Grace
It's late when Grace sends out the messages. College student late. College student pulling all-nighters late. So she doesn't really expect a response immediately, but apparently this could not wait until a more decent time of the morning.
Then again, she is sending these messages to Gadfly, who has erratic tendencies of his own, so who knows?
The encrypted texts that she sends to Ginger read like so:
Chimeric1 says: I know you are busy with Ginger and all, but I really need some advice.
Did you know about the zombies? If not, yeah, there were a couple of zombie attacks. One human, and one a pack of dogs. News said it was rabies. Yeah, no.
Chimeric1 says: I met this priest who put them down *twice* but the dogs really tore him up.
Okay, and this priest, he glows.
So, they put a guy like that in the ICU, right?
I'm thinking I need a shotgun or something.
Chimeric1 says: Priest guy is seriously freaky. It's like being in an interrogation room with him. I'm just saying.
Chimeric1 says: Anyway, sorry for freaking out at you. It's almost 4. I hope I didn't wake you up. I couldn't sleep.
How's Ginger?
Chimeric1 says: Oh yeah, and I hope you're doing well.
Andrew
Gadfly83 says: Zombies? I honestly didn’t think it was possible. Those things were supposed to be a hoax. A cultural sham. Not undead, just doped up and forced into servitude.
Next he’s sending a file. Several files actually, all in a compressed folder. Among them are a few which he has amended 'useful’ to the file names. Scans of books like ‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’ and an obviously unpublished document from someone at the University of Michigan entitled ‘Zombies: a scientific explanation’. The others all have to do with films and pop culture. He apparently doesn’t find these all that interesting, but has included them anyway.
Gadfly83 says: At least that’s what Wade Davis seams to have discovered.
Gadfly83 says: Are you sure they weren’t really just rabid? Hydrophobia affects the brain in strange ways. A flood of adrenaline might explain both unreasonable aggression and the ability to shrug off a wound.
Gadfly83 says: Glows? That sounds uncomfortable. Radiation?
Gadfly83 says: They attacked him? Bit him? Is he...y’know...showing any signs?
Gadfly83 says: I’d actually recommend a bite-proof suit more than a shot gun. Something durable, but light weight. Something you could still run-the-fuck-away in.
Gadfly83 says: You did wake me, but only because I fell asleep at the keyboard. So actually, thanks. Ginger’s running nicely. Something missing from the voice though. Can’t quite get the splices to sound natural. But unless I can hire the same voice actor, I guess I just gotta work with what I’ve got.
Grace
Chimeric1 says: The priest told me straight up that he buried one of his flock. Soon after, the guy's brother called, because bro was out of the grave clawing the door down. That does not sound like rabies to me. And I've got 3 eye-witnesses to the dogs saying the same thing. They looked dead, at the very least.
Chimeric1 says: The guy's name was Eduardo, was an illegal immigrant from Veracruz. Pan didn't tell me exactly how he re-killed the guy, but did say that the family hasn't reported any further 'incidents'. Body is buried. Don't know where, and I don't know about you, but I would rather not have a bot-infested body in my apartment.
Gadfly83 says: To acknowledge the shortcomings of society, the difference in yourself, and somehow maintain some semblance of civilization. Not the civilization you just came from though. Take 'Night of the Living Dead' They're locked in and have to overcome their differences to survive. And as a result they're changed by the time they get through it. But the moment they encounter that old society: BANG! Shot to the head.
Gadfly83 says: That's one used to piss me off for a while. I sorta got over it though.
Gadfly83 says: What do you think it feels like? I mean...do you think they'd actually know if they were?
Gadfly83 says: Alright, alright. No more undead. Well, no more discussing it. Lets just be prepared.
Chimeric1 says: Plus, you remember what I said about that bio-lab, right? They're looking at meshing nanotech and bodies. I made the observation that perhaps they were working on something in the lab, and oops, it worked a little too well, and ended up 'enhancing' people even after death. Or maybe that was the point of their research?
Chimeric1 says: Thanks for the files, I have actually already read The Serpent and the Rainbow. I'll start on the others right away.
Chimeric1 says: Maybe zombie is a poor choice of words. Reanimated?
Chimeric1 says: I really didn't want to say anything, but yeah, it is bugging me about them getting so close to the dogs. If it is something nanotech, they could be swarming with bots now and not know it.
Chimeric1 says: About the suit idea, I have no idea where to find something like that. Body Armor R' Us?
Chimeric1 says: Well, of course splices aren't going to sound natural. Too much of a difference at the edges. Have you tried pitch normalization? Of course, that might make her sound a bit robotic.
Andrew
Gadfly83 says: That definitely changes things. And the thought did cross my mind. So the conscious mind dies and the nanos set out to do some repair, including fulfilling established procedures.
Gadfly83 says: Dead guy digs himself up and...goes home. The same way drunk drivers do. There's no need for conscious thought, the location and route have a physical presence in the brains neural network.
Gadfly83 says: The dogs form packs and go hunting, because that's what's at their deepest selves. Instinct.
Gadfly83 says: But why the aggression though? The dogs I might understand, but the guy.
Gadfly83 says: What does that say about our core human selves?
Gadfly83 says: I'd like to know more. What do we know about this guy?
Gadfly83 says: Oh! Is he still out there? Shambling around maybe? Did the priest cut off the head and burn the body? Is there a body? Can we have it?
Gadfly83 says: Its more than just her voice. The backgrounds too clean. Think I'll try and get some recording of some office noise.
Grace
'Can we have it?' In the light of her laptop monitor, Grace's face twisted in disgust. Do what now? Obtain the body? There is a line, man, a line.
Chimeric1 says: I could ask some more about it...
Chimeric1 says: Why does the voice have to be so perfect? Why do you need office noise? Is this another something that I don't know about yet? Like the Vesuvius tablets?
Andrew
Gadfly83 says: Hm. Good point. And an illegal ought to be pretty hard to track.
Gadlfy83 says: I'll look into the defensive then. There's gotta be something out there.
Gadfly83 says: Because.
Gadfly83 says: Its cool.
Gadfly83 says: Half the things I've done, I've done because it was cool. Nifty. Fun. Don't really see the point of doing it otherwise. Oh, except for satisfying the basic human needs.
Gadfly83 says: Its like hunters and gatherers who shift to an agrarian lifestyle, and suddenly start charting the stars. Whats the need for that other than they're up there and they're cool looking.
Grace
Chimeric1 says: http://www.ppss-group.com/
Chimeric1 says: Should still, I don't know, subtly suggest the ones who got bit need to get tested.
Chimeric1 says: I really hate the zombie idea, you know, the way they're presented in media. The metaphors. Everyone's walking around mindless, and if you're not careful, you will be infected and made mindless too. And it's so hopeless. You're fighting this unending, hopeless battle against mindlessness. And it's just a matter of time before you lose.
It's like they're saying we're all being driven to mindless consumerism (mmm brains), and instead of fighting (because culture is already dead by the time the movie starts) we should just give up and learn to love McDonalds. We could fight back, but it's useless. It's propaganda. I think.
Chimeric1 says: You know, I hope the zombies in our case aren't 'catching'. That would be depressing.
Chimeric1 says: You do any cool things lately? I don't feel like obsessing about the undead anymore.
Andrew
Gadfly83 says: That stuff looks AWESOME! I'll dangle it in front of Gus and see if I can get him to bite.
Gadfly83 says: You know you're not a part of that crowd anymore, right? You've started down a path separate from them. You're a power user. You're the survivor. Usually those movies are about the survivors trying to adapt to a new culture, one that doesn't involve feeding off your fellow man. Both literally and figuratively.
Grace
Grace had to lift a brow at Gadfly. Dangle it in front of Gus, and see if he'll bite? And then talking about not feeding off your fellow man. Reanimated calling the zombie dead? Or maybe he just doesn't consider Gus a 'fellow' at all anymore. It's hard for Grace to share that opinion, having so recently left the likes of Gus behind.
Chimeric1 says: Do you just get Gus to buy you everything you need? I've never really figured that one out. How do you do that?
Chimeric1 says: Seriously, I would really like to learn how you do that. The bluetooth spec for the brain. Not that I want a Gus, but you know, fuzzing people's perceptions like that one time in Aurora? That was pretty cool.
Chimeric1 says: And you can overclock your brain? Multitask? I need some of that. Maybe I can make one part of my brain think about zombies, while the other part thinks about my thesis...
Andrew
Gadfly83 says: Not everything I need. Believe me, I wouldn't trust him with my grocery list. Just certain things that the whack-a-molers might raise an eyebrow at if they saw one of my credit card numbers attached to it.
Gadfly83 says: He's got poor impulse control. Naturally I mean. Doesn't have anything to do with me. I found him that way, I swear.
Gadfly83 says: Are you familiar with Benjamin Libets concept of "Free won't"?
Gadfly83 says: He goes to the same school as you, y'know.
Gadfly83 says: Gus, not Libet. Libet's dead.
Gadfly83 says: Has been for about four years off and on.
Gadfly83 says: Gus, I mean.
Gadfly83 says: At least, that's what his credit report says. I guess he's not too bright. He does a lot of the same classes over. And he's got a nasty weed habit.
Gadfly83 says: That's just one of his nasty habits, in fact, but we won't get into that.
Gadfly83 says: And every so often he sees something cool on TV or the internet, and before you know it he's on the line with a customer service agent, credit card in hand.
Gadfly83 says: Its proof of Libet's theory of free won't in that Gus doesn't have any free won't. Or very little of it anyway.
Gadfly83 says: If it weren't for him I'd have never heard of Strivers.
Gadfly83 says: Hardest part is getting it from him afterwards. He's been a little paranoid since the last break in.
Gadfly83 says: There's also Libet's Conscious Mental Field Theory, or CMF. That's mostly what we'll be working with for the second step. Only Libet stopped at the brain as the physical manifestation of the mind. We won't make that mistake.
And without waiting for an answer, he's sending over a file. This time with a pretty long label. "Unconscious Cerebral Initiative and the Role of Conscious Will in Voluntary Action" Where does he get these things? Where does he store them?
Gadfly83 says: Its a pretty dry read, but it'll come in handy. Its a fairly long road, one that might pull you away from your thesis work. But once you make that first step, its all rabbit holes and drink-me potions from there.
Gadfly83 says: How 'bout I send you some more stuff, you do some independent research, and I let you see a little bit of my cognitive OS. Figure it out in time and you'll be able to blast right through your thesis.
Grace
Chimeric1 says: You break into his house? To get your stuff? Isn't that dangerous? I mean, if you got caught...
Chimeric1 says: Maybe less dangerous than the other way, though, I hear you.
In the grand scheme of things, perhaps safety trumps a little moral grey area. It's why she broke the long-standing rule of no more malicious cracking. There wasn't malice involved, just the need for protection. And maybe a little intellectual stimulation.
The file gets decrypted, perused a bit...
Chimeric1 says: I would love some more stuff. I inhale more stuff.
And she does, she really does. The promise to see a bit of his cognitive OS has her nearly bouncing as well, even though it's been a while since she's slept last.
Chimeric1 says: Thing is, about my thesis, I really don't know what to do. I have figured it out. I just don't know how much I can expound on exactly, because of how I figured it out.
Chimeric1 says: My focus is simulations. My thesis is a plant sim. But you know, better than most. I was going down to the basics -- modeling photosynthesis and nitrogen fixing to promote growth and such, so it's a realistic biochem model? Anyway. There was always something wrong. Live data not matching the sim. Had to use magic numbers to get it to match. Not cool.
Chimeric1 says: And well, I bought a plant. I got my computer out, and started looking at it really hard. Did you know that the green pigments in plants are in a state of superposition at the moment of photon absorption? Yeah, they're using that to suck up more wavelengths and energy levels of light than is really known. Highly efficient. But then, I would expect nothing less.
Chimeric1 says: Trouble is, it helps the simulation be more realistic, sure. But I think I'm just going to have to magic number it. It sucks. I can't go and say outright what I know about the plant! At least I have a nifty way to get the right magic numbers now.
Andrew
Gadfly83 says: No! There's this junky. I don't know his name. He doesn't have ID. He breaks in, and takes the stuff. I buy it off him for cash.
Gadfly83 says: Did we talk about backlash yet? About reality asserting itself? You can't have a million dollars suddenly land in your lap because there are a million billion people who say it just doesn't work that way. Consensual reality, remember? Even when there's no one watching, reality will only stand so much fudging of the rules.
Gadfly83 says: Its important to always think of the work around. Even if its sometimes a lot more convoluted than going directly to the source. That kind of thinking, planning, plotting, could some day save your life.
Gadfly83 says: And in the end, these two serve a purpose. Sure it only benefits me directly, but that's one person more than before.
Gadfly83 says: Sorry, I'm not that good with the squishy bits.
Gadfly83 says: But maybe I can be. We can do an educational exchange. This month you, next month me.
Yes, month. He said month. Just how much reading was he planning to send? That's when it starts coming. File after file on nueorscience, low amplitude energy fields, bio-feedback, electro-kenisis, muscle memory, and even a couple on new age healing crystals.
Gadfly83 says: That should do for a start. By the way, what do all these have in common? They all lack that final step. They get so hemmed into their own scientific theories, their view of the world, and their personal belief systems, that they can't break beyond that wall of what they call impossible.
Gadfly83 says: So much potential. So much doubt.
Gadfly83 says: If they'd suggested that next step, no one would take them seriously. They'd get laughed out of their respective fields. So they go right up to the edge and in some cases highlight the limitations saying 'If only there were some way to overcome this thing that we all agree is impossible."
Gadfly83 says: And that works out pretty fine for them.
Gadfly83 says: That's your thesis. Give them the best plant simulation that a luser could ever come up with.
Gadfly83 says: Give them the horse. Save the Zebra for us.
Grace
Chimeric1 says: Yeah, we've talked about backlash. Remember that time you put a wormhole behind my head? And I screwed up the code to see it? It's like that, right?
Chimeric1 says: Squishy bits? You mean biology? I don't know how much I can help you there, but I can try. I don't have as much reading material on it. Plants are easy, though, they're simple. I can maybe show you a few things, sure.
She sends that last message just as even more reading material gets dumped in her lap.
Chimeric1 says: Where do you get all this? The files I mean.
Chimeric1 says: And how do you know they haven't broken the wall of the 'impossible' and are just hiding that, because they'd get laughed out of their respective fields? I mean, I'm doing that, aren't I?
Chimeric1 says: It still feels wrong somehow. I'm not a horse. I'm faking the horse. But I know we can't show our stripes.
Chimeric1 says: I think I'm going to name my plant Chloe. She's an ivy. Pretty superpositioned green.
Andrew
Gadfly83 says: Its like that sometimes. Sometimes its not. It may be the last great mystery of the universe for some of us. I've heard stories of people who pissed off reality so bad that they get sucked into different realities -- different dimensions or timelines sometimes -- just to maintain the stability of this one. Of course that's all high level, Gandalf the white type stuff, but the point is clear.
Gadfly83 says: I've been collecting files like these ever since I can remember. I digitize most things I can get my hands on too, but I don't go looking for much to be honest. I don't trust the libraries and their cards and their tracking of my reading habits. Its gonna sound paranoid but its really another part of the whole agenda. Knowledge is dangerous and they know it.
Gadfly83 says: I suppose I don't know that. I suppose that's what the techs do. They call it fringe science. We call it...well, the trads call it magic.
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