“The information was encoded into the Old Testament’s original Aramaic, transcribed on Mount Sinai to the entity Moses. Fourteen centuries later, the information was decoded and recorded in the text referred to as the Zohar.”

“So all those hokey Bible stories were just written as an excuse to encrypt the info contained in our owner’s manual? What are Adam and Eve supposed to represent?”

“Protons and electrons—the male and female aspect of the atom.”

“Nice. What about the creation of the world in six days?”

“Six days refers to the bundle of six dimensions. The only creation is the vessel of the unified soul. The physical world is not the real reality. The physical world is the lucid dream where fulfillment must be earned.”

I felt dizzy. “Why am I here?”

“That remains to be seen.”

“Whoa, now hold on a minute, Alien Joe. You’ve made it a point to tell me that time has no bearing in the upper dimensions. If that’s true, and quantum physics seems to back that theory, then you not only know what happened in the past, you know what will happen in the future—my future. You knew I’d be exploring Lake Vostok, which means you purposely left this portal under the ice sheet for me to discover and access. I want to know why.”

Alien Joe rocked in his easy chair, his demeanor unaffected by my rants. “Your observations are correct. Time has no bearing in the upper worlds; therefore, this moment, and everything that follows, has already occurred numerous times before, all with varying results but similar outcomes. Do you know what a multiverse is, Zachary?”

“It’s a quantum term, referring to the choices we make in life. Each choice theoretically creates its own universe.”

“Correct. Now tell me why this spaceship is here.”

“It’s here because I am here. You knew I’d be here, which means you need me for something.”

“Correct. And that need begins after you survive Vostok.”

“Then I guess I’ll be on my way. The sooner I get out of this freezer, the sooner I see my family… and a good psychiatrist. Not that anyone would believe this. Hell, I don’t believe it.”

“Unfortunately, Zachary, you have yet to experience a multiverse where you survived.”

The blood rushed from my face. “What does that mean? Did I fall into another crevasse? Did another bear-dog get me? Give me a mulligan, Alien Joe, a do-over.”

“As I said, everything that follows has already occurred numerous times before, all with varying results but similar outcomes. In the end, you never made it out alive.”

I stood, unable to contain my anxiety. “Are you here to save me?”

“That is something only you can do.”

“All right, whoever or whatever you are, you must have a good reason for arranging this little rendez-vous. So tell me, Alien Joe, what’s your end game?”