A stormy night (Video)

[boldlydanforth]

It's raining. The soft patter of the water fills the air. A slightly shaky hand indicates a phone camera, clumsily held. In the distance, lightning splits the sky.

Michael laughs.

The video continues, the thunder rolling through the noise of the rain.

A finger points, and the arc of lightning appears in exactly the place pointed out, the flash killing the camera for a moment.

Dramatically, a finger points up, at the large cage with steel beam supports.

There is a crack of thunder loud enough to break up the mic.

There's a wind as the grounding charge gets hold of Michael's muscles.

You hear his laughter even as he's trying to save his phone.

"FUCK I love thunderstorms."

Comments

[nijistaryume]

Whoa! Lightning magic? Or magnetism or something?

[boldlydanforth]

"I don't... think so?" Michael slowly gets up and-- "ow ow ow stiff stiff stiff--"

The sound of dusting themself off is heard briefly over the rain. "At least I'm not sure I can do it on command, and just pointing a finger in the general area of where there'll be a lightning bolt doesn't feel that impressive."

Michael points. In the distance, there's a flash, then a few seconds later, the distant rumble of thunder. They're still giggling.

[nijistaryume]

So it's more like predicting where one's gonna be? That's still pretty cool, though. Especially since you kept only believing in normal stuff.

[boldlydanforth]

"I'm sure there's an explanation for it. I just don't know what it is, yet." Michael walks up to an elevator attached to the cage and presses a button.

... They really should have expected that one. "... Stairs it is."

[nijistaryume]

Uhh, maybe next time don't take the power out of a building you're in. [She stifles some giggles.] Wish that guy Azra-nee and them are dealing with would slip up like that. It'd make planning way easier. Cami-nee's losing sleep again.

[boldlydanforth]

It's a long few flights down, but as he turns around there's another peal of thunder. "Like I said I don't actually call it. I think?"

"Anyway, I'd ask if you all wanted some help with that, I've been watching the feeds, but I can also tell there are way, way too many reasons y'all would tell me no."

[nijistaryume]

They won't even let me help. I wanna learn how to fight, but all I get is "no, you are literally 12." Azra-nee started even younger than me, how is that fair.

[boldlydanforth]

"... That I actually have an answer for, and I don't think you're gonna like it, but hell, I can't screw today up any worse, right?"

Michael pans over to the lightning storm, watching it for a moment. "Sometimes-- a lot of the time-- people want to protect others from the hell they went through. And if Azra started as young as you... Well, they probably have some--"

Thunder rumbles, and Michael waits for it to stop. "There's probably a lot of pain involved with that Azra wants to spare you."

[nijistaryume]

[Momo grimaces. She shuffles her feet and fidgets with her pencil at the desk.]

...Yeah, I guess so. But I still wanna help like everyone else. It's not just 'cause I'm bored stuck at the base, either. I hate Invaders. I mean, obviously not everyone from Earth is bad, but the ones who come here, most of them... I don't wanna let them go around doing the same stuff they did on Earth, only now with special powers and no one to stop them.

[She glances at a clock on the wall and starts rummaging in the drawers.]

I need to take my pills. Hold on a second.

[boldlydanforth]

Take your time, I know how it is with meds.

[Michael pulls up a support while they wait, pointing out at the night sky. There's a flash. A few seconds later the thunder rumbles.]

Aww, finally missed one.

[nijistaryume]

[She pulls out a small container, shakes out some pills, and downs them, making a face before putting the container back.]

You're pretty talented at this, even if you say it's not magic. How'd you learn?

[boldlydanforth]

I... I'm not really sure?

I started learning to arc-weld, and there was a thunderstorm, and I guess my head went "oh, same thing" because that's when I started being able to really figure out where the arc would go.

[nijistaryume]

So it's kinda one of those... super-analysis things that you read about, huh?

[boldlydanforth]

Maybe? I don't think I'd call it 'super', just... a matter of scale.

[nijistaryume]

I dunno, it depends. Lots of people would say it's just analysis about clearly magic things.

[boldlydanforth]

... This is about me trying to figure out universal addressing through Badgernet, isn't it.

I mean, yes, I'm doing that.

... And considering that you and Azra share addressing but you and Deedee and Bernkastel and Nina largely don't, well...

It lends some credence to this whole 'separate universes' thing.

And I'll admit if it is true, you could. Probably use it to transmit people.

I mean sure, electrons are a lot smaller than an entire-ass human, but...

I dunno. I wanna see what's out there.

I wanna see what other versions of me are like.

[nijistaryume]

It's not just about that! It's about lots of people and lots of things. But it is pretty cool. I guess theoretically you'd need to figure out how to do it first. As far as I know, quantum teleportation would only be able to move information. Fancy scientific telepathy. Though I guess you could use information to make stuff.

[boldlydanforth]

Well... If I had to guess, a lot of these numbers are directional coordinates, just... for directions we can't normally move in?

... No, that's not right, they're more like IP addresses

which implies a network of easier access

Which sort of throws quantum teleportation out of the window. Though as in most cases information is everything.

My working idea-- not yet a hypothesis, I have to figure out what would happen if it wasn't true-- is that if this network structure already exists, and is already transporting electrons, it's already working with mass.

[Michael closes their eyes for a long moment.]

And if it was false, you could... Probably smack in an address, call down a lightning bolt or something of similar size, have a variable tuning set by the address, and go.

... if only I had the money for a steel car frame and a lightning rod...

[nijistaryume]

[Momo nods along, and while some of it's starting to go over her head, she excitedly writes down everything.]

So you'd probably not be able to take control over the network, but see if you could replicate it to see how it works?

[boldlydanforth]

Heavens no. Taking control of the network would probably be counter-productive.

And well... probably not replication, either. It's one thing to move electrons and photons and another entirely to move a whole-ass person, like I said--

though... though now I have a good idea--

no, no, no I can't use a cable car, that puts too many people at risk--

[nijistaryume]

So you wanna transport people from world to world, huh? I guess that'd be cool if you figured out a safe way to do it. I mean, we don't really like the idea over here, but you could go someplace else. Besides, you don't wanna do it the way it happens here.

[boldlydanforth]

Absolutely not. I'm not interested in looking for new and interesting ways to be a chud.

For... For me at least, it would be about seeing what I'm like in other universes. Because-- you know, if some place has a history similar to mine, I probably exist, right?

so, you know, if... if there were some basic changes that might have happened... I kind of want to know about them.

[nijistaryume]

Coming here doesn't make you gross. The guy who summons people picks gross people in the first place. Any exceptions were either by mistake or... what's the thing again? Collateral damage, I guess.

[She looks away from the screen and taps her pencil again.]

I bet other yous would be fun to see, though.

[boldlydanforth]

Right? Like-- just imagine how they'd be different just because things happened just a little differently here or there.

Hm.

I guess I'd feel weird about not using it responsibly, though...

[nijistaryume]

You mean like for a good cause? I guess if someone needed rescuing or something, that'd be useful.

[boldlydanforth]

... rescuing people, yes, but like...

Just... finding ways to help people in general?

... Hm... Maybe that's a little presumptive...

[nijistaryume]

How's it presumptive? It's kinda general how you said it.

[boldlydanforth]

felt like kind of a dick move to say "oh of course anyone who's not in my world would need help" was all

and that's assuming I even know the language... fart.

[nijistaryume]

I mean, somehow we're all understanding each other. I dunno how that works, either, but it's really convenient.

[boldlydanforth]

we're understanding each other through badgernet.

I may not have that luxury.

[nijistaryume]

Yeah, I guess so. I don't know if the AIs are gonna explain if you ask, either.