65 million years ago, above Mars.
Nikola Tesla seemed to hear a "rat-a-tat-tat," but his head was splitting with pain, as heavy as if it were filled with lead. What was that sound? An alarm clock? No. A timer? No, that wasn't it either.
It was the "noise" in his auditory nerves, caused by a mismatch between the Lightning Ball and Nikola Tesla's brain-computer fusion.
A humanoid robot disconnected the Lightning Ball from Tesla's brain.
Tesla's eyes were tightly shut, and his face twitched. Then his expression returned to the one he had worn throughout his years of deep sleep.
Gradually, his chest began to rise and fall. His breathing grew slightly quicker, and his fingers trembled faintly. Nikola Tesla woke up.
Tesla opened his eyes. The instant he saw the light, he felt deeply uncomfortable.
The light was actually soft and gentle, not at all harsh. Tesla simply hadn't seen a lamp in far, far too many years.
Nikola Tesla blinked several times before noticing the humanoid robot beside him. He tried to prop himself up with his hands, only to discover that several safety straps had him tied to the bed.
The robot spoke in a sweet female voice. "Would you like to sit up?"
"Who are you? Quickly, help me undo these straps." Tesla spoke with confusion. His restrained body seemed to be floating. "Where am I?"
As if by magic, the robot took a specially made pillow from a cabinet behind Tesla's head. At the same time, the section of the bed beneath his upper body slowly rose. The robot carefully supported Tesla's head and secured the pillow, which had a buckle, to the head of the bed.
"My task is to monitor your health and ensure you're safe and comfortable," the robot said gently. "If you have any other questions, just speak to this."
As Tesla looked on in confusion, a holographic screen suddenly appeared out of nowhere, one meter in front of him. A person sat smiling in the screen. When Tesla looked closely, he was startled to realize it was himself. Was it a mirror?
Apparently not. Tesla felt another wave of dizziness, gave up trying to make sense of it, and waited for the other person to speak.
"Hello, Tesla! I'm the Lightning Ball. I'm speaking to you in your likeness to help you feel more at ease. I hope it hasn't made you uncomfortable."
The "Tesla" in the "mirror"—the Lightning Ball—explained what had happened.
Nikola Tesla was a Venusian.
Venusians had a civilization that was more than 5,000 years old. They had passed through the Agricultural Age, the Industrial Age, and the Electrical Age, and were now entering the intelligent Information Age.
Venusian genetic and biological sciences were highly advanced, and the average person could live to be 500 years old.
Earth and Mars were both colonies of the Venusians.
Earth had little land, with oceans covering 80 percent of its surface. Its atmosphere was turbulent, and ocean evaporation brought endless rain. Ferns flourished on land as all kinds of enormous dinosaurs fought and killed one another.
Earth was clearly no paradise for the Venusians. It served only as a place of exile for serious criminals.
Mars was far better than Earth. It had an atmosphere with a suitable concentration of oxygen, as well as a proper proportion of oceans and rivers. Its drawbacks were low surface temperatures and weak gravity.
The Venusians used Mars as a base for astrophysics experiments and life-science research in low-gravity conditions.
Nikola Tesla had been born more than a century ago. He had invented AC power, ushering in Venus's Electrical Age.
He had proposed the Superluminal Wave Theory and submitted a paper on it to the Venus Alliance Academy of Sciences, titled "The Dynamic Principle of Gravity." At the time, the scientific community had not accepted Tesla's theory.
Eighty-six years ago, when Nikola Tesla was 43, he devoted himself entirely to the Brain-Computer Fusion Project.
He continually refined the connection between his brain and a supercomputer, hoping to use a powerful electric field to generate a strong magnetic field and build a superconnector that required no physical contact. He called this connector the "Lightning Ball."
Tesla's experiment failed, leaving him in a vegetative state. He slept for a full 86 years.
As Tesla listened to the Lightning Ball's account, he realized he couldn't remember a thing. But at least he understood why he felt as though he were floating, and asked, "We're aboard a spaceship in zero gravity, right?"
"Yes. Our ship took off from Mars not long ago. We're now above the Martian atmosphere, and our destination is Venus," the person in the "mirror" replied.
The cabin door opened. Two people came in, holding the handrails that ran along the cabin walls and moving with heavy steps. Their special boots evidently had magnetic soles that kept them attached to the floor and upright.
"Dear Nikola, I'm Abbott, director of the Venus Alliance Academy of Sciences. Do you remember me?" Abbott received no response from Tesla and looked somewhat embarrassed. He pointed to the sturdy man beside him, who appeared to be around 40, and introduced him. "This is Colonel Feynman, liaison officer for the Alliance Strategic Bureau. We were both ordered to do everything we could to wake you and bring you back to Venus."
Tesla felt as though he had fallen into a fog, unable to make sense of anything. He had too many questions. After sorting through his thoughts, he said, "I can't remember anything. Before I ask why I'm here, you're both important people. Why did you come all this way to get me?"
Colonel Feynman spoke up. "Mr. Tesla, I was ordered to help Dean Abbott wake you and bring you back to Venus because the Venusians are facing a huge problem, and you're the person we all agree is best suited to solve it."
"Venus isn't merely facing a problem. We're confronting a crisis that threatens our very survival. Nikola, your Superluminal Wave Theory has been verified and put into practice," Abbott said. He gestured for Tesla to hold his questions and continued, "The crisis was caused by the use of superluminal waves, so of course you're the person best suited to resolve it."
Tesla blinked hard and shook his head. "I seem to be thinking clearly now, but I can't remember anything about this so-called Superluminal Wave Theory—not even you, though you claim to know me."
Abbott and Colonel Feynman exchanged a glance, then turned back to Tesla. "Eighty-six years ago, your Brain-Computer Fusion Project had already succeeded in connecting a supercomputer to your brain. The supercomputer should be able to help you retrieve the memories stored there." Dean Abbott took Tesla's hands in his and said, "The Lightning Ball connection failed just now, but at least it woke you up. Shall we try again?"
"Try as many times as you like. I don't want to be a fool with amnesia, lying here wide awake. At worst, if the connection fails, I'll go back to sleep."
The humanoid robot returned Tesla's bed to its original position. Abbott and Colonel Feynman left the cabin, and the connection began again.
"Rat-a-tat-tat..." Tesla felt wave after wave of pain, like a professional boxer raining left hooks and straight rights down on his head.
His mind felt hollow, utterly blank. His body seemed to float in the air, then it was as if he had been shoved off a cliff and plunged downward. With a thud, he fell beneath the surface of the water into a bottomless abyss.
Nikola Tesla used the last of his strength. As if he had just crawled out of the abyss, he let out a faint, unintelligible groan.
The cabin fell quiet. The Venusian Nikola Tesla had truly awakened.
As Abbott rushed in, Tesla said urgently, "I remember everything, Abbott, my friend! Tell me quickly, is Maria all right? Where is she now?"
"Wonderful, Nikola! Welcome back!" Abbott rubbed his hands, looking both delighted and embarrassed. "Maria is on Earth. Things on Venus are too urgent—we'll return to Venus first, then go to Earth to see her."
Tesla had a bad feeling. Had something happened to his beloved Maria? Why was she on Earth? Wasn't it a place of exile?
Tesla stared at Abbott, sparing a glance for Colonel Feynman as well, and said firmly, "If you want me to solve whatever crisis Venus is facing, change course immediately and take me to Earth."
Tesla called out in his heart:
"My dear Maria, I'm coming back!"
Poem lines and their authors:
The workings of Heaven have never ceased since time began. — Li Tianfu, Qing dynasty
How many times have I hidden myself within a painted screen? — Lady Xu, Shu
Suddenly, I saw a pair reflected together. — Zha Shenxing, Qing dynasty
Unfurled, it was like facing my image in the mirror. — Shi Dehong, Song dynasty
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