Chapter 5: Dr Derwent, Lava, and the Team

The next morning, I woke to an email reply from Dr Guilder. She had read the article and in the email correspondence she suggested I headed into University. She kindly suggested that I should make use of her now empty office. Mayola stated that there were several books she had on her shelves that I may be interested in reading to help with this conundrum of Dr Immanuel Paley and his mysterious insights.

I spent hours looking over book chapters in Dr Guilders office that appeared to have links to astrology and dystopian and utopian worlds. I also made use of the PC in the room and spent most of the afternoon scouring the world wide web. After a while I decided to make my way over to the Universities library for anything that I could find that looked as if it would shine a light on Proxima B and Lalande's star. I looked over journals, books, and websites, not wanting to leave any stone unturned. I came across a bloggers site called 'A year in the life of Lalande's star by Lava Anum'. I thought to myself 'How did I miss this on my original search?' I read through the latest blog entry, but this was not a recent entry. The blog piece was accompanied by a picture of a man and a woman standing in front of a large microscope with the Caption 'Lava Anum and Dr Derwent 1987'. At the very bottom of the webpage there was a HPMail email address for Lava and a PO Box address for letters. I made sure to write both down in my pocket diary and decided to compile an email one I had a little more information. I was hopeful that the email address for Lava was still in use and that my email wouldn't be pinged back instantaneously with an undelivered notification. After skim reading several other pieces written by Dr Derwent in the library that had not yet been scanned in to create an electronic copy, I decided I had read enough, and that time was of the essence. I needed to contact Dr Henry and Lava.

From what Dr Immanuel had told me, he seemed to think we did not have time on our side, so I made an executive decision to word the email in a way I saw fit without putting it past Dr Guilder. I typed out my opening, and hopefully first of many emails, addressed to Lava.

Dear Ms Anum,

I am emailing you in relation to Lalande's star. I have read over your very interesting blog entry re Lalande's star that you published online in 1987. Dr Mayola Guilder and I are very eager to learn more about the star in question. I have also read several Dr Derwent's published works, whom I am aware you have worked with in the past. I was wondering if Lalande's star could have any connection whatsoever to the planet Proxima B? I would be very grateful if it would be possible to correspond with yourself and Dr Derwent. It would be very fascinating and informative to hear about his theorising re cosmology and to hopefully come to a fuller understanding of the importance of Lalande's star and Proxima B.

I am currently living in Newcastle and working alongside Dr Guilder at Newcastle University.

Thank you for reading my email, I eagerly anticipate your reply.

Kind Regards,

A.J.

The email sent without a glitch, which gave me a sense of hope, that the email address was indeed still in use. All I could do now was try to find any other relevant sources and connect what appeared to be very scattered pieces of the puzzle.

I continued to search the web and utilise all the resources at my disposal within the University. The days rolled by, and I was growing sceptical about whether the email I had sent was simply sitting in an inbox overflowing with unread emails. Just as I was starting to lose hope a reply from Lava popped into my unread messages three days later. I felt a rush of elation at receiving the email and seeing her name appear.

Dear A.J.

Thank you for your email. It is great to hear from someone who is intrigued by the nature of Lalande's star. This is a Star that Henry and I are very passionate about, along with many other wonders of astrology.

We are happily surprised that you have enquired about our blog piece on Lalande's star as well as Proxima B. Dr Derwent has asked if it is possible for us to meet in person? He is someone who prefers to meet face to face rather than sending emails.

Please let us know if it is possible to meet with you and Dr Guilder at your earliest convenience. We are excited about the prospect of sharing our findings with interested third parties and appreciate the sharing of any information you may have in return.

Please find attached a document re the contact details for our office.

Kind Regards,

Lava Anum

Royal Observatory, Edinburgh

I was in slight shock that I had even received a reply, let alone the fact that Lava and Dr Derwent were willing to meet. I excitedly replied to Lava's email and confirmed that I would very much like to meet, and that I would email her with further details once I had spoken with Dr Guilder. I asked Lava to send me any dates that were preferable for her and Dr Derwent and what the best location was to meet. I thought it best to not mention that Dr Guilder was unwell initially, I could explain that later.

It was getting late in the working day, it was nearing 5pm on a Friday. Therefore, I did not expect an instant reply from Lava. When 6pm approached I packed my things into my backpack and headed back to my flat.

I had not long returned home when there was a knock on the door. A very loud and heavy-handed knock. I opened the door until it was ajar and kept my hand firmly on the inside door handle in case, I needed to close it again very swiftly. I was faced by two men in Black suits and boots who looked very polished in their appearance. These were highly irregular guests. Not the type of people you would usually see down this street.

"Hi, can I help you?" I said, unsure of why these men were here, or if they had even got the right address.

With a very deep voice and matter of fact tone one of the gentlemen asked, "Are you A.J.?" turning to look at me with his very memorable hazel brown eyes. He had a very prominent nose and jaw, and very thick bushy, but somehow contained eyebrows.

"Erm, yeah, that's me," I replied unsure of who they were or why they were looking for me.

"We need you to come with us," the other man in Black replied. He had jet black hair that was slicked back into a very neat topknot. Both men were about 6 feet tall with a very broad build, which pointed to the notion that there were certain physical requirements for their roles, or as if they were somehow a prototype of some sorts.

"Who are you? Why are you here and how did you get my address?" I asked calmly. But I couldn't help frowning with suspicion and being slightly frustration at these unknown guests unannounced arrival.

"We are part of a government task force," Mr topknot began, "I am Agent Sigmund Russo, and this is Agent Pierre Foucault," he continued, pointing to his brown eyed colleague. I was not sure if they were simply some sort of conmen, or some form of comedic hoax. I looked over their identification but was not sure what I was looking for, as I had never seen an official ID of that sort.

"Can I ask what this is in connection with," I inquired, I needed more context to this, there was no way I was simply walking out of the safety of my apartment with two strangers and minimal details.

Agent Russo looked from me to Agent Foucault and then back to meet my gaze. He waited for Agent Foucault to respond. "We are here in connect to Proxima B," Agent Foucault responded. I looked from Foucault to Russo and the serious looks on their face did not fade. At this point, it seemed most probable that they were who they stated they were. I had not spoken to anyone outside my close circle about Proxima B.

"Where are you wanting to take me? And what will I need to bring with me? Should I be expecting to be gone long?" I asked, getting the innately practical questions out of the way.

"Please bring your passport and driving license," Russo replied.

"Okay, please just wait outside for a moment, whilst I gather my essentials," I responded, gently pulling the door to. But Russo's hand met with the door before I had managed to close it. I looked up at him.

"Can we come in please, this is highly sensitive," Foucault responded to the somewhat startled look on my face. They did not wait for an answer but entered the apartment. I rushed after them once I had managed to swing the door closed. They entered the living room and were looking in all directions and at anything and everything laid about.

"Make yourselves at home," I muttered sarcastically.

"Please can we have your mobile?" Russo asked placing his hand out towards me, with his palm facing upwards.

"What for?" I quickly shot back at him.

"As we said, this is a highly sensitive matter," Foucault responded as he bent over the dining table where a few papers were strewn.

"I am afraid its protocol," Russo added offering an intense stare. I walked into the kitchen and took my phone from the kitchen top and handed it to Russo. "And your laptop please," Russo added as he clutched my phone. I started to walk out of the room to go and retrieve my laptop from my bedroom when, in my peripheral vision I saw Foucault snaffle my pager from under some of the documents on the dining table and slip it into an inner pocket in his jacket.

I grabbed my laptop, and then my passport from the draws opposite my bed, along with my wallet which had my driving license in it. I slipped my wallet and passport into the back pockets of my trousers and walked towards Russo and handed him my laptop.

"Thank you," Russo replied, "Do you have your passport?" I swiftly pulled my wallet and passport out of my back pocket to flash them at the Agents accompanied by a confirming "Yes," before pushing them back into my pockets.

Agent Foucault nodded at me, then looked to Agent Russo. "Ok, let's make our way to the car." I grabbed my keys and coat and made my way out of the apartment, followed by the two men in black. I locked the door behind us and turned to see their very large conspicuous Black Range Rover with blacked out windows. A movie cliché if every I saw one. Agent Russo asked me to get in the back of the car and they both jumped in the front, with Agent Foucault in the driving seat. As we drove away my mind started to wander. Why did I need my passport? Was I going to be leaving the country? Or were they going to confiscate my passport so that I could not leave the country?

We seemed to be driving for what felt like an age, however time appeared skewed by the myriad of emotions rushing over me, like aftershocks from an earthquake. I attempted to ask questions about where we were going and who I was going to meet, but they were met with 'non-answers' and deflections, with the only reassurance being 'you will find out when we get to our destination'. I heard the drone of the radio and frequent pinging of phone messages received by Agent Russo.

When the car finally stopped, we appear to pull into some sort of industrial estate. We parked up in one of the makeshift car parking spaces on gravelly ground with only a sprinkling of other cars around. There were run down office buildings and shipping containers on the site. I could not see any residential houses in sight, with only a few overgrown fields framing the immediate surroundings. I had to keep my cool. This was no time to panic. I had done it many times before, like a duck in water, panic underneath, but an outward show of being calm and collected. Little did I know at the time, but inside the building there was Lava, Dr Derwent, Jennifer, and Kai.

It became apparent that this special task force had been hacking into our personal accounts and were privy to our entire digital existence. Needless to say, none of us were too pleased, or willing to cooperate in the first instance. We were a handful of strangers forced together by a bizarre thread of fate. At that point, we were deeply unaware of the magnitude of the secrets we would be keeping on behalf of the country, and in my case, on behalf of Dr Immanuel Paley. Though, as we know keeping Dr Paley a secret, well that never lasted!

I got out of the car and was escorted into one of the very sad looking office buildings. I was ushered straight into the creaky silver elevator. Agents Russo and Agent Foucault stood either side of me as the elevator ascended to floor 5. They urged me to walk down a corridor and into a beige looking conference room, with one wall made up of slightly dirt smeared windows with remnants of raindrop dashing's on the windows. Sat around an oval table were four strangers who all turned to look at me as we entered the room. Agent Russo and Agent Foucault nodded at each other and then told me to wait there, gesturing towards an empty chair, seemingly ignoring everyone else in the room. The agents left quickly closing the door behind them. I took a better look at the faces staring up at me from four of the ten chairs framing the large oval table which was centre stage. It is at that point that I recognised Lava and Dr Derwent from the photograph of them on the online blog.

I offered a smile to Lava, and she responded by introducing herself very politely "Hello, I am Lava, it's nice to meet you." I was about to reply and explain that I knew who she was when the auburn-haired woman with a face splattered with freckles blurted out, "Hi, I'm Jennifer, we have just got here too, have they given you any more information? We are quite in the dark here. I would really like answers. I am guessing you two know each other?" Jen continued pointing from Lava to Dr Derwent and back.

Dr Derwent nodded and responded slowly and meaningfully, "Yes, we work together. I am Henry."

"What about you two, do you know each other?" Jen added without missing a beat once Dr Derwent had finished his final word pointing from me to Kai and back. We both introduced ourselves to the others and said we didn't know each other.

Kai explained, "My names Kai, I can only guess we are here based on our careers? It might be best to give each other a quick overview of what we have previously done. I have a degree in biology and my master's is in entomology. I was in the British Army for four and then left. Since then, I have been carrying out research in the field, focusing on biology, some projects have looked at human biology and others were focus on entomology outside the UK."

"What is entomology?" I asked unsure of what it meant.

"It is the study of insects and their relationship to their environment and to other living organisms. At the moment my research is focused on polymorphic ants," Kai glanced at me and then without me saying a word he explained a little further, "Polyphenism in ants is my focus at the moment, particularly leaf cutter ants, which have different castes. There are the soldiers, different workers, and the Queen. The Queen is the only one who lays eggs. It is fascinating work, as all of the ants begin from the same form, that is they are from the same larva with the same capabilities of growth- the same genotype- but through diet and treatment by other ants in the colony each ant has certain genes that are switched on and switched off; they all come from the same blueprint but can become different workers. The soldiers are very strong in comparison to other workers. Anyway, I am probably going on a little too much, what's your name?" Kai asked looking over at me.

I introduced myself and then spent some time explaining that I knew Dr Henry Derwent and Lava in a roundabout way. At the mention of the email exchange Lava's eyes lit up as she connected the dots as to why we may be here.

"Ah yes, A.J., we emailed about Lalande's star and Proxima B. It is so great to meet you in person," she said with a smile, "and a lot sooner than we expected," she added as she looked at Dr Derwent with a nod.

"What is Lalande's star?" Kai asked before Dr Derwent could add to what Lava was saying. "Are you all astronomers?" Kai added.

Dr Derwent jumped in with a reply, appearing quite enthused at the prospect of answering questions about his chosen field of study, an area of academia that he had dedicated his whole adult life too so far. With a joyous look on his face, he said, "Yes, Lava and I are both astronomers."

Kai nodded, "I see. What type of astronomy?" He continued, following his initial questions with several possible options, "Planetary, galactic astronomy or physical cosmology perhaps?"

Dr Derwent replied, "Well, I have dipped into many branches of astronomy myself over the last thirty-five years or so, but Lava and I have focused heavily on galactic and extragalactic astronomy for the last seven years. We have spent most of that time carrying out research whilst assisting in running the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh. In recent years we have discovered several exoplanets, but we have not had them confirmed as of yet. We use a system whereby we look for a difference in light emitted from a star, when a planet passes in front of a star, and we see a dip in the light as a planet passes by, we try to calculate the mass and density of an exoplanet. This can help us try to see if the exoplanet is like the earth and how far away it is from its star."

Lava added, "Henry often goes all over the world to give lectures and talks at conferences."

I was given the impression that Dr Henry Derwent was perhaps well known in his field and Lava appeared to know the extent of his accomplishments and his academic reach in the scholarly community. The others were listening intently, particularly Jen.

When Lava finished speaking, after a short silence Jen decided to share her professional background "I have been carrying out research in the field of Physical Cosmology for the last ten years."

I had never heard of physical cosmology and decided to interject "What is physical cosmology?" I asked. I needed to ask; even thought I was acutely aware that there was a high probability that I was the only person in the room who did not know what that entailed. But in the words, I so often heard my mama say, 'He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever'.

Jen humoured me, "I study the universe, including its structure and scale. I have colleagues who look at the origins of the cosmos and its structure more so than I do, as my focus has gravitated towards studying the evolution and future of the cosmos. I specialise in looking at quantum mechanics, and the study of dark matter and dark energy."

At this point Kai spoke up, "That sounds fascinating."

The four of them, Kai, Jen, Lava, and Dr Derwent then turned to look at me. Looking expectantly. Seemingly waiting for an explanation of my field, my accomplishments and what my skills set was. I instantly felt the need to shrink into an insignificant ball and merge into my surroundings, as my knowledge of the natural sciences was most definitely lacking. I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks and my palms became clammy with the sweat of the inevitable disappointment that would follow my next sentence. I hesitated and looked from one eagerly awaiting face to the other. Which did not help matters. I just had to bite the bullet and be truthful. As my Oupa used to say before he passed, always be proud of who you are and your heritage, stand tall.

I simply stated, "I am a social science researcher, I have been working on a research project with Dr Mayola Guilder on utopias and dystopias in Newcastle." I tried to keep it as brief as possible. 

Jen got the first word in, it seemed to be an emerging theme that she was a talker. The Little Miss Chatter Box of the Mr Men. "So, you do not work within the natural sciences?" Jen asked evidentially puzzled about the notion of me being in the room with natural scientists. I was the outlier, in more than one way. Something I was used to.

If it were not for the very fresh and tenuous link that I had to Lava and Dr Henry Derwent I would not have any idea as to why I was there either. However, even with this thin thread of theoretical string linking Henry and Lava to me I was struggling to see the connection between all five of us. How could Kai and Jen be linked to this? They were not even aware of Lalande's star before today.

The person who had led me to that room, though not intentionally, not via a calculated move of his own, was Dr Immanuel Paley. Was that something I would come to regret?

In that room, on that fateful day, is when I met my friends. That is how I met 'the Team'. On the fifth floor of an ordinary looking building, in an ordinary looking semi-derelict industrial estate in England. And, less than a month later, after the unexpected events in the Taklamakan desert, China, I found myself confronted by an unhappy customer, Agent Riley. That takes us full circle, to where we left off, with me being asked about the man himself, Dr Immanuel Paley, by the infuriated Agent Riley.

Taking us back to China, and back to an angry Agent Riley approaching me.

She did not stop walking towards me until we were face to face, mere inches from each other, she demanded that I, "Start talking."

Was it time to share information about Paley? Did I have no other choice? I would have to think carefully about my words and be tactful in my approach.