Finite

"It's running out."
I spoke to noone, keeping my thoughts racing, the blur of formulae and figures blazing through my skull like nighttime traffic.
I shuffled through papers, frantic for an answer or just some small detail i may have missed.
"It's got to be a mistake, there's no way..."
I stopped, my hand resting on a sheet of paper stained with coffee smudges and too much eraser trauma. My eyes fixed on the numbers there, which seemed to sway and dance as I examined the incomprehensible scrawl of my years-past handwritings.
I sat down, slumped really, collapsing onto my chair like a sack of defeated potatoes.
"I knew it all along, didn't I? "

I picked up the phone once my shock wore off and called Annette. She'd warned me not to tamper but i kept going, kept pushing myself to find a better solution. great, her machine. At least it would still listen to me and wasn't yet tired of my endless rants.
"Anne, hey. I really need to talk to you face to face. it's about ...that thing I've been doing. Kind of important, really in a bad place here. Call me. "

I hung up and went back to the paper-strewn research room, brushing away the notes and schematics and picked up the suit. The circuitry was still exposed, the open wounds still showing with little sparks every so often just to let me know it was still alive. It had been a long time since the off switch had fuctioned, so now it was constantly draining. I only now realized that it was dangerously close to ending more than a few crimes and crises. I looked it over once more, this crackilng, popping thing that I'd used so many times for the benefit of everything, the instrument of my greatest achievements lying broken in my hand, begging to be repaired.-pleading with me to return it to its former glory. And what a glory it was. the world praised our deeds, everything we'd done in the few short years since that first concept entered my head. I lay it out on the work table and smoothed the soft cloth carefully. How could this simple suit and a little bit of science have allowed such amazing acts?
And, similarly, how could my shortsightedness have now been what looks to be the certain demise of the entire universe? I sat down, staring at the phone and waiting for Anne to call.

The phone woke me from an unintended sleep, and i eagerly answered it, to the irritated voice.
"Well, what is it? I told you to leave me alone. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Accept it."
I took a breath and spoke calmly, making sure to not let my ever-increasing frustration grow. "Anne, this isn't about us, this is only about the suit. I'm in a lot of trouble here, and i need you to come over right now to help. I honestly wasn't going to call, but you're the only one who I can trust with this."
She breathed a heavy, annoyed breath into the reciever, and then to my relief,"Okay. I'm on my way over."

I didn't clean up anything. i knew her well enough to know that any sign of effort would be seen as an attempt to win her back. Tonight wasn't about that ship, which i'd let sink though honestly I'd pushed it into the depths. I unlocked the door and sent her a text, telling her to come on in and I went back to my suit.

I'd been so proud. using major luck and a few insane theories, I'd managed to make a portable reality manipulation device. I mean, imagine it, the ability to warp anything you can imagine in any way you wanted, and I managed to make it a reality. the irony wasn't lost i assure you.
But, errors in my calculations caused the changes to draw too much from the universe, straining the bonds and ultimately drawing upon the very fundamental components of creation istelf. And the universe's ability to repair itself after i made my changes turned out to be more finite than i'd ever realized...