Reckless Faith

by David Kantrowitz

  “Levi’s not answering his phone,” said Dana.

  “That’s not a good sign. Let’s get moving.”

  Twenty minutes later, everyone was gathered on the bridge of the Faith. Friday was poking around cautiously. John was concentrating as he communicated with Seth. After a few moments John addressed the others.

  “Seth tells me that he can try to mask the energy signature with a Doppler wave by modulating the containment field.”

  “What containment field?” said Christie.

  “Um... Seth says that the containment field is the energy field that secures the ship. It acts as a shield from interstellar debris and radiation. It can also absorb directed energy.”

  “Directed energy?” asked Ari.

  “I’m not sure what he means by that. Apparently neither does he.”

  “Typical.”

  “Seth is also telling me that he can try using Tycho or Friday as a medium instead of me. I tried explaining that the animals don’t have sophisticated vocal chords like us, but Seth doesn’t seem to think this is a problem.”

  Ray picked up Friday and moved her to the counter top.

  “Let’s give it a try,” Ray said.

  Friday looked directly into Ray’s eyes. A clear voice filled the bridge. It was the same voice Seth had used inside the orb illusions.

  “Hello,” the voice said.

  “Hello, Seth,” said John. “How do you feel?”

  Friday looked at John. “There’s a lot of room in here.”

  “It feels good to get you out of my head, no offense.”

  “How could I be offended by you, squeaky?”

  There was a strong emotion of affection evident in the comment. John looked thoroughly embarrassed.

  “Squeaky?” Ari said, amused.

  “Squeaky is my pet name for Friday... 'cause of her, uh, squeaky little voice. Seth must be sensing Friday’s attachment to me.”

  “That is so sweet,” said Christie.

  “Yeah, just wait until we try Tycho out up here.”

  Friday looked at Christie.

  “Tycho likes you,” Seth said.

  Christie smiled in unabashed joy. It was about the most sentimental thing she had ever heard. Christie always suspected that Tycho had only considered her a convenient source of food.

  “Seth, get us underway. Our destination is Boston Furniture Supply.”

  “Understood,” Seth replied.

  “Boston Furniture Supply?” queried Dana.

  “We’re going to try Seth’s matter transportation technology again. We need furniture for the ship, as you can see.”

  “What do you mean, ‘again?’”

  The others became distracted by the view as the ship began to lift off. Dana crossed to the window herself and watched the ground grow distant.

  “I think we can trust Dana,” said Ray. “Why not tell her the truth?”

  “There’s more?”

  John nodded. “Okay. Dana, we didn’t tell you the truth last night. In reality we didn’t receive any signals or plans from space. Seth came to us during a trip up to New Hampshire last Saturday. Ray, why don’t you show Dana around the ship and tell her the story?”

  “Sure,” said Ray. “Care to have a look around?”

  “Hell yes,” said Dana.

  “Follow me, then. Through here is an area we plan on using as a conference room...”

  Ray and Dana exited through the right rear door.

  “Are you sure we can trust her?” Ari asked.

  “I think so,” said John. “There’s still a chance that she’s hiding something from us, but I get a sense that she’s all right.”

  “Me, too,” said Christie. “We should be more careful, though. Levi could be poised to seriously compromise this mission.”

  “We have arrived,” said Seth. “We are five hundred feet above the specified location.”

  “That was fast.”

  “It was only a three mile trip,” said John. “Come on, let’s go to the cargo bay and try this out.”

  John led the way off the bridge, down the stairs, and into the cargo bay. Tycho barked at them as they headed down the ramp.

  “Christie, could you move Tycho into the armory, please?”

  “Sure.”

  Christie did so. John looked around.

  “Seth, are you still here?”

  “Of course,” said Seth’s voice.

  “Okay. Can you read the item I described to you before?”

  “Yes, that item is present below.”

  “Transport it into the cargo bay.”

  A green point of light appeared at the center of the bay. It pulsed and grew in size. Optical distortions similar to waves of heat appeared from the deck to the ceiling. A noise like sand being poured onto a tile floor could be heard. A leather desk chair appeared. It was the executive model, with a high back and large, cushioned arms. John and Ari smiled. Christie came down from the armory.

  “Ah, I missed it,” she said.

  “That was exceedingly cool,” said Ari.

  John walked up to the chair. “Is it safe to use?”

  “Transportation is complete,” said Seth.

  “Cool.”

  John hopped into the chair, which immediately crumbed into chunky dust. John hit the deck hard.

  “What... the... hell?” John said, shocked.

  “I thought you said that transportation was complete,” Ari said to Seth.

  “Transportation is complete,” said Seth.

  “Well obviously not!” exclaimed John, standing up.

  Christie picked up a piece of the chair. She crushed it effortlessly.

  “I think I know what’s going on,” she said.

  __________

  “The name is Major Devon, first name Kyle, I told you!”

  Levi was getting the royal run-around from the CIA operator. He’d been on hold for almost half an hour now, and the fact that he wasn’t sure about the Major’s name didn’t help matters much.

  His cell phone barely got a signal in his concrete bunker of a motel room. Levi wandered from corner to corner, trying to chase down a better connection.

  “What is this in regards to?” the operator asked.

  “It’s private. Look, I told you that the Major was working in the Boston area. Surely you know to whom I’m referring.”

  “I’m going to transfer you.”

  “No, wait. Wait! Shit!”

  Levi fumed as he was once again put on hold. He paced around the room compulsively.

  “This is Lauren Hill, may I help you?”

  The new voice was a small measure of progress.

  “Yes, I’m looking to speak with a Major Devon.”

  “What’s this regarding, sir?”

  “I have important information for him. Look, can you just tell him that Levi Marks is looking for him?”

  “I’m afraid that for security reasons you’ll have to be more specific.”

  “This is in regards to the incident at the Chelsea pier last night.”

  There was a knock at the door. Levi froze.

  “Answer the door,” Hill said.

  “Wh... what?”

  “Answer the door, Mister Marks.”

  Levi approached the door. All was quiet. Opening the door slowly, Levi found himself facing the Major.

  “Mister Marks,” Devonai said. “I think you can hang up now.”

  Levi did so. He backed up into the room, confused.

  “I had no idea you were capable of that kind of thing,” he said.

  “What kind of thing? Do you mind if I come in?”

  “You triangulated my phone, didn’t you?”

  Devonai shrugged and let himself in. He crossed to a chair and sat down.

  “No, we traced your credit card. The person you were speaking to just happens to be my supervisor.”

  “Oh.”

  “Now then,” said Devonai, removing a small black tin from his pocket, “what did you
want to talk to me about?”

  “You traced my credit card? You must have been looking for me before I called.”

  “Correct.”

  “Then you tell me why you’re here.”

  “You know why I’m here. I want to know why you called us. Where’s your partner, by the way?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “The last several hours have been all about believing new things.”

  “I know this has something to do with a Navy vessel, and technology being stolen. What exactly happened down in Chelsea?”

  “How do you know about the involvement of a Navy vessel?”

  “What technology was stolen?”

  Devonai removed a small cigar from the tin and lit it.

  “Mister Marks, countering every question of mine with one of your own is not going to curry my favor. Answer my questions first, and if I like what I hear, I’ll tell you more about Chelsea.”

  “You think that what happened down there is classified? I’m the one with the classified information, as it will surely be once I tell you.”

  Devonai blinked. “I’m waiting.”

  “There is a spaceship parked outside of a house not five miles from here.”

  “Is that so?”

  “In fact it is. This ship was created using instructions from an alien civilization, and is being manned by a group of amateurs.”

  “Didn’t Hollywood already take a gander at this one, Levi?”

  “This is far from fantasy, Major. All you have to do is come with me and I can prove it. But we have to act fast; once the others know I’m gone, they’ll move the ship for sure.”

  “If there’s a spaceship, they’ll just take off into space, right? How are we supposed to catch them in a Crown Victoria?”

  “The ship isn’t complete yet. The crew still has many different things to install before they’ll be ready to leave. But if we miss them in Woburn there will be no telling where they’ll end up next.”

  “You seem to have been doing a good job of tracking them so far.”

  “True. ASTRA is perfectly capable of keeping tabs on the ship’s location. By the way, I notice you’re humoring my story more than I’d expected. Whatever happened down in Chelsea must have been quite substantial.”

  “Actually, it was quite insubstantial, and that’s the whole point. Did these people tell you how they built their spaceship?”

  “They told me they’ve been building it gradually over the past several years.”

  “How large is the ship?”

  “I don’t know, exactly. The exterior is hidden by some sort of light refracting field. It’s at least a hundred feet long and three decks high.”

  “Okay. I’ll play along for now. When I see the ship for myself, you can say I told you so. If we miss them in Woburn, I want ASTRA to track them for us. Call your people and tell them that CIA agents will be dispatched to oversee the operation. You’re located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, right?”

  “Tell me what happened in Chelsea first.”

  Devonai sighed. “Parts of the USS Portland have been stolen.”

  “What parts?”

  “Parts!”

  “Isn’t the Portland decommissioned?”

  “That’s correct. Are you familiar with her?”

  “She was part of the fleet parked off of Kuwait in 1991.”

  “Ah, yes. You were part of a military police battalion at the time.”

  “You’ve been doing some digging, I see. You also just tipped your hand.”

  “Is that so?” Devonai asked, smoke swirling around his head.

  “If the Portland was anywhere near that pier last night, I would have seen it. Miss Andrews and I got a good look at the activity on that pier before you dismissed us. Either the Portland sank, in which case at least fifty feet of it would still be visible above the water, or it is no longer there. If it is no longer there, then someone or something removed it. You say parts of the Portland were stolen. I say the whole thing has been stolen.”

  “Very good, Mister Marks, but you haven’t figured out everything. And would you care to explain to me what use the crew of the spaceship would have for a vessel of that size?”

  “Maybe they’re using it to construct a second spaceship.”

  “That’s plausible, given the parameters. Now if you don’t mind, call your people at ASTRA and make arrangements for them to receive field agents.”

  “We should really get back to the ship.”

  “Make the call first.”

  Levi shook his head, removing his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed and waited.

  “Page, it’s Levi.”

  “Levi?” said Page's voice. “What’s been going on up there?”

  “It’s complicated. Listen, we’re going to be getting some serious backup on this project. The CIA has promised us funds and manpower.”

  “The CIA? Levi, listen to me. Dana called me about ten minutes ago. She told me to delete all of the information about file three-one-five and the search for the signal source.”

  “What? You didn’t do it, did you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Good, you had me worried for a second. The CIA is sending case officers to the lab to oversee the operation. If the signal moves again we’re going to need to track it, as always. From now on, however, it’s more than just academic.”

  “I understand, but why is the CIA getting involved? What did you discover in Massachusetts?”

  “It will all become clear in due time. Call me when the operatives arrive.”

  Levi hung up.

  “Excellent work, Marks,” said Devonai. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Hey, you’d still have your thumbs up your butts if it wasn’t for me and ASTRA, you know.”

  “For all I know, we still do, until the evidence proves otherwise. Now what did your colleague say that upset you so much?”

  “Dana Andrews is working against us. She tried to get ASTRA to destroy the project data. She’s also agreed to join the crew of the spacecraft. That I can confirm personally. That’s why I’m here and she’s not.”

  “Okay,” said Devonai, standing. “Let’s head out, then. Where exactly are we going?”

  “To the residence of John Scherer.”

  19.

  Ray and Dana climbed the steps to the bridge, their tour of the Faith complete. John, Ari, Christie, and Friday were there. John had just sent a message to Ray via Seth that he was holding a meeting on the bridge. The timing was perfect, despite the fact that Dana had spent so much time admiring the engine room.

  “What’s up?” Ray asked.

  “Did you notice that pile of dust in the cargo bay?” asked John.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s the result of our attempt to transport a chair from the furniture store.”

  “Oh. Yikes.”

  “Seth insists that everything went properly.”

  “I have an idea,” said Christie. “I think I might be able to explain what happened.”

  “Go for it.”

  “How many of you are familiar with the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?”

  Christie was answered with silence and blank stares.

  “Enlighten us, please,” said Ari.

  “It comes from quantum mechanics. When physicists began studying the properties of light, they found that they could record either the location of a single photon, or its momentum, but not both. Since the experiment itself changed one or the other, it became evident that it was impossible to know a quantum particle’s location and its mass plus direction of movement, also known as momentum. The only thing you can do is predict the probability of both factors at any given moment. I think what happened with the chair is that Seth can’t determine anything more than the probability of the locations of the subatomic particles that made up the chair. The result was that he only transported up a percentage of the chair, not the whole thing.”

  “T
hat’s an interesting theory,” said Dana, “but Seth supposedly used the same technology to create the superstructure of the Faith out of the Portland, right?”

  “Yes,” said John.

  “So why did it work for the hull, walls, decks, and everything else? They seem quite solid to me.”

  John turned to Friday. “Seth, why did the chair disintegrate?”

  “There wasn’t enough,” replied Seth.

  “Enough what?”

  Seth was quiet for a few seconds before responding.

  “Aluminum, copper, iron, silicon...” Seth said, trailing off.

  “Enough material?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why wasn’t there enough material, Seth?”

  “There was sufficient material at the source.”

  “Why didn’t you use it, then?”

  “You directed me to transport only one object.”

  “Seth,” began Christie, “if the chair at the source contained one hundred percent of its own mass, the what percentage did you transport aboard?”

  “Thirty-five percent,” replied Seth.

  “So can you transport one hundred percent aboard next time?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, fine,” said John. “Transport one hundred percent of one chair from the surface onto the bridge.”

  “That is not possible. One chair contains only thirty-five percent of the necessary mass for transport.”

  “This makes sense,” said Christie. “In order to compensate for the Heisenberg Principle, Seth has to get extra material from another source.”

  “That’s why the Portland was destroyed!” exclaimed Ari. “In order to create the Faith, Seth used up almost all of the mass of the Portland. What was left behind collapsed and disintegrated.”

  “That follows,” said John. “Okay Seth, using all available materials from the surface, transport one chair to the bridge.”

  The green dance of light and distortions filled the room, leaving behind another executive office chair.

  “That was beautiful,” said Christie.

  John approached the chair, bent at the waist, and poked the seat. Nothing happened. John grabbed the chair by the arms and shook it. Satisfied, John sat down.

  “We have a winner!” said John exuberantly.