Current NaNoWriMo Word Count: 28,890 words. I'm way under my daily quota which states I should have been past the 35,000 mark today but then given the circumstances of the last 48 hours, I think I can get a bit of a reprieve. Tobie and I have committed to making this night a writing night and we're going to really push ourselves to get as far as we can. The home stretch is just around the corner! We don't have much time but we're both so close to our goal!

I'm pretty drained on so many levels, this is not going to be one of my more coherent entries. Let's begin.

Work was tiring yet fulfilling. Pretty heavy meeting with the Compliance girls. The 2nd ever Best Practices Forum in the morning.

I traveled along the path of the asymptote to see how close to infinity I could get this time around. I got pretty darned close - close enough to scare me and shave off a few years of my life, but then the time dilation effect made up for that, I suppose. I know I'll pay for traveling so close to the speed of light light that, but such journeys are always worth it, not matter how scary. The risks are always worth it.

I realized something today. I paid a heavy price to come to this realization, but it was worth it. I feel a lot better, but the process took a lot out of me. My willpower bar is at zero and the only thing I have to look forward to is that I was able to stick to virtue instead of vice, and that means I'll get a full bar in return. I'm still waiting for that to happen. I couldn't done it without you, but then it again it is about you so that ultimately makes sense. Well duh.

LRT 1 to LRT 2 is a lot easier than MRT to LRT 1. Boo you MRT.

The trap has been set. The key log has been placed. Now what? Who knows. I've hit the timer so my turn is over. It's up to the other person now - although it always has been. I just changed the parameters a bit more, upped the ante and now...here we are.

It's not easy playing bait. Quack. Quack. Moo.

Why does self-sacrifice have to be so painful? Wait - don't even bother answering that. I was a rhetorical question of limited practical importance (but perhaps is a matter of consequence). Damnitdamnitdamnit.



Refrigerator.

---

As I kept saying, we all have our roles to play, not matter how we feel about them.

First, Happy Birthday greetings to a high school classmate, Migs, and to a fellow geek, Ron! Happy Birthday to both of you...and good hunting! LOL

Things are definitely picking up at the office. The addition of my new role on top of my Training duties is certainly keeping me busy and I'm finding myself going home a tad later than normal these days. At least I don't feel overly tired because of all this. There's still that degree of fatigue, but it's the nice tired feeling you get when you really like what you're doing or when you really feel like you've accomplished meaningful things. The work is barely beginning and I know that things are going to get "worse" in a manner of speaking before they get really better. Here's to stressful, busy weeks ahead!

Random Bit #1 - I love the Integrated Gmail Firefox extension! It's the prefect add-on for the heavy Google user!

As I compose this entry, I'm waiting for this week's Glee to download so I can watch it later with Tobie before work. My downloading has gotten pretty organized in recent months, perhaps almost obsessively so, but it makes me a happy camper. After a year of owning a Terabyte drive, I'm down to about 130GB left and so this means that I need to either (1) delete unneeded files, (2) back-up less utilized files to DVDs or (3) buy another drive. I'm kinda torn about all this and I know that I also want to get around to buying a new camera this year. You know what that means - new digital megazoom camera = more photos = more storage needed. Whee! The data conundrum never ends!

And what's occupying the drive anyway? There's a decent amount of comic book scans around there for one, and then there's loads and loads of cartoons. There's my pre-existing library of photos taken with the past 3 digital cameras I shared with Brian before and there's a ridiculous amount of TV shows there too. Oh, and don't forget the movies, the specifically LGBT movies, the musicals and the ridiculous amount of porn. I know, I know, I should probably delete the not-so-fun porn to free up space. That would make the most sense - I'm just not quite ready to dedicate a day to checking on all those videos to judge if they're worth keeping or not. LOL

Ah, the things I end up talking about on this blog. The laughs never end, eh?

The weekend is just around the corner. Again. And I don't know what I want to do. Tobie and I were talking about prospective weekend plans and at the very least I think we'll step out to watch Julie & Julia, since apparently it's already out even though I was sort of expecting it to come out next week for some reason. Maybe we'll go hunting for shelves again but it's a major pay day weekend and I know a lot of malls are running 3-day sales. That's both a good an a bad thing since of course good deals are always useful in these tight economic times but I'm rarely if not never in the mood to wade through the masses of people who come out and occupy every possible space in malls across the metro. Yes, that's definitely not something I'd like forward to under any circumstance.

Even the weekly Sunday game is a tad affected by on-going events and this leaves us with time to possibly go out before the session. Maybe we'll visit Komik Kon on Sunday, but since it's at Megamall it might pay off to visit their branch of ACE Hardware to check for the shelves...gah, too many options!

Or we could just stay home again and watch more DVDs, clean up the Sietch more and perhaps get through the second season of Lost, which is my current retro TV project. The geekiness never stops - just like the aforementioned laughs! Har, har, snicker! =P

Random Bit #3 - There's going to be a Mythbusters episode all about Duct Tape! Coolness!

Okay, enough of this.

Until tomorrow.

Or later....

Random Bit #4 - I don't know where Random Bit #2 went. ROFL

---

Rat may be a bastard, but he's a smart bastard!

I've been awake since around 01:00pm since I have that client presentation again today. It starts at 06:00pm at our QC site, so that means I'm going to have to leave for work at around 03:00pm or so. It's an annoying way to start my work week, but then again it's not that bad, I suppose. I have been on leave since Friday night so it sort of balances things out.

This was a pretty great weekend, whichever way I look at things and I'm certainly grateful. We took like a gazillion photos and it's certainly going to take me time to clean all of them up and get them uploaded to the various web-hosting locations like Multiply and Facebook, but then it'll be worth it if only to somehow relive the memories with all the people involved.

My thanks go out to Tobie for introducing us to our hosts for the weekend - Emman and Apple. It was certainly a treat to be able to spend the weekend at their private beach house and they certainly pulled out all the stops to make sure everyone had a good time. As I had written in a prior entry, this trip away from the busy, stressful life of the city was just what the doctor ordered. Hopefully I'll be more or less rejuvenated enough to really dive into work and make the most of things - no matter how much fun you have during the weekend, the work week is always guaranteed to take a lot out of you.

We all need time to get away, I suppose, to somehow collect one's thoughts and try to analyze things as impartially as possible. That's a lot easier said than done since we are human and perhaps inherently predispositioned to think about things in terms of our needs first, whether this is done consciously or not. My devotion to logic over the years has always had me trying my best to master this skill and somehow separate my personal wants and needs from the subject matter in question and I think I've managed this fairly well. Then again, this is just me speaking as a person and I could be wrong again.

I'm at a rather interesting point in my life, that's for certain. I'm writing again, as many of you may have noticed, and it's a magical thing. Work seems to be doing well and the future is just brimming with possibilities. At the same time, there's certainly a lot for me to consider and think about, many points to ponder and just a heck of a lot of things on my mind right now. With all decisions, I'm trying to do everything I can to consider all sides as fully as possible in order to make the best decision that I can. And yet one can never really shake of the fear of making a mistake, making the wrong decision and ultimately just totally fucking things up in the end. I've always had moments like this - it comes with my somewhat obsessive and rather paranoid nature - but they're always manageable and they act more to sort of keep me honest and to make sure that I'm careful. At least it has never gotten to the point where I've been frozen into inactivity because of my inability to make a decision due to overwhelming fear of making a mistake.

The future is a bright and scary place, I've always thought. There's no logical reason to really fear it since it is what it is and whatever comes along, you just have to deal with it and roll with the punches, as it were. That's the human experience for you - we manage things as best as we can and make sure that the decisions that we make are those that we can be proud of rather than those that we'll eventually regret. Life is too short for regrets, they often say, and I certainly believe that.

Yet knowing all this doesn't make these decisions any easier. It doesn't really give you that much more strength to execute what your rational mind comes up with. These are just some of the limitations of our humanity and we just work with them. It's not like we have any other choice. Beyond our logical thinking come instincts and gut feel, the inexplicable sensations that prompt us into action. They're probably the closest we'll ever get to true prescience, but then even that's more than enough I suppose. There are just some things you know to be true - things that you blindly believe in and you strive for out of this overpowering feeling of faith. We work from day to day trying to balance all these sources of input in order to live our lives as best as we can.

I just hope I get this right.

---

I used to do this a lot when I was younger, hehe.

Well, I'm a very happy camper right now. Just found out that it seems we're pretty much on track with the new campaign we were bidding for and it seems we have the green light. It's pretty much certain but of course I've learned not to speak in absolutes until we have paper to hold onto - call it jaded practicality based on experience. Still, WE GOT IT! Hurrah! Hooray! *snaps all around*

You have to understand - I REALLY love this client. I mean seriously. I'm desperately trying to remain professional by not disclosing who the client is but man, I'm so deliriously happy that I want to shout it out considering how proud, excited and happy I am. Life is good. =D

There's happy and there's HAPPY - you know what I mean? And at this precise moment in time, I am definitely more the latter than the former. It's one of those surreal moments when you're not sure if you read that email correctly and it's not all some idle fantasy because you lack sleep. You can't help but wonder if this is all real or is it too good to be true that you're somehow fooling yourself. I guess it's why I've been keeping my happiness a little under wraps in terms of the public world that is the office (but ironically not on this journal) in order to make sure I'm not celebrating too soon. I mean, things haven't started and already I feel this way and things may change once the ball really starts rolling. It seems silly to be this happy just knowing that this are going in this direction but then life's too short for us not to celebrate the good things, right?

I guess for now I'll just try and enjoy this little victory on a more personal scale and wait for the day that we can definitely, absolutely, positively, assuredly say that it's a done deal. Then the real fun begins and that's when we can all share in this same happiness to some degree and things will all make a lot more sense after that point.

I can hardly wait.



Dawn had joined Faraker and Gorval on the practice floor for a change given the complexity of today's lesson. It certainly made the young man curious as to why his two mentors felt they both needed to be present. It had to be something significantly dangerous considering everything else he had learned about the Order thus far.

"Today you learn to cross the threshold," began Gorval. As he said this, he once again reached into the ether to pull a worn-looking amulet. "Put this on." the old man commanded rather gruffly.

"This will help you focus your mind on the meandering pathways between the universes," explained Dawn. "The Multiverse is constantly in motion as universes shift, as time passes as reality is warped, created and destroyed. Given the so-called 'landscape' that you need to traverse changes with every moment, you will need to be able to look ahead to avoid any dangers. While not all members of the Order can gain the full gift of clairvoyance, everyone is able to master a limited amount of foresight. This is what you'll need as you learn to travel across the planes. That amulet is a valuable artifact that enhances your intuition and helps you pierce the sands of time in order to project a limited degree into the future."

Dawn stepped forward, her silver hair somewhat trailing behind her although no true breeze was blowing through the room. She took Faraker's hands into her own and began to expand her consciousness. Faraker was used to her mental drills by now and quickly fell into the meditative state they had practiced countless times before. As he fell into that other state, he could perceive the amulet as a bright glowing light compared to the darkness around the, Dawn's mind was also burning brightly while Gorval was more muted and subdued.

"Focus on the amulet, Faraker. Let it guide you."

Faraker concentrated on the warmth and the light coming from the amulet and soon he could see the darkness beginning to dissipate. Soon he could see beyond the Tower walls along the pathways leading away from the Nexus into the Multiverse beyond. Like many of the other magical exercises he had gone through with his two teachers, he was a surprisingly quick study and now was no exception. He raced along the cosmos seeing the shifting of the elements of the Multiverse until he felt something...different. There was something beyond what he was seeing right now, like another layer to this prescient reality. He pushed and probed further.

"Faraker, what are you..." but Dawn's voice was cut off by an explosion of images and sensations. His mind was now being overwhelmed with memories of things long past and things yet to be. Linearity was now lost and all of reality seemed to be trying to force itself into his mind all at once. It was staggering and he began to lose his very sense of self amidst the onslaught of images racing through his consciousness.

Faraker had collapsed to the floor, his eyes completely white as his mind took in all that Time had to offer. Dawn was desperately trying to pull him out of the sudden trance while Gorval stuck a stick in his mouth so he wouldn't bite his tongue off. The young manage began to shake as if in a seizure and Gorval held his body firmly in order to keep him secure while Dawn worked her own magics. "This is beginning to become too much a habit, Dawn. I think we need a different training facility." he quipped.

This is hardly the time for humor, old friend. Keep him secure - I believe I can pull him out shortly.

The mental projection was a bit of a surprised, and it showed how focused she was on helping the young man. She hadn't realized she had not spoken her response aloud. He adjusted his grip to ensure maximum resistance without hurting him too much. He then noticed that the bands used to block his innate magic were glowing a fierce crimson right now - and so was the amulet. This was not something he had seen before in all the cases he had handled.

Faraker felt something pull him back from the flood of memories and soon he was back in the practice call with Dawn looking down on him. He tried to speak but the words stumbled out of his mouth all wrong and they didn't make sense at all, even to him. Give your mind time to reorganize itself, Faraker. You've been through a lot.

"I saw....everything," he whispered. "I saw...me facing against an army. Did that happen yet? Or will it?" he rambled. "You had...a vision. I'm in your vision and I know what it is but...I don't understand. I see where you want me to go - I see the end of the path but the way is unclear. How will I know where to go? What to do? Why must I fulfill this trust?"

Faraker Dawn messaged, but Gorval gently nudged her and reminded her of what she was doing. "Sorry," she resumed, "it's just so much easier that way at times. Faraker, you saw something very few manage - I don't understand how you did it, but it's too late now. You've been given a glimpse of time in its naked form, so to speak, without the order imposed by linear progression. You will live the rest of your life with flashes of past lives that are not necessarily your own and memories of many possible futures that may or may not come to be."

That may be true he projected, much to the surprise of both, But I know why you sought me out. I know why you need me. I see the future you fear - the one I can stop. But how do I prevent it? If you had let me remain longer, I might have seen it all.

Dawn sighed to herself, her usual smile slipping once more. When she looked up, there was a sadness in her eyes. "Faraker, I'm sorry that your fate includes that path of darkness, but you're perhaps the only hope of the Order and the very Multiverse itself. But do not let yourself become a mere pawn to the powers of prophecy. Sure, you can see your eventual future but the path between will remain shifting and uncertain. It gives you room to live your life out and when the time comes, you'll know what to do. You'll understand what your true purpose is and you will do all that is expected of you. Just don't force it or rush towards it." She smiled once more as she adjusted his hair away from his eyes.

"You're a strange one, lad, but I'm pretty impressed. It's a shame we can never finish lessons like this in one try - something always seems to happen when you're involved." Gorval mused.

Faraker smiled as he picked himself. "You're worried about me learning how to cross the planes?" he replied. He quickly grabbed each of their hands and pushed with his mind. All three found themselves enveloped by a pale blue light as Faraker jumped across the infinite planes.

---

Aww, Squiggly. We love you. You're beautiful where it counts!

I find myself going down internet meme memory lane. Oh yes, the days before YouTube dominated everything and Flash videos were the bomb.

In case you don't know of these wonderful gems: All Your Base Are Belong To Us, We Like The Moon, The Egg Song, Muffin Films, Badger Badger Badger and Banana Phone! Oh yes, the intarwebs are so fun. This is probably why I regularly visit the Viral Video Chart just to see what people are watching these days. Oh internet geekery indeed.

And Brian |kitchengod| wants me to add the Singing Horses, which is more of a game than just a video you watch, hehe.

I wonder if I should try vlogging. LOL

In other news, work was okay - nothing too stressful I guess. Potential clients were on-site, but it was no biggie. My learners started the day without chairs, but that eventually got fixed. Monday reports. Useless conference calls. So yeah, the usual. It was only the first day of the working week and yet I find myself already wishing for the weekend.



She loved this feeling - it seemed like omnipotence to her, or as best as she could ever achieve in her life. When she was fully connected into the global datanet, she had access to almost everything and anything. It was a rush that no stimulant could ever beat and she invested most of her earnings into constantly beefing up her neural implants, improving her code slicing skills and learning everything she could at become better at her craft.

Sometimes she's jack in for no particular reason. With no clear goal in mind and no mission to fulfill, she'd just let herself drift through cyberspace, feeling her way around and following her instincts. Sometimes she'd wander into new and interesting parts of the global net and the rewards were more than worth the effort. Other times she'd just wander into the darker, somewhat forgotten corners of cyberspace and then jack out feeling unfulfilled.

Today was one of those aimless, drifting runs, and she was digging pretty deep into the older sections of the network. She had already activated several sprite programs to help sort through the information, sifting through the datastreams for anything of value as she drifted through the network. She had already acquired massive amounts of personal information, but nothing really worth her skills and efforts. Anyone could manage basic identify theft for a quick cash run, but she was always after bigger prizes. It was the only way to really test her abilities and prove to herself that she continued to be the best.

Suddenly she slammed against a barrier of some sort, the impact causing minor neural feedback that stung a lot more than it should of. She had invested a lot in protection programs and firewalls against this sort of thing and yet here she was, reeling for a few precious seconds while she reoriented herself. She activated some basic diagnostics but the program was quickly corrupted by the wall before her. It seemed to be some sort of a complicated code wall yet with the ability to inflict major damage beyond what was allowed by the law. It was dangerous and naturally it was also impossible for her to ignore. Her avatar smiled as she considered this challenge.

She activated various slicer programs to get to work on the complex firewall before her but she was surprised to find her sprites unable to process the barrier before her. Even their complex subroutines and algorithms were unable to circumvent the preventive measures in place. She would not allow herself to be stopped by a mere wall.

She tried a more direct approach and brought into action more complex codebreaker programs, the kinds that needed manual operation. They manifested themselves as a variety of weapons ranging from broadswords to wicked looking blasters. She quickly set to work attacking the wall with savage ferocity, letting her slicing knowledge guide her hand as she hacked through the defensive subroutines, overwhelmed the security programs and tried to open the widening crack in its defense. No mere barrier would prevent her from getting to the prize beyond.

Suddenly, a new program rezzed into being nearby, thus posing a more direct threat to her. She must have triggered something during her assault on the wall and called into play more active Ice - this one definitely looked like a nasty one. It presented itself as a multi-armed monstrosity, each hand wielding a different weapon that appeared to be more fierce than the last. This was going to be a nasty fight indeed. She summoned up her strongest protection programs that formed into armor and a massive shield in the cyber realm. Oh yes, she was definitely going to enjoy this.

Sometimes you didn't even need to know what the prize was to be motivated to fight on. Sometimes the challenge was enough to spur on the most competitive of souls, warriors at the core. In these modern times of neural interfaces and extremely advanced automation, true warriors still existed even if the battlefield had changed significantly.

---

Sadly, I have to admit that even a day is an achievement for many guys, haha.

She awoke to the sound of the alert klaxons blaring throughout the bridge of the Marauder and to the taste of iron. She could feel the blood flowing down her face and she wasn't sure if it was her own. Typical. "Report status!" she cried, albeit rather hoarsely. Had she been screaming all this time? A voice began to speak in her head - the ship's computer communicating through her neural implants. A damage report started to scroll across her vision with many parts of the ship flashing red. It didn't look good.

She quickly tapped a command sequence using the interface unit built into her armor and triggered three humaniform robots to teleport into the bridge. They all looked exactly the same - made from some sort of a silvery material and had no distinguishing marks or features. "The Marauder is in dire need of repairs and it seems we're adrift between the planes. The fold generators are the most critical of the damaged systems and probably the only thing that can get us out of here. Work fast." The robots said nothing and only the center unit appeared to nod sightly before all three disappeared once more. This left her with the task of getting the rest of the ship back under control.

The Marauder was a unique vessel and she had designed it such that only she could get it to work. The light cruiser was highly automated and managed to operate without the aid of a human crew. Instead she had a highly developed AI supporting the ship functions, a small army of less complex droids and other automatons to perform the more basic duties and of course she had her Avatars, the most advanced of them all. The ship was the bastard child of modern science and ancient magic, thus giving it power far beyond any other interstellar craft created. She had worked powerful runes into the very fabric of the ship by designing elaborate circuit boards and conduit routes in the formations of the most powerful glyphs she had learned in her time with the Order. For the ship to get this badly damaged and stuck in mid phase jump was a pretty significant feat. She was determined to find out.

Already, the ship was trying to repair itself through a combination of droid repairs and some of the protective runes reasserting themselves. The computer was estimating the repairs would take a few hours at best, but could not determine their actual location or a way to realign themselves with the multiverse at large. The fold generators were creating an unusual phasing field around the ship that seemed to be somehow holding it in some form of stasis, unable to reassert themselves in the normal planes of the multiverse. Simply turning them off wasn't an option given the damage to the systems and the potential that the field was keeping them safe given the titanic cosmic forces at play beyond the bubble.

She managed to get back into her command chair as she cast a minor healing charm to address the bleeding - apparently it was in fact her blood oozing out of the gaping wound across her right cheek. The computer continued to list all the ship's problems directly in her head as she reached out with her more innate senses in order to determine the status of their magical defenses. The primary wards seemed to still be in place while lesser protective auras had been disrupted during the failed plane shift. It would take some time before she could get all of the barriers back in place, and that bothered her. Who could have done this?

She then tried to get the ship moving under conventional power once more, but the interaction between the failed fold generator field and the disruptive energies of the in-between space they were occupying. The slightest mistake would spell disaster for her and her mission, and she definitely couldn't afford that. She would find a way out of this mess.

A minor chime sounded in her head, signaling an internal communication. She opened herself to the link and quickly felt the cold, logical thinking of the Avatar units. "Seer, report," she commanded mentally and soon the humaniform was quickly uploading the technical details of the damage to the engines. Based on how things stood, it was a small miracle the field was still holding up - a small measure of protection given the maelstrom beyond. She needed to figure out a way to reverse all this and get them back home before those bastards ruined everything she held dear with their invasion force.

She opened her mind completely to the computer in order to gain free access to the database while at the same time opening herself to the chaotic nature of the magic beyond the barrier. It was a dangerous tactic for even the most advanced mages, but she was determined to find an answer while there was still time. Soon, data started to course directly into her brain while her magical stores were refilled and refreshed. She knew she was up to the taste - and then Yoganden would pay for what he had said.

"Now look what you've done!"

The Three could only stare at what remained of their creation. The smoldering mass of metal had once been a rather impressive automaton and now it was nothing more than junk slag hardly worth the effort of salvaging. Years of work now reduced to an unidentifiable mass that still seemed to be emitting odd noises from time to time.

"Clearly you miscalculated," said One. Two consciously ignored the comment as he continued to study the scene of the accident. "I told you that the experiment was beyond the design parameters," One continued despite the lack of an audience, "and now you're wasted years worth of development in a single afternoon - and just before tea time I might add." Two grunted slightly and continued about his work, taking readings with the scanner in his hands.

Three decided to throw in his inputs on the matter. "We could focus on the positive - with what we've learned here, we can go on in a completely new direction with better materials, new designs and even grander ideas! It'll be wonderful!"

The others looked at Three momentarily and then returned to their work. Apparently his enthusiasm was not as infectious as he had hoped.

"Not all is lost," began Two, "it only seems like a disaster right now, but that's only because the back-ups didn't trigger. If I get those running, the original flowmetal structure should reassert itself and we'll be in a better position to make further repairs." He didn't even bother looking up from his tools as he explained this - the others were used to Two not actually asking for assistance or the buy-in of the others. Already he was bringing out advanced probes and electrodes as he attempted to restore their creation to full working order.

One only raised an eyebrow as he watched Two set about the repairs while Three felt awkward eventually felt compelled to break the silence. "I still think we can try other variations - we haven't incorporated the advances in recent years, for example." Three felt he was right on track for a rather compelling argument. Of course One had something to say about that.

"Incorporate other ideas? Wasn't the point of all this was to create something entirely our own without the need to go running back to the rest of the community? While it does seem a tad pointless to try and repair this hunk of junk, at the very least we can salvage materials and improve our original design. That's the real point here - OUR design!" he countered, while emphasizing his point with a rather forceful finger directed Three's way.

"If you two are done with your schoolyard banter, I think I'm just about ready." One and Three turned to see Two had connected various wires and tubing to one of the primary engines along with a few of the larger computers. "Well you work remarkably fast," sneered One. "You seriously believe this is going to work?"

"It never hurts to be a little optimistic," chimed in Three. "At least he's doing something - all you do is pick on everyone else's ideas." One's only retort was a mild snort but Three basked in his little victory all the same. "Do you require assistance with your current endeavor, Two?"

Two was lost in thought once more, making the last adjustments to the rig. He was always very single-minded when he set about his work - it was almost as if he completely gets lost in his research projects and whatever else he's focused on. It's a wonder the Three were actually working together given their diverse personalities. Then again, everything tends to happen precisely as they should and it was pretty much pointless to bother questioning things. "Ah, it should be ready now," he beamed.

The engine roared to life as raw energy was fed into the inert mass of metal while the interlinked computers ran their set programs in an attempt to reactivate the back-up memory cores. The Three remained silent as the automaton began to re-form itself, the flowmetal taking on its former shape. Two merely grinned in satisfaction. Once the process was complete, the automaton was pretty much as it had been before today's failed experiment, albeit a little rough around the edges, in a manner of speaking.

"So now what do we do with it?" asked One. The Three stared at one another considering this new conundrum.

---

Janus at the Gates,
Caught between two paths beyond.
Can you make the choice?

In the silence after the storm, he wept.

When the rubble cleared, everything was in a pretty bad state. The ruins were still smoldering given the ferocity of the attack, but trying to piece together what exactly had happened was anyone's guess. A few of the primary engines were molten slag now and other turbines were taxing beyond their designated limits. They'd survive this disaster - that much was certain. At what cost this "survival" might manifest as had not yet been determined, not that anyone could at this point. Such were the consequences of war.

And to think we do these things in the name of freedom and life.

Repairs were on-going and salvage operations were in-progress as well - someone had to start cleaning up the mess. Then again, even this seemed like a trite activity, a farce show of efficiency when in fact they could do little more than push the dirt around. Everyone was operating well below acceptable levels and that just demonstrated how low morale was after the assault. Both sides had put everything into it and now the dust was settling over the dead and dying. Conflict was never meant to be neat and tidy or anywhere near pretty.

But it wasn't a war at all.

Every door had been left open, random contents from the rooms now scattered throughout the corridor. Nothing had been spared - nothing was sacred anymore. As they walked down the hall, the chaotic state of the rooms could be glimpse with each passing doorway. The had ransacked the entire place, sparing no drawer, jewelry box or chest. Personal effects were everywhere except where they were supposed to be and all they could do was shake their heads in disappointment. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

He had screamed himself hoarse until there was nothing left inside.

Now he lay exhausted amidst the brambles, too spent to even feel the pain of their barbs. It was like a bizarre form of torture from ancient times. As he lay there, desperately wheezing for air, the thorns cut into his flesh, seemingly tracing different crimson lines across his exposed flesh. Perhaps he'd find the strength to extract himself from this mess before he bled to death from what felt like a thousand different puncture wounds but for now he just lay there, thankful he could still see. As he gasped for air, desperately trying to fill his lungs, the thought back to the past.

Silence.

Secrets were wicked things and Secretkeepers had a solemn duty to maintain their silence. It was said that too many secrets could kill a man and the Secretkeepers took that challenge with every new whisper into their ear. Someone had to manage the secrets of the town - someone had to help the townsfolk give up their sins through dark, twisted tales told to the keepers. Everyone had their dirty little secrets and rather than allow those secrets to fester and rot into something far more malignant. Thus the Secretkeepers did their part in order to ensure the salvation of the town despite the strong heathen influence.

The world was dying.

Earthquakes rocked the surface at regular intervals while the frightened citizens could do little than wail in anguish over their inevitable doom. A few stood their ground against the gods in order to show their defiance as they shook their fists against the heavens but were still helpless before the massive might of the holy mountain. Already fire had begun to come out of the peak, magma bombs and the start of slow and methodical lava flows. The priestess could do little more than watch as her entire universe began to disappear into the flames. She had failed in her charge.

Cards are lousy building material and yet we insist.

Why do we keep on trying to make houses out of cards? Can one even LIVE in a house of cards? I didn't think so. And yet we build them and somehow seek solace in the repetitive nature of the thing and of course the extreme need for balance. Despite all that and more, we still get into the activity, if only because it's comforting and familiar, one that you can do on automatic while your mind wanders elsewhere. With steady concentration, the house will be completed in no time. Let your mind wander or forget to hold into the builder, then you know what will happen.

Madness.

The kind that only lovers share, the insanity that drives them to do crazy things and see the world through rose-tinted spectacles. And yet we revel in the feelings, obsesses over the vibrancy the world seems to take on while you're under its thrall. We blind ourselves to the dangers of our addictions and we push on forward blindly, if only in its name. It's the kind of lunacy that traps you in the here and now and unable to find your way back into the future.

For beyond the horizon is beauty.