Smith was sitting in one of the chairs facing the window. After he had completed his explanation, there had been very little talk. Fenryr had retreated back to the door. He had his arms crossed in front of him. His head was bowed in deep thought. Nayib was getting impatient. He had to finish the test before he could go back upstairs and eat something. He paced the room up and down. Amanda was sitting in a corner, a wild look in her eyes. Manfred was muttering to himself as he went through diagnostic checks again and again. The rest of the group milled around. There was some conversation between them, but most were locked in mental conflicts. On one hand this would solve all of mankind’s problems. On the other, it gave its wielder control over everything. It would require a very great man to be trusted with that power. They all knew Nayib was not that man. Many doubted the existence of such a man.

Manfred walked over to Nayib. Whispered in his ear. Nayib’s face lit up and he turned to the group. Clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. Amanda looked up from her corner. He smiled to her and said,

“Okay. Dr. Adhur tells me we’re ready to go. He’s finished the diagnostics and everything seems to be alright. So follow me to the observation windows. Smith, take up your position.” He walked over to the middle window and sat down. Shot a dirty look at someone who sat down next to him who got up hurriedly and found another chair. Nayib waved Amanda over. She sat down next to him. He placed his hand on her knee. She didn’t seem to notice. Fenryr was still leaning against the door. Smith got up slowly and walked over to his terminal. Input some commands and the schematic screen came up. A few commands more and the black input window with the green cursor popped up beneath it. Manfred had put on safety goggles and had walked over to the machine. He was watching one of the LCD screens.

A few seconds later he looked at the control room and flashed a thumbs-up. Nayib turned to Smith.

“Well, let’s get started.” He turned to look at Amanda. She was focused on the machine. Smith input the basic Spread function equation for energy generation. He turned to the group and said,

“The field is calibrated to take input from within this room. So all of you need to think the same thing. Since we’re trying for energy, let’s think Electricity. I’ve adapted the Spread Function so that it takes only the major thought in your mind. As long as you’re thinking mainly of Electricity we should be alright. So don’t worry if something else flashes across your mind.” He turned back to the terminal. Input the final constant and hit Enter.

The field pattern on his screen changed. It was multi-lobed now and seemed to pulse slightly. The computer finished its calculations. The 10 second ‘buffer’ timer started running on his screen. He frowned at it and said,

“Okay guys! Start thinking electricity!” He stole a quick glance away from the screen. Everyone had their eyes closed. Their faces were scrunched up in concentrated thought.

The timer hit zero. The field pattern locked and the machine started humming louder. A whirring sound started coming from it. The tablet started to light up. It was extremely bright in the dim light of the basement. The other technicians had all been cleared out earlier. Only Manfred remained along with the machine. He had his arm over his eyes to shield them from the glow. The light got brighter and brighter. Everyone in the room opened their eyes as they felt the light. They closed them as soon as they opened them though. Smith could see the light out of the corner of his left eye. He ignored it and stared at his monitor. Suddenly the light died out. The whirring died down and the mild hum returned.

Nayib rubbed his eyes and looked around. He had expected to see great arcs of Electricity coming from the machine. Sparks flying, maybe the lights getting shorted out. Instead he had gotten a flash of light and a loud whirr. He looked over at Smith.

“Is that it? Where’s all the electricity?” Amanda had pushed his hand off her knee. She was staring at the machine.

Smith walked over to the supercomputer. He typed something and pumped his fist in the air with a quick shout of exclamation.

“YES! We did it! The meter picked up generation of ten milliWatts of electricity!” He turned around a wide smile on his face. It died when he saw the expressions on the others faces. They ranged from incredulity to open frustration.

“10 milliWatts. 10 MILLIWATTS?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THAT’S ENOUGH TO RUN A BULB FOR WHAT? HALF A SECOND?” Nayib was out of his seat. He was breathing heavily. Amanda had drawn back at his anger. The raised voice had caused Fenryr to reach for something at his waist. There was nothing there. He settled for walking over to Smith.

“Calm down. Smith. Congratulations. Now can we make the machine viable?” He patted Smith on the back and held out his hand

Smith looked up at him. He felt grateful. He nodded his head once and shook the hand Fenryr had extended. He turned to Nayib.

“I told you. I only have simulations. I had no idea the energy conversion would be this lossy. Maybe the matter conversion will be better. After all, there is a built in amplification.” He went back to the monitor and input the Spread function again. This time he included the MEET.

No one had noticed Manfred near the machine. He was bent down. He had felt a sharp pain in his left foot. The little toe nail was missing. Blood had leaked onto his sock. He took both shoes off. The floor was cold. He looked back to his monitor.

Smith finished inputting the new Spread function. He turned around and said,

“So. We need a matter target now. Any ideas?”

“GOLD!” Nayib called out. The others nodded in agreement. Smith sighed. He modified the equation to support gold. Fenryr had taken a free chair near the window. He was watching the machine. He noted with some surprise that Manfred had his socks and shoes off.

Smith input the function and ran it. The computer formulated the new field. The blue was replaced by red in Smiths display. The intensity of the lines had increased. They crowded in Smiths display, making his whole screen Red. This had never happened in any of the simulations before. He was getting worried. The timer had run down to 3 seconds. He closed his eyes and thought about glittering gold.

The beast whirred again. The light was brighter this time. It was hot and oppressive. It felt heavy, crushing Smith from the outside. He heard some gasps coming from behind him as others felt the same. A scream came from near the machine. It sounded like Manfred. Smith couldn’t move. The weight was too much. As fast as it had come, the weight disappeared. Smith fell to his knees. He heard the sounds of people falling from their chairs. There were sounds of throwing up. The smell of vomit hit Smith in the face. He looked out the window. Fenryr was crouched near Manfred who seemed in bad shape. Nayib was sprawled on the ground, his head resting in a puddle of vomit. He was passed out. Amanda was curled up in a ball rocking on the floor. Smith got up. His muscles screamed at him. They burnt. He felt his way along the wall and made it out of the door. He stumbled on unsteady feet to Fenryr.

Manfred was unconscious, or so Smith hoped. Fenryr checked for a pulse. He pulled back his hands as if burnt. He nodded to indicate he had felt a pulse, but his fingers were blistering. Smith felt the heat rise from Manfred’s body. It felt like the light all over again. He rocked back on his heels and sat down on the floor. Manfred was breathing. Very gently. His face and arm were red. His skin was blistering in places. His lips were chaffed. There seemed to be some sort of froth coming from his mouth. Smith looked away. Fenryr tried to take Manfred’s Glasses off, but they were too hot. He blew on his fingers and asked Smith,

“Are you okay? I heard the scream and ran here. Is everyone else OK?” He was massaging his shoulders.

Smith nodded.

“Yes I think so. Some of them are out cold. A few threw up, but no one as badly hurt as Manfred. Do you think he’ll make it?”

Fenryr looked back at Manfred’s body. The breathing was louder now, more heavy.

“Maybe. I can’t tell. His body was subjected to lethal temperature. That’s for sure. Hopefully not for long enough to have caused serious damage. We should get him to the Control room.” He picked him up at the shoulders. Smith grabbed his legs. They had to pull hard to get him off the ground. The heat had melted his coat. It was stuck to the floor. Manfred cried out once just as they got him free. They shuffled over to the control room and placed him by the door.

Most of the others were on their feet. Nayib was wiping away the vomit on his face with a kerchief. He looked at Smith as they entered.

“How did the test go? Did we make Gold?” He glanced over at Manfred, but said nothing.

“Manfred is badly hurt. We should get him to a Doctor.”

“I asked whether we made Gold.” Nayib’s voice was of steel. His eyebrows had narrowed. His beady eyes gleamed black.

Smith glared back. But he knew Nayib was not going to back down. He went over to the monitor.

“Yes. We made a gram of gold. It’s lying on the tablet. Now we HAVE to get him to a doctor.” He went back to Manfred. Only Fenryr was near him. The others were standing well back. Amanda was crouched in a corner.

“Is he alive?” Nayib asked.

“Yes but barely. We have to-“ Nayib cut him off.

“Then we continue with the test. He looks fine. We can finish up with the test and after that get him to the Hospital” His jaw set. The beady eyes were fixed on Smith.

Fenryr got up from where he was crouched near Manfred.

“Nayib. Don’t be stupid. This man could die. We have to get him aid.” He advanced towards Nayib. Stood right in front of him. He towered over him. Nayib had to look up to talk to him.

“No. And that is final. Smith get over to the terminal now.” He pushed Fenryr away. The mass behind the push sent Fenryr flying. He crashed into the window. Nayib rushed over to the door. He pulled it shut and input a code on the screen near the door. The door locked. A red light gleamed over it.

“You all think I’m a slob that just eats and sleeps don’t you? Well let me tell you this. I am Project Manager, and I will be obeyed. Now Smith, the faster you finish up the test, the faster your friend Manfred can get treated. And Fenryr I wouldn’t if I were you. Only I know the combination to the door. You could very well beat it out of me, but not before it’s too late for Manfred.”

Fenryr had gotten up and was walking forward with clenched fists. A look of fury on his face. Nayib’s words stopped him dead. His fists relaxed. His expression did not.

Nayib patted his hair down. He was sweating. That brief exertion had winded him. He breathed heavily and waddled over to Smith. Smith was wearing a face of utter contempt. Nayib ignored him and stood in front of the terminal. He looked over at Smith and said,

“Come here. Put your function in. This time maximize everything. I want a viable result. Till we get one, we’re going to sit here, and Manfred is going to die.” There was a crazed look in his eyes that convinced Smith that Nayib was deadly serious about letting Manfred die. He came over and input the Function. Modified it a bit and said to Nayib,

“I’ve never simulated this Equation before. I have no idea what might happen. The amount of Gold you get might very well increase, but there could be effects that we cannot predict. I strongly advise you to not do this Nayib. For once, think! Did you see what the low level did to Manfred? It melted him. MELTED! And you want me to INCREASE the power!” Smith grabbed Nayib by the shoulders.

“Open the door! The test is a success. You made Gold! You can have all the credit! Just let us get him to a Doctor!”

Nayib pushed him back. In a high voice he said,

“NO! IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. THE VALUE OF THE GOLD I GENERATED IS LESS THAT THE ELECTRICITY NEEDED FOR IT! DON’T YOU SEE? UNLESS THIS IS VIABLE, THEY’LL HAVE MY HEAD” A gleam of fear in his eyes. His eyes darted this way and that. He started muttering under his breath. He grasped onto Smith’s arm. He was slobbering all over his sleeve. Smith turned away in disgust.

“On your head be it.” He muttered under his breath.

The simulated image came up on the screen. The red lines condensed together as they had before, but they vanished. An error message came up.

‘Unable to simulate. Do you wish to proceed?’ Smith hovered over the ‘NO’ button. Nayib shoved him out of the way. He hit YES. Nayib scowled at the others in the room. They closed their eyes, focusing on Gold. Nayib had an expression of concentration twisting his face. His lips were moving in a silent prayer. Tears leaked out of his eyes.

The hum of the machine died down. The lights on it dimmed. The machine seemed dead. Nayib opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. An Explosion of light! It knocked them to the ground. Smith felt tremors through the floor. The racks of computers were falling down. Fenryr had fallen hard on his side. He was clutching his ribs in pain. Amanda had knocked herself out. A thin stream of blood streaked down her forehead. The rest of the group were strewn across the floor. Nayib had fallen on his arm. His massive bulk had broken it. Smith could see white bone sticking out of his forearm.

The whole world seemed to be shaking. Smith dragged himself up and looked at the screen. It was cracked. He could barely make out the display. Another blast of light! The windows shattered. Glass flew into the room. Screams as it cut into exposed faces. Smith fell back down to the floor. He covered his head with his hands. The noise was deafening. He couldn’t stay on his knees. He was knocked onto his back. The glass on the floor ground into his palms. They started bleeding. Then he felt the burning. His feet were on fire! He looked down. As he watched in horror, his feet turned to ash. He started screaming. His voice was lost amongst all the other screams. He looked around, pain clouding his vision. It was blurry and a tinge of red obscured everything. He watched as faces melted. The skin peeling off. The blood vaporized. Moans as limbs vanished and dissolved into ash. The man nearest to him was cradling the stump of his left hand. His screams became shriller as the hand supporting the stump slowly dissolved as well. His screams cut off suddenly. His chest had turned to ash. His dead eyes locked in their final pain.

The fire was at Smiths knee’s now. He was losing consciousness. He pulled himself up onto his elbows. He peered through the shattered window. The machine was glowing a brilliant white. As he watched, the light condensed into a thin figure. It looked like a white gash. A slit of pure light. The light flashed again. Smith screamed as the light burned his eyes.

His brain was shutting down. The pain had overwhelmed it. The world was turning dark. The fire was up to his chest now. A final image of his wife flashed through his mind. He said in a voice no one heard

“What have I done.” Silence as the darkness consumed him.

Fenryr watched as Smith melted into ash. He felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked at Nayib. His belly had dissolved. He was mouthing something desperately, but Fenryr couldn’t hear it. The tremors jolted him onto his broken ribs. He winced in pain. Amanda had been knocked out. Her mouth was open in a scream, but the light had left her eyes. She lay with her head at an impossible angle. Her neck disappearing into a pile of ash. Another jolt. Amanda’s head crashed to the floor. Fenryr watched it melt in to the pile that was already there. All around him was ash. A red mist hung in the air. The ash was in his throat. He started coughing violently. He started throwing up when he realized what the ash was.

He slowly got to his feet. The tremors had died down. He clutched his ribs with one hand. Another was placed on the wall for support. The control room had been ruined. The computers lay everywhere. The exposed wires were sparking. And ankle deep was the ash. The charred remains of his colleagues.

The blasts had knocked the door off its hinges. Next to the door was another pile of ashes. A single glass lens lay on them. Manfred. Fenryr stumbled outside. He fell to the ground. Pain lanced through his side. He winced as he stood up again. The sudden silence hit him. A glimmer of light from the machine played at the corner of his eye. He turned around. His neck hurt badly.

A gash of white light was at the heart of the machine. As Fenryr watched, it changed shape. A silhouette of a man formed in the middle of it. The white light forming a nimbus around the black shadow. The light suddenly collapsed into the shadow. A flash of light! Fenryr fell heavily to the floor again. He looked up from where he lay. A naked man was standing where the light had been. The machine behind him seemed dead. The man had his back to Fenryr.

Fenryr pulled himself up into a sitting position. He rested his back against the wall. He was breathing heavily. And coughing up blood as the ash choked his throat. The sound of his coughing caused the man to turn around. His face was hidden in the darkness of the basement. There was total silence now. The man’s feet sounded loud as he stepped towards Fenryr. Fenryr had no way to fight him off. He was sure his lung was punctured. His vision was blackening out. His side burned.

The man drew close to Fenryr. Bent down. Fenryr still couldn’t see his face. His neck could no longer support his head’s weight. His chin dropped and rested against his chest. He felt the man grab his hair and pull his head up. He opened his eyes. Shock as he saw blue eyes set in a perfect face. A white suit was wrapping itself around the man.

“Hello, Fenryr”. The man started laughing. A horrible mocking sound. Fenryr felt oblivion claim him as his eyes closed. The laughter was the last thing he heard.