Jamie looked at Sarah and chewed his lip. He hadn’t been joking about Mike being a genius. The scientist was one of the cleverest men on the planet, with more degrees than Jamie had GCSEs. What to reveal and what not?
‘We were musing on the subject of celestial objects, as you do of an evening.’ He ignored the other man’s scowl of disbelief. ‘I know it’s in the realm of science fiction, but what are the chances of finding something previously unknown from a meteorite?’
Mike shot him a tight smile. ‘You’re taking the piss, right?’
Jamie shook his head.
The scientist sighed. ‘Something tells me we’re not a million miles away from the hole in the Harz. What do you mean by something? Are we talking bacteria or something more substantial?’
‘More substantial.’
‘A material, right?’
‘Right,’ Jamie and Sarah said simultaneously.
Mike sat back in his seat and his voice took on the formal tone that Sarah guessed he usually kept for the lecture theatre. ‘Science fiction has a curious tendency to become science fact. Look at Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. You can follow a direct link between what Wells wrote through to the development of the V2 rocket and the Americans putting Neil Armstrong on the moon. What we know now is most definitely not what we will know in ten years. Has anything been found? No. Is there a possibility? That’s different. Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place or in the wrong way. Maybe we don’t yet have the tools to understand what might be there. But we are looking and the possibilities are interesting enough to have the Yanks and the Russians sending out teams to study impact sites all over the world. The Chinese, too, more recently; that’s one of the reasons why they’re investing so heavily in Africa.’
‘What about the practical implications?’ Jamie asked.
Mike gave him a shrewd look. ‘So that’s what this is all about. The rumours have been flying about that place you found in Saxony. Obviously, the practical applications depend on exactly what it is you discover. But whatever it is, it will open up whole new areas of scientific study. Maybe even whole new branches of science. Science spawns research, which spawns development, which spawns technology, which spawns industry, which spawns profit.’ The possibilities were reflected in his voice, which grew in power as he spoke. ‘The current big thing is nuclear fusion. It’s a pipe dream at the moment, but think of it as harnessing the power of the sun. A perpetual source of energy. Enough output from a swimming pool full of sea water to fuel the entire planet for a year. Of course, like nuclear power it would have weapons applications as well. There were stories during the war of some kind of German breakthrough, but they turned out to be as real as Mr Hitler’s wonder weapons. Unless . . . ?’
Jamie shrugged and kept his voice low. People were staring at them. ‘It looked like a scrap metal yard to me, Mike. We were more interested in the painting.’ He could see that Mike didn’t believe him.
‘So why have you suddenly become so interested in my, albeit fascinating, branch of science, Jamie? And don’t give me that musing bullshit. You know something. Well, if you tell me what it is, maybe I can help you.’
Jamie opened his mouth; why not tell Mike about the sphere? But the warning look in Sarah’s eyes forced a change of direction.
‘Believe me, Mike,’ he said regretfully, ‘if we knew anything solid we would tell you, but this is all entirely theoretical.’
‘Then why do I have this feeling that somebody’s tugging on my chain? If we didn’t go way back I’d be out of here and you and your new girlfriend could go to hell. But since we do I’ll have another pint.’
Sarah picked up the glasses and Jamie carried on as if nothing had been said.
‘Let’s just say this pipe dream is a possibility: who would be the big winners?’
Mike shook his head. ‘Jesus, Jamie, what happened to old, boring, non-confrontational, wouldn’t-sayboo-to-a-goose Mr Jamie Saintclair? I think I liked him better.’
Sarah reappeared with the drinks. ‘Why, he fell under a train, Mike. This is the new improved version.’ Her laughter was so infectious that Mike couldn’t help joining in.
‘Ach, to hell with it. Who’d win? Whoever got there first. The Yanks, the Russians, who’ve already got us by the balls with their big gas reserves, or, God help us, the Chinese. They’re way ahead on research, but they haven’t made the big breakthrough yet. So, governments. And corporations. One of the big global industrial companies would, literally, pay the earth for something like this.’ He sobered. ‘In fact, they’d kill for it. Any of them. So maybe you’re right and your Uncle Mike doesn’t need to know. Then, of course, there is the potential down side. You’ve heard of the Hadron Collider?’