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Leaves from the tree of knowledge
In the morning, sharp as a bayonet, at nine o'clock, I was at the entrance to the third, most mysterious snowy sphere, trying to make a favorable impression on Marat Ibragimovich with my punctuality. I didn't want the lab demonstration to be postponed indefinitely again.
In the distance, I spotted a familiar figure with a cane, walking quickly with a slight limp. He approached, glancing suspiciously around. There was not a soul in sight. He took out his keys, opened the door slightly, and whispered.
— Mikhail, come in…
Afterwards, he peeked out from behind the door and locked it from the inside.
— This is the ACO modeling laboratory.
I looked around in surprise. The sphere was practically empty. Only two Turkish carpets with patterns lay in the middle, and between them stood… a hookah!!!
— What is this? Where is everyone? Where is the complex equipment?
— Believe me, Mikhail, what is in this room was not easy to obtain.
I tried to ask the question from a different angle.
— Marat Ibragimovich, please explain what ACO is and why it needs to be modeled?
— Not so fast! You will learn everything in due time. For now – please.
He nodded to the carpet. I carefully sat down, crossing my legs Turkish style. Marat Ibragimovich fiddled with the hookah, and after a while, we inhaled the aromatic white smoke. Remembering the incident with the abstracton, I tried not to inhale too deeply, lest something go wrong.
— Before talking about ACO, you need to feel it. Do you feel it?
I didn't feel much, but I agreed so as not to offend the respected scholar.
— ACO stands for Absolutely Free Object. Does this scientific term mean anything to you?
— Well, I know about Absolutely Black Body. I know about Absolute Zero. I've never heard of the object.
— I'll try to explain. First, we need to define a Free Object. A Free Object is one that occupies all allowable states simultaneously. In a Free Object, all internal and external variables take on all values at once. Like qubits in a quantum computer. Do you understand?
— With difficulty, but it seems…
Marat Ibragimovich took another puff of the aromatic white smoke.
— The question is what these permissible states actually are. A multitude of permissible states is determined by the constraints imposed on the Free Object.
— And where do these constraints come from? – I was becoming increasingly intrigued.
— Constraints arise from the interaction of Free Objects with each other. Constraints, in other words, represent structural connections.
Marat Ibragimovich took another drag from his pipe.
— Now that we've provided an intermediate definition, transitioning to the main point won't be too difficult. An Absolutely Free Object is a Free Object from which all constraints have been removed.
— But what is the point of all this reasoning?
— Understand that there are truly only two Absolutely Free Objects – the object from which reality originates, currently referred to as the quantum field or the non-local quantum source. And also, most importantly, human consciousness is also an Absolutely Free Object in the most canonical sense.
Satisfied with the results of the discussion, the gray-haired scholar exhaled smoke through his nostrils.
— But wait, Marat Ibragimovich, human consciousness has a lot of constraints.
— These are constraints not of consciousness, but of intellect, which in turn are caused by the constraints of the body. Consciousness, by its very nature, is limitless. Reaching this core of human nature, this pure foundation on which free will is based – that is the main task of this laboratory.
I think I'm starting to understand what's going on here.
— You see, Mikhail, all these minor quantum tricks with information recovery and randomness management are really just petty antics compared to what grants us access to the Absolutely Free Object. Currently, those who think big are winning, minimizing the constraints of the mind.
Marat Ibragimovich inhaled more than usual, coughed, and his face turned pale.
— There's… Ahem, ahem... something is blocked here, do you have a utility knife? We need to clear it... No? Well then, I'll go get one... I'll be quick.
The most advanced quantum computer
I was left alone and looked around once more. My head was spinning with thoughts. What on earth are they doing here with government money? Suddenly, I noticed something that wasn't in the other rooms I had explored the day before. I saw a door leading into a large sphere adjacent to the laboratory. That was where the quantum computer was located.
Curious, I got up from the Turkish rug. I was a bit unsteady — I had indeed inhaled a dose of strange smoke. The door was unlocked, and I stepped inside, expecting to see this marvel of modern physics and mathematics — a state-of-the-art quantum computer.
Inside the large sphere, it was completely empty. There wasn't even a speck of dust on the floor. Staggering, I walked around the entire sphere and found nothing that even vaguely resembled a computing device. Shocked, I stood in the midst of a vast white emptiness. Behind me, the door clicked shut.
— So, so... Looks like we wander into places we weren't invited to. Seems that's your life principle, Mikhail. To show up where you are least expected.
I turned around and saw Marat Ibragimovich. In one hand, he held a cane, and in the other, he tightly grasped a utility knife. The appearance and mood of the scientist did not bode well. There was a faint click, and a sharp blade gleamed at the tip of the knife.
— Where... Where is the quantum computer? — my tongue struggled to move, it seemed the poison had a delayed effect.
— The most advanced quantum computer is the human brain. This has already been scientifically proven. It’s about time for you, Mikhail, to study the current state of research in quantum physics.
— And this... wire...less neu...ro... interface — is it also a mere facade? Just plastic...?
Marat Ibragimovich did not answer but made an unexpected thrust forward and swung the utility knife. I barely managed to pull my neck away from the strike. The knife grazed my cheek, and I felt streams of blood.
— You little pup. A provincial upstart. Where did you even come from? Nastya and I were already about to get married. Well you bastard, your time has come. He lunged at me, my wobbly legs gave way, and we ended up on the floor. A utility blade gleamed just a centimeter from my eyes.
Escape
Suddenly, Marat Ibragimovich's gaze froze; he seemed to slump and fall to the side. I saw Nastya. She was holding a broken hookah in her hands. Nastya looked at the unconscious scientist and said, not without anger.
— The smoke got to his head... You can't take such heavy stuff regularly. Mikhail, how are you?
— I'm not great, but overall I'm fine. Nastya, you... you saved me.
— It's nothing, I wanted to do it for a long time... Old fool...
Nastya extended her hand to me. I got up and assessed my condition. My face was covered in blood, but everything else was intact. The smoky mixture was gradually clearing out, and I was coming back to my senses. Nastya stroked my cheek with her palm and wiped the blood with a handkerchief.
— Mikhail, after what happened, we only have one way out – we must run.
— Is it even possible? To run from such a serious organization?
I touched my burning cheek; it seems there will be a scar.
— I think it’s possible; I have a plan. We won't rush. Marat won’t miss us for a while. He used to spend days without leaving his lab. Let's go, we need to pack our things.
A small campfire on the shore
This didn’t look much like an escape. Nastya gathered her things – just one bag. I had no belongings at all. Trying not to draw too much attention, we left the town through the main gates.
Forty minutes later, we reached a remote stretch of coastline, sheltered from view by a tall rock jutting out into the sea. Night was approaching. We gathered some ragged driftwood and started a small fire.
Nastya was wearing the same dress that she had, or rather hadn’t, met me in two days ago. Now I could make out its color. It glowed a piercing crimson shade.
— Beautiful dress... You look great in red.
— You know... Misha... In the past, men would unfurl scarlet sails on masts to propose to a woman. But now, women drape themselves in scraps of those sails just to be noticed by someone...
Nastya bitterly smiled. I tried to steer the conversation away from the sad topic. Besides, I had many uncertainties and doubts swirling in my head.
— I still don’t understand how we will manage to hide from an organization that knows everything in the world and, moreover, has the power to control any events?
I have a theory. As you may have realized, Marat Ibragimovich's scientific group manages quantum effects by using human consciousness as a quantum tool. He himself told you about it. This means that he has access to only a part of reality that is controlled by the collective human consciousness of planet Earth. This is quite significant, but it is not the entirety of reality.
Huh?
I was trying to understand what Nastya was getting at.
Misha, we need to temporarily fall out of the realm of human consciousness. Simply put, we need to become wild beasts.
How are we going to do that?
Haven't you figured it out yet?
Nastya laughed her strange laugh and pulled a liter bottle of abstractgon from her bag. In the firelight, the green bottle looked particularly sinister. I was truly frightened, recalling that I had only taken two sips.
But Nastya was right. There was no other way.
We drank directly from the neck, passing the bottle to each other from time to time.
When there was less than half left in the bottle, Nastya and I once again locked eyes. I wanted to tell her that she was the most beautiful girl in the world. But from my chest only a malicious growl escaped. I reached out, grabbed Nastya by the neckline of her dress, and yanked it down with force. There was a rip of delicate red fabric.
In a moment, two partially naked bodies were wrestling and twisting on the beach, shaking off the tension that had built up over many years of serving society.
After a while, the bodies separated and vanished through the thorns in the direction of the mountains.
(to be continued: Protocol “Entropy”. Part 6 of 6. Never give up)
Source: habr.com
