by Ivan Svogor
She forgot she was walking sound alone and said out loud, “wow, those are the hyper-bikes that can simulate the entire experience of bike riding anywhere in the world, and they’ve placed them in the augmented-reality rooms. With weather generators, smell generators, environmental sounds, and the whole package, that is something I need to try. I wonder how similar it is to a real bike ride. Computer, please reserve…”
However, her tour was interrupted by Dr. Quill’s message that there was a slight change in the schedule and that people have started gathering at the park, just outside his lab.
“Soon”, said Jess to herself, thinking about her bike ride. She sighed and accepted what followed. It wasn’t so much of a problem for her to meet new people, but that feeling when you were new somewhere, so everyone focuses on you, mingles, tells their name which you forget instantly. She started feeling anxious just by thinking of that, but she just had a deep breath and took a nearby robo-cart towards the lab.
* * *
A small indoor park was just across from where Dr. Quill had his laboratory. This was a typical academic facility with many offices, desks, experiment rooms, computer rooms, and so on. However, it seems that now, those were completely empty as there was murmuring coming from the park, along with some soothing musical tones.
Carlo was a young researcher in Dr. Quill's team, who was proud of his Italian descent and has fully embraced that culture of long ago. We were the man of the hour as he was preparing pizzas in a small fireless oven that could barely fit two pizzas to cook. He was telling everybody the chemistry of the yeast, how water and flour proteins are creating gluten, and why stretching the dough was so important. He had some interesting pizza-making moves and was making a show out of it.
Other people were just enjoying the pizzas and formed several circles and talked about different topics, and in one of those, there was Dr. Quill. From the distance, he seemed like a really funny guy who a lot of his colleagues and coworkers respect. While Jess didn't want to be invasive, she took a piece of pizza and listened to Carlo’s lesson. Similarly as Jess, Carlo was also a chemist but with a focus on biology, and while his lecture about the dough was correct, Jess did have some questions about the details of chemical bonds. Once again, her train of thought was interrupted by Dr. Quill who asked the crowd for some attention.
“Excuse me,” he said, “dear colleagues, it is my pleasure to introduce you to our latest staff member, Dr. Winson. She is one of the best computational chemists you can find on this planet, though you can find some pretty competitive on the space and moon stations.” - there was a slight laugh from the audience and Dr. Quill continued. “Jess wrote the paper on the chemical bonds and expansion potentials of silicon-based molecules, which by now, I hope all of you have read. This work is very important for our latest discoveries, and we hope to pick her brain while she is with us and produce some interesting results. So, in the following weeks, please, let's make Jess feel at home, comfortable and provide you with great experiences so she will remember us in good light, and maybe, visit more often.”
Now, everyone looked at Jess, some nodded, some said welcome Dr. Winson, while a short Asian guy approached her suddenly, hugged her and said wished her welcome, before vanishing again in the crowd to grab a new batch of pizzas Carlo made.
As the evening progressed, Jess felt more at home and actually felt very positive that she will be working with all those wonderful people.
However, the welcoming party was briefly interrupted by a shimmering ground and blinking lights. Jess was alerted for a bit, everyone else briefly stopped in their talks, and then, continued as nothing happened. Jess saw a staff member bring up a tablet to Dr. Quill and both of them walked away to the lab. She didn't make much of it, as most of the other people didn't.
Eventually, she decided she had enough company for the first day and headed over to her room.
Chapter 4
Back at the easy-room, she adjusted the bed preferences, checked her messages, responded to several of them, and made a quick call to her parents. The holo-projectors in her room were a bit better than the ones her parents had, so she had the full experience of them being in her room. After the call was over, she realized she didn't eat that much and decided to find some late-night snacks, and also she was a bit too excited to sleep. She went through the facility itinerary, and found a gym with a swimming pool and decided to take a brief swim first, and eat afterward. She loved the feeling of appetite that follows after a good swim.
When she got there, she changed into her sport swimming suit, adjusted and connected her neuro-implant with the holo-projectors in the swimming hall and brought back some of her best swimming statistics. The projectors then displayed another Jess in the water, and the race was on!
Unlike with running, Jess could not keep up with her younger self, and just as she was about to pick up in tempo, all the lights went off for two seconds while simultaneously in the pool she heard and felt a deep humming as if an earthquake, or a whale was just beneath her. She didn’t give it much thought and continued swimming, thinking that probably something was happening in the lower decks. Maybe it’s renovation she thought, or maybe the volcano does that sometimes.
Jess turned on her back and started a relaxing backstroke, when suddenly the shimmer repeated, however this time a bit longer, and a bit scarier. On the Richter scale, she thought to herself, that is at least a 3. In reality, it was probably closer to 2 but she was surprised by the stone-cold face of Dr. Quill.
“Ah, there you are. Enjoying yourself?”, he asked.
“I couldn’t sleep so I decided to take a swim. What’s happening here? It’s a bit”
“scary?” - he finished her sentence. “Yes!” She replied. “What is it?”
“I assumed that you could have guessed what that is, considering where you are.”, said Dr. Quill. She looked at him briefly and asked, “before you said that the part of the data you collected has limited access, and I also heard some rumors. Is it true that you’re hiding some data collected here?”
“Hiding? Nah, we are not hiding anything, nearly preventing panic”, he replied.
“What panic?”, she asked. “is the volcano going to erupt?”
“No, no, the volcano has nothing to do with it”, he responded. “Jess, it’s the Rock. In the days that follow, you will be finding a lot of new things and you will also need to learn new things. All of us did. We have a lot of weird data coming in from our equipment. While it is insightful and suggestive, we are struggling with explaining everything. That’s why you’re here. In the meantime, we are holding back its publication, because it could be interpreted, let’s just say in a way that could make some people uncomfortable."
“You’re saying that the Rock is the source of those small earthquakes? How can that be?”, said Jess, a bit annoyed.
“Yes, yes, getting there. So, look around yourself. You’re at the south pole and it’s very, very cold. Not the best place for exciting chemistry, right? However, we are near an extinct volcano that still packs some heat closer to the surface than it normally is.”
Dr. Quill stopped for a moment and Jess encouraged him to continue, “I’m following, please continue."
“A huge part of the Rock is close to the very hot part of the volcano, and at those places the Rock is very reactive. Interesting things happen and sometimes, those interesting things seem almost like movement”, said Dr. Quill casually.
“Are you implying that the Rock is moving”, asked Jess terrified and surprised at the same time.
“We have major differences, and I would say issues with our equipment and reading the data it collects, so we are hoping that you tell this. In the meantime, we think it actually is moving”, responded Dr. Quill.
Jess's brain was on fire now. She completely forgot she was in the swimming pool and looked around to fetch a writing surface.
“But in my models, this should never happen, you would need to add much more heat, reduce
oxygen, and many other things".
The computer in the swimming arena had solid artificial-reality projectors that were displaying her projection swimming. Using her neural implant she pressed a bone behind her ear to control it, and said to the computer to bring out the simulation charts from her latest paper, however to increase the heat factor by 3 and reduce the oxygen to 1%. The model changed its original shape, however not much was happening in the simulation part.
“Computer, reduce the oxygen to 1%, and increase silicon to silicon bonding probability to 80%”, said Dr. Quill, and then, her simulation started moving like a fluid suspended in mid-air.
“Of course, it makes sense”, said Jess. “Hmm, but if we had this situation, that would mean that the Rock can grow. Assuming that it can grow, and if we consider the variables as you’ve defined them, it would be rather fast. Actually. Hmm, yes, that would double it in a few years.”
“Very good Jess”, said Dr. Quill, “very, good. I’m happy that I’ve made the correct choice for my new associate.”
“But that cannot be, so. Those numbers are too steep. Right?”, asked Jess.
“That is one of our concerns, currently, our sensors are showing something that’s really close to those numbers, yet our math and science doesn’t seem to successfully describe what’s happening”, said Dr. Quill.
“At first we suspected our knowledge about life building blocks, then we thought that our experiments were faulty, we exchanged different sets of equipment that were personally overseen by the Councilor of Environment. Now, we started developing our own sensor array. My team is in charge.”
“That’s rather interesting”, said Jess, “however, I’m still not convinced that that data shouldn’t be available. The implications of growth of the Rock aren’t revolutionary at all. I mean, it is a life form that is different from everything else on Earth, but nothing that should be threatening in the eyes of people.”
“It’s not just that”, said Quill. “What would you call a thing that is capable of growth, let’s assume, reproduction, and also that it is capable of directing it’s growth. Let’s go even further, say you threaten that, you apply some destructive energy to it, and then that energy source gets destroyed. What are we talking about”
Jess froze for a second, and Dr. Quill raised his eyebrows, smiled and headed outside. Then suddenly it hit Jess so she said it out loud, “awareness of the surroundings, that’s consciousness!”
Chapter 5
The rest of the evening, Jess thought about this until she finally fell asleep. She woke up pretty happy, as her brain finally realized what Hank was saying back in the har. She remembers that she was amazed by the research facility, however, she did catch something with the corner of her ear. Just as she thought to herself that she should call him, she realized that she will be late, so she prepared for work partially watching her favorite show that made her laugh.
On the way to the lab, she took some coffee, and since it was her first day at work, she also took a huge muffin, kind of embarrassed, but she decided to have a cheat day. In the lab, Dr. Quill was already there and offered her a cup of coffee, just as he realized that Jess was holding one in her hands.
“Well now, you like to start things early?” - asked Dr. Quill.
“Yes”, responded Jess, “particularly when someone drops a cliff-hanger at me."
Dr. Quill smiled and said, “well then, let's not keep you waiting. Let's go.”
Jess asked, “where are we going? Aren't we going to make a research plan first?”
“You must see the beast first, it's like an initiation here.” - answered Dr. Quill.
Jess realized that they are about to go several decks down and take a look at the meteorite that struck Earth almost a century ago now. Her heart started beating and she was so excited she forgot her bag, laptop, and everything.
They arrived at an elevator, and as they were entering, Dr. Quill pressed a semi-hidden button which scanned his retina, face, and palm, and once the verification passed through, the elevator greeted them.
“Good morning Dr. Quill, I see you have a company. As you are about to enter a restricted zone, would you want me to proceed?” The elevator security system asked.
Dr. Quill said, “of course, this is Dr. Winson and she will be with us for some time. Please, add her to the visitor access control so she can access all the restricted research facilities." The elevator scanned Jess’s retina, face and palm, and said, “Dr. Quill your request has been executed. Welcome Dr. Winson.”
The elevator took them to the lower levels and when the door had opened, it revealed a huge hall, almost the size of sporting arenas, and a glassy rock with sharp edges emerging from a giant piece of ice. The elevator area led them to the research labs that were isolated by several layers of hardened glass, but otherwise, on the other side, it was visibly cold. There were a couple of researchers right next to the edges of the Rock performing some measurements with various instruments and they were dressed as if hiking across the hills and craters of the Moon.
Jess was speechless as she only ever saw the images, and never really got to witness how the Rock looked in person. As her thoughts went away for a while, she realized that Dr. Quill asked her a question, but she didn't really hear him.
“Excuse me?” - she asked, confused.
Quill smiled and said, “I guess that is the proper reaction for a first-timer.”
Jess smiled back and apologized.
“We have a presentation for you, of our latest data, and research that has been going on, and then, I would suggest a brief external walk around the Rock. Dr. Lee Xi will show you how to get dressed, what tools do we use, and show you the sensor array we have been putting around it. Then, tomorrow, you can pass by my office in the afternoon with a draft of the plan, we can compare notes and create a new one together. The plan you have proposed several weeks ago is good, and it got you here, however, now when you have new information, I guess that your ideas have shifted a bit.”
Lee came and said hello to Jess and then she realized that he was the guy that gave her an awkward hug yesterday. However, by the way, he walked, behaved, and talked, she realized he is one of those guys that no matter what they do, they are funny. Since a member of Dr. Quill's team, she had no doubts that he is an expert in whatever he does, but he was also a very funny guy with a sunny disposition.
As they were entering the lab, Lee stood up to greet Jess and Dr. Quill said “I believe you have met Lee here."
Lee blushed a bit, and as he was about to say something, Jess interrupted him by saying, “yes, we met yesterday."
Dr. Quill continued, “he is one of our leading sensor-electronics engineers here that is setting up a sensor array, and that will help us monitor the rock even better, and collect data without having to suit up each time. Also, we are hoping that with this new sensor array, and your input we will get rid of our suspicious mismatch between the theory, sensing and experiments that I’ve mentioned already.”
“Yes, sir, we are at 87 percent”, said Lee. “Just a week or so and we will be good to go. At the moment, we can reliably collect data from the light sensor array, micro-movement detection grid and the quantum potential field sensor are already feeding data. Continuously for the past few days.”
“Very good Lee”, Dr. Winson said and asked, “would you like for Lee to provide you with a tour of our lower decks here?”
“Sure, but don't we need to create a research plan?” - asked Jess.
“We do, but here I don’t like to obstruct good ideas and brain-picking with formal plans and deadlines. I would prefer that you get to know people and find something that really gets you going. As long as you know our goal. So, for now, if you are up to it, Lee can babysit you for today, he can show you his work, and in fact, you could go outside and take your own samples if you like. Also, the two of you need to work together on the data collection protocol, so that Carlo can properly sample the inputs and give you what you need
.”
Jess paused for a second and said, asked, “go outside and get samples of the Rock? I cannot believe it”
“Yes, yes”, said Dr. Quill, “I know you can’t. Just get over it and go to work”
“Yes sir”, she said delightedly.
* * *
The rest of the day was very exciting for Jess. For a brief moment, she forgot about her feelings about the chemistry that she lately had and the work at the Antarctic research facility seemed to ignite the spark of her interest again. A lot of new things were, wherever she turned or whatever she asked. The unique position of the rock in Antarctica, deep under the ice, while resting on a volcano seemed to produce completely new chemical compounds and reactions that really make little sense. She almost felt like she was back at school.
Lee and Jess also discussed the data formats that would be most suitable for her models, sample collection rates, environmental conditions, error modeling, and so on. Jess’s work was mostly based on a tensor of gradients that modeled changes of a hyper body in a hyper-dimensional space, depending on various changes of a large number of incoming variables. With this, she could precisely model the behavior of the Rock, its movement, and possibly growth. The trick is that no one really understood why those models work and such chemistry exists.
