xmath15kpc from the sun .
this analysis confirmed the above proper - motion value of @xmath16 , and found a value @xmath17 , also different from zero . this value would actually imply a galactocentric radial velocity gradient of @xmath18km / s / kpc in the extended solar neighbourhood . to check the actual existence of this radial velocity gradient implied by the above - measured value of @xmath19 , the projection onto the plane of the mean line - of - sight velocity as a function of @xmath20 for @xmath21 ,
was examined both for the full rave sample and for red clump candidates ( with an independent method of distance estimation ) .
the observed mean velocities were then compared to the expected velocities for a thin disk in circular rotation with an additional radial gradient .
this clearly confirmed that the rave data are not compatible with a disk in circular rotation .
they are , on the other hand , roughly compatible with a linear gradient of @xmath22km / s / kpc ( siebert et al .
this gradient in @xmath23 is however not really linear .
it is almost absent at small distances , and becomes steep at large distances from the sun in the inner galaxy .
this means that it affects stars substantially above the plane , keeping in mind that rave lines of sight are typically at @xmath24 : the zone where the gradient is steep concerns stars with @xmath25pc , located in the inner galaxy and moving towards the anticenter .
however , if the lsr itself is moving radially towards the inner galaxy with @xmath26 km / s , then it would mean that the galactic disk is locally affected by a motion towards the inner galaxy , which slows down when one moves away from the sun towards the galactic center ( see fig . 4 in famaey et al .
2012 ) . said in another way , one could have @xmath27 km / s in the solar neighbourhood at @xmath28kpc , and @xmath29 km / s at @xmath30kpc along the gc - sun axis and at @xmath25pc .
this could explain the offset of 5 km / s between the local and non - local estimates of the radial motion of the sun ( schnrich 2012 ) .
+ as a first step in understanding this gradient , one could assume that , to first order , what is seen slightly above the plane is a reflection of what would happen in a razor - thin disk , and that the spiral arms are tightly wound and long - lived ( although this is heavily debated and most probably wrong to some extent ) , and described by the analytic lin - shu density wave model .
this then allows us to constrain the shape , amplitude and dynamics of spiral arms , leaving the radial motion of the sun as a free parameter . in siebert
et al . ( 2012 ) we showed that the best - fit model is obtained for a two - armed perturbation with the sun close to the inner ultra - harmonic @xmath31 resonance , with a pattern speed @xmath32km / s / kpc , and an amplitude of 14% of the background density . in this
fit the radial motion of the sun stays within 1 km / s of its locally determined value . while very promising in giving a satisfactory fit ,
the model limitations nevertheless obviously prevent from drawing definitive conclusions about the cause of the gradient as well as the fitted parameters .
it is for instance very likely that the bar also plays a role in this observed behavior .
constraining the non - axisymmetries of the galactic potential is very important for several reasons .
first of all , interpreting the kinematic data in an axisymmetric model ( see sect .
2 ) could potentially lead to erroneous results , and thereby bias the estimate of the mass distribution in the outer galaxy .
secondly , such non - axisymmetries are among the main drivers of the secular evolution of the galactic disk ( see sect . 5 ) , and can play an important role in driving stellar migrations , having dramatic consequences for the chemical evolution of the galaxy .
thirdly , non - axisymmetric baryonic features , such as spiral arms , can be essential in breaking the disk - halo degeneracy : a large amplitude of the spiral structure can not simply be traded for mass in the dark matter halo when fitting non - axisymmetric motions ( see , e.g. , famaey & binney 2005 for a discussion ) . finally , it is by disentangling the effects of the various non - axisymmetric components that the possible triaxiality of the dark matter halo could be spotted ( or excluded ) in the outer galaxy .
such a triaxiality is predicted at large radii from the @xmath33cdm cosmological model . for this final point ,
the most promising approach is to use , as dynamical probes , the tidal streams of disrupting satellite galaxies in the potential of the milky way , keeping in mind that these do not precisely delineate orbits .
kinematical information from gaia should allow us to detect many such new streams in the stellar halo , and studying their shape and respective orbit is a very promising tool in constraining the shape of the galactic potential at large radii .
many streams are indeed required for this method to be reliable , since the orbit of a single stream such as the sagittarius stream ( ibata et al .
1994 ) could not break the degeneracy between the possible triaxiality of the halo and the shape of the rotation curve in the outer galaxy . in this respect , combining dynamical constraints on streams with a reliable measure of the outer rotation curve ( see sect .
2 ) would be immensely useful for constraining the shape of the potential at large radii .
one of the major goals of the dynamical modelling of stellar kinematical data obtained from gaia will be to disentangle the various components of the galaxy ( bulge , stellar halo , thin disk , thick disk ) , and unravel their history and origin .
information on the chemical composition of the various stellar populations , obtained with ground - based spectroscopic surveys , will also be of prime importance in order to refine this understanding .
two major processes are at play in the evolution of galaxies : hierarchical formation and secular evolution ( see , e.g. , debattista et al . 2006 for an overview ) . the question of whether the milky way bulge is the result of an early major merger , of monolithic collapse , or simply of secular evolution through buckling of the central bar , or a combination of these processes , is still unsettled ( babusiaux et al . 2010 ) . similarly , we still do not know whether the stellar halo ( see helmi 2008 for a review ) partially formed _ in situ _ through dissipational mergers of the first gaseous proto - galactic clumps , potentially resulting in a substantial fraction of its current inner regions , or through the dissipationless accretion of a vast number of small galaxies ( creating the aforementioned tidal streams in the outer halo , see sect .
the existence of two such separate halo components and whether they could bear distinct kinematical signatures is still under heavy debate ( schnrich et al .
2011 , beers et al . 2012 ) .
obviously , the number of stellar streams newly detected with gaia in the outer halo , as well as their phase - space characteristics and chemical composition ( e.g. , prantzos 2011 ) , will also allow us to quantify the role of hierarchical formation and merger rate in a cosmological context , testing the predictions of the @xmath33cdm model ( see also sect .
on the other hand , the origin of the thick disk component is still a deep mystery : one possibility is that it was born _ in situ _ , e.g. from the internal gravitational instabilities in a gas - rich , turbulent , clumpy disk ( bournaud et al . 2009 ) , or in the turbulent phase associated with numerous gas - rich mergers ( brook et al . 2004 ) .
it could also have been created through direct in - plane accretion of galaxy satellites , although modern data seem to rule out this extragalactic possibility ( ruchti et al .
2010 , wilson et al .
the formation of the thick disk can either happen fast , on a gyr timescale , in an early violent epoch , or as a secular process throughout the galaxy lifetime .
in the first case , the thick disk would appear as a clear distinct component in chemistry and phase - space , while in the latter case it would rather be seen as a gradual , continuous transition : modern data seem to favour this second option ( bovy et al .
2012b ) . on the other hand ,
studying the orbits of stars within the thick disk , notably their eccentricities at different galactocentric radii with gaia data , will be a powerful tool for determining its origin ( sales et al .
2009 , di matteo et al .
2011 ) . driven by the absence of age - metallicity relation in the solar neighbourhood , chemical similarities between metal - poor bulge stars and the local thick disk ( e.g. , melndez et al . 2008 ) , and the fact that stars labelled as local members of the thick disk can have orbital properties suggesting an origin at different galactocentric radii ( haywood 2008 ) , there has recently been a growing convinction that stellar radial migration can result in the thick disk formation by bringing out stars with high velocity dispersion from the inner disk and the bulge ( schnrich & binney 2009 ) .
sellwood & binney ( 2002 ) indeed showed that transient spirals can efficiently redistribute angular momentum across their corotation radius without heating : if the amplitude of the perturber grows and decays on a timescale comparable to half the libration period of a horseshoe orbit around corotation , the spiral will deposit stars on the other side of corotation and vanish before pulling it back . in the presence of multiple patterns ,
horseshoe orbits are however necessarily destroyed at corotation when it overlaps with the lindblad resonances of other patterns , unavoidably resulting in a very moderate degree of chaotic behaviour , even though this is disputed by some studies ( roskar et al .
while differing from the previous process in contributing somewhat to the heating of the galactic disk with time , this effect has been shown to also significantly enhance the efficiency of migration at corotation ( minchev & famaey 2010 ) : in particular , in the presence of a strong central bar , transient spirals with corotation close to its outer lindblad resonance are more efficient at mixing the disk , resulting in a peak of the redistribution of angular momentum at this radius ( minchev et al .
2011 ) , revealing the important role of the bar for chemo - dynamical models taking into account stellar migration ( see also brunetti et al .
for instance , the observed non - linearity of the metallicity gradient in the milky way , exhibiting at @xmath3 a step - like feature with overlapping metallicties characteristic of the inner and outer disk ( lpine et al .
2011 ) , might be directly linked to the coupling between the outer lindblad resonance of the bar and the corotation of one of the milky way spiral patterns .
note also that the multiplicity of spiral patterns lead to the appearance of short - lived density peaks growing and decaying much faster than the spiral waves themselves , also greatly enhancing the efficiency of migration ( comparetta & quillen 2012 ) . generally speaking , stellar migration has , in any case , dramatic consequences on the chemo - dynamical evolution of the milky way disk , and of galaxy disks in general ( e.g. , roskar et al .
for instance , it flattens abundance gradients ( probably more so in barred disks , martin & roy 1994 ) , and it creates extended stellar disks ( up to 10 scale - lengths ) with continuous ( type i ) or downturning ( type ii ) density profiles ( minchev et al .
2012a ) , with steeper slopes for younger populations ( radburn - smith et al .
. additional smooth gas accretion could create additional spiral instabilities and more migration in the outer parts , thereby generating extended disks with upturning ( type iii ) profiles . in the milky way
, it will be extremely interesting to check , with gaia and complementary surveys such as weave , whether an extended disk does exist , and whether it exhibits such signatures of radial migration , allowing us to quantify the roles of the non - axisymmetric components in the past chemo - dynamical evolution of the disk .
+ schnrich & binney ( 2009 ) have shown , with a simple chemical evolution model parametrizing radial migrations , that this mixing could explain most of the chemical properties of the thick disk .
it was subsequently shown in tree - sph and cosmological simulations that stellar migrators tend to create a flared disk component rather than a thick disk of constant scale - height ( minchev et al .
2012b ) , meaning that radial migration does _ not _ thicken the disk in the inner parts .
given the hierarchical formation of the galaxy , it is however also possible that the thick disk might have been formed without too much flaring through a combination of heating and radial migration caused by instabilities linked to mergers at high - redshift ( minchev et al .
2012c ) , i.e. quite rapidly in comparison with the schnrich & binney ( 2009 ) scenario but still in accordance with the bovy et al .
( 2012b ) results .
testing whether the thick disk has a constant scale - height as a function of radius , as in external galaxies , or whether it is rather strongly flared , would be very important to check whether secular evolution from radial migration alone can explain the creation of such a component . in that case
, the scale - height should not be constant , and vertical chemical gradients should also vary with radius , while estimates of the average vertical action ( see sect .
1 ) for different populations of stars should reveal different variation with radius ( flattening for older groups of stars ) .
quantifying the hierarchical formation history of the galaxy from understanding its various components as outlined above ( notably the respective role of minor and major mergers in the formation of the bulge , thick disk and stellar halo ) is of fundamental importance in order to test the predictions of the current standard @xmath33cdm cosmological model at low redshift .
it should however be remembered that , on galaxy scales , predictions of this model are plagued by the enormous complications of baryonic astrophysics ( e.g. , silk & mamon 2012 ) . with this in mind , milky way observations nevertheless provide a unique , extremely useful tool in order to set constraints , and to present observational challenges that must be addressed by any scenario of galaxy formation .
for instance , the existence of a large number of extended thin disk galaxies without classical bulges is in itself a challenge to the expectations from the number of major mergers in the cosmological model .
thus , tracing back the origin of the milky way bulge ( babusiaux et al . 2010 and sect
. 5 hereabove ) would be extremely useful to set a benchmark allowing to compare it to the bulges of other galaxies , in order to determine their merger , bar - induced , or mixed origins .
similarly , a slow secular origin for the thick disk might be challenging to the number of expected mergers at high redshift in the standard cosmological scenario , and determining the exact origin of the thick disk and its relation with other components of the galaxy is thus extremely important in this context ( see sect . 5 ) . a long - standing problem of @xmath33cdm is the fact that the numerical simulations of the collapse of dark matter halos lead to a density distribution as a function of radius , @xmath34 , which is well fit by a smooth function asymptoting to a central cusp with slope @xmath35 in the central parts ( with @xmath36 for a milky way - sized halo , meaning that the slope is still @xmath37 at 200 pc from the center ) , while rotation curves of external galaxies lead to values of @xmath38 that are much closer to a constant density core ( chemin et al .
2011 ) . in the milky way ,
non - axisymmetric motions ( see sect . 4 ) and microlensing events in the disk leave no room to trade mass from the stellar disk to the dark matter halo , and rule out a cuspy distribution ( see , e.g. , famaey & binney 2005 ) .
confirmation of this current state of affairs is expected from gaia .
the state - of - the - art solution to this problem is to enforce strong supernovae outflows that move large amounts of low - angular - momentum gas from the central parts and that pull on the central dark matter concentration to create a core ( governato et al .
2012 ) , but this is still a relatively fine - tuned process , which fails to account for cored profiles in the smallest galaxies , and fails to produce their observed baryon fractions ( [ stars+gas]/total ) .
satellite galaxies of the milky way are also extremely useful tools to test the @xmath33cdm predictions . for instance , a lot of low - mass satellites are still missing ( e.g. , bovill & ricotti 2011 ) , which could be due to incomplete sky coverage from current surveys such as the sdss . discovering more dwarf galaxies around the milky way , especially ultra - faint ones is thus of immense importance for future surveys including gaia .
sooner , the pan - starrs survey should already give us interesting results in this respectcdm are incompatible with hosting any of the mw satellites : the too big to fail " challenge ( bovill & ricotti 2011 , boylan - kolchin et al . 2012 ) ] .
in addition to this challenge from the actual quantity of observed satellites , the distribution of dark subhalos around milky way - sized halos is also predicted by @xmath33cdm to be isotropic , or moderately flattened ( wang et al .
however , the milky way satellites are currently observed to be highly correlated in phase - space : they lie within a seemingly rotationally supported thin disk ( see , e.g. , kroupa et al .
young halo globular clusters define the same disk , and streams of stars and gas , roughly tracing the orbits of the objects from which they are stripped , seem to preferentially lie in this disk , too .
while this might perhaps be explained by the infall of one or two groups of galaxies that would have retained correlated orbits , this solution is challenged by the fact that no nearby groups are observed to be anywhere near as spatially small as the milky way s disk of satellites ( e.g. , kroupa et al .
but since the sdss survey covered only one fifth of the sky , it will of course be most interesting to see whether future surveys such as pan - starrs and gaia will confirm this state of affairs .
precise proper motions observed with gaia for the faintest galaxies and stellar streams will also be extremely important : this will allow us to trace back the orbits in a @xmath33cdm context ( see , e.g. , angus et al .
2011 ) , and will allow us to check whether the whole polar structure is indeed rotationally supported .
whether or not such a satellite phase - space correlation would be unique to the milky way should also be carefully checked : the milky way can be a statistical outlier , but if the @xmath33cdm model is a realistic description of nature , then the average satellite configurations in external galaxies should be only moderately flattened ( wang et al .
if this is not the case , i.e. if flattened configurations are the norm , one possibility to investigate in detail would be a heavily heterogeneous and asymmetric reionization coming from internal sources , in the spirit of ocvirk & aubert ( 2011 ) , preserving only small regions of the proto - galaxy corresponding to the current disk of satellites .
another more radical solution to this disk - of - satellites problem might be that most satellite galaxies are actually not primordial galaxies but rather tidal dwarf galaxies created in a major merger event , having occured in the milky way ( e.g. , pawlowski et al .
2012 ) or even in m31 ( fouquet et al .
2012 ) : this could possibly account for their presently correlated phase - space distribution , but would be in severe conflict with the fact that tidal dwarf galaxies are not supposed to harbour large dark matter fractions , while observations point to these objects being the most dark matter dominated objects in the universe .
this could however be reminiscent of young tidal dwarf galaxies observed in the tidal tails of external galaxies to also harbour substantial amounts of missing mass ( bournaud et al .
one obvious solution might be to seriously reconsider the possibility that a large fraction of missing mass in disk galaxies is in the form of cold molecular gas distributed fractally in the disk ( e.g. , pfenniger & combes 1994 , davies 2012 ) .
this would need us to rethink most of our understanding of galaxy formation .
another , even more baffling possibility , would be that there is actually no missing mass on galaxy scales ( which would _ not _ mean that dark matter does not exist on cosmological scales ) , but that gravity is non - newtonian .
this would help explaining why many observed scaling relations in external galaxies ( famaey & mcgaugh 2012 ) involve the ubiquitous appearance of an acceleration constant @xmath39 , whose origin is mysterious in the standard context .
most of these scaling relations can indeed be summarized by the empirical formula of milgrom ( 1983 ) , the success of which means that the gravitational field in galaxies mimicks , for whatever reason , an effectively modified force law on galaxy scales , known as modified newtonian dynamics ( mond ) .
this theory would for instance naturally explain why young tidal dwarf galaxies exhibit a mass discrepancy ( gentile et al .
2007 ) where dark matter is not expected to show up .
the advent of gaia will yield precise measurements allowing us to test the possibility that the success of milgrom s formula is linked to modified gravity .
these include the measurement of the outer rotation curve and its possible deviation from the baryonic tully - fisher relation ( see sect . 2 ) , as well as the various effect of the phantom dark disk " of mond ( bienaym et al .
2009 ) on vertical velocity dispersions ( see sect . 3 ) and on the tilt of the stellar velocity ellipsoid , the precise shape of tidal streams around the galaxy ( see sect . 4 ) , or the effects of the external gravitational field in which the milky way is embedded on fundamental parameters such as the local escape speed .
all these predictions can however slightly vary depending on the exact formulation of mond , and will heavily depend on our precise knowledge of the underlying baryonic mass distribution . should these tests be compatible with the predictions of mond , the biggest challenge for such a theory would however remain to design a cosmological framework that could compete with the successes of @xmath33cdm on cosmological scales .
today , there are still a lot of largely unknown answers to many old questions regarding the dynamics of the milky way , such as the local circular speed at the sun s radius , the peculiar motion of the sun , the degree of non - axisymmetry of the gravitational potential , the degree of north - south symmetry around the galactic plane , or the geometry of the satellite system of the galaxy .
recent data coming from large surveys are questioning many of the old assumptions that were made regarding these issues . since it is still possible that some of these new results may turn out to be caused by systematic errors , notably in the stellar spectrophotometric distances , or from improper correction for complicated selection biases
, it will be of prime importance to re - investigate all these questions with the distances and proper motions from gaia at hand .
whatever the final answers to all these questions are , they will surely help us refine our understanding of the evolution of galaxies , and will give us new insights into modern questions about the gravitational field of the milky way and its connection to the dark matter mystery and cosmology . | arxiv |
cosmic rays ( crs ) , relativistic charged particles with energies @xmath1ev , constitute an essential part of astrophysical systems ( see schlickeiser 2003 ) . in galaxies
they often provide pressure and energy densities comparable to those of magnetic fields and thermal gas . in very dense regions , such as the cores of molecular clouds or accretion disks they are the only source of ionization that that must be present to allow interaction of magnetic field and the fluid ( see mckee & ostriker 2007 ) .
the origin of crs has been a subject of debate from the beginning of research in the field ( ginzburg & syrovatsky 1964 ) . by now , it is accepted , however , that galactic crs at least up to the `` knee '' in the spectrum just above @xmath2ev are most likely generated primarily by strong supernova shocks .
the modern study of cr acceleration in shocks involving so - called diffusive shock acceleration ( dsa ) began with krymsky ( 1977 ) and bell ( 1978 ) test particle models .
they noted that when particles whose mean free paths exceed the thickness of a viscous shock are scattered upstream and downstream of the shock on ideal scatterers moving with the bulk fluid , they gain energy each time they return across the shock front .
the resulting steady - state cr distribution is a power - law in momentum , ( @xmath3 ) with a slope @xmath4 , where @xmath5 is the shock flow mach number .
this asymptotes to @xmath6 for strong shocks .
it soon became apparent , if there is efficient injection of fresh crs at the shock , that crs can extract significant energy from the shocked flow .
since the crs diffuse ahead of the shock , this naturally leads to a pressure gradient upstream of the shock transition that smoothly decelerates and compresses flow into the shock , forming a shock precursor . in strongly modified shocks ,
the total velocity jump through the precursor can exceed that for a classical adiabatic fluid shock .
since crs with higher energies usually have longer mean free paths , they travel further into the precursor than lower energy crs .
consequently , they `` see '' a stronger shock transition , and are accelerated more efficiently .
this leads to an upward - concave spectrum reaching a somewhat shallower slope than the test particle spectrum at large energies ( malkov & drury 2001 and ref . therein ) . on the other hand ,
the scattering events encountered by the crs are not ideal , but depend on some complex physics determined by details of the local electromagnetic field , which is , in turn , modified by the crs . in a diffusive propagation approximation one
must pay close attention to this local physics to determine the spatial diffusion coefficient , @xmath7 , and the momentum diffusion coefficient , @xmath8 , that go into the diffusion - convection equation for the quasi - isotropic cr distribution function @xmath9 : # 1#2 @xmath10 ( e.g. , skilling 1975 ) , with some source term added for injection and assuming that @xmath11 depends only on one spatial coordinate @xmath12 and the magnitude of cr momentum , @xmath13 .
this equation uses the so - called `` local '' system of reference , where the particle momentum is measured with respect to the rest frame of the fluid .
similarly , magnetic field perturbations that are the driver of particle scattering should also be defined locally over the scales that are sampled by a particle gyrating in the magnetic field ( see , e.g. , yan & lazarian 2004 ) . as the fluid and the high - energy particles couple through the electromagnetic field , the problem reduces in practice to the study of the generation of magnetic fields , their spatial structure and the scattering of particles in those fields .
this problem , formulated in the most general case ( e.g. with the fully three - dimensional vlasov s equation ) is very hard to treat . in part
this is due to the nonlinear nature of the coupling between particles and fields . following the original test particle model a number of approaches to include more complete physics
have been adopted in the literature .
one of the most popular approaches to capture the feedback of crs on the electromagnetic fields has been to apply the streaming instability mechanism , where particles , escaping upstream along the magnetic field , confine themselves by amplification of resonant waves ( lagage & cesarsky 1983 ) .
this approach assumes the existence of the background magnetic field , which is usually taken for simplicity to be directed perpendicular to the shock ; that is , along the shock normal .
this field was traditionally assumed to be of the order of the background ism magnetic field , @xmath14 . however , it is easy to show that upstream magnetic fields of around @xmath15 are too weak to provide an efficient acceleration of the cosmic rays with energies as high as @xmath2 gev , as required for supernova shocks to produce crs to the knee .
pev cosmic rays have long mean free paths in such a field and have a high probability of escaping the shock , so they are not subject to further acceleration .
this poses a serious problem for the shock acceleration of galactic crs . to overcome the problem one can argue that the magnetic field in the preshock region can be much stronger than its interstellar value and that the free energy available for the shock is sufficient to generate much larger fields ( volk , drury & mckenzie , 1984 ) .
the magnetic field generation , if pursued through streaming instability , leads naturally to a highly nonlinear stage of the streaming instability where @xmath16 .
the original classical treatment of the instability is not applicable in that limit .
what happens in the non - linear regime has been a subject of much discussion in recent years ( e.g. , lucek & bell 2000 , diamond & malkov 2007 , blasi & amato 2008 , zirakashvili et al 2008 , riquelme & spitkovsky 2009 ) . the current driven instability proposed by bell ( 2004 )
has moved recently to the center of this scientific debate .
the driving electric current of that instability comes from drift ( streaming ) of the escaping crs .
the _ compensating _ return current of the background plasma leads to a transverse force on the background plasma that can amplify transverse perturbations in the magnetic field .
numerical simulations suggest that the initial field strength can grow substantially , leading in the nonlinear form to disordered fields with coherence lengths that depend on field strength ( bell 2004 , zirakashvili et al 2008 , riquelme & spitkovsky 2009 ) .
cr streaming instability in the presence of a relatively organized magnetic field is an attractive starting point in understanding how crs may amplify magnetic fields .
we argue , on the other hand , that the classic treatment of streaming instability can not deal with @xmath16 case , i.e. , can not generate large fields directly .
this is because a large perturbed field violates the key assumptions of particle dynamics made in establishing the instability .
various attempts have been made to `` renormalize '' the magnetic field so that the perturbation @xmath17 becomes a new effective @xmath18 .
for instance , diamond and malkov ( 2007 ) considered diffusion of magnetic energy from resonant gyroscales to larger scales due to compressibility effects . among their assumptions were weak coupling and advection - diffusion equations for wave number densities .
like most treatments of this problem , their equations were also one - dimensional in space , which required relatively simple structure of the cosmic ray density with respect to magnetic field direction .
the case of a highly tangled three - dimensional magnetic field with @xmath16 , which is the case we explore here , can not be treated in such way .
indeed , in following a magnetic field line one will typically see regions with alternating direction of the cr density gradient .
therefore , streaming crs will produce both forward and backward going waves .
this is unlike the classic picture where mostly forward - going waves are produced . in a turbulent field
those regions of the alternating cr gradient will be non - trivially determined by the topology of the field and the details of cr diffusion ( see appendix a ) .
is it possible to generalize the streaming instability approach to be applicable in a tangled magnetic field by arguing that each particle scattering creates a magnetic field perturbation on its own gyroscale ?
the difficulty with this is that in the tangled @xmath16 field such small incoherent perturbations are going to average out , leaving the basic , residual effect that the crs apply pressure to the fluid .
can substantial magnetic fields be efficiently generated in this generic case ?
this is the subject of the present paper . in what follows
, we argue that there is an alternative process that can provide fast magnetic field generation .
it provides sufficiently strong magnetic field without appealing to either classical streaming instabilities or their modifications .
the cr pressure gradient is the dynamical agent that forms the shock precursor and also drives field amplification.g field in a 10,000 km / s shock produces gev crs on a timescale of about a year .
] we discuss below the generation of a strong magnetic field as the precursor interacts with the interstellar medium .
we assume that the cr pressure is a smooth function applied to the fluid , while the magnetic field is generated by purely fluid nonlinear mechanisms .
the magnetic field , in turn , plays the role of cr scatterer and accelerator .
the fluid is stirred within the precursor on large , precursor - sized , scales by the combination of fluid density inhomogeneities and cr pressure .
although we consider the cr pressure applied to the inflowing fluid homogeneous in the direction along the shock , the acceleration of the fluid element is highly inhomogeneous due to the density inhomogeneity of the fluid .
this drives precursor turbulence .
the magnetic energy is generated on intermediate scales through a small - scale dynamo . while the cosmic ray pressure gradient is smooth , the generated magnetic field is tangled and effectively suppress the streaming instabilities , at least in their classical formulation . in assuming a smooth cr pressure distribution
, we are effectively averaging the cr action over small scales .
we leave the problem of the fluctuations of cr and magnetic pressure on gyroscale to future study .
although in a classic hydrodynamic shock no information can travel upstream and create perturbations , the upstream diffusion of crs leading to precursor formation makes this possible , since crs are much faster than the inflow .
because crs couple only diffusively to the fluid , their distribution will generally be smoother and only slowly reactive to local changes in the fluid .
this creates a number of new possibilities , such as the drury acoustic instability ( drury 1984 ; dorfi & drury 1985 ; kang et al .
1992 ) , which is the enhancement of compressible perturbations by the cr pressure gradient .
such instabilities , however , will only operate on perturbations during the limited time that a fluid element crosses the precursor .
this crossing time @xmath19 will be determined by the flow profile as @xmath20 on the other hand , generically , a fluid element passing through the precursor has inhomogeneities of its own .
some level of density inhomogeneity is always present in astrophysical plasmas , including the ism ( armstrong et al .
1995 ) and stellar winds , media that typically transmit snr shocks .
these inhomogeneities , covering an extended range of scales , are usually associated with mhd turbulence ( see , e.g. , elmegreen & scalo 2004 , lazarian & opher 2009 ) .
also there are so - called small ionized and neutral ( sin ) structures , which exhibit fluctuations at the scale from 100 to 1000 au that are order of magnitude larger in amplitude than those expected from the simplistic extension of the turbulent cascade to small scales ( heiles , 1997 ) . the stellar winds , acting as media through which many young supernova shocks propagate , are also inhomogeneous and turbulent . another generic property of the ism and winds is cooling ( radiative , collisional , etc ) .
cooling keeps temperatures fairly low , which makes ism fluids pliable to compression .
the typical mach numbers in the warm ism are observed to be between 1 and 10 .
such strongly compressive flows are characterized by significant nonlinear perturbations of density , while the subsonic case usually has a normal distribution ( which is a special case of log - normal ) ] .
the hot ism is usually subsonic with respect to ambient turbulence , which suggests smaller magnitude of the perturbations of density . as inhomogeneous
fluid flows into the precursor with speed @xmath21 it is gradually decelerated by the cr pressure gradient until it reaches the speed @xmath22 at the dissipative shock front ( fig .
[ solen ] ) .
this deceleration could create perturbations of velocity of the order @xmath23 , a difference between ballistic velocity of the high - density region and full deceleration of the low density regions
. the resulting velocity field could not be purely divergent , but should be partially solenoidal due to the coupling between compressible and solenoidal motions on the outer scale of supersonic turbulence .
simulations of strongly compressible turbulence normally show a 2:1 ratio of solenoidal to compressive motions , corresponding to 2:1 degrees of freedom in velocity .
however , this ratio was observed in simulations of statistically isotropic stationary turbulence , while in our problem we have a preferred direction , perpendicular to the shock front and a limited time for the turbulence to develop .
taking into account our lack of knowledge of the precursor highly compressible turbulence we parameterize the amount of solenoidal motions with a parameter @xmath24 such as the rms of the solenoidal part of the velocity @xmath25 be defines as @xmath26 where @xmath24 could be of the order of unity or smaller .
we designate the characteristic scale of solenoidal perturbations as @xmath27 , normally , the supersonic ism exhibits large density perturbations on a wide range of scales .
this is due to the fact that those are created mostly by ism turbulent slow sub - shocks .
although each secondary slow sub - shock typically has a moderate mach number ( @xmath28 ) , a random action of many sub - shocks creates regions of high over - density or under - density that can in rare instances exceed factors at least @xmath29 ( see , e.g. , beresnyak , lazarian & cho 2005 ) .
more generally , the density perturbation from individual sub - shocks is of order unity .
the characteristic scale here is the distance between slow sub - shocks , which is smaller than the turbulence outer scale , and could be of order of parsecs . from a practical point of view , we will take @xmath27 from one of the typical scales of the problem , either the above distance between sub - shocks or the thickness of the precursor , or dynamical length @xmath30 , whichever is smaller . in this paper
we only consider turbulence hydrodynamically amplified within the precursor .
we do not consider post - shock turbulence , which is a fairly well - known and better explored phenomenon that exists even in pure hydrodynamics without a cr precursor ( see , e.g. , giacalone & jokipii , 2007 ) .
for the purposes of this paper a rather simplistic description of the post - shock magnetic fields is sufficient .
it is well known that strong fast shocks amplify magnetic field parallel to the shock front by , approximately , the shock compression ratio @xmath31 ( where @xmath32 is the post - shock velocity ) . using that approximation
we will conservatively assume that the post - shock region has the same magnetic field structure as the precursor , but with magnetic field strength larger by a factor of @xmath33 .
three - dimensional solenoidal flows can amplify magnetic fields through the stretch - fold mechanism .
this refers not only to turbulent flows , which have motions on all scales , but even to large scale three - dimensional laminar flows ( e.g. , zeldovich et al , 1984 ) . in other words ,
amplification of magnetic fluctuations on small scales is a very generic feature of highly - conducting fluids .
we will consider a so - called generic small - scale dynamo ( turbulent ) in which magnetic fields are amplified by initially weakly magnetized hydrodynamic turbulence with an energy - containing ( outer ) scale of @xmath27 .
`` small - scale '' means that the scales of magnetic fields we are interested in are smaller than @xmath27 .
the problem of the so - called mean - field dynamo , when _ large - scale _ magnetic fields are generated by small - scale motions is not considered here , because the mean - field dynamo is fairly slow ( see vishniac & cho 2001 ) , while inside the shock precursor the time for the amplification is rather limited , since all perturbations are quickly advected to the dissipative shock .
the small - scale dynamo has three principal stages a kinematic stage , when magnetic energy grows exponentially , a linear stage and a saturation stage ( see cho et al , 2009 ) .
the kinematic stage of the dynamo has been studied extensively by analytic ( kazantsev 1968 , kulsrud & anderson 1992 ) and numerical tools . the rising spectrum with magnetic energy @xmath34 down to magnetic dissipation scales
was predicted and later observed in numerical simulations . for astrophysical applications
the kinematic dynamo is irrelevant , since its characteristic saturation timescale is of the order of an eddy turnover time of the smallest eddies , which is a tiny number compared to outer timescales . for our purposes
we can always assume that the kinematic dynamo is saturated and the dynamo is in the linear stage . in the linear stage magnetic energy grows linearly with time as @xmath35 where @xmath36 is the energy transfer rate of the turbulence , which can be estimated as @xmath37 , and @xmath38
can be called an _ efficiency of the small - scale dynamo_. a typical spectrum of the velocity and the magnetic field in the linear stage is presented on fig . [ spectrum ] . at each particular time when the dynamo operates
, the magnetic field reaches equipartition with the turbulent velocity field on some scale @xmath39 .
this scale grows with time . on scales smaller than @xmath39
magnetic and velocity perturbations form an mhd turbulent cascade with a fairly steep spectrum . on scales larger than @xmath39
, the magnetic field has a fairly shallow spectrum and velocity has a kolmogorov spectrum .
the law of linear growth can be understood as follows .
the main cascade of energy is down - scale , but it is converted from a purely velocity cascade to an mhd cascade at a scale @xmath39 .
one can imagine that part of this energy cascades up ( an inverse cascade ) in the form of magnetic energy .
let us call this fraction @xmath38 . in principle , @xmath38 can depend on scale , i.e. , @xmath40 .
however , by an argument similar to kolmogorov s , if the inverse cascade mechanism is purely nonlinear , then , in the middle of the inertial interval there is no designated scale and , therefore , there is no dimensionless combination involving @xmath39 .
therefore , the function @xmath40 has to be constant .
this gives a linear growth of energy .
the linear growth can also be obtained if we assume that it takes _ several _ turnover times to reach equipartition on each successive step to larger and larger @xmath39 .. ] a linear growth rate has been measured in cho et al .
( 2009 ) as being close to @xmath41 which is the quantity we will use in this paper .
the shallow part of the magnetic spectrum between @xmath27 and @xmath39 normally has a slope @xmath42 between @xmath43 and @xmath44 , as observed in simulations .
we will need these constraints later , when we describe a model of particle scattering .
we particularly favor a model with @xmath45 .
this model assumes that while magnetic fields on a scale @xmath39 are generated by random eddies at the same scale @xmath39 and contain most of the magnetic field energy , the larger scale fields come from equipartition of magnetic tension on scale @xmath46 .
this can be estimated as @xmath47 , while the averaged magnetic tension comes from a number @xmath48 of independent random eddies on scale @xmath39 .
this will give scalings @xmath49 and @xmath50 when @xmath39 approaches @xmath27 , the small - scale dynamo enters the saturation stage in which the magnetic field grows more slowly than in the previous linear stage .
the saturation value of magnetic energy depends slightly on the level of the mean magnetic field ( cho et al .
2009 ) . in our case
the _ mean _ magnetic field can be considered negligible , as the typical alfvn velocity of warm ism ( @xmath51km / s ) is much smaller than the shock speed and associated turbulent speeds ( see 2 ) . for the purpose of this paper , however , we wo nt need a saturation stage , since we have limited time available for amplification , @xmath19 ( see 2 ) , which is normally not enough to reach the saturation stage and saturation requires many @xmath52 , since @xmath53 . ] . from the linear stage growth we derive quantities @xmath54 and
@xmath55 that we will need in the next section : @xmath56 @xmath57 and @xmath58 @xmath59
in this section we derive @xmath7 and @xmath8 of the fast particles in the tangled magnetic fields created by the small - scale dynamo . it should be noted that particle dynamics is considered in the rest frame of the fluid ( see also 1 ) .
as it turns out , there are three different regimes of particle scattering , depending on the particle energy , @xmath60 , ( see fig .
[ dcoeff ] ) . the magnetic spectrum , described in fig .
[ spectrum ] , corresponds to the characteristic magnetic field on a particular scale @xmath61 , which increases ] with decreasing scale as @xmath62 for @xmath63 from @xmath27 until @xmath39 and decreases with scale as @xmath64 for @xmath65 smaller than @xmath39 .
if the particle energy is sufficiently low , the particle will , to the first approximation , gyrate around a mean field .
otherwise , its trajectory will be stochastic .
in particular , if @xmath66 , the particle will be gyrating along the mean field of @xmath67 with larmor radius of @xmath68 . we will refer to these particles as low - energy and designate low energies as region ( 1 ) in fig .
[ dcoeff ] . for low energy particles the scattering frequencies and acceleration will be determined by a turbulence - based formulae with a turbulence outer scale of @xmath39 ( the scale with largest magnetic field ) .
we will consider this case in detail in 4.2 .
if the energy of the particle is higher than @xmath69 , there is no gyration and the particle s trajectory is fairly stochastic .
this is due to the fact that for this particle , the vector magnetic field will be partially averaged out on larger scales ( so that @xmath70 ) .
let us assume that such a particle experiences a bohm scattering and has a _ mean free path _ of @xmath71 indeed , ( a ) on such a scale , a particle will be deflected by an angle of the order of unity ; ( b ) the deflection from the larger scale field will be smaller ( if @xmath72 , then the deflection angle @xmath73 ) ; ( c ) the deflection from some smaller scale @xmath74 is also smaller ( it is a random walk with @xmath75 steps ) , and the deflection angle is @xmath76 ) ] ) . assuming @xmath77 from here on , the @xmath7 and @xmath8 for such particles will be determined by velocity perturbations on scale @xmath78 , i.e. , @xmath79 ; thus , @xmath80 finally , for very high energy particles , such as @xmath81 the trajectory will be a random walk with small deflections from scale @xmath27 and an effective mean free path of @xmath82 .
the @xmath8 will be energy independent , as it will be set by the outer scale velocity perturbations of @xmath25 .
consequently , @xmath83 the scattering of gyrating particles in a strong mean field has been studied for a long time ( e.g. , jokipii , 1966 ) , and an associated so - called quasi - linear theory ( qlt ) of scattering has been formulated . a particular property of mhd turbulence its strong anisotropy makes particle scattering from solenoidal modes ( e.g. , alfvn ) fairly inefficient ( chandran 2000 , yan & lazarian 2002 ) .
so , the compressive fast mode , which is rather isotropic , has been proposed as a more efficient scatterer in such settings ( yan & lazarian 2002 , 2004 ) . the fast mode , however , can be strongly damped in realistic ism environments , which causes scattering through the fast mode to depend on the properties of the gas , such as temperature , density and ionization fraction .
for the purpose of this paper we ignore complicated issues of low energy scattering and acceleration and provide two simple , contrasting cases .
first , we can assume that the fast mode is fully damped and that only solenoidal modes survive on scales of @xmath39 and smaller .
in this case we can neglect qlt contributions from the alfvnic and slow modes as they are very small . on the other hand ,
there are strong perturbations of the magnetic field on the outer scale of @xmath39 . in this case particles , regardless of energy ( provided that @xmath84 ) are going to be reflected by magnetic bottles on scale @xmath39 and @xmath7 will be independent of energy and equal to @xmath85 , while @xmath8 will be determined by the speed of the bottles .
thus , @xmath86 similar expressions can be derived from ttd resonance in the presence of large magnetic field perturbations ( yan & lazarian 2008 ) .
both of these diffusion rates smoothly transition to the solutions from previous section .
alternatively , we can assume that the fast mode is not damped and that the scattering and second - order acceleration are due to the fast mode .
if we assume that the amplitude of the fast mode is approximately in equipartition with other modes on the outer scale of sub - alfvnic turbulence , @xmath39 , we will obtain expressions that also smoothly transition to higher energy expressions from the previous section ; namely , @xmath87 ( see , e.g. yan & lazarian 2004 ) . here
we have used so - called acoustic turbulence scaling @xmath88 for the isotropic fast mode , as in cho & lazarian ( 2002 ) .
it is also possible that in the shock acceleration regions , where the density of crs is high , the scattering is affected by collective effects where compressions of magnetic field induce the gyroresonance instability in the fluid of compressed crs as discussed in lazarian & beresnyak ( 2006 ) .
we do not provide a discussion of this more complex case here .
turbulent heating provided by solenoidal motions will be of the order of the turbulent rate , @xmath37 .
however , this assumes that the turbulent cascade dissipates all of its energy into thermal particles .
this might not be true for efficient second - order acceleration of low - energy particles .
in particular , if the spectrum of crs is sufficiently soft ( steep ) , the second order acceleration will drain energy from turbulence and put it into crs as particles would tend to diffuse to higher energies . on the other hand ,
if the spectrum is sufficiently hard ( shallow ) , energy carried by high energy crs may be able to drive turbulence . in principle
, one would like to monitor energy obtained or lost by crs due to second - order acceleration / deceleration and adjust turbulent heating rates accordingly . as a second note
we mention that it is reasonable to believe that dissipation from secondary shocks ( similar to ism turbulent slow shocks ) created in the precursor is going to be comparable to @xmath36 .
the above considerations leave a certain degree of uncertainty in the amount of thermal heating in our model .
the problem of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration ( dsa ) is a mature area of research with many publications since the original linear theory papers of krymsky ( 1977 ) , bell ( 1978 ) , axford et al ( 1977 ) and blandford & ostriker ( 1978 ) .
most of this research was motivated by the observed cr power - law distribution , and the apparent robustness of the basic model .
the emphasis was largely , but not exclusively , on the predicted properties of crs , rather than the physical details of their scattering .
so as long as the acceleration process was described by rather simple and well - grounded convection - diffusion equation ( 1 ) , the details of scattering and fluid dynamics have only had to be `` reasonable '' in order to obtain applicable results . on the other hand , since many reasonable models of the detailed scattering physics were proposed ,
there were , in effect , many models of dsa .
one of the popular models to account for the scattering is based on a linear ( @xmath89 ) or `` almost linear '' ( @xmath90 ) streaming instability analysis .
the most common application of the latter case is so - called bohm scattering ( m.f.p .
@xmath91 larmor radius ) .
while these models result in internally consistent particle spectra as well as the one - dimensional structure of the flow ( see , e.g. , malkov 1998 ; berezhko & ellison 1999 ; blasi 2002 ; kang & jones 2007 ) , the question of physical justification remains .
another approach has been to elicit some robust properties of the acceleration process without regard to underlying particle - fluid interactions ( see a review of malkov & drury 2001 and references therein ) , although these studies emphasized the uncertainties in such important quantities as the predicted high energy cutoff of accelerated protons .
this understanding is critical to a resolution of the origins of galactic cosmic rays , and especially the so - called `` knee '' .
furthermore , the higher energy frontier is more generally important in astrophysics , as it could set limits to physics of what is happening in such objects as agns or core - collapsed supernovae .
indeed , while low - energy crs can be accelerated in almost any source , the highest energy crs require a combination of large magnetic field and large correlation length @xmath92 to be contained in the source .
otherwise , they easily escape .
present day neutrino experiments , such as icecube , have set an ambitious goal to peek into the hearts of these objects , and obtain high - energy cr properties free of uncertainties associated with models of escape and propagation .
recently , the dsa problem has been reconsidered again with regard to the problem of acceleration with more realistic scattering ( malkov & diamond 2006 ) and the fluid dynamics in the presence of both the strong streaming instability and strong compressibility ( diamond & malkov 2007 ) .
the latter approach uses the advection - diffusion equation with one spatial and one spectral dimension and assumes weak wave coupling .
this is unlikely to be enough to describe three - dimensional compressive mhd turbulence ( see the discussion in 1 ) . also , we point out that a classic streaming instability with a prescribed direction of the cr gradient along magnetic field is unlikely to be useful in a turbulent , strongly amplified field .
although our model is at this point phenomenological in its treatment of strongly compressible turbulence and uses this compressibility to estimate solenoidal motions that generate magnetic fields , we believe that we provided a more realistic description of the magnetic fields generation in the preshocked gas .
generation of the magnetic fields in the postshock region was considered in many publications with both numerical and phenomenological means ( see , e.g. , cowsik & sarkar 1980 , giacalone & jokipii 2007 , sironi & goodman 2007 , inoue et al , 2009 ) .
sironi & goodman ( 2007 ) estimated a vortical energy that appears after grb afterglow shocks due to preexisting density inhomogeneities .
however it assumed that the magnetic field reaches equipartition with vortical energy and did not discuss the structure of the magnetic field .
we argue that it is the shock precursor fields which are important . also , the spectrum and the structure of this field are paramount for understanding physically motivated scattering coefficients . inoue et al ( 2009 ) provided a detailed two - dimensional numerical study of post - shock turbulence and dynamo action .
two - dimensional dynamics , however is very different from a three - dimensional one ( see , e.g. , biskamp 2003 ) .
the full numerical treatment of the highly - compressible flows in question is difficult .
one - dimensional studies of such flows are meaningless , as they are likely to produce a picture which is completely different from three - dimensional dynamics .
indeed , one - dimensional flows necessarily generate shocks in a finite time , and the dynamics are fully dominated by those shocks ( see , e.g. suzuki et al 2007 ) . the three - dimensional dynamics is more complicated , with compressible motions containing only a fraction of energy and weak sub - shocks playing some , but not necessarily a dominate role .
direct three - dimensional simulations of supersonic turbulence are not only computationally expensive , but inherently limited in a number of ways .
the best known limitation is the range of scales ( typically a useful range of scales in a fairly computationally expensive @xmath93 simulation is 4 - 200 in grid units ) .
more relevant to the dsa problem , however , is the limitation in sonic mach number , which is around 20 for a @xmath93 simulation and is determined by having strongly compressible motions ( @xmath94 ) on the grid cell scale , or having a significant fraction of matter accumulated in clumps of the grid cell size .
the requirement of the dsa problem , however , is not @xmath95 but rather can be @xmath96 or even higher in more energetic sources ( agns , relativistic jets in grb sources ) . in this situation
three - dimensional fluid - pic codes that will aim to describe interacting fluid and crs will suffer from the same limitations as fluid codes , but also will be unable to describe a huge spread in energies of the cr spectrum , due to limited statistics of particles . in 2 we assumed that the solenoidal velocity is a fraction of the velocity drop along the precursor with the main mechanism being the pre - existing density inhomogeneities and the precursor pressure field .
we noted that we expect this mechanism to be fairly efficient ( i.e. @xmath24 close to unity ) as long as preexisting density perturbations @xmath97 are of the order unity .
however , it is interesting to consider the possibility that the initial density perturbations are enhanced _ by the precursor _ to this level .
for instance , once the total pressure in the precursor , @xmath98 , is dominated by crs , the weak coupling between fluid fluctuations and crs leads to regions in the precursor where @xmath99 .
this is unstable to rayleigh - taylor - like instabilities that have been shown to strongly enhance turbulence in cr modified shocks ( ryu et al . 1993 ) .
while these effects have been demonstrated , the resulting solenoidal turbulence has not yet been quantitatively evaluated .
therefore , we can not conclude that @xmath24 could be considered a small parameter even if the inflowing density perturbations are small . aside from inflowing density inhomogeneities , another possible mechanism of generating turbulence
is related to the inhomogeneities in the precursor cr density , or , more generally , a dynamic three - dimensional turbulent interaction between fluid and cr s , which allows exchange of energy in both directions .
this includes instabilities discussed above .
qualitatively , this effect also works to create additional solenoidal motions .
however , this is a more complicated phenomenon that will be studied elsewhere .
we expect the current instability , which is considered in detail in the next subsection , to generate density and solenoidal velocity perturbations as well . however , due to the limitations of the numerical approach ( see the previous subsection ) the dynamics of density in the nonlinear stage of current instability is not fully understood . in response to the realization that magnetic fields could be amplified significantly compared to the background field , a model based on a current - driven instability was proposed and tested numerically ( bell 2004 , vladimirov et al .
2006 ; zirakashvili et al 2008 , riquelme & spitkovsky 2009 ) . in the linear instability stage
the magnetic field grows fastest on the characteristic scale , determined by the initial field @xmath18 , and the current @xmath100 , @xmath101 where @xmath100 is from high - energy crs that are `` rigid '' enough to have @xmath102 ( bell 2004 ) .
the linear growth rate depends only on the current according to the relation @xmath103 the nonlinear saturation stage is characterized by slower growth on larger scales ( bell 2004 , zirakashvili et al 2008 ) .
this growth , however , advects along with the fluid and , as we discussed in
2 , has to be limited by the time for flow to cross the precursor .
it is also worth noting that bell ( 2004 ) and zirakashvili et al ( 2008 ) used weakly compressible simulations with initial conditions that did not have strong perturbations in either fluid density or cr density , which makes it totally different from our approach .
we believe , there is a good physical reason why precursor turbulence is often strongly compressible and inhomogeneous ( see 2 ) .
one can compare growth rates of magnetic energy , provided by the small - scale dynamo ( eq .
8) and current - driven instability ( eq .
21 ) , assuming that the current - driven instability is in the stage with @xmath104 , but the linear growth rate still holds .
the result is @xmath105 the second part of the rhs in eq .
( [ 9 ] ) can be estimated from the characteristic @xmath106 of the ism ( @xmath107km / s ) and could be as small as @xmath108 , if the shock speed is large ( @xmath109km / s ) .
the first part of the rhs of eq .
( [ 9 ] ) can be interpreted as the ratio of the field created directly by the high - energy particle current on scale @xmath27 to the initial field @xmath18 .
the robust estimate of the current @xmath100 , however , seems pretty elusive .
suppose , following riquelme & spitkovsky ( 2009 ) , we assume that the current is produced entirely by escaping particles and that there is a fixed ratio @xmath110 between the flux of cr energy emitted by the shock and the flux of energy of the incoming fluid @xmath111 and also assume that a characteristic energy of escaping particles is @xmath112 ev . then one can numerically estimate the above ratio . taking @xmath113pc and assuming @xmath114 ( since we assume that the shock is strongly modified , i.e. @xmath115 and @xmath24 is of the order unity ) , we get # 1#2 ( ) @xmath116 this difference in field growths is due to the fact that in our model the full pressure ( @xmath91 energy density ) of the crs is behind the force that winds up magnetic fields , while the driving force of the current instability model comes only from those crs that are able to freely stream a substantial distance through the flow .
the efficiency of our model is based on an assumed large value of @xmath24 parameter ( of the order unity ) .
also we do not consider the feedback of crs to the full three - dimensional fluid dynamics , assuming instead that cr pressure is homogeneous in two directions along the shock .
the self - consistent treatment of the flow profile and acceleration of particles using expressions from 4 will be presented in a future publication .
the scattering coefficients assume that efficient scattering and acceleration will be provided for particles with energies up to @xmath117 ( see fig .
[ dcoeff ] ) .
this energy can be estimated taking @xmath118 , @xmath119 and @xmath120pc as @xmath121 ev .
this energy corresponds to a mean free path of the order of @xmath27 .
however , as the acceleration efficiency is smaller by a factor of @xmath122 ( hillas , 1984 ) the maximum acceleration energy will be around @xmath0 ev .
the higher energy particles will be scattered relatively less efficiently and likely to form a steeper spectrum .
this estimate is tentative and needs to be confirmed or corrected as the self - consistent treatment of eq .
( 1 ) and the evolving structure of the precursor and will be available from the future work . finally , we would like to mention that field growth in our model could be amended by the consistent description of the front - running region of the precursor where turbulence is not yet developed . at this point , however , it is not clear whether this region will be dominated by the classic streaming instability , strong compressible effects ( and , possibly , generation of secondary fast shocks , as the magnetic field is not yet amplified to prevent creation of those ) , or the current - driven instability .
in order to explain efficient acceleration of high - energy crs in supernova shocks we appealed to magnetic field amplification in the shock precursor that is induced by the small scale turbulent dynamo . in our picture the velocity field necessary for such amplification appears hydrodynamically as a result of the strong cr pressure gradient acting on an initially _ inhomogeneous _ medium in the preshock region .
we assumed efficient conversion of the precursor velocity drop into solenoidal motions due to strong density perturbations of the inflowing fluid .
we also ignored cr inhomogeneities appearing as a back - reaction and their nonlinear feedback .
we estimate that magnetic fields produced by such amplification are able to efficiently scatter and accelerate crs with energies up to @xmath0 ev .
we are grateful to misha malkov , pat diamond , anatoly spitkovsky and brian reville for fruitful discussions .
we are grateful to the anonymous referee for helpful , meticulous comments .
ab thanks the icecube project for support of his research .
twj acknowledges support from nasa grants nng05gf57 g and nnx09ah78 g , as well as the minnesota supercomputing institute .
al acknowledges the nsf grants atm 0648699 , ast 0808118 and the nasa grant nnx09ah78 g .
in order to demonstrate that the stochastic field generated in the cosmic ray precursor will be hard to treat properly in the classic streaming instability approach , we ran particle tracing simulations in a stochastic three - dimensional field , generated by a small scale dynamo ( discussed in 3 ) .
the electromagnetic field was obtained through direct three - dimensional numerical simulation of the incompressible mhd equations with turbulent driving , along with a zero mean field and small fluctuations as initial conditions .
the simulation was similar to mhd2b0h , described in beresnyak & lazarian ( 2009b ) , with the exception that it was run for a relatively short time while the small - scale dynamo was in its linear stage ( see 3 ) . the time was chosen so that the equipartition scale @xmath39 was approximately in the middle of the logarithmic range of scales .
the electric field was obtained assuming @xmath123 .
the particles were injected on one side of the cube and their relativistic equation of motion was solved by a hybrid quality - controlling runge - kutta ode solver .
the particles were injected from the left and escaped to the right . fig .
[ cr_demo ] presents a slice of this three - dimensional experiment , where magnetic fields are represented by arrows and the cr particle density by grayscale .
we see , that aside from the obvious left - to - right global gradient we can not identify any clear structure of particle density along the field .
this invalidates in this case the assumption of the classic streaming instability , which requires a regular particle density gradient along the field lines to produce a regular field - aligned number density current . | arxiv |
hadron physics is found in three areas of accelerator physics at fermilab : the tevatron collider experiments , the neutrino program , and fixed target physics with beams from the main injector . at the collider , cdf and dzero
are in the midst of a multi - year run now , and btev is scheduled to take over as soon as these programs are ended . in the neutrino program , we have miniboone using beam from the booster accelerator now , and will be turning on numi , the neutrino program using beam from the main injector , in a few weeks .
the minos experiment will operate with the neutrino beams as soon as they are available , and the minerva experiment has been approved to join as soon as it can be built . finally , there is the mipp experiment , e907 - main injector particle production , finishing its commissioning run now , and about to get its physics data . also approved for the 120 gev main injector program is a drell - yan experiment ( e906 ) , which is starting to build its detector this year .
the possibility of returning to run for kaon physics using beam from the main injector is retained .
the fermilab accelerator experiment schedules through 2009 are available on the web at ` http://www.fnal.gov/directorate/program_planning/schedule/index.html ` optimization of running conditions is a challenge with such a diverse program , especially since each component of the fermilab program has its own preference for how we should operate the accelerator complex , particularly the proton source . the tevatron collider benefits from as rapid a cycling of the upstream accelerators as is consistent with antiproton beam - cooling times in the accumulator and recycler rings , with as much beam as acceptable for losses .
the neutrino program can use even more rapid cycle times , with as much beam as acceptable for losses .
for neutrinos , there is no lower limit on how fast the proton source accelerators should cycle . at the opposite extreme
is the so - called sy120/fixed target program , which depends on experiment and test - beam user status . during set up , multiple , somewhat short duration spills per minute
is optimal . during data taking ,
long cycles with long spills are best for maximizing integrated spill seconds by minimizing end effects .
the office of program planning is charged with organizing all this by coordinating between experiments and the accelerator , under given guidelines from director . at the moment , for example , there is the following guideline on the use of beam time for sy120 : .... the integrated effect of running sy120 beam will not reduce the antiproton stacking rate by more than 5% globally , with the details of scheduling to be worked out between the experimenters and the office of program planning . .... note that this guideline is flexible , leaving the details of spill length and rate open to maximize the physics of the sy120 program .
we also have the flexibility of mixing the various spill configurations in the accelerator time line sequence , adding an element of flexibility - and complexity .
the fermilab director established the fermilab long range planning committee ( lrpc ) in the spring of 2003 . an excerpt from the charge to the lrpc states :
.... i would like the long - range planning committee to develop in detail a few realistically achievable options for the fermilab program in the next decade under each possible outcome for the linear collider .
.... it was clear from the start that a new intense proton source to serve long baseline neutrino experiments and to provide other new physics options at fermilab was one such option .
a lrpc working group , with bob kephart as chairman , was charged to explore this option .
the full lrpc received recommendations from this working group .
the recommendations were subsequently adopted in the final flrpc report and by the director .
the fermilab linear accelerator and booster are old machines . at the same time
, there is a desire for significantly more intense proton sources for long baseline neutrino physics . in order to meet the new demands
, a new proton source will need to be constructed .
the high level parameters desired for such a new facility at fermilab are : * @xmath0 @xmath1 beam power at 8 gev * @xmath2 @xmath1 beam power at 120 gev , 6 times the power of the current main injector there are two possible implementations being considered at fermilab ; an 8 gev synchrotron and an 8 gev superconducting rf linear accelerator . a web page has been established to track the progress on such a new proton source , the proton driver : http://www-bd.fnal.gov/pdriver/ currently , most of the accelerator effort is focused on bringing design for the linear accelerator to the same level as that for the synchrotron so that a final choice and proposal can be made .
however , it is safe to say that there is particular appreciation for some linear accelerator advantages : better performance , flexibility , and the connection and possible synergies with an international linear collider ( ilc ) , now that `` cold '' technology has been chosen for the latter . for either choice of 8 gev injector ( synchrotron or linear accelerator ) the beam in the main injector will increase by a factor of 5 from its design value of @xmath3 @xmath4 protons per pulse to @xmath5 @xmath6 protons per cycle .
the main injector beam power could also be increased by shortening the main injector ramp time .
this would require additional magnet power supplies , and could be done prior to a proton driver as a first step .
both more protons per cycle and faster ramp times imply more rf power , meaning money is required .
the recent international technology recommendation panel opted for a `` cold '' technology for the international linear collider .
this recommendation , and its wide acceptance , has provided a huge boost for a super - conducting rf linear - accelerator - based proton driver at fermilab .
fermilab has been working on both warm and cold linear - collider - related technology . in fy 2005
, all this effort will be dedicated to cold technology , also advancing a linear - accelerator proton driver .
so , fy 2005 will see as much as a factor of two increase in super - conducting r&d spending at fermilab relative to fy 2004 .
plans are forming for a scrf module test facility ( smtf ) to be built in the meson east area at fermilab .
long lead - time items like modulators are already being ordered .
it seems likely that a new , more intense proton source will be proposed for construction at fermilab in the relatively near future .
such a project would be similar in scope to the main injector project ( i.e. , for cost and schedule ) .
an 8 gev synchrotron and a superconducting rf linear accelerator both appear to be technically possible .
the linear accelerator is strongly preferred by many , if it can be made affordable .
the fermilab management has requested that an 8 gev linear accelerator design be developed , including cost and schedule information .
fermilab s bill foster is leading a team to develop the technical design .
it is always hard to guess about time scales . a technically limited schedule ( when was the last time this happened ? )
could have the following doe construction project critical decision ( cd ) schedule : * cd-0 ( statement of need ) submitted in 2005 * cd-1 ( preliminary acquisition strategy , project execution plan , conceptual design report , project scope , baseline cost / schedule range , project management plan , hazard analysis , etc . )
submitted in 2006 * cd-2/3a ( project baseline approved , approval to start construction ) in 2007 - 8 .
as usual , the availability of funding from doe may push this schedule later . once funding is approved , typical projects of this scale ( the fermilab main injector , slac b - factory , spallation neutron source ) have construction times of 4 - 5 years
. the time scale will also depend on how the international linear collider plays out over the next few years ( e.g. , could the proton driver be seen as an ilc engineering test facility ? ) .
it is up to users to make the physics case that a proton driver is required , and that it should be built as soon as possible .
making the physics case is crucial in all of this ! a workshop to think about the broadest physics potential of a proton driver was just held .
the program , with links to talks can be found at the above proton driver web page .
steve geer has been asked to organize the documentation of the physics case .
a strong physics case , coupled to a machine technical design , will make it possible to submit a proton driver project to the doe for approval and funding .
the recent proton driver workshop was a step in this process .
information on the workshop and talks can be found linked to the web page : http://www-td.fnal.gov/projects/pd/physicsincludes/workshop/index.html three of the working groups at the workshop may be most interesting for hadron physics : * wg2 on neutrino interactions jorge morfin ( fermilab ) , rex tayloe ( indiana ) , ron ransome ( rutgers ) , conveners * wg4 on kaons / pions hogan nguyen ( fermilab ) and taku yamanaka ( osaka ) , conveners * wg5 on antiprotons dave christian ( fermilab ) and mark mandelkern ( uc - irvine ) , conveners while not represented at the workshop , there is also a working group on neutrons . the workshop , of course , had additional working groups less connected to hadron physics . in each case , the working groups identified physics measurements of interest to the particle and nuclear physics communities in the era of a proton driver .
however , in principle , some of the measurements discussed at the workshop could be made sooner .
organizing to make these earlier measurements may focus a part of the research community in anticipation of a proton driver .
it would be easier then to do the experiments which depend on the flux available from a proton driver .
the neutrino working group included the following physics topics in its discussion of goals : * strange quark contribution and axial form factor through parity violation * duality * coherent pion production * exclusive resonant final states * parton distribution functions , particularly at high @xmath7 * * generalized parton distribution functions including quark flavor dependence through the weak analog of deeply - virtual compton scattering @xmath8 * * detailed study of nuclear effects with neutrinos that are expected to be significantly different than those measured with charged leptons * spin - dependent distribution measurements using polarized targets * a - dependence and more detailed nuclear effects in the case of the kaon and pion working group , the following were among the topics discussed : * production dynamics for exotic / rare quark and gluon states * rare pion decays , e.g. , improving @xmath9 from pion beta decay in flight * ckm parameters via @xmath10 * pushing further in @xmath11 in the search for new physics many of these measurements can be expected to help define the nature of the high mass objects which are anticipated to be found at the tevatron or the lhc .
the proton driver working group draft reports will go to a proton driver science advisory committee ( pdsac)@xcite , whose chair is peter meyers ( princeton ) .
the pdsac is composed of particle and nuclear physicists , and is international in composition .
the plan is to have the pdsac review conveners presentations and the reports in order to advise the laboratory on the strongest physics motivations for a proton driver .
a draft statement of the physics case ( a statement of need ) could be ready for reading over the winter holidays .
then , a final draft statement of the physics case could be prepared for submission to doe .
i have focused on a only part of the hadron physics in fermilab s future .
this part is dominantly proposal driven .
i have not said much about the collider or mipp , which are covered in separate talks at this first meeting of the aps topical group on hadron physics . in its vision of the future at fermilab , the long range plan says .... fermilab will remain the primary site for accelerator - based particle physics in the u.s . in the next decade and beyond .
.... defining the future of much of hadron physics at fermilab , e.g. , use of neutrinos , hadron beams , and even tevatron beams will depend on the users .
what will be the total available beam ?
will we build a proton driver ?
what fraction of the available protons will go to hadron physics ?
will a stretcher ring be proposed and built ?
a robust program depends on robust interest , and eventually , compelling physics - driven experiment proposals .
we may hope this meeting of the topical group on hadron physics , and related gatherings in the future , will contribute directly to that robust program .
much of the material on the proton driver is taken from the presentation by bob kephart on october 6 , 2004 , to the proton driver workshop at fermilab .
thanks also go to david christian , hugh montgomery , hogan nguyen , and jorge morfin for comments on a draft of this paper .
1 the membership of the proton driver science advisory committee is : * peter meyers , princeton university , usa , chair * ed blucher , university of chicago , usa * gerhard buchalla , ludwig - maximilians university , munich , germany * john dainton , university of liverpool , uk * yves declais , lapp - in2p3-cnrs annecy , france * lance dixon , slac , usa * umberto dosselli , infn and university of padua , italy * don geesaman , argonne national laboratory , usa * geoff greene , oak ridge national laboratory , usa * taka kondo , kek , japan * marvin marshak , university of minnesota , usa * bill molzon , university of california - irvine , usa * hitoshi murayama , university of california - berkeley , usa * jim siegrist , university of california - berkeley , usa * tony thomas , thomas jefferson national laboratory , usa * taku yamanaka , osaka university , japan | arxiv |
The 1980 United States Senate election in Oklahoma was held November 3, 1980. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Henry Bellmon decided to retire, instead of seeking a third term. Republican nominee Don Nickles won the open seat.
Major candidates
Democratic
Andy Coats, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma district attorney
Republican
Don Nickles, State Senator
Campaign
After two years in the State Senate and displeased by the policies of the Carter Administration, Nickles ran for the United States Senate in 1980 to succeed Republican Henry Bellmon who was retiring. As an unknown in a field crowded with business and political bigwigs, Nickles was not initially given much of a chance. Bellmon even tried to convince him to wait and run for the U.S. House. Utilizing personal contact and passing out unique wooden nickel campaign button novelties, Nickles unique grassroot community ties to local Amway distributors throughout Oklahoma gave him an interpersonal network which proved helpful. Nickles beat two well funded oil millionaires Jack Zink and Ed Noble in the primary and won the primary run-off against Zink, a race car driver. He later won the general election against Democrat Oklahoma City Mayor Andy Coats and independent Charles Nesbitt, the Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner and former Oklahoma Attorney General. At the age of 32, Nickles was the youngest Republican ever elected to the United States Senate.
Results
See also
1980 United States Senate elections
References
Category:1980 Oklahoma elections
Oklahoma
1980 | wikipedia |
infections of the central nervous system ( cns ) are life - threatening diseases caused by viral , bacterial , parasitic , and fungal microorganisms ( 14 ) . in spite of advances in the diagnosis and management of acute bacterial meningitis
however , with proper antibiotic therapy and supportive care , the mortality is lower than 10% ( 5 , 6 ) .
the symptoms of cns infections vary among different age groups . therefore , fast and accurate diagnostic tests are very important for the rational use of antibiotics and for lowering the treatment costs ( 711 ) .
the usual diagnostic method for meningitis is gram staining and culture , which is dependent on previous use of antibiotics by the patient and is unable to fully differentiate between viral and bacterial infections .
this method has a high rate of false negatives , which causes controversy concerning the selection and duration of appropriate treatment .
antibiotic therapy does not affect pleocytosis with neutrophil dominancy , protein level , or cerebrospinal fluid ( csf ) glucose level ( 11 ) .
therefore , the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis can be made even when the culture is negative by this method , because these changes are not affected by antibiotic therapy during the first days after treatment . in this
the general objective of the study was to determine the accuracy of universal polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) for the detection of bacterial meningitis among patients who were referred to koodakan hospital in bandar abbas because they were suspected of having the disease .
the specific objectives of the study were to compare the results of the pcr test with the results of gram staining and culture for the detection of bacterial meningitis among patients suspected of having the disease ; and to compare the results of the pcr test with csf fluid analysis for the detection of bacterial meningitis among patients suspected of having the disease
this study was conducted in 2013 on the patients who were admitted to bandar abbas koodakan hospital because they were suspected of having meningitis .
sample volumes of 5001000 ml of the csf samples were kept in in sterile conditions at 80 c for the next pcr test .
also , the samples were sent for gram staining and culture . for dna extraction , 500 l of csf
were placed in a microtube , and gene extraction was done with a dna minikit ( kimia co. ) .
the supernatant dna of each microtube was measured by a nano drop machine by comparing the absorbance at wavelengths of 260 and 280 nm .
a 10 concentrations of e. coli and acintrobacter species were prepared using 0.5 mc farlen standard tube and dna contents were used as pattern in pcr process .
the sequences of the primers were : u1(f):5-ccagcagccgcggta atacg-3 and u2(r):5-atcgg(c / a)taccttgttacgacttc-3. the pcr reaction was conducted by mixing 2 l of extracted dna , 1 l of forward and reverse primer , 8.5 l of sterile water , and 12.5 l of master mix .
the thermal cycle for the pcr reaction was 1 min at 95 c , then 25 cycles of 20 seconds each at 95 c , 1 min at 63 c , 1 min at 72 c , and 5 min at 72 c .
then , the molecular weight of the proliferated segments were measured and found to be about 1500 base pairs .
spss version 16 software was used for the statistical analysis and calculation of specificity and sensitivity of the tests .
chi - squared test and the independent samples t - test were used for data analysis .
this study was conducted in 2013 on the patients who were admitted to bandar abbas koodakan hospital because they were suspected of having meningitis .
sample volumes of 5001000 ml of the csf samples were kept in in sterile conditions at 80 c for the next pcr test .
also , the samples were sent for gram staining and culture . for dna extraction , 500 l of csf
were placed in a microtube , and gene extraction was done with a dna minikit ( kimia co. ) .
the supernatant dna of each microtube was measured by a nano drop machine by comparing the absorbance at wavelengths of 260 and 280 nm .
a 10 concentrations of e. coli and acintrobacter species were prepared using 0.5 mc farlen standard tube and dna contents were used as pattern in pcr process .
the sequences of the primers were : u1(f):5-ccagcagccgcggta atacg-3 and u2(r):5-atcgg(c / a)taccttgttacgacttc-3. the pcr reaction was conducted by mixing 2 l of extracted dna , 1 l of forward and reverse primer , 8.5 l of sterile water , and 12.5 l of master mix .
the thermal cycle for the pcr reaction was 1 min at 95 c , then 25 cycles of 20 seconds each at 95 c , 1 min at 63 c , 1 min at 72 c , and 5 min at 72 c .
then , the molecular weight of the proliferated segments were measured and found to be about 1500 base pairs .
spss version 16 software was used for the statistical analysis and calculation of specificity and sensitivity of the tests .
chi - squared test and the independent samples t - test were used for data analysis .
among 100 patients studied , 59 ( 59% ) were male and 41 ( 41% ) were female .
the ages of the participants ranged from 2 days to 11 years , and their mean age was 19.17 months . among the patients 71 ( 71% ) were less than 18 months old , 22 ( 22% ) were 1.5 to 6 years old , and 7 ( 7% ) were 6 to 12 years old .
no patient in our study had a positive smear and culture for meningitis . among the patients with negative smears and cultures , 6 ( 6% ) had positive universal pcr and 94 ( 94% ) had negative universal pcr .
based on these results , pcr had 95% specificity and 100% negative predictive value for the prediction of meningitis .
analytical sensitivity of the methods was determined with two specific species , i.e. , e. coli and acintrobacter , with concentrations of 10 colonies per milliliter of csf . among the 100 patients
pcr was positive for 6 ( 6% ) patients . in 30 patients ( 30% ) , the biochemical analyses of csf were in favor of meningitis . among them
6 ( 20% ) patients had positive universal pcr and 24 ( 80% ) had negative universal pcr .
among 100 patients studied , 59 ( 59% ) were male and 41 ( 41% ) were female .
the ages of the participants ranged from 2 days to 11 years , and their mean age was 19.17 months . among the patients 71 ( 71% ) were less than 18 months old , 22 ( 22% ) were 1.5 to 6 years old , and 7 ( 7% ) were 6 to 12 years old .
no patient in our study had a positive smear and culture for meningitis . among the patients with negative smears and cultures , 6 ( 6% ) had positive universal pcr and 94 ( 94% ) had negative universal pcr .
based on these results , pcr had 95% specificity and 100% negative predictive value for the prediction of meningitis .
analytical sensitivity of the methods was determined with two specific species , i.e. , e. coli and acintrobacter , with concentrations of 10 colonies per milliliter of csf . among the 100 patients
pcr was positive for 6 ( 6% ) patients . in 30 patients ( 30% ) , the biochemical analyses of csf were in favor of meningitis . among them
6 ( 20% ) patients had positive universal pcr and 24 ( 80% ) had negative universal pcr .
early diagnosis and treatment of meningitis is vital , and research is ongoing to identify accurate methods for the diagnosis of meningitis . among the efforts to meet this goal ,
simple pcr methods are specific only for detection of a single specific antigen of a single specific microorganism and therefore can not be used in laboratory .
also , some pcr methods are complex and costly , so they are not used in clinical laboratories .
some molecular methods have been designed based on universal primers . in this study , we used conserved primers of the 16srdna gene , which is found in the genome of all bacteria ( 13 ) .
detection of specific species of bacteria is of no help to physicians at the beginning of the disease .
physicians are able to detect a wide range of bacteria without using complex devices , and they easily can distinguish between bacterial and non - bacterial meningitis .
the mean age of the participants in this study was about 19 months , and a large percentage of the participants were less than 6 years old .
few gram staining and culture results are positive in our center . in this study , we had no positive smear and culture tests .
therefore , this is an important limitation for interpretation of the smear and culture results for diagnosis of meningitis .
, considering the limitation of gram staining and culture in this study , using universal pcr is very helpful to increase the probability of correctly diagnosing bacterial meningitis .
also , other studies have reported that pcr and staining are highly accurate for the detection of bacterial meningitis ( 14 ) .
based on our results , all universal pcr positive cases of meningitis can be diagnosed by csf analysis .
other researchers have confirmed that csf analysis is a strong tool for the detection of bacterial meningitis and that it can be used to diagnose meningitis ( 15 ) .
however , we recommend using universal pcr in combination with csf analysis for more accurate diagnoses .
the mean age of the participants in this study was about 19 months , and a large percentage of the participants were less than 6 years old . based on the patients ages ,
few gram staining and culture results are positive in our center . in this study , we had no positive smear and culture tests .
therefore , this is an important limitation for interpretation of the smear and culture results for diagnosis of meningitis . using universal pcr , we diagnosed six cases of meningitis
. therefore , considering the limitation of gram staining and culture in this study , using universal pcr is very helpful to increase the probability of correctly diagnosing bacterial meningitis .
also , other studies have reported that pcr and staining are highly accurate for the detection of bacterial meningitis ( 14 ) .
based on our results , all universal pcr positive cases of meningitis can be diagnosed by csf analysis .
other researchers have confirmed that csf analysis is a strong tool for the detection of bacterial meningitis and that it can be used to diagnose meningitis ( 15 ) .
however , we recommend using universal pcr in combination with csf analysis for more accurate diagnoses .
based on our results , the universal pcr test is useful in the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis in children .
we recommend using it in combination with other tests , such as csf analysis , for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis .
future research should focus on the accuracy of the combination of these tests in diagnosing bacterial meningitis . | pubmed |
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Neverwinter Nights The Fire Giant Vendetta: Prelude
**Fire Giant Vendetta**
Aeron wiped the frost giant blood from his blade with satisfaction. The massive creature lay dead at his feet, a testament to his growing skill as a swordsman.
His keen elven hearing picked up the sound of heavy footfalls and he turned to see an even larger fire giantess heading towards him with thunderous strides that shook the ground beneath him.
The chilling realization set in that this time the elf was outmatched. Aaron turned to run but with deceptive speed the giantess cut off his escape, driving him back against a solid rock face.
"You seem eager to join your frosty cousin in the afterlife." He said with forced bravado.
The giantess's laugh echoed through out the canyon. "You think to impress me with the corpse of an imbecile? Their kind are of no concern to me." She said in a low bass voice.
"How about we go our separate ways? I'm sure you have better things to do than fight a lowly elf. Don't you have a village to terrorize or a fortress to defend?" He said uncertainly.
"I'm sure I can make time for a little sport." The giantess replied menacingly, the mighty broadsword she carried bursting into flame.
Aeron tightened his grip on his blade; there would be no talking himself out of trouble. Outmatched or not battle would soon be joined and if he remained caught against the wall there was no chance of escape.
He charged forward aiming a low slice towards his opponent's Achilles tendon. The giant was too quick and kicked out catching Aeron hard in the shoulder and sending him sprawling to the floor. Just in time he rolled to the left as the flaming broadsword plunged towards him. Stumbling to his feet the elf was sent straight back down to his knees by a heavy blow that thumped against his parrying sword and numbed his arm.
The elf cried out in agony as another crashing blow hammered his shield. The force of the blow tore the metal apart forcing it inwards onto his arm, shattering bone. His left arm useless, he let the shield fall to the ground and attempted to steady himself.
Stubbornly the elf remained on his feet as a low arcing slice from the giantess ripped through his breastplate and bit deep into his chest below. With a last desperate effort he managed to parry another blow but the force of strike sent the blade flying out of his hand.
Aeron stood shakily in the giantess's shadow. He laughed bringing the taste of blood into his mouth and drawing a puzzled look from his opponent.
"This isn't the end. A vendetta begins today. I will hunt your kind until none of you remain." The elf threatened.
The fiery blade swung down and everything went black.
End file.
| fanfiction |
in iran , the most widely used forms of transportation are not airplanes , trains , or metros , but cars , motorcycles , buses , and trucks . compared to western countries ( north america and europe ) , the traffic - related prevalence of mortality is higher in iran.1,2 indeed , whereas the world health organization2 reported 24.1 traffic death of 100,000 people per annum in iran , the prevalence rate is dramatically lower for instance in switzerland ( 3.4 ) , germany ( 4.3 ) , or in the usa ( 11.6 ) .
traffic accidents are the main cause of injuries requiring surgical intervention,3 and the second largest cause of mortality in iran.4,5 further , worldwide it has been estimated that 90%95% of road crashes are due to human actions , namely , the behavior of drivers , and not to technical malfunctions,6 making it therefore more important to focus on the determinants of driver behavior to explain traffic accidents . recently ,
several studies have examined possible associations between personality traits and driving behavior.79 hilton et al10 showed among a sample of 1,324 heavy goods vehicle drivers that severe and very severe self - reported symptoms of depression were associated with the increased risk of being involved in an accident . to explain this association , hilton et al10 supposed that not symptoms of depression per s , but the lack of concentration and poor sleep might have an unfavorable impact on driving behavior .
likewise , scott - parker et al11 showed that among novice drivers , symptoms of depression predicted risky behavior , while in a further analysis , scott - parker et al12 reported that not symptoms of depression , but anxiety predicted risky driving among female , but not male novice drivers . from these studies
, we learn that risky driving behavior seemed to be associated with symptoms of depression10,11 and anxiety12 among professional drivers and novice drivers.11,12 next , pourabdian and azmoon13 were able to show that among 168 iranian drivers causally involved in traffic accidents poor driving behavior was significantly related to higher trait anxiety scores .
pourabdian and azmoon13 offered the following as a possible explanation of this association : cognitive emotional states such as trait anxiety increase the load on working memory and concentration . in effect , cognitive emotional states such as trait anxiety take up resources otherwise needed to drive safely and avoid lapses and errors .
however , correlations between trait anxiety and lapses and errors were low ( rs 0.210.23 ) , as were those between trait anxiety and aggressive reactions ( rs from 0.15 to 0.17 ; note that the terminology used in the manchester driving behavior questionnaire [ dbq14 ] for aggressive reactions is aggressive violations and ordinary violations ) .
although pourabdian and azmoon13 were not in a position to test their explanation , to our knowledge they are the first to propose a causal role for cognitive emotional processes in traffic accidents
. indeed , research on the association between cognitive performance and cognitive emotional load was already observed in other fields : findings from neuropsychological testing of patients suffering from psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorders,15 depressive disorders,16 and posttraumatic stress disorders17 indicate that poor neuropsychological performance outcome and increased psychiatric burden are causally associated .
we took these observations into account in asking about the extent to which poor health status ( more severe symptoms of anxiety and insomnia , depression , and social dysfunctions ) might be linked to driving behavior .
a further line of research focuses on the association between poor driving behavior and aggression .
thus , the dbq14 explicitly includes aggressive reactions ( ie , aggressive violations and ordinary violations ) as a factor of adversely affecting driving .
aggressive reactions are for instance becoming angered by a certain type of a driver and indicating one s hostility by whatever means one can , or becoming angered by another driver and giving chase with the intention of giving him / her a piece of one s mind , or sounding the horn to indicate one s annoyance with another road user .
similarly , beanland et al8 identified personality traits such as antagonism , negative affectivity , and disinhibition as predictors of poor driving behavior ; these personality traits have in common aggressive behavior , understood as a deliberate inclination to threaten another person verbally , nonverbally , or physically .
likewise , stephens and sullman18 identified trait aggression as a predictor of crash - related behaviors among drivers from the united kingdom and the irish republic .
further , the same authors showed that aggressive forms of expression were higher for drivers who reported initiating road incidents , and total scores for aggressive expression were also higher for drivers who reported recent crash - related conditions , such as loss of concentration , losing control of their vehicle , moving violations , near misses , and major crashes . to summarize
we took this observation into account and asked to what extent aggressive behavior ( physical aggression , verbal aggression , anger , and hostility ; aggression questionnaire ; agq : buss and perry19 ) was associated with poor driving behavior as measured with the manchester dbq.14 with regard to driving behavior and health status , surprisingly , the literature is sparse .
possis et al20 showed that among veterans , poor and risky driving behavior and poor mental health status were associated .
other researchers ( eg , morris et al21 ) focused on the association between general health status and driving ability among elderly people .
though , whereas scott - parker et al11,12 assessed novice drivers , and hilton et al10 assessed heavy goods vehicle professional drivers , surprisingly , the association between driving behavior and health status among adult and experienced traffic offenders has not been investigated so far .
the aim of the present study was , therefore , to explore the association between health status and driving behavior among male traffic offenders .
to summarize , traffic accidents make a substantial contribution to the high mortality rates and health care costs in iran .
psychological processes that might explain the high rate of traffic accidents include those related to poor health status , aggression , and sociodemographic characteristics .
however , to our knowledge , no study of traffic offenders in iran has taken these variables into account .
the aims of the present study were , therefore , to assess iranian male traffic offenders and to investigate the associations between aggressive behavior , health status , driving behavior , and sociodemographic characteristics .
in our view , this study has the potential to contribute to a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying traffic accidents and to help focus efforts to reduce traffic accidents in iran .
first , following possis et al,20 morris et al,21 scott - parker et al11,12 and hilton et al10 we expected that poorer health status would be associated with poorer driving behavior .
second , following reason et al,14 beanland et al8 and stephens and sullman,18 we anticipated that higher scores for aggression would be associated with poorer driving behavior .
next , we took as exploratory the following two research questions : first , if both health status and aggression traits are associated with poor driving behavior , which dimension emerges as the stronger predictor of driving behavior , when both variables are entered into a regression analysis ? second , to what extent do health status , aggression , and driving behavior vary as a function of sociodemographic and other driver - related factors ?
a total of 443 male traffic offenders ( mean age : m = 31.40 years , standard deviation = 9.56 ; range : 1570 years ; median : 29 years ) took part in the present study .
participants were recruited from february to october 2014 in the police center of kermanshah university of medical sciences , kermanshah , iran .
participants had to undergo a brief medical and psychological check because they had violated traffic regulations on at least three separate occasions and because they had the highest number of points on their driving licenses according to police reports .
participants were fully informed about the aims and scope of the present study , and they were assured that all data were anonymized in the analyses and study reporting .
inclusion criteria include 1 ) male sex , 2 ) nonaccidental traffic violations on at least three separate occasions and taken to the police station for prosecution , 3 ) willing and able to complete written questionnaires , and 4 ) giving written informed consent .
exclusion criteria include 1 ) not willing or not able to complete written questionnaires , 2 ) severe health issues such as psychiatric disorders or somatic disorders impeding participation at the enquiry , and 3 ) a history of substance abuse .
the review board of the university of imam reza of mashhad ( mashhad , iran ) approved the study , which was conducted following the rules laid down in the declaration of helsinki .
this questionnaire asked for sex , age ( years ) , highest educational level ( primary school , high school , diploma , university degree ) , civil status ( single , married , divorced / widowed ) , years of driving experience ( years ) , and vehicle driven when traffic violations occurred ( motorcycle , car , truck / bus ) .
participants completed the manchester driving behaviour questionnaire ( dbq;14 farsi version : oreyzi samani and haghayegh22 ) .
the dbq is a self - rating questionnaire consisting of 50 items measuring aberrant driving behaviors and focuses on aggressive violations ( eg ,
sound your horn to indicate your annoyance to another road user ; become angered by another driver and give chase with the intention of giving him / her a piece of your mind ; cronbach s alpha : 0.88 ) , ordinary violations ( eg , disregard the speed limit on a residential road / motor way ; overtake a slow driver on the inside ;
i drive so close to the car in front that it would be difficult to stop in an emergency ; cronbach s alpha : 0.85 ) , errors ( eg , underestimate the speed of an oncoming vehicle when overtaking ; fail to check your rear - view mirror before pulling out , changing lanes , etc . ; cronbach s alpha : 0.91 ) , and lapses ( eg , attempt to drive away from the traffic lights in third gear . , forget where you left your car in a car park ; intending to drive to destination a , you wake up to find yourself on the road to destination b ; cronbach s alpha : 0.91 ) .
responses are given on six - point likert scales ranging from 0 (= never ) to 5 (= nearly all the time ) , with higher mean scores reflecting more numerous violations , errors , and lapses ( cronbach s alpha : 0.89 ) .
it consists of 28 items and assesses anxiety and insomnia , depression , social dysfunction , and somatic health .
answers are given on four - points likert scales ranging from 0 (= not at all ) to 3 (= more than usual ) , with higher sum scores reflecting more severe health issues ( cronbach s alpha from 0.88 to 0.90 ) .
the aggression questionnaire is a self - rating questionnaire , consists of 29 items and focuses on physical aggression , verbal aggression , anger , and hostility .
answers are given on seven - point likert scales ranging from 1 (= extremely uncharacteristic of me ) to 7 (= extremely characteristic of me ) , with higher scores reflecting a higher tendency toward aggressive behavior ( cronbach s alpha from 0.84 to 0.91 ) .
a series of correlations was computed between the main variables of driving behavior , aggression , health status , age , and driving experiences . to further detect mean differences in driving behavior , aggression , health status , age , and driving experience ,
a series of one - way analysis of variance was performed with educational level , civil status , and vehicle device as independent factors .
next , a series of multiple regression analyses was performed with driving behavior ( aggressive violations , ordinary violations , errors , lapses ) as dependent variable and aggression traits ( physical aggression , verbal aggression , anger , hostility , total score ) and health status ( anxiety and insomnia , depression , social dysfunction , physical health , total health score ) as predictors .
statistical computations were performed with spss 20.00 ( ibm corporation ; armonk ny , usa ) .
a total of 443 male traffic offenders ( mean age : m = 31.40 years , standard deviation = 9.56 ; range : 1570 years ; median : 29 years ) took part in the present study .
participants were recruited from february to october 2014 in the police center of kermanshah university of medical sciences , kermanshah , iran .
participants had to undergo a brief medical and psychological check because they had violated traffic regulations on at least three separate occasions and because they had the highest number of points on their driving licenses according to police reports .
participants were fully informed about the aims and scope of the present study , and they were assured that all data were anonymized in the analyses and study reporting .
inclusion criteria include 1 ) male sex , 2 ) nonaccidental traffic violations on at least three separate occasions and taken to the police station for prosecution , 3 ) willing and able to complete written questionnaires , and 4 ) giving written informed consent .
exclusion criteria include 1 ) not willing or not able to complete written questionnaires , 2 ) severe health issues such as psychiatric disorders or somatic disorders impeding participation at the enquiry , and 3 ) a history of substance abuse .
the review board of the university of imam reza of mashhad ( mashhad , iran ) approved the study , which was conducted following the rules laid down in the declaration of helsinki .
this questionnaire asked for sex , age ( years ) , highest educational level ( primary school , high school , diploma , university degree ) , civil status ( single , married , divorced / widowed ) , years of driving experience ( years ) , and vehicle driven when traffic violations occurred ( motorcycle , car , truck / bus ) .
participants completed the manchester driving behaviour questionnaire ( dbq;14 farsi version : oreyzi samani and haghayegh22 ) .
the dbq is a self - rating questionnaire consisting of 50 items measuring aberrant driving behaviors and focuses on aggressive violations ( eg ,
sound your horn to indicate your annoyance to another road user ; become angered by another driver and give chase with the intention of giving him / her a piece of your mind ; cronbach s alpha : 0.88 ) , ordinary violations ( eg , disregard the speed limit on a residential road / motor way ; overtake a slow driver on the inside ;
i drive so close to the car in front that it would be difficult to stop in an emergency ; cronbach s alpha : 0.85 ) , errors ( eg , underestimate the speed of an oncoming vehicle when overtaking ; fail to check your rear - view mirror before pulling out , changing lanes , etc .
; cronbach s alpha : 0.91 ) , and lapses ( eg , attempt to drive away from the traffic lights in third gear .
, forget where you left your car in a car park ; intending to drive to destination a , you wake up to find yourself on the road to destination b ; cronbach s alpha : 0.91 ) .
responses are given on six - point likert scales ranging from 0 (= never ) to 5 (= nearly all the time ) , with higher mean scores reflecting more numerous violations , errors , and lapses ( cronbach s alpha : 0.89 ) .
it consists of 28 items and assesses anxiety and insomnia , depression , social dysfunction , and somatic health .
answers are given on four - points likert scales ranging from 0 (= not at all ) to 3 (= more than usual ) , with higher sum scores reflecting more severe health issues ( cronbach s alpha from 0.88 to 0.90 ) .
the aggression questionnaire is a self - rating questionnaire , consists of 29 items and focuses on physical aggression , verbal aggression , anger , and hostility .
answers are given on seven - point likert scales ranging from 1 (= extremely uncharacteristic of me ) to 7 (= extremely characteristic of me ) , with higher scores reflecting a higher tendency toward aggressive behavior ( cronbach s alpha from 0.84 to 0.91 ) .
this questionnaire asked for sex , age ( years ) , highest educational level ( primary school , high school , diploma , university degree ) , civil status ( single , married , divorced / widowed ) , years of driving experience ( years ) , and vehicle driven when traffic violations occurred ( motorcycle , car , truck / bus ) .
participants completed the manchester driving behaviour questionnaire ( dbq;14 farsi version : oreyzi samani and haghayegh22 ) .
the dbq is a self - rating questionnaire consisting of 50 items measuring aberrant driving behaviors and focuses on aggressive violations ( eg ,
sound your horn to indicate your annoyance to another road user ; become angered by another driver and give chase with the intention of giving him / her a piece of your mind ; cronbach s alpha : 0.88 ) , ordinary violations ( eg , disregard the speed limit on a residential road / motor way ; overtake a slow driver on the inside ;
i drive so close to the car in front that it would be difficult to stop in an emergency ; cronbach s alpha : 0.85 ) , errors ( eg , underestimate the speed of an oncoming vehicle when overtaking ; fail to check your rear - view mirror before pulling out , changing lanes , etc . ; cronbach s alpha : 0.91 ) , and lapses ( eg ,
, forget where you left your car in a car park ; intending to drive to destination a , you wake up to find yourself on the road to destination b ; cronbach s alpha : 0.91 ) .
responses are given on six - point likert scales ranging from 0 (= never ) to 5 (= nearly all the time ) , with higher mean scores reflecting more numerous violations , errors , and lapses ( cronbach s alpha : 0.89 ) .
it consists of 28 items and assesses anxiety and insomnia , depression , social dysfunction , and somatic health .
answers are given on four - points likert scales ranging from 0 (= not at all ) to 3 (= more than usual ) , with higher sum scores reflecting more severe health issues ( cronbach s alpha from 0.88 to 0.90 ) .
the aggression questionnaire is a self - rating questionnaire , consists of 29 items and focuses on physical aggression , verbal aggression , anger , and hostility .
answers are given on seven - point likert scales ranging from 1 (= extremely uncharacteristic of me ) to 7 (= extremely characteristic of me ) , with higher scores reflecting a higher tendency toward aggressive behavior ( cronbach s alpha from 0.84 to 0.91 ) .
a series of correlations was computed between the main variables of driving behavior , aggression , health status , age , and driving experiences . to further detect mean differences in driving behavior , aggression , health status , age , and driving experience ,
a series of one - way analysis of variance was performed with educational level , civil status , and vehicle device as independent factors .
next , a series of multiple regression analyses was performed with driving behavior ( aggressive violations , ordinary violations , errors , lapses ) as dependent variable and aggression traits ( physical aggression , verbal aggression , anger , hostility , total score ) and health status ( anxiety and insomnia , depression , social dysfunction , physical health , total health score ) as predictors .
statistical computations were performed with spss 20.00 ( ibm corporation ; armonk ny , usa ) .
table 2 reports the descriptive statistics and correlations between traits of health status , aggression , driving behavior , and age .
to predict driving behavior , a series of multiple regression analyses was performed , with driving behavior as the dependent variable , and aggression traits and health status as predictors .
poor health status ( anxiety and insomnia , depression , social dysfunction , total score ; beta = 0.350.49 ; r = 0.4920.549 ; r = 0.240.30 ; f(1 , 441 ) = 26.3645.98 , p<0.001 ) , but not aggression ( beta = 0.060.10 ; r = 0.0920.120 ; r = 0.0080.014 ; f(1 , 441 ) = 0.921.32 , p>0.10 ) , independently predicted poor driving behavior ( aggressive violations , ordinary violations , errors , lapses ) . compared to participants with more education , participants with less education reported more health - related issues , that is , higher scores for anxiety and insomnia , social dysfunction ; overall , they had higher total scores for mental health problems ( all f>4.56 , p<0.01 ) .
for all other sociodemographic dimensions ( civil status , vehicle driven ) no further significant mean differences were observed ( all f<1.2 , p>0.30 ; descriptive and inferential statistics not reported ) . driving experience and age were unrelated to health status , aggression , or driving behavior .
table 2 reports the descriptive statistics and correlations between traits of health status , aggression , driving behavior , and age .
to predict driving behavior , a series of multiple regression analyses was performed , with driving behavior as the dependent variable , and aggression traits and health status as predictors .
poor health status ( anxiety and insomnia , depression , social dysfunction , total score ; beta = 0.350.49 ; r = 0.4920.549 ; r = 0.240.30 ; f(1 , 441 ) = 26.3645.98 , p<0.001 ) , but not aggression ( beta = 0.060.10 ; r = 0.0920.120 ; r = 0.0080.014 ; f(1 , 441 ) = 0.921.32 , p>0.10 ) , independently predicted poor driving behavior ( aggressive violations , ordinary violations , errors , lapses ) .
compared to participants with more education , participants with less education reported more health - related issues , that is , higher scores for anxiety and insomnia , social dysfunction ; overall , they had higher total scores for mental health problems ( all f>4.56 , p<0.01 ) .
for all other sociodemographic dimensions ( civil status , vehicle driven ) no further significant mean differences were observed ( all f<1.2 , p>0.30 ; descriptive and inferential statistics not reported ) . driving experience and age were unrelated to health status , aggression , or driving behavior .
the key findings of the present study were that among a sample of iranian male traffic offenders poorer health status and higher aggression were associated with poor driving behavior , though when health status and aggression were entered simultaneously in a multiple regression analysis , poor health status was the only significant predictor of poor driving behavior . in our view , this present pattern of results makes an important contribution to the current literature , in that the health status was introduced as a crucial psychological dimension .
two hypotheses and two research questions were formulated and each of these is now considered in turn .
first , following possis et al,20 morris et al,21 scott - parker et al,11,12 and hilton et al,10 we expected that poorer mental health status would be associated with poorer driving behavior , and this prediction was confirmed .
we were able to show that poor mental health status in terms of symptoms of anxiety , depression and insomnia , and social dysfunction was associated with poor driving behavior .
we believe that the present pattern of results adds to the current literature in an important way , given that to the best of our knowledge these associations have not previously been investigated or observed , and certainly not among iranian male traffic offenders .
the data available from this study do not provide any direct insight into the underlying cognitive emotional processes involved , though in our view the working memory model advanced by baddeley and hitch26 may help to explain the association we observed .
briefly , the working memory is part of the human memory system and responsible for keeping current information available , while also retrieving information from long - term memory .
working memory also directs and controls concentration , understood as current capacity to focus cognitive emotional resources on a specific task .
working memory also elaborates and shifts to consciousness cognitive emotional processes , so - called current concerns , highly involved in current information elaboration .
current concerns refer to personal needs , thoughts , worries , and often unresolved issues . following the theoretical framework of baddeley and hitch,26 the working memory is limited in the speed , accuracy and amount of information that may be elaborated within a specific time frame .
accordingly , the working memory is unable to store , direct , modulate , elaborate , or focus all informations at the same time .
therefore , it seems plausible that people with higher levels of anxiety , depression , social issues , and poor sleep are less accurate in everyday motor skills and behavior such as driving . in brief , and though we can not confirm this with the present data , we believe that elevated health difficulties lead to poorer driving behavior due to the limited capacity of working memory .
we also note that the performance in neuropsychological assessments is lower in people suffering from psychiatric disorders , and one psychological explanation for this focuses on the impaired capacity of working memory,26,27 leading most probably to the conflict over how to allocate attention between their concerns and the task to be performed .
our second hypothesis was that higher scores for aggression would be associated with poorer driving behavior , and again this was confirmed .
therefore , the present pattern of results is in accord with and adds to the numerous other studies indicating an association between aggression and driving behavior.14,18,21 the first research question focused on the relative importance of poor mental health and aggression in explaining poor driving behavior , and the results of the multiple regression analyses indicate that only poor health status and not aggression independently explained poor driving behavior . at present
, there is no adequate theoretical framework available that can account for this pattern of results . in the absence of such a framework , we advance the following possibility . drawing on lazarus and folkmans28 concept of coping with stress , aggression and aggressive expression could be regarded as emotion - focused coping strategies ( in contrast to problem - focused strategies ) .
further , symptoms of anxiety , depression , and social dysfunction might also be considered as emotion - focused coping strategies , in that a person seems to be unable to solve problems or to eliminate stressors but tries only to cope with the emotions related to stress .
variance in aggression and aggressive expression may overlap considerably with variance in symptoms of anxiety and depression and aggressive traits may be treated as a specific aspect of health status .
further studies might focus on the extent to which aggressive traits and symptoms of depression , anxiety , and insomnia do indeed share common variance .
the second research question concerned the extent to which sociodemographic variables might systematically affect levels of aggression , health status , and driving behavior .
it turned out that lower educational level was associated with higher scores for anxiety and insomnia , and social dysfunction , but was not associated with driving behavior or aggression .
again , the data available could not shed any further light on the underlying mechanisms , and only one study29 has reported that male drivers from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are at increased risk of poor driving behavior .
further , based on the present results , we conclude that it is not socioeconomic variables , or age , or driving experience but the cognitive emotional processes underlying poor health status and aggression that are the key determinants of driver behavior .
although we focused on current psychological states , much of the recent research in this area has focused on personality traits .
for example , mallia et al7 observed associations between excitement seeking and normlessness and aberrant driving behavior among professional bus drivers .
likewise , edwards et al9 observed a relationship between narcissism and aggressive driving , while , for example , roberts et al30 claimed that personality traits have the same predictive value for future mortality , divorce , and occupational attainment as cognitive factors , such as iq , and socioeconomic status .
recently , beanland et al8 assessed 285 young adults from a university in the southern usa .
the results showed that antagonism and negative affectivity predicted aggressive violations and ordinary violations , and disinhibition while negative affectivity also predicted error and lapses , whereas we do fully acknowledge the importance and merits of research on personality traits we also have some concerns .
first , observations from everyday clinical experience show that , among patients suffering from psychiatric disorders , the set of symptoms are uniform , leading to a precise and observable description of symptoms ( see dsm 5 and icd-10 ) , and that often periods of increased stress trigger the emergence of acute states of psychiatric disorder .
second , recently , we were able to show that , among a large sample of young adults , it was not perfectionism understood as a stable personality trait but underlying poor coping strategies and dysfunctional cognitive emotional processes that best explained sleep disturbances.31 accordingly , in the present study , we observed that poor current mental health status as reflected in anxiety and insomnia , social dysfunction , and depression were associated with poor driving behavior ; symptoms of anxiety , insomnia , depression , and social dysfunction are by definition not personality traits but are considered state markers , which emerge as a consequence of prolonged stress and the lack of adequate coping strategies ( see the so - called diathesis stress model of the emergence and maintenance of psychiatric disorders32 ) . to summarize , the present pattern of results lends support to the idea that current cognitive
emotional constraints are associated with current aberrant driving behavior . despite the intriguing findings , several limitations warn against the overgeneralizations of the present results .
first , the study is cross - sectional and precludes by definition any conclusions with regard to causal direction in the associations between health status , aggression , and driving behavior .
given that self - reports may be biased , future studies should also include the experts ratings .
this holds particularly true for psychological health , as it might be expected that psychiatric disorders such as attention - deficit - hyperactivity disorder and substance abuse might affect the driving behavior .
third , the present pattern of results might be due to further latent , but unassessed dimensions , which could have biased two or more variables in the same direction .
in this regard , future studies might introduce impulsive behavior / impulse control skills as possible factors .
fourth , given that only males were assessed , we can not say whether present pattern of results would also hold for female drivers .
fifth , no objective physiological data were collected ; such data might have allowed us to illuminate the underlying neurophysiological processes linking aberrant driving behavior , poor health status , and aggression .
sixth , to determine the extent to which the driving behavior of the present sample is more or less dangerous than that of other road users , objective driving behavior , assessments should be included and compared with data from drivers without traffic violations ( controls ) .
seventh , the data do not provide any insight into possible work - related , stress - related or motivational issues underlying current driving behavior , health status , or aggression .
though highly speculative , one might assume that work load , job insecurity , family strain , financial issues , and further stressors might have an impact on the cognitive emotional processes involved in stress , anxiety , and depression .
if we take into account that low educational attainment was associated with poor health status , it is possible that the socioeconomic consequences of lower educational attainment might underlie or at least contribute to higher cognitive emotional stress , lower health status , and poorer driving behavior .
finally , it might be very strange to find no association with age ( table 2 ) , in that insurance premiums for younger drivers are much higher in most western countries given clear actuarial evidence of differential risk : younger drivers are much more likely to have accidents .
however , we note that the mean age of the present sample was approximately 31.5 years , and that the present sample already consists of male offenders with repeated traffic infractions , and therefore , age did not seem to be an important factor .
the present pattern of results from a sample of iranian male traffic offenders indicates that poor mental health status , along with aggression , was associated with poorer driving behavior . | pubmed |
Diego Nicolás De La Cruz Arcosa born 1 June 1997 is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Argentine club River Plate.
He is half-brother of Uruguayan international footballer Carlos Sánchez.
Honours
River Plate
Copa Argentina: 2017
Supercopa Argentina: 2018
Copa Libertadores: 2018
Recopa Sudamericana: 2019
References
Category:1997 births
Category:Living people
Category:Uruguayan footballers
Category:Uruguay under-20 international footballers
Category:Liverpool F.C. Montevideo players
Category:River Plate footballers
Category:Uruguayan Primera División players
Category:Argentine Primera División players
Category:Uruguayan expatriate footballers
Category:Expatriate footballers in Argentina
Category:Sportspeople from Montevideo
Category:Association football forwards | wikipedia |
Slideby is simple, no fancy background in the menu, no complicated classes or codes. Just a simple way to navigate a mobile page, that's focused purely on your content and the ability to showcase your mobile products in the most elegant and unintrusive way possible. A menu that merges perfect with the content to create a fluid and simple app like mobile experience. | slim_pajama |
What is the minimum and maximum limit for Hydrogen Adsorption distance?
In chemical adsorption of H$\_{2}$ molecule, the distance is limited. In the physical adsorption, the distance of adsorption is limited or can be any value? Is there any correspondence to adsorption distance with the van der Waals radius of the adsorbent and adsorbate?. Is there experimental measurements for the minimum and maximum limit for the H$\_{2}$ adsorption distance?
As far as I know, the potential energy of the molecule could be minimum at a distance of approximately one molecular radius of the adsorbate. The energy minimum is in the order of something like $0.01–0.1\ \mathrm{eV}=1–10\ \mathrm{kJ\;mol^{-1}}$. Due to the weakness of the interaction, significant changes are only observed at low temperatures ($<273\ \mathrm{K}$).
The equilibrium position of the molecule from the surface will be due to the tradeoff between a (relatively) long range Van der Waals force (or electrostatic force if the molecule is charged or dipolar) and the short range exchange repulsion. You would expect the minimum to be when the molecule touches the surface, so it would around the Van der Waals radius. It's hard to see what could maintain the molecule at a greater distance than this.
I suppose in solution the molecule could be hydrated, espcially if it's charged or polar, and the shell of coordinated water molecules would hold the molecule farther away. This seems a bit of a special case though.
| stackexchange/physics |
Robotech/Macross Christmas Ghosts
"_Daddy, is Mommy coming home this Christmas?"_
"_I don't know, Ricky."_
"_Doesn't she love me any more?"_
"_I'm sure she still loves you. It's just . . . well, things are complicated."_
"_What if I write Santa that the one thing I really want for Christmas is Mommy to come home? Will he bring her home?"_
"_You can try, Ricky. You can try."_
Captain Rick Hunter shook the thoughts out of his head. He exhaled loudly.
_Focus._
He stared out at the blue water of the Arctic Ocean. His twin-tailed, swing-wing Veritech fighter couldn't be more than seventy feet off the deck.
_Seventy-four feet, according to my display._
He took quick glances left and right. Two more Veritechs flanked him, flown by his friends Max and Miriya Sterling. He then glanced at a screen in his helmet-mounted display, the one linked to the satellite orbiting above the North Pole. His lips tightened as he observed the group of two-legged, egg-shaped vehicles streaking across the desolate, icy landscape. Fourteen Zentraedi battle pods. Even with their Veritechs blasting over the ocean at full military power, he and the Sterlings were still five minutes away from interception.
In three minutes, the enemy would reach their target.
_Good. Let them blow it up._
Rick closed his eyes, grimacing. How could he have such a thought? If the Zentraedi succeeded in their mission, it would be a devastating psychological blow to the remnants of humanity. A year after The Great Battle, in which the Zentraedi fleet laid waste to ninety-five percent of the Earth's surface, the survivors, especially the children, needed any sort of joy they could latch onto.
_Where was my joy when I needed it?_
Rick's grip on the control stick tightened. His mind propelled him back in time, to when he was six-years-old.
_Why isn't Mommy here? I asked Santa. How come he didn't bring Mommy home?_
_I don't know, son. Maybe . . . maybe Santa's just too busy._
_He can't be too busy. He's Santa. Maybe he doesn't like me any more. Well I don't like Santa any more!_
"Skull Leader. Skull Leader, respond!"
The authoritative, female voice burst through Rick's memories.
"Skull Leader here," he answered Captain Lisa Hayes, who was currently in the Combat Information Center aboard the SDF-1.
"Skull Leader, be advised. We have received a distress call from the North Pole. Zentraedi forces have commenced attack on Santa's workshop."
"Roger that. Skull Squadron's ETA to target, one-fifty."
"Acknowledged. Ghost Squadron and Scimitar Squadron are en route. They should arrive in twenty minutes."
Rick scowled. Twenty minutes from now this will long be over, one way or the other.
"Roger. Skull Leader, out."
He huffed as the three-plane formation went "feet dry" over the icy expanse of the North Pole. They'd be going into this fight outnumbered nearly five-to-one.
_Well, that's nothing new for us. _They'd faced overwhelming odds throughout the First Robotech War, and ultimately emerged triumphant.
Still, it didn't mean he liked fighting with the odds against him.
He switched to the intra-squadron frequency. "Max. Miriya. Break right, then circle round to the workshop from the east. I'm going to hit the Zentraedi with a frontal assault, get them to focus all their attention on me. Then you two hit them from behind."
"Roger that. Just be careful, buddy."
"I will, Max."
"Okay, babe. Let's do this."
"Right behind you, Max," Miriya replied.
The Sterlings banked right and blasted over the frozen landscape.
Rick pulled a lever on the left side of the cockpit. The Veritech shuddered as it went through its transformation to Guardian mode. Two arms, one hefting a huge, tubular laser cannon, and two legs protruded from underneath the jet. Banks of missile launchers also sprouted around the Veritech.
Smoke rose in the distance. Rick held his breath as he drew closer.
Shattered candy cane towers lay on the ground. Flames poured from holes in an enormous brown, green and red gingerbread house. Small figures in red and green outfits fled for their lives as Zentraedi battle pods stomped about. Lasers streaked from their gun mounts. A section of wall from Santa's workshop exploded. More bolts tore up the snow. Elves burst into flame. Rick spotted a reindeer darting across the snow. The foot of a battle pod crushed it.
For a brief second, Rick became the angry six-year-old. He could taste his hatred for Santa Claus, the man who failed to deliver the one thing he wanted most in the world.
Rick gritted his teeth. _Stop it. Right now. _He was no longer six-years-old. He was an adult, a captain in the Robotech Defense Force. He had a mission to carry out.
Protect Santa and his workshop.
His personal feelings didn't matter a damn. He had his orders. He would carry them out.
His thumb mashed down on the fire button. A dozen contrails streaked away from his Veritech and spiraled through the sky. Seconds later flames sprouted near the perimeter of Santa's workshop. A fireball consumed one battle pod. Another toppled onto the ice, one of its legs missing.
Other battle pods turned toward him. Rick jinked hard as lasers flashed all around him. Twice his jet rocked from sledgehammer blows. His display showed a hole in the port wing and a gash in the right leg. He ignored the damage. He could still fly, and fight. That's all that mattered.
Rick let loose another barrage of missiles. Geysers of fire erupted among the Zentraedi. Two of their battle pods exploded. Six others rose into the sky, raining down laser fire.
Rick continued to jink wildly. Bolts of energy tore into the ice around him. Two more jolts went through his Veritech. Still no serious damage . . . for now.
He lifted the Veritech's nose and fired the laser cannon. A beam sliced through the center of one battle pod. Seconds later flame burst from it. The burning wreckage tumbled to the ground and exploded. The five remaining airborne battle pods dispersed, still shooting at him.
Another hit. This one fried some of the fly-by-wire controls. Rick kept jinking, but noticed his jet's movement had become sluggish.
_C'mon, Max, Miriya. Where are y-_
Missiles streaked through the sky out of the north. Four battle pods flared like miniature supernovas and vanished. The last battle pod rotated in the sky. Laser fire tore into it. It fell toward the ground, trailing smoke.
Max and Miriya's Veritechs rocketed over Santa's burning workshop. Two battle pods laced the sky around them with lasers. The Sterlings' transformed their jets into Battleoid mode, taking on the form of humanoid-like robots. Somersaulting in mid-air, the husband and wife pilots blazed away with their laser cannons.
Both battle pods turned into fireballs.
Rick scanned through the smoke surrounding the area with his LIDAR. Two more battle pods remained. Where were they?
There! He saw them trotting toward the reindeer stables. In front of them ran two other figures, both plump.
Rick's Veritech burst through the flames just as one of the battle pods leaped in front of the fleeing couple. His eyes widened when he recognized one of them. How could he not, with that long, snow white beard, those rosy red cheeks, and that big belly?
Rick Hunter was looking right at Santa Claus. Next to him, staring up at the battle pods in fright, was Mrs. Claus.
He brought up his laser cannon. The targeting system chirped. He had lock.
_Why didn't you bring my mother back home?_
Rick held his breath as the long-ago anger resurfaced.
_Dammit, not now._
_He betrayed me._
_You have a mission! Carry it out!_
His finger came down on the fire button. Lasers shot over Santa and Mrs. Claus. Fire gushed from the battle pod as it keeled over.
The last battle pod spun around. A laser bolt through the middle took care of it.
Rick sighed in relief. The tension dissolved from his muscles. He set the engines to idle and slumped in his seat, breathing slowly.
_It's over. I'm alive._
Something moved in front of him. He looked up, staring through the canopy. His teeth clenched when he saw Santa Claus and his wife, waving to him as they approached his Veritech.
_Well, I guess I have to._
Rick popped open the canopy, unbuckled himself from his seat, and leaped out of the cockpit.
"Ho, ho, ho. Why if it isn't little Ricky Hunter."
He stiffened as Santa clutched him by the shoulders.
"You saved us all, Ricky, and saved Christmas to boot. We all owe you a big thank you."
"Yeah. Sure. Nothing to it. Just doing my job."
With a final nod, Rick started to turn away.
"I guess I can't blame you for still being mad at me."
Rick's brow furrowed. He turned back to Santa. "What?"
"I still remember your letter when you were six. How you wanted me to bring your mother home for Christmas." Santa hung his head. His rosy cheeks didn't appear so rosy. "Believe me, son, I wish I could have done that for you."
"Then why didn't you? I mean, you're Santa Claus."
"Even Santa Claus has his limits. Oh sure I can fly around the world in a single night, deliver toys to good little boys and girls, fill their lives with joy. But when it comes to the really big stuff, the really important stuff, well, a lot of times, my hands are tied."
"Why? You're supposed to spread cheer and all that. Well having my mother come home for Christmas would have made me happy."
"I know it would have, Ricky. And I sympathize. It must be awful, having your mother run out on you and your father, never seeing her again. Maybe I do have the magic to fix that and make it all better. But if I start solving everyone's problems, if I have everyone dependent on me, how will that help anyone?"
Rick canted his head. "I don't understand."
Santa grinned and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Men and women must be allowed to follow their own paths in life. They must be masters of their own destiny. Yes, everyone will encounter challenges in life, and they must have the chance to overcome them on their own, to stand on their own two feet, to emerge from these challenges stronger than before. Thus, they will become better human beings. They can't always rely on some fat old man to snap his fingers and make everything better. Why, take yourself as an example. Obviously, your mother running out on you was a traumatic experience. You could have used that as an excuse to become a bitter man, or worse, a bad man. But that didn't happen. You came through that period stronger. It helped forge you into the man you are today. A fighter, a leader, a man of great compassion, a man who has risked his life to protect his fellow human beings, and who will continue to do so for a long time. Now, would that have happened if I had stepped in and magically made everything better?" Santa shrugged. "Who can say? But believe me when I say that you are a good man, Ricky. Or should I say, Captain Hunter."
Rick just stood there, staring at Santa. He didn't know what to say. Heck, he didn't even know what to feel. He'd been angry at Santa for so long, blaming him for not bringing Mom home for Christmas.
But he didn't let that anger consume him. He had outlets for it, like flying. He also had other people who cared about him, like his father, like Roy Fokker.
Of course, they were both dead. But they weren't the only ones who cared about him. He had Max and Miriya. Minmay. Lisa.
In spite of everything that had happened over the past three years, he did have a pretty good life. He had turned out to be a pretty good guy.
Maybe, just maybe, the time had come to bury those ghosts that had been with him since he was six.
Another Veritech landed next to them. The canopy rose and Max waved to them.
"Hey, Captain. Oh wow. Hey, Santa. Mrs. Claus. You guys okay?"
"Yes we are, Max." Santa nodded to him. "Thank you, very much. Rest assured you and Miriya will find something very special under your tree this year. You too, Ricky."
Rick couldn't help it. A smile spread over his face.
"Looks like your workshop took a pounding," Max said. "Hey, I'm sure we can get one of our engineering battalions up here to help fix it. I mean, we can't let anything keep Christmas from coming, can we?"
"You're right about that, Max. Ho, ho, ho."
"Actually . . ." Rick took a deep breath before continuing. "If it's not a problem, maybe I can stay here and help with some of the repairs. After . . . well, after the way I acted when I was a kid, it's the least I can do."
Santa beamed and patted him on the shoulder. "I appreciate that, Ricky. I appreciate that a lot."
Rick's smile widened. He spun around. "Max, you and Miriya fly CAP in case any more Zentraedi show up." He referred to Combat Air Patrol. "I'm staying groundside to give Santa a hand."
"You got it, boss. Hey, Merry Christmas, Santa. Mrs. Claus."
Max took to the sky to rejoin his wife.
"Well, Mother," Santa looked to his wife. "You should tend to the wounded. Ricky and I will round up the surviving elves and get the workshop back up and running."
"Of course, dear." Mrs. Claus kissed her husband on the cheek and headed off.
Santa put an arm around Rick and steered him toward the shattered workshop. "Well, let's get to work, my dear boy. And once we're all through, I promise there'll be a big plate of gingerbread cookies and a big mug of cocoa waiting for you."
Rick patted Jolly Old Saint Nick on the back. "I'd like that, Santa."
_**THE END . . . MERRY CHRISTMAS**_
* * *
**AUTHOR NOTES 1: **_Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed the action in this story, check out my original sci-fi invasion novel "Dark Wings" (by John J. Rust), available from Amazon and as an ebook at smashwords-dot-com._
**AUTHOR NOTES 2: **_Now that FFN has the image manager to allow us to have "covers" for our stories, I'd like to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, I have no artistic talent whatsoever. If anyone out there is inspired to create a cover for this story, or any of my other stories, please PM me about it._
End file.
| fanfiction |
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