Seth928
09-24-2005, 04:16 AM
SENATOR:
You were in the machine for seven minutes, thirty-five seconds, is that correct, Doctor?
ELLIE:
Earth time, yes.
SENATOR:
(pausing)
Earth time.
ELLIE
(a deep breath)
Senator... I believe I traveled through a series of wormholes. Wormholes are a phenomenon deduced by Einstein; they're essentially tears in the fabric of space/time. Because of the effects of relativity what I experienced as a period of approximately eighteen hours passed almost instantaneously on Earth. To you I seemed to depart and arrive back at the same moment.
KITZ:
Doctor, isn't it true that wormholes are merely predictions of relativity theory? That there's no evidence they actually exist?
Ellie hesitates. Looks up at Joss in the gallery. Then:
ELLIE:
There is no direct evidence, no.
KITZ:
And current theory holds that to sustain the sort of wormholes you're talking about, even for a fraction of a second, would require more energy than our sun produces in a year, is that correct?
ELLIE:
I don't have the figures in front of me, but yes, that sounds about right.
KITZ:
In fact, by all the laws of physics we know what you claim to have experienced is simply impossible.
ELLIE:
(beat, then, softly)
By our standards... yes.
..........................................
CHAIRMAN:
(peering at her; intrigued) You don't believe it to be... tell me something, Doctor. Why do you think they would go to all this trouble... bring you tens of thousands of light years, and then send you home without a shred of proof? Sort of bad form, wouldn't you say? What was their intent?
ELLIE:
(hesitates)
I don't know. Ultimately their motives may be as incomprehensible as their technology.
CHAIRMAN:
(sigh)
Dr. Arroway, you come before us with no evidence. No records, no artifacts -- only a story that -- to put I mildly -- strains credibility. Over two trillion dollars was spent, hundreds of lives were lost, many more may be in jeopardy due to the almost incalculable worldwide psychological impact... Are you going to sit there and tell us that we should simply take this all on faith?
KITZ:
Answer the question, Doctor. As a scientist -- can you prove any of this?
ELLIE:
No.
KITZ:
So why don't you admit what by your own standards must be the truth: that this experience simply didn't happen.
ELLIE:
(pauses, then,simply)
Because I can't.
ELLIE:
I had... an experience. I can't prove it. I can't even explain it. All I can tell you is that everything I know as a human being, everything I am -- tells me that it was real.
ELLIE:
(softly)
I was given something wonderful. Something that changed me. A vision of the universe that made it overwhelmingly clear just how tiny and insignificant -- and at the same time how rare and precious we all are. A vision... that tells us we belong to something greater than ourselves... that we're not -- that none of us -- is alone.
ELLIE:
I wish I could share it. I wish everyone, if only for a moment -- could feel that sense of awe, and humility... and hope. That continues to be my wish.
You were in the machine for seven minutes, thirty-five seconds, is that correct, Doctor?
ELLIE:
Earth time, yes.
SENATOR:
(pausing)
Earth time.
ELLIE
(a deep breath)
Senator... I believe I traveled through a series of wormholes. Wormholes are a phenomenon deduced by Einstein; they're essentially tears in the fabric of space/time. Because of the effects of relativity what I experienced as a period of approximately eighteen hours passed almost instantaneously on Earth. To you I seemed to depart and arrive back at the same moment.
KITZ:
Doctor, isn't it true that wormholes are merely predictions of relativity theory? That there's no evidence they actually exist?
Ellie hesitates. Looks up at Joss in the gallery. Then:
ELLIE:
There is no direct evidence, no.
KITZ:
And current theory holds that to sustain the sort of wormholes you're talking about, even for a fraction of a second, would require more energy than our sun produces in a year, is that correct?
ELLIE:
I don't have the figures in front of me, but yes, that sounds about right.
KITZ:
In fact, by all the laws of physics we know what you claim to have experienced is simply impossible.
ELLIE:
(beat, then, softly)
By our standards... yes.
..........................................
CHAIRMAN:
(peering at her; intrigued) You don't believe it to be... tell me something, Doctor. Why do you think they would go to all this trouble... bring you tens of thousands of light years, and then send you home without a shred of proof? Sort of bad form, wouldn't you say? What was their intent?
ELLIE:
(hesitates)
I don't know. Ultimately their motives may be as incomprehensible as their technology.
CHAIRMAN:
(sigh)
Dr. Arroway, you come before us with no evidence. No records, no artifacts -- only a story that -- to put I mildly -- strains credibility. Over two trillion dollars was spent, hundreds of lives were lost, many more may be in jeopardy due to the almost incalculable worldwide psychological impact... Are you going to sit there and tell us that we should simply take this all on faith?
KITZ:
Answer the question, Doctor. As a scientist -- can you prove any of this?
ELLIE:
No.
KITZ:
So why don't you admit what by your own standards must be the truth: that this experience simply didn't happen.
ELLIE:
(pauses, then,simply)
Because I can't.
ELLIE:
I had... an experience. I can't prove it. I can't even explain it. All I can tell you is that everything I know as a human being, everything I am -- tells me that it was real.
ELLIE:
(softly)
I was given something wonderful. Something that changed me. A vision of the universe that made it overwhelmingly clear just how tiny and insignificant -- and at the same time how rare and precious we all are. A vision... that tells us we belong to something greater than ourselves... that we're not -- that none of us -- is alone.
ELLIE:
I wish I could share it. I wish everyone, if only for a moment -- could feel that sense of awe, and humility... and hope. That continues to be my wish.