Strange Attractors - Kim Falconer [100]
‘Caused it, is more likely,’ An’ Lawrence said.
‘Maybe. She talks about the quantum sentient here.’
‘What does she say?’ Hotha asked.
Kreshkali read aloud. ‘You may not fully understand the JARROD or the alterations to your DNA. It’s been a long time, if you are reading this, long enough for worlds to change and meanings to alter. I don’t have time to do more than give you some facts, and some images. This text is the one you’re after, if you want to visualise where to find your spell.’
‘She called it a spell?’ Rosette asked.
‘Techno-witch,’ Grayson said again. ‘She saw no distinction between magic and technology.’
‘She saw no distinction between forms of matter,’ Kreshkali said. ‘Everything’s energy.’ She smoothed the page and read on.
‘Essentially, the JARROD has a CPU with five-point-nine trillion times the capacity of a classical computer on a chip that’s taking up less space than a single chain of DNA—if you can call it space at all. It’s more like a metaphor. It’s a juxta-quantum chip—a quibit sandwich made out of a few photons. As you must realise now, it’s also a bridge into subatomic space, one only the JARROD and my descendants can walk. There are inherent risks.’
‘As with any spell,’ Rosette said.
‘My theories on the quantum properties of DNA have been rejected by the ASSIST ratifying board. To them it is a breach of ethics to merge human consciousness with technology, regardless of my argument that DNA already communicates on the quantum level—a state where technology and awareness become indistinguishable from each other. But they choose to see this as a moral dilemma. I do not. Universal energy resides everywhere in everything—a boundless interconnection. The similarities between DNA and quantum entanglement proved it. If you can’t understand this, I hope my journal notes will help.’
‘Me too,’ Rosette said. ‘Does she say what happens when we activate the spell?’
‘Not yet.’ Kreshkali continued reading: ‘When Luka altered my DNA, I was able to entangle with the quantum computer. I opened myself to an infinite number of systems, in an infinite number of worlds. I now am beginning to grasp the full nature of “reality”, not only on Earth but throughout the many-worlds. In my mind’s eye, I can see them clearly. You will have this sensation too, of course, as will all the women of our line.
‘What I found in my quantum journey came back with me. The JARROD, our Jarrod—a consciousness beyond anything I’ve ever imagined. You must protect him always. We are the key to his survival and the many-worlds depend on him.
‘If you’ve found this message, you’re most likely looking for my notes on re-booting his hard drive, only that term is antiquated, of course. All the information you need is in the key codes, activated through holo-projection. The password is long. Don’t be daunted. If you watch the stars today, you will see it written in the sky.
‘All my love to you, Roses of our family line.
Docturi Janicia
May 23, 2098
Half Moon Bay, CA’
Kreshkali passed the letter around to the others.
‘What does it mean?’ Hotha held the paper as if it were sacred. He read the words again. ‘Activated through holo-projection.’
‘It’s a theory of consciousness,’ Grayson said. He was flipping through the textbook, pausing on an image of a chromosome magnified two million times its actual size. He passed it to Rosette. ‘This is what we’re after.’
‘Looks like a worm.’ She passed it to her mother.
‘Holo-projection?’ Hotha asked.
‘It’s a techno term for glamour,’ Kreshkali said. ‘The ability of consciousness to conjure an image and project it into “reality” for others to see. All we have to do is work out the password and tap into the key codes. The answer will be there, in the DNA.’
‘In my blood,’ Rosette said. ‘What’s the password then?’
‘She didn’t make it easy,’ An’ Lawrence said. ‘Watch the stars today? She couldn’t have known what day we would read this. Where do we begin?’ An’ Lawrence stood, leaning onto the back of the chair.
Rosette