Unshaken

A Bright Bouncing Boy II

Liam rode past camp. He needed to be out for a bit longer. The sun started to set and rain came from the skies. Liam looked at the map from his satchel under an overhang he sat under. He saw Doverhill was just north of him. He decided to go pay the Professor a visit.

He rode up the path and observed the lab, and the odd tower behind it. He walked up to the front door, but it was locked. He made his way around the back and found the door unlocked. He pushed it open and walked in. "Hello?" Liam said closing the door behind him. He looked around at all the mysterious and unusual machines around him. "Is anybody here? Hello?" He asked again, walking around the lab. He heard a high pitched ring and a voice following. "If you are here to rob me, I wish to make clear that I have weapons that could liquify each of your internal organs..." Marko said as Liam walked around the lab looking for him.

"In turn... and leave you just a puddle on the floor." Dragic said. It sounded like the professor was everywhere at once. "Professor, I ain't here to rob you. It's me..." Liam said walking into a chain link room. Dragic was crouched down on the floor. "I helped you at the pond." Liam said. "You did?" Marko said into the speaker. Liam shook the chain link to get his attention. The professor shot up. "Oh, you did. Hello!" He said into the contraption that made his voice heard all over the lab. He realized and set it down. "Hello." The professor said.

"I hope I ain't disturbing you." Liam said, following the professor out of the enclosure. "Of course you are disturbing me, buddy. I almost solved biggest problem and you mess it up!" Dragic said. "I did?" Liam asked, confused. "No, but I did. I can't get the bloody conductor straight. Uh, well, it is the geometry of life, the grand theory of power, the grand theory of theories." The professor said digging through things and grabbing rods. He walked around the lab as Liam followed. "There is one more big problem, and maybe I solve it, but I can't get it right." Dragic said. "I don't understand." Liam said. "Of course you don't. Help me adjust these things and I will show you what I mean. Here, take these." Dragic said handing him the rods. "Whoa, well, uh, I ain't much of a scientist." Liam said. "Yeah, well, you are an American. Science is far beyond you, but, you make a fine buffoon. Go." The professor said pulling him to the door and making him go outside.

"You have the detector in your hands. The filament flashes when it points at the location for conductors. Follow flashes up the hill and plant the conductor rod where the filament goes solid." Dragic said. Liam held up the filament to see it illuminate. He moved it around and walked in the direction it was flashing. He made his way up the hill in the pouring rain following the flashes. "When all three conductors in place, lightning strikes the rods, and we harness power of nature... to make life!" Dragic yelled as the light of the filament grew solid. Liam pulled out one of the rods and shoved it into the ground.

"Okay, now find the position for the second conductor." Liam ran up the hill following the flashes. "You're doing a bang up job. Remember, this is for the good of all mankind. You're better than my last assistant, I hope you live longer too." The professor said. Liam shook his head and kept following the flashes until the detector glowed solid again. He shoved the second conductor into the ground. "Two down, and one to go. And you're not dead, yet. Life and death, the master equation that unlocks everything." Dragic said as Liam ran up on the side of another hill and flowed the flashes.

As Liam moved, lighting struck a tree in his path, he jumped back. "Whoa!" He yelled. He wanted to get this over with before he was cooked. "That wasn't you, was it? Good... good." Dragic said. Liam quickly stuck the third rod into the ground as Marko directed him to return to the lab. He took off and ran as fast as he could, trying not to be struck by lightning.

He pushed open the doors and walked back into the lab. "Wonderful!" Dragic said. "I wish I would've went to school, so I had a clue what was going on." Liam said walking up to him and handing him the detector. "What now?" Liam asked. "Now, I become the second creature after God himself to bring life to this earth." Dragic said flopping switches and messing with stuff. "Like... this!" Marko said pulling the lever. All Liam heard was a noise come from the center of the room. He looked at the professor confused. "Am I missing something?" Liam asked.

The professor groaned. "The switches, the bloody switches. Come." He said dragging Liam back to the doors. "Climb up there and adjust them for me. Go, quick please." Marko said. Liam shrugged his shoulders and walked to the tower. The rain was still falling hard. Liam climbed on the base of the tower and started up the ladder. "Goddamnit. What I got myself into?" Liam said to himself as he climbed the ladder. He made his way to the top. "The switches are on a circuit. Flick on switch on the array and another might go off. You want the three illuminations, so flick the switches 'til that is the outcome." Dragic instructed. Liam looked at the three levers. He had no idea what to do. "Just tell me what goddamn one of these things to pull!" Liam yelled. "I am an invisible wave engineer, not an electrical technician, okay?" Marko said. "You better hope I ain't fried up here!" Liam yelled, nervous at the sound of every boom of thunder.

He flipped a switch making the other two go off. He sighed and flipped other ones. Eventually, the all went down and the three lights came on. Not a moment after that, lighting struck the top of the tower causing Liam to throw his hands over his head. It struck a few more times and Liam watched as the lighting moved all around and through the metal of the tower, lighting up everything around him. "It's working, it's working! Come down here... quick!" The professor said. "Gladly!" Liam yelled. He got on the ladder and started to climb down. "Screw this." He said to himself as he moved his hands and feet to the side and slid down the ladder. He quickly hit the ground.

He ran towards the lab. Lightning struck the tower again causing a burst to happen, making Liam fly off the base of the tower, hitting the ground. He recuperated and ran inside, soaking wet.

"Are you ready?" The professor said running to the levers, visibly shaking with excitement. "Sure. Second time lucky, yeah?" Liam said as he watched the machine in the middle of the lab. "Second time? More like seven thousandth. This is my life's work and it is incredible." Marko said opening the cage in the middle of the lab and entering. He ripped the cover of a machine that was built similar to a man. Marko ran back to the levers and switches. Liam stared at the machine. "Watch." Dragic said as he pulled the levers. He pulled the big lever and electricity started to surge around the machine in a purple kind of light. Liam jumped back a moment. Marko laughed maniacally. The lightening struck all around the machine for a moment longer. Liam watched in awe.

The machine lifted its arm. "It lives! My son lives!" Marko screamed with a diabolical laugh following. "What is it?" Liam asked. "It is life itself. Those morons who doubted me, it is me and you!" Dragic told Liam with another satisfied laugh. The machine started to move again. "Look at him. Isn't he wonderful?" Dragic asked as the machine started to walk towards them. It took a few steps and then collapsed. Liam looked at Marko who was smiling with satisfaction. He was confused as to why the professor wasn't screaming in anger at the moment.

"Is that it?" Liam asked. "For now. I am so happy." The professor said turning off the switches laughing again. "You just saw Creation's second birth." Dragic said, kneeling beside the machine. "I just saw a machine waddle a few steps." Liam said. "I have a son. I am the luckiest man alive! I... those morons! They doubted me." The professor exclaimed. "I'll see you later." Liam said walking to the doors. "Yes, yes, goodbye." Dragic said to him as he left. He heard the professor gawking at the machine on his way out.

The rain had stopped. Liam was thankful he wasn't cooked alive. It was around eleven at night. He warily rode back to camp, hoping to avoid any trouble by the weird folk in the surrounding parts. He hitched his horse and walked to his tent. He climbed in and sketched the machine in his journal. He wondered if Dragic was onto something.