BOOK 1: SERENDIPITY / CH. 11:REVELATIONS
MONDAY, NOON
“Did you find it?” Kate asked.
“Yes, it was in several pieces. Not all the electronics were there, but we've brought it for curiosity's sake. We also found an EEG-datalogger in the style of a crown so beautiful that any self-respecting little girl would probably want to wear it as much as possible — we should show it to Horace so he and Ivan can go green with envy. And last but not least, we found the prototype here.”
“Interesting symbolism there, John.”
“Yes, indeed. We also sparked some memories with these. Sara's mother had the ability too, we're pretty sure. Then things got a bit stressful for a while but that's all sorted out and we're happy to say we've found a new mode of using the gift.”
“But it does have ethical issues, if it works on other people,” chipped in Sarah.
“Such as?”
“It's true mind reading, Kate. Watching thoughts in action. Not just voiceless speaking.”
“Proof?”
“You really want it, Kate? Think of something we don't know and you don't mind sharing then, and we'll see if it works on you.”
John and Sarah both focussed on Kate and relaxed in that strange way, opening their minds to what Kate was thinking. It worked. Together they witnessed her remembered pain at being dumped by her boyfriend, many years ago. She'd been talking to another boy about religion and her boyfriend had misunderstood the situation. He hadn't listened to her perfectly innocent explanation and instead had broken off with her.
Sarah spoke. “Oh Kate, that's so sad. Why didn't he listen to you? Why just dump you like that?”
“And those things James said about you, how could he! Just because you were talking to Pete about God!”
Kate shook her head in wonder. “You know, I'd almost forgotten Pete's name. But you weren't even holding my hands!”
“We're not sure of the range, but it worked through the walls at Sarah's house.”
“Like you say, ethical issues indeed.”
“So, have you told the others about Sarah joining us?”
“No, but I did schedule a meeting for after lunch.”
“And now everyone's wondering if the long standing rumours of budget cuts have finally come true?”
Kate laughed. “I bet they are at that.”
“And in the interests of enhancing the relief you plan to start the meeting by mentioning the accountants?”
“Hey, no peaking!”
“Not peaking, Kate, I just know you fairly well by now.”
“So, maybe you and Sarah should go huddle together in your office and write a report on all the things that should be kept for posterity. No, actually, you do that John, Sarah can comment on it later. Sarah, I'd like you to help me get sense from this computer. I think it hates me.”
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MONDAY, AFTER LUNCH
“I'm sure that almost all of you are wondering why I've called this meeting. It is actually the first time since the institute was founded that any director has called a meeting for this purpose, but that's exciting, not worrying. Although I have just been talking to our bank manager and the accountants, any rumours about staff losses or cuts in research budgets are just plain wrong.
“Now, those of you who have seen John recently might have noticed that he's been acting a bit odd... The reason for his silly grin is young Sarah here. As far as I know they're not engaged yet, but really that's beside the point.
“Sarah came to us as a patient from the unsolved cases list. She has, since the age of fifteen or so, experienced extreme discomfort in the presence of more than about 40 or so people. We're not sure what the underlying reason for this is, but we have been able to identify the immediate cause. It seems that the discomfort arose as a result her first exposure to such a crowd on the loss and breakage of what we might call exhibit A here.”
On that cue, Sarah tapped the computer console appropriately, and it displayed the broken remains of the tiara. Kate continued, “This was created by Sarah's father who told Sarah never to take it off, just before he and Sarah's mother perished in the Clear Sky shopping centre attack.”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Kate paused for the a murmurs of sympathy among the staff. “It had the form of a hair comb or tiara, and those beads there are circuits. We don't know its exact function, but it clearly acted as a jammer of some sort, which prevented Sarah from using an ability she apparently shared with her mother, though without full control at the time when her father created this unique device.
Kate continued, “I don't know how many of you remember these clauses of our founding constitution...” Sarah tapped the console for the next slide and after a short pause Kate continued, “Those of you involved in budget preparation will know that the institute has been putting aside 5% of all income for a very very long time in order to fund research into proven cases of unusual mental abilities. I am happy to say that I have seen documentary evidence and witnessed enough first hand that I am able, no, compelled, to employ Sarah under these clauses, and the money can come from that account. She's going to be the computer systems expert you've been crying out for, no cutbacks needed. Those special funds are also accessible for research if you can convince Sarah and me it's worth the time, effort etc., and she doesn't object to what you plan. “Ivan, that probably means you don't get the Van de Graaf generator you've been begging me for, but if you and Horrace think you need a kilo or so of some exotic material to make something to investigate her gift, and can convince me it's reasonable, then as long as it's not priced in thousands per gram, you can probably order it.
“Now, I’d like you all to stand in a queue to shake Sarah's hand and welcome her here. As you shake her hand, please think, but do not actually say some kind of message to Sarah. And we'll see if Sarah's current record of 100% accurate mind reading can be broken, OK? Hope you don't mind, Sarah?”
“No, I can try.”
“Ivan, you get to go first, I know you're dying to poke your nose into the remains of that device. Sarah, Ivan works on strange things in the electronics lab most of the time.”
[Hi, I'm Ivan the not so terrible. If you can really hear me, say ‘jaberwocky.’]
“Hello, Ivan the not so terrible, I heard you, you wanted me to say 'jaberwocky.'”
“Wow!”
“Sarah, Ivan's partner in crime, or at least in inventing strange new EEGs and such like is Horrace. Horrace, Sarah's brought the crown her father made her when she was little. Spot the scalp contacts and data-crystal? See how pretty it is? Don't you wish you could make ones that don't look like something from a horror movie?”
[Hello, Sarah, keyword is time-domain-multiplexing.]
“Hello, Horrace, you think time domain multiplexing is one word?”
“Ooh, it's true!”
“Janet here works on brain-activity too, but actually has the people skills to be let near paying clients. She's our medical imaging expert and can probably coax more useful information out of Ivan and Horrace's devices than they can.”
[Hi, Sarah, welcome. ‘Furious green ideas sing asymptotically.']
“Hello, Janet. You said, ‘Furious green ideas sing asymptotically.’ I'd love to know how many bits of my brain that triggers.”
“Maybe we'll find out one day!”
And so it went on. Sarah was introduced to everyone and they were all convinced there was something special about Sarah, though there were a few sceptics who thought that perhaps it was that she could tell from reading expressions or something.
Kate then said, “Now, I've got some more interesting news for you: through some process that Sarah labels prayer and I'd prefer to label unexplained, John here seems to have gained much the same abilities as Sarah, so you've got two test subjects, not just one. They've also just discovered another mode of this thing. In this new mode they seem to be able to access deeper thoughts, not just almost spoken words. In other words we're into the realms of real mind reading too, along with the associated ethical challenges. For some reason they don't even need touch for that to work. If anyone wants to be a guinea pig to have what they're thinking about plucked from their unwilling mind and exposed to us all, then step forwards, otherwise we'll stop this circus show and you can get back to work.”
Ed, a man of about 50 who kept the books, was one of the avowed doubters. He came forwards and said, “Well, maybe you'll be able to convince me if you can work out what I'm thinking while I do this.” And he settled down in lotus position and began to hum a quiet monotone.
John and Sarah both shut their eyes, focussed and relaxed. Ed's top level thoughts were going in a repetitive cycle, and he seemed to be deliberately trying to put them off, thinking, ‘Nothing to see, can't catch me.’ Underneath that was a layer of fear and revulsion at the idea of someone reading his thoughts, and beneath that was a guilty secret. He'd once been church treasurer and had embezzled money from his church to help pay for a holiday for his family. While on holiday he'd felt so guilty and so sure that he would be found out and publicly accused that he'd paid the money back as soon as he could, but the fear and sense of guilt stayed and he eventually left the church and claimed he didn't believe any more.
John and Sarah let their thoughts refocus and meld for a moment to confer. Then Sarah spoke first: “Ed, I hope you'll allow me to slightly misquote Jesus of Nazareth: ‘Arise Ed, your sins are forgiven!’”
John spoke next. “Ed, your top level thoughts were going in circles, ‘Nothing to see, can't catch me.’ Under that, you were afraid and revolted by the idea that a mind reader might see your thoughts and find out a secret. We're not going to reveal the secret here. You sinned but you repented, so we can stand on Scripture to tell you that your sin has been atoned for, and your guilt has been forgiven.”
Sarah continued, “If you need more convincing we can tell you the gory details later, but we'd really recommend you go back to church, Ed, and stop pretending you don't belong there.”
It was a different Ed who got up. Tears of joy were in his eyes as he hugged John and Sarah. “God bless you both, God bless you both.”
There was a somewhat embarrassed silence from the rest of the staff, when Kate said quietly, “That wasn't quite what I had in mind, Ed.”
“But it's what God knew I needed to hear, Kate, it's what God knew I needed to hear.”
Kate flung her hands in the air in disgust, “Am I going to be the only atheist left here surrounded by a group of born again God-botherers?”
“Oh Kate,” Ed replied, you know that it's atheists and agnostics who bother God far more than believers. He's not bothered by people believing in Him at all.”