The Reality Incursion (Deplosion Book 2)

by Paul Anlee

  “Have you figured out how to collapse the Eater?” asked Alum.

  “Not exactly,” replied Dr. Liang. Kathy—Junior remembered.

  Greg explained. “As you know, the Eater takes everything that it comes into contact with into its own sphere and laws of nature.”

  Junior wasn’t sure he’d understood correctly. How can there be more than one set of “laws of nature?” Isn’t that why they were called “laws” in the first place? But he knew better than to interrupt.

  Alum, Greg, and Kathy chatted away, completely unperturbed by all the cryptic concepts being thrown around. Struggling to keep up, Junior likened the chamber—really a reinforced LPG storage tank—and its alternative laws to some kind of fantasy video game.

  “Unfortunately, we still have no idea why the Eater persists as its own universe. We don’t know what’s driving it, or how to turn it off,” Greg admitted. “So rather than trying to undo it, which so far has been a frustrating waste of time, we thought, why don’t we just move it?”

  “Move it?” Alum asked.

  Kathy jumped in. “Yes. Containing the Eater inside this huge vacuum chamber for two decades has only slowed down its growth. But once the Eater reaches the walls of its enclosure, which could be anytime in the next few years, Earth will be done in horrifically short order.”

  Junior was shocked by how cavalierly she spoke about the end of the world until he realized she’d been living with this reality for almost twenty years. He’d only learned of it on the plane ride to Vancouver.

  “Why not make a bigger vacuum chamber and buy some more time?” Alum asked.

  “This was the biggest we could build, given the engineering challenges, at the time. With thick enough walls, it might be possible to double or triple the size,” answered Kathy. “But it wouldn’t be easy, and it would only give us another decade or two before it breached the new chamber.”

  “And in the extra decade or two, couldn’t we save many millions more?”

  “Theoretically, yes. But the chamber might not be structurally stable and could fail suddenly, even catastrophically. And it would be an enormous engineering challenge to remove the top of Burnaby Mountain in order to construct a huge new chamber around this one. Remember, we would have to keep it intact and in place while building the new enclosure.”

  “That does sound problematic.”

  “Nothing like that has ever been done before. Regular blasting of the bedrock of the mountain would stress the existing chamber, and introducing even the tiniest crack in the existing chamber could bring immediate disaster.”

  “I see. Implosion.” The Church Leader nodded thoughtfully. “What if we were to use the blasting ray we use in asteroid construction?”

  Kathy ran some quick models. “That would help, but it would still be a challenge. If either of the chambers fail in the middle of construction, the current one or the new one, we’d have no more than a few days to live, at best.”

  “Okay, so only as a last resort, then.”

  Kathy nodded. “Yes. But thinking about how to increase the size of the vacuum chamber gave us an idea. The biggest vacuum we know is in outer space. It would be the safest place to store something like the Eater. What if we could move it out there? How much time would that buy us?”

  Unable to contain himself, Greg jumped in. “The answer is a lot, depending on where we put it.”

  Alum’s expression was so guarded even Junior couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Providing you could move it, where would you suggest?”

  “I’d prefer to send it off into interstellar space, but Kathy feels that would be criminally irresponsible.”

  Kathy interjected, “You can’t just have an all-consuming microverse floating around. What if it bumped into someone else’s home planet? Or another star? Or a black hole?”

  “That would be someone else’s problem,” Greg answered. He held up his hand to quell Kathy’s protest. “I realize that wouldn’t exactly be neighborly, so we settled on a slow solar orbit, out between Neptune and Pluto. It’s pretty much a pure vacuum out there, and should work for a few million years. Our descendants can worry about what to do next.”

  Alum stroked his chin while considering the idea. “I presume this discussion isn’t purely hypothetical. Can you actually move it?”

  “Once we had the initial idea, it wasn’t hard to go from there,” answered Kathy. “We understand enough about its composition to generate the equivalent of a magnetic field to exert a pulling force on it. You know, like a tractor beam. All we’d need to do is equip a number of rockets with properly-tuned tractor beams and guide the Eater out to the edge of the solar system.”

  “There are a few challenges,” added Greg. “The best way would be to build the tractor beams right into the isolation tank and move the whole thing. That’d keep the Eater contained the whole time. It doesn’t have much mass in this universe, but the vacuum chamber is heavy. Moving it would have to be done quickly but carefully, in order to minimize the chance of rupture in the atmosphere.”

  “I see,” said Alum. He was lost in deep thought, his expression somewhere between neutral and frowning—a reverse Mona Lisa. A smile emerged.

  “This is wonderful news. Really. You are both to be congratulated. You’ll be celebrated as heroes for your work today. You may have saved the Earth and all of humanity. Thank you both.”

  He shook their hands solemnly as they grinned at each other awkwardly.

  * * *

  Back at the hotel suite, Alum stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

  Junior was left standing in the silence of the shared living room, uncertain what to make of his boss’ behavior.

  I don’t get it. They figured out how to save the world! Why on Earth would Alum, the holy leader of tens of millions of its inhabitants, be angry?

  He ordered a pot of coffee from room service and switched on the television. He could wait for answers. He was used to waiting for his enigmatic leader to bring forth enlightenment in his own good time.

  Alum emerged within the hour. “I have a mission for you,” he announced, holding out a small container no bigger than an old-fashioned pillbox.

  Junior’s blank stare compelled the younger man to explain.

  “This is a special kind of a tracker. It contains something called ‘entangled matter.’ The counterpart is at home. It will allow me to transport things instantly from Austin to wherever that box is.”

  Junior’s mind was full of questions. How was that even possible? What was this “entangled matter” and how did it work? What would his boss want to transport from Austin instantly, and where to? He contained his curiosity.

  “I want you to stick that against the side of the vacuum chamber that contains the Eater. Preferably right above the lab we visited today.”

  Junior accepted the pillbox. “No problem. What will you use it for?”

  Alum tried not to look irritated. “Jeff,” he used Junior’s first name, something he rarely did, “we’ve known each other a long time. Because of that, and because of the even longer relationship between our fathers, I’m going to answer your question.”

  He took a deep breath. “My father and I, both received inspiration directly from the Holy Lord that this planet has become filled with wickedness. God has planned a cleansing of humanity, and it has fallen to me to select those who will carry Yeshua’s promise forward.

  “I have prayed hard on this. I don’t believe preventing the destruction of this world, the origin of humanity, falls within God’s plan.

  “The world has become an evil place. Therefore, this plan to save it must be grounded in evil. Clearly, it has been inspired by the Adversary, so that he can continue to sway the people from the path of Righteousness. I can’t permit that.”

  Jeff Jr.’s horror and disbelief grew into a physical pain deep in his stomach. He’d always followed Alum’s direction without hesitation. The man spoke to God!

  He was having
a hard time, though, understanding how God could desire the destruction of the Earth, the crowning jewel of His Creation, and everyone on it except for a few million select individuals. Why would God prefer utter destruction over the practical solution the scientists had found to avoid it. That made no sense.

  Junior calmed himself using the exercises his father had taught him. Focus on the Light of our Lord—he would say. Alum is the Light that prepares the Way for Yeshua to return to His people.

  As difficult as it was to understand and accept, Junior decided he had to trust Alum. He relaxed his shoulders and looked the leader in the eye. “Yes, sir. Do I just set the box on the roof, right out in the open?”

  Alum relaxed when he saw the tension leave Junior’s body. “Yes, don’t worry; it’ll be fine there.

  “Drs. Liang and Mahajani will be working intensively in the lab over the next few days, trying to construct the means to remove God’s vengeful sword from Earth. Placing this device against the vacuum chamber will allow me to transport an explosive there, and to release that glorious weapon from its constraints at the right time.

  “There’s one more thing. I know this part is going to be difficult for you to understand, but it’s not enough just to release the weapon. The scientists that created that monster, that demon-spawn of science, cannot be allowed to live.”

  Alum had anticipated Junior’s shock and dismay, and jumped in before doubt could take hold. “I know, murder is wrong in the eyes of the Lord. But trust me, this is part of His plan.

  Uncharacteristically, Junior interrupted. “But you seemed like old friends with them.”

  “Sure,” Alum nodded. “I’ve known them practically all my life, and we’ve worked together at times. But those times have come to an end.

  “God used them to bring about His final Judgement, and now Satan works to pervert that. As he always does. The only surprising thing is that they’re listening to the Evil One’s voice rather than our Lord’s. The Adversary must be permanently stopped.

  “The time has come, Jeff. Our Church is ready. I’ll announce to our Lord’s faithful followers that they should gather this Sunday if they care for their salvation.”

  Junior bowed his head in acceptance of Alum’s wisdom.

  48

  Jeff Jr. picked his way cautiously across the roof of the SFU Science Centre. Gathering storm clouds obscured all but the faintest hint of moonlight, making it a challenge to pick his way around the snaking pipes, capped ducts, bulky air conditioning units, and sharp corners of the fume-hood vents serving the labs below.

  Even in the dark, his target was easy to see. The broad dome of the vacuum tank blocked the view of the cityscape behind. Inside the structure, the Eater grew.

  Junior sidled up to the side of the sphere where it met the ceiling of Greg and Kathy’s lab. He pulled the pillbox-sized device from his pocket and placed it against the chamber. It looked so small and trivial, but he knew the deadly potential it held. Entangled matter, Alum had called it. Ready to serve; just add explosives. He didn’t usually lean to the sardonic, but this wasn’t a usual errand, either.

  He grimaced and retraced his steps. Tomorrow he would return to Austin with Alum, leaving the scientists to pursue their misguided effort to save this evil world.

  Yeshua has commanded the Earth to die. This is the Lord’s work I’ve been asked to do—he reassured himself. He took in a deep, righteous breath and let the uncertainties flow out of him.

  Junior was supremely grateful for his position with Alum; it was going to be the ticket to salvation for his family. His father, Jeff Sr., had formed a close bond with Alum over the years, and with Reverend LaMontagne before that. Junior had even been jealous of their relationships from time to time.

  Now that Dad had passed on, it was good to step into his shoes and be part of something bigger than himself.

  Junior may have spent fewer years in service to Alum than Jeff Sr., but the work he would do here today was sure to cement the YTG Leader’s confidence. Junior felt honored to be the right-hand man of humanity’s Savior.

  49

  “Today is a most special day in our history. Its importance ranks with the very Days of Creation, with the miraculous Day of Resurrection.” Alum spoke to his congregation without a microphone. He piped his words directly from his lattice into the public address system. It was just another of the minor miracles his people expected of their leader.

  “Today I will reveal God’s Judgment for humanity. Today I will bring salvation to the worthy, the people of this Church.” He allowed a hush to fall over the gathering.

  “We have been deceived,” he cried and the people cried with him in anguish. “For over twenty years, we have been deceived.

  “Nearly twenty-two years ago, in the city of Vancouver, in the country of Pacifica, an abomination was born. It arose from the hubris of man through the evils of science.

  “Satan spoke into the ears of the wicked and tricked them into creating the means for the destruction of our Lord’s beautiful Earth, as is the way of the Adversary.

  “They even gave the abomination a name. They called it the Eater.”

  Wails of despair rose from the people in the halls of Yeshua’s True Guard Churches around the world as they received Alum’s message.

  “God looked down upon us and saw that it was time to bring His people home, to draw those of true Faith to His bosom and cast the rest into eternal flame. My father, the Founder of this blessed congregation, the Reverend Alan LaMontagne, pleaded with our Lord for more time.”

  Shouts of “Hallelujah” and “Lord, have mercy” rise from around the audience.

  “And lo, our Lord granted more time. Through His Divine Intervention, the scientists who created this evil thing were inspired to corral it. They placed the Eater in an isolation chamber that it might be separated from the world it wanted to devour. But they recognized its inevitable nature.”

  The congregation gasped collectively. A few carefully-planted young ladies swooned upon a signal from the Congregation Director. A few even fainted honestly, whether in response to the terrible words or in hysterical emulation of the others.

  “God granted humanity a deadline: twenty-two years and some days from its creation, the Eater would escape its prison and consume the planet.

  “Our Lord and Savior directed the Reverend LaMontagne to meet with the leaders of the world and tell them of a plan to save the Faithful. That plan is Project Vesta and, through it, the Lord has prepared a place for us among the stars, a refuge where humanity may continue to spread His Word.”

  “My friends, evil has grown rapidly in this world, and God can no longer stand by and watch His Creation be corrupted. Our Day of Judgment is no longer at hand. Today, Judgment is upon us. Today, the Eater is unshackled!”

  He held up his hands in triumph and sent a signal that triggered a one-minute countdown on a packet of C4 explosive on the grounds of his mansion.

  The bomb and a small container holding one-half of an entangled particle pair rested on a piece of plywood atop an RAF shift generator. Ten seconds after the signal was sent, the generator activated. It pinpointed the entangled matter’s mate sitting in a pillbox-sized device on a rooftop thousands of miles away, and completed the shift.

  The bomb disappeared from Alum’s back yard and instantly reappeared above Greg and Kathy’s lab.

  “Today, millions of you, tens of millions of you, the Faithful have gathered at this time of Yeshua’s calling. You have gathered inside our Churches around the world and lined up in the streets to hear this message. Please, bow your heads with me now in humility and gratitude for our Blessed Savior. For today, you are the Chosen People and God has brought His miracle of salvation to you.”

  A chorus of Amens resounded, and Alum raised his hands in supplication and bowed his head. He uttered a quick prayer, eager to get on with the day. “Amen.”

  “Dearly beloved, our path has been set. Today we embark on a journey to Sanctuary. W
e leave this wretched Earth that God and His Son have seen fit to curse with vengeful destruction.

  “Together, we travel to Vesta, to Pallas, and to Ceres, to the sanctuaries that God has prepared for us, where we will be safe from Satan’s evil machinations.”

  Alum turned to address the few hundred he had chosen to be the first of the Faithful to shift to the asteroids.

  “I have invited some of you to join me on stage today, to lead the way for the rest of the Chosen. I thank you for your courage and your faith.”

  He noticed a small child weeping near the edge of the group. “No, do not cry, my sweet child,” he said, “rejoice! For Yeshua has selected you. He so loves your faith in Him, your enduring love for Him, that He will save you from His father’s wrath. Be joyful!”

  The crowd wailed in joy, grief, and disbelief. A few rushed for the exits. They were allowed to leave. God and the Eater will take care of those without Faith—Alum thought, and he smiled.

  Those who’d been outside pressed forward into the Diamond Cathedral and into the smaller branch Churches in other locations. The majority of those who attended today had heeded his announcement and were prepared to leave their homes. They didn’t know where they’d be going, only that God had called them to a safe haven. Alum assured them that they needed to bring little, their needs would be taken care of where they were going, praise God.

  “Now is the time of miracles,” Alum shouted over the din from the congregation. “Let us praise the Lord God and His Only Son, Yeshua. Let us give glory to the Almighty for His Grace.” The crowds settled down and bowed their heads to receive Alum’s blessing as they had so many times before.

  “Dear God. Grant Your people salvation from Your terrible judgment on this day, for they are True Guardians of Your Word and of the Faith. Let Your sword pass them by. Take them from this world to the refuge You have provided. Grant that they may someday spread from there and take Your message of peace and love throughout this galaxy and even to others, if that is Your Will. We praise You and Your Son, Yeshua, our Savior. Amen.”