The Epiphany Crystals

The Epiphany Crystals

By Wayne Goodin

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 by L. Wayne Goodin.

All rights reserved under the Pan American and International Copyright Conventions.

Published By Wire Road Press

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the Publisher.

Information: PO Box 663

Republic, MO 65738-0663

Cover photography Copyright Ioannis Pantziaras

Licensed by Sutterstock Images

This is a work of fiction and as such does not portray actual events, places, businesses or real persons. Characters resembling actual persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. References to actual historic persons, scientific discoveries, places and events are used fictitiously and intended to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity only.

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As long as there are sovereign nations with great power, war is inevitable.

~Albert Einstein, November, 1945

Chapter 1

The moisture laden clouds crackled, pierced by the blistering sizzle of a basketball-sized sphere moving from the northwest. The sphere dipped from cloud level and zipped along just above the treetops in the woods near Harrison, Arkansas, vaporizing a trail in the atmosphere. The sphere slowed deliberately as it approached Max Gibson’s cabin on top of Radford Mountain south of Harrison. As the sphere passed the security light in the front yard, the light abruptly went out, leaving the house and grounds totally dark. The chrome-colored device slowly rotated as it came to a stop at the front porch then gently floated up to the door, which opened with a click. The sphere entered the house. Effortlessly the shiny object, which an observer might have described as an oversized Christmas ornament, traversed the stairs to Max’s bedroom and hovered just above him. A fluorescent green wave of light emanated from the globe and scanned Max, momentarily illuminating the room with near daylight intensity. Without waking, Max sat up in bed as if someone had just called his name, and then he quietly laid back down and continued to sleep soundly. The sphere then reversed its path, the door closing behind it as it left the house on Radford Mountain. The power came back on at Max’s place as the object sped down the valley toward Harrison.

The only two police officers on patrol duty in Harrison that night sat in their cars, one facing east and the other west, in the Edwards Grocery parking lot, their vehicles about a foot apart so the men could converse through their open windows. As usual, there was not much going on in town after midnight. The idling cars emitted a plume of vapor in the calm dense air of the valley that rose up creating an artificial fog around them. Billy and Ray sat quietly in a relaxed conversation reminiscent of campfire stories of the past.

Billy, you gonna deer hunt durin’ the black powder season in January this year?

Oh, I don’ know, Ray. I just about froze my keester off last year, and all I got was that little ol’ doe ’bout the size of my redbone hound, Benson. In fact, I think Benson’s got more meat on him than that there deer had. A swiftly moving flash of light, soon followed by a sizzling sound and a severe crack, dramatically interrupted him.

Jesus, Lord in heaven! What was that? Did you see that Billy? Something jist flashed by goin’ down Highway 7. And what the hell was that crack? Did you hear that? He noted his dash lights were out and reached for his keys in the ignition. Billy, see if your car will start. Mine jist went as dead as a hammer.

Naw, my car is dead too! Look yonder, Ray. The lights in the grocery store are out. Hell, the lights in the whole damn block are out. I’m callin’ this in. He reached for his mike and held the button. Car three to base, over. Damn it, Rafe! Come in! This is Billy! Shit! The radio is dead too. What the hell is goin’ on here? he asked as he craned his neck to look out the car window in the direction the flash had seemed to travel.

As the officers sat in their cars in utter bewilderment discussing whether to walk to headquarters, the sphere continued to progressively blackout Harrison. It was headed toward Susan McKinney’s apartment in the northeast part of town. The sphere gained access to her second floor apartment through the deck’s sliding glass door, which moved silently aside to allow entry. Like Max, Susan’s scan was accomplished quickly, she too sat up as if called and then laid back down, breathing rhythmically as one deep asleep.

After the glass door quietly slid closed behind it, the metallic globe accelerated straight upward through the cloud cover, and then it moved out of the atmosphere as quickly as a rocket. The sphere did not make the slightest sound until it exceeded the sound barrier, which caused a rumble of muffled thunder high in the atmosphere. In a few seconds, the power and all electromagnetic functions were restored to Harrison. The time was 3:10 a.m., and the entire elapsed time of the sphere’s visit to the town was just under ten minutes.

Nute, the Topek governor and explorer of this sector, was conducting a meeting in the captain’s ward room aboard ship. His briefing to the Galactic Council was a formal affair, and there was an obvious air of importance about him to match the stakes, which were quite high. The entire Council was aboard, having traveled from across the Galaxy to the edge of the frontier just to visit Earth, and he was quite mindful they were here solely at his request. He was in fact a bit nervous, and he wanted to give them a clear presentation and be attentive to their questions and careful in his answers. His presentation would be augmented by holographic images to clarify each point as he spoke and to emphasize what he judged to be most important. He reviewed the material mentally as he waited for the Council to take their seats, hoping the results of the scans of his test subjects he ordered would arrive in time for his briefing.

The Council members filed in dressed in their traditional yellow robes and took their seats facing Nute in a semicircle. When everyone was seated, Clacton, the head of the Council, gave Nute a nod to begin.

Councillors, I would first like to give you a brief history of the events leading up to our trip. As you all know, we have observed many species and inventoried several cultures in this sector. Of these studied species, we found the Earth people to be the most interesting and paradoxical. On the one hand, they are brutal in warfare, barbaric in the wholesale slaughter of their enemies. Conversely, they can be compassionate and even produce beautiful art and music. In a few words, they are full of surprises and thus always interesting.

As Nute spoke, vivid images of Earth and its inhabitants filled the room, the brutality of war contrasted with the beauty of art. Symphonic music accompanied the holographic images. Images of the Sistine Chapel were accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers, and these images were interspersed with beheadings and brutal dismemberment of prisoners, even children, with machetes. There was an audible gasp when the hologram of a child having his arm cut off during a recent tribal ethnic cleansing in Africa appeared.

We began to monitor this species more closely about two hundred thousand Earth years ago, when in our routine observations we saw them using fire and stone tools.

Obviously disturbed by the visions of the violence, Clacton interrupted. Nute, let’s go back to their violent nature for a moment. Did you find their tendency toward violence to be learned or innate?

"That is an interesting question, Councillor. It seems their original propensity for violence was nurtured by competition for food and territory, but over time, dominance over their environment and over more primitive species evolved into conflict with other humans for the same scarce resources and territory. Unfortunately, even local conflicts among humans have grown in significance over the last hundred years because their technology has allowed them to become more and more accomplished at killing each other.

When you say they are growing more and more destructive, do you feel they are reaching critical mass with regard to their war-making technology?

Absolutely. About seventy-five Earth years ago, they detonated the first nuclear explosion at a place called Trinity in the American desert. Since then, they have improved on this technology, increasing the yield from the equivalent of twenty kilotons of TNT to a thermonuclear device with a yield of five hundred megatons.

Nute, are they continuing to increase the yield of these devices?

The yield has stayed about the same for the last fiftyyears or so. But, during this build up and experimentation phase, several countries have detonated weapons in the atmosphere, underwater, and underground—a total of some four- thousand devices. The technology has spread to many governments, religious groups, and to ethnic extremists. Given the increasingly wide spread capability to use nuclear weapons, we believe the Earth’s inhabitants will effectively destroy themselves within the next twenty-five years, which would follow the well documented pattern of other K-10 cultures we have studied.

Do you believe the Earth people are a true K-10 culture, Nute?

Yes, but I believe they have more potential to change than other species we have studied. They are still aggressive and desire to dominate others, the hallmark of the K-10 classification, but I have lived among the Earth people twenty-seven times over the last two-hundred thousand Earth years and am always impressed by their creativity and adaptability. I truly believe the species is worth saving, perhaps even more than saving.

What do you mean, Nute?

"It is too early to say if the Earth people are worthy of our further investment, but because we believe their self destruction is eminent, my team has devised a test to see if they are capable of handling Level 8 technology. Twenty-two Earth years ago, we started a planet-wide search for outstanding representatives of the species, and we have been following a fairly large group of candidates since they were children.

Our final two candidates are intelligent and have passed all of our health requirements. We quietly arranged for them to be employed by the same company, what they call a ‘diversified high tech’ company, known as Astrolabe Systems, Inc.

As Nute spoke, his two superstar selections appeared before the Council members as three dimensional holographic images, like lifelike mannequins, the images produced based on the results of the scans made in Arkansas. The two figures rotated nude in front of the council members, all aspects of their bodies revealed along with their specifications: age, blood type, and disease history.

Do they know each other yet? asked one of the Council members.

Not really. They met professionally a few times and once at a company picnic. As you can see, these magnificent physical specimens are in peak physical condition. Their mental abilities are also outstanding, especially the male. These two clearly stand out from all other human candidates we have studied.

How did you come to select this particular pair?

We had access to all educational databases in the developed countries, and we searched them for students who had been identified as gifted by early childhood measurements. Originally, we had approximately four-hundred youngsters to evaluate, and as the children got older, we gradually reduced the number of subjects until we were left with just these two. Some of our team members were able to pose as teachers and later as the subjects’ co-workers to evaluate them firsthand. One of our team members, presently posing as Dr. Pete Bradley and working at Astrolabe, has been sending us regular reports. Based on his input and the other data, we all agreed that these two were the best we have studied. These two humans have very different personalities, but both have excellent mental and physical abilities for their species.

Nute, let me remind you of our rules when dealing with other cultures. As you know, this is long-standing Council policy. First, you must let them solve their own problems with their runaway nuclear technology. Second, you may not give them more information than they need. In this case, I think we all agree that Level 8 will be quite sufficient. Third, and most important, the subjects must agree to be a part of any of your projects of their own free will, if and when we deem their participation worthwhile.

Yes, of course, Councillor. We are prepared to help them with Level 8 technology only and to insist that they make their own decisions on all aspects of any project. We have found the Epiphany Crystals to be the most reliable tool available to us. As you know, we have used many ways to nudge the humans along in the past, but the Crystals seem to be the most comfortable way for the humans to interface with us. Moreover, the Crystals can provide a communication link to the ship as well, and this tool has the added benefit of not requiring one of us to be physically present for long periods, which presents its own problems, of course.

Good luck, Nute. The Council will be observing the outcome of your plan from here on the ship with great interest. The Earth people may be worth further study, but we will have to see. Your test is a logical way to evaluate them and give us that answer. Nute, we are proud of your commitment to this project. It has taken you a long time and many trips to this remote area of the galaxy, and we are all depending on your success. You seem to have developed an affinity for these Earth people, so I hope your time and effort have not been wasted on them.

Thank you, Councillor. I am pleased that the Council entrusted this important mission to me.

After the meeting, the huge spacecraft decelerated as it approached the solar system, then took a static position near Jupiter to await the unfolding of Nute’s plan. The Council was keenly interested in the performance of Nute’s protégés

Chapter 2

Max was up early that Friday morning, energized without apparent reason as he breezed through his morning routine to get ready for work. He was totally unaware of the encounter he had the night before or that he was the subject of such intense scrutiny. He was only mildly annoyed when he had to reset his clock due to the power failure during the night. He casually slurped a bowl of cereal as the early news began.

"Good morning, this is Howard Scott with the overnight news roundup for December 9, 2022. The international community was shocked late yesterday by the revelation that Iran exploded a third nuclear device in underground tests in the desert southeast of Tehran. Initial reports indicate the blast was in the fifty megaton range, raising fears of seismic activity in the earthquake-prone area. The government of the recently installed religious right would not confirm or deny the reports, replying to queries that it is no one’s business what they do on their own soil. The United Nations has filed a formal complaint with the Iranian ambassador, but diplomatic sources say there is little chance it will have any effect on the Iranian government. The list of nuclear powers now includes the USA, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, the Ukraine, Israel, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Iran, Australia, and Libya. Experts say there may be yet more members of the nuclear fraternity, countries or even non-aligned factions that may have obtained nuclear weapons secretly.

"United Nations weapons inspectors have been banned from all of the neophyte nuclear players’ territories since the 2017 international meeting on nuclear proliferation. The newcomers insisted at that time the international body did not have the right to enter a sovereign country for any purpose whatsoever, including to inspect nuclear capabilities. This raises speculation in some quarters that a preemptive strike against the upstart powers is more likely.

"General Bernard Potter, the Air Force’s top weapons procurement officer, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, reassuring the senators that our military has the capability of defending the United States and its allies against any adversary. General Potter said, ‘The new space-based weapons and detection systems are very capable of identifying and destroying any threat to our territory.’ The general added, ‘We can handle anything they have.’

"In other news, outspoken Senator Sam Stone, Republican of Alabama, fueled speculation about his bid for the presidency when he was quoted last night at a black tie political fundraiser as saying:‘I don’t see why we keep pussy-footin’ around with these Middle Eastern religious fanatics. I wonder how they would react if we turned their oil fields into a radioactive cinder. Who do you think would buy their righteous indignation or even care about them then? The only reason anyone listens to them at all now is because of the oil, period. Hell, some of our fly boys could stop this thing right now. All we need is a little political will and the guts. I say nuke ’em before we get blasted ourselves or bled completely dry of cash buying four-hundred-dollar-per barrel oil. We need to take charge of our own destiny. Their political buddies in the oil business here in the States have kept us dependent on those guys far too long just for their own profit. How much do you think the CEO of Exxon-Mobil cares about the ol’ US of A when he is making a 50 million dollar salary off Mideast oil? Big oil has put their profits ahead of the national interest of the United States, to the point that we have practically give’n our country away to those sheikhs and religious wing nuts for the bottom line of the big oil companies.

"Those Middle Eastern lunatics nearly own us now, boys. Having a religious leader run the country is a big mistake. How would you like to have the Pope running this country? He can’t even keep his priests from molesting the altar boys, for Pete’s sake. This country was founded on religious freedom; both freedom of religion and freedom from religion.’

"When asked if he was interested in a presidential bid in 2024, Senator Stone simply laughed and said, ‘Aw come on, fellas. You know the election is too far away to say. Ask me next year.’

"In other news, officials at NORAD are trying to quell speculation about a UFO scare in northern Arkansas over night. NORAD spokesman Colonel James Baxter said the electromagnetic-pulse phenomena, commonly known as an EMP, that was recorded around 3:00 a.m. was probably due to solar activity. He added that the activity has been elevated the last few days. Police reports out of Harrison concerning power outages, which occurred at about the same time as the more serious electromagnetic pulses were observed, are being dismissed as a hoax.

Wall Street reacted unfavorably to the news from Iran…

Max had seen enough and turned off the TV, deciding to go on to work. As he got up from his chair, he mumbled to himself, These lunatics will blow us all to hell. It’s just a matter of time.

Bundled in his down jacket, he slid behind the wheel of his BMW sedan and headed for the office. A mixture of light rain and sleet pelted the roadway as he leaned into the curves on the winding asphalt snaking its way through the Ozark Mountains. The valley leading to the entrance of the Astrolabe Systems complex was shrouded in a cold fog that obscured the treetops in the depths of the valley, making this high security area appear even more mysterious. Pale gray white oaks and dark green ponderosa pines scrolled by as he powered his way up the last long hill leading to the security gate.

Dressed in full military garb with polished boots and yellow raincoat, the gate officer approached the car as Max rolled to a stop. The imposing twelve-foot electrified fence spoke volumes about how seriously Astrolabe took security. The guard tower officer, an ex-Marine, glared from above as he dutifully turned his M-60 toward the car in the clearance area.

As Max rolled down the window of his car, the guard greeted him with crisp military efficiency, Good morning, Dr. Gibson. Could I trouble you for your clearance imprint?

Hi, Joe. Did your wife enjoy the herb garnish I sent home with you yesterday? You did take it home, didn’t ya?

Uh…well, sir. I was planning to take it, really I was, Doc. I just…

Never mind, Joe. I’ll bring you a new one next week. Where’s Harv today?

He’s working inside the shack, keeping out of the weather as usual. You know how it is: rank has its privilege.

Max removed his glove and placed his left thumb on the wireless tablet as Joe patiently looked on. In a few seconds, the print analyzer made an identification and the electronic voice droned: Access granted to Dr. Max Gibson, December 9, 2022, 7:50 a.m. Good morning, Doctor. I have no messages holding for you. You may enter. Have a productive day.

With the security routine completed, the waist-high four-inch thick steel barrier blocking the entrance retracted into the ground. Max drove into the executive parking lot, giving a wave to Joe as he passed the gate. He pulled his BMW into his marked and canopied space, which was situated closest to the building and indicated his considerable status. He got out of his car and bounded up the short staircase to the back entrance of his lab.

Later that morning, Max sat in front of his computer terminal scribbling on a yellow legal pad with a pencil. Crumpled paper flanked both sides of the terminal, representing the morning’s efforts. He mumbled to himself as he worked, occasionally stopping to key in the salient results of his extensive calculations.

Standing just over six feet two, Max’s slender frame was clad in his usual uniform of jeans, sports shirt, and well-worn Reeboks. His purposeful antithesis of a fashion statement was topped off by a moderately well-kept beard and over-the-ear length hair that he constantly fussed with as he worked. To be sure, Max’s persona didn’t belie his status as the head physicist at one of the most clandestine high-tech companies in the nation. In fact, more than one observer had noted that he looked more like an undergraduate cramming for a final exam.

Astrolabe had courted Max in a highly competitive recruiting war, lavishing perks as well as money on him, after he finished his PhD in astrophysics at Caltech six years before. The company desperately needed him to head up their optics department because of his brilliant work with the Hubble space-based telescope, and so did Nute. Max was an expert on the area of space where Alpha Centauri is located, and he had discovered several previously unknown properties of dark matter and the black hole in the vicinity.

Max had only been with Astrolabe a year when disaster struck during the quake of 2017, destroying the optics lab in California. The company already had a modest facility in Arkansas, which had been built during the Clinton years, so Max’s lab was moved there for safety