by Razi Imam
Cameras took a shot of Captain Drake and his XO John Paul Jones sitting two rows behind the Paramarines. Captain Drake had submitted his report against the wishes of the secretary of defense, but he didn’t care.
The cameras continued to span the entire row. Next to Drake were three powerful men, guests of Dr. Cebrián—Rear Admiral Adalrik Karlsson of the Swedish Royal Navy, Fleet Admiral Alfred Burland III of the Royal Norwegian Navy, and Brigadier General Pete Montgomery of Andersen Air Force Base. The row was a massive display of brass. In addition to these men, the Chinese ambassador and the Vietnamese ambassador were there to provide any additional testimonials. The camera didn’t catch him, but Basil Belen discreetly took a seat in the back.
Senator Price then turned around and lifted a foot-high stack of letters tied with a cord, placing it on the table. The thud was caught by his microphone, and the sound echoed throughout the hall. “These are letters from the heads of state of over three hundred countries and agencies, sending in their support for you and your Paramarines. This doesn’t include the shipping container full of letters I’ve received from esteemed scientists, high school science teachers, college professors, astronauts, and medical doctors. Letters have come from all corners of the world, from the tiny island of Fiji to Australia. Even Israelis and Palestinians are united in their support of your work. I’ve received letters from celebrities and CEOs as well.
“So why, when there’s such a tsunami of support from all over the world, from all walks of life, are we having this investigative hearing?” Senator Price paused and locked eyes with Cebrián. “It’s because we wish to determine if any laws were broken. And now, I’ll request my ranking committee member, Congresswoman Renee Parker from New York, to start the proceedings.”
“Thank you, Senator Price,” Congresswoman Parker said. “Distinguished committee members, Doctor Cebrián Alveraz, and Doctor Sebastian Miles—I’ve read all the reports, and I can’t say that I fully understand the ramifications of this discovery. I do understand that this research is part of a bipartisan program funded by the U.S. government with…” She shuffled through some papers, “a budget of $300 million spanning ten years. And as I understand, your program is meant to find specimens that have special abilities and apply them through a process called biomimicry to help solve problems faced by humanity. Is that correct?”
“Yes, Congresswoman, that’s an accurate statement,” Cebrián answered.
“So, I have a basic question,” the Congresswoman continued. “Why, when U.S. taxpayers are funding this research, are you sharing the outcome with the entire world?”
“Yes, this is what I’m talking about!” Dick shouted, watching the hearing in his office. “Great question, Renee! Show that bastard!”
Cebrián smiled and took a sip of his water. He pulled his microphone closer and said, “Congresswoman, you have answered your own question.”
She looked baffled. “What do you mean?”
Cebrián continued to speak softly into the mic. “In your statement, you mention my proposal—to find specimens that have special abilities, and apply them through the process of biomimicry to help humanity. It’s written in my proposal that my work will be used to help humanity. The definition of humanity, as by any dictionary, is humankind, mankind, man, woman, child, human beings, the humans, human race, mortals and Homo sapiens. The other definition is that humanity also means humanness, brotherly love, fraternity, sympathy, benevolence, and kindness. Where does it say humanity means only the citizens of United States of America?”
Applause broke out in the hall, and the chairman asked the audience to respect the Congresswoman’s time.
“Thank you, Doctor Alveraz, for your answer. I have no more questions.”
“Thank you, Congresswoman Parker,” Senator Price said. “I’ll now request Senator David Johnson from Maine to read his statement and ask his question.”
Senator Johnson didn’t care for niceties, jumping directly into his statement and question. “I, for one, don’t agree with this view of brotherhood and apple pie. Let’s all gather around the campfire and sing ‘Kumbaya’. The world isn’t that simple, Doctor Alveraz. What you have done has seriously endangered our country. Today, we have a failing infrastructure in America, homelessness is at its peak, and we’re trillions of dollars in debt. We believe in capitalism, and this discovery would have given our nation much needed resources that would have been instrumental for its financial growth and prosperity.” He paused. “Do you agree that you have seriously jeopardized the opportunity for a major financial windfall for the United States of America?”
Cebrián reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out a test tube. “What I have here is a test tube, with sand that I collected from the beach outside my office at Scripps.” He opened the tube and emptied the contents on the table, creating a small mound. “I brought it here to prove a point.”
Staring at Senator Johnson, Cebrián continued, “You see, this sand here, it’s mostly made of silicon oxide, a material abundantly found everywhere in the world. In 1880, two scientists, who also happen to be brothers, Paul Curie and Pierre Curie, discovered that sand oscillates at a precise frequency—and one can predict the exact number of oscillations per second. It was a simple discovery. It took forty years for the first real oscillator to be developed, making it possible for the development of transistors, chips, and the current foundation of all our electronic devices.
“To answer your question directly—no, Senator, I absolutely did not jeopardize the financial well-being of our country by sharing this discovery. Capitalism isn’t owning a resource and taking the whole world hostage for access to it. That, I believe, is called colonial mastery or imperialism. Capitalism is the existence of free market economy that allows for innovation, inventions, and development of amazing new technologies. If it weren’t for companies like Intel, Motorola, Samsung, IBM, and others, we’d still be staring at this sand, not knowing what to do with it. The time nodules are like these sand particles you see on the table. By sharing this discovery with the world, it’s like sharing the fact that sand oscillates at a precise frequency. It’s science—and science represents fundamental laws of our universe that no one country will ever own.”
Once again, applause broke out and the chairman had to settle everyone down. But this time, the clapping went on for a while, and the chairman had to keep asking for restraint and respect.
One by one, each committee member asked their questions. Some yielded their time to their fellow members, and others asked almost the exact same questions. Cebrián stayed on point—not once did he appear flustered or out of control. He remained poised and polite, even when some members used strong language in expressing their opinions.
The President was also watching the hearing from his private dining room. He knew Cebrián would have no problem dealing with the investigative hearing. However, he didn’t know that Cebrián would perform so well that he would end up winning the hearts and minds of the viewers.
The close of the hearing was soon at hand. “Congressman Damian Lucas from California has the final question,” Senator Price intoned.
“Thank you, Chairman Price and ranking member Renee Parker, distinguished guests, and fellow members,” Congressman Lucas began. “Doctor Cebrián, I, like all others on this committee, have been wowed by the discovery you and your team have found. Congratulations! I can say for myself that I’m blown away with all the possibilities the time particles will bring to our world. As you know, I come from a state that has developed some of the world’s most amazing technologies.”
He adjusted his glasses to read his notes. “I do, however, have one question. The reports state that you recruited a group of scientists from all over the world called the Honeycomb. All of the Honeycomb members constitute some of the world’s top minds—and top hackers, two of whom hacked into the USS Bainbridge and the Chinese Luyang-I destroyer, creating all kinds of diversions to keep them from reaching their destina
tions. They also commandeered a Skjold-class stealth warship that your team used in their operations.”
He placed his notes back on the table and stared, trying to read the expression on Cebrián’s face, but there was nothing to read.
Congressman Lucas continued. “I also see you have an artificial intelligence supercomputer called Poseidon, which has the ability to break into the Pentagon and gain access to major satellites if the need arises. This artificial intelligence, as I understand, lives on a distributed network of computers all around the world, and is capable of encrypting any information that the finest international hackers couldn’t gain access to. From these reports, I also see you have direct connections with the leaders of several countries, even their military leaders, a number of whom we can see seated in the audience today—Rear Admiral Adalrik Karlsson of the Swedish Navy, Fleet Admiral Alfred Burland III of the Royal Norwegian Navy, and Brigadier General Pete Montgomery of Andersen Air Force Base.” Staring again at Cebrián he continued. “Phew, that is some firepower.”
Congressman Lucas took a deep breath. “By the looks of all this, I feel you’re running your program with complete autonomy. It appears you’re not answerable to anyone—you have an amazingly large budget, with private planes and access to labs all over the world. You appear not to answer to any branch of the U.S. government. The President of the United States himself is a personal friend of yours—as are many of the world’s most powerful leaders, for that matter.”
Cebrián hearing the names of his friends turned and acknowledged them with a slight tilt and single nod of his head.
“So here is my question,” Lucas said. “Shall we take this autonomy away from you and make it a controlled, monitored program?”
Lucas’s question created a soft murmur in the room. Cebrián stared at the small mound of sand on the table. He remained quiet, to the point that his silence almost grew awkward.
“Great question, Congressman Lucas,” he said. “I applaud you for asking me this very important, soul-searching inquiry. Any answer I give will be an attempt to defend my actions. With your permission, I would like my partner Doctor Sebastian Miles to take the mic. Any explanation he provides will be satisfactory to me.”
Sebastian, who had sat all day listening and taking notes, cleared his throat and took a sip of water to hide his surprise. He had no idea Cebrián would be passing him the baton.
He pulled the mic closer, adjusting its metallic neck to gain time and sort his thoughts. “Chairman, ranking members, distinguished members, guests, and friends. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your questions and concerns. It has been an eye-opening day for me.
“Over the years, while flipping through channels, I’d briefly pause on C-SPAN and catch the start of a hearing. It would hold my attention for about thirty seconds, and then I’d continue channel-surfing. I never paused to understand what was happening. Today, I’ve come to understand that these hearings we conduct are the epitome of democracy, where the government of the people, by the people, for the people can seek the truth. Chairman, with your permission, I’d like to stand.”
The chairman glanced at his committee for any objections and gestured with his hand. “Please, feel free.”
Sebastian stood up, picked up the wireless handheld mic from its rest, and walked out from behind the table. He stood facing the committee at eye-level. It had the effect of visually altering the balance of power, putting them on a more equal footing. Cameras were now following him, photographers scrambling out his way, moving to the side to take pictures.
“Thank you,” Sebastian began. “The question asked by Congressman Lucas is the heart of this entire hearing. This hearing isn’t about us sharing our discovery with the world, it’s about the freedom and latitude with which we operate.
“Doctor Cebrián Alveraz’s research program has succeeded in recruiting dreamers, mavericks, and illogical non-conformists. We all joined because we knew that the only way to deal with the crises faced by humanity was to discover solutions on the edge of science—where, if I may say, no self-respecting scientist would ever go. Senator Lucas, we’re not here because we want some kind of accolades and recognition. Your question suggests that we have a lot of autonomy, and you want to know if this autonomy would lead to arrogance and power that would corrupt us, correct?”
He paused and focused at the senator, who nervously cleared his throat. “You know why the leaders of the world support Doctor Cebrián Alveraz. It’s because they know that the time for rhetoric, discussions, debates, and political nationalism is gone. Our world is facing an existential, catastrophic reality. We’re facing problems that will most definitely wipe out the human race. We all thought it would be the nuclear holocaust, or a meteor, that would wipe us all out. Who knew that the mere act of living by the human race would cause its extinction?
“Logical, technical, and probable solutions won’t work!” Sebastian said. “Senator Lucas, you ask about the autonomy by which Doctor Alveraz operates. It’s this autonomy that will allow us to go to the deepest crevices of our earth, to scale the highest, most remote mountains, to go deep into jungles, sift through the sands of our deserts, and find the evolutionary specimens that will save our world.
“Whether it was by design or by accident, our leaders and politicians have done one thing right—they funded Doctor Alveraz’s fantastical, almost impossible research, and gave him the autonomy to execute it.
“As a result, the first thing the research has given us is time. Time to save our world, time to find cures for deadly diseases, time to eradicate hunger, famine, malnutrition, and poverty. Time to travel the universe, and most importantly, time to expand our minds. So, Senator Lucas, I say to you, thank you. Thank you for giving us the autonomy we need to do our jobs!”
The room erupted with applause and cheering. The chairman didn’t bother with the gavel. He just watched as the whole room broke into pandemonium. And that day, the world found out about Cebrián, Sebastian, and the Paramarines.
***
SHILOH’S FACE WAS larger than life on the big monitors. He was calling in from the robotics labs in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh. He had just completed the technical development lab that would be used to create all kinds of devices using the time nodule.
On the other monitor was Fabienne, calling in from the village of Gloucester, near Boston. She was overseeing the design and development of the biological lab in the Marine Genomics Research Institute responsible for studying and cloning the time nodule.
Dr. Vu Ha was calling from his new office in Vietnam Maritime University. He had been made the head of his department.
Hamza, Talia, Dmitry, Josephine, Omar, and Kabir were beaming in from Bharati World Temporal Organization located in Antarctica.
Everything Cebrián had said in the submarine had come true. And after Sebastian’s speech, Congress had cleared Cebrián and his team from any wrongdoing. He had been given complete autonomy to conduct his work.
Maria, Nidal, and Michelangelo stood in the middle of the POC in the basement of Vaughan Hall, building 8675. Poseidon’s coral screen ran on one of the monitors.
The elevator doors opened and Maria’s eyes lit up. Coming out of the elevator were two people who she and the team had developed a special fondness for—Pham Kai and Minh. Cebrián had flown them over from Okinawa, straight to San Diego. He had gotten special visas approved and invited them to join the Paramarines.
Behind Pham Kai and Minh were Adora and Charles, having flown in from Antarctica. Then, Sebastian and Cebrián stepped out.
They all met in the middle of the room, and among all the kisses, hugs, and handshakes, Shiloh and Fabienne voiced their jealousy. “Oh, my God, you guys are having a family reunion, this isn’t fair!” Shiloh yelled. “FOMO! FOMO!”
They all moved into the conference room. The table lit up with all their faces, as well as Poseidon’s deep blue colorful coral reef with a fish swimming from one end to the other. Sebastian tr
aced the outline of the coral reef with his index finger It wasn’t too long ago when he had first been in this room, where the adventure had started.
“Welcome,” Cebrián said. Both Pham Kai and Minh wore wireless ear buds that translated what was being said in real time. “What can I say other than thank you, to all of you. When I had envisioned the charter of this research, I could never have imagined that our first biomimicry outcome would be of such a significant nature. I’m amazed how all of this has come together. From daring Vietnamese fisherman to linguists, adventurers and scientists, this team had to have this level of diversity to accomplish our goal. And most importantly—what I wish to share is that Charles, Adora, Pham Kai, and Minh have graciously agreed to join our team of Paramarines.”
Everyone in the room started shaking hands and congratulating the four of them.
Charles interjected. He lifted his sleeves to show an elaborate tattoo on his right forearm. It was of the Familia Sagrada, the red Faberge egg, and the time nodule. The team all peered over the tattoo, smiling and feeling the significance of the moment.
Once the celebrations died down, Cebrián grew serious. “I strongly believe we haven’t seen the end of Richard Richardson. I’m sure he’ll be mounting a new attack on the legitimacy of our group. We know for a fact he has his team at the Pentagon monitoring us twenty-four-seven. He’ll be waiting for us to make the slightest mistake that would justify a judicial clamping down of our work.”
“What the hell is his problem?” Fabienne yelled.
“Fabienne, he feels he is doing the right thing. Our work and our principles are at direct odds with his philosophy and view of the world. For him, it’s all about power and control. He genuinely believes that sharing the knowledge of the time nodule with the world has weakened the United States of America.” Cebrián said. “I’m afraid now that the world knows about us and what we do, attacks like the one you guys faced at Anderson Air Force Base we all need to expect. Foreign governments, privately funded mercenaries, and militias will come after us. Our work provides the promise of amazing wealth, and that’s where the danger starts for us. Which brings me to my main point.” Cebrián grew serious, paused and out of habit rotated the outer bezel of his watch.