Wheel of Time - A Prequel
Chapter 4
Maxwell Schlange, along with two of his assistants, peered intently at a computer screen filled with information. The computer was linked to a cluster of instruments arranged tightly at the head of a gurney. A sedated animal was strapped down while the instruments took measurements. The researcher shifted his gaze from the display to the animal, Canis lupus dingo, a type of wild dog. It remained conscious, but was acquiescent enough that it did not attempt to strain against its restraints. Maxwell reviewed the accumulated data on the subject and his eyes narrowed to slits. Over a month's worth of experimentation had failed to divulge any meaningful results, with no recorded connections or interactions from the animal's neural wave functions on space time turbulence. Telemetry confirmed that the nanobots had successfully deployed, self-organized into a cluster, and completed modifications to the target's basal ganglia. It appeared that the altered wave functions appeared to briefly touch the quantum foam, but spontaneously dissipated.
Maxwell sighed and entered some notations in the lab's database. None of the twenty-two Canis lupus dingo specimens had yielded any results. He turned to his assistants. "Have this machinery powered down and return the test subject back into the forest." The two nodded in assent.
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DATE: 2182-09-24
Section 01 of 02 Moscow 00003056
SUB: FAILED TALKS WITH RUSSIA, AFRICA, AND IRAN
1. (S) Summary: The meetings with diplomatic staff from Russia, African countries, and Iran have proven ineffective and have broken off. Occupation of locations in England and Western United States by these countries continues with escalating violence by state agents in attempt to expand occupied areas. All military attempts at recapturing these areas using operations with minimal collateral damage have failed. In addition, air strikes using Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bombs (MOABs) have also failed. It is suspected that state agents are located either deep underground or in hardened structures. Casualties from collateral damage are estimated in excess of 160,000.
Attempts at Tomahawk strikes from US and NATO groups at key state military targets were intercepted and have been ineffective.
Recommend: 1) continued talks with diplomatic staff from Russia, African countries, and Iran, and 2) consider use of Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV) delivery system for nuclear payloads at Russian, African, and Iranian strategic assets, and deployment of Tactical Tectonic Warhead (TTW) system to Eurasian and African tectonic plate locations as laid out in Section 03 of POSEIDON.
- END TRANSMISSION -
- BEGIN TRANSMISSION -
DATE: 2182-10-13
Section 01 of 05 Baffin 00010812
SUB: LOSS OF NORTHWEST PASSAGE
1. (S) Summary: Communications have been lost with all United States monitoring equipment along the Northwest Passage. At 03:30 GMT on 2182-10-12, transmissions ceased from Central Stations 03, 04, 08, 15 and 26. Initial analysis by Department of Defense (DoD) based on information from orbital-based assets and hardened ground-based assets indicates cause due to probable use of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) devices. Visual analysis by DoD from ground-based assets seems to indicate use of missile delivery systems fired from submarines or other underwater vehicles. Structure of missiles is consistent with those used by Russian state military. Unable to continue visual monitoring from hardened ground-based assets after 03:50 GMT on 2182-10-12 due to simultaneous assault from ground-based forces. Identification of forces unknown at this time.
Similar losses of ground-based monitoring assets of NATO, Canada, and Norway in Northwest Passage have also occurred. Analysis by DoD on total loss of ability to monitor and maintain control of Northwest Passage indicates that Russia state actors will attempt to use Northwest Passage to escalate deployment of weapons and supplies through Northwest Passage using underwater vehicles to reinforce strategic foreign-held locations along Unites States eastern seaboard and European locations.
Recommend: 1) emergency convening of Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC) to determine firing solutions using Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV) delivery systems for nuclear payloads at Russian, African, and Iranian strategic assets, and final refinement of settings for Tectonic Tactical Warhead (TTW) system along Eurasian and African tectonic plates based on latest POSEIDON simulations, and 2) final attempt at re-establishment of communication with Russian diplomatic staff.
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The head of the Canis lupus lupus specimen twitched. Its eyes continuously shifted as it tried to focus on the machinery and multiple people looking at it.
Despite the array of computers, video cameras, and other devices recording every instant of the experiment, Kali was attempting to track every moment herself. Thesar Daesad burst into the room and ran up to her, out of breath, and managed to gasp, "I just heard about your breakthrough! Have you managed to initiate an quantum foam event with this wolf?"
Kali waved back Thesar, without shifting her attention away from the scene in front. "Yes and no. Well, to be more specific, we may have. However, we may have discovered something else with equal, if not more, significance."
She pointed at one of the screens. It displayed a graphical representation of the quantum wave functions that connected the brain of the Canis lupus lupus specimen to space time turbulence. Thesar pushed aside two other researchers to obtain a closer view, and they looked at him with some reproach.
"As you can see," Kali said, "the wave function interactions are being monitored in near real-time. The representations indicate an interaction between the Canis lupus lupus, or Point "A", and Point "B", which we believe to be space time turbulence. Of course, Points "A" and "B" are not actual physical locations, but represent connections in space time. What's important are the echoes and shifts in these wave functions. We've observed functions that seem to spontaneously materialize and suddenly dissipate, parallel to the base functions. We've also observed these base functions appear to suddenly shift, and then shift back to their original locations."
The raven-haired researcher held up her hand before Thesar could speak. "Before you ask, these are not errors in either the equipment or noise. We've spent several weeks analyzing those possibilities and have eliminated them."
For the first time since he entered, Kali looked directly at him. "We believe that this activity indicates two things: evidence of alternate realities, and this Canis lupus lupus specimen, and other similar subjects, attempting to access these realities.
"The existence of other dimensions or realities have been postulated in several theoretical frameworks such as compact dimensions in string theory, dimensions that exist parallel to our own universe, and the many worlds interpretation in quantum mechanics based on wave function collapse creating new universes. However, this is the first direct observable event that may point to their existence and nature of those realities."
Thesar slowly shook his head. "That seems like an extremely large leap of faith to make, but for the sake of argument, I'll accept it as fact. Tell me some more about these events."
"Canis lupus lupus is the first family in the Canidae order in which we've observed these events. I've also heard of promising data with specimens from the Squamata order. For the events, they tend to occur shortly after the nanobots have assimilated with the specimen brains, and during instances where physical stimuli is, ahh, introduced to the subjects."
"Physical stimuli?"
"Yes, strong physical stimuli that could be construed as pain-inducing events." Kali looked slightly defensive. "After the initial period where the subjects attempt to make contact -"
"- Allegedly make contact", said Thesar.
"Yes, allegedly make contact, there would be almost no follow-up attempts to repeat the events. However, we found that by inducing painful stimuli, the subjects would repeat their attempts." Kali looked thoughtful. "It's almost as if they're looking for a way to escape the situation they're in, and being physically restrained, that is how they're attempting to escape."
"Inflicting pain on animal test subjects as a method to extract experimental data? I hope for our sakes that nobody outside of this building knows about this."
Kali smiled, "Nobody knows. Besides, the data that we've been able to accumulate has been invaluable for our work. Even though we haven't observed any attempt by the subjects to actually interact with the quantum foam, the discovery of access to space time turbulence and potential existence of alternate dimensions is incredible. I believe this represents an incredible leap forward for us, and it may move us closer to nanobot implementation in humans.
"Thesar, once we've concluded this experiment, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could work with me in examining the data."
The grey-haired researcher nodded slowly. "I'd be honored to."