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Great Writing - Home > SF > The Alchemist, the Angel and the LHC Part 4
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Science Fiction and Fantasy
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| The Alchemist, the Angel and the LHC Part 4 | |
| By John_O | ||||||||
| 11 September 2008 | ||||||||
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Are we all still here? Oh what a surprise! So the story continues.... Ascending the stairs from the sub cellar he smelt a rich aroma wafting through the ancient house, amongst her many skills Helga was a superb cook. “Funfzehn minuten.” Her voice called out. He knew that there would be a glass of dry sherry waiting for him in the library, Helga did things to the same ritual, and he continued on up the stairs to the first floor and stepped into the room. The sherry stood on a little table beside his favourite chair, and the inevitable pile of papers for him to read and digest. He sipped the clean dry tasting amontillado and read each document, then wrote a small comment or decision at the end of each with a silver fountain pen that resided on the mantelpiece. There was a gentle but swelling banging of the gong downstairs and he rose with a grin at Artemesia. “Dinner.” The table was set for three, the empty space was always set for departed friends in this house, and tonight Artemesia floated into it so that she could be part of the intimate dinner, albeit only in spirit. Over the four courses Helga and Jonny caught up on each other’s news and indulged in the gentle cut and thrust of her attempts to tease more information out of him, especially about Artemesia who she thought was Jonny’s lover. “I would like to meet Artemesia, you must bring her here.” Helga told Jonny with a wagging finger. “It is not good that I do not know what she is really like.” “She’s an angel.” Jonny said with a laugh. “Ja, beautiful, but every woman has her darker side Jon.” Jonny glanced briefly at Artemesia, Helga was closer to true nature of his love than she knew. “And what is your darker side Helga?” He challenged her. “Ohh me. I am an embezzler and I have stolen your fortune five times over.” She laughed. Jonny laughed along, he knew she was scrupulously honest because he checked his accounts as carefully as she did. That night Jonny lay in the big bed staring at the ceiling while the noises of the city filtered through the windows. This house was unlike his other fortresses that kept everything at bay by brutal and overwhelming force, here the defences were of subtle arcane skill and held fast by the detestable Drishnark. It was as close to living in a normal house that he would ever come and he slipped into dreamless sleep to the city’s susurrus sounds. Meetings about construction imperceptibly transformed into meetings about systems checks and then one special day, nearly three months after he started, to real science. The accelerator was pumped down to ultimate vacuum and the first trials accelerating protons began. Now there were only a few contractors still on site to tidy up loose ends, most of the work was by their own people in house, not that that change actually lightened Jonny’s workload. Every week on the Monday night Helga would remain at number 11 after her work was complete and have a meal prepared and waiting for him when he returned. His colleagues knew of this arrangement and tended to give him an easier time on the Monday so that he could escape at a reasonable time, or at least by nine o’clock. He entered the house with a lightness of step this evening. “It goes well ja?” Helga sang out from the kitchen. “Yeah.” He called back. “How’d you know?” “Your footsteps, they do not drag today. Zwanzig minuten Jonny.” “Great.” He did feel good. The accelerator had been tested with two particle streams running at close to maximum energy, perfectly stable in their perilously close trajectories. They were just a few days away from the first experiment and nearly back on the original schedule. Not only was the experimental preparation going well but all his other hidden endeavours were complete and Drishnark was regularly informing him of the build-up of heavenly forces. In fact the demon had been so efficient that Jonny had granted it permission to be at the LHC at the crucial moment. He was half hoping that the beast would meet its match and be despatched, but he disguised this as a vague anxiety for his familiar. Drishnark had been ecstatic at the decision whilst Artemesia had sulked for days. He sipped his sherry and read the documents on the little table, signing, annotating, all with a happy tune on his lips. Life was good today. The meal was a delight that even the moody Artemesia could not dampen and both sat at the table with big glasses of red burgundy wine in their hands fencing with their words. “No, no Jonny.” Helga said with a little slurring. “You cannot refuse me. You must promise that you will bring Artemesia to meet me.” “I can’t make her do it.” Jonny protested. “Your promise.” Helga said with that finality she used to end arguments. “I promise I will ask her Helga.” She looked at him sternly then a smile slowly formed on her lips. “Gut…I….” She put her free hand to her chest and a spasm of pain crossed her face. “Helga, what is it?” Jonny demanded. “Helga!” She groaned in pain and began to slump forward. Jonny leapt up and caught hold of her slight body to gently lay her down on the floor as she went terribly pale. He felt for her pulse, it was weak and erratic. He pulled his phone out and flipped it open, dialling with one hand while he held hers with the other. His finger missed the right key and he had to start over. “Nien.” Helga said weakly and gripped his hand fiercely. “Nien Jonny. Let me go now.” “No.” He whispered. “She is dying.” Artemesia said sadly as she knelt by Helga’s head. “It is her wish Jon.” He looked up at her beautiful face and read the truth, his friend had made her decision; there was only one thing more that he could do for her now. “Mesi, show yourself.” He bade her. A soft radiance filled the room and Helga gave a little gasp as she beheld Artemesia hovering over her on gentle wings. “Helga, this is Artemesia.” Jonny told her tearfully. “My angel.” “Sehr schön.” She whispered with a faint smile. Then her eyes slowly closed for the final time. His phone spoke, querying his call, once, twice. He raised it to his ear. “Hallo. Meine freunde ist gestorben.” He said mechanically. “Nummer elf, Alchemiestrasse. Ja.” The voice was silent. The room was silent. The city still throbbed and sirens still screamed, too late. He had seen death so many times, close friends, enemies, nameless souls, but this death affected him in a way that he had rarely experienced. Helga had seen beneath the veneer he presented to the world, she had come close to understanding his plight and she had been his friend and trusted confidante. “Goodbye.” He whispered as tears rolled down his cheeks. Little wet patches on her white blouse. He scarcely noticed the ululation as police cars and an ambulance sped down Alchemiestrasse, their pulsing blue lights casting eerie fleeting shapes on the ceiling and walls. He did not react as they rang the bell and hammered on the door and it was only when Drishnark abruptly interrupted his mourning that he looked up. “Master, they bring force against the door, shall I defend?” He rasped with eagerness. “No! Return to your duties, now!” Jonny snapped back at him as the demon sniffed at Helga’s corpse. Laying her head gently upon the floor he descended the stairs and pulled back the heavy iron bolts just moments before the burly policeman attempted to use the ram to smash their way in. The sight of his surprised red face would normally have raised a wry smile from Jonny, this door would have repulsed such a crude assault with ease, but there would be no smiles this night. “Komme.” He summoned them and led the way upstairs. The para-medics immediately went to work searching for a pulse and starting ventilation. Jonny raised his hand to stop them but Artemesia spoke. “Helga has passed beyond the veil, she will not return, she is safe now.” He let his hand fall back to his side and watched their futile attempts; the pair looked at each other after five minutes and saw the others headshake. “Herr Doctor Zbydniewski?” The policeman asked him solicitously. “Ja.” The interview was sensitively done, but thorough, and occupied Jonny whilst the other police present examined the room for signs of foul play. They noted the spilled wine and bagged the half empty wine bottle for testing but the para-medics were satisfied that Helga had died of a heart attack, the symptoms her body displayed tallied with Jonny’s description of the events. The coroner’s office sent a discrete dark green van to take her body away for post mortem and the house emptied of all the officers to leave Jonny alone just before midnight. Now he sat in the library and stared at the windows, numb and empty. Artemesia knelt beside him, her beautiful face ever on his, waiting for him to notice her again. In the small dead hours he turned to her and smiled. “Always with me Mesi.” “Always Jon. I will never leave you.” He nodded, his one sure love. “Rest with me tonight Mesi.” He invited her and accepted her gentle invasion. Sleep came to him in the comfortable bed, deep, dreamless, resting in her gentle angelic embrace.
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