by Mark Lingane
“Heavy, not heavy, got it.”
“Now, that physics experiment you mentioned, the one that went wrong. You mean the Hadron Investigation, eventually called the Hadron Damnation. It created a black hole at the Rhiannon Center in New York.”
“Why didn’t it destroy the city?”
“It only destroyed half the city because it was only a few millimeters in size. It was a micro black hole. It sucked in all kinds of energy, and one of those energies was in the form of electromagnetic waves, or light, hence the black hole. Now we get to the heavy–not heavy bit. Black holes are amazingly dense, far denser than a mere sun. Electrons fire into it, but what flares out? With the sun, it’s light, the solar flare, but what flares out of a black hole?”
“Gravity?”
“Gravity, yes! And what happens when gravity increases?”
“Fat jokes?”
“No, time slows down. Black holes emit time flares. The rate of decay reduces and we get messages of light and sound from the future.”
“I sort of covered this with Albert, but he had better hair.”
Ignoring him, Niels said, “Light goes in and light comes out. Sound goes in and sound comes out. Energy flows from one side to the other, ripping everything apart in the process. And into the middle of it all wanders someone who can control magnetic flow.”
Sebastian looked around the small room. “Oh, you mean me.”
“Yes, you.” Niels leaped forward and stared at Sebastian from a disturbingly close position. Sebastian leaned away as far as he could. “Now, I wish to make a diversion.”
“For lunch?”
“I propose to you, Sebastian, that quantum mechanics—or reality—is to be understood as a probability without any causal explanation.”
“Eh?”
“Reality is what we make it, and we are what reality makes us. There is no destiny or fate, just chance or probability. Our future is uncertain.”
“But I’ve been told, possibly by me, that the timeline is defined. It’s already happened. We’ve seen this in the messages from the Omega. I’m absolutely certain that Albert would say that God doesn’t throw dice.”
“Would you like to bet?”
Niels disappeared through another curtain of wires concealing another exit, and returned with a box under one arm, and an old, fat cat hanging over his other. The cat was, in Sebastian’s estimation, about nine hundred years old. Niels placed it on the table and the evil creature stared at Sebastian. Sebastian felt like the cat was trying to measure him up. He shifted away. The cat lost interest and started to lick itself.
Niels snatched up the cat. “Here is my cat, Schrödinger, and this is a cat-sized box. I’m putting this cat into the box, in which is a radioactive liquid in a fragile vial. The vial may or may not be broken when I close the lid.”
Niels struggled to open the lid of the box, then struggled to put the cat in the box, which seemed to Sebastian to develop a whole new level of violence when it came to the word “struggle.” Eventually he got the cat inside and slammed down the lid. “Now, tell me if the cat is alive or dead.”
“It’s probably dead.”
“No. It is uncertain.”
“No, it’s probably dead. I should tell you that I’m not really a cat person.”
“Look, you’re not understanding. The cat is neither dead nor alive. It exists in a neutral state until it is observed.”
“Are you saying it’s undead? We don’t need zombie cats running around the place.”
“Are you doing this on purpose? The cat’s future is undefined until you see it.”
“Me?”
“You are the observer. Observing the result not only defines the future for the cat, but also changes your own future. You have two futures, one with a living cat and one with a dead cat.”
“So you’re saying that the outcome is relative to me.”
“Theoretically. In a sense.”
“But if everything is relative to me,” Sebastian said, “then you only exist in my memory. And if reality is equal, I could say the same about you. I only exist in your memory.”
“The nature of reality is defined by our own personal universe and our observations upon it.”
“Wait a minute. The moon doesn’t stop existing if no one’s looking at it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Well, I was.”
“A statement like that is unprovable until you look. You can only hypothesize.”
“You make electrons sound sinister, like they’re up to no good behind your back.”
“Good point,” Niels said. “But listen. If you fire an electron gun at a screen, where the electron ends up is undefined until it actually hits. There are many places it could land, but it’s only defined when it hits. Take this coin. No, give it back, I was speaking figuratively.”
Sebastian handed back the coin.
“I spin it. Is it heads or tails?”
“Neither. It’s spinning.”
“Correct. You could say it’s potentially both.” Niels slapped his hand down on the coin, covering it up. “Now what is it? You can’t know until you see it and decide. Do you understand now?”
“Yeah.” Sebastian managed to make the single word drag out for several seconds.
“So, everything’s in a state of potential. You, me, the girl.” He spun the coin and they both watched it spin. “Electrons spinning. What happens if you rip all the electrons apart? The object would exist in potential until you decided what you wanted it to be. But that would take an immense amount of power, and the bigger the object, the more energy. If you had the power of a neutron star, you could change a whole planet into whatever you believed it to be, or whatever you decided it was going to be. A neutron star has power that measures in the mega-teslas.”
“Did you say that word deliberately? Mega-teslas? Okay, just because I can pull something metallic apart at the electron level, you’re saying that I could reform it into any shape I wanted. You know, I once stood next to a hydrogenerator and did the same thing with an apple.”
“How interesting. Did you experience pain?”
“No.”
“So clean energy gives you greater power without the pain. Very interesting.” Niels sat down. Angry yowls were coming from the cat in the box. “You bring the future with you. Nothing is decided until the electrons fall into place. The future is the sheet, and you are the electron gun. You only need a power source big enough.”
“My head hurts.” Sebastian leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “But how can that be true when the physical proof says something else has happened? Messages from the future have outlined what’s going to happen.”
“Only to those who’ve seen those messages. It’s all relative.”
“AARRRRGGGH!”
“Calm down. You’ll decide the future when you get there. Stop banging your head on the table, Sebastian. It has sentimental value.”
“So, you’re saying I can change the future.”
“Ah. Not as such. In the same way that it has been written already. The future is complete probability. It can’t be anything except the sum of our decisions, based on your point of view.”
“I think my head’s going to explode. So, is my future set or not?”
“The coin is spinning. Is the cat alive or dead?” Niels shrugged. “You said it yourself, this is our timeline. Our future is uncertain. Not the future.”
“Is there a difference?”
“The future has been written, because the future is all possible futures played out in an infinite number of universes. Our future, your future, is uncertain, but it’ll be one of the futures from either this or another universe. Everything in the universe has an opposite, something to provide balance. Who says there isn’t another universe mirroring this one?”
“Other universes?”
“Yes, only a hair’s breadth away. Who says there aren’t ten, a hundred or thousands of universes running along, side by s
ide, all with their own magnetic fields and attractions? Who says you can’t attract another timeline onto us? With enough power, you could select a world with a future or past that you preferred, and draw it into this one, reconfiguring this one into a different world.”
“So, are you saying I don’t have to die to save the universe?” Sebastian said. “Am I supposed to pick another one instead?”
“We don’t know what lies beyond the veil that we can’t see, so I can’t answer that question. All I can do is tell you the theory.”
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Yes,” Niels lied.
Sebastian sat back and thought for a moment. The future didn’t look as bleak as it had ten minutes ago. Of course, he was only taking the word of a complete madman he’d only just met, but he’d done the same with Albert. But they did seem to speak the same kind of language, and a language of hope was one he wanted to hang onto. His path seemed clear.
“So that’s it, we go to heal the Omega.”
“You know it’s incorrect to call it the Omega,” Niels said. “The Omega is what ends it, not the thing itself. What was your task again?”
“Are you saying I’m the Omega?”
“I’m saying you’re an outlander, Mr. Mega-tesla. What do you call yourself?”
The two had talked for hours. There was a sound from the doorway and Memphis walked in. She ran her hands over the cables and wires as she approached them.
“And, your name?” Niels asked.
“Memphis.”
“Sebastian is bearable, only through my positive association with my good friend, Baltimore, whose dog is named such. But Memphis is plain ludicrous.”
“Hey!” they both chorused.
Niels looked at Memphis. “I shall call you Margrethe. It’s far more appropriate for the extraordinary plan I’ve concocted.” He laughed manically.
“My name is …” Memphis rolled her eyes. “What is it with these guys? My name is Memphis. Learn it and live.”
“Very good, Margrethe, come join the plotters.”
She sighed and sat down gingerly at the table.
“Margrethe,” Niels said, clapping his hands, “bring us some tea.”
“That’s not my name. And you can get your own tea. I’m not your servant. Anyway, who are you?”
“He’s Niels,” Sebastian said. “The person Christopher said we should look out for. Apparently, everyone’s looking for him.”
Memphis felt her ribs and winced. “What army attacked us?” she joked.
“They’re evil creatures, Margrethe, two parts hate and malice, and one part demented hunter. They are a curse on this place.”
“I’ve now seen them between here and the forest by the Lafayette dam,” Sebastian said.
“They’ve spread far,” Niels said, nodding his head sagely.
“What exactly are they?” Memphis said.
“They’re trolls,” Niels replied.
“Oh, come on. Trolls! All we need now is a goat or two. Where do these … trolls come from?”
“A sullivan is an experimental animal, creature or weapon,” Sebastian said. “It’s hard to classify them. They were developed by the warped minds of the cyborgs. They come from my homeland.”
“Yes, there have been many disturbing importations from across the void over recent years,” Niels said, “as the two warring factions in our land try to find a way to destroy each other.”
“I thought there was supposed to be some kind of peace treaty,” Sebastian said.
“The two sides will never be at peace. They once fought over something, and that has broken their connection forever. They’ll hate each other until they die. Probably even longer.”
“What did they fight over?” Memphis asked.
“The love of a woman.”
“I know the Master had a thing for this girl named Acacia. We saw her in the Peacemaker’s place. But she’s pretty much dead now.”
“Correct, Margrethe. Do you know much about our history, Sebastian?”
Sebastian shook his head. “You’ve had a couple of ages separated by wars. I don’t think you need to turn the lights down.”
Niels ignored him and turned the lights down. He sat back and began. “I assembled some of the documents in the New York library as part of my duties under the Master. There have been two ages since the great disaster. During the First Age, the country was nearly torn apart as the drug cartels tried to establish control over what remained of the country. The distribution of coro and its derivatives was vital and, of course, immensely profitable. But the leaders got more ambitious and territorial until it all exploded in the war in the First Age.”
In spite of himself, Sebastian found himself enjoying the history lesson.
“Territories joined and fell, families banded together and tore apart, until the cost had become too great. A secret treaty was agreed between the two strongest cartels, which consisted of families on opposite sides of the continent. Having the country ruled by different families brought peace, finally. Tension was always present, but war was kept at bay using politics and diplomacy rather than force. Then the impossible happened. The patriarch of the west, Mr. West, defected to the east, taking his eldest son, because he loved Mrs. East. Mr. West killed Mr. East and married the widow.”
“Yeah, I remember hearing that,” Memphis said. “Mrs. West went totally postal. She launched an all-out attack, saying that the west had been betrayed. That’s what started the war in the Second Age.”
“Thank you, Margrethe. Mr. West’s eldest son, who now lived in the east, wanted to marry Acacia. He returned to the west to try and make peace with his family, and introduce Acacia, but there was an accident that left them all broken. The son got horribly disfigured, which is why we have the Master wearing his freaky costume.”
“So, the Peacemaker and the Master are brothers,” Sebastian said. “The story is so sad.”
“It’s not sad when it’s happening around you,” Memphis said. “It’s totally, one-hundred-percent scary. You’ve got these psychotic women at war with each other, willing to sacrifice everything and everyone. I blame the drugs.”
“The elders eventually killed each other in a dramatic confrontation,” Niels said, “and their sons stepped in to carry on the war.”
“Why?” Sebastian said. “It’s got nothing to do with them. All it shows is you have to be insane to be a politician.”
“They fought over the stupid girl,” Memphis said. “They made it personal.”
Sebastian thought about how the politicians had squabbled and fought, and were even prepared to sacrifice their own families for prolonged power, and he had to agree with Memphis.
“The war in the Second Age devastated the land and people,” Niels said. “It was brutal. Very little survived. After the war, sentiments ran deep. The division between the sides was more extreme than ever. The east ran out of everything. They were doing everything to get over here, to the west. Then the Peacemaker made the wall. No one gets through it. Ever since then, the people in the east have been simmering in their poverty and vengeance, but they’re powerless. The Master retreated into his factories and buried himself in work, hiding his scarred body, and he all but faded out of memory.”
Niels hesitated, then said, “But, recently, something has changed. The Master is moving around freely, without fear, and the people are rallying around him. He has grown strong—and he’s developing a new weapon.”
“What new weapon?” Sebastian asked.
“He has found a way of channeling the power of a black hole into a large electromagnetic cannon. It is potentially devastating.”
“How did he work that out?”
Niels dipped his head. “I might’ve had something to do with it.”
“What is it with you smart guys? Why do you keep having to develop terrible weapons?” Sebastian said.
“Wait, you said ‘potentially devastating.’ Does that mean it’s not working yet?” Memp
his said.
“That is correct, Margrethe. The Master is waiting for his final piece.” Niels looked directly at Sebastian.
“Stop calling me that!” Memphis said.
“Why are you looking at me?” Sebastian said.
“He’s after you,” Niels said. “And why? It can only be because you are a requirement for this weapon.”
“He might just want to hang out with me.”
“In New York, no one wants to hang out with the Master. He’s a very violent man.”
“What were you doing in New York?” Sebastian asked.
“I’d escaped from the Peacemaker,” Niels said, “but I was captured by the Master.”
“Then what were you doing back with the Peacemaker?”
“I escaped from the Master.” He looked down. “But then the Peacemaker caught me.”
“You escaped from the Master?” Memphis said.
“Was that hard to do?” Sebastian said.
“It’s generally impossible to escape from the Master,” Memphis told him. “Only one other person has done it.”
“Really?” Niels said. “I thought I was the only one. There were no records, and you know what the Master’s like about records.”
Memphis nodded. She shifted on her chair, the movement making her wince in pain again. Sebastian yawned, starting a chain reaction around the table. Sebastian picked up Memphis and carried her back to the sleeping room, where they both fell asleep instantly.
61
SEBASTIAN WOKE. HIS body felt as heavy as lead sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Memphis stirred next to him. Her stomach rumbled. They made their way back to the main room, where Niels was industriously reading his “bible.” He hurriedly closed it and slipped it away.
“Hello, you two. I’m glad you could join me.”
“Do you live here alone?” Sebastian said.
“I live with my muse. She is the thoughts in my mind and the air in my lungs.”
“Does she have anything to eat?”
“I have the best of food. Follow me.”
He led them through the curtain of wires into another room. Memphis grabbed Sebastian’s hand as they took in the bizarre spectacle.