Manifold

[herumtreiber]

Title: Manifold
Fandom: Fringe
Characters: Peter/Olivia, Walter, Astrid
Chapter length: ~3,490 words
Rating: R
Timeline: After Olivia returns, in season 3
Disclaimer: Fringe belongs to JJ Abrams, Bad Robot and Fox
Summary: Brain chemistry, Borges and beasts mix as Walter decides on a risky strategy.
Notes: This is a gift for my friend intimisky. The prompts were: hybrid, amber, cortexiphan





Brookline, Mass.

"We're from Fringe division, Mr. Hawthorne." Olivia flashed her credentials to the astounded janitor.

"I'm agent Dunham and my companion is Peter Bishop." She pointed her hand at the tall, handsome brunet who was tugging his coat collar up his neck. "He's a consultant for the FBI."

The old man fingered his chin, his eyebrows raised in questioning. "Why are you here anyway? And what is Fringe division?"

The blonde woman's lips tugged upward in a smile. "Fringe division deals with strange cases; pyrokinetics and astral projection among other things. What occurred here?" She motioned to the room filled with shelves and scientific equipment. "It falls into that category. Two leading scientists from a biotechnology company murdered, just when they were going to publish the results of a breakthrough experiment in the journal Nature?"

Peter piped up, "Not to mention the way they were mauled, plus the fact that the killer broke the windows and seemingly flew from the building." He arched an eyebrow at the janitor. "No easy feat, that."

Mr. Hawthorne motioned the two inside the top floor of the warehouse. It still had bloodstains on the brick walls. Olivia brushed the lapels of her wool coat as Peter held her arm. The two had grown closer ever since the real Olivia returned from the other reality.

Agent Dunham put her briefcase on the rickety table in the middle of the wide room, brushing aside a piece of broken glass. She took out two glossy photos and handed them to the man. "The surveillance camera got these photos."

The portly janitor nervously touched his uniform as he squinted at the photographs. Finally he said, "Are you kidding me?" He pressed his thumb on the photo, leaving a greasy print against the image of a huge serpent whose scales glinted in the dim light. "You tell me this animal killed the scientists?"

Peter studied the room which, being on the topmost floor, had a breathtaking view of the city. He bent down and traced his fingers over the concrete where it was stained with blood. Then he went to the grimy window and looked outside at the Boston skyline. In the distance, he could espy the shiny building of Massive Dynamics, one of the most powerful high-tech companies in the world. The brainchild of William Bell, and thanks to the last will the cryptic man had left behind, the property of Peter's father, Walter.

Olivia's smooth voice soothed the tall brunet. He'd fallen in love with the slim and competent agent quite some time ago. His fists curled when he remembered the night they made love for the first time. It had been all he ever wanted, but that woman turned out to be an impostor! Alternate Olivia from the parallel universe he'd barely escaped with Walter's help.

Peter shook his head, a bit bewildered by the intricacies of dealing with multiple realities. His father over there, in what he'd privately dubbed the Zeppelin world, wasn't the warm, endearing and confused person he was over here. Despite the fact that he was Peter's real father, Peter didn't feel the connection he felt with this Walter over here. He'd learned the hard way that love knew no boundaries or rules; it crossed realities doing what it would.

He turned his face and smiled at Olivia.

She was examining the door from the inside. "So there were no signs of someone forcing their entry?"

"Nope. When I came on Monday morning, the windows over there?" The janitor pointed at a spot to Peter's left. "They were broken. I found the bodies right beneath the table."

The man shuddered and Olivia smiled reassuringly. "That was two days ago. Have you noticed anything else? Something strange?"

He shuffled his feet on the floor, debating whether to cooperate with the two. Agent Dunham's demeanor finally convinced him; she wasn't threatening at all like those policemen at the station, she was rather friendly.

"Well, yesterday I mopped the room."

After Olivia nodded encouragingly, the janitor said, "On the corner there were broken flasks, and when I picked them up I saw a serpent's scale."

The man shrugged. "Didn't think it was important, but seeing those photos, I reckon it might belong to the animal."

"Do you still have it, Mr. Hawthorne?"

"Sure thing. I'll fetch it for ya."

oOoOo

Harvard University

Walter stared intently into the lens of the microscope. He mumbled, "Interesting. It has the structure of a reptilian scale, yet there are noticeable differences."

"So what do you think it is, Walter?" Peter picked up a strange contraption that resembled a vacuum tube and fingered the shiny surface.

Olivia stared at the tousled-haired scientist. She couldn't rid her mind of the image of the other Walter, the one who was the implacable Secretary of Defense in the other reality. The two men were so different inside and Olivia shuddered, wondering how Peter would be if he had grown under the tutelage of the other man.

"I'll tell you in a minute, son." Walter lifted his gaze from the microscope and smiled at Astrid Farnsworth.

The petite woman handed him a printout. "Here are the results of the DNA analysis."

Walter read intently the sheet and motioned to the rear of the lab. "Could you get me Mozart's Requiem, dear?"

Astrid frowned. She looked around at the mess the laboratory usually was. She couldn't find any of the old vinyl LPs the scientist preferred over CDs. "Where is it?"

Walter mumbled, "In the fridge, of course."

Peter exchanged a glance with Olivia as he rolled his eyes. "Let me get this straight, Walter. You put Mozart's Requiem in the refrigerator?"

Walter smiled at his son, his wrinkled face acquiring an innocent look. "Of course, Peter. Scientific studies indicate that when the plastic of the LP is cooled, the sounds are way better."

Astrid stared with distaste at the frosty cover of the LP. Gingerly taking out the cold black vinyl disk, she shook her head and put it on the turntable.

As the chorus started singing 'Rex tremendae majestatis,'  Walter pointed to the sheet and shouted, "It's exactly as I thought! The serpent is a hybrid. The reptilian DNA has traces of information encoding proteins found in birds."

Olivia frowned and tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat. Suddenly she felt very cold. "Another hybrid? I guess a biotech company is developing another biological weapon."

Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leaning down to inhale the scent of her shampoo. "Don't worry, Olivia. We'll get to the bottom of this."

She smiled at her lover. It felt good to be among her friends, to be known as Olivia and not Liv. Most of all, it was good not to fear for her life on a daily basis.

Peter covered his ears because the chorus was singing very loud. He yelled to Astrid, "Turn down the volume, will you?"

She fiddled with the knob until she shrugged and decided to turn off the turntable.

Olivia's phone beeped and she took it out, glancing at the screen. The call came from her supervisor, Philip Broyles. "Dunham."

"Agent Dunham, there have been reports of several deaths, the other victims were technicians. The same modus operandi. We've been able to ascertain a common thread among them."

"What is that, sir? Walter just informed us the DNA analysis indicate a hybrid."

Peter leaned down to hear the conversation.

Broyles said, "Disquieting news indeed. The first victims, the scientists? They were operating a microwave device. Technicians were killed at two sites on opposite sides of the city. They were fixing directional antennas transmitting at the same wavelength."

Olivia hefted the phone close to her ear. "We'll keep working on the case, sir."

"You'd better have results soon, Dunham; else we'll be forced to close down the microwave radio relays. The results would be catastrophic; the city would have no communications with the rest of the nation."

oOoOo

Walter paced back and forth, studying intently the DNA results. "This combination of reptilian and bird DNA is amazing! It's like a manifold, a being that shows many kinds of features."

Peter ruffled his hair and looked around at his father's lab. He sat on a chair next to his father. "That's great, Walter, but how do we kill it?"

Walter frowned at his son. "Where's Olivia?"

"She went to talk with Broyles." Peter waved his hand at the mess of papers on the table. "I told you before, but you were too busy reading that."

Olivia opened the door of the lab and walked inside. Her grimace told Peter she had bad news. She went to him and touched briefly his arm. "The hybrid has struck again. Another microwave tower near Cambridge. Broyles gave me five hours to solve the case; if we don't, they'll close them down."

Astrid looked up from the monitor as her fingers glided over the keyboard. "No internet, I guess?"

"That's right." Olivia stuck her hands in her pockets, staring at the screen. "I wish there was something we could do. In the other reality? They had this thing; they called it 'Amber 31422.'  They used it to isolate a tear in the fabric of space. It congealed around people and trapped the poor souls."

Peter grinned. "It would be nice to lure the creature and catch it in this amber. Trouble is, we have none."

Walter stared at the yellowed book in front of him, muttering, "It's probably a form of Dark matter. It would certainly behave in the way you've just described, Olivia."

Peter stood up from the chair and walked towards the table. "We don't have time to research it, Walter. They'll close down the microwave system soon." Peering down at the books, he said, "I see you're reading—"

"ZFT, Destruction through technological progress. I'm reading it in the original." Walter pointed at Astrid, who was looking at her monitor. "Astrid is researching something for me."

Olivia approached the screen and squinted at the webpage. It depicted a multicolored headdress. Green feathers radiated from a central circle with bright colors like the rainbow. She read out loud, "Museum für Völkerkunde, Wien."

Peter went to her and squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, that's the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna. I've been there. That's Montezuma's headdress."

Olivia lifted her arms in exasperation, frowning at Astrid. "Why are you reading this?"

Astrid shrugged, moving the mouse so another page appeared. "I was reading a German site Walter told me to research." She shrugged guilelessly. "I must have clicked on a link inadvertently."

"I've got it!" shouted Walter, lifting his arms in triumph. "We can set up a microwave device, lure the manifold and send it to another reality."

Peter lifted his finger admonishingly. "That's a bad idea, Walter. They already hate us over there, if we send them this monster there'll be repercussions."

"You don't understand, son!" Walter's wrinkled face shined with enthusiasm. "Our two realities aren't the only ones. There are millions upon millions out there! A veritable manifold of parallel worlds."

Walter scrunched up his shoulders. "We can send the beast to a deserted one, or a jungle where humans haven't evolved!"

Olivia frowned in concentration. Walter's idea sounded attractive, except for a small detail. She took out her phone to check the time. They had four and a half hours left. "How will you tune in to a world with those characteristics?"

Walter beamed at her. "That's where you come in, dear. Reading those dreadful ZFT tomes." He pointed at the littered table. "I remembered how William and I came upon the name cortexiphan. It was a pun!"

Walter laughed to himself while Olivia and Peter exchanged worried glances. Looking at their serious faces, he pursed his lips and went on. "Of course the name refers to the effects of the drug upon the cerebral cortex, but it also alludes to the way it changes the outer layer of neurons."

Walter looked at the ceiling, fondly remembering his days as a student. "As we get older, cell membranes clog, they don't allow free passage of proteins and neurotransmitters through the neurons, thus holding back the formation of additional neuronal pathways." He pointed at Olivia. "Thanks to cortexiphan, you have the ability to create them constantly. The new patterns enhance the powers of your brain using what my friend Lehninger termed, 'the molecular logic of the living cell.'"

Olivia cocked a quizzical eyebrow at Peter. "Who's Lehninger?"

Peter smiled at his lover, enjoying the way her green eyes widened. "A scientist. Wrote a biochemistry textbook I had to read."

Olivia turned to glare at Walter, remembering the other children who suffered the cortexiphan treatment and acquired strange powers, losing their lives as a result. She crossed her arms. "I could have done without that ability, Walter!"

The scientist replied contritely, "Indeed, Olivia. I am very sorry."

His mood changing rapidly, Walter beamed again. "Do you remember the experiment with the lights, how your brain turned them off by itself?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes, it saved us that day."

"You can do the same with the device I used to cross the universes! You can direct it so it transports the beast to the world you select!"

oOoOo

Auburn Lake, Mass.

Walter fiddled with the knob, studying the intensity of the flickering circle of lights in the middle of the clearing.

Peter wiped the sweat off his forehead and pointed to the squat box in front of him. "Walter, when do you want me to turn on this thing?"

It had been hard work heaving all that equipment to this precise spot in the middle of two copses. His father had said the contour of the terrain would amplify the waves. Peter gazed around, staring at the tall cedars and pines all around. It was a brisk afternoon, he felt the cold deep in his bones.

"In five minutes, Peter. I'm almost ready."

Olivia took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the pines and the grass all around them. She huddled in her coat, unsure if she would be able to fine tune the gate between realities that would trap the hybrid. "What do I have to do?"

Walter repeated patiently his instructions. "Concentrate, Olivia, just the same way you did the other time. I daresay your experience in the other world has sharpened further your abilities. Just do the same."

Walter motioned to his son to connect the microwave array and Peter pressed the button. He looked around at the woods surrounding them. It was fortunate that the hybrid would approach them from the sky; else the trees would cover its approach. He frowned at his father. "You're sure about this manifold theory?"

"I am, son. When I reread Borges' short story, 'The Aleph,' I was struck by how current it was."

Peter passed a hand through his hair, watching closely the read out meter. "What do you mean?" He lifted his hands pleadingly. "Don't tell me you keep the book on the fridge too!"

Walter smiled affectionately at Peter. "No, the effect only works with vinyl. As I was saying, Borges describes a man who has in his cellar the means with which he observes everything that happens in the world." He motioned to Astrid, who was checking her email on her iPhone. "Just like her, Peter."

Peter tapped his shoe against the ground. "Excuse me, Walter, but how does it connect with your theory?"

Olivia smiled, watching the interaction between father and son. She'd rather have this Walter's quirky mind than the other one's cold, inhuman logic that would destroy her universe.

Walter extended his arms towards his son, intertwining his fingers. "It's like when you make a cat's cradle. The string joins fingers of different hands. Could it be that Borges was inspired in part by what he saw in other universes?"

Peter frowned and pushed away Walter's hands. "You mean Borges—"

"I think the brain chemistry of artists is different than ours." Walter shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they have their own, more efficient enzymes that play the same role as cortexiphan, allowing them glimpses of other realities."

Whatever else Walter was going to say was interrupted by the arrival of the hybrid. Peter looked up at the huge shape of the serpent flying through the air. It was so big Peter thought he could easily ride it if it was domesticated. Its scales glinted in the waning sunlight, as the white feathers of its enormous wings rippled in the breeze. Peter shouted to the women, "Take cover!"

Olivia shook her head. "I'm staying with you. I won't risk anything separating us again." She dove when the slithering shadow on the tall grass told her the hybrid was swooping down to attack her.

She rolled on the grass until she collided with Peter's broad shoulders, evading the implacable jaws that tore off a huge chunk of grass just where she had been standing previously.

Peter held tightly to her. "I've got you, Olivia."

She heard in the distance Walter shouting, "Concentrate!"

Olivia lifted her gaze at the sky and tried to do so. She pictured an empty, primeval world void of humans. It would be lush with plants and trees, but no men or women around whom the hybrid could hurt. The animal passed over her; she squinted at the green scales that shined in the sun, and her thoughts drifted imperceptibly to the green feathers she'd watched on the webpage of that museum in Vienna.

The hybrid passed through the lit circle and its shape vibrated in the air. It was as if the animal was underwater for a moment before it hissed angrily, finally vanishing. The feathered wings were the last things that disappeared.

Peter kissed her then. Olivia's pliant lips opened to his and the brunet wanted to taste her, to reassure himself this was the real Olivia and not a pale imitation. He wondered if his woman had the same birthmark on her inner thigh, shaped like a strawberry, as faux Olivia had. He yearned to map her body and elicit moans from his lover. He never wanted to let her go.

"We did it!" Walter shouted as he did a victory dance. "We sent it to another world."

Astrid came back from behind a big pine tree and hugged the tousled-haired man. "I'm glad it worked, Walter, really glad."

Peter didn't pay too much attention to them. He was immersed in the feeling of security and love Olivia's slim body always evoked in him.

But then he heard Walter moaning. "Oh my!"

Smiling an apology at her, Peter turned sideways, asking, "What's wrong, Walter?"

"Don't tell me we sent the hybrid to the alternate Walter!" Olivia sounded frantic as she pictured the retaliations this would cause.

"No, nothing like that." The scientist eyed intently the screen with the graphs depicting the energy fields created a moment ago. His finger touched the monitor as he said wonderingly, "There was a huge spike of energy. It was too high; that means we didn't send the hybrid to just another parallel world."

Peter tenderly brushed the grass off Olivia's coat as she grinned at him. He said, "And in layman terms, what exactly does it mean?"

Walter didn't answer directly. Instead he looked sharply at Olivia. "Tell me, dear, what were you thinking when you activated the device?"

Dunham shrugged; she was still a bit dizzy from their torrid kiss. Frowning, Olivia finally said, "I pictured luxuriant plants, and I recalled that museum in Austria with Montezuma's headdress. Why do you ask?"

Walter looked at the setting sun, his fingers touching idly the graphs on the computer. "That energy signature tells me we sent the hybrid far back in time. I'd say roughly 700 years."

Peter stood up and walked to his father. "So? Walter, I'm not following you."

His lips twisting in a melancholy smile, Walter mused, "Did you see what shape it was?"

Olivia shrugged and put her left arm around Peter's waist. "It was only a big serpent with wings."

Walter turned to look at the couple, noting how attuned they were to each other. "Exactly, my dear. You've just described a creature out of legend. Mayan and Aztec mythology, in fact."

Peter shook his head energetically. "You're kidding me, Walter! You mean we sent back—"

He interrupted his son. "Yes, Peter. The hybrid must have arrived in the Mayan jungle. The Mayans will name it Kukulcan. Later, the Aztecs will know it as Quetzalcoatl."

Comments

[intimisky.livejournal.com]

Querido, esto es absolutamente genial. Como lectora fanática de Borges, que sabes soy, desde el título me tenías atrapada. La serpiente emplumada, la mitología envuelta en la trama, esa descripción tan exacta de cómo veo la relación de Peter y Oliva, el análisis de Walter, los detalles científicos y literarios... absolutamente todo me ha dejado con el corazón en un puño de puro agradecimiento.
Probablemente recibas otro comentario mío mucho más técnico y razonado cuando se me pase el subidón de este regalo tan precioso que acabas de hacerme.
No termino de caer en el hecho de que lograste conjugar varias de mis pasiones en una sola historia y con un ritmo narrativo tan ajustado a la dinámica visual de la serie que no hago más que asombrarme de sólo pensarlo nuevamente...
¡Gracias! Aunque gracias se queda corta como expresión de sentimientos en este momento.
Eres uno de esos amigos que 2011 trajo felizmente a mi vida y espero conservar hasta después de que la serpiente vuelva a elevarse en el aire en el cataclismo final.

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

¡Muchas gracias! Me alegro mucho de que te haya gustado. Desde que vi el episodio de los híbridos me parecieron extraños, seres que pudiesen encajar en alguna mitología de nuestros antepasados.

Más adelante, cuando me diste el prompt de híbridos, decidí usarlos dentro del ambiente de Fringe, haciendo lo que harían los escritores. Encajándolo dentro de las infinitas realidades que pueden existir alrededor nuestro.

Al hilar el relato, me acordé de lo que habías comentado de Borges con relación a que todo el mundo ya está al alcance de un aparato, y decidí entrelazar aquel relato magistral del Aleph, cuando Walter hace mención de la erudición y arte del maestro Borges.

Quería hacer un pequeño homenaje tanto al universo que Fringe nos muestra como a Borges, entrelazando el microcosmo con el macrocosmo - el cortexiphan que afecta a las células del cerebro con la máquina de Walter, que ha atravesado las realidades.

De nuevo, me alegra que te haya gustado y vaya hacia tí un abrazo que destruya las distancias y nos entrelace en nuestras mitologías comunes y eternas.

[oonagareboshioo.livejournal.com]

¡Qué bonito!

Y no sólo porque la historia fuera preciosa (que lo fue) sino porque los personajes, absolutamente todos, estaban ta IC que fue una delicia leerlo porque pareció directamente una historia sacada tal cual de la serie :DD

Precioso :)

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

Me alegra que te haya gustado el relato. Traté de mantenerlos en carácter, que no fue difícil cuando escribía al inimitable Walter :) La serie da mucha tela para armar un relato alrededor de ella, tratando de temas como realidades alternativas.

¡Muchas gracias por tu amable comentario!