Perhaps this is what the project needed, mused Morantz, somebody like Deiter to head it up. But, then again, Deiter lacked the passion, commitment and dedication that Morantz brought to the role. No, he concluded, Deiter was far too superficial and self-serving to carry the mantle of such a momentous chapter in scientific history forward to the next level. He would continue as Director General, but appoint Deiter as his spokesperson; that way, he could concentrate on what he considered to be the all-important task of finding the God particle and let Deiter deal with the minor distractions of the press.
He swiped his security card in the card reader on the wall and the door to the control room slid open.
‘Any issues?’ shouted Morantz, to nobody in particular, as he took off his protective suit.
‘We’re still checking the data from Atlas, but at the moment everything seems normal.’ It was Serena Mayer that was the first to respond. Serena had been on the team for just over a year and was responsible for analysing the output from the four particle detectors.
‘Great! Deiter, can you organise a press conference? It’s about time we gave them some good news.’
‘OK. Do you want to do it on-site or in town?’ Deiter queried.
‘Neither. I want you to take this one. I’m always delivering bad news, so I think it would be good for the project to have a new spokesperson.’
Deiter looked surprised, but pleased. ‘Of course, I’ll organise it immediately.’ With that, he picked up the phone and dialled the switchboard.
‘Put me through to the science desk at CNN.’
The operator keyed in the request on her computer and was instantly connected to the switchboard at CNN. However, instead of the polite American operative she usually spoke to, asking which extension she required, the operator received a busy signal. She tried again, with the same result.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m getting an engaged tone. Do you want me to keep trying?’
‘No. Try the BBC,’ Deiter replied.
This time she got through to the main switchboard. ‘Hi, I have a call from the research facility at CERN for the science editor. Can you put me through, please?’
‘I’m afraid I have several calls holding. Can you phone back later?’ came a clipped response from the BBC receptionist.
The operator disconnected the call without answering. ‘The BBC seems to be very busy, also. Is there anybody else you would like me to try?’
Puzzled, Dieter asked to be put through to the local news station.
‘Hello, I have a Dr Weiss, from CERN, on the line,’ said the operator. ‘Can you put me through to the producer, please?’
‘Hold the line please. I’ll try to connect you.’ There was a short pause, and then a different voice spoke.
‘Hello, Peter Lintz here. Thank you for returning my call.’
‘I think there’s been a misunderstanding,’ Deiter replied. ‘I’m not returning your call. I’m trying to organise a press conference.’
‘Oh, I thought you were calling to give CERN’s reaction to the earthquake?’ Lintz responded.
‘What earthquake?’ Deiter queried.
‘The one off the coast of Japan, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale. Have you not seen the news?’
Deiter put the phone down.
‘What’s the problem?’ Morantz asked.
‘Apparently, there’s been a massive earthquake off the coast of Japan,’ Deiter replied. ‘Can somebody switch the news on?’
The television screens around the control room blinked and then came to life. Helicopter images of the devastation caused by the tsunami were being commentated on by a news anchorman in the studio.
‘We still don’t have a clear picture of the devastation caused by either the earthquake or the tsunami. From what we gather, the earthquake, which measured almost nine on the Richter scale, set off a tsunami, which hit the northeast shoreline of Japan, at three o’clock in the afternoon, local time. Officials say six hundred and fifty people are dead and about fifteen hundred missing, but it is feared the final death toll will be much higher.’
Morantz shot Deiter an angry glance. ‘Give the order to shut down immediately and then I want to see you in my office!’
Deiter joined Morantz in his office a few minutes later, closing the door behind him.
‘It’s just a coincidence,’ Deiter was the first to speak.
‘That’s what you said the last time,’ Morantz countered.
‘It’s Japan, they get earthquakes all the time.’
‘Yes, but not on this scale,’ Morantz said solemnly. ‘I can’t take the risk. What if it’s not a coincidence? What if the collider is causing these disasters? I have to let the Council know immediately and let them decide what to do.’
Serena Mayer watched the television screen intently as the cameraman in the helicopter panned the devastated landscape. The news anchorman in the studio was now discussing the impact of the earthquake on the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, with a so-called ‘expert on these matters’.
‘What are the consequences if the nuclear reactors go into meltdown?’ the anchorman asked the expert.
‘Well, if we look at what happened at Chernobyl, for example,’ replied the expert, ‘an entire reactor exploded, sending up a massive fireball and radioactive plume that dispersed radiation over a wide area. People living near Chernobyl were killed instantly; but, as the radioactive cloud spread, several thousand more died within a few weeks from radiation poisoning. Over the long-term, tens of thousands more people were put at risk from cancer.’
‘Are you saying that we could be witnessing a disaster of this magnitude?’ the anchorman spoke slowly for dramatic effect.
‘We can only base our conclusions on what has happened historically…’
Serena’s attention switched from the television screen to Morantz’s office, in the corner of the control room. She could see, through the window, the animated figure of Professor Morantz as he stood inches from Dr Weiss, waving his arms. She knew there was no love lost between these two, but they rarely argued and certainly never with this much ardour. Even though the door was closed and the voices muffled, if she strained her hearing she could make out snippets of the conversation between the two men.
‘…I can’t let you… responsibility… wait for another…’ was all she managed to decipher from what Deiter was saying.
‘…it’s too late… can’t stop me… this afternoon…’ was what she picked out from Morantz’s response.
‘…never… you have no idea what… it’s bigger than…’ came Deiter’s reply.
Suddenly, the office door flew open and out stormed Deiter. He strode across the control room, head down, hands buried in the pockets of his white lab coat, and stormed out.
Serena cautiously approached the open door of Morantz’s office. The professor was now sitting behind his desk, his head in his hands, staring down at the phone.
‘Can I help at all?’ Serena timidly enquired.
Startled, Morantz looked up and then visibly relaxed as he recognised the stealth-like figure of his assistant, framed in the doorway.
‘Thank you, Serena, but I must do this myself. Did you get any anomalies from the data you extracted from the detectors?’
‘No, Professor. Everything seemed normal,’ Serena replied.
‘There is one thing you can do for me. Can you pull up the electromagnetic data readings before, during and after the experiment? I’m particularly interested in any surges or peaks that may have occurred, when the collider was at full operational capacity.’
‘Certainly, Professor. I’ll get onto it straight away.’
CHAPTER 3
Katashi’s prayers were answered by way of an electricity pylon and a red Toyota Corolla. The pylon was at the far end of the compound; its three legs had buckled under the weight of the flotsam that had gathered around its base, but it was still holding its own. The tree, on which Katashi was clinging, snagged one of the legs. The Toyota, which was floating behind, hammered home the branches and the tree held firm against the rushing tide. Katashi shivered uncontrollably as he saw the lifeless, bloated face of an older man staring blankly at him through the windscreen. He looked away.