“Not exactly,” Zane answered. “Remember, when I asked Mironov about it, he said that they were going to somehow ‘call’ those alien pyramid-builders back to earth. And when that happens, he’ll be the beneficiary of the advanced technology they’ll be bringing with them.”
“Of course,” Carmen said, “and that would fit perfectly with his transhumanist beliefs.”
“Wait, back up a moment,” Reid said. “I’m confused. I’m still not seeing the link. The physicists that work at CERN study subatomic particles.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that,” Zane said. “Look I told you the man was mad. I have no clue.”
“I think I know how,” Brett said. Zane turned and looked at him. “At least, I know the theory they’re probably working on. I came across it in an online article. First of all, remember, it’s the physicists themselves who have proposed that their work might one day open up another universe or lead us to another dimension. In fact, we know that’s what VanGelder was going to speak about.”
“When they say we might one day locate a parallel universe, that implies that it will take years, if not decades, of research,” Reid stated. “But Markus VanGelder was kidnapped tonight, and we’re operating on the assumption that they’re on their way to CERN as we speak. Something doesn’t add up.”
“Yes and no,” Brett said. “Yes, there are some who probably feel like this is decades away. But did you know that CERN has been shut down for the last two years?”
“I did read that,” Carmen replied. “Something about upgrades.”
Brett nodded. “Correct. It’s been shut down so that they can perform some overdue maintenance, and they are also using the downtime to increase the capacity of the collider. When everything is finished, they’re going to be able to collide subatomic particles at energy levels never seen before.”
“I’m with you so far,” Zane stated.
“And here is the kicker,” Brett said. “The article I mentioned before included an interview with one of the CERN employees overseeing the upgrades. When they asked what might be possible when the collider begins to operate at an increased capacity, he said that they weren’t quite sure. He said there would be advances in some of the more mundane research, but he also said that they very well might be able to open up a hole, a portal of sorts. He also said we might then be able to send stuff through that hole, and some other things may come through it from the other side.”
“Spooky stuff,” said Carmen.
“Indeed,” Brett said.
“Are the upgrades complete?” Zane asked.
“It’s probably close to being complete. I think I read that they’re going to recommence operations in another month.”
Zane nodded. “And if that’s true, the collider may actually be operational now. I’d imagine the last few weeks are just going to involve cleanup and testing.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, fine,” Reid said. “Let’s say they open this portal. How are they going to communicate with these other beings? Remember, Zane said Mironov was going to call them here to earth.”
“Vincenzio Marrese,” Carmen said. “That was the one piece of the puzzle that didn’t seem to fit, but now it does.” She turned and looked at Reid. “Remember Marrese was given something by the demon in this deal that supposedly took place? Perhaps he was told how to communicate with these aliens. Obviously, I don’t believe for a moment it will work, but it at least explains a lot of what’s going on.”
Carmen gave Zane a brief summary of Maresse and his connection with Mironov. “Did you ever hear his name spoken?”
“Never.” Zane frowned. “But it would explain something that happened on board Mironov’s yacht. When they took me into a room to be questioned, I felt this dark cloud of negative energy, or evil, or whatever you want to call it, coming from a part of the room that I couldn’t see. I knew instinctively that it was a person and not a force. I felt his eyes on me the entire time. It was one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever—”
There was a rattling sound inside the car that interrupted the conversation. Brett had placed his phone down in the drink holder between the seats, and it was shaking against the hard plastic. He answered the call. “Foster here.” He listened for a few minutes, nodding and asking occasional questions
“Who was that?” Carmen asked after Brett ended the call.
“Skinner,” Brett stated, placing the phone back in the cup holder. “He found the CERN site where the control center is located. It looks like we’re going to Prévessin, France.”
“I didn’t realize any of the sites were actually located in France,” Carmen replied. “And what else did he say?”
“He believes Alexander Mironov is already inside.” Brett used one hand to reset the GPS on his phone. “In other words, whatever he and Marrese have cooked up is likely already underway.”
Zane stared at the road ahead but didn’t speak. He was a skeptic, but at the same time, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that the night was about to get much stranger than they had ever imagined.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Philippe slowed the car and pulled onto a dirt road that ran between two fields full of unplanted rows of soil. Amanda wasn’t sure exactly where they were, only that they had crossed into eastern France and were somewhere near the CERN facility at Prévessin.
The snow had intensified over the last half hour, and she watched as the thick flakes splatted against the window and turned to water. In fact, the storm was becoming so intense that she wondered whether it was safe to have ventured off the highway.
The road they were on was bumpy, and Amanda felt her body jar as they went in and out of the potholes that were scattered around like land mines. She was beginning to wonder if Pastor Philippe knew what he was doing. He had been silent for most of the trip and had offered almost no information, which probably indicated he was focused on the task at hand. She was just about to open her mouth to question him about their route when he braked and brought the car to an abrupt halt. “There, that should do it,” he said.
Amanda saw that the road had come to a dead end. Directly in front of them was a small pond surrounded by cattails. Before Philippe turned off the headlights, Amanda saw a large pipe that rose out of the pond and disappeared into the distance. She recognized it as the same sort of watering system that farmers used back in Texas.
After sitting in silence for a few seconds, Amanda asked, “So, we’re going to pray here in a car in the middle of a field?”
“That’s what I was told,” he said with a smile. “Remember, the Lord’s ways are above ours. But we’re not going to stay in the car. Let’s get out, and I’ll show you where we are.”
After exiting the car, Amanda crossed her arms to ward off the cold. Even though she was well bundled, the low temperature and blowing snow shocked her system.
Philippe joined Amanda at the front of the vehicle. “CERN is right over there.” He pointed across the field on the right side of the car. Despite the cloud of driving flakes, Amanda could see a construction site on the far end of the field, and beyond that, a road.
“Hmmm, impressive,” Amanda said sarcastically.
“Oh, sorry. CERN is through those trees on the other side of the road.”
When Amanda looked toward the road again, she frowned. What was that? She thought she had seen movement at the construction site, but as she continued to stare at the spot, she didn’t see it again. The wind had picked up, so perhaps something was just blowing around.
“You told me that this man from CERN might really be looking for another dimension, even if he didn’t realize it. And then I asked if you believed in other dimensions.”