Chasing The Dawn (Luke Temple - Book 2) (Luke Temple Series) (6 page)

As they neared the laboratory Luke turned off the A24 and headed round to his covert observation post. Cautiously, he checked around on the hillside, the last thing he needed was a local rambler noticing a strange man sat with binoculars in his car.

Adjusting the telescopic sights on the binoculars Luke focused in on the Gran Sasso facility. After much scanning he spotted Brun’s white rust bucket in the vast car park; now he had to settle in for a long observation stint. An external consultant used by Group 9 claimed that static observation was the toughest part of any intelligence work; it was the least engaging but the most vital part of an operation; you switch off for a moment and you lose a vital piece of the jigsaw. Luke knew what he meant, staying alert and switched on after eight hours sat in a silent car involved an amazing amount of mental toughness.

There was a lot of activity within the compound but it all seemed everyday and normal. However, there
were
secrets floating around. Professor Vittorio had disappeared and someone knew something. Putting down the binoculars, Luke stared out at the compound. Not many things daunted him but looking at the strange and mysterious laboratory, knowing the work that was being undertaken below the ground, he felt slightly intimidated at the thought of unravelling its secrets. He knew he had to break it all down into smaller objectives.

Picking up the binoculars again, he noted a large sleek black coach parked on the far side of the car park, it had white German lettering along the top trim that said
Travel that pushes the boundaries,
and French lettering along the bottom trim that said
Travel that broadens the mind.
The company was called Gerhard’s. From the travel guides he had picked up Luke knew that the National Laboratory allowed educational tours of the facility, a great money-making scheme, cash was king for research institutes.

Just as Luke was about to reach for a snack his binoculars focused in on a taxi pulling into the visitors’ section. The rear driver’s-side door swung open and an immaculately dressed Asian woman stepped out. She wore a black trouser-suit made of loose-fitting material that blew slightly in the wind. Her cheekbones could cut glass, and her long black ponytail fell all the way down to her waist, Luke noted how out of place she looked. He couldn’t deny she was beautiful, not in a conventional sense but she juxtaposed strength and fragility.

Images flashed across Luke’s mind causing a sharp pain. The distant shape of a woman was taking hold, her blonde hair falling over part of her face ... he closed his eyes and battled with his mind until the image faded.

The Asian woman walked across the car park and disappeared inside.

The lift slid open and the woman escorting Chung Su rushed out, urging her on as she hurried down the solid concrete corridor. The woman had introduced herself as Carmel Leighton. Chung Su guessed she was a student living out her fantasy, a fantasy Chung Su herself had harboured. Carmel couldn’t have been very old, probably no more than twenty and judging by the accent was of English origin. Carmel’s trainers squeaked as she almost ran down the corridor, this was a girl used to running all over the institute after professors, delivering messages and trying to absorb as much as she could.

Chung Su felt at home; she hadn’t expected the feeling to occur so quickly, the strong feeling of familiarity. She followed Carmel in silence, certain that her heartbeat was shaking the walls. Carmel suddenly took a sharp right-hand turn and Chung Su quickened her pace, partly to keep up with Carmel, partly letting her excitement take over. As she rounded the corner they approached a large cut-away in the wall. It was an entrance and above it was emblazoned in yellow writing: Hall C.

This is it
. She stood and let her eyes absorb every detail
. This is OPERA.

To most, the room would look like nothing more than a confusing array of machinery, indistinguishable from any manufacturing plant or factory. Metallic platforms stood at various levels throughout the cavernous space, and industrial piping and girders zigzagged across the hall. People were buzzing around gleaming machines that whirred and clicked, lights flashing on their screens. She scanned every face as much as she could without looking odd.

Where are they?

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

Chung Su jumped, stood next to her was a grey-haired man wearing a yellow hard hat. Behind his glasses the man’s eyes looked sore and tired, but it was a face she would have recognised anywhere, Professor Brun.

“I still get lost in it all myself.”

“It’s amazing,” she stammered. Brun extended his hand.

“I am Professor Brun. You must be Miss Chung Su?” She nodded, dazed. He handed her an identical yellow hard hat. “You had better pop this on.”

Chung Su stood motionless. She understood English and Brun was kind enough to speak it slowly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Chung, you have joined us at a bit of a crazy time I am afraid but please do feel free to join me for the day, I have a lot of work to do.” He paused before saying the next sentence. “Truth be told, Miss Chung, I’m sure you are far more interested in seeing us working away.”

The professor’s words sent a chill through Chung Su.

Brun gave a beaming smile. “I understand this is your first time in Italy? Well you won’t see much of it down here, but what I can show you is far more interesting than life on the surface. Too many of us live on the surface, don’t you feel, Miss Chung?”

Chung Su regained composure, and took a deep breath through her nose. “Yes.”

“Well then, if you would care to accompany me, we shall crack on.”

Brun scampered across the room, stopping abruptly halfway across the floor. He said nothing, nor did he make any gesture. He gauged quite rightly that the contraption in front of him needed no introduction, Chung Su followed his gaze and she felt the pang of familiarity and wonder.

The Detector.
She had seen so many pictures, examined so much data but to be stood next to the two supermodules gave her heart a flutter of pure excitement. This is where Professors Vittorio and Brun had made one of the most amazing scientific discoveries of the last century. She had been as amazed as the rest of the world when the discovery had been leaked to media outlets only a matter of weeks ago. If only they knew that in fact the breakthrough had been six years ago.
Careful Chung Su
. The squat military man flashed through her mind, reminding her to play her part. “It is amazing … beautiful.”

Brun nodded and said something in a whisper which the buzz of people and machinery drowned out. Her eyes scanned over each brick; she knew the statistics inside out, the 200,000 bricks that made up the machine all working in harmony to capture their prey. The beast was instantly recognisable, the little details varied
. Let it not be said,
she thought,
that scientists don’t have their individual creative flairs.
Brun turned his head to sneak a look at Chung Su. She was aware of his eyes and intensified her look of awe. Her eyes roamed over the machinery running from the detector to all corners of the space.

A red light flashed on followed by a siren. Brun smiled and rested his hand on her arm, shouting over the noise. “Don’t worry, it is just a test ... we are having a very exciting week.”

Brun gently guided Chung Su by the arm as an army of technicians descended onto the floor. She glimpsed the reflection of the emulsion films interleaved with the lead sheets as they walked past. Brun led them both through a door in a corner of the hall marked with a lightning bolt and a red circle with a cross running through it. He opened the door and as it shut behind them the noise instantly ceased.

“Apologies about that. As I say, this week is an exciting one.” He looked deep into her eyes, an intense stare that was unyielding. Suddenly he took a glance down to her shoes, seemingly weighing up a thought.

They were stood in a small room; it was lit with a single bulb. The sound of Brun’s voice was dampened by the reams of thick electrical cable stuffed along every wall; it gave the pair of them barely any room to manoeuvre. Brun appeared to have made his decision, “I hope you enjoyed climbing trees as a child.”

With that he pulled on an unassuming-looking handle, allowing a hidden door to open into an even smaller space; it was dark. “Follow me.” Brun walked into the small space and Chung Su saw him grasp hold of a ladder and begin to ascend. She followed him and felt an unexpected breeze of recycled air. As she finally hauled herself over the top, Brun took Chung Su’s hand and helped her to her feet. He was smiling and his grey hair was now a little dishevelled. “Apologies Miss Chung, I thought it might be nice to show you some areas other visitors don’t get to see.”

Chung Su looked around.
What is this place?
A giant pane of glass ran along the length of an entire wall to her right, through it she could see out into Hall C; dotted around the rest of the space were computer stations and electrical desks. It reminded her of an air traffic control tower. There were a lot of technicians glued to their screens, and faced with an array of new workers her heart beat faster and a little dab of sweat ran across her brow. She hoped the professor thought it was because of the climb; again she let her eyes scan over their faces …
they are not here.
Brun ignored them all and walked Chung Su over to the glass. The view was impressive; they had ascended about three storeys, and still were not at ceiling height.

“We are 1,400 metres below the surface here, Miss Chung … give or take a few feet, and I know I don’t need to tell you what we are looking at – this is the heartbeat of OPERA, you are looking at our two babies down there.” He gestured at the detector supermodules. “The famous twins.” Brun sighed as he spoke. “I do wish they had not been made famous so soon of course, but such is life.”

She pressed her hand on the glass,
the neutrino …
she could not quite believe where she was stood. She forgot her mission, the dark cloud that hung over her, and let herself be lost in a lifelong dream. She was stood at the heart of her entire world. Her heart fluttered as she thought of Professor Vittorio …
I so wish he was here.
The sobering thought of her trip came flooding back.

“I am sorry about Professor Vittorio …” Chung Su felt clumsy saying it.

Brun continued staring out over Hall C. “Thank you.”

She felt his desire to move on, so she let her excitement take over. “The calibration … how is the … the …” Chung Su had a thousand questions she wanted to ask, questions formed over many years, but she couldn’t find the words.

Brun didn’t hurry her. “It is ok Miss Chung, there will be time for questions. I understand your work has taken you down similar paths.”

Chung Su stiffened
. What does he mean?

“Please don’t be alarmed,” Brun smiled. “I am a fan of your work.” He noticed her still-frozen face. “I am afraid the physics community is a small one, your work on muon neutrinos in relation to the curvature of space is a most interesting theory.”

Chung Su relaxed, Brun had meant an old paper she had worked on some years ago based around a theory of neutrino oscillation. Neutrinos did not just come in one single type, there were three variations: electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos and tau neutrinos. She had been working towards proving the number of oscillations per light year for a neutrino.
Professor Brun likes my work?
She couldn’t fight the smile that crept across her face. “Thank you, Professor. It is an old paper now, but one I continue to work on. I would hope that one day the work you are doing here will help me prove my theory.”

“The strength of an idea can only be judged by the reverberations it causes across the universe. Do you know who said that, Miss Chung?”

She shook her head.

“Professor Vittorio.”

“I am sorry about Professor Vittorio,” she said again with sincerity. “I thought him a truly great man.”

Brun nodded. His eyes were filled with pain.

“They seem very busy,” Chung Su observed, gesturing towards the technicians, hoping to change the subject.

“They are … we are due another beam in five days.”

Chung Su shot a look out at the hall, had she heard right?

“Another beam?”

Brun sighed. “Yes, CERN are sending us another beam at 7 p.m. on Saturday. It is the first one in a couple of years, we are due to run a range of tests.’ He turned to face the room. “It is quite extraordinary, when we get so close to our test this literally becomes our home. These men and women give up their lives above ground and actually move in below the earth. They eat, sleep, breathe the experiment, there is so much to get ready, everything must be calibrated and working, we only get the one chance …” Brun caught a lump in his throat. Glancing at Miss Chung he regained himself and gave a wink.

The beam he was referring to was a concentrated beam of neutrinos, dispatched from CERN in Switzerland. They were sent hurtling toward the Gran Sasso Laboratory by a giant machine called the Super Proton Synchrotron, which was seven kilometres in circumference, and which produced and fired out beams of protons. These protons, after certain interventions, finally spread neutrinos outward toward the facility through the rock. Chung Su felt tingles run down her spine. To be so close to such an event was mesmerising. She looked down at the floor of Hall C, then around at the technicians in the room. It was odd – she didn’t think there were many people working considering a projection was occurring in four days, but she was too excited to really care.

“Professor … may I? I understand it is very controlled, but could I …?”

“Could you be present for the detection?” he finished her sentence.

All Chung Su could do was nod; she felt like a schoolgirl asking a teacher.

Brun did not answer immediately, he rubbed the tips of his fingers together, then looked around the room. After a long pause he said, “Oh I think you will be welcome, Miss Chung …”

Chung Su would have been overjoyed at the news she could be present, if it hadn’t been for the anguish in Brun’s eyes. She held his gaze, until he broke it and adopted a jovial tone. “Now, we must move on. We have so much to show you and such little time. Follow me.”