Hoyer shook his head. “But he never returned. He was killed in an accident while driving a rental car. An accident so bad that the car turned into a fireball. The rental car was in his name, and the teeth on the skeleton that remained matched the dental records of Bryce Aronson.”
“Impressive,” said Reed. “Not many civilians can fake their deaths so convincingly.”
“But a brilliant psychopath could,” said Allie.
“When did you learn he was still alive?” asked Reed.
Hoyer’s features darkened. “Five months later,” he said, his tone suddenly grim. “At the same point I learned about the nanites.” The major’s face transformed into a mask of seething hatred. “When this psychopathic bastard sent swarms of them to digest every member of the group into their constituent atoms. When he wiped the entire team off the face of the Earth.”
“What?” whispered Allie.
“You heard me,” said the major.
“And the nanites can do that?” said Reed. “They can . . . digest people?”
“Dismantle or melt might be the better term,” said Hoyer. “Think of an ice cube hitting a pot of boiling water.” He shook his head in disgust. “You asked why I used the past tense in describing ET Ops. It’s because there is no more ET Ops. I’m ET Ops. The lone survivor, and only because I was overseas at the time he wiped out the group, and he wasn’t aware I had become part of it.”
His eyes burned with rage, and Allie understood just how he felt. It was how she felt about Abraham Sena.
But while Sena had ruined her life, he hadn’t murdered scores of people in the most horrible way imaginable. So Hoyer’s hatred had to be even greater than her own.
In a contest of who was the more dangerous psychopath, Bryce Aronson would be the clear winner.
27
Hoyer downed the remaining half of his goblet of wine in one long swallow. Reed noticed Allie eyeing the wine bottle longingly, but she took a long draw of water and made no move to reach for it.
“Skipping ahead,” continued Hoyer, gathering himself, “I spent nearly a year tracking this murderous prick down. Since no one but ET Ops knew about ET Ops, and the general in charge had been killed, I retained all the power I had previously. The power to tap into satellites, intel agencies, and so on. Even so, Aronson was masterful at staying off the grid. When I finally found him, I was able to spy on him for a short while using housefly-drones and other means. Which is how I learned what I know about the nanites.
“Let me tell you about them, and then I’ll return to the thread I was on. First, I have no idea what they’re doing here on Earth. Or how they got here. Or who sent them. But, apparently, they were quiescent on their undersea perch in the Adriatic, and were probably meant to stay that way.
“It turns out that Aronson actually solved FTL communication. As a scientific matter, this is a stunning advance. One that revolutionizes everything we know about physics.”
Allie’s eyes widened. “That’s an understatement,” she said in awe. “It would earn an automatic Nobel Prize.”
“Still,” continued Hoyer, “as a practical matter, it won’t be that huge of a deal until we’re an interstellar species. Or, at the very least, we’ve colonized our Solar System. The speed of light is plenty fast enough for communication around our little planet. If FTL tech was used, it would cut signal lag times for calls between here and Australia, true, but it isn’t a must-have.” He nodded at Allie. “And before you object, Dr. Keane, I realize I’m oversimplifying, and the implications of the tech go far beyond just reducing lag times.”
“Far beyond,” agreed Allie. “In fact, this discovery should quickly lead to encryption that is truly unbreakable, even by a quantum computer.”
Hoyer shook his head. “That was the first thing Aronson tried. But the system behaved differently than the mathematical models. He couldn’t get it to work.”
He let this hang in the air for several seconds and then continued. “But to move on, it turns out there were two unforeseen consequences of Aronson’s discovery of a quantum communications system. The first was that it allowed him to detect the nanites. But when he retrieved them, they were inert. Inactive. Only later, when he returned home with them and conducted a planned experiment with his FTL system, did they transform from quiescent to active.”
“Are you saying his quantum communication system was the trigger?” said Allie.
“That’s right.”
“And you know this how?” asked Reed. “Based solely on what you learned from spying on Aronson?”
“Yes. But the real question is, where did he learn it from? The answer is that he learned it from the nanites themselves.”
Allie’s eyes bulged. “What are you saying? That he found a way to communicate with them?”
“Well, it was more the other way around. And yes, he communicated with them. With an alien AI that emerged when the nanites became active. The AI confirmed that the use of his FTL communications system caused the nanites to activate. Still, the AI was rarely forthcoming. Most often it refused to answer Aronson’s questions, picking and choosing what it was willing to reveal. Still, this interaction enabled him to quickly learn about the nanites’ capabilities. And what the AI refused to disclose, he could often learn experimentally, or through trial and error.”
“So they obviously possess some form of distributed intelligence,” said Allie.
“That’s right. But the AI wasn’t nearly as impressive as Aronson had expected. Given how spectacularly advanced the nanites are, he believed their distributed artificial intelligence should easily be able to rise to the level of what he called superintelligence. He believed the alien AI should be almost godlike in its omniscience. But as it stands, it isn’t much brighter than the best one that we have. Our most elite special forces personnel are given access to this AI, which resides at the NSA, and they use it as a personal assistant. In conjunction with smart contacts. An exclusive club to which Commander Reed belongs, by the way.”
Reed nodded. “I call the AI Eve, as a matter of fact.”
“Eve?” said Allie. “As in Adam and Eve?”
“Well, I like to think of it as Zachary and Eve,” he replied with a grin. “But yes. So named because she’s the first of her kind.”
“Interesting choice,” noted Allie.
“Eve and I aren’t in communication any longer, unfortunately,” said Reed. “Not after Chen removed my contacts.”
“You must be feeling a little lost, Commander,” said Hoyer. “Like a normal person not having access to their phone, times ten. Because it’s really a cell phone in your eye, linked to an AI, a supercomputer, and the internet. Pretty addictive stuff.”
“If I look closely,” responded Reed, “I can see contact lenses in your eyes, Major. Can I assume these are also smart lenses?”
“They are. Although hooked into a supercomputer more discreet than the one at the NSA.”
“When I eventually do get another pair,” said the commander, “what will Eve tell me about you?”
“My face won’t be in any database,” replied Hoyer. “Eve will report that there are no known safe houses in Henderson, Nevada. The AI won’t have any knowledge of ET Ops, or anything like it. You’ll find that Aronson’s involvement with the government or military was never suspected, nor were his less savory characteristics. Finally, Eve will report that there are rumors that he didn’t actually die in a car crash, but without anything definitive to substantiate them.”
“You’re certain of all this?”
“Absolutely,” replied Hoyer with a charming smile. “But I know you won’t take my word for it. So when you get back up and running, I’m sure you’ll confirm what I just said.”
“This has been an interesting diversion,” said Allie, “but can we get back to the main topic?”
Hoyer nodded. “Of course.”
“Good,” said Allie. “Major, you claim that Aronson conversed with this distributed intelligence. How?
Are you saying these nanites know English?”
“They’re telepathic,” said Hoyer. “The commander knows this is something that even human scientists are inching toward.”
“True,” said Reed. “But the approaches to telepathy I’m familiar with still require the use of a language.”
“That hasn’t changed. While the AI isn’t superintelligent on the whole, Aronson found that it is in certain narrow areas. One of these areas is language acquisition. Apparently, it’s able to map the mind of a person telepathically, and suss out their language in the process.”
“How quickly can it become fluent?” asked Allie.
“Apparently, in less than an hour.”
“And then carry out telepathic conversations,” said Reed.
“Exactly.”
“Is that how you controlled the nanites you sent to me?” asked the commander. “Telepathically?”
“Correct.”
“And how do you happen to possess nanites of your own?” said Reed.
“I’m getting there,” replied the major. “Before I do, I’d first like to tell you about the nanites themselves. Review their capabilities. Then I’ll fill in the rest.”
“By all means,” said Reed.
“First, the material that forms their outer shell is unlike anything known to our science. Aronson tried to get the AI to tell him about their composition, but it refused. He conducted all kinds of experiments, but he got nowhere. He was able to get the nanites to open up to reveal microscopic machinery of spectacular complexity. Aronson couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it, but hypothesized that what he was able to observe was just the tip of the nanite iceberg. That the lion’s share was sticking out into a higher spatial dimension. One that humans aren’t able to perceive. And the nanite AI confirmed it.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she mumbled. “Shoving the bulk of your machinery into higher dimensions is a real space-saver. Everyone knows that.”
Reed laughed. “I think the major just threw that in there in case our minds weren’t blown enough.”
“Which wasn’t necessary,” said Allie. “Because my mind is plenty blown already.”
“Yeah?” said Hoyer. “Well, buckle up, because I’m only starting. To continue, all we know is that the material the nanites are made from is many times harder and more flexible than carbyne. It has other miraculous properties, as well. But as astounding as the material they’re made from is, what they’re able to do is astounding at a level that’s almost beyond comprehension.”
“You mean their ability to shape themselves into any form,” said Allie.
“That’s the least of it,” said Hoyer. “Barely scratches the surface. The nanites are individual factories. Nanofabricators. Molecular assemblers. Each capable of alchemy. They can somehow tap into a nearly infinite power source. Zero-point energy? Dark energy? Something else? Who knows. But however they get their juice, they can transform simple matter into complex matter. Transmutation.”
“Which is only supposed to happen in the center of stars,” noted Allie.
“So I’ve been told,” replied the major. “But believe me, it happens inside these microscopic little beauties as well. And because seeing is believing, it’s best to give you a demonstration. So here goes.”
Hoyer sat more upright in his chair. “First,” he began, “I took the trouble of having Dr. Keane’s body armor rebuilt around her after she had showered and changed. Mine too. But since we don’t really need protective suits anymore, I’m going to give the nanites telepathic orders to make themselves visible. Then I’m going to have them form a cube next to my chair.”
Just seconds after he finished speaking the nanites covering Allie’s body turned a spectacular silver color, shiny but somehow non-reflective. She and Reed watched in awe as the microscopic factories streamed onto the floor as if they were a living creature, or perhaps a liquid-metal Terminator.
The nanites that were protecting Hoyer did the same, and only seconds later the entire collection formed into a perfect silver cube, about two feet on a side.
“Amazing!” said Allie.
Hoyer raised his eyebrows. “You’ve heard the phrase, ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet,’ right?” Well, this demonstration has yet to even begin.”
28
Reed glanced at Allie and noted that she was totally engaged, as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. Given what she had seen, despite having been carried out of the Utah bunker with her eyes closed, this session was a godsend. It gave her something to wrap her genius around, to keep her mind soaring to loftier planes. It was so riveting, she had no time to dwell on the horrors she had witnessed.
“It’s true that these nanites can act as simple programmable matter,” continued Hoyer. “They can form body armor and other tools, as long as these tools will operate correctly if constructed solely from the material of their bodies.”
The major paused. “But now I’m going to really show them off.”
He leaned over and rapped his knuckles three times on the top of an end table next to his recliner, one with a smooth glass surface and a brass undercarriage. “Keep your eyes on this table. Because I’m going to order the nanites to disassemble it into its constituent atoms.”
As he finished speaking, a carpet of silver moss streamed away from the cube and flowed toward the end table. It climbed the table and then, starting from the top down, the ravenous silver creatures within ate away at the structure, layer by layer, like a 3D printer in reverse, until nothing was left. It happened so quickly that, to the eye, it appeared as if the table had just dissolved, melted away, like a table made of ice had been thrown into a furnace. The entire process took only about fifteen seconds.
Allie and the commander were both utterly mesmerized.
“They could have done this a lot faster,” said Hoyer calmly, “but I slowed them down so you could appreciate what you’re seeing.”
Allie’s awestruck expression suddenly darkened. “This is what the nanites did to your teammates, isn’t it, Major?”
Hoyer nodded sullenly. “Aronson turned the nanites into trillions of tiny piranha,” he whispered, barely containing a boiling rage. “They left nothing but sub-microscopic particles that probably drifted away through the air. I didn’t witness any of their deaths personally. But I saw footage of several of them. The victims began dissolving from their hair down. Their entire bodies melted completely away in seconds—as if they had never existed. As if they had been drawn in pencil and someone had taken an eraser to them. The only good news is that their heads dissolved before they knew what hit them. Or before they could scream.”
Reed had seen more blood, guts, and gore than just about anyone, but he still found himself feeling nauseated. “So in Utah,” he said, “when you told me you could have had the nanites clear the hostiles if I didn’t, you weren’t kidding.”
“No. But like I said, it wasn’t a demonstration I wanted the Chinese to have on video.”
“Yeah. I get that,” said Reed.
“But let me finish the demonstration,” said Hoyer. “Now that the nanites have disassembled the table, its exact structure is part of their memory. And I mean exact. To the last atom. They can now build this table whenever I want them to. I just have to envision it and give the order.” He rose from the chair. “If you’d like to see how this is done,” he added, “follow me.”
He opened the door and entered a large adjoining room. As he did so, the cube of nanites in the break room acted like a viscous liquid, flowing behind him and reforming into a cube beside him when he stopped. He explained that the cube configuration was the nanites’ default when he hadn’t given them a specific order or duty.
The room they were now in contained nothing but large bags of Home Depot brand potting soil, two cubic feet per bag, piled in dozens of eight-foot-tall stacks against two walls.
“This is raw material,” continued Hoyer, “which I’ll ask the nanites to use. They could easily ea
t a wall, or eat through the floor and use dirt, earthworms, and other organic material they find. If I were to do that, they’d bore through the floor, go down far enough that creating a sizable hole in the earth wouldn’t affect the foundation of the house, and then return, repairing the hole in the floor when they did.”
Hoyer shook his head. “But that process takes longer,” he continued, “so I’d prefer to uh . . . feed them myself. The bottom line is that they aren’t picky eaters. Remember the device that powered the flying car from the second Back to The Future film? Ironically named Mr. Fusion. Remember? Doc Brown fed it all kinds of garbage, banana peels, a can of soda, and so on, and it converted it all into energy. It’s like that. Garbage works fine. The nanites will convert any matter they find into the atoms they need to replicate the table. Then the table will grow back before our eyes, like its being spit out of the mother of all 3D printers.”
“In order to perform this kind of elemental transmutation,” said Allie, “they’d need to be able to effortlessly cleave and reform atomic bonds. They’d not only need to apply limitless energy, they’d need some way to contain reactions, so limitless energy isn’t released.”
“It’s true,” agreed Hoyer with the hint of a smile, “transmutation is a bitch. Yet they do it effortlessly. Quickly, silently, and without generating any excess heat.”
The Immortality Code Page 17