The Spell of Rosette - Kim Falconer [1]
‘There’s only a one-in-a-million possibility of irreparable damage through cascading climate change. Hell, we’re 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 can’t be right.’ Macquarie’s head came up fast. ‘This is impossible.’
‘No. It’s 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 Earth’s 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.
‘I’d 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 century—our first fully functional, non-binary quantum computer. JARROD, for short.’
‘Sentient quantum computer,’ JARROD said.
‘Yes. Sentient.’
‘And I’m 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?’
‘We’re willing to take the risk.’ Macquarie stood, drained his glass and slammed it down. ‘Call it intuition, a human survival instinct. We’re going to launch our protocols and deal with any fallout if it arises.’
‘You mean, deal with the mass repercussions.’
‘Like I said, we’re willing to take the risk.’
‘But I’m not,’ JARROD whispered before his monitor winked out.
The decision was made, the meeting adjourned. The scientific community threatened to shut down the JARROD’s nuclear power supply if he tried to warn the public sphere. They didn’t want a riot on their hands. JARROD sensed a riot might be the perfect thing to wrest control from ASSIST. He just wasn’t sure how to incite one.
‘We have to get you out,’ Janis said, letting her hand rest lightly on the tower housing JARROD’s motherboard.
‘If you have a plan, I’d love to hear it.’
‘What if we sequester your CPU somewhere Macquarie can’t find it? If you’re 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 world’s 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 we’ll need Luka Paree’s help, again.’
A chuckle came through the surround sound. JARROD’s 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. They’d commissioned a security software company to create a virus—a worm—that could be launched into the mainframes and directed specifically at the quantum sentient’s CPU—a chip containing the quantum key-codes to his operating determinates. The worm would be capable of