JINDAI MUNICIPAL HIGH SCHOOL
Kaname, what happened to your head?"
Kyouko looked concerned, both for her friend's outward condition, and because of an urgent matter at hand.
"Soap meet floor," Sousuke made a kicking motion like he was shooting a goal in soccer. "Head meet wall." He slapped his hands together, making a loud noise. He noticed the frantic look in his friend's eyes. "Why are you so-" He didn't have a chance to finish. The girl had hurried over to her locker.
Sousuke went first to his own locker, before realizing his mistake. Kyouko wasn't making things easy, telling her to put her stuff away and get her slippers on quickly.
Slippers?
Yes, Jindai had recently been coerced into adopting some traditions that were still used by numerous other high schools. After placing his things and his shoes in Kaname's locker, Sousuke headed for the blue sneakers, slid to a halt, an re-directed his stride towards the pink ones. He barely had time to make his second slipper comfortable before someone else showed up looking for him. It was a figure that Sousuke did not have the most cheerful of histories with.
"There you are… there you are…." The Vice Principal was running towards the two girls, one of his own slippers coming apart unnoticed. "There you are… finally. I was afraid you weren't going to make it on time." His glasses were fogged up. He dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief.
Sousuke fought the urge to strike the older man. H reminded him of the Vice-Principal in 'Great Teacher Onizuka'. That had him thinking about taking the man in a German Suplex, the way that Eikichi had, hands clasped around the Vice Principal's waist, lifting him up over his head, bridging his own body before dumping the nervous man him on his head. No. That method was not the best. He himself had been the victim of Kaname's Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex, once made famous by Joshi legend Manami Toyota. This body was obviously suitable for that move.
Sousuke successfully silenced the voice in his head that sought payback, as seductive as that voice might be.
"You didn't forget, did you?" The Vice Principal grew even more agitated. "You couldn't have forgot something so important. You just couldn't have!" His one foot moved forward and back, almost as if her were a horse getting ready to run or kick-out.
To Sousuke, the movements reminded him of a deer, not a horse. That brought to mind a a chapter in 'Ninchijou', specifically one about a battle between a deer and the Principal, while a watching Yuuko freaked out over it.
"Forget, Sir?" Sousuke still had little love for the man, having been close to expulsion after blowing up the very entryway lockers he had just left, only to be saved by the Principal. "Was there something I was supposed to remember?" The way he said it made it sound like she was pulling the balding middle-aged man's chain.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Miss Chidori." The VP gasped and put a hand to his mouth. "Unless that bump on your head…."
"Ka-naaa-aa-a-maaa-aa-ay," Kyouko said, putting her camera down after the flash nearly blinded the frantic man. "Today's the weekly assembly. You're supposed to give the inspirational speech."
*doink*
That was the sound of Kaname's school bag hitting the floor, after falling from Sousuke's suddenly slack grasp.
He suddenly felt unbelievably uncomfortable, fighting the urge to knock people out and run into seclusion. What was the topic he was supposed to talk about? Kaname hadn't mentioned anything to him; but, that was to be expected, she had been rather preoccupied. He had no Full Monty Virus cannisters. He had no explosives to blow up the school. Should he run and pull a fire alarm? Why did he feel like a fox, one foot caught in a snare, as a man with a bushy beard and a hunting knife approached with a big gnarly grin?
"Career day is coming up," the Vice Principal nearly shouted. "The students need to take their future seriously. If they don't do that soon, it may be too late!" He began hyperventilating.
"That is correct." The speaker was Atsunobu Hayashimizu. "And I do apologize again. I would have given the talk, had I not been too busy with other school duties." He smiled his winning smile. "But I think our prior discussion should have given you sufficient ammunition." Why did the blue-haired girl twitch when he said that last word? "Seeing that life after high school truly is a battlefield." It almost looked like Kaname's eyes were glowing coal red.
"Sir! Yes sir!" Sousuke stopped just short of saluting. He had to try and settle down. He was Kaname Chidori today, not Sousuke Sagara. "I mean… I will gladly do whatever you say your Excellency…." Oops. That slipped out. Old habits die hard. He exchanged brief pleasantries with Ren Mikihara, Atsunobu's secretary, before the VP took him by the hand and pulled him towards the auditorium.
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WEEKLY MORNING ASSEMBLY
A few minutes later, Sousuke found himself standing at a well-worn lectern, located on top of a sturdy and well-seasoned podium. Looking straight out, he could see a veritable sea of students. His mind threatened to go blank. What could he possibly speak about? He was suddenly blind to his surroundings. He took no note of the study gray walls, festooned with fancy filigree and draped with dark colossal curtains. Muted light shone down through numerous windows. Dust motes danced in that light.
He waited while the Vice Principal said a few introductory words, and the Principal made a short but important announcement. "I yield the floor to you, Miss Chidori," the Principal said.
Many of the faces in the crowd were familiar to Sousuke.
Some of the faces appeared attentive and eager, while others seemed distant and bored. A number of students spoke among themselves or goofed around. "I… Kanmame Chidori… known to you as a class representative and Vice President of the student council… have been ordered to give this very appropriate speech." Sousuke used his Systema training to regulate his breathing. 'The System' could help a user thrive in any situation. He would apply his knowledge of that discipline now. "Some of you may be in this school because your parents make you come… because you have no means to support yourself… because it is expected by the government. Whatever your reason to attend, be certain that the door at the front of this building opens up upon a battlefield." He paused, before his voice rang out louder than before.
"The battlefield of life!"
"She sounds an awful lot like Sagara!" Someone in the middle of the crowd called out.
"Hey… yeh… where is Sousuke?" Another someone said, before adding "I didn't hear anything explode this morning."
"If we have to be here, why isn't he here?!" A lot of students echoed that sentiment.
Sousuke fought the urge to say 'I am right here'. Instead, he said "I understand that Mister Sagara suffered a severe medical misadventure. The details of that occurrence are not available to this school." He was bitten by the inspiration bug. "On that note… while you are all gathered here in one place… I should mention that I might seem strange to some of you throughout the day. The reason is this. I slipped in the shower and struck my head. I suffered an out of body experience, so I might very well be suffering from traumatic brain injury. Despite that, I decided to come here and give this speech, instead of seeking immediate medical assistance."
"She's so diligent and dependable," Tsubaki said, glasses on. He sighed.
"No!" Mizuki said sharply. "She's not so great." She sidled closer to the karate boy, who quickly doubled the distance between them
A number of people called out encouragement. Others jokingly asked if they could go the bathroom. Those who were disrespectful had Sousuke's temper getting hot. He needed to shut those people up and have them respect their class rep. But, where should he draw his words from? Movies? Famous battlefield speeches? Motivational seminars on Merida Island? Reality TV?
"I know you all," Sousuke began, deciding to wing it. He would treat this as a combat situation, and he would roll with the punches as best he could. "I know who you are and what you must do." He stood up taller. His voice sounded strong and authoritative. "Just as you know me, and know what I will do. We are not here to liberate our captive minds today, but to conquer our destiny for tomorrow!" He began to walk the stage, one hand behind his back, as if tutoring a batch of new recruits on the finer points of knife fighting or demolition work.
"We are not here just to show our own flags, but to honor the sacrifices of men and women who gathered facts and knowledge across the ages. There are some of you alive here today, who may not survive the trials that are coming. Those who do not wish to go on that journey to the future, we will not send!" There was steel in his voice. Even the rowdies in the audience had settled down. "As for the others… I expect you to rock the world!" He stood legs wide apart, both hands behind his back now. He asked someone to find him a pointer. "Wipe out your competition, if they choose to stand against you. But… remember this always… be ferocious in battle… but magnanimous in victory."
"Here you go, Kaname."
"Thank you, your Ex-… I mean, Atsunobu." Sousuke had the pointer in hand. He swept it about to emphasize his next words. "Japan is steeped in history. It is the site of Mount Fuji, the Imperial Palace, and Himeji Castle. It is the birthplace of Bushido. Tread lightly in your homeland. You will see things that no man can pay to see. You will have to go a far distance to find a more decent, generous, and upright people than the Japanese. You will be embarrassed by the hospitality of your fellow countrymen. Do not treat those others how you might treat refugees. This is their country, too!"
"Well said." The Vice Principal wiped away a tear.
"If there are casualties in our war, remember when they woke up and got dressed in the morning they did not plan to die. Allow them dignity in their demise. Bury them properly and mark their graves." If Sousuke himself were saying things, everyone would be calling for him to leave the stage. But with those words coming from Kaname's mouth, everyone sat transfixed. "It is my intention here today to help you all make it out into life alive, but there may be people among you who will not see things through to the end of the campaign. We will put the fallen in sleeping bags and send them back to their families. There is no time for sorrow!"
"We are indeed seeing things that no one else is lucky enough to see." The Principal smiled proudly at the speaker.
"Let me emphasize this!" Sousuke brought the pointer down hard on the lectern. "Our competitors should be in no doubt that we are their nemesis and that we will bring about their rightful destruction. There may be many people out there who have stains on their souls, who are stoking the fires of Hell. Yes. Beware. There are those who would set traps for us and consign us to a fiery demise in their place. Those men will be destroyed by our coalition for the things that they have done!" He paused, reflecting on his own experiences. He could draw some parallels here. "It's a big step to take another's life… I mean, another's job." No one seemed to notice that slip. "It is not to be done lightly. I know of men who have taken jobs needlessly in other cities. I can assure you that they live with the Mark of Cain upon them. But, if some such as that surrender to you, remember that they have a right to go home to their family. And I say this loud and clear:
THE ONES WHO WISH TO FIGHT, WE AIM TO PLEASE!
Members of the audience took to their feet.
Some students shouted out school slogans, quieting down when Sousuke raised his arms, and then slowly lowered them.
"But, we can all be our own worst enemy," the blue-haired speaker said. "If you harm this school or its history by over-enthusiasm in trampling others or by acts of cowardice, know that it is your family that will suffer. You will be shunned, if your conduct is not of the highest, for your deeds will follow you down through history. Promise me that you will not bring shame on neither our uniform nor our school!"
WE PROMISE!
The auditorium had never heard that noise level before. Those who were not shouting or moved to flights of emotion held their cell phones up, recording this slice of history.
"As for us," Sousuke said feeling free and easy. "Let us find everyone a future, and let us all leave Jindai Municipal High School a better place for us having been here. Our businesses are out there!" He pointed out beyond the building walls.
Everyone turned to look in that direction, mesmerized, as if they could see a rainbow or some magical expanse.
"I hear you all shouting with enthusiasm. But, things will not come easy." Sousuke could have stopped, but he was on a roll. He would hammer his points again and again, the way that Mao had hammered things into Kurz and him at Mithril's secret training camp in the forests of Berutarube.
He borrowed from 'The Great Dictator': "To those who can hear me I say: do not hate your teachers out of despair! The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of youth, the bitterness of those who fear the weight of human progress. The power you feel has been taken from you will some day shock you with its abundance. But. Fellow students. Don't give yourselves to brutes masquerading as instructors. Men who despise you and enslave you! Who regiment your lives and tell you what to do, what to think, what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder! Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men! Machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate. Only the unloved hate. The unloved and the unnatural!"
"We will have no teachers like that here!" The Vice Principal shook his fist. "We will protect the students!"
"We will stand up for ourselves!" That was Shinji, about the last person who would normally stand up for himself.
"I am Kaname Chidori. And I see a whole army of my schoolmates, here in defiance of the tyranny of life." Sousuke was now channeling William Wallace in 'Braveheart'. "You've come to fight as free men and women... and free men and women you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take…." He let the crowd finish:
OUR FREEEDOMMM!
A camera flashed again and again. Kyouko was caught up in the frenzy, too. She was too entranced to notice that Ono-D had moved to stand next to her, caught up in her enthusiasm the way a cat is caught up with a piece or yarn or a mouse on a string.
"I'll fight for you, Kaname!" Tsubaki's eyes were figuratively shaped like hearts. Mizuki's eyes were shooting daggers.
"Jindai," Sousuke continued. He had switched to 'Independence Day.' "That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom."
In this story line, that date was a significant day not only for the U.S. but also Japan. On the surface, the real Japan might seem like a nice, free, capitalist country where people can start businesses, have their individual rights protected, and enjoy tax rates are relatively low for a first world country. But, in reality, it is actually an extremely statist, top down society, where infringements to individual rights are done covertly and on a systematic basis. Some might even say that the nation held a near-Soviet control over its economy. The corporate world is intimately involved with the government. Large corporations are organized in keiretsu, stopping shareholders from being able to have much of a say in running the business. Those keiretsu answer directly to the Ministry of Finance. In Sousuke's timeline, a ragtag group of investors had fought for and had won freedom for the people.
"Yes, we will be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution... but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as a Japanese holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: 'We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate… our Financial Independence Day!' A speech used as a rally cry against invading aliens was perfect for the moment.
Wolf whistles filled the air, an uncommon event in normally reserved Tokyo schools. Someone yelled out 'Kaname Chidori, have my baby.' Since that overzealous man was the Vice Principal, he was dragged out of the room by the ear, tugged along harshly by the Principal.
"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me." Another famous movie was fair game. "A day may come when the courage of students fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of high school comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Students of Jindai High!" Sousuke did not stop there, either. He took words from another favorite film. "No retreat, no surrender. That is our school law. And by that law, we will stand and fight... and die. A new age has begun: an age of freedom! And all will know that three hundred students gave their last breath to defend it!" Sousuke spoke sonorously, switching movies again. "And Career Day shall ne'er go by from this day until the ending of the world but we in it shall be remember'd. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother, Be he ne'er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition, and gentlemen in Japan now abed shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap whilst any speaks, that fought with us tomorrow upon Career Day!" After 'The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King', '300', and 'Henry V', could there possibly be anything else? Naturally. It was Sousuke, after all. Although he knew even less about American Football than he did rugby, he chose words from 'On Any Given Sunday':
"I don't know what to say, really. Less than a year to the biggest battle of our professional lives. All comes down to today, and either, we fight as a team, or we're gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play. Until we're finished. We're in hell right now, gentlemen and ladies. Believe me. And, we can stay here, get the shit kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell... one inch at a time." Sousuke felt his own morale soaring. At that given moment, he truly felt as if he were a part of that school. "Now I can't make you do it. You've got to look at the guy next to you, look into his eyes. Now I think ya going to see a guy who will go that inch with you. You're gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team, because he knows when it comes down to it, you're gonna do the same for him. That's a team, gentlemen and ladies, and either we fight, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals. That's high school guys, that's all it is. Now, what are you gonna do?"
Feet stomped. A spectator might wonder where the resulting vibrations might registerJapanese earthquake measurements on the Japan Meteorological Agency Seismic Intensity Scale. But the students still had a shred of sanity left.
But, not for long.
"No matter how enthusiastic you become today, one fact remains true." Sousuke spoke in a hushed voice. "Life… life is tough. It's tough to work so hard, but in the end get so little. Yes, it only makes sense… if your effort is high, you expect your reward to be high, too. What do you do, when it is not?"
The crowd had grown silent.
"It's tough, when you do everything right, but the results all seem so wrong." Sousuke felt his throat thicken. That seemed to be the story of his life, at least from his point of view. "What will you decide to do? Give up? Throw in the towel? Or… will you fight back, even if the odds seemed stacked unfairly against you?" Excited, he had bitten his lip. Blood dripped in small crimson droplets onto the stage. "Remember this above all. If you give up, you will never make it. You will never find out just how great you can be. You may have to suffer a little… or maybe even a great deal. But if you are persistent… if you have a burning desire to succeed… if you are willing to do whatever is necessary to win, you will come away victorious. If… you… are… ready… to… fight." He paused for effect, and then asked: "What are you going to do?"
We will fight!
"I said," Sousuke said. "What are you going to do?"
We will fight!
"And, then what will you do?" Sousuke spoke again.
WE WILL FIGHT!
"After that, what will you choose to do?" Sousuke's words added fuel to the fire.
WE WILL FIGHT!
"And if the world knocks you down and Death is staring you in the face-" Sousuke judged them all to be ready.
WE... WILL … FIGHT … FIGHT… FIGHT… FIGHT… FIGHT… FIGHT….
The chanting would have continued until everyone in the room ran out of breath and collapsed to the floor. However, Atsunobu stepped up to the front of the stage, waved his hand, and asked for everyone to stop. They immediately did so. He thanked everyone for coming, and told them how much time they all still had before their first class of the day.
Not everyone's enthusiasm had been doused. The rugby club, led by their leader Gouda Yuu, surrounded their former manager, showing her the same level of adoration that they showed their instructor, Sousuke Sagara. Eyes ablaze, they looked like demons, like a heard of wild beasts that were ready to stampeded and lay all to waste. They immediately dispersed, however, when a particular and somewhat peculiar man walked over.
"Miss Chidori, that was quite the inspiring speech." It was Mr. Ciocio, the school Guidance Counselor. "I would like for you to stop by my office later today. We will need some voice overs for the film we will put together. That speech will prove helpful to students for many years to come."
"Uhhh-" Reality landed on Sousuke like a ton of MREs. He had planned to keep a very low profile in school today.
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This section contained numerous movie quotes; some words from works by Josiah Ruff on ; and a large part of a famous Iraqi war speech by Colonel Tim Collins, given to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment in Iraq in 2003.
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SCHOOL HIDEAWAY
Students may arrive at school anytime from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM.
Weekly assembly lasts from 7:30 AM to 8:20 AM
There is a ten-minute prep from 8:20 to 8:30 AM
Homeroom lasts from 8:30 AM to 8:40 AM.
There is a ten-minute prep for the next class from 8:40 AM to 8:50 AM.
Mathematics II lasts from 8:50 AM to 9:40 AM.
There is a ten-minute prep for the next class from 9:40 AM to 9:50 AM.
English lasts from 9:50 AM to 10:40 AM.
There is a ten-minute prep for the next class from 10:40 AM to 10:50 AM.
Physical Education lasts from 10:50 AM to 11:40 AM.
There is a ten-minute prep for the next class from 11:40 AM to 11:50 AM.
Japanese History lasts from 11:50 AM to 12:40 PM.
Lunchtime lasts from 12:40 PM to 1:15 PM.
There is a ten-minute prep for the next class from 1:15 PM to 1:25 PM.
Home Economics lasts from 1:25 PM to 2:15 PM.
There is a ten-minute prep for the next class from 2:15 PM to 2:25 PM.
Biology lasts from 2:25 PM to 3:15 PM.
Students clean up the school from 3:15 PM to 3:30 PM.
There is one final Homeroom class from 3:30 PM to 3:45 PM.
At this point, students are free to leave and go home, or stick around and do club activities.
During summer, the school closes at 6:00 PM. During winter, the school closes at 4:00 PM.
Sousuke looked over the generic school schedule. The school day had started earlier than usual, because of the assembly. After that speech, he had a short amount of time before Math class. He secretly retreated to a favorite hiding place… one accessible by climbing a series of old disconnected air ducts. He took out his telephone. He looked down at the ring. It was Blue, shading towards Green on one edge.
He dialled a number.
Sousuke watched as a cockroach walked along a dust covered beam, high up in the ductwork of Jindai High.
"You are lucky I am not working today," he told the oblivious bug. He was an exterminator of sorts. An exterminator of evil men. "I am unlucky, but at least I am not you. Or-" A thought struck him.
The young operative had difficulty remembering literature. Unless it was military literature. But one literary work he had been compelled to read at school popped back into his mind: 'The Metamorphosis', a novella written by Franz Kafka. One of that luminary's best-known works, 'The Metamorphosis' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa who wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect and subsequently struggling to adjust to this new condition.
"Perhaps you are the lucky one," Sousuke said sadly. "You, at least remain the way you were born." He sighed. This was not the first time in his life that he wondered why he had been born. He had always been different. Now, he was even more so.
For the third time he called the Neurological hospital laboratory number. This time, he did not get a busy signal on a jury-rigged answering machine.
The lab telephone obviously had caller ID.
"Sergeant Sagara, how are you making out?" That was Dr. Hfuhruhurr , taking a momentary break, but still near critical machinery, should his expertise be needed again.
"I survive," Sousuke said slowly and sadly. That was the most he could say at the moment. But, personal feelings aside, he knew better than to describe his latest peccadillos in detail. No, it would be best to stay silent on such matters. "How is Kaname?"
"She is surviving, too-" He snorted. "Barely."
"Doctor!" All it took was a thought that Kaname might be in peril to spark an end to Sousuke's somber psychological soliloquy. "What happened! Did equipment malfunction again? Was there an enemy attack? Has-" He was interrupted.
"It was a jest," Dr. Hfuhruhurr "You know… a sly sarcasm." He regretted making the young man upset. The teen had enough on his plate. "The truth is, the ordeal is weighing heavy on her heart, body, and mind. It's tragic to watch. But… well… there have been added…ahem… assignations."
"Ass-uhh-?" The English word was unfamiliar to Sousuke.
"Any kind of clandestine meeting can be called an assignation," Dr. Hfuhruhurr replied. "But it most often describes a romantic tryst. The word assignation meant "appointment by authority'. "
"Authority?" Sousuke still hadn't gotten the gist of the situation.
"New experts have been added to the group," Dr. Hfuhruhurr explained. "They have been assigned by the Mithril Science Division. It's almost amusing. Almost. Many seem more interested in winning a date than they are in solving The Big Problem."
"How-" Sousuke was still confused.
"Most of the new scientific recruits are young women,' Dr. Hfuhruhurr said. "Many of them are around your age; but, have already completed high level schooling. They have the genius of men and women much older than them, paired with the hormones of teenage girls."
"And… well… we have been less than forthright." That was Dr. Necssiter. He was on another phone, one slaved to the same number. "We have truthfully told the recent arrivals that the body they see is Sousuke Sagara, We have necessarily neglected to mention that the mind inside is Kaname Chidori."
"But who… and why…." Sousuke looked at his watch. He couldn't stay in his hidey-hole too much longer. He asked if he could speak to Kaname, but she was in the middle of discussing the most recent Whispers. Or, at least she was trying. The sounds that Sousuke heard over the phone made him wonder if there was some kind of melee going on.
"We've done what we can with Quantum Physics," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said. "We have made great theoretical progress, and our mechanical successes are quickly piling up as well. But, we have other leads to follow as well. The latest include Particle Physics and religion."
"Religion?" Sousuke was perplexed. He snapped to sharper attention, trying to stand and banging his head against a ceiling of insulation. He sneezed when short fragments of pink material tickled his nose. Were they saying that the events in the lab had been an act of some deity or demonic force? "Are Kaname's Whispers somehow related to Allah or the Christian god?"
"Yes, and no. By that I-" Dr. Necessiter was cut-off.
"Oh… don't be so vague." Miss Uumellmahaye had picked up a third slaved phone. "It's not what you are implying, Sousuke. Not really. Scientific work in Particle Physics often brings up mention of a so-called 'God Particle.' Hearing mention of that name, some pilgrim or prophet at Mithril had an inspiration, thinking that we should look for any possible connection between the Whispers and higher powers."
"Now who's being vague," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said. "Step aside, before you hurt yourself. Sergeant, in case you are unaware, Particle physics… also known as high energy physics…is a branch of physics that studies the nature of the particles that constitute matter and radiation. Although the word particle can refer to various types of very small objects, particle physics usually studies the absolutely smallest detectable particles and the fundamental interactions necessary to explain the way they behave with other particles. Current researchers believe that these elementary particles are excitations of the quantum fields that-"
"We could all need some more vagueness," Dr. Necessiter complained. "And a much simpler explanation. Let's start this over. Last year, physics made headlines around the world. Researchers at Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator near Geneva, came upon a new particle they believe to be the long-postulated Higgs boson. That ultimately tiny but enormously important bit of the universe has been nicknamed… wait for it… the God particle… because it was so crucial to existence… yet so elusive. That name itself was a reason why the discovery received so much attention in the popular press… and why some pundits feared a renewed friction between religion and science. By that-"
Naïve sensationalism aside-" Dr. Hfuhruhurr usurped control "-It is worth reflecting on the relationship between faith and natural science. Why? Because those two things do not exist in isolation. In one manner of thinking, there really is an important connection between God and the God particle. That-"
"Excuse me," Sousuke tried to interject. He needed to get to class on time. "What about the ass… asses… ass-ignitions." He heard three people stifle guffaws. Why? Was Kaname's situation comical?
"We'll get to the assignations later," Dr. Necessiter said. "But… you are a student… so we cannot neglect your education." Dr. Hfuhruhurr and Anne concurred, without trying to stage a coup for the telephone.
"My education is here… and I'm…." Sousuke couldn't get them to listen. Were all scientists and lawyers this way?
"Particle physics is indeed the study of the building blocks of the physical world. As you learned in school, the atom is not the smallest particle in nature," Dr. Necessiter said. "You were taught about Electrons, Protons, and Neutrons. But, over the last few decades, more and more particles were spotted in the laboratory until a veritable smorgasbord of particles had been identified."
"'Lions and tiger and bears, oh my-'," Dr. Hfuhruhurr interjected "-Can nowadays be replaced by 'leptons and tachyons and bosons, oh my."
"Physicists continue to study and classify the properties of particles, old and new alike," Dr. Necessiter continued. "The current favorite theory describing the fundamental particles and their interactions is called the Standard Model. To the electron it adds two heavier cousins… the muon and the tau. Protons and neutrons are made up of the oddly named up, down, charm, strange, bottom and top quarks. Neutrinos. Photons, gluons and bosons…. so many particles with so many different subtypes. More than sixty… too many to mention now."
"Thank god," Sousuke blurted out. He was not a religious person, but that exclamation seemed to fit.
"Shouldn't we all," Dr. Necessiter asked. "In any case, the Higgs boson is the capstone of the Standard Model."
"But it's not the answer to everything," Anne added. "For example, the Standard Model does not account for gravitational forces… nor does it tell us what makes up the dark matter and dark energy that fills about ninety-five percent of the universe. But… don't misunderstand me… the detection of the Higgs boson represents a significant step forward in understanding the world we live in and is a true triumph of particle physics."
"They had actually wanted to name it the Goddamn Particle," a technician added, overhearing the conversation, even though he had no idea who was on the other end of the line. Before Dr. Necessiter could push the man's face away, he added "But the publishers would not accept that name."
"That coarser name was an acknowledgement of how much difficult work had been needed to actually find a Higgs boson, long after it had been theorized," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said. Having spoken, he took up the ball again and ran with it. "But, the name God particle was not amusing to everyone. Likening the Higgs boson to God can encourage the notion that God is just one physical cause among many. In other words, discovering that latest and most critical component of the Standard Model is treated as the final step in the process by which science pushes away any need for the Creator. That very notion was brought up centuries ago by St. Thomas Aquinas, when he wrote about God's existence."
" If man can find natural causes for everything that happens, he asked," Anne quoted that thirteenth century Doctor of the Church. "What need is there for God?"
"But God… in all of his glory… is not a part of nature. He transcends the natural world." This time, the person jumping in uninvited was a girl from the base cafeteria, who had just finished with her delivery of a large number of meals and accompanying refreshment. "God's power of creation should not be confused with the power of physics to explain natural forces." She quickly ceased her hijacking when a tall stack of dirty plates from her earlier delivery wobbled back and forth like a ceramic Leaning Tower of Piza.
"So… Kaname…she's…." Seeing no success in that line of inquiry, Sousuke switched gears and decided to ask a different kind of question. He had been left baffled after the telephone free-for-all. "You have not explained what faith has to do with science… and what science then has to do with Kaname and myself…and I do not have much time left…." He felt remiss not having mentioned that final point sooner. If he could exhaust the subject… and play on their consciences… maybe he could turn to more personal matters.
"I should mention first that philosopher, scientists, and theologians have argued for ages that faith and science have their own proper domains," Dr. Hfuhruhurr added. "They would state that the scientist, when doing science, should not be concerned with describing God or trying to prove or disprove his existence. They would also say that the theologian, when doing theology, should not be formulating theories about the Higgs boson. If either steps beyond his or her discipline, he loses the opportunity to become a more clever practitioner of his own field, and becomes a hopelessly less than clever amateur in another."
"Scientists should get back to their science," a new voice said on a fourth slaved phone. It was Toyotomi Mitsunari. "And administrators should get back to administrating." He felt no sympathy when the two doctors and the lawyer went off to find something more productive to do. "I am sorry they wasted your time, Mister Sagara. I trust you slept well last night."
"Yes, Sir." Sousuke answered. "But they didn't get to…."
"Excellent. About the sleep, I mean." The administrator then said "I'll cut to the chase. I'm sorry if none of this was worth your while. Science and faith are related. Not necessarily in a negative fashion, each competing to come up with the sole explanations of the universe, but rather in a positive way, as complimentary forces in mankind's search for meaning. Despite everything that they discover, scientists can still learn that there are real explanations for existence that transcends their methodology. Theologians that accept the findings of scientists are able to seek a deeper understanding of their faith by learning the things that science explains about God's works."
"I'm still not-" Sousuke somehow felt as if he were at a school within a school, with that school perched precariously on the edge of yet another school.
"A quick example, then." Mr. Mitsunari said. "Consider the assistance that Astronomy has provided to Theology. It has refined the understanding of how God has ordered the cosmos. Plainly put, physical science has no true ability to alter dogmas and doctrines, but rather offers insights that can lead to a deeper and richer expression of what people already believe. So, the God Particle can help people learn more about the workings of God's creation."
"Oh." Sousuke's brain felt a bit overheated, like the barrel of a German WWII machine gun that had been fired for too long a time without being allowed to cool or changed out for another barrel. He thought 'Why couldn't the other people had said that?'
"And…to make a long story short… it looks like new hints about the Higgs boson obtained through the Whispers will play a role in reversing the process you and Miss Chidori experienced, but do it in a controlled and purposeful manner," Mr. Mitsunari stated hopefully.
"That's wonderful," Sousuke said.
"Before you have to go, I will save Miss Chidori from a sordid fate, and bring her to the telephone." The hospital VP's final word was followed by the sound of a phone receiver being placed down.
"About those… ass-ignitions…." Dr. Hfuhruhurr had snuck back to the phone. "I have something interesting to tell you. It's quite obvious that Miss Chidori is not one bit interested in lustful and romantic yearnings of members of her own sex. And, while she has been rather bothered by their incessant advances, it was not because of her sexual orientation and her trans-body experience."
"Then, what?" Sousuke asked.
"She's jealous," Dr. Hfuhruhurr stated. "Those girls are paying attention to your body. To you, essentially. But don't let that on to Miss Chidori, or the denial may bring with it a physical renunciation. So, 'mum's' the word."
"And, I suspect that you do not want us to mention to Kaname what the two of us saw on the morning news." Dr. Necessiter had snuck back on, too. "Naturally, you had nothing to do with the near fatal injuries suffered by a trio of street thugs… a kitten being saved by the use of a potato cannon… or the extensive damage caused during a rather dramatic police chase and train collision. There could be any number of young girls with blue hair involved in such noteworthy events. So… yes… I must agree with Dr. Hfuhruhurr 'mum' is the word.
"So… Sousuke… what's with all the 'mums'." That was Kaname on the line.
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LABORATORY
Kaname was oblivious to the sound of the ringing phone.
One telephone or another… or all the phones at once… had been ringing all night and all morning. Telephones. Portable phones. Com-sets. You name it. She wouldn't be surprised if someone brought in a spool of wire and a telegraph, or if a Pony Express rider rode into the lab on a horse.
But, the constant communication was nothing in comparison to the cacophony and caterwauling of the girls, gals, shielas, colleens, lassies, mademoiselles, frauleins, senoritas, popsies, maidens, damsels, dames, fillies pixies, belles, and missies. A group of women particle physics experts competed with each other for Kaname's attention. But they were not alone. They also competed as a whole for more attention that that given to an equally loquacious gang of well-versed female theologians.
There were male counterparts, too. But, not only were they in the minority, but they also had a much greater sense of self-preservation. Previously, they had all been rejected. They did not want to add 'emasculated' to their resumes. While the girls found any possible reason to compete, the guys found even more reasons to commisurate.
"God help me!" Kaname let that slip out of reflex, realizing her mistake the moment the ill-chosen words left her lips.
"We aim to please," a number of theologians said suavely and seductively
"Hey! No fair! Don't forget us!" A number of particle physicists cried foul.
"Oh… you are certainly unforgettable…uncomfortably so…." Kaname's bit off her words one after the other. "And… your… aim… is… way… off!" The comments did nothing to quench the feminine ardor. She looked up at the ceiling and seriously added 'God, please help me.'
The girl inside Sousuke Sagara's body understood why the physics mavens were there. She still wondered if there was any real value in have the various religious experts present, especially simultaneously with the other specialists. Were there members of the Mithril Council who wondered if a religious entity was responsible for the mind and body swap? Or, were the people on the council racing against time, feeling a compulsion to throw everything possible against the figurative wall, waiting to see what might stick?
"I wonder if someone might be playing games here," Anne had said earlier. Many scientific theories had been referenced in her Whispers. But, so far, no social science had been mentioned, and no religious topics had come up. 'It could be that their presence here… and all of their prayers… might be intended to change the nature of the Whispers,' Anne had said. 'They may be hoping for proof of their gods, or for earth-shattering revelations about everyone's place in their god's world. Why should only science benefit from Black Technology, right? Someone might think that very unfair."
'Someone might also think you a sinner,' Dr. Necessiter had added. 'They might all be here hoping to not only harness you Whispers, but also to save your soul… or to save the world from your sins.' That last part sounded ominous, like: 'make certain the world is safe, or else'.
'I don't you think you have to worry about that,' Dr. Hfuhruhurr had said. Giving Nostradamus a run for his money, he sagely added 'I think it's the female rut you need worry about the most.'
"I wish that glass-eyed kook had been wrong this time," Kaname said, mind back in the present time. "These harpies scare me more than anything the buck-tooth buffoon said."
"Sergeant Sagara," a cutesy girl in pigtails and an immaculate white coat spoke up. "Seeing that I studied at Brookhaven National Laboratory…spending a great deal of time with the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider… the world's first heavy ion collider…and the world's only polarized proton collider… I think you should listen to me. We should be putting forth efforts to study hypothetical particles and other states of matter that demonstrate physical properties that violate the known laws of physics. I surmise that the transfer process could have been initiated by a particle having a negative mass. By the way, do you have a girlfriend?" The girl's smile looked a great deal like the omnipresent anime cat-faced smile.
The girl didn't notice that Kaname twitched.
"As we mentioned earlier, to determine whether or not there is a spiritual component to the big event, we should go over as much religious doctrine and dogma as we can. As I personally tried to explain, doctrine is a generic term for the theoretical component of religion." The petite girl in a hand-woven religious robe spoke while twisting a necklace of semi-precious stones around ger fingers. "Doctrines are the written body of teachings of a religious group that are generally accepted by that group, and which seek to provide practitioners of religion with guidance regarding instruction… discipline… propaganda… and controversy. Would you like a girlfriend?" Another cat face.
That girl also didn't notice that Kaname had twitched multiple times.
"I did my thesis work at the European Organization for Nuclear Research," a prim and proper woman in pigtail and pants suit noted. "I cut my teeth on the Large Hadron Collider… the world's most energetic collider of protons. My facts are unassailable. Negative mass would indeed explain some strange findings here, such as the particle flow in a direction opposite of the applied force. Despite being inconsistent with the expected behavior of 'normal' matter, negative mass is mathematically consistent and does not violate of conservation or energy. It is why the Whispered snippets could eventually assist scientists in the construction of artificial wormholes and the Alcubierre drive. Oh. Before I forget. We should be putting our combined resources towards examining the obvious negative-pressure density produced by the Casimir effect." She coughed. "How many girlfriends do you want?" Cat faces abound!
She didn't notice that Kaname fought hard to stop twitching, and failed miserably.
"In general, doctrine is Church teaching in matters of faith and morals and dogma is more narrowly defined as that part of doctrine which has been divinely revealed and which the Church has formally defined and declared to be believed as revealed," a well built and buxom girl in a perfectly pressed habit began. "In my last talk at the seminar, I noted that dogma has come to have a more specific reference to the distillate of doctrines, those first principles at the heart of doctrinal reflection, professed as essential by all the faithful." Those words seemed even more confusing than the science. "How many girlfriends do you think you can… handle?" That face was way too naughty to be a cat face. And that was just the beginning.
Kaname began coughing.
"I think I can handle anything the Whispers throw at me," a slightly rotund and very attractive woman in a perm and fabulous frock coat stated. "I rewrote the operating protocol at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics in Novosibirsk, Russia… site of the first electron-electron beam-beam collider. The other facilities are all, as you might say, copycats. Remember, negative momentum is used to explain negative refraction, inverse Doppler effect, and the reverse Cherenkov effect observed in a negative index metamaterial. The radiation pressure in the metamaterial is also negative. Negative pressure exists in dark energy." She fluffed her hair and licked her lips. "Are you a virgin?"
Kaname began choking.
"I should mention that we are not talking just the Christian faith here. The functions of doctrines and dogmas differ in known religious traditions." A slender woman who had been a model before pursuing a life of faith remarked. There was a Peace Mala hanging from her beautiful braided belt. "For example, in some faiths, doctrines are designed to provide clues into religious insight. For example, the goal of the religious life in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, or the concept of God's unity in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Doctrines and dogmas all help to chart a religious pathway to wisdom, rectitude, and fulfillment." She placed a great deal of emphasis on that last word. "Do you no longer wish to be a virgin?"
Kaname jerked too hard and banged her head on a precariously perched piece of machinery. A small knot raised on her forehead, coincidentally in the same site as Sousuke's bruise on her own body.
"Let's not forget KEK… Kō Enerugī Kasokuki Kenkyū Kikō…in Tsukuba," a seriously well-dressed girl said, her bangs trimmed to perfection and her lips polished beyond bright. "Not only do we provide particle accelerators and other infrastructure needed for high-energy physics, but we are also reaching new horizons in material and computing sciences, structural biology, and nuclear transmutation. I believe that we should shift our efforts into the possible uses of rarely encountered material, such as Bose–Einstein condensates, fermionic condensates, quark–gluon plasma, quantum spin liquid, and Rydberg matter. We should also recall that so-called Degenerate Matter is a highly dense state of fermionic matter in which particles must occupy high states of kinetic energy in order to satisfy the Pauli exclusion principle. The description applies to matter composed of electrons, protons, neutrons or other fermions. The term is commonly used in astrophysics to refer to dense stellar objects where gravitational pressure is so extreme that quantum mechanical effects are significant. This type of matter is naturally found in stars in their final evolutionary states; but, it could also be formed in a containment field like the one in this facility. And, most important of all, Tsukuba is located only sixty-eight kilometers from Tokyo. How many times do you wish to lose your virginity?"
"That's-" Kaname clenched her teeth.
"Doctrine is by no means static," a devout and delightfully dimpled Jains girl said, a white mask covering her mouth to prevent them her from swallowing living creatures, such as flies, by accident. Jains believe in total nonviolence. "They can offer new insights that alter the rhetoric of conventional teaching and, sometimes, its very substance as well. But, the ability to cause change is not universal or equal. For example, persistent continuities between ancient Zoroastrianism and its modern form, Parsiism… or in Jainism for that matter… are more easily understood than those between primitive Hinduism and modern Vedanta. But, change is not always an option. All forms of Buddhism appeal to the Three Jewels…the Buddha….the law… and monastic order, but some sects cannot reconcile with the others in their differences of interpretation and practice. I am a very good cook. I can clean with the best of them. And I can get the day off at a moment's notice."
"That's quite-" Kaname grinded her molars.
"I am on loan from the Institute of High Energy Physics in Beijing, China," a woman said, looking as pert and pretty as a porcelean doll. "I have directed the Beijing Electron Positron Collider… the Beijing Spectrometer… the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility…and the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory. Do not forget Mirror Matter, also referred to as shadow matter or Alice matter, that last name taken from 'Alice in Wonderland'. Mirror matter interacts weakly with ordinary matter, because the forces between mirror particles are mediated by mirror bosons. With the exception of the graviton, none of the known bosons can be identical to their mirror partners. The only way mirror matter can interact with ordinary matter via forces other than gravity is via kinetic mixing of mirror bosons with ordinary bosons or via the exchange of Holdom particles. Mirror particles have therefore been suggested as candidates for the inferred dark matter in the universe, and have a direct connection with the Higgs mechanism and electroweak symmetry breaking. I can cook better than anyone. Clean better than most. And am available for a week at a time."
"I said that's quite-" If Kaname kept her grinding up, she might need to spend a week in a dentist chair.
"We must not misinterpret dogma and doctrine out of context," a rather dapper and debonair nun said, hand on her cross. "We must not dismiss things that our Creator may have intended, because they do not fit our personal belief of what is fair and unfair, or just and unjust, or in the case of the occurrences in this laboratory, our concept of what is possible and impossible. We should recall from the story of Job, that bad things happen to good people. And, we should also remember that there are consequences for crossing the line in the sand that the Lord has drawn. In the Old Testament, God warns that If anyone secretly entices you…even if it is your brother… your own son or daughter…or the wife you embrace… saying, 'Let us go worship other gods,' you should how them no pity or compassion, but rather kill them. And one of the so-called sword verses of the Koran calls for killing of non-Muslims by saying that such non-believers should be struck upon the neck… or have their fingertips cut off, so that they could not grasp and manipulate a weapon. I may not be able to cook. And I am not the best at cleaning. But I can suck a golf ball through a garden hose."
Tick… tick… tick…tick… *BOOM*
"THAT WILL BE THE END OF IT. I AM NOT A PIECE OF MEAT. AND YOU CAN KEEP YOUR G'DAMN GOLF BALL AND YOUR G'DAM GARDEN HOSE."
Kaname truly did look ready to explode.
Yes indeed, the recent events were really weighing on her. It didn't help as if she felt as if she had gone to a picnic, only to be swarmed by mosquitoes and yellow jackets. But despite her outburst, the girls and ladies kept buzzing about. "I wish I had some bug-spray," she grumped. But, she had something else to think about other than the fighting Queen Bees, or the discarded drones sitting off by themselves. After her shouted exclamation, she had immediately thought 'You can't have Sousuke… he's mine.' Where the hell had that come from?
The weary girl inside of a scar-face boy gained a partial reprieve when a remarkably handsome psychoneuroimmunologist walked in, preparing to give a briefing on the topic of the Mind-Body Connection. Because on some levels that topic had religious connotations, the one set of girls started to dart and dance around him. The Particle physics gals all gave each other high fives; half the competition was gone. Kaname wished that she had a box full of handcuffs, so she could chain those besotted bozos to all manner of laboratory equipment, the way that Melissa Mao had once chained Tessa to a bed.
"It seems that you could use a cool cloth," Mr. Mitsunari said. He purposefully did not say 'cool drink', having been clued-in to the episode with the Prime Minister earlier. "I have something that will pull you back from the brink… or push you over the edge."
"Sousuke?" Kaname guessed correctly. Then, she stood straighter, feeling a shock of concern. "You mean on the phone don't you… he's not here, is he?" He couldn't be. He certainly better not be. She needed him to be her, at school!
"The same," the VP said. "He's on the green phone." He politely led her back to where he had set down the receiver. Just before they reached the phone, they had to wind their way slowly through a shift change in machinists and electricians. As they did so, Kaname caught wind of two separate conversations. She correctly deduced that Dr Necessiter and Dr. Hfuhruhurr were both speaking with Sousuke. She heard both men say 'mum's the word.' She doubted they were talking about Chrysanthemums. She was well aware that 'mum is the word' meant 'say nothing', 'keep quiet', 'don't breathe a word', 'don't tell a soul', 'don't give the game away', 'keep it secret', 'keep it to yourself', 'keep it under your hat', 'play dumb'; and 'don't let the cat out of the bag'.
Kaname picked up the green phone. "So… Sousuke… what's with all the 'mums'."
"Uhhh-hh-h." Sousuke bit his tongue. His usual response in difficult situations would no doubt lead Kaname to think he was involved in yet another difficult situation. And by difficult he meant dangerous, disastrous, destructive…. or all of the above.
"I was talking about me Mum," Dr. Necessiter said, his British accent was horrendous.
"I was talking about Nessie's Mum, too." Dr. Hfuhruhurr said, his accent even worse. "The poor old biddy broke her leg." He had added that last part at the same time that Dr. Necesiter finished by saying "The poor old bat got run over by a lorry."
"Which is it," Kaname asked. "Broke her leg… or got run over by a taxi?" She wasn't buying either. Things just didn't smell right.
"Both," the two scientists said as one. "She broke her leg when she was run over by the lorry."
"I-" Kaname didn't have the opportunity to follow her nose. Sousuke told her that his time was almost up. She answered 'I'm fine' when Sousuke said he had been worried about her and wanted to know how she was doing. His concern helped calm her down. It seemed to be an anchor, in a sea that was growing rougher by the minute. "But… well… more than ever…." The words just spilled out. "I really need you to rescue me." Her words triggered emotions he way that turning a faucet prompts the spilling of water. She found it hard to talk.
"I understand," Sousuke said. He did. He knew that Kaname was talking about two things in particular. She could use a rescue now, from the group of people that the scientists had told him about. And, she needed him to take care of her body, and to save her connection to high school and the things that mattered to her. "I have always given my best for you." That was no lie.
"Th-" The word stuck to the rough of Kaname's mouth. "Tha-" She coughed. "Thank you, Sousuke." A tear fell, but she was smiling shyly. She shook her head, and then became far more serious and emotionless. She was a class rep and student council Vice President after all. In well chosen and pithy sentences, she told her fellow transferee about the bewildering types of sciences discussed… the remarkable numbers of and types of devices that had been cobbled together… and the fact that they seemed to be making some progress. "But… well… there is one thing…."
"Kaname?" Sousuke asked.
"Because it's minds and bodies, we can't test it with animals. Because it's human minds, things need to be calibrated for…" Kaname paused. That gave Sousuke a chance at conjecture.
"Us," Sousuke said. "Our test run will be our final run." He would trust to fate. He had held his own against Gauron before he even knew what the Lambda Driver was or what it could do. Holding a girl in his arms, he had jumped off of a cliff and made it safely down, without knowing if the buoyant sphere would hold their weight. Having been asked to hook a whale, he had done exactly that, essentially. When the TDD-1 was off shore of the Grenadines, secretly meeting with a resupply ship, Sousuke joined the Natives of Bequia, who are allowed to catch up to four humpback whales per year using only traditional hunting methods of hand-thrown harpoons in small, open sailboats. But, he had been disappointed when the Captain and the head chef aboard DaDaan would not accept his generous offer of meat.
"So, Sousuke… tell me about your night and day…." She gasped. "The assembly!" Forgotten, that important fact finally had the good graces to show up.
"It went well," Sousuke said. "The speech drew applause, and the Guidance Councilor congratulated me… you." The sound of the final bell reached him in his hideaway. "I have to go now. I do not wish to get you in trouble."
After Sousuke said his farewells and headed off to his first class, Kaname looked down at her ring, twisting it around her finger so it wouldn't get stuck. The color was Blue, beginning the change to Green She hadn't asked Sousuke what color his ring was. She had no idea if his psionic energy level was the same as her, or even if their rate of decay was similar. The pressure on her was so great. There were so many unknowns. She had wanted to be a trailblazer in her life some day; but, not like this.
"What a strange world." Kaname sighed. Whispers. What a tremendous curse. It almost seemed that she had been cursed by birth. "Birth!" Her eyes went wide. There was another avenue of exploration, one which had somehow slipped the minds of everyone she had spoken with since the Incident. She had the same birthday as Tessa. The Captain had once mentioned that she had the same birthday as Bani Morauta. There was no coincidence there, she was sure of it! She would need to mention that fact to everyone that she could.
"Birth." Kaname put a hand to her belly. Well, again, it was really Sousuke's belly. There was no uterus or ovaries inside there. "What-" She felt a chill. A shiver travelled up and down her spine. What if things didn't change back? She couldn't bear a child then, but Sosuke could. How screwed up was that, so to speak. "Would we be forced to be a couple?"
Kaname thought about having sex with girls, in Sosuke's body. Her face began to grow warm. She thought about Sousuke have sex with guys in her body. Because they could never tell their partners about the truth deep inside, they would always be alone, unless they clung to one another. Her face grew warmer. Having sex with Sousuke then would mean having sex with her own body, right? And Sousuke could have her child! Everything was so convoluted. She felt like the dirtiest of perverts, standing their and thinking about such matters.
Convoluted. Everything had become so twisted and confused. Her body. The science. Everything. It was all Greek to her.
"There you are!" A sprightly young woman with a pert nose and lush lips walked over. She was wearing a tunic covered by a scapular and cowl, with a veil tied off to one side. She was dressed all in black, symbolic of repentance and simplicity. She wasn't very repentant at that moment. The gorgeous psychoneuroimmunologist had turned out to be gay. "Did you know that the religion of Greek people is an important aspect of the Greek culture. The Greek population in mainland Greece and the Greek islands is ninety-eight percent Christian Orthodox. The rest of the population is Muslim, Catholic, and Jewish. Greece and Russia are the only countries to have such a great proportion of Orthodox population." She was building up steam. "The Orthodox Church forms the third largest branch of Christianity, after the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. According to the history of Orthodoxy, the first Christian who came into Greek territory to preach Christianity was Saint Paul in 49 AD. Although many people converted to Christianity in the centuries that followed, this didn't become an official religion until the Emperor Constantine the Great established Christianity as the official religion of the Byzantine Empire."
"Joy," Kaname grumped. She watched as a curvaceous and short scientist elbowed the other woman out of her way.
"We really need to go over the mathematics of the Standard Model of particle physics," the woman said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "They are a gauge quantum field theory containing the internal symmetries of the unitary product group SU(3) × SU(2) × U(1). The theory is commonly viewed as containing the fundamental set of particles…the leptons, quarks, gauge bosons and the Higgs particle. But don't worry. The Standard Model is renormalizable and mathematically self-consistent. However, despite having huge and continued successes in providing experimental predictions it does leave some unexplained phenomena. In particular, although the physics of special relativity is incorporated, general relativity is not, and the Standard Model will fail at energies or distances where the graviton is expected to emerge. Therefore, in a modern field theory context, it is seen as an effective field theory. Of course, the special unitary group of degree n, denoted SU(n), is the Lie group of n × n unitary matrices with determinant 1."
"Greek," Kaname mourned. "Both Greek…."
"I think it would all be so much easier if it really were aliens," Anne remarked, bringing the other woman a cup of ice water and ZipLoc bag of brownies.
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Many words were begged, borrowed, and stolen from various sources. Including:
'Doctrine and Dogma' by Albert Cook Outler.
'Particles of Faith: Seeking God in Small Things' by Adam D. Hincks.
And, of course, Wikipedia.
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Side note: My father's father, of eventual English descent, came to America from Bequia.