Part 37 (1/2)

Albert nodded.

”But how can it be done, then?” said Ralph. ”If there's to be any reality at all to this, you'll have to explain how the signals can come from all over.”

”You tell me. You're the quantum theorist. It feels like a quantum mechanics question.”

Ralph didn't respond, so Albert went on. ”Although, I must say I side with Einstein's feeling that G.o.d doesn't play with dice. I think we need quantum mechanics here.”

”G.o.d doesn't play with dice?” Ralph laughed. ”On the contrary: G.o.d is dice.”

”Excuse me?”

”I mean dice, uncertainty, ambiguity. It's built into nature, as evidenced by us being thinking beings. Without the uncertainty, a brain would just be a piece of clockwork-in theory, completely predictable.”

”OK,” said Albert, ”give me a theory to explain these signals.” His voice held a hint of challenge.

”Let me think,” said Ralph. ”Will a wild theory do?”

”It would have to be.”

After a few minutes where n.o.body spoke, Kimberly said, ”I'm feeling a sort of tingling on my skin.”

”Funny thing,” said Albert, ”I was just about to say the same thing.”

”Me too,” said Ralph.

”It's like we're reading each other's minds,” said Kimberly. ”Telepathy.”

”Hardly that,” said Albert, some scorn and amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice. ”The three of us are probably just reacting to the same external stimulus-probably something to do with the high electrical potential of the storm clouds.” As soon as he said it, he regretted his words. He and Kimberly argued a lot about the possibility of telepathy.

Kimberly stood. She seemed offended. ”I think I'll go and check up on Liam.” Without waiting for an acknowledgment, she strode from the room.

Ralph watched her go, then turned to Albert. ”About a theory, then. I believe points in s.p.a.ce-time have extent, sort of like tiny discrete marbles, and s.p.a.ce-time itself is not well-defined.” He nodded to himself. ”I could imagine that a particular kind of signal could spread out.” He bit his lip. ”I would think that sending real data on the marbles would be hard. The marbles would mostly arrive out of order. And that might be why they only can get a few primes through.”

”Cosmic isolation?”

”Maybe...” Again Ralph bit his lip. ”But maybe the marbles could be numbered. And we could send a message by following the numbered breadcrumbs.”

”Would we want to,” said Albert, retreating into a physicist's land of what-ifs. Could we be inviting invasion? Maybe there's a cosmic reason for the isolation.”

”We, as a culture, can't keep our heads in the sand,” said Ralph. ”Are we going to be”-he smiled-”the scaredy-cats of the universe?” Ralph leaned back in his chair. ”So there you have it,” he said. ”A theory ... of sorts.”

”Yeah.” Albert shook his head. ”And it's wild, all right.”

”Thanks, heaps. But it could explain a lot of phenomena ... even telepathy.”

”Not you too!” Albert wrinkled his nose. ”I said a wild theory, not pseudoscience.”

”Oh, I don't know,” said Ralph. ”I think the brain could well be a quantum detector of sorts, of lateral detection.”

Albert pursed his lips. ”Telepathy, you mean.”

”Gurriada,” said Ralph. ”It's a Pitjantjatjara word meaning thought or magic at a distance.”

”Telepathy by any other name,” said Albert, ”would still smell as ... would still smell.”

”Don't you think you're being a bit...” Ralph turned to look toward the sound of rapid footsteps.

Kimberly ran into the control room, her face contorted in worry, her movements frantic. ”I can't find Liam!”

Albert snapped to his feet. ”Could he be in the bathroom?”

”No. And I've looked everywhere.”

”Oh, I wouldn't worry,” said Ralph as he retrieved a flashlight. ”He's a boy. He probably just went out to explore.”

”The desert's dangerous at night,” said Kimberly. ”He knows that.”

”You're sure he's not in the building?” said Albert.

”Yes. Positive.”

”All right,” said Albert, trying to keep worry out of his voice for Kimberly's sake. ”Let's go out and get him.” Ralph handed him a second flashlight. ”He had to have gone out the back way. Let's go.”

”Wait a sec.” Ralph went to a cabinet and withdrew a pair of binoculars, which he handed to Albert. ”Normally, for bird watching.”

With Ralph in the lead, they padded then through the building to the back door, and out into the night where, even though the Sun had long since set, they were met with a wall of desert heat.

Albert slowly scanned the horizon. On one side was the barren desert and on the other, the dim outlines of hundreds of radio dishes. If he's wandered out there, he won't be easy to find.

”Let's see if he's within cooee,” said Ralph. He cupped his hands around his mouth in the way of a megaphone, and shouted a long ”Cooooeeee,” the Australian call to find someone lost in the bush.

Nothing.

”At least the wind's died down,” said Albert. ”He should be able to hear us.”

”But it means,” said Ralph, casting a glance at the sky, ”the rain will come soon.” He cooeed again. Still nothing.

Albert s.h.i.+ned his light along the ground, looking for tracks, but couldn't find any.

”Here, let me,” said Ralph, adding his beam to Albert's. ”I've had practice.” He peered hard at the sandy ground.

Watching Ralph, crouched low, eyes intent with a feral gleam, Albert could well understand how Ralph had come by his Dingo sobriquet.

Albert followed Ralph's gaze off into the darkness and was seized with an impression that all the creatures of the desert floor were looking at him, and that he could sense their minds: the lizards, the rats, and, worst of all, the snakes. Despite the heat, Albert s.h.i.+vered. Irrational. This is completely irrational.

A lightning flash illuminated the ground.

”Yes!” said Ralph, his exclamation punctuated by thunder. ”He's left us some breadcrumbs to follow.” Still in a crouch, Ralph moved slowly off toward the telescope array. Albert and Kimberly followed.

”He's running,” said Ralph, pointing to a footprint. ”Makes it easier.” Ralph picked up the pace. ”He's less likely to change direction.