User:Sakama

Chapter 2 “Who’s kingdom that we live in plays us for the fool?” -Unknown-

Rosicrucian’s maintained a library within the palatial grounds since the 15th century. Their order, along with the Jesuits and Knights Templar, protected the most valuable commodity of all, more precious than all the gold and gem stones ever mined information. Information has won and lost wars saved kingdoms and unleashed the power of the sun here on earth. Information is subtlety concealed in the cosmic order; Jesus knew this and his parables speak volumes. “Seek and ye shall find; ask and ye shall receive.” As a civilization we are just beginning to understand the nature of our existence. It has taken many millennia to rediscover what was once emphatically known, as written in Genesis 1.27; So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. -Vatican City 1512- The old room had a dank musty odor that permeated the books it housed. Giovanni Pereira sat hunched over a set of 1800 year old Persian texts, the subject is alchemy. The Rosicrucian priest busies himself experimenting with what the Vatican has officially banned as witchcraft. He is about to discover something about natural history that will be the most closely guarded secret for the next 500 years. Antonio Pereira is about to discover the secrets of the atomos. This knowledge will forever put his life in danger. A loud heavy fisted knock disturbs his concentration. “Yes what is it, I’m busy!” Father Pereira shouted, upset at the unwelcomed interruption. “Cardinal de Medici requests your presence immediately Father.” “Tell his Eminence I’ll be there directly. The fading sound of footsteps gives way to silence. Father Pereira quickly gathers the manuscripts and conceals them behind a false wall. He scrambles toward the door and quietly leaves his sanctuary for a meeting with the second most powerful man in the Vatican. Cardinal Lorenzo de Medici hails from a powerful Florentine family that is possibly the wealthiest in Europe. The family influences every aspect of European life. But the pinnacle of power lay in the Catholic Church; by comparison, the various Kingdoms and principalities play parsimonious roles in the broader scope of the Renaissance. Father Pereira enters the large rectangular room through twenty foot doors made of solid oak covered in gold ornament. The precision to which the hinges are engineered is near perfect. Each of the 250lb doors are easily opened and closed by the frailest person. Two Papal Swiss guards stand on either side of the massive entry way. Antonio Pereira enters the Cardinal’s office, a magnificent work of art covered with frescos painted by Leonardo da Vinci. Floor to Ceiling Mirrors adorn walls on opposite ends. Sunlight refracts from highly polished glass windows, casting a rainbow of colors across the room. “Antonio my old friend it’s good of you to pay me a visit” the Cardinal said walking from behind his desk to greet Father Pereira. Cardinal de Medici extends his hand to receive ritual homage to the Catholic order. Father Pereira bows and kisses the large ring presented before him. “May I offer you some wine Father, its very good? Comes from a vineyard in the duchy of Swabia, I have it on good authority that Julius Caesar planted the vine himself.” “Yes, thank you Eminence.” “You spend so much time in that library Antonio, sometimes I think you might be dead and buried without letting your old friend give you last rights.” Laughing, the two men take seats opposite each other in large chairs of equal splendor as the rest of the room. “So tell me have you made any progress on our endeavor?” Cardinal de Medici asks hoping for a favorable response. “As a matter of fact I have. Forgive me if I sound like a madman, but what I’m about to tell you is of the most fantastic nature. I…I never thought” Father Pereira was at a loss for words, he gulped his wine down.” “Steady Antonio, here have some more wine” Father Pereira gulped the second glass of wine and exclaimed! “I understand, I understand! It’s like seeing the world through God’s eyes!” “What is?” asked Cardinal de Medici confused at his friends sudden outburst and odd behavior.” Standing and walking in a circle around his chair, Father Pereira searches for the appropriate words to explain his discovery. “The world and all of the heavens are made from atomos, the Egyptians, the Persians and the Greeks all new this, we live in the middle kingdom; God has placed us exactly in a position to be surrounded by the pusillus and the universitas (really small and really large). Father Pereira was out of breath and sat trembling in his chair. “We are of the same dictata as both of these dichotomies, yet we cannot see into either world.” Taking some more wine… “At least so we thought. I have found the ancient methods for changing substances from one form to another by rearranging the atomos.” Cardinal de Medici rose to his feat. “Change lead into gold, incredibilis!” The Cardinal stood frozen as if he had seen the end of the world. “Who else knows of this Antonio?” Only you and I Eminence” Father Pereira assured his patron.

Cardinal de Medici’s pulse rose, he realized the implications of this discovery went far beyond the bounds of the church. This would be like Man returning to the Garden of Eden, mankind would want for nothing and this could not be. Genesis 3.17;

“Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”

“We can never reveal any of this. Empowering the masses with this miracle would destroy us all.” Cardinal de Medici warned. The Cardinal sat in his chair, leaned back and pondered his dilemma. The Church could not allow knowledge of this sort to promulgate within the masses, the vast majority of whom were illiterate peasants little more than slaves to the land of their Lords. These are the subjects of the Church, superstitious and ignorant of facio effectus (cause and effect). Their world was made of all manner of supernatural manifestations, witches being at the top of the list of devils and daemons save for Lucifer himself. It is written that the world belongs to Lucifer and his evil minions thus, the ability to magically transpose material can only come from Lucifer, at least that’s what the Church has taught for more than a millennium and the Church cannot be wrong, can it?

Bells from the old Constantinian Basilica ring into the cool night air signaling mass. In the halls of high power the invisible hand of skullduggery patiently awaits its opportunity to strike, its victim totally unaware of the chain of events he has set in motion. “Who’s there?” Father Pereira sits motionless, he feels as though someone is watching. Standing, Antonio Pereira nervously walks over to one of the windows, carefully measuring every step. He slowly pulls back the heavy drapes that cover the glass fixture. The outline of a tall figure is highlighted against the night sky. Antonio slowly retreats keeping his eyes fixed on the intruder.

“Who are you what do you want?” The hooded robe of a Jesuit conceals the assassin’s identity. A scuffle ensues when Father Pereira lunges for a sword on a suit of armor. The two men struggle, Father Pereira gains control of the handle ripping the deadly weapon from its scabbard. They square off, each assessing the others weaknesses. Father Antonio advances on his opponent. The hooded priest reveals a sword beneath his robes and immediately brandishes it. The metallic clang of steel, echoing from the walls, carries a sinister melodic ring of death with the Basilica bells as backdrop. The two men fight to gain the upper hand, circling one another like wild cats in a mêlée. With a swift coordinated movement of feet, Father Antonio Pereira advances with an angulation that catches his opponent off guard, avoiding the defending blade, embedding his rapier of vengeance deep into his attacker’s chest. The hooded man drops to his knees and makes an attempt to reach out to Father Pereira, but with his last gasp he simply fell over to one side, dead in a pool of blood.

- Salon-de-Provence France 1555 - Michel de Nostradamus has been summoned to Pairs by Catherine de Médicis, the Queen consort of King Henri II of France, to explain a prophecy in his almanac which hinted at unnamed threats to the royal family.

Chapter 3

                             Behold, I am become death, the destroyer of worlds
                                                              -Bhagavad Gita-

Los Alamos, New Mexico 1943 Bands of orange illuminate cumulus cloud formations against a blue sky canvass, the sun winks as it disappears below the horizon leaving Venus as evening sentry. On an isolated section of the mesa the rhythmic beat of bongos echoes across the desert. A young physicist sits cross-legged facing the sunset, his fingers gently coaxing complex rhythms from his drums. Richard Feynman, a junior physicist on the project, was hired to administer the computation group of human computers in the Theoretical Division. America is fighting a global conflagration in two theaters and on two fronts, one scientific the other mass production. It will take both of these resources to win the race to release the dragon and save the world. A tall lanky silhouette walks up the trail that leads to the outcropping. “Injun Joe I have come bearing gifts” a voice harkens from behind a shrub. It is Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer ‘Oppy’ to his fellow scientists. “Hey Oppy I didn’t think you got out this far, your friend General Groves must be slipping.” Dick jabbed at his boss’s relationship with Major General Lesley R. Groves, Commanding Officer Manhattan Engineering District. “You’re the wisenheimer now Feynman. You keep this up I’ll have to find some real work for you to do around here.” “I would certainly welcome it; this place is beautiful, peaceful and boring as hell.” “I see you’ve been up to your old tricks. You scare the hell out of them Richard, they see Mata Hari lurking around every corner.” “That’s a good one, Mata Hari!” Feynman stroked a drum role on his bongos. Taking a seat next to his protégé, Dr. O proceeds to rein in his young friend’s penchant for practical jokes. Dick Feynman had been picking the locks on office file cabinets and leaving behind little mind traps. “Oppy they make it so easy; it’s like seeing inside their collective conciseness. Come on…two-seven one-eight two-eight, sound familiar?” Dr. O contemplates the question for a moment. “I give up but I’m sure the answer is forth coming.” “It’s the base of natural logarithms. By our very nature as physicists we’re forced to view the world in numbers. I just tried the ones that we use more frequently. Did you know they all share the same combination?” Dr. Oppenheimer shook his head in disbelief. “Just do this for me. We’ll find something more befitting your skills. Try some of this; I had it smuggled in all the way from Alsace.” Oppy opens a basket and displays its contents, kosher salami and a bottle of Riesling wine. The two men sit and enjoy the sunset careful not to discuss the nature of their work at Los Alamos. Oxymoron and military can some times be indistinguishable concepts. Beyond Top Secret work forges ahead in the midst of a sieve of security leaks. Eyes from afar have already viewed the dragon’s embryo; it is inevitable that its roar will be felt by the whole world.

-July 15, 1945 Trinity test site A steel tower rises from the high desert surrounded by distant mountains. Thunderstorms loom on the horizon. The gadget hangs like a motionless pendulum beneath the hundred foot structure, a weird metallic medusa with all its wire connections illuminated by flashes of lighting. Men go about their appointed tasks readying the device for detonation just hours away. Dr. R.F. Bacher oversees this last but most important part of final assembly. In a far away office Dr. Richard Feynman and others are debating the moral and philosophical ramifications, if their endeavor proves successful. Attending the meeting are Hans Bethe, John Van Vleck, Edward Teller, Felix Bloch, Emil Konopinski, Robert Serber, Stanley S. Frankel, Claus Fuchs, and Eldred C. Nelson. These men are all students of Dr. Oppenheimer and hold moral reservations about using the device now that Germany is surely defeated. After all it was a “moral” crusade on their part to save humanity, mainly the Jewish portion, from inevitable genocide at the hands of a maniacal demagogue of anti-Semitism. “Even if we weren’t winning, Heisenberg’s calculations are way off the mark. The Germans were never close to building a working device. Preceding any further, with such a ghastly outcome, would be a travesty of unimaginable proportions! ” Shouted Feynman the lighting rod of the group. Dr. Oppenheimer enters the spirited discussion with a modicum of practicality, or perhaps just fait acompli. “This isn’t about morals or about politics or about anything else that we as Jews care about; this is about an investment of close to two billion dollars gentlemen, at the only time in history that any nation could afford to do so and needed to do so.” “That rational is pure capitalist bullshit!” an angry Claus Fuchs blurted. “We’re not here to argue return on investment or socio-economic philosophies; this is about murdering tens of thousand innocent human beings.” Feynman reminded the men of their higher calling to humanity. “Going forward with this we become that which we abhor.” Ed Teller, the beacon of reality, reminds the gathering of an existential fact.

“Gentleman we don’t even know if it will work or whether or not it will kill us all!  If it does work we’ll have ushered in a new age in science, if it doesn’t then perhaps we’re all better off.”

Dr. Oppenheimer brings the meeting to a close with a parting line. “As a group we have voiced our collective opinion on this subject. President Truman took it under advisement and made his decision. We’re American citizens, at war; we are obligated to follow through with our best intentions at heart.” Ed Teller sums the situation up. “We all entered this project eyes wide open, each searching and hoping to satisfy his own curiosity. Could a fission chain reaction be initiated by artificial means and would it yield the predicted result by experiment?” Teller walks toward the door. “I think it’s time we earned the rest of our pay as physicist’s gentlemen and leave the rest to God, politicians and posterity” Teller dryly quipped, as he left the meeting disbursed.

July 16, 1945 05:00am -Trinity test site Alamogordo, New Mexico-

Darkened heavens, pouring forth rain and lighting, heighten the drama as the clock ticked ever closer to destiny with the dragon. Every man at his assigned observation post darkened goggles at the ready. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Richard Feynman sat alone in a truck ten miles distant. The main control bunker was housed in a timber and earth shelter about ten thousand yards south of the tower. Seventeen thousand yards away was the VIP observation post where General Groves, Dr. Vannevar Bush, Dr. James B. Conant, other scientists and luminaries waited on edge. No one really new for sure what would happen, once the fuse was lit. Dr. Oppenheimer and General Farrell were in the control bunker. Oppy paces nervously as the countdown advances, his mind working at its usual extraordinary efficiency.

T-minus 20 minutes Robert Oppenheimer emerges from the control house to make one last check of the sky. The weather is unpredictable, less than favorable at best. Years of work and billions of dollars now await a weather predictions’ outcome. Oppy tries not to dwell on that which he as no control over. T-minus 10 minutes The scene inside the control house is dramatic beyond all belief; the twenty or so people gathered there are concerned with last minute details. Dr. Kistiakowsky and Dr. Bainbridge, Oppy’s assistants, are quietly speaking to the weather expert hoping for some assuagement of fears. Men in Army and Navy uniforms oversee the myriad of instruments and radios.

T-minus 5 minutes Lives pass from past to present in the mind, doubts come and then they vanish depositing their load of stress on the moment. Each person is narrow of thought and sharp of focus as the hands of the clock pass closer to naught. Beads of sweat form on Dr. Oppenheimer's brow, rolling down and spreading across his forehead. General Farrell listens to the radio net intently, hoping all goes according to plan. T-minus 1 minute Tension has grown by leaps and bounds. Everyone in the room contemplates this potentially awful thing they are about to do. Oppenheimer knew the figures to be correct; the gadget would operate to specifications. But yet there was a lingering measure of doubt. T-minus 30 seconds Our Fathers and Hail Mary’s were all about the room, prayers go forth to God for protection from the unknown power of this beast. T-minus Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…….. 05:29:45 local time And then there was light; a burst as bright as the face of the sun illuminated the sky and surrounding mountains. All gazed in awe as the dragon exhaled its first breath. Like a fantastic sunrise on earth, a yellowish-orange hemispherical globe expands outward with bolts of lighting dancing back to earth followed by two secondary explosions. A massive fire ball is forming, surging and billowing upward with tremendous power. The energy of 19 Kilotons of TNT is unleashed in Nano-seconds. A fiery column pushes the globe skyward, finally reaching the sub-stratosphere where it forms an eerie looking mushroom cloud.

T-plus 40 seconds The control house is hit by a massive shock wave of unimaginable force that shakes the structure to its foundation. The birth pangs of the monster propagate outward at incredible speed, sweeping across the desert southwest for more than 100 miles. At base camp the dragons’ breathe passes hot as a brick oven in July. Ten miles distant Richard Feynman watches from a truck, protective goggles in hand. The intensity of the light causes him to turn away briefly, only to return his attention to the monster he has helped unleash. The shockwave arrives shortly thereafter causing the truck to violently oscillate at bone jarring frequencies. In the control house Dr. J Robert Oppenheimer stands motionless and utters a phrase from the Hindu text Bhagavad Gita. “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” Test director Dr. Kenneth Bainbridge adds the epithet. “Now we are all sons of bitches!”