A.R.: Beyond the Universe

When he wakes up, Alex must get his bearings. It takes him a minute to remember what had just transpired. Then he remembers the e-mail, the phone call, and the unexpected visitors who rushed him out of his house. He remembers the gun shots, seeing the flashes of light coming from his house and the events that happened as he got out of the car. Then he remembers that he is not on the ground but flying to some unknown destination. He wonders where he is going and what is going to happen to him when he gets there.

“Nice to see you got a little sleep. You were looking a bit on edge,” Michael says.

“Who, me? Now why would I ever feel like that?” Alex asks with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“We’re just about to land,” Diane informs them.

A few moments later, the door on the wall slides open to reveal daylight. It is immediately apparent that it is also cold outside--very cold. A blast of sub-zero air hits Alex in the face as small snowflakes hit him in the face.

“You need to move fast if you don’t want to freeze to death!” an outside voice yells to him. A heavy winter coat is tossed into the HC to Michael, who then gives it to Alex. A second coat appears, and Michael puts it on. The two men, who Alex now has determined must be bodyguards, get out first after putting on their heavy coats. Then they stand there, not moving. It appears they are waiting for something. Through the heavy snow falling, Alex can see a blurry figure coming toward the craft. It is another man, also wearing a heavy coat. The man yells to Alex to get out and follow him.

Alex unbuckles the safety belt and puts on the heavy, warm coat. MacGuyver, who is getting concerned, is starting to pace back and forth, looking very agitated. With the heavy coat on, Alex cannot move as well as normal. It proves to be a little difficult, but Alex finally catches the little dog and picks him up. He pulls the fur-lined hood over his head and holds onto his dog as he walks to the door and tries to look out. He is blinded by the heavy snowfall and cannot see anything clearly for more than a few feet. The snowflakes are small and hard, almost like pellets of ice. They sting his face every time one hits him. They are nothing like the big, soft snowflakes he is used to. This stuff is worse, much worse. He also notices he is starting to have trouble breathing. He does not know if all the excitement is keeping him from catching his breath or if it is because the air he is breathing is so cold it makes his lungs hurt. Maybe it is the hurricane force winds. He quickly covers MacGuyver’s face, trying his best to protect him from the icy wind and the hard snow.

A hand reaches into the HC to help Alex get out. Alex firmly takes it and tries to look down to see the steps. After locating them, Alex takes a deep breath and plunges forward into the blinding snow. As he reaches the bottom step, he is ready to make a run for wherever it is they are supposed to go to get out of the bad weather. Through the blizzard, he barely sees a lighted path on the ground. He sees a man motioning for him to follow. He sees several other people in similar heavy coats, each armed with what appear to be very large rifles. He holds tight to MacGuyver and makes a run for it.

It takes about a minute before Alex recognizes that he is heading for what looks to be a large, metal door with heavily armed men standing on each side of it. In the strong winds with all the snow falling, they look like statues. Alex has trouble just keeping his feet in all the wind and snow. That horrible weather, however, seems to have no effect on them. They just stand there, not moving an inch. Alex looks up at the face of one of the men to see him intently studying the newcomer. It is easy, even for Alex, to recognize that what the men are holding are military-style weapons--the kind that means business. Alex gets the feeling that these men know how to use those weapons. One of them turns quickly and pushes a large white button on the wall behind him. Even in the howling winds of the blizzard, Alex can make out the sounds of an alarm. The large, heavy door in front of him pivots open, and Alex rushes inside, hoping that the men know enough not to shoot him.

A blast of warm air immediately hits Alex in the face. That’s when the wriggling mass in his arms reminds him he is still holding MacGuyver. Alex removes his hand from the dog’s face and looks around. It is a small room with what appears to be no exit other than the door they just came in through. The walls, floor, and ceiling are flat, solid and metallic looking. He turns toward the outside door to see Michael entering, followed by another man who Alex does not know, and then the two men from the HC who had accompanied them. Finally, the two heavily armed men at the door follow them inside. After the men enter the room, another alarm sounds and the large, heavy outside door closes, shutting out the bleak, harsh weather. Alex is amazed to see the closed door leaves no evidence there was ever a door there. The wall the door is on looks as solid and unbroken as the rest of the walls.

From behind him, Alex hears what sounds like a large vacuum seal being broken. He turns around to see the second door opening from what he thought was a solid wall. “Now that is a door!” Alex thinks to himself. It resembles a bank vault door, except there is no combination knob. It looks like it might be solid steel, but the material does not look like steel. There are no scratches on it and no grain to the silvery metal. Alex looks closely at the door and feels a slight vibration coming from it. It is about 8 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and at least 18 inches thick. It has large posts barely sticking out of the sides and the top that appear to be the made of the same material as the door and walls. The frame has holes in it, as if designed so the door can lock itself to the frame, just like a bank vault. The front of the door is completely blank and flat, without even a doorknob to grab onto. As the huge door pivots opens, the newer man motions toward the door and asks Alex to follow him.

Once they pass the second door, Alex notices the massive door closing behind him, sealing him inside. By now, Alex’s concern is increasing.

“Who would need this type of security? And why is it so necessary that he be here?” wonders Alex.

The newer man apologizes for the haste and explains that when it gets that cold outside, a man can freeze to death in a short amount of time. He introduces himself as Mr. Caldwell. He will be Alex’s associate from this point on. “Anything you need just let me know,” he tells Alex.

Once again, MacGuyver wriggles in Alex’s arms. He had been so caught up in everything that he had completely forgotten about the little dog.

“I hate to say this, but I have a dog that needs to go. I know from experience that there is no way this dog will do his thing outside in the snow. Suggestions, gentlemen?” Alex asks Mr. Caldwell.

“This way, please,” Mr. Caldwell responds. “I believe we have the perfect solution.”

Mr. Caldwell is a lean, tall man with a chiseled face and slightly graying hair. There is an air of responsibility about him, as if he knows what it is like to be in charge. There is also a sense of strength in his tone and stride. They walk down a short hall, past several more open heavy metal doors. At the end of the corridor two large armed men are standing at attention and one more is seated at a metal desk. Alex tries to nod at one of the standing men but gets no response. The men just stand there, staring down the corridor intently. The guards, like the ones at the outside door, are huge and apparently have no sense of humor.

The man at the desk asks for an ID. Mr. Caldwell shows him something that is attached to his belt with a long, thin cord. It looks like a laminated photograph with a bar code beneath it. The man at the desk looks at the ID and slides it across a glowing box. A small panel opens on the wall beside the desk. Mr. Caldwell walks toward the small opening and waits. From above him, a greenish light comes on and slides side to side. A second light to his side comes on and slides up and down, then turns from green to yellow. Mr. Caldwell steps to the side and waits.

“Mr. Rogers, will you please step this way?” asks the man at the desk. The man asks Alex to stand still as he clips a single strand of hair from his head. He repeats the process with the dog. Then he asks Alex to hand the dog to Mr. Caldwell. Alex is to stand where Mr. Caldwell stood. “This is a biometric scanner. It will take your vitals and fingerprints. Face the wall and do not move for about 15 seconds, palms facing forward please,” he instructed.

The same green light comes on overhead and slides back and forth. He feels nothing as it passes over him. Then the scanners to his side come on and slide up and down and change color to yellow. Alex starts to move when he hears, “Once more please.” The seated man at the desk asks Alex to hold the dog and get back on the scanner. After the scans are completed, two pieces of colored plastic appear from a slot in the wall: one has Alex’s picture on it, and the other has MacGuyver’s. As with Mr. Caldwell’s ID, these also have a barcode beneath each photo.

“You must have these with you at all times. If you go anywhere with the dog, make sure you also have his ID with you,” the guard explains as he hands both IDs to Alex.

An unexpected opening appears in the wall beside the scanner. As with the other doors, Alex would have never guessed that a door was there.

“This way, Mr. Rogers. Let’s get your dog taken care of first,” said Mr. Caldwell.

They walk about 75 feet and turn left into another room. Alex immediately notices this is not like what he had seen so far since entering this strange building. This room is large, about half the size of a football field, and very well lit. The ceiling is domed shape, a deep blue with what he could swear were moving clouds floating across it. To his astonishment, Alex sees that the floor is covered with a fine, soft grass--real grass. There are bushes and pebble covered paths, small trees, and several wooden park benches. Off to the right, he thinks he hears the gurgling of water running over rocks.

“This is one of our parks,” Mr. Caldwell explains. “You’ll find it very safe to let your dog run loose if you want to. He’ll be safe and probably enjoy himself a little. After what he has just gone through, it’ll give him a moment or two to relax. Looks like you could use some of that yourself.”

Alex looks down at the dog in his arms, which is already busy looking around. Alex bends down and puts the dog on the grass. He runs his hand along the top of the soft, cool, green blades. He is having a hard time figuring out how all this got here and why.

Mr. Caldwell taps him on his shoulder. “I see your little friend seems to approve of it,” says Mr. Caldwell. They both watch the little dog go this way and that, checking out everything. It is apparent that the little dog is enjoying himself. He runs from tree to bush to bush, all the time with his nose to the ground. He stops for a minute, raises his nose to the air, and trots to a small, nearby stream, where he lowers his head, sniffs at the water, and starts lapping it up.

Mr. Caldwell continues, “It’s quite alright. The waters always purified and tested every day. Now, I suppose you have some questions? Now is the time to ask, before everything gets going. Everything you see here is very real. We find people work best if given the chance to get back to nature often.”

Alex is having a hard time convincing himself that all of this is real.

“Have a seat, Alex,” Mr. Caldwell says as he motions to a park bench close by. They walk to the wooden park bench and sit down. Alex takes a deep breath, not knowing where to start.

“First things first. Why am I so important that I had to leave my home in such a hurry? What is it about me? Why do people want me dead?”

“Mr. Rogers, when you sent the e-mail providing information that no one else has knowledge of, it set off some alarms. You described a dream about seeing stars disappearing. We traced your name and address. It was that information that was stolen and led them to you. When that happened, your response level was upgraded to the highest priority. That meant that you not only have valuable information, but you also became a target at the same time. There are forces on this planet that want to keep everything as quiet as possible; to keep the truth from everyone as to what may be happening. They also want what we have here. You will be fully briefed about that information after you get settled into your quarters.”

Quarters?

“OK,” Alex says hesitantly. “Where are we? Snow falling like that combined with the extreme temperatures means we are not in the southeastern U.S.”

“You are now in the proverbial tip of the iceberg. This is one of several hundred parks in the Complex.”

Several hundred?

“The Complex is located deep beneath the Himalayan Mountains. The park we are in is not used much. It a bit far for most people to travel to, especially since there are parks located much closer to the living quarters. Otherwise it would not be uncommon to see several dozen people here, both with and without pets. When you received your ID, you became one of over 50,000 people living here. Some, like you, are new to the place. Some have been here their whole lives, having never left.”

Alex just sits there trying to comprehend what is being said.

“Let me start from the beginning. This place was built long ago, so long ago that we cannot determine its age. We have tried every method to runs tests for age, but nothing can penetrate the material. We have no idea who the original builders were, where they came from, or what happened to them. The Complex has one main entrance: the one you just came through. We’ve tried using every advanced technology available to create other entrances, but the material the Complex is made of cannot be cut. We’ve tried everything: lasers, heat, and radiation, even a small nuclear explosion where the enclosure came close enough to the face of a mountain. Nothing has ever been able to penetrate it or leave even a scratch.

“The Complex is nothing short of massive. Once you enter a vertical shaft (like an elevator), you can go straight down for 25 miles. At about every 30 feet, there are horizontal corridors that go out in all directions. As I understand it, you’re used to thinking in terms of 3D and you do 3D drawings. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“Here comes something that will interest you.” He stands up and greets a young girl of 13 or 14, who is carrying a small box. The girl gives the box to the man. He thanks her and then he hands the box to Alex. The girl smiles and leaves the room using the same door they had just entered through.

“Open it,” he says. “It’s for you.”

Alex slides the lid off the metal box and sees a gray, rectangular object, about 6 inches long, 4 inches wide, and half an inch thick. Alex can see what appears to be a screen covering one side, with a small oval printed at a lower corner of the screen.

“It’s a PDA, programmed to your touch and you alone. Since it’s biometrically operated, it cannot be used by anyone else after it is activated. You touch the oval on the screen with your right index finger to initiate it. In case you’re wondering, we got your fingerprints when you were scanned back there.”

“Speaking of, what is that all about?” asks Alex.

“The scanner operates using a method like a CAT scan, but it collects far more data. We still haven’t figured out all that it can do yet. In simpler terms, it looks you over, inside and out. It measures physical things like height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, and a great deal more. Then it looks inside of you. It analyses and records if there are any problems with your heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, etc. It also looks inside your head to establish your individual biometric parameters. No, I have no idea how it works. That’s for the advanced tech people to figure out. As with the walls, the scanning system came with place.”

“How long have you been here?”

“I’ve been at the Complex for a little more than 25 years.”

“That’s a long time to have one job. I’ve never been able to stay at one job for more that 6 years myself.”

“Yes, we know. As soon as the order came to bring you in, a full write-up on you was created. They used the system to find you and everything about you: your family, work history, salary, health records, likes and dislikes--everything that makes you…you. It can be a little scary seeing what can be done if you have access to a system like this.”

“What is the system?”

“For lack of a better description, it is a living computer, located deep within the Complex in an area known as the Core. The system has abilities that we have not even begun to tap into yet. I suspect that it can, and probably does, do a lot of thinking on its own. So far, the system has proven to be very useful in helping us keep this place out of the spotlight. It can constantly do searches of every website on the Internet and eliminates any mention of the Complex, even the vague ones. We know that the system is the only thing that operates the Complex. It handles everything: locates, purifies and furnishes water, provides power, air ventilation, light, heating, and everything we need to survive here. It is fully self-sustaining and maintains itself.

“Take a look at the lights in the ceiling. If you look closely enough, you will see there are no light bulbs. The light we see is being broadcast through an advanced form of fiber optics. The light comes from the end of a very small thread of fiber, about 1/1000th of a millimeter. One strand of the fiber the thickness of a human hair can easily carry enough light for over 1,000 homes. Some cables of the fiber running through the Complex are yards in diameter. There are thousands of these large cables strung throughout the Complex.

“Where does the power come from?”

“From geothermal sources. There are huge, solid shafts of round metal that extend far into the Earth’s molten mantel. The metal they are made of converts the heat and static electricity in the molten mantel directly to a very efficient form of electricity. Special cores within the metal carry the current back to the Core, where it is processed and stored or distributed as required. If there is sufficient heat inside the Earth for the System to use, the System will never run out of power, and it will continue to produce power in unlimited quantities.

“I spoke of the fiber optics which carries the light. Fiber optics is probably not the correct term. I should refer to them as just fibers. In addition to the light, the same fibers also transmit heat, cold, communications, data streams, and power.”

“Electricity?”

“Not really. The converted power generated by the System is much more efficient and complicated that electricity. Combined with the type of power generated and the fiber used to transmit it, the loss of power is never more than 1/10,000th of 1 percent, no matter how long the run of fiber is. Together, it creates an extremely efficient method to generate and transmit power.

“We have never been able to calculate the amount of power that the system can generate. We’re not sure, but we suspect that the Complex can easily furnish all the power needs for everyone on Earth, and probably several times over.”

“If this is true, why not do it? Why not give free power to everyone?” Alex asks.

“Because we would be trying to use a system we still know practically nothing about. We have no idea what it’s capable of or the dangers. It is going to take our best minds many more years before we can even begin to understand how we can make use of it safely. Even if we were to try and give it away, we cannot reproduce the fibers. Normal wires or cables now used all over the world for electricity cannot be used to transmit this type of power. The two don’t mix. It would be like trying to use a plastic pipe to move molten steel. We cannot duplicate the technology that created the fibers. Even if we could, we don’t even know how to connect them to the system.”

“What’s so special about these fibers?”

“The outer shell of each fiber is made of a very dense but flexible material, like the material used in the impenetrable walls of the Complex. Inside the hard casing is a type of gel. Woven within the gel at the molecular level are thousands of core strands. Each strand seems to be designed for transmitting one thing, whether it is power, light, etc.”

“So how is it that your people are the ones in charge of all this advanced stuff? Where did it all come from?”

“As far as we can tell, it was found by accident by an ancient tribe of people wandering in the mountains. We suspect they saw the entrance and maybe tried to use it for a shelter. We think the power source had been turned off. If it had still been on, the automatic lights would have come on once they entered the outer chamber and that would have probably scared them away. Prehistoric men weren’t exactly used to seeing light come from nowhere. But they did not leave; they stayed here and apparently never left, staying completely separated from the rest of the world. While civilization and man advanced according to what we know as history, the ones living here advanced many times more. We think they started finding things left by the previous race that had abandoned it. Curiosity being what it is, they started to figure out things--the simpler things first, like what a chair or a table is. They learned to write and created their own language, probably basing it on the many symbols left everywhere in the Complex. They eventually made it to what we call the central Core. Someone must have accidentally started the boot-up process for the system that controls this place. Systems that furnish lights, air, heat and water began to run. Over the next 1,000 years or so, these people advanced many times more than we have today. They must have learned to access the knowledge that had been left by the builders and started using it.

“They mastered mathematics, physics, and chemistry long before the rest of the world even discovered any of it. They had 3D versions of living art. They moved from place to place by riding a type of small hovercraft. We found several of them deep within the Core and have never been able to figure out how to start them, much less how they work. They had advanced forms of medicine. From what we could tell, their life span was well over 200 years. They developed their own form of cold fusion power. If they were still here, we have no idea how advanced they would be by now.”

“If they could do all that, where are they now?”

“For some reason, these people left the Complex long before the Egyptian pyramids were built. Maybe they got bored; maybe they wanted to see what the rest of the world was like, we don’t know. We do know that they found a large island somewhere and began converting it into something they had become used to. Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong. We think they were tying to use the same technology to create the power this place runs on--geothermal power. When they tried to use technology, they did not fully understand, it got away from them and blew out the base of the island, sinking it and them into the bottom of the ocean.”

“If those people left and died, how did you end up with it?”

“About 200 years ago, it was re-discovered by a group of mountain climbers. This time, we know that they saw the door opening as a cave and sought shelter from a storm. We know this because we still have their journals. Because a landslide had partially covered it, they did not even see it as an open door, just an opening. Once inside, the automatic lights came on. They are the forefathers of the ones who live here now. They have been here ever since, learning as they go. With the help of the best minds that they could convince to come here, they have been able to partially translate the languages of both the original builders and the ones who lived here after them and left for the island.”

“That’s a fine tale, but what has it got to do with me?”

“One of the first translations completed from the original builders speaks of a warning about the stars. The translation says that the stars in the heavens will begin to disappear one by one. When that can be seen from this world, the end will be near.”

“The end? The end of what”

“Everything in our universe, Mr. Rogers, down to the last molecule. According to the translation, the stars will begin to disappear in an area near the outer reaches of our galaxy. The disappearances will continue to spread until nothing is left. We know that has already happened to another galaxy. We’ve seen it with the long-range scanners here. First the outer stars in one place begin to disappear, and then the others closest to the affected area vanish. It spreads like a virus. We have just recently discovered the way to turn on a warning system that automatically detects such an event. The System started the automatic warnings for our galaxy 3 weeks ago.

“When you gave a similar description to the descendant of one of the finders, she immediately knew that it had to be checked out and made arrangements to pick you up.”

“But why the hurry?”

“There are people who have long suspected the existence of this place and its technologies. They want to use it for whatever proposes they see fit. We know from capturing several of their higher-ups that they will do anything to find this place. They also know of the warning about the stars. If you look back through history, somewhere in every culture you will find a similar legend. When you sent that first e-mail, we were sure that they also knew of you. They would know from your e-mails that we would want to get you here ASAP. They would find you to get any information you might have about the Complex. That is why they broke into one of our facilities. If you were of no use to them, you would have been terminated. That is why we had to hurry.”

“And the men left at my house, the guards, where are they now?”

“They are now living there. They are there to tell any who ask that you have gotten another job elsewhere, sold your house to them, and have moved--but they not sure where.”

“Can I ask another question? The HC…is it a result of the technologies found here?”

“Yes. It is a leftover from those who left for the island. Did you notice how quiet it is, or how smooth it rides? In addition to it having the inertia dampers, the HC has technology that deadens any sound it produces. At night, it can fly 10 feet above your house and you would never even know it. Thanks to the materials it is made with, there is no form of radar that can detect it. Where do you think the military got the idea for radar-resistant planes? The HC flew from the southeastern United States to the Complex here in central Asia without having to refuel once. With the type of power source it uses, it can fly to the moon and back without refueling. It is also made of a material which, when activated, allows the entire light spectrum to bend around it. Even in daylight, all you see is a slight shimmer, like a transparent ghost.”

Alex feels confused and fascinated at the same time as he sits. He looks at the gray device that was given to him.

“And what is this?” he asks, holding it up.

“That is your PDA. It is programmed to your DNA and living biosignature, and yours alone. No one else can use it, no matter what they try. To start it, touch your right index finger to the oval in the lower right corner.”

Alex touches the spot on the PDA and he feels a very mild sensation on the tip of the finger.

“The feeling you are sensing is a one-time thing. It is comparing you to the data stored in the system. Now that is has been activated, you can order dinner, watch a movie, talk to anyone in the Complex, read any printed magazine or newspaper. You can watch any TV show being broadcast anywhere on Earth and can search the Internet if you wish. Because we use an advanced encryption code that we discovered here, we’re pretty sure no one on Earth can hack it. As a result, we do not have to worry about anyone tracing the search back to here.

“The PDA also serves as a mapping program for the Complex. Like I said earlier, this place is massive. Just say ‘locate’ and it will access the mapping program to show you where you are. Say ‘zoom out’ and it will increase the area currently mapped.”

“Locate,” Alex speaks at the little box. The screen shows a 3D image of the room they are in. There are three little dots, each representing the three life forms in that room. He watches with amazement as one of the dots moves quickly from place to place while the other two do not move at all. “MacGuyver?” Alex asks pointing to the moving dot. Looking up in the same general direction, he tries to see the dog but cannot because the bushes are in the way.

“If you want to see who the dot represents, touch it.”

Alex touches the dot representing what he assumes is the dog and the screen changes to a 3d hologram floating in front of the screen. There is MacGuyver, sniffing the base of a small tree.

“If you want to go somewhere, just say ‘destination’ and it will show you how to get there. It’ll give you both visual and written instructions. You can, if you wish, see a live hologram of the entire Complex, complete with dots representing every person or pet. I would not suggest it though. You’ll go crazy just trying to figure out what you are looking at--too much data. It will show you where to go for a haircut, shop for groceries or fresh produce, get a suit, go to a movie theater, or go out for a meal. We have places of worship for practically every religious belief. Our restaurants have superb chefs. The libraries are also on online and include any printed material currently available throughout the world. Our medical facilities and doctors are some of the best in the world. I understand that you like to watch movies. We have a digital library with every movie ever made. They are available on your PDA or on the large screen in your quarters. If you prefer the big screen, we have 200 of them. Some show the latest movies. Some cater to specific movies, like horror, comedy, film noir, earlier movies, animation, etc. You can check the PDA for what’s showing and where. There’s a complete set of instructions both online and in printed format in your quarters. If you wish, you can set it so that it accepts typed or touch screen choices instead of being voice activated.

“It also acts as a GPS, allowing anyone with clearance to locate you immediately if necessary. That was added because people kept getting lost and we had to keep finding them. It is also your security pass. The system knows who you are and where you are always, using your biosignature. The ID is needed only to confirm who you are to security. The system does not require its use. With your security clearance, you can go anywhere in the Complex that you want.”

“I have clearance? Where can go with it? What areas do I need to avoid”?

“Mr. Rogers, yours is unrestricted. You can go anywhere here you want.”