Free The Traveler's Companion by Christopher John Chater Page A

hole in the wall and take a look into the next room.”
    “Punch a hole?” Gibbons asked, squinting.
    “Yes. You’re familiar with Einstein’s general relativity theory concerning the nature of space-time?”
    “Just keep going, Iverson.”
    “Einstein discovered that space-time can bend, and, during the immense gravitational forces of a supernova, it can even tear. If space can rip, the obvious question is: what’s beyond it? There are theories: parallel universes, anti-matter, the Wizard of Oz. Take your pick.”
    Gibbons appeared perturbed by the task of absorbing all this information.
    “I’m sure you’re familiar with CERN laboratories in Geneva and their experiments using the LHC.”
    Gibbons threw up his hands in sarcastic surrender.
    “The LHC, or Large Hadron Collider, is a massive, twenty-seven kilometer particle accelerator designed to smash protons together at a fraction slower than the speed of light. This experiment recreates the conditions just after the big bang and allows scientists a glimpse into the origins of the universe. A controversial byproduct is the formation of what they call mini black holes. Black holes, of course, make people nervous, but these black holes are smaller than the nucleus of an atom. Millions of times smaller. The rumors that are going around about these experiments causing a chain reaction that could destroy the universe are speculative at this point. I personally can’t imagine black holes that size causing much of a fuss.”
    “That’s comforting. Black holes aren’t so bad. Have we gotten to the point yet?” Gibbons asked.
    “Yes. Smashing protons could, theoretically, provide a tear in the curtain of our reality at a quantum level and thus a gateway to another dimension. Theoretically.”
    Gibbons actually seemed to be considering this.
    “I should probably tell you that Angela found something in the security camera footage after we lost Melissa Fleming. It was an object vaguely resembling a hand . . . maybe someone was reaching out for her.”
    “A hand?” Gibbons asked.
    “That’s right. When Angela pointed it out, I thought she was mistaken; but considering recent events, I suppose there’s a chance it was a human hand. Someone took Melissa out of the infirmary and into God knows what.”
    Gibbons simply stared at him.
    “Do you have any idea what would happen if he’s discovered trans-dimensional travel?” Iverson asked. “He could move faster than the speed of light. There could be a parallel universe, an invisible neighbor that mirrors our existence exactly, and he’d have the capability to jump back and forth between the two realities, stealing weapons, gaining access to secret government facilities, all the while going completely undetected. He’d be the most powerful person in the world . . . in history.”
    “We need to call this in,” Gibbons said.
    “You want to call for help?”
    “You understand what’s going on here, right? He’s brought us to China for a reason. Do you have any idea what Chinese Intelligence would do to us if they found us here with no passports and no record of entering the country? They’d fry us in a wok and serve us with plum sauce. He knows we can’t escape. How the hell would we get across the border? We’re stuck here.”
    “I’m not sure we’re on the same page,” Iverson said. “Less than an hour ago we were in Langley, Virginia. Now we’re in China. The scientific implications are beyond staggering.”
    “We have operatives here. One phone call. One phone call is all it would take,” Gibbons said, his attention shifting from the exit and then back to Iverson.
    A server pushed a cart up to their table, steamer baskets stacked on top. She placed two small porcelain cups before them and poured them tea.
    “Shit. How does dim sum work again?” Gibbons asked.
    “You’re supposed to pick something off the cart. Be careful though, the Chinese have exotic tastes.”
    “What do you