create and sorta get to summoning.tex

src/chapters/summoning.tex

@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+\section{Meeting With Destiny}
+
+I sat at my desk typing away.  I'd been here for hours.  It wasn't like I'd had
+any other choice.  If I finished this project, I could save the world.
+
+``Test One,'' I announced to the camera.  I tapped a few keys on my keyboard.
+The computer screen flashed several colours.  I jumped when the machine behind
+me started to emit a pulsating low hum.  The magnetic field generator, no
+doubt.
+
+The pedistal behind me glowed with a bright blue light and a circle of blinding
+white condensed light formed over it, hanging a half meter off the ground.
+
+``The Transdimensional Phase Device appears to be functioning,'' I announced
+excitedly.  I wasn't sure if the recording setup could even hear me over the
+thrumming the machine made.  ``Continuing on to confirmation test.''
+
+I plucked my coffee mug from my desk.  It was long emptied and nearly ice cold.
+I smiled at the camera and chucked it at the circle.  As it passed through, the
+circle of condensed light's surface rippled like water.  I shifted slightly to
+see the other side.
+
+``The portal has been formed correctly,'' I laughed.  ``We're saved!''
+
+As I was excitedly stimming, something unexpected happened: the mug flew back
+through the portal, smashing into my computer's screen.  I stood there, shocked
+at the remains of my mug and the destroyed monitor.
+
+``What the--''
+
+The form of a person passed through the portal.  ``Air pressure stable,'' the
+person said.  Their voice was modulated.  ``Atmospheric composition is
+breathable.''  A pause.  I realised I was only getting half the conversation as
+I gawked at them.  They shifted, turning what I assumed was a head toward me.
+``Oh.  Its another one of us.''
+
+I furrowed my brow.  ``Another one of... us?'' I asked.
+
+Moments of silence hung in the air between us before they tapped at a screen on
+their wrist.  The suit they wore hissed as the helmet released and folded back.
+I was surprised.
+
+I was looking at myself.
+
+``Hey, I'm going to assume your name is Lyra,'' she said, smiling.  It was odd
+seeing my own face smiling back at myself.
+
+I nodded in shocked silence for a moment, then jumped for joy and stimmed some
+more, wildly announcing success for the recording setup.
+
+``Woah there,'' she said.  Her voice was crystal clear and beautiful.  It was a
+surreal experience to hear myself from someone else's perspective.  ``Clearly
+you're happy that this worked, but we're trying to explore the Outer Reaches
+here.''
+
+I giggled.  ``Isn't it multiverse, or multiplanar space?''
+
+``Lyra Prime, the first to actually hop through the planar membrane, decided to
+call it the Outer Reaches, and it just stuck.''
+
+``Wild,'' I nodded along before approaching the other me.  The machine was
+still thumming its now soft pulse, a more stable link established.  ``May I
+touch you?''
+
+She blushed, a crimson that clearly held a meaning I didn't intend to invoke.
+``A little soon, maybe?''
+
+``Oh,'' I blushed, ``I didn't--''
+
+Another person, or another me, I supposed, walked through the open portal.
+``Oh wow,'' her voice was still modulated through the suit.  ``The new one's
+too forward for Theta-3.''
+
+``Oh, you're one to talk,'' Theta-3 responded as the newcomer's helmet
+retracted.  ``At least she didn't immediately ask if my univere had Death Notes
+like you, edge-lord.''
+
+``What are Death Notes?'' I asked, snapping up my digital writing tablet to
+take careful not of my interactions thus far.
+
+``They're an as of yet fictional notebook that allows you to kill people by
+writing their name,'' the new Lyra explained.  ``I assume you don't have them
+here either.''  I was too busy writing to answer.
+
+``Oh gods,'' Theta-3 sighed after a few moments.  ``She's just like Prime, too
+busy taking thorough notes `for science' to even answer.''
+
+I continued making notes, trying very hard to catalogue and understand.  I
+didn't notice the newcomer approach me.  Before I knew it there was a gloved
+hand guiding my face up.
+
+``Hey there, Little Prime,'' she said, a saultry tone permeating her voice.
+
+I hiccuped as my face flushed.  ``H- hi,'' I tried.
+
+``I'm Lyra Zero,'' Zero continued, her eyes locked with mine as if probing for
+the hidden secrets of the universe.
+
+``Hi Zero,'' I replied, unable to look away from her stare.
+
+``Zero, would you stop that,'' Theta-3 interjected, her face holding the most
+unammused look I'd ever seen anyone make, let alone myself.  ``And you, Little
+Prime, would you quit writing notes, we have a full database of notes you can
+copy back in Prime's lab.''
+
+Oh, this was about to get incredibly complicated wasn't it?
+
+\section{Complication, Chaos, and Computers}
+
+``I don't understand,'' I complained to the me standing a few feet away.
+Supposedly Theta was the commander of their self-defense force.  Selves-defense
+force?  The terminology breaks down when there are multiple of a single person.
+
+Though, I supposed the majority of us weren't quite the same.  From what I
+could gather, there were clusters of alternate me's that had similar
+personalities, and that's how I- they organized and named themselves.  This was
+surreal.
+
+The Theta designation was for those of me who had the personality or previous
+life experience that lent well to militarized protection.  The Prime
+designation, of which only two were currently known, were supposedly both
+leaders and scientists.  I wasn't sure how that was supposed to work.  Science
+and leadership have almost nothing to do with eachother.
+
+``We are pushing back several incursions already,'' Theta stated.  Her face was
+scarred in a few spots.  I decided to respectfully not acknowledge them.  ``We
+literally don't have the numbers to fight on another front.''
+
+``This is about numbers?'' I asked.  It seemed clear to me that no matter which
+one of me I was dealing with, analysis was still a skill.  ``What about the
+eleven billion people on my planar Earth?"
+
+``And the thirty billion people on Prime Earth or the fifteen billion on
+Omicron-4 Earth,'' Theta replied, an emotionless expression hanging on my- her
+face before softening up.  ``We've lost many planar homes, we can't save them
+all no matter how hard we try.  I'm sorry for your loss, but at least you've
+secured your own safety and found a new home.''
+
+So, I'd just been too late?  I didn't know if I could accept that, really.
+Shouldn't I, no matter which me we were talking about, value human life on a
+very deep and basic level?
+
+She gave me a sorrowful look.  ``You can try to talk with Prime about it.
+Maybe get an emergency shipment of weapons we've developed, along with
+instructions, to your world's people.  No promises that they'll be good for
+your, uh, specific needs.''
+
+``So the incursions you're currently fighting aren't--''
+
+``No,'' she laughed.  ``I'd say fighting demons is completely new for us.''
+
+``Well it was kinda my fault..." I trailed off, feeling sour again.  I had
+written a general purpose program to summon demons.  One of my research
+assistants emailed the program to every address on a certain email provider.
+Now Atan was trying to setup a thousand year kingdom for... whoever his people
+are supposed to be.  Christians, jews, and muslims, I supposed, but nobody
+really knew who actually worshiped him.  Everyone else was going to die.
+Opposing Atan was a demon trying to create a more livable world for demons.  I
+didn't actually know what their name was, but more than a few humans were
+opposing both factions.
+
+It was only a matter of time before things started getting terrible for every
+human on the planet though.  Japan and most of Europe were already wastelands.
+
+``You already explained how it wasn't,'' Theta said, breaking my train of
+thought.
+
+``Yeah,'' I sighed.  ``I suppose I did.''  It didn't stop me from feeling
+responsible, though.  Afterall, I'd written the program.
+