The Higgs Coefficient

	“Power level stabilizing at 85% capacity and climbing within limits”
	The electric hum around the massive particle accelerator wasn’t quite deafening yet. Rhonda flickered her tiny ears and tried to pick out the harmonies and sounds absently as she turned the dials and flicked a couple key switches on the vast array of controls in front of her.
	“We’re almost there, keep it up, and we’ll have some results for sure this time…”
	Dr. Boone’s ears also flicked and focused intently on the whine. The pair were waiting for just the right moment and speed to introduce the newly discovered particle set to a series of protons streaming at nearly the speed of light. Tension hung loosely in the air, much like it did any other night. The cacophony began to focus into harmony, the targets were aligning into their chemical positions…
	“Alright, ready to fire in five… four… three…”, Trevor always lost his focus at three, but the unspoken countdown continued for two more unsuspecting seconds, until one finger pressed down on the button that would hopefully change the way they believed the world worked.
	Except nothing happened.
	“Power approaching 95% capacity, we can’t hold this much longer, sir.”, the otteress looked up from her control panel, glazed concern upon her eyes. It was getting late, and the hour was starting to take its toll upon her. Trevor looked back down at the unresponsive control panel. He pressed the blue button to fire the protons a few more times.
	“We’ve got something wrong with the panel again? Oh, ferchrissakes, this is the fourth time this week we’ve had to… Rhonda, we’ve wasted enough juice tonight, just put the whole thing into standby mode and let’s get going home.” The anger and frustration were clear on the kangaroo’s face, his tail twitching and ears folded down. Rhonda sighed and toecurled a little bit, and began moving the sliders back down to the low-power mode.
	“I don’t understand what the heck is going on with this place, you’d think that we’d lost our funding the way stuff keeps breaking!” Trevor took off his custom-ground work goggles and tossed them onto the table, papers and hypothesis scattering into the air. “If we don’t start making some findings soon, you realize what they’re gonna do to what little funding we have? Probably line some fat pig’s pockets in the oil and gasoline sector, same as always!” He slammed his handpaws down onto the table, the blurry night’s work nothing more than one step forward for every two steps back. “Look, Rhonda, we’ve been working together for over a year and a half, and I know we can do this…” 
	The otteress came up behind her coworker and rested an arm platonically on his shoulder. “I don’t doubt your theories for a moment, Dr. Boone. I wouldn’t have signed onto this project with you if I didn’t believe we had any chance of discovering the Higgs boson together. With your work in physics and my engineering, we’ve come this far already. It hurts to see you get all worked up over a silly little switchboard malfunction…”
	The kangaroo’s hackles lowered at her touch, visibly calmed and looking weary. “Eh, you’re right, Rhonda. We’ve been at this all day.” He looked up at the clock, squinting. He reached out looking for his regular glasses, which Rhonda already had ready to present. Fumbling them only briefly, he soon managed to read the late hour. “Jeez, already pushing midnight, didn’t the lab close an hour ago?”
	“Yes, sir. We closed at 10 as usual.” The otteress began to gather her things slowly, sheafs of technical documents and formula papers slowly being reorganized and shuffled into place. Dr. Boone straightened his labcoat and retrieved his keys from his desk. Noticing that his protégé was a bit slow in her cleanup, he lingered at the door. “Er, do you need any help straightening up, Rhonda? You seem to be pretty tired yourself…”
	Rhonda seemed a little surprised, jerking up a little as she put down a few capacitors and resistors. “Oh! Me? I’m fine, just fine. Spilled a few of these resistors in the wrong bin, just gotta sort them before I go home… hehe, you know how it is. Bye! Drive carefully!” She waved and swivelled her hips subtly, letting her braided headfur shift to the side as she smiled with all the innocence of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
	Dr. Boone hesitated for a moment, but shook it off as being overly tired. “Oh, fine, I know how you have to have everything just perfect and efficient. You never would’ve come this far without it. Just remember to lock up and turn out the lights, you’re car’s the only one left in the lot besides mine…” He waved and yawned, “Seeya tomorrow, sleep well.”
	“Alright, sir! Take care!” Rhonda busily sorted and placed several resistors back and forth until the door closed behind her. She listened to the kangaroo’s plodding footsteps echo down the tiled hallway, a thin smile blossoming on her muzzle. Her tail began to sway as she waited for her partner to leave. The ticking clock on the wall mirrored her metronoming tailtip. There, the outer door opening, the squeak of the hinges… closed. The key turning in the lock, her ears pricking at the sound. Distant walking outside… Half a minute, the start of an engine. The sound of a motor fading into the distance.
	Silence.
	Rhonda didn’t make any effort to tidy up for a solid minute. She waited and listened, making sure no one was in the building. Her tiny ears were deceptively adept at pinpointing sounds, and soon she was satisfied she was alone. A devious grin spread upon her muzzle, as she stretched out on her toes. “Time for some real science, honey.” She grinned, and opened up the panel her partner had been working on.
	A few disconnected wires were reattached, a resistor swapped out for something a little less resisting, and her repairs were complete. Satisfied with her ability, she stood up and skipped daintily over to the other workstation where the power levels were still set to standby.
	The grin never leaving her muzzle, she carefully tuned the sliders to a precise value, a subtle click locking them into place. She had to be absolutely sure that this was done right, or things could get explosive. The power level had to be just right to create the desired effect, and it had taken a year of covert research to find it.
	Rhonda surveyed the controls before her experiment was about to begin. She had been dreaming of this moment for her entire life, ever since she discovered how to entertain herself properly. With fluid grace, she practiced stepping on the tiles over to the other workstation, webbed toes curling and splaying over bits of dust and tile edges. The same attention to detail went into the other workstation, everything needing to be just perfect.
	With her needs satisfied, Rhonda took one deep breath. Either this was about to be the best night of her life, or possibly the last one. She prayed for the former, dreaming of millions getting the latter. She hesitated, fingertip over the blue button, thoughts flickering across her mind of rows and rows of square, blocky buttons, stretching off in all directions, all waiting to be pushed down…
	Rhonda shivered, a murr escaping her lips. She could feel the particle accelerator stuttering softly to life. Her finger was pressing and twisting down on the proton launch button, but Rhonda’s mind was elsewhere, she saw the blue arcs of energy clash with the orange lightning inside the test chamber, the harsh lights silhouetting her against the wall. She walked gracefully towards the chamber door even as the chaotic lights twisted and sparkled inside. Her eyes widened in the sheer beauty of it all, not even noticing herself opening the door and being bathed in the light. Orange and Blue merged and stabilized, flickers of white coalesced into a ovular shape, stretching and wavering, then shimmering, then remaining whole.
	A thin white humming chord made Rhonda grin even more, her toes curling in anticipation. Her calculations were right so far… She began to undress herself, slipping sensually out of her labcoat, placing her shoes by the test chamber door, stripping down to her bra and her panties as the humming portal cast her looming shadow onto the wall and the ceiling. She chuckled at the sheer absurdity of it all, and admired her bare form for the briefest of moments. Tossing her braided headfur over her shoulder, she cast one last look out into the world. “Anything for Science, eh, Dr. Boone?”
	Rhonda stepped into the light, and ceased to exist in her own world.