The Sixth Dimension

By Joe Bob Newman

An alternate planet, Plagathon, which is a planet quite similar to Earth, with only minor differences, has been discovered in the sixth dimension. The American NSA or National Security Agency has found the portal that opens up to the alternate planet. People can traverse back and forth under strict requirements. Earth people mingle easily on Plagathon, but the reverse doesn’t seem to work very well. It is on one of these times that a woman from Plagathon opens a portal, that things go wrong. It is the first time that the computer has ever made a mistake. This mistake is very deadly to an Earth man named Paul Price and particularly to his family. Paul is thrust into a situation that he is ill-equipped to handle, however his best turns out to be more than anyone bargained for. Paul teams up with an unlikely person, his ex-wife, and they proceed to square up the injustice that has fallen upon them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joe Bob Newman
• Release date: Dec 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005025205

Joe Bob Newman

I have been writing mystery and fiction books since 1982. I have never considered having any published until now. My career has been in writing technical documents for the defense industry. By profession I am a mechanical engineer, P.E. I have six grand children.. During the summer months, I spend a lot of time in the mountains of New Mexico. Watching wildlife and observing the ecology. i also enjoy riding my 4-wheeler. I built a cabin by myself, just above a stream filled with trout, perhaps i should say am building, I have been working on it for twenty years and it is still not finished, but it is livable, it has electricity, running water and a septic system. With that, I am happy to live there in the summer months and for a week or two in the winter, but I have found that I am not much of a "snow" person.I do hope you read and enjoy my books as much as I enjoyed writing them! Thanks for visiting my page.Joe Bob Newman

Book preview

THE SIXTH DIMENSION

Joe Bob Newman

THE SIXTH DIMENSION

Copyright 2022 © Joe Bob Newman

Cover Design by: Laura Shinn

Published by: Smashwords

License Notes:

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Written, Edited, and Published in the USA.

THE SIXTH DIMENSION

Other Books by Joe Bob Newman:

The Craft (Science Fiction)

When Time Stood Still (Science Fiction)

Phantom Canyon (Western)

The Rig (Action/Romance)

The Executive (Action/Romance)

Cabin Fever (Action/Romance)

Cabin Cruiser (Action/Romance)

One for the heart (Action/Romance)

Mystic Moon Man (Action/Adventure)

Lady Texas Ranger (History/Action)

The Alamo (History)

Texas Football: The Lone Star of Texas (Sports)

In The Dark of The Night (Suspense)

Bad Decisions (Mystery/Suspense)

The Old Bull (Suspense/Thriller)

CIA - The Slave Traders (Spy/Thriller)

A Really Bad Day (Murder/Mystery)

Tennessee Kyle (Western)

When the Reaper Calls (Suspense/Thriller)

The Craft II - A New Beginning (Science Fiction)

The Cravings of an Old Man (Fiction)

The Lost Highway (Mystery/Suspense)

After the Reaper Calls (Suspense/Thriller)

The Boys of Texas (Historical Fiction)

Lady in the Lake(Murder/Mystery)

Rags to Riches (Drama)

Texas Tales (Short Stories)

Time Tunnel (Science Fiction)

The Gold Mine (Action)

Benghazi (Historical Action)

The Thin Line (Action/Romance)

Area 51 (Science Fiction)

Holy Mega Church (Action/Suspense)

The Stallion (Action/Suspense)

THE SIXTH DIMENSION

This book is dedicated to my brother:

Jerry Wayne Newman

Such a wonderful brother is rare!

The Sixth Dimension

Author’s Notes

In this world, it is generally agreed that there are four dimensions. The first dimension would be considered a microscopically thin straight line. That line is defined by two points in space. It runs forever in either direction. That line is normally defined by its length. In a one dimensional world, that line would run to infinity in each direction, that is, it would never end.

If a third point is added in this space and it does not fall on this line. It defines the second dimension, that is, the three points define a plane. This plane or surface also would extend to eternity in each direction. This plane is normally defined by its length and width. Obviously, if the plane runs to infinity, both the length and width would be infinite.

The third dimension is normally defined by its length, width and depth or height. Those three dimensions define every known object in space. Three dimensions is known as a volume and again, if the length, width and depth are all infinite in length, the volume would have no boundaries. One might say, that defines the known universe.

The word dimension is defined as something that has a measurable quantity, usually independent of other quantities. Space has three dimensions. Everything physical that we can see has three spatial dimensions. Even the thinnest paper or thinnest gold sheet has three spatial dimensions, all independent of each other. In the real world, we assume that each dimension has a limit, if this is true, there is no such thing as infinite. Physical laws are thus subject to interpretation.

The fourth dimension is a little harder to define. It is generally agreed that the fourth dimension is time or possibly speed. For this book I have taken it to mean time. Time refers to a three dimensional object in motion. As it moves, time goes by, time can be calculated and thus, we have our universe defined. Every object in the known universe is assumed to be moving, relative to something else. As it moves, time elapses. For purposes of this book, there is no such thing as an object that is not moving at all!

If the fourth dimension is hard to define, then the fifth dimension is nearly impossible to define. To a select few, the fifth dimension is the dimension of thought. They would say that this dimension is what makes the universe come alive. Assuming that this is true, I would only add that this dimension allows us to communicate with each other with out actually speaking or seeing the other person. Another way to say that would be thought communication or ESP, that is extra-sensory perception.

If one can accept that, then the sixth dimension should be no problem. The sixth dimension can be loosely defined as a parallel universe or alternate universe. For purposes of this book I am assuming that the parallel universe is not quite a duplicate of the one that we live in. It is neither good nor bad, it is just there. The author also assumes that a parallel universe has openings, portals or doorways that can be accessed under the right circumstances.

Humans require three spatial dimensions in which to exist. We can't exist in two-dimensional space. We can't exist in just one dimension either. I would beg to differ with this definition. In my world, humans must have the fourth and fifth dimension and quite probably the sixth dimension. It is equally possible that there are more dimensions not yet discovered or defined.

In this book, the sixth dimension is represented by an alternate planet, Plagathon. Which is a planet quite similar to Earth, with only minor differences. The American NSA or National Security Agency has found the portal that opens up to this alternate planet. People can traverse back and forth under strict requirements. Earth people mingle easily on Plagathon, but the reverse doesn’t seem to work very well. It is on one of these times that a woman from Plagathon opens a portal, that things go wrong. It is the first time that the computer has ever made a mistake. This mistake is very deadly to an Earth man named Paul Price and particularly to his family. Paul is thrust into a situation that he is ill-equipped to handle, however his best turns out to be more than anyone bargained for. Paul teams up with an unlikely person, his ex-wife, and they proceed to square up the injustice that has fallen upon them.

The Sixth Dimension

Paul Ellis Price is far from an average man; he is a highly trained and educated project engineer for a small company that is doing big things. The problem is, Paul has been left behind, he is very good at designs of analytical problems, that is physical or mechanical issues, not so good at electronic or software issues. He has a history of some electrical work, but electronics just doesn’t make sense to him. He has studied software languages and can write programs in basic software, but it is like reading Greek to Paul. What he really likes, is something he can get his hands on and see how it works. He can fix just about anything, and is willing to help anyone who needs his help. Paul seems to be the perfect husband and father.

He works for a small manufacturing company that makes high end, very secret components for satellites. He has a top-secret security clearance and has worked for Reddiman Electronics Incorporated (REI) for ten years. Paul is thirty years old, is married for the second time, and has two children that he is very proud of. The children are from his first marriage to Glenda Moore and he has a very good relationship with his ex-wife. Glenda has not remarried and seems to prefer to be single. She prefers to go by her maiden name of Moore. Glenda is a very attractive woman, some would say that she is too pretty for her own good. She is a good woman who has just delved too far into her job as a software analyst. Where Paul is timid with software, Glenda jumps in with both feet. With Paul covering electrical and mechanical items, and Glenda covering software items, they can take care of just about any issue in the construction arena.

Paul and Glenda have two sons, they bring the ultimate joy to each parent. Both parents spend way too much money on the boys, often times doing without what they need, to keep the boys in high tech toys. Even though the boys normally live with Glenda, Paul practically worships his time with them. Which does seem to be often!

Paul’s new wife Jacky loves the boys as if they were her own. But she would love to have her own baby. She hasn’t told Paul yet, but she thinks that she might be pregnant. She is worried about how Paul will feel about that. Does he have the capacity to love another child? Paul and Jacky have just been married for a little over a year. This is Jacky’s first marriage, they both are madly in love with each other and their life. Oddly, Jacky is not jealous of Glenda at all. They actually get along quite well. Jacky is very outgoing, she was twenty-seven when she and Paul married. They did not meet each other until after Paul’s divorce. Jacky is tall and slender, her auburn hair often hangs down past her shoulders. Most men find her attractive, but Paul thinks that she is beautiful! He can’t imagine being married to anyone else. They are both blissfully happy and look forward to a long life together. They seem to have a marriage that was made in heaven.

Glenda was just 19 years old when she married Paul, she had her first baby, Paul junior when she was twenty. She had Jason when she was twenty-two. She was married to Paul for nine years. She did not finish college, but has excelled at software languages. She reads, writes and fully understands every software language that she has ever encountered. Glenda is very smart, maybe too smart for her own good. During the two years of college that she completed, she took four semesters of modeling classes. She had intended to be a model, but then met Paul and fell in love. Love has ruined many a good career. Even at her current age, she is still quite attractive. Which has led to many dates and proposals, but she is not ready to get married just yet. She doesn’t think that she has met the right man. Some would say that she is still in love with her ex-husband.

Paul’s current wife is named Jacqueline but she goes by Jacky. Jacky is twenty-eight years old, three years younger than Paul. Paul and Jacky have been married for just one year now. Paul junior and Jason are eight and six years old respectively. Both boys live primarily with their mother Glenda, but frequently spend weeks at a time with their dad. Glenda and Paul both believe that the two boys need to be around both parents. The boys have been with their dad for two weeks now and plan to stay for one more week.

Glenda has just come home from a singles cruise where she actually was hoping to meet a new man. As always, she meets lots of men, just not the right one! She is not sure who the right man will be, she thinks that he must be something like Paul. He was near to being the perfect husband and she is still not completely sure why they divorced.

Paul and Glenda were divorced for two years before Paul married Jacky. Glenda is thirty years old but is still quite attractive. In fact, most men would call her voluptuous. Glenda is a good woman, she divorced Paul when they both seemed to lose interest in each other. Neither really understands why they divorced. It was a friendly divorce, that is why she allows Paul to spend so much time with their children. The two boys are definitely the high points of both Paul’s and Glenda’s lives. Their lives revolve around the two boys. Rarely has two people divorced that love their children so very much.

The President and CEO of Reddiman Electronics Incorporated, or REI, is Dwayne Humphrey, a self-made man who expects his employees to work as hard as he does. Dwayne frequently comes in on Saturday just to clean up his desk. Once upon a time Dwayne and Paul got along very well. That was until they went on a trip together. Paul caught Dwayne drunk and cavorting with a nude prostitute in his hotel room. They have had a rather strained relationship ever since. Truth is, Dwayne has made Paul’s life miserable in hopes that he will quit. Dwayne is afraid that his wife Lucille will find out what he likes to do on business trips. He considers Paul a threat to his marriage and believes that Paul must go! Other than that, Dwayne is a good family man, a good leader and is very knowledgeable about the company’s market position. He is very likable and has a good sense of humor. The company has done well every year and is at an all time high in the stock market. Dwayne has had to fight off the conglomerate companies who want to buy REI and do what large companies do; put their own people in the seat’s of power and authority. This almost never works and most business that are bought out fail fairly rapidly. Dwayne knows this and is fighting against it. Dwayne founded the company and wants to pass it down to his children when he retires. His retirement though, is a long ways off.

The company supplies components for a variety of things, one important item which is a big money maker, is parts for satellites. The companies components have an almost unbelievable safety record and there is not one failure recorded on an active satellite, regarding an REI component. When NASA used the Shuttles as launch platforms, REI components were stand out success stories. In fact, success was such a key item that the company once thought of bidding on all components in the Shuttle and on the launch pad. That would also include the Houston facility. When the American President cancelled the NASA Shuttle Program, he dealt the REI a severe blow. Nearly one hundred percent of the companies employees voted against the sitting President in the next election. At the time, that amounted to over five hundred people.

Paul has made himself untouchable, but Dwayne doesn’t know it yet. Paul has gone back to every classified document that he has worked on and put a password on it. He is the only one who knows the password and so far no one has found out what he has been doing. Paul suspects that Dwayne wants to get rid of him and he works in fear of being laid off or worse yet, fired. To date Paul has converted every document that he has ever worked on to password protected and is now working on drawings as well as older company documents. Paul is not trying to blackmail anyone, he just wants to ensure his worth to the company.

Should Paul be released for any reason, he would have to be rehired as a temporary engineer to unseal the documents. Paul grins when he thinks about this. He thinks a fair rate would be a thousand dollars per hour. The only problem is, Paul is having second thoughts. He does understand that what he is doing will harm many of his fellow workers and friends. He wonders if he has done the right thing?

Counting Paul, there are four project engineers in the company, Mike Colton, Jim Jarrett and Dave Rollet round out the engineers. Mike is the physically largest of the men, Jim is the smartest and Dave is the newest. Mike and Jim have been with the company eleven years, and have progressed to the position of senior project engineers. All four men are married, have their professional engineering licenses, and have degrees in mechanical engineering. They work well with each other and are considered key people in the company by all employees. Paul, Mike and Jim are in their late thirties and Dave is just twenty-five. Under Dwayne, Mike and Jim are close to another promotion, but both Paul and Dave are stuck in their jobs. No one is sure why Dave is grouped with Paul, but the two men are very close friends. Dave’s wife Sheila and Jacky are both registered nurses. They work together at a University Hospital in Fort Worth. The two couples often go out together and their four boys play together well.

REI is located in Arlington Texas. Arlington is near the center of the country and easy to get to and from most places in the United States. Paul travels often and does a lot of entertaining. Even though he is an introvert he has learned how to talk to people and entertain them with his wit and logic.

Paul’s immediate manager is Pete Starrett. Pete is fifty-two years old and is a veteran engineer. Pete manages the Engineering Design Section, the Project Engineers, and the Software Section. Pete is one of the finest and most brilliant men that Paul has ever met. Pete never seems to have a cross word with anyone, yet he gets the most out of all his engineers. Paul cannot imagine working under anyone else but Pete.

Paul’s house is located in Arlington Texas, Paul lives in a plush neighborhood known as Interlochen. REI is located about five miles east of his house on Randol Mill Road. The facilities building is fairly new and is a wonderful work place. Turnover is low in the company and the average tenure of current employees is twelve years. Four times a year the company has parties for the employees. They