12|21|12 by Larry Enright Read Free Book Online Page A

dabbed his lips with his napkin and plopped it on the plate. “Well. There you have it. I can solve the most complex equations in the universe and come up with theories to explain anything, but I’ll never figure out people, even when there are only four of them left.”
    “So wait, you do have an idea what happened, don’t you?” Cameron said. “You’re just not saying.”
    “I am working on a hypothesis, yes, but I don’t have enough evidence yet.”
    “Can’t you at least share? It’s not like we’d be calling the tabloids with photoshopped high school reunion pictures of you on a pyramid surrounded by aliens or anything.”
    “It’s pure conjecture. I need more data.”
    ”Dr. Loeb, I know I’m only speaking for myself, but I’ll take anything at this point.”
    “Suit yourself. The question is simple: Where are the 6.8 billion people? Answer that and the rest becomes obvious.”
    Cameron turned to Michael. “Of course! Why didn’t we think of that?”
    “Cameron,” Michael said, putting down his teacup. “I know you’re just trying to cope with this. We all are, but I’m not sure your sarcasm is helping.”
    “I’m sorry, I’m just not ready for this… this Armageddon. Maybe if I had more time to prepare, take some notes, brainstorm ideas…”
    “Not everything in life is a speech, son. At some point, you just have to accept things and act.”
    The fireplace was warm and relaxing. Loeb stared into its yellow and orange flames: “You do know that these gas flames are highly inefficient,” he said. “But they are designed that way because that’s what people expect to see when they looked at a fireplace. It looks more ‘real.’ We have the technology to make a more efficient gas flame, one with combustion so complete that it would give off little or no emissions, but then the flame would be cold and blue and uninviting. We can’t have that, can we?”
    Cameron buried his face in his hands. “This is insane. I must be dreaming.”
    “I’v considered that possibility as well,” said Loeb. “But ask yourself this: if this is a dream, why can’t you wake up? Furthermore, dreams are vague and indistinct constructs of our own experience. They may have the appearance of detail, but they are never this elaborate or this real. And even in my wildest dreams, I would never have included anyone remotely like you, Bowen, or Michael, and certainly not the likes of Ferret. No offense intended, of course.”
    “None taken. Where is Ferret anyway?”
    “He likely went outside to prowl. I saw him at the window a few minutes ago.”
    Cameron picked out a few songs on the electronic jukebox that was next to the bar.
    “You’re a little young to be a Beatles fan, aren’t you?” Loeb asked.
    Cameron listened to the song and stared at Loeb. “What if we’re all in the same dream?”
    “And we’re the ones who aren’t real? Preposterous.”
    “But I don’t like the Beatles. I have no idea why I picked that song.”
    “Then who is dreaming?”
    “Maybe the one we think watched the video is actually the one who is dreaming, and we’re all just ideas rolling around in his head. Maybe that’s why we have no control over this, and that’s why I picked the Beatles — because he likes the Beatles. That’s why we can’t wake up. We’re not real.”
    “Cameron, if you truly believe we are no more than a dream in some Beatle lovers head, I don’t think there is anything I can say to convince you otherwise, but I choose to go by the facts. And the fact is that billions of human beings were here at one point in time and simply not here the next. I have no proof, but I think the explanation is clear enough.”
    “It is?”
    “Of course. Isn’t it obvious? The people are not here because someone took them away.”
    “What? No way.”
    “Then tell me, what happened? There are no bodies, no destruction, nothing.”
    “I don’t know, maybe it was one of your alien visitors with a ray gun