Zero Point Energy

By Sarit Hashkes

Sometime in the not too distant future...
Under the mantle of the OTG (Only True God), all extreme monotheistic religions have banded together and taken control over 40% of the world. Meanwhile in the Free World, a new technology, utilizing the universe’s zero point energy, emerges. A young woman is the key to controlling this paradigm changing technology but she has plans of her own...

Following in the steps of classics Sci Fi this book asks the ‘big questions’.
Quantum Physics, Absurdist Philosophy, Meme Theory, cutting edge brain research, religion and open relationships, combine to make this Sci Fi novel one of the most researched fiction stories out there. Interactive links throughout the book are sure to pull readers deep into the mysteries of the universe while turning the pages of this compelling story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sarit Hashkes
• Release date: Aug 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9780463955529

Sarit Hashkes

I could probably write this section in 20 different ways so, I’ll try to make it somewhat connected to the book but don’t take it too seriously :)Coming from a religious background I learned early on not to take my freedom for granted. I’ve been spat on, thrown stones at and nearly lynched by ultra-orthodox Jews on a few occasions in my former hometown of Jerusalem. Currently I’m looking for a new place to settle down in...I’ve been practicing martial arts for most of my life and I’m trying to pass on the knowledge I’ve gained (www.youngherotales.com)I somehow completed a bachelor’s degree in PhysicsI was somehow a police woman for two years, working for the forensic department, investigating violent crimes.I’ve been writing Sci – Fi stories since high school and living in my own imaginary world since forever.I’ve never believed in monogamy and don’t practice it (not really sure what I do believe in)I started blogging in university as well as writing for the university newspaper. My biggest scoop (with another great blogger) was uncovering corruption in the Jerusalem election campaign. The former mayor, an ultra-orthodox Jew, hired a campaign manager who was coercing workers, using family members and inventing people to put in ads claiming the secular populations supports the religious mayor. Also got dressed up as an ultra-orthodox boy and got into an all men’s club along with loads of other strange anthropological experiences. What can I say “Do one thing every day that scares you” is the closest thing I have to a daily prayer.Me and a friend invented a real life clue gameI’m openly bi-sexual, pansexual or whatever none hetro-sextual label you want to put on me.I love climbingFollowing the first slut-walk in Jerusalm, I helped organize,(calling to stop blaming survivors of sexual assaults and harassments for their assault), I wrote a long piece about why I’m proud to be called a slut... Well behaved women seldom make history :)A part of me feels sick from the amount of I’s on this page.

Book preview

Zero Point Energy

Sarit Hashkes

Smashwords Edition

Cover design Harley Bell

Photographer and model of cover photo Shiri Fingold

Copyright 2013 Sarit Hashkes

This book is released under Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA

So feel free to download, copy, edit or whatever just be honest enough to give credit and release under the same conditions.

Dedicated to all of you out there that have the courage to stay lost.

Table of Contents

Part I

Part II

Part I

The security inspection should have been a walk in the park. Abigail checked her list, next up; the lab where the experimentation took place. She'd never imagined her military background being useful for this job. But somehow, among the 23 brainiacs she was working with, the security issues fell on her.

Larry, was in the control room, his dirty blond hair draping over his eyes as he mused over plotted graphs of the experiment results.

Abigail, what brings you to the lab?

Abigail noted Larry’s surprised look. It wasn’t often she made it into the actual lab. When Sol had brought her into the project he'd done it as a friend, not a boss, letting her decide her exact responsibilities. They had met on campus almost a decade ago, teaming up as first year lab partners. Abigail had presented herself as a bouncing hyperactive with a natural talent to collect, organize and humor smart people. It was only natural she’d add Sol to her collection, as he was, undeniably, 'smart people'.

She had managed to complete her physics degree but she was of little help in the technical department. The science was way beyond her Bachelor’s degree. Besides, she remembered shockingly little of her studies. Her usual vocation was translating Geek into something mere humans could understand. That came in especially handy when dealing with investors.

Can you pause for 5 minutes? Abigail asked.

Sure. What’s up?

The military might force us to install some new security measures so I want to come up with a proposal myself, Abigail tried to sound nonchalant.

Well, if we have to do it, we might as well do it right, Larry winked, probably referring to the fiasco that ended Abigail’s military service. It had been a mess back then, but at least she gained her citizenship. She had been relieved from reserve duty so she hadn’t seen any action in a while and she had to admit it would actually be interesting to put some of her know-how back into action.

For a moment she let her imagination run wild, maybe she could even get the military to fund a combat exoskeleton for her. She remembering feeling as strong as a tank and as agile as one of those extinct tigers she loved watching on old vids. It was just about the only thing she missed about the military. Being smaller than most of her unit had been to her advantage as her exo had less weight to carry which would allow it to last longer between recharges. Unfortunately, she knew she’d never be allowed near a weapon like that again. Right now though, she’d settle for a small personal handgun. Not that it would help much against suicide bombers, but the illusion of not being helpless would be nice. She shrugged, that's life.

The thick see-through doors to the lab slid open and Abigail entered the lab’s innermost section. She examined the room socking in every detail; only one entrance, cameras in every corner. They were not recording, meaning, they were linked to the experiments. She knew she'd change that; multitask them as security cams. The room was mostly empty and it was obvious it was dedicated to the 2x2 electronic platform that lay on the floor at the exact center. A robotic arm stood motionless beside it. Abigail couldn't help cracking a smile at the tennis ball shooter out of place fuzzy balls scattered throughout the inner lab. It looked almost impossibly simple considering all the work that had gone into designing it.

This was all a great marvel to her. For the first time since perhaps her pre-military training she felt she was part of something. Way back then, the thought of enlisting in the army and becoming a citizen gave her strength, a sense of purpose. It didn’t last long. Seeing all the thoughtless masses, reciting the values they had been fed, made her realize it was a religion like any other. A godless religion perhaps, but a religion nonetheless, providing one with the belief that there is something beyond meager existence.

Her past experiences made her wary of this new-found sense of purpose and she made sure to maintain a fair amount of cynicism along with it. Belief was the one thing humans seemed to be naturally good at, and here, right in front of her, was a great potential for belief. They really could change the world, if only one of these geniuses figured out how to control the magic.

Some days she found this exciting and she knew that was as good as someone like her could hope for.

Standing mare millimeters from the platform, Abigail tried to sense the field that was being emitted. All that force, all those zooming quantum particles, it was hard to believe it didn’t even cause a tingle of static electricity to creep up her nervous system. If she hadn’t seen the results with her own eyes she probably wouldn’t have believed it herself.

Gunfire in the outer lab ripped Abigail from her thoughts and had her instinctively flat on the floor. More gunshots, no question about it. Then another burst, louder, closer.

She rolled, saw Larry get up before he crumpled in another burst of automatic fire.

Shit, shit, shit!" Her mind raced. She had nothing to block the door, no exit, no weapon and as usual no commlink. She scrambled to the left and hit the fire alarm. The lab filled with a loud ringing but it wouldn't stop them. Maybe it bought her a few more seconds of life. She wasn't entirely sure she was fond of life but she sure as hell wasn't going to let someone take it. Just then she saw two masked gunmen with automatic MG 27s striding towards the lab.

They were wearing the unmistakable insignia of the OTG, a star of David with a cross at its center surrounded by a half crescent moon.

She sprang up and ran towards the electronic platform, what the hell, she thought while a little voice inside her laughed at her impending end. She jumped on top of the platform just as the gunmen reached the door.

Who could have guessed the morning meeting wouldn’t turn out to be the worst event of the day?

______________________________________________________

Three hours before the shooting started, Abigail arrived at the conference room five minutes early. It was part of her futile battle against the ever marching passage of time and a habit she had become rather addicted to. She knew the feeling of control that came with this addiction was an illusion, yet she persisted with it anyhow.

She began checking the 3D display, loading the presentation she had worked on, when Sol came in.

Everything ready? he asked, slightly nervous.

Don’t worry, I have your back, she answered, patting Sol on the shoulder.

I see you’ve dressed the part, Sol commented, looking closely at the ultra-modern suit Abigail was wearing. It managed to give her some semblance of looking like a grown up. Being a little on the short side, having a very slender yet muscular build with small budding breasts, gave the impression Abigail still had some growing up to do. Her cynical smile, over-exaggerated body language and the fact that she usually wore pajamas to work didn’t help much either.

Come on, you know I can play with the best of them when I want to, Abigail said.

Even tried combing my hair, she smiled while stroking her long hazelnut colored, still slightly disheveled, hair.

Sol gave out something between a snort and a grunt. Show me your socks, he said.

What?

Come on, show me your socks, Sol repeated as he extended his arm toward Abigail’s pants.

Abigail took a step back, too quick for Sol to catch her. Reluctantly, she pulled up one of her pants legs, revealing a pink and green striped sock.

Now the other one, Sol pointed.

Abigail did as he asked, exposing the other plain white, mismatched, sock.

What are you, the sock police? she asked defiantly, and then shrugged. Who gives a fuck anyway?

You do, smiled Sol.

It’s not like I purposely looked for mismatching socks. It’s just that I purposely didn’t look for matching ones, that’s all, minimal energy and all that, Abigail explained.

Sol sat down, still smiling. This little banter had managed to put his mind at ease before the upcoming meeting. He had a lot riding on this get-together. Despite the trivial title of project manager, he was, in fact, the inventor behind this little startup, and the project was more like a baby to him than any child could ever be.

Like Abigail, Sol too looked much younger than his actual age which was in his mid-thirties. He was short, stocky, with big kind eyes that gave him a slightly lost look.

I hope the new military guy appreciates the effort, Abigail added, sitting down and fidgeting with her suit.

The military provided the big money needed but also brought in endless bureaucracy and pointless meetings. Abigail was hoping a first successful meeting with their new liaison would prevent many futile ones.

Joe Cohen was next in the room. He was tall, lanky, his skin color showing a lack of sun exposure. He had been approached by Sol a few years back with an offer that seemed a little risky to him. Abigail had been the one convincing him to come on board. She lulled his concerns, offering him the position of head mathematician with a stable income and no need to run after grants or deal with university bureaucracy. More important than all that was the challenge she dangled in front of him. There was a need for an entire new area of mathematics to describe and predict Sol's experiments and Joe would be the one exploring this new field.

Exactly on time, Major Nate Helman, their new liaison, and Corporal Miriam Gray strode into the room. Miriam had been the secretary for their previous liaison and it seemed Helman had kept her on. She was as gray as they came, the worst combination of military and bureaucracy. She was also extremely efficient, endlessly obedient, and absolutely lacking of any humor.

Everyone's here, shall we start? Abigail motioned them to the chairs.

I was told Dr. Helen Sharp is part of this project? Helman asked suspiciously.

Helen was a quantum computational specialist and also Sol's chosen life partner.

She's in a conference in Shanghai, Sol said without thinking.

China? Was she cleared for the visit? Helman did not look happy. The political situation with China had been stressed for many years and was always on the verge of breaking.

Obviously, Abigail interjected before the situation got worse. She's traveling with full security measures.

Helman sat down still looking unhappy.

Sol started the presentation.

The first slide read Quantum Coherence Enhancer.

Ten minutes later Helman wasn't looking any happier. Joe was going over differential equations, trying to explain why the momentum vectors were being conserved, when Helman’s impatience got the best of him.

Where are you going with this?

Let me put it in layman terms, Abigail interjected. This was all part of the plan. First confuse the Major with a bunch of terms, graphs and calculations to show how complex the project was. This would hopefully create a basis for asking for more funding and almost as important, it would help ensure the Major was motivated to leave them well enough alone. He had nothing to contribute to this project except the money and it was best that he realize it himself. Abigail's part was to cut to the heart of it and sell him on the project. That wasn't too hard, their work was groundbreaking, and even a thick headed military thug could understand that.

What we are working on, as you know, is a way in which one can move from one point to another without passing through the medium in between, teleportation in short. I’m talking about the transportation of actual macroscopical objects of course, not just information, she emphasized remembering the first year lab experiment which had sparked the idea in Sol. They had been recreating the first quantum Teleportation experiments as described by Charles Bennett way back in 1993. This type of teleportation transferred a state of a particle from one place to another using an entangled state of a pair of electrons. From what Abigail remembered, electrons could be created in a way that basically described them as one system, observing one of these electrons would immediately affect the other even if there was a large distance between them. Back then she was disappointed to discover they did not actually transfer the particle itself only the information on its state. Of course, one could argue that if you transferred the exact state of a particle from A to B and then destroyed the particle in A you had effectively teleported the particle itself to point B. Abigail didn’t like this argument.

When she was a student she had naively asked Sol Why can't we look at the system as a whole? If we could somehow keep the coherence of larger systems couldn’t we somehow superimpose the whole system and have us some real teleportation? This remark had stuck with Sol throughout his studies, long after Abigail had any recollection of saying it. It took him years to come up with a whole new set of equations and experiments which Abigail was now trying to explain to Helman.

I’ve read the brief, Helman stopped her mid-sentence, instinctively pointing to the commlink embedded in his glasses. "I understand coherence means correlation, connectedness or a consistency in a system. I know that this Quantum Coherence you are playing around with is part of the wave-like properties all objects have and that these effects disappear on larger scales or when an actual measurement is made. You claim to have enhanced this coherence to a larger scale so you can use these quantum properties, like superposition, delocalization, inseparability and nonlocal interactions to teleport objects. You superimpose actual spatial coordinates and then collapse the wave function at a different point in space materializing the object, yes?"

Very impressive, sir, Abigail said, pretty sure Miriam was the one who explained it all to him and was probably giving him hints via his commlink as they spoke.

So what is it that you are having difficulty with? Joe spoke up, unable to hide the sarcasm in his voice. He hated these meetings and wanted to get back to his work as soon as possible.

I am trying to understand the current status of the project. We have been spending millions on it and the last report we have isn’t showing any progress.

No progress? We are currently successfully teleporting objects to a distance of a few meters! We have discovered that momentum vectors are being preserved, as Joe explained. That is, speed and directions of objects are maintained after being superimposed to another location. We have confirmed, though thousands of experiments, that the electric field surrounding solids seems to be enough to deter objects from materializing inside solid objects.

And have a mathematical model for that, Joe intervened, boasting a little.

Objects also seemed to fall to a local minimum gravitational potential energy. That is, object always reappear on the ground level even if they entered at the height of two meters. That’s the maximum height the quantum coherence field reaches now, Abigail added.

Don’t have a model for that yet, Joe mumbled.

We have designed and built a scanner that verifies entire objects enter the enhanced coherence field, preventing objects from being fragmented.

Helman waved his hand to stop her.

The last report says the collapsing of the wave function is random. This report says that too, Hellman’s voice sounded harsh on the verge of barking. That means you have no control over the process.

That is indeed the next milestone for the project. Right now, objects mostly reappear at a point very close to the origin, typically within a few centimeters. Fewer objects make it further and very few make it to more than a meter. We are working on enhancing the distance and controlling the destination.

And when exactly will this milestone be made? We aren’t made of money!

Abigail took a deep breath reminding herself that in general, the higher one climbed the military ranks, the lower he was on the evolutionary ladder. Someone as senior as Helman was likely to be a little less intelligent than an average chimpanzee.

"Joe guarantees, mathematically, distance is not a problem and control is feasible. That's why Helen had to travel to China. She's looking into a quantum computer that might help us create a resonance effect in the Coherence Enhancer boosting the distance of teleportation and allowing us to control it."

Miriam, was there a timeline for the launch of this project? Helman asked not shifting his gaze from Abigail.

That is a negative, sir.

How were things run here before? What sort of project doesn’t even have a time line? Helman growled.

I’ll tell you what sort of project, Abigail cut him off before he could rampage. A project that is the pinnacle of human aspiration, a project that will make even Sherlock seem trivial.

Sherlock has enabled us to navigate through the web, every commlink has one, and commlinks have become so crucial that people are actually embedding them in their brains, Abigail was about to continue but Joe interfered.

Actually they only embed a microchip under the scalp which communicates wirelessly to optical contact lenses, which in turn projects information to the retina and an ear piece.

Thanks for the accuracy Joe, Abigail tried not to sound impatient. The point is, our invention is so much more. At this, thankfully, Joe nodded.

Since the dawn of the technological age humans have been trying to make the world a smaller place. Starting with the telephone then the Internet and today with commlinks people can be connected to anyone anywhere, and they are. Yet one thing hasn’t changed much in the past decades, traveling in the real world. We have cars and trains and ships and airplanes but moving goods and people still costs a lot of money and a lot of time. Our project will change all that. Imagine traveling in the real world as fast and as efficient as data travels the web. But that's just the beginning. Can you imagine traveling to Mars at almost the speed of light? Gathering whatever minerals or useful materials you want and transporting them back to earth? Abigail continued enthusiastically. Whoever controls this technology will undoubtedly control the galaxy. Beside, can you envision no more traffic jams? Abigail tried to crack a joke.

Sol was the only one who smiled. That’s why I believe the military can allow some leniency when it comes to this specific project.

Helman was silent for a moment.

Let's say I don't disagree, he lowered his voice and Abigail knew she had gotten to him. But there are some things that are going to have to change here. I've been going over your security measures and they are a disgrace. Any two bit punk could break in. I don't want to imagine what OTG terrorists would do to this place, he said glancing at Joe who was the only religious one in the group. For most, it was quite a mystery how such an ingenious analytical and logical mind was still susceptible to such primitive belief. Abigail knew better, Joe was a creature of comfort and safety. He grew up in a religious environment and like most people found no reason to rebel. The fear of dealing with the world without rigorous religious rules was greater than the discrepancies he found in his way of life, especially since he did his best not to look for any.

Joe shrugged. He was used to getting his share of discrimination. It was never anything violent or up front, just suspicious looks and whispers behind his back.

I'm going to have to tighten security measures here, Helman continued.

Is that really necessary? Abigail asked, imagining more brainless goons tramping around, making it impossible to work. We are part of the university facility. No one even knows what we are working on. More security is what will likely get us noticed, she emphasized. Abigail understood most people in 'modern society' nursed a tendency to ignore the prospect of violence, refusing to accept it could become part of their life. She was not most people. On the contrary, she saw violence as a language, perhaps the most primitive and primal language of them all. It was a language she had learned to speak early on. Despite that, she knew security measures meant very little when it came to OTG’s. They would use whatever means necessary, sacrificing as many people as needed in order to achieve their goals. If they wanted to blow this place up, more amateur guards wouldn’t help. It was better to simply stay hidden.

That won't do, Helman nodded his bald head. Abigail noted that with modern hormone therapy there was no reason for one to be bald unless he so wished, which said something about this man. She could imagine him grunting, Hair is for sissies! She regretted forgetting to bring her commlink, she could have Sherlocked ‘male pattern baldness’ while having to listen to this man. She was somewhat adept at multi-tasking although probably nowhere as good as Miriam who could process as many as five multiple inputs while producing just as many outputs.

We have information that you already are on the OTG's radar, Helman said almost whispering, as if there was an OTG spy around.

Joe went white, Sol gasped, only Abigail kept her composure.

40 years ago the OTG’s caught us by surprise. That damn, what do you call him? Reverend? Rabbi? Imam? Fucking Joshua Salim, with his grass roots movement. He had everyone fooled. Entire governments funded him. They thought his call for all monotheistic religions to band together was an opportunity to finally get some interreligious peace, Helman was preaching to the choir but no one stopped him.

His teaching was allowed into schools and his organization grew in political power, and why not? ‘God demands different things from different people’, seemed like such a tolerant philosophy.

Abigail couldn’t help but snicker at the ‘Only True God’s’ tolerant philosophy. Somehow it always had to do with degrading someone else. It didn’t matter if you were a Muslim, Christian or a Jew just as long as you believed in the 'natural order' in which women were little more than objects and homosexuals were deviants. It worked, and why wouldn’t it? A common enemy had always been the easiest way to unify the masses.

The Free World can’t be caught unprepared again. We’ve lost 40% of the world already, Helman continued. We can’t allow this technology to fall into their hands, Helman added the obvious.

Are we talking about some local cult wannabes or are any of the OTG countries behind this? Abigail asked. Like all self-propagating idea’s, religion kept growing no matter how much the military tried eliminating it. Even inside the Free World the OTG’s power kept increasing. One did not want to be on the OTG’s radar. Abigail realized being targeted by some local fanatics would be bad enough, but being in the clutches of one of the northern European or Middle East OTG countries