The Zul Enigma Page 9

  ‘Hm. But what about the physicists, the astrophysicists, the astrobiologists, the cosmologists – is there any consensus regarding the possibility of life outside Earth?’

  ‘More and more scientists are accepting there is a strong possibility alternative life forms exist.’

  ‘And you really think it’s possible Zul’s claim could be true? That they could have integrated gravity into the Grand Unified Theories?’

  ‘Sí, I think it’s possible. You see Greg, in a third, longer, video Zul explains his take on the cyclic nature of the universe and the fantastic thing is it ties in with the direction our own physicists are going with what they call Matrix theory. Matrix theory offers a single framework that can embrace all forces and matter. It provides the promise of a single description of our universe, the “Theory of Everything” as it’s called. This framework is capable of unifying all the other theories. The problem is we haven’t yet found the explanation.’

  ‘And if Zul’s lot have come up with this “Theory of Everything”, you believe they might also have discovered how to travel in time and space?’

  Carlos nodded. ‘It’s possible.’ He paced in front of the desk, punctuating his words with his hands.

  ‘Of course we don’t know how long it will take but once understood, the “Theory of Everything” will redefine the rules governing the universe. And I believe this understanding will be reached through Matrix theory.’

  ‘Although I’ve heard of Matrix theory, I don’t know much about it. Physics never was my field.’

  ‘In the early 1970s, a group of physicists presented papers announcing something fantastic. String theory. But it got a surprisingly cold reception. Some experts thought it had potential and devoted their careers to researching it, while others paid it little or no attention.

  ‘The theory suffered some blows over the following twenty-five years as another version of string theory was developed – then another – and another, until there were five. This was horrible! How could five versions of string theory provide the key to the “Theory of Everything” that everyone was searching for?’ and Carlos shrugged.

  ‘Then in 1995 Edward Witten found a unifying principle that he called M-theory. What a relief! This M-theory acted as a “translator” of the five string theories which, it turned out, were not different theories at all but different ways of mathematically analysing a single theory – string theory.’

  ‘But I thought string theory was discredited a few years ago?’

  ‘At the beginning of this century some physicists spoke out against it, it’s true, but they could never prove their claims.’

  ‘What’s so special about it?’

  ‘It lets us think about the tiniest bits of matter in a completely different way. Before string theory the majority of people had a misguided understanding of what subatomic particles are and how they work.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘If asked, most people would say that particles such as electrons or gravitons are microscopic balls of matter like tiny grains of sand that zoom randomly around and collide with each other to form other different kinds of matter. But that’s not how it is.’

  ‘What is it like?’

  ‘Try and picture energy being everywhere, because everything we see as well as everything we don’t see, like electricity, is made up of energy. We’re made up of it… it’s what gives form to our entire universe. Now imagine the billions and billions of interactions that go on between all the different energy fields every millisecond. Interactions are continually being created, annihilated and created again and again and again. It’s these interactions that form our microscopic particles, our electrons and our gravitons. Particles don’t hurtle around randomly – they can’t move at all – but they are everywhere just waiting to twinkle in and out of existence.’

  ‘I never pictured it like that before.’

  ‘Then string theory changed our perception even further. It dictates that the tiniest bits of matter – which are unimaginably short – are one-dimensional filaments called strings. It also declares that the basis of all matter and all forces is the same. What makes one type of particle different to another; an electron different to a graviton for example, is not what it’s made of – as we’ve established they are all “energy” – it’s the difference in the resonant vibration of its string.’

  Greg took a breath as if he was about to speak but instead covered his mouth with his hand. Then he slowly put it back down on the desk and leaned towards Carlos. ‘I think I’ve got it. What you’re saying is that the very basics of life as we know it are all made of identical material and the only thing that makes one type of material different to another is the rate at which it vibrates.’

  Carlos clapped his hands. ‘¡Exacto! Vibrating strings are the basis of our universe – our whole existence depends on vibration.’

  ‘That is wonderously simplistic.’

  ‘And also ties in with what Zul says. Now the compelling thing about string or M-theory is that it already united general relativity and quantum mechanics, the existing known laws of the very large and the very small that up until a few years ago seemed incompatible and which even quantum field theory could only unite in a limited way.’

  ‘And that’s a big deal?’

  ‘Sí, a really big deal! It offers a completely different understanding of time and space, perhaps leading to the potential of time and space travel. And now we come to what I believe. I think it’s possible, or even likely, that entities exist in our universe that are more intellectually evolved than we are. So yes, I believe it’s possible that a more advanced life form could already understand the mysteries of time and space travel like Zul claims.’

  ‘Is there any proof?’

  Carlos shook his head. ‘No. We have no proof. But we discover new things about our universe all the time. You know there’s a growing school of thought that disagrees with the Big Bang theory and proposes our universe was activated due to heat caused by a collision between two boundary branes lying either side of a hidden spatial dimension.’

  ‘What’s a brane, in God’s name?’

  ‘It’s an ingredient in addition to the strings I mentioned earlier.’

  ‘And where do these branes fit in?’

  ‘This is where we get to the Matrix theory. Matrix theory has practically proved zero-dimensional branes are the fundamental ingredients of the universe and that they combine to generate strings and higher-dimensional branes.

  ‘Some physicists believe there may be other dimensions adjacent to ours that could also contain habitable universes, that our three-dimensional universe is contained within a three-dimensional brane. Just imagine! That a massive three-dimensional brane actually holds our entire universe? It’s called a braneworld scenario. If it’s correct, then it may be possible to move in and out of different branes and even move in and out of parallel worlds.

  ‘And I believe the key to travelling between braneworlds is changing the rate of vibration of our sub-molecular structure.’

  Greg shut his eyes as Carlos sat back down next to him. Eventually he opened them and spoke. ‘Well, that was the most interesting physics lesson I’ve ever had. You present an impressive argument for the existence of other life forms. But – and Carlos there’s still a “but”, a very big “but” – you have no proof. And I can’t make myself believe in space travel and aliens without it.’

  ‘I understand that. But perhaps the only proof we have is the lack of proof that the messages originated on Earth.’

  This is what Carlos said but in fact he was thinking back to the previous day when he held the baby. That was proof enough for him. But although he wanted Greg to experience the same degree of belief as he did, he knew he couldn’t mention that incident. Not yet. If he told Greg about that right now he would blow everything he’d achieved so far.

  ‘And that’s the only reason you’re still here,’ Greg grunted. ‘It’s what I keep coming back to. If ou
r UN Network Security guys and ITU-T can’t explain the messages, then I don’t know what to think.’

  He rubbed his face and ran his hands through his thinning hair.

  ‘Carlos, I want to see the other video, but it’s getting late and I’ve had enough physics for one day. So why don’t you stay the night? You’ll find everything you need in the guest room. That way you’ll be on hand to show it to me tomorrow.’

  ‘Sí. Good idea.’

  ‘That’s agreed, then. And I’m glad you brought this to me. Who else knows about these messages?’

  ‘Hans, the Network Administration Department and my Administrative Assistant. Hey, and an old friend of mine from NASA days. He was with me the other morning when I received the message at home.’

  ‘We don’t want this leaking out.’

  ‘Don’t worry. Our people at the UN won’t say anything. Nor will Drew.’

  ‘Are you sure you can trust him?’

  ‘Absolutely. So, what do we do next?’

  ‘We need to get this checked out independently by an agency with a more diverse mandate. We need to confirm irrefutably where the messages originated.’

  Carlos nodded. ‘What do you suggest?’

  ‘There’s only one place with access to cutting edge communications and cosmological facilities that I know of, and that’s the White House.’

  ‘Jesus! And how do we get in there?’

  Greg beamed. ‘To say that Bob Anderson and I are best friends is a slight exaggeration,’ Carlos grunted, well aware of the historical tension between the President of the United States and the UN fuelled by continued conflict regarding differing views on energy conservation and emissions restrictions, as well as countless other issues, ‘but I’m meeting him Monday and…’

  ‘That’s a coincidence. You meeting Anderson the same day I’ve been called in by the Pentagon.’

  Greg raised a bushy eyebrow. ‘I’d say no coincidence at all. Anyhow, I’ll call tomorrow and have these e-mails added to the agenda.’

  ‘You really think that’s a good idea? Talking about it to Bob? He’s front-page news right now with his proposal to cut NASA’s budget and negative views on space exploration. He has no feeling… no interest in cosmology.’

  ‘And that’s exactly why he’ll help us. It’ll be a matter of pride for him to crack this hoax.’

  ‘Well we haven’t been able to. Nor has ITU-T. So if he can’t either, what then?’

  ‘Carlos, the messages came from somewhere. With all their technology, the Americans will pinpoint it. I’m certain of it.’

  ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about getting them involved. I’m at the Pentagon to discuss about owner/developer privileges for the Space Elevator. I haven’t seen their proposal, but I’m sure I won’t like it. That’s not going to make them feel much like helping us out with the messages.’

  Greg chuckled. ‘That’s exactly why we’ve both been invited to Washington the same day. If you don’t give the Pentagon what it wants, then Bob will put the screws on me.’

  ‘But even if they do agree to investigate, how can we give them the access they need without compromising our security?’

  ‘Talk to Hans.’

  Carlos sighed. ‘Okay. If you say so,’ and he took out his iTab to check the time. ‘It’s early Sunday morning in Vienna.’

  ‘No time like the present. Call him now.’

  ‘Then what?’

  ‘If Hans gives us the all clear, I’ll contact the White House first thing tomorrow proposing we ask Bob to authorise an investigation. If he can prove it’s a hoax, perhaps he can help us nail the culprits – if not, then the President will find he’s in the middle of his worst nightmare.’ Greg laughed his booming laugh and slapped Carlos on the shoulder.

  ‘Now I’ll pour us a nightcap, while you get Hans on my secure line.

  ***

  ‘Buenos dîas.’

  Greg looked up from the latest edition of The Economist and peered over the top of his reading glasses. ‘Morning Carlos. You look like you’re bursting with energy.’ He took off his spectacles and gestured to the chair on the opposite side of his desk.

  ‘Have you spoken to the White House yet?’

  ‘Yes. The Secretary of State just called asking for more details.’

  Carlos nodded and glanced at the magazine in Greg’s hand. ‘Anything interesting?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes.’ Greg cleared his throat. ‘Another scathing article about the UN. How we’re coming up to the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals and, according to this, dead set on the road to failure. We don’t need any more bad publicity. I ask you? They’ve even dragged up the old “Oil for Food” debacle,’ he put his glasses back on to find the page to show Carlos. ‘That was how many years ago? But they still harp on about it. Here, see for yourself.’ Greg slid the magazine across the desk to Carlos who picked it up and flipped through the article.’

  ‘What are the main headlines today?’

  ‘Colombia.’

  ‘The earthquake? I read about it on the plane yesterday. 8.2 on the Richter scale.’

  ‘It’s a terrible mess. We’re nowhere near finished cleaning up after the volcano in Java and now this. Our coordinator in Bogota reckons over three thousand dead. Well, you can probably double that figure… not to mention the missing and homeless. I’m flying out on Wednesday.’

  ‘Any more news about Russia?’

  ‘That’s the real time bomb right there. If that turns into a nuclear war, God help us.’

  ‘It scares me, Greg. Natural disasters one after another. And now Russia’s threatening to cut off gas supplies again. How much more trouble can the world take?’

  Greg’s big chest heaved under his grey cashmere cardigan. ‘I don’t know Carlos. It scares me too. Look at the outbreak of swine flu last year. We contained it, but only because, by a stroke of good luck, it broke out in two of the richest countries in the world, and because scientists developed the new vaccine seed strain so quickly. Thanks to newly developed technologies, laboratories are churning out an unprecedented amount to be ready for the next flu season but, of course, it’s expensive to make. So how will the people who really need it, the ones who can’t afford healthcare when they get sick, afford it? If it gets a hold this year it will spread like wildfire and we’ll have a global disaster on our hands. This is why we want to provide the billions of poor people with no jobs and the low-income families with free vaccine. Of course the richer countries don’t need help to do this, plus the UN already has some budget available. But it’s not nearly enough, and right now I’m playing a delicate game of lobbying for contributions to make up the shortfall, while trying not to panic people by spelling out how dire the consequences could be if I fail.

  ‘As head of the UN I have a responsibility to every person on this planet. It’s my job to drive initiatives that ensure children and adults everywhere have enough food, fresh water, basic shelter, sewage systems, free or at least affordable medical care, basic education and the right to live without fear and persecution. Is that so unreasonable?’

  ‘It shouldn’t be.’

  ‘Then why is it so bloody difficult?’ his face flushed. ‘Why can’t we just get it done? Why are constant barriers being dropped to stop us accomplishing what I believe everyone should expect for themselves and their children? A huge proportion of the world’s population live scarcely better than animals. Where is our humanity, for God’s sake?’

  ‘In his last video, Zul says we, well not just us… our whole galaxy… will evolve to a new level of what he calls “density” on the 21st December, the end date of the Mayan calendar. But he says there’s a problem. Well, we’ve certainly got problems here now and I feel this… this instability… you know what I mean? Like the whole world’s balanced in the middle of a see-saw, not knowing which end’s going to come down first – annihilation or survival.’

  ‘That’s rather a bleak way of looking at things, isn’t it Carlos?’


  ‘Perhaps, but maybe we do have the power to make the right end of the see-saw come down. Maybe that’s where Zul comes in and why he’s visiting us now.’

  ‘You sound convinced he’s real.’

  ‘Put it this way, I’m not yet convinced he’s hoax.’

  ‘Hm,’ Greg sniffed, ‘let’s look at this video.’

  When the video finished, Greg leaned back in his chair. ‘Whoever’s behind all this has put a hell of a lot of effort in.’

  ‘Now you see why it’s so disturbing. We don’t know who they are or why they’re doing it. Why go to all that trouble?’

  ‘What about Zul’s physics – is it feasible?’

  ‘The process he describes compares to cyclic cosmology, which was pioneered by two men at Cambridge University in England. They suggest we’re living inside a three-dimensional brane, remember I mentioned it yesterday?’

  ‘How could I forget?’ Greg said, his expression making Carlos smile.

  ‘They believe the three-dimensional brane collides every few trillion years with another nearby parallel three-dimensional brane and the “bang” from the collision initiates a new cosmological cycle. What Zul says dovetails with this concept. The “bang” they talk about equates to the collapse Zul describes.’

  ‘And this three-dimensional brane business is accepted by physicists?’

  ‘It has its critics and its supporters, but in my opinion it has potential as a theory.’

  ‘And what about the part where he says the planet and the humans on it tried to make the evolutionary shift twice already, once 50,000 years ago? There weren’t any sophisticated humans on the planet then.’

  ‘How about the legends saying Mu existed 50,000 and Atlantis 25,000 years ago? Imagine if those stories are true. Perhaps they were both destroyed like the legends claim. Perhaps it was because there weren’t enough humans vibrating at the right level to “lift” the vibration of the planet to help it evolve.’