"Intersection Man" - First Four Chapters of A Science Fiction Thriller.

Intersection Man is a
hard science fiction

thriller set in the years
following 2025.
This pdf document

contains the first four
chapters.
Please visit
Amazon.com to
What if you exist in two

get the E-book/
paperback copy.
universes? And what if

you must choose one?
HARI KUMAR NAIR
Intersection
Man
HARI KUMAR NAIR
ii
Published by Milky Way Books
Canada
www.milkywaybooks.com
Copyright 2015 Hari Kumar Nair
All rights reserved.
7 6 5 4 3
ISBN-10: 1548556149
ISBN-13: 978-1548556143
To my mother
CONTENTS
AUTHORS PREFACE 8
PROLOG 10
BOOK ONE 12
CHAPTER 1 13
CHAPTER 2 28
CHAPTER 3 44
CHAPTER 4 70
CHAPTER 5 Not included here
BOOK TWO Not included here
HARI KUMAR NAIR

BOOK THREE Not included here
APPENDIX 77
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 86
vi
AUTHORS PREFACE
Book 1 of this novel was first published in August 2015. Besides Book 1,
this second edition also contains two sequels: Books 2 and 3. I have not
made any changes to the plot or structure of Book 1.
I think I have infused the story with as many new scientific concepts as
possible while maintaining a taut pace. Some ideas in the novel are
extrapolations of current trends in science while others may seem fanciful.
I created three-dimensional models of many of the settings in the book
using Googles SketchUp software. For some of the settings, I used ready-
made models downloaded from SketchUps 3D Warehouse. An example is
the Salter mansion. I thank the anonymous creators of these models for
their contributions as well as SketchUp for providing this amazing facility.
I have included in this book black and white depictions of some of the
novels key scenes. These images are provided at the end of each relevant
chapter. These images are also available in color on the novels Facebook
page: www.facebook.com/intersectionman. Please visit the website to get a
better understanding of the scenes described in the book. I have also posted
many scientific facts and bits of trivia related to my book on the Facebook
page.
I used Inkscape to create the cover. My deepest gratitude to the creators
of Inkscape for keeping this powerful software free and open-source.
You will find in Chapter 2 of this book several characters and events
taken from real life. I did not alter the names or identities of these historical
entities since I thought that would be dishonest of me. Instead, in the
Appendix, I have provided a list of references you may use for further
research on topics discussed in this book. I have also distinguished between
the fictional elements of the novel, like the Seer predictions, and the
historical elements, like the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Appendix contains
extracts from Wikipedia explaining the science behind this book.
If you are not from the U.S., you might not recognize some of the
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INTERSECTION MAN
spellings used in this book. Words like prologue are spelled economically
without the last two letters. I struggled with the decision before ultimately
choosing to use U.S. English throughout the book.
Lastly, I must emphasize that this is a self-published book released
through Amazons awesome CreateSpace platform. The website listed on
the back cover, www.milkywaybooks.com, belongs to me. I decided to self-
publish the novel since I felt the publishing process would take too long
otherwise. Sending out queries to agents and publishers around the world
sounded like a tiresome chore.
I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Hari Kumar Nair

Toronto
9
HARI KUMAR NAIR
PROLOG
March 22nd, 2000: The tourist couple wandering around the obscure Elbert
County monument in Georgia knew it must be someone important when a
black Mercedes followed by a Rolls-Royce Phantom, also in gleaming black,
pulled up into the parking lot.
The monument, known as the Georgia Guidestones, did not have many
visitors, due to the sinister messages inscribed on the four, nineteen feet tall
monolithic stones. Rumors described it as a satanic monument of a
secretive doomsday cult wanting to depopulate the planet. Its sudden
appearance in 1979 and the anonymous people behind its erection and its
secret unveiling in 1980 did not help its reputation.
The messages, in eight languages, engraved onto the eight faces of the
four slabs read:
1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with
nature.
2. Guide reproduction wiselyimproving fitness and diversity.
3. Unite humanity with a living new language.
4. Rule passionfaithtraditionand all things with tempered
reason.
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a
world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truthbeautyloveseeking harmony with the infinite.
10. Be not a cancer on the earthLeave room for natureLeave
room for nature.
Three big men in dark suits and identical glasses emerged from the
Mercedes while the Rolls-Royce just stayed there with its dark windows
10
INTERSECTION MAN
concealing its three occupants, which included a uniformed chauffeur.

The shows over folks. Please leave now, the leader of the three men
told the young couple.
We were just about, replied the young man as he grabbed the hand of
his girlfriend, leaving.
After the motorbike of the couple was out of sight, the three men
looked around to make sure there was no one else in the vicinity. The leader
then signaled the other two, who scrambled to open the doors of the Rolls-
Royce.
The man who first stepped out was in his early twenties, dressed in a
frayed pair of jeans and a wrinkled tee shirt. He was lean, handsome and of
medium height. From the other side of the car emerged a sharp-suited man,
in his early fifties. Wearing a hat, he was tall and well-built and had the
commanding air of a patriarch about him. Although there was nothing
wrong with his leg, he carried a walking stick that had a diamond studded
insignia of the Guidestones.
Aah, at last, our temple, the quinquagenarian smiled, gazing at the
monoliths. The youth waited for the elder to lead.
Behold! Set in stone, the ten commandments of our faith! The
patriarch tapped his cane on the rock face with the English inscription. The
youths eyes brightened with excitement as he read the messages.
My father thought this up, added the elder. He unveiled it exactly
twenty years ago. The day you were born. Needs some revision, though.
He ran his hands over the grooves of the lettering.
What do you mean? asked the young man.
Only the first commandment matters, the patriarch explained,
squinting his eyes at the capstone. If we can achieve that, we can impose
the rest.
On the way back they rode in silence in the plush rear cabin of the
Rolls-Royce for almost an hour before the older man spoke, his eyes still
peering into the shifting landscape outside the window. When your
mother told me you were born on the 22nd of March, 1980, I knew what
your purpose in life was. Of course, it helped that you were an exceptionally
gifted child. I have been strict with you only to lead you to your destiny, my
dear Lucius.
The young man did not respond.
11
BOOK ONE
THE ROOT
12
CHAPTER 1
Miami, a bright September day in 2025 AD: Levan Lamarr had his frail
hand over the distended abdomen of his wife, Mira. His connection with
what was growing in Mira was stronger than ever. His only prayer was to
see his childhis baby girl, Melaniebefore he passed on. For that, he had
to be alive for another week.
Just one more week.
But the doctors didnt think he would live that long.
Maybe it was Levs sheer bad luck the federal government had outlawed
the caesarean section just the previous year, 2024. The procedure was now
permitted only under exceptional circumstances. Because a few
unscrupulous doctors were making big money out of indiscriminate C-
sections, people like Lev and Mira had to suffer. Mira had sent repeated
appeals to treat theirs as a special case and approve a C-section so her
husband could hold his baby before he died of terminal bone cancer. But it
had all been in vain.
Seeing tears well up in Miras eyes, Lev placed his hand over hers and
smiled weakly. He tried to squeeze her hand, but there was no strength left
in him. Lev soon slipped into a morphine-induced sleep.
Mira lay by his side. She had to be with him every moment. Squeeze out
as much from the present as possible.
Her mind drifted back to the moment she first met him in a sizzling
Arabian April of 2020. She was then a nurse at the US Army Hospital in
Saudi Arabia, and Lev was a specialist Marine. It was less than a year into
the Saudi uprising when a group who called themselves the Arab Freedom
Party (AFP) overthrew the monarchy.
Trouble had been on a steady upswing for the Saudi royal family several
13
HARI KUMAR NAIR
years before the overthrow. It began with the factional infighting that broke
out soon after the unexpected demise of King Salman in 2019. The
enormous economic disparity between the vast royal family, numbering
about six thousand, and the poor commoners was like oil to the fire of
turmoil. But the US had been expecting trouble after King Salmans death
and was quietly grooming a successor in AFPs charismatic but plebeian and
western-educated leader, Tariq bin Suleiman, all the while acting the sworn
protector of the royal family. In the weeks following the overthrow, close to
five thousand of the royal family members arrived on a one-way ticket at
many of the major airports (including the Miami International Airport)
along the eastern coast of the United States. They brought with them assets
worth trillions of dollars. And, to the consternation of the average redneck,
they began buying up many of the major landmarks of these cities. The
United States lost no time in sending troops to the former kingdom to
protect its substantive interests and contain the violence. But contain
the violence was an interesting term. Besides meaning violence was not
allowed to exceed a certain threshold, it also implied violence was not
eliminated entirely.
But what the United States did not expect was the phoenix-like
resurgence of the dreaded IS (Islamic State, which the US crushed in late
2018) to stake its claim to be the new gatekeeper of the Islamic holiest of
holies, the Mecca. With a slogan like Save the Mecca from the infidel
Americans and the Marxist AFP, it was easy for IS to get recruits
everywhere from Indonesia to Indiana. The organization unleashed a new
brand of terror all over Saudi Arabia and even occasionally reared its ugly
head in the world cities of Europe and the Americas.
In Saudi Arabia, Lev soon became exposed toaccording to himthe
extreme cult of Wahhabism and the pervasive terror of IS. He hated what
he saw, how they treated their women, how they exploited the poor
immigrant labor, how the remaining royals lorded over US troops like
him as if they were their paid security guards. He hated the people whom he
had to protect as much as he hated their enemies.
Levs hate was at an all-time high when he was wheeled into the hospital
with a shattered left leg and a fractured hip bone. He was a hero because
the injuries were sustained when he saved his Marine buddies, Buzz Carson
and Mike Chang, knowing he could have died in the effort. Seeing him in
the gurney, Mira had an inexplicable feeling this handsome young man was
going to be her husband.
Mira remembered how Lev had just wanted to finish his term in Saudi
Arabia and get back to the United States. It was Mira who had calmed his
seething hatred for the entitled Saudis.
She recalled him telling her just before leaving the hospital (after
spending two months there) that, in hindsight, he was so glad he got
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INTERSECTION MAN
injured. If he hadnt, they would never have met and fallen in love. Since he
could no longer do combat, Lev was trained to become an army helicopter
pilot. He was tasked with operating the manually controlled choppers. As
the new auto-piloted helicopters were gradually replacing the regular ones,
Lev soon became redundant. Within a year, his term with the army came to
an end, and he returned to the United States. By then Mira was also back in
the US.
He went straight to Miras sleepy hometown, Graham, Washington.
Within a week, they were in Miami as Mr. and Mrs. Lamarr. With some
money saved and the rest borrowed, Lev lost no time in setting up a
business running chopper rides for tourists in Miami. But it didnt take off
as expected, and within a year they were buried in debt. Mira found a job as
a nurse in a local hospital but gave it up when Lev became too sick.
Mira recalled Levs reaction when she told him she was pregnant. His
joy knew no bounds. The pregnancy came at a time when he was
considering shutting down his business and selling his chopper to recoup at
least some of his losses. The news that they were going to be parents
boosted their morale. But alas, their happiness was short-lived. Within two
months, his doctor disclosed the reason for a mysterious limp he had
developedbone cancer. And the prognosis wasnt good: four months,
maybe a couple more the doctor had said vaguely.
It was the worst day of their lives. Mira felt everything around her falling
to pieces. Back in Graham, the only person she could call family was her
alcoholic mother, someone whom she considered unreliable. She didnt
remember her father, from whom she got her dusky, radiant skin. He had
left Miras mother when Mira was just five.
Levs familial situation was no better than Miras. Both his parents had
died in a car crash a few years before he met her.
Five of Levs army buddies, Buzz Carson, Mike Chang, Jason Browne,
Rocket Romero and Zane Wilson, arrived just when Mira had lost all hope.
Levs friends were a source of great comfort to the unfortunate couple.
Since they all lived in the Florida panhandle within a hundred miles of
Miami, they would drive down there as often as possible to help Mira cope
and to keep Levs spirits up. They even offered to help Lev with his debt,
but Lev wouldnt let them, insisting his insurance would take care of that.
He settled part of the debt before closing his business and selling his
chopper.
Knowing Lev didnt have much time left, the five men had taken time
off from their jobs and families and decided to be with him until his final
moments. Mira was glad they were there at the hospital in the morning
when Lev was discharged to spend his few remaining days with her at their
home. His buddies had just left for Jasons (Jason lived just ten miles away)
15
HARI KUMAR NAIR
after helping Lev get settled in his home.

Mira awoke to the soft automated voice of the videocom (home video
phone). However, she did not answer it since the voice said it was an
unknown number. She was sure it was one of Levs creditors and was
annoyed at how soon theyd found out about his discharge from the
hospital. Nevertheless, the human voice following the answering machines
beep didnt have a creditors harshness.
Hi, my name is Dr. Jonah Salter. The face that appeared on the screen
was of a good-looking middle-aged man, and the tone of voice was soft and
dignified. I am calling about Mr. Levan Lamarrs cancer and would like to
speak to him or his wife. The hospital told me they discharged Mr. Lamarr.
I am a scientist who might be able to help him. I have sent my service
robots to you. They will explain more. They should be there in twenty
minutes. Thank you.
Mira was curious and at first wondered whether this was some scam.
The clock on the wall told her it was fifteen minutes to 11 a.m. That meant
shed been asleep for almost an hour. She had better get up and make some
lunch.
Lev opened his eyes and smiled at her. Dont go, he said to her.
She took his hands in hers and brought it to her chest before lying by
his side. The lunch could wait.
The doorbell rang within twenty minutes of Dr. Salters phone call.
Be back in a sec, said Mira as she got on her feet.
Mira looked through the curtains. There was an ambulance parked in
the driveway, and two robots were at their doorstep. Both were androids of
the expensive kind. They were identical, except in one the facial area was a
video screen, which displayed the bright image of Dr. Salter. The other one
was carrying a large briefcase. The one with Dr. Salters image spotted Mira
peeping from the curtain and waved at her. Dr. Salter smiled.
Mira opened the door to let them in.
The robot with Dr. Salters face was leading the way. The image on the
robots screen switched to a young, attractive womans face.
My name is Eve, said the robot in a female voice, and this is Bob. He
does not speak. The robot gestured towards the one carrying the briefcase.
But today, I am here as the avatar of Dr. Salter. He will speak through
me. The image on the screen changed back to Dr. Salters face.
Glad to be back, chirped Dr. Salter. And you must be Mira, he said,
with a smile. Eves hand extended, but Mira hesitated to take it.
I am so sorry, said Dr. Salter, I couldnt come in person because it
takes about two hours traveling back and forth. And I simply dont have
that kind of time. Can you please let me see your husband?
Umm, I dont know. Miras voice trailed off. This was the first time a
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INTERSECTION MAN
robot had been in their home. Although robots were becoming popular as
household helpers, they were still quite expensive and hence restricted to
upper-class homes.
Please? He must know what I am going to say, Dr. Salter said through
Eve.
Mira hesitated for just a moment. But there was something in Dr.
Salters tone that told her to trust this man. Follow me, she said.
By then, Lev was wide awake. The sight of Mira leading two robots into
their bedroom gave him a jolt. Lev struggled to sit upright but couldn't
muster the strength.
This is Dr. John Salter, said Mira, or rather him speaking through his
robot. He says he is a scientist. Claims he may have a cure for your cancer.
Levs eyes lit up.
Dr. Jonah Salter, Dr. Salter corrected her. I need you both to give me
about fifteen minutes of your time. Have you heard of Salter Pharma? he
asked the couple.
Both Mira and Lev made the connection. Salter Pharma was one of the
biggest pharmaceutical corporations in the world. They were the ones
whod developed the cancer drugs Lev was taking.
Mira settled into what had been her usual spot ever since Lev had fallen
ill: the chair by his bed. Her eyes brightened with interest.
Eve switched to its sitting mode; its knees bent, and a support
extended from the robots lower back to the floor. Now Miras and Jonahs
eyes were on the same level.
So, you are the Salter of Salter Pharma, said Mira.
Yes, replied Dr. Salter, before adding, but dont be mistaken. I am
not a businessman, rather a scientist.
Mira and Lev exchanged glances.
Without further ado, I will explain why I contacted you, Dr. Salter
went on. I just might have developed a possible cure for Levs cancer.
However, I must admit, all my trials so far have been failures.
And you want to try this cure on my husband? Mira asked. She
studied the scientists face on the robots screen. He seemed like a genuine
person, she thought.
Yes, Salters voice crackled out of the robot. For five million
dollars.
Mira clicked her tongue in disappointment. We dont have that kind of
money, she said and turned her attention to her sick husband.
No, no, no, responded Dr. Salter, amid chuckles, thats my offer to
you. I am offering you five million dollars if your husband volunteers to try
out my treatment, whatever the outcome may be.
Mira stared at the robots screen for a moment before speaking in a
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
guarded tone. You are offering us five million dollars for my husbands
consent to take part in your experiment?
Yes. Dr. Salter beamed. And to show you I am serious, I am giving
you an advance of one million dollars in cash right now.
As if on cue, the robot named Bob opened the briefcase and showed
them the money stuffed inside.
Seeing the neat stacks of currency, Mira touched her chest and let out a
gasp.
And thats yours even if you dont consent, Dr. Salter said. If you
agree to volunteer, you get the remaining four million after the procedure,
even if the test fails.
Levs eyes flickered with sudden life. He tried to sit up on the bed, but
his body didnt allow him. He grimaced in pain.
Now, dont get excited. Mira admonished Lev, then, turning to the
robot, she asked, What happens to Lev if the test fails?
He will die, Dr. Salter answered without hesitation.
Mira looked unsure and glanced at Lev.
What is there to think about? Lev uttered in a weak voice. If the test
fails, I will be free a few days sooner. At least, I will go happy, knowing
yours and Melanies futures are secure and debt-free, he added.
With a pained look in her eyes, Mira took Levs bony hand and brought
it to her bosom. She knew what Lev had just said was true. The money
would allow her to repay all of Levs debts and still have enough to start a
new life with baby Melanie.
Will your medicines cause additional pain for Lev? inquired Mira. He
has already suffered enough.
Well, there is no medication, Dr. Salter clarified. As I mentioned
before, it is a procedure that lasts a few hours. If it is successful, he will
come out looking like new. If not, he will die. The procedure, as such, is
painless. I tested it many times, on animals at first. However, the success
rate with the animals was just five percent. I then tried it on humans. If he
consents, your husband will be the nineteenth person to undergo the
procedure. I must confess, all eighteen patients before him died during the
process. However, I see clear signs of achieving a favorable outcome soon.
As they say, each failure is a stepping stone to success.
Mira gave a silent sigh of relief when she heard the procedure was
painless.
Lets have the consent documents, Lev mumbled.
I am sorry, I didnt hear you, Dr. Salter said. His face zoomed in on
the screen, which displayed just his eyes and nose as he leaned closer to the
camera on the other end.
He wants the consent forms, please, said Mira.
Dont you need me to explain what the procedure entails before you
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INTERSECTION MAN
sign the form?

Look, Doctor, I dont care about the procedure, Lev replied. This
time his voice was louder, infused with a sudden energy. Lets not waste
any more time talking. Lets get on with it. Just tell me where to sign.
Great! said a beaming Dr. Salter. Thats just what I wanted to hear.
The procedure can only be done in my lab, which is a short flight from
Miami. I will let Eve and Bob take it from here.
Mira had a quick lunch and fed Lev a few spoonsful of oatmeal before
they started their journey. Mira wondered if she needed to pack anything
other than Levs medicines, which she carried in her handbag. Better be
prepared, she thought before throwing a few items of clothing in a sling
bag.
The robot Eve joined her counterpart Bob and pushed Levs gurney to
the parked ambulance. Mira held Levs hand as she walked by his side. The
self-driving ambulance took them to a small, private hangar in a desolate
area near the coast. The hangar stood amid a vast, tarmacked open space
with a short runway extending out of its entrance. The whole area was
fenced off, and the building looked like it needed maintenance. A single
twin-engine Cessna that had seen better days roosted inside the hangar. The
hangar was big enough for two planes, although it contained only one.
Are we
Before Lev could finish his sentence, Dr. Salter, through Eve, said,
Dont worry, thats not our plane. Lev noted that although the walls of
the hangar were dark and coated with grime, the tiled floor looked spotless.
Bob, who was wheeling Levs gurney, and Eve positioned themselves
just behind the tail of the Cessna. Please make sure you are standing on a
gray tile, close to Eve, Dr. Salter told Mira. Mira glanced at the floor and
noticed the robots standing on an eight-foot square patch, the only area that
had gray tiles. The rest were white.
The moment Mira stepped beside Eve, the gray patch of flooring began
to sink in. Mira took a sharp breath of air and moved closer to Lev. He
seemed to be enjoying everything and looked around as the floor dropped
and the space below came into view. It was a small room, with what looked
like an elevator door at the opposite end.
As the four approached the door, it slid open. At the same time, the
platform they had descended on was hydraulically raised back to its original
spot.
Feels like I am in an old James Bond movie, Lev remarked in a soft
voice. Mira smiled at him. She was glad to see him relishing the moment.
Judging from the speed of the descent and the time it took, Mira
guessed the elevator must have gone down at least four floors before it
came to a halt. The door then slid open, revealing a cavernous and brightly
lit space at least fifty feet high. On one side was a high-speed helicopter,
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
and on the other were four vertical pipes, each about a foot in diameter,
within a cubical structure. The entire construction stood on an elevated
surface. On that surface, there was a scissor lift.
Seeing Mira heading towards the helicopter, Dr. Salter said through Eve,
Erm, Mira, were not taking the helicopter.
Both Mira and Lev looked puzzled. They couldnt see anything else
other than the big cubical structure with the piped pillars and the lone
scissor lift. She was sure they were not going to travel in the scissor lift.
Follow Eve, Mira, Dr. Salter said and then added with a smile, Eve,
show them the dance of the Ceebit, while the GRM is being loaded.
Ceebit decloak. Start with ten percent, diffused. Follow Beethoven, 5 th
Symphony. It was Eves voice that came out of the robot in response to
Dr. Salters command. As soon as she said that, the Lamarrs heard
Beethoven in the air. At that moment, Mira also noticed a large but faint
and transparent spherical object appearing inside the cubical structure. With
the musics rising tempo, the sphere became increasingly opaque and at
times shimmered. Longitudes and latitudes appeared and disappeared on
the surface of the orb in sync with the music. The sound and light spectacle
left Mira dumbfounded. Finally, when the last note had tapered away, the
large sphere became fully opaque and loomed before them like a giant.
Mira and Lev were speechless, their mouths hanging open. What is
this? was all Mira could muster.
Friends, it was Dr. Salters voice. I present to you the Crystal Ball
Transporter, also known as CBT or Ceebit, as I call it.
But how
Before Lev could finish his question, Dr. Salter responded, It can be
made almost invisible since the outer covering is composed of small
swathes of a cloaking metamaterial. The onboard computer controls the
opacity of each piece. This transporter is the only one of its kind in the
world. It is just a few months old. I think we are ready to board.
Mira and Eve followed Bob as he pushed Levs gurney over the ramp.
They stepped on the scissor lift and Eve navigated the lift into position
before raising its platform.
There are two entrances to the Ceebit, Dr. Jonah Salter said through
Eve. One is through an elevator shaft that can be lowered hydraulically,
which is at the bottom of the Ceebit. The other is a larger side entrance,
which can be accessed only through an elevated platform. We will be using
the side door since the bottom shaft is too small for Levs gurney.
The moment the platform of the scissor lift came to a stop, Mira heard a
metallic sound, and a hatch opened, revealing a domed interior. The floor
of the interior was level with the platform.
The couple were too awestruck to say anything as they entered the CBT
with the robots.
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INTERSECTION MAN
Lying on his gurney, Lev looked around as Bob secured the stretcher.
How come it is invisible from the outside, yet the inside is not? Mira
asked. Lev too nodded as if he had the same question.
The so-called invisibility of metamaterials is achieved not by light
passing through the object but by passing around it, Jonah said through
Eve. If metamaterials allowed light to pass through them, the interior
would be visible from the outside as if the outer shell were made of glass.
What happens here is light from whatever is behind the object curves
around the metamaterial and comes out in front. So, what we see is a
projection of the stuff behind the object.
Amazing! Mira said. But we can still detect it with radar, right?
No. This composite material has the same effect on radio waves, said
Jonah. But invisibility is not this babys top feature!
Really? Lev asked in his small, weak voice. There was a brightness in
his eyes, which made Mira happy. What else?
Can you guess what Ceebits weight is now, with the four of you
onboard? Jonah asked.
Umm, around ten thousand pounds? Lev guessed.
Nope, Jonah said. Its weight, with all of you onboard, isbrace
yourselfjust a hundred pounds!
Thats impossible! both Lev and Mira said in unison. I alone weigh
more than that, added Mira
Actually, I could have made it zero pounds. Or even, say, ten pounds
less than zero.
No way! Lev said, raising his eyebrows. What the fuck is less than
zero pounds?!
As you guys got on the elevator, you were all weighed. The cavity
between the inner and outer spheres of the Ceebit was loaded with capsules
of a Gravitationally Repulsive Medium, whose total weight was a negative
of yours. The GRM caps are like Helium balloons, though much lighter.
But GRM has a negative weight whereas Heliums weight is positive.
Helium rises in the atmosphere because the surrounding air is heavier.
GRM would rise even if Earth had no atmosphere. Technically, GRM falls
too in the presence of Earths gravitational field. But upwards!
Gravitationally Repulsive Medium?! asked Mira incredulously. Does
it even exist?
Well, lets say weve found a way to produce it, replied Jonah.
What does this antigravity stuff look like? asked Lev.
Its not antigravity. Its repulsive gravity, Jonah clarified. They are
two different things. Antigravity eliminates the effects of gravity.
Antigravitational matter, if it exists, will have zero weight. The gravitational
field of planets or stars do not affect it. If the matter in me were suddenly
made antigravitational, I would be weightless and float around. Since I still
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
have a positive inertial mass, I could remain on Earth without spending

much energy. But if the stuff I am made of were to become gravitationally
repulsive, I would shoot upwards like a rocket until I was well beyond the
gravitational field of Earth or any massive object. In a weird way, I would
still be falling, but upwards instead of downwards.
Wow! I fucking love science! Lev said, though I dont fucking
understand it.
Cloak on, hundred percent. Prepare to take off, Eve said.
Are we invisible now? asked Lev.
Yes. At hundred percent cloaking, were completely invisible, Eve
replied, to which Lev responded, Cool! Still, its a sitting duck for a heat-
seeker.
Nope, again, countered Jonah. The graphene shell matches its
temperature to the surrounding air.
Duh! What about the thrusters? I am talking about them thrusters.
They are not your regular jet engines. There are no emissions, no
moving parts, no fuel, no reaction mass, no conventional propulsion. Its a
set of twin Cannae drives. Runs on microwaves. Completely silent. Cold as
a coffin.
Whoa! Youve thought of everything, havent you? Lev said. I know
what you mean, but your cold-as-a-coffin remark was not very reassuring.
I think Id better shut up for now. All that talking seemed to tire him.
Get some sleep, Mira told Lev.
Within seconds, Mira felt the Ceebit lifting off. She sat in one of the
four seats and belted up. The craft floated up without a sound. An all-round
360-degree view of the outside lit up the screens of the control center. It
made up for the crafts absence of windows. From where Mira sat, she
could see a small part of the screen.
Mira strained her neck to get a better glimpse of the 360-degree view
when Jonahs face appeared on Eves face-screen. He said, There is a
PDU, a Personal Display Unit, in the armrest of your chair, Mira. You can
watch the scene outside on its screen. Though it wont be panoramic like
the control center screens.
Mira heard the metallic sound of a hatch being opened, and her PDU
showed the darkness of the shaft. Within seconds the PDUs dark screen lit
up with blinding light, followed by a view of the receding tarmac. Eve told
Mira she could use the washroom in the lower level if needed once the
Ceebit was at a cruising height.
The flight, which lasted about an hour, was uneventful. Lev drifted off
to sleep soon after the Ceebit was airborne. It was noiseless and rock steady
inside the cabin. Mira even wondered whether it was moving at all.
Soon she felt the globular craft descending and glanced at her PDU
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screen. A lush and forested island came into view, but there were no signs
of any buildings. After it had dropped to some level above the glittering
waters, the Ceebits motion gradually became horizontal. She could tell it
was moving towards a dark space on the side of a hill on the island. The
space was hidden from above and seemed like a cavern.
The Ceebit had drifted through the darkness of the immense cavern for
not more than a minute before a large Victorian mansion came into view.
Decloak, Eve said. Prepare for landing.
Diffused sunlight, streaming in from thousands of small openings in the
high-domed roof of the cavern, illuminated the mansion. Beside it stood a
tower whose tip disappeared into the caverns ceiling. If it were not for its
windows, the tower could have been mistaken for an enormous pillar
supporting the roof. Another large building, this one with a slanted roof
that gave it the appearance of a warehouse, adjoined the tower. Two
helipads sat right in the middle of the two buildings.
The craft descended until its exit door lined up with the raised platform
of a scissor lift. Through her PDU, Mira noticed a middle-aged man
standing on the platform. It was Jonah Salter. He cradled a cat in his hand
as if it were a baby. Mira recognized his face from Eves face-screen. The
scientist beamed when the hatch opened and he saw Mira. Bob pushed the
gurney out with Mira walking beside it. Lev was by then wide awake and
looking excited. He held Miras hand while being wheeled out of the Ceebit.
Welcome to the Salter Residence. I am Jonah. The man smiled,
extending his hand to Mira. I know all about you both, so you dont have
to introduce yourselves, he said with a grin. By the way, meet
Schrodinger. He presented the cat to the couple. The left half of the
animal was jet black, and the right, a spotless white.
Mira stroked the cat. Strange. Ive never seen a cat with such perfectly
balanced colors, she said, her eyes widening with amazement.
Schrodinger. Isnt that the name of a famous scientist?
Yes, Jonah said. A quantum physicist. My idol.
Jonah was about five feet ten inches tall, clean-shaven and of slender
build. His white lab coat, worn over a white shirt and dark trousers, made
him look like a stereotypical scientist.
I am so sorry I couldnt come personally; there was just so much to do
here, Jonah said, his voice sounding apologetic. Would you like to
freshen up first, or shall we begin the procedure right away?
How did you guys build all this inside the hill? asked Lev, his eyes
wide with disbelief.
Umm, thats a long story, Jonah replied. Maybe I will tell you after
the procedure.
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.h
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Intersection Man | Hari

Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com
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HARI KUMAR NAIR

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Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair |
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
CHAPTER 2
It was indeed a long story.

As early as 1948, mysterious envelopes had ended up in the hands of the
American civilian diplomat, Allen Welsh Dulles. The messages were
sporadic, cryptic and brief. They were all predictions and always signed by
The Seer. The first message, which appeared on Dulles desk on May
20th, 1948, read:
Before the week ends, Joe DiMaggio,
Will hit for a cycle and a home run trio.
On the back of the envelope, bold letters decreed: D.A.R. (DESTROY
AFTER READING)
Dulles dismissed it as a prank and destroyed the missive.
But on the 22nd, the newspapers reported the New York Yankees hero
Joe DiMaggio had indeed hit for the cycle. It had happened the day before
against the Chicago White Sox on the latters home ground. It had been
DiMaggios second such hit. Interesting coincidence, thought Dulles, who
soon forgot about it. But when, on Monday, the sports page of the
Washington Post reported on DiMaggios spectacular three consecutive
home runs against Cleveland on Sunday, May 23rd, Dulles was disturbed.
But he was not prepared to accept the message as anything more than an
anonymous pranksters weird stroke of luck. Dulles tried to find the source
of the message but drew a dead end. He even told himself the prediction
wasnt accurate since the week ended on Saturday, although he very well
knew in many parts of the world Sunday was the last day of the week.
The envelope containing the second prediction came addressed to
Allen Welsh Dulles, Future Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Once again inscribed on its back, were the letters D.A.R. The letter
appeared in the front passenger seat of Dulles car as he drove it on the 1st
of June. There was no one else in the car then. Dulles reasoned someone in
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a passing car must have slipped it in through his window. It was again about
baseball, but this time about the legendary Babe Ruth, his final farewell to
baseball and his death within sixty-four days. Dulles laughed to himself
when he read the title this anonymous crackpot had endowed him with.
There was no way he, being a civilian and a harsh critic, would become the
director of the CIA. He had to wait until August to realize how precise The
Seers prediction about Babe Ruth turned out to be.
The next three months saw several more envelopes landing on Dulles
lap. And every prediction they contained came true. The predictions ranged
from the harmless, correctly predicting the winner of the National League
Championship, to the tragic, predicting disasters like the Donora smog and
the Ashgabat earthquake. Dulles many efforts to trace the envelopes to
their source were all failures. But when in 1953 Dulles was sworn in as the
first civilian director of the CIA, despite being hypercritical of the Agency,
he became convinced The Seer was no crackpot. In a way, Dulles was at the
mercy of The Seer since he had no way of contacting this person. To
make matters worse, the next envelope, which he received a few days after
taking over as the CIA director, was to be the last one. It was also the one
that carried the most important message. No couplet this time, instead, just
a letter:
Congratulations!
Now that I have your attention, you must listen carefully. This will be
my last message to you. In October of 1962, I see an event which could
have one of two consequences. I see a leader faced with two options. And
one of them would spell the end for the United States of America. How
you prepare for it now could influence the outcome.
Invest in Mind Kontrol. Beware of Cuba.
At first the message angered and frustrated Dulles. He did not destroy it
like he had the earlier ones. Over the next couple of weeks, he must have
read and reread the message more than a hundred times. He was sure the
last two lines held the key to figuring out what he must do. He guessed the
spelling error and capitalization in Mind Kontrol was deliberate. Within a
month, he had a vague plan. And on April 13th, 1953, Dulles issued the
order to start the Mind Kontrol Ultra project, which was shortened to the
more cryptic MKUltra, and appointed the spymaster, Sidney Gottlieb, as
its head.
He reasoned if Cuba were to be the villain of 1962, without Russias
help Cuba would not have the muscle to do any serious damage to the
(almost) invincible U.S. of A. And if mind control was to be the best
weapon at their disposal, an additional secret base on an island further east
of Cuba was necessary. Gottlieb proposed that besides being used to train a
gifted breed of psychic spies, or remote viewers, the base could also work
as a top-secret prison and torture center for communists and other political
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prisoners. Among the many subprojects of MKUltra, the most classified

one was the construction of this secret base. Dulles called this project
Therese, which was an anagram of The Seer.
In July of 1953, the CIA, through one of its many front companies,
bought two small uninhabited islands from the Bahamas. The acquisition
was ostensibly to develop them as a casino and theme park for the super-
rich. The locals avoided the island, believing it to be haunted. Legend had it
that the ghosts of the slaves who died in an ancient shipwreck still roamed
its beaches. The Bahamian authorities were happy to get a buyer.
The contract to develop the islands fell into the hands of Jacob Salter, a
New Yorkbased developer and construction contractor. Although ten
years younger than Dulles, Salter was a close friend who had known him for
more than thirty years. Someone whom Dulles could trust with his life.
Salter was a wealthy divorcee who lived alone in his mansion in an upscale
neighborhood in New York. He was bored with constructing the same
urban landscape over and over.
When Dulles approached him with the islands development offer, Salter
declined at first. Although the project excited him, he had second thoughts
about all this cloak and dagger stuff. But Dulles was not one to take no
for an answer. After weeks of coercion, Salter relented. Even with the
unlimited funding Dulles promised, Salter thought the project was not
doable. Where was he going to get five hundred workers and engineers to
work on this remote island under conditions of absolute secrecy? There was
no way he could guarantee confidentiality. But to Dulles, secrecy was non-
negotiable. Salter told Dulles this was a project only the military could
execute. Dulles was prepared to keep the Army out of this at any cost; their
involvement would mean relinquishing his control. He told Salter not to
worry about the resources.
After some soul-searching and a consultation with Gottlieb, Dulles
decided to look at the Paperclip dossiers. It had already been eight years
since the commencement of Operation Paperclip, through which more than
a thousand German scientists and engineers from Nazi Germany were
recruited, de-Nazified and deployed into the American mainstream. Not all
of them were rocket scientists. There were some architects, civil engineers
and technicians too. Dulles decided this was their opportunity to prove
their loyalty to their adopted country.
In the summer of 1954, construction of Therese commenced with
Jacob Salter heading a team of fifty German engineers, architects and
supervisors. Four hundred Indians shipped in from Bombay made up the
labor force. The Indians, who were hardy Sikhs, were illegal immigrants and
hence expendable. The promise of American citizenship proved to be too
tempting for the poor men.
The plan was to have one of the two islands (Therese-1) house the
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facility and the other one (Therese-2) be a front with some minimal
construction and a wharf. Therese-1 also had a natural harbor, which made
it the prime candidate for the facility. A large hill on Therese-1 was to be
excavated. The idea was to build two identical fourteen-story buildings on
either side of a smaller one of ten floors, the three buildings connected by a
ten-story structure. The cross-section of the complex would look like an
E. The taller buildings would house the detainment centers while the
central one would be for remote viewing and mind-control research. The
three buildings would be built into a concrete, vertical wall, while the central
limb would be underground, as the space behind the wall would be
backfilled with earth from the hill. And above this complex, on the man-
made plateau, would be the administration wing and the residence of the
chief of the facility.
As for electric power, the German engineers proposed a subsurface
OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) Plant, which would also
provide clean, potable water for the complex. The plant would be on the
north-western coast of Therese-1.
The plan was to finish the project by 1959. Construction was slow since
communication was a severe issue; the Indians and Germans did not
understand anything other than their native tongues.
Russias successful launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1957 got Dulles
thinking of a future where communist satellites littered the stratosphere. He
called in Salter to make changes to the plan. Therese-1 must be hidden even
from satellite eyes transiting above. The entire complex must be covered
with a dome and made to look like a hill from outside, complete with trees
and vegetation. Salter was furious at first and threatened to withdraw from
the project. However, the German chief engineer who accompanied him
said they could build the dome concurrently and complete it on time,
provided the workers did more shifts. He proposed columnless double-
layered geodesic struts, which no one had ever constructed on such a scale.
But with the communist take-over of Cuba under the leadership of Fidel
Castro in early 1959, everything changed. Dulles fears became real. He was
torn between pressure from Washington to devise a plan to overthrow the
Castro regime and his secret MKUltra projects, about which even
Washington had no knowledge. Though the objectives were the same, the
methods were different. To Salters consternation, Dulles became more and
more tied up with Eisenhowers demands to formulate a plan to overthrow
Castro. Supplies and funding were affected, which in turn had an impact on
the schedule. The one silver lining was the OTEC plant was completed and
hooked up with the facility.
Finally, in March 1960, Eisenhower approved a plan proposed by the
CIA to train Cuban exiles for a covert invasion of Cuba. This was to be the
Bay of Pigs invasion. The man chosen to oversee the plan was Richard
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M. Bissell, Jr., the CIAs Deputy Director for Plans (DDP).

Meanwhile, Gottlieb had secretly recruited a small group of twelve
psychics who were kept isolated in a secure underground location. They
were paid well, but were sworn to secrecy and warned of the consequences
of betrayal. The psychics were between twenty and thirty years of age and
had eight women among them. They were supposed to be the first
occupants of Therese-1. As part of their training, they were kept on a diet
of psychoactive drugs, especially LSD, which purportedly amplified their
latent skills of remote viewing and mind control. Their extraordinary
abilities proved to be instrumental in confirming Gottliebs suspicions that
Russia had a similar but far more robust program.
Therese was completed in April 1961, just a couple of days before the
Bay of Pigs invasion. Dulles summoned Salter to New York, and Salter left
a few days ahead of the remaining team. Strangely, he was not allowed to
meet Dulles. Instead, it was Gottlieb who saw him. On Gottliebs
insistence, they met at a park.
Y-y-youre a lucky man, Mr. Salter, stammered Gottlieb as he lowered
his lean frame on the park bench beside Salter. Gottlieb did not look at
Salter as he settled on the bench, but placed a folded copy of the New York
Times between the two of them.
Why do you say that? Salter asked.
You have p-p-p-powerful friends, Mr. Salter, said Gottlieb. You have
to be lucky to have powerful friends.
I presume youre referring to Allen. He was my childhood buddy. But
now, I am not so sure he is my friend anymore.
May I ask why you think so?
The park, sandwiched between a sticky winter and a tardy spring, left the
air cold, the sky gray and the trees mostly skeletal. Mounds of dirty, melting
ice still lay scattered here and there. From afar it would seem the men were
strangers sharing a park bench, each avoiding the others gaze. Wearing
special galoshes tailored to his clubfeet, Gottlieb had come prepared for the
mud and slush. But not Salter, whose busy months in the tropical Bahamas
made him forget the pervasive mire of New York in April. His trousers
were caked with filth below the knee. His shoes were lumps of earth. Only
his great fortitude stood in the way of misery.
He summons me all the way from the Bahamas and then refuses to see
me, uttered Salter. His voice was free of any bitterness.
Gottlieb slapped his thigh and laughed. Salter glanced at him from the
corner of his eye.
I am sorry, b-b-but you sound like a little boy, Gottlieb remarked.
Mr. Allen Dulles is a very important man. Unforeseen things happen,
plans change. Anyway, he has tasked me with delivering his special message
of gratitude to you for completing the project. He also assures you the
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money the agency owes you will be paid in full within a matter of weeks.
Thats good to hear, said Salter, brightening up. Give him my regards
too.
Gottlieb stood up and prepared to leave. And, oh, j-j-just one more
thing. You are aware, besides Mr. Dulles and me, youre the only person
who knows of the existence of Therese.
What about the Germans and the Indians? Salter asked.
Were fixing that, Gottlieb replied cryptically, before adding, Now, if
youll excuse me. I must get going. The cold is invading my chest.
The Indian workers were jubilant as they boarded the ship to Miami
along with the German engineers. They dreamt of the green card that
awaited them in the Land of Opportunity. But for inexplicable reasons,
the ship sank just a few miles north of the Bahamas. The Bermuda triangle
had claimed one more victim. None of the newspapers carried the story of
the tragedy because of the larger events unfolding just three hundred miles
south. Besides, like its Indian passengers, the ship did not officially exist.
April, indeed, was a cruel month.
Salter waited in Miami for a week before returning to New York. Were
fixing thatthe words of Gottlieb echoed in his mind and chilled his
bones. He replayed the conversation with Gottlieb:
Youre a lucky man, Mr. Salter.
You have powerful friends, Mr. Salter.
Were fixing that.
By then the Bay of Pigs, otherwise known as The Perfect Failure, was
all over the news. It became the biggest embarrassment for Kennedy, who
had taken over from Eisenhower in January 1961. Dulles was discredited
and went incommunicado for a while. This time too, it was Gottlieb who
agreed to meet Salter. In the VIP room of a shady club. But this time he
had two big secret service men flanking him.
W-w-we had no choice, Gottlieb said with his stuttering tongue.
Four hundred and fifty-two people, Salter said, menacingly. This time
even his extraordinary patience was nowhere to be seen.
It could have been four hundred and fifty-three. Its still not too late
for that. Gottlieb looked at him over the tip of his nose.
They stared at each other for a whole minute before Salter got up and
left. Well be watching you, was all he heard as he shut the door behind
him.
Taking whatever was in his bank, Salter left for Bombay within a week.
On the 28th of November 1961, Kennedy pinned the National Security
Medal to Dulles jacket lapel and sacked him the very next day. With him
went Bissell. Gottlieb survived.
As he was driven home that evening for the last time, Dulles mind was
heavy with just one thought. Not of his disappointing stint and the disgrace
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he suffered as the director of CIA. Not of his unceremonious dismissal. But

of his helplessness to do anything about whatever was destined to happen
in October of 1962. Having Gottlieb still inside the Agency was his one last
hope.
Just as The Seer had prophesied, October 1962 saw the events of the
Cuban Missile Crisis unfold on television screens across the world. In all of
U.S. history, the country had never been this close to an all-out nuclear war.
And one in which the U.S. would have lost much more than the Russians.
In a way, it was the then Soviet leadersNikita Khrushchevs
masterstroke.
As history would confirm, there indeed came a point when Kennedy
was faced with two options: Invade or Blockade. The hawks in the U.S.
administration were clamoring for an all-out invasion of Cuba while the
more balanced among them were in favor of blockading or, rather,
quarantining weapons bound for Cuba.
Dulles got word of the discovery on October 16th, within moments of
President Kennedys being informed of Soviet MRBM s (Medium Range
Ballistic Missile) in Cuba. He knew this was it. This was going to be the
defining moment in American history. Gottlieb kept him updated on the
developments. When Gottlieb informed him of the two options on the
table, Dulles was sure these were the ones The Seer had mentioned. And
one spelled doom for America. But which one? He took out the envelope
and reread The Seers last message. On a whim, he wrote below the
message: INVADE or BLOCKADE? He put the message back in its
envelope, and after a couple minutes he took it out once again to reread it.
He couldnt believe his eyes when he saw the words INVADE or struck
off with red ink.
He telephoned Gottlieb immediately.
This may sound crazy, Dulles began after the usual round of
courtesies, but I think we should go for the second option.
After a brief pause at the other end, Gottlieb stammered, W-w-why do
you think so?
Well, erm Dulles hesitated. Lets just say I have a strong hunch.
Gottlieb laughed. Cmon, you g-g-gotta do better than that..
Hmm, I suppose youre right. You see, here's the crazy part. Ive been
getting these weird messages for some time. Almost like prophecies. I
didnt believe them at first. But every single one turned out to be true. He
paused for a moment.
Allen, you there? Gottliebs voice crackled through the receiver. Th-
th-this is so fascinating! Please go on.
Dulles let out his breath. Hed been somewhat confident Gottlieb would
believe his story, considering his involvement in matters as far-out as mind
control. But there was that element of uncertainty, which had worried him.
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Gottliebs response emboldened him to continue.

Anyway, said Dulles, in my hand is the latest message. It says
blockade. Invasion must not happen at any cost.
Its all v-v-very interesting. But there is little we can do about it. Were
not in the EXCOMM.
EXCOMM was the Executive Committee of the National Security
Council, specially convened to advise President John F. Kennedy during the
Cuban Missile Crisis. Neither Dulles nor Gottlieb were in the committee.
And that is to our advantage, said Dulles.
Uhm, I d-d-dont think I follow you, replied Gottlieb.
You have your psychics. There are many things they can do from the
outside.
Dulles words electrified Gottlieb and instilled in him a new vigor. Of
course, thought Gottlieb, here was the chance hed been waiting for. He
had no time to waste.
It must not seem forced, Gottlieb had said while briefing the twelve
psys and passing them detailed information regarding each member of
the EXCOMM, including President John F. Kennedy, Vice President
Lyndon B. Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and even his
own boss, the CIA director John McCone, who succeeded Dulles. The
deliberations must only be inched towards the final decision of
BLOCKADE. We must not expose ourselves at any cost, Gottlieb had
told them. In other words, it was to be a quiet walk-in, not a complete
mind control. Since the EXCOMM members (thirteen, including the
President) outnumbered the psychics by one, the least prominent member
was left out.
Although Therese was ready for occupancy, the twelve psychics still
hadnt moved to the island. Gottlieb had to recruit the necessary security
and administration staff before he was willing to ship the psychics to
Therese. They were moved to a CIA safehouse in Washington, D.C. so that
they were as close to the EXCOMM as possible.
Dulles heaved a sigh of relief when Gottlieb told him the final decision
was BLOCKADE. He felt vindicated from having been branded as
ineffectual during his tenure. No one could know of his role in shaping the
EXCOMMs decision, but now his conscience was clear. It no longer
mattered if he went down in history as the most incompetent director the
CIA ever had.
But for Gottlieb, the war was only beginning. As the days went by, he
was starting to get fed up with the blockade and the resulting tensions. On
the 26th of October, four days after the U.S. declared the embargo, Gottlieb
learned of a Soviet offer to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the
lifting of the blockade and an assurance America wouldnt invade Cuba.
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Then the very next day, the 27th of October, he listened to reports of a U.S.
pilot killed when his plane was shot down over Cuba. To make matters
even worse, the same day, Khrushchev made an additional demand for the
removal of American Jupiter missiles in Italy and Turkey, missiles which
were pointing at Moscow. To Gottlieb, that was the last straw. He feared
Kennedy would agree to all these demands at the EXCOMM, which was
meeting in less than an hour. He felt the deal would be skewed in favor of
the Soviets and humiliating to the Americans, notwithstanding the
concoctions of Kennedys spin doctors. He had to do something right
away.
He reasoned if it were possible to assassinate both Khrushchev and
Castro at the same time, the ensuing leaderless commotion would be the
best time to take out the missiles in Cuba and install a U.S.-friendly regime.
Within an hour of learning about Khrushchevs latest demand, Gottlieb met
with his Team Twelve and asked if it were even possible to remote kill
someone. He promised them a hundred thousand dollars each just for this
operation if they succeeded. They said they had never done something like
this before. It was one thing to invade a persons mind and make them do
things, but it was another thing to kill them. Four of the twelve psychics
possessed moderate psychokinetic skills. All it took was to cause a rupture
of the correct vein in the brain. Or a tear in an artery to the heart. And if
they all worked together, it might be possible, even if their target were
halfway around the globe. They were all still high off their success with the
EXCOMM, and they were itching to do more. After all, what was there to
lose? If the plan didnt work, theyd all go on as if nothing had happened.
And if it did
They decided to split into two teams of six with two psychokinetics on
each team. Team 1 would target Khrushchev and Team 2, Castro. The
teams would be in separate locations to prevent cross-influence. Cross-
influence was the interference caused by intense psychic fields acting on
each other despite having different targets. If the teams were close to each
other, the cross-influence would be greater. Even with remote viewing, it
was almost impossible to pinpoint the exact location of their targets. Hence,
they planned to use a technique called mind hopping. The plan was for
the team members to focus their combined psychic energies on the most
probable location of their target. In the case of Khrushchev, the likeliest
location was the Kremlin, for which aerial maps were available. Using the
maps, they would transport their minds to the site. Once visuals of the area
appeared in their mind, the psychics plan was to zoom into the security
office and latch on to the minds of the officers there. They would then hop
from the minds of officers to those of important people passing through.
They would continue hopping until they found Khrushchev. Once they
found him, all six psychics would swarm his mind, and the two
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psychokinetics would do substantial physical damage to his brain. That was

the plan for Castro too.
They briefed Gottlieb about what they intended to do. Gottlieb told
them he had a small shack in the woods about ten miles north, just off the
295 to Baltimore. It wasnt much but was quite isolated. One of the girls on
Team 1 said that would be perfect for them.
The psychics collectively decided Team 1, which was to target
Khrushchev, would follow Gottlieb to the shack while Team 2 would
remain in the safehouse. The more they discussed the plan, the more
possible it seemed. They told Gottlieb to go on a long drive after leaving
the six psychics at the shack. They didnt want him to stick around while
they were at work since his mental tension could affect their performance.
Both teams were given enough LSD to sink a ship. Apart from the
psychics, no one else had any knowledge of Gottliebs plan. Not even
Dulles.
By 3 p.m. on the 27th, the two teams were already at their stations and
prepared to commence their respective missions while Gottlieb was on his
way to Baltimore. They had told him it would take between four and five
hours at least. Maybe more.
In the car, he had his radio on full blast and was trying to sing along. As
soon as he was alone in his rented motel room, he took out a large bottle of
whiskey and poured himself a shot. He downed it in one gulp. Gottlieb
finished half the bottle before he passed out. He woke up at 10 a.m. the
next day with a severe headache. He glanced at his wristwatch and swore
before swinging his clubfoot out of bed. He turned on the television. The
newsreader was smiling and reporting the crisis was over. Khrushchev was
alive. So was Castro.
He reached the shack within an hour. Everything was eerily quiet. Inside
were the bodies of the six psychics, seated around the dining table. Their
upper garments were soaked with blood that streamed from their nostrils.
Theyd been holding hands when they died. There was no sign of any
forced entry nor was anything else amiss. The scene was no different at the
safehouse.
Being a senior officer in the CIA allowed Gottlieb to keep the press out
of this unfortunate incident. The autopsies performed on all twelve bodies
indicated they had died of massive hemorrhaging of the brain. According
to the coroners report, in addition to insane levels of LSD, elevated levels
of heroin were also detected in the blood. Never in his life had Gottlieb felt
so distraught and defeated. He went into a period of depression and did not
turn up for work for a couple of weeks. Dulles visited him at his home and
consoled him.
When he returned, he came to know that, just as he had feared,
Kennedy had agreed to all the conditions imposed by the Russians. The
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more he thought about it, the more he hated Kennedy. Inwardly, he blamed
Kennedy for the death of his twelve psychics.
Kennedy had to pay.
On Friday, November 22nd, 1963, exactly a year since Gottlieb decided
he was responsible for the death of his team, Kennedy lay dead. Felled by
an assassins bullet.
Gottlieb was happy to learn his friend and former boss, Allen Dulles,
was among the seven members of the Warren Commission, appointed by
President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate Kennedys assassination. A
man whom Kennedy had disgraced and fired from his job.
The following yearsuntil his retirement in 1972saw Gottlieb lying
low in the CIA. He was marginally involved in some of the high-profile
operations like the Phoenix Program. He began to suffer from a recurring
nightmare that led him to seek psychiatric treatment. Every night he would
dream of a sea of drowning, half-naked men. All wearing red turbans,
which would come loose and float, coloring the sea like thick blood. Every
brown man who sank to the depths had his face.
Besides his treatment, he sought answers in Zen Buddhism. He
concluded his nightmares were the result of the Karma he had accumulated
from the deaths of the innocent Indian laborers. He had to do something to
counterbalance that dark deed.
Allen Dulles died of influenza in 1969. A week before his passing, he
summoned Gottlieb to his home. He asked Gottlieb whether he knew
where Jacob Salter was. You remember, we owe him some money, Dulles
had said.
Gottlieb had lost touch with Salter after he left for India in 1961. The
last he heard was from an agent in India, who had mentioned Salter was
doing humanitarian work in a colony of lepers in the country.
After Dulles funeral, his wife, Clover Todd, approached Gottlieb and
asked him to stay behind. Clover waited for everyone to leave before
handing Gottlieb an unmarked envelope. He wanted you to have this. I am
not sure what it contains.
As soon as he reached home, he opened the envelope. There was just a
small piece of paper inside. On it was written: INVADE or
BLOCKADE? The INVADE or was struck off with red ink. Apart
from that, the paper was blank. Thats odd, he thought to himself. There
must be a message here. He held it against the light to see if there was
something hidden. Nothing.
Gottlieb would occasionally drop in at the Dulles residence to pay a
courtesy call to Clover Todd. On one occasion, the lady mentioned in
passing that it must have been Allens medication that did him in.
He had been suffering from hallucinations for a long time, Dulles
widow explained. He would imagine some unseen entity was passing him
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INTERSECTION MAN
information about the future.

And I suppose the predictions came true, Gottlieb remarked, half-
jokingly.
Hogwash! she said, handing him a cup of coffee. They were not pre-
dictions, but post-dictions. He would say, I-told-you-so after the event.
Once, he told me he received a note about the outcome of some baseball
game and told me what it was. After the game, when I pointed out the
prediction was flat-out wrong, he claimed that was not what hed predicted
in the first place. He called me a liar! Can you believe that?!
Gottlieb retired from the CIA in 1972. Before his retirement, he had
destroyed most of the records of his activities. Within a year, he and his
wife Margaret left for India. He tracked down Jacob Salter in a leprosy
hospital there. Salter had just turned seventy and was not keeping well.
Salter did not recognize Gottlieb as he limped his way into the modest
house, which was now Salters home. It was a young man introducing
himself as Thomas, who led Gottlieb into Salters room. Salter was sitting
on his bed and, at first, ignored Gottlieb. Thomas placed a chair beside
Salters bed for Gottlieb to sit in.
R-r-r-remember me? Gottlieb asked, peering into Salters face.
That is my son, Salter said, gesturing towards Thomas. He is a
doctor. He knows everything. Salter said.
I am not a doctor, Dad, Thomas said. I am just studying
pharmacology.
Thomas must have been in his early twenties. My dad has
Alzheimers, Thomas said.
I never even knew he was married, let alone had a son, Gottlieb said,
looking at Thomas.
Well, he divorced my mother soon after I was born. My mom died a
few years ago. Last year, I found out he was in India doing some charity
work. I just had to come and see him. Took a break from college and
landed here a year ago.
I owed him some money, Gottlieb cut in. I dont have it now, but I
want to settle the debt with something else. Something more valuable, I
suppose. He produced a large envelope from the folder that he was
carrying and extended it to Thomas.
Thomas did not take it at first. He just looked at Gottlieb questioningly.
T-t-take it, Gottlieb commanded.
What is it? Thomas still made no move to accept the envelope.
It contains the keys to a mansion on an island in the Bahamas. Your
father constructed it. And a group of buildings around it. The island, as well
as another close to it, is his now. Besides the ownership documents and
plans, a detailed map with directions to the islands is also in the envelope.
And, oh, some photographs too.
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
Thomas accepted the envelope, and as he was browsing the photos, he

asked, How much did you owe him?
Around one hundred and fifty-three thousand dollars.
This appears to be worth much more than that. Why are you giving
this away, then? Thomas asked, looking Gottlieb straight in the eyes.
L-l-l-look, boy. You wouldnt have known I owed him money if I
hadnt told you. I have no time to go into details. Take it or leave it. I gotta
go now.
That night in the hotel room, the nightmare recurred in full force.
Gottlieb woke up in a cold sweat. He made up his mind to visit Thomas at
the leprosy hospital. This time Margaret went with him.
Before meeting Thomas, they decided to walk around the hospital. They
had never seen such suffering in their lives. The facilities were minimal.
There were twelve rickety steel beds in a large, dark hall, with over two
hundred patients in various states of deformity taking up every inch of
space on the filthy floor. Margaret covered her mouth and nostrils with a
handkerchief; the stench of rotting flesh was too overwhelming for her. She
managed to fight back the urge to throw up, but Gottlieb wasnt as lucky.
Dragging his clubfoot, he just about made it to the hospital yard before
surrendering his breakfast to a tree.
My first day was worse. It was Thomas voice coming from behind
Gottlieb, who was bent over by the tree. I vomited on one of the poor
patients lying on the floor, Thomas said as he rubbed Gottliebs back.
Gottlieb wiped his mouth on his sleeves and steadied himself with
Thomas help. Stay here long enough, and you get used to it, Thomas
said with a genial smile.
Over the next couple of days, the two would turn up every morning at
the hospital. Gottlieb would loiter around awkwardly, not quite knowing
what to do. Margaret, on the other hand, tagged along with the nurses and
gave them a hand from time to time. As the days went by, both got more
and more involved with the patients and their well-being. Thomas was
grateful to Gottlieb and Margaret, and they became friendly with one
another. Gottliebs nightmares tapered away, and despite the suffering
around them, the couple became happier.
On the third month of their life in India, the senior Salter passed away.
He was cremated and his ashes were immersed in the Bay of Bengal, per his
wishes. Within a month of his fathers death, Thomas left for America to
complete his degree in pharmacology. Thomas time at the leprosy hospital
had made a lasting impression on him. He had seen the importance of
proper health care and how a lack of it could ruin lives. With money from
his parents estates, he set up a pharmaceutical company, Salter Pharma,
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INTERSECTION MAN
soon after his graduation.

Sidney Gottlieb and his wife Margaret stayed on at the leprosy hospital
in India for fifteen more months before returning to the United States.
Their stint in India was a transformative experience for both. Gottlieb
would later admit it was the best thing he had ever done in his life. He felt
his atonement was complete. All the ghosts of his past had been laid to rest.
He and his wife settled in Culpeper, a laid-back township in rural Virginia
where he ate yogurt, herded goats and did folk dancing with his clubfoot.
Even in Virginia, India never left him; his last years were spent at a Hospice
tending the dying. He lived to be eighty and died a happy man.
Thomas married Lucille Santini, a girl he met in college during his final
year. It turned out Lucilles fallopian tubes had a congenital abnormality due
to which she could not conceive. On the 22nd, of March 1980, Jonah Salter
was born to Thomas and Lucille Salter. He was conceived in vitro.
Salter Pharmas rise was meteoric. Thomas proved himself to be a
shrewd businessman and, over time, lost sight of the noble goals hed
formed during his stay in India. Jonah was an exceptionally precocious
child. He got his first Ph.D. (in Quantum Mechanics from Princeton) when
he was only sixteen. Unlike other kids his age, he had no interest in
anything other than his chosen field of study.
Lucille had a nervous breakdown soon after the events of 9/11. She
became paranoid her husband, being one of the richest men in the world,
was going to be killed by terrorists. Lucille was suspicious of everyone
except Thomas and Jonah. Once, looking up at the full moon, she became
hysterical to Thomas, insisting he get her a home there, as far away from
others as possible. That was the only place she thought she could feel safe.
Although the medication she was on calmed her to some extent, it had the
side effect of making her violently sick. Lucilles doctor recommended
Thomas take her somewhere as secluded as possible. It was then Thomas
remembered the envelope Sidney Gottlieb had given him years ago. Within
a week, Thomas flew to Therese-1 in his seaplane. He took with him his
trusted contractor, who had built his headquarters in New York.
They were ready to give up hope when, after the third circuit around the
island, they failed to locate the entrance to the cavern. The directions in the
envelope were quite specific. The entry was supposed to be on the eastern
face of a large hill, about eighty feet above its foot and broad enough to fit
two double-decker buses, side by side, with plenty room to spare. The hill
was thick with untouched tropical vegetation that sheltered insects, reptiles
and other animals. On the fourth attempt Bill, the contractor, noticed a
sudden draft coming from a steep wall of dense vine. He slashed the vines
with his machete to reveal an opening about five feet tall and three feet
wide. He aimed his flashlight into the darkness and said, I guess this is it.
Looks like there was a landslide many years back, causing the entrance to be
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
partly covered.
The two stepped inside, training their flashlights into the darkness. The
interior was voluminous, yet the air was damp and stuffy. Thomas felt a
thrill as he made out the faint outlines of a mansion about a hundred meters
from them.
It only took Bill and his crew (who were all sworn to secrecy and paid
more than four times their standard hourly rate) six months to renovate the
Therese-1 complex including all the buildings inside the cavern and the
OTEC plant. They also widened the entrance to its former dimensions.
Lucille was happy to move in and was soon at peace with her new
surroundings. But Jonah, who was by then twenty-two, was not in a hurry
to move into Therese-1. His reluctance caused Lucille anxiety. Thomas won
Jonah over with a bribe: the biggest and most powerful supercomputer
along with the most advanced science lab in North America. It was an offer
Jonah could not refuse.
A year after moving to Therese, Jonah got the idea for the Entangler
and started working on it. The years spent in Therese, from their arrival in
2003 to Lucilles death in 2011, were happy years for the Salter family.
Lucille enjoyed the security of Therese, her walks on the island, her private
beach and her occasional boat trips. Jonah felt impelled to pursue the idea
of the Entangler and worked feverishly in his lab, although his early trials
resulted in failures. But Jonah considered the lessening magnitude of his
failures as milestones to his eventual success. Therese had calmed Lucille to
the extent that she insisted Jonah take monthly breaks in Florida. Thomas
mostly remained at Therese, conducting his business remotely. He had his
private satellite and could connect with anyone he wanted. Still, he would
make short trips to New York when necessary.
Lucille died in her sleep on a cool November night of 2011. She was
buried on the island. Thomas went into depression following Lucilles death
and lived six more years before he was buried beside Lucille. The years
following the death of his mother were trying for Jonah. With his dad
slipping ever deeper into misery, he was forced to spend more time running
Salter Pharma.
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INTERSECTION MAN
ction Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com
43
HARI KUMAR NAIR
CHAPTER 3
Lets get right down to business, said Lev. Mira nodded in agreement.
Fantastic! Follow me, please. Jonah headed towards the building,
which resembled a warehouse.
There were robots everywhere inside the building. This is my Robot
workshop, Jonah explained as he walked briskly. I have over six hundred
robots on the island. Different types for different functions. Here is where
they are repaired and maintained by other specialist robots. Now, run along,
Schrodinger. Daddy has work to do. He let the cat down.
The robots do all kinds of jobs. Domestic, industrial, service and so on.
They serve as cooks, housekeepers, office administrators, lab assistants,
handymen. You name it; they do it. They also make my life here a little less
lonely, he added. All the robots Mira saw had human names etched on
them. There was a Frank, a Wendy, a Tony, a Robin, a Brenda and so on.
Eve, Bob, you guys may go back to your duties, Jonah told the two
robots. Thank you very much.
Thank you, said Eve. It was a pleasure.
Mira, pushing Lev in the stretcher, followed Jonah as he headed towards
the elevator at the far corner of the workshop. With her protruding belly,
Mira struggled to keep up with Jonah.
I could use some help, Mira said with a light chuckle.
Oh, I am sorry, Jonah said. I hadnt noticed how difficult it is for you
to push the stretcher, especially in your condition. How silly of me!
Jonah placed his palms on the handlebar of the gurney and told Mira,
Ill take it from here.
The Gallery floor, as usual, Bheem, Jonah said as the elevator door
closed behind them.
As you wish, Jonah, a voice said over the intercom.
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INTERSECTION MAN
I thought you were alone. Mira looked at Jonah as the elevator started
descending.
Bheem is the Artificially Intelligent operating system of my
supercomputer. Its the name of a big, strong guy in the Hindu epic,
Mahabharata. Bheem, the robot, that is, controls almost everything on the
island. He also monitors the Ceebit and the various robots. He is sentient
and has a great supply of jokes. Bheem, meet Mira and Lev. Tell them your
latest joke.
Hello, Lev. Hello, Mira, the voice said.
Hi, said Mira, and Hello, said Lev.
How did Hipparchus make a cot? the voice asked abruptly.
Who? asked Mira.
What? Lev asked.
How? asked Jonah.
By putting his adjacent side over his opposite side, the voice said.
Ha ha! Jonah laughed. Hipparchus was the father of Trigonometry,
you see. And in Trigonometry the cotangent, or cot, of an angle in a triangle
is the ratio of the adjacent side over the opposite side.
What? Lev asked.
Nice Math joke, Bheem, Jonah commended.
But I dont like to tell Math jokes, Bheem said. The average Math
joke is pretty mean!
Ha ha, I like that, responded Jonah. Youre totally irrational,
Bheem.
By then the elevator doors had opened. I didnt get any of it, Mira said
as she stepped out, wheeling Lev. I think I am too obtuse.
Hah! Good one, Mira! Jonah exclaimed with a short laugh.
What? Lev asked.
With Bheem entertaining them, the Lamarr couple hadnt realized theyd
descended eleven floors. The elevator door opened into a wide corridor
where two robots were waiting for them. Their name tags read Duke and
Dan. They appeared bigger than the other robots and had twin rotors
extending from their shoulders. Mira noticed their feet werent touching the
ground.
Welcome, Jonah, Lev and Mira, they said in unison.
Hi guys, Jonah said chirpily, and then turning to Mira, he added,
Duke and Dan are my latest additions. I call them hoverbots. Their weight
is compensated for by enough GRMs to allow them to float and fly aided
by the quadrotors.
Were gonna watch our movie first, guys, Jonah told the two robots.
You two hang around until we get back. Well be needing you later.
Movie? Mira asked.
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
Yes, I will first run you through a short presentation of the procedure,
he said, looking at Mira and Lev. Its something I show every patient.
Saves me the drudgery of demonstrating the same things repeatedly. They
went down the long corridor, which terminated in a large lobby.
Dr. Salter headed towards the far end of the corridor. I have a mini
theater for this purpose, he said, opening the door to a room that
contained a couple of sofas in front of a large television screen.
The video began with a trimmer Jonah standing in front of a screen on
which was projected a presentation slide displaying the words THE
ENTANGLER. He seemed to be wearing the same clothes.
Okay, he began, I believe by now you know who I am. But in case I
forgot to introduce myselfwhich is possibleI am Jonah Salter. I am the
owner of Salter Pharma. I am also a scientist.
I have invented a machine that, well, theoretically can reset your health
to that of a point in your past. I call it the Entangler. He waved his hand at
the words on the screen. Its still very much in the experimental stage, and
so far, I have not had any successes. But the failures are getting smaller.
So how does it work? He asked this more to himself, glancing at the
screen after clicking on his remote. The screen showed an image of a naked
man, with electrodes attached to his chest and head. He was lying on a
narrow bench, and his body appeared to be under a laser scanner. At the
same time, his arm was hooked up to an intravenous device.
Dont be too alarmed by this picture, Jonah (in the video) said. Its
just showing a few preliminary tests and measurements that need to be
performed before the procedure. These tests will help me compute the
thirty-seven parameters necessary for the process. Most of the parameters
are unique to the subject and are the critical factors in determining the
outcome.
The electrodes are used to create a neural map of the subjects brain,
record his heart function and various other bodily statuses. The laser
scanner takes many precise measurements of his body, his muscles, his
bones and so on.
While all these readings are being taken, he is also intravenously
injected with a nanite solution. Remember, the procedure does not involve
any medication whatsoever. The nanites work with the Entangler to
rearrange the subjects molecular structure to the reset point.
After the nanites spread throughout the subjects body, the next phase
begins.
The unclothed subject enters a specially designed floatation pod. For
the sake of convenience, I shall refer to the subject as a he henceforth,
though the following is equally applicable to a she. He clicked the remote
once again, and the slide changed to a picture of a strange oval container.
The pod is an oblate spheroid: the shape of an M&M. Inside, the
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INTERSECTION MAN
subject will float in an Epsom salt solution in perfect darkness and silence.
He will have minimal sensations. The pods magnetic fields will work with
the nanites to align the torso in a particular direction and keep it still
without it drifting about. The slide showed an image of a naked man
framed in a circular object. It reminded Mira of Leonardo da Vincis
Vitruvian Man.
The floatation pod is in the Eyeball, a glass sphere in the innermost
cavity of the Entangler. The Entangler comprises nine ring-shaped
structures, five above the subject and four below. The picture that
appeared on the screen seemed to be of a large structure, judging from the
size of the largest outer ring relative to the pod in the center, which looked
tiny in comparison. The rings looked more like disks, each with a large hole
in its center. They were suspended at different heights parallel to the
subjects body in the pod.
The rings are composed of superconducting coiled-coil cables and
carry a heavy alternating current when the device is switched on. This
produces high intensity alternating electromagnetic fields of circular shape.
If you look closely, there are also nine pyramidal structures along the
axis of the pod. These are particle projectors. The four pyramids above the
pod project proton beams downwards, while the remaining five inverted
ones below the pod project electron beams upwards. Each of these beams
has very specific frequencies and varying waveforms dependent on the
thirty-seven parameters. Similarly, the electromagnetic fields are of varying
intensities dependent on these parameters. The nine rings and the pyramids
work like a finely tuned orchestra. But all this has an unavoidable
consequence: all matter within the pod is duplicated, including the subjects
body.
The matter of both versions will be quantumly entangled and will
occupy distinct though initially identical universes. However, the subjects
entangled bodies will share the same consciousness. There will be one body
in each of the universes emerging from the split. This division of the
universe is in line with the Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum
Mechanics.
So, whatever is in the pod forms a bridge between two identical
universes created moments into the procedure. This bridge exists
simultaneously in both universes; it is the bridge of Quantum
Entanglement. While in this state, matter in the pod is extremely pliable.
The nanites in the subjects body work with the electromagnetic fields in
the rings of the Entangler to sculpt the subjects body, right down to the
molecular level, replicating a point in the subjects past when he was at the
peak of his health. While the bodiesthe bodies in each of the universes
are being transformed, the subjects consciousness is elevated to a higher
plane by a section of the nanites and due to the sensationless environment
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
in the floatation tank. In a sense, the Eyeball is a womb too, granting the
subject rebirth in a younger and healthier body.
The whole process, consisting of the powering up of the Entangler, the
splitting of the universe and the transforming of the body, should take
between three and four hours. During this time, if all goes well, the subject
will not experience any pain or any sensations at all other than some
hallucinations.
And, if all goes well, he will emerge from the pod with a brand new
and healthy body. I wish my subject the best of luck. Jonah (in the video)
smiled just before the screen went dark.
Any questions? Jonah asked Lev and Mira as the lights came on.
So, is this some kind of time travel shit? Lev asked.
Oh, no, no, no, no, Jonah said, looking amused. No time traveling at
all. If everything turns out well, you will exist simultaneously in two
universes. You will experience both worlds, spatially and temporally
superimposed. Its like two initially similar movies projected on the same
screen. You will be the lone character common in both films, occupying the
same position at any given moment. The characters in each movie cannot
influence the characters in the other in any way. The only difference is, you
will be in both movies and will be the only thing that can be influenced by
characters or objects in both movies.
Lev looked confused. But that would be crazy, was all he could utter.
However, Jonah said, the split is not of great concern. Maybe a little
to you, who will continue to exist simultaneously in both universes for a
certain length of time dependent on your various physical factors. In a
sense, you will be the intersection of the two universes.
Me, the intersection of two enormous universes?! How does that
work? asked Lev.
Well, if you represent Universe A as a circle, Jonah said, drawing a
rough circle on a whiteboard beside the screen, and Universe B as another
circle This time he drew a circle of the same size, but intersecting the
previous one. This portion, common to both universes, represents you.
He scribbled over the intersection between the two circles.
So, I will be the Intersection Man. That sounds cool.
You mentioned this period of intersection would last for a certain
length of time. How long will that be? asked Mira.
The two universes will be identical to each other initially, and Lev will
hardly see any difference, replied Jonah. I cant say for certain how long
Levs bodies will remain entangled, but it wont be more than two days.
I didnt quite get how the machine fixes my cancer, Lev said.
The machineor rather machines, if you consider the machines in
both universeswill work with the nanites in your bodyor bodiesat
the quantum level and reset it to any desired point in its history, thus
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INTERSECTION MAN
eliminating all traces of your illness. The machines tap into your DNA to
recreate your entire anatomyright down to the molecular levelas you
were at that point in your history. They will rebuild you, molecule by
molecule. The two bodies your consciousness inhabits will be entangled
with each other and hence will undergo the same transformations
automatically and simultaneously.
If the two universes will only be identical to each other initially, does
that mean they will differ over time? asked Mira. How is the difference
going to affect Lev?
Good question, replied Jonah. Well, both universes are independent
of each other although identical the instant they split, except of course for
Lev, whose singular consciousness occupies both universes. The universes
may gradually diverge and have different timelines resulting in different
events and different fates. Thus, the world Lev sees will be a
superimposition of the two universes. To Lev, everything will exist in exact
duplicates. Since both worlds will be perfectly in sync at the moment of the
split, Lev initially may not be able to detect anything out of the ordinary.
The universes may differ just at the quantum levels, that is, through
quantum fluctuations.
But you have not answered my question, Mira said.
I am coming to that, Jonah said. As the differences become more
apparent over time, Lev will not be able to tell which objects belong to
which universe at first glance. Hell only be able to determine that through
observing how they interact with their surroundings, since objects in one
world will in no way interact with those in the other. Lev will be somewhat
handicapped since events and objects in both worlds will affect him. For
example, if he is injured or even dies in one world, he will be similarly
affected in the other. Or if a door is open in one world and closed in the
other, he still cannot pass. It must be open in both worlds. He sees the door
as closed and open. It will seem as if he can see the door and see through it
at the same time.
Do you mean a closed door, even if it was opaque, would suddenly
seem like it was made of glass? asked Lev.
Well, not quite like glass, Jonah answered. You would be able to see
through it, but the colors would be additive. Say youre standing in front of
a room that has a red, opaque door with a blue doorknob. The door is
closed in one universe and open wide in the other; you will be able to see
inside the room beyond the door in only one of the universes. Say the walls
in that room are painted green, and inside the room is a white chair. What
you will see is a closed yellow door with a cyan-colored doorknob. You will
also see the chair as if it were a photo pasted on the door. The closed door
will appear somewhat ghostly because the chair from the other universe will
be visible through it. The door will be yellow since youll be seeing the
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HARI KUMAR NAIR
green walls in the background superimposed on the red door, and when
you mix green and red, you get yellow. Similarly, the doorknob will be cyan,
the color you get when you mix the green of the walls with the blue of the
doorknob. And the chair
Will be a light shade of red, or pink, because white chair plus red door
equals pink chair. This is all too complicated! There was a note of
exasperation in Levs voice.
I know its hard to wrap your head around, but you will get used to it.
Thats weird though, remarked Mira. You seem to be suggesting that
Levs consciousness, rather than his brain, is what interprets colors. Levs
brain would perceive a closed red door in one universe and the interior of
the green room in the other. If I am not mistaken, youre implying his
straddling consciousness would add these two images together.
Yes. Normally, it is the brain that interprets colors. But here we have a
special case of conflicting images generated by two brains. The shared
consciousness must reconcile those images. Anyway, Lev could also use all
this to his advantage.
How? asked Lev.
For instance, you could easily tell which objects occupy different
positions in each universe and which ones are perfectly superimposed or
undisturbed. Like the door that was open in one universe and closed in the
other, objects that are out of synch will be partly transparent and hence
appear ghostly when compared to undisturbed objects, which will be solid
and opaque. Another advantage is you could use a vehicle, say a car, to
travel between two points in Universe A. An observer in Universe B would
not see the car but would see you moving unaided as if by magic.
Whoa! That would be cool! Lev exclaimed. So, if I am piloting a
helicopter in Universe A, people in B will see me flying like Superman since
they cant see the chopper.
Well, not quite like Superman. But yes, they will see you flying about,
sitting in an imaginary chair.
Okay, Mira said. Why were the past attempts unsuccessful? Is there
something more we need to know?
The past procedures, Jonah responded, failed because of the many
parameters that determine the proper resetting of the body to an earlier
state of health. The values of those parameters could only be ascertained
after a sufficient number of tests were performed. Therefore, the past
failures, though unfortunate, were vital for narrowing down the parametric
values. The choice of parameters was specific to the subjects various
physical factors besides the environmental conditions during the process. I
am confident I am very close to cracking the parametric values necessary
for a satisfactory result. The thirty-seven parameters that need to be keyed
into the machine must be accurate within 0.1% for a positive result.
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Did you say you have to key the parameters into the machine? Do you
mean manually? asked Mira.
Well, yes and no. Jonah seemed uncomfortable with Miras question.
Part of the parameters are automatically set. Those are the ones dependent
on the ambient conditions. But the majoritythe ones that rely on the
subjects health, for instanceneed to be typed in manually. At least for
now. I can automate the procedure only after I get the first successful
result. Theres some heavy-duty programming that must go into the
automation.
What if theres a typo while you punch in the digits? asked Mira.
Jonah pulled at his collar uneasily. Well, that is a risk. But I am very
careful. Very, very careful.
I have another question, Mira said. The universe is, like,
unimaginably big, right? How is it even possible for your device to split the
universe when its so tiny in comparison? Wouldnt it need a shitload of
energy for that?
Oh, no! Jonah replied. He looked amused. The Entangler does not
split the universe! I am sorry if I misled you. The universe, as per the Many-
Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, continually splits itself into
near-identical copies. These copies then branch off into more copies. This
process is endlessly repeated. Thus, there are infinite versions of our
universe already out there, and an infinite more are being continually
spawned.
You make it sound like the universe is a giant amoeba, Mira remarked.
I remember learning in microbiology class that amoebas asexually
reproduce by a process called binary fission, whereby the amoeba splits into
copies of itself, the copies themselves splitting into more copies and so on.
Thats a good analogy! Jonah said, his eyes lighting up. Youre very
smart!
Shes my wife, Lev interjected, beaming with pride. She was a
straight-A student in school. She wouldve become a doctor if her family
had the money.
Aww, Lev, thank you, Mira said, but I dont regret being a nurse one
bit.
Youre young, Mira, Jonah said. You can still become a doctor if you
want to.
Mira ignored Jonahs remark. So, you mean to say there are infinite
universes out there that are identical? How boring!
Jonah shook his head. Every time the universe splits in two, the
resulting universes may have minuscule differences. Say, for example, in
one world you chose to wear a red dress on a certain evening. In the other
universe that bubbled out just a moment before, you might have picked a
blue dress. This is because thought is essentially a quantum process. The
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random day-to-day decisions we make are likely to be different in different

universes. Thus, there would be universes out there that are drastically
different from ours, while at the same time, universes that are almost
identical to ours. Its really all quite mind-boggling.
In other words, youre saying there could be a world out there where I
am the President of the United States? Mira raised an eyebrow.
Yes, of course! Jonah replied.
That would be interesting, Mira said. But, if the Entangler doesnt
split the universe, then what does it do?
It creates a quantum entanglement between two universes that emerge
during the process, Jonah answered. The entanglement is restricted to the
contents of the pod during the experiment. That is why Levs body in one
world will be entangled with his body in the other.
But then, Mira asked, if he has two entangled bodies, why cant he
have two entangled souls? You said the two bodies would share his soul.
Well, to be precise, Jonah said, shifting uncomfortably, I didnt use
the word soul. We scientists dont like words rooted in unprovable
concepts like religion. The word I used was consciousness, which is quite
different.
Yes, whatever. Lets not argue about semantics.
Okay, I take it you meant consciousness. Then its an excellent
question. If a person has two entangled bodies, there can only be one
consciousness that inhabits both. If there are two consciousness, then the
entanglement degrades quickly. Since consciousness is quantum in nature
and it is also the prime mover of the physical body, the divergence in
thoughts between each conscious mind would soon enough cause the
entanglement between the bodies to break down.
So, are you saying, asked Mira, that when the world splits in two,
with each world having a version of me, each of these versions will have a
separate consciousness?
Yes.
Will we have different souls too?
Ha ha, Jonah laughed. Thats why I dont believe in the existence of
a soul!
Mira laughed with him. I thought I could catch you off-guard!
I must say, to your credit, I have never been asked such intelligent
questions before. Thank you for that. Lev, youre lucky to have such a
smart wife.
Mira glanced at Levs gurney and found him fast asleep. Shh. She
gestured to Jonah.
You better wake him up, Jonah murmured. We have to start the
procedure.
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The robots wheeled Lev into the examination room in Jonahs lab. The
room had formerly been a workshop with high ceilings and heavy shutters
over one of the doors.
After undressing Lev, Mira assisted Jonah in conducting several
preliminary measurements, readings and tests on Lev. Although a special
nursebot was available to help Jonah, Mira took it upon herself to perform
the task, which she was well-trained to do. Be strong, Mira whispered
into Levs ear as she bent over to attach the many electrodes to his skin.
The nursebot then transferred Lev into the cavity of a special laser
scanner, which performed fine measurements and continuously monitored
his condition. On Jonahs instruction, Mira injected the nanite solution into
Levs arm. Lev felt a sudden heat as the nanites coursed through his body.
They waited for about five minutes, during which time the scanner
monitored Levs condition and the distribution of nanobots in his body.
Now were ready, Jonah said, taking a deep breath, for the
Entangler. He looked at Lev, who said with a smile lighting his face, Lets
do it, Doc!
Lev raised an emaciated right hand and high-fived the scientist. Yes,
lets do it, said a beaming Jonah. Then, turning to Mira, Jonah said, Mira,
I see you are going to be a mother.
I am due in less than a month. I just want him to hold our baby, she
said in a choked voice. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Jonah felt uncomfortable. He did not know how to react in the presence
of such emotions.
Yes, yes. He looked away. But I wanted to tell you, you cannot be
anywhere near Lev during the procedure. You see, the Entangler produces
high-intensity radiation during its operation. This could be harmful to your
baby. I have set up a comfortable room for you to stay in. The room is
sealed against such radiation. You can see Lev through a CCTV in the
room.
Mira looked deep into Levs eyes before kissing him. I love you, she
said quietly.
I love you too, Lev said. He touched Miras belly and let his fingertips
stay there for a few seconds before withdrawing. Go, he told her. Wait
for me.
Just before leading Mira to her room, Jonah said, looking up at the
ceiling, Bheem, send in Duke and Dan, please.
It was a comfortable room with all the necessary amenities including an
adjacent washroom. There was also a large TV on the wall just opposite the
queen-sized bed. Mira was in awe of how meticulously Jonah had planned
everything. Jonah and Mira could communicate with each other through an
intercom. Jonah told Mira to stay inside the room until he called for her.
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There was also another door in the room that opened to the lobby.
By the time Jonah returned to the lab, Duke and Dan were there.
You guys know what to do, Jonah told the robots.
Yes, Jonah, they replied in unison.
Turning to Lev, Jonah said, Duke and Dan will be loading you into the
pod of the Entangler. Its accessible only to them since they can hover
about.
The robots transferred Lev onto a narrow, rubberized stretcher and
strapped him to it. Carrying Lev between them, the robots drifted into the
Entangler Control Room, followed by Jonah. Lev caught a glimpse of the
Entangler through the full-length glass windows and was awed by the
immense structure. The Eyeball at the center looked like a large, spherical,
blue-green pearl. It felt surreal; this was going to be either his womb or his
deathbed.
A section of the floor-to-ceiling windows slid open as the hoverbots

carrying Lev approached the Entangler. They glided through the opening
and headed towards the pod at its heart. Lev took a quick peek below and
saw they were floating at least eight floors above the ground. Being this
high up thrilled him; it made him recall his days as a helicopter pilot. He
was feeling much better and assumed this was perhaps due to the nanites in
his bloodstream.
The top hemisphere of the Eyeball slid under the bottom one, revealing
the oblate pod that sat on the surface of a thick, viscous fluid inside the
lower hemisphere. The top of the pod then opened like a camera shutter.
Inside was a milky liquid.
The robots laid the naked Lev on the liquid and pulled the stretcher
from underneath him. He floated on the surface.
Its an Epsom salt solution. Jonah spoke through Dan. Thats why
you are floating. Just lie still and relax.
The shutters closed, leaving Lev in pitch-black darkness. Keep your
arms and feet apart so that no part of your body touches another. Jonahs
voice now came through a hidden speaker somewhere in the pod. The
idea is to lose all sensation. In a few minutes, the procedure will commence.
Your body will be aligned with the perpendicular axis of the Entangler
plane by its magnetic fields, which will work on the nanites within you. Its
unlikely you will feel anything. Soon, you will lose all sensations and start
hallucinating. Thats normal, so dont be alarmed. The hallucinations are
due to the nanites releasing a psychotropic substance into your
bloodstream. Just observe everything as if you were watching a movie. But
be warned, once the procedure starts, you cant stop it midway. If you dont
want to continue, you must tell me now. Do you want to continue?
Yes, Lev said emphatically.
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Good. I wont be saying anything more until after the procedure. Good
luck!
At Levs request, Jonah programmed the machine to reset Lev to a point
just before he was injured in Saudi Arabia. Hed been at his peak health
then. Jonah also keyed various other parameters into the Entangler.
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Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair
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Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | w
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Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.
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ersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com
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Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.har
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| Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com
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www.harismind.com
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ersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com
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Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nai

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Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com
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ion Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com
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CHAPTER 4
Inside the pod, a silent blackness enveloped Lev. He let his arms and legs
drift apart. He thought he felt his body moving, but he was not sure. But
even that sensation lasted just a few seconds. Since his body and the Epsom
solution he lay on were the same temperature, he didnt even feel the liquid.
He tried to listen to his breathing, but he was soon in such a state of
relaxation that his breath too became inaudible. It was so tranquil, as if he
did not exist anymore. Just a deep, dark void. Even the sensation of time
faded away. He wondered if he had already died. It was beautiful and
calming. The nothingness. Boundlessly infinite. Gradually faint, amorphous
shapes began to form in the darkness. Vague and smoky. The shapes
became more geometric. More symmetric. Like wheels with many spokes.
Kaleidoscopic shapes. He was with the stars and the great discs of galaxies.
They all seemed to be conscious and alive. Bathed in love. It was all so
beautiful. The love flowed, washed and cleansed the point he had become.
He was certain he had died. Nothing mattered anymore. Because it was all
so beautiful. So beautiful. Beautiful
Bit by bit, the shapes faded away. With them went the vast
constellations and the cosmic arcs. The featureless darkness returned. Then
the blackness lightened to grays. Grays to dull whites, blues. A face in the
fog. Its edges sharpened.
Jonah smiled at him. His face was joyous.
Welcome back, he whispered.
Was it was all Lev could utter.
Yes. Jonah nodded. A complete success! Congratulations!
So, I am not dead.
No. Jonah laughed. Youre back in the examination room.
Lev tried to lift his hand to see how it looked, but it was too heavy for
him.
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You should be regaining your strength in a couple of minutes. I have

already informed Mira. I am so happy for you. Jonah held a small mirror
to Levs face.
Lev couldnt believe what he saw. His face was robust and pink. Just as
it had been in his prime. This is unbelievable! How long did it take?
Jonah checked his watch. Its now 9 p.m. The procedure took about
four hours.
It didnt seem that long. But it was one hell of a trip. I wouldnt mind
doing it again. Lev smiled.
Jonah then asked him whether he felt strange or was seeing anything
weird.
Lev looked at Jonah with awe and gratefulness. Everything is fine.
Everything is just fine. I just cant Levs voice trailed off. His eyes
welled up. Mira, he said, looking around searchingly.
She will be with you in a few minutes. Jonah smiled at him
reassuringly. A couple of things before that. Your vision, youre sure its
fine? No blurring at all?
Everythings crystal clear, Lev replied. He noticed Jonah was holding
a rubber band about an inch wide and a few inches in diameter.
Hmm, said Jonah. Oh, I almost forgot. I need you to wear this.
Around your upper arm. Left or righteither is fine. Just above your
elbow. Its a commband.
Lev looked questioningly at Jonah, who placed the band around Levs
upper left arm. The commband had a hard, circular dial embedded within it.
It felt snug around his triceps. A bit tight, but not uncomfortable. It was
made of heavy duty rubber, about 3 millimeters thick.
Its nothing quite hi-tech. Just for monitoring your system parameters.
Things like your heartbeat, blood pressure, pulse, et cetera. It will feed that
info into my supercomputer, no matter where you are. Its got a built-in
transmitter thats connected to my private satellite, which is, in turn, hooked
up to my supercomputer here. The band talks to the nanobots in your
bloodstream while they are running around through your veins, collects
data and transmits it to my supercomputer through the satellite. But I have
thrown in a few goodies too. Jonah grinned. Since its connected to
Bheem 24/7, you have access to all his computational and communicational
prowess through the commband. All you need to do is say, Bheem,
followed by a command. If you wish to talk to your friend Buzz, just say,
Bheem, get me Buzz. And youll be able to hear Buzz voice as though he
is in your head.
How did you know I have a friend called Buzz? Lev asked.
I know all about you, Lev. Anyway, all your contact numbers have
already been downloaded into Bheem. As well as, of course, telephone
directories of almost every place on this planet. If youre wearing the
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commband, Bheem will know where you are, what youre watching,
hearing, saying, eating
Hey! Have you heard of a little thing called privacy?! Lev tried to
sound a bit annoyed. But his respect for the man whod saved his life made
his interjection sound good-humored.
Dont worry. Bheem will be to you what Alfred was to Batman. Your
secrets are safe with him.
Lev liked Jonahs equating him with Batman. Batman was his favorite
superhero. That was cool, he thought, smiling at Jonah.
You can even contact Bheem by Morse code, without opening your
mouth. Just by tapping your upper and lower teeth, Jonah added.
Umm, okay. Lev nodded. Now, can I put on some clothes?
Oops, sorry. Jonah handed him his clothes. Are you sure youre not
seeing two of me by now?
Lev looked him over. Umm, no.
Is any part of me out of sync? Anything strange with my voice or the
words coming out of my mouth?
No. Youre good, Mr. Scientist.
As Lev was pulling up his trousers, Jonah remarked, partly to himself,
Perhaps it is too early to notice the deviations between the two universes
youre inhabiting. Hmm. Jonah paused, scratching his chin. I must be a
super-synchronous man. I have no choice but to force a visible divergence
then.
Oh, by the way, I am thinking of renaming this machine, Jonah told
Lev, as an afterthought. I am thinking of calling it the wOMb. With a
capital OM in the middle.
What?
Well, the patients. Once they come out all healed, its like a rebirth.
I got that, Lev replied. But what does OM stand for? Operation
Mankind? Open Manhole? What?
Jonah laughed. No, its not an acronym.
Then what is it?
Jonah studied Levs inquisitive eyes for just a moment before he said,
Maybe I will explain some other time.
After this short test, I promise you can see Mira, Jonah assured Lev.
Jonah turned on a small computer on a desk in front of Levs bed.
Now, this is how it works, Jonah began. This computer is hooked up
to an RF module.
RF? interrupted Lev.
Radio Frequency. The kind of tuners in old television sets, Jonah said
impatiently. He tuned the receiver to display just static. This noise you
now see on the screen has a quantum randomness to it. About 1% of it is
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from the Cosmic Microwave Background.

Uh-huh. Lev nodded as if he understood.
I have set up the computer to focus on just one pixel, Jonah
continued. As I said before, quantum phenomenon is partly responsible
for the pattern of flickering of the pixels. The software in the computer will
count every time that pixel is bright. And when the count reaches ten
thousand it will send a blip signal to the wireless headphones you are going
to wear. The moment you hear the blip, you must acknowledge it by
tapping any key on the wireless keyboard on your lap.
Question. Lev raised his hand. Why ten thousand? Why not one
thousand? Or two thousand? Or fifty thousand?
Well, it could be any number, Jonah answered. I chose ten thousand
since it would take anywhere between four to six minutes for the count to
reach that number. If its any lower, you may not get enough time to
acknowledge the first blip before the second one also reaches our target
number. Even with ten thousand as the target, there is a chance you may
not get sufficient time. In which case, we will have to redo the test.
Makes sense, Lev said, though he still looked confused. So, what
happens next?
If you indeed have two entangled bodies in different universes, Jonah
said, say, in Universe A and Universe B, the computers in both worlds will
receive your acknowledgment, but, because the flickering is a quantum
phenomenon, only one will have sent the original blip. The moment the
computers receive your signal, the counters will stop, but the screen of the
computer that originally sent the blip will change to a picture of a happy
face, while the other will still show static.
How so? asked Lev.
The computer is so programmed, Jonah replied. Its screen will
display a happy face only if it receives your acknowledgment after it has
sent the blip. Now, this will happen to only one of the computers. The
moment I see the happy face on the computer screen, I will take two steps
to my right. Remember, in one universe, the screen will still be displaying
static. So, the version of me in that universe will remain still. In other
words, you will see an identical replica of meyou may call him Jonah B
stepping out from my right side. If that happens, you are indeed inhabiting
two universes. But both versions of me, that is Jonah A and Jonah B, will
not be able to perceive each other in any way. Since you reside in both
universes, you alone will be able to see us both.
This is getting complicated, Lev said.
Yes, I know. But all you need to do is see if another version of me
pops up after you have tapped on the keyboard.
Okay, thats easy enough. So, lets get on with the test.
The test went just as Jonah had predicted. Levs jaw dropped when he
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saw another Jonah emerging from Jonahs right side. Holy shit! Lev
exclaimed. There are friggin two of you now!! I dont fucking believe this!!
And you guys look like ghosts; I can see through both of you!
As soon as Lev had spoken, the door just behind the shuttered opening
swung open, and a man barged in with a gun in his right hand, his left
gripping Mira in a stranglehold. The man looked identical to Jonah. The
lone difference was this man was wearing a brown jacket and jeans.
Now theres three!! Lev shouted. At the same moment, one of the
two Jonahs in front of him spied the gun-wielding lookalike through a
mirror behind Lev, which was now in his line of sight.
A second right hand, this one also clutching a gun, swung out from the
brown-jacketed intruder holding Mira. Two shots fired almost
simultaneously from the two guns.
At the same time, one of the two Jonahs (the one whod seen the
intruder through the mirror) ducked. A bullet hit the Jonah-who-didnt-
duck on the head, and he collapsed. The other bullet missed the Jonah-
who-ducked. That second bullet hit a steel post behind Lev and ricocheted
off it, hitting the lever that held the heavy steel shutter in place above the
door. The shutter slammed down on both the armed intruder and Mira.
But, to Levs astonishment, the armed intruder and Mira emerged
unscathed, their bodies passing through the closed shutter, which pinned
down their duplicates, who lay motionless underneath it. Lev noticed that
although the shutter was downed, he could see everything behind it. He
could also see through the intruder and Mira, their colors blending with the
colors of what was behind them.
Lev put his expert combat skills into action. In no time, he overpowered
the intruder and freed Mira from his clutches. In one quick motion, he
snatched the gun away from the intruder and passed it to Mira as he pushed
the Jonah-lookalike to the ground and punched him until he passed out.
Mira tried to stop him, but Lev was too strong for her.
Lev! cried Mira pulling at him from behind.
He turned his head, and the moment he saw her, the crazed anger in his
eyes melted away.
Lev! she said, placing the gun on the counter. She was overjoyed at
seeing his robust form. They hugged each other as tears of joy streamed
down from their eyes.
Meanwhile, the Jonah who had ducked under Levs bed emerged and
asked Lev with a puzzled expression, What the hell are you doing? He
saw only an ecstatic and teary-eyed Lev, with his arms held out as if
wrapped around an unseen person.
Before Lev could reply, Jonahs attention shifted to his doppelgnger
and Mira lying motionless under the heavy steel shutters. He scrambled
over to them and pulled the lever of the shutter to the open position. A
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quick check of their breathing and pulse confirmed his worst fear. He said
in a quiet voice, Theyre dead. Jonah was overcome by grief seeing the
lifeless body of his lookalike. Laying his cheeks against the dead mans
chest, he sobbed quietly.
By then, Lev had joined Jonah. He was angry at first, but upon seeing
Jonahs reaction, his face softened.
Instinctively, Lev felt a pang of grief, seeing Miras lifeless body lying
beside Jonahs dead lookalike. Then he glanced over his shoulder at the
Mira he had just embraced, who was wiping her wet cheeks. He felt
confused, seeing his beloved both dead and full of life at the same time.
What are you looking at? Mira asked, seeing the strange expression on
his face.
You wouldnt believe me if I told you, Lev replied cryptically.
Lev sat on the floor facing Jonah and placed his hand on the scientists
shoulder to console him. After a while, Jonah murmured, I just dont
understand. We could have worked this out. He was not supposed to come
here. We had an understanding.
Who is that man? Your evil twin? Lev asked Jonah; his tone was soft.
He looks exactly like you.
Who are you talking to, Mira asked. She looked puzzled. I dont see
anyone there.
Jonah, Lev replied, turning his face towards Mira. You cant see him;
he is not in your world. And dont look at me like I am crazy.
What?! Mira asked, mouth agape in bewilderment. Lev gestured for
her to wait and turned his attention to Jonah.
Mira is alive in the other world, isnt she? Jonah inquired.
Lev nodded his head. You didnt answer my question. Why didnt you
tell me you had a twin trying to kill you?
He is not my twin, Jonah replied in a half-whisper, looking down at
his lifeless replicant. Nor my brother. Nor my clone. But me. He is me
from an alternate universe.
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APPENDIX
This is a work of fiction.
As I mentioned in my preface, there are events and characters in this

book that are taken from real life. However, I want to make it clear that
anything in this book that is not publicly known is a complete fabrication
and should be treated as such. By publicly known, I mean anything that
can be easily found on the internet using a search engine like Google. Please
be aware that I am not proposing any alternate theories concerning
historical events or figures. Just to avoid any confusion, I am providing
below a list of events and characters in this book. This list distinguishes
between the real and fictitious elements of the novel. The references given
for the factual entries are mostly Wikipedia links.
Prolog:
The Georgia Guidestones:
Real. The Georgia Guidestones actually exist. I have reproduced their
inscriptions verbatim. The Wikipedia page
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones) on the
Guidestones has this to say:
The Georgia Guidestones is a granite monument erected in 1980 in
Elbert County, Georgia, in the United States. A set of 10 guidelines is
inscribed on the structure in eight modern languages, and a shorter message
is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient language scripts:
Babylonian, Classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Egyptian hieroglyphs
In June 1979, an unknown person or persons under the pseudonym R. C.
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Christian hired Elberton Granite Finishing Company to build the

structure
The monument was unveiled on March 22, 1980, before an audience
variously described as 100 or 400 people
At the unveiling of the monument, a local minister proclaimed that he
believed the monument was for sun worshipers, for cult worship and for
devil worship. Others have suggested that the stones were commissioned by
the Rosicrucians.
Chapter 1:
The Science of the Ceebit (CBT):
1. Invisibility cloaking using metamaterials: Partly real. Research is
currently underway to develop metamaterials that can render objects
invisible by bending light around them. I dont think the technology has
been perfected yet, but there has been a great deal of progress made. A
cursory search on the internet will yield many articles on this topic. One
such article can be found here:
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2010/mar/19/3d-
invisibility-cloak-unveiled
2. Gravitationally Repulsive Medium (GRM): Fictitious. No such medium
is currently known to man. However, I dont think it is theoretically
impossible for GRMs to exist.
3. Cannae Drives: Real. A Cannae Drive is a type of reactionless EmDrive
consisting of a microwave resonant cavity. It has no moving parts. There
are some reports that NASA is currently testing them as a means for
spacecraft propulsion. Skeptics believe we cannot use Cannae Drives for
this purpose since doing so would apparently violate the known laws of
Physics. For more information, please see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EmDrive#Cannae_drive.
(Erwin) Schrdinger:
Real. Schrdinger was a Nobel Prizewinning physicist who made major
contributions to the field of Quantum Theory.
He is also famous for proposing the Schrdingers cat thought
experiment, which illustrates a state known as Quantum superposition,
whereby the eponymous cat is both alive and dead at the same time. Here
are some relevant excerpts on the thought experiment from its Wikipedia
page:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat):
Schrdingers cat is a thought experiment, sometimes described as a
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paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrdinger in 1935. It

illustrates what he saw as the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of
quantum mechanics applied to everyday objects. The scenario presents a cat
which may be simultaneously both alive and dead, a state known as a
quantum superposition, as a result of being linked to a random subatomic
event that may or may not occur. The thought experiment is also often
featured in theoretical discussions of the interpretations of quantum
mechanics. Schrdinger coined the term Verschrnkung (entanglement) in
the course of developing the thought experiment...
Many-worlds interpretation and consistent histories
In 1957, Hugh Everett formulated the many-worlds interpretation of
quantum mechanics, which does not single out observation as a special
process. In the many-worlds interpretation, both alive and dead states of the
cat persist after the box is opened, but are decoherent from each other. In
other words, when the box is opened, the observer and the possibly-dead cat
split into an observer looking at a box with a dead cat, and an observer
looking at a box with a live cat. But since the dead and alive states are
decoherent, there is no effective communication or interaction between them.
When opening the box, the observer becomes entangled with the cat, so
observer states corresponding to the cats being alive and dead are formed;
each observer state is entangled or linked with the cat so that the
observation of the cats state and the cats state correspond with each
other. Quantum decoherence ensures that the different outcomes have no
interaction with each other. The same mechanism of quantum decoherence is
also important for the interpretation in terms of consistent histories. Only
the dead cat or the alive cat can be a part of a consistent history in this
interpretation.
Chapter 2:
Allen Welsh Dulles:
Real. Dulles is a historical figure. He was the fifth director of the CIA and
was also its first civilian director. There is a Wikipedia page on Dulles,
which you can find here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Dulles.
The Seer is completely fictitious. However, the events that were
supposedly predicted by The Seer (Joe DiMaggios triple home run, for
example) are all factual. Also, there is no record of Dulles having suffered
from hallucinations.
Some extracts from the Wikipedia page:
During the Kennedy Administration, Dulles faced increasing criticism.
79
HARI KUMAR NAIR
The pro-American but unpopular regimes in Iran and Guatemala that

Dulles had helped put in place were widely regarded as brutal and corrupt.
In autumn 1961, following the Bay of Pigs incident, Dulles and his
entourage, including Deputy Director for Plans Richard M. Bissell, Jr. and
Deputy Director Charles Cabell, were forced to resign. On November 28,
1961, Kennedy presented Dulles with the National Security Medal at the
CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The next day, November 29,
the White House released a resignation letter signed by Dulles.
MKUltra:
Real. This was a mind-control program initiated by Dulles on April 13,
1953. For further information, please see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra. The program was
headed by Sidney Gottlieb, who was also a real person.
Therese:
Fictitious. Project Therese is my invention. The entire episode related to
the island in the Bahamas is a fabrication.
Neither Therese I nor Therese II exist.
Jacob Salter, Thomas Salter and Lucille Santini:
Fictitious. Characters created for this story. No resemblance to anyone
living or dead.
Sidney Gottlieb:
Real. He was an actual person. Here are some extracts from Gottliebs
Wikipedia page:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Gottlieb):
Sidney Gottlieb (August 3, 1918 March 7, 1999) was an American
chemist and spymaster best known for his involvement with the Central
Intelligence Agencys 1950s and 60s assassination attempts and mind
control program, known as Project MKUltra
A stutterer from childhood, Gottlieb also earned a masters degree in speech
therapy. He had a club foot, which kept him out of World War II, but did
not prevent his pursuit of folk dancing, a lifelong passion
Gottlieb became known as the Black Sorcerer and the Dirty
Trickster. He supervised preparations of lethal poisons and drug
experiments in mind control
In April 1953 Gottlieb became head of the secret Project MKULTRA
which was activated on the order of CIA director Allen Dulles. In this
capacity, he administered LSD and other psycho-active drugs to unwitting
subjects
80
INTERSECTION MAN
Gottlieb retired from the CIA in 1972, stating at the time that he did
not believe his work had been effective. He nonetheless received a
Distinguished Intelligence Medal from the U.S. government. Visited in
retirement by the son of his late colleague Frank Olson, he was residing in
an ecologically correct home in Culpeper, Virginia, where he raised goats,
ate yogurt and advocated principles of peace and environmentalism. He and
his wife spent 18 months running a leper hospital in India and he spent his
final years looking after the dying at a hospice. He died in Washington
D.C. in 1999.
Sidney Gottliebs obituary is available on the Independents website:
(http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-sidney-
gottlieb-1080920.html) mentions:
For two decades he ran a CIA program aimed at nothing less than
control of the human mind. Its tools were mind-altering drugs, most notably
LSD
He was born in 1918 the son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants, but never
adopted the faith; indeed much of the rest of his life was a search for
religious fulfilment, via agnosticism, Christianity and even Zen
Buddhism...
Gottliebs life after the CIA resembled a quest for atonement. With his
wife Margaret, he spent 18 months in India running a leper hospital.
The website io9 (http://io9.com/5838255/every-crazy-cia-plot-youve-
heard-of-originated-with-one-man) has this to say about Gottlieb:
The Things We Wont Know
Before Gottlieb left the CIA in 1972 to (no kidding) work with lepers in
India, he became the head of the Technical Services Staff. There, with access
to records, he destroyed about eighty percent of extremely damaging files,
many of them about his own projects. This is frustrating for those who want
to know the facts.
Operation Paperclip:
Real. Excerpt from the Wikipedia page
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip):
Operation Paperclip (originally Operation Overcast) (19491990) was
the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) program in which over 1,500
German scientists, technicians, and engineers from Nazi Germany and
other foreign countries were brought to the United States for employment in
the aftermath of World War II.
However, the involvement of German engineers in Operation Paperclip
81
HARI KUMAR NAIR
and Indian workers in the construction of Therese is fictitious.

Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis:
Real. All the incidents relating to the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile
crisis are factual except for the involvement of Gottliebs twelve
Psychics.
OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) Technology:
Real. Taken from the Wikipedia page on OTEC
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion):
Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature difference
between cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface ocean waters to run a
heat engine and produce useful work, usually in the form of electricity.
OTEC is a base load electricity generation system, i.e. 24hrs/day all year
long
OTEC can also supply quantities of cold water as a by-product. This can
be used for air conditioning and refrigeration and the nutrient-rich deep
ocean water can feed biological technologies. Another by-product is fresh
water distilled from the sea...
OTEC theory was first developed in the 1880s and the first bench size
demonstration model was constructed in 1926. Currently the worlds only
operating OTEC plant is in Japan, overseen by Saga University
Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation (OTE) currently has plans to install
two 10 MW OTEC plants in the US Virgin Islands and a 5-10 MW
OTEC facility in The Bahamas. OTE has also designed the worlds
largest SDC plant which was planned for a resort in The Bahamas, which
will use cold deep seawater as a method of air-conditioning. Unfortunately,
this project was postponed due to schedule delays
Chapter 3:
Bheem:
Bheem (or Bhima) is a major character in the Sanskrit epic the
Mahabharata, the longest poem ever written in any language. He was the
second of the five Pandava brothers and was known for his immense
strength.
Health Reset via Molecular Reorganization:
Fictitious. No such procedure exists. A similar idea was explored in the
2013 science fiction film Elysium, which featured Med-Baysmedical
machines that could cure all diseases, reverse the aging process and
regenerate new body parts.
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INTERSECTION MAN
Quantum Entanglement:
While Quantum Entanglement is an observed phenomenon in science,
the extent to which the idea is described in this book may widely differ
from the scientific version. A simple description of Quantum
Entanglement can be found here:
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement
The Many-Worlds Interpretation:
Real. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (at
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-manyworlds/) describes the Many-
Worlds Interpretation as follows:
The Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics holds
that there are many worlds which exist in parallel at the same space and
time as our own. The existence of the other worlds makes it possible to
remove randomness and action at a distance from quantum theory and thus
from all physics.
Nanobots/Nanites:
Real. Currently in development. The Wikipedia page on Nanorobotics
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanorobotics) states:
Nanorobotics is the emerging technology field creating machines or robots
whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometer (109 meters).
More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering
discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size
from 0.110 micrometers and constructed of nanoscale or molecular
components. The names nanobots, nanoids, nanites, nanomachines, or
nanomites have also been used to describe these devices currently under
research and development.
Nanomachines are largely in the research and development phase, but some
primitive molecular machines and nanomotors have been tested. An
example is a sensor having a switch approximately 1.5 nanometers across,
capable of counting specific molecules in a chemical sample. The first useful
applications of nanomachines might be in medical technology, which could
be used to identify and destroy cancer cells.
Floatation Pod (Tank):
Real. Floatation tanks are also known as sensory deprivation tanks,
isolation tanks or tranquility tanks. From the Wikipedia page on isolation
tanks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolation_tank):
An isolation tank is a lightless, soundproof tank inside which subjects
float in salt water at skin temperature. They were first used by John C.
Lilly in 1954 to test the effects of sensory deprivation. Such tanks are now
83
HARI KUMAR NAIR
also used for meditation and relaxation and in alternative medicine. The
isolation tank was originally called the sensory deprivation tank
Generally, users of isolation tanks enter the pool nude
Most float tanks use Epsom salt, magnesium sulfate, in high
concentration so that the relative density of the solution is about 1.25
Chapter 4:
Om:
Truth. Om is a sacred sound and a central spiritual icon in Eastern
religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The syllable is said to
represent creation and is believed to be the first vibration that resonated
across the universe at the moment of its birth. Most sacred texts and
hymns of Hinduism begin and end with this mystic syllable, which in
essence stands for the ultimate Truth.
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB):
Real. Excerpt from the Wikipedia page on the CMB
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background):
The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the thermal radiation left
over from the time of recombination in Big Bang cosmology. In older
literature, the CMB is also variously known as cosmic microwave
background radiation (CMBR) or relic radiation. The CMB is a cosmic
background radiation that is fundamental to observational cosmology
because it is the oldest light in the universe, dating to the epoch of
recombination...
The CMB is a snapshot of the oldest light in our Universe, imprinted on
the sky when the Universe was just 380,000 years old. It shows tiny
temperature fluctuations that correspond to regions of slightly different
densities, representing the seeds of all future structure: the stars and galaxies
of today.
84
INTERSECTION MAN
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85
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hari Kumar Nair lives in Toronto, Canada. This is his first science fiction
novel.
To find out more about him, check out his website, blog and Youtube
channel, links to which are provided below:
Website: www.harismind.com
Blog: www.urbanyogi.guru
Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/user/harismind
He can be reached at harismind@gmail.com and would love to hear your

thoughts on the book.
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Intersection Man is a

hard science fiction

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What if you exist in two

universes? And what if

HARI KUMAR NAIR

Copyright 2015 Hari Kumar Nair

All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 21 Not included here

Hari Kumar Nair

concealing its three occupants, which included a uniformed chauffeur.

after helping Lev get settled in his home.

sign the form?

have a positive inertial mass, I could remain on Earth without spending

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.h

Intersection Man | Hari

Intersection Man | Hari

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair |

It was indeed a long story.

prisoners. Among the many subprojects of MKUltra, the most classified

M. Bissell, Jr., the CIAs Deputy Director for Plans (DDP).

he suffered as the director of CIA. Not of his unceremonious dismissal. But

Gottliebs response emboldened him to continue.

psychokinetics would do substantial physical damage to his brain. That was

information about the future.

Thomas accepted the envelope, and as he was browsing the photos, he

soon after his graduation.

ction Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com

random day-to-day decisions we make are likely to be different in different

A section of the floor-to-ceiling windows slid open as the hoverbots

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair

Intersection Man | Hari

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | w

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.

ersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.har

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair |

| Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair |

ersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nai

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com

ion Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismind.com

You should be regaining your strength in a couple of minutes. I have

from the Cosmic Microwave Background.

Intersection Man | Hari Kumar Nair | www.harismin

This is a work of fiction.

As I mentioned in my preface, there are events and characters in this

Christian hired Elberton Granite Finishing Company to build the

paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrdinger in 1935. It

The pro-American but unpopular regimes in Iran and Guatemala that

and Indian workers in the construction of Therese is fictitious.

THE E-BOOK VERSION IS ONLY $1. YOU CAN READ

PAPERBACK COPIES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON

PLEASE VISIT THE FACEBOOK PAGE:

He can be reached at harismind@gmail.com and would love to hear your

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