Cool Story Bro

As Nōn arrived at the entrance to Gou's lab, he looked up at the security cameras and demanded, "Tell your buddy Node to let me in!" The doors clinked and unlocked, allowing Nōn to enter the lab.

"What's up, Gou! Dude, you totally missed it," Nōn said as he approached his brother.

"Missed what?" Gou asked, barely looking up from his work.

“You missed an epic futsal game today. I killed it out there. They called me 'Neymar Blanco' on the court. How sick is that?"

But Gou was already disinterested and had started talking to himself again. "The reason they needed to teach the others was so they could preserve life better and prosper. Learning more efficiently meant faster means not only surviving but thriving. It makes you think... are we naturally designed to educate and explore? It seems like all living creatures do this in one way or another.”

Nōn cut in. "Uh, am I interrupting something here, Gou? Who are you talking to? And who's ‘they’?"

Gou got up from his cluttered desk and sat beside his brother on the dingy futon where Gou often passed out. “Nōn, have you ever heard the ancient Egyptian myth about the creation of the universe–the story of Nun and Atum?” Gou asked.

“No, but I bet you’re going to tell me.”

“According to the myth, Nun was the primal ocean of chaos, swirling with dark and formless waters. Out of this chaos, Atum emerged, the first god and creator of the universe. Atum created the first land, the first air, and the first light. From this light, he created all of the other gods and goddesses, and eventually, sparked evolutionary life in our oceans.”

“Cool story bro. So why are you telling me this?” Nōn interrupted sarcastically.

“Bro please, just listen. The ancient Egyptians believed that the world was created by Atum, who emerged from the chaos of Nun. They say Atum created everything else by speaking the names of the things he wanted to bring into being. But the interesting part is how he did it - he did it through the power of light.”

“So we didn’t create spoken words, they existed before us?” Nōn intuitively asked. 

“Hmm.. possibly,” Gou answered. “I never really thought about that aspect of the story. Come to think of it, words are really just vibrations, and in the field of astrophysics, gravity is known to produce vibrations in the fabric of spacetime itself. Crazy enough, all sounds have an inherent power through their frequency. Word frequencies vibrate from low to high. Lower frequency sounds and words vibrate in the emotional realm of fear, regret, blame, guilt, hopelessness, grief, and despair.”

"The point is, Nōn, according to the same science we’ve been taught in school, the universe began with the Big Bang—a massive explosion that created all the mass and matter we see today. This included gas and dust particles, which eventually clumped together due to gravity to form the stars and planets. I’m not sold on the big bang one hundred percent, but it does sound like some form of primordial soup if you ask me!”

“Dang, that sounds like a lot of noise if you ask me,” chuckled Nōn. “So if it wasn’t a big bang that formed everything out of nothing, then what was it brainiac?”

So, like, the Big Bang theory talks about this huge explosion that made everything in the universe, right? But there's a problem with it. At the moment of the Big Bang, there's this thing called a singularity. It's like a point of infinite energy and zero space. That's a big deal, 'cause it messes up the physics we know.

But wait, there's a cool alternative theory called the "Big Bounce." It says that before our universe, there was another one that collapsed. But instead of going to a singularity, it bounced back out, like a rubber ball! This "bounce" created our universe like a brand new branch.

Some scientists say that during this collapse and bounce, special effects from quantum stuff made it all happen. It's like magic, but science magic! It's still being tested, but some people think it's a legit idea.

There are different versions of this theory too! One guy named Roger Penrose came up with a "conformal cyclic cosmology." He thinks the universe will keep expanding until everything turns into light. Then, it becomes like a new Big Bang, starting the whole cycle again!

Another smart person named Nikodem Popławski thinks the universe avoids the Big Bang singularity by going through a cusp-like bounce instead. It's like a smooth curve, not a sharp point. This idea also explains why the universe looks so flat and even at the largest scales.

So, yeah, the Big Bounce theory is like a wild ride that challenges the Big Bang, showing that the universe might've been bouncing around all along. It's not all settled yet, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on in the hacker way of exploring the secrets of the cosmos!

Despite Nōn’s smart remarks and frequent puns, Gou found real joy in deep chats with his brother. It wasn't about the destination, but the journey that mattered to Gou. To Gou, unraveling the mysteries of the universe was more exciting than any other form of entertainment.

“Check it out. Photons, those tiny particles of light, can carry energy and info. Some scientists think they played a big role in making essential stuff for life, like sugars and amino acids. So, light, or photons, could've helped start life as we know it. Pretty cool idea, right?”

Continuing on, Gou stood up to elaborate using his hands to gesture and keep Nōn’s attention. "Geek out with me here. I know you know all about photosynthesis, the process by which plants use light to convert carbon dioxide and water into energy. I know you know it’s what allowed life to emerge on Earth. Without photosynthesis, there would be no oxygen in the atmosphere, and without oxygen, there would be no life as we know it!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know all this Gou,” Nōn impatiently claimed. “Get to the point!”

"So in a way, the myth of Atum creating life through the power of light isn't so far off from the scientific understanding of how life on Earth began. It's almost as if the ancient Egyptians were trying to describe the same thing that scientists are just now beginning to describe, today - the role of energy in the creation of life!"

Nōn quickly interjected, "Hhold up, Gou. Stop the story. What's going on with you? These are some deep things for a 15 year old kid to be thinking about. Why can’t you just be normal dude?"

"If you've never thought about what's next for humans, you're not normal," Gou replied, as he always did. “And if you need a school to tell you exactly what you can and can’t think about, that’s bogus. I’ll spend my time learning about the things I think are important, not the other way around.”

"Ok dude. School’s teach us the basics so when we mature, we don’t go off all half-cocked going down rabbit trails like you are now. Bruh, imma ask you again, what's up with you lately? What’s with all the cosmo-spiritual mumbo-jumbo?" Nōn asked.

"I feel an urge to dive into the future of humanity and open the eyes of my generation. But hey, most peeps like you couldn't care less, right?" Gou shot back, frustration creeping into his voice. "Whatever, one day, I'll be the one prepping kids for the next freaking level, showing 'em how to dominate in a world that's mind-blowingly different."

"Uh, okay, I guess," Nōn muttered, acting clueless. "That's just... weird, man. Hope you're not losing it or building some crazy contraption for your wild thoughts. And where the heck are you getting the money for all this hardware?"

Gou clenched his jaw, growing tired of explaining himself. "Look, I got a lot on my mind right now, alright? And as for the god stuff, it's just a thought, it’s not that deep," he dismissed, feeling the need to shield his deeper musings.

The conversation was starting to annoy Gou as he brushed off Nōn's skepticism. Talking to his brother had become frustrating, making him question his own path, something he hated doing. Gou had always been fueled by ambitious dreams, but at times, explaining it all to non-believers felt like a pointless struggle he was too street-smart to bother with.

Nōn nodded, still not entirely sure what Gou was truly up to. "It’s not that deep? Seriously, it is deep, it’s crazy deep matter fact—you need to take a break and come back to reality for a minute. Our dad, Chino, hasn't spoken in months and it's really worrying us. When he does speak, he’s not making any sense and sounds angry. Can you try and talk to him and see if you can get him to open up?"

Gou nodded, a hint of guilt crossing his face. "Yeah, I know. I'll try to make some time to talk to him tomorrow. But right now, I gotta get back to work. There's a ton I need to do."

Nōn sighed, giving Gou a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Alright man, I'll leave you be. But seriously, don't forget to take care of yourself and be there for your family too, okay?"

Gou nodded, turning back to his work as Nōn walked away. Despite his best intentions, Gou knew he had a tendency to get a little too caught up.

"Hold on Nōn, don't go yet," Gou said, finally tearing his gaze away from his work. "I’ll figure something out with Chino, I promise."

Chino had always been the steadfast pillar of the Sokyeo family, their unwavering rock in times of turbulence. However, since being ousted from the particle engineering lab, a distinct change had come over him. He had grown distant, detached from the world around him, wrapped in a cocoon of solitude. He seemed to shun any conversation about his past work, as if it was a wound too raw, too painful to touch. The once vibrant, engaged man they all knew and admired was slowly replaced by a silent reclusive shadow.

Nōn and Gou, his sons, were both struggling to navigate their father's transformation. Nōn, despite his attempts, found himself helpless against Chino's stubborn refusal to discuss his feelings, or even speak at all. The more Nōn pushed, the more Chino retreated into his shell. His once lively father seemed to have locked himself away from the world, leaving Nōn at a loss for how to reach him.

Gou, on the other hand, while also distressed by their father's shift, was determined to get through to him at some point. He knew it wouldn't be easy, that he might face the same impenetrable wall that Nōn had encountered. Deep down, Gou knew there was a way to fix Chino, and that it had something to do with figuring out what happened before the incident at the particle acceleratoraccellerator lab where he worked before falling off. 

Nōn, having been subject to Gou’s false promises before, paused in his footsteps towards the door, looking back at Gou. "Brother, are you really willing to give up feelings and the present in exchange for this improbable work you’re doing? Try thinking of life, as is, as a gift from the gods. Don’t waste it."

As Nōn left the lab, Gou remained undeterred, lost in thoughts about our existence. Unfazed by Nōn's plea to stop, he couldn't help but delve into the ancient mysteries of Nun and Atum. Why are we here? What's our purpose? With the world changing fast, what path should we take?

Gou let out a sigh, settling back at his desk, eyes fixed on the glowing screen. As the night grew darker, well past midnight, he plugged in his headphones, tuned into binaural beats, and brushed off the nagging conversations with his siblings. He knew he had to seek answers, and that's exactly what he was gonna do.