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Back The Desert of Glass Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. BY MICHAEL C. GRUMLEY
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. EPILOGUE
  82. II
  83. III
  84. IV

Because this was it. Once we were gone, our lessons and memories were lost forever.

Angela was still gazing out the window when the morning sun rose enough that its sunlight hit the colossal expanse of water, reflecting out and over the patch of hillside they were traveling through, creating a stunning, shimmering glow off the gigantic lake.

“Did you know,” said Angela softly, “that Lake Titicaca has long been believed to be a source of great power and energy?”

“Is that right?”

She nodded.  “All the way back to the Incas.”

“I guess they were only about fifty miles off,” mused Joe.

There was silence in the back until Townsend added,  “Energy never disappears.”

Angela blinked, then turned around.  “What was that?”

“Energy never disappears,” he said again.

“Mike Morton said the same thing.”

“Probably because it’s true.  Most scientists know it.  Energy doesn’t disappear. The most it ever does is change from one form to another.”

“What are you saying? Energy is forever?”

“Essentially,” said Townsend.  “As I explained before, energy is very mysterious—and very unpredictable.  It’s probably one of the few things in our modern world that has become more mysterious the more we learn of it and has confounded a great many minds.”

“Like Einstein.”

“Not just Einstein.  The greatest minds of today.  Right now.  No one understands it.  And I do mean no one.  Just in the last two decades, it has become clear that literally nothing is off the table when it comes to the quantum world.  What we thought was impossible before, even ridiculous, no longer is.”

Rickards and Angela glanced at each other.

“And it’s not just that.  It’s also about how different energies react to each other.  All those charged particles affect one another.  Just like molecular biology.  Understanding molecules and cells is one thing, but how they interact with each other and affect each other, that’s where things become truly humbling.”

“Scientists becoming more humbled.”

He laughed.  “Especially theoretical physicists and neurobiologists.”

This time Angela twisted all the way around.  “As in brain surgeons?”

“Neurobiologists aren’t merely surgeons.  They study the physiology and biochemistry of–”

“The brain.”

“Yes.  But more than that,” said Townsend.  “Neurons.”

“Which are in the brain.”

He nodded.  “They are in the brain, and they operate…using energy, which makes one stop to wonder.  If electrons are mysterious and unpredictable at their most fundamental level, what does that then say about neurons?”

27

27

They reached the dirt road beneath a scattering of gray clouds that began dotting the windshield with tiny droplets, prompting Rickards to turn on his wipers as he slowed.  The gravel road was smooth and long, traveling east and descending into a narrow canyon whose walls were colored in several different rock strata as they rose toward the darkening sky overhead.