“Most of the time,” he said, walking beside her.
She looked up at him. “Except when you have to call in the FBI?”
He shrugged. “Or when I grill someone who turns out to be innocent.” They walked a few paces with eyes locked on each other. “Sorry,” he said.
She smiled. “Je vous pardonne, monsieur.”
37 Qinhuangdao
Lao Yan looked displeased even as his words declared the opposite. “It is good news, Jie Ping.”
Zhu Jie Ping had expected the worst. Their associate in America had reported FBI activity at the Stetler Corporation. He had even provided telephoto pictures of Terry Stetler being led away in handcuffs. The situation did not look good, and now he worried about his own future.
Lao set the page down on the table and turned it toward Zhu. “The crisis is over. Soyuz has landed. This briefing paper is from General Ji. It includes satellite reconnaissance of the ship coming down in a northern state of America and collected by their military.”
Zhu was elated, but confused. He knew his team had nothing to do with the landing. They had attempted to locate the spacecraft in every way they knew how, but it was like hunting for a gnat across the emptiness of Tibet.
“We made every effort. I am happy for the success, even if I cannot claim credit.” Zhu knew that Lao had been provided regular reports—probably from one of his own team members. There was no point in denying their failure, but he was curious how anyone else could have accomplished the impossible task. “Do we know how they returned?”
Lao’s grim face still hid information that Zhu could not discern. “General Ji provides no additional information. Perhaps the expanded space collapsed on its own?”
Zhu couldn’t think of any mechanism for such an event, but then he really had only a vague understanding of how any of this technology worked. “My team will investigate and find out.”
Lao shook his head. “Your team no longer exists, Jie Ping. You will need to assign each person to a new position at The Higgs Factory.”
“You’re disbanding my team?” This was a greater crisis than an accidental displacement of a Russian spacecraft. It was personal ruin.
“I am sorry, Jie Ping. Perhaps it is a temporary setback. Perhaps we shall start again in the future. For now, the political damage is high and must be contained.” He swiveled his chair and looked away. “All personnel must be reprocessed. All data and all software must be sent to Records Archive. Once this is complete, your team—officially—never existed.”
38 Layers
The Diastasi lab was pitch dark. Daniel could dimly make out some overhead pipes, but nothing else. Nala ran her hand along the wall. “Lights, lights. Where’s that switch?”
Daniel laughed. “So… you’re about to single-handedly operate a machine that can compress space itself, but you don’t know where the light switch is. I’m not getting a good vibe.”
“You know, Daniel, I’ve told people to fuck off for less than that.”
He had no doubt about the veracity of that statement. “I can see that I’ll need to be more careful around you.”
“You do. I’m very dangerous.” She located the switch and the room was illuminated. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be a few minutes on the computer.”
She pulled a chair up to the workstation that had been occupied by Thomas the day before. Daniel took a seat next to her and set his bag on the desk. “You won’t need any help to make all this work?” he asked.
“I’ll manage. Why don’t you get your magic plate set up?” She motioned to the plexiglass box. “You have any specific destination in mind?”
Daniel lifted the top of the plexiglass box and carefully placed the yin projector on its point. It balanced in the center, still within range of a voice command. “I think anywhere in 4-D space will do. But we’ll also need that webcam that Dr. Park was using.”
She pointed to the shelf where it was stored, and Daniel turned it on. A window automatically popped up on the computer, transmitting the webcam’s view. He set the webcam next to the yin. “When you send this thing into a fourth dimension, I guess it won’t be able to hear me, right?”
“Definitely not. It’ll only be a meter away, but of course your voice is nothing but a vibration within three-dimensional air.” It made sense. Thinking in four dimensions was becoming intuitive… almost.
“That’s all right, we’ll do them one at a time. The first projection was a flat 2-D image. The star map was 3-D.”
“And you think you’re going to get something different in four dimensions, right?”
Daniel’s brow arched. “We’ll see.”
A background hum filled the room. “Ah, we’ve got protons.” She picked up a handheld radio from its cradle and keyed the mic. “Control, Diastasi. Confirm power up.”
The radio hissed, followed by Tony’s voice. “Hi, Nala. Yeah, we’re all set. You can go anytime.”
“That was quick,” Daniel said.
“Yeah, Tony’s good. Why don’t you tell that projector to do its thing?”
Daniel nodded and provided the voice command and the yin performed its job. He adjusted the webcam until the projection was in view. “Really, this is just a guess. It might look exactly the same in 4-D.”
“But that’s how science works,” she offered. “You make an educated guess, you try a few things, you measure your results, and repeat.”
Mostly, Daniel thought. Along with a willingness to revise your viewpoint in the face of contrary evidence. Most people forgot about that last part.
She flipped a few toggle switches on a panel and typed once more on the keyboard. “Ready?”
“Into the unknown.”
She pressed a key, and a loud buzz filled the room, followed by a bright flash and a loud pop. The yin and the webcam disappeared. Daniel shook his head. “I don’t think I could ever get used to that.”
“You’re not the only one,” she laughed. “I’ve done it hundreds of times, and it’s still amazing.”
“Why does it pop?”
“We think it’s an interaction with oxygen molecules. Like a mini flash fire, but without flames.”
They both pressed close to the computer display. The yin was partially in view, its metal surface only dimly lit. Daniel could make out the gentle curve of the metal down to its point, but it no longer stopped there. The metal extended lower, its curve flipping upward at the end, like the bottom of a lowercase j. It’s a four-dimensional object.
Nala saw it too. “Damn it, Daniel, are you always right?”
“More structure, below its point.” His finger drew a line along its j-shaped edge. “That’s how it balances.”
Nala nodded. “Probably also why it feels heavier than you’d expect. More mass, hidden from our view. But the projection looks the same.”
As dim as the yin’s surface appeared, its projection stood out bold and bright. The circular depiction of the Standard Model was the same as before.
“Take a screenshot and let’s try the other projection.”
Nala typed, and the webcam and the yin popped back into the plexiglass box. Daniel flicked his finger and the projection switched to the 3-D star map. A few more keystrokes, and the device and its projection disappeared once more into quantum space.
Daniel leaned over her shoulder and stared at the yin’s projection, displayed clearly on the computer. The oranges and blueberries were still there, but now there was much more. Lines connected the orange spheres, and surrounding them were boxes with script inside.
“Wow,” he shouted. “This is fantastic! It was projecting four dimensions all along, but we could only see three.” There was a lot to examine, but he pointed to one of the boxes. “The characters look similar to the text message script that I told you about.”
“Reminds me of boxes under a Christmas tree.” Nala pointed to the triangular shape on the screen. “And what’s the thing in the center? It looks like a hand grenade.”
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p; Daniel laughed. “Yeah, it does. Oranges, blueberries and a hand grenade.”
“Kind of an odd species,” she said without a hint of sarcasm. “They enjoy a diet rich in fruit and explosive metal. But I’m starting to like them as I get to know them better.”
Daniel pointed to the lines. “Some of the oranges are connected by lines. Important places on a map?”
“Transportation links?”
“And the hand grenade is at the center?”
“Your guess is as good as any.” She paused to take a screenshot of the image. “We can study this thing all night, but there’s no need to keep the neutrino beam running. Anything else you want to try while we’re in 4-D?”
“There’s a lot here, we just need to figure out what it’s telling us.”
“Okay, I’ll power down for now. We can always restart if needed.” She saved the screenshot and attached it in an encrypted message to herself with a copy to Daniel. “Okay, captured and safe.” She hit a key and the buzzing sound lowered. The yin and webcam reappeared with a light pop, exactly where they’d started. Daniel retrieved both objects from the box, and Nala called Tony on the radio to power down.
She grabbed a laptop, pulled up the message she had just sent and opened the attachment. “Okay, same image, but now consuming one millionth the amount of power to view it.”
“The taxpayers thank you.”
Daniel studied the image now on the laptop screen. He noticed that the lines varied in thickness and that one ended without pointing to anything else. There were several rectangular tables of characters, a triangle shape and another column of characters.
Nala waved her hand with excitement. “Ooh, look. The labels match with the tables. The tables on the left match up to some of the oranges. And the table on the right matches the hand grenade. Four tables, four labels. Except that column next to the Christmas tree doesn’t have a label.”
Searching through the details generated questions, and Daniel had plenty. He pointed to the center of the diagram. “Why are two of the labels inside boxes? And what’s that little stubby line going to one of the boxes?”
Nala shrugged.
He could keep asking, but neither of them had answers. “Okay, hang on, let’s think from the top. What do we have so far?” He paused and she waited. “Well, we’ve got another diagram that looks like a star map. And it’s in two parts. To view the second part, we had to place the map into four-dimensional quantum space. So, what does all of that tell us?”
Nala paused. “It’s a test.”
Daniel squinted one eye. “Well…”
“Hey, I’m brainstorming. Isn’t that what we’re doing? There’s no bad answer when you’re brainstorming.”
Daniel held up his hands. “Okay, you’re right. For the sake of expediency, let’s brainstorm. If we get nowhere and need a more structured approach, we’ll bring in a project manager and a team of analysts. For now, it’s just you and me.”
“Then, I’m not withdrawing my brilliant hypothesis,” she said with a smile. “It’s a test. They’re wondering if we have control over quantum space. You don’t get to see the details until you pass the test.”
“And we passed.”
“We did.”
Regardless of the brainstorming format, Daniel still felt the need for some structure. Start from the top, use the evidence, set aside claims that don’t conform, and arrive at the most likely answer. He advanced using a smaller step. “The Chinese have placed a satellite in orbit around another star.”
“Overruled. Daniel, you’ve really got to let go of that notion. This thing is not Chinese.”
“Just examining the alternatives. I thought we were brainstorming.”
“Got me there. Okay, I’ll allow it.” She held up a hand. “My turn. They’ve placed a device inside a human spacecraft that can only be activated by a password they delivered via radio to that same spacecraft. Using the password—your Russian phrase, kak-something—the device displays a scientific calling card, their version of the Standard Model, along with a hidden treasure map that points to their secret cache where they have stockpiled gold and diamonds, or possibly hand grenades. How’s that?”
Daniel tapped mindlessly on the table. “Pretty accurate, I’d say. Except for the gold and diamonds.” He stopped drumming his fingers and looked carefully at the image on the screen. “My turn now. There’s nothing secret about this location, the hand grenade. Even if we don’t know what all these characters mean, they’re showing us how to get there.”
Nala’s playfulness in brainstorming switched instantly to serious. “Daniel, that’s exactly what they’re doing. They’re showing us how to get to the hand grenade. It’s a place. It has coordinates. And with the right spatial compression, we could be there in five minutes.”
Daniel smiled. He looked away, absorbing, and there was a lot to process. If any of this was true, the map represented intent—a plausible reason for the message sent to Soyuz. A request of some sort, but designed only for the scientifically literate. The terrestrial explanations for this device were disappearing fast, and it was making him nervous.
He thought about the missing astronauts. Soyuz had returned, empty, except for a device that had provided a scientific greeting, followed by a map and instructions. Uncover the meaning and you’ll find the astronauts. Maybe, or maybe not, but the possibility was hard to ignore.
“Nala, I have to coordinate with the White House on this.”
Nala glanced at the clock. “While you’re doing that, can we get something to eat? Figuring this out could take all night. It’s already past eight and I’m starved.”
“Yeah, sure. Sorry, I was so focused…”
She shook her head. “That’s an understatement. You haven’t let up since you arrived.”
“All day, really.” He had taken enough of her time. If this map led the way to missing astronauts, following it was going to involve high-level people. “I don’t want to impose on you any further. I have what I need for now. Why don’t you go home? I’ll make my calls from the hotel.”
She scowled. “Daniel. You came to me for help, right? I helped. Don’t disappear on me just when things get interesting. We’re going to solve this—tonight. And once we do, I’m the person who can take you wherever this map is leading. No way am I missing out on the biggest story of the century.”
“Fine, you’re right, and I do appreciate your help. But this is no longer just me and you.”
Nala’s scowl deepened. “Once you make those calls, are they going to come and take this thing away? Lock it up in a vast government warehouse? You know the one. Don’t you think the public has a right to know what you’ve discovered? With significant help from myself and Fermilab, I might add.”
Her paranoia about authority was strong. Daniel was the first to admit that governments didn’t always do the right thing. But he also felt sure that the right argument could persuade the bureaucrats and allow the scientists to lead the way.
“Don’t worry, I see the whole picture,” Daniel started. Their eyes connected, and he could tell she was resolute in her participation. There was also no doubt she could be very valuable. “Let’s do this… I’ll make my calls. But then, we’ll see what we can figure out—just you and me. If this really is a map to a hidden location among the stars, the Diastasi technology could be the path to get us there. The bosses are going to want that option.”
The scowl disappeared. “I can work with that.” She picked up her car keys, put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in close. “Get your calls done. I’ll be back in twenty minutes with hot food.”
The scent of her perfume was a strong reminder of their very personal dance in the hallway. She had become a key part of the investigation, and her mastery of the science was invaluable. But he couldn’t deny a physical attraction. His eyes followed the intriguing and complex woman as she walked out the door.
Focus, Daniel, focus. He took a deep breath and picked up his phone.
Daniel’s first call was to Spencer Bradley. He wasn’t sure where to start. How do you explain to your boss, who happens to be the president’s science advisor, that you’ve discovered a star map with extra information hidden in a fourth dimension? Or that whoever had sent this message had led with their own, fully-symmetric version of the Standard Model?
Bradley was strangely accepting, and most of their conversation was nearly normal. It was only when Bradley began to summarize that Daniel could tell the implications had hit home. “An extra dimension of space was a leap forward, but now… a message from…” He didn’t finish the sentence. “You know, Daniel, when I was out at Fermilab last spring, I knew they were onto something very big, even bigger than the technology they were demonstrating. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised now that it’s happened. But Jesus… this could be historic.”
By the end of the call Bradley made it clear he would be on a plane to Fermilab as soon as he could. He suggested that Daniel continue to explore the meaning of the message, but cautioned that more people from a variety of disciplines would soon be involved.
His second call was to the NSA, Christine Shea, and it was far more routine. He left a message with a White House staff member and highlighted that ‘new discoveries had been made.’ He outlined his proposed next steps, even though she might ignore them. Shea would probably call Bradley and the two of them would decide exactly what happened next. It was possible that all hell was about to break loose, but at least for the next few hours, Daniel was still on his own. He liked it that way.
The third call was to Marie. “How’s it going out there?” he asked when she answered.
“Tiring. The yang is still immobile, still stuck on the console. I’ve been speaking to it, making loud noises, tapping it. I even sang a song. No effect. The only thing changing is the writing on the front. I sent you some photos. We decided to work on it some more in the morning, before Roscosmos arrives to claim their vessel. How are things on your side? Any progress?”
The Quantum Series Box Set Page 22