The Quantum Objective (15 page)

There were so many people in the auditorium Mimi’s head spun. Some fifty bodies milled about, straightening their papers and coffees. Geeks in the main, though a good thirty percent looked like special ops - some in uniform, a few trying to blend in with the others. Shit. If the net is this inclusive, the Freaks are never going to get out. You only open the doors this wide when you know there’s no chance of keeping them closed. Everyone will be watching.
The crew finally came in and brought a hush to the room. Beth looked poised to fly right out again. There’s nowhere to run to Honey B.
‘Oh. Hi guys. Thanks for coming down. Good to see you this morning.’ A man in a crumpled shirt with rolled up sleeves greeted the group. He showed them to their seats on the podium. Beth gulped at the glass of water offered her, meeting no one’s gaze. Perun and Galen scanned the room, catching everyone’s eye. What’re they doing? A shiver ran through her. Ah, they are scaring the bejeezsus out of everyone. She bit back a smile.
Mr. Crumple adjusted a mike on his shirt, sending thumps through the speakers.
‘Erhm. Ok folks. Let’s all settle down, we’ve a lot to get through. Most of you know me already from yesterday’s overview session, but I’ll cover the introductions first and we’ll move swiftly on to the key discussion points on today’s agenda.
You should all have the latest briefing notes, but allow me to introduce your project leaders. I’m Dr. Richard Graeves, heading medicine, Dr. Chris Pike – please stand Chris – is leading our physics team.
He faced the group on the stage. ‘Of course, not least are our honoured guests Dr. Elizabeth Irving, her son Galen and Perun - Galen’s father. They have already kindly completed much of the initial medical testing and given us a good basic understanding of their own research findings to date, which will save us, frankly, years of work. Thank you.’ He started to clap, prompting the room to follow. Mimi caught Beth’s eye and smiled reassuringly. Don’t panic. It’s weird, but just don’t panic.
‘We’d all like to thank the three of you for helping us better understand the phenomenon that your biology represents, the possibilities it holds for curing the world of disease and transforming the human experience of the world, the universe and our place in it. No part of humanity will remain unaffected by this. I feel I speak for everyone here, when I tell you I wake every morning and have to pinch myself. Exciting, ground-breaking, unbelievable findings on a daily basis have left little time for sleep. You are a miracle.’ He grinned and blinked back tears.
Mimi glanced at Beth’s bowed head. Oh, mercy. How’s she not going to lose it? I’m creeped out and I’ve only been here five minutes. At least she’d not saying anything. Maybe she’ll just stay mute and it’ll be ok. Oh no, she’s fiddling. What’s…they gave her a mike! Mimi held her breath.
‘Thank you for your kind words, Dr. Graeves.’ Beth’s voice was smooth as glass and sweet as bird-song, ‘Thank you all for your support and assistance. We are keen to work with you in seeking out solutions for the greater good. I feel we’ve all been given an opportunity here. Together we can complete our work and share the benefits of our miracle with the world, for the advantage of all. Amen and God bless America.’
Mimi clamped a hand over her mouth. The room was silent. Perun and Galen fixed wide eyes on Beth. Then the room exploded with applause and Mimi slipped down her seat. She raised an astonished gaze to Beth’s and got a smile she’d never seen before. The shock pulled her back up in her seat.
Cunning. She’d never seen cunning in Beth, wouldn’t have credited the possibility. Maybe the girl’s picked up a few tricks. Maybe, things won’t turn out as predicted. It took a good few minutes to bring the room to order.
‘Wonderful, wonderful,’ Graeves beamed. ‘I think we can start then with the latest findings from our medical tests. Our main priority is the foetus and its development.’ Beth’s glass toppled but she quickly righted it.
‘At the moment all scans and blood tests indicate normal development. However, the father of the unborn child apparently demonstrates manipulation skills at the highest level. Given the seeming heritability of skills from father to son in the case of Perun and Galen, we feel safe in the assumption that this child too will inherit at least some of the skills of the father. Of course, what form this skill will take may vary from the inherited source. Galen can, like his father, heal and communicate at a molecular, atomic and perhaps even quantum level with animal and insect life forms as well as plants.
However his transformations are beyond his father’s ability and dare I say,’ he winked at Galen, ‘even his healing skills are faster and more…advanced. If this is a pattern, every generation could be leaping ahead in skill level. In just two weeks we will be able to safely test for the sex of the baby. A key objective of the medical team is to monitor all foetal development at every stage, from detailed DNA analysis to overarching structural or behavioural deviations from the norm.
I believe this baby could reveal the secrets of the phenomenon. The test results will hopefully reveal the extent of epigenetic versus genotype influences involved in the development of such skills. We are specifically looking out for any retroviruses that could be playing a part. Of course, Galen and Perun’s DNA are also bringing many new pieces to the puzzle board.’
‘It’s a girl,’ Galen whispered to Beth, his voice made loud by his microphone. He jerked back at the sound, mouth open. He covered the mike and gave Beth an apologetic grimace. She stared at him, then looked blankly at the crowd as they gasped, some oohing and ahhing. There was no cunning now. She looked like a woman stuck in a dream so real it was puzzling her.
This is so weirdly cruel, Mimi marvelled.
‘Ah, Galen,’ Dr. Greaves rubbed his palms together, ‘You didn’t mention it yesterday. How do you know this?’
‘Er…I just do.’ Galen shrugged and pressed his lips together.
‘Ok…what about you Perun, do you feel it’s a girl?’ Perun’s gaze drifted away from Galen to Beth’s pale face.
‘I’m afraid I can’t help with that. I guess my…sensors aren’t as fine-tuned.’ He offered an apologetic shrug to the room.
‘Well, you see my point. At this rate Galen will save us much time and effort.’ He glanced down at his papers.
‘The next item, a discovery we’ve made this week is something I think is going to add a bright new dimension to the puzzle.’ He narrowed his gaze at Beth. ‘I’m…I’ll run through it and the panel can tell me what they think.
It was noted by one of the analysts that Galen is an extraordinarily well-behaved boy. He’s always obedient, never argues or questions us about what we’re doing throughout his long tests and procedures. She noted that he must have been raised with strict boundaries. This led us to explore his upbringing and his ideas about authority. Well, it turns out that Galen feels he never had a choice but to obey his mother. Not because she threatened him, but that he could not disobey her.
Unexposed to other authority figures, he never new any different. In fact, he was baffled by the suggestion that a child could disobey their mother. The psychologists’ note reads: Galen is compelled, in his view, by a physical force outside of his control, to obey his mother. Her wish removes his free will. Having been raised largely in isolation with his mother, he has formed the habit of obedience, though the rule doesn’t seem to apply to others.’
A collective rumble rolled over the audience. Beth’s bewildered expression turned to laughter.
‘What the hell are you talking about? That is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard.’ She shook her head and turned to Galen. ‘You didn’t really say that did you? At Galen’s confused expression Beth smiled. ‘He’s a good boy. He’s just got a gentle nature and he knew how important it was to follow the rules - that’s all. To keep him safe. He’s not forced. How could I possibly force him? That’s crazy.’ Beth’s gaze flashed to Mimi who shrugged.
Beth rolled her eyes. ‘Look, let’s be sensible. How would it work? Ok. Galen – jump up and down.’
Galen remained seated, then smiled at his mother when she crossed her arms and sat back in her chair looking satisfied.
‘It doesn’t work when you don’t mean it, mum,’ he chuckled.
‘What is this rubbish, Galen?’
‘How can you not know this? When you’re angry or scared; that’s when it works. Remember?’
Beth froze. Horror and amazement warred across her face. Mimi could just imagine Galen’s entire life flashing before her eyes. Every incident, accident, emergency. Her gift for total recall would allow her to see it all, every detail in a new light.
This is heavy duty.
Mimi jumped up when she saw Beth’s face crumple, tears streaming down her cheeks. Galen was quick to wrap his arms around her. ‘It’s ok mum. You saved me, helped me.’
‘Uh…hmm, yes.’ Graeves cleared his throat. ‘We think Galen’s right Beth. It could be some sort of survival mechanism. Our best guess is the authority is linked to your emotional state, powerful emotions triggering the mechanism.’
Beth wiped her face. ‘How could I have missed this? It’s so obvious retrospectively. What else have I missed?’ Her voice still swam with tears. ‘Thank God only Galen is affected.’
‘And Khoen. He’s got it too.’ Galen nodded.
‘What?’ Beth’s bark was echoed by Perun and Graeves.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘How can you not know? Remember he dropped his glass - the first day on the ship? That’s when I realised. And he realised. Why else do you think he got so mad? It really annoyed him – having to do what he’s told.’
Beth’s mouth hung open. Then shut. Then opened again, ‘No wonder he…you mean to tell me we could have gotten off that ship at any point and you didn’t mention it?’
‘Well…’ Galen frowned at his mum. ‘I thought you knew everything.’
‘Well evidently not!’ Beth was brick red. ‘You and I are going to go over everything, young man. I mean everything that has ever happened and you will make no presumptions about what I know. Assume I know nothing, Ok?’
‘Ok, ok.’ Galen shrugged, staring at his mother with new eyes. Mimi would have smiled if she wasn’t still shocked by the crazy in the room.
‘Is there anything more you can tell us about this, now that you’re aware of it, Elizabeth?’ Dr. Graeves was scribbling non-stop.
‘No…I did wonder why I was put through so many vocal tests in Khoen’s labs, but I had other things to worry about at that point. He must have been desperate…it’s a miracle he didn’t kill me immediately.’
‘He couldn’t,’ Perun said, ‘he had other plans for you – or rather your DNA.’
‘But you said it was some kind of survival tool. Why would it work on Khoen and not all the other people who’ve threatened me, us, over the years?’
Dr. Graeves rubbed his eyes and sat back in his chair. ‘I’m afraid I don’t know. Any suggestions?’
There was a rumble though the room. People looked at each other, then down and around, as though the answer was lurking nearby.
‘Does it work on Perun?’
Mimi turned along with the rest to see a man in military fatigues at the back of the room.
‘Hello, Commander Decker.’ Perun lifted a palm in greeting, ‘I’ve never felt any compulsion to obey her – even at her most enraged, as you may remember.’
‘Maybe it’s because you’re not a threat nor in any danger. I’d guess the mechanism is triggered if there is a real threat to the group - the people with this manipulation power. In hazardous situations, the decision-making powers transfer to her, if she chooses to take command. It could be a kind of leadership authority, a way to direct the group in times of crisis. A strategic survival tool, forcing them to work together. Together, they’d be pretty tough to beat. I think she’s a sort of team commander, genetically.’
Mimi’s grunt of laughter cut through the silent auditorium. All heads swivelled in her direction.
‘That’s the scariest thing I’ve heard since I got here. Lordy, if what you’re saying is true, we’re doomed. All of us.’ She nearly choked on a fresh guffaw.
Beth narrowed her eyes, ‘shut up, Mimi…though she does make a good point. Why would I be the leader? I don’t have manipulation powers. Perun would surely be better suited. He has powers, is far more level-headed and experienced with all this. And what is this group we’re now talking about? There is only us.’
‘You’re wrong. There were more, quite a few more. I grew up with twenty-eight others. They’re dead now, but I know Khoen wasn’t one of us. Where did he come from? I know I was made, bred from healers to enhance their powers. Did Khoen come from another group? There might be more of us out there.’
Mimi raised an enquiring hand.
‘Oh please stop,’ Beth protested.
‘No, hear me out. I have a question for our old friend here,’ she fixed a hard stare on Perun, ‘what made you seek out Beth in the first place, right at the start?’
Perun flashed a look at Beth who leaned forward.
‘Well, I was… told to.’
‘By whom?’
‘Um, this may be hard to understand, but by a snake, actually two – in a dream.’
Mimi covered her face with her hands and sank down in her chair with a groan.
‘You mean the twin serpents the shamans talk about?’ Beth blinked.
‘You know about it?’ Perun’s brows shot up.
‘Khoen’s people were going on about plant spirits and the source of shamanic medicinal knowledge. That’s what eventually led to our conscious matter hypothesis. Do you communicate with these serpents regularly?’
‘Um…No. I encountered them of course, during my training; they’re always keen to talk to anyone who’ll listen. They can be a valuable source of information for some things, but it takes a great deal of experience to communicate with them in any useful way. They mostly go on about being the creators of the universe and how wonderful they are, but it’s clear from other spirit sources that they are…exaggerating. They have power, but nothing like they try to claim. They always came across as a little pompous and I never needed to engage with them to achieve what I wanted, so I didn’t.’