Join (32 page)

The next morning as they
walk back to the mess for breakfast, Chance is struck by how similarly Leap Three and Leap Four wear their weariness. Leap Three is a tall, lean, middle-aged man, and Leap Four is a short young woman with a healthy, heavy frame, but both are showing slightly hunched shoulders. There's a tentative quality to the way they walk—as if the soles of their feet hurt. And both squint at times, as if fending off a hangover.

Leap had another seizure shortly after the music and dancing ended. Leap One—who is still sleeping—was also up for several hours afterward, working with one of the solo medics to staunch a torrential nosebleed.

Leap Three says, without looking at Chance, “I'm planning to avoid the happy Arcadians today.”

“That might be difficult if we're going to do what we came here to do.”

“Ah,” Leap Four responds, “I can see you're going to have answers today. That's very good. There'll be less for me to do.”

They walk for a moment, and then Leap Three says, “Any answers for this headache?”

“Aspirin?”

“The miracle drug. I tried. That is, I tried . . . well, something quite a bit stronger.”

The mess hall is busy. A small buffet of scrambled eggs, dried fruit, salad, tea, water, toast, and preserves has been arranged on one table. Fifteen or so people, including Hamish, are already working their way through breakfast.

Appearing energetic and refreshed, Hamish rises from his place at one of the tables and motions for them to sit with him. Leap Three and Four take small servings of eggs and a slice of toast each and then stand numbly near the food table until Chance Four has filled her plate.

“We're going to get things started today,” Hamish says mildly. He has risen from where he was seated to guide them toward the table. Neither of Leap's drives appears to be listening.

After they sit, Leap Three says, “What is it that you said we're going to start?”

Don and Elicia arrive at the table, each sitting quietly at the end near Hamish. “Leap,” says Hamish, “we're going to start going over what a treatment for the flip might consist of.”

Leap Three hesitates, notices Don and Elicia, then peers at his untouched food and asks, “So you can treat the flip?”

“I don't want to suggest much in the way of confidence,” says Hamish. “But we have developed a protocol that we believe has been successful.”

“You believe? Have you cured a flip?” asks Leap Three.

“We believe we've successfully treated one,” Hamish says. “One. It's difficult to know whether it's actually cured. It's been two years, and there have been no further symptoms. No seizures. The subject tells us that the fatigue and depression are gone. I believe the flip has been treated in a way that may ultimately result in a cure. But, of course, two years is really not a long time. The signs, however, are encouraging.”

“Can I meet the join you treated?” asks Leap.

“No, that's not possible,” Don says. “There's no official record of the join's treatment or of the flip. And the join isn't here anymore.”

“So I have to accept this treatment on faith?”

“Of course,” Hamish says. “As you would any treatment.”

Both Leaps are watching Hamish closely. Leap Four says, “You have information that you won't share.”

“Yes, I do. But I don't believe that that information, if you were apprised of it, would affect your decision. And I believe it should remain confidential.”

The Leaps continue to stare at him, their faces reddening, their breathing slightly labored.

Hamish is quiet and then says in his mild way, “You're well beyond the realm of certainty. You've come this whole way on faith.”

Hamish says they're going to
start the day with a video consultation with a group that isn't currently in the facility. After eating, he, Elicia, and Don direct them through a mazelike warren of identical corridors.

People they pass seem friendly and at ease. After walking for a little while, they climb seven flights of stairs and shortly after pass through a hall that's roughly three times wider than most of the others. The wider hall continues as far as they can see in both directions and has a subtle curve, as if it's part of a very large circle. Hamish explains that this is their running track and that they will need to walk on the outside of the curve. Immediately after he says this, a few joggers become visible in the distance behind them. The whole facility is larger than either Leap or Chance suspected, but there is very little automation, few signs of robotics, and they haven't seen any powered vehicles.

“We conserve energy,” Don explains, “and keep our heat signature as low as possible. We have obfu-tech to baffle sensors, but we also do what we can to avoid relying on it.”

“How did you build all of this without being found out?” Chance asks.

“Well,” says Don, “of course, that's one of our secrets. I will say that there are parts of North America that had underground installations already. And there are geologic formations that present a lot of opportunity for places like this. We may have used some of those. Or we might not have.”

They open a door into a wood-paneled room with two rows of four dark gray office chairs each, all facing a blank white wall. Don says, “We'll be projecting the video conference against that wall. Elicia and I will be standing against the walls on the sides. Please don't look at us or mention our presence. We're really here as security. We can't think of any reason we'd need it, but we're not going to take any risks.”

Then Hamish, Chance, and Leap's two drives sit in the first row of chairs, Hamish flanked on his left by Leap Four, sturdy but sagging, and on his right by Chance Four, wiry and controlled. Shortly after they sit, the lights in the room go down except for a bright cone from the ceiling that falls around the two rows of chairs.

Hamish says quietly, “This is actually going to be a conversation with the Directorate. They don't know where we are. This data stream will be run through several layers of obfuscation. Don't be worried about what you say. Despite appearances, we often cooperate with them.”

Seeing the incredulity on Leap Four's face, Hamish continues, “And despite our cooperation, we cannot afford to have their agents in Arcadia. If they could find us, the Directorate would likely close Arcadia, and the people living here would lose their homes. And I choose what I share with them very deliberately. If I were in their custody, they would be in a position to influence and benefit from all of my research, my inquiries. The sacrifice of your drive allowed you to come here without compromising any of that.”

Then the wall at the front of the room disappears, replaced by a black background. Four white birds soar onto the screen from its upper-right corner. When they reach the center of the screen, they become the four birds of the Vitalcorp logo. The logo centers over an official seal, a circle of embossed gold. Beneath the circle are the words
office of the ceo
, and beneath that is
secretary of join affairs
. After a few seconds, the logo and background fade, and the wall dissolves, becoming an opening onto another office. In that office, they face a narrow desk with a shine so brilliant it prevents them from clearly seeing the color of the wood beneath. On one side of the desk are four small flags; on the other side is a small bronze globe.

Despite the logo that warned him, Chance is startled to recognize the CEO of Vitalcorp and secretary of Join Affairs himself. The man sitting in front of them in the immaculately tailored, slate-gray, subtly pinstriped suit is Excellence Four, the Voice of Excellence. His perfectly sculpted face, square jaw, relaxed smile, and leonine white hair are recognizable from countless online images and news stories.

“Hello, Hamish,” he says amiably, his famous voice resonant and reassuring—confident, formal and intimate all at the same time.

“Hello, Excellence,” says Hamish.

“And this must be Leap, whom you've told me about,” says Excellence, “and Chance. Good to meet you both. I'm looking forward to working with you.”

“It's a pleasure to have an opportunity to talk with you,” Hamish says. “Might I suggest, I think it may be a good idea to start with an explanation for our guests. And then they may have questions.”

“Of course. We'll do it that way, then,” says Excellence. As Excellence continues, Leap and Chance each feel as though he is focused on them personally. “First, I want to thank you both,” he says, “and you particularly, Leap, for taking on this difficult challenge. As I'm sure Hamish has told you, the treatment is not guaranteed, but initial results are very encouraging.

“You're probably wondering why you're talking with me. Despite some differences, Hamish's group and the Directorate have a history of cooperation. Hamish has pioneered this particular technique. He takes the initial steps and makes an adjustment to the caduceus. After that, a new join procedure will be required as part of the treatment.

“While Hamish's facility can complete a join, Vitalcorp, indeed the entire world, is very interested in this technique. So after Hamish has done his magic with the caduceus, we will be honored to have you complete the treatment with a join procedure in our facilities. The best join facilities on the planet. That will help us better understand what he's doing. For the two of you, our involvement in this project means that it will have the full authority of the Directorate behind it. As a consequence, when this is over, there will be no obstacles to reintegrating with your old lives. You'll be helping us. We will be in your debt.”

Chance has a sensation of floating. When she says, “We're honored,” she means it. She's been reading research from top Vitalcorp scientists and medical teams, and from Excellence itself, for years. The opportunity to work with them directly, or even directly observe their work, settles in with a delightful thrill. But then there's a question of money.

“Sir,” she says, “this would be a very expensive effort.”

“There will be no charges,” says Hamish quickly.

“I am personally moved,” says Excellence, “by the willingness of both of you to take the risks you have already taken to find a treatment for your illness. From where I sit, you are both heroes. The Directorate honors heroes.”

Leap Four says, “If I may?”

“Of course,” says Excellence.

“I'm dying. So I am going to have this treatment, I believe. I don't feel that I have a choice. This conversation can't be about whether or not I choose to have the treatment. So the question under discussion seems to be whether I consent to having a part of the treatment, the join procedure—”

“The final part of the treatment,” Hamish says softly.

“Yes, the final part of the treatment,” Leap Four continues, “here, with Hamish, or in Directorate facilities. From my perspective, I would assume there are some benefits to being in a well-funded facility for the treatment. So I can benefit from working with the Directorate. But I'd like to understand why you're offering me this. What seems likely is that the Directorate would like me to use Directorate facilities so that you can learn more about how the treatment works. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Hamish confirms, “that's right.”

“If I stay here,” asks Leap Four, “what then?”

“Nothing,” Excellence says with patient, reassuring authority. “If you stay with Hamish for the join, you can still return to your old life. Your experience will not be any different, except, perhaps, in the quality of the care.”

Hamish says, “No matter what you choose, there will be no legal charges, nothing punitive.”

Excellence nods his agreement.

At first, Leap Four seems prepared with a swift reply, but she checks herself and then visibly concedes a moment to her exhaustion. Finally, in a voice that is surprisingly calm, she says, “I am concerned, after what I've seen.”

Excellence seems saddened. “Yes. I can see how you might feel that way. First, let me say that the stakes are very high here. It is probably not an exaggeration to say that the future of the human species is likely to be directly influenced by your actions. Flips are rare and have become increasingly so. We work to prevent them. It would be unethical for us to induce them artificially, and even if we tried, the nature of the network resists that kind of manipulation.

“You may not be aware of the experiments that were run around coercive joins? A distasteful and unfortunate episode for us. Also a complete failure. The quantum network is radically egalitarian. It does not respond to coercion or to our notions of power, status, or value. Within its embrace, each consciousness is equal, and it requires that a subject's conviction state be true. To join, one has to want to join. Who would choose to join if they believed the odds of a flip were high?