SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORIES VOLUME IX
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“What if it didn't push back?” asked Joanna. “Or what if the push was weakened somehow?”
“That's it.” said David. “Dark matter isn't affected by gravity because it is gravity. Or at least it causes the effect on matter that we attribute to gravity.”
“It pushes matter together,” said Joanna. “That's incredible. But it makes a lot of sense. A whole lot more sense than mass warping space. We're on a roll now. What other mysterious forces can this dark matter explain?”
“Pick one,” said David.
“Centrifugal force,” said Joanna. “What keeps the planets in orbit?”
“Good one,” said David. “Why doesn't gravity, or the dark matter, push the earth and sun together?”
“Exactly,” said Joanna.
“I'm not sure there is a centrifugal force,” said David. “It's more a case of the inertial force that tries to keep the planet moving in a straight line tangent to the orbital path being counteracted by the force of gravity. When they are equal, an orbit is maintained.”
“But the gravitational forces of the Sun would decrease over time as it burns its fuel,” said Joanna. “But the mass of the planets would actually increase due to solar particles. They should eventually fly off into space.”
“Good point,” said David. “So there is some other force at work.”
“Is it the dark matter?” asked Joanna. “How does it explain this?”
“What would happen to these dark matter particles if you placed a spinning object in their midst?” asked David.
“The dark particles within the object would follow the spinning motion of the object,” said Joanna. “Their motion, near the surface of the object would set external particles into motion. You would end up with a rotating disk of dark particles on a plane perpendicular to the equator.”
“Now place a smaller object within this orbiting plane so that its speed is syncronized with the speed of the dark particles in the plane,” said David. “The dark particles are no longer pushing it toward the sun, but along an orbital path.”
“You'd have a permanent orbit,” said Joanna, “as long as the rotating plane existed. But the outer planets would move at incredible speeds.”
“Not really,” said David. “The disk isn't solid. There would be slippage. The farther out from the sun, the slower the particles would orbit.”
“I'd have to check the numbers,” said Joanna. “But that sounds like it's pretty closely matches the relative speeds of the planetary orbits, speeds that couldn't be attributed directly to Einstein's theory of relativity.”
“Wake up, David,” said Carolyn. “It's been two hours. You won't be able to sleep tonight.”
“I'm up,” said David.
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“How is the mind probe working out with our new subject?” asked Walter.
“Great,” said Joanna. “I think he's got something with this new theory. I've learned a lot about his thinking process, but he's figuring it out without the alien memories. I'm not sure he was contaminated.”
“Was he probed?” asked Walter.
“I'm not sure,” said Joanna. “But I'm gonna have to try something I've never done before if we're gonna find out.”
“What's that?” asked Walter.
“Hypnosis while inside a dream,” said Joanna. “Theoretically it should work.”
“I guess you know what you're doing,” said Walter. “Keep me informed of your progress. Oh, I almost forgot. It seems that your subject may have been the last one the aliens probed, if he was probed at all. We're not finding any new cases that were probed within the last five years. The aliens may have actually gone home.”
“Keep looking,” said Joanna. “We almost missed this one.”
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“David,” said Joanna. “I've got to tell you a secret.”
“What is it?” asked David.
“This is all a dream,” said Joanna.
“Then don't ever wake me,” said David. “Are you serious?”
“We're both dreaming,” said Joanna. “We're both from the 21st Century and I used a mind probe to enter your dream.”
“Right,” said David. “You're an alien from Alpha Centauri.”
“I'm serious,” said Joanna. “And I'm not an alien.”
“Prove it,” said David.
“Prove I'm not an alien?” asked Joanna. “How do you prove you're not an alien?”
“No,” said David. “Prove that this is all a dream.”
“Well, that's easy,” said Joanna as she lifted off the ground and began to fly around.
“Can I do that?” asked David.
“It's a dream,” said Joanna. “You can do anything.”
“Wait a minute,” said David. “If we're from the 21st century, that would make me an old man.”
“A wise and mature man,” said Joanna. “With a theory that could change the world.”
“I thought you said the aliens used the mind probes,” said David. “You're not an alien?”
“I developed a mind probe using memories that I picked up when the aliens probed my mind,” said Joanna. “I needed to find out if you got your theory from the aliens.”
“You want to know why the aliens are probing our minds,” said David. “That's it. Isn't it?”
“That's it,” said Joanna.
“Well, I have no idea,” said David.
“Not now,” said Joanna. “Will you let me hypnotize you?”
“You've had me hypnotized since the first day we met,” said David. “But that was all a trick, wasn't it?”
“I said you can do anything in a dream,” said Joanna. “But you can't hide your true feelings. I find you very intriguing.”
“But that note, JH+DY,” said David. “That was just to sucker me in. Wasn't it?”
“You saw that,” said Joanna. “But how?”
“It was on the back of that story I graded in class,” said David.
“Just a school girl's scribbles,” said Joanna. “You shouldn't have paid any attention to that.”
“You can't hide your true feelings,” said David. “Do what you have to do.”
“You realize those aren't my feelings in real life,” said Joanna. “You're old enough to be my father and you're married.”
“I am,” said David. “Do I have any kids?”
“Kids and grandkids,” said Joanna. “You're very happy as far as I can tell. And you don't even know me.”
“I'm gonna miss you,” said David.
“Not for long,” said Joanna as she removed her necklace. “I'm just a dream. Now, listen to the sound of my voice and concentrate on the necklace. I want you to move forward in time to the year 2005. Now slowly move forward until you become aware of an alien presence.”
“Where are you now?” asked Joanna.
“I'm lying on a metal table,” said David. “I can hear the aliens but their lips aren't moving.”
“What are they saying?” asked Joanna.
“I'm not actually hearing words,” said David. “It more like thoughts. I know why they're here.”
“Why are they here?” asked Joanna.
“Planets like Earth are extremely rare in the universe. They are looking for new worlds to colonize,” said David.
“Why are they probing our minds?” asked Joanna.
“To determine if we are worthy of such a planet,” said David. “Or if we are destined to destroy it.”
“And if we are destined to destroy it?” asked Joanna.
“They can't let that happen,” said David. “They'll destroy us first.”
“Are they going to destroy us?” asked Joanna.
“They're arguing amongst themselves,” said David. “One of them is arguing that our technology has surpassed our knowledge. He says we only stumbled upon what few answers we've found, building on the work of others that stumble in the darkness.”
“That's doesn't sound very promising,” said Joann
a.
“Another one is arguing that this one has shown independent and original thinking that will lead the humans out of the dark ages,” said David. “Is he talking about me? They're taking a vote.”
“Well?” asked Joanna. “What happened?”
“It's 4 to 1 to destroy us,” said David.
“Can you talk to them?” asked Joanna. “You've got to convince them.”
“Wait,” said David. “It has to be unanimous. They're not going to destroy us. They're going home. We've got another Krognor to get things right before they come back.”
“A Krognor?” asked Joanna.
“One hundred of their years,” said David.
“What's that in earth years?” asked Joanna.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” said David. “Am I going to remember any of this?”
“No,” said Joanna. “But I will. What about your theory? Did they say that you had it right?”
“Just that I showed independent and original thinking,” said David.
“They could have been talking about one of your sci-fi stories,” said Joanna.
“I write sci-fi stories!” exclaimed David. “Wow.”