Page 76 - Tales Apocalyptic and Dystopian

Cannon’s Last Case

“Infinitarium.”
Cannon almost paused. “Yes, I remember that one. Must have
been around 2009 or 2011. I got the job because I looked even
younger than I was. I’ll bet the real story wasn’t published: terms of
the lawsuit settlement included non-disclosure—another quaint
antique.”
“All I know is that you testified as star witness for the plaintiff in a
civil case, and that your testimony was decisive. That impressed me.”
She regarded him quizzically. “What really happened?”
“I guess I can disclose it now.” Cannon chuckled maliciously. “I’ve
outlived the principals and what could they do to me, anyway? Sue
me under a grandfather clause?”
Mary sensed that he had said something funny, and laughed with
him.
“Well, Miss Chase, this is what went down. Two scientists from a
university with a linear accelerator and an advanced physics research
lab left to form their own company. They claimed that they could
create micro-wormholes, the theoretical tunnels through spacetime
into alternative universes which loop back to their point of origin,
and that the government was suppressing their research results. They
attempted to patent the process, but without some extremely
expensive equipment it could not be demonstrated; the patent was
denied and they announced that they were going to replicate the
results on a tabletop. After a few months a large entertainment
conglomerate issued a press release: they had purchased all rights to
the process and would soon unveil it to the public. That built up
anticipation: it was a beautiful combination of science news and free
advertising.”
“What came out of this was Infinitarium, one of the then-new
virtual amusement parks. The older parks had proven too physically
dangerous and increasingly inferior in excitement to the electronic
thrills provided by video games. The citizenry was very litigious in
those days before the final tort reforms of the 2020s shifted the
burden of proof definitively to plaintiffs appearing before closed
industry-sponsored hearings. Infinitarium promised an entirely new
sort of experience: the participant’s mind and senses would be sent
out into a parallel cosmos where he or she could participate as alter-
egos in a world somewhat like ours but different in unpredictable

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