Coin #2 - Quantum Coin (23 page)

“Using the coin makes Everett that sick?” Ephraim asked.

“Apparently, it gets worse the more he travels. Ironic, huh? He invented a technology he can never use.”

“That's why they needed Ephraim to operate it,” Ephraim said. He bet it ate Hugh up that he couldn't travel through the multiverse on his own. It had driven Nate mad with jealousy.

“Who lives up here?” Ephraim asked, looking around.

“Dr. Kim,” Jena said.

She pulled off her glasses and polished them with the hem of her dress. Ephraim tried not to stare as she lifted it.

“How did you get back?” she asked.

“Nathaniel basically whipped out an ACME portable hole,” Ephraim said.

“Never leave home without one,” Jena said.

For the second time that night, he highlighted how they'd used the second controller to communicate with Zoe by ham radio, leaving out the part where Nathaniel beat the crap out of Dug Kim.

“Damn,” Jena said. “So she got to save you
and
talk to Grumps.”

“He's a really nice guy,” Ephraim said.

“I wish I could have seen him,” Jena said. “I barely got to spend any time in my favorite decade.”

“I thought you hated it,” Ephraim said.

“There are drawbacks to any era in history. We just trade one set of problems for another. Things are as imperfect in 2012 as they are in 1954.”

“I thought I was going to have to live there,” Ephraim said.

“Dr. Kim would have come back for you.”

“Even Nathaniel wasn't so sure, and he's practically in love with her,” Ephraim said. “If it hadn't been for Zoe, we'd still be there. She really came through.”

Jena pursed her lips. “What is that supposed to mean? Leaving you was an accident.”

“I know. You did the right thing, taking care of Hugh.”

“Damn straight. Not everything's about you,” she said.

“This isn't—” He sighed. “What are we even fighting about?”

She leaned forward. “It's always ‘Zoe this,’ and ‘Zoe that.’”

“I only mentioned her once.”

“Well, I feel like I've been living in her shadow since you came back from her universe.”

“You shouldn't feel insecure about our relationship.”

“I'm not insecure,” Jena said. “I know I'm awesome.” She got up and walked toward the large windows on the other side of the room.

He followed her. “So what's the problem?”

The windows faced the Summerside Library. He bet Dr. Kim had chosen these rooms for her own for that exact reason.

“I'm worried
you'll
forget how awesome I am. I'm not used to feeling…jealous.”

“Jealous?” He frowned.

“I'm jealous of the two of you and your history together and the fact that she kissed you and that she's some kind of hero who swooped in and is going to save the multiverse.”

“We're
going to save the multiverse. All of us. Together.”

Ephraim knew what it was like to be jealous of his analog. He'd felt the same way about the other Ephraim and Zoe being together. No, he didn't want to think about that, especially right now.

“It's hard when someone else has something you want, and you ask, ‘Why him? Why not me?’ Especially when that other person
is
you,” he said.

Ephraim had always been envious of other kids' families, friends who grew up with two parents who got along with each other. But in the last year, he'd had the chance to see how other people lived, to actually live some of those other lives, and he'd found he preferred his own.

As imperfect as she might be, his mother was
his
alone and if anything had been different in his life, he'd be different too. His experiences, in the universe he'd been born in, were what made him unique.

“Zoe's just a friend, okay? There's nothing between us,” Ephraim said. “You and I have been together a lot longer than I've even known her. And we have twelve years of history on top of that.”

She leaned against the window and stared over at the Library.

“Since we're being honest with each other, I was feeling a bit jealous of Hugh earlier tonight,” Ephraim said.

Jena feigned shock. “No kidding.”

“Come on,” he said.

Jena tucked her hair behind one ear. “He's incredibly hot,” she said.

Ephraim laughed, but he stopped when Jena's face got pink. “Wait, you're serious?”

“I like a man in glasses,” she said. “And a suit.”

“You never told me that,” Ephraim said.

“You don't wear glasses.”

“Poor vision is a sign of inferior genes, which makes for a less desirable mate.”

“Really.” Jena glared at him over the top of her glasses.

Oops.

“Don't worry, you're plenty cute even without glasses. Especially in a tux.” She sighed wistfully. “I was looking forward to taking that off you.”

Ephraim cleared his throat. “You know, Everett's going to lose his hair. You saw the pictures in those biographies. And he's going to gain a lot of weight.”

“Sexy isn't only about appearances,” Jena said. “He's also a
super genius.”

“Which makes you ‘Tastyus supersonicus’?” Ephraim asked. Since he and Jena could never agree on whether to watch Daffy Duck or Bugs Bunny cartoons, they settled on a happy medium: Road Runner cartoons.

“Poor Wile E. tries so hard,” Jena said sadly. “But he never catches the Road Runner.”

“You really do like the underdog,” Ephraim said.

“Coyote,” she said. She turned toward him and leaned closer.

“Don't worry, there's a first time for everything. Somewhere in the multiverse, the coyote always gets his bird,” he said.

Ephraim kissed her.

“Meep, meep,” she said dreamily.

“You look great, by the way. Why are you all dressed up again?” he asked.

She looked down at her dress.

“I needed a change of clothes, after Hugh was sick. This was the first clean thing I grabbed.” She didn't pull the neckline up this time. “Prom part two?”

“I'll be right back,” Ephraim said.

“Don't go,” she said, holding onto his hand.

“It'll just take a second,” he said.

He ran back to his room and changed quickly into his tuxedo. On a hunch, he opened the drawer of the night table in his room and found a strip of Trojans stashed inside a worn copy of the
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
by Charles Dickens. He tore one of the condoms off and tucked it into his jacket.

But when he got back to the drawing room, Jena had fallen asleep on the couch. Her fingers were curled around something in her palm.

He pulled at her slender fingers gently, and the coin tumbled into his hand. He found an afghan in the linen cabinet beside the bedroom and covered her with it, then went back to his room, turning the coin over and over in his hands. Heads. Tails.

Does she love me, does she love me not?

Heads. Tails.

Do I love her? Do I love her not?

The next morning, Ephraim found Hugh Everett studying the LCD in the atrium, making notes on a yellow legal pad and occasionally glancing none too subtly at Jena and Zoe over by the door to Everett's lab.

“Feeling better?” Ephraim asked Hugh.

“One hundred percent,” Hugh said.

Jena and Zoe had changed back into their matching tank and shorts combos. They were even harder to tell apart because Zoe was now wearing an old pair of Dr. Kim's glasses; her blue contacts were only supposed to be temporary. In fact, Ephraim recognized the gold-rimmed spectacles as her grandfather's.

Still, Zoe stood a little straighter than Jena did, and there was always her nose piercing to give her away, which completely fascinated Hugh.

Hugh reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small point-and-shoot camera. He snapped a quick picture of the girls and thumbed a plastic wheel to advance the film. He dropped it back into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

He tilted his head back to watch the rings of the LCD slowly oscillate. Ephraim could practically see him running the equations through his head.

“Ingenious,” Hugh said. “It seems incredible that I could have designed this.”

“Well, it's the product of modern technology and years of research focused on interdimensional travel,” Jena said, wandering over with Zoe.

“And Nathaniel helped,” Zoe said.

“In other universes, the US has visited the moon, sent probes into deep space, brought back photographs of the surface of Mars and from beyond Pluto,” Jena said. “Which isn't a planet anymore, by the way.”

“Don't get me started on that,” Zoe said.

“I know, right?”

“Space travel is a waste of time and resources.” Hugh lit a cigarette. As he walked around the LCD, smoke drifted up and swirled around the turning rings of the machine. “We already know those planets are out there. We can see them with our eyes. But other universes…” He pressed his hand against the base of the gyroscope. “It feels alive.”

He continued walking around the base, and Ephraim followed.

“I have no idea why this contraption works,” Hugh said softly.

“You and me both,” Ephraim said.

“But I'm supposed to have invented it. I'm supposed to explain what's going on in the multiple universes, yet I can barely grasp the basic principles of this machine's design.”

“You'll figure it out,” Ephraim said. “We'll help.”

Hugh shook his head. “I've been reviewing Everett's theories all morning.” He stopped. “That still sounds strange.”

“You get used to it.” Ephraim smiled.

“I feel like my understanding of his probability state theories only scratches the surface. I've read the debates about whether parallel universes exist, and I find myself agreeing with Niels Bohr's theories of the collapsing wave function. Imagine that! My other self would roll in his grave.”

Ephraim didn't mention that in all likelihood, Everett was standing on one of his counterparts' graves.

“Maybe I was never meant to share his particular insights. Especially considering what I've learned about what's happening in the multiverse right now,” Hugh said.

“What does that mean?”

Hugh threw his hand up and pointed at the LCD. “That this is impossible!” His voice echoed in the atrium. Jena and Zoe looked over at them.

“But multiple universes
do
exist,” Ephraim said.

“Obviously. But I think you've recruited the wrong Hugh Everett to tell you how they exist.”

“There's no right or wrong. You are Hugh Everett, with the same intelligence, the same potential.” The same flaws. Ephraim shrugged. “And you're all we've got.”

“Sorry to say, that may not be enough.” Hugh sucked on his cigarette thoughtfully.

“Maybe you'll change your mind once we see whatever's in that lab,” Ephraim said.

“Well, then, for God's sake, man, let's get on with it.”

“We're waiting for Nathaniel and Dr. Kim.”

Hugh scowled.

The main entrance opened, and Dr. Kim stepped out, with Nathaniel following a few steps behind. The group assembled in front of Everett's lab.

Dr. Kim's attention focused on Ephraim and Hugh. She brushed her neat bangs away from her forehead, then looked annoyed and shoved her hands into the pockets of her white lab coat. Something was different about her.

She was wearing makeup.

“What's up, Doc?” Ephraim asked.

Dr. Kim stared at him. “I suppose that was inevitable. Good morning, Ephraim. I'm glad you made it back.” She nodded at Jena and Zoe before turning to Hugh.

“Welcome to the Ever—uh. Crossroads,” Dr. Kim said.

“Thanks,” Hugh said.

“You are not what I was expecting,” Dr. Kim said.

“I know. But I promise to do my best.”

“No one will ever accept you as this universe's Everett,” she said.

“I think we're beyond that,” Nathaniel said.

“He could be Everett's son,” Zoe said.

“And who would his mother be?” Jena asked.

“Never mind,” Dr. Kim said. “We do have bigger concerns.”

“What…” Hugh swallowed. “What happened to the other version of me?”

“This universe's Everett recruited his analog—his double from another universe—to continue his work after his death. And now you're
his
replacement,” Nathaniel said.

“How delightfully morbid,” Hugh said.

“Hugh, your first task is simple. I need you to open that door.” Dr. Kim pointed to the entrance to Everett's laboratory.

“You didn't ask me here to be a glorified key,” Hugh said. “Nathaniel explained what you've been observing about the multiverse.”

“We need the expertise of someone more experienced with quantum wave states,” she said. “Right now you're no more qualified than Ephraim here.”

“Hey,” Ephraim said.

“Hugh can do this,” Jena said. “I've seen the way he thinks. He's brilliant. Give him a chance.”

“Thank you, Jena,” Hugh said. “And with all due respect, Dr. Kim, you won't need to find another replacement for me.”

“Doc, I don't think that's even an option. There aren't any worlds with a version of him in 1977,” Nathaniel said. “Not anymore. And, uh, the number of universes recorded in our databases has diminished by half. I was up all night trying to figure out what happened, but I can't explain it. It's as if someone deleted them all. Until we know what's responsible, I've restricted access from the rest of the team.”