“But he failed, right?”
Craft was visibly distraught. “No,” he whispered in horror. “He succeeded. All of the others were murdered.”
He fought to get his emotions under control for several seconds. When he had, he continued, but his voice was strained. “Al Yad was able to direct energies that broke through their shields and vaporized them. They were annihilated instantly. I was the strongest, and somehow my mind, my shield, was able to hold out against him. But I knew—I knew—that I couldn’t hold out for much longer. And I had no offensive means to strike at him. So I bluffed. I pretended to be bored. ‘We can do this all day,’ I said. ‘But I’m invulnerable. Even to you.”
“Since you’re still here, he must have bought it.”
“He did. But there’s more. I told him I had just reached the same tipping point he had. That soon, I would be just as capable of wielding the zero point field as he was. So he could never kill me. But I had to get him to disengage and leave. So I told him to go, and do whatever he wanted. Use his power in any way he wanted. Amass wealth and glory and women. Build a religion. Wow followers with his abilities.
“But,” continued Craft, “He knew I would recognize his handiwork anywhere. So I warned him that if I learned he had ever used his power for acts of terrorism—for mass killings, or mass destruction—or if he ever killed any world leaders, I would come after him. That I knew a way to become even stronger than him for short periods of time, and I would kill him. I said it with conviction, and he had respect for my intelligence and ingenuity.”
“Which explains why he’s built a following and threatened to destroy much of the world, but hasn’t actually done it. Although it’s hard to believe this bluff is still working, given his delusional state.”
“I agree. We’ve been lucky. But this won’t hold forever. Since this showdown, I’ve kept myself hidden, so he can’t learn if I was able to make the breakthrough I boasted of. Or realize how close he was to breaking through my defenses. But my existence is the only thing holding him in check.”
“And he can do what he’s been ranting about?” asked Alyssa. But she already knew the answer.
“More. He can take out a city in the blink of an eye. He can wield enough zero point energy to make a hydrogen bomb look like a toy. And you can be sure he hasn’t been sitting around, convinced he should change his ways. He’s delusional, but very, very bright. He’s been trying to find me. I’ve been monitoring his attempts. And when he does, he’ll be thinking of a way to kill me. It won’t take long for him to determine I still only have defensive capabilities. And then I’m vulnerable.”
“How so?”
“He could entomb me inside a block of concrete, or trap me in a steel cage—or most anything else for that matter. And that’s just one example of my vulnerability.”
“Wouldn’t your shield cut right through any cage?”
“Unfortunately no. If something isn’t coming at me, if I’m not being actively threatened, I can’t consciously invoke the force-field. It’s sort of a panic reaction by my subconscious. Being trapped wouldn’t be an immediate, visceral enough threat to evoke it. So I could be trapped for eternity. Or until my star pupil, Al Yad, decides to use zero point energy to launch me into the sun.”
Craft rubbed the back of his head absently. “It sounds far-fetched, but he’ll spare no money or effort. And when you can tap unlimited energy, many things become possible. If he’s able to find me and . . . dispose of me, then the world is at his mercy.” Craft scowled. “Or at least what’s left of it will be.”
A chill went down Alyssa’s spine. “So the men who interrogated me,” she said. “You think they were sent by Al Yad, don’t you?”
“Yes. Our government will stop at nothing to question me about Al Yad. And Al Yad will stop at nothing to learn my location.”
“And he somehow got wind of our date, obviously. And wanted to know why you came out of hiding for me. The interrogation questions now make perfect sense.”
“He probably has his fingers in the US government,” said Craft. “He has the money to pay people off for access. And he has certainly hired the best mercenaries and computer experts. I’ve done a lot of things right, but putting my image on an online dating site was very stupid. I thought that since I’d rigged the system so my image wouldn’t trigger automatic computer recognition, I was immune. I didn’t consider that human eyes would be checking up on anyone with interest in you.
“Al Yad must have been ecstatic when he learned about you,” continued Craft. “It gave him a lead and a recent location for me. The man who did all the questioning in the van is almost certainly the chief of military and intelligence for Al Yad’s organization. His name is Tariq Bahar. Educated in Oxford England. Very gifted.”
“Yep. Sounds like GQ.”
“GQ?” repeated Craft.
“You know, short for Gentlemen’s Quarterly. The high fashion men’s magazine. He was quite dapper for a ruthless psychopath. He had a certain elegance. Anyway, he didn’t give me his name. So that’s how I thought of him.”
Craft nodded. “I knew I might be putting you at risk by bringing you into this. But I thought it was something I had to do. I never imagined things would play out as poorly as they have. For that I am truly sorry.”
“Look, Bren, I can’t say it’s been a pleasant week. I could have been killed at my house. And I really thought GQ—Tariq Bahar—was going to torture me to death. But I understand why you did what you did. And knowing about the breakthrough you’ve made is. . .” She paused in thought. “Well, let’s just say there are no words for it.”
“It’s only a matter of time before I make a mistake and Al Yad finds me,” said Craft. “And then finds out I’m still an ant to his T. Rex. So I’ve been searching for a way to even the scales. To become his equal. So trapping me and eventually killing me is no longer an option for him.”
“Which is why I’m so important to you,” said Alyssa. “Isn’t it?”
“You’ve assimilated the situation with remarkable speed,” said Craft in admiration.
Alyssa didn’t feel like this was the case. Surreal didn’t even begin to cover this conversation with Bren Craft. She was reeling from it all. It was too much to take in all at once. Too big. Too impossible.
No wonder Craft had wanted to bond with her before this came out. He needed her to ensure a madman with unlimited power, who wanted to unleash Armageddon on the world, continued to be kept in check. “And now it makes sense that you didn’t explain why you needed me when I first asked. I have to admit, ‘I need you to help save the world’ isn’t something I would have believed.”
Brennan Craft rose from the table and gestured for her to do the same. “So let me try it now. I need you to help save the world. Are you in?”
29
“You don’t need to answer me this second,” said Craft, as Alyssa also rose from the table. “I know it’s been a brutal twenty-four hours for you.” He sighed. “Speaking of which—how are you feeling?”
While Major Elovic had asked the same thing days ago, the question felt different this time. Elovic had said it because it was almost socially expected of him. Brennan Craft because he genuinely cared for her welfare.
“A little weak. And I’m in some pain. It’s fairly minor right now, but it’s growing.”
Craft produced a bottle from his pocket and handed it to her. “Prescription pain killers,” he said. “I had some time to plan ahead while you were sleeping.”
Alyssa smiled gratefully and read the label. She lifted a glass of water from the table in a mock toast and said, “To planning ahead,” and then downed two of the pills.
After paying their bill, they reached the parking lot and Craft opened the door to let her in. She flashed back to their date. Did he consider this just a continuation, or was he always this polite?
“Where to now?” she asked.
“You could still do with some rest and relaxation. And it wouldn’t
hurt for us to get to know each other better. I was thinking we could hang out at a hotel for a while. Until late tonight.”
She considered. “When you’d ideally like to pay a visit with me to my lab.”
“Very good,” said Craft approvingly. “Yes, ideally. But this will depend entirely on you.”
Alyssa remained silent.
“What do you say?” prompted Craft. “We can find something near the woods on the outskirts of Bloomington. I really do love the woods as much as you do. Maybe a bed-and-breakfast.”
The corner’s of Alyssa’s mouth turned up into the slightest of smiles.
“We’ll get separate rooms, of course,” he added quickly, having misinterpreted the smile.
“Of course,” she repeated with exaggerated gravity. “I mean, what would be the point of ever sleeping with you now? Now that you’ve been gallant enough to tell me what I wanted to know without any strings attached.”
“Between you and me,” said Craft in amusement. “Gallantry sucks. But just so you know, if you ever did insist on sleeping with me some day, I’d probably let you. You know, out of politeness. But if we ever do become more than friends,” he added, and the stopped himself. “Well, since we began the day with you hating me, I guess I’m making an assumption even to suggest we’re friends. But, anyway, if we ever do sleep together, I’d like it to be because you really wanted to.”
Alyssa nodded. “Between you and me,” she said, “misleading someone temporarily because you’re trying to save the world isn’t the worst excuse for bad behavior I’ve ever heard.”
“About the misleading part,” said Craft. “I did choose you to get access to your expertise. But I also chose you for you.”
Alyssa studied him for several seconds, but decided not to respond. “Why don’t you finish your story,” she said. “I know the punchline, but I’d still like to hear it out. And learn how I came into the picture, from your perspective.”
Craft agreed, but first he conducted a web search and located a bed-and-breakfast about fifteen minutes outside of Bloomington. He activated the GPS navigation system and began driving.
“I spent many months exploring different strategies for stopping Al Yad or improving my own abilities,” he said. “But I came up empty. But the one thing I felt sure of was that belief played a critical role in Al Yad’s ascendance. Belief in his ability to fast forever and still survive. His increasingly delusional belief in his own divinity. He was naturally gifted for reasons that may never be clear. But it was the absolute belief in his gut that he could wield zero point energy like a god that allowed him to do so.”
Craft frowned. “You’d think that my own success with the field would give me absolute belief as well. But it doesn’t. Not knowing how I’m tapping into it must clash with the scientist in me. The rational me. My brain must consider it too much like magic to let me tear off the regulator and use zero point energy to its full potential.”
“From my study of the subconscious, this isn’t as surprising as you might think. But go on.”
“So I wondered if I could be hypnotized to have this absolute belief. Like Al Yad does. But without the delusional part. Why not? The movies would have you think hypnosis can get a man to believe he’s Elvis. But then I did research and learned this wasn’t reality.”
Alyssa nodded. She had told Major Elovic that Craft would have done his homework, and she had been right.
“But then I learned that Black Ops had a secret, leading-edge program in hypnosis. So I hacked in.” He gestured to Alyssa appreciatively. “The techniques you’ve developed are complicated, but quite brilliant.”
“Thank you,” said Alyssa.
She had personally made several of the breakthroughs involved. They had learned how to isolate subconscious neuronal pathways associated with certain beliefs, and then nail these beliefs down using drugs, hypnotism, and through stimulation of neurons using osculating electrical frequencies.
“It was the jackpot. Your advances could not have been more perfect for my needs. You weren’t controlling people. You were improving the placebo effect. Your breakthrough was in getting a subject to believe in something strongly enough for this to translate into a miracle orchestrated by their subconscious. And an enhancement of belief was precisely what I needed. As long as a subject is willing, you can free up the full potential of his or her subconscious. Unleash the full power of the mind. As you said during your interrogation, the power of the subconscious is mysterious and immense.”
“We really have done wonders in this area,” said Alyssa proudly. “And yes,” she added, nodding at Craft, “I should be able to easily instill an absolute conviction within you that you can harness the zero point field at any strength you want. But there is no guarantee this will work. There is always the chance something more is required. Something that only Al Yad possesses.”
Craft sighed. “I know it’s not guaranteed. But I’m convinced it will work. I thought you were perfect in the beginning,” added Craft with enthusiasm. “And everything I’ve learned since tells me I was even more right than I knew. If anyone can help me strengthen myself to become invulnerable, even against Al Yad, you can.”
He paused. “I know you’re aware of this, Alyssa, but I found seven or eight of you who were almost equally adept at these techniques. As I said before, I chose you for a reason.”
“Sure,” said Alyssa with an impish grin. “Given why you left the priesthood, I think I know what that reason is. I’d be flattered,” she added, “except most of the others are men.”
“True, but Jana Sharp is in this group. And she could be a swimsuit model.”
“So what’s your point?” grumbled Alyssa.
“My point is that I didn’t choose you just because you’re a woman. Or just because you’re attractive. I don’t know if fate exists, but if it does, it operated this time. I don’t care if there were ten thousand gorgeous women with your identical expertise. I would still have chosen you. Because we really are compatible.”
“On paper.”
“Before the commando raid from hell,” said Craft, “I’d like to think we were compatible in reality.”
Alyssa chose not to respond.
“So the rest you know. I stalked you, set up a date, and we went out. The other alternative was to call you out of the blue, and politely explain that the fate of the world was balanced on a razor’s edge, and that you could make all the difference.”
“Yeah. Probably not the best approach,” she allowed.
“So I decided to get to know you. For you to know me. Develop a rapport. A trust. I hoped you could help me get to the next level, but I also hoped we could build a relationship. I wanted a gifted mind to share ideas with. A partner in the struggle against Al Yad. Which, ironically, he and I both see as the struggle of good against evil.”
“Only his definition of good means cleansing the world of most of its inhabitants.”
“Right. And his definition of evil is anyone standing in his way.”
“Suppose I do this for you, and it works?” said Alyssa. “Can you defeat him?”
“Maybe. Although I’m not counting on it. But at minimum, I’d be a better deterrent. And if I alone can’t defeat him, maybe I can train others. Good men and women. Altruistic. Stable. And maybe your narco-hypnosis can instill enough belief to make them all on par with Al Yad. So maybe two of us can beat him. Maybe three. Maybe fifty.”
“My instincts tell me this would be a very bad idea. Playing with fire times fifty.”
“I have some failsafe ideas, but let’s table this for now.” He paused and turned onto a narrow, two lane road. “But I ask you to think for a moment what it could mean for humanity. Imagine for a second we could harness this. That we could find some kind of failsafe to ensure madmen like Al Yad can’t use it. Imagine the possibilities.”
“I’m sure you’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“A lot of thought,” he said. “Energy is wealth. The two
are one and the same. Think about how much money the world spends each year on power. Even if only a limited number of people could achieve Al Yad’s level, they alone could direct energies to fill every power plant on earth. For free. What would it do for the world economy if every nickel spent by individuals, and corporations, for power could be poured into other pursuits?”
They drove under a spectacular canopy of trees that shaded the road they were on, but Alyssa didn’t have time to admire the beauty of their surroundings.
“And hunger would be a thing of the past,” he continued. “First, because no one would need food. But even if some did, this wouldn’t be a problem. Desalination takes considerable energy. But with unlimited free energy, enough ocean water could easily be purified to sate the world’s thirst. And for agricultural use, as well. The water could be pumped into fields at no cost.”
Alyssa nodded enthusiastically. “And fossil fuels would be a thing of the past,” she added. “You could power cars on your own.”
Craft grinned. “If people really could harness the zero point field, they wouldn’t need cars. Or even planes.”
“Are you saying they could fly?” said Alyssa, her eyes widening.
“Al Yad can,” he said simply.
Holy hell, thought Alyssa. Apparently Craft hadn’t told her everything. “How does tapping into energy allow him to do that?”
“If you can control nearly infinite energies, there is almost nothing you can’t do. Believe me, my shield uses billions of times the power needed for flight. I’m not sure how he does it, and neither is he. There are theories that the zero point field is involved in conferring mass and gravity to objects. But even if he’s not doing it by controlling gravity directly, he can easily energize air molecules above and below him to achieve the Bernoulli effect. Which is what gives lift to airplanes.”
“How fast can he go?”
Quantum Lens Page 16