Laser Light

Chapter 3

29th August

Dr Carl Rozman sat at his desk in Lab Number Twelve in the Silver Star Research Facility. The project he was working on was the SLP or Super Luminal Project. Dr Phillip Hammond had been developing the concept a couple of years earlier, but had abandoned the project due to other commitments. Carl, who had experience in this field from working at a research laboratory in Europe, had been hired three months earlier to continue the work.

He looked at his computer screen again. Up until recently it was thought that tachyonic particles, which could theoretically travel faster than light, were hypothetical, but the research facility's super computer, SystemA, had not only refuted this, but had just produced the schematics for a tachyon particle generator. He shook his head in disbelief as he examined the diagrams. This was an extraordinary breakthrough. Could it actually work? He had been working with the computer for the last three months, and suddenly out of the blue it came up with the answers he had been looking for. Nearly everything needed to construct the generator was here in his lab, except for a tiny quantity of a rare isotope. If he could get it, he could have the generator ready for testing in less than two weeks.
"Computer," he said, "Where can I get two grams of C14?"

It was just past ten in the evening when Tracy heard the front door close. Grace walked into the lounge room and sat down. "Well, how did your dinner go with the Rozmans?" Tracy asked, "And how did you get home? You didn't call me to pick you up."
"Mum, there are only two of them, Shannon and her father. He drove me home. He's not much of a cook so they ordered in Chinese food. It was a good dinner. But Mum, Carl Rozman was really excited. Something happened at work today, some kind of major breakthrough, although he didn't actually say that because it's level one security. I just picked it up. Isn't he working on the Super Luminal Project?"

Tracy sighed. "Isn't there any level one information in that place you don't know about? Yes he is. Your granddad was working on the same thing a couple of years ago and now Dr Rozman is continuing his work."

"Well I have my own theory on how to create tachyons," Grace said casually, "A couple of weeks ago I was working with SystemA on a plan for a tachyon particle generator. Now Mum, tell me what happened when Granddad went down to B3 today?"

Tracy missed it. She completely missed it, with too many things on her mind. Grace's comment about a tachyon particle generator slipped right past her as she thought about B3. "I just got off the phone with him," she replied, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"That's right. No paranormal activity, no voices, no images, and no crystal cluster."

Grace looked thoughtful. "Hmmm," she said, "Maybe the entity is hiding. Maybe it has an agenda."

"An agenda?"

"Well it has intelligence, so who knows what it's planning to do. It probably doesn't want to be kept down in a basement lab forever. Maybe it wants to escape."

"That's assuming the thing is really still alive," Tracy muttered.

"Ummm, Mum, I have something to tell you," Grace said a little hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"I've found out Shannon's secret." Grace paused, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Tracy looked at her daughter expectantly. "Well?" she said.

"I don't want you to freak out, Mum, but tonight when I was hanging out with Shannon in her room she came right out and told me. Mum, she likes me. I mean she really likes me." Grace emphasised the word 'likes' and made quote marks in the air with her fingers. "That's why we couldn't get her thoughts. She's not a telepath, she was just being guarded about telling me about her feelings towards me."

"Hmmm, well that explains a lot," Tracy said, "So, Grace, do you feel the same way about her?"

"Ha ha, don't worry, Mum. I'm not a lesbian or bi, and I told her. She was disappointed, but she said it doesn't affect our friendship. We're still besties."

Tracy just nodded, not sure what to say.

"By the way," Grace continued in a casual voice, are you dating again since Dad left? You don't want to be alone for the rest of your life."

This completely caught Tracy off guard. Should she tell Grace the truth? She had wanted to wait.

Grace caught her mother's expression and laughed. "You don't have to answer, Mum, cause I know you are, and I know who it is. I'm going to bed. Good night." She walked off to her room with a smile on her face.

2nd September

The engineering section at the Silver Star Research Facility had delivered the components constructed to the specifications Carl Rozman had sent them. He checked them over again for a third time, then called his assistant. "James," he said with a smile, "We have some assembling to do. If that isotope gets here in the next few days we can be ready to go to the test phase in about week."

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