The Traveler

46

One of the reasons Michael enjoyed living at the research center was the way that the staff seemed to anticipate his needs. When he returned from the barriers the first time, he had felt fragile and dazed, not quite sure about the reality of his own body. After a few medical tests, Dr. Richardson and Lawrence Takawa brought him up to the first-floor gallery to meet General Nash. Michael asked for orange juice and they had returned five minutes later with a six-ounce cardboard carton, probably taken from a janitor’s lunch box.

Now he was back from his second experience crossing the barriers and everything was prepared for his comfort. On a side table in the gallery was a glass carafe of chilled orange juice. Next to that was a silver tray displaying fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies as if a team of apron-wearing moms had been making preparations for his homecoming.

Kennard Nash sat opposite him in a black leather chair and sipped a glass of wine. When they first started their conversations, Michael was surprised that the general never took notes. Now he realized that the surveillance cameras were always working. Michael enjoyed the fact that everything he said and did was so important that it had to be recorded and analyzed. The entire research facility was dependent upon his power.

Nash leaned forward and spoke softly. “And then the fire started?”

“Yeah. The trees began burning. That was when I found a path that led to a town in the middle of nowhere. All the buildings were burning, too.”

“Was anyone there?” Nash asked. “Or were you alone?”

“At first I thought the town was empty. Then I walked into this little church and saw my brother, Gabriel. We didn’t talk to each other. He was going through a passageway that probably led back to this world.”

Nash pulled a cell phone out of his suit-coat pocket, punched a button, and spoke to Lawrence Takawa. “Copy the last five seconds of our conversation and send it to Mr. Boone. He needs this data as soon as possible.”

The general snapped the phone shut and picked up his glass of wine. “Your brother is still a prisoner of a terrorist group called the Harlequins. Obviously, they’ve trained him to cross over.”

“Gabriel was carrying our father’s Japanese sword. How is that possible?”

“Our research indicates that certain objects called talismans can be carried by a Traveler.”

“I don’t care what they’re called. Find one and get it for me. I want a weapon when I cross over.”

General Nash nodded quickly as if to say, Whatever you want, Mr. Corrigan. No problem. We’ll arrange it. Michael leaned back in his chair. He felt confident enough to make his next demand.

“That is-if I decide to visit the different realms.”

“Of course you will,” Nash told him.

“Don’t threaten me, General. I’m not serving in your army. If you want to kill me, go right ahead. You’d be losing the most important element of this project.”

“If you want money, Michael-”

“Of course I want money. But that’s trivial. What I really want is full information. The first time we met you told me that I was going to help you achieve a technological breakthrough. You said we were going to change history together. Okay, now I’m a Traveler. So why do I have wires in my brain? What’s the point of all this effort?”

Nash walked over to the side table and got a chocolate-chip cookie. “Come with me, Michael. I need to show you something.”

The men left the gallery and strolled down a hallway to the elevator. “All this started several years ago when I was in the White House and developed the Freedom from Fear program. Everyone in America was going to wear a Protective Link device. It would have ended crime and terrorism.”

“But it didn’t work,” Michael said.

“At the time, our technology wasn’t that sophisticated. We didn’t have a computing system capable of handling that much data.”

As they left the building, two security men followed them across the quadrangle at the center of the research compound. The air was cold and damp and a dense cloud concealed the night sky. Michael was surprised to see that they were headed for the computer center. Only special technicians were allowed inside.

“When I assumed leadership of the Brethren, I began to push for the development of a quantum computer. I knew it would be powerful enough to solve complex problems and handle enormous amounts of information. With a bank of quantum computers, we could literally track and monitor the daily activities of everyone in the world. A few people might object, but most of us would gladly give up a little privacy in exchange for security. Just think of the advantages. No more deviant behavior. No more unpleasant surprises-”

“No more Travelers,” Michael said.

General Nash laughed. “Yes. I’ll admit it. Getting rid of people like the Travelers was part of the plan. But that’s all changed. Now you’re on our team.”

The security men remained outside when Michael and Nash entered the empty lobby of the computer center. “An ordinary computer runs on a binary system. No matter what the size or power, it has only two states of consciousness: 0 or 1. Ordinary computers may work very fast or in tandem with each other, but they’re still restricted to these two possibilities.

“A quantum computer is based on quantum mechanics. It seems logical that an atom can spin up or down: 0 or 1. Once again, it’s a binary system. But quantum mechanics tells us that an atom can be up or down or in both states at the same time. Because of this, different calculations could go on simultaneously and at great speed. Since a quantum computer uses quantum switches instead of conventional ones, it has an immense power.”

They entered a windowless cubicle and a steel door closed behind them. Nash pressed the palm of his hand against a glass panel. A second door glided open with a soft whooshing sound and they entered a dimly lit room.

At the center of the room was a sealed glass tank, about five feet high and four feet wide, set on a heavy steel pedestal. Thick cables snaked across the floor from the pedestal to a bank of binary computers against the wall. Three technicians wearing white coats hovered around the glass tank like acolytes at an altar, but when General Nash glared at them, they immediately left the area.

The tank was filled with a thick green liquid that moved and churned slowly. Little explosions, like tiny bolts of lightning, kept flashing in different parts of the liquid. Michael could hear a humming sound and there was a burned odor in the air, as if someone had set fire to a handful of dead leaves.

“This is our quantum computer,” Nash said. “It’s a set of electrons floating in super-cooled liquid helium. The energy passing through the helium forces the electrons to interact and perform logical operations.”

“Looks like a big fish tank.”

“Yes. Only the fish are subatomic particles. Quantum theory has shown us that, for a very short period of time, particles of matter go off into different dimensions and then return.”

“Just like a Traveler.”

“And that’s what happened, Michael. During our first experiments with the quantum computer we began to get messages from another realm. At first we didn’t know what was going on. We thought it was an error in the software program. Then one of our scientists realized that we had received binary versions of standard mathematical equations. When we sent off similar messages, we began to receive diagrams that showed us how to create a more powerful computer.”

“And that’s how you built this machine?”

“Actually, this is our third version. It’s been a continual process of evolution. Whenever we improved our computer, we could receive more advanced information. It was like building a series of powerful radios. With each new receiver you could hear more words, obtain more information. And we’ve learned about things other than computers. Our new friends have taught us how to manipulate chromosomes and create different hybrid species.”

“What do they want?” Michael asked.

“This other civilization knows all about the Travelers and I think they’re a little bit jealous.” Nash looked amused. “They’re trapped in their own realm, but they’d like to visit our world.”

“Is that possible?”

“The quantum computer has been tracking you as you’ve crossed the barriers. That’s why we placed the wires in your brain. You’re the scout who’s going to provide a road map for our new friends. If you cross over to another realm, they’ve promised to send us the design for an even more powerful machine.”

Michael stepped closer to the quantum computer and watched the little flashes of lightning. Nash thought that he understood power in all its forms, but Michael suddenly realized the limits of the general’s vision. The Brethren were so obsessed with controlling humanity that they weren’t looking very far down the road. I’m the gatekeeper, Michael thought. I’m the person who controls what happens. If this other civilization really wants to enter our world, then I’ll decide how that might occur.

He took a deep breath, and then stepped back from the quantum computer. “Very impressive, General. We’re going to achieve some great things together.”