by Lucy Hawking
In another four and a half billion years the third planet out from this star will be the only place in the known Universe where human beings can comfortably exist. They—you—will see stars, clouds of gas and dust, galaxies, and cosmic microwave background radiation everywhere in the sky—but not the dark matter, which is most of what lies there. Neither will you be able to see anything of those parts that are so distant that even the CMB photons from there have yet to arrive, and indeed there may be parts of the Universe from which light will never reach our planet at all.
Chapter Eight
As Eric finished his talk and the lights went up, the whole audience jumped to their feet, bursting into loud applause, which rang and rang around the lecture hall.
Modestly Eric took a few bows and then stumbled off the stage, where he was immediately mobbed by eager fans, flash bulbs popping, and television cameras shadowing his every move. The crush around him was so dense that Annie and George had no hope of getting anywhere near him. The pressure of the crowd drove them slowly backward, away from where Eric was standing.
Annie’s cheeks were pink with excitement. “Amazing!” she kept saying to no one in particular. “That was amazing!” she babbled on to Vincent, who seemed dazed, as though he had looked into the heart of a burning star and now couldn’t return to reality on planet Earth.
George suddenly heard a polite but pointed cough near him, and turned to see the man who had taken the seat beside him standing there. George realized that he was very old, with white hair and a soft drooping mustache. He wore a suit of pressed tweed with a vest, and a watch chain looped across the front of it. The old man gripped George’s arm.
“You were sitting next to Eric’s daughter,” he whispered urgently. “Do you know Eric?”
“Yes …” George tried to back away. The old man’s whiskers were almost tickling his face.
“What is your name?” asked the old man.
“George,” said George, still trying to move backward.
“You must get him,” replied the mustachioed man urgently. “I must speak to him. It is very important.”
The old man was now wearing an ordinary pair of clear glasses, making George wonder if he had imagined the yellow ones earlier.
“But who are you?” he asked.
The old man frowned. “You mean you don’t know?”
George thought very hard. Had he met this man before? Somehow he didn’t think so. But there was something familiar about him—something about the way he spoke—that was trying to ring bells in George’s mind.
“You recognize me, don’t you?” persisted the old man. “Go on, tell me my name.”
George racked his brains but he just couldn’t think who this might be. Embarrassed, he shook his head.
“Really?” The man’s face fell. He was obviously disappointed. “I was very well known in my day,” he said sadly. “Every school child knew of my theories. You mean, you have never heard of Zuzubin?”
George grimaced. He felt awful. “No, I’m sorry, Professor Zuzubin …” He couldn’t finish.
“I am sad,” said the old professor sorrowfully, “to hear this. I was Eric’s tutor, you know!”
“Yes!” cried George in relief that he had something positive to say. “That’s where I’ve seen you before—in the photo of Eric at the university! You’re his great teacher!”
Professor Zuzubin didn’t look any happier. “Eric’s great teacher … ,” he murmured. “Yah, that is how I would be remembered. That is what they would think of me if …” He seemed to check himself. “Never mind,” he said decisively. “Bring me Eric. I will be waiting in his office. Now hurry, George!”
George had to fight his way through to Eric, who was busy answering questions from the fans grouped around him in starstruck clusters. “Stop pushing!” they hissed to George as he tried to barge through. He saw that Eric had unplugged Cosmos, folded him up, and tucked him under his arm.
Finally George got close enough to whisper into his ear. “Eric,” he said, “Professor Zuzubin is here and he wants to speak to you. He’s says it’s very important.”
“Zuzubin is here?” said Eric, turning to George in surprise. “Here? In this lecture hall? Are you sure? The Zuzubin?”
“Zuzubin,” George confirmed as people wanting to talk to Eric shoved and pushed him. “He’s waiting for you in your office. He says it’s urgent.”
“Then I must go!” said Eric. He clapped his hands together loudly. The hall fell silent. “Thank you all for listening!” he told his fans. “Please come back next month, when we will be discussing baby black holes and the end of the Universe. Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and children!”
Eric left the lecture hall to another huge burst of applause, with George following behind him, a frown on his face. There was something about Professor Zuzubin—whether it was the yellow glasses or the strange way he had said Eric’s name—that made George feel uneasy about him. Whatever was about to happen to Eric, George needed to know …
*
“What,” said Professor Zuzubin, slamming a photograph down on Eric’s desk, which made all the half-drunk cups of tea, unopened envelopes, scientific papers, and piles of books perched on it jiggle nervously, “is the meaning of this?”
“Professor Zuzubin,” said Eric, turning red and fidgeting. “I … I …”
George gazed at him in amazement. He had never seen Annie’s father being told off before.
Professor Zuzubin just stood there, watching his former pupil. “Eric Bellis, I know this has something to do with you. Kindly explain yourself.”
George sneaked a look at the photo. It showed a grayish cratered surface. But in the middle of the fuzzy photo seemed to stand two indistinct figures in space suits.
“Oh dear,” murmured Eric.
“Oh dear indeed,” said Professor Zuzubin.
“This is all my fault,” said Eric immediately. “You can’t blame George.”
“George!” Professor Zuzubin exploded. “Now you’re taking children out into space? What is next? Taking a trip to the Moon with a whole school party? What were you thinking?”
“No, it was just me,” said George bravely. “I followed Eric out to the Moon because I wanted to ask him a question. He didn’t invite me to go there; I went out all by myself.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, George realized that his explanation actually made everything sound much worse.
“So you left the space portal unsecured during a cosmic journey … ,” said Zuzubin slowly, “which allowed a child to use the portal unsupervised in order to join you in space? Do you know how serious this is?”
“I’m so sorry,” said Eric, looking very ashamed. “I had no idea there would be a satellite in that location.”
“You were very careless. This photo,” retorted Zuzubin, “was sent to me by Dr. Ling at the Chinese branch of the Order of Science. He would like to know how a Chinese satellite managed to take a timed and dated photo of two astronauts on the Moon when no manned spacecraft have visited it since 1972.”
“It’s not that bad,” said George hopefully, “is it? If they can’t see the portal, then Cosmos is still a secret and they might think the photo is just a mistake.”
“A mistake?” yelled Zuzubin. “You used the supercomputer to take a little day trip to the Moon and got caught, and you think this counts as a mistake?”
“Don’t shout at George,” said Eric, rallying a little. He took a swig from one of his cold cups of tea, which seemed to fortify him. “I admit—we went to the Moon using Cosmos so I could investigate a theory I’m working on. I needed some Moon rock as a sample. But that’s it! End of story.”
“No!” said Zuzubin, turning red. “Not end of story! For now this photograph is still highly confidential—Dr. Ling has managed to see to that—but if it gets out, then we are all in very deep trouble. You knew that Cosmos could only be an effective tool for scientific discovery if we kept his existence a complete secret. You kne
w what might happen if he became public knowledge. You are the guardian of the world’s greatest supercomputer. And yet you … you …”
He looked so angry, George thought his head might explode like an erupting volcano.
“This has come at the worst possible time for the Order of Science to Benefit Humanity,” he continued, more calmly now.
The Order of Science to Benefit Humanity was a special and very distinguished group of scientists who had come together to make sure that science was used for good and not evil. Eric was a member—and so, in fact, were George and Annie. George had become the youngest member ever to join during his adventures with Eric and the black hole.
“You must have seen the protest today outside your lecture,” Zuzubin ranted on. “You must realize that T.O.E. Resists Addition of Gravity is gathering strength right now.”
George noticed that he made a great effort to call the protest group something other than TOERAG, which George thought was rather odd. After all, the name seemed to suit them extremely well, so why didn’t the mysterious cosmologist want to use it?
“They are getting braver,” Zuzubin went on. “They have never appeared in public before today. But they know people worldwide are turning away from science, and so they are gaining in confidence. In this atmosphere, if the public finds out through your foolish actions that we kept a supercomputer secret, they will start to ask what else we keep from them—perhaps the Collider really is dangerous, they will say. Perhaps none of us should be allowed to continue our work? Our lives in science could be over. Science itself could be over.”
George thought Eric was about to burst into tears. He had never seen him so upset.
“What can I do?” said the scientist, wringing his hands. “How can I make this better?”
“We have called an emergency all-members meeting,” said Zuzubin, checking the round silver watch looped across his vest, “of the Order of Science to Benefit Humanity. You must leave immediately and take Cosmos with you. They will review all the activities that Cosmos has undertaken while he has been in your care to see whether your use of the supercomputer has been justified.”
George and Eric both gulped. The thought of the Order of Science looking through Cosmos’s log and finding that he had recently been used to transport a pig was not a comfortable one.
“You will explain to the Order what you have done,” said Zuzubin.
“That could be very awkward … ,” murmured Eric, still thinking about Freddy.
“And they will decide whether you will remain as Cosmos’s guardian and custodian. I have arranged your transport.”
Eric turned pale. “You mean, they want to take Cosmos away from me?”
“They can’t do that!” cried George. “That’s wrong!”
“We shall see,” said Zuzubin. “Eric, you must leave now. You will be collected from your house.”
“Where am I going?” asked Eric.
“To the great experiment.”
“I’m coming with you,” said George. “I’m a member of the Order of Science. I should be there.”
“Certainly not,” thundered Zuzubin. “You will stay here. This is not a matter for children.”
“Zuzubin is right,” said Eric gently. “This doesn’t concern you, George.”
“But where are you going?” he asked. “Where is the meeting? When will you come home?”
Eric gulped. “The Large Hadron Collider,” he said quietly. “I’m going back to the beginning of time.”
With that, the three of them filed silently out of Eric’s office and headed for the double doors at the entrance. Eric and George went out onto the street, but as George looked back through the glass, he saw that Zuzubin was not following them. Instead, the old professor disappeared down the stairs by the front door. That’s curious, he thought. Where was Zuzubin going?
“Eric,” said George as the scientist unlocked his bike, “what’s underneath the Math Department?”
“Underneath?” said Eric. He looked completely dazed. “I haven’t been down there since I was a student.”
“What’s down there?” persisted George.
“A load of old junk, I should think. Old computers, mostly. I don’t know …” Eric shook his head. “I’m sorry, George. I’ve got a lot on my mind right now. Find your bike and we’ll ride home.”
Chapter Nine
Back at Eric’s house, Annie was whooping with glee at how well his lecture had gone.
“Vincent said you were awesome,” she said happily. “He said you totally rocked!”
But the happy atmosphere didn’t last long. One look at Eric and George told Susan that something very unexpected must have happened. She took Eric into the study and closed the door. It didn’t make any difference—through the thin walls the two children could still hear every word Annie’s parents said.
“What do you mean?” they heard Susan ask Eric once he’d broken the news. “How can you be leaving for Switzerland tonight? It’s the beginning of term. What about your students? What about us? You promised you would help with our anniversary party! It’s been planned for ages—don’t let me down, Eric. Not again.”
“What’s going on?” whispered Annie to George. They were hovering in the kitchen.
“A satellite took a photo of us on the Moon,” George told her. “It was sent to some ancient professor by the Chinese branch of the Order of Science. And now your dad is in trouble. He’s got to go to a meeting at the Large Hadron Collider right away: He has to explain what happened to see whether they will let him keep Cosmos.”
Annie turned green. “We might lose Cosmos?” she hissed.
“Susan,” said Eric in the next room, “I’m really sorry.”
“You promised me,” said Susan. “You promised me you wouldn’t mess our lives up anymore!”
Annie and George didn’t want to listen but they couldn’t help hearing. Every word was horribly clear.
“If I don’t go now, I will definitely lose Cosmos,” said Eric.
“Cosmos!” retorted Susan angrily. “I’m so sick of that computer! It’s been nothing but trouble.”
“That’s not true,” protested Eric feebly.
Annie ran out of the kitchen and burst into the study. “Stop!” she announced dramatically. “I can’t stand it! Don’t argue anymore!! Stop it! Just stop it!”
George stood frozen in the kitchen. For the first time since he’d known the family next door, he would have given anything to be back in his own house with his own parents. Even though his baby sisters made lots of noise and his mom cooked weird food, he just wanted to get out of Annie, Susan, and Eric’s lives and back into his own.
“Annie, please,” said Susan. “This is between your father and me.”
“Are they going to take Cosmos away?” Annie asked her dad, who seemed to have drifted off into a universe of his own.
“What?” said Eric, sounding startled.
“You weren’t even listening, were you?” sighed Susan. Suddenly she sounded totally defeated. “I was talking to you and you were thinking about science.”
“I … I …” Eric couldn’t deny it.
“Maybe it would be better if you did lose Cosmos,” said Susan rashly. “I hope they take that dratted computer away from you, then we can get back to being a normal family.”
“Mom!” Annie cried out in horror. “You don’t mean that.”
“Oh yes I do,” said Susan. “If the Order of Science doesn’t destroy that blasted machine, I’ll do it myself.”
After that, it got very awkward and frosty in the house. Eric stomped upstairs to pack, followed by Annie, full of suggestions of what to say to the Order of Science. “Annie! I will handle this by myself!” George heard her father say in an unusually loud voice. “Stay out of it! This is none of your business!”
As George stood there, still stuck in the same spot in the kitchen, he heard Annie run down the stairs and into Eric’s study, slamming the door behind her. The sound o
f noisy sobs rang through the house.
“Annie …” Susan tapped gently on the study door.
“Go away!” shouted Annie. “I hate you! I hate you all!”
Susan came into the kitchen, her face pale and drawn. “I’m so sorry, George,” she said in a tired voice.
“That’s okay,” said George. But it wasn’t. He’d never heard grown-ups arguing like that and it made him feel sick.
“You should go home now,” said Susan kindly.
Eric appeared in the doorway. “Here, take this … ,” he said, handing George the hamster, Pooky, in its cage. “Oh—and this. It’s a souvenir,” he added sadly. “In case they come and confiscate all my space stuff while I’m away. I thought you’d want to keep it.” It looked like a large off-white duvet had been stuffed into a knapsack. But George knew exactly what it was: Eric was giving him his space suit.
“Are you sure?” he said, shouldering the knapsack and taking the cage in both hands. The hamster, Pooky, was no ordinary pet. He was in fact the only nano supercomputer in existence. Designed by Dr. Reeper, Eric’s former colleague, Pooky was almost as powerful as the great Cosmos himself.
At least, in theory Pooky was that powerful—the only problem was, Eric had no idea how to operate him. The nano computer was disguised as a very lifelike small furry animal, but it had no control panel and didn’t respond to any commands or instructions. Without his creator, Dr. Reeper, supercomputer Pooky was entirely useless. Eric had hoped to link him up with Cosmos, but this plan had failed. Instead, Pooky had been living quietly in a spacious hamster cage where he cleaned his whiskers, slept, and ran on his wheel—not much to challenge the world’s second most intelligent computer … But until Dr. Reeper returned from his extended vacation at a distant physics institute, there was nothing Eric could do with Pooky. Except keep him safe—and secret.
Apart from Reeper, only George, Eric, and Annie knew about Pooky. Which, George suddenly realized, meant the Order of Science to Benefit Humanity could have no idea that a second supercomputer existed. They only knew about Cosmos.