Beta Thought Experiment
I
"You know, Gottschalk, this is definitely not what I have in mind for the day..." Kreszentia complains
Gretchen and Kreszentia start to tidy up the lab. Starting from rearranging the books and papers that were scattered from the time Kreszentia was throwing a tantrum
"Neither did I, actually..."
"Christ, while I am grateful for your presence here yet now I need to stuck with a neat freak bellend" Kreszentia complains again as she put another pile of book tidily.
"Not really... I just cannot work in a disorganized place..." Gretchen rebuts
"Hah! I see you are one of those typical twats who keep saying that an organized environment is a sign of an organized mind or something. I wholeheartedly apologize that I did not and will not meet that criterion. My brain works at high speed I don't have time to reorganize anything I have looked at, while I'll just put them conveniently where I can found them..." Kreszentia rebuts back, this time with a tone of sarcasm, even if she did not do it intentionally.
Gretchen sighed, deciding it is useless to answer back. They quite finished from rearranging the books and papers. The only thing to be done is to clean the clouds of dust on the floor, walls, and on the furniture but it will take a long time. Her stomach growls as both of them skipped lunch. She reaches her coat and wears them.
"So, Miss Kriemhild, when was the last time you've stepped out of this room?" she asked
"Yesterday evening, after sending you out"
"No, I mean, really going outside, buying groceries or something else...?"
"Roughly two months ago, maybe more…"
Gretchen yet trapped between choosing what kind of reaction she should make
"You lived off two months with only dry slices of bread?"
"Richard bought them for me every few days, conveniently though..."
"What about your clothing? You do laundries here in that small washroom?"
"I don't change often, I almost never go anywhere so I don't sweat that much, it is not that damp either in the lab. And yeah, I do my laundries in the bathroom..."
Gretchen took a peek at the washroom, noticing that there are some clothing hanged inside there above the water heating stove.
Now Gretchen starts to think that Professor Rosenrot is actually putting her in charge of babysitting Kreszentia in place of him.
"Do you actually have been always lived here or do you have a house somewhere in the city?"
"Well I do own a flat in Klustrasse, but imagine walking from there to here every day, I could use that wasted time commuting for my research..."
"Oh okay..."
Gretchen reaches her pocket watch; the time is already three in the afternoon, making no wonder why is she starving.
"So... I want to step out and eat, do you want to?" she offers Kreszentia, though knowing the response most likely is no
"No thank you, I've already wasted enough time rearranging something that already arranged"
As she expected
"Well, I think we'll continue this tomorrow, I will also move in my stuff tomorrow so please keep your stuff off my share of desk…"
"Ah okay, you can use the desk by the left side, but if you need a typewriter though you need to ask one from the faculty..."
"You're using the typewriter? All of your notes and paperwork are handwritten though?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's a typewriter at the desk, I thought you're not using it..."
"...I have a typewriter?"
"Good afternoon Miss Kreszentia, I will see you tomorrow..."
Gretchen steps outside the room and closes the door. Finding even the air or the Laboratory wing's corridor is fresher than the room's dusty air is relieving for her. She leaves the building, looking for the nearest place to fill her empty stomach and soothe her thirst. She also had an appointment with Lynette that afternoon and she's already late.
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II
A cafe, a bar, a pub, or a restaurant, nobody can call the exact category of this place. But mostly, they call it Die Haifisch or The Shark due to its name and iconic shark craving in front of the store. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, serving from breakfast to midnight drinking. It is extremely popular between the students of Polytechnikum and the University of Zurich due to its location being inside the precinct of both institutions, though also popular within general citizens of Zurich.
"Good Afternoon, uh… guest. Table for one?" greets a maid, unsure if Gretchen is a man or woman, but Gretchen paid no heed.
"Ah, no, I think my friend is already here" Gretchen answered
Looking around here and there, since The Shark is a large place, plus the sidewalk sitting and the second floor. And then Gretchen finds what or who is she looking for.
"Grace, you're late..." Lynette said with a smile
"Ah, I'm sorry Lynn; it was quite a busy day..." Gretchen apologizes
"Don't mind it, it's not like you're always late anyways"
Lynette stares for a moment at Gretchen. She then stands up from her chair and approached Gretchen.
"Hmm? W-what is it, Lynn? You're mad at me…?" Gretchen asked, a little bit uneasy
"No…" Lynette answers, then fixed Gretchen's bowtie "…your bowtie is askew" she smiled
"Oh, hahaha, thank you…"
Gretchen and Lynette sit down at their table
"Today is very, very tiring..." Gretchen sighed as she browses the menu
"Really? What happened at campus?" Lynette asked
"Well, now I'm officially doing a joint thesis with a person Professor Rosenrot appoints me with today"
"Ah yes, you've told me about it..." Lynette nods
"But why are you looking so unexcited about it? Isn't it wonderful?"
"...except the person is definitely not wonderful..."
"Eh? How so?"
"Her name is Kriemhild. You know, she literally sleeps in the laboratory, and the laboratory itself is in a horrendous mess!"
"Ahaha, she sleeps in the laboratory? How mad scientist-like..."
"Rather than a mad scientist, I would prefer to call her a Witch..."
Gretchen sighed then calls the maid to order her very late lunch
"I would like this grilled Landjager with fondue topping, and a cup of coffee with a lot of sugar and cream please..." Gretchen asked
"...and I have a second cup of Assam Tea please..." Lynette asked
"Lynn, you sure love tea don't you..."
"Well yes I am the same with you with your coffee addiction…" she smiled "…ever since we were little, you always cried when your father scolds you for drinking his coffee on your own..."
"Did I? I didn't remember any of that..."
"Yes, you did... I never forget you know..."
"Yeah, you and your tendency not to forget everything..."
"Yes, I will remember everything, the story of our life... I will remember it and cherish it"
Lynette smiles at Gretchen, and Gretchen is always feels soothed to see her angelic smile.
"That's sweet of you, Lynn…"
"Come on, Grace, don't embarrass me in public!"
"Ahaha, alright I won't, I don't want you to lecture me about how to treat a lady in public again"
"Now Grace, that is how you not to treat a lady in public, did not I told you two weeks ago?" Lynette puts an unamused face
"I'm sorry; I kinda forgot most of it, okay?" Gretchen giggled.
After Gretchen's orders came on to their table, she begins to eat her meal.
"…you're skipping dinner again today?" Gretchen asked as she munching her sausage
"Now you do not talk while eating, Grace…."
"Sorry…" Gretchen swallows "…so?"
"Yes, I think I'm going to skip it today. I did not do any particular activities today so I think I should not eat any much more, I'll put on weight again if I do"
"You do? I don't see any difference though…"
"…Grace, you do really forget everything I told you about what kind of topics you should avoid?" Lynette pouts again
"...yes…"
Lynette sighs "Oh, bothersome, but because it is you, I forgive you again…"
"…that kind of stings"
"Well, I'm sorry, my dear Grace, it is part of my unrealistic expectation for people to have the same memorizing ability as I do…"
"Where did you learn that kind of sarcasm? I thought such a manner is not approved for a lady like you" Gretchen sneered
"I don't think I should keep up my image to the likes of you" Lynette replies with a haughty manner
"…ahahaha, yes my lady, I am not worthy of your ladylike attention"
The two laughed as they joke around.
The day is getting late and the sun has set. Crowds start to fill up in Die Haifisch from various types of citizens. The college students that had finished their afternoon class, the workers that just finished their jobs, also the businessmen who usually just hang around. Die Haifisch is a perfect example of a place where every layer of society can blend and bond as if there are no barriers between them.
While various topics are being talked about depending on the group of people you're eavesdropping at, there is one particular topic that you will hear the same between those groups. Local gossip is a thing, but lately, there is one rumour spreading around Zurich that is more than just a simple affair between married couples.
That is a rumour of a flying beast that roams around the midnight sky of Zurich. Some said it is a dragon, some said it is another kind of monstrosity. Some claimed witnesses told that it resembles a dark creature with glowing head hovering around in the sky. It has a weird long tail and strange wings on top of its body. It also makes a noisy and strange sound as it flies by.
"Say, Grace, do you believe in rumours like that?" Lynette asks
"…hmm? I don't in particular. I mean, those rumours are just rumours…"
"I see, as expected of a scientist like you"
"Do you believe in those rumours, Lynn?"
"Well, I also don't, but there are already so many witnesses of that creature I think it's hard to call it a rumour anymore…"
"Sometimes what we perceive is distorted by preluded assumptions. When you're already scared of or believed those rumours, a bat would look like a flying monster to you. When the rumour spread, the distorted perception would also spread, making those rumours seemed to be true."
Gretchen paused as she chews on her last bite of sausage
"People can say what they want to believe, but sometimes facts will say it the other way, Lynn. When confronted with facts, some people will accept it; some will be in denial, looking for some sort of excuses to explain why the fact contradicts their beliefs…"
"…but what if that contradictory fact is just a coincidence where it contradicts? What if it is just an odd-one-out case? What if in between all of those sightings, one of them is really a sighting of a flying monster?"
Gretchen puts aside her empty plate
"Scientists tend to think like that too, imagine the probabilities of what could happen and when it would happen and when it could not. Usually, we will render such an odd-one-out case, or even full-blown contradictory results as anomalies. In a hypothetical case, you describe, then that only one true sighting will be rendered as an anomaly, while the rest of the false sightings based on perception distortion will be the one that reaches the conclusion. Based on that, either we revise our theory about it, or just regarding the anomaly as low chance probability. And of course, some scientists will continue to pursue, to research, to replicate certain conditions that will bear the result as what they believe as true…"
"It is a very sound way of thinking, Grace. But I think that way of thinking only applicable in laboratories or thought experiments"
"How so, Lynn?"
"Well, we are in real-world where things happen without our decision how it should happen, Grace. If something happens, it happens, I don't think anyone would ever think anything around that"
"And that is, my dear, what differentiates between scientists and common people…" Gretchen smiled
"…and I think, some people who just can't accept reality will also question that either. Poor people will ask why they are poor; slaves will ask why they are slaves, and so on."
"So you're saying, that is a form of, rejection of fate? Maybe?" Lynn asked
"Things do not happen in a vacuum, Lynn. Every cause has an effect, every effect has a cause, and there will be always a causality of everything"
Lynette did not say a thing. She is just staring at Gretchen in awe.
"Grace, you should write a book on that"
"Ahahaha, writing is not really my thing, you know?"
"I will help you with that, really, you would be a science philosopher like Descartes, Kant, or Leibniz"
"Oh no, I don't really like such publicity, Lynn…"
"…I see, well, if you manage to speak it up though, I believe you can actually change how people think"
Lynette finishes her last drop of tea
"Alright, let's go home before it's too late. Even though I don't really buy that rumour of a flying monster, I certainly do not want to run into any trouble by getting home late…" Gretchen said
"Good idea, Grace, let's go home…"
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III
Clouds of dust are floating in the lab, making some glittering particles when hit by the rays from the sunlight that enters from the large window. The lab is so messy it is hard to believe that someone actually lives here, let alone working. At the very least of the toleration, the room is not damp enough to let moulds grow and stains the wall. Still, someone with a chronic respiratory system disease will be passed out due to the pile of dust.
Gretchen should have known better, that the words "Clean" and "Tidy" are not in Kreszentia's dictionary. Gretchen is trapped between the emotions of amazed, surprised, and unamused after learning the fact that Kreszentia managed to turn the lab upside down again even though they already cleaned it yesterday.
She is saying that the lab is practically her second home, Kreszentia claims that she possessed the highest authority in the lab and just does anything as she pleases. She usually sleeps on a makeshift mattress at the corner of the lab, a cupboard is filled with dry bread and ironically well-kept coffee beans, and the bathroom is filled with hanged laundries. Still, Kreszentia has not crossed the line where moulds or insects are swarming yet, which will be an immediate cause for Gretchen's feet to step outside the damned lab.
Gretchen sighed multiple times without saying any word. Fortunate enough her designated table is still as clean and tidy as yesterday. She put her belongings and items there so she can look for Kreszentia, whom she didn't see anywhere at the time she entered the room. The door was also unlocked, probably Kreszentia went out but she thinks it is unlikely, after witnessing her behavior yesterday.
Mingling in the lab, she finally finds Kreszentia sleeping on top of a pile of books. No, she's not sleeping but most likely passed out of fatigue. The likeliness of Professor Rosenrot is actually burdening her with the responsibility to babysit this bothersome person has increased drastically.
"Miss Kriemhild..." she tried to call her and shaking her body
Kreszentia opens her eyes, but after realizing its Gretchen who wakes her up, she puts on an unamused face, and then closes her eyes again while mumbling inaudible words.
"Miss Kriemhild, please wake up!"
"...not happening..." Kreszentia mumbles, turning her body against Gretchen.
"...I'm not going to ask you to clean up again, I promise"
"...what do you want anyway...?"
"...uh, doing some research?"
Kreszentia rises hearing that answer
"...alright about that, I've been thinking about future planned progress..." she said as she rubs her eyes
"Alright, Miss Gottschalk, I'm sure you already could guess what my thesis is about. After taking look at my notes and references"
"...well, I could draw the line, but I'm not really sure..."
"Alright, let me elaborate, I am researching about the electromagnetic waves that human brains, our brain, emitted"
Kreszentia takes Gretchen to a chalkboard that isn't filled with equations but instead a drawing of the human brain and physiology.
"There are some discoveries that human body tissues actually have a bit of electricity running, thus explains why the human body is a good conductor to electricity. Another discovery also noted that human brains are also emitting electromagnetic waves that could be read. The experiment was shown that a human brain emits typically at 12.5 to 30 Hertz, but I suggest another theory on special cases..."
Kreszentia took another sip of her coffee
"12.5 to 30 Hertz are people with common brain utilization, nothing special, but people with the special ability... like you, for example, has a higher brain wave frequency, and that could reach 100 Hertz"
"…eh?"
"…."
"….I'm sorry, Miss Kriemhild, I don't get it…"
Kreszentia sighs a bit
"I'm going to talk about something that probably sounds very nonsensical here if we are talking about a scientific basis, but... I could feel the frequencies of the emitted waves, and your wave is at 80 Hertz..."
Gretchen is steel dumbfounded
"My wave is at 78, and Richard's is also 80, while most of the people here are in between 12.5 to the highest 40 Hertz and they are the top students..."
"...what are you proposing exactly?" Gretchen still trying to comprehend Kreszentia's speech
"I am trying to prove the existence of this special frequency scientifically and then utilize it for something else useful on a daily basis"
"…okay…"
"I am sure you've noticed the engineering book, I am now trying to build a device to both read and transform brain waves using electromagnetic principles into analog transmission signals like radio waves, creating a wireless form of communication aside of nowadays conventional cable-based telephones, also to leap over the wireless telegraph system that builds by that Italian..."
Gretchen is confused, but also excited. At first, she does not really buy how Kreszentia claims that she could 'hear' electromagnetic waves that are emitted from the human brain. But it is seemed like what she really believes in. Gretchen does not really know how Kreszentia believes such thing, maybe based on personal experience or something else she did not know yet.
Nevertheless, it is the first time she heard such nonsensical blabbers but with the scientific discovery, she just witnessed, in fact, she also contributed to, that nonsensical words could be turned into reality.
"You see, the equation you've solved yesterday was actually the number of frequency in which common human brain waves resonating at while awake at maximum. Originally, Caton, the guy who first proposed this concept, uses a Galvanometer to measure electricity from a biological body. I recreated it by thought experiments but using the human brain as the subject…"
Gretchen nods as Kreszentia explains
"Of course thought experiments won't do any damn thing without any physical proof, so that's why I need to build a machine to do it."
"...I am... really interested to see on how this research will go..." Gretchen smiled enthusiastically.
"Splendid" Kreszentia nods
"Alright! Now, do we start to build the machine?"
Kreszentia silenced for a bit, then throws her face away from Gretchen.
"Uh..., Miss Kriemhild?"
"Actually..." Kreszentia drops a cold sweat
"...I have no slight clue about actual engineering since my background is mostly in medical and theoretical physics, so...."
"…so?"
Kreszentia averts her eyes
Gretchen thinks this research is going to be very long research.
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IV
While Gretchen is now reading on additional materials and the records of the research progress, Kreszentia is trying to do a crash course on engineering. She skimmed on some basic engineering books and papers, while also trying to figure out how to draw a blueprint.
"Uh, Miss Kriemhild?" Gretchen called
"Yes?" Kreszentia answered
"While I understand most of the things you've said earlier, there are just some things that still bug my mind..."
"What is it?"
"How did you get this idea? I mean, it's really bizarre, outrageous at some level. I don't think you can just randomly read a bunch of books and then came up with this kind of idea..."
Kreszentia closes her book
"Well, if you want to know about it so bad..." she then pours another cup of coffee from the Erlenmeyer flask
"...it all started back when I'm still studying in England"
Gretchen puts down her book then starts to listen to Kreszentia's story
"I think it was 1896, I was studying in Edinburgh, England. Maybe you already know that I took a master's postgraduate in medical surgery, but I also took other classes in medicals to add more credit, including those for coronary and psychiatry.
There is this one time I encountered in a psychiatric class where we will euthanize an insane patient, of course for scientific purposes. At that time, I noticed that, before we euthanized him, that I can sort of 'hear' some 'noises' around the patient.
Afterward, I start to notice that some people 'emitted' this kind of 'noises' around them. At that time I wasn't able to explain of such phenomenon."
Kreszentia pause a bit to take another sip of her coffee
"...but then, in 1897, when I'm on my way back to Europe I had to stop by London, there, I took a leisure to attend a public lecture at the Royal Institute by an Italian guy. And then, I realized..."
"Wait; don't tell me this Italian guy is...?"
"...yes, you've guessed it right, Marconi, the one who discovered wireless transmission. You do know what is he utilizing, right? Electromagnetic waves. And that's how I figured out what are those 'noises' I've 'heard' from people head"
Gretchen leans more to Kreszentia, as she became more interested
"With my remaining time in London, I've looked for any publications, thesis, or articles about electromagnetism, radio waves, and of course its correlation with medical sciences. And I found this piece of biology paper, written also by an Italian, that biological tissue may also possess electromagnetic properties. So I continue to look deeper, and discovered many things that probably you've already read in my introduction passage."
Gretchen remains in awe
"As a scientist, there are so many questions I need the answer about. These brain waves and its somewhat correlation to exceptional abilities, is there really anything into it? Is it scientific or just a pseudoscience?
I mean, you know, with me being able to 'hear' those waves. Is it really that waves I am listening to, or I'm just nuts, hahaha…"
There is a drop of bitterness in Kreszentia's tone
Now Gretchen finally understands. It is just like how she discussed this with Lynette yesterday. When scientists exposed to a fact unknown to them, they will try to pursue the truth and explanation behind it. Kreszentia is no different. She experienced things that would be deemed nonsensical, except if she can explain it scientifically. Maybe this is why Professor Rosenrot also describes her as eccentric, aside from her actual appearance.
"And, actually..." Kreszentia sips her coffee again
"...actually, I accepted your request for a joint research thesis for the sole reason that you possess the same frequency of waves with, let's say, exceptional people, and I was right, you are exceptional."
"...so, if I don't possess such frequency and ability...?"
"Nah, you won't even know the existence of this very lab and maybe you'll only think that Richard tricks you"
"...ooh, hahaha..."
"Well, basically, you will be my first test subject"
"Excuse me?"
"At first, I've thought that Richard would be my first test subject, but considering that you're here, you'll do fine..."
Gretchen questions
"...what do you mean by test subject?"
"Well, I've told you that to prove my research; I need the device we have talked about"
"...and that device will be tested on me?"
"Basically, yes"
"...and how?"
Kreszentia crosses her arms "Well... I've been thinking about creating some kind of a half-sphere headwear attached to a machine that can read the waves emitted from your head"
Kreszentia scribbles a half-heartedly drawing of her proposed device on the chalkboard
"You see, the headwear will read and receive the waves emitted by your brain, some kind of receiver antenna but only works in very close range. We need to create something that could receive, read, and measure electromagnetic waves as low as our brain waves at a very close range. Then we will use some sort of electromagnetic coil to increase the wave frequency because basically brain wave frequency is too low. After that, we will use a modulator and oscillator like a basic radio to re-emit the waves in the desired frequency…"
Gretchen puts an uncomfortable expression
"Now, I believe we can use the modulator and oscillator from a standard radio, but we need to figure out what kind of coil to read and 'translate' brain waves into radio waves with information we are able to broadcast…"
Kreszentia is smirking at her seemingly brilliant idea
"...uh, I'm not sure I want to wear that contraception..."
"Relax, Gottschalk, I guarantee 75% of your safety!"
"Only 75%!?"
"...well, you know there's no such thing as 100%, right?"
Gretchen knows that there's no turning back now. A side mission for her is added: find another test subject fodder aside from her.
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