Chapter 1

Out of an MIT class filled with brilliant minds Brad Farley had done himself proud by graduating third out of one hundred and seventy. His performance had netted him one of the coveted research positions here at Fermilab, the high energy physics laboratory that studies the fundamental nature of matter and houses the world's most powerful particle accelerator, the Tevatron.

Of course, here at Fermilab which only took the cream of the crop from the best schools, Brad would have to work that much harder to stand out from the rest. He had a strong academic foundation to work with and would now be involved with an advanced research project. "This is my chance to grab the bull by the horns" he thought to himself as he listened to the project's lead scientist outline the project and Brad's part in it.

The "briefing" took almost the entire day and when it was finally over Brad seriously needed something to eat. He hopped into his used Honda and drove to the closest restaurant that had something other than grease as the main ingredient in their food.

As he ate his dinner Brad thought of the path that had brought him to his current position. He'd completed four Master's degrees in physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, and computer science before working on his doctorate in particle physics. Having completed fifteen years of college and graduate school, being a student had seemingly become a way of life for Brad. This posting would be his first real long term research opportunity — a chance to be at the very cutting edge of science!

Brad was a paradox as far as his parents were concerned. For his father in particular, Brad was unfathomable. His father had been a basketball star in the NBA and Brad had inherited his build, coordination, and agility. How Brad could bypass the lure of being a star athlete and instead choose the unglamorous life of a "nerd" was beyond the older man's comprehension.

As the senior Farley felt the fame of his youth slip away, he'd longed to revel in the limelight once more. Mark felt that his son Brad could give him that opportunity by following in his old man's footsteps by pursuing a professional career in sports. When Brad became famous the sportscasters would most certainly talk about his father again and Mark just knew that the two of them could real in the endorsement money! "We could be father and son superstars Brad! Just think of the possibilities!" he'd told his son.

Brad had tried to think of the possibilities — but found that they didn't interest him in the slightest! He wanted to make discoveries that would change the world. If it was so important to have a legacy then why not be remembered along with the likes of Albert Einstein, Enrique Fermi, and Nikola Tesla? Surely the greats of science would have their names and work remembered far longer than the athletes of yester year.

Thinking of the rift that had developed between himself and his parents, first father and then mother, Brad left the restaurant in a bit of a gloomy mood and headed back to his modest apartment. His apartment was crammed with boxes of books and gadgets and he still had many hours of setting up shelves and unpacking ahead of him. For now he just took a shower and headed to bed.