Core Beliefs - Chapter 18 - Images of Things Impossible

Core Beliefs: Chapter 18: Images of Things Impossible

On Tuesday, January 29, Matt had asked those involved with the New Adventure to meet at Joe’s. Anxiety had been building, and all the changes were wearing on both Matt’s body and psyche. Selling bits of the business, the Martins’ moving, and now, the snap decision to fly to India and meet Dr. Kumar.

The group spent the day planning. Joe continued to ensure they were on sound legal ground; Chris revised and added to the list of items to be bought and the checklist of tasks to be completed to prepare for further efforts to fully understand the Event.

It was important to get as much as possible accomplished since Matt was flying out to New Delhi on Friday to meet with Dr. Kumar.

“We really need someone who truly understands physics to get a grip on the event,” Chris sighed. “Here,” Chris gave Matt two high-capacity thumb drives. “I’ve installed a feature that will destroy the data if anyone tries to open the files or copy the information without the access code,” Chris said.

Matt looked at the slip of paper with the ten digits needed to access the files.

“I need to memorize this and destroy the paper?” Matt looked up at Chris and watched him nod.

***

Matt flew out on Friday afternoon, first class, with stops and changes in Atlanta and Paris. He arrived in New Delhi on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. local time. It was twenty-two hours that reminded Matt why he did not like to travel.

“I need a taxi to my hotel,” an exhausted Matt told the man standing behind the taxi counter outside the terminal in New Delhi.

“What hotel would you be going to?” the dark skinned man asked, his accent thick British.

“The Leela Palace Hotel?” Matt wasn’t sure why he phrased it as a question.

“I will ensure you get to your destination.” The attendant replied.

“I am so glad you speak English,” Matt gushed as the attendant stepped from behind the counter and strode toward the curb.

“All who attend school are taught English. You should find it relatively easy to communicate here.” The attendant was signaling down the cab line. A white mini SUV-type vehicle pulled out of the line and rolled forward.

“Your luggage, sir?” the attendants asked.

Matt motioned to his suitcase. He kept a firm grip on his briefcase. Not willing to be separated from it.

He tipped the attendant, hoping he hadn’t insulted the man with the twenty-dollar bill.

The cab ride was quiet; the streets were still busy despite the early hours. At almost 2:30 a.m., New Delhi time, Matt finally arrived at the hotel, his internal clock totally sprung.

The hotel was luxurious, but he was so tired he couldn’t enjoy or appreciate it. He’d have to talk to Lucy about how much all this costs. It took a while before he finally slipped into a restless sleep.

***

The ringing of the phone in his hotel room startled Matt awake! The alarm bell-like sound of the antique-style wired phone had his eyes wide open and his brain scrambling to muster a thought.

Picking up the ornate handset from its cradle, Matt mumbled, Hello?

“Mr. Lehman?” A rich male English accent asked.

“Yes?” Matt finally got his brain working.

“I am Dr. Kumar. I wished to make sure you had arrived and to confirm we would meet for lunch.”

“Yes, I’m here. I got in early this morning and was asleep when you called. Sorry about not being up,” Matt sighed.

“My apologies for interrupting your rest,” Dr. Kumar said. “There is a restaurant not far from your hotel. They serve excellent cuisine and afford privacy for diners.”

“Sounds perfect,” Matt said.

“Will you be available at 12:00?” Dr. Kumar asked.

Matt glanced at the clock. “Yes, Dr. Kumar, I look forward to meeting you.”

Matt got the restaurant’s name and address, and they said their goodbyes.

***

The restaurant was not far from the hotel, and the taxi driver was very enthusiastic about getting Matt there via the most efficient route. Matt paid him in dollars. He was sure he paid more than the going rate, but compared to St. Louis cabs, it was cheap.

He recognized Dr. Kumar waiting outside the establishment. “Dr. Kumar,” Matt said.

Dr. Kumar laced his hands together in a prayer pose and bowed. The gesture brought Matt a calming sensation. He smiled, then they shook hands.

“Mr. Lehman.” Dr. Kumar invited him inside.

The place was a little warm but pleasant and filled with exotic aromas. There were classic old bamboo ceiling fans with several props driven by a single rope and pulley system. The main floor looked made of old stones, laid in a complex pattern. There were about a dozen tables with chairs and several customers. Dr. Kumar led Matt to an enclosed booth with a table and padded benches, and a heavy tapestry curtain that could be pulled closed.

They sat down, and the waiter came.

“I can assist with food options,” Dr. Kumar said. “Indian cuisine can be a bit trying for some.”

 Matt grinned. “I think that would be helpful.

After placing their orders, they had an appetizer of tea and flatbread with a spicy topping.

“This is very much a surprise to me that you would come to India to meet and talk,” Dr. Kumar said. “I am very used to communicating on the internet, and I’m sure we could have dialogued quite well that way.”

“What I have to discuss is not something that I feel could be safely done via the internet.” Matt paused, his eyes sizing up the doctor.

Dr. Kumar’s eyes widened slightly; his head tilted a tad. “I am indeed intrigued and must admit that this is most curious, so I will say that I am glad you are here and am most ready to hear what you have to say.”

“It would be best if we waited for a more private setting,” Matt said.

Dr. Kumar pressed a curled index finger against his lips, his eyes narrowing. “This is most unusual,” Dr. Kumar said. “Let us wait until lunch is served, and I will instruct the waiter. They are most discreet here.”

Once the meal had been set, Dr. Kumar spoke to the waiter. “We desire privacy. Please assure that we are not disturbed.”

The man nodded and pulled the thick, embroidered curtains closed.

“I do want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me,” Matt said. “I have something to discuss, and I ask for your patience. You are far more knowledgeable than I, and I’m sure I will at times sound foolish.”

The sound of a sitar playing music trickled through the heavy tapestry.

“Dr. Kumar, what could cause matter to disappear?” Matt asked.

“Matter does not disappear.” Dr. Kumar exclaimed wide-eyed. “A most basic law of physics is that matter cannot be created or destroyed. At most, it might be converted into energy. Matter may also change states, such as ice becoming water and then water vapor, but throughout it all, water is still H2O.”

Matt listened as the doctor lectured calmly in what he assumed was the man’s teaching voice.

Matt was thinking hard about how to proceed, and he decided to change tack.

“Dr. Kumar, is it possible for a gravitational field to bend space?”

“Mr. Lehman, I am thoroughly confused. Your questions baffle me only in that you ask them.” Dr. Kumar’s voice rose only a little. “We know very little about gravitational forces, and in theory, we believe that gravity may have a small effect on the relativity of space. Still, the effect’s scale is believed to be insignificant over distances of millions of light-years. It is a concept that has some superficial evidence but remains largely hypothetical.”

Dr. Kumar was arguing like a true scientist, and Matt was sure where he wanted to go next.

“Dr. Kumar, what are your thoughts on someone being able to generate a gravitational field?”

“My dear Mr. Lehman, gravity is a function of mass, and since that already exists, one could not create a gravitational field. One could only manipulate mass to affect the gravitational characteristics.” Frustration was edging into Dr. Kumar’s voice and expression. “The point would be,” Dr. Kumar gestured widely, “that if you piled a mountain, the size of Mount Everest made entirely out of iron, the measurable difference in its gravitation field and that of the surrounding land would be measured in infinitesimal fractions. You must need to look at gravity on a cosmic scale to see meaningful variations in gravitational forces!”

It was time. Matt knew he had to dangle the bait and see if Dr. Kumar would bite.

“Dr. Kumar, would you like to see an artificially created gravitation field and watch as matter vanishes from time and space?”

“Mr. Lehman, as I have said already, such things are impossible. We are discussing something that cannot happen!” Dr. Kumar’s voice elevated both in volume and pitch. “This discussion is leading to nothing that has a meaningful outcome. I am surprised that you have spent the time and expense to come here if this is all you have to discuss.” Dr. Kumar closed his eyes and leaned back, obviously frustrated.

“Sir, I ask you again, would you like to see it?” Matt leaned forward.

Dr. Kumar opened his mouth to reply, but instead of words, his eyes opened and locked with Matt’s. He leaned forward. Cautiously, and asked, “You are telling me you have seen this occur?”

“We have seen and documented the experiment and its results but are only guessing at the cause and what actually happened.”

Silence swayed heavily in the cloaked booth. Dr. Kumar placed his hands on the edge of the table, slowly drumming the surface with his fingers.

“Mr. Lehman, I have watched as many new truths have unfolded these many years. I will say that though I am skeptical, I would very much be interested in this phenomenon.”

“I have some selected data available,” Matt said. “I would suggest that, possibly tomorrow, we meet at my hotel, and you can look at it?”

Dr. Kumar pulled a little book from his pocket. “I will be at your hotel at 10:15 a.m.”

The men shook hands.

“I do not remember being this intrigued in many years,” Dr. Kumar said. “I am cautiously excited about what you have implied and am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow.”

“Dr. Kumar, I have come to you in confidence and will ask that you do not talk with anyone about this. After all, we are not sure what it is, and until we know, it would be premature to speculate.”

“Mr. Lehman, you have my word.”

Dr. Kumar slipped his hand through a seam in the curtain. Within a few seconds, the music stopped, and the drapes were pulled open by their waiter.

“Is all satisfactory?” the waitperson asked.

“Yes, most satisfactory,” Matt said.

The two men went their separate ways: Dr. Kumar back to Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Matt back to the hotel. Matt emailed Chris, using vague terms to tell him about the meeting, and then took a tour of the city. It was a packaged tour with canned sites and a narrative, but it was still informative and helped pass the afternoon.

The next day, Matt was ready and waiting for Dr. Kumar in the hotel lobby. The doctor walked in precisely at 10:15. The men greeted, and Matt led the way back to his room.

The room was actually a small suite with a bedroom, a separate bathroom, and a sizable sitting room. Matt had ordered some tea and fruit from room service, and everything had been set up fashionably on the coffee table between two sofas.

After inviting Dr. Kumar to sit and serving tea, Matt went into the bedroom and emerged with his laptop computer. It was on, and he plugged the thumb drive into the USB port and then entered the access code.

Taking a seat next to Dr. Kumar, he clicked the drive icon. There were two files. The first was the video file Chris had originally shown Matt. Matt clicked play and narrated to Dr. Kumar. They watched it all the way through once.

“This must be a manipulated image,” Dr. Kumar said. “I have investigated several supposed phenomena and always proved them untrue.”

“This is the original digital image,” Matt said. “No one has tampered with the data.”

“If you would, play it again,” Dr. Kumar asked. He leaned closer to the screen, his eyes scanning the pixels closely. “Stop here.”

Matt hit the pause symbol. The video froze.

Dr. Kumar pulled glasses from his shirt pocket and slid them on. He leaned to within an inch, his nose almost touching the screen. “Please back up a few seconds and play forward.” This time, he seemed more intense in his evaluation of what he saw.

Matt watched as the doctor dissected and analyzed the video. After almost an hour, Dr. Kumar looked at Matt. “I think I understand your dilemma. This is a genuine phenomenon, but like you, I cannot say what happened.”

“Let’s look at some other information,” Matt said. “It may help.”

Matt closed the video file and opened a photo file. Chris had snapped almost fifty pictures of the lab before dismantling it. They revealed the symmetry of the missing materials and included close-ups of various objects at the point where the event ended.

These were as interesting to Dr. Kumar as the video. He poured them over, enlarging and reducing, switching from one to another.

Finally, he eyed Matt. “I am totally convinced that this is real, and it is a discovery on a scale not realized before.”

Matt, for the first time, interrupted, “Dr. Kumar, my colleagues and I believe that there is good in this, but we also fear that in the wrong hands, this has destructive capability beyond anything ever seen. That is why you and I are now at a crossroads. To continue, I must ask for your word that this will remain a secret between you, me, and my colleagues.”

“But, Mr. Lehman, this should be researched and developed by the best minds that can be found. This discovery is much too big to be hidden away.”

Matt peered at the doctor, slowly shaking his head. “Maybe I have misjudged you if you truly believe it is safe to make this public. You believe that if placed in the hands of universities and research institutions, it will safely be controlled and never find its way to military labs to become a weapon or a political tool?” He leaned forward and started to shut the computer.

“Wait,” Dr. Kumar said.

“For what?” Matt asked. “The devastation and destruction that this could generate is beyond anything man has ever conceived. If you feel it is benign, then sadly, we have nothing further to discuss.”

Matt closed the computer and withdrew the thumb drive.

Dr. Kumar sat quietly for several seconds. “What is it you plan to do with this?”

Matt looked him directly in the eye. “My priority is to establish a safe place to continue research that will let us confirm the answers to the unknown. We know it has destructive potential, but we want to examine every aspect of how it could benefit humankind. Not by the power-hungry and those who place little value on life, but as a means to improve life and the welfare of all peoples.”

Matt paused. He wanted to be sure that Dr. Kumar understood his next words. “If we cannot find sufficient good, then everything will be destroyed, and all records will be erased. We make no apologies to the academic community. Only we know how it was generated. We will not reveal our secret to any but those who recognize that it must be kept from any who would use it against their fellow man.

“Dr. Kumar, if you cannot see the truth in what I am saying, then it is time we said goodbye.” Matt peered intensely at the doctor.

Dr. Kumar leaned back, his head lifting toward the ceiling, eyes closed, hands placed flat on his knees. Slowly, he opened his eyes and faced Matt.

“Mr. Lehman, I have spent many years in the academic realm, and the culture is to discover and seek recognition for our accomplishments. I apologize that my mind is conditioned this way. I do understand the risk inherent in exposing this kind of discovery. Normally, I would say that those who would use it for evil would be judged by their actions, but I see the heart of your message.”

He lowered his head for a moment, then raised it. “If we put a bomb in the hands of a madman and he kills thousands, we also bear the responsibility for the death of the innocent.”

Dr. Kumar’s voice became stronger. “If you swear that you wish not to use this personally for power and glory, then I will also promise that I will work with you and keep this a secret from all who would use it to harm.”

Matt paused for several seconds. “I do swear, Dr. Kumar, that I have no intention of using this discovery for anything but that which will help mankind. I have no interest in power or wealth. I have more of both than I deserve. If you are truly sure that you can abide by the promise you have made, then I am sure that we can work together, and the world will benefit.”

“I will,” Dr. Kumar said. “You have my sworn oath.”

Matt had one more file on a separate thumb drive to show Dr. Kumar. He plugged it into the computer, raised the lid, and keyed the access code. It was a data file with the input and output readings from the experiment. Dr. Kumar peered at the data charts.

“These are electromagnetic outputs,” Matt said. “Note this point where the sensors detected a new waveform.

“90-degree pattern to the plane of the signal. Typical electromagnetic waves, though more dense than normal,” Dr. Kumar commented.

Matt explained the concept of the layered beam and that over six thousand frequencies were embedded in the output beam. They scrolled the data forward. He pointed out the changes as the input power increased, then watched as Dr. Kumar recognized the point at which the pattern began to change. Finally, he noted the last reading in the signal, where the waves were at a 45-degree angle to the signal plane.

Dr. Kumar looked at Matt, “Gravity?”

“We have no other explanation,” Matt said.

“I now understand better why you feel the way you do. I see what you see, but I am not sure that gravity is the only explanation. You came here, I believe, to see if I would be willing and able to help in the research of this?”

“Yes, that is why I am here.”

“I would like to be a part of your group and will promise to do my best to support your efforts.” Dr. Kumar grinned.

“I will have Dr. Christopher Martin contact you,” Matt said. “He is the man responsible for the design and execution of the experiment. The two of you will work out how to share data. I will inform you that I have implemented strict security measures for this information, and you will only be able to access it via our secure site. You will not be able to copy, print, or manipulate the original data. You will be able to work online and through an encrypted link to create new files and databases at our secure location. Any attempt at copying information or altering the original data will cause the immediate shutdown of all communications.”

“This is extreme,” Dr. Kumar said, “but I understand and agree. I am scheduled to be in the United States in the middle of February to attend a conference in Houston. Possibly I could meet with this Mr. Martin?”

Matt immediately thought of Ling and said with a smile, “I may see you there, and maybe we can arrange a field trip. Do you like farms?”

“I am not much acquainted with farming, but I will have some time free during the conference.”

“I apologize if I seemed cold and direct,” Matt said, “but this is a burden that I take seriously, and in time, you will see I also have a brighter side.”

For the first time since entering the room, both men smiled and shook hands.

Dr. Kumar headed back to the university, and Matt shut down the computer, placed the thumb drives in his briefcase, and locked it. He lay down and slept for several hours. Waking, he showered, ordered room service for supper, got his computer out, and sent Chris an email saying the meeting had gone well.

Early the next morning, Matt was on a plane heading home, contemplating their next steps.

“Well, you’ve stuck your foot in big time. Don’t screw up!” Matt mused as the plane touched down in St. Louis.