CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO – LITTLE BANG
“Megan, you can have Stephano back as soon as he drops us off – we need to be at the lab before ten this morning,” said Aggie. The three women were downstairs having breakfast in the fine and elaborate dining room. “I’ve no idea when we’ll be coming back, I’ll give you a ring as soon as I know – please pass the maple syrup, there’s a part of me that needs more strength.”
“Sweetheart, please let me come with you, I won’t get in your way, promise.”
“Aunt, we’ve covered this before, I’ve got to be focussed to get through this - and I’ve got to be cold and calculating today. Professor Lien will know what to do if anything goes wrong; you are the first contact aunt. Megan, I know you are a little confused about my mood this morning, just bear with me being a little wacky for a day or so. Don’t look so concerned – tell me more about your boyfriend.”
The chatter continued for another half hour. Rienus entered the room, chose a hearty selection of several different cheese slices and breads from the buffet and joined the group. With a smile he said, “You know Megan, I’ve always had a secret desire to drive a motorbike – never been brave enough though.”
“Oh Professor, believe me it’s a thrill, you feel so free and alive. By the way, one rides a motorcycle – something Stephano told me.”
“He seems quite a nice young man – did you have a good time yesterday?”
“Utterly fantastic, I met his parents; they live in Lucerne in a beautiful house. I got on with them straight away. We all strolled through the town doing some sightseeing. Had a lovely lunch of sandwiches and cake. For no particular reason we stopped outside a store which had a display of wedding dresses in the window, you wouldn’t believe it – at that very moment, the bells of the Abbey Court Church began to ring. We all laughed. I know, I just know, Stephano is going to be my man.”
“But honey, you’ve only known him for a day or so” said Edna, “hope you’re not rushing into things you may regret later.”
“No, no. No eloping or anything spontaneous. I’ll just let things develop as they may.”
“If it’s of any significance Megan,” said a not too surprised Aggie, “you have my complete blessing – as the Professor said, he is a very nice man. You deserve your happiness and you will find it.”
Megan jumped up, kissed Aggie, then Edna and even Rienus. She skipped out of the dining room. It would still be hours before she would see Stephano again, but she wanted to get ready anyway.
“Well, after today, I’m going to enjoy some show-business in Milan. I’m taking some time off. Janette Conaghan gave me some vouchers and I finally get to sit down in La Scala. How about you guys? Back to UO Aggie?”
“Afraid so Professor, still need that holy certificate.”
“Ah, I will make it my business to fast-track everything for you. What of your future Aggie?”
“We need to talk about just that, but after your vacation Professor. I have something in mind that would be of mutual interest.”
They were silent for a while. Edna placed her hand on Aggie’s arm.
“Aggie, with Professor Lien going his own way and the way it is with Megan, I have a feeling that it will only be the two of us returning home this time.”
Aggie burst into tears. “Oh Aunt Edna, how right you are – I’m going to lose Dwarg today.”
Edna didn’t mean to say it quite that way. She held out her arms and Aggie hugged her hard.
“Is anything wrong with little Aggie, Edna? She looks so upset.”
“Aggie still has growing pains, Professor” whispered Edna, who also had tears in her eyes.
“Well so much for cold and calculating” sobbed Aggie, trying bravely to smile.
-oOo-
Dwarg had done all he could to prepare Aggie for the separation. The hardest part was trying to keep in harmony with her many and different emotions. Strange, he thought, he had prepared her for this now, yet she still has heightened levels of anxieties and distress. An hour had gone by since he left her – he had slipped away using her breath as a pathway medium and finally made his way to the sodium atom that was to be his transportation terminal, the place where he would await a fast moving piece of matter and be smashed asunder.
Aggie had opened the holding chamber for a final inspection – this allowed Dwarg to take a direct route to the atom – he decreased his size even further – just enough to avoid the mayhem and bombardment of the elements within.
The condensate was getting colder and activity within the atom was slowing down. “I’m adding a wee dram now Aggie” said Professor Lorenz. Aggie nodded, she was feeling ill and a little weak but kept alert. A drop of the catalyst was injected into the chamber. The huge electro-magnets, pre-programmed to Aggie’s calculations, synchronised themselves to the rate of the cooling. The height of the peaks on the monitor became more rounded, and then slowly aligned with the x line. “We have total suspension Professor.”
“OK lassie, here’s another drop.”
“Professor we have activity – under the zero parameter – we are pulsing in the negative – it’s steady.”
“Maddison, what are the readings please?”
“Radiation increase of Beta to R010 and Gamma to R002 – all other outputs and units unchanged sir.”
“What say you lassie?”
Aggie nodded to Professor Lien who nodded back. He pressed the alert button and the repetitive he-haw alarm warned all and sundry that an event was in progress. She then looked at Professor Lorenz through her protective lenses. She knew that once she flipped the activia switch, Dwarg would exist in her world no more. She became a little unsteady and although she had steeled herself for this moment in time, she could not avoid the tears which tended to mist her shield. She thought of Dwarg, still yet a physical entity, grimly holding onto a slow moving and pulsing minute piece of matter – is he in pain? Is she keeping him from his escape back to his world? Was his spirit begging her for release? Ethen Lorenz pointed to Aggie and turned his palm up questioningly. With a quivering gloved hand on the switch, Aggie called out “Dwarg ! - Activating in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – activated!”
The particle was spun around the tube of the Large Hadron Collider three times. Dwarg saw it on the first pass, and then the second then watched its final approach to the condensate. He just had enough time to position himself so as to be directly in its path. At the very point of the collision, he “hitched” a ride with a strange meson anti-quark – it disappeared from the world of the physical along with him.
“We must do it again lassie” yelled Professor Lorenz, I think we missed – the count was neutral – somehow there was a balance – not at all like our calculations.”
“I agree Professor, we still have time and the resources, should we not wait a little until the radiation dissipates – could affect the integrity. An ioniser sweeper would do it in an hour or so.”
“Maddison, get the crew and arrange another set-up. Make sure the crucible is not leaking; old Nic Melczarek would kick our sporrans if we damage anything. Coffee, soda, cake and scotch-finger biscuits anyone? I’m buying.”
“That would just hit the spot Professor – I just want to re-examine the condensate, just want to make sure there are no residual effects.”
Rienus Lien was biting his lip. Now was probably not a good time to discuss the theory of ssjh.
“Aggie, I’ve been threatened by your lovely Aunt to let her know if anything is untoward. Are you all right, you seem a little pale – should I give her a buzz?”
“Thank you for asking Professor Lien. I’ll be OK – just feeling a little light-headed, I’ll give aunt a ring after some cookies – after that, it’s back to looking for the dissipation of those darn elusive flavoured quarks and leptons in their reverse orbits.”
“One thing Aggie, did I hear you call out Dwarf or Dworg or something as you did the count-down?”
“Er, well Professor you know I’m of the Northern
Nations. I think it would have been inappropriate for me to holler Geronimo! – don’t you agree?”
“My dear girl, as with everything else on this adventure – I totally agree with everything you say and do.”
Aggie was beginning to feel a little better.
-oOo-
Their day finished late; around 9 pm. Professor Lorenz was ecstatic with the second and then the third collision. The first, he put down to ssjh. The only thing worthy of a complaint was the cold french fries with the chicken drumsticks, eaten hastily between trials.
“My dear lassie, your hypothesis was exact and we have proved it thus. Professor Lien, I think you don’t really know just how much of a genius this young lady is. You and your people had better be good to her because we would be quick in snapping her up.”
“You keep your hands off our Aggie Kellor – she is our best and favourite asset, and I’ll fight anyone to the death who tries to poach her away from us – well I mean I’ll really get upset if someone tried it – Oh you know what I’m trying to say.”
Aggie said, “Don’t worry Professor Lien; you’ll probably leave the university before I do. Sorry about your plans for tomorrow though, we still have a mountain of data to finalize – I can handle it if you like.”
“It’s a case of ssjh Aggie, don’t worry, I’ll be by your side until Project Dwargone is well and truly signed off.”
“Thanks Professor – I really do need your support – especially the administrative red tape...and your arm to walk me out of here.”
After removing the protective clothing, each strolled outside onto the footpath, enjoying the crisp night air. Aggie could smell the delightful aroma of a log fire from somewhere – “hmm..someone’s burning spruce – it reminds me of New England. Just look at those stars Professor; they somehow seem to be much brighter tonight – almost as if they have been polished recently. I reckon Vincent van Gogh must have been looking up at such a night when he got his inspiration.”
“You know about van Gogh?”
“Oh, only a little – Megan knows all about him and his works.”
“For fear of sounding like a nerd Aggie, it’s not so much that the stars are so bright, it’s the atmosphere between us and them that is particularly clear, well not really the atmosphere – the medium – the....”
“Aura – Professor?”
“Yes, a good word, why not.”
“Here lass, some nice hot chocolate, Stephano is on his way. No need to tell you that your Aunt and your assistant are with him. He’s a hard worker and appears to have taken a shine to your Megan, I remember him asking about you and her a while ago.”
“I like him too. Professor, ever heard of some past character named Justinian?”
Ethen shook his head. “Not really, I think one of the Caesars was called Justinian. Why do you ask Aggie?”
“Oh never mind, it was something that came into my head when I first met him. For some reason that name appeared and I just wondered who it was. Ah... here comes our rescue party. See you at 9 a.m. Professor Lorenz?”
“I’ve got a cot here and plenty of candles to burn. Sure. And fellows, compatriots, thank you both for a wonderful and eventful day. My cup runneth over...oops I didn’t mean that literally.” He waved at Edna and company and returned to the lab whistling happily. Surely all this will see another generous grant from those hard-nuts at Westminster.
“Everything OK? Have a good day?” asked Edna as a tired Aggie and Rienus climbed into the large limousine.
“Just another day at the office aunt.”
Edna turned to the driver - “Oh Stephano, just watch out for low flying pigs.”
He turned to Megan with a puzzled look on his face. “Madam, our police do not have helicopters in this city.” All except Stephano laughed loudly.
“It’s all right love” said Megan, “you will get used to American English, and unfortunately”... turning to Edna, “to American humor as well.”
Stephano said, “I did learn some Canadian American English from a visiting diplomat here last month. He told me to use these words in responding to something I do not understand.”
“Oh, that’s interesting, tell us.”
“Well, I have to say... ‘up yours, asshole, eh!’...and when I say it, I have to hold up my little finger like this.”
It was a jolly ride back to the hotel.
“We need you again tomorrow Stephano, half eight, back to the salt mine, sorry, back to Professor Lorenz’s lab.”
“Your wish is my command young madam. My sincere wish is for you all to remain in Geneva much longer – there is so much to be seen and done. Professor, perhaps a short ride on a Harley Davidson?”
“Oh go on Rienus” quipped Edna, “Megan tells me your preferred method of transport is a pushbike. Get out of your comfort zone – go get a buzz man.”
“You think I’m not game, don’t you Edna?”
“Ha, you on a Harley?...never happen.”
“Stephano, I would be honoured if you would take me for a ride...whenever it is convenient for you.” He tilted his head up and turned to Edna with a victorious grin. Damn heck, he thought, why don’t I just keep my big mouth closed?
It was well after midnight and Aggie was wide awake in her bed. She realized that it had now been the longest ever span of time away from Dwarg. She was just a little weak but was glad that she still had her faculties. Of course, there was some adjusting to do, sure she misses him and automatically tries to tune in to him, but nothing happens. For some mysterious reason, she remembered the words of Nurse Audrey all that time ago.
Aggie was still in a coma, yet Audrey would talk and gossip to her regardless. Audrey had had a tooth pulled recently. No matter how hard she tried to prevent it, her tongue would always wonder to the spot where the tooth had been – she would concentrate as hard as possible to resist, yet there went her probing tongue without her permission. It almost became a contest of will between her and her tongue. After a while she completely forgot about the tooth – and her tongue was curious no more. Nice analogy, thought Aggie, but my dilemma is where am I getting these very thoughts from right now? are they really from me? did Dwarg leave some clever rehabilitation program? Could it be Daddy? Daddy, are you still looking after me? – but nothing came to mind. Aggie tossed and turned. At that moment, she felt very, very lonely.
Edna awoke to a soft knocking on the adjoining door to Aggie’s room. “Aunt Edna?”
“Yes sweetie, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t sleep. Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”
“Of course Aggie. There we go. Cuddle in tight – Goodnight my little Abenaki princess.”
“Goodnight Aunt - sorry to be such a sooky baby.”
“Goes to show you’re only human, sweetheart.”
Dwarg in the Seventh Dimension : The Aggie Kellor Experience Page 32
