story Chapter 1

[Caystodd]

On 8/16/2022 at 6:33 PM, matt_s said:

Clearly there is some unknown coupling between the chamber and the sample, and a more varied experimentation could help us divine the pattern.

They were now squarely in the territory of doing a differential diagnosis, and Livingston felt much more at home.

"There is another option," she said. "We know that the sample was glowing when it was bequeathed to us two days ago, far away from the cloud chamber. Then it wasn't glowing. Now it glows again. We do not know if the cloud chamber was producing these tracks before today, because Mr. Thomas just activated it. There may be some third force, as yet unidentified, that is causing both symptoms—the glowing rock and the strange result on the instrument."

[matt_s]

Curious, I cannot discard that hypothesis of the chamber itself inducing the behavior. It makes little sense, I admit - how would trying to observe something affect the thing itself? But only a fool denies even the slimmest odds outright.

 

Now, I propose we see what happens when we move the sample about the room, carefully noting each location and occurrence of course. Then, we can see what happens upon disassembling the cloud chamber if there are no further lines of inquiries. Remember, although we Professors may be men of Science, innovative ideas can come from any quarter, so feel free to speak your mind.

 

If there are no further suggestions, Tristan will conduct the survey of moving the sample about the room.

[Butchern]

On 8/16/2022 at 6:33 PM, matt_s said:

How about we move the sample or the cloud chamber, whichever is easier, around the room. Both towards and away from each other, and in rotation. We can mark each location with chalk or tape as is convenient, and associate each location with any novel patterns or occurrences thus observed. Clearly there is some unknown coupling between the chamber and the sample, and a more varied experimentation could help us divine the pattern.

 

Quick, does anyone have a compass on them? Or maybe some iron filings or something electronic like a radio? Perhaps there is a magnetic disruption due to our sample here?

After the pictures were taken, Thompson picked up the sample and moved it around the room at Coupard's direction. Maria marked the spots with tape. The location of the sample did not seem to have any affect on the cloud chamber. Both the sample and the cloud chamber continued to pulse together.

 

No one had a compass or iron filings or a radio on hand, but it would not be hard to come up with those items in the science building with little effort.

 

Before anyone could head out to search for a radio or a compass, Thompson moved to the door, to try the sample outside or just further away from the cloud chamber. Before he reached the door, the pulsing stopped. The sample stopped glowing and the tracks in the cloud chamber ended.

 

"Huh," Thompson said. "It's gone."

[Sir Lazeabout]

"A most peculiar thing!" Malcolm says. "It does seem to support the hypothesis of there being some form of outside influence... though what that might be, I cannot even hazard a guess of. Possibly we should leave the sample here, under observation? A pattern might arise if it is studied over time."

[DogTheGoblin]

Happy with the shots he got, Martin helped by readying the camera to be tidied away. 

 

He paused when Thompson pointed out that the sample and the tracks in the chamber had ceased. An uneasy feeling sat in his stomach, though he couldn't explain why it was there. "Guess that would mean whatever was causing the link has gone too..." A mutter, mostly absent mindly speaking out loud. Stone glanced over to the window by the door. "The bird..." He stopped the sentence dead. It was an ridiculous idea, the two things barely correlated. Just coincidental happenings. All the same, that uneasy feeling still remained.

 

The reporter looked towards Malcolm, nodding along with his suggestion. "Good idea. Professor Thompson, could we leave the sample within your care? Just while we develop these photos and deal with other matters."

[Butchern]

"How strange and exciting," Thompson said. He mopped his brow with a handkerchief.

 

Thompson was happy to hand over the film to the news man who knew far better what he was doing than Thompson did. Thompson was also happy to hang on to the sample for observation as needed. There were several other labs in the science building, including the physics lab, where he could keep the sample.

 

"I suppose I should get this thing back over to the physics lab," Thompson said. "I want to put it through its paces before I put it back in storage. Just to be sure."

[Caystodd]

1 hour ago, Butchern said:

"I suppose I should get this thing back over to the physics lab," Thompson said. "I want to put it through its paces before I put it back in storage. Just to be sure."

Hearing Thompson talk about the cloud chamber gave Livingston a few ideas.

 

"I think that would be wise. We must be sure that the cloud chamber is, indeed, working properly. Also...." She put her fingers to her chin as she always did when she was thinking. "Given the presence of some force or forces in physics that would disturb the cloud chamber as well as our mineral sample, are there other instruments in the laboratories here that also might be disturbed? Are any being used right now with results we could examine? It would, at least, tell us how localized the phenomena is, and it may reveal more. Could we ask around?" Livingston looked from Thompson to Coupard and back to Thompson.

[matt_s]

Tristan is in agreement with Livingston regarding her proposal.

Yes, I think due diligence, although it might not tell us too much, is in order. I suspect that the function of all these devices is nominal, but expecting the unexpected is necessary in science at times.

 

And to Thompson, Tristan will say

I think we can leave the sample here at the university, but I would rather secure it in my office for now. It's not that I do not trust you - indeed, I specifically sought you out because of both your scholarly and personal repute - but I have made commitments to the sample donors regarding its safekeeping. And it is worthwhile to check the cloud chamber, similar to what I told Livingston, yet my guess is that the principles of operation are so simple that it would be genuinely difficult to alter it.

[Sir Lazeabout]

On 8/20/2022 at 2:04 PM, Caystodd said:

Hearing Thompson talk about the cloud chamber gave Livingston a few ideas.

 

"I think that would be wise. We must be sure that the cloud chamber is, indeed, working properly. Also...." She put her fingers to her chin as she always did when she was thinking. "Given the presence of some force or forces in physics that would disturb the cloud chamber as well as our mineral sample, are there other instruments in the laboratories here that also might be disturbed? Are any being used right now with results we could examine? It would, at least, tell us how localized the phenomena is, and it may reveal more. Could we ask around?" Livingston looked from Thompson to Coupard and back to Thompson.

 

"An excellent idea, I say!" Malcolm says. "Let us spread out and ask all the educated gentlemen of this establishment if they noticed anything odd at..." He somewhat belatedly picks up his pocket watch to check what time it actually.

[matt_s]

Tristan nods in concurrence.

This building is mostly the Geology Laboratory. I am well known here by reputation if not by face. If I state that we observed a curious phenomenon on a seismograph and a cloud chamber, and inquire as to whether anything odd is happening on their end, I think we will get honest answers without arousing overmuch suspicions. Seismographs are notoriously fickle - a graduate student dropping a heavy object is more than capable of appearing like an earth-rending quake like that one in San Francisco about 25 years back - and the cloud chamber is novel even to professors here, so the strangeness of our questioning will be minimal. If there are no other suggestions, let us begin.

 

After finishing their brief conference, Tristan will proceed forth to ask around barring any last minute objections or suggestions.

[Butchern]

The investigators split into two groups. The plan was to ask around the building, trying to capitalize on Coupard and Livingston's connections and reputations at the College while Thompson went about his work.

 

Livingston struck out entirely. The people she knew were either otherwise engaged in meetings and appointments or they were off campus entirely.

 

Livingston's group quickly rejoined with Coupard's group to see how he fared. He had just finished giving his group a brief tour of the offices where he locked the sample in the small safe under his desk. The first person they found was in the office just across the hall, an aging Chemistry professor named Thomas Derry. He was at his desk grading papers.

 

"Hello, Coupard!" he said when Coupard's head appeared in the doorway. "Who are these fine folks?"

[matt_s]

Tristan greets ol' Tom Derry amicably. These are some new associates of mine. Thanks to a chance circumstance, the lot of us came across some specimens of interest (well, of interest to a geologist anyways, I think the chemical compounds therein are wholly mundane) and were working on some preliminary analyses. I have a couple questions for you if you can spare a moment.

 

Up in the lab, we had a seismograph set up in the corner just to keep an eye on things as well as a useful tool for teaching undergraduates. There's nothing like showing the beautiful scrawlings in lecture the day after Mother Earth gives us a little shudder, but I digress. I was also working with Thompson's - have you met Bart Thompson, relatively new faculty over in Physics, super bright guy, enthusiastic as anything? - anyways, Thompson's cloud chamber, and it kept spitting out nonsense patterns.

 

All that to simply ask if you have come across anything strange recently? Both the seismograph and the cloud chamber have been acting up, and my guess is someone dropped something heavy and shook this whole dang place up or maybe drew too much power from the three phase lines while machining something.

 

 

[Sir Lazeabout]

Feeling that Tristan doesn't quite have the showmanship to keep his colleague from asking awkward questions, Malcolm deftly steps in. He grabs Tom's hand and heartily pumps it up and down with such force that the poor man almost lifts from the ground.

 

"Good day to you, sir!" he trumpets cheerfully in the scientist's face. "Malcolm Trask is the name! How very nice to meet you! I am a great admirer of the sciences and the stout gentlemen who are devoted to furthering them! Whatever are you working on today? Do not spare me a single detail, I beg you!"

[Caystodd]

Livingston leaned around Malcolm and smiled.

 

"Doctor Agnes Livingston," Livingston said. "Pleased to meet you. This is my assistant, Maria González."

[LaChupa]

Maria let Livingston introduce her as always. She  waved over the doctor's shoulder.

 

"Hello, professor."