Zero-Point

by T J Trapp

  “Let me try,” Alec asked.

  The professor clutched his medallion and looked askance at the thought of Alec using it. “I don’t think …” he sputtered.

  Alec focused, using his old medallion hanging around his neck as well as the medallion embedded in his side. He let the dark energy flow. The concentrator was creating a miniscule amount of dark energy compared to the background flow that he could sense; he linked one medallion to the background flow and the other to the concentrator. The dark energy from the medallion in his side accumulated slower than he was accustomed to, but it flowed and moved for him. As he linked the dark energy through the second medallion, the total flow of dark energy was closer to what he was used to. He released the energy and a puff of air blew papers all around the professor’s desk. Alec opened his hand – a small crystalline flower, a couple of centimeters across, nestled in his palm.

  “Is that … is that ... diamond?” the professor stammered.

  “I believe so,” said Alec smoothly. He rotated it, and the flower shimmered as each of its different facets caught and reflected the light. This place brings back old memories. I haven’t made a flower like that out of diamonds in years.

  “Here Dr. Smidt, you may have it. As a ‘thank you’ for your service to us.”

  The professor took the flower and looked closely at it for a minute before laying it gently on the table. “Very good. You don’t need me to tell you much about dark energy if you can do that.”

  Suddenly Professor Smidt decided he had enough time, after all, to show Alec his current work.

  “And what do you teach?” he asked Alec.

  “Wizardry …” Erin started to answer, then realized that she shouldn’t.

  “Physics,” Alec said, cutting in, trying to sound as though Erin had mispronounced the word. “I used to teach a class in dark energy.”

  “Oh, so that is why you are interested in coming here to see the place. ‘The Home of Dark Energy,’ we used to call it.” The professor pointed out a large whiteboard on one side of his office, filled with equations. “This is what I have been working on lately. I’m trying to figure out one of the more advanced concepts, so I can teach it to my class. Unfortunately, the original notations were lost.”

  “Oh?” Alec said.

  “Yes, they were originally done by the late Dr. Holden, one of the early researchers of dark energy, but all of his unpublished papers were lost in the great fire after the accident.”

  Alec looked at the professor, his eyes widening slightly. Then he turned to the whiteboard, looking over the notations with interest.

  “So, that is your latest attempt at the quantifications?” he asked.

  “Yes, yes,” the professor answered. “But I am stuck. Right here. These numbers. I don’t know which way to proceed.”

  “I see.” Alec stared at the board for a few minutes. “Do you mind if I …”

  “Go right ahead,” the professor said eagerly. He erased a set of numbers on one side of the board and handed Alec the inscriber. Alec looked again at one area of the numbers scribbled on the board, and then began to write.

  “Your equations…” the professor said. Then it was Alec’s turn to interrupt.

  “I think that if you use the field equations for dark energy in their specialized form and apply your constraints at the boundary, then you should be able to solve everywhere except at the singularity. There should also be a solution at the singularity, but it is more complex to find. I think you might find that solution – the one at the singularity – if you perform an integration in the complex plane using a seven-dimensional manifold.”

  The professor looked at what Alec had written. “Interesting approach. I see what you are getting at. I will think about it.” He stepped back and rubbed his chin. “Yes. Yes. I see how that could work.”

  A small chime on his wrist sounded. “Oh! My alarm! I need to go. I have to teach a class – I should be headed there already!”

  Alec started to erase the numbers he had written on the whiteboard.

  “No, no – you don’t need to take the time to erase that. I will take care of it later.” He eyed Alec’s work one more time. “But I must really be going.” He picked up the papers from his desktop, apparently not realizing that they had blown out of order when Alec made his flower. “Thank you again Doctor … Doctor …”

  “Holden,” Alec said, instinctively.

  “Holden! You said you had a relative who worked at the lab – are you related to the late Dr. Alec Holden, who worked with Dr. Alder?”

  Alec started to say something, then changed his mind. “Yes,” he finally managed.

  “Terrible, terrible,” Professor Smidt said, shaking his head. “My condolences. The accident that took him really snuffed out a bright spark. I wish I had had the opportunity to meet him. He must have been a truly brilliant man.”

  “Thank you,” Alec said.

  “Well, enjoy your stay here at the Institute. I look forward to seeing you again when we cross paths.” He shook hands with Alec and turned to leave the room.

  Erin stepped forward and took the professor’s hand. Again she imagined her little red stone and twisted the lines through the stone. “We are new here. We need help orienting ourselves. Can you help us?”

  “Certainly. Certainly,” he said to Erin. “I should have known by your clothes that you were newly-arrived in this country. Your English, you know, but I didn’t think about you being foreigners. You fooled me.” He smiled wanly, and continued to maneuver them out of his office, shutting the big door as the three of them stepped into the receptionist’s area.

  “I have a student aide who can show you around and help you get situated.” He turned towards the set of little rooms off the main office. “Celeste! Celeste! Are you here?”

  A voice came from one of the other rooms, “Yes, Professor, I am here.”

  A young woman came striding into the room. “What do you need?” she said to the professor, and turned to Alec and Erin and smiled. She was tall, even taller than Erin, and had a warm smile, short cropped light-brown hair, and inquisitive blue eyes. She was wearing the ubiquitous blue pants that Erin had seen on most of the students in the campus quadrangle, and a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt with some runes printed on the front.

  “This is Celeste, Celeste Alder,” the professor said. “Celeste, these are new visitors who have just arrived.” The young woman held out her hand.

  Alec gasped.

  Erin also looked startled. The lines – her lines feel like your lines, Erin thought to Alec. She looked closely at the girl. That name. Is she … is she your daughter? She was struck by how much the woman resembled Alec.

  She looks just like Sarah! Alec thought back to her. She must be!

  26 - Celeste

  “Celeste, this is Dr. Holden, and …” He looked at Erin blankly.

  “Erin, Princess of Theland,” Erin said, still struggling with the sounds of English.

  “Mrs. Erinprinz Theland,” the professor said, completing his introduction.

  Alec took the young woman’s hand “I … I …” he stammered.

  “I’m pleased to meet you, too,” she smiled, and took Erin’s hand. “Wow! Your hands are cold.” She laughed, and Erin found herself laughing too.

  “Yes,” Erin said.

  Celeste looked at Erin’s clothes. “What a great outfit! I’ve not seen a dashiki like that before. But, aren’t you cold?”

  “Celeste, I have to hurry. I’m late to class,” the professor said abruptly. “These people are visiting and have never been here before. Can you please show them around? And help them get a room if they need to find a place to stay.” He fished around in his trouser pocket and pulled out the diamond flower that Alec had made. “And can you do something with this?”

  “Professor, it is beautiful! Where did you get it?”

  “Our guest made it.” He gestured at Alec.

  “It looks like a precious jewel!” she e
xclaimed.

  “Yes, yes,” the professor said impatiently. “At one time it would have been considered so. But now – with 3-D printers and all – these are cheap to make. No longer rare. But it is rather – striking,” he said, turning it over in this hand. “Maybe it could be displayed in our museum. On some kind of stand or something.”

  “Yes, I can make a little something for it. It looks just like one I have at home, that my mom had. I made a little display stand for mine and I can make another one for this one.”

  “Good. Well I’ve got to run,” the professor said curtly.

  “Sure, Professor. I’ll show them around. The only thing I’ve got going today is your 4:00 class, and I won’t miss anything if I skip it.”

  The professor gave Celeste a withering look as he stuffed his papers into his backpack and scurried out the door.

  Celeste watched him go, then rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind the professor; he means well but is kind of flaky sometimes.”

  “How long have you lived here? I mean, how long have you worked here?” Alec asked, looking closely at her face.

  “Oh, a while. I grew up near the Institute. This is my second semester in Professor Smidt’s office. He lets me work here as a favor to my uncle.” Then in a conspiratorial tone, she added, “My uncle thinks it is important that I learn this science stuff. Uncle Al hopes it will rub off on me if I stay in school here. But sometimes I think they only let me into the school because Uncle Al’s foundation donated the money to build this building.”

  She shrugged her shoulders and changed the subject. “What can I show you?”

  “Well, we just arrived here and nothing else arrived with us. We have no clothes, no papers, no place to stay, or anything. What do you suggest?” Alec asked.

  “Goodness – when will your stuff get here?”

  Alec shrugged. “Probably never. It seems that it didn’t make the transit.”

  “You mean they lost all your stuff? How awful! Can we put a tracer on it?”

  Alec shook his head. “No – no. That would be of no use. None of our things made it here when we came.”

  “I know just the person,” the young woman said brightly. “Ms. Pearson handles the new foreign people. She can take care of getting you checked in. Do you have a cell?”

  “We don’t have much of anything. Nothing came with us.”

  “No worries,” Celeste said. “A lot of the foreign students and faculty arrive with incompatible cells. She can loan you a cell when she checks you in.”

  Celeste headed towards the door. She grabbed a jacket from a rack as they started to go outside. Then she looked at Erin. “Don’t you have a coat?”

  Erin looked longingly at the jacket. “No, I don’t, but I will be all right.”

  “Here – take mine.” Celeste handed Erin her coat and Erin gratefully wrapped it around herself.

  “Will you be all right without a cloak?” Erin asked Celeste.

  “Sure, I am used to this weather and I am wearing my sweatshirt anyways. It’s not too far, and we can stay out of the wind.”

  ✽✽✽

  As they walked across the broad quadrangle, Alec asked, “There used to be an Alder associated with the lab back in the old days. Any relationship?”

  Celeste had an uncomfortable look for a second. “Dr. Alder. That was my dad. But I barely remember him. Both he and my mother were killed when I was pretty young in an accident at the lab. That accident is why they shut down the dark energy labs. The only thing left is the museum.” She gazed straight ahead for a few moments, then turned back to Alec. “I give good museum tours if you want one sometime.”

  Erin interjected. “I am sorry that your parents are dead. I missed my father when he died, so I understand.”

  Celeste smiled at Erin and continued. “I was an only child. I was raised by my grandparents on my mother’s side. They both died a few years ago. Mom was also an only child, so I have no cousins and no brothers and no sisters. The only relative I have is on my fathers’ side – an uncle.” She giggled. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I’m sure my family history is not something you want to hear about.”

  “No, go on,” Erin said. “Your uncle?”

  Celeste laughed. “Oh, Uncle Al! He is rich. I don’t know how he made all his money, but he seems to have a lot of it! I didn’t meet him until long after my parents died. He maintains a trust fund for me that my father set up, and of course there was an insurance settlement when my parents were killed. He manages that for me.”

  “Does he live here?”

  “Oh no – he travels around a lot. I guess you can do that if you’re rich. He stops by and visits me occasionally. And we sky-talk through social.”

  “What?”

  “On our cells. Maybe you call it something different where you’re from.”

  “Oh,” Erin said.

  “Where are you from, anyway? Professor Smidt didn’t say.”

  “We come from Nevia,” Erin answered.

  “Where’s that?”

  “On another planet,” Erin said earnestly.

  Celeste looked confused, then she laughed. “Oh! You mean ‘on another land!’ There for a minute I thought you meant ‘outer space’! That would be cool!”

  Alec laughed, too. “You have to forgive her,” he said, putting his arm around Erin. “She’s still learning English.”

  Erin started to answer, but Alec stopped her. Just be quiet and be a good little professor’s wife, he thought to her. For now, anyway.

  Erin glared at him.

  Sort of like when I was your clutchman, he added, grinning at her.

  “I have heard of Dr. Alder,” Alec said to Celeste, trying to get the conversation away from Erin’s mysterious origins. “Are you studying the things that he used to work on?”

  “I don’t know. This is my first year as a student here, and right now I am having a very hard time figuring out what I want to do. I find that I am skipping as many classes as I am attending! But Uncle Al keeps pushing me. He says science ‘is in my breeding’ and that I should take advantage of my opportunity. He says: ‘this is the golden age of learning,’ and then he says, ‘but it won’t last.’ He’s such a pessimist and sometimes he tells me wacky conspiracy theories about ‘the end of life on earth as we know it.’” She rolled her eyes.

  “Your uncle is probably right – about the opportunity to learn, anyway,” Alec said. “You should take advantage of the opportunity here to learn as much as you can.”

  “You sound just like my uncle,” responded Celeste in semi-jest.

  “What kind of conspiracy theories?” Erin asked, as much to change the conversation as to seek information.

  “His theories are all about how alien beings are about to take over the world. I don’t know where he gets all this stuff. Probably from those fringe webnet sites. ‘Webnut sites,’ I call them!” She laughed. “Normally, Uncle Al is quiet, but when he starts talking, it is all about how ‘there are elves among us,’ and ‘they look like us!’ He says: ‘the elves are taking control and disaster is about to result.’ He always concludes with ‘study while you still have the chance.’ I jab him back and tell him that I would conclude that the only answer is to ‘party like there’s no tomorrow’ while I still have the chance, if disaster really is about to strike! Ha! That upsets him.” She stole a sidelong glance at Alec. “I’m not really a party girl, though. Uncle Al knows I am not serious when I tell him that, but it is fun to upset him.”

  “They sound like strange stories,” Erin said, looking at the girl. “Your Uncle Al sounds … unusual.”

  ✽✽✽

  “Here we are – we go in here,” Celeste said, turning to a brick building with “Staffing Resources” inscribed on the big glass door. Alec and Erin followed Celeste into the building and down the hall to an office marked ‘Staffing Relations.’ A matronly woman with short frizzled hair and a flowery dress looked up.

  “Ms. Pearson, I am bringing
you two new foreign people who are working with Professor Smidt. Can you help them get set up?”

  The woman stood and extended her hand. This time Erin knew what to do and shook her hand.

  “This is Dr. Holden and Ms. Thelander. Did I get that right? They are visiting staff from overseas. Nambia, Africa.”

  Ms. Pearson looked at the two over her little half-glasses, pausing her gaze on Erin’s elf robes, now somewhat sooty and tattered. “My, it looks like you just got here,” she said pleasantly. “Aren’t you cold?” She looked at Alec in his ill-fitting dirty drone clothing, with the fake metal neckpiece still in place.

  “Well, yes, a little,” Alec said, equally pleasantly.

  “They just got here, and all their stuff was lost in transit,” Celeste offered.

  “Oh my, can we help you trace it?”

  “Um, no, I’m afraid it just isn’t here,” Alec said. “We can’t trace it.”

  “Oh – fell off the boat, huh? Well that happens sometimes.” She sat at her computer screen and poked it a few times. “Well, Celeste, I have nothing on them, no paperwork, no nothing – but what else would I expect from Smidt. He does that to me all the time.” She laughed. “I don’t know why we still call it ‘paperwork’ – there’s no paper involved anymore!”

  Erin tittered politely. Is this like being a ‘good wife’? she thought to Alec.

  Ms. Pearson was still peering at her screen. “Nothing here under Smidt,” she said. She poked a few more times and frowned. “Let me try something else. Now, how do you spell your names?

  “H-o-l-d-e-n,” Alec said.

  Erin stepped close to her and laid her hand on the woman’s shoulder, pretending to peer over her at the little runes on the screen, and twisted the lines.