Book I – The City on the Other side
— Chapter 1 —
The “bubble”
The night was dark. There was no moonlight; only pale stars hovered gracefully in the ebony sky. A long road vanished into the landscape, where undergrowth ruled. A few trees dotted the road, almost invisible due to the poor lighting. They swayed gently in response to the icy winter wind, which made a faint noise like a hoarse, gloomy howl.
In the distance, a pair of faint, diffuse lights appeared, flickering and sometimes disappearing, only to reappear shortly afterward. They were the headlights of a car. Inside the vehicle were four people. A woman was at the wheel, with her sleepy husband sitting beside her. In the back seat, on the right, a distracted boy was typing on a cell phone. Next to him, a little girl gazed at the dark landscape with a faraway look in her eyes; she was holding her favorite stuffed animal, an unusual giraffe. Her long, curly dark hair was just like her mother’s.
Far ahead, in the direction the vehicle was traveling, some bright lights could be seen. As soon as she saw them, the woman muttered to herself,
“I don’t like this place…”
Her drowsy husband replied,
“W-What?”
“I was just saying that I don’t like that laboratory.”
“Oh yes, the accelerator. You always say that,” replies her husband, lightly rubbing his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand.
“I don’t like these machines. And I have a negative feeling about it.”
“Ana, it’s just an accelerator. And it’s a small one.”
The bright spots were getting bigger and more numerous.
“Size doesn’t matter to me. I find these things dangerous.”
At this point, the son in the back seat comments without taking his eyes off his cell phone,
“They only experiment with light, Mom. The accelerator generates a powerful beam of light at the X-ray frequency, which is used to precisely map various materials.”
Dad replies wryly,
“Said the ‘nerdeinstein.’ ”
The son didn’t care. His mother commented seriously,
“Yeah, they only experiment with the fastest thing in the universe.”
The son looked straight ahead and smiled,
“That’s tragic, Mom. Light is swift, but it’s only light.”
At this point, her daughter laughed, without taking her eyes off the landscape,
“It’s just that Dad tries to outrun the light every now and then with his car.”
The father turned and looked at his daughter disapprovingly for a few seconds but said nothing. The son laughed a little. The lights were now to the left of the vehicle, which was approaching the accelerator entrance lane. The place was well lit.
With the artificial lights, the landscape became a little less gloomy. In fact, it was a lovely place. To the right, they could see a beautiful sunflower plantation. To the left, a homogeneous undergrowth indicated that this was a cultivated field where the crops were beginning to flourish. The vehicle passed in front of the entrance to the road leading to the laboratory, whose main building was a couple of hundred yards away.
As the vehicle drove on, the girl looked back and gazed wistfully at the moving away lights. The landscape darkened again. The father remained apathetic, and his son was still on his cell phone.
Then something unexpected happened. There was a kind of lightning bolt that took up the entire celestial vault for a fraction of a second. Then there was a deafening explosion, and the vehicle was jolted as if it had gone over a step of a few inches. Afterward, a quick gust of wind could be felt in a nearby tree, without any major consequences. The lights in the laboratory, which could still be seen, disappeared, and the night became completely dark again with a starry, moonless sky.
The mother braked the vehicle, which came to an awkward stop on the roadside, slightly entering the field of sunflowers. The daughter let out a short, high-pitched scream. Her son clung as tightly as he could to the front seat. For a few moments, absolute silence reigned, and only gasping breaths could be heard. Everyone looked at each other in surprise. The car’s engine had stopped; only the headlights were still on.
Breaking the silence, the daughter asked in a desperate tone,
“Mom, Dad, what happened?”
The father replied excitedly,
“I don’t know.”
He turned back and asked his son,
“Rafael, do you have any idea what happened?”
“It looks like a shockwave, but we can’t tell where it came from.”
The father replied,
“I think it came from the laboratory.”
He pointed behind him, noting that the lights in the laboratory had gone out. Rafael looked back and commented,
“Yeah, maybe…”
His father thought for a few moments and then asked,
“Did anyone get hurt?”
Everyone answered in the negative, with searching expressions and a slight buzz.
The mom looked at Dad and asked,
“What do we do now, Tobias?”
“Whatever happened, we’d better get out of here.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to go to the laboratory and see if we can help? There may be injured people there…”
“We couldn’t help at all. They wouldn’t even let us in.”
The daughter said in annoyance,
“I don’t want to go there.”
The son agreed with his father,
“Dad’s right. We couldn’t help at all.”
“We’re 15 minutes from home. When we get there, we’ll notify the authorities,” added the father.
The mother then agreed,
“It’s right…”
Rafael looked at the laboratory again. Now there were some lights that seemed to be emergency ones. He got out of the car in an attempt to get a better look at the scene but stayed by the door.
“What are you doing, Rafael?” asked his father.
“I’m trying to understand what happened.”
He looked up and gazed for a few seconds at the magnificent image of the Milky Way in all its splendor. He noticed some clouds moving around, which obscured the stars. Then he took out his cell phone and looked at it.
“No signal… I was going to call the fire department and the police, but there’s no signal. What about yours, Dad?”
The father took out his cell phone, and there was no signal either. He turned to his mother, who had also picked up hers and her daughter’s, which was in her handbag, and observed,
“Neither mine nor Bruna’s has a signal. That’s strange…”
The father said to himself in a low tone,
“I don’t like this…”
Rafael looked around a bit more and said quietly to himself,
“I wonder what happened?”
He thought for a few moments. His father interrupted him,
“Rafael, come in; we need to go.”
As he turned to get in, he noticed that one of the tires was flat. He nodded.
“More of that now…” he muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Tobias asked.
“A flat tire, Dad…”
“I can’t believe it…” said Tobias, quietly.
Tobias got out of the car and went to help his son change the tire. He found a piece of metal wedged in it, which looked like it was the tip of a rake. He threw the piece into the field of sunflowers, commenting wryly,
“How wonderful…”
Once the task was done, they got into the car, which then cautiously resumed its journey. Inside, everyone was restless, worried, and quiet. This situation lasted only about fifteen seconds.
Just then, about a hundred yards away, signal lights could be seen cutting through the dark sky. They were heading towards the laboratory. But they were quick, and the sound of turbines could be heard.
The mother commented,
“Help is coming.”
Dad added, following the lights,
“Yes, but it doesn’t look like a helicopter.”
Ana slowed down in an attempt to keep up with the lights. As soon as she did, the car shook vigorously as if it had gone over a large pothole. Her mother stopped the vehicle again and said, slightly annoyed,
“What now? A hole in the road?”
Rafael looked back and muttered,
“What’s that over there?”
He impulsively opened the door and got out of the car, going to check what looked like a large stone exposed a few yards away, faintly illuminated in red by the vehicle’s rear light. His mother shouted,
“No, Rafael, stay in the car!”
His father shouted forcefully,
“Rafael, don’t do that!”
Rafael, who was crouched down watching the stone, stood up slowly with an astonished look on his face. He slowly scanned the landscape while saying in a low, perplexed voice,
“What the hell happened here?”
Tobias opened the car door and got out but stood next to the open door. Waving his hand, he called to his son,
“Come on, get back in the car. It’s not safe out here.”
Rafael replied,
“I don’t think anywhere is safe… You need to see this, Dad.”
Tobias walked slowly towards his son, suspicious, observing the surrounding terrain. Bruna took the opportunity, opened the door, and ran out towards her brother, leaving their mother alone in the car, who muttered indignantly,
“What’s gotten into you?”
She saw the perplexed looks on everyone’s faces. Curiosity overcame her fear, and Ana got out of the car and headed towards the group. What she saw was a picturesque landscape.
The road’s pavement seemed to have been cut diagonally and was shifted a few yards to the right so that when the vehicle entered the ‘new’ lane, it was on the left side of the road, in the opposite direction. On the cut line, both the sidewalk and the surrounding areas were lowered by about 4 or 5 inches. The stone that Rafael was looking at had also been cut. The surface of the cut was so perfect and smooth that it looked as if it had been polished. The cut line in the asphalt was just as perfect. A nearby bush had also been cut down, and based on what could be seen, the cut line was quite long.
The ‘new’ paving was much more elaborate. It was clearer, and the stripes were neatly painted. Small amber lanterns were placed every two or three yards along the sides of the entire road. Small signs above them indicated that they worked with sunlight. The shoulder was also paved, and there was a neatly trimmed lawn on either side of the road.
Bruna asked anxiously,
“Daddy, what’s happening? I’m getting scared…”
“Don’t worry, honey, we’re all together. But I think we’ll know soon.”
He looked ahead, motioning with his head for Bruna to look too. Headlights accompanied by signal lights could be seen in the distance. It was a land vehicle coming down the highway. Bruna hugged her father, and everyone moved closer to wait for the vehicle to arrive. Then they realized that whatever had happened, it was something grave.
The vehicle arrived, and its appearance was unusual. It looked like a police sedan, but it had smooth lines, painted white with details in a bright shade of blue. From the noise, or lack of it, they concluded that it was electric. The signal lights on the roof were unique, very different from the ones the group knew.
Two people got out of the vehicle, one on either side of the front seat. The two individuals were wearing black armor with a helmet. The armor was elegant and commanded respect. There was a three-digit number at chest height on the left side; one was 743 and the other 297. On the right side there was some kind of insignia. They didn’t seem to be carrying weapons or any other device. One of them, 743, spoke in a calm but forceful tone,
“Citizens, stay calm.”
The voice sounded slightly metallic. It was distorted by some device, but it was perfectly intelligible. Then he added, holding out his hand,
“Please, the electronic devices.”
Tobias and Rafael fearfully handed over their cell phones. Ana, feeling fearful, went to the car while being watched by 743 and retrieved her handbag. She took out her cell phone and Bruna’s, but when she saw the intimidating figure in front of her, she decided to put the phones back and handed over her purse. Bruna then asked,
“Mom, who are they? Are they taking us home?”
“I think they’re from the government.”
At this point, the four of them realized that they were on unfamiliar ground and had no idea what would happen from then on.
While 743 watched the group, 297 examined the surroundings. The group watched in silence as the two men took action. After a few minutes, a second van-like vehicle arrived. It was white with yellow details and had the same signal lights as the sedan.
Then 297 gave a thumbs-up to 743, who waved his left hand, calling out to the people in the van. Two people in airtight yellow suits came down, carrying some kind of device. They approached the group.
“Please, citizens, remain calm,” reinforced 743.
743 and 297 moved away but remained attentive. The two people from the van approached. They were a man and a woman, both very young. The woman, speaking slowly and in a slightly mysterious tone, asked,
“Can you understand me?”
They nodded, although the question sounded strange.
The woman seemed surprised and looked at her companion, who had the same surprised expression on his face. After a few seconds, she referred to 743 and 297 and continued,
“They don’t talk much, do they?”
The phrase broke the ice a little. The tone was calm, and there was a slight accent that couldn’t be identified. The woman continued,
“It’s part of their job. They scare me sometimes. By the way, I’m Carina.”
Then she looked at Bruna.
“What a beautiful child!” she commented.
She reached out to stroke Bruna, who pulled away and was embraced by her mother. Carina gave up the attempt. The man, who was smiling and had taken a step closer to Bruna, undid his smile and stopped. Carina began to prepare the equipment she had brought. The group looked at each other, confused. Ana then asked,
“Do you know what happened? Why are you wearing these outfits?”
The man, who was also preparing the equipment, said,
“We don’t know for sure yet. These suits are just a precaution. Nice to meet you, I’m Lucas.”
His voice sounded with the same unidentifiable accent as Carina’s. The group looked at each other once again, given the strangeness of the situation. Ana, Tobias, Rafael, and Bruna ultimately decided to introduce themselves. Carina then said,
“Excuse me, we have to examine you and the vehicle.”
The group agreed. After all, they couldn’t do anything else, and the friendly tone of the conversation put them at ease. Lucas went to the vehicle while Carina examined the group. After a few minutes, they finished their work. Lucas said,
“There is no sign of radiation or chemical or biological contamination. Nor have I located any quantum or space-time anomalies. Did you get the same readings?”
“Yes. And their biology is compatible with ours. We’re practically identical,” said Carina.
“Wait a minute… What do you mean, practically identical”? Ana asked, but the only answer she got was a quick, discreet glance from Carina.
At this point, they realized that they hadn’t seen anything like those devices, which seemed to be extremely sophisticated. Carina took off her mask and looked at Lucas, who asked,
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“We haven’t detected anything; there’s no sign of danger, and the air from the ‘bubble’ has already mixed with ours. We’re exposed anyway.”
Rafael found Carina’s word ‘bubble’ strange. He repeated the word to himself in a questioning tone.
Then Lucas decided to take off his mask too. This relieved the group a little. He said,
“Please come with us.”
At this point, everyone began to realize that the seriousness of the phenomenon was greater than they had assumed. Tobias looked at Ana, who reciprocated, and then they both looked at Rafael, who was pensive and a little perplexed. They threatened to start walking, but Rafael remained still.
“Come on, Rafael, let’s go,” Ana called out.
The group then headed towards the van. Bruna asked, a little frightened,
“Daddy, where are we going?”
“I don’t know, but we’re all going together. Don’t worry, daughter.”
Ana commented,
“I wonder what they’re going to do with us? And what did she mean when she said we were practically identical?
“She also said that their biology is compatible, something like that…” Tobias observed.
Carina pondered,
“It seems pretty obvious that you’re not from here.”
“Yes, we are… We live a few miles down the road.”
Carina and Lucas, who were almost next to the vehicle, stopped. Lucas turned partially around, stood to one side, made a serious expression, and said,
“You really have no idea what happened, do you?”
Tobias asked,
“What do you mean?”
A shiver ran through his body, a feeling that was shared by Ana. They began to realize that they were a long way from home. Rafael stopped walking, and his parents did the same. Lucas then continued,
“Have you heard of the Many Worlds Interpretation?”
Rafael had already understood the situation. He hesitated a little and answered slowly and fearfully,
“Yes, I have. Everett1 defended a thesis on this in 1957.”
“Who?”
This single word fell with the weight of the universe on Rafael. He accepted once and for all what he already knew but didn’t want to be true. He stumbled, losing his balance slightly. His mother supported him.
“Son, are you all right?”
Rafael said shakily,
“Everett didn’t live here. Our house no longer exists. Everything we knew is gone…”
Bruna commented,
“You’re scaring me…”
Ana asked, perplexed,
“What do you mean, Rafael? What are you talking about?”
“Mom, we’re on another Earth, a parallel Earth. Everything we know from ours is there,” he pointed back to where they had come from. “Everything else is unknown to us.”
The father discreetly leaned on the van; the mother felt her legs weaken and leaned on her son, who was now a little more balanced. Bruna, despite her young age, understood the situation and tried to cry,
“You mean I’ll never see Gabrielle again?” – Gabrielle was her best friend, her ‘BFF.’
Rafael replied with visible sadness,
“I don’t know… I really don’t know…”
Everyone remained paralyzed for a few moments. Then a tear of pain and despair slid down Ana’s bitter face, and she stroked her son’s cheek. Bruna hugged her brother and sought her mother’s sweet caresses. Tobias hugged everyone, silent and pensive. Their world had disappeared, and everyone understood that.
1 Hugh Everett was an American physicist who proposed the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics in his doctoral thesis at Princeton University in 1957.
Want to know what happens next? Click below and get the book!
