Alex Benedict 07 - Coming Home Read Free

there was no Grand Unified Theory.” He shrugged. “Eventually, science became simply a matter of improving existing technologies.”
    The food arrived. Grilled cheese for Gabe, pork roll sandwich for Alex. “So you’re saying there’s nothing left to discover?”
    “I don’t know.” Gabe picked up his sandwich. “They’re talking about another breakthrough with life extension, but it may not be possible. And they’re still trying to find a way to cross to one of the parallel universes. Or for that matter, even to demonstrate they exist. But I think that’s about all that’s left.”
    There were a couple of girls seated off to one side. One of them, a blonde, made eye contact with Alex. He tried a smile, but she looked away. “What?” asked Gabe, who noticed he’d been distracted.
    “I was just thinking that when the opportunity shows up, you have to make your move.”
    Gabe started on his meal. “Absolutely,” he said.
    Alex smiled. His uncle thought his comment had something to do with MoonWorld. Well, maybe it did.

ONE
     
The Dark Age arrived like a thunderclap. The people of the world thought they were secure, that life would go on as it always had, and that they need not worry about details. So they did not pay sufficient attention to government and culture. They took their collective eye off what mattered. Science provided starships, but in the end the only thing the passengers cared about was a means of escape. Monetary systems collapsed, people quarreled endlessly over issues that could never be settled to everyone’s satisfaction, political systems became hopelessly corrupted, and in the end, small armies of political, religious, and social fanatics delayed recovery across six centuries.
     
—Harold Watkins,
Road to Ruin
, 3711 C.E.
     
    1435, RIMWAY CALENDAR. SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER.
     
    It was a day that started slowly, like most days, then blew up. Twice. The first eruption came while I was tallying the monthly income for Rainbow Enterprises. A light snow was falling when our AI, Jacob, informed me we had a call. “It’s from Dr. Earl.”
    Marissa Earl was an acquaintance of Alex’s, a psychiatrist who belonged to his book club. I went back into my office and sat down. “Put her through, Jacob.”
    Marissa was fond of saying that psychiatry was the only scientific field that was still substantially unpredictable. I’d seen her only a couple of times, once at a fund-raising dinner, and again at a theater presentation. She was active in community arts and ran a few of the local events. When she blinked into my office, she was wearing a large smile while looking simultaneously troubled. But there was no missing the excitement.
“It’s good to see you again, Chase,”
she said.
“Is Alex in the building?”
    “He’s out of town, Marissa.”
    “Okay. When do you expect him back?”
    “In two days. Can I help you?”
    She frowned.
“Probably not. Could you get in touch with him for me?”
    Sure, I thought. If I don’t mind having to make explanations later. Alex doesn’t like to have his time away from the office interrupted by anything short of an emergency. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on, and we can take it from there?”
    Marissa was relaxed on a couch. A box rested on the seat beside her. She glanced down at it, leaned back, and took a deep breath.
“Does the name Garnett Baylee mean anything to you?”
    “It rings a bell, but I don’t recall—”
    “He was my grandfather. An archeologist.”
Her eyes softened.
“I never really saw much of him. He spent most of his time on Earth. Doing research. And, I guess, digging. He was especially interested in the Golden Age.”
    “That’s a period Alex has always been intrigued by, too, Marissa.” It must have been a wild time. Nuclear weapons that could have ended the species overnight. The development of data processing and mass communications. People getting off-world for the first time. And, of course, it was