65 million years ago, above Mars.
Nikola Tesla seemed to hear a “da-da-da” sound, but his head was splitting, as though it had been filled with lead. What was that sound? An alarm clock? No. A timer? Not that either.
It was auditory nerve “noise” produced by a mismatch in the brain-machine fusion between Lightning Ball and Nikola Tesla.
A humanoid robot severed the connection between Lightning Ball and Tesla’s brain.
Tesla, whose eyes were tightly shut and whose face had been twitching, returned to the expression he had maintained in deep sleep for many years.
Gradually, his chest rose and fell, his breathing slightly hurried; as his fingers trembled faintly, Nikola Tesla awoke.
Tesla opened his eyes. The instant he saw the light, he felt deeply uncomfortable.
In truth, the light source was very gentle and not dazzling at all. It was simply that Tesla had not seen lamplight in far, far too many years.
Nikola Tesla blinked several times before noticing the humanoid robot beside him. Tesla wanted to prop himself up with his hands, but he discovered that he had been strapped to the bed with multiple safety belts.
The robot spoke in a sweet female voice and asked:
“Would you like to sit up?”
“Who are you? Hurry and help me undo these straps.” As Tesla spoke, he felt puzzled; his bound body actually carried a sensation of suspension. “Where am I?”
As if performing magic, the robot took a specially made pillow from a cabinet behind Tesla’s head. At the same time, the section of the bed corresponding to Tesla’s upper body slowly rose. The robot carefully supported Tesla’s head and fastened the pillow, which had buckles, to the headboard.
“My task is to monitor your health and ensure your safety and comfort,” the robot said to Tesla, still in that gentle voice. “If you have any other questions, please speak to this.”
While Tesla was still puzzled, a holographic screen suddenly appeared out of thin air one meter in front of him. On the screen, a person sat upright and smiled. Tesla focused his gaze and was startled—the person on the screen was actually himself. Could it be a mirror?
Clearly not. Tesla felt another wave of dizziness. He gave up thinking and quietly waited for the other party to speak.
“Hello, Tesla. I am Lightning Ball. I am conversing with you in your image in order to create a sense of familiarity. I hope it has not caused you discomfort.”
The “Tesla” in the “mirror”—that is, Lightning Ball—explained the whole story.
Nikola Tesla was a Venusian.
The Venusian human race had more than five thousand years of civilization behind it. Having passed through the agricultural age, the industrial age, and the electrical age, it was now entering the intelligent information age.
Venusian human genetic and biological science was highly advanced, and the average lifespan could reach five hundred years.
Earth and Mars were both colonial planets of the Venusians.
Earth’s land area was relatively small, with oceans occupying eighty percent of the surface. Atmospheric convection was intense, and under the oceans’ evaporation, rain fell endlessly day and night. On land, ferns flourished, and all manner of enormous dinosaurs slaughtered and fought one another.
Earth was clearly no paradise for the Venusians; it was used only as a place of exile for serious criminals.
Mars was much better than Earth. It had an atmosphere with a suitable oxygen concentration, as well as oceans and rivers in appropriate proportions. Its shortcomings were that the surface temperature was relatively low, and its gravity was also weaker.
The Venusians used Mars as a base for astrophysics experiments and life-science research in low-gravity environments.
Nikola Tesla had been born more than one hundred years ago. He invented alternating current and ushered in Venus’s electrical age.
He proposed the theory of superluminal waves and submitted a related paper, The Dynamic Principles of Gravity, to the Venus Academy of Sciences. At the time, Tesla’s superluminal wave theory was not recognized by the scientific community.
Eighty-six years ago, when Nikola Tesla was forty-three, he devoted all his passion to the study of brain-machine fusion.
He continually improved the method of connecting his brain to a supercomputer, hoping to use the strong magnetic field converted from a high-power electric field to create a non-contact super connector. He called this connector “Lightning Ball.”
Tesla’s experiment failed, and from then on he became a vegetable, sleeping for a full eighty-six years.
As Tesla listened to Lightning Ball’s account, he found that he could remember nothing. But at the very least, he understood why he felt as though he were suspended, and asked:
“We are on a spacecraft, in a state of weightlessness, correct?”
“Yes. Our spacecraft took off from Mars not long ago. At this moment, we are above the Martian atmosphere. Our destination is Venus,” the person in the “mirror” answered.
The cabin door opened. Two people, holding the handrails that ran along the cabin wall, walked in with heavy steps. Clearly, their specially made boots possessed magnetic adhesion, allowing them to be drawn to the floor and remain upright.
“Dear Nikola, I am Abbott, president of the Venus Alliance Academy of Sciences. Do you still remember me?” Abbott received no response from Tesla and looked slightly embarrassed. He pointed to the robust man beside him, who appeared to be around forty years old, and introduced him:
“This is Colonel Ferman, liaison officer of the Alliance Strategic Bureau. The two of us have been ordered to do everything we can to awaken you and bring you back to Venus.”
Tesla felt as though he had fallen into a fog, completely unable to make sense of the situation. He had far too many questions he wanted to ask. After sorting through his thoughts, he said:
“I can’t remember anything. Let’s set aside why I’m here for now. You two are both important figures—why did you make a special trip to come for me?”
Colonel Ferman spoke. “Esteemed Mr. Tesla, President Abbott and I were ordered to awaken you and bring you back to Venus because Venusian humanity has encountered a serious problem, and you are the one we universally acknowledge as the most suitable person to solve it.”
“What Venus has encountered is not merely a problem, but a crisis of life and death, Nikola. Your superluminal wave theory has already been verified and applied by us.” Abbott stopped Tesla’s question with a gesture and continued:
“The crisis was caused precisely by the application of superluminal waves. Therefore, you are naturally the most suitable person to resolve this crisis.”
Tesla blinked hard and shook his head. “Clearly my mind is functioning normally now, but as for this so-called superluminal wave theory—even you, who claim to know me, I can’t remember.”
Abbott and Colonel Ferman exchanged a glance, then turned back to Tesla and said:
“Eighty-six years ago, the brain-machine fusion project you developed was already capable of successfully connecting the supercomputer to your brain. The supercomputer should be able to help you recover the memories stored in your brain.” President Abbott extended both hands, held Tesla’s hands, and said:
“Lightning Ball’s connection failed just now, but fortunately it awakened you. Let’s try once more. What do you think?”
“We can try as many times as needed. I don’t want to be an amnesiac fool with my eyes open. At worst, the connection fails and I fall asleep again.”
The humanoid robot returned Tesla’s sickbed to its original state. Abbott and Colonel Ferman withdrew from the cabin, and the connection began again.
“Da-da-da…” Tesla felt waves of intense pain, like a series of left hooks and straight rights thrown by a professional boxer, fists raining down on his head.
His head felt as though it had been hollowed out, utterly blank. His body seemed to be floating in midair, and yet also as though it had been pushed off a cliff, falling downward until, with a “dong,” it plunged into a bottomless abyss beneath the water’s surface.
Nikola Tesla exhausted the last trace of strength in his body and, as though he had just crawled out of the abyss, let out an indistinct groan from his throat.
The cabin returned to stillness. The Venusian Nikola Tesla had truly awakened.
Facing Abbott, who rushed in, Tesla said urgently:
“I remember everything, Abbott, my friend. Tell me quickly—is Maria well? Where is she now?”
“Wonderful, Nikola, welcome back!” Abbott was both pleasantly surprised and embarrassed. Rubbing his hands together, he said, “Maria is on Earth. The matter on Venus is too urgent. We’ll return to Venus first, then go to Earth to see Maria.”
Tesla had an ominous premonition. Had something happened to Maria, his beloved girlfriend? How could she be on Earth? Wasn’t that said to be a place of exile?
Tesla stared at Abbott, not forgetting to cast a glance at Colonel Ferman as well, and said in a tone that brooked no doubt:
“If you want me to resolve whatever crisis Venus is facing, then change course immediately and send me to Earth.”
Tesla cried out in his heart:
“My dear Maria, I’m back!”
&
Chapter-closing cento poem:
Has Heaven’s mechanism ever ceased through all the ages? Qing, Li Tianfu
How many times have I hidden myself within a painted screen? Shu, Lady Xu
Suddenly I see a pair of figures reflected together, Qing, Cha Shenxing
Unfolded, it is as though facing a form within a mirror. Song, Shi Dehong