Death^2

Death^2

Diary of Robert Angier

Nikola Tesla's machine is the pinnacle of science. Put the object of interest inside, provide the machine with energy, flip a single switch, and voila: instantaneous and perfect duplication of matter. It has changed everything I believed since I first saw it work. Tesla is the world's greatest scientist for his feat of creating it, and no doubt the world's biggest fool for willingly letting it be taken from him.

If only Julia (No! -- Pain! -- Hurt! -- God!)... If only Borden could see this marvel that I now possess. To see his dawning comprehension of my power - that would be the ultimate retribution. Not the loss of two fingers, not showing him up as a stage magician, nothing that I've ever strived toward could ever make him pay the way that he now will.

To duplicate:
Cash (check for serial numbers) gold
Batteries for powering the machine

Diary of Robert Angier

It violates all reason but the machine duplicates fully charged batteries perfectly well. They contain more power than what is required to run the machine! In this way, I have eliminated my dependence on the electric company and erased any chance of them inquiring about the unbelievable amount of energy needed to repeatedly power the machine.

Less surprisingly, the gold replication has made me rich as a king. It leaves me tempted to disappear and reappear (which is quite a good trick) as some distant nobility somewhere where I can spend my millions without suspicion. But no - Borden must pay. It must be done first.

Diary of Robert Angier

I died today. Like a fool, I ended up in the machine when it turned on. I thought it was malfunctioning and was investigating. When the flashing lights subsided, I saw ~myself~ standing on the other side of the room. I had a gun nearby in case of this exact accident, and as I fumbled for it, the other Angier started to back away and beg "No. stop! I'm you! I can help y-". The first bullet stopped his protests, and the second stopped his heart. I don't feel good about what I've done, but I couldn't trust my double to live. What if he had taken my machine and killed me?

I've been given two new ideas from this mishap. One idea for me, and another for the rotten soul of Alfred Borden.

Diary of Robert Angier

A secluded factory has been refurbished to fit my purposes. It has been equipped with cells with time-release locks, an incinerator, and several dozen tanks of water. It took 27 days to build. It's incredible that it even took that long given the amount of money I spent on making the workers move faster.

I made my first intentional backup and had the machine output him directly into a cell. I call him A2, and I plan to replace him every 24 hours. Should I leave him be for 48 hours, a timed-lock will open and he will be free to replace me, as in that case I am very likely dead.

I have also duplicated a number of bullets. I wouldn't want to run out.

-break-

Alfred Borden awoke to a rattling sound. He was not in his own home or his own bed. He was in a cell.

"Hello Borden".

He looked up and saw Angier looking deadly serious.

"I've had a chat with Fallon. He told me all about your shared life. He told me that you are the one responsible for Julia's death."

Borden looked and saw Fallon on the ground near Angier's beat. He looked half dead from torture.

"You never paid for Julia's death. Today, your hell starts."

Angier inclined the gun in his hand toward Fallon's head and calmly fired six times. The echoing blasts were about as loud as Borden's screams that followed.

-break-

Borden awoke groggily as if hungover. When he remembered where he was and the death of his brother, he almost started screaming again, but something caught his attention first. In the cells on either side of him, two men were stirring. They looked just like Borden.

Angier strolled into the three Borden's sight and announced:

"All three of you are the same man. I will demonstrate this machine's effectiveness at duplication, and you can compare knowledge and see that each of you knows all of your secrets and life story."

With that said, Angier approached the machine in the center of the room, and flipped a switch. After a few seconds of flashing lights, Angier toggled the switch back off and waited for his audience to realize the trick was already over. Almost simultaneously, the three noticed that the fourth and final cage in the large room which was definitely empty before was now occupied by another Borden.

"Now I have an important question to ask you."

As Angier said "you", he pointed to the newest Borden.

"Would you like to climb into this water tank and drown?"

Borden motioned toward the elephant in the room, a large magician's prop, a water tank identical to the one Julia died in.

"A fitting punishment worth of Julia's memory. Or would you prefer to watch yourself be shot and killed three times?"

Borden just glared silently.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Angier shot each of the three other Borden's in the gut and let Borden 4 listen to them die slowly and loudly and painfully.

The second iteration of the test, with three fresh copies of Borden 4 each forced to share a cell with their corpes, ended with the first Borden 4 drowning himself. It too, did not seem pleasant.

Angier knew that this would not satisfy his bloodlust sufficiently and ran the cruel experiment another eight times that day alone. It mattered not to him which option was chosen. He only wanted Borden to suffer the way that he had to suffer. Watching as someone you care about is completely and utterly annihilated.

After two straight weeks of murder and dragging countless copies of Alfred Borden (and a dozen backup copies of himself) into his incinerator, Angier finally snapped and killed the final copy of Borden. He did it quickly and without ceremony. No version of Borden could be allowed to escape this fate, even to carry on the memory of watching himself die over and over and over.

Angier collapsed from exhaustion. He'd hardly been sleeping at all, and had started to neglect food in favor of killing Borden more and more times. When he finally awoke, he promised himself to put this chapter of his life infinitely far behind him, and go retire to a life of luxury in some other country.

He made his way quickly toward the cell where he kept his double and wondered at how long it had been since his last check-in. Angier almost shouted aloud when he found it empty. A paper note was on the open door of the cell. It read:

"You are drunk with revenge. We will let you sate it for us. We made use of the machine while you took your "nap". We then took the machine's vital components for reassembly elsewhere. We have great plans. Do not follow us. We let you live because we knew that you would be too afraid to follow after, with no money, machine, or backups to fight us with."

Beneath the words was scrawled thirteen signatures each bearing the same name:

Angier.