ENCOUNTER by Hep Aldridge (bill gates books recommendations .txt) 📕

I control its size, intensity, and what is seen by those on the outside.”

“And you can change what is seen to another image?”

“Yes, there are no limitations to what I can make appear. I have used what you saw, the crevasse, for many years. I saw no need to change it since no one has come here for hundreds of your years.”

Joe said to no one in particular, “So, this is like the invisibility cloak that Tesla was working on back in the 40s. His experiments were high-energy-based.”

We were all sitting there listening and experiencing the conversation between Jeannie and Joe, trying with some difficulty to keep up. But a question popped into my head, and I said, “That must take a tremendous amount of energy to create and maintain.” Since Jeannie was now responding to us individually as well as through Joe, she looked at me and answered.

“Yes, it does, but energy is not a problem for us. We have more than enough.”

Dimitri spoke, “Where is your power plant? Where does the energy come from?”

Jeannie replied, “Dimitri, our power comes from everywhere. It is all around us and infinite. We merely draw on it and use it as needed.”

“So, you use it to power everything,” Dimitri continued.

“Yes, all our needs in the Citadel and other locations around this world. It powers our cities, tools, our communications, our transportation, and our ships.”

“Transportation, ships?” Dimitri asked.

“Yes, we have multiple types of vessels for use in our travels around your planet. It also powers our star ships,” Jeannie replied.

Joe said, “We have been studying a type of energy that we know exists, but we have not been able to find a way to measure it, let alone harness it for use. We call it Zero-Point energy. Is that what you’re talking about?”

Jeannie paused before responding as if thinking. When she spoke, she nodded her head slightly with an understanding smile.

“Yes, Joe, from what I have learned from you about this energy, I believe it is the same.”

Joe looked stunned as he turned to us and said, “They have harnessed Zero-Point energy and did it thousands of years ago. We are just now discovering it, and our scientists are talking about it in theoretical terms. They are actually using it. Amazing.”

Doc said, “Ask her about the silver cubes we found and the one that uses gold to levitate objects.”

Joe asked the question, even though Jeannie heard Doc’s thoughts. She paused again before answering.

“You have found things that were taken without permission from the Citadel hundreds of years ago. They can be dangerous in the hands of those that do not know their function. They are energy storage units that are used to power our devices.”

“What do you mean, dangerous?” I asked.

“The amount of energy that they store, if unleashed in an uncontrolled fashion, would trigger an explosion of great destructive power—enough to destroy this entire Citadel one hundred times over.”

“Holy crap,” Doc said. “Fitz’s team is working on them now. We need to warn them!”

O’Reilly jumped from the bench and said, “I’ll get the SAT phone and call the colonel and let him know to stop all testing on those things until he hears from us.”

She paused, turned, and looked at me. “Go,” I said.

Joe reminded her, “You’ve got to step out from under the cloak for the SAT phone to work.”

“Got it,” she replied as she hurriedly left the building.

Jeannie had a serious look on her face when she said, “Tampering with our technology without the proper knowledge can have globally devastating results. You must realize that our level of technological advancement is far beyond your comprehension. To use one of your analogies, you are like young children playing with fire.”

That gave me pause, but I continued our line of questioning, “So, those things hold Zero-Point Energy?”

“Yes, they hold it and continually absorb it. Their power capability is unlimited,” Jeannie replied.

I pressed her, “Can you teach us how to use them?”

She looked at me and said, “You are not ready.”

“How are they controlled?” Joe asked.

“Like all things, with your mind,” Jeannie answered.

Before anyone could ask another question, Jeannie said, “I think that is enough for now. You have been here many hours, and I must go. You may return tomorrow, and we can resume your education,” and with that, she disappeared. It was then we realized we had been in the room for hours. In fact, it was mid-afternoon, and I was starving and tired. I stood up and looked at the others as they stood.

Reggie was the first to speak, “In my wildest dreams, I would never have thought I would experience what we just did; amazing doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

Dimitri chimed in, “How about earth-shattering?”

Doc said, “How about rewriting everything we have ever written about history?”

Dimitri was grinning and said, “Well, I think it was pretty damn cool.”

I laughed and said, “Dimitri, you are indeed the master of the understatement.”

“Maybe so,” he replied, “but don’t you agree?”

“Oh, hell yeah,” I said. “I agree with all of you, in spades.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

We walked back to the base of the stepped platform where we had set up camp. Taking seats on the lower steps, Doc passed out our MRE rations and said, “We’re getting low on provisions; we’ve got maybe three days’ worth left.

“Well, it’s two days’ hike back to the village and the rest of our supplies—if the mercs didn’t find them. If we ration what we have, we should be able to make it,” I said. “But that means we would have to leave here tomorrow, and I don’t see that happening.”

Dimitri said, “Maybe we could ask Jeannie if there is any food left in this place.”

“Sounds like a good idea, but I’m not sure anything left here would be edible. It would have been here for hundreds of years,” Doc replied.

Before anyone could respond, O’Reilly appeared at the top of the platform and started down to us.

“I got ahold of Fitz and gave him the warning. He