Particle

The sound of war echoed in the empty space of the room.  A young man, hooked up to a machine that looked straight out of a Science Fiction novel, was moving rapidly in seemingly random movements.  Nearby, the older brother dressed in a white lab coat was watching three computer screens and making notations on a tablet.  Finally the noises stopped and the younger man stepped out. He turned and asked, “How was that Markus?”

“That was good from a physical and mental standpoint, and the computer handled it beautifully.  How was it on your end Nick?”  Markus said as he looked at the clip board.

“Well it had its good parts, but it was missing something.”

“Okay, we can come back later.  I’m starving; I wonder what’s for lunch?”  Markus inquired.

“Whatever Kendra cooked for us,” Nick said as he headed for the stairs.

 They both knew that whatever Kendra cooked it was bound to be good.  The housekeeper their father had hired was one of the best cooks in the country.  The brothers walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor.  As they rode up they both were deep in thought about the tests, but as they reached the floor they forgot all about them.  The smell was tantalizing.  They both sat down talking.  A short woman of about forty-five walked in.  She had slightly gray hair with streaks of a faded brown color that was dressed modestly yet fashionably wearing an apron.  Carrying two plates of white fish; she set them down in front of the boys and said, “Here you go boys. How did the last tests go?"

"As expected," Markus replied.

"Well that's good." She answered.

"Not if you want it to be interesting." Nick said quietly.

"Well I'm sure it’s only a matter of time before it blows up or something." She replied as she left.

"You always know how to cheer me up." Nick called after her.

The boys talked about the experiment as they ate.  Kendra listened through the door.  “They are brilliant,” she thought.  It was too bad their father was always away.  Their mother had died in a car crash five years ago, so the boys were left in a five point three million dollar home and only one friend to speak of, and she wasn't around often.  She turned the stove off and began to wipe the counters down.

The boys were both very close, and they were only two years apart.  They were taught by a super computer that was known as LEVIS or LEV for short.  The boys went silent for a second and Kendra looked up.  They resumed talking and Kendra went on wiping down the counters.  They were both enrolled at the High School in the valley at one point, but they were so interested in learning that they built LEV.  They rewired the house so that it was controlled by LEV.  The computer was so amazing.  It cleaned and washed the house so fast that Kendra barely had to do anything.  This had caused a problem when their father had thought about getting rid of Kendra altogether.  The computer and the boys were able to convince their father that Kendra was absolutely necessary.  They both wanted to learn, and the LEV was just the thing to do it.  The computer was built with artificial intelligence and also programmed to update itself to anything that was new.  The computer was also able to hack its way into any kind of system, even the Pentagon.  Kendra was brought back to reality when the boys walked in.  They were both talking about how it was a good idea.  They both set their plates in the dishwasher and walked out to go do something else.  Kendra walked over to the stove to check on the cookies that were baking.  The boys walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh floor.  When the elevator reached the floor the boys were greeted by the breath taking view of the Rocky Mountains. Nick walked over to a king sized bed and flopped down.  The boys were thinking about the experiment.