Clic

CLIC Geneva, Switzerland, August 15, 2010 Dear Ted, This is not the summary I expected to submit. I find that regrettable, but as you will learn, my options in writing this were quite limited. For simplicity's sake, I will be quoting dialogue directly from my recorder. I know that this is not the norm for such reports, but I believe this will provide you with a far better overview of the project and its results. I will be returning to Kansas City early tomorrow if it is still there. Bad joke, I know. We can meet then to go over the details. For now, here is my summary report, which begins with my conversation at the Hilton bar last night with Dick Sullivan. I should remind you that there is still bad blood between us. "You know, Dick, my job, as usual, will be to write this up. I haven’t forgotten our last conversation, so for you, I will refrain from highlighting anything. I know how sensitive you are about that.” (Ted, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist the chance to mess with him one more time.) “Thanks loads, Smith. I’m sure you see it as a magnanimous gesture on your part.” (As you can see, a lot of editing will be necessary.) “No, Dick, the way I see it, this is history with a capital "H." Smashing neutrons together at near light speed has never been attempted, and the result will probably change the way science views the creation of the universe. I want to make sure that I have my facts straight. The image recorded will reveal the aftermath of the Big Bang a trillionth of second after its occurrence. Is that correct?" "That's accurate.“ "Dick, I have spent two months interviewing scientists who speak a language I am not well versed in, but somehow, I will piece it all together. I know you don’t want to, but you can help me. There have been statements made by various members of the team that are conflicting at times, and others that I need some help translating. And yes, as I mentioned at the bar last night, there are some things that disturb me. "Like what?" "Well, for the record, would you tell me about CLIC from your personal perspective?" “Smith, what is this - a damned magazine article?” “No Dick, and you know why I‘m asking. I don‘t want to simply repeat my CLIC report verbatim.” "Oh, you’re drumming that up again? Alright. Let's see, that was about two years ago...maybe less. We were still quite unsophisticated; the progress since then has been remarkable. But yes, I would say that was the beginning. We had managed to accelerate protons and collide them at high speed - nothing like this, mind you, and we got ourselves a picture of electrons orbiting a proton nucleus, much like a galaxy.” “Was it?” I asked him. “My goodness, no. You have to remember that the picture we had was only a photograph of the imprint left by this formation’s presence in alcohol vapor. We didn’t have digital electronic microscopy developed to the levels we do now, and of course we are only talking about a trillionth of a second. But...the gaseous imprint lasted much longer.” “Wasn’t there some controversy about that?” A redundant photograph?” “Ah, here you go again. You are getting me onto some shaky ground, Mr. Smith.” “Why is that?” “Well, as you recall, we had a blind chamber…something like what the drug

companies do when they run clinical trials...some of the patients receive a placebo. This way, they have some point of comparison. If, for example, the placebo group responds to the trial medication identically to the group receiving the medication, they know that the study is not valid.” “So, again, for continuity’s sake, what does that have to do with the CLIC experiment?” “Probably nothing. However, a photograph was taken of the blind chamber, and the gaseous tracks were identical. Some of my associates suggested that we had actually photographed a parallel system.” “I take it you didn’t buy it?” “No. Our technology was sloppy back then. There were hundreds of variables that could have discounted that photograph.” Ted, I left it hanging; for two reasons. One, I still don’t fully understand the technology, and two…you’re going to think I have lost my mind - I suddenly had no idea where I had gotten the information about CLIC to begin with. I know, it sounds like I have Alzheimer’s. At least if I had my notes, or a copy of the report…well, anyway, it had simply popped into my head, but not as if it was a genuine memory. It disturbed me because Sullivan had validated something that seemed to have come from my imagination, and that was scary. I went back and searched for my notes and hibernated for two days. Also, Ted, something about that blind chamber photograph haunted me. I went to Stuart Schwartz, Associate Director. “The blind? Yes, I recall it.” “What do you think about it.” “What do I think? Smith, I published two papers on the subject. Both were soundly rejected by the scientific community.” “Why?” “Well, I had proposed the existence of a parallel universe - I was regarded as a quack.” “Supposing that your theory was correct, what would that mean as far as this test is concerned?” “Nothing. I abandoned the theory. It was more important to me to be a part of the technology, and I wanted to work with Sullivan.” I asked a question then that I regretted as soon as it came out of my mouth. “So you sold out?” “No. You’ll have to excuse me. I have work to do.” Ted, I had learned years ago that the “pit bull” approach to report writing didn’t work. You either went with the flow or you wound up with a lousy report. I had just alienated the number two man...possibly even the number one man for asking the question to begin with. I returned to hibernation and wrote; for the most part verbatim from notes and statements given to me by the project engineers. My report wasn’t working. I was continually bothered by the CLIC experiment. Finally, frustrated and desperate for answers, I approached Tim Rhoden, head of image engineering. “Yeah, I can tell you about CLIC. I was there.” “Tim, I don’t want to know about CLIC. I want to know about the blind chamber photo.” “Smith, I have never been able to reconcile that, so I ignore it.” “Can I ask why?” “Why? If I buy it for what it suggested, this test should be shut down immediately. If there is a leak at collision...” Sullivan appeared and pulled Rhoden aside. I couldn’t hear the words, but it sounded like Sullivan was reading

the riot act to Rhoden, who walked away shaking his head. “Smith!” Sullivan called out to me. I think you can understand why I approached him gingerly. “Listen, Smith. You are writing a report, not an investigative journal. Leave CLIC alone.” __________ Two days before the test, I received a terse memo from Dick Sullivan. To: Michael Smith, Communications Specialist Re: CERN Date: September 12, 2010 Your report is to include only those items of information provided to you directly by me. Thank you. Richard Sullivan, Project Director That was rather blunt, don't you think? __________ The night before the test, Stuart Schwartz knocked on my door. “Let’s talk.” His voice was shaky and there was fear in his eyes. “There are leaks. Sullivan insists they are harmless. I know that they are not.” “How so?” “About CLIC. I did sell out. Call it scientific greed if you want. I sold out. If they run this test as planned, the world as we know it will change.” “I don’t understand.” “Objects, time and place will exist in parallel, and each parallel will be altered randomly.” I made some notes while he spoke, but I didn’t believe him. To me, it was science fiction, and the crazed expression on his face didn’t help. “Smith, what you fail to understand is that time is only a man-made construct. The effects of the test are already happening...they have been happening since time as we know it began.” “Well,” I said, “then there’s nothing that can be done about it.” “Not true. In any of the parallels, if the test can be aborted, the parallels disappear.” “If that’s so, where do we wind up?” “That I don’t know, but wouldn’t you rather be in one place than an infinite number simultaneously?” I honestly thought at that moment that Schwartz was deranged. On the way out, though, Schwartz said something that scared me. “Take a close look at your report and your notes, Smith, because you may never see them again.” I didn’t sleep well that night. __________ It was time. Sullivan called me to his side. "Smith, this is what we have all been waiting for. This, my friend, is a moment...a moment!" I swear to you, Ted, there was a maniacal look in his eyes. "Stay here with me." "Okay, everyone, we're in countdown mode now." "Dick, I still think we should wait." "Stu, you've been saying that for a month, but there's no reason not to go ahead." "No, there are...the leaks." "There are always leaks, Stu, you know that. A perfect vacuum is impossible."

"But these are...there are too many, and the one at Nominal Phase 12 can be fixed." "Stu, we can screw around with this for ten years and it will still be imperfect. We have to go with this now or we lose the funding." "Dick." It was Stan Rubin, Control Chief. "Yes, what is it, Stan." "We're checked and ready." "The checks, gentlemen." "Prelim, check." "Initial, check." "Injector Initial, check." " Drive Beam Accelerator, check." "Linac, check." "Combiner, check." "Good. Do we have Nominal ready, everyone?" "Yes sir." "Let's hear the ready's." " Shielding, ready." "CE, ready." "Delay Loop, ready." "Injector Mod, ready." "RF Power, ready." "Clex ready!" "Everyone, this is history. Run the loop copies." " T- minus 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25..." "Dick, listen, please!" "Shut up, Stu. This is it." "20,19,18,17,16..." "Acceleration beam targeted!" "12,11,10,9..." "Combiner live!" "8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, Go!" "Go, I said, go!" "We did, sir." Nothing happened. You could hear the silence. Then, almost imperceptibly, there was a flicker. 4,236 technical personnel and scientists stood in an open field. The huge facility, the 16.8 mile accelerator track was gone...everything was gone. A multibillion dollar facility that had been twenty years in the making had disappeared. I stood there, looking at Sullivan. He looked back at me with a quizzical expression. Schwartz was right. The sonofagun was right!