STARWEB 1-5

by M. Modak

“Ok general,” Joshua said. The screen went blank and he flipped the visor back up. Moments later, as the car passed an intersection in the road, no less than 12 police cars joined them with lights flashing and sirens blaring.

  All the main buildings looked the same. The city appeared exactly as Joshua knew it to be in his world. John lived outside the inner parts of the city, and never went downtown. Those memories couldn’t tell him if something were different from building to building as someone, who had traveled these streets every day, would know.

  He wondered, at what point does this universe and my own diverge? Where do the real changes take place? And did that change happened recently or was it just coincidence that these two worlds had turned out much the same. Where do they differ? The thought of his Rana and John’s Elizabeth came to mind. All John’s memories showed that they were exactly the same person. They laughed at the same things, loved passionately, rejected insanity, and both were fearless.

  Then he remembered Michael, Anna and Kayla. Anna and Kayla seemed to be opposites, like him and John. What made the difference and how could it have gotten this way? However, the more he thought about it the more his brain hurt.

  Earlier, when he had run to the car to meet Anna, his pounding headache had bloomed into a mind-quake. When he had first awoken, he had found this body crumpled into a ball. The pain was making an uncomfortable situation nearly unbearable. The pressure in the back of his skull felt like it might bust through the clot that had formed and drench him in blood again. He thought, a sub-occipital, neck and shoulder massage would go a long way right now.

  He was also worried about having so much information in one brain. As far as he knew, human brains were meant for only one lifetime of memories. He decided he would put it all down on a flexscreen when he had time, then he would figure it all out.

  The car stopped at the entrance of the Atlanta Civic Center and the doors opened. A group of heavily armed men and women, all dressed in black and wearing red brays, approached the car. The man in the lead said, “Kayla, Joshua please come with us, we’ll take you to the general and professor.”

  Anna was getting out the car when Joshua said, “Okay, but this is not Kayla. This is Anna.” The soldier just nodded then led them into the Civic Center, down several escalators, through barricades and around rows upon rows of armed men, all dressed in black, holding their plasma rifles at the ready.

  No one spoke a word as the sound of so many men walking in unison echoed through the large building. Anna’s clicking heals on the polished concrete floor was the only sound that reminded him he wasn’t truly alone, at least someone he knew from his world was with him.

  They marched on without end. There were a lot of soldiers in the building. Joshua thought the entire army must have dug-in here. Finally, they walked through a last set of sliding glass doors and the general walked up to meet them. He paused for a moment and looked Joshua in the eyes. Then he said, “First we take a moment to verify that you are who you say you are?”

  “General I hope this doesn’t take long. Time is not on our side.”

  “I understand the time table,” the general replied, “but you must understand that every government and terrorist organization on the planet is out looking for you. The information we are about to discuss is so highly classified it comes with orders to kill anyone on sight who discovers its contents.” With that, two soldiers behind them took Anna by the hands and bound them behind her back.

  “What are you doing!” She protested trying to pull her arms free.

  Joshua turned to the general, “What’s going on? I’m responsible for her.”

  The generals face went blank, “She is the one who sabotaged Aughra. She is the only one who could have disengaged the safety locks on the pods. There was a computer virus delivered into the mainframe computer. You know that computer is not linked to any network outside the main lab and one office.”

  Joshua remembered seeing Kayla come out of that one office, at the last minute, just before John had flipped the switch. He looked at her through renewed eyes of doubt and hurt from the betrayal.

  “You’re right general,” he said,” Kayla is the only one who could have done this. Nevertheless, this is not Kayla even more than I am not John. I have all of John’s memories and countless others but Anna, and I’d guess not all the other people out there, who have been switched, know anything about the person they are now in this universe. This woman is Anna, my new employer’s wife. We were all having dinner together in another universe, earlier this night, celebrating my new job. This woman is not Kayla!”

  The general nodded his understanding, “Joshua I simply can’t take the chance. If she was to find out more and I hadn’t verified your story then I would be forced to declare her a terrorist and have her shot.”

  Anna looked pale. Joshua moved closer to her and said, “Anna, it’ll be okay. I’ll get you out of here,” He looked at the general as he spoke, “They will take good care of you as if you were a guest to the president himself because if they harm you I will simply stop right here and they can figure this whole thing out by themselves.”

  “She will not be harmed,” The general said.

  “Then take off the restraints,” Joshua replied.

  “I can’t do that,” the general retorted.

  “You will treat her as a guest. This woman can’t take on your entire army. She has been through enough pain and suffering because of your government and John’s ambitions. I mean what I said I will not help. And I know that for a fact if you just go and blow Aughra up, as you had suggested before to John, you will be responsible for the destruction of Atlanta and the deaths of millions.”

  “You would put so much on the line for one person?” He asked.

  Joshua took in the general’s question and with a deep breath that conveyed all his frustrations, he said, “Everyone I know and love is in my world. Saving one person is just as important as saving millions to me. This woman is the wife of a very special person, that person is with my wife and I am praying and hoping he would do everything in his power to protect her life and liberty now that I’m not there to do it myself. I understand your concerns but I’m telling you this is not Kayla. If you need to bring her into another room as we discuss Aughra, that’s fine. She doesn’t know anything about Aughra anyway, but she will be treated fairly and with the most care.”

  The general blinked at that and turned to the man standing to his right, he said, “Major, take the restraints off and escort Anna to a comfortable room. Make sure she has anything, within reason, that she asks for.”

  The Major immediately removed the restraints and politely asked Anna to follow him. Anna quickly gave Joshua a hug and said, “Thanks Joshua, I’ll be okay now. You go stop Aughra.”

  Joshua gave a small smile. The thought of Rana had put that crushing feeling into his heart again and he struggled with all his might to place his mind back on the problem at hand. Joshua watched as she followed the Major back out the door they entered, turned left and disappeared.

  “Now I need to give you a short test before we start. I have to know you are who you say you are.”

  Joshua shook his head at the wasted time but followed the general deeper into the room. They stopped at a long wooden table covered with flexscreens. He was given fingerprint, iris and DNA test first. All the test quickly confirmed he was who he said he was. The first flexscreen he was handed was filled with incomplete or inaccurate math problems. He recognized the complex equations as the ones used to calculate the cooling temperature needed to put S-matter into a Bose–Einstein Condensate.

  He suddenly remembered that when Drake was driving home he had used the networked computer in his car to see if it had any information on the subject. Joshua froze; he went back through his memory and realized that Drake had put the most important element for building Aughra on the World Wide Web! His heart started racing. If Sapen was monitoring Drake, as Joshua was sure he was, then it now had the chemical sign
ature and condensing rate needed to activate the S-matter; and Drake was made of S-matter. Maybe Sapen hadn’t put it all together yet…

  Joshua couldn’t do anything about it now, so he went on with the test. He easily remembered how to complete the complex equations and quickly moved on to correct the engineering problems. Then he had to fix incorrect diagrams used in the computer’s systems that controlled Aughra’s antimatter release program. Then the test went into questions that are more personal. They asked about John’s past, Elizabeth’s past, people he knew in college and in high school. And, what was John’s mother’s maiden name? The tests just went on and on.

  When Joshua was at the edge of his wits and was just about to throw the flexscreen across the room the general walked up to the table and said, “John or Joshua, that’s enough. Professor Dimity is waiting in the next room. I don’t need to tell you that what you’re about to discuss is classified as Top secret. So if you don’t need to tell him something, leave it out.”

  Joshua stood up, “Okay general, can we please get started now?”

  The general led the way to the door and opened it. The professor was sitting on a couch drinking a steaming cup of coffee. He didn’t look pleased. He said, “This is the worst cup of coffee I’ve ever had. They couldn’t find a single Cosmo Bucks in this whole city. I think this is instant coffee bought at some old petrol station God had pity on.”

  Joshua was truly tired now. He struggled to keep his focus without the sidetracked of petty inconveniences. He needed to make up for lost time. He pushed his words through wooden lips, “Professor, thank you for coming.”

  “It’s not like I had a choice,” the professor replied, “After we spoke these goons burst into my room, scaring my wife and kids, and forced me to come with them.”

  Joshua turned and gave the general an angry look but he had already scolded him enough and needed to get on with it. He looked back to the Professor, closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry for all this.”

  The professor’s whole demeanor changed and a wide smile came across his face, “Well Joshua this is not you’re fought but I thank God you’re taking responsibility for it. You know the theory of parallel universes, hidden within extra dimensions, is an old one not too many people believe. But here I am talking to the first Universalnaut,” he laughed at his own term, “The idea that you have somehow kept the memories and knowledge of John is truly extraordinary. The metaphysical implications are…unbelievable, but here you are.”

  Joshua gave him a sly smile, “But professor, how do you know I’m not just faking it?”

  The Professor frowned, “I know Dr. Aurora; and I am a people person. I don’t need a hundred tests to know that you are as far from being John as I am from being Mickey Mouse. John never apologized for anything. He always addressed me by my first name. He was a dried up ambitious asshole held together by the single thought that one day Aughra would prove his theories correct, that was all he cared about. Even his voice would take on a monotone of self-importance as he tried to refute my theories. That drove me mad just to hear it. And your presence, your energy, the way you hold yourself has changed. You seem to be secure in yourself yet…humble. I detect in you a measure of peace, even in a time like this. Are you a religious man Joshua?”

  Joshua said, “I’m not a religious man in the orthodox sense of the word, “Religion.” I am a believer in Christ. If more people were like Jesus this world would be a better place. Many have turned away from the teachings of Christ because of religion. Religions, like governments, use fear to control the masses and they have done it from the beginning. They never encourage individuals to seek the truth themselves, fearless of where it might lead. Truth always leads to more truth. You could say that I’m a spiritual person who walks by faith.” He thought of Lavar’s Elohim and the Tree of Life, among many other things. He added, “I am a believer.”

  The professor stood up, walked over to Joshua and put an arm around his shoulders. He said, “Then you are in good company. You see that’s what John’s problem was, he only believed in science. It was his god, his wife, his family, his only passion. He could only hear that dam thing speaking to him. A man needs bigger things in his heart than just facts and numbers in his mind to guide him when considering such science as John was considering. You need to be able to hear that small voice, or whatever you choose to call it. The whisper that’s inside us all gives clear warnings and loving guidance, but you must believe.”

  Joshua felt a little more at ease. The Professor returned to his seat and with a gesture invited Joshua to sit next to him. Joshua obeyed. The Professor pulled out a flexscreen and unrolled it. He punched in a few lines and a stream of equations came on the screen.

  “Here’s what I’ve come up with.”

  Chapter 2 Machines

  Universe XJ824

  The wind had increased over the past hour. It rocked the limo violently from time to time as Michael, Kala, John, Rana and their driver entered the Florida keys.

  The first rays of dawn revealed a gathering of flat spinning clouds. As one, the group took a collective breath as they stared into the morning sky. Electricity lashed out as wispy gases tried to escape the edges of its billowing mass. Further in, pink mists melted into a frothing, purple torrent. Every few seconds, more lightening etched deep cracks throughout its accumulating form, highlighting the extent of the monster whose center hovered on top of their destination.

  Michael had no problem getting through the security gate at the main Lab Works site. The driver was given instructions on where to park and after thanking the security guard, they pulled off.

  “So what aren’t you involved in?” John asked Michael.

  “What do you mean?” Michael said.

  “Your office is filled with honorary awards, certifications, licenses in all sorts of mundane and emergence jobs, not to mention that you can fly a helicopter and a jet. Earlier you said your job is mostly to, ‘Make contacts and act out movie scenes.’ You are a very good jujitsu practitioner, as the man passed out on the floor at the truck stop will no doubt exaggerate to everyone who finds out what happened to him. And now, we just gained access to a highly guarded lab on its most important day. So who are you?”

  Michael hadn’t thought about it. He had been in emergency mode the whole time. He was still in shock from losing Anna. Every time he saw Kayla, it brought a stab of pain in his heart. Hearing her talk about the way she treated John, about them having sex, made him burn with jealousy but he also was very sure, this was not his wife. He knew it the moment she woke up on the ballroom floor.

  Through all this madness Anna had been his motivation, he believed Joshua was with her and that he would be doing everything he could to protect her just as he had privately promised to keep Rana safe.

  He hadn’t considered until now that no one here even knew him. It really wasn’t that important to him. Nevertheless, as he thought about his answer, he could tell that all three wanted to know more.

  “Okay,” He said, “I’m just an x-junky who found God at an early age, mid-twenties. I didn’t have a formal, liberal education. Therefore, I started reading all kinds of books; one of my favorites was an old one by a man named Neal D Walsh. Anyway, I got my life together and centered my actions on what I thought, and not what others thought, Jesus would do…But I’m still perfecting that part. I don’t qualify as religious or anything. Jesus just struck me as a man, perhaps more than a man, who believed in something so much that he put his whole life on the line to prove it. Later I added the boldness of Gandhi, the intelligence of Martian Luther king, the wisdom of Siddhartha Gautama. Then finally, I had to spice it up with a little 007. I had to modify 007’s ambitions a bit for the concept to fit my life, but the idea of a well-rounded person with skills to fit the world he engaged, well this, he pointed to himself, is what I created.

  “A lot of what I have become is due to Anna. I met her at a charity dance more than 15 years ago
. Didn’t think I had a snowball’s chance in hell of winning her heart so I didn’t try. Instead, I chose to get to know her and be her friend. Well, it wasn’t long before she fell in love with me. I was already in love with her.

  She took my ideas about life to heart and with her family’s money she invested in me. I went back to school and started the consulting business we have now. I created the framework but she ran the business, and with her family’s contacts, we had enough capital to build from there. She encouraged me to obtain every certification that interested me, from Martial Arts to jet pilot.

  Together we started to look for other likeminded people with raw talent and big hearts to join us. We are very meticulous about the big hearts and cool head part though. Education and family background didn’t matter, we send everyone to a school that fits their gifts most. I’m in school now for acting. Anyway, what matters to Anna and I most, is who a person chooses to be now, not who you were, it’s the, who you want to be now, part that we strive to discover and nurture. The Adison Group & Innovation Inc. has such a broad base of interest that as long as we have motivated, capable people with talent we are able to solve complex problems within nearly any industry. I am more or less the first employee.”