Quantum Times (32 page)

     “Yes sir,” David replied.

     The President went on, “You also have spent a lot of time with Plato and members of his team, too. Correct? And you have first-hand experience in observing that the level of technology possessed by Plato is well beyond our capabilities. Correct again?”

     “Yes sir, to both questions.”

     “David, is it correct for me to say that you now believe that Captain Ragnar and The Freya are the instigators of this wave of terror and that Plato is trying to help us?”

     David felt like he was being cross-examined. The President early in his career had been the lead prosecutor in a major organized crime case, the case that started his rise in politics, and David now felt like he was a defendant. Still, he just had to say what he thought and he figured he’d put it very simply. “Yes, I believe Captain Ragnar is our enemy and that Plato is our friend.”

     The President held up his hand. “And now we are at the heart of the issue. You see we don’t have any real corroboration that Captain Ragnar is behind the bombing of our embassy. We don’t know that the man we call Khalil is the one who did it with Ragnar’s help. We know that even among many of his peers, Khalil is not credited with doing it. All we really have is video given to us from Plato. If you believe the videos, then it is easy to see that Captain Ragnar is the instigator. But if the video is just a fiction created by Plato to point blame away from himself, then Ragnar is probably innocent and it is Plato who is the villain here. And wouldn’t you say that Plato with all his advanced technology could fool us with false videos if he wanted to?”

     David felt trapped. He knew Plato was on their side – at least as much as he could be. And his perception of Captain Ragnar was that he was not to be trusted. So he said all that to the President. He shared his appreciation and respect that he had for Plato and how well his crew always comported themselves. And he shared how Dr. Wheeling’s and Planck’s research was being aided by Plato’s science team, though that aid was as much guidance as instruction – but still invaluable. He finished with a definitive statement of his conviction that Plato could be trusted and that the U.S. needed to trust him.

     The President listened carefully without interrupting.

     When David had finished, he looked to General Greene for support but the general remained silent. And the President then said, “So on the basis of all that, I am supposed to try and blow The Freya out of the sky – assuming that we even could? For Plato’s advice to us is that we need quote ‘to kill them.’ That is what he said, isn’t it?”

     David saw how things were going, but he knew he had to go all in, “That’s right. Plato said that. And I believe him. I think that is what we should do.”

     “What I think is that he may be manipulating us. I think to try and kill Captain Ragnar and his crew on so little evidence – evidence that could be fictitious – is a very questionable proposition.”

     David looked back at General Greene. “You agree with me, don’t you?”

     The President answered for him. “Yes, the general does agree with you. But he admits he doesn’t have much to go on, it is just his judgment. And though I highly respect the general, it is my judgment that counts, not his. And I don’t have enough reliable facts to make a decision as consequential as trying to execute the Captain and his crew for acts that at best are indirect – if they occurred at all.”

     The President leaned over to reach for a glass of water on a side table. David thought he seemed pleased with how he had conducted the conversation. David looked over at Hank Scarpetti who just looked away.

     The President then shifted the subject. “David, I would like to get your views on something I know you are actually an expert on, tell me what you think the societal effects are going to be from the Participatory Physics. The more my experts describe to me the new insights and developments, the more I perceive how momentous the changes can be. What do you think?”

     David forced himself to ignore the President’s somewhat belittling tone of voice – the question was too important.  Also he saw a way to buttress his case for Plato. “When Planck first explained his introductory work on Participatory Physics it was fascinating but we thought it would take years to put into practice. But with Plato’s guidance we are moving much faster than we ever thought possible. We will be able to put it to use in important ways soon. It can be used to improve the yield of our crops. It can be used to improve healthcare. It can be used to increase energy output. However the social and economic adjustments are going to be huge. The healthcare industry and the energy industry are going to be hammered by Wall Street.”

     “And what about weaponizing what you are learning? Are the scientists you are talking to giving that any thought?”

     David considered the question, then he looked to General Greene whose face remained impassive. “I have not heard yet of any new weapons that can be created, though I don’t doubt that they will come. What I have heard being considered is whether Participatory Physics will make it easier to develop nuclear weapons through changing ordinary uranium into the uranium variants necessary for a bomb.”

     “Is that right, General?” the President asked.

     “Yes, that is our conclusion too.”

     Scarpetti sighed and rested his head back against the couch. “God save us. What a world we are creating!”

     “Yes, on that note,” the President interrupted, “David, as I’m sure you know, your friend Dr. Planck now seems to be a media sensation. Ever since the social media picked up the story of how that little girl down in Houston with the fatal heart condition has been cured – how her heart is now healthy. That church and Planck seemed to be leading a religious revival. What’s that minister’s name, Hank?”

     Scarpetti answered, “Wentworth but everyone calls him Reverend Teddy.”

     “Yes, that’s the one,” the President said. “David, is that all for real? That little girl was really cured based on the advice Planck gave them? Is that Participatory Physics or just prayer?”

     David had been as surprised as anyone that his once reclusive friend was now a leading figure in the growth of a religious movement that tens of millions of people were joining. But David did not believe he should speak to what Planck was doing to the President. “I think you need to ask Planck that. Or Reverend Teddy.”

     The President nodded, “Yes….David, and thank you. I am going to have to think about all this. Rest assured I take this all very seriously – and I appreciate hearing your point of view. The United States will do what it must. We will lead our nation and the people of the world through this period. The future once we get to it will be so bright.” The President stood up and David saw the meeting was over.

     The President had Hank Scarpetti and General Greene remain behind after David had been escorted out. “General, you still don’t agree with me about not trusting Plato, do you?”

    If possible, Greene sat up even straighter in his chair, “No sir, I don’t.”

     “And what about you, Hank?”

     Scarpetti had kept his own counsel so far. He knew that the President would want him to agree with his view. Only he didn’t agree, but he knew he could only go so far. “I think that it might be riskier to not trust Plato then to trust him. If Plato is right and acting as our friend, we really do have to destroy The Freya. If The Freya keeps doing what he accuses them of doing, our whole world could end up in flames before we ever get to that rosy future. On the other hand, if Plato is playing us as you suspect, we don’t appear to lose much by attacking The Freya – we aren’t getting anything from them. They are doing some exchanges of intellectual property so far, but to a pretty limited extent. It’s not really clear why they are here.”

     The President shook his head, “I hear you Hank, but I just don’t trust Plato. You know he is meeting on that damn island the most influential people in our country? They are flocking to him like he’s some damn pied piper. And he’s preaching an idyllic political creed that would have them far more involved in politics than they ever were before – like a Roman Senate of the rich and famous. And boy!... are they swallowing it all! It plays to their ego that they really do know what needs to be done. I’ve talked to a number of people who have gone to hear Plato – and you should see the look in their eyes. All of a sudden they think they are responsible for our government! Not me. The last thing we want is more involvement by business and social leaders. What do they know? It would be anarchy! They need to leave government to those of us here in Washington. We are the professionals! I’m the one the people elected. I know what’s best.”

     The President looked to the two men for agreement. “General, what do you think? You’ve been on that island. You’ve spent time with Plato and seen these alleged leaders there.”

     Greene wasn’t interested in voicing his private view. “I’m in the military. I don’t have an opinion about political matters.”  

     “Good for you, but Hank, you can’t say that. What do you think?”

     “I think I would rather have Plato as my friend than my enemy.”

     “And what about this Reverend Teddy? Do we need to pay attention to him?” the President asked.

     “Absolutely!” Scarpetti answered immediately. “His followers are becoming true believers and it’s a short step from religion to politics these days. And for some there’s no difference at all.”

     “That’s what I was thinking,” responded the President as he ran his hand nervously through his dark hair. “And I don’t think it bodes well for us – Reverend Teddy could create some real problems for us in the future.”

Chapter Fourteen

“Those ages which seem most peaceful were least in search of peace. Those whose quest for it seems unending appear least able to achieve tranquility. Whenever peace – conceived as the avoidance of war – has been the primary objective … the international system has been at the mercy of its most ruthless member.”

Dr. Henry Kissinger, former United States Secretary of State

     It had taken David longer to get the interview with the Captain of The Lucky Dragon than he had expected. But now that it was happening, David found himself excited to be doing it. Things were different. The Lucky Dragon was bigger than The Freya but smaller than The Bucephalus. Its furnishing was spare and less militaristic than that on The Freya and more artfully crafted. It seemed elegant and timeless.  Rather than meeting in a lounge area, David had been led to a large conference room with a table and chairs made out of what looked like dark rosewood. The wall decorations signaled a dominant culture that David recognized: a culture foreign, ancient and familiar.  The exquisitely mounted Katana and Wakizashi swords were ample evidence but the full suit of Samurai armor in the corner of the room left no doubt.

     The man in the close fitting white tunic who had greeted David on the ground and brought him up to the ship saw David admiring the sword. “It dates back to the late 16
th
century. You could take it off the wall right now and easily cut off the head of an adversary. And that short sword there, the Wakizashi, has been used even in recent times by officers who failed in their mission and were permitted to perform seppuku.”

     David looked back at the man who had introduced himself as Lieutenant Uesugi Maeda. He was young, tall, with black straight hair and could walk any street in Tokyo and fit right in. “Should I assume the dominant culture on your Earth is Japanese based?” David asked.

     “That is correct. From the research we have done since we arrived, it appears our worlds split apart at the time of the Battle of Sekigahara – that would be the year 1600. It was perhaps the most important battle in Japanese history. Over 160,000 warriors fought there that day. In your world that battle was won by the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu. In our world the forces of Ishida Mitsunari were victorious and Ieyasu was slain on the battlefield.”

     From behind them a man who had just entered the conference room interrupted Maeda’s account. David turned back to look at him. The man spoke in a strong confident voice. “We were very surprised and disheartened to learn how the victory here by Ieyasu would lead to such a weakened Japan. As shoguns he and his successors pacified the country to such an extent that they never expanded their territory over the next two centuries and then were too weak to withstand the growing power of the West in the early twentieth century. It is always enlightening to me to see how delicately balanced the flows of history are. A world is far more interdependent and susceptible to a change in the prevailing winds of chance than one would think possible.

     “My home Earth is dominated by two great historical sets of foes: the Germans oppose the Russians and we Japanese oppose the Chinese. We and the Germans are allies as are the Russians and the Chinese. But we are the greatest among them. Our world speaks Japanese not German or Russian. And what a surprise it was to find your country, the United States is the most powerful here. In our world your continent has eight separate countries and none of them significant. They are like your Europe here.”

     “This is Captain Ukita Terumoto,” Lieutenant Maeda said to David. As he had come to expect of all other Earthers, the Captain was tall and fit looking, but nonetheless broad shouldered and heavy framed.  He was clean shaven with dark bushy eyebrows over dark eyes and his facial features were so dominant they could have been chiseled out of stone. Something about him suggested he could easily wield the katana in battle and few would stand up against him in individual combat. 

     David went to shake his hand and introduced himself, then said, “It must be quite a shock to see how different your country’s history can be.”

     “On other Earths, Japan has been powerful, not always dominant but still worthy to join our empire. This Japan is different. Wars can be won or lost. Honor can be maintained in both circumstances. The situation here is unforgivable. Its loss in what you call World War II has led the Japanese leaders to bring ridicule to the Emperor and to accept demilitarization. Their very constitution prohibiting war is an embarrassment. They can barely defend themselves. They are dependent on your country to defend them against the rising power of China. There is no honor in that. This cannot be tolerated.”

     David saw in the Captain no attempt to be politically correct or to speak guardedly. Looking at the man, he was not surprised. The Captain stood ramrod straight and his uniform was starched and glaringly white. His eyes were deep set and intense and his mouth had yet to smile. 

     “Well, Captain let me start by thanking you for letting me come aboard and interview you. I have interviewed – “

     “Yes I know. That is why I agreed to this. You have a reputation of not filtering or altering information. I do not wish my statements to be reduced or reconstructed. My words are my own. A Samurai does not dissemble or chatter like children on a playground.”

     “So let’s start with that,” David said. “You view yourself as a Samurai? Are your crew Samurai as well?”

     The look on the captain’s face bordered on contemptuous, but then softened. “Forgive me. You could not know. Yes, of course we are all Samurai. What else could we be?” he paused then and considered. “The Japan here is the exception. It has surrendered its heritage. On my world and the other worlds I know of, Japan is still an Empire led by shoguns. The Code of the Samurai is to us what your Constitution is to you.”

     David was puzzled, “Our Constitution is a political document not a moral code.”

     “All political organizations are but the shadows cast by moral codes. The stronger the moral code the less the political organization is required. The Samurai Code is self-enforcing and societally rigorous. A big and powerful government is an indication of a people with a weak moral structure.”

     “I’ll have to think about that,” said David. “But back to the point. Why are you here? What brings you to come from your Earth to ours?”

     Captain Terumoto paused a moment before speaking. Then he spoke slowly so that his words would be reported correctly. “We are here because my government wishes to ally with all of the Japans throughout the universe. As you can see just by looking at us, we are a people apart. Our islands are precious to us. Our language and culture and writing are all original to us. What other country can say that? Perhaps only Egypt – and Egypt has been meaningless for millennia.”

     “There’s China,” David proposed.

     “Here there is China, yes. But on other Earths, China is but our reflection, China is ours. Throughout its history, China was always invaded by others, led by others. China endures, it is true. It has its own beating heart. But it has no head of its own.”

     David felt he was close to something important about The Lucky Dragon and its Captain, “China is more dominant here. Some think China will soon surpass the United States in power and influence. Will that affect your mission here?”

    Captain Terumoto didn’t hesitate. “My mission is to restore pride and honor to this Japan. Then and only then can we invite it to join the Empire that exists throughout this universe and its many dimensions.”

     “Is that what you want me to write?”

     “That was the purpose for inviting you here.”

     “I have heard that you have already met with Japan’s Prime Minister. How are those discussions going?”

     The Captain paused for a moment to frame his response. “We have much to learn about each other. These things cannot be rushed. Clearly there is dissension among the Japanese people and their leaders as to the proper path to take for their return to prominence. But I have confidence in the will of the people; they will not tolerate for much longer to remain a weakling in world affairs.”

     “So how will things change?” David asked.

     “A country can only be as strong as the Code that it lives by. Where there is no code, there is no honor. Where there is no honor, there is no strength. A country without strength dissipates until it is just dust under the feet of future civilizations.”

     “I guess I don’t understand. So what is it you are going to do here?”

     “We are going to help this Japan recover its soul. We will restore the Code of the Samurai.”

     As he left on the shuttle provided by Captain Terumoto to return him to where he left his car, David leaned forward in his seat and held his forehead in the palms of his hands. He had come to The Lucky Dragon directly after his meeting in the White House and he was feeling mentally drained. He still wasn’t sure how he had come to be where he was. He found himself in the front row center seat of a world in crisis and somehow he was supposed to explain things to the rest of the audience sitting in distant seats who weren’t close enough to see and hear for themselves. Worse yet, increasingly he found himself crossing the boundary between audience and actors. He was starting to fear that he had a role to play.

     Then he remembered all the nights he had dreams about being in a play and not knowing his lines. They weren’t quite nightmares, yet he was always anxious to awake from them. He explained away those dreams as his subconscious getting even with him for all the years in school where he didn’t study or do his homework. Years later his psyche still hadn’t forgiven him.

     He had other recurring dreams like being chased and having to run or being naked in a crowd of people; why he had those recurring dreams he still had no idea, though a psychologist friend of his said that everyone had them. But the dreams about not being prepared for a big test or being in a play or movie and not having learned the lines, those dreams he still had and they were really annoying. The other dreams he could wake up out of, but the dreams of being unprepared lasted long. Now he was awake, he was sure of it, but he was living that dream. He was not prepared for this role he was now playing. And it scared him.

     Hank Scarpetti looked over his glass of scotch at his friend General Carl Greene sitting across his kitchen table sipping his own drink. These late evening sessions were happening more often than ever before. They were on their second round and Hank still had not raised the real subject that he wanted to discuss with Greene. He had known he needed to talk to Greene ever since he had heard the intelligence briefing earlier that day. Greene was the only person in Washington who Hank could both trust with his real un-politicized thoughts and whose opinion would be worth listening to. Greene’s security clearance was high enough and his information sources broad and deep enough that Hank didn’t have to do much explaining or revealing. Greene already understood the mess the world was in.

     Scarpetti decided to get to the point. It was too easy to just keep sitting there drinking great scotch while ignoring the crisis around them. “In today’s briefing the CIA reported that there is a lot of chatter among the extreme Islamists that a high profile target in the U.S. is going to get hit soon. I know we have heard that kind of thing before. But the chatter we’re hearing now has an additional continuing refrain – that one of the other Earths is part of the plot. That the weapon itself may come from off this world. We have even heard the name Hasan associated to it.”

     The general nodded, “I’m hearing that too. But we don’t know the target or the details.”

     Scarpetti continued, “But a consistent theme in what we are picking up is that the flames are being fanned by stories of the glorious success of Islam on the other Earths. The result is that the drumbeat of jihad is pounding louder and faster. Iran keeps screaming about the destruction of Israel. When countries with nuclear weapons start screaming, you better take it seriously. Market bombings in Cairo, Baghdad and Kabul are happening so often now CNN doesn’t bother mentioning them. Christian churches throughout the Middle East are starting to take security measures once reserved for foreign embassies. And the government of the United States is not doing anything.  We have no plan, no foreign policy worth a damn.”

     General Greene looked over at his friend. One of the most powerful people on the planet was dispiritedly sipping at his drink and feeling like he couldn’t do anything. Greene remembered talking once to a CEO friend of his whose Fortune 500 company was losing billions of dollars. The CEO said that when he sat at his desk he had phones and computers, secretaries and assistants and vice presidents, all there to put his every decision and order into effect. And he wondered why nothing good ever seemed to happen. Then the CEO said that one day he tried to leave the office for a minute and he discovered that he was actually in a giant bubble and nothing he said or did ever reached outside of the bubble. The phones and computers weren’t connected to anything. The secretaries and assistants were actors on a staged set. The CEO realized he was in an episode of The Twilight Zone.