[ WP ] Becoming a god .


 
 Brett was thrilled when he got the notice. For this year ’ s meltdown, he had been selected to be in charge of CERN ’ s LHC. The large haldron collider was a monstrous undertaking by the scientific community to create a particle accelerator that would be second to none. Each year, there was a ‘ meltdown ’ – the time when the collider was taken offline for calibration and maintenance, which usually lasted about three months. Each year a new MIC ( Man in charge – yes both sexist and archaic, but that is the term ) is selected to manage the wind-down, refit, and wind-up of the LHC. 
 
 Brett saw it as the best opportunity he had had in his life, unfortunately his wife, Nikki did not. It was an unpaid contract, three months work for no tangible remuneration. Nikki couldn ’ t get past the lack of an income, and Brett couldn ’ t put a price on the value of the wind-up. Starting and testing the collider was the biggest responsibility of the MIC. Almost 40 days would be devoted to the process where Brett would be in complete acontrol of the device, running the tests of his choosing to prove to the community that the LHC was back on line and as reliable as ever. Giving up three months income to play underground in Switzerland was beyond what Nikki would bear. It was enough having to be alone at night, but having to pick up extra shifts at the diner? She was done. 
 
 The emptiness that was left behind when Nikki left couldn ’ t be filled. The stupid sit-coms that were only funny when she was beside him were not funny anymore. The rain was just cold and wet now, no longer a chance to play in puddles and the hope for a glimpse of the clingy white shirts she always wore turning translucent by the moisture. 
 
 Alone and wanting for nothing more than distraction, Brett poured himself into his research. Nano-technology could be tedious and without reward, but it did demand attention – and any attention he gave it was less he had to give to his personal problems. The two often mixed though, and he would find himself disassembling cellular structures and would draw parallels to the piece-by-piece destruction of his relationship. He knew that the deterioration of both was his fault, but at least one served a purpose. 
 
 As with most scientists, his devotion was to failure. Sure, the dream is always a major discovery, but the reality is the job is one of public service. It ’ s a hard concept to understand, but never the less real. When looking for a complex unknown solution, identifying incorrect ones is just as valuable as the correct. If your published works helps other avoid the same pitfalls, you have contributed to the society of scientists. Brett was tired of being a contributor. 
 
 Unsure if it was alcohol or depression, Brett decided destruction was the order of the night. Back in the day, atoms were thought to be the building blocks of life, but then came electrons, and quarks. Atoms could be deconstructed into protrons, nuetrons and, of course, electrons – but what were they made of? He had eight more days of wind-up before he turned the controls over to those that reserved time in the LHC four years before it was constructed. Eight more days before he had to return ‘ home ’ to collect his belongings from Nikki. 
 
 There was no radio in the LHC. Underground, FM and AM signals couldn ’ t penetrate. Satellite radio required line of sight, so was just as useless. Science has its ways, or at least has creative scientists, and a streaming Bluetooth station was available to most of the LHC. Yes, some of the more secluded sections couldn ’ t catch the transmission, but a majority of the facility could, which made LHC radio the most listened to station of the collider. 
 
 After a day of calibration exercises, Brett closed off the official testing log. He had run the required tests and now had some limited playtime of his own with the LHC. There had been many experiments smashing “ tons ” into one another to see what happens. In many cases, these were initial experiments, frightening the tinfoil hat crowd. There had even been protests about the accidental creation of black holes that might consume the earth! Yes it was crazy, but crazy people are fully capable of holding picket signs. 
 
 Brett chose to use his time to do a variant test. He wanted to replicate a test that had been done several times, but with a twist. What if two protons collided while being subjected to the signal vibrations of Bluetooth? 
 
 Brett patiently listened to the Dropkick Murphys in his headset while he waited for the image collection devices to capture the results of his experiment. He was shipping off to Boston when the blue light lit, signaling the image was ready. 
 
 Analyzing the image, Brett was astounded. While the collision had produced the same immeasurable artifacts seen a million times before, the Bluetooth wave had collected them into an odd pattern that he hadn ’ t seen before. The ‘ Brett Particle ’ was born! The name probably wouldn ’ t stick, but it made him happy. 
 
 It was only after a few more runs that Brett found this phenomenon to be consistent. He could collide almost any matter and force it to take the ‘ Brett Particle ’ shape after being subjected to Bluetooth. Brett came to the conclusion that he had found the ‘ lego ’. The basic building block upon which everything else is created – by using the ‘ Brett Particle ’ in conjunction with his nano-technology experience, he could create anything. By reassembling the new particles, he could make gold, diamonds or ever oganisims! 
 
 Armed with his newfound ability, he quickly went to work. He had only a day left on windup, and wanted to make the contribution of a lifetime. This was not time to waste, and waste it he didn ’ t. Brett used captured artifacts from the collider, his nanotech tools, and his heart to create the first nano-assembled rose – one which Nikki loved. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

