Crossover Earth '98
LONG-DISTANCE CONNECTION
By Nestor D. Rodriguez
"'Morning, Mr. Trail."
"Good morning, Ms. Watson."
"Hitting the newspapers again today?"
"Sure thing, ma'am."
"Well, you knock yourself out, y'hear?"
The Traveller grinned in response and moved to the periodicals section of the Macon County Public Library, as he had done regularly for the last three weeks.
Smiling to the librarian supervising the stacks, he methodically pulled copies of the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, not to mention Time, Newsweek, People, and Scientific American.
Finding an empty cubicle, he placed the papers down and began to leaf through them, absorbing the information on each page at a rapid pace. It was part of his daily routine, trying to find any clues to who he was and why he was here.
So far, nothing had come up, but the Traveller kept at it with dogged persistence.
And it was finally going to pay off.
The flash of memory was so blinding that it took the Traveller as moment to consciously focus on what had triggered it. He looked again at the small news piece he had been reading. It mentioned a Dr. Donald Martin, working at a university in California, briefly describing his efforts at researching quantum effects.
Excited at this discovery, the Traveller moved quickly to an available terminal and queried the Periodicals Index for any articles on the man and/or his research. His search was rewarded with a small article in a special- interest scientific journal. He was gratified to find, after some additional effort, that the library actually had a copy of it in the stacks.
He sat down with the copy in hand but his elation was deflated as he started reading. The article was filled with terms beyond his understanding. The best he could figure out was that Martin's research involved "quantum phenomena in high-energy spectrums". Whatever that meant.
The article did include a small biographical note on the doctor, naming the university where he was working. The Traveller sat musing for a moment, then made his decision.
The Traveller stood at the phone booth in the lobby of the library with almost all the money he currently owned in small change. He knew enough about phone calls to know that calling California would be an expensive proposition, at least for him. The irony of having his first lead located on the opposite coast from his destination did not escape him as he dialed the number he'd obtained from the phone book and got ready to feed coins into the slot.
"Hello?"
"Dr. Donald Martin? I hope I'm not interrupting you at this moment."
"Oh, no, I'll take any excuse for a break from all this paperwork. How can I help you, Mr...?"
"Trail, Jack Trail, sir. I've read an article on the work you've been doing and I wanted to ask you some questions about it. Would that be all right with you?"
"Well, I guess so, sure..."
"I had a hard time understanding what exactly you're attempting to do. Could you explain it in simpler terms?"
"Heh. Let's see. In a nutshell, I'm trying to determine the nature of quantum reality. What makes space and time work. My approach is to examine high-energy events at a subatomic level. So far, most of my work has been to developing the tools to do so, since the current state of the art in equipment isn't quite filling the bill, if you know what I mean."
"I believe so." Pause. "How do you intend to use this knowledge once you achieve it?"
Martin chuckled. "I'm a theoretician, not an engineer, Mr. Trail. That's for other people to determine."
The Traveller's voice became earnest. "But Dr. Martin, shouldn't you consider it? I would think you'd have some sense of responsibility for the consequences of your research."
Martin paused for a moment. "Well, of course I've considered possible uses. For example, these experiments might lead to harnessing quantum uncertainties in the macroscopic world. A possible application would be cheap teleportation. Another is probability manipulation; for defense purposes, we could ensure that no hostile missiles ever hit their targets." He laughed. "Granted, the casinos won't like the idea of probability manipulation very much, but progress always leaves a few bodies along the side of the road."
His caller's tone sharpened. "Teleportation? You mean instantaneous matter transmission?"
"Well, nearly instantaneous anyway," Martin answered mildly. "It certainly seems likely that, with the ability to harness quantum effects, we should be able to manage at least light-speed teleportation, if not better."
The Traveller continued. "I'm interested in studying the practical applications of your work. Has anyone come to you with any proposals for such? I could perhaps contact them and get some more information."
Martin laughed again. "You're the first person who's shown an interest in practical applications. I'm afraid my research falls into the realm of pure research just now. While I can foresee some practical applications if the theory works out, there would still be quite a bit of engineering to make any of it happen."
"Thank you. One last question, if you don't mind. This may sound like a strange request, but I'm planning to be in New York in the very near future. Is there anything related to your work occurring in that area that I could perhaps visit?"
"New York?" Martin paused. "I was thinking of visiting New York soon, myself. Other than that, there's nothing research oriented."
"Really? May I ask when you plan to be there? I would very much like to be able to meet you and perhaps find time to talk some more."
"Mid-June," Martin said. "I should have some time June 13th, if you'd like to meet somewhere. I'm afraid I don't know the city very well."
"Then perhaps you wouldn't mind if I call on you during your stay. Would you mind letting me know where you'll be staying and when? Unfortunately, I'm on the road constantly these days so you may not be able to reach me."
"I'll be at the downtown Hilton. I'll plan on being there around one on the 13th."
"Great. I hope to see you there. Thank for your time, Dr. Martin. I wish you luck in your work and hope no ill befalls you."
The Traveller hung up the phone and leaned on it with a satisfied smile on his face. He finally had something more than vague hints and gut feelings to go on. Things were finally starting to look up.
Dr. Martin smiled as he hung the phone up with a shake of his head. That was an interesting call, he thought.
He thought about it a bit more. I should probably tell those government folks about the call. He sounded like a pleasant fellow, but it's the kind of thing they make a big point of making you tell them about. Where's that business card?