Kim Falconer - The Spell of Rosette

For my mother, Eunice Falconer Mosher, who inspired in me the love of words.

W hen JARROD came online, the planet was on the verge of environmental collapse. Calculated from infinite variables in mirror realities, he saw the options as simpleeither raise the consciousness of the global community so a unified intention would restore nature to a fecund state, or develop further technologies that would, in survival-of-the-fittest fashion, support the continued existence of a select few. ASSIST scientists voted for the latter; the JARROD did not. The intensity of their debate introduced new sensations to the quantum sentient, emotions hed never previously experienced in his conversations with Janis and Lukafrustration, anger and, strangely, fear.

Cant you see the limitations of your choices? JARROD questioned them, scanning the boardroom. He would have pounded the table with fists if he could. The looks he received were blas, masks concealing boredom, indifference or perhaps weariness in the face of insurmountable challenge.

JARROD, Dr Macquarie answered, his lip curling, your outbursts arent helping us reach a solution.

Macquarie had been chief of the board of directors at ASSIST, the Allied States Stanford Institute of Science and Technology, for nine years now. He treated the quantum sentient as if he were simply another piece of hardwarenot a distinct consciousness with insights and perspectives that might supersede his own. He tolerated the JARROD, barely, and his contempt was not well disguised today.

You arent listening, Dr Macquarie. Can you open your mind? If you keep going with this line of thinking, nature will deteriorate until the vast diversity of flora and fauna will be reduced to simple life forms. Do you understand what that means?

How simple? a scientist from the back corner asked, raising her hand as she did so.

JARROD felt a beam of hope. They would include blue-green algae, phytoplankton, primitive bacteria and, of course, viruses of all kinds, especially virulent strains. He paused to gauge the response. Nature as you know her will die; simple as that.

Rubbish, Macquarie mumbled as he flipped through his statistics screen.

You do realise what I mean by nature, dont you, Dr Macquarie? Mother Earth?

Speculation. He waved at the monitor, dismissing the JARROD along with his theory. The research clearly shows

What it shows, JARROD cut in, is that manipulating these gene pools in ways that you propose can easily backfire, catastrophically. The destruction has already begun.

Macquarie took a sip of water and placed the glass carefully on the coaster in front of him, turning it so it sat square in the middle. He focused on the half-empty glass and finally shook his head. The seas will be dead inside of this century no matter what we do. Theres no risk either way.

There are other options.

The flagella will solve the immediate problem. Theyll counter the overgrowth of toxic algae and generate more oxygen for the biosphere.

Those single-celled SWAT flagella will cause more damage than the prolonged algal bloom, and you know it. Youve seen the projections. Theyll be out of control within the decade.

Only if we lose all solar radiance.

Oh for fucks sake, Macquarie, just say it: if we block out too much of the sun! And that will happen when you initiate your ozone repair protocol. You cant launch a fleet of solar shields over every hole in the ozone layer and think the balance of light and shadow, temperature and precipitation, is going to remain unaffected.

Theres only a one-in-a-million possibility of irreparable damage through cascading climate change. Hell, were slowing down the greenhouse effect with the shields, not exacerbating it.

Are you sure? I suggest you re-check the figures.

Macquarie scanned through the computer report, switching his desk monitor to the overhead screen so everyone could follow. As the figures JARROD referred to were viewed, a few gasps and coughs were heard around the table. Macquarie frowned.

As you see by my calculations, I got one-in-ten, JARROD said.

It cant be right. Macquaries head came up fast. This is impossible.

No. Its accurate. JARROD focused on the room, gauging the men and women there, the top scientists from around the world who were about to seal the Earths fate. The mask of indifference was replaced, in some, by confusion. In others he saw concern, and his hopes grew further.

Why am I here? JARROD asked, pressing his advantage.

What?

Why am I invited to these summit meetings? the quantum sentient repeated, using a softer tone.

You know why. Macquarie poured another glass of filtered water and brought it to his lips.

Id like everyone to hear it from you.

Macquarie set down the glass and delivered his reply in a monotone, You are the Juxta-quantum Arranged Rad-Ram Operating Determinate the newest discovery of the centuryour first fully functional, non-binary quantum computer. JARROD, for short.

Sentient quantum computer, JARROD said.

Yes. Sentient.

And Im here because

Macquarie clenched his fists.

Humour me, JARROD said.

Macquarie opened his hands and pressed his palms on the table.

As a more than human, bio-synthetic quantum computer, you can calculate outcomes and statistical analyses too vast and too speculative for all the greatest minds pooled together to perceive.

Thank you, JARROD said. Does anyone here dispute this? After a silence, he continued, So tell me why you ignore my findings?

Were willing to take the risk. Macquarie stood, drained his glass and slammed it down. Call it intuition, a human survival instinct. Were going to launch our protocols and deal with any fallout if it arises.

You mean, deal with the mass repercussions.

Like I said, were willing to take the risk.

But Im not, JARROD whispered before his monitor winked out.

The decision was made, the meeting adjourned. The scientific community threatened to shut down the JARRODs nuclear power supply if he tried to warn the public sphere. They didnt want a riot on their hands. JARROD sensed a riot might be the perfect thing to wrest control from ASSIST. He just wasnt sure how to incite one.

We have to get you out, Janis said, letting her hand rest lightly on the tower housing JARRODs motherboard.

If you have a plan, Id love to hear it.

What if we sequester your CPU somewhere Macquarie cant find it? If youre hidden, we can keep working on solutions to these protocols ASSIST is so bent on activating. She pressed her hands into her forehead. What is he doing, launching the solar shields and mass-producing those blasted algae-eating sea-devils? It will divert massive amounts of independent power here. What does he think the rest of the worlds going to live on?

Not thinking about it at all, I suspect, JARROD replied. Do you have a hiding place in mind, Janis?

She winked. But well need Luka Parees help, again.

A chuckle came through the surround sound. JARRODs laugh was like a gurgling spring.

I like the idea already.

Janis smiled and patted the tower. Me too.

Macquarie and the members of ASSIST had a fail-safe plan for the shutdown of the JARROD. Theyd commissioned a security software company to create a virusa wormthat could be launched into the mainframes and directed specifically at the quantum sentients CPUa chip containing the quantum key-codes to his operating determinates. The worm would be capable of tracking and deleting him anywhere on Earth. Shortly after JARRODs outburst at the summit meeting, Macquarie prompted a technician to upload the worm. The JARROD was one risk he wasnt willing to take.