Masters of the Broken Watches

by Razi Imam

  Sebastian shook her hand and responded, “Hello, Doctor Matsumoto.”

  “I have some conflicting news,” she continued. “Minh is currently stable, but her MRI indicates a rather large nodule in her cerebral cortex and another in her left breast. I have a team of doctors looking over her reports, lab results, and MRIs. We’re unable to make any sense of it based on the size of the nodule in her brain and the fact that her cancer has metastasized to such a large scale.” She paused. “I’m not sure how to say this, but she shouldn’t be alive.”

  Sebastian nodded. “I understand, doctor. We’ve performed an experimental treatment to help stabilize her. You’re seeing the results of our work.”

  “What kind of work is this?” the doctor asked. “Her cells are behaving as if they were reversing the effects of the cancer.”

  Ignoring the comment, Sebastian asked, “What are our options, doctor? How can we cure her?”

  Fabienne and Shiloh came over to hear what was going on. Dr. Matsumoto asked them to join her in the examining room where a monitor displayed Minh’s brain. “You see, this dark spot on the cerebral cortex, we need to remove it. Two surgeons perform this type of surgery—one exposes the area, and the other removes one cell layer of the tumor at a time. Both surgeons have to work in perfect synchronization. This type of surgery takes many years of practice, with twenty years of experience required between the two surgeons before they can do the procedure. Over the years, they form an unspoken language—one practically knows what the other is thinking.”

  “I’m still not seeing the problem,” Sebastian said.

  “My partner, who performs this surgery with me, has gone on a hiking trip in the mountains of Nepal. There’s no cell coverage there. I can’t reach him, and he won’t be checking in for another two weeks. I have another surgeon, but she’s new—performing the surgery with her would require a precise modeling of the tumor, cell-layer by cell-layer, and that would take weeks of lab work. We have a few hours, or maybe a day at best, before we lose her. I’m sorry. I really don’t know what else to do.” Dr. Matsumoto took a step back from the monitor.

  Fabienne glanced at Sebastian. He nodded. “Doctor Matsumoto, what if we told you that we can help?” Fabienne said.

  Matsumoto raised an eyebrow at her.

  Fabienne continued. “You and your new surgeon would be in perfect synchronization. You’ll operate as a single mind.”

  “How would that be possible?” the doctor asked. “I’ve performed this kind of surgery with the new surgeon once, and it was nearly impossible. You don’t fully understand the complexity. We use the Da Vinci robot. She manages the two left arms, and I manage the two right arms. Both surgeons have their precise 3-D model, and we follow it. To further complicate matters, we also have to have another surgeon removing the breast cancer, so there will be three surgeons operating at the same time. It just can’t be done! Finally, she has fallen into a coma. It’s simply too late.”

  “Doctor Matsumoto, the same technology that stabilized Minh can be used to help you perform the surgery,” Fabienne explained.

  Dr. Matsumoto paused. She kept looking at the floor, thinking. “I’m not sure how all this will work out, but I feel I must listen to you. Let’s meet in the conference room, and you can share how your technology may help.” Dr. Matsumoto pulled out her phone and walked away, giving instructions to her team.

  Fabienne turned to Shiloh. “Let’s get the time warp device ready. Do we have the Divinio slide?”

  “Yes, I packed all the slides in case we needed them and the device is all charged and ready to go,” Shiloh said.

  The three of them sat down with Pham Kai, and using a hospital-provided interpreter, they explained what was happening. Given the location of the tumor, Minh could have serious disabilities if something went wrong. He listened to them, giving a nod for them to proceed.

  The conference room was fitted with monitors, and they could see Minh’s MRIs of her brain and torso. Three doctors sat reading reports, and four nurses were seated in the rest of the chairs. Dr. Matsumoto was seated at the head of the table. “So, tell us about this new technology of yours.”

  “Doctor Matsumoto, without going into the details of our research,” Fabienne said, “we’ll share the facts with you. We have here a device.” She gestured at Shiloh, who pulled out the time warp device and placed it on the table.

  They all stood up to look at it. “What is it?” Dr. Matsumoto asked.

  “It’s a portable Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/ Ionization device,” Shiloh answered.

  “What does it do?” one of the doctors asked.

  “It’s a device that emits time particles,” Fabienne said.

  Pin-drop silence filled the room. “I’m not sure I comprehend what you’re saying.” Dr. Matsumoto said folding her arms across her chest.

  “Doctor Matsumoto,” Fabienne explained, “for the last three weeks or so, we’ve been researching a deep-sea specimen that has changed our understanding and comprehension of time. We’ve now found out that time is made of six discrete particles. One of the particles allows thoughts to be synchronized.”

  “So, you mean to tell me that this device will emit some kind of time particles that will align our thoughts in the operating room?” Matsumoto said, stammering a bit at the thought of it.

  “Is it dangerous?” one of the nurses asked.

  “Not that we know of,” Fabienne answered.

  “How does it work?” the nurse asked. “What will happen to my thoughts?”

  “Well,” Fabienne said, “the way we think it works is that when two or more people are performing a task, similar thoughts tend to align much more closely. But you’ll still have free-flowing thoughts that are yours. Let’s say you have to perform something to support the surgeons—you’ll perform that procedure at the precise time the surgeon wishes you to perform it, without them having to ask you for it.” Fabienne slowed her speech. “I know it’s a lot to take in—you don’t even know who we are, and we’re sharing this astronomically absurd information.”

  “Well, the fact that it’s so absurd makes me want to believe you,” Matsumoto said, walking over to them. “Let’s try it. Hell, if this works, maybe I can use this at home when my husband and I are making dinner. We keep bumping into each other.”

  ***

  SHILOH LOOKED LIKE a surgeon, complete with facemask, gloves, and a green gown. He walked inside the sterile operating room—there were two large workstations where the surgeons could view magnified images on their screens and use the hand devices to control the arms of the robot.

  The Da Vinci robot was placed at the head of the surgery table. It had four arms, and they were all wrapped in sanitized blue plastic. The arms ended in sharp-looking scissors—it was like looking at a machine version of Edward Scissorhands. Dr. Matsumoto and her partner took positions at their respective workstations. The third surgeon, who was going to perform an urgent radical mastectomy, had her monitor and instruments ready.

  The anesthesiologist was also prepped, ready to make sure Minh didn’t wake up or feel any pain during the procedures.

  They wheeled her in on a surgical table.

  Pham Kai, watching through the observation window, appeared strong—he had his usual thoughtful expression while staring through the glass, looking at the team working to save his wife. Sebastian and Fabienne stood to one side, giving him his privacy.

  Fabienne walked over and explained to Pham Kai that when the Divinio particles were released, they wouldn’t be able to see anything through the window. Pham Kai kept staring through the window, he was just glad his wife was getting the treatment he’d hoped she would get.

  In the operating theater, Matsumoto turned to Shiloh and said, “Okay, we’re all ready.”

  “When you notice an orange or rust mist in the room, you can start the procedures,” he said, tapping the time warp icon.

  In moments, the room filled up with luminescent orange particles. The
nurses gazed wide-eyed at the mist.

  Dr. Matsumoto observed the brilliance in the room as well, but was more concerned with gathering her focus for the surgery. She placed her head into the viewer that displayed Minh’s shaved head, and began her work.

  As the procedure progressed, Dr. Matsumoto couldn’t believe how smoothly it was all going—they had reached the tumor with no difficulty, and had begun its removal, layer by layer. The pathologist stood by to provide instant results.

  Halfway through the brain surgery, the surgeon performing the mastectomy informed them that her procedure was successful, and that she was now patching Minh up.

  Dr. Matsumoto didn’t respond to the announcement—she was staring through the viewfinder, preparing for the most dangerous portion of the operation.

  The procedure called for a series of controlled transfers back and forth between the two surgeons, each controlling two of the four arms of the Da Vinci surgical robot. The delicate dance between the two required that one of them hold a blood vessel while the other removed the cancer cells, switching roles as they moved along its length. Both doctors had to know when to pass control to the other.

  A nurse wiped the sweat from Dr. Matsumoto’s brow. The doctor peered through the viewfinder, holding a blood vessel that if severed, would most certainly mean death. If she dropped it, it would sink deep into the brain tissue, and fishing it out would likely mean major motor failure of the arms and legs. But she had to release the blood vessel to get to the tumor tissue, and her partner had to keep it from falling.

  Dr. Matsumoto could not explain why, but she knew it was time to let go of the vessel. As she did so, her partner’s robotic arm inserted itself at the precise microsecond to catch it from falling. This passing to and fro of the blood vessel occurred several more times, and each time, they both knew when to act. They worked in silence as the entire operating team watched in awe. They couldn’t believe the level of dexterity and synchronicity that was occurring in front of them—it was as if Dr. Matsumoto and her partner were one person.

  “We’re clear,” the pathologist said in a hushed tone. “The last set of layers don’t have any tumor cells. We’re good.”

  Dr. Matsumoto let go of the controls and lifted her hands. All that remained was closing Minh back up, and her partner had that covered. She sat, looking through the viewfinder and making sure all went well.

  Once completed, Shiloh and the operating team walked out of the operating theater in silence, still in awe at what they had just done.

  Three days later, in a dark room lit by the red, ambient light of LEDs, a soft voice said, “Pham Kai, I’m thirsty.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Masters of the Broken Watches

  “Fling me across the fabric of time and the seas of space.

  Make me nothing and from nothing—everything.”

  ~Rumi

  SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Richard Richardson paced around the Oval Office. “Mr. President, your friend Cebrián is out of control. He commandeered a Swedish Gotland-class stealth submarine, complete with a full complement of crew, took them deep into the South China Sea, and fired on a sovereign Chinese destroyer. The Chinese government is up in arms, and they’re looking for restitution.”

  The President raised his eyes from the full report already sent to him by Cebrián. “Dick, calm down. Cebrián saved the USS Bainbridge and her crew. Have you read these reports?”

  “That’s precisely my point, Mr. President,” Dick said, raising his voice. “Cebrián has gone rogue! Did you know he also stole a Skjold-class stealth warship for his operations? I tell you, he has become too powerful. We need to arrest him.”

  “Dick, just listen to yourself,” the President said, irritated. “You’re calling him rogue, yet you’re the one who authorized the use of force to retrieve the specimen without my approval.”

  “Mister President, you know I’m deeply loyal to you and our country,” Dick said, lowering his voice out of respect. “My actions have only ever been meant to protect you and this great nation.”

  “Yes, but wrong actions taken for the right reason don’t make them right,” the President responded. “I know your heart is in the right place, Dick, but the world has changed. A discovery like this can’t be contained. Cebrián is doing the right thing. He’s already put in place a World Temporal Organization that’s developing a manifesto of rules and regulations.” The president paused. “Dick, I recommend you fall in line here and stop creating issues for Cebrián and his team.”

  “Respectfully, Mr. President, I don’t agree with you on this one,” Dick said. “My job is to protect this nation, and I will do my job. Cebrián has jeopardized the safety and success of the United States, and for that he is going to pay a heavy price.” Dick stood up and leaned on the opposite side of the President’s desk. “And until you fire me, I’ll do what you appointed me to do.”

  The President leaned back in his chair. “Dick, I challenge you to stop him. He’ll outsmart you at every turn. Call a congressional hearing to investigate his actions.”

  “Challenge accepted,” Dick said. “You don’t see it now, but Cebrián has already committed treason by sharing this discovery with the world.”

  “No, he hasn’t,” the President said, sighing. “You, on the other hand, have come dangerously close to committing the very crime. Now go, call the hearing and get out of my office.”

  Dick got up and left the Oval Office, mumbling under his breath.

  ***

  “I CALL THIS session in order,” Senator Edmond Price said after hitting the gavel twice on the table. “Each committee member will get five minutes to read his or her statement and ask a question. A committee member may yield their time to a fellow member. Doctor Cebrián, do you understand the meaning of this investigative hearing?”

  “Yes sir, I do,” Cebrián answered. He sat at a table with Sebastian. They both wore dark gray suits. The hearing was being televised as per the president’s request. Both political parties had picked a team of nine senators and congressmen to head the investigation. The chair, Senator Edmond Price, was from the majority party, and Congresswoman Renee Parker was the ranking member of the minority party. Given the significance of the subject, all major U.S. networks were covering it live. Reporters and journalists from all over the world had converged for the hearing.

  The audience in the room was packed with scientists and researchers from major universities. They were attending to support their partner, Cebrián.

  Maria, Fabienne, Shiloh, Nidal, and Michelangelo sat right behind Cebrián and Sebastian. Maria was wearing a black fitted suit. Shiloh had his hair pulled back and was wearing a sports coat. Fabienne wore a white suit with a red shirt that accentuated her red hair. Nidal and Michelangelo were dressed in their formal Navy SEAL service uniforms—double-breasted jackets with six gold-colored buttons and a black necktie. On TV, the seven of them looked prepared and ready to engage. There was already a hashtag trending on Twitter called #WhosMaria.

  “Do you also understand the seriousness of what we’re investigating?” Senator Price asked.

  “Yes, sir, I do,” Cebrián answered.

  “In that case, I would want both of you to stand up and raise your right hand,” Senator Price said. “Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you’re about to give before the committee will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

  Cebrián and Sebastian both responded, “I do.”

  “Please be seated,” Senator Price requested. “Doctor. Cebrián, the committee here has been assigned to determine if you, your team members, or your organization, have committed treason. Let me read it exactly how it’s written in this document. ‘An investigative hearing is conducted to determine when there’s a suspicion of wrongdoing on the part of an official or private citizen whose actions now require the need for legislative action.’”

  Senator Price was a man who looked and acted the part of an elder
statesman. His white hair was combed back perfectly, and his nose supported silver-rimmed reading glasses. His job was to keep the hearing on track and maintain order. “These are very serious allegations, and they come from one of the highest offices of our nation, Secretary of Defense Richard Richardson. He believes that your actions have seriously jeopardized the safety of our country. He goes on to say that your actions have also hurt the growth and prosperity of our nation. That you have acted in a callous fashion with no regard to national security.”

  There was a shuffle and murmur in the audience. Ignoring the disturbance, he put the paper down and picked up another. “And here I have the report of your findings. It appears you and your team found a subterranean biological specimen that creates time nodules.”

  He paused, looking at both Cebrián and Sebastian, and then toward his committee members. “This specimen has a symbiotic relationship with certain marine life that lives inside the specimen and has learned to communicate with it. The marine life has also been able to add this time nodule to their anatomy through a biological opening. Using this time nodule, they’re then able to release these time particles, giving them advantages in their daily lives.” He cleared his throat and glanced at his committee members. “This sounds like science fiction. I feel like I’m reading a novel.” A chuckle rippled throughout the room.

  “These time nodules emit six different types of time particles. One such marine life was accidentally caught by a Vietnamese fisherman that led you to this discovery.” He shook his head in disbelief and continued. “In summary, and according to this report, our understanding of ‘time’ is now broken. Time as we all know, feel, and experience it, is never going to be the same. And one more thing, your team have collected over three hundred such nodules and distributed them to all the countries of the world.” He looked up at the committee, Cebrián, and Sebastian.

  He then consulted a third sheet of paper. “This is a report from Captain Francis Drake of the USS Bainbridge, explaining how your team used the time particles to save his men from drowning.”