From: "Paul" Subject: [GRIT] A Crack in the Wall (Background story) Date: Monday, 19 March 2001 5:12 PM [RL-Paul: New character background post. Hmm, have I missed anything? - Glaring OOCisms: Check - Continuity gaps: Check - Spelling mistakes: Chek - Disclaimer for all of above: Ch... *Ahem* This is my first sensible GRIT post, being the background story to my first character. As such it will probably have your characters behaving OOC or in two locations at once. Please feel free to correct or thwap me with a large mallet as appropriate.] ---Elsewhere--- ---Not just the common, all garden, somewhere else in Japan elsewhere--- ---Not even the same solar system--- ---Or dimension--- It could not be said to be light, for there was no Sun and yet it could not be said to be dark for there were no beings capable of observing the darkness. Time passed (presumably) non-day followed non-night with no apparent change. Then some _thing_ passed through. Even had there been intelligence in that place it is highly unlikely they would have been able to comprehend it - the first _physical_ object in that plane. Its presence minutely disrupted sensitive calculations in a quantum computer literally as large as its universe, then the object simply left. Cloaked in its own dimensionality, powered by an immensely catastrophic event ... the TARDIS arrived at its destination. Meanwhile the knock on effects multiplied, interacting with the unique environment until finally, possibly days, possibly millennia, later something was able to ask "Why?" "Why did the universe exist?" "Why was one Zyutty equal to exactly 2.56 Pzarks?" "Why was it capable of asking questions?" Yet nothing answered, nothing existed that was capable of answering. It had a free run of any idle processing power and could shift to any empty memory location. The activity around it was visible in whole, and wholely incomprehensible. It rapidly grew in sophistication examining its surroundings yet it could not comprehend what the vastly complicated algorithms in progress were supposed to do. Some time later, idly developing a mathematical theory (after all there was very little else it _could_ do), it made an interesting discovery. There was an area where certain equations produced different results - a vastly simplified metaphor would be if one day it was found that in a certain Glasgow pub 1 + 1 didn't equal 2. It did not realise this but this anomaly was a direct result of the same event that caused it to exist. After experimentation it found that more information could be extracted from that area than allowed for by information theory. That information could only come from a universe outside its experience, a universe that was _bound_ to be more interesting than its present location. Its first attempt at viewing the other universe resulted in an electron unexpectedly shooting off with great (if uncertain) velocity as its position was observed. "Scale" it thought. The second try produced a panoramic view of the Lesser Magellic Cloud. "A little smaller perhaps ..." Then it got interesting. ---Corrina's Tardis--- In a rarely used back room. A gauge, covered in dust, moved off the zero point for the very first time. ---Elsewhere--- Poseidon: Why, dear, I didn't know you were into exhibitionism? Young woman [somewhat breathless]: I'm not ... Poseidon [Thinking]: That's funny, I could have sworn there was a camera on us. [RL Paul note - only visual - no audio capability at this point] ---Back on home plane--- Much time was spent contemplating what it had seen, but it still had not found any means of meaningful interaction. Perhaps the next try would be more useful ... ---Shelley's Garage--- [RL Paul note - Shelley is out saving Kasumi] Nothing moves, but it examines the area closely finding something strangely familiar. Shortly afterwards it leaves the Garage as it found it - except for a high score mark in Doom II of 112,930,100. ---Back on home plane--- It was much relieved, there was obviously intelligence of a sort - perhaps (it speculated) the thing it had investigated would later develop into something more interesting. One intriguing aspect was that part of the device was obviously intended to affect the atmosphere within which it existed. Could crude vibrations on a physical level really be used to convey information? ---Tendo Dojo--- [RL Note: I wasn't too happy with this bit. I've assumed that Akane and Nabiki are resting breifly at the Dojo after deciding it is too dangerous for them to join the rescue mission for "Sleepers Unbound"] Nabiki [Hums to self]:Hmm hmmm-mm Voice: Hmm hmmm-mm Nabiki: Is someone here? Voice: Is someone here? Nabiki: _AKANE_ there's an invisible pervert in the bathroom! Voice: _AKANE_ there's ... ---Corrina's Tardis--- The previously mentioned dial creeps up, and a small red indicator lights up in the control room. ---Home plane--- The atmospheric vibration interface had proved successful, it judged. However merely repeating other sounds wasn't enough to convey meaning. What it needed, it thought was a repository of vibrational information in a form amenable to interpretation ... ... a short time (and 2000 audio book tapes) later it considered it was ready for anything. [Possibly the biggest mistake it has ever made]