Chapter 13 - Interlude

   Joe now had a little time to sit bored and think. Not that he hadn't done a lot of thinking all the way before through now about it all, but... sitting waiting, with no decisions left to make? Was a mixed blessing. That the decision was made, and the machinery was in motion and to the point it was? That part was good. There's just something about getting onto the plan, that reduced any anxiety or worry.

   It didn't matter if that plan was actually horrific. Men that had known they were training to storm Omaha beach and take that foothold on Europe by force? Knew they were wading into a pitched, uphill battle. One tilted against them. It was a classic war of attrition. If you expect to take 90 percent casualties going into something? Normally, that's a no go. But, if its necessary as the only choice, well... simple math. Just send 10 times as many bodies? And ten percent make it and raise hell. The men knew this. Even a horrific plan, once jumped into action? Still a plan. You're doing something, instead of worrying.

   Joe knew there was still some small part of him, that didn't have 100 percent faith. Could he not be hallucinating all he thought was him taking things in and making a rational decision? Did not a true madman, kid himself fully in such a manner. No. That was just that slight restless energy he typically had. This was foul weather, so it would come up as a little anxiety and worry. Once things were looking up? The nervous excitement would surface once again.

   He didn't enjoy leaving Adelaide behind, but this ferry ride only went in one direction. He would have liked to spend some phone video time with Adelaide, but he had already left and he was afraid of breaking down or talking himself into calling it off. Once you take all that time to make the decision? Its final. None of the givens had changed, so the decision stood. An entire world would end after his death. But, if he did this and pulled it off? It would survive. It would get another 40 billion years. Then? It could finally be some other person's problem.

   He fully expected to fall apart? But he surprised himself by remaining rather calm and resigned about the whole thing. He ended up spending the last weekend with Ben at his nice house, meeting his wife and kid. They were wonderful like he said. He had a pretty wife, a handsome kid. Nice big house, with a little privacy. Some nice toys, pilots were paid well at his station shuttle gig. Poor bastard was checking out on a fairly damn decent life.

   Joe had shut his phone off, fully charged the battery and then removed it. To prevent any phone tracking. If Adelaide got spastic he had disappeared, he didn't want the police brought in on a missing person case and track the phone. His plan was to slap the full battery in near enough the end before rocketing into the anomaly, to send his last best wishes back to her. He had planned out his statements, and little movies and messages he would send with a tap. Allowing his last video call to go through without any other work, he could concentrate on the last goodbye and I love you.

   Too late to be stopped, he would message her a time to take his video call, so he could tell her his final words. Or he would make that final video and send it just before.

   Ben introduced him as someone from work, and they had a little side project they were working on. Boy, could he lay it on thick with a smile on his face.

   Eventually, they were ready to go.

   On the way there, they talked about things. In the course of conversation Joe more or less complimented Ben a couple times. He noted his upbeat and positive thing he had going on, in the face of all this. And for him? He figured he was going to certain death, and for his reasons that made him happy. Joe was figuring on living through the same event. Yet, Ben was more upbeat. So, he used the word "brave" and the word "courageous" a couple times in the course of his compliments. Ben would have none of it.

   "Carp?"

   "Yeah."

   "I'm not showing bravery. I'm not showing courage. You can say it? But... I'm not."

   "How are you not..."

   "I get to tell you a story about it? Pretty soon, no more stories."

   "Tell it."

   "Knew this guy once. Military. Little older, looked up to him. They say everyone has something to teach you, its on you to figure out what it is. Younger? I'd look around and try to figure out who to imitate, and what part of them I needed for myself."

   "Good strategy."

   "So this guy, he wasn't any smarter than me. Not stronger, either. Didn't have... more dedication. No, what he did have? Was he had this way, where he could self analyze himself and his motives and stuff. He was big on it. Now, lots of people can see stuff in other people. But, he could do it to himself as good or better."

   "One of his big things? People lie to themselves. They kid themselves. A lot of people don't realize they're doing it. He showed me. Take this guy. Watch... he'd ask why he's doing this or that. Oh, he'd give his explanation. Later on? He'd ask him about something else. Get his answer. He comes to me. Did you see that? First time? He said the rule was this... now this second time? The rule is different. The rule changes, like magic, to whatever benefits him the most."

   "People act in their self interest. Kind of normal."

   "They do, but this guy he's talking about? Doesn't realize that his rules and views are instantly and naturally changing, to adapt, to whatever gets him the best deal. The rules? Should be the rules. And if you know you're doing it? That's ten times worse. You have no... code. You just say and do anything to get your way, no matter what you feel like you want at any given moment."

   "What's this got to do, with I said you're brave or showing courage, and you take issue with it."

   "I'd be kidding myself, if I let myself think I'm showing bravery or courage here."

   "How? You're no coward about this."

   "If I point a gun at you, and make you risk your life to do something dangerous... how brave are you. There's no courage there. You had no choice. Bravery? Is you choose to do it. That? Is showing courage. Here? I have no choice. I'm forced into it, and this is the best result for my wife and kid, and gets me off the hook to boot."

   Joe wagged his head. That was profound, his look said.

   "Carp? I'm big on motivations. Now, let's take you. Can I ask why you're doing this?"

   "Given a choice, who to save? I can only save one. My girl, her name's Adelaide. I love her. She's my little Ada, that's my pet name for her. I'd pick to save her as the one I could save, over most anyone else."

   "Normal enough. That why you're doing it?"

   Joe waited.

   "I can save any two people, or just her. I still choose her."

   "Again normal."

   "As the number of people I could save, versus her. Goes up? At some point, it gets ridiculous. If the number goes up higher and higher, there is a point where its... I feel like I don't have a choice any more."

   "How many people did it take, to kick you over to leave her and set off on this... quest for the holy grail you're on."

   "Honestly the whole universe me and you live in? But really other than the earth, I don't really know of any other intelligent races, so... you could whittle it down to just everyone on Earth."

   "How?"

   "The big bang. The universe expands? Then... it contracts and another big bang happens. Nothing escapes getting sucked in, and the next explosion. The light made after the big bang, 40 billion years ago? Its 40 billion light years away, give or take. That scrap of light, gets sucked back in, and that's it. Nothing escapes. Nothing. Molecules, and atoms, and the things that make up protons and neutrons and electrons? Gets squished into pure energy. Nothing escapes this fate."

   "All right."

   Joe waited.

   "Its going to happen? Sooner than anyone expects. And a lot of experts right now? Are convinced there's never another big bang, things just cool off and die out. They're wrong. With the correct math? The next big contraction and big bang, isn't as far off."

   "You're talking billions of years after you're dead."

   "Not necessarily. I don't have a firm estimate yet? Calculations aren't done. But? Nothing like billions of years."

   "Are we talking thousands of years?"

   "Best guess right now, until calculations are balanced out and gone over to the last detail a hundred times? Say... couple hundred thousand, maybe a million or more."

   "That's a long time."

   "To me and you? That is. But... the earth is something like four and a half billion years old. Fully modern humans have been here for more than 10,000 years. More like 100,000 years back, you could take one, and he could fit in somewhere. Stocky, seems a little dim, funny chin and a big nose? You'd think he was just a thick arms and legs, barrel chested guy. So? 100,000 years isn't that far away, in terms of the human race."

   "How can you stop the collapse and big bang. I don't get it."

   "I seem to be the first guy that got the theory right? And got some numbers going on the right track. If it catches on, the rest is doable. Its going to take a long time, before we get to the point we need, to be able to escape to the next universe over. I'm... jump starting the process."

   "Okay."

   "Think of it like this. You do navigation? I know you'll get this analogy, really easy."

   "Go ahead."

   "You start out on a plane trip. You're not aiming in the right straight line. You're off course. The longer away the true destination is? The farther off course you are when its time."

   "You want the right destination sooner."

   "The sooner I nudge the navigation toward the correct vector? The easier it is to gently push and get there. I, am the crosswind. Pushing the vector back towards the correct destination. I need the biggest head start I can get? For my gentle crosswind to have enough time to have enough effect."

   "You're shooting into the wind."

   "Huh?"

   "Target rifle at long distance. You have to read the wind correctly, and aim into the wind the right amount. The wind actually blows you onto target to get the bullseye."

   "Yes. Same principle."

   There was a pause.

   "Ben? Since as you say... story time might be over soon. My story?"

   "Go for it."

   "I want you to look around you. At all the technology and advancements. Just from when you were a kid to now. A lot of it? Like night and day, hmm."

   "Oh, sure."

   "Now? Imagine 100 years in the future."

   "Oh, a lot of... wow and holy shit, I'm sure. Comparing."

   "Imagine 1,000."

   "I think holy fucking horse-shit, is after holy shit."

   "That? Is just 1,000 years. A blink of the eye, in earth time. Imagine 10,000. You're a pilot? Imagine the ship you get to play in."

   "Oh, that would be sexy..."

   "Okay. That's 10,000 years. Go back 10,000 years. We? Were 100 percent, fully identical modern humans. Physically, mentally. There were people born with high IQ's, a small percentage, but the same small percentage as born today. They... were identical to us in every way. But? They had sticks and rocks and leather and tendons to make things with."

   "Cavemen..."

   "Living as smart cavemen? But, just us without the benefit of accumulated technology. Born today? They were the same. Now. Evolution is so slow, that 10,000 years in the future? Your holy horseshit sexy space craft you want to pilot? Its the same as us. No different. But... compare the identical people, 10,000 years ahead? To the living as cavemen 10,000 years back. All? Are identical. The only difference? Is Technology. Language. Writing."

   "I'm following, but if you could help keep me on track."

   "Here's the kicker. How would you, right now? Like to have a spaceship to be a pilot with... comes from 2,000 years in the future."

   "Holy shit."

   "Right. Now? Final story to it. What if I told you, we were right on the cusp? Of the modern industrial age, in the ancient days. Long before Jesus Christ walked around, that far back."

   "Hmm."

   "We're talking, about a 2,000 year jump start, that was ready to take off... got stopped. We had to wait, all through the dark ages, and climb out of the cellar again? Just to get back to where we already were, thousands of years ago."

   "Really?"

   "Babylonian magicians and astrologers? Were not... telling fortunes with the stars. They were advanced mathematicians, and astronomers. In 5500 BC? These motherfuckers, were doing linear algebra, a third year college class in higher mathematics. Solving simultaneous systems of equations at once, using essentially matrix method. Same way its done today, but not on a computer automatically. Not with paper and pencil... but with a goddamn abacus. That? Is... 5,500, plus 2048, what...7,548 years ago. They learned English? They could have sat next to me in my linear algebra class, and got a good grade. That's... the mathematics level? Of a modern day mechanical engineer, for Christ's sake."

   "Seriously?"

   "Yep. Also... thousands of years ago, a guy named Hero? Took a metal hollow ball. Brazed two curved small pipes that pointed in two directions out of the ball. Filled it with water. Ball had a metal rod through tight holes going through it. Put it basically like a spit roast, over a fire. Light the fire? Made steam, shot out the tubes, spun like a mother fucker. First steam engine. It... was just a curiosity, but... it was there. Waiting, to be used."

   "Wow."

   "Same time? Some guy made intricate gears and levers, little machines. They were like giant Swiss watches. A guy turned a crank. And all these little figurines did things. Like a puppet show. Arms moved, had elbows. Legs and knees moved. Things walked and jogged. Dancers danced... it was entertainment? But the mechanism was so intricate. And? He used... a crankshaft, to drive it. Looks like a tiny car engine crankshaft."

   "Another wow."

   "Again? Like the steam ball spinning, a curiosity to be entertained by. Now. Take some guy, to stand around. Gets the idea. Hey. Take that spinning ball, that's my motor. That shaft the ball turns over the spit fire? Braze that to that there dancing puppet show. Now? What do you have. I ask you."

   "An... automatic puppet show?"

   "You do. But... the next guy, says hey. No metal puppets. I want to spin a table leg. The dancing puppets? Screw that, make the chisel move the way it has to. Boom. You're banging out table legs, like modern factories. We? Were right there! Thousands of years ago, just waiting for the right guy to start putting things together. And? Where would we be today. If the steam powered industrial revolution, started thousands of years back."

   "Why didn't it happen? The right guy wasn't there."

   "Nope. All this shit and more, was in the biggest library of all time. The Library of Alexandria. All the best shit, from the whole world? The Chinese, the Babylonians, the Greeks? Everybody's smartest and best. It was all on scrolls. Books. Right before this could happen? It was taking off, it was starting... some barbarian assholes, illiterate? Overran the country. Burned the Library of Alexandria. We didn't recover from that shit? For thousands of years."

   "You're talking... thousands of years of advancement, already here. Now."

   "Yes! Then, remember... every 100 years? Is more than the 1,000 years that came before it. It moves quicker, each time block. A little head start, early enough? Is the difference between getting there, where you need to be? In 10,000 years, or 100,000 years. That? Is what I'm doing."

   "So. In a way, you're that guy. That would have put that steam powered spinning ball, on the dancing puppet show with crank shafts, and said... hey... why can't we scale this up."

   "In a way? Yeah. Library of Alexandria burned before my ancestor came to study the scrolls and saw it. But? I'm here now, and... a couple thousand years from now? We'll be 100,000 years ahead."

   "I guess I'm impressed."

   "Why? I'm no Einstein. Or any of the others that did the individual stuff. I just saw something, and use it different, put it all together different. See, people better than me at all this? Are spinning their wheels. Stuck. I get it unstuck? It surges forward as the actual Einstein's can now do their thing, in the correct direction? And it gets done. I'm just rocking the car out of the ditch."

   "Not that. You. You... don't have to do what you're doing. No one is forcing you. You have a choice, and you made it."

   "Well? Someone has to do this. Or the universe gets crushed, and I can make it so when the time comes? They're ready. I like to think of it? As... I'm making up for the Library of Alexandria getting sacked and burned."

   "You don't get it. This? Is courage. This? Is bravery. This... is self sacrifice. You... gave up your life, to do this, didn't you. Left your doctors degree, teaching the classes, your woman you love. You left it all behind, to make sure this happens."

   "Yeah. Out of all of it? It pains me the most, to leave the girl behind back there. And not just for me... her too. But, this is too big."

   "You? Are either hands down, the craziest motherfucker, I ever once met. Bat shit insane. Or? This... is really going to be something, isn't it."

   "It goddamn well better be, all I got to say."