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Subject: {ASSM} The Chaos Ascension 1-3/3 (paradigm shift, nosex) TBD
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Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:10:01 -0400
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How the title was created...

So here I was, reading Freefall, one of the online comics I follow,
and Florence's comment in the last panel triggered the following
'logic chain'...

Loss of ethical standards
Descent into madness
Descent into chaos
(turn it around)
Ascend into chaos
The Chaos Ascension - AHAH!
--

To prove I can't have an original idea, I did a search using my
favorite search engine, Dogpile, and got a direct hit on 'The Chaos
Ascension'.

The Chaos Ascension - The Urban Dead Wiki
The Chaos Ascension is a small group of (human) anarchists devoted to
the pursuit of destruction and death who aim to kill both survivors
and zombies ...
wiki.urbandead.com/index.php/The_Chaos_Ascension
---

Ok, folks... Still, it's a good title for some sort of story.

Wish I had one handy.
=====

Later, the following happened...

The Dream:  (Anyone else notice I have some pretty unusual dreams--a
LOT?)
---

I'm somewhere, and a group of us are watching a man speak garbled
sounds while he moves around and 'plays' with objects.

I settled with him and grab a couple of plastic bottles he's been
studying and holding in various relationships to each other and place
them together on the floor?  He angrily mutters sounds while he knocks
them apart and glares at me, as if I'd done it wrong.

Next time, while he watches me, I take the bottle that has a closed
mouth and touch the closure with a finger, then set it down.  I repeat
the action with the other, open one.  After that I draw a question
mark in the dirt.

He speaks clearly.  "We'd have to check the finger thing somehow."
Then he goes back to his mumbling

I leave.

Last scene is me standing with some other people and speaking.  "If he
wants to come back, he will, now."

Someone asks:  "How did you get through, when nobody else has."

Final bit, then I wake up:  I say something like:  "I proved I'm at
least as smart as he is, before I let myself join him, wherever he
is."
======

I've combined a dream of my own, a recent title I came up with...

And a concept expressed elsewhere on WB, to produce the following
intro to what I expect will be a longer work.

For now, exactly how that work will proceed, is unknown, except for it
being about a scientific paradigm shift.
---

The Chaos Ascension `1
----

Several people watch a man wander around a classroom and do various
things.  He is speaking, but what he speaks is gibberish, not any
known language.  The man is oblivious to the presense of the watchers.

A woman, who has introduced herself as the gibbering man's assitant,
speaks sadly.

"We can't keep his madness secret much longer."

The man who is an obvious guest, speaks thoughtfully.  "Do you know
what he was working on, when he...  Started acting this way?"

"A new concept of some sort.  That's all I remember.  He's usually
pretty secretive about things when he's that deeply involved in
something."

"Doesn't like the distraction when he's first assembling his ideas?"

"Yes.  He gets...  Frustrated by the effort it takes to communicate
with lesser minds.  Losing him will be a great blow to the world."

"So you've kept his condition hidden.  You love him, don't you?"

"I...  Yes.  I think he cares for me more than he does others, but he
refuses to come back for me, or recognize I exsist."

"So you called me in.  He never told me anyone else knew of me."

"He didn't tell anyone.  You must understand.  We...  No.  *I* have
become desperate, so I violated my word, and started searching the
private areas on his computer.  We've talked to many of the people
he's had contact with, over the years."

"And none of them were able to help, so for some reason, you called me
and asked me to see if I could do something."

"Yes."

"No promises.  You'll have to accept that before I try."

"A given, under the circumstances."

"Fair enough.  Any other reasons you asked me to be here?  I'm not one
of his collegues, for example."

"Well, yes.  It was the number of those emails.  I've never known him
to carry on such lengthy conversations.  They interfere with his
thinking, as he always put it."

"I see.  If one thing about me is unusual, maybe I can do the more
unusual, and produce a miracle, so one of the world's greatest
Theoreticians regains his focus, so he may make still more
contributions to a world that has lost the joy of discovery, for
itself, and not as a means to an end."

"You paint a bleak picture."

The man smiled oddly before he focused on the man it was obvious he
considered a friend of some sort.  "I see reality and am willing to
describe what I see."

He straightened, and his attitude shifted before he stepped
confidently towards the other man.

When he was noticed, he nodded amiably, then faced the chalkboard and
started drawing some crude pictures on it.

First were the male and female symbols.  After he drew each one, he
gestured first at the man, then at the woman.

That done, he combined them into one symbol, smiled and gestured at
himself.

The lack of reaction didn't seem to disturb him and he next wrote the
generic formula for a hydrocarbon.

After that, he drew a hydrogen atom and a helium atom.

This time, when he looked at his companion, he noticed the man was
focused on what he was doing.

When he turned back, he used some colored chalk to make a couple of
two color combinations, and in white, he placed a plus sign over one
set, and a minus sign over the other.

The other man was shaking, now.

The shaking and focus was ignored, and now, a few wavy lines were
drawn.  When he finished, he  drew a large arrow that pointed from the
bottom to the top, then a large question mark that covered the series
of sketches.

This time, the other man was nodding emphatically.

An odd smle, then he grabbed the red chalk and vigorously drew an X
over all of it.

The other man moaned, and his disbelief was obvious, even though all
he was uttering were nonsense syllables.

He glanced at the woman, who was shaking her head sadly.  He nodded,
then turned back and gently placed a fingertip on his friend's mouth
to silence him.

Now, he made a bunch of identical dots all over the chalkboard.  At
random, he made different numbers of connections between different
amounts of them, then linked them, in the order of increasing numbers,
to the previously done drawings, from the bottom to top.

After he finished, he set the chalk back in the tray and brushed his
hands together, as if he were saying 'I'm done.'

When he focused on the other man he was ignored.  A glance at the
woman told him she had given up all hope, so he shook his head and
gestured, as if to say 'Wait, give him time.'

Finally the man grabbed his shoulders and practically shouted at him

"Damnit!  There's no way to test that!"

He smiled sadly.  "No?  You're the Great Theoretician.  Find
something, *anything*, that it can't explain, or simplify."

Then, he nodded amiably again and spoke to nobody in particular as he
walked out.

"What would *I* know about it?  I'm just an amateur author who needed
a plot device."
---

End: chp 1
======

I let myself get diverted into this little distraction while I've been
dabbling at more important work....

I had parts of this scene already in my mind back when I wrote the
intro, but never wrote them down until now.
---

The Chaos Ascension 2
----

The woman had moved aside when it was obvious he was leaving, and she
nodded her thanks for his efforts, even though it was done to his
back.

She turned her focus back to the man who had been called a 'Great
Theoretician' and spoke slowly.  "Dieter?"

He exploded.  "You fools!   None of you are worthy to be here!   You
let him get away!"

She glanced at her companions, then spoke firmly.  "We know who he is,
and where he lives, if you want him here to distract you."

"IDIOTS!  ALL OF YOU ARE INCOMPETENT IDIOTS!"

"Dieter?  I don't understand you."

Dieter sighed and shoved past her.  "I'll do it myself.  Somebody take
a picture of that chalk board, and if it gets erased, I'll personally
eviscerate the one who erased it."

He left at a run, and caught up with his target as he was ambling
along the sidewalk that led to the public parking area.

"You're an evil man, Oscar."

"If you say so, Dieter.  Are you fully back from wherever you were?"

"I should have stayed there, since I seem to be surrounded by
incompetents who are incapable of doing any independent thinking."

"Thank you."

"Present company excepted, of course.  What are you doing here?"

"Frieda was worried about you, and she snooped, then had me traced so
she could issue a personal invitation for my presence."

"Damn her.  I was worried that I'd done it somehow."

"You did, with my permission.  I never asked you to delete anything I
sent you.  I knew, and accepted the risks.  What turned you into a
gibbering idiot, anyway?  Oh, if it makes you feel any better, at
least you weren't drooling."

"Gibbering?  I knew I wasn't getting through to anyone, but I didn't
know I wasn't speaking English."

"Nonsense syllables.  No.  Change that.  I think you were consistent,
but it wasn't a language any of us were familiar with."

"Oh. I thought I'd quit doing that.  It was one reason I finally
allowed them to stick me with an assistant.  I hoped my desire to
communicate with Frieda would override the disconnect.  Tell me,
Oscar.  You interested in talking shop with me, in person, as long as
you're here?"

Oscar laughed.  "I should leave developing the implications to the
Student."

Dieter glanced over his shoulder and spoke bitterly.  "Company
coming."

"I noticed.  Since my cover is blown, and those look like telephoto
lenses and shotgun microphones, I might as well make you pay for my
lunch, right?"

"I have a feeling I could lose my title--to 'An Amateur Author'. Maybe
you should buy our lunches."

"Titles are labels, Dieter.  You know what I think of labels.  Keep
your damn title, and the wall paper that goes with it."

"Thanks.  As odd as it sounds, the only thing that title does for me,
that I appreciate, is get me, and my guests, decent food from from the
faculty kitchen."

"You win.  Let's go eat.  Open faced Philly Sandwich, smothered in
sour cream and butter.  Put a tall glass of chocolate milk with
whipped cream on it, next to the plate for starters.  I'll have the
lemonade later, if I need the brain stimulation to keep up with you."

Dieter took Oscar's arm and turned him so he was pacing a new
direction, then he laughed.  "That stuff really works for you?"

"Yeah.  Weird.  Only fresh squeezed lemonade does it.   Don't let my
odd metabolism distract you from the main problem.  You were biting
your own ass because you were looking for the current philosopher's
stone, weren't you?"

"You're either well read, or you are the one person who reads what I
write, and sees what's there."

"I'm a writer.  Sounds like a hoary old joke, but I make my living by
reading what's there, and pointing out the obvious to...  Whoever I
decide to focus on."

"I repeat, and I hope someone gets this down and puts it where they
can read it when they wake up in the morning.  You, Oscar, are an evil
man."

"If I am evil, so are you, Dieter, and you get paid more to do it."

"How long have you been sitting on that insight?"

"If you read something besides press releases, or had someone on staff
who reads science fiction, you'd know that I haven't been sitting on
it.  I mentioned it as background in the first novel of a series I
started about ten years ago.  Asimov had his 'Three Laws'.  I have my
'Hypothesis of Reality'."

"That's it?!  You weren't making a joke when you said it was only a
plot device?"

"For you, Dieter, I'll admit it started out that way.  Didn't take me
long to see the implications.  Consider it public domain by now.  I'll
also admit I didn't expect it to be able to break the lockout that had
you talking gibberish.  You've never mentioned that brain-vocal cord
disconnect, before.  Speaking of disconnects, how come you've never
tried to use email or something?...  Oh.  Never mind.  You've bitched
enough about not having any peers you can talk to when you're in it
real deep."

"Never considered sharing with you, or anyone else.  We all know
everyone who has tackled the problem has come away with a bruised
forehead, metaphorically speaking.  Something had to trigger your
insight.  Watch your step.  Loose paving stone.  Someday, a kid will
break something instead of getting bruises, and it will get fixed."

Oscar bent down and studied the paving stone, then managed to lift it,
to reveal a slightly worn rock.  "If you pick that rock up, I think
you'll find yourself being physically useful, for a change.  Never
know, you might enjoy it.  Always openings for competent landscaping
maintainers."

Dieter bent and picked up the rock, then held it while Oscar loved the
stone back in place and jumped up and down on it a few times to make
sure it no longer rocked in place.  "See?  Amazing what can be done it
you act, instead of talk."

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Is that a rhetorical, or honest, question?"

"Honest, since you're being as bluntly loquascious as you are in your
emails."

"Keep it on your desk as a reminder--for your guests.  Well, all your
guests but one.  Frieda shouldn't need it, since she did act,
finally."

"She let you get away, but I take your meaning.  I can fogive her
that, since she's...  Had reason to be oblivious to the rest of the
world, recently."

"Ah.  I wondered if you'd noticed.  You going to do anything about
it?"

"What's to do?"

"Maybe you should stop redirecting all that sexual tension, and use it
for what it was meant to be used for."

"Arm chair analyst?"

"Of sorts.  I like to think I'm good at what I do for a living, and
that means I have to be omni-aware, or my readers get upset with me.
Besides, as you just proved to everyone's satisfaction, focusing on
one thing for too long is...  Not a good thing."

"Huh!  Any words of wisdom for a beginner?"

"She's still working for you.  All the cliche's about the novice being
in love with her boss aside, you could do worse than fall back on the
simple.  Ask her what she wants, and pay as much attention to what she
says, as you have always expected her to give what you say when you're
working.  

"Communicate with her.  Don't talk at her, like she's your mental
inferior.  She's not.  Quit being arrogant and thinking people who
can't see what you see are...  Not your equals.  After all, she had
the competence to find a way to help, right?  That tells me you two
really do need each other  Ask yourself how successful you've been
since you hired her, and how it was before that day."

Dieter glanced over his shoulder, then faced forward again "Appreciate
it if you stop it with the hammer for awhile."

"No problem.  More fun when it's someone you're in love with, anyway."

"Voice of experience?"

"For once, yes.  Oh.  Sorry about this.  I need to take one more swing
before I stop.  She loves you now.  Don't give her a chance to do
something silly, like get all mushy over someone else.  The really
good ones will eventually give up and take the time to see if someone
else is available.  Had it happen a couple times, before I...  Had one
realize what was going on, and she opened the primary communications
channel after she figured out I didn't know it was there."

"Sexuality?"

"No.  We were already fuck buddies."

"You ducking?"

"Somewhat.  First time she did it to me, was pretty traumatic.  Now,
I'm addicted to it.  Took me awhile to get that way, and it turned out
to be just as traumatic for her, because once we had that line open,
she realized she wasn't used to getting what she gave."

"Oh?"

"Yes.  You'd better have a lot of private time so the two of you can
sort out the rules before you open that primary channel."

"Be nice if I knew what it was that makes you so...  Evasive."

"Best time to take the actual shot is during the afterglow, when you
both have 'The Look'.  Sounds simple to do, but when it comes down to
it, it's almost impossible.  Total honesty, Dieter.  No holding back
for either of you.  If it works, you'll never want anything less.  If
it doesn't work, it can paralyze both of you for years, when it comes
to looking for a serious relationship.  No matter what happens, you'll
both learn about about each other, and yourselves."

"When did you have that insight?"

"Couple years after.  Generally, all she does is be an ear while I
talk out stuff that I'm working on.  That time, she asked me what was
wrong with the number one?  If it's good enough for Von Neumann, why
wasn't it good enough for me?"

Dieter groaned.  "An idea waiting to happen, wasn't it?  And her
question pushed it past critical mass in your mind, right?"

"Yep!  Doc Smith and a few others were close, and I think if you look
closely, there are hints they had the basic concept in mind, but they
never took the time to articulate the concept in the way I did."

"And people are using the concept on the macro level without looking
to see if it would work on the micro and quantum levels."

"Yup, again.  Amazin', ain't it?"

"Disgusting."

"Oh, I agree.  You theoreticians tend to get wrapped up in complexity,
without stopping to think about the elegance of simplicity.  One
'particle'.  One 'binding force'.  The rest is numbers and
combinations of links."

"You mentioned 'plot device'.  Your books around somewhere, so I and
my people can read them and see what you've done already?"

"All you'll get are concepts, no numbers or rigorous thinking."

"Did you bother to name these particles?"

"Yes.  Took the first two letters from 'reality', added 'on, and came
up with 'Reon', which has a nice and simple quantum physics flavor to
it, so my readers will feel like they can understand what I mean when
I use the term.  All yours, if you want to use it."

"Want credit for the original concept that has inspired *me*?"

Oscar sighed.  "Where's your head?  After what I did in your work
area, there's no way we can hide where it came from.  I'll settle for
being mostly left alone, unless absurd amounts of money are waved at
me.  I'll need to talk to Doris about this, too.  She took the call,
as my secretary, because I was in the middle of a story that was
flowing, and she knows I don't leave something like that until I hit a
place where I can stop, then pick it up later and keep going."

"You've never said.  You married to her?"

"Common law.  We think the paper would...  Not be right for us, so
we've never had a ceremony performed.  Closest we get is a private
toast at the first of the year."

"How long?"

"Nine years, I think."

"You think?"

"Number of years depends on her mood, usually.  If I add the years she
was one of several, it's eleven or twelve years, more or less, since
we linked early in my freshman year of college.  It was my junior year
that we did the honest bit and became a couple."

"What was she back then?"

"TA in Advanced Creative Writing, with a sub major in Science Writing.
Got a reasonable body wrapped around an incredible mind.  Not unusual
for us to feed off each other when we're writing."

"My God!  I just realized.  You're married to Doris Patterson?!"

"Yup.  Suddenly, you sound familiar with her work."

"Familiar?!  You must be the 'domestic concerns' she mentioned when
she turned down my offer, before I settled for Frieda."

"Yep, again.  We're peas in a pod.  We both need to be around someone
who hasn't locked themselves into a single vision most of the time.
Then, too, she's just as an obsessed writer as I am, so we understand
each other when it happens to one of us.  That can mean the difference
between hacking out another book, or romping through another
adventure."

"I'll accept that shot from you, since you know I'm not always a
cranky, single track, runaway train."

"Frieda turned out to be a better fit.  Don't let her escape."

"You sure?"

"Mostly."

He turned slightly and motioned Frieda over.  "Been listening in?"

She blushed and nodded.  "School pays me to, remember?"

"How come you didn't mention my disconnect to Oscar?"

"We thought the worst had happened.  Never thought about it, since
I've never seen it before.  Didn't know the signs, and...  I'm sorry,
Dieter.  I listened to others when they diagnosed your problem.  I'll
try not to let it happen again."

"My disconnect, or your lack of thinking for yourself?"

"Both, of course, but mostly, I'll try to keep you from getting in so
deep the disconnect happens again."

"Want the job full time, instead of just during working hours?"

"Of course.  You want to brief me in front of company, or should we
abort the shop talk and go to one of our homes, where we can get some
privacy?"

She sighed.  "I need to apologize to Oscar, too.  I only noticed the
quantity of the emails, not the content and quality.  My working
assumption was, based on what I already knew, that Dieter tends to run
through email conversations in a few messages, instead of letting them
go on for...  Years."

Dieter nodded.  "Good working assumption.  The invasion of my privacy
is forgiven."  He turned slightly.  "Oscar?"

"Dieter is a  well known public figure.  I've always assumed that
someday someone would notice I've managed to hold his interest for
years, instead of minutes.  Apology accepted.  When you have time,
drop by for a weekend, and you and Doris can share tips on how to
break through when their man is obsessed and incohherrent.  My
disconnect isn't as radical, but it's probably more confusing, because
I'm still speaking English when it happens.  Then, too...  No.  You
have enough worries.  Let's leave the rest for now, since it's really
shop talk, and best shared in a group, over a relaxed BBQ or something
like that."

She smiled a little.  "A social event?  Might take me some time to
convince Dieter to show up."

Oscar laughed.  "I think he'll be there.  Apologies for the gaucherie,
but you weren't his first choice for an assistant.  My wife was.  I'll
do the cooking while the three of you talk shop as long as you want
to."

"Accepted.  Who sets the date?"

"You folks.  We're flexible, and enjoy the temporary distractions."

"I have your number."

"Yes, you do, I think.  Same one reaches Doris.  Don't be afraid to
call at any time.  Creativity doesn't keep regular hours."

She looked at Dieter.  "Well?"

He sighed.  "Oscar?  Mind if I delay that attempted cholesterolicide
of yours?"

"Not a bit."

"Thanks.  Frieda?  Let's go shut down, then we'll make some plans that
don't involve business, ok?"

"That's fine."

"See you eventually, Oscar.  We'll try to keep the hangers on,
limited."

"See you when you show up.  We're used to gatherings adding guests.
Give us a few hours warning, and we'll be ready.  Take care, eh?"

"I'd do a better job, if I had a clue, but I'm assuming I'll have a
woman at my side who will be supportive, and help me, instead of
amusing herself with my naivette."

Frieda linked her arm with Dieter's.  "If I laugh, it will be with
you, Love, not at you."

They walked off, and Oscar watched them until they were out of sight,
then he smiled whimsically before he pulled out his cell phone and
called home.  "Mission accomplished."

"Oh?  The rumors already had him locked away in a white jacket."

"Nothing so serious.  Vocal cords were disconnected from his brain
because he was biting his ass instead of thinking clearly."

"And Frieda?"

"You called it.  In love with him, she knew it, and now he's admitted
he noticed the problem.  I had to give up plans for a Philly, because
they decided that they were more important than my stomach."

"Good choice.  You headed home?"

"Yes.  Oh, they'll be over to visit, eventually.  He finally realized
you're the same Doris Patterson who told him she had domestic concerns
that were more important than his need for an ear."

Laughter.  "Do I have permission to talk shop?"

"I know better.  I told Frieda he'd insist."

"Smart man.  I'll have that Philly waiting for you, Honey."

"Thanks.  Bye."

"Bye."
---

End: The Chaos Ascension 2
======

The Chaos Ascension 3
---

Oscar glared at Dieter.  "You did say 'hangers on'.  Got a
justification for them being...  Who they are?"

Dieter winced.  "Calmly, Oscar.  They are here to offer you absurd
amounts of money, to get them to allow them to record things."

"Did you warn Doris?"

A women in a casual outfit touched Oscar's shoulder.  "Frieda warned
me, kind of, and I agreed, since I assumed that they would be here to
record the three of us.  I was told 'recorded for posterity', and
other facile inventions, and I agreed, since I expect our discussions
will be far ranging.  I accepted it as the price of being around
Dieter."

Oscar sighed.  "So...  It was the chalkboard, wasn't it?"

Dieter nodded slightly.  "I'm so used to the security system, I forgot
my work area is monitored.  A young man who is no longer associated
with the school, made a clip and..."

He shrugged.

Oscar finally nodded and looked at the media crew.  "I assume you have
someone who is in charge of...  Persuading me to accept your offer? If
so, I'm very greedy.  I want at least seven digits to the left of the
decimal left *after* taxes and other deductions, annually, and a
candid admission that I'm letting you off cheaply.  Oh...  I'm a
working author, and enjoy my work, so I won't give it up, no matter
how much you offer me."

He glared at them, then sighed.  "Talk to Doris.  I have food on the
grill, and I don't want it burned."

He turned and left.

A woman stepped forward and Doris studied her.  "Well.  Hello, Karen.
I should have expected you to be who they sent."

Karen sighed.  "I told them it wasn't wise to send me, but they
insisted that since I'm head of department, I was the one."

Doris finally nodded.  "We've seen the news reports, so I'll allow
that you didn't have a choice."

She put some steel in her voice.  "Do they want my husband for his
abilities, or his name?"

"They don't care if he ever has another insight.  They want his name,
of course."

"Then they are fools, and we are not interested, at *any* price."

"Fools?"

Then she seemed to realize what Doris had said.  "We?"

Doris smiled, and Karen winced.  "We, Karen.  Our compatibility is not
limited to the bedroom, as *they* should have known, if they had paid
attention to the content of his conversation with Dieter."

Karen nodded, and sighed.  "And for today?"

"I am willing to allow the recording.  Please wait, while I discuss
this with my husband."

She closed the door on them before Karen could react.

Karen stared, then slumped before she spoke wearily.  "Are we going to
lose you and Frieda, Dieter?"

"An interesting way to ask it.  You acknowledge Frieda's importance to
my mental well being, but could not see what Doris means to Oscar,
even after his candid admission she triggered his insight.  Perhaps,
Karen, you should have done a better job of keeping your personal life
separated from your business one."

"You are...  Exquisitely gentle, Dieter.  I *did* attempt to make it
clear that Oscar and Doris would have to be offered a package deal.
After all, I was the...  Alternate, when he decided to become
monogamous.  It hurt, but as selfish as I am, I have to admit they are
several magnitudes better for each other than he and I would have
been."

"You pay me well enough that it is unlikely we will choose to go
somewhere else.  That will be Frieda's decision to make, since she
does an excellent job of managing my life for me."

"You've changed."

"Yes.  I have learned the importance of treating people as themselves,
and clearly expressing the appreciation I have always had, instead of
assuming they know it's there."

They spent the rest of the time waiting in silence.

Eventually Doris opened the door and studied them before she spoke
softly.  "You will have to be content with the three of us having the
discussion we had planned for, while he acts as the cook, and host. If
that is agreeable, I can move on to his other requests."

Karen nodded.  "I know I'm being set up for something, but I accept."

"Thank you.  First, a personal message for you, Karen.  He still loves
you, and admits the decision wasn't the easy one he made it seem at
the time.  He asks that you help him avoid the cameras by returning to
your past, and becoming a waitress for the evening."

Karen flinched, then stared at Doris.  "Have you known?"

"From the beginning, when he was agonizing over which one of us he
should spend the rest of his life with."

"I long ago accepted he made the right decision, and I will be a
waitress.  What else?"

"Since he doesn't wish to get mixed up in our business, he sends a
message to Dieter."

Dieter raised his eyebrows, then he nodded.  "Go ahead."

"If we assume that all reons have only one binding force, is the
direction of time a side effect of the increasing number of
connections between reons, and if the number of the connections were
to decrease over time, would the effect of that be a true reversal of
time?  Could random fluctuations in the connections provide a sound
basis for chaos theory as a macro effect of random fluctuations in
time?"

Dieter stared at her, then sighed.  "You folks been saving those for
me?"

"No.  He's genuinely curious, because the answers to those questions
are the basis for some major plot points in his latest novel."

Dieter thought about it, then sighed again.  "He's had ten years,
while I've known for less than a month, and I've been... Discovering
the joys of having a companion during a vacation.  Have we met all the
conditions?"

Doris smiled.  "You have."

She stepped to one side and pointed.  "Straight through the living
room and out the sliding door.  Everything is movable, so make
yourselves comfortable, and we will adjust.  Door at the left end of
the patio opens on a bathroom, if you need one.  Inside door is
locked, and we'd appreciate it if people don't roam the house
unescorted.  We value our privacy."

After everyone settled, Dieter turned to Oscar and raised his
eyebrows.

Oscar shook his head slightly.  "You folks want my answers, you'll
have to buy the book when it comes out.  Let us know when you're ready
for some food.  Nothing exotic this time, because I didn't know if
anyone had special requirements."

"Doris doesn't know them?"

" *I* don't know them yet.  Depends on what I need to make the story
work, within the framework of what I already have written.  Could go
several directions, right now."

"Must be a reason you used the hammer on me."

"Yep.  Wanted to strengthen our bargaining position, the next time
someone tries to make us pr figureheads.  Now, it's on the record that
we can do it more than once.  That's all I'm going to say that isn't
related to the food and drinks.  You folks do your stuff, and we'll do
ours."
---

End: Chaos Ascension 3
End: The Chaos Ascension

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