Nonetheless, Kate was shocked. Within the physics community, time travel, or a closed time-like curve as it was commonly called, was a hotly debated topic. While many scientists believed it theoretically possible, none of them had successfully created a CTC.
She opened her mouth to reply; Finn beat her to it.
‘Hey, Doctor Dufus! Get for real, will ya!’
Unperturbed, Ivo Uhlemann shrugged and said, ‘Even the great one, Albert Einstein, claimed that time can be altered.’
‘Yeah, I read H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine, too,’ Finn scoffed. ‘But unlike some of us in the room, I knew it was a work of fiction.’
‘Allow me to draw your attention to the mausoleum’s funerary plaque.’ Raising his arm, Dr Uhlemann pointed to the French inscription carved above the door. ‘ “For he who can wait, everything comes in time,” ’ he obligingly translated. ‘Rabelais mistakenly assumed that time is not only linear, but that it moves in only one direction. Anyone who accepts that is a victim of out-dated Newtonian physics.’
‘And you’re being damned disrespectful to the guy who invented calculus. Not to mention gravity.’
‘As a theoretical physicist, I have the greatest respect for Sir Isaac. But what was innovative thinking in the seventeenth century has subsequently been proved invalid. While possessed of a great mind, Newton wrongly believed that space and time were not only separate, but absolute, conceptualizing time as an imaginary universal clock set in the heavens. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Always fixed. Never changing.’ Dr Uhlemann paused before delivering the punchline. ‘And, then, along came Einstein.’
‘Who proved that gravity wasn’t a force, as Newton had described it, but was, instead, the movement of matter in a unified space–time continuum.’ The bowling ball on the trampoline from her earlier example. But what did that have to do with time?
‘Einstein conclusively demonstrated that just as we can move backwards and forwards in space –’ Dr Uhlemann moved his index finger, first one way, then the other – ‘we can move forwards and backwards in time.’
‘Well, Finnegan’s Law says that you can only move forwards or backwards in time if you reset the clock.’
‘Pish-posh!’ Dr Uhlemann snorted. ‘Do you know why Einstein considered the Theory of General Relativity his greatest achievement?’
‘No. And I would have thought that the Special Theory of Relativity and E=mc2 would take top honours,’ Finn countered, proving that he knew more science than he let on.
‘A proud achievement, certainly. But Einstein understood the inherent possibilities that arise when matter curves space. That curving of space is what we call gravity. Since Einstein proved that space and time are a single unified continuum, one can also use gravity to curve time.’
‘While that’s a scientifically valid argument, you would need an enormous amount of matter,’ Kate pointed out. ‘Only an object as big as a planet can produce enough gravity to bend the space–time continuum.’
‘And you wrongly presume that only matter can create gravity. According to Einstein’s theory, light can also create gravity.’
Suddenly, Kate realized where his argument was headed. ‘And since gravity can bend time –’
‘– light can also bend time,’ Dr Uhlemann finished. His lips curved in a gloating smile. ‘Light is how we can move backwards and forwards on the space–time continuum. A beautiful and elegant theory that my father mathematically proved. Moreover, he was convinced that the light shed by the Vril’s “blue fire” would produce the necessary torque to bend time.’
‘It’s an intriguing theory, I’ll grant you that. But it can’t be tested without …’ Kate hesitated. Although loathe to broach the topic, she had to know. ‘Without some sort of time machine.’
‘Who said that we don’t have one?’ Dr Uhlemann replied smugly.
‘Shit! I don’t believe that I’m hearing this!’
‘Nor do I,’ Kate murmured, stunned.
My God! No wonder Ivo Uhlemann is so obsessed with generating the Vril force. If the Seven Research Foundation had a working mechanism, they could theoretically open a tunnel in the space–time continuum.
‘My candour is not without motive,’ Dr Uhlemann confessed with a shrewd smile. ‘My hope is that, intrigued by the theory, you will wish to participate in our great scientific experiment.’
Finn, hands on hips, sneered derisively. ‘So we give you the medallion; you find the Grail; and then what? You go back in time and the Nazis win the war? You guys couldn’t win the first time around. What makes you think the second time will be the charm?’
‘Because with hindsight, one has the gift of perfect vision,’ Dr Uhlemann replied, making no attempt to deny that he intended to change the course of a war that nearly destroyed the world. ‘The mistakes have been identified and corrections will be made. This time we will win.’
Hearing that, Kate’s jaw nearly came unhinged.
‘Wake up and smell the sauerkraut, Ivo Meister. Having spent half my life as a soldier, I can attest that it takes a whole lot of oil to run a war,’ Finn argued, refusing to back down. ‘Without oil, your tanks and planes are worthless. That’s the reason why Hitler invaded Russia, so he could seize the oil fields in the Caucasus. But the Nazis didn’t even get close to the Caucasus. Invading Russia is what doomed the Reich. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that eighty per cent of all German casualties happened as a result of the Russian invasion. That’s a lot of dead soldiers. No way can you get around that catastrophe.’
‘Oh, but we can,’ Dr Uhlemann asserted quietly.
‘Okay, I’ll play your little time-travel game. Let’s suppose that you go back in time and stop the German army from invading Mother Russia. That same army still needs oil.’
Like the cat that swallowed the canary, the other man slyly grinned. ‘As I understand it, Sergeant McGuire, the largest oil fields in the world are located in Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia.’
‘Shit! You wily old bastard!’
‘I agree that it was a colossal blunder for the Führer to think he could conquer the Soviet Union. A poorly thought-out strategy, it was driven by an egomaniacal desire to enslave the Slavic race. Hitler thought the Germans had only to kick down the door and the whole Russian house would fall to pieces. A horrendous miscalculation. Instead, we will abide by the 1939 German–Soviet Non-aggression Pact.’ As though it were already a done deal, Dr Uhlemann then said blithely, ‘Peace with Stalin is a small price to pay for victory.’
‘And it’s a helluva long way from Berlin to Baghdad. Just how are you planning on getting there?’
‘Thanks to Italy’s dictator, Benito Mussolini, Greece was under German control. From the Greek Islands, we will invade Istanbul.’
‘The Turks are a tough bunch, but compared to the Ruskies, a soft target,’ Finn readily admitted. ‘Once Turkey falls, I assume that you’ll attack Iraq from the north.’
Uhlemann confirmed with a nod. ‘At the same time, we will reinforce Field Marshal Rommel’s forces in North Africa so that he can invade Saudi Arabia from Egypt.’ A triumphant gleam in his watery blue eyes, Dr Uhlemann shoved the figurative blade a little deeper. ‘By the end of 1941, we will have secured the entire Middle East. That done, we can turn our attention to India while Japan secures Southeast Asia.’
Noticeably subdued, Finn folded his arms over his chest. ‘I gotta admit, had you gone with that plan instead of invading Russia, the Axis of Evil would have conquered almost the entire non-English-speaking world.’