John Case - Ghost Dancer aka Dance of Death

“The explorer?”

“Tesla knew everyone! Edison, Morgan, Peary, Twain. So, it’s 1908. Already Peary has tried for the pole twice. He’s getting ready for a third attempt, but Tesla can’t wait. Maestro needs someone in the Arctic now, to witness publicity stunt. So Peary puts Tesla in touch with another explorer, Windjammer Steffannson.”

“Never heard of him.”

“Very, very famous at time. Exclusive deal with New York Tribune to follow his travels. Colorful character! He lives four and a half years as an Eskimo! Amazing story. And for maestro, happy coincidence! Windjammer leaving New York soon to start his adventure. So Peary introduces Tesla to Windjammer. And Windjammer agrees – he will be witness to maestro’s publicity stunt. On June 30, Windjammer will visit Peary’s old camp on Ellesmere Island. And he will watch sky for fantastic demonstration of Tesla’s new invention.”

“And what’s that?”

Ceplak leaned toward him. “Fireworks.”

“What do you mean?”

Before Ceplak could answer, they arrived at the steps to the hotel’s terrace. Standing at the top, the maître d’ greeted them as if they were prodigal kin, then guided them to a table overlooking the lake.

Leather-bound menus were brought, along with a silver bucket of shaved ice from which a bottle of Moët et Chandon leaned at an angle. A red-jacketed waiter filled two crystal flutes, then backed away. Ceplak raised his glass. “To maestro!” They clinked.

Burke did his best not to look horrified, realizing the obvious: Lunch was going to be very expensive.

For a small and elderly man, Ceplak had a surprisingly large appetite. Burke ordered lakefish and a salad, but the octogenarian required four courses, not counting a pink sorbet and an amuse-bouche.

Ceplak wet the tip of his finger with champagne, then trailed it around the rim of his glass. The glass began to sing. “E,” Ceplak said with a chuckle.

“What was Tesla going to do with this Windjammer guy?”

“Maestro plans to make most spectacular display of northern lights ever seen. You ever seeing aurora?”

“No.”

“One time only I see,” Ceplak said. “Is so beautiful.” He touched his chest. “Makes you believe in God – even though we know the cause.”

“Which is what?”

“Solar wind. When it penetrates magnetosphere, charged particles collide with particles in atmosphere.” He clapped his hands together. “Negative particle meets positive particle. Discharge of energy! Light!” He sipped his champagne. “Multiply by billions? This is northern lights.”

“But this Arctic stunt… what was Tesla going to do?”

“He was going to bombard ionosphere with charged particles. Billions and billions of them. Make fantastic display – like a god.”

“And he knew how to do this?” Burke asked.

“Of course. What is Tesla working on at this time? Wireless transmission of energy. ”

“Yeah. So…”

“So he’s finding way to transmit energy without conductive wire. How does he do this?” Ceplak raised his eyebrows. “Beam. Maestro creates beam of energy, beam of photons. From Wardenclyffe, Tesla targets beam for massive release of energy above Ellesmere. Particles hit particles – boom boom boom. Big light show for Windjammer, who will say Wow! Amazing! Windjammer will tell New York Tribune and investors will come running to maestro’s door…”

“And it worked?”

Ceplak bobbed his head and shoulders, left to right, as if to say, Yes and no. Sipped his champagne. Then wagged a finger. “First you must see that to create such beam is big accomplishment. Think of flashlight, searchlight, headlight. I’m reminding you that all light is same – stream of photons traveling at speed of light. But shine flashlight through dark and it’s going only so far and then beam falls apart. We say ‘beam loses coherence.’ It loses energy to friction. For beam to reach distant point and retain coherence is almost impossible.”

“But Tesla did it.”

“He finds way to send beam of energy as paired waves in plasmoid sheath. Maestro eliminate friction. This allow beam to reach target with all energy intact.” Ceplak chuckled. “If I can tell you how he does this, I’m winning Nobel Prize in physics.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes. Early days, in New York lab, maestro makes ball lightning many many times. Plenty of peoples witness. Maestro creates to amaze Mark Twain and others – like parlor trick.” Ceplak shook his head ruefully. “They should have been more amazed.”

“What do you mean?”

Ceplak was effervescent with excitement. “ Because : This is Holy Grail in plasma physics! To contain energy within stable form! Like ball lightning! Like sheathed beam from Wardenclyffe! This is key to fusion energy – because why?”

Burke shook his head.

“Think, Mr. Math for Poets! Energy escape, you cannot have fusion. Find way to keeping energy in…?” Ceplak smiled. “Nobel Prize. Hundred percent.”

“So Tesla didn’t leave notes about this?”

Ceplak shrugged. “FBI confiscates most of maestro’s papers and put where? Los Alamos! I am sure scientists study maestro’s notes. But no one figuring out how to do what he did with ball lightning or energy beam. Not yet.”

“I still don’t understand the publicity stunt,” Burke confessed. “Why would setting off a big display of northern lights in the Arctic interest anyone? What would it mean?”

Ceplak tapped his fingers on the table. “Would mean that maestro could send and release a huge burst of energy – without wire. Peoples would understand that fireworks in sky were big discharge of power. If that power can be downloaded… ” The old man’s hands opened wide, like a magician presenting an amazing trick.

Burke nodded. “So this publicity stunt – it must have been huge…”

Ceplak shook his head. He looked somber. “No! Stunt does not work. Is disaster.”

Burke blinked. After all that…? “It failed?”

“Not just fail. ” A sigh. “Please to listen, yes? I tell you what happened when maestro fires his beam. This is what your friend is interested in.”

“My ‘friend’…”

“Yes. Wilson. He’s interested in Tunguska.”

There it was again.

“This is what Jack Wilson studies,” Ceplak said. “Tunguska, the beam, the publicity stunt.” Ceplak patted his lips with his napkin and leaned toward Burke. “It’s June 30, 1908. Nine thirty p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Tesla is at Wardenclyffe with my father. By now, maestro is broke. Money from Morgan all gone. Maestro having to borrow coal to start generator – this is how bad things are. The two of them climb tower. Maestro activates transmitter, aims beam at upper atmosphere, for release point west of Ellesmere Island. Same time, Windjammer is outside his igloo, looking at sky, waiting and watching.”

Ceplak took a long sip of water, and continued: “My father’s notebooks say at first they are not even sure beam is working. He and maestro, all they see is dim light. Then, there is owl flying into path of beam and… pooof… owl is gone. According to my father’s notes, bird vanishes. After that, they switch beam off. So, this is big disappointment. They see nothing. They hear nothing. Just… they are missing one owl.”

“And that’s it?”

“At first. Tesla watches newspapers, because this light show should be big phenomenon in Europe. Windjammer is just special witness, yes? Windjammer has best view, and he knows in advance – so he can attest that this is caused by Tesla, that at nine thirty p.m., Eastern Standard Time, exactly comes promised show in sky.” He shook his head. “But… nothing in papers. Then coming word from Windjammer – this takes few days – also sees nothing.”