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BraneWorldsEpisode 2: Welcome to the Multiverse

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Just over an hour had passed since Lewton Slade's life had been turned upside down. Ducking in and out of back-alleys, he and the woman who called herself Valkyrie Unit 27 had finally reached the apartment block where his office was located. His mysterious companion had remained silent throughout the journey. Luckily, no one had been on the streets at that hour to notice them. As they finally reached the door to his office, Lewton unlocked it and opened it for 27, asking her to please come in. As she got in and looked around, 27 couldn't resist commenting that the place was like something straight out of a Humphrey Bogart movie. Confused, Lewton asked her Humphrey who, leading 27 to explain that he was an actor, though she had no recollection which membrane he lived in. 27 noted that a friend of her collects old movies from across the multiverse and so she has seen several of Bogart's films, where he mostly plays hard-boiled detective types. 27 added that Lewton himself bore a certain resemblance to Bogart, actually, and mumbled to herself that 26 would love to see this and that she would have to interface with her when she got back. Starting to nurse a headache, Lewton put his hand on his head and told 27 he had no clue what she was talking about, then asked her to take a seat and start explaining some of this. 27 went to take a seat, but as she sat down, the chair suddenly crumbled entirely, dropping her onto the ground with a yelp. Lewton awkwardly asked her if she was okay, to which 27 replied matter-of-factly that it appeared the chair was unable to support her weight. Lewton apologized for the state of his furniture, noting it must've been more worse-for-wear than he thought, then offered 27 a hand to help her up, noting she can't weight that much. As she gave him her hand and he found himself struggling to lift her up, 27 commented she actually weighted over a ton. Upon Lewton asking how she could possibly weight that much, 27 explained that the nanomachines that form her weapon and armor are stored within her body, so her mass remains the same, whether or not her armor is active. Lewton then turned to his filing cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, noting that he needed a drink. As he filled a glass, he turned to 27 and asked her if she wanted one, to which she accepted. As he handed her the glass, Lewton warned her to be careful as it was quite strong, but 27 nonchalantly gulped it all in one go. Looking at the empty glass, 27 commented on the taste of alcohol and noted she doesn't understand its popularity. In shock, Lewton asked her if she meant she had never drunk alcohol before and just gulped it down like that. As she put down the glass, 27 explained that she was just curious as they're not allowed things like that back home and it's not like it could do her any harm, since her nanomachines break down the alcohol before it even reaches her bloodstream. Lewton noted that words like nanomachines and membranes meant nothing to him and he needed some explanation. 27 pondered where to start, reasoning that explaining the nature of the multiverse to someone with only a mid-level world understanding was going to be difficult, then decided it might be easier for her to just show him. 27 explained that she could initiate something called a neural interface, which would allow her to directly share knowledge with him, but noted that she had never done it with a normal human before, so the process might be uncomfortable. Lewton shrugged and replied that if it helped him understand he was willing to try. 27 consented and explained that she needed to touch his head to initiate the link. As she put her hand in Lewton's forehead, 27 asked him to try to clear his mind and started the connection by saying initiate neural interface. Lewton reflexively dropped his glass on the ground as he felt his consciousness blending with hers. It was a sensation unlike anything he'd ever experienced, memories and feelings flowing into him. He was beginning to understand things he would have previously thought impossible. 27 showed Lewton a mental image of his Earth, explaining that it was his world, the world he had known all his life. She explained he believed the universe is vast, with billions of planets and stars scattered through space, but this was not the case. He asked what she meant, to which she replied his universe was a lot smaller than he realized and the stars in his sky, even his own Sun, were just projections, put there to give him the illusion of scale. The world he knew was a construct, one of many in a greater multiverse. They called those alternate dimensions membranes and the worlds within them are known as braneworlds. Lewton asked how this was even possible and 27 replied that they believe that long ago an incredibly advanced civilization constructed those membranes, but why remains a mystery. 27 explained they had classified three types of braneworld: high-level worlds, like her homeworld of Midgard, were aware of the multiverse and had the technology to travel through it; mid-level worlds such as Lewton's tended to have an established civilization but no knowledge of anything beyond their own membrane; and borderworlds were incomplete-seeming worlds where the laws of physics do not always applied and were sometimes inhabited, but usually only by nomads and outlaws. With devices called dimensional rippers, they could tear holes in membranes and step into the void between universes, a place where nothing can exist, no light, air, energy, space or even time. Lewton questioned if that was the case, then how does she survive in there. 27 clarified that it was because they expect to, explaining that the void is affected by human recognition: they expect to have air in their lungs, so the void creates it, they recognize themselves and having a body and form, so the void allows it. As 27 put it, it was possible to travel to any world in the multiverse if they can recognize it, which usually requires having been there before, but if you have a strong enough imagination, you can create a picture in the world and if it exists, they can reach it, which is why the most successful membrane prospectors are typically poets and artists. 27 revealed to Lewton that, on her homeworld, all inter-dimensional traffic was regulated by an organization called the Bifrost Foundation, which had a device called a recognition restriction field generator that prevents anyone from being able to open dimensional rips outside of the foundation's headquarters. Bifrost acted as a sort of police force, protecting the dimensional order of Midgard and defending its colony membranes. 27 was a Valkyrie, a living superweapon created by Bifrost to uphold order in the multiverse. Valkyries were perfect clones, products of genetic engineering and nano-mechanical enhancement. They were grown from an embryo to a state of maturity within a year and were born with the entire knowledge of their civilization stored within their brands. 27 told Lewton that thirty Valkyrie clones had been produced, of which she was number twenty-seven. She had been activated three years earlier, however, this was her first mission to a membrane not occupied by her civilization. Shocked, Lewton interrupted her to ask if she was only three years old. Physically blushing, 27 noted that, technically speaking, that was correct, but she had the mind and body of an adult and knew every bit of information she could ever need to perform her duties. Lewton understood then that for all her amazing abilities, the girl had very little life experience and it made sense why she seemed so awkward and naive. Lewton noted she seemed a little flushed and asked her if she was okay. 27 told him she was experiencing feedback and hadn't anticipated it would be that strong. Lewton asked what she meant by feedback and 27 explained that, when Valkyries neural link with each other, they put up partitions to stop unwanted memories from leaking across, but Lewton didn't have anything like that, so she can't help but see his memories. 27 noted his life as a private investigator was full of mystery and excitement and many of his clients had been women, whose dealings with him often became more than business. Realizing what she meant, Lewton suggested it would probably be best for them to focus on the task at hand. 27 agreed and asked if there was anything else he would like to know. Lewton noted she had mentioned a dimensional order and asked what that was. 27 replied that all high and mid-level braneworlds had order, a measure of the stability of the civilization, of which politics, beliefs, industrial development and scientific progress were all part of. The established order of the worlds could develop naturally over time, however, outside influences from other membranes could disrupt this. As 27 put it, many things can cause disruptions, the death of a membrane's inhabitants due to outside interference being an obvious cause, however, there were many subtle actions which could have just as dire an effect, such as giving a civilization information or technology that would radically change their ideology or level of advancement. That was why 27 was so concerned about ensuring that her presence did not become known to the authorities of the world. She would not even have been able to tell him any of that had Lewton not already been exposed to the disruption caused by the Scourge. Lewton asked what those monsters, the Scourge, were. 27 explained that the Scourge were creatures which behave like bacteria, entering a membrane seemingly at random and consuming organic matter, reproducing by cell division and repeating this until nothing else remains. A single Scourge possessse only basic instincts, however, in groups they seem to have some sort of shared intelligence and the larger the group becomes, the smarter they get. Once their population reaches a certain density, they have the ability to call out telepathically to other Scourge across the Void, drawing them to that membrane. 27 called them the greatest threat to order in the multiverse and said they must be eradicated wherever they appear. 27 noted the Scourge should not be in Lewton's membrane and that the fact that they were could be attributed to the carelessness of her own civilization. Professor Varrick Hemdall, one of their top scientists and one of the original founders of the Valkyrie program, had gone rogue. He took an interest in Scourge research, particularly the possibility of experimenting on live specimens, which is outlawed due to the dangers of holding live Scourge on a populated membrane. Knowing his experiments would never be allowed on Midgard, he stole several pieces of equipment and left their membrane. 27 and several other Valkyries had been tasked with capturing him and returning him to Midgard. The unprecedented scourge activity in Lewton's world was sufficient evidence that he was operating in that membrane, however, the accountability for the deaths that had occurred there was held by Bifrost as a whole for their failure to prevent that. 27 stated she had to capture Professor Hemdall so that he might face trial on their homeworld. 27 then disengaged the neural link. Lewton immediately sat down, calling it a strange experience. 27 turned and apologized for the suffering that her civilization had brought upon his. She declared she should leave then, she needed to find the Professor and did not wish to cause Lewton any further trouble. Lewton then proposed he help her, noting that finding people who don't wish to be found was one of his specialities and declaring it the least he could do to thank her for saving his life. 27 replied she couldn't let him do that, stating it's too dangerous for a normal human to be involved in. Lewton put his hand on her shoulder and told her she'd seen his memories, did she really think he'd just let it go like that. He declared it could be the greatest case of his entire life and now that she'd told him her story, he had a responsibility to see it through. 27 turned back to face him and replied she didn't think he would, he seemed too stubborn for that, but she just thought to try on the chance that he might choose to avoid putting himself in needless danger. Smiling, Lewton told her they had a rogue scientist to find and said he'd run a check with his usual contacts, as someone always knew something. He was feeling a level of excitement he hadn't felt in a very long time. He was entering a whole new world, one he had not known even existed. However, there were still many things he did not know about the multiverse. 27 had described herself as a protector of order, but soon Lewton would witness the cold, calculating nature of the true guardians of order in this multiverse. End of episode two.

Next comic:

Episode 3: Angels, Demons and Valkyries

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