CHAPTER FIVE
Motega
YEAR: 2012
“Well, I’m done with my errands. Just dropping off my briefcase,” Motega said, stopping by his office. Alina and Cecilia were in the main room in the lab, suddenly quiet after he caught them talking excitedly just a moment before. “Either of you up for lunch?”
“Actually, I had an appointment in town, over lunch,” Alina said, getting up from her desk. “I’m just going to grab something quick afterward. You two have fun, though.”
“And I’ve got to go over the QED again,” Cecilia said. “We can’t be too careful, can we?”
Motega made a mental note to add that to the list of things needed for the experiment. He’d have to remember to double check with her after going over the calculations again. Alina followed Motega up and out of the building. They were about to split up and go their separate ways when he noticed someone approaching them from down the street.
“Dravin,” Motega said.
“Motega Wilson, and Alina Bol, I presume.” Dravin watched them with a very calculating eye, and Motega wondered how he was not freezing wearing just a three piece black suit.
“Motega, who is this?”
Dravin pulled a badge from his suit and flipped it open for them to see. “Dravin Davidson, FBI. I’m here about the QED.”
Alina gasped and Motega tensed up, folding his arms. “I’ve got nothing to do with you, Dravin.”
“Motega, the little science project you’ve got going here...” He glanced at the door they just came from and smiled. “It’s in there, isn’t it?” Motega raised his chin, but he wasn’t about to answer. He doesn’t deserve it. “It doesn’t matter right now. The point is the Federal government spent a lot of money funding time and materials for your project. They just wanted to send someone to... check in, see how things are going. You understand.”
“So they sent you,” Motega said. That was a statement, not a question. Of course Dravin would find a way to weasel himself in here.
“They sent me,” he said with a nod. He raised an eyebrow and slid his badge back into his pocket. “Motega, I’m the kind of agent that likes to ask instead of command, so you know what I mean when I ask if we could talk somewhere in private.”
“You need back up?” Alina asked, not taking her eyes off Dravin.
“No, I’ve got this,” he said.
“Okay, I’ll see you in an hour or so.”
Motega nodded, still eying Dravin warily. “Okay, see you later. Dravin, how about we take a walk down to Caribou and we can have a chat.”
Dravin nodded. “Lead the way.”
***
Motega stirred at his hot chocolate, staring across the table at Dravin, who was drinking nothing. He just stared back with a grin on his face and his arms crossed. Motega tried to ignore the ubiquitous stink of coffee and brought the hot chocolate to his mouth.
“You’re dressed quite light for this weather,” Motega said. Dravin wore only the FBI standard black suit as the temperatures outside were plummeting well past freezing. Motega’s winter parka hung from the back of his chair.
“You know I grew up here,” Dravin said with a shrug. “I’ve still got some of the Minnesota fire in my bones.”
Motega looked at him sideways. “And where’s your partner. Don’t you suits always travel in pairs?”
“We flew in to Elko. There’s a government building there for research and development. She’s still at Elko making sure we have the proper setup for when we transfer the QED down there.”
“What?” Motega snapped, nearly spitting out his hot chocolate. “It’s not going anywhere.”
Dravin leaned forward, steepling his fingers together. “I don’t think you’re quite respectful of your position, Motega. So let me make it clear to you.” Dravin lowered his voice as he continued, glancing to the side to see if anyone was listening. “The government owns your endeavors here in this quaint little town, and until you provide the results of your research, and that means the device, the government owns you.” He leaned back, now with a wide grin. “I own you.”
Motega took a long draw on his now cooling hot chocolate before responding. He focused on keeping his tone cool and level, not wanting to make a scene, but he wanted nothing more than to deck Dravin right here. “I’ve never even heard your name in connection with my project. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know you, Agent Davidson. Why should I trust you?”
He smiled. “Do you trust the badge?”
Motega took another sip, slowly and purposefully, before he answered. “Not at all.”
Dravin folded his hands and leaned forward. “All right, let me start by telling you what I know. I know that you’re working on something called Quantum Entanglement. That thesis of yours, if applied correctly—”
“A thesis which you tried to take credit for,” Motega said, his hand tensing around his mug.
“Stuck in the past, my friend?” Dravin said, grinning.
“So this theory should give the government the ability to communicate instantaneously over large distances. I know you plan on putting this to the test tonight. And that the United States government, should you successfully complete your test, owns this discovery in everything but name. By your contract, the technology belongs to us, and we’ll let you keep the money and fame.
“I also know that by one phone call I can bring a dozen agents and local policemen here to arrest you, should you not cooperate.” Dravin caught Motega’s gaze and held it. He didn’t smile. Dravin was just stating a fact. “Do I have your respect now, Mr. Wilson?”
Motega shrugged. “What do you want to know?”
“You’re testing the device tonight, but how close are you?” Motega hesitated, working out how to respond while giving away minimal information. “Do I have to give the speech again? Or make a call?”
“We’re there.”
“It works?”
“We’ve got small scale proof. Tonight is all about making a working prototype.”
“That’s amazing,” Dravin said. He was a scientist once. He could appreciate what a discovery of this magnitude would mean to the scientific community, but Motega wasn’t sure himself about the value of the practical application.
“Why is the government so interested in the QED anyway?” Motega said. “Or is it just you?”
“Think about what it would mean for our society,” Dravin said, sounding like he meant it, too. “For our culture. We could have walkie talkies without a distance limit, or a better cell phone network with no more lost signals.”
“Yeah, I know what it’s capable of. Fast, wireless internet wherever you are. It’s about fast communication, but once everyone has it—”
“But everyone won’t have it,” Dravin snapped, his eyes fierce now. “And you’re not thinking big enough, Motega. Not just fast communication, it’s instantaneous. It’s what would make interstellar travel bearable, being able to immediately contact earth. Or remote bomb detonation.”
“You’re kidding.” The suggestion gave Motega a bad taste. He picked up the hot chocolate and began drinking again, trying to cover over that little taste of puke in his mouth.
“Think of the military aspects, Motega,” Dravin said. “A bomb could be delivered into the hands of the next Hitler or Osama bin Laden by their own army without ever knowing what it was. Our operatives wouldn’t have to be anywhere near it to set it off.”
“Or just the opposing candidate,” Motega suggested.
Dravin didn’t blink. “The possibilities are endless.”
“I won’t let you do it.”
“You can’t stop us,” Dravin said with a laugh. “And I’ve been sent here to make certain that you follow through on your end. Your days of working alone are over.”
THE EVENT
A goose flew low in the Minnesota skies on that Monday, December the 3rd. It had to be the last goose to fly south for the winter, for the birds are usually not crazy enough to brave the Minnesota cold for too long, unlike the people. This winter had so far been exceptionally mild, though the temperature had dropped to below freezing for a week now. But whatever the case, it flew over the town of Mapiya at 6:30 PM.
The sun had just disappeared over the horizon over an hour ago, long enough for the last rays of sunset to disappear and the seven points of light in the big dipper to come out, sparkling brightly. Darkness covered the land, though that, too, was dampened by the glow of a full moon over Mapiya.
A large swampy area filled with tall wild grass and cattails split the town nicely into two halves, the freeway off to the east. From the goose’s view, one could see the school, the post office, a commercial district, and an ever growing sprawl of houses in a crisscross pattern on the south side. The library, mall, and another school campus mixed in with blocks of houses, town houses, and apartment buildings to the north. The goose naturally looked longingly at the beautiful round lake along the left side of town, dotted along the edges with mansions and cottages.
The next moment the school, the post office, the commercial district, and many of the houses were gone. In its place, a flat wasteland, wiped clean as if by a blast of flame. Bricks, concrete blocks, and other debris littered the landscape as if there had been an explosion. A wide spattering of dust and some pieces of shingles and wood siding appeared in the air out of nowhere and fluttered down into the town.
The goose didn’t even notice, really, as there was nothing to notice. In the brief span from one moment to the next, half of Mapiya was gone.