Masterpost

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Paper Love - Allie X

As quirky as the Valorant Protocol agents were, they were all geniuses in their own way.

The duelists' creative and motor skills were exceptional. And, since the non-radiants crafted their own weapons, each had a basic understanding of physics, mathematics, engineering, and applied chemistry. This was in addition to general technological skills, which were mandatory.

They didn't like to admit it, but Valorant agents were a bunch of nerds.

This was evident when Viper, Killjoy, Raze, and now Chamber gathered in one of the base's workshops.

The women were examining the portal design Chamber had given them via hologram. Killjoy felt a mixture of envy for not having discovered it, anger that Chamber had given her the design, and relief at finally having some direction regarding the Alpha-Omega portal. Raze was clearly excited, eager to start building. And Viper was in disbelief, calculating the likelihood of it exploding.

- It seems like everything is in order and... It might work.

- So? Can we jump to another dimension? - Raze smiled at the others, eager to check if they had all the necessary materials to build the portal.

- More precisely, we'll be killed and an identical copy of ourselves will be taken to the other side. - Viper commented, reading some details about the project.

- Actually… - Chamber stepped away from the whiteboard he'd been sketching on moments ago. It was a theoretical model of how the travel to another dimension would occur. Killjoy and Viper turned to the board, trying to understand what he'd done. - It's less a Ship of Theseus and more a Schrodinger's Cat.

Raze frowned and leaned closer to Killjoy, whispering.

- What is a Ship of Theseus?

- Great question, Raze! - Chamber turned to her before Killjoy could answer. - It's a philosophical problem. I love metaphors. So if I get carried away, don't interrupt me. - He clapped his hands once, pacing back and forth. - If I have a ship and a plank breaks and I replace that plank, I have the same ship but with one less original plank, oui? But what if, consecutively, I replace more and more broken planks, until all the planks on the ship have been replaced? Will I still have the same ship?

- Ahw... No? - Raze replied hesitantly, trying to follow the reasoning.

- But you'll have a ship. That's what matters. - Viper shrugged, putting her hands in the pockets of her lab coat.

- Exactement, mademoiselle! - Chamber sent her a charming smile. - I knew I could count on your intelligence.

Viper rolled her eyes. He looked like a kid excited about a science fair.

- We've already proven that interdimensional travel is possible. We're just talking about the ethical dilemma. Whether or not we should kill an original in favor of another version somewhere else.

- Oh non! - Chamber made an offended face, drawing a chuckle from Raze and Killjoy. Viper continued dismissively. - You know we don't care about ethics here. - He waved his hand dismissively, then turned to his model. - I'm talking about something else. Killjoy! - He pointed at the German agent, who smiled back at him. - Is Schrodinger's cat alive or dead?

- Both. - She answered promptly, adjusting her glasses.

- Exactement! - Chamber gave a cheerful laugh, as if it all made sense.

- But what does the cat have to do with the ship? - Raze frowned, confused, yet amused by the explanation.

- Everything! - Chamber turned to the hologram model. He wiped the design, creating an atom simulation in its place. - You see, the ship's planks are atoms. We believe teleportation works like this: I replicate an atom somewhere it wasn't before, destroying the original in the process. But if we've already proven that other dimensions exist and that we have versions of ourselves in other dimensions, with DNA identical to ours, it's not like we're repairing and building a boat. - He split the hologram, creating two atoms. - We already have the same boat, at the same time in different places. Which, eventually, can coexist in the same place. We're not a boat, we're a living-dead cat, here and there.

- Contradiction. - Viper pointed out.

- Paradox. - Chamber replied. - You know the difference. Don't act dumb, because you're not stupid.

Viper frowned. That was both a compliment and an insult.

Yep. He improvised a paradox. If Viper hadn't been outraged, she would have found it insightful.

Raze pouted, resting her cheek on her hand.

- But our clones only look like us. They're not the same as us. They have different goals and mindsets.

- Ah, the damn consciousness thing always gets us in that analysis. - Chamber shook his head. - But, following Schrodinger's logic, in line with string theory, anything can work. Because of one person. Reyna.

Viper raised her eyebrows. Okay, that was a surprise.

- What does Reyna have to do with quantum mechanics? - Killjoy frowned, trying to follow the reasoning.

- Since she demonstrated that the soul, spirit, consciousness, or whatever, is a visible and manipulable substance, everything. - Chamber created a model on the hologram similar to the soul orb Reyna extracted from her victims, staring at it with fascination. Viper forced herself to look away, realizing she was focusing too much on his features. - Have you done any research on the expression of her ability?

- No… - Viper sighed, dismayed as she remembered she hadn't had the chance to truly study Reyna's orbs. - She gets impatient. Says it'll disappear soon. And she won't let me study.

Chamber nodded slowly, resting his chin on his hand.

- We know one thing. Reyna, with her radiant ability, managed to prove that consciousness has a physical manifestation. If it has a physical manifestation, it has atoms and energy. If this soul orb, which, in theory, is within us now, is matter, then, like us, it exists here and there at the same time. And it continues to exist even when... We disassemble it. - The Frenchman pouted, shaking his head. - First Law of Thermodynamics. - He spoke with conviction, reciting the phrase as if it were a prayer. - Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Energy transforms. Energy is constant.

- So we're already there? That's it? - Raze looked at the hologram, blinking.

- Yes... And no.

- Damn.

- Yeah. - Chamber sighed, modifying the hologram. Now they had two people and two soul orbs above them. He walked around the hologram, getting close to the women. - Let's go back to the ship example. Imagine we have boat A assembled in port A. I have the planks of boat A in port B, and vice versa. But they're not a boat yet, they're just loose planks. If I decide to build boat A in port B, I'm forced to disassemble boat A in port A. And the way to assemble or disassemble the boat is...

- The portal! - Raze said excitedly.

- Oui! - Chamber smiled, leaning against a table next to Viper. The scientist noticed his approach, narrowing her eyes at him. He continued his explanation. - Right now, on Earth Omega, we, from Earth Alpha, are scattered, divided across the universe, as are our consciousnesses. Practically inactive. Loose planks waiting to be transformed into a vessel. The portal will simply take our molecules, which already exist there, and join them together to form us. Or the boat, as you prefer.

- So… - Killjoy interjected, looking at Chamber's model. - The portal is a matter plumber?

- Basically. - He shrugged. - When we go through the portal, it reads our information and reassembles it on Omega Earth. The same happens on the way back.

- It seems cool. - Raze smiled, fiddling with the hologram, returning to his analysis of the portal project. - Shall we begin?

- We just have one problem. - Chamber rubbed his eye beneath his glasses, sighing dramatically. - Since we're not little robots, copied and pasted in another dimension, we'll have to stabilize our biological system. Or it'll be... Unpleasant when we go through the portal. - He turned to Viper, giving another smile. - It's a good thing we have a doctor who specializes in molecular reactions, non?

Viper glanced at Chamber and exhaled slowly, studying the project.

- Okay. I'll handle it. We can work.

- Finally! - Raze clapped her hands, skipping over to the computer. - I'll make the forms to request what we need.

- Don't forget to include the power specifications, süsse. - Killjoy warned. - I think we're going to need a lot of… - She muttered the last part, going to the hologram and doing some calculations on it.

Chamber smiled at them both.

- Don't worry about it. Send me the bill when you're done shopping, Raze.

- Whaaaat? - Raze turned suddenly, her eyes widening. - Chamber, are you going to give me your card???

- No. Just order what we need. And I'll check the invoice.

- Oh, man. - Raze slumped, pouting. - He almost let me dream.

The Frenchman gave a mocking laugh, turning to Killjoy.

- I'll solve the energy issue. Ah, Viper! - Chamber stepped forward, heading toward the scientist, who was already heading to the workshop exit. - There's one more question about interdimensional molecular reactions.

Viper took a deep breath, mentally counting from one to three to calm herself, and turned to Chamber. She felt... unsteady at the Frenchman's proximity. She clasped her hands in front of her, her expression a hint of boredom.

- Say it.

- Our energy source can affect your projections… -He adjusted his glasses, giving a charming smile. - It's radiant bioelectricity. - Viper raised her eyebrows, surprised but not entirely. - I read your article about radianite's influence on biological systems, how it can trigger cellular decay or extend cell lifespan, varying from individual to individual. I think our energy source will be a great addition to your research.

Viper pressed her lips together, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. She exhaled before answering.

- Stop playing games and do your job, Chamber. You're already making me lose all patience with you. - His eyes narrowed. - You know very well I can configure this portal so when you pass through it, you feel every molecule of yours being torn apart and then slowly put back together again. - Viper arched an eyebrow, looking Chamber up and down. - Depending on the portal's configuration, the space-time between dimensions can change. And I'd love to know you can spend light-years in complete torture.

She turned, leaving the workshop quickly. Chamber stood there, staring in her direction, thinking about their last dialogue.

Instead of ignoring him or responding monosyllabically, Viper hesitated for a moment. He noticed the movement of her body and her quickness in getting away. It was as if she were disconcerted.

Chamber exhaled, running a hand through his hair and throwing his head back, a smile playing on his lips.

She had liked what he had said but, not wanting to reciprocate, she went on the attack.

- Mon Dieu, cette femme va me tuer. - Chamber spoke softly, shaking his head. He felt eyes on him and turned to Killjoy and Raze, who were watching him curiously. Killjoy quickly turned back to the project hologram, creating calculations. Raze, knowing she'd been caught, chuckled, giving Chamber a thumbs-up. He smiled at her, then turned back to his workbench. - Let’s work.