Criminals Within

By Jack Francis

A smart but shy and naive young physicist, working for a military weapons research subcontractor, stumbles upon a means of backward time travel. A malevolent manager within the US government's intelligence community becomes aware of the technology and will do anything to use it to further his own personal agenda.
The young physicist, being pursued relentlessly, is forced to use the technology to hide in the world of the ancient past. He is followed there by the woman with whom he shares his destiny and the man who would rule the ancient world with his advanced 21st century knowledge.
Passion, Love, and unique adventures await the travelers. When they fall victim to their fate in the ancient past they must choose their future outcome of the ultimate paradox of time travel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jack Francis
• Release date: Jan 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311357311

Jack Francis

My own life experiences and desires bleed through my writings.I am passionate about writing adventure novels embracing science, archaeology, history, passion, love, travel.Historical accuracy, plausible science, and genuine human emotion are important ingredients in my writings.

Book preview

Preface

The most common perception of time travel involves an individual or individuals being able to move to different points in time and interact with that environment and possibly be able to change the outcome of future events.

There are many unknowns and contradictions with time travel. The classic 'Grandfather' paradox is one such scenario. This hypothetical thought exercise involves an individual who travels backward in time to kill his grandfather before he meets his grandmother. The time traveler does succeed in killing his grandfather and therefore should never have been born. However, the time traveler does exist and succeeds in killing his grandfather which is logically unreasonable – a paradox, where cause and effect break down!

Another school of thought suggests that the mere existence of a time traveler indicates that paradoxes are self correcting because whatever actions and decisions that the time traveler makes, the future outcome for the traveler must remain consistent to accommodate for the fact that the traveler was indeed born, and did in fact participate in time travel. Would the traveler simply assume a role in a specific period that was consistent with history and live a preordained life that would not alter the individuals eventual outcome?

In other words would the traveler enter an infinity of reliving the exact same history? Be born, grow up, time travel to the past, die, ad infinitum... In this scenario, the traveler would experience consciousness and believe they have freedom of choice but are in reality trapped in a repeating continuum of events that can't ever offer a different outcome. There could be no beginning and no end. A conundrum that cannot be resolved logically!

Theoretical physicist Steven Hawking once suggested that the absence of tourists from the future constitutes an argument against the existence of time travel. In 2009, Hawking sent out invitations to future time travelers to attend a reception at a time which had already passed. No one came but this does not prove that time travel is physically impossible, but that it has never in fact been developed or, if so, perhaps very cautiously used. Perhaps the time travelers that received Mr. Hawking's invitations wished to remain anonymous or perhaps simply didn't have the time to attend!

The great Carl Sagan submitted the possibility that time travelers could be here, but are disguising their existence and are simply not recognized as time travelers.

While most people think of time as a constant, Albert Einstein showed that time is an illusion and varies between different observers moving towards or away from each other.

In a very real sense, time travel has occurred. Astronauts when traveling away from the earth experience a slightly different time than their terrestrial counterparts. Einstein's theory of relativity states that two clocks, moving relative to each other or being located in differently situated gravitational fields, will display different times. The magnitude of the time delta is dependent on the speed of movement or gravitational differences between clocks.

Einstein's theory of general relativity also allows for a shortcut through time that could be achieved via a wormhole which is a theoretical tunnel that could span two points in time in a two-dimensional universe. This bridge, known as the Einstein-Rosen Bridge is theoretically possible.

Many of us would relish the opportunity to escape our own reality and chose to live in another time more suited to our own desires. Some may prefer to experience life in ancient Egypt. Others might pursue the old wild west. Still, others might find adventure in unoccupied lands.

To access the vast and shadowy stream of time behind us would provide boundless choices.

Despite the actual method of time travel, this subject has always managed to excite the imagination and has made for many great literary adventures.

Lastly a favorite quote from the great American baseball athlete Yogi Berra: The future ain't what it used to be!

Chapter 1 Rome Italy

It was 8:10 AM in the ancient city of Rome and Georgio Ventura had just arrived at his job as construction foreman for the Rome Metro subway line. He wiggled and struggled to get his rotund body out of his aging but still functional Volvo sedan. He walked the short distance from the rough gravel parking area to an old gray metal desk inside a rusting but colorful construction trailer. Years of nighttime spray painting by some of Rome's finest graffiti artists gave the old trailer the appearance of a giant profane ice cream truck!

Georgio had been at this job for 12 years and he knew it could be another 12 before he might be considered for promotion but lately was more concerned about his continued employment.

Georgio was a short, balding, and obese man of about 45 who had neglected his health for most of his adult life. Even the minor amount of physical effort of walking to the trailer made his breathing increase noticeably and his blood pressure to jump.

Georgio's hunger was gnawing at him and the one thing he lusted for at that moment was a Pasticciotti custard pie and a hot cup of espresso. He loved the custard pies but his wife of 24 years had placed him on a strict diet of vegetables, wheat crackers, yogurt, and sparkling water.

Georgio had been recently diagnosed with high blood pressure and a Cholesterol level that would clog a sewer pipe! He was warned by his doctor to lay off fatty and sugary foods. He was also nagged about his excessive smoking and nightly ritual of alcohol consumption although this would prove far more difficult to reduce than avoiding junk foods. Georgio could resist anything except temptation! As he opened a zip-lock bag of carrot sticks handed to him each morning as he left for work, Georgio cursed to himself, 'Porca Vacca'!

Georgio's declining health concerned him enough to maintain his dietary resolve. He managed to consume a few carrot sticks to try to satiate the endlessly empty void in his stomach but now, more than ever, he craved the fats and sugars that were forbidden! His normally dour demeanor took a turn for the worse!

The original Rome Metro subway line opened in 1955 and has two main operating routes called Line A (orange) and Line B (blue).The Rome Metro had begun construction of a third route, Line C (green) in 2006 which would eventually connect Grottarossa (just north of the Vatican) to Pantano in the eastern portion, just beyond the city limits. The new green line was supposed to have opened in 2009 but had encountering considerable obstacles during construction and had been moving at a very slow pace. Most of the delays had been due to archaeological finds which necessitated construction halts until the site could be evaluated.

Yesterday, yet another early Roman era structure was unearthed during some new digging near the Frocchio station on the eastern section of the new line, further complicating Georgio's life.

Finding ancient ruins was nothing new to construction crews in Rome. It seemed anywhere you dug a hole or lifted a rock, some relic of the distant past was exposed. Rome isn't just one city, it is numerous cities built on top of preceding cities. Many Roman Emperor's chose to simply build monuments to their own glory over their predecessors, obscuring or destroying earlier magnificent structures in the process.

Some relics and structures were more important than others but when found, an archaeological examination had to be performed before construction could continue. For construction crews it was a major irritation that usually meant a delay of a few days but in some cases much longer.

Georgio was under a tight schedule to complete the next segment as the funding for the green line addition was over-budget and the last thing he needed was another significant delay. His supervisors wouldn't be happy but there wasn't much he could do about it. Georgio put in a call to the archeologia industriale department which was responsible for examining new finds. The department responded quickly and sent over a small three person team Georgio had worked with on several prior occasions.

The leader of the archeologia industriale team was Giacomo (Jaco) Venzuti, a large and roguish looking man who didn't take much pride in his appearance. His shoulder length greasy tangled hair, worn black jeans, lime green running shoes with yellow laces, and a filthy old Pink Floyd T-shirt that had multiple food stains spoke volumes of his lack of hygiene and self image.

Jaco had grown up in the northern part of Rome and had played amongst the ancient ruins before the government had implemented more strict measures to protect the priceless artifacts. He studied at Sapienza University of Rome specializing in ancient Roman architecture but it would be difficult for the casual observer to guess his intellect from his shabby unkempt appearance.

Another member of the team was Ray, a large framed man who grew up in the streets of Istanbul. Ray's jovial manor belied his troubled youth. Ray, recently on loan from Stanford University in northern California, was a historian of the ancient world, especially Greek history, but fell short in his knowledge of the Roman empire. He was casually dressed in tan cargo shorts and a bright sky blue short sleeve button down shirt with an Indiana Jones leather hat and stylish brown leather sandals; his signature wardrobe. Today however Ray was in an aggravated mood from a minor car accident the day before.

The third man in the team, Danielo, was young and still in school but worked part-time for extra money. Danielo did the heavy grunt work – digging, cleaning, cataloging, etc. Danielo was an amicable student willing to do almost anything to be a part of his newly found passion for discovering antiquities.

Georgio said to the team leader, "Salve Jaco, good to see you again so soon. As I mentioned on the phone, we've managed to dig up another structure of some sort. These damned delays are killing me!"

"Ciao Georgio. Maybe your crew dug up Noah's Ark! Or more likely an ancient bordello! Jaco said with a crooked smile on his face, Hey I heard a rumor your wife's got you eating rabbit food! Is that true?"

Yeah, I need to make my woman happy and improve my health, but dammit, nobody is going to keep me away from my Lambrusco! Georgio said with a smirk.

Ray was irritable and barked, OK, enough of this happy chit-chat, what have you got for us Georgio?

Georgio nodded at Ray and replied, Right! Well you know what kind of pressure we are under to finish this phase of the green line and it would help us greatly if we could get this examination wrapped up as quickly as possible.

OK Georgio, but this is gonna cost you my friend! Jaco retorted.

Georgio knew exactly what this meant: nothing gets done in Italian society without some kind of incentive. This could be actual cash but more often it would be favors owed, free meals, or perhaps the deletion of a Parking ticket or other similar compensations. In any case Georgio would be on the hook for something depending on the outcome of the examination. This was business as usual and nobody expected anything different.

So Georgio, point us to your latest stumbling block said Ray, anxious to get on with the job.

Georgio pointed his stubby finger at one of the construction crew in a corner of the trailer drinking coffee. Alex here will show you over to the area. Alex walked the team over to the recently unearthed structure. The corner of which appeared to be an old burial tomb that was exposed and broken apart by the tractor digging in the area. Danielo was given the job of clearing the area around the tomb so the team could get a better look.

Jaco said quizzically, What the hell is a tomb doing in this area?

Danielo looked at him briefly, paused, and asked, What makes you say that?

"Well because in ancient times, Roman cemeteries were usually located outside of the old city boundary called the pomerium. This is a very unusual place for a tomb to be located because people wanted the dead buried a distance away from populated areas to avoid pollution of the living. Whoever is buried here probably did not have family and must have made unusual arrangements for their funeral services."

It was late morning and Danielo had cleared much of the dirt and rocks around the ancient tomb site. Meanwhile, Ray was busy taking a series of photos with a small point & shoot digital camera. The markings on the tomb were typical of 1st century Roman burial structures but the tomb showed no clues as to the identity of the deceased. A large rectangular slab of rock covered the top of the tomb and was adorned with classic mystical scenes chiseled into the rock face.

Jaco, directing the team said, OK, let's remove the burial cover and have a look at what is inside. Danielo and Ray retrieved some pry bars and began to slowly slide the rock slab away to one side. As more of the burial depression was exposed, they were able to see two skeletons buried side by side but one was facing roughly north while the other body was facing the opposite direction. The fingers of one skeleton were intertwined with the fingers of the other, joined in an eternal symbol of the love they had for each other. A few tattered remnants of the basic clothing they wore in life still clung to the bones. The elaborately carved tomb implied that of wealthy citizens but their simple clothing and lack of adornments suggested otherwise.

Ray shook his head stating Hell, that's a really unusual burial position. These two must have died together and had given directions to be buried in this manner.

Yeah, nodded Jaco, It looks like they may have known their fate beforehand. Maybe they died of the same disease or perhaps were executed for some reason. Also, cremation was the most prevalent way of disposing of corpses. Inhumation, or burial in the ground, was not popular until after the rise of Christianity in the 2nd century when attitudes about an afterlife began to change. Burial of actual bodies was somewhat unusual in the 1st century.

Jaco then noticed an Amphora tucked into the burial space. This was not uncommon as offerings of wine or food were often included with the deceased. Most Roman Amphora of the period were made of Terracotta and either unfinished (plain rough surface) or decorated with coils of added clay and painted with a classic motif. This Amphora however was smooth on the outside and painted with what appeared to be some kind of icon or image but the paint colors had faded over the millennia and would take some study to reveal its original decor.

Jaco and Ray talked for a while and although the tomb was a bit unusual, it was not something that could be considered a valuable archaeological find although the contents might be interesting to someone doing further research on old Roman burials.

Ray walked over to Danielo as he was sitting on a rock nearby eating a sandwich he had brought for his lunch. "Hey Danielo, we need you to carefully remove the skeletons from the tomb, shrink wrap them, and place each one in a separate body bag. Also, pack up the Amphora carefully as the wax seal appears to be intact and arrange to transport these items over to our lovely assistant curator, Pim at the Museo della Civilta Romana (Museum of Roman Civilization)."

Danielo donned a pair of latex gloves to minimize contamination of the grave contents and began to carefully uncover the bones of the skeletons. He placed the individual bones on a sheet of plastic, transferring the bone arrangement without too much variance from their original position in the grave. He laid another sheet of plastic on the top and sealed the edges to form an airtight seal. A vacuum pump was attached to a small hole he had poked in the top layer of the plastic which caused the plastic sandwich to shrink wrap around the contents. Danielo then placed the shrink wrapped skeletal remains inside individual body bags.

Danielo was similarly careful with the Amphora and covered it with layers of bubble wrap that was always part of his general forensic kit. He placed it in a large cardboard box he had found at the construction site. The contents were loaded onto the team's small truck and they drove back to the Metro's construction trailer.

Jaco walked in and found Georgio on the phone with his upper management at the Metro. Georgio was in the middle of a heated conversation with his boss. When he saw Jaco he asked his boss to hold a minute and put his hand over the telephone receiver. Georgio desperately asked, Jaco, please tell me you got some good news for me!

Jaco thought he would have some fun with Georgio. He said with a serious look on his face, Sorry Georgio, it looks like it might be the tomb of an early emperor! You will have to delay construction for at least four months! Jaco lingered, enjoying the look of terror on Georgio's face.

Jaco's expression became mischievous and he chuckled saying, Sorry Georgio, bad joke! We found the remains of a 1st or 2nd century burial tomb in this odd location but doesn't violate the regulatory laws for archaeological preservation so you can resume construction. I'll send you a report in a couple of days.

A look of great relief came over Georgio's face and he mouthed silently at Jaco "Stronzo! (asshole)"

Georgio removed his hand from the phone receiver and told his boss the good news. He would work out some bonus for Jaco's team's quick work which he would deliver when they met for drinks later at their usual sbarra (bar).

Chapter 2 Northern California

It was a Saturday morning in late October, the beginning of fall in the Santa Clara valley of Northern California. Summer was abating and days were cooler with nightfall coming earlier each day. The reversal of daylight savings time would soon kick the clock back one hour to cause sunset to occur a little after 5:00 PM.

John Siata woke to the sounds of his neighbors dogs, mindlessly barking and howling at some passerby. Clumps of dog shit littered the neighbor's yard. The neighbors from hell, as John referred to them, were several young Hell's Angels wannabes who didn't put much effort into caring for their animals or performing upkeep on the rental house they occupied. Tall weeds obscured much of the outer perimeter of the home and the loud music and open drug use vexed the neighbors but the police had not been able to do much. Often the pungent odor of Marijuana smoke billowed from open windows. The odor however was useful in masking the skanky smell of fresh dog crap.

John liked the house he had bought a year back but he kicked himself for not having done his diligence in checking out the neighbors. On John's left, occupying the corner house, were the neighbors from hell. On the right side was a quiet older Asian couple that were friendly but didn't speak much English. In the next house past the Asian couple was a woman in her early 30's, Jenny, who lived with her younger brother Peter. John had briefly met Jenny a couple of times walking past her house. She seemed friendly and had introduced Peter to John. Peter had autism and had limited social skills but seemed OK otherwise. John knew a few other neighbors by sight but had not had occasion to learn their names.

John sat up in his bed and peeped out of the cheap aluminum venetian blinds in his bedroom to see a cold gray overcast sky that made him wish he had slept in for a while longer. He hadn't been sleeping well because he had been worried about money. For most of John's life he had been fairly passive, letting events carry him along, drifting in life's slow moving current without much of a plan. John avoided confrontation at all costs and was solidly passive.

There was however a chink in John's armor; he could be very impulsive and often destructive in his choices. He made decisions and took risks that most people would avoid or at least give more consideration. John never heeded the old saying Fools rush in where wise men fear to tread. He was oblivious to the lessons of the past!

On a recent occasion John had put a large sum of money (for him) into the stock market on a 'hot' stock tip that he had read about on some financial advisor Internet site. The 'investment' logically made a lot of sense and seemed like a sure thing but it hadn't worked out well at all and he was still fretting about his stupid mistake.

John got out of bed, strolled over to the bathroom, and stared at himself in the large beveled glass mirror behind the toilet while he relieved himself. The reflection revealed a man who appeared a little older than his true age of 31, a bit over six feet tall, the slightly pudgy build of someone who didn't exercise regularly, short brown naturally curly hair, and blue eyes. According to his mother he was a handsome guy but women pretty much left him alone. It wasn't that we was unattractive but he had been shy and socially inept most of his life and his lack of social skills and his standoffish body language kept him alone and single. He lacked any aggressive tendencies and women scared the hell out of him! The fear of rejection was so strong that he avoided social situations that might reinforce his poor self esteem. The image in the mirror did nothing to brighten his somber mood that day.

John had only had sex once and it was with a girl he had just met at a party. She was very drunk and literally dragged John into one of the bedrooms and gave him his first and only taste of sexual intercourse. She was a large but sexy girl and John lusted for her after their brief encounter. The next time they met, she was sober and couldn't remember John's name but recalled something of the mediocre sex they had shared. This pulled John's fragile ego further into the abyss.

John's introverted nature worked to his benefit during his college years. While his other friends and frat members were partying and getting laid, John had studied hard and got his degree in Quantum Physics at a very young age. John wasn't brilliant but he knew how to work hard and how to study. This paid off as he was recruited after receiving his masters degree by a company that was a direct contractor for the US Army engaged in Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weaponry research. John had jumped at the opportunity, which admittedly at the time, had been the only offer on the table!

He brushed his teeth, ran an electric shaver over his face for a few seconds, ran a comb through his hair, and threw on some old semi-clean clothes but did little else to make himself presentable. He then bumbled around in his small but efficient kitchen trying to make a cup of coffee to give him a quick buzz.

John's impulsive personality was also responsible for his involvement in some risky sports. When younger he learned to fly hang gliders and a few years before he took up scuba diving. John learned scuba in the warm clear waters of Hawaii on a vacation there but quickly found diving in California waters was much different. The water was rarely clear and was always very cold. John dove often with a friend he had met through diving, Rich Nicholson. Rich was an instructor level diver and had mentored John in diving California's brisk, low visibility waters.

John hated watching TV during the day and most days put on some music. This served to abate the obscene noise from the barking dogs and loud music dispensed by his callous neighbors. John was cooking a simple breakfast for himself when he heard the doorbell ring insistently. John wasn't expecting anyone but thought to himself 'Oh crap, I'll bet it's those Jehovah's Witnesses wackos again!' John looked through the peephole in the door to see his neighbor Jenifer (Jenny) Denehey standing with her hand held up ready to knock again.

John had said hello to her on a couple of occasions but they had never really had anything one could call a conversation. She appeared to be in her early to mid 30's, fairly attractive with long flaming naturally red hair, bright red lipstick matching the color of her hair, smooth and very white skin, and green eyes – probably of Irish descent. She had a slightly plump but curvy body with large shapely breasts and was dressed in tight blue jeans and a white tank top. She also sported a small colorful tattoo of a dragonfly on her right shoulder.

Jenny liked to accentuate her breasts which arguably were her best feature and were definitely worth the view. Jenny loved it when men took notice of her ample chest and dressed to take full advantage of her genetic good fortune.

Upon opening the door Jenny said, Hi John, good morning. I know we don't know each other very well but I have a really big favor I need to ask of you. I know it's Saturday and you probably have plans but I have an emergency that has come up and I can't take Peter with me. I was wondering if I could leave Peter with you for a couple of hours? It would mean a lot to me and I hate to ask with no notice but it's really urgent and I have no one else I can ask.

Peter, Jenny's 20 year old autistic brother, was quiet but always liked touching things to satisfy his intense curiosity. Jenny claimed he had savant syndrome which meant he had profound mental prowess in things like mathematics and art. He could draw amazingly detailed pictures from his Eidetic memory (the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects with great detail) which were better than most professional artists. His amazing gift of memory recall had never been useful other than being able to recite baseball facts from any game ever played, instantly calculate the day of the week for any date asked, or derive the square root of any number given him. However, he lacked most basic social skills, scored very low on IQ tests, and didn't speak much except broken words of gibberish. He had been this way since he was 6 years old when he sustained a brain injury in a car accident that had killed both his parents.

John was still a little groggy from just waking but looked into Jenny's big beautiful eyes and said, Uh sure Jenny. I don't have any special plans except I was going to drop by work and check on a test I was running there.

The test was important and due to be discussed Monday morning so John needed to monitor things and write up a quick report.

Peter can tag along with me and I can bring him back here later.

Jenny happily replied, Oh sure that's fine, but he's very curious so be careful that he doesn't touch anything important, he can get himself into trouble!

John had just enough time to drink his coffee before Jenny reappeared at the door with her brother Peter. He was just under six feet tall, about 170 lbs, and had brown hair that was cut very short. He also had a pronounced scar down the right side of his temple from the injury sustained as a child and one corner of his mouth drooped slightly. Every time John had seen him he was dressed in faded blue jeans, a simple black t-shirt, and a gray hoodie sweatshirt. However, he always wore the most highly polished black dress shoes John had ever seen. The shine was so intense that they were like mirrors. John could see his reflection as well as the entire room around him. One of the symptoms of autism was compulsive behavior and Peter spent hours polishing his prized black lace-up dress shoes. He became visibly agitated when a piece of dirt or a smudge appeared. He always carried a polishing rag and some shoe shine wax with him to deal with any accidental imperfections.

John walked outside the front door, locked up, and said, Hey Peter, come take a ride with me. Peter merely grunted and followed John to his small two car garage.

John helped Peter into his old SUV and buckled the seat belt. Peter was cooperative and good natured so John didn't mind having him along but Peter's inability to converse made John a bit uncomfortable.

He would sometimes speak incoherently and would utter foul words at times but they didn't seem to be directed at anyone in particular.

During high school, John worked in a gas station pumping gas and changing oil. Carl, a new pump jockey in the employ of the station had Tourette's syndrome which caused him to suddenly and involuntarily shout out obscenities. Carl was harmless but needless to say, most customers were unnerved by Carl's abrupt fits and never returned so poor Carl's employment was cut very short. John didn't think Peter had Tourette's but he could see where Peter's use of bad language would upset some people.

A few minutes later they arrived at John's work. FGS Labs was a government research facility which had recruited John directly after he graduated with a degree in Quantum Physics from the University of California - Berkeley. The company had poor security for a government research facility and John had no trouble convincing the guard, Bob, (who was more of a receptionist) to let both of them pass. John's laboratory was on the first floor of a dreary gray concrete 4 story building which also housed some other assorted government research departments. Federal funding for military development projects was drying up so there wasn't much activity in most departments.

John's current project was to develop an effective EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) device capable of disrupting or destroying an enemy's electronic equipment from a distance. The device had to be directional so a soldier (or whoever) could aim it at a particular target and knock out an enemies' communications, radar, or anything really that was electronic in nature. In our technological world even toasters and coffee makers have Microprocessors and sophisticated electronics!

John and his engineering partner Marco Benetin had been working on their EMP project for several months but were still in the prototype stages. The design consisted of a grouping of Cavity Magnetrons which generate high levels of microwave energy. These Magnetrons are the same as those found in standard Microwave ovens. Eight Magnetrons were radially spaced around one end of a cylindrical pipe of a magnetic shield material known as Mu Metal. It was one foot in diameter and about three feet in length. The EMP generator was strapped to the top of a work bench.

The basic idea of the design was to use cheap Magnetrons to create a unidirectional electro magnetic high intensity pulse when the Magnetrons were in resonance and in phase. The primary difficulty was to control the frequency and phase of a Magnetrons microwave output. They were used in the early days of Radar but Magnetrons were replaced by newer technology after WWII. John had worked out a way to get all eight Magnetrons to work together in phase. The effect of this combined energy would yield a very short duration, very high intensity magnetic field which was unidirectional – the ideal EMP generator!

The device had been cycling power on and off for the last 48 hours to test reliable operation. On the table at the EMP generators 'output' end was John's coffee cup where he had left it the day before.

John glanced at his coffee cup and noticed it was empty which was odd because he remembered leaving the cup full. After John made some notes about the test, he motioned to Peter that it was time to go. Peter seemed fascinated with the EMP generator and was about to stick his hand inside when John grabbed his wrist and said Peter, please don't touch. This thing can really fry your skin!

Oh uh... mumbled Peter. John forgot about the empty coffee cup and made the relatively short drive home and took Peter into his house until Jenny returned to take him home. Peter was 20 but due to his autism, he was in many ways like a small child. John turned on the TV for Peter and let him choose what he wanted to watch. Peter used the remote to surf up and down the cable channels until he came upon a documentary about Steven Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist who had Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). Hawking was motionless in his high tech wheelchair and had to speak through a custom computer that translates tiny movements of his hands, head, and eyes into synthesized sentences. Steven Hawking's body could no longer serve him but his mind was still brilliant and alive with ethereal ideas.

John was surprised by Peter's entertainment selection. John would have guessed something mindless like cartoons or reality TV! Hidden by Peter's handicapped appearance and