Read Online Phase Shift by elise abram - Free Book Online Page B

can't
believe I'm asking this, but imagine a world populated exclusively
by Neanderthals? Or a real-life planet of the apes? Or a
super-evolved hominid, one so much further beyond modern man in
thought capability and physical prowess, even someone like a
Prescott would be considered an idiot on the I.Q. scale?
    "That would depend on when the parallel
world came into being."
    "And the laws of Physics on such a world?
Would they be governed by the same physical laws as Earth?"
    Morales shrugs. "As their world would have
split off of ours, or at the very least from the same world as ours
once split from, I suppose so, yes."
    "So in theory,” Palmer says, “Prescott could
have been right: it may be possible to enclose yourself in a
warp-type bubble and use it to travel to another world." He looks
across the table at Morales who stares back with profound
curiosity. "In theory," he adds.
    Once more Morales smiles. It is a thin,
tight-lipped smile he assumes only as long as he needs to
contemplate his answer. "In theory, anything's possible," he
says.

Tobin's Story
    Tobin Watertester was a Shift Seeker. He
belonged to a self-described secret society of adventure seekers,
dedicated to finding and exploiting the next random shift in the
planet's phase. The group was an interdisciplinary one, composed of
people from across the mass, each bringing with him or her a
unique, indispensable skill. The group met once a month to discuss
strategy. Messages as to where and when a meeting might occur were
transmitted via secure Geo-link site, containing time and global
positioning satellite co-ordinates. It was imperative the identity
of each and every Shift Seeker, as well as the locale of each and
every meeting, remain secretive. What they were doing, though
seemingly benign, could be construed as an attempt to undermine the
integrity of The Pact, and was therefore illegal.
    Tobin searched the street addresses for the
one on the scrap of papyrus in his hand. He had never before been
to this part of the Prefecture. Seeing as the meeting location
roamed, he might never have occasion to frequent this part of the
Prefecture again.
    At last he found the building, a drab, grey,
brick structure, one and one-half stories tall. It cast a gloomy
air, dark and hollow, as if abandoned many years ago. Reluctantly,
Tobin knocked on the wooden door. Forest green paint chips fell
from the door and floated silently to the ground between his feet.
He awaited a response, growing more and more nervous with each
second. His presence in this part of the Prefecture was highly
unusual.
    By day, Tobin Watertester traveled the
confines of Golan Prefecture Major, testing major and minor bodies
of water and freshwater holding tanks to ensure alkaline and saline
acceptability. By night, once monthly, Tobin met clandestinely with
other Shift Seekers, to examine minute fluctuations in air
channels, temperature, or barometric pressure, anything to indicate
the whereabouts of the next likely random phase shift upon which to
capitalize.
    At first, the group played it safe,
tentatively seeking random pockets through which members traveled,
always in triads, regaling the rest of the group with the strange
sights they had seen. They had even created a log site on The Link,
accessible only through hidden memory address, in which fellow
seekers might share their exploits on the foreign planet.
    To date, Molton Masterchef held the record
in his cohort for the most extreme shift. Tobin hoped to best his
record with the information he would receive at that night's
meeting. If, that is, anyone cared to let him into the
building.
    He knocked again, in the prescribed fashion,
and awaited a response. Presently, he heard footsteps and then the
latch on the other side was thrown and the door squeaked open. A
rush of stale air preceded Molton Masterchef. "You were able to
attend."
    "For a moment I believed you weren't opening
the door in an attempt to bar me from besting your record,"