Part 46 (1/2)
”Have you spoken with Him?”
”I've felt felt Him-” Him-”
”Real trick's getting an answer,” says Haskell.
Her voice is coming from all around-from every screen that's hung about the inner Room. The face of Claire Haskell sits on all of them. Each one's saying the same thing.
”Nice to see you again, Matthew.”
Linehan's already clocked it-Haskell's body's still contained within that pod. Sinclair isn't even bothering to look. Presumably he's already taken it all in. He's just gazing at one of those Haskells on one of those screens-smiling as he does so- ”So glad you could join us, Claire.”
”But you weren't counting on it, were you?”
”Such a.s.sumptions don't-”
”Your future-sensing ended when you got to the Room.”
Sinclair says nothing. And suddenly Haskell's voice sounds in Carson's head- get ready to move fast The Operative shakes his head violently as though to clear it-can't seem to establish any kind of return communication. He has no idea what the h.e.l.l she's planning-no idea if it's even her her anymore. Maybe Sinclair doesn't either. Because Haskell's voice has taken on what might almost be a certain wary confidence- anymore. Maybe Sinclair doesn't either. Because Haskell's voice has taken on what might almost be a certain wary confidence- ”I'm right, aren't I? You knew exactly what would happen up until the point you stepped within. But you can't postulate the condition of a structure cut off from all s.p.a.ce. Nor could you antic.i.p.ate what course your creation would take when cut off from all time, a bubble universe adrift amidst the sea of-”
”But there you go again,” says Sinclair. ”With your a.s.sumptions. A luxury the trapped can't afford.”
Some of the Haskells laugh. ”You think I'm trapped?”
”I have your flesh, don't I?”
”You of all people should know that meat means nothing-”
”We'll see if that's true when I burn it.”
The Operative notices something. Sinclair's eyes are tracking on some of the screens, ignoring others. He wonders if any of the others have noticed this. But everybody else seems just too intent on trying to keep up- ”Do that and you won't find your way home,” says Haskell.
”Home?” Sinclair laughs. ”Why would I want to go home?” home?”
”How else are you going to rule humanity-”
”And go back in time to change it,” says Lynx.
”I'm not,” says Sinclair.
”What?” asks Lynx.
”You can't can't go back,” says Sinclair. ”Travel to the past is travel to a go back,” says Sinclair. ”Travel to the past is travel to a parallel parallel past by definition. Thus do the laws of quantum gravity sidestep paradox. And as to going back to the future of the world we left, Claire: a better question is, why would I want to?” past by definition. Thus do the laws of quantum gravity sidestep paradox. And as to going back to the future of the world we left, Claire: a better question is, why would I want to?”
That last one seems to catch her off guard. ”You-don't-?”
”I don't know if you noticed, but Earth really went to the dogs these last few days.”
”Thanks to you-”
”Can't make an omelette without ... well, what can I say? There are only so many ways to hammer a hole into the next dimension. Ma.s.s killing was always one of the more direct routes-”
”That was just one part of it,” she says coldly.
”Sure. First we had to get a bridgehead established.”
”Me,” she says.
”Us,” says Sarmax. says Sarmax.
All of them, and he's been left to live with it all: his role as the original prototype, his part in the creation of the ultimate hit-team, his days training those who would take his place, his nights with the woman whose body sprawls in front of him- ”Exactly,” says Sinclair. ”The Rain. And only Leo here had any idea what he was getting into.”
”I was young enough to be into masochism.”
”A vice that failed to fade with time.”
”f.u.c.k you, Matthew.”
”Do you want to see Indigo again or don't you?”
”I see her in my mind right now, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
”That might be all you ever do.”
”Didn't you once tell me that memory is real?”
”Everything in the mind is real,” says Sinclair. ”Though it got a lot more complicated once I'd remixed your head with all the histories of your other selves-” in the mind is real,” says Sinclair. ”Though it got a lot more complicated once I'd remixed your head with all the histories of your other selves-”
”I thought Control was lying when he said-”
”He wasn't. How else do you think I got a duplicate Marlowe into the mix? Took a sh.e.l.l and charged charged it with emissions seeping in from-” it with emissions seeping in from-”
”f.u.c.k,” says Sarmax. He feels like he's been punched in the gut. He notices Carson and Lynx seem to have the same reaction- says Sarmax. He feels like he's been punched in the gut. He notices Carson and Lynx seem to have the same reaction- ”This is bulls.h.i.+t,” says Lynx.
”I'm sure you wish it was.”
”But-they-the memories of those years-they were all consistent,” consistent,” says Sarmax. says Sarmax.
”Consistent at any given instant. Not necessarily across across instants, though-” instants, though-”
”Jesus,” says Lynx, ”that's why it's been such a head trip.”
Lynx's mind's spinning, but it's finally all starting to make sense. Sinclair reprogrammed them with the real memories of others, left so much latent-and tapped so much else to enable telepathy among his agents, breaking down the walls that are- ”Everywhere,” says Lynx. says Lynx.
Sinclair nods. ”s.p.a.ce-time riddled with bubbles; quantum foam that pervades us, each bubble a momentary wormhole, and all of it entangled. And once you postulate that Einstein's hidden variable is actually consciousness consciousness, then the mind's real significance in driving nonlocality becomes apparent. Unless, of course, your civilization is so dysfunctional it's based on blinding itself to the obvious. Of course Of course minds can link. Animals do it all the time. Just watch flocks of birds changing direction. Or the hive minds of bees and ants. But the human animal shackled itself in chains of language-language that opened up new possibilities even as it foreclosed others-” minds can link. Animals do it all the time. Just watch flocks of birds changing direction. Or the hive minds of bees and ants. But the human animal shackled itself in chains of language-language that opened up new possibilities even as it foreclosed others-”
”I thought you said you blamed religion,” says Linehan.
”'In the beginning was the Word': what the f.u.c.k do you think language is? is? How else do we label the universe?-and so much of that labeling is the papering-over of things we don't understand. Why do humans have to be so f.u.c.king certain about How else do we label the universe?-and so much of that labeling is the papering-over of things we don't understand. Why do humans have to be so f.u.c.king certain about everything everything even when they know even when they know nothing?” nothing?”
No one says anything.