BACKTRACKER by Milo Fowler (e book reader txt) 📕

"Smoking is illegal," Cade replied, matter-of-fact.

"Yes, it is. And so was my research. Ever hear ofSchrödinger's cat? Alternate dimensions of reality? Brane theory? Themultiverse?"

Cade shook his head, staring at the lighter's glow, mesmerized byit.

"That's why they shut medown. My research into the alter-life. But Iliked to think of it as alter-lives. Really, when you come right down toit, who's to say how many there are? Infinite possibilities. It's exponential—asingle decision made, a single choice, a single turning point that could goeither way, maybe in more than two directions, butthen each of those outcomes will come to a head later on, and another decisionwill have to be made, another set of outcomes, and so on, and so on,indefinitely. You see?" His eyes gleamed with an intensity that burnedbright and clear, but gradually faded, replaced by a look of sad nostalgia."So many realities, pulling against the fabric of space-time... Too many to count. Thought experiment become truth, bymy hand. Perhaps I was naïve." He sighedheavily, nodding to himself with what appeared to be regret."Perhaps."

Cade parted his lips to speak, yet he could not respond. Hortonhad lost him. This strange glow held him now, and he stared into it, unable topull his eyes away, unable to blink. Without meaning to do so, he leaned towardit, as if it was reaching out to him, drawing him closer with a magnetism hecould not resist.

"Careful there, lad." Horton covered the lighter withhis hand, and instantly Cade found himself able to focus, dropping back fromthe table onto his bare heels. "You might not like where you end up."

Cade met the inventor's amused gaze. "What is it?"

Horton nodded, smiling. "A key to a door you never knewexisted."

Cade shook his head. "I do not understand."

"I've always said it's amazing what's possible when thegovernment's collective nose is out of your ass. Seriously, if they'd just letus do our thing without all those restrictions and regulations, it'd be awesomewhat we could accomplish! I'm only scratching the surface here, dabbling withtheoretical polymers and whatnot, materials that don't officially exist.Negative energy, though, that's been the key to everything. Compressing it viananotechnology and channeling it to puncture holes through space-time,capturing and expanding tunnels through the quantum foam and stabilizing themlong enough to—" He stopped himself. "Listen to me ramble. Now youknow what my kids have to put up with!"

"I am..." Cade could not finish. Impressed? Appalled?Irena had always said her father was a great man, amisunderstood genius mistreated by the governors who used him up and spat himout. His designs had been utilized by the military for years in the EurasianWars, but when he had switched his research into another area, this alter-lifehe spoke of, then the government wanted nothing to do with him. Was he nolonger of any use to them? Or did it run deeper: Had they known what he managedto create? Did they think he was dangerous?

Or was he insane? Perhaps the lighter was simply a lighter—yet almost identical to the one Lennox had used prior to disappearing into theair. Was there a connection? And perhaps these three very unique syntheticswere not manufactured beings at all, but humans, friends who cared for the oldman and tolerated his claims as would the staff of any mental hospital run by followers of the Way.

"Now check this out." Horton held up what looked like aplastic timepiece, the kind minors wore on their wrists, being too young tohave a Link interface of their own. "This would have to be my crowningachievement, if there ever was such a thing. The one that started it all."He raised the watch with both hands as if he were conducting acoronation. "The BackTracker."

Cade prayed silently for wisdom. The BackTracker—the man Irena searches for. The only one who can possibly find HaroldMuldoon...

"What does it do?" he feigned interest, for now humoringthe inventor, even as his mind raced with a sudden revelation: Would Hortonknow how to find Irena's husband? Was Horton the BackTracker?

Horton shook his head slowly with admiration, his eyes locked on the timepiece."This one's special, let me tell you. No crossing the membrane betweenrealities. With the BackTracker, you get to actually go back. Hence thename. Get it?" He lowered his voice and leaned in toward Cade. "Youget to backtrack your own life." He paused, waiting for that tosink in. "It's a freakin' time machine, my boy!"

Cade stared at the watch. With this device, if it actually worked,would he be able to locate Harold Muldoon? A man missing for ten years?

"Leaves you a little speechless, doesn't it? Yeah, I know.Sometimes I amaze myself. I mean, who knew the fabric of space-time could be somalleable, so accessible! In an age where advancements in nanotechnology allowan atom bomb to be placed on a lapel pin, this little wristwatch carries enoughnegative energy to create a squeezed vacuum state, opening a wormhole andkeeping it from collapsing long enough to travel back in time. That's right,the BackTracker allows you to detect, capture, stabilize, and enlarge a tunnelthrough the quantum foam that exists all around us, invisible to the naked eye.A bubble enshrouds you, protecting you while it carries you through foldedspace-time to whatever date you choose—as long as the technology existed atthat point in history. No visiting the Pharaohs! It's really revolutionary,when you come right down to it. Gonna change the world..." He frownedabruptly, and a dark look crossed his features. "Already has, Imean."

Silence held the room. Cade glanced back at the SYNs and notedtheir downcast eyes. He turned back to Horton. All of the levitywas gone. His face sagged now with despair. Heseemed lost.

"How so?" Cade broke the silence.

Horton's lips moved, but they said nothing. His eyes darted as hebegan to mumble, words jumbled, incoherent: "So many mistakes. I had noidea what was really happening, and it's getting thin, far too thin. The fabricwill tear—too many realities! Schrödinger's cat was theoretical, the multiversenothing more than a What if? thought experiment. But the BackTracker hasmade it real, don't you see? My mistake, my mistake. I fixed it, Ithought I did, but