Part 3 of The Variable Man by Philip K. Dick. Chapter 4. Three days later Joseph Dixon slid a closed circuit message plate across the desk to his boss. Here. You might be interested in this. Reinhardt picked the plate up slowly. What is it? You came all the way here to show me this? That's right. Why didn't you vid-screen it? Dickson smiled grimly. You'll understand when you decode it. It's from Proxima Centaurus. Centaurus? Our counter-intelligence service. They sent it direct to me. Here. It's for you. Save you the trouble. Dickson came around behind Reinhardt's desk. He leaned over the commissioner's shoulder, taking hold of the plate, and breaking the seal with his thumb. Hang on, Dickson said. This is going to hit you hard. According to our agents on Armin, the Centaur and High Council has called an emergency session to deal with the problem of Terra's impending attack. Centaur and Relay carriers have reported to the High Council that the Terran bomb Icarus is virtually complete. Work on the bomb has been rushed through final stages in the underground laboratories under the Ural Range, directed by Terran physicist Peter Cherikov. So, I understand from Cherikov himself. Are you surprised the Centaurans know about the bomb? They have spies swarming over Terra. That's no news. There's more. Dickson traced the message plate grimly with an unsteady finger. The Centaur and Relay carriers report that Peter Cherikov brought an expert mechanic out of a previous time continuum to complete the wiring of the turret. Reinhardt staggered, holding on tight to the desk. He closed his eyes, gasping. The variable man is still alive, Dickson murmured. I don't know how or why. There's nothing left of the Albertines, and how the hell did the man get halfway around the world?  Cherikov. He must have removed him before the attack. I told Cherikov the attack was forthcoming. I gave him the exact hour. He had to get help. From the variable man, he couldn't meet his promise otherwise. Reinhardt leaped up and began to pace back and forth. I've already informed the SRB machines that the variable man has been destroyed. The machines now show the original 7.6 ratio in our favor, but the ratio is based on false information. Then you'll have to withdraw the false data and restore the original situation. No, Reinhardt shook his head. I can't do that. The machines must be kept functioning. We can't allow them to jam again. It's too dangerous. If Duff should become aware that... What are you going to do then? Dickson picked up the message plate. You can't leave the machines with false data. That's treason. The data can't be withdrawn. Not unless equivalent data exists to take its place. Reinhardt paced angrily back and forth.  I was certain the man was dead. This is an incredible situation. He must be eliminated at any cost. Suddenly Reinhardt stopped pacing. A turret. It's probably finished by this time, correct? Dickson nodded slowly in agreement. With the variable man helping, Cherakov has undoubtedly completed the work well ahead of schedule. Reinhardt's gray eyes flickered. Then he's no longer of any use. Even to Cherakov, we could take a chance. Even if there were active opposition. What's this? Dickson demanded. What are you thinking about? How many units are ready for immediate action? How large a force can we raise without notice? Because of the war, we're mobilized on a 24-hour basis. There are 70 air units and about 200 surface units. The balance of the security forces have been transferred to the line under military control. Men? We have about 5,000 men ready to go, still on terror. Most of them in the process of being transferred to military transports. I can hold it up at any time. Missiles? Fortunately, the launching tubes have not yet been disassembled. They're still here on terror. In another few days they'll be moving out for the colonial fracas. Then they're available for immediate use. Yes. Good. Reinhardt locked his hands, knotting his fingers harshly together in sudden decision. That will do exactly. Unless I am completely wrong, Cherakov has only a half-dozen air units and no surface cars and only about 200 men. Some defense shields, of course. What are you planning? Reinhardt's face was gray and hard, like stone. Send out orders for all available security units to be unified under your immediate command. Have them ready to move by four o'clock this afternoon. We're going to pay a visit, Reinhardt stated grimly, a surprise visit on Peter Cherakov. Stop here, Reinhardt ordered. The surface car slowed to a halt. Reinhardt peered cautiously out, studying the horizon ahead. On all sides a desert of scrubgrass and sand stretched out, nothing moved or stirred. To the right the grass and sand rose up to form immense peaks, a range of mountains without end, disappearing finally into the distance, the Urals. Over there, Reinhardt said to Dixon, pointing, see? No. Look hard, it's difficult to spot unless you know what to look for, vertical pipes, some kind of vent or periscopes. Dixon saw them finally. I would have driven past without noticing. It's well concealed. The main labs are a mile down. Under the range itself it's virtually impregnable. Cherakov had it built years ago to withstand any attack from the air by surface cars, bombs, missiles. He must feel safe down there. No doubt, Reinhardt gazed up at the sky. A few faint black dots could be seen moving lazily about in broad circles. Those aren't ours, are they? I gave orders. No. They're not ours. All our units are out of sight. Those belong to Cherakov, his patrol. Reinhardt relaxed. Good. He reached over and flicked on the vid screen over the board of the car. The screen is shielded, it can't be traced. There's no way they can spot it back to us. It's non-directional. The screen glowed into life. Reinhardt punched the combination keys and sat back to wait. After a time an image formed on the screen.  Peter Cherakov gazed at Reinhardt with surprised curiosity. Commissioner, where are you calling from? What? How's the work progressing? Reinhardt broke in coldly. Is Icarus almost complete? Cherakov beamed with expansive pride. He's done, Commissioner. Two days ahead of time, Icarus is ready to be launched into space. I tried to call your office, but they told me. I'm not at my office. Reinhardt leaned toward the screen. Open your entrance tunnel at the surface, you're about to receive visitors. Cherakov blinked. Visitors? I'm coming down to see you, about Icarus. Have the tunnel open for me at once. Exactly where are you, Commissioner? On the surface. Cherakov's eyes flickered. Oh, but— Open up! Reinhardt snapped. He glanced at his wristwatch. I'll be at the entrance in five minutes. I expect to find it ready for me. Of course! Cherakov nodded and bewildered it. I'm always glad to see you, Commissioner, but I—five minutes then. Reinhardt cut the circuit. The screen died. He turned quickly to Dixon. You stay up here as we arranged. I'll go down with one company of police. You understand the necessity of exact timing on this. We won't slip up. Everything's ready. All units are in their places. Good. Reinhardt pushed the door open for him. You join your directional staff. I'll proceed toward the tunnel entrance. Good luck. Dixon leaped out of the car onto the sandy ground. A gust of dry air swirled into the car around Reinhardt. I'll see you later. Reinhardt slammed the door. He turned to the group of police crouched in the rear of the car, their guns held tightly. Here we go, Reinhardt murmured. Hold on. The car raced across the sandy ground toward the tunnel entrance to Cherakov's underground fortress. Cherakov met Reinhardt at the bottom end of the tunnel where the tunnel opened up onto the main floor of the lab. The big pole approached, his hand out, beaming with pride and satisfaction. It's a pleasure to see you, Commissioner. This is an historic moment. Reinhardt got out of the car with his group of armed security police. Calls for a celebration, doesn't it? He said. That's a good idea, we're two days ahead, Commissioner. The SRB machines will be interested. The odds should change abruptly at the news. Let's go down to the lab. I want to see the control turret myself. A shadow crossed Cherakov's face. It'd rather not bother the workmen right now, Commissioner. They've been under a great load, trying to complete the turret in time. I believe they're putting a few last finishes on it at the moment. We can view them by vid-screen. I'm curious to see them at work. It must be difficult to wire such minute relays. Cherakov shook his head. Sorry, Commissioner, no vid-screen on them. I won't allow it. This is too important. Our whole future depends on it. Cherakov snapped a signal to his company of police. Put this man under arrest. Cherakov blanched. His mouth fell open. The police moved quickly around him, their gun tubes up, jabbing into him. He was searched rapidly, efficiently. His gun belt and concealed energy screen were yanked off. What's going on? Cherakov demanded some color returning to his face. What are you doing? You're under arrest for the duration of the war. You're relieved of all authority. From now on, one of my men will operate designs. When the war is over, you'll be tried before the Council and President dove. Cherakov shook his head, dazed. I don't understand what's this all about. Explain it to me, Commissioner. What's happened? Reinhardt signaled to his police. Get ready. We're going into the lab. We may have to shoot our way in. The variable man should be in the area of the bomb working on the control turret. Suddenly Cherakov's face hardened. His black eyes glittered, alert and hostile. Reinhardt laughed harshly. We received a counterintelligence report from Centaurus. I'm surprised at you, Cherakov. You know the Centaurans are everywhere with their relay carriers. You should have known. Cherakov moved. Fast. All at once he broke away from the police throwing his massive body against them. They fell, scattering. Cherakov ran directly at the wall. The police fired wildly. Reinhardt fumbled frantically for his gun-tube, pulling it up. Cherakov reached the wall, running head-down energy beams flashing around him. He struck against the wall and vanished. Down, Reinhardt shouted. He dropped to his hands and knees, all around him his police dived for the floor. Reinhardt cursed wildly, dragging himself quickly toward the door. They had to get out and right away. Reinhardt had escaped, a false wall, an energy barrier set to respond to his pressure. He had dashed through it to safety, heat. From all sides an inferno burst, a flaming roar of death surging over them, around them on every side. The room was alive with blazing masses of destruction bouncing from wall to wall. They were caught between four banks of power, all of them open to full discharge, a trap, a death trap. Reinhardt reached the hall, gasping for breath. He leaped to his feet. A few security police followed him. Behind them, in the flaming room, the rest of the company screamed and struggled, blasted out of existence by the leaping bursts of power. Reinhardt assembled his remaining men. Already Cherakov's guards were forming. At one end of the corridor, a snub-barreled robot gun was maneuvering into position. A siren wailed. Guards were running on all sides, hurrying to battle stations. The robot gun opened fire. Part of the corridor exploded, bursting into fragments. Clouds of choking debris and particles swept around them. Reinhardt and his police retreated, moving back along the corridor. They reached a junction. A second robot gun was rumbling toward them, hurrying to get within range. Reinhardt fired carefully, aiming at its delicate control. Abruptly the gun spun convulsively. It lashed against the wall, smashing itself into the unyielding metal. When it collapsed in a heap, gears still whining and spinning. Come on! Reinhardt moved away, crouching and running. He glanced at his watch. Almost time, a few more minutes. The group of lab guards appeared ahead of them. Reinhardt fired. Behind him his police fired past him. Violet shafts of energy catching the group of guards as they entered the corridor. The guards spilled apart, falling and twisting, part of them settled into dust drifting down the corridor. Reinhardt made his way toward the lab, crouching and leaping, pushing past heaps of debris and remains, followed by his men. Come on! Don't stop! Suddenly from around them the booming and large voice of Sherikov thundered, magnified by rows of wall speakers along the corridor. Reinhardt halted, glancing around. Reinhardt, you haven't got a chance. You'll never get back to the surface.  You're surrounded on all sides.  Reinhardt threw himself into motion, pushing into billowing clouds of particles drifting along the corridor. Are you sure, Sherikov? He grunted. Sherikov laughed. His harsh metallic peels rolling in waves against Reinhardt's eardrums.  You're vital to the war. I'm sorry you found out about the variable man. I admit we overlooked the Centauran espionage as a factor in this, but now that you know about him, suddenly Sherikov's voice broke off. A deep rumble had shaken the floor, a lapping vibration that shuttered through the corridor. Reinhardt sagged with relief. He peered through the clouds of debris, making out the figures on his watch. Right on time, not a second late. The first of the hydrogen missiles launched from the council buildings on the other side of the world were beginning to arrive. The attack had begun. At exactly six o'clock, Joseph Dixon standing on the surface four miles from the entrance tunnel gave the sign to the waiting units. The first job was to break down Sherikov's defense screens. The missiles had to penetrate without interference. At Dixon's signal, a fleet of thirty security ships died from a height of ten miles, swooping above the mountains directly over the underground laboratories. In five minutes the defense screens had been smashed and all the tower projectors leveled flat. Now the mountains were virtually unprotected. So far so good, Dixon murmured as he watched from his secure position. The fleet of security ships roared back, their work done. Across the face of the desert the police surface cars were crawling rapidly toward the entrance tunnel, snaking from side to side. Meanwhile Sherikov's counterattack had begun to go into operation. Guns mounted among the hills opened fire. Vast columns of flame burst up in the path of the advancing cars. The cars hesitated and retreated as the plane was churned up by a howling vortex, a thundering chaos of explosions. Here and there a car vanished in a cloud of particles. A group of cars moving away suddenly scattered caught up by a giant wind that lashed across them and swept them up into the air. Dixon gave orders to have the cannons silenced. The police air arm again swept overhead, a sullen roar of jets that shook the ground below. The police ships dived expertly and hurtled down on the cannon protecting the hills. The cannon forgot the surface cars and lifted their snouts to meet the attack. Then and again the airships came rocking the mountains with titanic blasts. The guns became silent, their echoing boom diminished, died away reluctantly as bombs took critical toll of them. Dixon watched with satisfaction as the bombing came to an end. The airships rose in a thick swarm, black gnats shooting up in triumph from a dead carcass. They hurried back as emergency anti-aircraft robot guns swung into position and saturated the sky with blazing puffs of energy. Dixon checked his wristwatch. The missiles were already on the way from North America. Only a few minutes remained. The surface cars, freed by the successful bombing, began to regroup for a new frontal attack. Again they crawled forward across the burning plain bearing down cautiously on the battered wall of mountains, heading toward the twisted wrecks that had been the ring of defense guns toward the entrance tunnel. An occasional cannon fired feebly at them. The cars came grimly on. Now in the hollows of the hills, Sherikov's troops were hurrying to the surface to meet the attack. The first car reached the shadow of the mountains. A deafening hail of fire burst loose. Small robot guns appeared everywhere, needle barrels emerging from behind hidden screens, trees and shrubs, rocks, stones. The police cars were caught in a withering crossfire trapped at the base of the hills. Down the slope, Sherikov's guards raced toward the stalled cars. Clouds of heat rose up and boiled across the plain as the cars fired up at the running men. A robot gun dropped like a slug onto the plain and screamed towards the cars firing as it came. Dixon twisted nervously. Only a few minutes, any time now. He shaded his eyes and peered up at the sky. No sign of them yet. He wondered about Reinhardt. No signal had come up from below. Clearly, Reinhardt had run into trouble. No doubt there was desperate fighting going on in the maze of underground tunnels, the intricate web of passages that honeycombed the earth below the mountains. In the air, Sherikov's few defense ships were taking on the police-readers. Outnumbered, the defense ships darted rapidly, wildly putting up a futile fight. Dixon's guards streamed out onto the plain, crouching and running they advanced toward the stalled cars. The police airships screeched down at them, guns thundering. Dixon held his breath. When the missiles arrived. The first missile struck. A section of the mountain vanished, turned to smoke and foaming gases. The wave of heat slapped Dixon across the face, spinning him around. Quickly he re-entered his ship and took off, shooting rapidly away from the scene. He glanced back. A second and third missile had arrived. Great gaping pits yawned among the mountains, vast sections missing like broken teeth. Now the missiles could penetrate to the underground laboratories below. On the ground the surface cars halted beyond the danger area, waiting for the missile attack to finish. When the eighth missile had struck, the cars again moved forward. No more missiles fell. Dixon swung his ship around heading back toward the scene. The laboratory was exposed. The top sections of it had been ripped open. The laboratory lay like a tin can torn apart by mighty explosions, its first floors visible from the air. Men and cars were pouring down into it, fighting with the guards swarming to the surface. Dixon watched intently. Sherikov's men were bringing up heavy guns, big robot artillery, but the police ships were diving again. Sherikov's defensive patrols had been cleared from the sky. The police ships wind down, arcing over the exposed laboratory. Small bombs fell, whistling down, pinpointing the artillery rising to the surface on the remaining lift stages. Abruptly, Dixon's vid screen clicked. Dixon turned toward it. Reinhardt's features formed. Call of the attack. His uniform was torn.  He grinned sourly at Dixon, pushing his tangled hair back out of his face. Quite a fight. Sherikov? He's called off his guards. We've agreed to a truce. It's all over. No more needed. Reinhardt gasped for breath, wiping some grime and sweat from his neck. Land your ship and come down here at once. The variable man? That comes next. Reinhardt said grimly. He adjusted his gun tube. I want you down here for that part. I want you to be in on the kill. Reinhardt turned away from the vid screen. In the corner of the room, Sherikov stood silently, saying, frothing. Well? Reinhardt barked. Where is he? Where will I find him? Sherikov licked his lips nervously, glancing up at Reinhardt. Commissioner, are you sure? The attack has been called off. Your labs are safe. So is your life. Now it's your turn to come through. Reinhardt gripped his gun, moving toward Sherikov. Where is he? For a moment Sherikov hesitated, then slowly his huge body sagged, defeated. He shook his head wearily. All right, I'll show you where he is. His voice was hardly audible. A dry whisper. Down this way. Come on. Reinhardt followed Sherikov out of the room into the corridor. Police and guards were working rapidly, clearing the debris and ruins away, putting out the hydrogen fires that burned everywhere. No tricks, Sherikov. No tricks, Sherikov knotted resignedly. Thomas Cole is by himself in a wing lab off the main rooms. Cole? The variable man. That's his name.  He has a name. Reinhardt waved his gun. Hurry up. I don't want anything to go wrong. This is the part I came for. You must remember something, Commissioner. What is it? Sherikov stopped walking. Commissioner, nothing must happen to the globe. The control turret. Everything depends on it. The war. Our whole?  Let's go. If it should get damaged. I'm not after the globe. I'm interested only in Thomas Cole. They came to the end of the corridor and stopped before a metal door. Sherikov knotted at the door. In there. Reinhardt moved back. Open the door. Open it yourself. I don't want to have anything to do with it. Reinhardt shrugged. He stepped up to the door, holding his gun level. He raised his hand, passing it in front of the eye circuit. Nothing happened. Reinhardt frowned. He pushed the door with his hand. The door slid open. Reinhardt was looking into a small laboratory. He glimpsed a workbench, tools, heaps of equipment, measuring devices. And in the center of the bench, the transparent globe, the control turret. Cole? Reinhardt advanced quickly into the room. He glanced around him, suddenly alarmed. Where? The room was empty. Thomas Cole was gone. When the first missile struck, Cole stopped work and sat listening. Far off, a distant rumble rolled through the earth, shaking the floor under him. On the bench, tools and equipment danced up and down, a pair of pliers fell crashing to the floor. A box of screws tipped over, spilling its minute contents out. Cole listened for a time. Presently he lifted the transparent globe from the bench. With careful, controlled hands, he held the globe up, running his fingers gently over the surface, his faded blue eyes thoughtful. Then after a time he placed the globe back on the bench in its mount. The globe was finished. A faint glow of pride moved through the variable man. The globe was the finest job he had ever done. The deep rumbling ceased. Cole became instantly alert. He jumped down from his stool, hurrying across the room to the door. For a moment he stood by the door, listening intently. He could hear noise on the other side, shouts, guards running past, dragging heavy equipment working frantically. A rolling crash echoed down the corridor and lapped against his door. The concussion spun him around. Again a tide of energy shook the walls and floor and sent him down on his knees. The lights flickered and winked out. Cole fumbled in the dark until he found a flashlight. Power failure. He could hear crackling flames. Abruptly the lights came on again and ugly yellow, then faded back out. Cole bent down and examined the door with his flashlight, a magnetic lock, dependent on an externally induced electric flux. He grabbed a screwdriver and pried at the door. For a moment it held, then it fell open. Cole stepped warily out into the corridor. Everything was in shambles. Things wandered everywhere, burned and half-blinded. Two lay groaning under a pile of wrecked equipment. Fused guns, reeking metal. The air was heavy with the smell of burning wiring and plastic. A thick cloud that choked him and made him bend double as he advanced. Halt! The guard gasped feebly, struggling to rise. Cole pushed past him and down the corridor. Two small robot guns still functioning glided past him hurriedly toward the drumming chaos of battle. He followed. At a major intersection the fight was in full swing. Shereikov's guards fought. Security police crouched behind pillars and barricades, firing wildly, desperately. Again the whole structure shuddered as a great booming blast ignited someplace above. Bombs? Shells? Cole threw himself down as a violent beam cut past his ear and disintegrated the wall behind him. A security policeman, wild-eyed, firing erratically. One of Shereikov's guards winged him and his gun skidded to the floor. A robot cannon turned toward him as he made his way past the intersection. He began to run. The cannon rolled along behind him, aiming itself uncertainly. Cole hunched over as he shambled rapidly along, gasping for breath. In the flickering yellow light he saw a handful of security police advancing, firing expertly, intent on a line of defense Shereikov's guards had hastily set up. The robot cannon altered its course to take them on and Cole escaped around the corner. He was in the main lab, the big chamber where Icarus himself rose, the vast squat column. Icarus. A solid wall of guards surrounded him, grim-faced, hugging guns and protection shields. But the security police were leaving Icarus alone. He wanted to damage him. Cole evaded a lone guard, dragging him and reached the far side of the lab. It took him only a few seconds to find the force field generator. There was no switch. For a moment that puzzled him, and then he remembered, the guard had controlled it from his wrist. Too late to worry about that. With his screwdriver he unfastened the plate over the generator and ripped out the wiring in handfuls. The generator came loose and he dragged it away from the wall. The screen was off, thank God. He managed to carry the generator into a side corridor. Crouched in a heap, Cole bent over the generator, deft fingers flying. He pulled the wiring to him and laid it out on the floor, tracing the circuits with feverish haste. The adaptation was easier than he had expected. The screen floated right angles to the wiring for a distance of six feet. Each lead was shielded on one side, the field radiated outward, leaving a hollow cone in the center. He ran the wiring through his belt, down his trouser legs under his shirt, all the way to his wrists and ankles. He was just snatching up the heavy generator when two security police appeared. They raised their blasters and fired point blank. Cole clicked on the screen. A vibration leaped through him that snapped his jaw and danced up his body. He staggered away, half stupefied by the surging force that radiated out from him. The violet rays struck the field and deflected harmlessly. He was safe. He hurried on down the corridor past a ruined gun and sprawled bodies still clutching blasters. Great drifting clouds of radioactive particles billowed around him. He edged by one cloud nervously. Guards lay everywhere, dying and dead, partly destroyed, eaten and corroded by the hot metallic salts in the air. He had to get out and fast. The end of the corridor, a whole section of the fortress was in ruins, towering flames leaped on all sides. One of the missiles had penetrated below ground level. Cole found a lift that still functioned. A load of wounded guards was being raised to the surface. None of them paid any attention to him. Flames surged around the lift, licking at the wounded. Workmen were desperately trying to get the lift into action. Cole leaped onto the lift. A moment later it began to rise, leaving the shouts and flames behind. The lift emerged on the surface and Cole jumped off. A guard spotted him in gape chase. Crouching Cole dodged into a tangled mass of twisted metal, still white hot and smoking. He ran for a distance, leaping from the side of the ruined defense screen tower onto the fused ground and down the side of the hill. The ground was hot underfoot. He hurried as fast as he could, gasping for breath. He came to a long slope and scrambled up the side. The guard who had followed was gone, lost behind in the rolling clouds of ash that drifted from the ruins of Sharikov's underground fortress. Cole reached the top of the hill. For a brief moment he halted to get his breath and figure where he was. It was almost evening. The sun was beginning to set. In the darkening sky a few dots still twisted and rolled, black specks that abruptly burst into flame and fused out again. Cole stood up cautiously, peering around him. Ruins stretched out below on all sides, the furnace from which he had escaped. A chaos of incandescent metal and debris gutted and wrecked beyond repair. Miles of tangled rubbish and half vaporized equipment. He considered. Everyone was busy putting out the fires and pulling the wounded to safety. This would be a while before he was missed. But as soon as they realized he was gone they'd be after him. Most of the laboratory had been destroyed. Nothing lay back that way. Beyond the ruins lay the great Ural Peaks, the endless mountains stretching out as far as the eye could see. Mountains and green forests, a wilderness, they'd never find him there. Cole started along the side of the hill, walking slowly and carefully his screen generator under his arm. Probably in the confusion he could find enough food and equipment to last him indefinitely. He could wait until early morning then circle back toward the ruins and load up. With a few tools and his own innate skill he would get along fine. A screwdriver, hammer, nails, odds and ends. A great hum sounded in his ears. It swelled to a deafening roar. Startled Cole whirled around. A vast shape filled the sky behind him, growing each moment. Cole stood frozen, utterly transfixed. The shape thundered over him above his head as he stood stupidly rooted to the spot. Then awkwardly, uncertainly, he began to run. He stumbled and fell and rolled a short distance down the side of the hill. Desperately he struggled to hold on to the ground. His hands dug wildly, futilely into the soft soil trying to keep the generator under his arm at the same time. A flash and a blinding spark of light around him. The spark picked him up and tossed him like a dry leaf. He grunted in agony as searing fire crackled about him, a blazing inferno that gnawed and ate hungrily through his screen. He spun, dizzily, and fell through the cloud of fire down into a pit of darkness, a vast gulf between two hills. His wiring ripped off, the generator tore out of his grip and was lost behind. Abruptly, his force field ceased. Cole lay in the darkness at the bottom of the hill. His whole body shrieked in agony as the unholy fire played over him. He was a blazing cinder, a half-consumed ash flaming in a universe of darkness. The pain made him twist and crawl like an insect, trying to burrow into the ground. He screamed and shrieked and struggled to escape to get away from the hideous fire, to reach the curtain of darkness beyond where it was cool and silent, where the flames couldn't crackle and eat at him. He reached imploringly out into the darkness, groping feebly toward it, trying to pull himself into it. Gradually, the glowing orb that was his own body faded. The impenetrable chaos of night descended. He allowed the tide to sweep over him, to extinguish the searing fire.  He leaped down and hurried across the smoking ground. From a lift Reinhardt appeared, surrounded by his security police. He got away from us! He escaped! He didn't escape, Dixon answered. I got him myself. It quivered violently. What do you mean? Come along with me, over in this direction. He and Reinhardt climbed the side of a demolished hill, both of them panting for breath. I was landing. I saw a figure emerge from a lift and run toward the mountains, like some sort of animal. When he came out in the open, I dived on him and released a phosphorus bomb. Then he's dead? I don't see how anyone could have lived through a phosphorus bomb. They reached the top of the hill. Dixon halted, then pointed excitedly down into the pit beyond the hill. There! They descended cautiously. The ground was singed and burned clean. Clouds of smoke hung heavily in the air. Occasional fires still flickered here and there. Reinhardt coughed and bent over to sea. Dixon flashed on a pocket flare and set it beside the body. The body was charred, half destroyed by the burning phosphorus. It lay motionless, one arm over its face, mouth open, legs sprawled grotesquely. Like some abandoned ragdoll tossed in an incinerator and consumed almost beyond recognition. He's alive, Dixon muttered. He felt around curiously. Must have had some kind of protection screen. Something that a man could... It's him. It's really him. Fits the description. Dixon tore away a handful of burned clothing. This is the variable man. What's left of him, at least? Reinhardt sagged with relief. Then we've finally got him. The data is accurate. He's no longer a factor. Dixon got out his blaster and released the safety catch thoughtfully. If you want, I could finish the job right now. At that moment, Shereikov appeared, accompanied by two armed security police.  Did... Cole? He broke off. Good... God! Dixon got him with a phosphorus bomb. Reinhardt said noncommittally. He had reached the surface and was trying to get into the mountains. Shereikov turned wearily away. He was an amazing person. During the attack he managed to force the lock on his door and escape. The guards fired at him, but nothing happened. He had rigged up some kind of force field around him, something he adapted. Anyhow, it's over with. Reinhardt answered. Did you have SRB plates made up on him? Shereikov reached slowly into his coat. He drew out a manila envelope. Here's all the information I collected on him while he was with me. Is it complete? Everything previously has been merely fragmentary. As near complete as I could make it, it includes photographs and diagrams of the interior of the globe. The turret wiring he did for me. I haven't had a chance even to look at them. Shereikov fingered the envelope. What are you going to do with Cole? Have him loaded up, taken back to the city, and officially put to sleep by the euthanasia ministry. Full murder? Shereikov's lips twisted. Why don't you simply do it right here and get it over with? Reinhardt grabbed the envelope and stuck it in his pocket. I'll turn this right over to the machines. He motioned to Dixon. Let's go. Now we can notify the fleet to prepare for the attack on Santoris. He turned briefly back to Shereikov. When can Icarus be launched? In an hour or so, I suppose, they're locking the control turret in place, assuming it functions correctly. That's all it's needed. Good. I'll notify Duff to send out the signal to the war fleet. Reinhardt nodded to the police to take Shereikov to the waiting security ship. Shereikov moved off, dulling, his face gray and haggard. Cole's inert body was picked up and tossed onto a freight cart. The cart rumbled into the hold of the security ship and the lock slid shut after it. It'll be interesting to see how the machines respond to the additional data, Dixon said. It should make quite an improvement in the odds, Reinhardt agreed. He padded the envelope bulging in his inside pocket. We're two days ahead of time. Margaret Duff caught up slowly from her desk. She pushed her chair automatically back. Let me get all this straight. You mean the bomb is finished? Ready to go? Reinhardt nodded impatiently. That's what I said. The technicians are checking the turret locks to make sure it's properly attached. The launching will take place in half an hour. Thirty minutes? Then the attack can begin at once. I assume the fleet is ready for action. Of course it's been ready for several days, but I can't believe the bomb is ready so soon. Margaret Duff moved numbly toward the door of her office. This is a great day, Commissioner, and old era lies behind us. This time tomorrow Centaurus will be gone and eventually the colonies will be ours. It's been a long climb, Reinhardt murmured. One thing, your charge against Sharikov, it seems incredible that a person of his caliber could ever— We'll discuss that later. Reinhardt interrupted coldly. He pulled the Manila envelope from his coat. I haven't had the opportunity to feed the additional data to the SRB machines. If you'll excuse me, I'll do that now. For a moment Margaret Duff stood at the door. The two of them faced each other silently, neither speaking, a faint smile on Reinhardt's thin lips, hostility in the woman's blue eyes. Reinhardt, sometimes I think perhaps you'll go too far, and sometimes I think you've already gone too far. I'll inform you of any change in the odds showing. Margaret strode past her, out of the office and down the hall. He headed toward the SRB room, an intense thomic excitement rising up inside him. A few moments later he entered the SRB room. He made his way to the machines. The odds, seven-six, showed in the view windows. Reinhardt smiled a little. Seven-six, false odds, based on incorrect information. Now they could be removed. Reinhardt then hurried over. Reinhardt handed him the envelope and moved over to the window gazing down at the scene below. Men and cars scurried frantically everywhere. Officials coming and going like ants, hurrying in all directions. The war was on. The signal had been sent out to the war fleet that had waited so long near Proxima Centaurus. A feeling of triumph raced through Reinhardt. He had won. He had destroyed the man from the past and broken Peter Sharikov. The war had begun as planned. Terror was breaking out. Reinhardt smiled thinly. He had been completely successful. Commissioner? Reinhardt turned slowly. All right. Kaplan was standing in front of the machines gazing down at the reading. Commissioner? Sudden alarm plucked at Reinhardt. There was something in Kaplan's voice. He hurried quickly over. What is it? Kaplan looked up at him. His face white, his eyes wide with terror. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came. What is it? Reinhardt demanded, chilled. He bent toward the machines, studying the reading, and sickened with horror. One hundred to one, against terror. He could not tear his gaze away from the figures. He was numb, shocked with disbelief. A hundred to one, what had happened? What had gone wrong? The turret was finished. Icarus was ready. The fleet had been notified. There was a sudden deep buzz from outside the building. Shouts drifted up from below. Reinhardt turned his head slowly toward the window, his heart frozen with fear. Across the evening sky a trail moved, rising each moment, a thin line of white. Something climbed, gaining speed each moment. On the ground all eyes were turned toward it, odd faces peering up. The object gained speed, faster and faster, then it vanished. Icarus was on his way. The attack had begun. It was too late to stop now. And on the machines the odds read a hundred to one for failure. At eight o'clock in the evening of May 15th, twenty-one thirty-six, Icarus was launched toward the star Centaurus. A day later, while all terror waited, Icarus entered the star, traveling at thousands of times the speed of light. Nothing happened. Icarus disappeared into the star. There was no explosion. The bomb failed to go off. At the same time the Terran Warfleet engaged the Centauran Outer Fleet, sweeping down in a concentrated attack. Twenty major ships were seized. A good part of the Centauran fleet was destroyed. Many of the captive systems began to revolt, in the hope of throwing off the imperial bonds. Two hours later the masked Centauran Warfleet from Armin abruptly appeared and joined battle. The great struggle illuminated half the Centauran system. Ship after ship flashed briefly and then faded to ash. For a whole day the two fleets fought strung out over millions of miles of space. Enumerable fighting men died, on both sides. At last the remains of the battered Terran fleet turned and limped towards Armin, defeated. Several of the once impressive armada remained, a few blackened hulls making their way uncertainly toward captivity. Icarus had not functioned, Centaurus had not exploded. The attack was a failure. The war was over. We've lost the war, Margaret Duff said in a small voice, wondering and awed. It's over, finished. The council members sat in their places around the conference table, gray-haired elderly men, none of them speaking or moving. All gazed up mutely at the great stellar maps that covered two walls of the chamber. I have already empowered negotiators to arrange a truce, Margaret Duff murmured. Orders have been sent out to Vice Commander Jessup to give up the battle. There's no hope. Fleet Commander Carlton destroyed himself in his flagship a few minutes ago. The Centauran High Council has agreed to end the fighting. Their whole empire is rotten to the core, ready to topple of its own weight. Reinhardt was slumped over at the table, his head in his hands. I don't understand. Why? Why didn't the bomb explode? He mopped his forehead shakily. All his poise was gone. He was trembling and broken. What went wrong? Gray-faced Dixon mumbled an answer. The variable man must have sabotaged the turret. The SRB machines knew. They analyzed the data. They knew, but it was too late. Reinhardt's eyes were bleak with despair as he raised his head a little. I knew he'd destroy us. We're finished! A century of work and planning. His body knotted in a spasm of furious agony. Oh, because of Cherikov! Margaret Duff eyed Reinhardt covley. Why because of Cherikov? He kept Cole alive. I wanted him killed from the start. Suddenly Reinhardt jumped from his chair, his hand clutched convulsively at his gun. And he's still alive. Even if we've lost, I'm going to have the pleasure of putting a blast-beam through Cole's chest. Sit down, Margaret Duff ordered. Reinhardt was halfway to the door. He's still at the euthanasia ministry, waiting for the official. No, he's not, Margaret Duff said. Reinhardt froze. He turned slowly as if unable to believe his senses. What? Cole isn't at the ministry. I ordered him transferred, and your instructions cancelled. Where—where is he? There was unusual hardness in Margaret Duff's voice as she answered. With Peter Cherikov in the Urals. I had Cherikov's full authority restored. I then had Cole transferred there, put in Cherikov's safekeeping. I want to make sure Cole recovers so we can keep our promise to him, our promise to return him to his own time. Reinhardt's mouth opened and closed. All the color had drained from his face. His cheek muscles twitched spasmodically. At last he managed to speak. You've gone insane! The traitor responsible for Earth's greatest defeat! We have lost the war, Margaret Duff stated quietly. But this is not a day of defeat. It is a day of victory, the most incredible victory Tara has ever had. Reinhardt and Dixon were dumbfounded. What? Reinhardt guessed. What—what do you—? The whole room was in an uproar. All the council members were on their feet. Reinhardt's words were drowned out. Cherikov will explain when he gets here. Duff's calm voice came. He's the one who discovered it. She looked around the chamber at the incredulous council members. Everyone stays in his seat. You are all to remain here until Cherikov arrives. It's vital you hear what he has to say. His news transforms this whole situation. Peter Cherikov accepted the briefcase of papers from his armed technician. Thanks. He pushed his chair back and glanced thoughtfully around the council chamber. Is everybody ready to hear what I have to say? We're ready. Margaret Duff answered. The council members sat alertly around the table. At the far end, Reinhardt and Dixon watched uneasily as the big pole removed papers from his briefcase and carefully examined them. To begin, I recall to you the original work behind the FTL bomb. Jameson Hedge was the first human to propel an object at a speed greater than light. As you know, that object diminished in length and gained in mass as it moved toward the light speed. When it reached that speed, it vanished. It ceased to exist in our terms, having no length it could not occupy space. It rose to a different order of existence. When Hedge tried to bring the object back, an explosion occurred. Hedge was killed and all his equipment was destroyed. The force of the blast was beyond calculation. Hedge had placed his observation ship many millions of miles away. It was not far enough, however. Originally, he had hoped his drive might be used for space travel, but after his death the principle was abandoned, that is, until Icarus. I saw the possibilities of a bomb, an incredibly powerful bomb, to destroy Centaurus and all the Empire's forces. The reappearance of Icarus would mean the annihilation of their system. As Hedge had shown, the object would re-enter space already occupied by matter and the cataclysm would be beyond belief. But Icarus never came back. Reinhardt cried. Cole altered the wiring so the bomb kept on going. It's probably still going. Wrong. Cherikov boomed. The bomb did reappear, but it didn't explode. Reinhardt reacted violently. Do you mean? The bomb came back, dropping below the FTL speed as soon as it entered the starproxima, but it did not explode. There was no cataclysm. It reappeared and was absorbed by the sun, turned into gas at once. Why didn't it explode? Dixon demanded. Because Thomas Cole solved Hedge's problem, he found a way to bring the FTL object back into this universe without collision, without an explosion. The variable man found what Hedge was after. The whole council was on its feet. A growing murmur filled the chamber. A rising pandemonium breaking out on all sides. I don't believe it, Reinhardt gasped. It isn't possible. If Cole solved Hedge's problem, that would mean— He broke off. Staggered. Faster-than-light drive can now be used for space travel. Cherikov continued, waving the noise down. As Hedge intended, my men have studied the photographs of the control turret. They don't know how or why yet, but we have complete records of the turret. We can duplicate the wiring as soon as the laboratories have been repaired. Comprehension was gradually beginning to settle over the room. Then it'll be possible to build FTL ships, Margaret Duff murmured, dazed. And if we can do that, when I showed him the control turret, Cole understood its purpose. Not my purpose, but the original purpose Hedge had been working toward. Cole realized Icarus was actually an incomplete spaceship, not a bomb at all. He saw what Hedge had seen, an FTL space-drive. He set out to make Icarus work. We can go beyond Centaurus, Dixon muttered, his lips twisted. Then the war was trivial. We can leave the empire completely behind. We can go beyond the galaxy. The whole universe is open to us, Sherecov agreed. Instead of taking over an antiquated empire, we have the entire cosmos to map and explore, God's total creation. Margaret Duff got to her feet and moved slowly toward the great stellar maps that towered above them at the far end of the chamber. She stood for a long time gazing up at the myriad suns, the legions of systems, awed by what she saw. Do you suppose he realized all this? She asked suddenly, what we can see here on these maps? Thomas Cole is a strange person, Sherecov said, half to himself. Apparently he has a kind of intuition about machines, the way things are supposed to work, an intuition more in his hands than in his head, a kind of genius such as a painter or pianist has, not a scientist. He has no verbal knowledge about things, no semantic references. He deals with the things themselves directly. I doubt very much if Thomas Cole understood what would come about. He looked into the globe, the control turret. He saw unfinished wiring and relays. He saw a job half done and incomplete machine. Something to be fixed, Margaret Duff put in. Something to be fixed, like an artist. He saw his work ahead of him. He was interested in only one thing, turning out the best job he could with the skill he possessed. For us, that skill has opened up a whole universe, endless galaxies and systems to explore, worlds without end, unlimited, untouched worlds. Reinhardt got unsteadily to his feet. We better get to work, start organizing construction teams, exploration crews will have to reconvert from war production to ship designing, and begin the manufacture of mining and scientific instruments for survey work. That's right, Margaret Duff said. She looked reflectively up at him. But you're not going to have anything to do with it. Reinhardt saw the expression on her face. His hand flew to his gun and he backed quickly toward the door. Dixon leaped up and joined him. Get back, Reinhardt shouted. Margaret Duff signaled and a phalanx of government troops closed in around the two men. Some faced efficient soldiers with magnetic grapples ready. Reinhardt's blaster wavered toward the council members sitting shocked in their seats and toward Margaret Duff, straight at her blue eyes. Reinhardt's features were distorted with insane fear.  Peter Cherikov slid from the table and with one great stride swept his immense bulk in front of Reinhardt. His huge black furred fist rose in a smashing arc. Reinhardt sailed against the wall, struck with ringing force and then slid slowly to the floor. The government troops threw their grapples quickly around him and jerked him to his feet. His body was frozen rigid, blood dripped from his mouth. He spat bits of tooth, his eyes glazed over. Dixon stood, dazed, mouth open, uncomprehending as the grapples closed around his arms and legs. Reinhardt's gun skidded to the floor as he was yanked toward the door. One of the elderly council members picked the gun up and examined it curiously. He laid it carefully on the table. Fully loaded, he murmured, ready to fire. Reinhardt's battered face was dark with hate.   If I could get my hands loose! You won't, Margaret Duff said. You might as well not even bother to think about it. She signaled to the troops and they pulled Reinhardt and Dixon roughly out of the room, two dazed figures snarling and resentful. For a moment the room was silent. Then the council members shuffled nervously in their seats beginning to breathe again. Shurikov came over and put his big paw on Margaret Duff's shoulder. Are you all right, Margaret? She smiled faintly. I'm fine. Thanks. Shurikov touched her soft hair briefly. Then he broke away and began to pack up his briefcase busily. I'll have to go. I'll get in touch with you later. Where are you going? She asked hesitantly. Can't you stay and— I have to get back to the urals. Shurikov grinned at her over his bushy black beard as he headed out of the room. Some very important business to attend to. This coal was sitting up in bed when Shurikov came to the door. Most of his awkward, hunched-over body was sealed in a thin envelope of transparent, air-proof plastic. Two robot attendants whirred ceaselessly at his side, their bleeds contacting his pulse, blood pressure, respiration, body temperature. Coal turned a little as the huge pole tossed down his briefcase and seated himself on the window ledge. How are you feeling? Shurikov asked him. Better. You see, we've quite advanced therapy. Your burns should be healed in a few months. How's the war coming? The war is over. Coal's lips moved. Icarus? Icarus went as expected—as you expected. Shurikov leaned toward the bed. Coal, I promised you something. I mean to keep my promise as soon as you're well enough. To return me to my own time? That's right. It's a relatively simple matter now that Reinhardt has been removed from power.  We can supply you with some discs of platinum or something of the kind to finance your business. You'll need a new fix-it truck, tools, and clothes. A few thousand dollars ought to do it. Coal was silent. I've already contacted Histo Research. Shurikov continued. The time bubble is ready as soon as you are. We're somewhat beholden to you, as you probably realize. You've made it possible for us to actualize our greatest dream. The whole planet is seething with excitement. We're changing our economy over from war to— They don't resent what happened? The dud must have made an awful lot of people feel downright bad. Not first, but they got over it, as soon as they understood what was ahead. Too bad you won't be here to see it, Coal. The whole world breaking loose, bursting out into the universe. They want me to have an FTL ship ready by the end of the week. Thousands of applications are already on file, men and women wanting to get in on the initial flight. Coal smiled a little. There won't be any band there, no parade or welcoming committee waiting for them. Maybe not. Maybe the first ship will wind up on some dead world. Nothing but sand and dried salt. But everybody wants to go. It's almost like a holiday. People running around and shouting and throwing things in the streets. Afraid I must get back to the labs. Lots of reconstruction work being started. Shurikov dug into his bulging briefcase. By the way, one little thing. While you're recovering here, you might like to look at these. He tossed a handful of schematics on the bed. Coal, pick them up slowly. What's this? Just a little thing I designed. Shurikov arose and lumbered toward the door. We're realigning our political structure to eliminate any reoccurrence of the Reinhard affair. This will block any more one-man power grabs. He jabbed a thick finger at the schematics. It'll turn power over to all of us. It's just a limited number one person could dominate. The way Reinhard dominated the council. This gimmick makes it possible for citizens to raise and decide issues directly. They won't have to wait for the council to verbalize a measure. Any citizen can transmit his will with one of these. Make his needs register on a central control that automatically responds. When a large enough segment of the population wants a certain thing done, these little gadgets set up an active field that touches all the others. An issue won't have to go through a formal council. The citizens can express their will long before any bunch of gray-haired old men could get around to it. Shurikov broke off frowning. Of course, he continued slowly. There is one little detail. What's that? I haven't been able to get a model to function. A few bugs. Much intricate work never was in my line. He paused at the door. Well, I hope I'll see you again before you go. Maybe if you feel well enough later on we could get together for one last talk. Maybe have dinner together sometime, eh? But Thomas Cole wasn't listening. He was bent over the schematics, an intense frown on his weathered face. His long fingers moved restlessly over the schematics, tracing wiring and terminals. His lips moved as he calculated. If waited a moment, then he stepped out into the hall and softly closed the door behind him. He whistled merrily as he strode off down the corridor. End of Part Three of The Variable Man. End of The Variable Man by Philip K. Dick.


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Hey friends today, we are hanging out at Epcot There's only one more day till Christmas and I wanted to come out and enjoy some more of the holiday season here at Walt Disney World I'm more than likely gonna be at Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day So I figured Epcot would be a perfect day for today. We're gonna go around check the wait times ride some rides eat some food I got reservations at Tepanito and we're gonna have some holiday obache and just enjoying Epcot day Anywho's let's go do this It's pretty much a well-known fact that it is super busy Christmas week at Walt Disney World and the wait times kind of show that Spaceship Earth is 45 minutes and look at that line. It goes all the way down and around So we're gonna check on all the wait times and hopefully get on some rides use single rider if we have to It's funny because I loaded up the Genie app And it started calculating the magic and it said no lightning lanes available And then it asked me if I wanted to pay $15 for the Genie plus app And I was like, why would I pay $15 if you just said there was no lightning lanes available I'm sure they were talking about the individual lightning lanes But it was still kind of funny and I skimmed through and there's only like a couple lightning lanes It's not till like seven eight o'clock tonight. So it's pretty much pointless to get it here right now So that means we're gonna have to rely on the good old standby line and also maybe single rider So we might be able to ride single rider on test track That depends though because sometimes the wait for single rider is longer than the standby Depends on how many people are riding in like groups of three or not I'm also excited for some Hibachi later on I love Tepanido and I feel like it's kind of a holiday thing to eat like Chinese food Japanese food Thai food because a lot of places of business are actually open during the holiday season So I feel like in the past I've always had like Chinese takeout on Christmas day and stuff like that So kind of fits in with the holiday ish here, you know, I Always get nervous when I start approaching test track and I don't hear the cars actually going round and round So it might be closed at the moment. Oh No, it looks like test track is down. That kind of makes me a little sad I actually had Expectations that coming in today and actually doing the single rider line on test track But maybe we'll hang out in this area and wait to see if it comes back up because sometimes that happens That means it's gonna be a very low wait time in the meantime. Let's do like the second best ride here at Epcot Mission space. I'm not too sure if we're gonna do the green or the orange Sometimes I'm in a more intense kind of day. Sometimes I'm in a less of an intense kind of day So we're gonna have to decide when we get up there And in case you didn't know I was making a little joke there I don't think mission space is the second best ride at Epcot A lot of people don't enjoy like the feeling you get as you ride mission space I still think the ride itself is a good ride So maybe we will do the less like intense version the green version because I do like the concept of it But who wants to feel like that G4 especially we're about to eat too. That's a roughen or when you've been drinking The wait time for the green side the less intense is only 10 minutes So that makes me more interested in doing that one the orange one is 30 minutes So we're gonna actually just hop in line for the green side. I think it's over here the same size Yeah, we're going to earth mission to earth I've heard people tell me they get more sick actually taking this Delivator up to space to 20 than they do riding the green side That's kind of funny Well, the green version is a complete walk-on also It's really cool to point out that the first family in space in 2030 also has a Dalmatian Looks like we've got the job before people today because it's gonna be just me on my own So I'm gonna have to man all the controls If you are not a fan of enclosed spaces this ride is not for you You have to go inside here, and it's very tight This actually folds down and there's no space like this actually disappears just your leg room So I think we'll sit right in the middle Good for launch Engineer just a reminder. I decided to be the pilot today cameras when we reach altitude you will also extend the wings There we go. Yes, I'm excited Space sickness bags space sickness bags. You know what that means In control we are still waiting for clearance to launch everything is a okay and countdown should resume shortly. Oh boy No pressure I Don't like the sound of that I hope you guys can hear my rocking ship creaking like an old wooden door it's pretty disturbing and scary actually Let's see if we can catch an eye camera again for you Well that was fun and interesting I can't believe it was like squeaking like a way that like the way it was I don't know if it comes out good like the audio on the video I hope it does so you guys can hear it But it literally sounded like a wooden door like opening like in closing very slowly and I was like oh boy Definitely, maybe needs a refurbishment. Maybe a touch up any hoos. I think test track is still down So I'm not too sure maybe we might have to head right on into world showcase Yep, it's still closed and I kind of feel like if I walk away I'm gonna hear test track running and then be like oh no and then rush back here But I think we're just gonna have to move along I mean it's not even like test running so it has to test run a couple times before they start letting guests back in so I guess another day will come and ride test track I'm hoping to be able to catch some of the Christmas stories from the different countries that I haven't got to see yet Like maybe in Italy and I think they also have one in China So we'll just see if it lines up with our dinner reservation at Tepanito And we'll start making our way heading towards Mexico and then ending over in Japan so we can eat One of the places that I haven't checked out for the festival of the holidays is the donut box I know that they have the gingerbread milkshake and then they also have the annual past one But they also have a gingerbread Guinness. I don't know. I think that sounds a little bit interesting I don't know I'm too sure if I want a milkshake right now because we're gonna have some hibachi later But I can go for a stout. I can go for Guinness a gingerbread Guinness Cheers to a gingerbread Guinness and look they're still serving those weird dark cups actually I don't know why they have them here. I mean it I think it's the same amount of bounces I still think it's six ounce cup, but it just feels different. I don't know. Anyway, let's try it here It's good good good stout, you know, it's a good Guinness. I don't taste much gingerbread though I'm trying to see if it'll like hit me like after but I know I'm not tasting not tasting any gingerbread hmm I don't know. I mean I still like Guinness so it's still great to me. I Just heard test track run. Oh Said we go back. I just heard it and we're this far. I Can hear it again. Oh lordy Oh We got to go back You can hear it. It's like running running and if we get there just in time that we don't have to wait at all Tell the guards to open up the gates It looks like they're starting to form a line for when the line opens up The line is not open right now. This is a line to get in line for if the ride actually opens up Oh I'm going in the single rider line I think I'm gonna be the first person on actually look at that two rides. We just walked right on we got lucky I say So Thank you I Am not even mad for not being able to ride because that was Amazing and so funny and just to be able to be a part of something like that because you know what I mean Like everyone's excited. They formed a line for the line when the line actually Reopened and then they were like, yes, all right Everyone come in everyone started cheering and I even walked into the single rider line I was like, wow, I'm gonna be the first person on test track. So excited. Look at me And then they're just like now. Sorry everybody just leave Go back out the way you came in just because of that. It was totally worth it. I'm happy. I Think I'm just gonna stand on this bridge and actually look down at the water And see if I can get anyone else to actually come over and look down and be like hey, I wonder what he's looking at That was hysterical people actually looked and you know why I kind of thought of doing that is because when I was walking by There are people looking at the water and I just stopped over and was like, oh wonder what they're looking at And I realized I think other people do the same thing Alright, let's start making our route around world showcase. Oh, what are those? Those are good. I Believe the holiday show in Italy is starting like very soon So I think we're gonna just dart right over there so we could try to catch it because that's one of the ones I haven't seen yet Holy moly, it is very busy over in world showcase Oh, there she is Now in America I Stick see because I am being very scary right now Are you scared? Yes a little bit scared just a little bit scared by what we are afraid. We are going to get under where Now Santa Claus comes to visit you on Christmas. Yes, oh so close very exciting But do you know when love the fun that comes to visit you On Halloween I will have a sister who she likes Halloween her name is Traga Nona So I let her play on Halloween, but I wait for a little while after Christmas and in January I visit on a very special night called the evil the epiphany and would you like to know why? Wow, I love the Christmas which she is so funny And she's like a good mixture of Halloween and Christmas, but like she's not really Halloween She's a sister that spends time on Halloween But the way that she like just like presents herself like what she was saying look at me I'm very scary just kind of made me very happy As I was watching the Christmas which tell her story I realized that they have all of this actually up right now And that means they're probably going to be doing the party over here for New Year's Eve And I'm so excited. I'm so excited that a lot of all the New Year's Eve festivities are coming back to Epcot Of course, we were here at Epcot last year on New Year's Eve, but the park closed I think at 10 o'clock So they didn't do anything and we ended up going somewhere else and watching fireworks But this year I'm gonna be here on New Year's Eve. The park is open till midnight They're gonna have special New Year's Eve fireworks and by the stage set up right there I'm pretty sure they're gonna have some parties individually around like one of the places I know they have like a silent disco I don't know if that's gonna be returning because that might be something hard to control But as long as they have different festivities in each of the country, I'm gonna be set Looks like people are lining up for the candlelight processional and it's a very long line Almost hitting Germany, which I don't know how much they're gonna be able to fit in there tonight It is Steven Curtis Chapman the singer-songwriter and look at this line Like I said, it goes all the way down here and then a bunch of switchbacks here And then of course like a couple switchbacks and then right into the theater of it itself Definitely a long long line But now I think we're gonna start making our way over to our dining reservation And then this is the line right here for the dining packages. So it's a very like I said look at the crowds here I mean it is very very busy, but this is all to be expected like it's not like a shock factor It's still like kind of like a shock factor though because when you see it you're like wow But like if you're coming on Christmas week, you got to know I Have eaten at Tepanito plenty of times in the past But it's always just one of my favorite restaurants to come to an Epcot I love hibachi and I love just going inside there It's so beautiful being over here in the Japan pavilion is just beautiful in general So I'm excited to eat some food that I kind of been really craving it, you know in Fact for my birthday I wasn't sure what I was gonna do because I really didn't have any plans and I didn't know if I was gonna have anyone to Hang out with so I was trying to think of restaurants that I would want to go to on my birthday And this was one of the places that I was thinking about like coming out and just going on my birthday But I ended up like hanging out with friends at Hollywood Studios and had an amazing time And this is a couple days later so we could do it kind of like the best of both worlds Before we actually make our way in look at how beautiful world showcase lagoon is looking right now I love it. It kind of looks like a sunset's happening But that's the sun actually reflecting off of test track and it just looks so amazing. I'm loving the vibes here tonight I'm loving them All right, we're all checked in and now we're just gonna wait I Am very interested in trying Tokyo dining soon like I said This is Tokyo dining right here, and then this is Tepanito the Hibachi right back through this way So it's kind of like the same restaurant, but it's completely different menus This is more sushi based and I think more signature actually This is just a Hibachi even though it's a very good Hibachi, but I think this is like a step up All right, we're heading back to our table the grill's over 500 degrees. I love it. I'm so excited I think I'm gonna get chicken and shrimp a combination It can be super loud in here especially because we're right underneath an exhaust fan So I'll do my best and also I'll do my best to show you the show because they do cook with like a little show Let's take a look at the menu I know I always like to get the spicy calamari, but I think I'm gonna actually get the combination this time I usually get steak and chicken, but I'm kind of in the mood for some shrimp So I think we'll do chicken and shrimp and extra veggies So we're going with chicken and shrimp and spicy calamari with extra vegetables. I love the vegetables here They're so so good and now we just sit back wait for our food I think the spicy calamari is gonna come out first and I love just watching them cook the calamari It is so cool. So I can't wait to show you That's the spicy calamari right there Look at that. Isn't it so amazing? I love it and it is a little bit spicy just so you know But it is so so good. It has such a great texture to it This is the good stuff right here Okay, I can't hit no one more. We can do it. I got that, okay No more and now I put a little bit of oil into the onion Into the onion Into the onion Into the onion Into the onion Time to eat Real Mickey Hey I'm starting to feel the spice but this is so so good Good good, that's the stuff There we go. We got the rice. We got the noodles. We got the zucchini the carrots the onions The spinach.  I love eating here become one of my favorite restaurants at Epcot and Time to head back to world showcase, but I'm pretty sure it's dark outside Wow has things changed since we walked in look at that before we are looking at a beautiful world showcase Even though right now it's actually still beautiful, but it's a lot darker out It's not full sunset, but it's just about I mean it's going to be pitch dark soon Believe it or not. I don't think I'd ever eat Believe it or not, but I don't think I would have ever eaten at that restaurant if it wasn't for 2021 I don't know how long you guys have been watching my videos, but starting in 2021 I set out saying I want to try new food. I want to experiment trying things I normally wouldn't have eaten in the past and I started here at Epcot And I remember I went to beer carton and I made it a point to come to every single Epcot restaurant And try something that I would not normally try and my first time coming here at the Tepanido I got the spicy calamari because I would have never ordered that like the old me But I ordered it and now I have to get it every time So I'm so grateful that I got to experience all this amazing food for the past year. It was amazing And now we have finally made it back out to the front of world showcase And I just had to stop and stare at spaceship earth because it is so beautiful And it's kind of cool because you don't know what to look at. You got that happening right there And then you got the christmas tree right there. So it's kind of like I don't know which way to go But you know what since we're in the spirit of christmas, I think we're going to go stare at the christmas tree I love it. This is one of my favorite trees. I mean magic kingdom is my favorite christmas tree But this definitely comes at a close second because I love how it has all the different sayings for christmas For each of the countries actually in the tree Do any of you guys have a christmas song that kind of just gets you sad? Well, not sad just emotional Like I have a couple of christmas songs every time I hear them I just kind of get a little emotional and I have no I mean, I guess I do know why but It's just you know something I always wondered like let me know in the comments If you guys have any of those christmas songs like what are they for me like uh that one song that's uh Have yourself a merry little christmas That song always gets me like kind of emotional and then also uh, so this is christmas And what have you done? Another year over That one always gets me too And I know I'm not like a good singer, but I feel like christmas songs don't count There's no judgment when it comes to singing christmas songs. You just kind of enjoy. I mean, it's the christmas It's the it's the holiday spirit, you know I think I'm gonna head in the creation shop real quick and look at some of the uh spirit jerseys to see if they got the One bond bond's looking for Well, take a look here. It looks like they have plenty of the lux 50th anniversary spirit jerseys and pants These were just released and they're super expensive So if you wanted to get the ears the spirit jerseys and the pants the ears are a thousand dollars right here $1,000 and then the spirit jersey which is right here not even know why it's like a spirit jersey Kind of is like a hoodie. It's got a hoodie on and everything like that. This one is $150 and then the pants Are $130 wow, so I mean that's an expensive like outfit. Can you imagine walking around wearing that that and that You might have to get insured Also, it looks like they've got plenty of the mickey waffle lounge flies too I know these were actually really popular people wanted to buy these but I don't know how much these are let's see Oh $85 I think that's kind of expensive, but I mean it is kind of nifty. I like the butter on there Wait a second. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe those really expensive ears aren't like the same line as this one I don't know. I'm really not that like well known in the fashion But I think this matches it like this 50th anniversary lounge fly matches it a little bit better And I don't know this one's $300 holy moly and then they also have the ears down here. These are like some fancy ears right here I don't know how much these are they don't have a price on them though But why are they on this thing like that? That's so awkward Oh, yeah, they even got the security tags. They ain't playing around with that I don't see a price. So I don't know how much they are. Let me know in the comments though Are they expensive? I know the other ones were like a thousand dollars, weren't they? Oh, $300. Oh boy That's steep Wow But still no castle jersey for bon bon. Like I said, I think we're just gonna have to wait They're coming down in january anyway So maybe they'll be restocked by then and the best thing about that castle jersey is it's for the 50th anniversary It has the castle on it. So it's not like a holiday exclusive And we're technically in the 50th anniversary until like next year.  This line right here to the right is the lightning lane line So this is like the lightning lane redemption and there's a huge line on the other side It definitely did not get slower and it just got busier and busier and I feel like that's how epcot is. Oh I love when we just caught like spaceship earth like changing the lights as we're standing underneath it Look at you can kind of oh, it's happening It's happening Isn't it just so beautiful? Oh, I love it. Oh, I could spend like the whole night underneath spaceship earth Oh, you can just see everything change all the lights. Look at this isn't a filter. This is happening in real life Oh, there it goes again With that we are done here I had such a fun day. Thank you guys so much. I hope you guys enjoyed the video I enjoyed making it. Merry christmas. Happy holidays to everybody. I hope everyone enjoys their holidays with their families I'm gonna enjoy the holidays with my families when my mom comes down in january And uh, yeah, I can't wait for uh, magic kingdom on christmas day. So we'll see you next time Bye On my way out. I noticed a sign right here still says minivan and taxi on it That's really interesting since the minivans don't actually exist anymore But they have it there and it's got a cute little mini symbol right here. Can you see it? I actually like the minivan the concept. I mean, it's a lot uh more expensive than like uber or lift But uh for people on vacation, I don't know. It's kind of like a nice thing to splurge So sad that it's gone. Maybe I'll bring it back though. You never know


That's the thing about COVID-19. It doesn't care about How rich you are How famous you are How funny you are how smart you are Where you live How old you are what amazing stories we can tell the Queen of Pop lives in historic a multimillion-dollar estate in the Portuguese capital, but it's far from her only property Today we'll be giving you all the details on her current home her New York City mansion and more we even found the listings We all know Madonna whether you consider yourself a fan or not the singer slash songwriter slash actress is a pioneer of the music industry Being dubbed the Queen of Pop since the 80s. She's noted for her continuous Reinvention versatility in music production songwriting and visual presentation Of course Madonna has often pushed the boundaries of artistic expression in pop culture while still remaining in charge of every part of her career Many other artists consider her a major influence in her work has generated both praise and controversy over the years Whichever way you spin it Madonna has found success that most only dream of while staying true to her unique self among her long list of awards and Achievements she's been named the best-selling female recording artists of all time by Guinness World Records and one of the greatest artists of all time Not to mention Madonna is the wealthiest woman in the entire music business She's sold over 300 million records worldwide and these is her estimated net worth is around 850 million dollars with that kind of money. It's no wonder she's afforded herself multiple mansions across the globe Hey guys, it's Karen. Today. We're doing another house tour here on famous entertainment. I got some requests for this one So today we're gonna be looking at where the Queen Madonna calls home from her current estate in Portugal She lives with the fam to her super-sized dream house in Manhattan and more if you like these videos Make sure you subscribe and ring that bell to be notified when we post so you can always be up to dates We've also done house tours and likes of Tyra Banks and Billie Eilish and we'll link to some at the end Don't forget to follow me an Instagram to chat and as usual, let me know who's house tours next in those comments down below Now let's get into this video While we look at her current home Let's see one of Madonna's previous and most memorable mansions being the level of celebrity She is of course Madonna lived in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles for quite some time and like you'd probably imagine her home was fit For a queen Madonna purchased her previous home in 2003 for 12 million off of actress Selah Ward It's a French country estate right on Sunset Boulevard and what the listing calls a prime A plus location in the heart of Beverly Hills More recently the home's value has gone up to almost 30 mil The palatial home sits on over an acre of sprawling land and inside since 12,108 square feet of space with nine beds ten full baths and four half baths a Treeline private driveway leads you up to the home and of course the whole estate is fully gated There's a massive main home plus not one but two separate detached guest houses It seems like double as a theme in Madonna's previous mansion considering there's also two designer kitchens Main kitchen has vaulted ceilings with crystal chandeliers marble countertops custom cabinets and high-end appliances Madonna's former estate offered an indoor outdoor vibe as the main dining areas open up to the large patio and Fulow back Some living spaces are topped with beam ceilings while others have vaulted ceilings and skylights the fully automated smart mansion offer Seven fireplaces throughout a full professional bar staff quarters 15-person movie theater and if that's not enough for additional surround-sound TV viewing spaces There's also a few offices and a fully equipped private gym There's sweet Madonna used to occupy both a fancy attached bath French doors a terrace and skylights not to mention a massive walking closet Outside to the palm tree covered grounds, there's plenty of patio space to entertain surrounded by a lush tropical landscape There's our style swimming pool is 60 feet long with an attached spot And there's also a full tennis court any posh mansions like this one the home went through a major remodel the extensive revamp of the property Including handmade custom cabin tree with details of old-world craftsmanship blended with modern day and the listing says the estate comes loaded with Every detail thought through Madonna occupied this estate midway through her provocative career living here for over a decade She can always say this used to be my playground But she sold it in 2013 for 19.5 million after her breakup with Guy Ritchie So now for Madonna's current home where we've seen her spending their recent self-isolation with her children in 2017 the star purchased a palace on the stunning Iberian peninsula for almost 9 million US She'll be located here for the football career of her adopted son David Banda Madonna bought the historic Quinta de Rologio Estate in Cintra, Portugal just 20 miles from the capital Lisbon And it covers the sprawling 5.5 acres of land the property is anchored by an 18th century Revival style mini palace that spans over 16,000 square feet as four beds and seven baths It was built back in 1865 by architect Antonio Manuel de Fonseca And it's a colossal quirky and elaborate four-story home But wasn't yet livable when Madonna first purchased according to listing details a structure was fine But needed plenty of renovations for move-in, which I'm sure by now have been carried out The place is so old that the main house was once occupied by a future king of Portugal in his bride in the late 1800s where they spent their honeymoon whether or not Madonna fully completed those renovations in the main mansion There's another secondary residence spanning 4,700 square feet that was extensively and luxuriously Refurbished by Portuguese architect Thiago Burdel and clearly from her Instagram We can see the pop icon and her family settled in nicely and gave the estate quite the duo inside Madonna's home is decorated in a Regal classic style that still fits the heritage of the property the family room looks to have blue walls with Coordinating floor-to-ceiling curtains and wooden floors She also has a painting of Frida Kahlo on the wall in a collection of guitars a different photo of one of the Main living area showed cream carpets in a cream sofa Madonna's kitchen captures Portuguese culture with a collection of baskets hanging across her ceiling the room is white and has a rustic Vibe from a concrete sink and work tops and we can also see a large stainless steel oven sitting in its own Co another area of the kitchen chose a casual dining table attached to another one of the living areas with a large Fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass doors throughout there's also a playroom here for her kids Which looks like it has beige carpets in white walls moving on to Madonna's bedroom suite She chose a large green velvet headboard and white linens for her bed and keeps a photo of actress and friend Debbie Mazar hanging above not to mention there's a pillow with a personal message from Michael Jackson We've also seen the Queen of Pops luxurious attached bathroom like in her controversial video talking about the recent virus It's white with a large marble bath marble walls and she has a large collection of toiletries coming almost every surface Which I can relate to thanks to opposed to Madonna's Instagram stories We also saw a terrace that surrounds the house glass doors lead to a cute garden with plenty of plants and there are larger gardens all Over the property in fact the multiple gardens in the estate were designed in a romantic style according to the listing materials with a Small lake several springs and fountains lush vegetation and flowers There are also rare trees covering the property like centenary oaks cedars and palms if the two main living houses weren't enough space There's also an additional guest house on the property and even a caretakers cottage four separate residences mean There's more than enough space for visiting family and friends as well as any live in staff Madonna has besides her European palace Madonna's always been a New Yorker at heart ever since moving to the city when she was only 19 years old So of course we gotta take a look at the lavish Upper Eastside townhouse. She's all since around 2009 There's a block on 81st Street in Manhattan It looks pretty ordinary at first glance But if you look a little closer beyond all the apartment buildings in townhomes, you'll notice the wall It's 10 feet tall black and mounts with a row of metal points and behind it sits a hybrid three red brick townhomes Seamlessly merged to form a single mansion This is the townhouse that Madonna built when the pop icon gets some time to spend a min-hat And this is exactly where you'll find her in the Upper Eastside of the city at her super-sized dream home after purchasing the first Home Madonna gramped up the two neighboring houses and had all three combined to make the ultimate New York abode these days The place is valued at a whopping 40 million dollars, which is expected the massive 26 room Georgian style residence is reminiscent of a London townhouse spending about 12,000 square feet spread over four stories It's noted for the 57 foot width making it one of the widest houses in the area inside You'll find 13 bedrooms multiple bathrooms and nine fireplaces throughout some of the common areas in Madonna's New York Managing include a large drawing room as per the listing with tall south windows overlooking the garden a panel dining room a king-sized library Georgian staircase elevator and 11-foot ceilings. There's also more than one garden here including one on the rooftop In fact, the main garden is one of the main features of the home covering a massive 3000 square feet tall trees and roses board of the property And there's also a double car garage, which is another rarity in the Upper Eastside a portion of Madonna's enormous townhouse Now functions as a house or guest house with its own entry It's gonna be used as additional quarters although Madonna has put in the money and work to make this custom mansion her New York dream You may not even know she lives there known for keeping a private personal life most of the time Madonna's Manhattan neighbors say the sightings of the Queen of Pop are minimal besides the occasional black SUV picking her up So now we've taken a look at the Queen of Pop a K Madonna's mansions across the globe from her beautiful and historic estate in Portugal she currently spends most of her time to her New York dream home and more Let's not forget Madonna also reportedly owns properties in London having a total of six over the years and all in posh neighborhoods Of course, you can even rent a former Georgia Muse apartment in London that she used to live in with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie If you're interested after looking at some of Madonna's lavish properties, which one was your fave? I'm not much of a New York City girl myself, but her mansion is to die for I love how elegant the design looks and not to 3000 square foot garden. What did you guys think as usual? Be sure to let me know in those comments down below as well as what other celebrity houses You'd like to see follow me in Instagram to chat and I'll see you all in the next one. Bye


Ever heard of quiet quitting? It's the art of doing the bare minimum to avoid getting fired. But hey, the game is changing.  It's all about mutual appreciation now. Employers show some love. Simple gestures like onboarding buddies and workplace happy hours go a long way. Leaders set the tone with healthy boundaries.  Success isn't just about tasks. It's about valuing each team member. Let's create a culture where everyone feels supported and encouraged to bring their best selves to the table.


Just forget it. Those pressures are not going to allow you to execute a process properly because again, the narrative is going to be different in your mind. You're going to be looking at the markets thinking, I need, I need. I come from a place of presence and like I was saying before, you know, the market is just a data set. You're ultimately trading yourself and how you perceive the data. Whereas once you become, I had to move away from being really, I was very goal orientated and financially motivated, but I had to move to a place of being someone who was driven by process. And that's a different perspective, really different.


This video is about how to make sure you are working on things that are important for you in your business So I invite you to bring to mind a task a project or an activity That you've been putting off in your business But that you know if you gave focused attention and time to it that it will move your business forward So maybe it's a writing project of some kind Maybe it's a planning of something. Maybe it's reaching out to a referral partner or prospective clients Maybe it is cleaning or organizing something Okay, a simple way to make sure that you stop putting it off and do it is to schedule an appointment with yourself Half an hour hour hour and a half four hours, whatever It helps you to focus on something schedule an appointment with yourself in your calendar To be working on that thing now. I know you might say to me George. I've tried scheduling appointments with myself I don't keep them something always comes up I get distracted on doing something or I Fulfill other people's requests instead and In this case, I want to ask you do you treat your client appointments in that way? You said an appointment with a client say three weeks from now.  I don't feel like it today. Just don't feel up to it. I hope you don't do that You probably don't Now if something really does come up with a client or that might conflict with a client appointment You reschedule with your client, right? But you don't reschedule you don't keep rescheduling You don't say all right. Let's try it next week and then it doesn't come it doesn't you know You don't feel like it. Let's try another week.  If someone else wants to do something at that time slot you say, no, I've got a client appointment at that time, right? You don't just say oh sure. Why not? I'll just reschedule the client. No, you you treat your clients appointments with respect So I'm inviting you to treat appointments with yourself with that kind of respect Because you are your most important client So think about how you prepare for client appointments and how you are during the client appointments You probably take a few minutes to prepare for that appointment You as the client comes in or beforehand you maybe you take some time to breathe Set an intention be present Why not do the same thing with appointments with yourself? right And during the client appointment you don't check email Uh constantly you don't like surf facebook or look at this web link or that web page You are there with a client And you're thinking of ideas to help them you are present in your whatever healing or or coaching capacity you do with them Do the same with yourself And You might also say well george. I've tried to so much time. I just keep putting blowing off appointments with myself Okay, I want you to invite you to start simple So don't try to schedule. All right. I'm so excited about this idea I'm going to schedule five hours for the next, you know, seven days. No Try just scheduling one hour this week to work on something you've been putting off, but you know, it's important And treat that as a client appointment. It's client with the appointment with your most important client, which is you And then take a stand no matter if someone says you oh, you want to go do this You want to go do that or you don't feel like it treat it like a client appointment an important one And see what happens and you need practice To treat yourself with respect and treat your own schedule for with yourself with respect And as you schedule one and meet it then schedule another one the following week and meet that And soon you'll start treating your appointments with yourself with that kind of respect that you deserve So I hope you try this out. Let me know how it goes any questions. I'm always welcome to it And until the next video be well


So now I'm going to take this problem and just kind of move down here to a second question. If I had rounded this all off and said my pendulum was 0.25 meters, how much of an error would that end up giving me over the course of a day? Well, I'm going to use my equation now that talks about the period in terms of 2 pi of the square root of L over G, and I'm going to plug in this shortened rounded off version. When I solve this, what I see is that I've got a period not of one second, but 1.0035 seconds. May not seem like that's very much of a big deal here, but one day is 86,400 seconds. So I'd expect this pendulum to have 86,400 ticks, but the ticks on the clock are going to be that total amount of time divided by the time for each tick. And when I do that calculation, this clock is only going to tick 86,098 ticks in that one day time. So that means my clock is slow by over 300 seconds or 5 minutes off every day.  And this is why clocks that work on pendulums have to be manufactured so precisely. So I hope this helps explain pendulums a little better.


But I knew this was something I really wanted. For us to come together at one central place and start doing something together, I thought it would be really important and really cool. I really just started recruiting people and finding people that not only were interested or like good players, but were passionate and I trusted and I cared about it. Before we even started I was a career in the community that really wanted to come together and see something through. My name is Vishalva Jake-Mar and I'm the president of Club Table Tennis at the University of Vermont. There are kids who email me saying, hey I have no table tennis experience, can I still come and play? And I say, of course you can. The whole point is for you to come explore something and find out that you either really like it or you don't and that's totally fine, that's what the club is there for. You're not supposed to be thinking about, oh I have this meeting at this time. And sometimes it has to be that way and I totally understand that. Sometimes we do things that we don't really want to do. That's one thing I never want table tennis to be. There's seven to ten people who come every meeting. Those are the most amazing people I've met this year. Each one is completely different than the next and by week two all of us were joking around and having fun. When you hear the ball start hitting that table and people start, you know, staring around, watching and someone hit the shot, everyone goes insane. That's not just because we like table tennis. That's because we care about who we are and what we mean to each other. I think that's so powerful. Clubs are meant for you to express yourself and find yourself and it's supposed to be way bigger than what you're actually doing. It's supposed to be about each other, who you find, what you do. It can be simple. We can just be friends. That's more than enough.