Stuart hummed to himself as he paraded around the kitchen making toast and coffee. He was feeling good about what had happened between him and Catherine. Alcohol may have played a part, but he felt no regret or doubt about his advances. The way she’d responded gave him confidence she felt the same attraction between them. He considered where this might lead and what he should do next. Should he play it cool, leave it a couple of days then get in touch? Or should he call her right away and arrange to meet for lunch? He wanted to do the latter. She’d mentioned taking some time off work so would hopefully be available. He wondered how she was feeling right now. Regret, professional conflict, elation? He wanted to call her to find out but before he had chance to consider this further, the phone rang and his heart skipped a beat believing it might be her. He composed himself and picked it up. To his disappointment the source of the voice was male. The caller said he had information regarding “the strange events surrounding Stuart’s condition!” The man was very convincing, claiming to be a professor at Oxford University. He asked Stuart if he could meet him at one of the universities colleges that afternoon. Stuart was sceptical but curiosity got the better of him and he cautiously agreed to meet him.
He arrived at the Oxford College reception at the time arranged on the call. To his surprise Catherine was there also. She looked incredible. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, unsure of how familiar he should be. Just being close to her triggered a rush of adrenaline causing his heart to beat faster. He thought perhaps she had arranged the meeting as part of his continued treatment, but his assumption was short lived. “Morning, how lovely to see you. I’m guessing this is no coincidence?” Catherine looked genuinely surprised to see him. She rubbed the back of her neck in the way he now recognised as meaning she was uncomfortable or embarrassed. “Stuart, lovely to see you too. But to be honest I had no idea you’d be here. I received a call from a Professor Humphries inviting me to meet with him. He said he had…”
Stuart finished her sentence for her.
“An explanation for the strange events surrounding my condition?”
“Pretty much yes. I thought perhaps he was some kind of crank at first but when he suggested here as a venue I had to take him seriously.”
“Yeh, me too, though I’m still not convinced he’ll show.”
“I hope to convince you of far more than that Stuart.” Stuart turned around sharply to find the source of the voice was a tall, slim, elderly man, probably in his mid-sixties, with neatly trimmed white hair and a matching beard and moustache. He looked like a stereotypical college lecturer. He was dressed in beige slacks, a white shirt with red tie and a tweed jacket. He was carrying an old leather briefcase that looked as if it had been around the block a good few times. He flashed them a welcoming smile that turned to concern when he realised he had startled them. “Do forgive me, I didn’t mean to creep up on you like that,” he said, holding out his hand to shake Stuart’s. “John Humphries,” he declared leaving out his title. Stuart recognised the voice from the phone call. The professor shook his hand before turning his attention the Catherine. “And you must be Dr Carson?” he shook her hand before addressing them both.
“Thank you for coming along. I’m sure you will be dubious about the nature of my invitation but let me assure you, what you are about to learn here will help you fully understand this unfortunate confusion Stuart has suffered.” He brushed his hair back with his hand and offered Stuart a smile.
He beckoned to them to follow him in to the reception and through two large, ornate wooden doors leading into a lecture room. The room was laid out in a terraced arrangement with benches positioned along semi-circular steps forming the terrace. At the front of the terrace, standing proudly, was a wooden lectern, as ornate as the doors they had entered through. The room was a relic of the university’s rich history with wooden panelled walls adorned by portraits of the scientific greats: Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman and Stephen Hawking immediately recognisable. The only features giving away their current era were two large interactive whiteboards fixed to the front wall and a row of modern fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling. Two people already occupied the room. The professor introduced them as his colleagues. “Stuart, Dr Carson, this is my senior research assistant, Dr Cooper.” Dr Cooper stood to greet Stuart by cupping his hand into both of his and shaking, giving a polite bow at the same time. He was a small, slender man with black, slicked back hair and round, thick rimmed glasses. He looked of Asian origin but it was difficult to place where, possibly a mix of Asian and Western parentage Stuart thought.
“Please call me Jon,” he offered. “It is very good to meet you at last,” he continued before taking Dr Carson’s hand with the same warm greeting. “And this is Dr Marks, another one of our research team,” the professor continued before Stuart had the chance to ask what Dr Cooper had meant by “at last”. Dr Marks was a heavy set young woman with blonde hair tied at the back into a ponytail. She offered a forced, half smile and a limp handshake by way of greeting, making it obvious she did not share her colleague’s enthusiasm for meeting their guests. “Rachael,” she offered flatly before sitting back down. Dr Cooper intervened sensing their discomfort from the cold reception given by his colleague. He invited them to sit down with him while the professor busied himself finding what he needed to carry out his presentation. He noticed Dr Carson inspecting the portraits on the walls and took this as an opportunity to enter into conversation. He explained that in addition to portraying all the great physicists of our time the portraits represented a gallery of scientists who had lectured in the room they were now in. “Wow, so I’m in a room were Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein once stood?” Stuart asked in awe.
“Yes, and lectured from that very lectern the professor is stood at now.” Dr Cooper replied with pride.
“Impressive,” Dr Carson added. Dr Marks was the next to speak but the information she shared with them was more recent and offered an explanation to her cold demeanour. “There should have been a fourth member of our team joining us but unfortunately he was killed just a few days ago.” Her tone was sombre and hinted at an underlying resentment toward the casual conversation taking place so near to where one of her colleagues had lost his life. “I’m sorry to hear that Rachael,” Stuart offered. “Yes, that must have been difficult for you,” Dr Carson added. The professor heard this and was visibly saddened by the reminder. “Terrible loss, terrible,” he said shaking his head but none of them elaborated further and by way of evading the issue the professor began to unveil the purpose of his summons.
Rather than deliver his presentation from the lectern the professor paced up and down in front of them. He started by telling them that what they were about to see and hear was highly classified and should not be discuss with anyone other than those currently in the room. Before either of them had a chance to respond to this declaration he pressed a button on the remote control and the lights dimmed. He pressed another button before continuing to speak and one of the whiteboards lit up with a satellite image of the Earth.
“The Earth is constantly scanned by weather satellites tracking storms, hurricanes and tornados. Analysis of the pictures sent back by the satellites often show black spots like this one which randomly appear from time to time.” He pointed the laser pen at a dense black spot, which stood out against a background of swirling cloud. “The spots may remain visible for only a few minutes or they may last for several days. Meteorologists believe they are the result of electromagnetic interference in the Earth’s atmosphere caused by radiation from the sun. My team and I don’t accept this and we have been carrying out extensive research into the real cause.” He brushed his hair back with his free hand before continuing. “In the course of this research Dr Cooper here has discovered that in eighty per cent of the cases where these spots have been recorded there have been unexplained appearances or disappearances of people in the vicinity. The number could be greater but I doubt all the incidents have been reported.” Dr Carson shifted uncomfortably on the bench. The professor continued. “Let me play you something.”
He pressed a button on his laptop and a crackling was heard from speakers on the wall by the screens.
“This is the transcript of a mayday call from a supply vessel based in the Gulf of Mexico. The incident occurred directly below the black spot I have just shown to you.”
“Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is the Oceanic Supplier……….5, 3 north, 5…………8 west……” (inaudible).
“Roger Oceanic Supplier, this is the United States Coast Guard communications station, repeat position, over.”
“United States Coast Guard, this is the Oceanic Suppl… (Inaudible). Our position is 5…3 north, 1,……5 (inaudible) west. We are flooding, taking on water in (inaudible). We are flooding by the stern…” (inaudible).
Roger Oceanic Supplier, this is the United States Coast Guard communications station. Repeat position, I say again, repeat position over.
……….5, 3 north, 5…………8 west……” (inaudible).
We understand that you are taking on water in the stern. Request to know number of persons on board, over.
Number…….persons (inaudible)……seven…people on board, over.
Oceanic Supplier, this is the United States Coast Guard communications station, roger, understand seven persons on board. Request vessel description, over.
Supply vessel, seventeen onboard, posi…….(inaudible)……….5, 3 north, 5…………8 west (inaudible)……….over.
Oceanic Supplier, repeat position, I say again, repeat position, over.
Static
Oceanic Supplier, this is the United States Coast Guard communications station, repeat your position, I say again, repeat your position, over.
The professor ended the recording and continued.
“Even though the coast guard were not given an accurate position for the vessel they managed to locate it within twenty minutes of receiving the mayday call. On arrival at the location they discovered the vessel had capsized. Within two hundred meters of the overturned ship was a small life boat with one passenger onboard who it turned out was the captain. He was unconscious and was wearing a life vest. How the vessel had turned over was a mystery. The sea state was low and the weather was as good as it gets with clear blue skies and very little wind. Divers were quickly deployed to search the overturned vessel but no other survivors or bodies were found. According to the transcript we’ve just heard there were seventeen crew members onboard. The sole survivor was taken by helicopter to a shore side hospital for medical attention. While onboard the helicopter he regained consciousness, but was confused. When asked what had happened he claimed that out of nowhere the sea around them started to churn and twist causing the ship to take on water. He said he had been inspecting the lifeboat when the ship literally flipped over throwing him and the lifeboat clear. He didn’t remember anything further until he woke up on the helicopter. An intense search for survivors was carried out but no further bodies were found. Helicopters, coast guard vessels and volunteer vessels circled the wreck for several miles in all directions but to no avail. Exactly six hours after the original discovery of the overturned ship it was decided to scale down the search. Just as the last helicopter was making its final flight over the wreck, several bodies were spotted around it. All search craft were called back in and all sixteen of the missing crew were pulled out of the water. Eleven living and five dead. “It was as if they had appeared out of nowhere,” one of the rescuers reported. All sixteen of them were naked. When the captain was reunited with the survivors he identified them as his crew members. He also identified the bodies of those that had died. None of the survivors recognised him. Stranger still, all sixteen of them were experiencing memory loss and confusion, claiming…” the professor paused to look at Stuart. Holding his gaze he continued.
“… to be leading completely different lives to the ones they knew prior to the incident.” It was now Stuart’s turn to shift uncomfortably on his seat. He looked to Catherine in confusion. She in turn rolled her eyes and shrugged. The professor clicked the remote control and continued.
“There are a number of other reported incidents similar to this. For instance, this picture was taken by an American satellite tracking over the Middle East. If you look at this point here just south of Kuwait City you’ll notice one of the black spots. Shortly after this shot was taken a private jet with seven people onboard flying from Dublin to Abu Dhabi crashed at exactly the point where this black spot appeared. The jet disintegrated on impact leaving a trail of debris several hundred metres long. Six hours later, seven naked people − five men and two women − approached an incident unit set up near the point of impact. They were distressed and confused, having no idea how they had gotten there. Further inquiries identified them as the four passengers and three crew from the crashed jet. None of them were injured and none of them recalled being on a flight that day. Five of them claimed they had never met each other before. The remaining two were brothers. They obviously knew each other but not the other five.” He clicked the remote again and a recording from a radio station played through the speakers. “I particularly enjoy this one.” The professor said smiling.
DJ − Welcome to BCRS on 103FM, Boston’s number one talk radio station. On today’s edition of ‘You Could Not Make This Up’ we are once again privileged to have with us one of our very own BPD traffic enforcement officers, Officer Jim Sergeant. Good Morning Officer Sergeant and thank you for joining us.
Guest − It’s great to be here Vince, thank you for inviting me.
DJ − You are more than welcome sir. Now, before we reveal to the listeners why you are on the show today, you have to tell me, is your name really Sergeant?
Guest − Yes it is Vince. My name is Steven Sergeant.
DJ − Wow. And tell us Steven what rank are you?
Guest − Well, I am a Sergeant, Vince. Sergeant Steven Sergeant.
DJ − Sergeant Steven Sergeant folks. You could not make that up. Why, I bet getting suspect DUIs to just say your name is a good measure to see how drunk they are?
Guest − I guess it would but I’ve never actually tried it. Perhaps I will next time.
DJ − Perhaps you will, that’s great officer. But your know folks, Sergeant Sergeant’s name isn’t the most bizarre thing you are going to hear on the show today. Officer Sergeant, why don’t you share with us what you encountered on Highway 10 earlier this year.
Guest − Well Vince, it was about 18:30 in the evening, a Friday evening. I had just finished my shift. I was driving home in the blue and white as I had an early start the next day.
DJ − A blue and white of course, refers to Boston’s police cars.
Guest − That is correct Vince. I was driving home along the 10 when I spotted a car pulled over about one hundred yards ahead. So I slowed down and pulled over in front of it to see if anyone was in need of assistance.
DJ − As you would have done thousands of times before?
Guest − That is correct. Before I got outta the car and approached the vehicle I waited a moment to see if I could spot any movement. Problem was, all of the windows were steamed up Vince.
DJ − Careful now officer, this is a family show.
Guest − Yes sir. So I cautiously approached the vehicle and peered in through the windshield. I could just about see inside and the front seats was empty. I went around to the back and looked though the rear window. The back was also empty. So I tried the driver’s door and it was open.
DJ − So, the car was open, all the windows were steamed up but there was no sign of anyone inside. Tell us what you did see inside that car.
Guest − Well Vince, when I opened the driver’s door I saw clothes strewn all over. Some in the front on the seat and on the floor, same in the back.
DJ − Not so unusual in itself officer, but wasn’t there something else.
Guest − There sure was Vince. On the passenger side seat there were two pairs of jeans, one on top of the other. They looked like they had been deliberately laid out that way.
DJ − How do you mean?
Guest − Well, the pair on the bottom were rolled down to about knee length. The button and the zip still fastened. The pair on top were laid out fully but the button and zip were open wide.
DJ − Strange, but easily explainable.
Guest − Yeh, sure. But even stranger Vince, was the fact that the bottom of the left leg, of the jeans on top, was full.
DJ − Full? How do you mean full?
Guest − It still had the lower half of a leg in it Vince.
DJ − What the Dickens? You’re telling me there was half a leg still in the jeans?
Guest − That’s right Vince. Half a prosthetic leg. A real nice one too. Must have been expensive.
DJ − Oh, ok. It was a false leg. You had us going there Officer Sergeant. Again everything so far a little odd but totally explainable. But that isn’t were it ends is it?
Guest − No sir. Things got even stranger after that.
DJ − Even stranger, wow. Please proceed.
Guest − Well, I decided to call it in so that my colleagues could deal with it and I could get home. I went to the rear of the vehicle to get the license plate. I took a note of it and headed back to my car to call it in. I was about half way through the call when I nearly jumped out of my skin.
DJ − And what was it that made you jump.
Guest − There was a mighty loud scream came from the car I had just searched and then all hell broke loose.
DJ − So what was going on? What was the commotion?
Guest − Well Vince, from the car I had just searched, an empty car mind, a young lady burst out of the passenger side door. She was screaming hysterically and apart from a bundle of clothes she was clutching to her body she was naked.
DJ − What did you do next Officer?
Guest − I ran over to try and comfort the lady but as I did so the driver’s door burst open and out shot a young man. He was trying to pull on a pair of jeans but he fell over because he could not get is left leg past the prosthetic that was already in there.
DJ − So the prosthetic was not his?
Guest − No Sir, he had a perfectly good leg of his own.
DJ − He had a perfectly good leg of his own. Like I said folks, you could not make this up. So tell us, how can this all be explained?
Guest − That’s just it Vince. To this day we have not been able to explain what happened to these kids.
DJ − Why is that?
Guest − Well, to start with they claimed they had never set eyes on each other before. That they just suddenly woke up in that vehicle having never been there before. At first we thought maybe the boy had drugged the girl and took her in the car to get up to no good. But none of the tests indicated any drugs in either of them. The boy said he had been camping with friends. He claimed he wandered off on his own when he tripped and passed out. When woke up he was in that car. The girl said she had been trying on clothes at home. When she opened her wardrobe she was sucked in to it before waking up in that car.
DJ − Sucked into her wardrobe. So what do you think of that Officer Sergeant?
Guest − Well subsequent investigations have shown that the car did belong to that young lady, even though she denies ever laying eyes on it. But I’ll tell you something for sure Vince. There is no way on this God given earth that those kids could of gotten into that car without me seeing them.
DJ − What happened to that false leg?
Guest − It was returned to the boy.
DJ − The boy who appeared in the car?
Guest − The very same. It had a registration number on it. The clinic it came from confirmed it was issued to that same boy who had two perfectly good legs.
DJ − Well there you have it folks. That has got to be one of the strangest stories we have ever had on this show. You could not make this up. Sergeant Steven Sergeant, thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Catherine shrugged to Stuart with a wry look on her face. Stuart sniggered and shrugged also.
“Ok,” the professor confessed through a half laugh, “that is somewhat wacky. But we believe it represents one of the many unexplained incidents relevant to our hypothesis. As is this one.” He clicked on the remote revealing the satellite image again. Using the laser pointer he indicated an area on the map showing another black spot. “This was taken by a Saudi Arabian tracking station. At the point where this spot occurred, a small boy claims that his father disappeared in front of his eyes while they were playing soccer. The man was discovered six hours later stealing clothing hanging from the first-floor balcony of a hotel. When he was reunited with his son he didn’t recognise the boy.
Finally, there’s this one recorded by a BBC weather station just over three weeks ago. This spot appeared at three-thirty in the morning, directly over a housing estate in West Norwood, South East London. Like all the other incidents I’ve mentioned there is evidence with this one that a subject disappeared around the time the spot first showed and reappeared several hours later having no recollection of what happened.” The professor paused for affect, brushed his hair back and revealed, “Fortunately for us we have that subject here with us today.” Stuart cleared his throat and asked the obvious question. “Wow, ok. So, you’re suggesting whatever causes these black spots also caused me to lose my memory and somehow imagine a new life for myself?”
“Not to mention causing people to vanish into thin air before reappearing several hours later, naked,” Catherine added. “I understand your scepticism Stuart, Catherine, but just hear me out. As I said previously the black spots were believed to be from solar radiation. We have now discovered, as we suspected all along, the spots are generated by the absorption of light resulting from the formation of quantum wormholes.”
“Oh please,” Catherine scorned, “if this is heading where I think it is I’m not willing to listen any further.”
She stood up ready to leave. “Stuart, I strongly recommend you leave with me now.” Stuart looked at her and then at the professor who he gave him a nonchalant look as if to say, your choice! He looked to Dr Cooper for a reaction who in return nodded toward the professor indicating his support. Even Dr Marks responded with a nod. “Let’s hear him out Catherine.” His words came out more coldly than he had intended, but he was genuinely intrigued as to where this was headed. “It’s false hope Stuart. This could set us back weeks,” she pleaded. Stuart picked up on the fact she used the word ‘us’. Was this a professional ‘us’ or an ‘us’ born out of the recent intimacy they had shared? He had been through so much of late and was just coming to terms with the explanation he had been so reluctant to accept. He didn’t want to upset Catherine but at the same time he wanted to hear more of what the professor was suggesting. She knew he wasn’t going to leave with her so she sat back down.
The professor continued. “Let me explain a little more about the background to our discovery. Bear with me and keep an open mind.” He began to pace again. “When a star has used up all of its nuclear fuel it begins to shrink and becomes very dense. The denser it becomes the greater its gravitational field becomes, to the point where nothing, not even light, can escape. Eventually the star becomes so dense it rips through the fabric of space-time creating a tunnel, or wormhole, between two different points in space. My colleagues and I have recently discovered that wormholes like this are forming and decaying all the time at a quantum level. Most of them are so minute they go unnoticed but occasionally several occur at the same time within close proximity of each other. We believe, when this happens, it not only opens up a link between two points in space but between two parallel universes.” He looked to his guests for a reaction. Stuart sat listening intently, Catherine had her arms folded, disinterest written all over her face. The professor continued. “It has long been theorised there are an infinite number of parallel universes similar to ours existing in different dimensions. It is believed these universes exist along vast undulating membranes. An infinite number of membranes stacked in varying distances from our own. Those nearest to us will be very similar to ours but the further they are from us the more greatly they will differ.” Catherine turned to Stuart. He was watching the professor intently, buying in to every word he spoke. She turned her attention back to the professor. “There is probably a universe existing for every single possible outcome to any single event. You decide to go left at a junction but your universal doppelganger goes right, or straight on, maybe even up or down. With so many universes every outcome is possible. Anyway, I digress.” He said getting carried away. “As I’ve already mentioned these universes are undulating in unison with each other something like this.” He took out a pen and drew on one of the whiteboards. First he drew a wavy line with many peaks and troughs. He took a different coloured pen and drew an identical wave beneath it showing all the peaks and troughs fitting with the first wave like a jigsaw piece. “As I said, my colleagues and I have discovered that quantum wormholes are forming and decaying all the time without detection. Occasionally a number of these form together causing a chain reaction that produces a larger wormhole. We can say with confidence this phenomenon is also occurring in all the other universes as the laws of physics are universal. Now, as two parallel universes undulate together the chances are at some stage a wormhole will form on both universes at the same time and in the same place. This will result in a chain reaction continuing across the universes creating a temporary link between the two. We now have proof this is the case and Stuart here and the other unfortunate people we have mentioned are the first known trans-universal passengers.”
“Stuart, tell me you aren’t subscribing to this,” Catherine pleaded in a whisper, placing a hand on his knee in a show of affection.
Stuart considered this for a moment. As fantastic as the explanation was, it made more sense to him than a theory suggesting he had imagined a whole life for himself. He had felt like a stranger since waking up in a strange bed everyone claimed was his. People he thought he knew either did not exist or were different to how he remembered them. For the past three weeks his own life seemed alien to him and this was the first theory that actually explained why. He placed his hand on hers. His whispered reply was resolute. “I’m sorry, but in all honesty Catherine this seems no more fantastic than what I’ve already accepted. I’d like to learn more before making a decision as to whether or not I believe it.”
Before she could respond the professor approached them.
“Tell me something Stuart, have you ever received any dental treatment?”
“Yeh sure. As far as I can remember I’ve had couple of fillings and a cap in one of my front teeth,” he said, thinking the question somewhat random.
“Dr Carson, would you do me the honour of looking into your patient’s mouth to confirm this.” Dr Carson shrugged and turned to face Stuart. “Open wide please,” she said in an exasperated tone. She had a good look around his mouth before reporting she could not see any fillings or any evidence of dental work. “I’ve definitely got two fillings, two big silver, grey things at the back. I hate them because you can see them when I laugh. And this tooth here is capped.” He tapped the tooth with his fingernail and a look of confusion spread across his face. He probed the back of it with is tongue where there had always been a gap but the tooth was firmly nestled into the gum “I don’t understand professor.”
“I’ll explain in a moment. What about scars or tattoos, do you have any that you have received since birth?”
“I have a scar on my right knee from an old football injury.”
“Can I see it please?” Stuart rolled up his trouser leg. To his astonishment the four-inch scar he’d had since he was twenty-two years old was gone.
“Ok, I admit that might appear strange.” Catherine interjected. “But what does all of this prove? Forgive me for saying so Stuart but we’ve already established a lot of what you remember isn’t always consistent with reality.”
“That’s true.” Stuart agreed with a nod to the professor.
The professor explained they had interviewed all twenty-nine of the people involved in the incidents he had described previously. Virtually all of them reported scars or tattoos had disappeared, missing teeth had spontaneously regenerated, hair colour had changed back to its original. The professor laughed revealing that one of the stewardesses from the crashed jet had complained because the breast implants she had paid a fortune for had suddenly disappeared from her body along with the scars where they had been inserted.
Catherine’s head was reeling. She could not believe what she was hearing. If all the incidents the professor had described could be substantiated it would be hard to convince Stuart otherwise, or herself for that matter. She thought over what the professor had been telling them, trying to find a fault in his story. Anything that may help them unravel this fantastic tale he was weaving.
“Professor, you stated earlier most of the subjects you have interviewed no longer recognised each other after experiencing these crossovers. How it is the two brothers on the plane still recognised each other? Also, Stuart and his brother still recognise each other but not the Arabian boy and his father, or the crew from the vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. How can that be explained?”
“A very good question Dr Carson,” he replied, trying without success to not sound patronising.
“Firstly, the two brothers from the crashed plane travelled through the wormhole together so they already knew each other. The interesting factor with them is, despite knowing each other, neither of them knew the other people or recognised the lives they were meant to be leading here. Regarding your other observations, as I mentioned earlier our research suggests there are an infinite number of parallel universes, some very similar to ours, others vastly different. We believe those closest to us will be very similar but as we get further away from our own the differences will increase. The chances of the same two people meeting and procreating on any one of the universes closest to us are very good but not definite. So it really comes as no surprise that Stuart here has the same family unit as the original Stuart from this universe, but the boy and his father don’t.”
Stuart looked at her and shrugged. “Makes sense.” She couldn’t deny it made sense, but it was hardly enough to convince her Stuart was from a parallel universe. “So how does all this work, Professor? Why doesn’t all matter get sucked into these holes? Why didn’t the ship and the aeroplane get sucked in?” The professor smiled. He had been waiting for this question. “This is the part that amazes me the most, Dr Carson. As a physicist, it is all too easy to become acquisitive and pragmatic. To forget just how wondrous life is. Dr Cooper here has humbled us all with what he has discovered so I’ll leave it to him to explain.”
Dr Cooper thanked the professor for his kind words before standing up to address his guests. Whilst his English was impeccable, an underlying accent convinced Stuart of what he had already suspected, in that despite his western sounding name Dr Cooper was almost certainly of Chinese origin. “Dr Carson, from your medical training I’m sure you’ll have a thorough understanding of DNA and the genetic code.” A cursory nod from the psychiatrist gave Dr Cooper the cue to continue. “It’s long been understood that all the information contained in our DNA, in addition to a little external influence from our environment, determines what and who we are from the moment the egg divides until the day we perish. It is commonly believed that most of this DNA is redundant, having no apparent function, a relic from our evolutionary origins if you like. All our understanding of the genetic code was based around what proteins and subsequent tissues they are coded to produce, but this redundant DNA did not code for anything. However, recent advances in physics have led to a whole new understanding of the function of these genes. Professor Humphries and his team, along with many modern theoretical physicists, now accept that subatomic particles, such as the fundamental unit of all atoms, the electron, are not particles at all but are, in fact, strings. These strings vibrate at a frequency that determine their form. For instance, at one frequency it’s an electron at another frequency it’s a proton or a neutron. However, even if you have two frequencies that both produce an electron they are still minutely different. Every electron, proton or neutron in our universe is unique due to the minute difference in the way they vibrate.” He paused for a moment and looked towards the professor with a smile. “This is where our sciences converge. This is the point where biology can explain physics and physics can explain everything.” The professor smiled back and nodded to his colleague, encouraging him to continue.
For the first time Catherine began to feel the gravity of the revelations they were party to. The information was starting to seem credible. So far, it had been delivered to them like they were a pair of students in a lecture. Now she felt like they were the only people in the world being allowed this privileged information. She was, of course, almost right. Dr Cooper continued with his presentation. “It has often been stated that when the trillions of sperm released during sex race toward the egg, and only one manages to penetrate it, that something magical happens. We’ve discovered the magic is harmony. The sum frequency of all the subatomic particles making up the atoms, which in turn make up the egg, attract the sperm having the sum frequency nearest to its own, the one closest to harmony with it. This is where our DNA plays a big part, not only in our physical development but also in our harmonic development. For every single nucleotide string that code for protein synthesis, a billion more code to keep our bodies in harmony. All of the atoms making up our bodies are brought in from an external source. Our DNA is coded to harmonise the frequency of every single one of the atoms we use to build ourselves. The frequencies of the subatomic particles making up the atoms are changed subtly enough to do this but not enough to change their structure. You could say throughout our development, from birth to death, our genes are composing a harmonic symphony that makes us what we are. It’s what makes us individual; it’s our life force, our soul.”
There was silence for a few minutes while Stuart and Catherine tried to take in what they were being told. They were sat in the lecture room of a historical university college. No national security there to guard the secrets being revealed, no fanfare to announce the amazing discoveries made by Professor Humphries and his team. The far-reaching implications of what was being announced to them warranted more pomp and circumstance than this. The whole thing was surreal.
Catherine was the first to break the silence. The scepticism was gone from her voice, replaced by a tone of perplexity. “Ok, I should probably apologise for my initial reaction to what you have been trying to tell us. This is incredibly interesting and I mean that sincerely, but I still don’t fully understand or accept how this explains my patient’s condition. You are suggesting Stuart here is from another universe and has swapped places with his double from this universe. That he fell through a wormhole? You’ve presented compelling evidence to support this theory but there are also a number of inconsistencies. For me to even begin to entertain such a… well, mind-blowing theory, I would need to have these explained to me.”
“That is what we are here for doctor. To answer any questions that will help you understand what we are trying to achieve here.”
Her first question was directed at Stuart. She looked at him with affection and smiled. “Stuart, I cannot begin to imagine what you are thinking right now. But if we are going to try understand this I will need to share aspects of your case with these people. Do you mind?”
“Absolutely Catherine, whatever helps.” He replied returning the smile. She stood up, rubbing the back of her neck, trying to think how to address this. It was her turn to pace up and down, acting like a defence lawyer cross examining a witness. “I’m sure you all already know most of what I am about to tell you but bear with me as I need to summarise in order to formulate my questions. Stuart’s case was assigned to me as it was believed he was suffering from an acute dissociative disorder. The core of his claim is that he is happily married to a woman called Lauren Bell who is expecting his child. He also claims to be a zookeeper. There is an irrefutable amount of evidence that proves beyond a doubt that both these claims are false; primarily, the fact that Lauren Bell died ten years ago. Sorry.” She mouthed to him before continuing. “From the first interview I held with Stuart it was obvious he believed everything he was claiming to be true. He was able to describe with detail and clarity the separate career paths he and Lauren took but ultimately brought them back together. Interestingly his description of Lauren’s career path is extremely accurate up until the point when in reality she died but in his world, they came back together. I say came back together because he also claims they had met many years earlier at a party.” She looked around the room to see if she was confusing anyone but nothing suggested she was so she continued.
“How he describes his own career development however, is totally inaccurate. Stuart is convinced his role at the zoo is that of keeper of tigers and he has worked as a keeper since graduating from university. In actual fact Stuart never graduated from university but instead opted for travelling. He has had numerous jobs since he returned from his travels but has never been employed has a zookeeper. He is currently employed at the zoo but as an education officer.” She walked over to Stuart and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Delusional recollections such as these are a classic symptom of someone who is suffering from a disassociation disorder. His delusions are so deep set that conventional methods would never have worked so I opted for hypnosis. In the last hypnosis session we had, Stuart recalled with great clarity how he had found a body in the tiger enclosure during his keeping duties at the zoo before tumbling into darkness and waking up to a life he didn’t recognise.” She walked away from Stuart and stood behind the lectern. The professor had taken her seat beside Stuart. She froze for a moment taking in her surroundings. The paintings on the walls of the scientific icons, the wooden panelling, the terraced seats and the waiting faces sat on them. Stuart’s face looking back at her, believing more with every word she spoke that the professor’s theory offered all the answers he had been searching for. She pressed on knowing she no longer had an argument to offer. “As I have already said, while your theories, as fantastic as they may be, appear to be able to explain these events there are inconsistencies. Dr Cooper’s description of a harmonic function for DNA was very eloquently put and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It didn’t, however, explain why those passing through the wormhole no longer have scars, tattoos, breast implants and so on. In fact, how does this whole exchange work? I could almost accept it if the two people appeared at the same place but Stuart here was in the zoo while the other Stuart seems to have been in his home.”
“I think I get it.” They all turned to look at Stuart who was holding his hand up in the air. “It’s something to do with the harmonics, isn’t it? Even though my life is different to this other Stuart’s life we still have the same harmonics. The wormholes form between two points that are in harmony?” He raised the intonation at the end of his sentence, turning his statement into a question. The others nodded but it was the professor that answered. “That is not far off the mark Stuart.” He walked back toward the lectern. Catherine stood aside letting him pass. He brushed his hair back and faced the group again. “Harmony is the determining factor here. As Dr Cooper explained all matter is made up of atoms and all atoms are made up of subatomic strings that vibrate. There is a balance throughout the universe, or, if you like, the whole universe is in harmony.” He paused letting his words sink in. Stuart glanced at Catherine. She looked crestfallen. Had she begun to realise she had misdiagnosed him? he thought. The professor continued. “Newton touched on this balance with his laws of thermodynamics but in reference to energy rather than harmony. He stated that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only converted from one form to another. The harmony of the universe is balanced in such a way it never changes. As one note fades another one begins. The laws of physics governing this apply to all universes. They have to or those universes wouldn’t exist.” He said this like it would be obvious to those listening.
“Therefore, when these wormholes open between parallel universes and something passes through them, the only way the balance can be addressed is if an object of the same harmony passes through the other way. So regardless of where you were when your counterpart went through the wormhole, you will replace him at his location. Try not to think of this in four dimensions. In the dimension where this occurs the space and time are the same at each end of the wormhole, even if they appear different in our dimension.” He paused again, giving them time to process this before continuing. “Don’t think of yourself physically passing through the wormhole. At the point where this exchange occurs you are literally stripped down to your subatomic particles and reassembled at the other side. However, you are reassembled according your genetic code so any artificial influence on your body such as scarring or tattoos is disregarded and you are reassembled as a perfect expression of your genes.”
Stuart looked at the professor thoughtfully, “Like Dr Carson asked earlier, why don’t clothes, aeroplanes or boats pass through? Are they not part of the universal balance?”
“Another good question Stuart and one with the most wonderful answer. It is life that is the key to all of this, life determined by our DNA. Mathematics predict that any object entering these wormholes will be obliterated resulting in all their constituent particles being scattered into space. This is because there are no instructions at the other end of the wormhole to reassemble them. So, the laws of physics simply prohibited the entry of anything into the wormhole that doesn’t have instructions on how to reassemble. It’s a kind of universal border control preventing imbalance. I must add at this point, the laws governing this phenomenon go out of the window when we consider collapsed stars and the black holes that they create. Those hungry devils will consume all matter but that’s another story altogether.” Dr Marks and Dr Cooper nodded in agreement to this statement. Catherine looked at Stuart and shrugged. “Anyway, in order to explain the special aspect of the transfer it would be better if we went to our lab. I am sure you are all ready for a break now. With their minds reeling the professor lead them out of the lecture room and into a large dining hall. He told them to help themselves to whatever they wanted and wait for his return.