Post by tactilizingone on Jan 15, 2023 21:54:43 GMT -5
At the start of Twenty Twenty Two, Larry Tact could never have predicted how different the world around him was looking. So the surprise was lost to him when he found himself able to take a day and accompany his brother – whom, for a couple decades, he had not realized was alive until the aforementioned past year – to a laboratory-like facility, in a room with a screen that featured scenes of Larry he would otherwise swear never occurred.
“You said you had a proposition for me, Laz, and this is an auspicious start,” Larry cautioned his brother.
Lazarus was ever the ambitious philanthropist slash entrepreneur. He had experienced the world in a way that set his mind towards fueling his imagination. Then he plucked concepts and ideas – as a wizard plucks memories – and made space for more. Larry still wasn’t entirely clear on how Laz initially received the spark that drove him, but even as a kid, his brother would lean into what caught his attention most, and pushed to leave this passion improved upon by his engagement. By Larry’s estimation, it seemed to have been more successful than not. Laz seemed to accumulate plenty of wealth since Larry had last seen him – at an age when he was picking up odd jobs around their neighborhood, just a teenager.
Today, he observed Larry with an intensity he masked well, and kept a cool and friendly demeanor as he ran a hand through his canary blonde hair. “Larry, we both know you’ve a mind for good business. You’ll be seeing this footage for the first time, but it’s origins replayed in your mind countless times.”
After a moment’s pause, Larry peered at Laz with mild disbelief. “My mind? Is this one of your experiments again?” he questioned as images floated to the surface of some truly bizarre scenarios Laz had put him through, unbeknownst to Larry himself for some time. He had dismissed them as bad dreams – until figures from those dreams paid him visits. After a series of unpredictable events, it had been Lazarus who stood by Larry while his world began to unravel.
The blows came consecutively, one after another: His wife, Cindy, had serious concerns of the nature of the matches Larry endured to hold onto the Power title, a belt he believed was a ticket to becoming Final Boss in Level Up Wrestling. Instead, it became a lose-lose situation; each defense that extended his record-setting reign, in both days and defenses, it brought Larry closer to a match between the three secondary title holders. The winner went on to challenge for the title of Final Boss. Remaining champion, however, further stoked the fires of Cindy’s fury at Larry being champion of a hardcore styled Power division. In retrospect, it’s possible Larry hadn’t clarified that he wasn’t restricting the types of matches he would compete in, when he returned to the ring two years ago. He would contend Cindy shouldn’t have held her expectations to herself, either. Alas, this was an impasse and neither of them were backing down. What resulted was a blowup so bad it ended with Cindy taking their teenage son, Logan, and toddler, Morgan. She left him, calling it “a break.”
That was in autumn.
Since then, Larry had gone on to lose the title he intended to ride to the biggest match since he returned. Instead, on the last defense he needed to make, after nearly a year of holding the belt – Larry cracked.
“It was an embarrassment,” Larry was snapped back from his inner reflections, and found himself still staring at the screen playing scenes from his mind. Except now, they were different scenes.
They were scenes of Larry arguing with Cindy Winstead, and battling Vhodka Black, who dethroned him as champion. Larry’s eyed could only widen in a new level of disbelief.
“What are you trying to pull here? How are you seeing this?” he fumed, shooting a stare at his brother. He had a strange habit of invading your privacy with his various tech experiments, and Larry hadn’t exactly understood why he became a repeat unwitting participant.
But his brother had a great mind, and Larry would reserve judgment to see what had been simmering.
“Oh, that? Don’t worry, it’s just a thought and memory extractor,” Laz brushed off Larry’s displeasure. “It actually is something that brings such potential, if we can make the right connections in testing.”
“Extraction? As in, you removed my memories? You can’t be serious,” Larry couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Oh, no, we’re beyond mere extraction,” Larry somehow found himself being chided by his brother. “It’s about the signature of those memories. We need to see if those can be identified.”
Larry blinked. “I’m going to skip ahead from where you left me lost, but, why is that relevant?”
“Larry, imagine if a thought and a memory was tied to, putting it roughly, a specific ‘side.’ For simplicity’s sake, call each side ‘Light’ and ‘Dark.’ Wouldn’t it be fascinating to be able to identify if an individual’s thoughts or dreams could be categorized? Think of what we could learn about the brain’s operations, and how we could use that information?”
“It sounds like a lot to learn from a few of my memories, but I’m flattered,” Larry smirks.
“Don’t underestimate the power of scientific research. Your data has certainly helped make adjustments to our research. I think people on the teams like to see another of my family who sounds and acts much more in line with their perspective. I understand I can sometimes get ahead of what I was explaining.”
“Laz,” Larry grips his several inches shorter brother’s arm, “If you could ID such a thing, it could change our entire understanding of the human mind. Obviously, a smash breakthrough.” He thought he felt Laz shudder, just slightly, when Larry had taken hold of his arm. It must have been unexpected, Larry thought, and caught his younger brother off guard.
“Yes, it would open us to new paths with uncharted promises,” Lazarus commented, apparently unshaken.
Larry had been under the impression that Cindy would return with the kids after a week. Throughout the months they had been apart, Larry would visit the rental Cindy had taken, when she wasn’t with his in-laws. Morgan stayed with Cindy, but she brought her when Logan came to visit. That was an even amount of weeks as Cindy had him. They both stressed no decisions had been made to Logan. In spite of that, this was another setback for Larry with his son. Logan had initial wholesale reservations about his father’s wrestling return. He had temporarily made it a badge of his rebellion. They had worked through their differences and misunderstandings around it, and Logan had come around to support Larry. With this divide between the parents, it seemed Logan had started drifting further again. Relations were becoming frosty, and it wasn’t only with Larry.
Cindy understood as much as he did that they needed a resolution. Larry refused to restrict the type of matches he would be in. Cindy wouldn’t allow Larry to come home beaten and bloodied after near every event. She believed he was jeopardizing his health, and that was a dealbreaker for her as far as the conditions she had regarding Larry’s return.
Even after nearly two decades, marriage still had its bumps in the road. Figures.
In the wake of all this, Laz had become a familiar ear and steady shoulder for Larry. The timing was needed, or Larry would suffer the bitter path with a numbness he didn’t welcome.
Whether he asked for it or not, though, Larry felt the start of the year didn’t have sunshine and rainbows in the immediate forecast. He would find his way back to better days, as he had and would again.
“You said you had a proposition for me, Laz, and this is an auspicious start,” Larry cautioned his brother.
Lazarus was ever the ambitious philanthropist slash entrepreneur. He had experienced the world in a way that set his mind towards fueling his imagination. Then he plucked concepts and ideas – as a wizard plucks memories – and made space for more. Larry still wasn’t entirely clear on how Laz initially received the spark that drove him, but even as a kid, his brother would lean into what caught his attention most, and pushed to leave this passion improved upon by his engagement. By Larry’s estimation, it seemed to have been more successful than not. Laz seemed to accumulate plenty of wealth since Larry had last seen him – at an age when he was picking up odd jobs around their neighborhood, just a teenager.
Today, he observed Larry with an intensity he masked well, and kept a cool and friendly demeanor as he ran a hand through his canary blonde hair. “Larry, we both know you’ve a mind for good business. You’ll be seeing this footage for the first time, but it’s origins replayed in your mind countless times.”
After a moment’s pause, Larry peered at Laz with mild disbelief. “My mind? Is this one of your experiments again?” he questioned as images floated to the surface of some truly bizarre scenarios Laz had put him through, unbeknownst to Larry himself for some time. He had dismissed them as bad dreams – until figures from those dreams paid him visits. After a series of unpredictable events, it had been Lazarus who stood by Larry while his world began to unravel.
The blows came consecutively, one after another: His wife, Cindy, had serious concerns of the nature of the matches Larry endured to hold onto the Power title, a belt he believed was a ticket to becoming Final Boss in Level Up Wrestling. Instead, it became a lose-lose situation; each defense that extended his record-setting reign, in both days and defenses, it brought Larry closer to a match between the three secondary title holders. The winner went on to challenge for the title of Final Boss. Remaining champion, however, further stoked the fires of Cindy’s fury at Larry being champion of a hardcore styled Power division. In retrospect, it’s possible Larry hadn’t clarified that he wasn’t restricting the types of matches he would compete in, when he returned to the ring two years ago. He would contend Cindy shouldn’t have held her expectations to herself, either. Alas, this was an impasse and neither of them were backing down. What resulted was a blowup so bad it ended with Cindy taking their teenage son, Logan, and toddler, Morgan. She left him, calling it “a break.”
That was in autumn.
Since then, Larry had gone on to lose the title he intended to ride to the biggest match since he returned. Instead, on the last defense he needed to make, after nearly a year of holding the belt – Larry cracked.
“It was an embarrassment,” Larry was snapped back from his inner reflections, and found himself still staring at the screen playing scenes from his mind. Except now, they were different scenes.
They were scenes of Larry arguing with Cindy Winstead, and battling Vhodka Black, who dethroned him as champion. Larry’s eyed could only widen in a new level of disbelief.
“What are you trying to pull here? How are you seeing this?” he fumed, shooting a stare at his brother. He had a strange habit of invading your privacy with his various tech experiments, and Larry hadn’t exactly understood why he became a repeat unwitting participant.
But his brother had a great mind, and Larry would reserve judgment to see what had been simmering.
“Oh, that? Don’t worry, it’s just a thought and memory extractor,” Laz brushed off Larry’s displeasure. “It actually is something that brings such potential, if we can make the right connections in testing.”
“Extraction? As in, you removed my memories? You can’t be serious,” Larry couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Oh, no, we’re beyond mere extraction,” Larry somehow found himself being chided by his brother. “It’s about the signature of those memories. We need to see if those can be identified.”
Larry blinked. “I’m going to skip ahead from where you left me lost, but, why is that relevant?”
“Larry, imagine if a thought and a memory was tied to, putting it roughly, a specific ‘side.’ For simplicity’s sake, call each side ‘Light’ and ‘Dark.’ Wouldn’t it be fascinating to be able to identify if an individual’s thoughts or dreams could be categorized? Think of what we could learn about the brain’s operations, and how we could use that information?”
“It sounds like a lot to learn from a few of my memories, but I’m flattered,” Larry smirks.
“Don’t underestimate the power of scientific research. Your data has certainly helped make adjustments to our research. I think people on the teams like to see another of my family who sounds and acts much more in line with their perspective. I understand I can sometimes get ahead of what I was explaining.”
“Laz,” Larry grips his several inches shorter brother’s arm, “If you could ID such a thing, it could change our entire understanding of the human mind. Obviously, a smash breakthrough.” He thought he felt Laz shudder, just slightly, when Larry had taken hold of his arm. It must have been unexpected, Larry thought, and caught his younger brother off guard.
“Yes, it would open us to new paths with uncharted promises,” Lazarus commented, apparently unshaken.
Larry had been under the impression that Cindy would return with the kids after a week. Throughout the months they had been apart, Larry would visit the rental Cindy had taken, when she wasn’t with his in-laws. Morgan stayed with Cindy, but she brought her when Logan came to visit. That was an even amount of weeks as Cindy had him. They both stressed no decisions had been made to Logan. In spite of that, this was another setback for Larry with his son. Logan had initial wholesale reservations about his father’s wrestling return. He had temporarily made it a badge of his rebellion. They had worked through their differences and misunderstandings around it, and Logan had come around to support Larry. With this divide between the parents, it seemed Logan had started drifting further again. Relations were becoming frosty, and it wasn’t only with Larry.
Cindy understood as much as he did that they needed a resolution. Larry refused to restrict the type of matches he would be in. Cindy wouldn’t allow Larry to come home beaten and bloodied after near every event. She believed he was jeopardizing his health, and that was a dealbreaker for her as far as the conditions she had regarding Larry’s return.
Even after nearly two decades, marriage still had its bumps in the road. Figures.
In the wake of all this, Laz had become a familiar ear and steady shoulder for Larry. The timing was needed, or Larry would suffer the bitter path with a numbness he didn’t welcome.
Whether he asked for it or not, though, Larry felt the start of the year didn’t have sunshine and rainbows in the immediate forecast. He would find his way back to better days, as he had and would again.