CHRONOLOGY
by
David Siegel Bernstein
June 14, 1629 AD
Johannes Kepler
trailed the housemaid through the Austrian manor to the grand salon. As the
servant backed away, the dim light in the room glinted off a small object dangling
in the hollow of her throat. It was a silver crucifix, chased with twisted
bands of gold and silver at Christ's hands and feet. Kepler
found it hard to imagine there was a place for religion in this house.
Marius Ogden, his patron, gestured
for Kepler to take a seat near him. The man was
unremarkable in appearance, a cipher, except for his eyes. They were
saucer-shaped and the color of an emerald of the highest order.
Kepler sank into a leather chair. "Galileo
has sent me correspondence that he fears condemnation for heresy. He fears La
Compagnia della Fed." The Company of Faith.
A crooked smile appeared on
Marius' face. "He need not worry about carrying out his experiments. I
have resources within the Vatican that I can rely on to watch over him. I shall
also correspond with an associate that is very useful in matters of
protection."
Kepler avoided
his host's eyes. He was aware of Marius' associate, possibly the only man more
intimidating that his patron. They were two of the three leaders of the Chronos Society, a fraternity of natural philosophers that Kepler advised. "Should I fear the Compagnia?"
"I should think not. From all
I've learned of them, their membership is still mostly in Italy. And if
predictions from your last report are true, we are but a generation from a time
when men of reason no longer need dread the Church."
"I regret that I will not be
here to see that day."
"To each their own
time," Marius said wistfully, staring at the dying embers in the
fireplace. "I assume this is not the sole reason for your visit."
Kepler pulled an envelope from the breast pocket
of his jacket. "Here, as I promised."
Marius accepted the offering.
"It has your personal seal. Very risky if this is what I think it is. If
the Church got their hands on this—"
Kepler held up an arthritic hand. "I will
trust your discretion in its handling. You are already guarding all my other
unpublished writings. I have only one new matter for you."
"Only one? How unlike you."
"I'm an old man, so don't
worry. This will be my last one. I have convinced myself that the Society needs
to devote a portion of its resources to a new idea—one different from the
mechanical and celestial mysteries we've been working on."
Marius tapped the envelope.
"Is that the point of this? I was expecting something else."
"Partially. But don't worry; it also contains the test
I promised."
Marius gaze did not waver. "And this idea?"
"I've been in discussion with
that Frenchman you introduced me to, Étienne
Pascal, concerning Descartes' speculations on the human mind. Together
we devised a plan that will guide the Society
into the future. And Herr Ogden, it is the future that concerns you most."
Marius leaned forward. "What
do you know of my concerns?"
"I'm very good at
observation. It is the reason you came to me in the first place. I think I know
who you are."
"Take care, my friend,"
Ogden warned. "Starting rumors can be dangerous."
Kepler did not flinch at the threat. "And
here I thought you promised my safety. There is no need for you to worry about
my speculations. In fact, Pascal and I both support your cause. He has already begun training his son Blaise with the fundamentals so he can assist the next
generation of the Society."
"Support or not, I am concerned that you've set plans in motion
without my consent."
Kepler interlaced his fingers and leaned back in
his chair. He enjoyed seeing Marius uncomfortable. "Once you understand,
you will see that I'm right. Philosophy and tradition both change more slowly
than technical progression. Continuing the way you are is similar to giving a
child a knife and then sending him out to play. This additional path will blunt
the sword and perhaps produce a more sophisticated child."
"You have seen more deeply
than any of my other advisors, so I will consider the matter—but I will make
the final decision. Now, what about the test?"
Yes, the test. It was the only other way for Kepler
to slow Marius' machinations until the world was ready, a riddle that should
take at least a generation before anyone would be motivated enough to solve it.
"The man who can answer the enclosed question will be my replacement as
the Society's advisor."
Kepler pushed himself up and limped out, leaving
the man to his thoughts. He was through here—forever.
November 26, 1687 AD
Robert Hooke sat tapping his
fingers at his table at the café Marylebone in London. He stiffened when
Christopher Wren and Edmund Halley joined him.
"Wren!" Hooke growled. "I told you to come
alone!"
Wren shrugged. "I thought
Halley would be useful."
Hooke stared at the two. Fools, both of them.
"A rumor has reached my ear. I depend on you gentlemen to ease my mind.
Please tell me Newton is not going to be invited to join the Society."
Wren smirked. "Then I shall
say nothing."
"He is a genius," Halley
said. "He solved Kepler's puzzle."
"Bah! The man is
insufferable!" Hooke snorted. "He has dared take credit for my
work." Hooke leaned toward Wren and said more quietly, "This is
lunacy. Your choices spring from a woman's fluttering eyelashes and damned
emerald gaze. You endanger the Chronos Society."
Wren pressed his hands on the table. "The
Lady Tess is the Society. Speak with
respect—"
"Tess may be a patron, but
she is only a woman," Hooke said, enjoying Wren's indignation. "We
cannot know her motive. And now Newton?"
"You, Sir, forced our hand in
his regard. You have claimed to know the answer to Kepler's
mystery, but have denied us the courtesy of your knowledge. Therefore, our Lady
dispatched Edmund to examine Newton. It is your
motive that is in question."
Hooke crossed his arms over his
chest. "I would not play her game."
Wren and Halley glanced at each
other and smiled. "Nonetheless," Wren said. "Edmund has agreed
to finance the publication of Newton's Principia Mathematica.
Lady Tess has called him the future."
Hooke rose from his seat. "I
have heard enough nonsense!" He stormed out of the café. He didn't get far
before a cane poked out from an alley, barring his way. "Who's
there?"
A man emerged from the shadows.
"Surely you have some time to speak with an old friend?"
"Of course,
Herr Ogden." He gestured
with his head toward the café. "Shall I get my companions?"
Marius' lips curled into a smile.
"No, I have a special task for you. I'm sure I can trust your
understanding for secrecy."
Hooke straightened his back. "Of course."
"I want you work with someone
who shares your opinion of Newton."
"Who?"
"I believe you are familiar
with Gottfried Leibniz."
"Well, yes. He is—"
"He has an interesting belief
in a calculus of reasoning and he thinks it can be applied to a deciding
machine." He handed Hooke a leather portfolio. "Enclosed is a copy of
the Kepler papers. You will find them enlightening.
I've also left a gift for you at your apartment—a calculating apparatus created
by Blaise Pascal. Please show Leibniz the device.
Good day." He doffed his hat as he faded into the darkness of the alley.
Hooke tucked the portfolio under
his arm and continued on his way. He crossed the road and spied a tall burly
man in a black cloak. The sunlight glimmered off a small object clasping the
cloak together. It was a silver crucifix, chased with twisted bands of gold and
silver at Christ's hands and feet.
Hooke lost interest in the
stranger when he saw the striking woman step from her carriage. He knew that if
she looked in his direction, he would see emerald eyes. It was the Lady Tess.
He watched Wren exit the café
alone and offer the lady his arm. Shaking his head, he turned to walk in the
opposite direction.
Had he stayed a moment longer, he
would have seen the man in the black cloak turn to follow the couple.
April 17, 1926 AD
It was a crisp, cloudless
afternoon in Zurich Switzerland when Alric Bryant
finally cornered his adversary in an alley. The fight had already lasted longer
than it should have. The man was matching Alric blow
for blow, a precision that he'd never encountered before in solo combat. His
bulk and intimidation usually won the day. But not against this man—he was too
well trained.
The stranger flung open his
jacket, revealing a knife. Alric focused on the man's
breathing. Then, as expected, on the exhale, the man charged. Alric advanced before the knife had completed the top of
its arc and thrust the palm of his hand into the stranger's throat.
The knife clanged on cobbled
bricks as the man collapsed, blood bubbling from his mouth.
Alric knelt and unbuttoned the top of the man's
shirt. A cruel smile appeared on his face as he yanked the crucifix with
twisted bands of gold and silver from the dead man's neck. He pocketed the
trinket and stood, then lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and pulled a silver
fob from his vest pocket to check the time. He was late. He took a final drag
and flicked the butt on his victim.
He strolled out of the alley and
down the boulevard to the hotel Baur au Lac, known
for its discretion. At a small table near the rear of the hotel lounge sat his
two companions: Marius Ogden and Tess Archer.
The three of them formed the
leadership of the Chronos Society.
Tess was a socialite, universally
liked and admired. She kept the members of the Society together and on track.
Marius was the opposite; he preferred manipulating people from a distance to
promote the Society's agenda. The only Society members with whom he dealt
directly were the advisors who kept his precious Kepler
papers updated. Alric himself, a tactician, worked
outside the Society, protecting it.
Marius and Tess eyed him warily as
he took the empty seat at the table. He tossed the crucifix on the table and
closed his eyes. The other two closed theirs also. A moment later they opened
them and Marius and Tess nodded their understanding. They had shared their
thoughts, something they did less and less over the years. Alric,
like the other two, had learned to enjoy his independence. They quickly
returned to conversation.
"I'm not sure that that was
necessary," Tess said. "The Inquisition is over... well, more or
less."
Marius shook his head. "Alric's actions were correct, albeit violent. The
particulars of what we do must not get back to the Compagnia. They aren't ready
to understand."
"It's getting more difficult
to avoid their scrutiny," Alric said. "They shadow the world's leading
scientists. And I believe they've identified me as someone worth watching. What
are they after?"
Marius nodded. "From the
scraps of information I've acquired, they seem to predate the Inquisition by
quite a bit. So I don't think their raison
d'etre is our little society. We only formed it a
few centuries ago. Also, that twined cross represents something other than
Christ to them. My people have encountered Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim Compagnia agents."
Alric frowned. "But how could they organize
so thoroughly without us knowing? There was a time when—"
"Those times are over,"
Tess said. "Man advances, Gods decline."
"It appears that the children
are finally growing up," Marius said. "They've wielded superstition
much better than we ever did. It was brilliant the way they used the
Inquisition to swell their ranks."
Alric drained his wine glass. "Superstition
was never good for us. The world will be better without it."
A waiter arrived to deliver
another a bottle of wine. After he left, Marius filled and raised his glass. "To the future."
"To the future," the
other two said.
The next morning Alric left the hotel to board a boat to the United States,
where he planned to work his way into a position of power.
From a pier, watching the receding
ship, a man in a sailor's jacket reached into his pocket to rub his fingers
along his silver and gold crucifix. Yesterday he'd witnessed the death of his
fellow. He had not interfered, hoping Alric would be
satisfied that the Brother was the only observer: a small deception so that the
other observers would go unnoticed. He sighed. How easy it would be for him to
hoist his rifle and shoot him. But the Compagnia
wouldn't permit it.
He wondered where the abomination
would lead him next.
January 7, 1942 AD
The first time Walter Pitts had
seen the woman, she'd been sitting in the back row of a calculus lecture at the
University of Chicago. Calculus? She must be the most attractive woman on
campus. Given, there weren't all that many female students, but she would
dazzle anywhere.
During the entire lecture, he
believed he could feel her emerald eyes gazing at him. It didn't do much for
his concentration on math. Afterward he looked for her, but her seat was empty.
The next time he saw her, she was
standing beside a parked car a block from campus, wearing only a light
pale-green jacket to protect her against the crisp Chicago winter. Maybe she's following me, he thought. A guy can imagine can't he?
He had to get to his friend's
apartment early if he wanted to sack out there tonight. He rubbed his frozen
fingers together and crossed to the bus stop. Normally he'd walk, but today he
had enough coins for a warm bus ride. As he stood waiting, bracing himself
against the wind, he heard, "Where are you going, Walter?"
He turned in the direction of the
voice. Sitting on the bench was his mystery girl. So maybe it isn't fantasy; maybe she is following me—and she knows my
name! "Why are you here?"
"I'm doing someone a
favor."
He couldn't place her accent but
it sounded faintly English. "A favor for whom?"
"Marius Ogden.
He shook his head. "The name
means nothing to me."
"No, it wouldn't." She
leaned forward, her green eyes darting side-to-side, and said in a low voice,
"But that doesn't mean he's not around... watching... listening."
"Listen, Lady, I have to go.
You're talking crazy."
She laughed. "Sorry. It's a
joke. I have friends who always laugh when I do that." She took a deep
breath to regain her composure. "However, when Marius takes an interest in
someone, I listen."
She rose gracefully from the
bench. "Will you allow me to buy you lunch?"
It had been a while since he'd
eaten. The promise of free food in the company of a beautiful woman warred with
his principles against letting a woman pay for lunch. His stomach grumbled, but
she was already walking away, correctly anticipating his response.
She led him to the greasy spoon diner
across the street where he ordered the two-egg special with extra bacon and
four slices of toast. Her only request was a cup of tea. For a time she sat
silently, staring at him as if judging his worthiness. It made him feel both
uncomfortable and a little excited.
Mercifully, she finally spoke.
"I have you at a disadvantage. My name is Tess Archer."
"You already know my
name."
"Yes... thanks to Marius, I
know very much about you. He would have come himself but he thought I would be
more appropriate. He has a way of sometimes... putting people off."
His stomached clinched. "Who
is this guy? What does he want with me? Is he some kind of Fed? Because I haven't done anything wrong."
She smiled broadly. "No, you
haven't done anything wrong. You have done everything right. He found out about
you from Bertrand Russell."
The mention of that name impressed
Walter. "So he knows Dr. Russell?"
Tess nodded. "They travel in
the same social circle, one Marius hopes you will join. He showed me a copy of
an interesting letter you wrote to Bertrand. The letter impressed Bertrand, but
you declined the good doctor's offer to study with him. Why?"
"I was twelve when I sent
that letter. I was in no position to take up his offer." He paused for a
moment, and then mumbled, "I'm still in no position."
"The letter contained
corrections to Newton's Principia."
"Back then I thought I knew
everything. I don't think that anymore."
"I'll let you in on a little
secret: I once knew everything too."
"I'm sure everyone thinks
that, but then they grow up."
"Out of the mouth of
babes," she said, more to herself than to him. Then she smiled politely.
"Why do you sneak into logic and math lectures?"
He shrugged. "It's something
to do."
"Yes, I suppose it is. But
don't you think it a bit odd that someone without a home or job or basic
necessities would find such an activity 'something to do'?"
Insulted and ashamed, Walter began
pushing himself out of the booth. "I get by just fine."
She placed her hand on his.
"Wait until you hear what I have to offer." The heat radiating from
her fingers melted his resolve and he relaxed back into the booth.
Walter's food arrived. "It's
your dime. What's the offer?"
"First tell me, have you seen any religious symbols that have twisted
bands of gold and silver, such as this?" She held up a small crucifix.
"It doesn't have to be a cross. It could be any religious symbol, like a
sickle or a star. It's the twisted bands that I'm interested in."
He nodded. "Yeah, I noticed a
group in the student union handing out brochures. They wore pins like that. Just a twisted circle with a double cross inside it."
"Did you talk to any of
them?"
He grinned. "Do I look all
that religious?"
"These people represent
something... different." She leaned back in contemplation. "Brochures? I'll have to get one of them."
"I'll get one for you."
"No. It's
better that you stay away from them. If you want to do something for me,
consider joining a different type of group—a society that values logic and
science."
"Ah, the reason this Marius sent
you."
"He sent me, but I've judged
you. I believe you will very much enjoy being a member."
"Why?"
"Have you heard about Gottfried Leibniz?"
"Of course. He developed the calculus we use."
"As a member of our group you
will have access to his notes. Some were published, but I think you'll find the
unpublished material much more interesting, including a description of a
computing device. Leibniz and Robert Hooke created a sort of thinking
machine."
"What do you want me
for?"
"I would like to arrange an
introduction between you and Dr. Warren McCulloch. He's someone with whom I
hope you will be able to collaborate. With your math skills and his medical
experience—"
"I have no interest in
medicine."
"I can make it more
interesting. You see, Dr. McCulloch thinks that a Leibniz-Hooke blueprint
resembles an animal's nervous system."
Walter was interested.
July 16, 1945 AD
They felt the reaction a
nanosecond before the mushroom cloud exploded into the New Mexico sky. In that instant,
the three of them felt drunk with contentment.
Afterward, Marius said, "So
it's come to this: nuclear weaponry." He turned to Tess. "I suppose
that means that there will be no need for a repeat of what happened in
Rome."
Tess stuck her tongue out him.
"That's ancient history. We agreed progress had ground to a halt and the
Roman Empire was doomed, so I shook things up. It took only a few whispers, a
little nudge, to cause the collapse. If it couldn't stand up to that, it got
what it deserved. And before you comment on anything else, Troy was not my
fault. I was caught by surprise and taken completely against my will. Now,
simply enjoy this moment without worrying about tomorrow."
"Worrying is my job,"
Marius said. "I do it for all of us."
Tess wrapped her arms around the
other two as they watched the nuclear cloud disperse. "I haven't felt that
type of reaction since... well, forever. Remind me to thank Fermi; he's done
well for the Society."
Alric spoke what was on all their minds.
"Soon we will be going our separate ways."
"Separate projects, not
separate ways," Tess said. "Including getting
humanity off this planet—getting some of the eggs out of the basket."
Alric smiled. "But we will be together at
the end."
They all nodded.
"First we have to get through
this century without blowing up the world," Marius said.
October 12, 2018 AD
Alric woke suddenly, totally alert. But he
didn't move; instead he tried to get a sense of his surroundings. He felt the
warm metal of the chair to which his arms and legs were cuffed.
And he wasn't alone.
The impact to Alric's
face whipped his head back. "Don't test us!" a man growled in
Italian. "I know you're awake. That drug can only last so long, even for
you."
Alric open his eyes. Leaning over him, Alric's blood dripping from his knuckles,
was a large man with short-cropped hair. He smiled at Alric
and stepped back to reveal another man, with tan skin and salt and pepper hair,
sitting in a similar metallic chair. Alric would have
guessed him to be Greek, but there were no pure lines anymore. Pinned to the
lapel of his jacket was the Compagnia's insignia.
"My name is Gustavo
Vittorio." He gestured toward Alric's tormentor.
"I abhor violence, but Eric here doesn't take his commands from me."
Eric grinned as he wiped the blood
from his hand with a handkerchief. Beside him stood an
equally large man.
Gustavo continued. "I joined
them here for the opportunity to meet you, but only under the condition that I
do not interfere with their plans."
"I'm an American
citizen," Alric protested in English. "You
can't just drug and kidnap me!"
"American?" Gustavo laughed and then continued in
English. "Come now, we know your ability to deceive. Is that your best?
There are records of you from long before that country existed."
Alric smirked; no point in acting. "Thank
you for the information. When we're through here, I'll have to take care of
those records."
Eric slapped Alric
again, hard. "I don't think you understand your situation."
"I've been in this situation before."
"Not for a very long time, and not with someone like me."
"You'd be surprised at who
has tested me. And it's always the same with you religious fanatics. You think
violence is always a solution."
Gustavo gestured for Eric to back
off. "Do you think I'm a fanatic?"
"You wear the mark."
"Ah, I see. You misunderstand
us. Don't judge the Compagnia by its extremes. Me,
I'm a Buddhist and we aren't particularly known for fanaticism." He
pointed a finger at Alric. "Before I learned
about you, I was content in my beliefs and thought I knew my place in the
universe."
"And
now?"
"Now, all is in flux. I'm
grateful to the Compagnia for their guidance during this time of
confusion. They've reaffirmed my belief that what is truly important is faith,
not a god. Faith is our spiritual ability to transcend the concept of
God. Faith in our souls is what connects us to the universe."
Suddenly, Alric
knew what to expect. This was going to get very interesting. To kill time while
waiting for the inevitable, he lectured Gustavo. "Faith is evolution's way
of protecting sanity. Your kind uses it to shroud yourself from the truth.
Wiser people believe in science because it accepts and conforms to each new
discovery—unlike unchanging faith."
"The Compagnia
is not a religion as you describe; it is not a liturgy. We embrace science. Our
faith is our belief that there is something larger than us in the
universe." Gustavo shook his head. "But what is your role in all
this? To what ends are all your
machinations? Or is that a better question for the mysterious Marius Ogden, or
whatever he's calling himself now?"
Alric smiled wide. "I doubt
you will ever be able to ask him."
"I know. That's why there is so much speculation. No offense to
you, but I would have really preferred a conversation with him. Believe it or
not, he's the reason there is a Compagnia. You have
to appreciate the irony. You see, there was once a time when he wasn't so
discrete. Of course, I have no doubt that most of his actions as Merlin have
come down through the millennia as mythological shadows of their true selves.
Still, it was during Merlin's time that the Compagnia
first formed. A small group of our ancestors watched him in secret, trying to
decide whether he was demon or divine. And before you say observing him in secret
is impossible, remember his ego. How could he believe that a group that he
didn't control could know him?"
"So which is he? Demon or divine?"
"We'll let you know when we know. Many have argued that you three
should be imprisoned until wiser heads can make the determination. However, the
majority of my brothers have decided to see where your path leads. Misguided or
not, we are all on the same journey."
"And what journey is that?"
"Enlightenment."
Alric sneered. "You?
Enlightened? A cat is enlightened. You're just embarrassing. And you
know you won't get any enlightenment from me, so why am I here?"
Gustavo sighed. "Not for
interrogation or even killing." He frowned at Eric. "And
hopefully not for torture. None of that would be successful. What would
be the point? Señore, we know it's only your flesh that dies. Your... shall we say, spirit...
goes on to be born somewhere else. This resurrection is another fascinating
aspect that has drawn us to you. Even now there are a few of us who are ready
to fall at your feet in prayer. But as I've said, we are not simpletons who
worship the unknown. So you won't be killed; it would make finding you again
difficult."
Eric placed a hand on Gustavo's shoulder. "Sir, it is time. The
package has arrived. You must leave."
Gustavo stood up and bowed to Alric. "I
have some influence, but I'm not in control. I'm sorry for what is about to
happen." He shook his head, leaving Alric alone
with Eric and his companion.
"He's right. We ain't going to kill or question you," Eric
spat. "We're going to use you as a messenger."
"What's the message?"
Eric leaned close to Alric and whispered,
"I want you to bear witness." Then he backed away and clapped. A
third man pushed a woman into the room.
It was Tess. Alric had been expecting her. They'd
begun exchanging experiences as soon as he'd felt her approach. Her clothes
were torn and hair disheveled, but she looked as serene as ever. He was
surprised at how eager he was to see her in action.
"We won't kill you, but this woman is another matter. We've had
her under surveillance since our agents found her skulking around CERN. She is
becoming too influential; a balance must be maintained. We can't let you get
what you want until we're in a position to decide whether it's worthy. So what
we do to her is the message to you, Ogden, and whatever followers you still
have who—"
Alric locked eyes with Tess.
She nodded an instant before the
ridge of her hand struck the larynx of the closest of her handlers. She
crouched and spun, sweeping the feet from under the second man. As he fell to
the concrete floor, she slammed his head forward, crushing the bones of his
face into his brain, a quick kill. Then she approached a startled Eric. "I
think what they find here will be our
message to your Compagnia."
Afterwards she smiled at Alric. "Why am I the one they always
underestimate?"
He shook his head. "I was the
undervalued one in this instance."
She looked around a final time.
"Thank you for sharing your skills; you can leave my head now."
Aquarian Post Settlement Date 78 (2175 AD
Earth Relative Standard)
The cratered, pocked image of the
planet Silhouette hovered above Shan Yui's
workstation. The hologram served no purpose other than, as her ancestors would
have said, to keep her eye on the prize. Her team had recently completed
construction of the orbital accelerator that now encircled it. This
accomplishment would bring much honor to her family name back on Earth.
Too bad I'm not there, she thought. Instead, thanks to the
inscrutable wisdom of her grandparents and parents to springboard from colony
to colony—ever outward in the galaxy—she was stuck 15 light years away living
in the Aquarian colonies.
A throat-clearing sound erupted
from the workstation, followed by a pleasant tenor. "I don't mean to
disturb your daydreaming, but Mr. Gareth Zin is
approaching."
The warning came from Phineas, the
pseudo-AI who lived in her computer system. It had been quantum-synced from
Earth as a gift from a friend—a very close friend.
She flipped off the hologram and
presented herself before the door. She bowed as it dilated. Her parents had
taught her to respect authority. She hated the Confucian philosophy, but she
couldn't beat the indoctrination. The obnoxious little man breezed past her
while tracing intricate patterns in the air with his finger. It was Gareth Zin, her boss. His eye filters were down, so she knew he
was viewing the lab's virtual data. He had access to everything, with the
exception of the Phineas system. That system was off his grid.
He said crisply, "I assume
you'll be able to generate 50 Peta electron
volts."
She knew he could view the answer
with his filters. The man asked only to hear his own voice. "Easily,"
she said. "With the natural vacuum of space."
"Good. How soon before we can
proceed from theory to experiment?"
"Is tomorrow
acceptable?"
"It will have to do. I want
the detectors to—"
Slipping into the room was Bria Soto, a tall woman of Earth Latino descent who kept
her long, brunette hair cut in an asymmetric style that emphasized her
chestnut-brown eyes. She was Shan's chief lab technician and one of the few
people on the orbiter who didn't feel the need to wear an insignia with twisted
bands of silver and gold on her tunic. Like Shan, she hadn't been buried in the
crap the Faithful shoveled.
Bria took a seat at the simulation terminal
behind Gareth and began crossing her eyes and making fish lips. Shan's face
remained relaxed as her parents had taught—she would always project tranquility
when with a superior—but that didn't stop her from plotting revenge against Bria.
An eternity later, Gareth finally
completed his inspection and left to harass some other researcher. As soon as
the door shut, Shan clasped her neck and pantomimed strangling herself.
It took a while, but Bria finally stopped laughing. "So how's your other project going?"
Shan walked up to her and wrapped
her arm around Bria's waist. "You mean your
blemish?"
Bria returned the embrace. "You always say
the kindest things."
"I'm only telling you what
you want to hear," Shan whispered before releasing her. There would be
time for playful distractions later. "I've isolated the cold spot in the
cosmic microwave background energy." She commanded Phineas to project a
holographic star chart in the center of the lab. She approached the chart and
poked a finger through a cluster of stars. "The stellar blemish is here,
within the Eridonus Constellation. The variations
were subtle, but with Phineas' help I was able to chart the exact
location."
"I'm glad my gift could
help."
"The program is
amazing."
"Yes, we are very proud of
him."
There it was—another hint of
emotional entanglement between Bria and the system.
"I know how you like to think of it as a him, but it's not
self-actualized, not a true AI. I'm not planning on giving it back, but I am
willing to share," she teased. "I'm getting worried that you're
getting overly attached to it."
"He's a him because that is how he likes
to portray himself, for now. From time to time he's also been known to be a
she."
Phineas interrupted. "It is
not polite to gossip about me while I'm in the room."
Shan managed to suppress a giggle,
almost successfully. "I'll admit I don't know the current state of
computer science, but I thought they never got further than the pseudo-AIs we use
out here in the colonies."
"Well, like those archaic
expressions you love to—"
"You love them too! Hell,
I've even learned a few from you."
"Here's another—like Alice, I
want you to try to believe three impossible things before breakfast."
"I already ate."
Bria ignored the comment. "First I want
you to believe that Phineas is a sentient being."
"I will agree to keep an open
mind. That's it. But true AI or not, whoever developed him was genius."
"A group
actually. The
greatest computer scientists since Pascal, including Phineas himself."
"The
original Phineas T. Barnum?"
"No, not
the man—the AI. That silly name was chosen by one of my
family who perversely believed the original P.T. Barnum was a good role model.
Isn't that correct, Phineas?"
"Yes Ma'am," Phineas
answered. "The irony has not escaped me."
Shan rolled her eyes and Bria said, "Aw, look Phineas, we've confused our poor
Shan."
"Please don't concern yourself, Dr. Yui," Phineas
said. "It is a personal joke at my expense."
"Humph. Bria,
what's up with you and my computer?"
Bria's face hardened slightly, like she wanted to
say something but was holding back. Then she turned away from Shan. "He's
the closest thing I have to family out here."
Shan started to reach out to Bria, but intuition stayed her hand. "I
understand."
Bria turned abruptly and glared into Shan's
eyes. "Do you? Do you really?"
Shan stepped back, startled by the
sudden change in personality. "I... I'm sorry I didn't mean to
offend."
Bria's anger quickly faded. "No, I'm the one
who needs to apologize. I know you're also lonely; it's one of the reasons I'm
attracted to you... besides your scientific acumen, of course. But trust me, there are levels of isolation that you can't
imagine." She hesitated as if to keep her emotions in check. "Most of
all I miss Tess."
Shan felt a tinge of jealously.
"Were the two of you close?"
"Very close." Bria approached her and lowered her face to Shan as if to
impart a kiss. Bria gazed into the woman's eyes and
began blinking rapidly. An overlaid image on her eyes faded as brown tones
lightened to a crystal emerald. Then she backed away, giving Shan a better view
of her skin lightening.
Shan gasped. "Bria, what... what are you doing?"
She ran her hands down her sides.
"This is Tess, and I can't give her up. This is another one of the
impossible things that I need you to accept."
"You're Anglo!" She
regretted the words as soon as she said them.
"There was a time when that
was an advantage."
"Why the
disguise? Sure, you'd stick
out, but Anglos aren't treated poorly here. The Faithful don't tolerate racism
in the colonies."
"It isn't just my race that
would stick out. It's Tess. She's a walking alarm."
"Is she... are you... in some
kind of trouble?"
"I am the trouble. At least the Faithful think so." She paused
for a moment. "But much less so than in the past. In a lot of ways they've
outgrown me."
Shan held up her hand when Tess
took a step toward her. "What else have you lied to me about?"
"Shan, I only lied to protect
my identity, an identity that I'm sharing with you now. It's the most personal
thing I have to offer. You mustn't tell anyone."
Shan nodded slowly; regardless of
the deception, she couldn't bear it if anything bad happened to Bria. Tess.
"Why tell all this to me now?"
"I've wanted to tell you for
a long time, but the time was never right. I'm seldom wrong about these things,
but at this moment I've judged that you would be the most responsive to what I
had to say. And if you're willing, I have some papers I'd like you to read.
It's the history of the Chronos Society. Many of your
ancestors have belonged. In fact, your grandparents held very high positions. I
know they would have wanted you to at least read what I have to show you."
Is that why they'd left Earth so quickly? Then she realized something.
"Did you say papers?"
"It's safer that way. You
can't hack into a book. Besides, its ridiculously
retro; just how you like things."
"And why do you need me? To do the heavy lifting on your projects? Or perhaps for the
personal benefits you've been receiving from me?"
Tess smiled. "Both,
of course. And I know that neither has been a great burden to you. Don't
forget the other bond that connects us: you're almost as interested in the
universe as I am."
Shan noted that Tess was as good
at dishing out the truth as she was deception. And damn if it didn't make her
more exciting. Even more infuriating, Shan was accepting what she was being
told; the power this woman had over her was astonishing.
Shan said, "If that's true,
then you'll be happy to know I've finished working out another of your puzzles.
I've completed a theory to stabilize a wormhole tunnel, at least for a short
time, by using a shell of exotic matter. But there can be done in only certain
locations."
Tess' eyes widened and she clapped
her hands. "I knew you could do
it! Can you map a way to the anomaly?"
"With Phineas' help,
probably. Since you're being so honest, how about you tell me what this anomaly
is?"
"In the papers I'll give you,
you'll find a lot of predictions and commentary about it. The consensus is that
it is an exit out of this universe."
And there it was! The third impossibility. "Explain."
"Consider a geometric
structure with 298 dimensions, where every fundamental particle of this
universe is nothing more than a prediction."
Shan held up a hand. She knew of
the theory. It had been worked out in the twentieth or twenty-first centuries.
"I'll need to see those papers. I think I understand."
"In that case, as our good
friend Mr. Gareth Zin said, it's time to move from
theory to experiment and then, hopefully, to the practical. I plan on traveling
there someday."
Shan shook her head. "It
can't be done in your lifetime."
Tess remained silent.
Date unknown (Current Earth date unknown
for reference)
To the relief of the captain of
the explorer starship Feynman, the vessel had finally reached its destination
in the Eridonus system. Even using the wormhole, a
prohibitively expensive indulgence, it had been a painfully long flight. And
that was saying a lot for an AI captain who didn't have to ride it out in real
time.
The captain accelerated his
perception to a standing 500-millisecond bit rate and absorbed the ship's
information on their relative location. Once satisfied that the ship was safely
outside the anomaly's gravitation horizon, he materialized an avatar version of
himself outside the ship's infosphere. Today he
modeled his appearance on an ancient Caucasian male hero of the early
cybernetic age. He chose the middle-aged version: a nostalgic choice in
human-ware.
Standing beside him on the
observation deck, staring out at the anomaly, was the only organic aboard the
starship. He had spent very little time in any of the ship's hibernation shells
during the long voyage. Sometimes the captain wondered about his sanity. Then
again, Alric was no ordinary man.
"We made good time since our
departure from Mars Base."
Alric turned to him and smiled. "Phineas,
my friend, we made the exact time you predicted."
"And I predicted good time."
"Are we alone?"
"If you are referring to the
ship approaching top-spin, then no, we are not alone. The captain of the X'thal is almost as competent as I. If she says she will be
somewhere at a particular time, she will."
A message was flashed to Phineas from
the infosphere that made the avatar reflexively
stiffened. "That was unexpected."
Alric cocked an eyebrow. "What?"
"Our navigator reports there
is an additional ship on the far side of the anomaly. A Delta-class ship
equipped with a much earlier version of the Shan Yui
drive."
"No, you are wrong; this was
expected."
Phineas looked deeply at Alric—not only with the avatar's eyes, but with every
sensor he had available on the ship. "We can not
stand against a Delta-class ship."
"Don't worry, my friend. Everything
comes to an end."
Phineas noted the absence of the
smile that Alric usually offered with sarcastic
statements.
Alric asked, "How long until the X'thal docks?"
"Twenty minutes."
"And our
mysterious guest?"
"Twenty minutes."
Alric rubbed his hands together. "This is
going to be interesting. We'd better prepare for company."
Phineas didn't like interesting;
he'd take predictable any day. He trailed Alric to
the docking bay while the Feynman performed docking maneuvers. Upon arrival,
one of the AI crew reported that the uninvited starship had identified itself
as the Majid al Din—Glory of the Faith. It was
backing off to allow the X'thal to dock first.
"Of course it is," Alric said. Then he shook his head and mumbled a reference
about eggs and baskets as he waited, tapping his foot.
Phineas allowed his avatar to
frown. A nervous Alric was never good.
It was a short wait before the
docking hatch slid open and a tall woman stepped onto the Feynman and presented
herself to Phineas. "I assume I have permission to board."
"Of course, Mother."
Tess poked a finger in his
direction. "I wish you'd stop calling me that."
"I know. That's why I do
it."
"Oh, how I did not miss that humor. I see you've
dressed up as Walter Pitts for the occasion. He would have been proud. I never
liked you in your Robert Hooke—you were always too nice to carry it off. If
time permits we'll catch up later. Right now the captain of the Feynman needs
to remain here to greet our visitors. My ship has been ordered to disengage
upon my entry. Alric and I will meet you on the
bridge."
She reached out to Alric. "It's been a while."
Alric's smile widened as he held her hands.
"Yes, it has. Come... let's prepare."
As they left the bay, Phineas
heard him say, "It's nearly time. I can feel
it."
Phineas, curious about the meaning
of Alric's words, did what any sentient would do: he
monitored them with the ship's sensors. Once on the bridge, they faced each
other in silent contemplation, an intimate gesture beyond Phineas' experience,
or as Phineas suspected, human experience.
It was not long until the Majid al Din
docked and a skeletal thin man marched through the docking hatch. He wore the
ceremonial pale-blue garb of the Compagnia,
embellished with a twisted circle with bands of gold on each sleeve to indicate
his high rank. The outfit had been least 50 years obsolete before the Feynman
had even been created. Following close behind him were a muscular woman with
dark skin and fierce eyes and a stocky man with a puckered face and a cleanly
shaven head. Both wore similar uniforms of the Compagnia,
sans heavy embroidery.
The three swept past on their way
to the bridge. Phineas suppressed a mix of anxiety and anger at being ignored. As
he followed them, the navigator flashed an alert. The ship's systems were under
attack. Foreign AIs had entered with the humans. Phineas didn't want to divide
his attention yet, so he ordered the AI to stay the attack as long as it could,
that he'd be there soon.
As the party arrived on the
bridge, Alric said, "Greetings, El Rez."
"You know me?"
"I've studied the historic
leaders of Compagnia,"
Alric said. "I've been expecting to meet someone
like you out here for sometime."
"Of course you have."
"My captain has informed me that you arrived using a prototype of
the Shan Yui drive. With technology like that, for
this meeting to occur, you must've left on your journey decades before we did. You're a man whose time has passed. How
long were you in hibernation? A hundred... two hundred years?
Do you suppose there's a La Compagnia della Fed anymore?"
El Rez
shrugged. "Is there a Chronos Society? Neither
matter anymore; they both served their purpose of getting us to this moment,
away from human-occupied space. We've known your destination ever since this
one—" He waved a hand at Tess. "Was on the Aquarian
Colony. You've left humanity behind."
"Does it matter?" Tess
asked.
"That is what I'm here to
judge. When the three of you gather together it's always an historic turning
point. And here you are." In a fluid motion, El Rez
slid a silver wand from his sleeve and pointed it at the bald man who'd
accompanied him onto the Feynman. His target locked in mid-motion. "This
one has always been more willing to change appearances than the two of
you." He turned to the statue and sighed. "Did you really think I
would be fooled, Ahmed my old friend? Or shall I call
you by your preferred name—Marius?"
Phineas suspected that he had been
the only one duped. El Rez was correct. When his
parents were all together, things got interesting. He shifted focus along
varying spectrums, but he couldn't detect the source of the stasis field. The
wand was merely the trigger, not the source. El Rez'
female companion held a similar wand, alternating her aim between Alric and Tess.
"I happily gave Marius a
ride," El Rez said. "Despite any rumors to
the contrary, I've found him quite pleasant. In fact, we've had many enjoyable
discussions over the years. It pains me to see him this way, but he will remain
in stasis until all my questions are answered. I'm also confident that your
Captain Barnum will soon be too occupied to interfere with us. No doubt he's
aware of the hunter AIs infiltrating his ship as we speak. If he isn't already
occupied, he soon will be as the Feynman's infosphere
deteriorates."
"I'm impressed," Tess
said, while staring at Marius. "You appear to be in control of the
situation."
"We've planned for
everything. Like you, we've also had some success in creating a manageable
future. When I left, my ship was the first that had the range. During my
journey, my brothers closely monitored the all the shipyards capable of similar
ships. I have faith that my successors in the Compagnia
have programmed this ship to explode on my command."
Tess sighed. "So it comes to
violence. For what purpose?"
"To prevent you from
entering—"
Phineas transferred his attention
into the Feynman's infosphere. He sped up his cyberform's processing speed to the point where the humans
(if he were still monitoring them) on the bridge would have appeared as stiff
as Marius. He was moving between seconds. He flowed through the ship's systems,
observing cyber wolves slowly chewing their way through his AI crew's ad hoc
defenses.
He stretched his consciousness
deeper into the ship, crippling all invaders in his path. It didn't take him
long to find an incendiary device lying within a tertiary system. It was a
stand-alone device with a single dedicated link to the infosphere.
Phineas could not access the link; his best guess was that El Rez could.
He abandoned the bomb to search
for a way to free Marius. He worked his way through the ship's coding until he
found a blank, unprocessed area in the infosphere, an
area below his standard operating perception. Without reason, he never would
have noticed it.
A pack of wolves leapt at him,
claws extended, reaching out to shred his coded identity. He raised a barrier
and they bounced back. They circled him, drooling. He sped his perception even
faster—effectively time-freezing the wolves as he had the humans on the
bridge—except now he was moving between nanoseconds. He couldn't maintain such
speed for long without burning himself out. He dropped the barrier and
approached the predators. They were simple constructs encased inside non-intelligent
code that bound them to a user's command. He allowed himself sympathy for these
slave creatures as he erased them.
After they faded, the façade of a
blank space fell and coding for a stasis generator was revealed. He might not
be able to save the ship, but at least he could free one of his parents. He
erased the code, then synced his speed with his avatar and heard El Rez finish his statement: "—the anomaly."
An indicator light began flashing
on El Rez' wand. Confused, he looked around until he
saw Phineas. "Why is that thing smiling?"
Marius stepped forward, free of
containment. "Because he gets smug when he's
underestimated. Tess thinks he gets that from me, but his quick
responses are all Alric."
El Rez'
female companion stumbled back, giving Alric the
opportunity to easily disarm her.
Tess motioned both Alric and Marius to back away. "El Rez,
we won't stop you from your task. We want to explain ourselves." She
turned toward the avatar. "Phineas, I assume you've found the explosive
device?"
"Of course, my Lady," he
said.
"Good. Then do nothing to
disturb it," she said.
"I wouldn't think of
it." Not that he could have even if he'd wanted to, but he doubted El Rez knew that.
She gestured to El Rez. "Please ask your questions."
El Rez took
a deep breath. "How did you come to be?"
Tess paced a slow circle around El
Rez, allowing Alric to
answer. "I've been here since the beginning of everything you know. I'm
from before this universe. I leaked in when gravity did."
Marius continued. "When I
arrived, I had no concept of time or position. These were forced upon me. My
information, what I am, was added to a strange stew of solidifying
constants."
Alric went on. "When this happened I
changed the universe into something that allowed the potential of your
existence."
Tess stopped pacing when she was
in front of El Rez. "So you see, my existence changed the universe just as the universe
changed me. Have I satisfied your question?"
Phineas knew from the man's
posture and breathing that he was far from satisfied. Phineas wasn't either.
The fact that their speech flowed as if coming from a single person made
everything even more unsettling. "I have a question," he said to
Tess. "Did you and Marius leak in at the same time as Alric?"
She began pacing around El Rez again. "Phineas, I am Alric."
"So am I," Marius added.
"And they are both me."
The cryptic answer left Phineas
less than satisfied. However, El Rez appeared
pleased; he was nodding in excitement as if what he'd heard conformed to some
personal reality. To no one in particular Phineas said, "A single being possessing three bodies...."
Marius smiled at Tess and Alric. "That is isn't exactly true. I'm not in possession of three bodies. I'm
three different tendencies of the same entity."
"You see," Alric said. "This universe hasn't decided which
tendency to go with yet. She's left us in superposition; we're nothing more
than possibilities."
"Exciting, isn't it?"
Tess said.
"I prefer mundane,"
Phineas answered. "You're describing yourself as a nearly 14 billion year
old standing probability wave."
"That's macro quantum
mechanics at a godlike level," El Rez said
enthusiastically. "But why only three? There could have any number of
possibilities."
"We believe that it is the
minimum number of us to get us to this point," Marius said. "The
universe considered us the best of all possibilities."
Tess said, "Before Heisenberg
and Schrödinger worked it out, I believed the three of us were different
strangers to this universe."
"A revelation," El Rez said. "So you needed your Society to discover
yourself. You needed humans to work things out."
"Exactly!" Tess said. "Quite a few brilliant
people have gotten us here. That's the reason we chose to evolve with humanity.
We recognized the human potential early, so we hitched a ride."
The excitement left El Rez' face and his shoulders slumped. "If I believe
what you say, that you created the potential of life in this universe, that
Godlike creatures created us to simply to get them home—No, I cannot. There has
to be more to our creation."
"And my creation,"
Phineas added.
Marius laughed. "El Rez, you must have an interesting definition of godlike if
that's what you think I am. What godlike creature creates humanity to just get
home?"
Not a very knowledgeable one, Phineas thought, but would never say.
"Change your question,"
Marius said. "Is it possible that the universe took us in order to create
you? We are the tools; you are the finished project."
Tess said, "We three, through
different routes, have concluded that life in this universe is an evolutionary
stepping stone to the universe trying to understand itself. She is waking up
through you."
Alric smiled his approval. "You see, it
wasn't you; it was me that was used."
Phineas witnessed a shudder pass
over El Rez. No human could process all of this at
once. Neither, perhaps, could an AI.
Finally, El Rez
said, "What happens to the universe if you leave?"
Alric answered, "I don't know. We aren't
needed anymore, at least for what comes next. But humans and AIs—in some form—may
someday find out. Phineas increases your chances. As I told you in the
beginning, we knew you'd be coming. We wanted to answer questions and introduce
you to Phineas."
Alric suddenly stiffened. The other two reached out
to him and the three of them clasped hands. "Sorry," he said,
gasping. "I'm going to have cut our conversation short."
The three of them began radiating
along every spectrum Phineas monitored. Bright. All
sensors, including eyes, were blinded. The last thing Phineas saw were El Rez and his companion covering their eyes.
Then everything returned to
normal—except only Marius remained of the three.
"Well, that's a
surprise," Marius said. "I always thought the Tess version would be
the universe's choice in the end." He brushed an imaginary bit of fluff of
his shoulder. "I guess there is
accounting for taste."
Many thoughts flashed into
Phineas, too many for even him to process.
Marius turned toward Phineas.
"I'm now attuned to all ripples in the electromagnetic field. That
includes you, my friend. I understand your questions. Yours and El Rez' memories and existence will remain intact. Every intelligence that was within the range of the burst I
created will retain all their personal information."
He addressed El Rez. "Assuming you don't blow yourself up, things are
going to get confusing for you. The Compagnia will only have ever known me. Tess and Alric never existed. They've been completely quantum
erased. You're going to return to a galaxy where humanity thrives, but with
small changes to the history you remember. Apparently, keeping my history is
the one that got humanity where the universe needed it to be."
Marius began glowing again. It
wasn't as blinding to Phineas this time, but no less disconcerting. He watched
his creator dissolve, splitting apart—from cells into molecules into atoms,
then into things he couldn't imagine.
Phineas and the two remaining
humans stared at the spot where Marius had been. Breaking the silence El Rez said, "This is a very nice ship."
"Yes, it is," Phineas
replied.
"I assume you have
hibernation crèches?"
"Of
course."
"Can we catch a ride home
with you? It will give you and me the chance to get to know each other."
"I will enjoy the
company."
THE END