Serge Bawberg walked the corridors of the collider's control center reading the latest reports. The personnel he passed were careful not to get in his way, that would have been a collision waiting to happen. He never looked ahead when he was concentrating on experimental data. He had poor eyesight anyway, and even with his glasses he had trouble seeing what was going on around him.

Dr. Bawberg wore a white coat with a badge announcing his status as project leader. He was in his fifties, with gray hair and thick eyebrows that were always furrowed these days. Two months had already passed since the anomaly, and he felt like he hadn't made any progress.

The reports in his hands all related to the latest experiment in which they had tried to replicate their previous results. Another failure, unfortunately. No trace of the new particle, no abnormal radiation, no gravitational variation, the quark interactions remained within the reference values... Dr. Bawberg was desperately looking for something he might have overlooked the first time around, but no matter how many times he reread the reports, it didn't change anything.

Dr. Bawberg entered the analysis lab, threw the reports on the first desk he came across, and asked the engineer in charge:

"Hi Marc, anything new on the grid?"

"All the calculations have been done," Marc replied. "There is nothing out of the ordinary."

"And the mathematicians?"

"We finally have an answer. They don't have any theoretical model that fits the data from the anomaly. They say they are working on developing one, but honestly, they look as lost as we do."

Dr. Bawberg grunted and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I don't understand, what are we missing?"

He was so obsessed with this problem that he had hardly been home in a month. He slept on the couch in his office, spending half his nights thinking about how to track down this new particle. He was not far from the Nobel Prize, he could feel it! It was fortunate that his wife had left him two years ago -to find herself-, as she would have hindered him in his research. He had much more important to find than her!

"I was thinking..." began Marc before stopping abruptly.

"By all the gods, speak!" exclaimed Dr. Bawberg. "We've been going around in circles for two months. Any idea is good to go."

“Ok,” Marc said. "So the micro black hole we're creating to teleport particles is supposed to be connected to another dimension, right?"

"Yes, yes," Dr. Bawberg nodded impatiently. "We can't detect the particles while they are inside the micro black hole, but they are bound to be somewhere. The only answer is other dimensions. That's the principle of string theory."

Marc nodded before continuing. "All along we've been thinking that the new particle we've detected comes from this another dimension, but that may not be the case—"

"What are you talking about? We've never measured anything like this on Earth. Gravity variations, no reaction with the Higgs field, it's not possible otherwise!"

"That's not what I meant," Marc objected. "Maybe it didn't come from our world or from the other dimension, but from—"

"Something in between! Like a barrier, of course, how did I not think of this before?"

Bawberg's brain began to race. There had to be something that separated the dimensions from each other. Nothing had happened when they had teleported electrons, protons, or photons through the micro black hole... it was only with an anti-proton that the anomaly had occurred. There must have been an interaction with the barrier!

This meant that it had to be composed of some kind of protonic grid, or at least partly protonic, and that the experiment had unbalanced it. What they had measured were the residues of the collision with the anti-proton, perhaps also particles from the other dimension drawn by the shock, and if he couldn't reproduce the experiment it was because...

Oh my God, we destroyed the barrier!

There was no other possible explanation. Dr. Bawberg was filled with dread, and it was suddenly impossible for him to think. This was the great fear of physicists: to cause something beyond repair. Since he had been in charge of the collider, the idea had never left him, it had always been in the back of his mind. The first scientists who had carried out nuclear fission must have had it too.

He didn't know exactly what he had done to the barrier, nor did he have any idea of the consequences, but he feared he had changed the fundamental structure of reality forever. His head began to spin, and he had to hold onto the edge of a desk to keep from falling. For the first time, he wished that the measurements obtained were only artifacts due to an equipment deficiency.

Except that he had had all the equipment checked at least a dozen times.

What am I going to do?

Marc hadn't noticed his emotion and continued: "If the particle did come from the other dimension, then it can escape from anywhere now, it doesn't need our micro black hole anymore. Surely there must be points of convergence in the world that better match its own nature."

Dr. Bawberg realized that Marc was right. They had to look for a point of convergence. If they didn't find one, it would mean that the destruction of the barrier was inconsequential, or that they had been mistaken and there never was a barrier in the first place. On the other hand, if they found one... well, he would decide what to do at that point.

"We need portable detectors," Dr. Bawberg decreed. "A quantum interferometer to measure gravitational variations, a high-end electromagnetic radiation detector, and a broad-spectrum ionizing radiation detector."

"I can find all that, although it will take me a while to get the interferometer," Marc said, squirming in his chair. "But, Professor, where exactly are we going to look? It was just a theory, maybe there is no point of convergence... and, even if there is, it may not be on Earth."

"We'll look everywhere that anomalous phenomena have been reported," Dr. Bawberg said confidently. "Eventually we'll come across something, and this is our only lead at the moment anyway."

"What are we doing about the rest of the experiments?" asked Marc. "We're two months behind schedule now, we can't leave the collider and supercomputers idle."

"Contact Brookhaven, tell them we're going to run their photon experiments, it's too dangerous to continue with the micro black hole right now."

"I'm on it," Marc assured.

Dr. Bawberg ran a hand through his hair, still troubled despite the decisions he had just made. The prospect of having destroyed an interdimensional barrier was terrifying. Was this what he would be remembered for? At least no one had reported anything dangerous to humans since the anomaly. No radiation or untimely appearance of a black hole, in two months people would have noticed something like that. Things could have been worse...

Leaving Marc to his task, he left the analysis laboratory to go to his office. He felt as if he had gotten carried away talking about doing field research. He hadn't done this since his studies. Plus, he'd always been a bit agoraphobic, and his declining eyesight didn't help matters.

He entered his office and slumped into his computer chair. The room had been kept tidy with meticulous care... before the anomaly. Now it was an incredible mess. A sleeping bag was lying on the couch, coffee cups were scattered on the floor, and the computer screen was half covered with outdated post-it notes.

The whole thing was a disaster. He'd thought he'd made the discovery of the century, and he went too far in his excitement. He shouldn't have cancelled the planned experiments. The existence of the new particle could have been confirmed later... He was in trouble now, barrier destroyed or not.

Dr. Bawberg began to scan his e-mails mechanically. He had spent all his time this month searching for the new particle, and he had let the messages pile up. There were several reminders from the executive committee that he shamelessly ignored, colleagues asking about the anomaly, and... oh? Someone he didn't know. Who was this guy? He opened the email:

Hello Dr. Bawberg,

My name is Leonard Duprat. I am an ethnologist working on shamanism. I know this sounds far from your specialty, but I read your interview about the new particle you discovered. You said that it came from another dimension... I wonder if there could be a link with the supernatural phenomena I observed during shamanic rituals last month. I would like to propose you a collaboration in order to take measurements, and to determine if this new particle could be associated to these phenomena.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Yours sincerely

Leonard Duprat

"Pfff, another lunatic," exclaimed Dr. Bawberg aloud. "Shamanism, no less, how did he get my work email?"

He was about to delete the message when he was interrupted by the sound of heels hitting the floor in the hallway. It must have been Nadège, his assistant, you could always heard her coming long before you saw her. Dr. Bawberg let go of the computer mouse, and turned to his office door. As expected, Nadège appeared a few seconds later.

"Hello professor, there are some gentlemen asking to see you," she said in an affected voice.

Dr Bawberg raised his eyebrows with a questioning look.

Nadège answered the silent question: "More inspectors, I'm afraid..."

Again?! It was the third time this month, didn't they have anything better to do than to be on his back? What was the point of them appointing him as project manager if they weren't going to trust him afterwards. Bloody committee. Dr. Bawberg let out a tired sigh and got up from his seat. There's no escaping this chore, unfortunately.

Everything will be fine. As long as Marc doesn't blather on about this interdimensional barrier, there won't be any problem.

Nadège escorted him to the conference room where three men in suits were waiting for him. The youngest of them had to be around forty years old, he wore a blue suit, and a tie of the same color, these didn't manage to hide his overweight. To his left was a hard-looking guy whose very upright posture emphasized imposing muscles, his grey hair was cut very short. The third guy was standing further back, wearing glasses and looking through them at the tablet he carried with him.

Dr. Bawberg took a deep breath, then entered the room.

"Good morning gentlemen," he said, shaking hands with the three men one after the other. "How can I help you?"

The man in the blue suit spoke up, "Inspector Mulley. It'll be very simple, no need to worry. We just need access to the results of the experiment in which the anomaly occurred, and for you to answer some questions."

"We already went through this last week," Dr. Bawberg remarked. "What more does the committee hope to find?"

Inspector Mulley shook his head. "Ah, I'm afraid you're mistaken, Professor, we're not with the committee. I represent the Department of Research, while Mr. Harper and Mr. Kaplan are army officers, in civilian clothes for the occasion."

Come on, what's all this about now?

Dr. Bawberg shrugged. "Okay, spit it out. What are you looking for?"

Kaplan, the man with the glasses, stepped forward, "The data on the new radiation you discovered, and the protocol by which it was produced."

Harper added in an authoritative voice: "Radiation means weapon."

"I am afraid you will be disappointed, gentlemen," Dr. Bawberg replied. "The experiment was conducted under very special conditions, and the preliminary measurements we have made do not indicate that this radiation is dangerous to man."

This didn't seem to dishearten Kaplan. He pulled his glasses higher up his nose, then asked, "And as an energy source?"

"That's true that the radiation measured was highly energetic, but it's illusory to think of a practical application at this stage, it's far too early. To tell you the truth, we failed to reproduce the initial experiment, and, without any breakthrough, it could take years before we can repeat our observations."

"I don't think you quite understand the situation, Dr. Bawberg," said Inspector Mulley gravely. "We are your last chance."

"How so? Are you threatening me?"

"Quite the opposite, actually. I'm offering you a way out," Mulley continued. "The committee didn't like the way you handled the situation. They lost millions with the delays, not to mention the loss of credibility with international institutions. Your career is over, unless..."

Dr. Bawberg swallowed. "Unless what?"

"Unless your discovery turns out to have military applications. If you can convince us that this particle can help design new energy sources, or make new weapons, we might be able to help you keep your job."

Serge Bawberg was angry. He knew the committee wasn't happy that he had messed up the collider schedule, but to fire him! How dare they? He was the most brilliant physicist in the country, he had published hundreds of papers, he knew all the big names in the field...

What was he going to do without his work? His career was his life! His wife was gone, his children had their own lives and he hardly ever saw them anymore... Was he going to become one of those retirees who spent their days watching TV? The thought alone made him shudder. No more banter with Marc, no more the sound of Nadège's heels in the hallway, and the hunt for new particles would be over. He would no longer experience that thrill of excitement he always had before reading an experiment report. He would no longer be on the cutting edge of the understanding of the world.

I have to do something.

But what could he do? He had failed to reproduce the anomaly. If the theory of the interdimensional barrier was true, it meant that it was not even possible to reproduce it! There was still the idea of the convergence point, but that was like looking for a needle in a haystack. His only hope was such a slim one...

"How long do I have," he finally asked.

"Two months," Harper said laconically.

"Maximum," Kaplan added. "If you don't have a battle plan, or if we don't see any progress in your search, it will be over in a month."

"That's crazy," returned Dr. Bawberg. "That's not how you do science! It takes time to set up experiments and run them, let alone analyze the results. With only two months—"

"Does that mean you're turning down our proposal?" asked Inspector Mulley.

Dr. Bawberg turned angrily to him. "You're a dirty little rat, Mr. Mulley, you know I have no choice. Fine, I accept your ultimatum, you'll see that I didn't get this job for nothing!"

"Perfect," Mulley said, ignoring the insult he had received. "Your assistant knows how to contact us. We expect all your data on the anomaly within two days, and news of your progress within a month. Have a nice day, professor."

"Have a nice day, my ass," Dr. Bawberg muttered as the trio walked away. "They're just a bunch of parasites..."

As much as he didn't want to lose his job as project leader, the idea of giving the military access to a new energy source made him bristle. As the saying goes, science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul, and the military was not known for its good conscience. Well, one thing at a time. He had to find this convergence point first, he would still have time to worry about the implications of his discovery later.

Dr. Bawberg went back to his office lost in thought. High-energy radiation could cause disease, promote the proliferation of certain plant and animal species, or disrupt nearby electromagnetic devices. With a little luck, the point of convergence had appeared near the collider, which would limit the search area. He had two months of news to review to determine the most likely locations, and then he had to go out into the field with Marc. Time was already running out.

He sat down in his chair and took a post-it note to list the equipment they would need. They would have to rent a van to start with, the detectors would take up a lot of space. The insurance wouldn't cover the use he planned to make of them, but never mind. Dr. Bawberg mechanically grabbed the coffee cup next to him, and brought it to his mouth. It was empty. He threw it on the floor in disgust, he should have stopped at the vending machine on his way back.

He was about to print out a copy of the reports on the anomaly, you never know, when Leonard's e-mail came up on the screen. Supernatural phenomena, huh? After all, the research had to start somewhere... Dr. Bawberg pressed the reply button and wrote:

Mr. Duprat, hello,

I have read your e-mail, and was just about to do some field work. Where did you observe these supernatural phenomena? If you would like to make an appointment in the next few days, I would be happy to come and take measurements at this location.

Wishing you a happy and healthy year ahead.

He just needed the location, not the shamanism nonsense. Hopefully this Leonard won't pester him too much about it.