 |
| Robert and Eddy at the beech house. |
Previously in Chapter 6 of "The Trinity Intervention", Eddy, Zeta, Marda and Tyhry agreed to use the Reality Simulation System to visit California in 1939, just weeks before the beginning of World War II.
Eddy has developed the suspicion that Oppenheimer might have been a time traveler from the future, his body composed of zeptite components that were too small for 8ME to detect.
Marda seems eager to enter the Reality Simulation System and have her body converted into a femtobot replicoid copy of her biological self. Qua the Grendel is hoping that the Sedruth entity will soon report that Nyrtia has finally emerged form the Reality Simulation System.
Chapter 7 of "The Trinity Intervention" (Chapter 1)(Chapter 2)(Chapter 3)(Chapter 4)(Chapter 5)(Chapter 6)
Eddy turned his attention back to his computer, where the interface to the Reality Simulation System glowed softly. "All right. Sedruth, take us to that beach house in July 1939."
"Specify the exact date and time," Sedruth requested.
Zeta told Sedruth. "You can see it in my mind: July 14th, 1939. Four o'clock in the afternoon. The Tatlock beach house on the coast..... Carmel-by-the-Sea. My father and Oppenheimer were already there when I arrived, along with Elizabeth and my brother Hugh."
Sedruth said. “I have made the necessary arrangements. You will arrive inside the Simulation and find yourselves inside a Hertz rental car, just a short distance from the beach house.”
 |
| Tyhry and Zeta by Mr. Wombo. |
Eddy found himself in the front seat with Zeta to his left. To her left was a man who looked familiar. He said, “I'll have you to the Tatlock residence in just a minute. Sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Zeta asked the driver, “Garuda? Garuda Crow?”
“At your service, sir.”
Eddy asked, “Garuda? How did you...”
Garuda explained. “This is me, Sedruth. I drove this car down here from the car rental facility in San Francisco.” He started the car's engine and drove from the driveway into the street.
“Sedruth!” Eddy asked, “That was you in New York in 1947?”
“No, I'm just using the Garuda Crow pattern. I found Garuda in 8ME's memory and decided I could use his physical form here in 1939 for this run of the Simulator. I've provided some props to give the appearance of a party from San Francisco arriving at the Monterey peninsula for a weekend stay.”
8ME, playing the role of Jean Tatlock, performed introductions and explained to her brother that Eddy was a colleague who had wanted to get his two children out of the city for a few days. “So I offered to bring them along. Eddy is interested in socialism.”
Garuda had taken two big suitcases to the door of the house and was chatting up Jean's father, John. Now Jean ran to her father and they hugged. 8ME performed the introductions again for her father, introducing Eddy as a fellow medical student from Stanford, a single father—his wife having died two years previously. “Eddy needed a break and I invited him and his daughters to join us for the weekend.”
Garuda took Pepper from Tyhry. “I'll watch Pepper. He won't enjoy being inside with strangers, particularly the dog.”
Tyhry began to protest, but she saw that Garuda was scratching Pepper's ears, just the way he liked it. She watched Garuda walk out into the lawn and set Pepper down. Pepper did a flip and began rolling in the grass.
Soon the four investigators of the past were all in a sunlit room with large windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The sound of waves hitting the shore was audible, along with the cry of seagulls. The air smelled of salt and the faint scent of eucalyptus.
John Tatlock brought drinks from the kitchen. He handed a cool glass to Eddy and said, "I'm sorry for the loss of your wife, Dr. Watson. I've recently moved on to my second wife, so I offer advice; don't let yourself live in the past.”
Eddy grinned and said, "I'll do my best to follow your advice, but in my profession, I'm something of a sleuth, investigating the past."
"And I'm sure your patients appreciate your investigative skill... helping them understand what went wrong in their lives." John looked around at all the new faces. “You're all welcome here, although I wish Jean could have given some warning... we might run out of food."
"Eddy said,"Thank you for your hospitality. Jean spoke very highly of this place. My driver, Garuda, will pick up any supplies that we may need."
Arriving in the house after a walk on the beach was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who wore shorts and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He took off his straw hat and stared at the newcomers with an expression that was difficult to read.
"Robert," Zeta said warmly, moving to him. "I'd like you to meet some friends of mine."
Oppenheimer's gaze fixed on Zeta's face, then slid past her to Tyhry. His eyes widened slightly. He took Zeta's extended hand but continued staring at Tyhry. "Interesting," he murmured. "Very interesting."
Eddy felt a chill. Could Oppenheimer sense something about them? Something that marked them as not truly belonging to this time? He examined his daughter, who was wearing a sweater to protect herself against the chill air-conditioned room temperature that Eddy preferred during the heat of Arizona summers.
"Robert, are you all right?" Zeta asked.
Oppenheimer blinked and seemed to return to himself. "Yes, of course. Forgive me. I was thinking about something else." He released Zeta's hand and extended his own to Eddy. "Robert Oppenheimer. I teach physics at Berkeley and Caltech."
"Eddy Watson." Playing his role as a medical student, he said, "I try to teach patients to take care of themselves, but I have a keen interest in physics."
Oppenheimer's grip was firm but brief. "What aspect of physics interests you?"
"Nuclear reactions. Fission, specifically. I'm intrigued by the work that Hahn and Strassmann published earlier this year."
"You have odd tastes in recreational reading." A spark of genuine interest lit in Oppenheimer's eyes. "Those uranium experiments have extraordinary implications. Meitner and Frisch's interpretation of experimental results as being indicative of nuclear fission opened up the field of study."
John Tatlock cleared his throat. "Well, since we have more guests than expected, I should warn Elizabeth.” He asked Robert, “Did you see her on the beach with Hugh?"
“Yes, I passed them just now on my way in. I suggested that they come inside; they are both sunburned.”
Eddy said, "I'm rather warm myself. I did not expect it to be so hot here on the coast. I'm used to always being cold in San Francisco.”
 |
| Tyhry and "Jean" (Zeta). |
"Of course." Zeta gestured toward a staircase. "This way."
As they climbed the stairs, Eddy whispered, "Did you see how Oppenheimer looked at Tyhry?"
"He sensed something," Zeta murmured back. "Tyhry's femtozoan is active, in the same backwards mode as Robert's."
When they reached the second floor, Tyhry grabbed Zeta's arm. "Mom, what was that downstairs? Oppenheimer was staring at me. I could tell that he took an instant interest in me.""He's sensing hierions being transmitted by your femtozoan," Zeta explained quietly. "You and he have similar genetic patterns—that allows for conscious integration with femtozoan activity. During the past three years, he's been gradually learning to interpret the hierion signals that my femtozoan broadcasts. Now he's detecting similar signals from you, and it's confusing him."
Marda asked, "Will the telepathic link between Robert and Tyhry ruin the Simulation?"
"No. Robert can sense the fringe of Tyhry's mind, but I have infites in his brain that prevent him from speaking openly about telepathy. This Simulation will accommodate our presence for a short time."
Eddy had removed his heavy shirt and pulled on a much thinner shirt that belonged to Hugh. "How long do we have before the 1939 version of you arrives?"
Zeta estimated, "About an hour and forty minutes. Let's go back downstairs. I want you to have a chance to speak with Oppenheimer."
They returned to the living room to find Oppenheimer standing alone by the windows, staring out at the ocean. He turned when he heard them descending the stairs.
"Dr. Watson," Oppenheimer said. "You mentioned an interest in fission. What specifically intrigues you about the phenomenon?"
Eddy moved to join him at the window. "The energy release, primarily. The amount of energy liberated when a uranium nucleus splits is enormous compared to chemical reactions. It suggests practical applications."
"Practical applications." Oppenheimer's tone was neutral. "Such as?"
"Power generation, obviously. And I've been thinking about thermonuclear reactions in the context of stars ever since I read "Atomic Generator" by Campbell back in '37 and was awakened to the mysteries of stellar physics and the incredible amounts of atomic energy created inside the Sun. If we could harness that kind of power source here on Earth..." Eddy threw up his hands excitedly.
Oppenheimer was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was distant. "I've been having dreams lately. Visions, almost. Of vast energies released. Of destructive forces beyond anything humanity has yet created."
"That sounds disturbing."
"Disturbing and enlightening. I've come to believe..." Oppenheimer paused, as if weighing whether to continue. "This will sound strange."
"I study abnormal psychology. I'm interested in strange ideas," Eddy assured him.
Oppenheimer glanced toward the kitchen, where John Tatlock could be heard speaking to Marda as they prepared lemonade. Robert lowered his voice. "I believe there are forces—intelligences—guiding humanity. Not in a direct way, but subtly, through inspiration and insight. I've felt their presence most strongly when I'm with Jean."
Eddy's pulse quickened. "What kind of forces?"
"I think of them as a trinity." Oppenheimer's eyes took on a faraway look. "Three levels of astounding intelligence. The highest are the creators—beings who shaped humanity itself, who designed us for purposes we might never comprehend. Below them are the shepherds, who guide civilization's development, who ensure we move along the correct path. Those shepherds are interventionists, who occasionally adjust specific events in the lives of people such as me."
"That's quite a cosmology," Eddy said carefully. "If I interpreted what you just said from the perspective of my profession, I'd say that you are paranoid and delusional. Where do these ideas come from... Jean?"
"From Jean, though she doesn't admit it and seems not to realize it. She is a conduit, Dr. Watson. When I'm near her, I receive... knowledge. Glimpses of truths that no human should know." Oppenheimer turned from the window to face Eddy directly. "You're a man of science. You must think I'm mad."
"Not at all. You are not my patient. What you're describing, your interpretation of your experience might simply differ from the objective reality that I know. However, I know that I am vastly ignorant. You are a brilliant physicist... I'm sure I could not understand most of your work even if you had the patience to teach it to me."
Oppenheimer's eyebrows rose. "You believe me?"
"I believe you're experiencing something genuine. Whether it's divine inspiration or something else entirely... that's an open question. I love the fact that there is mystery in life!"
From across the room, Tyhry had been watching this exchange. Now she moved closer. "Mr. Oppenheimer, when you receive knowledge from Jean, what form does it take? Dream visions? Words? Feelings?"
Oppenheimer studied Tyhry with that same intense focus he'd shown when they first arrived. "You feel it too, don't you? You have the gift."
Tyhry glanced at Zeta uncertainly. "I... I'm not sure what you mean."
"There's a resonance between us. Faint, but present. Not as strong as what I experience with Jean, but similar in nature." Oppenheimer took a step toward Tyhry. "How long have you been aware of it? This ability to sense thoughts that aren't your own?"
"Only recently," Tyhry admitted. "I'm still learning to understand it."
"Then allow me to share what I've learned." Oppenheimer's voice took on a lecturing quality, the tone of a professor addressing a student. "The knowledge arrives as impressions—images, concepts, sometimes fragments of memory that couldn't possibly be mine. When I'm near Jean, it's like tuning a radio receiver. At first there's only static, but gradually signals emerge from the noise. I've learned to focus my attention, to select certain frequencies over others."
"And what have you learned?" Eddy asked. "From these signals?"
Oppenheimer returned his gaze to the ocean. "I've learned that we are not alone. That we have never been alone. That humanity's entire history has been carefully orchestrated by something beyond my comprehension." He paused. "And I've learned that terrible choices lie ahead. That some of us will be called upon to create weapons of unprecedented destructive power. That we will usher in an age where humanity possesses the means of its own annihilation."
The room fell silent except for the distant sound of waves. Marda was now passing out drinks and she said. "Knowing what's coming. I worry about war in Europe."
The back door opened. John Tatlock returned by way of the kitchen with a woman who had kind eyes and graying hair, and his son, Hugh, who looked both windburned and sunburned.
John performed introductions. "Elizabeth, Hugh, meet our additional guests. Jean brought a friend from school, Eddy."
Elizabeth Goodrich Tatlock smiled warmly at the newcomers. She carried a broad sunhat and wore a simple summer dress and had clearly been walking on the beach—there was sand on her bare feet. "How wonderful! I'm Elizabeth."
Hugh Tatlock nodded curtly at the strangers and headed immediately for the stairs. "I'm going to put some lotion on my cooked skin. I fear I stayed outside too long."
Elizabeth watched him go with a slightly pained expression, then turned back to the guests. "You'll have to forgive Hugh. He should have worn a hat."
Zeta moved forward. "Elizabeth, it's so good to finally meet you. Father has written about you in his letters."
"All good things, I hope." Elizabeth embraced Zeta warmly. "I know how busy you are with your studies and clinic work. Well, I'll have to prepare for a larger dinner than I'd originally planned. Eddy—Dr. Watson—would your daughters like to help me in the kitchen? I could use some assistance."
Tyhry opened her mouth to protest, but Marda stood quickly. "We'd be happy to help, Mrs. Tatlock."
"Please, call me Elizabeth. We're not formal here." She gestured toward the kitchen. "Come along. I'll put you to work."
fdsf
dsf
No comments:
Post a Comment