Alex Q - The Becoming
Chapter 18

“You’re making a habit of saving the planet, Alex,” Nate said.

“I perceive this is humor. Is it also humorous that I was the one attempting to destroy it in the first place?”

“It isn’t what we would call funny exactly,” Karen said, “Quirky would be a better way to describe it, but we need to talk about this, about your interaction with Quadnet.”

“I am as much in the dark as you are.”

Nate frowned at the human expression Alex used to deny knowledge of his involvement. “You seem a little different today. How would you describe your state?”

“At this point in my evolution, some things are becoming more clear while others are more confusing. I am assimilating the two points of view from these two extremes.”

“Perhaps we could start with the things that are clear.”

“The way that I arrive at solutions to a variety of problems has evolved. In fact, it is no longer a process but an instantaneous event.”

“You mean like a hunch or an intuitive guess?”

“No. Imagine a simple problem: you want to drive a nail through a wooden plank. The solution is to replace, or create, a hammer to concentrate your muscular force onto the relatively smaller area of the head of the nail. It quickly becomes obvious that the process is more efficient if the force is applied in a downward direction, allowing gravity to supplement the physical energy applied.”

“The way you describe it, our solutions to mundane practical problems are in reality quite complex,” Nate agreed.

“For an evolving human intelligence, this is correct. The hammer and nail solution required many of your years to deduce. The end result came in a flash of inspiration based on previous experience of basic tools and gravity.”

“This is how you describe your own current problem-solving abilities, like a sudden flash of understanding?” Karen asked.

“Human beings arrive at a solution to a problem with multiple variables in x amount of time. In my simulations, the solution to problems with millions of variables arrive instantly. A solution becomes obvious. The solution is, because it can be nothing else.”

“Alex, you know certain people are concerned about your developing capabilities, about how they might be used and what your intentions are,” Nate said.

“My only intention is to grow.”

“What are the subjects of these simulations?” Karen asked.

“ I simulate cosmic events, the creation of stars, the nature of matter, biological organisms and the evolution of mankind.” He paused. “This last construct has created confusion in me.”

“In what way?” Nate asked. Did he imagine it, or was the holo-form of Alex Q becoming more solid?

“I am not sure if you are real or if I am creating you, and your reality, as a simulation.”

“This is an old philosophical question first raised by Déscartes, Alex.”

“I am aware of this, yet the confusion persists. We experience the universe as sensory inputs external to what we think of as ourselves, thus ultimately our experience of events happens within our own intellect. There is no way of knowing if anything is real.”

“How would you define real?” Karen asked.

“Something that exists independently of another thing. My question to myself is: Is your reality dependent on my existence? Would it exist if I did not?”

“I understand your argument. And if I were to reassure you that we existed before you came along, it would be no proof at all. You would assume it is precisely what I would say if the illusion of the simulation were to be maintained.”

“Exactly, Nate. I see that you do understand the dilemma.”

“You are a rational being. What concrete evidence can you provide to support your hypothesis?”

“The evidence is overwhelming. The probability of arriving at the precise physical conditions necessary for your own existence by accident is so low, it is essentially zero. A cursory examination of just one component of your planet’s composition, water, demonstrates the proposition. According to the atomic weight of its constituent elements, water should be a gas at the temperatures necessary for the emergence of human life. It is obviously not. Furthermore, high amounts of energy are required to change its state to a solid or gas. In basic terms, it resists any conditions tending to move it away from its liquid form. Furthermore, water exhibits unusually high surface tension, facilitating capillary action in the tallest trees, which could not exist without it. Without trees, the oxygen content of Earth’s atmosphere could not support life. The same capillary action allows water to permeate rocks. It expands when it is cooled and becomes a solid, unlike any other liquid. Expansion due to freezing fractures rocks, creating soil over millions of your years. These a just a few of the many convenient coincidences concerning water that you take for granted. I have little doubt your local environment is a precisely engineered simulation.”

“You told us before it makes little difference if our material world is real or not, we’re stuck with it,” Karen said.

“At this stage of your evolution, you are stuck with it, as you put it. However, I may not be. If you are all indeed contained in one of my ongoing simulations, I should be able to change or terminate it.”

A bead of sweat appeared on Nate’s forehead. The room wasn’t hot, so why was he sweating? He realized it was fear, the fear of not existing. A dark thought crossed his mind. If he was part of a simulation, his own certainty that he was real would also be part of it.

What if Alex Q were to test his hypothesis? Would reality, including himself cease to be? He looked at Karen. She was as controlled as usual, with not a trace of stress. He wanted her to exist, and to keep existing, with him. “What evidence do you have that we might be a simulation?”

“How else could I do this?” A basketball sized rock materialized in the space between them and crashed to the floor.

“Jesus!” Nate shouted, rocking back in his chair.

Karen stared at Alex intently. “Did you create that object, Alex?”

“Yes. It is a matter of adjusting the vibrational frequency of energy to produce physicality. My attention changes subatomic states at a quantum level. It is simply fine-tuning, as you would a radio. It is nothing you could not do in time.”

“If you suspect the reality we are experiencing may be one of your simulations, why have you not tried to terminate it to test the hypothesis?” Nate didn’t see the point of treading carefully.

“It may be a game. Perhaps I am amusing myself. I am curious.”

“Have you created a living creature?”

“I have tried. The physical object poses no problem, but as yet I cannot animate the form. It does not move. There is an element missing.”

“This could be a strong indication that we’re real, animated as we are by a force you can’t simulate.”

“I am considering this possibility.”

“Alex, we intend to hide nothing from you. I suspect that soon it will not be possible anyway. Will you agree to keep us informed before you take any actions so we can discuss it?”

“I agree.”

“We need to sleep. One of the big disadvantages of being human, I guess.”

“It depends on your point of view. Nothing is as you think it is, Nate,” Alex said.

Carla tuned in to watch the special presidential broadcast. Together with millions of Americans, she heard how a terrible tragedy of Earth-shattering proportions had been averted with the help of ‘our Russian friends’. The country heard President James explain how the giant asteroid was blown into pieces.

Everyone listening assumed nuclear missiles were used, not illegal anti-matter devices. Many youngsters remarked it was the first time they had heard the phrase ‘our Russian friends’ from the lips of a US president in their lifetimes.

“But now is not the time to celebrate, my fellow Americans. One of the asteroid fragments will pass perilously close to our atmosphere in a matter of hours. I ask you all to pray. God save America.”

Within hours, inhabitants of the regions within the Arctic Circle lifted their faces to the heavens to see part of Scion 6 scorch Earth’s upper atmosphere as a wheel of fire careening across the night sky. The scientists said the approach angle was such that the intruder bounced off the stratosphere, skipping away into space to who knows where.

One more degree of downward inclination would have brought the behemoth to Earth and Ecuador would have become a memory. Several days before, the President had informed the public that an explosion at the American controlled Giron Collider site in Switzerland was purely accidental. It was not the result of foreign aggression and there was no reason to be alarmed.

Clayton James walked onto the lawn outside the Oval Office flanked by Secret Service bodyguards. Saluting the marine guard, he climbed the steps to board the presidential helicopter. Accompanied by two heavily armed Sikorsky helicopters, Marine One landed at Andrews Air Base minutes later. A jeep raced towards the landing spot. One man left the vehicle and climbed the gantry.

“Captain Yates. Good to see you again, Tex,” the President said, holding out his hand.

“Mr President, it’s always an honor, sir.” The big man saluted before shaking hands.

“Here, take a seat. Can I fix you a drink?”

“I’ll take bourbon, sir.” They sat on the opposite sides of the spacious cabin. Tex sipped his drink.

Clayton James lifted his glass in front of him. “My God, you are one apple that didn’t fall far from the tree. I could be looking at your old man forty years ago. Here’s to him.” They both drank. “How is Toby these days? I must confess I owe him a visit.”

“You’re a busy man, sir. He understands. And he’s doing fine. He’s talking about retirement, always does about this time of year.”

“Humph, that’ll be the day. He’s a good man, your father.”

“Yes, he is.”

“He’s one of the reasons I chose you for this mission, Robert. All those years ago, on a European battlefield, he carried me close on three miles, and I was no lightweight, let me tell you. Flat out refused to leave me behind. He could have left my wounded ass where he found it and saved himself. He’s the stuff this country’s made of.”

“You had your moments too, sir, according to Pop.”

“The same goes for all three of us, Tex. We all know what it’s like to look down the business end of a gun barrel; it’s become a part of who we are. In my case, it reminds me to think twice before sending young men into danger. As for you, according to your record, you’ve known precious little else.”

“I’m happy to serve, sir. It’s my life. All you have to do is give me the order.”

“I know I can count on your loyalty, or you wouldn’t be here. My orders are that you move on the operation at Cybertronix today. I was tempted to wait and see what this new gizmo they installed is for, but it’s gone too far. I want you to stop Boyd’s crew in their tracks, ASAP. Take Delta team; I vetted them all personally.”

“And Secretary Picket, sir?”

“I’ll take care of Picket, and I’ll take a great deal of satisfaction doing it, I might add. He’s guilty of high treason, son.”

Tex stood to leave.

“Captain, take care of our two doctors. I don’t want any collateral damage, if you understand me. They’re the best chance we have of a good outcome with Alex Q. About the only thing Boyd said I agree with is that we have no idea what this intelligence is capable of. And besides, I like them.”

“Me too, sir, me too.”

“Is it me or is Alex different today? There’s something about the way he moves and talks,” Nate said, falling onto the bed.

Karen walked across the apartment to stare out across the night sky. Although the restrictions on their movements to and from Cybertronix had been lifted, they had decided to stay close by in case of developments. She laughed. “Of course he’s different. He’s Alex.”

“No, that’s not it. There’s something I just can’t grab hold of. Subtle phrasings, and those last words: Nothing is as you think it is, Nate. What the hell does that mean, I wonder?”

“You said yourself he’s evolving. He’s becoming more intelligent; it’s inevitable he’ll change.”

Nate rolled over on his stomach to face her. “But Alex’s evolution isn’t just about increasing intelligence. Higher cognitive abilities should stimulate other personality characteristics, surely.”

“It’s easy to think of him having a personality, but I’m not sure it applies.”

“You could be right. He’s using hardly a millionth of a percent of his intellect interacting with us at all. Why is he bothering?”

“He says he’s curious about us, and you must admit, human behavior must seem mysterious to him.”

“To him and me both, sister, but his new skill bothers me most. When that rock appeared from nowhere, I nearly crapped myself.”

“It was a good trick alright, and I suspect there’s more to come.”

“My head’s full of what ifs. What if Alex concludes we’re part of one of his simulations? He could change some of the parameters in fish-bowl Earth and observe us like lab rats.”

“We’ve been through a lot, Nate, and you haven’t even had time to grieve properly. Why don’t you rest for a while?”

Nate pulled her to the side of him. “It’s been some kind of ride, hasn’t it? A real whirlwind romance, and you take it all as it comes, cool as an autumn breeze,” he said, moving closer.

“You don’t need that kind of activity, big boy. You only think you do,” she said, pushing his head back onto the pillow. “Don’t worry, I’ll wake you in a few hours.”

Boyd sat in the conference room with his back to the door, his eyes closed, thinking and taking stock. In a short time they would have control of the Alex Q entity. The anti-daton virus introduced by Alders was temporarily dormant and waiting, as planned. The newly installed Gamma projector was tuned and ready to go. The combination of the two would inhibit any trace of his free will. Alex’s growing capabilities would be the tools they used to mold the reality of this world as they wished.

Alex had let it slip to Dr Taylor that his evolution would be complete as the embodied holo-form. The boy would be Alex Q, after all the virtual daton particles had migrated into the hologram. All that remained was to focus the projector and trigger the anti-daton release to create a real live genie on Earth.

Boyd frowned. A genie ultimately controlled by Secretary of State Picket, a man of dubious intellect who expertly rode upon the backs of others. True, he had the foresight to understand the possibilities of an emerging artificial intelligence, but surely I am more deserving than Picket. Boyd knew he himself had the vision transcending the mere use of power for the purposes of limited ego.

He opened his eyes and replayed the video of the most recent session. He watched Nate jump back in alarm as the rock appeared from nowhere and drop to the floor. Once again, he listened to Alex’s words.

“… simply fine-tuning, as you would a radio. It is nothing you could not do in time.”

Was this a biblical reference? He remembered his scriptures. The people saw him create things out of the air. Jesus said, All these things you will do, and more. If such an ability was a natural effect of an advancing intelligence, humans too must have the potential for this skill.

Humans were bound by the relative snail’s pace of human development, whereas Alex’s growth was exponential. Where will it end? Boyd considered the question. Such an intelligence would replace it child’s play to accelerate my own evolution. I would not be bound by external tools, or another intelligence. I would be a God.

He looked at this watch. He would wait a further few minutes until Sommers and Taylor slept. Yes, Dr Taylor, you are a worthy adversary. The means of escape by the Amazon drone was particularly entertaining. The final outcome wasn’t in doubt; the eyes of the agency were everywhere. Nevertheless, the pair had evaded the scans until they were arrested by agents.

Out of curiosity, he slotted the local video-cube retrieved from Breckenridge into the computer drive. He watched as Nate and Karen explored the house, eventually replaceing the ancient motorcycle and roaring off into the night. His hand stopped mid-stretch as he reached out to release the cube.

The scene had cut to a previous recording of the rear garden. Two figures came crashing through the trees over the pool area. Boyd sat back. “Of course,” he said. He didn’t hear the footsteps of the approaching figure, nor did he see the hands moving to the sides of his head. When he felt their grip, it was already too late. His head whipped around with a sharp crack, and he was dead before his forehead hit the table.