Quantum Times (31 page)

     “Are you determining the limits as to what can and cannot be accomplished through mentalization?” David asked.

     Planck nodded, “We’re developing parameters. For instance, we can recombine and alter molecular structures, but we can’t affect whether the Cowboys beat the Redskins in a football game – too many moving parts and too many variables. Though let me take that back …I suppose that if we mentalized the weakening of a knee joint for instance of a key player, if that player then blew out his knee that might affect the outcome of the game.”

     David grimaced, “Put that power into the hands of the gamblers in Las Vegas and betting on sports would change forever.”

     Dr. Wheeling chastised them, “Let’s focus on the physics, please. What we are discovering is that as we would have hoped, once again our understanding of how the universe works does comport with a mathematical system that can be used to predict outcomes which can then be proven empirically.”

     Gabriela laughed, obviously delighted with how this was proceeding. “What I love about Physics is that Physics provides an understanding of how to describe what the universe does while the universe itself remains such a mystery to us. We now know that consciousness is absolutely at the heart of all existence while still not understanding what consciousness is or where it comes from.”

     Dr. Wheeling seemed almost insulted by Gabriela’s outburst. “Gabriela, the day will come when we better understand the nature of existence; but for now we face a very immediate existential threat created by our own political ineptitude and the arrival of these other Earths. Our work here may help us survive these perilous times.”

     Planck then further added to the professor’s concerns, “I still fear what happens when people everywhere find they have what would just a few months ago have seemed like super powers reserved for Marvel comic book heroes and villains.”

     Catherine Ozawa had been quiet until then, but now offered a different view. “Personally, I’m very excited at the potentiality offered to us by our Participatory universe. Excuse the pun but keep in mind that the doorway to mentalization is meditation. Meditation by its nature requires calm and quiet and balance. A world filled with people who practice meditation will be a very different world than the one we have today. I think it will be a very much better world. And those who cannot achieve a calm and serene state of mind – a peaceful state of mind – will find they are the victims, not the aggressors. Our leaders in such a world might well more closely resemble the philosopher king ideal found in Plato’s Republic.” Then it was Catherine’s time to laugh and she might have blushed as well. “Of course that’s the Plato of our own Greek history, not our new friend – who also espouses that ideal.”

  Later David sought out Plato for their pre-arranged meeting. When David found Plato in a room that Plato had set up as his office, he was surprised to see that General Carl Greene was there too. The general and David shook hands and Plato greeted him with what was now his customary locked forearms – a practice from his home Earth.

     “David, I asked the general to join us because I think it will save us time – and time could be very important to us.”

     “It’s fine with me.”

     “Good,” General Greene stated. “But as I have been telling Plato, I’m not really the right representative of the U.S. Government to be working with you guys here. There are others whose jobs are more closely tied to protecting our national security against terrorism. And in inviting me here, that is what Plato tells me this meeting is about.”

     “But as I keep telling the general,” Plato interrupted, “he is the only one I am willing to work with. I know him; I do not know the phalanx of others who would want to meet with me.”

     “Then maybe I’m the one who shouldn’t be here,” David said. “I don’t know there is anything I can do about this wave of terrorism that is occurring right now.”

     “In that respect I think you are wrong.” Plato responded. “You see David, I believe you are uniquely able to be of assistance. As General Greene can tell you, the United States believes that either The Freya, The Lucky Dragon or The Bucephalus is actually a major instigator of terrorism and is behind the recent attacks and may even now be setting up future attacks.”

     “OK. But how does that link to me?”

     “It links to you because I believe you can tell us which one of the visitors from other Earths is the guilty one.”

     “I can do that?”

     “Yes I think so. But first I need to clarify something. The charter that I operate under as I go to the many Earths is a limited one. The limits are imposed on me by my government and they have proven over time and many experiences to be wise limitations. The most important limit is that my crew and I are never to be direct actors – we can take no direct action. Nor are we to take sides politically that might favor one local government or political faction over another. We have learned that the chain of cause and effect is too unpredictable and random for us to know what is best for the future of any Earth. However, that is not to say that I am prohibited from providing guidance and counsel, nor are we prohibited from facilitating technological development. In fact that is what my true role is. But the participants from each Earth get to decide for themselves what they should do. So here, your future is in your hands, not mine.”

     “Sounds like the Prime Directive from Star Trek. And I always thought it was stupid.” David interjected.

     General Greene spoke up, “We’ll take whatever help we can get. I’m not concerned about philosophical nuances. Plato, just by coming here you have altered the flow of our future. Whatever our future trajectory would have been, it now will be different. Maybe that will prove to be a good thing, maybe not. As you say, the chain of cause and effect is beyond all understanding. Our cultural, political, scientific and religious foundations are now all in flux. We may not have been all that stable before, but we are on the edge of disaster now. So what can you do?”

     “I believe I can help David give you the answer to the biggest question you have right now.” Plato replied.

     “I know the answer? I don’t even know the question!” David responded. Greene’s look at David showed he was as doubtful as David was.

     Plato nodded at both of them. “David, you may not know this, but you are the only person from your Earth who has actually been on The Freya. And you have been on it twice. And I believe you will also soon go to The Lucky Dragon.”

     “I did seek a meeting with the Captain of The Lucky Dragon last week and was told yes, we could meet. But the date they gave was for next week.”

     “Really?” General Greene exclaimed. “They have been ignoring us so far.”

     Plato explained, “David now has a global following. And his ability to explain to everyone what is occurring has made him a valuable presenter of the points of view of the other Earths. David limits his expression of personal judgment and his urge to pontificate – though he does cross that line occasionally.”

     “The President will love hearing this. He thinks he’s the leader of the free world.” The general wouldn’t admit to it but he found David’s position compared to the President’s somewhat ironical given this particular president’s intellectual pretensions. And he liked David and didn’t particularly like the President.

     “In any case,” Plato continued, “David can help us here. General, you will recall no doubt that I showed you some surveillance video that directly linked a Palestinian named Khalil to the destruction of your Tel Aviv Embassy with a weapon not from this Earth.”

     “Yes, you gave us that video. We have been looking for that man but have not yet found him. We almost got him a couple of times. We have learned that he has claimed to be the one to fire the rocket though he hasn’t really been able to prove it within the community. I don’t suppose you could tell us where to find him?”

     “No I cannot to that. But I can show you more of his actions.” First Plato replayed the video material of Khalil going into the hotel in Tel Aviv with the weapon used to destroy the embassy and then leaving without it. The video included a visual of the rocket firing from the hotel window. Plato reconfirmed that it was Khalil who fired the missile. Then Plato stated that The Bucephalus had been continuing to monitor the movements of Khalil. He then showed a meeting that Khalil had very recently in a café in Beirut with a man whose back was to the surveillance equipment. As the meeting concluded, that man stood up and turned so that his face could be seen.

     “I recognize that man!” David exclaimed. “I saw him on The Freya when I was there a few days ago. He was sitting at a table just a few feet away from me when I was interviewing Captain Ragnar.”

     “Are you sure?” General Greene asked.

     “I’m positive. Almost all the other people I saw on The Freya were blond or light haired. The Captain and this guy were the only ones with black hair. But better yet, I used my smart phone to take pictures. And he’s in at least one of them.” David took out his device and scrolled his pictures to find what he was looking for. “That’s him, isn’t it?” he said when he found the right one.

     “Yes,” Plato and Greene said as they were looking at Hasan.

     Greene studied the picture and then wanted to see again the whole of the meeting between Hasan and Khalil. “Plato, you say this meeting was only a couple of days ago?”

     “Yes.”

     General Greene was immediately concerned. “I can’t imagine why this guy from The Freya would meet with Khalil again unless they are planning something again. And we have some sources telling us that a guy who claims to have been responsible for the embassy bombing is now bragging that he has something even bigger being planned. Something that would hit the U.S. inside the country.”

     “My counsel to you is to take that as being true.”

     “That’s your counsel, is it? Your counsel that the guy who blew up our embassy with the help of The Freya is now about to hit us inside the U.S. probably again with the help of this guy Hasan who David shows us is a crew member of the Freya?”

     “Yes,” Plato said sadly.

     “That’s your counsel and that is all you can tell us?” Greene repeated. His agitation showed as he leaned forward in his chair with his hands balled up into fists. The warrior in him wanted to strike out, but his experience kept him seated. “I don’t suppose you could counsel us on how to find this guy Khalil before he blows something up and kill even more Americans, could you?”

     “Yes, I probably can give you counsel there,” stated Plato, to Greene’s surprise. “But perhaps I can give you better counsel than that. Khalil and others like him – of which there are too many to keep track of – are not your main problem. Your problem is to stop the activities of Captain Ragnar and his crew which are further destabilizing your planet.”

     “And how do we do that?” Greene asked, his distemper showing with no attempt by him to hide it.

     Plato looked back at Greene, stern and resolute, “Why you kill them, of course.”

     David looked around at the paintings on the walls of the Oval Office. He’d read that the President could have his pick of artwork on loan from museums so he looked to see what he could learn about this President from the art on his walls. The picture of George Washington over the mantel of the fireplace was the traditional choice. It certainly set the tone. The other paintings maintained the American history motif. To the side of the fireplace was a bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was David’s pick of best president of all time, so it was easy to agree with Honest Abe looking over the goings on in the room.

     David was reasonably confident that his meeting this time would not end the way his last meeting in the Oval Office had ended. He had no interest in another unwanted stay locked in a bedroom in the bowels of the Pentagon. This meeting certainly had started better. He had been overnighted at the historic and beautifully restored Willard Hotel and then walked the few blocks to The White House for his 11 AM meeting on a lovely warm and sunny day. Then when he arrived, the President had been very cordial and welcoming; though he made no mention or apology for locking him up last time.

     Also sitting on the couches in the center of the office were Hank Scarpetti and General Greene. The President had chosen to sit on a chair on the perimeter of the couches. General Greene had just finished summarizing the meeting he and David had with Plato. David was pretty sure that at least Scarpetti and probably the President had already heard it all.

     The President turned his focus on to him. “David, the reason I asked you to join us for this meeting is that it seems I have to decide whether Captain Ragnar and his crew are the ones behind the recent upsurge in terrorism. You have been aboard The Freya and interviewed Captain Ragnar twice. And you ID’d the man called Hasan as a member of the crew of The Freya and Plato has shown us video of Hasan meeting with the man who allegedly bombed our embassy in Tel Aviv. That’s right isn’t it?”