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July 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
— Jack, it's not my fault that the prototype malfunctioned, — Vlad's stubbornness persisted. Despite Jack's arguments, Vlad continued to deny everything, which began to frustrate Maddie. She couldn't comprehend how someone could be so stubborn and escalate the conflict while remaining calm. It was as if the very act of arguing fueled Vlad's determination.
— Oh, come on, — she sighed nervously, rolling her eyes. — We've got a lot of work to do on the project: calculations, documentation, and preliminary experiments. Let's just forget about these minor details and move on with our work.
— I won't take on someone else's responsibility, — Vlad continued working. He looked calm and focused as always, but it only made Maddie more irritating.
― What does it matter? You're escalating the situation and starting a conflict, when you could just be smart and let us all continue working in peace, ― Maddy angrily threw a notebook with calculations on the table. This argumentative person was already making her nerves frayed.
― Oh, so it's my fault too? ― Vlad playfully feigned surprise. ― Well, in that case, why doesn't Jack take responsibility for keeping the cat in the dorm and deal with the headmaster? It would be a reasonable and non-confrontational approach.
— The cat belongs to you, — Maddy hissed through her teeth. — You're the one who likes to bring animals into the house, so don't even think about comparing the two situations.
― And Jack likes to make adjustments to our joint work, even when he's clearly told not to, ― Vlad retorted. ― But somehow, according to your logic, I should take the blame for his unprofessional approach to work.
The situation in the lab was worse than ever, and all because of something as trivial as a homemade filter for distillation of an ecto-purifier. Such a device had never existed before, nor had there been even a hint of a similar substance. There were only analogues. Something similar did exist, but the university would never allow students to request the development of a foreign country for dubious purposes. Vlad's job was to assemble a filter for one of the stages, and Jack was responsible for installing it in the apparatus that he and Maddie had been setting up. But the cleaning system broke down and even caused a short circuit. Although everything worked fine during the test runs before the filter was installed. It was obvious that the problem was in the part of the work that Vlad had done, and Jack had simply pointed out this unpleasant fact to him. It seemed like such a minor issue that it was hard to imagine that it could lead to any conflict. Vlad could have simply acknowledged his mistake. He could have said, "Yes, I made a mistake, and I will fix it." However, he seemed to have a tendency to engage in petty arguments lately.
It was just unbearable. Especially coupled with his incredible irritating bitterness.
Now the guy was slowly going through the device and at the same time continued to bicker. In fact, he was already doing what was required of him, correcting his mistake, but at the same time he was behaving simply disgusting and as if on purpose to get on everyone's nerves. This behavior was already beyond all known to mankind limits of adequacy and made Maddie wonder why for the reason they still communicate and work with this person.
— Well, as I said, the problem isn't with the filters,— Vlad said calmly, showing the blown fuses. — The phases are messed up. I'm surprised this thing even started with such a fatal flaw.
— But the phases were fine until the filters were connected. Maddie worked on them, and she would never make a mistake like that. — Jack seemed genuinely surprised by what had happened. His large, light-colored eyes were wide open, staring at the mechanism with a childlike curiosity. He was bright, kind, and sincere, in contrast to his arrogant and occasionally unpleasant roommate. Maddie had always liked this about him. — Are you sure it's not the filters?
— You tell us, Jack, — Vlad said calmly, looking from the burnt-out fuses to his friend. His pale face was expressionless, and his narrowed, cold blue eyes looked stern and even angry. — You were the one who put the whole thing together.
― Stop it already! ― Maddy shouted. She grabbed spare parts and necessary tools from one of the shelves. ― We've found the problem. Let's fix it quickly and move on. Who cares who's to blame? Put your principles somewhere else. You're just looking for an argument.
— There's a big difference, — Vlad said with a sigh as he took the tools from the girl's hands. — If the situation required me to solve a problem, I wouldn't mind just doing my job, regardless of what or who caused it. However, I won't tolerate baseless accusations.
***
Maddy was ready to start screaming, but it wouldn't have made any difference. She already knew that if she lost her temper, she would just make a fool of herself in front of the committee and her husband. She had already been subjected to a metaphorical beating by her kind-hearted colleagues during her presentation. Mistakes in presentations were much more likely to be discussed when they involved controversial topics like "ghosts." She had deliberately avoided using such harsh words in order to present their research with Jack as something more traditionally scientific, without any supernatural or esoteric elements. These topics were never supposed to be related to rigorous calculations or critical thinking. However, the inclusion of the term "ghosts" in the presentation, handouts caused noticeable whispers and even laughter in the audience. Fortunately, she managed to turn it into a kind of humor and present it in the right way, but the aftertaste was still extremely unpleasant. She entrusted these details to her husband, who simply needed to arrange everything in a beautiful and presentable manner according to her wishes. It was a straightforward task. There was no overarching goal or additional burden, as Jack's workload was already less than hers. But... — I told you not to use those dubious terms. I made you a cheat sheet. I've got it all figured out. Why do you have to be such an amateur? — Maddy was already four months pregnant. She and Jack were expecting their first child. She was still suffering from terrible morning sickness, which unfortunately hadn't subsided by lunchtime, and her nerves were on edge. On top of that, she had to deal with these sudden issues. The word "ghosts" was acceptable only for their own communication, but not as a topic for a report. It was a line that should not be crossed. Maddy sincerely wanted to be taken seriously in the scientific world, and she did everything in her power to achieve this. She was trying to get rid of the label of "crazy scientists" that had been placed on them at the university just for the idea of a portal, let alone trying to develop a prototype. And now, she sincerely did not want to repeat the same mistakes. — Honey, you're getting worked up over nothing. Calm down, — Jack said innocently, but his suggestion to calm down only made me more irritated. When was the last time the word "calm down" actually put someone in a state of complete zen and unity with the universe, rather than making them four times more angry than they already were? — I'm calm, — Maddy said through gritted teeth. — Just want to know why you put us in such stupid situation. — What nonsense? — The man blinked in surprise. — There was no catastrophe. As far as I'm concerned, everyone was satisfied. It was even fun. You did a great job. — I had to improvise because you put these "ghosts" everywhere, — she began to feel queasy again. At such moments, my head began to spin and my legs gave out. She sat down in the nearest armchair of a small hotel room and began to fan herself with some kind of free magazine. ― We agreed not to use this term. I thought you understood and accepted all my arguments. I didn't check your part of the job because I trusted you, but you did... Maddy was disappointed and felt nothing but nausea and fatigue. These feelings during pregnancy were new, confusing, and even frightening at times. However, work and research remained a priority. She knew all too well that without their combined efforts, they would not be able to earn enough money to not only prepare for the birth of their first child, but also to continue paying off the mortgage on their home, which was solely her responsibility. She could not afford to stop and rest. She couldn't afford to be careless, as she was responsible for calculating small details, logic, and public relations. — You're getting upset over a little thing like this, — Jack said, kneeling in front of her and taking her hand in his big, warm hands. — I would never intentionally do anything to upset you, baby. 'Ghosts' is just a word in this situation. Let's not fight over something so trivial. Especially now. He's always been a romantic. Gentle, sweet, and emotional. He always knew how to make her melt. He always knew what to say to make her forget about logic and give in to their shared passion. Maddy genuinely loved him for who he was. Maddy thought that Jack was probably right, and she was just making a big deal out of nothing because of her raging hormones. After all, it had ended well for them, isn't it?***
— It wasn't me, — Danny said seriously, staring at his parents without blinking. The problem arose in the morning, when their three-year-old son was playing with a ball in the kitchen and, after accidentally losing it, was forced to go down to the basement laboratory in order to retrieve the toy. It was a minor incident, nothing significant. However, after this brief excursion, a small wave of short circuits spread throughout the equipment. Jack assumed that it was the boy's fault, as he had been careless a while ago. All the child needed to do was admit his mistake, apologize for the damage, and learn the important lesson that responsibility and acknowledgment of errors are essential. This was a valuable skill that could be learned at any time. However, Danny continued to deny his guilt with confidence and even anger, which was evidently building up within his small body, threatening to erupt into a tantrum at any moment. ― My dear, who else could have done it? ― Maddy tried to be gentle and explain everything to the child as calmly as possible, although some of her thoughts were still occupied with the project and the upcoming solo trip to a long conference. ― You were the last there. — It's probably just a case of playing with the ball and hitting a couple of wires, — Jack suggested. — It happens, you just have to be able to admit it. ― I didn't play with the ball in the basement! ― the child burst out, already raising his voice. ― You said you couldn't play there. And I didn't! If it continued much longer, the child would start to have a tantrum, which would take at least an hour to calm down. Maddy didn't have time to deal with this right now, and it was clear that she shouldn't leave it to Jack. Jack had struggled to handle the child's tears, but instead of comforting and gently explaining things to a child who didn't fully understand the world, he had resorted to treating them like adults, causing the child, who couldn't even read, to cry. — Shh, sweetheart. Let's take a break for a while, — with a sigh, Maddy picked up her son and headed outside to give him some fresh air. — Maddy, if you keep messing with him like this, he'll never learn anything, — Jack called after his wife as he continued to solder another circuit on the kitchen table. To replace the ones that had burned out in the lab. She didn't say anything. Realized that sometimes it was easier to keep quiet and let her husband have the last word. This helped her avoid the occasional conflicts that arose between them over minor issues. During these arguments, she felt like she was turning into Vlad Masters, and it was terrifying. For various reasons, her former classmate still remained an extremely unpleasant person in her mind, and she tried to avoid associating with him. — It wasn't me, — Danny whimpered, wiping his wet eyelashes with the back of his hand and clutching a small ball with a cartoon dog wearing human clothes. — I didn't do anything. Dad's lying. — Darling, why would Daddy do that? — she asked gently, stroking the child's head. — I don't know. Maybe it's his fault. But it's not me, I swear! — Danny started hiccupping a little. The stress was taking a toll on the children and their fragile minds and nervous systems. Danny was already prone to sleepwalking, and Maddy didn't want to trigger those episodes again. — Why would Daddy ruin something we're working on together? — Maddy asked, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu for some reason. — I don't know, — the child sobbed, breaking down in tears. — I don't know. But it wasn't me! Danny wasn't listening to her anymore. He was just crying and repeating that it wasn't his fault. Wasn't pretending. He was actually in a terrible state of hysteria, completely losing touch with reality. It seemed like something that would be common for someone his age, but there was something that wasn't right about it. Maddy feel it was a strange feeling that something similar had happened before. But she couldn't remember when.
