Chris now looked like an empty milk bottle. He waved to Judy. Pale grey daylight suddenly filled the interior of the shuttle as part of the roof simply walked away.
I cant see him anymore, either, said Judy. Chris had vanished. The rest of the ship was collapsing faster around them, scuttling away on flickering little legs. Frances took hold of Judys hand and led her down a dissolving ramp to a clump of grass that lay half drowned in the cold dunes where the ship had landed. The sea breeze blew a fine spray of sand across Judys face. The endless grey clouds above seemed to accent the bleak scene.
Judy and Frances stood in the middle of a widening circle of little grey VNMs that crept off on their mission to render unto the Earth that which was the Earths. The stack of wooden crates sat in the sand nearby, a pile of broken wood the only reminder that Chris had actually existed.
Just what on Earth went on there? asked Judy.
Frances placed her hands on her hips and turned in a slow circle, her painted eyes and smile ridiculously contrasted by her serious posture.
Im not sure, she said.
Judy cocked her head. Frances sounded thoughtful.
That wasnt so much a fuck as a tactical engagement. He was testing me all the time, showing how much more advanced than me he was. Still, I think I may have held my own. I think that what we just saw was an introduction. Chris was just letting us know what he was capable of.
Judy felt something brush her foot. The last of the VNMs was making its way through the sand, heading off on its mysterious errand. Impermanence-the fate of the shuttle was a stark reminder of the fact. It was a way of life, post-Transition. And yet Judy felt disturbed. The Watcher preached impermanence, and yet wasnt it the most permanent of the objects known to humanity? If it was right in its guesses on its own origins, it could trace its lineage back almost to the dawn of intelligent life in the universe
Judy stirred the sand with the toe of one of her tabi.
What are we supposed to do now? she wondered. Should we just give up our search before we start? Is that what the Watcher wants?
The Watcher
was very careful not to say what it wants. Pale sand drew wind-blown patterns across Frances golden skin. Or rather, Chris was
Judy nodded. So we continue to do what we came to do, then. If the Watcher wants us to stop, it can tell us that now.
They paused, looking around at the empty dunes.
Nothing, said Frances. I wonder if Chris is still here, watching us.
I wonder. Judy gave a shiver. If not, I wonder what else he could be doing here on Earth? She looked down at her white tabi and gave a sigh.
I wish Id brought my shoes.
Justinian 3: 2223
I know the two slits experiment, Justinian growled. Was this pod deliberately trying to irritate him?
Ah, yes, but I wonder if you understand what it means.
I do understand, he said, with forced patience. They drummed this into us at school. Feynman claimed everything about the nature of quantum mechanics was summed up by the two slits experiment.
Justinian took a deep, calming breath and immediately regretted it. The air down here stank. He was getting a headache from lack of sleep; his ribs and right leg hurt where he had grazed them while clambering over the slippery rocks of the sea bed. All of that discomfort, however, was drowned out by the all-pervading stench. The undersea bubble smelled really, really bad. The last thing he needed was this prissy, imperious AI pod lecturing him about quantum mechanics.
It had been waiting for him to finish speaking; immediately it carried on making its point.
As I was explaining , if you were to fire a photon, it could pass through either of the two slits-
I know, Justinian said, almost shouting in frustration. I experienced this in an eTank when I was twelve! Whichever of the slits you place a photon detector at will be the slit through which the photon always passes!
You can place a detector at both slits, said the pod.
And if you turn one of them on after the photon is fired, it will still pass through the slit with the active detector.
Again the pod waited for Justinian to be silent. There was a rich farting noise as wet mud settled nearby.
Ah, yes, but do you appreciate what that implies? The pod answered its own question before Justinian could. It implies that awareness plays a part in the position of the photon-
I know! I used to act as birth partner for AIs as they were introduced to the atomic world-
A photon is directly influenced by the act of observation-
I didnt need to come to this planet to hear this.
Simply looking in a place makes it appear there
Justinian and the pod were both raising their voices in order to drown out the other. The sound was strangely deadened in the undersea world.
The two slits experiment is a possible explanation for the behavior of the Schrödinger boxes. Thats how the name-
Im sorry; do you mind not interrupting me? The AI pod dropped its voice to speak in such reasonable tones that Justinian wanted to kick it. He found himself shaking, actually shaking with anger at the pods attitude. He was annoyed that the pod was right that he, Justinian, had kept interrupting. He was annoyed at its quiet assurance that its thoughts were more important than Justinians. Worst of all, he was annoyed that it was probably right in this assumption. Hadnt he been deliberately trapped on this planet for just that reason-summoned by a group of self-destructing pods for reasons that not even the Watcher could guess? Justinian ran shaking fingers along his console, seeking a dose of something to calm himself.