The Immortality Code

by Douglas E. Richards

  “In short, I’ll rule for eternity. And all the while I’ll be more powerful than Roman emperors of old, a law unto myself. I’ll be able to kill anyone, or everyone, on a whim. Or grant eternal life. Isn’t that the very definition of God?”

  “You’re even sicker than I thought,” said Allie.

  “I’ll be doing humanity a service,” said Hoyer. “I’ll bring the planet together—under my leadership. And I’ll help heal the world. Our species needs some tough love to achieve its full potential. And I’m just the man for the job.”

  Reed shook his head. “Even you aren’t that delusional,” he said in contempt. “Even you know that the human race will be better off, and achieve our full potential, if we all have access to nanites. Safe access. And if we become a species able to spread throughout the stars. You’re only against our expansion into the galaxy because you couldn’t possibly maintain control. If you think you can convince us that you have a single, unselfish reason for what you hope to do, think again.”

  “Are we done here?” said Hoyer.

  “Yes, we are,” replied Reed.

  “Good. So now what? What do you plan to do with me?”

  “To imprison you, of course. To keep you alive at all costs. You’ll be on permanent suicide watch. And just to be sure you don’t find a way to kill yourself, you’ll live most of your life drugged, unconscious. A truly nightmarish existence, basically living in a coma and being fed through a tube. We’ll revive you just long enough for interrogations. Once you’ve told us the locations of all of your reconstitution centers, and we’re convinced we’ve nullified them all, you’ll be treated more humanely. Not that you deserve it.”

  “Wow,” said Hoyer, rolling his eyes. “I’m really quaking in my boots.”

  “Not taking this seriously, are you?” said Reed. “It’s obvious you still think you can beat us. Still think you can find a way to kill yourself. But, trust me, that won’t happen. We’ll keep you a vegetable for years. So long that even if you finally manage a rebirth you’ll be much too late.”

  “As much as I hate to disappoint,” said Hoyer, “I really have to go. Now. I just hung around this long so my smart lenses and I could hear what Bryce had to say.” He grinned. “But I do look forward to seeing you again real soon.”

  Reed produced an exaggerated yawn. “Go ahead,” he taunted. “Don’t let me keep you.”

  Hoyer’s eyes widened, and a look of panic suddenly appeared on his face.

  “What’s the matter?” said Reed innocently. “Missing something?”

  “You bastard!” screamed Hoyer. “I’ll kill you! When I’m free, I’m going to find you and slice you into ribbons.”

  Reed flashed a broad smile. “Good thing you’ll never be free then, isn’t it?” he said. “Allie asked me what I was up to when you were unconscious. Now you know. I was being sure to remove the cyanide capsule from your false tooth. It must really sting to realize it’s gone after announcing such a dramatic exit,” he added, rubbing it in.

  Hoyer lunged forward, desperate to rip out Reed’s throat, but his bonds held.

  “Do you really think I’m a moron?” continued Reed calmly. “That I wouldn’t realize you’d have a backup to the suicide gas you installed in your safe houses? Of course you would. Because what if you were captured outside? You’d need another means to kill yourself to escape.”

  Reed glared at his prisoner in contempt. “And did you think I’d forget Rico Gillespie’s little stunt?” he added. “I can’t help but be insulted. Once I learned he was really your ally, how could I not guess that the two of you had installed matching suicide capsules?” He arched an eyebrow. “Tell me, do you guys also wear matching lockets with each other’s picture inside?”

  Hoyer shot him a look of searing, all-consuming hatred. “Laugh it up now, Zachary. But I will beat you. And when that day comes, I promise I won’t forget this moment.”

  “Good luck with that,” said Reed. He walked over to a rucksack filled with confiscated weapons, removed a small tranquilizer dart, and returned. Then, gripping the dart firmly between his thumb and forefinger, he plunged it into Hoyer’s neck.

  “Because our drug-assisted suicide watch starts right now,” he added in disdain.

  Epilogue

  Allison Keane never got tired of hiking near Bryce Aronson’s magnificent safe house in the Costa Rican wilderness. If you had to be sequestered, this was being sequestered in style. If there had ever been a paradise, a Garden of Eden, this was it.

  They had been here almost a month, and she made it a point to hike for at least an hour each day, forcing herself to leave the lab and immerse herself in the natural world.

  Not that she was exactly roughing it. Her nanites streamed invisibly through the rainforest behind her, at her beck and call. If she were cut by sharp foliage, twisted an ankle, or had a run-in with any dangerous fauna—unlikely, since she traveled with the ultimate protectors—the nanites coursing through her bloodstream would fix her right up.

  And if a tree fell on her and killed her, she had made a recent back-up copy of herself, as had Reed. They would both be reborn, if necessary, reset, to just after they had journeyed with Aronson to Costa Rica and he had proven the accuracy of his tale. After he had given them complete access to the alien AI, along with a supply of nanites programmed to follow their orders. And after he had injected them with nanite MDs, and provided the decryption key that would unlock nanite replication.

  Experience had made all three inhabitants of the Costa Rican safe house paranoid and suspicious, so the fact that they had come to trust each other so completely was remarkable. If Allie or Reed had to awaken as an earlier version of themselves, at least it would be a version aware of this abiding trust, along with full knowledge and control of the nanites.

  They would never have chosen to follow in Hoyer’s footsteps, never have chosen to keep a copy of themselves in nanite memory, had this choice not been already made for them. Given that their originals were long dead, they had nothing to lose by having themselves digested and reborn, creating back-ups in nanite memory who would know the full state of play.

  And the more time Allie spent in Costa Rica, the more convinced she became that she and Reed were the same as they had always been. In fact, she had never felt the presence of her soul more than she did now, in so many ways.

  She felt it in her yearning for a better future for humanity. In the hollow feeling she had when remembering the atrocities she had witnessed. In her excitement and passion to perfect a quantum computer and put her theory into practice. And in the exhilaration she felt while hiking, as she inhaled the rich, intoxicating oxygen and kaleidoscope of jungle smells, and relished a beauty that continued to take her breath away.

  Even more importantly, after Aronson had spent considerable time with his duplicated companions, he had declared them both to be as fully human as anyone he had ever met, an important data point coming from someone who had been born the old-fashioned way, exiting through a birth canal.

  Perhaps most remarkable of all, Allie found herself happier than she had ever been.

  When she had posted a pre-publication version of her qubit theory, how could she have possibly imagined the fuse that she was igniting? It had been such a simple act, but had quickly shaken the foundation of her entire life. Not just her life, but, ultimately, the lives of every human being from now until the end of eternity.

  And when a Chinese operative had pointed a gun at her in the woods of Iowa and was squeezing down on the trigger, she had been sure she was dead. Permanently. If she had been told that she would survive this encounter, only to later be digested and killed by microscopic piranha in her sleep, only to be reborn and go on to be ecstatically happy, she wouldn’t have believed it. Who could have?

  For Allie, the last piece of the puzzle, the most critical proof that her soul remained intact, was the overwhelming affection she had developed for her two companions. She and Zachary had quickly fallen in love, co
mpleting a journey that had almost seemed inevitable. And Bryce Aronson was becoming like a father to her, and she was growing to love him as a colleague, a mentor, and a friend.

  As she continued on through the spectacular Costa Rican rainforest, she forced herself to come out of her reverie and stay in the moment. This was the best way for her to fully appreciate the splendor of nature. She grew ever closer to one of several waterfalls in the vicinity, this one a series of three that cascaded down multiple cliffs, the torrent of water falling more than a hundred feet in three separate steps. The falls were framed by tropical plants of all kinds, along with a variety of lizards and magnificent birds blazing with glorious color.

  The sun peeked through the canopy at a dozen locations and produced vibrant rainbows through the mists. An idyllic scene that made her grateful she wasn’t still working out of a safe house in Henderson, Nevada.

  She came to a halt at what she considered the perfect spot to admire the beauty of the waterfalls and jungle, and issued brief telepathic commands to her trailing nanites. She had already become so accustomed to controlling matter around her that she barely noticed as a comfortable chair suddenly grew to life behind her, and a pair of binoculars materialized around her neck.

  As Allie dropped into the newly created seat, a bottle of cold water formed in her hand and she took a hearty swig.

  She immersed herself in beauty and tranquility for another ten minutes, until a group of her nanites vibrated the air to recreate Bryce Aronson’s voice. “Hey, Allie, it’s me,” said the disembodied voice. “Just wanted to give you a heads-up that Zach has returned from his trip to the States. So you’ll need to head back if you want to beat him here.”

  “Thanks, Bryce,” she said, knowing that the nanites in Aronson’s vicinity would deliver her voice. She could have transmitted these words telepathically, but she still found it more natural to speak. “He made better time than I thought he would. I’ll be back in less than an hour.”

  She rose and ordered the nanites to turn the chair, binoculars, and bottle back into dirt.

  “How’s the hike?” asked Aronson.

  “Breathtaking,” she replied. “I saw an entire flock of Scarlet Macaws. And dozens of butterflies with transparent wings that were bordered in red. So, you know,” she added with a twinkle in her eye, “the usual.”

  Aronson laughed. “Those butterflies are called Glasswings,” he said. “And it’s a rare treat to come across so many at once.”

  An almost euphoric smile crossed Allie’s face. “Just another day in paradise,” she said, and her tone made it clear that while this phrase was often used sarcastically, she meant every word. “See you soon.”

  ***

  After exuberant greetings all around, the three inhabitants of the Costa Rican safe house made their way to the third floor balcony, which provided panoramic views of the dense jungle canopy and any number of tropical birds flying above it.

  The two physicists took seats facing Reed, who also dropped into a chair on the spacious terrace. Allie gazed warmly at the newcomer. “So how’d it go in the States?” she asked simply.

  Reed had only been gone a few days, but had checked up on Allie three or four times, needing to hear her voice. She felt the same way. There was nothing like the romantic stage of love, and even a day apart felt like forever.

  But even though they had spoken, he had avoided providing updates. Given how busy she was, spending every waking minute either in the lab with Bryce or immersing herself in the jungle, he hadn’t wanted to bother her with the mundane until his return.

  “It went as well as could be expected,” he replied. “I managed to break into the labs of I-tech Medical without a hitch. I found the prototype infusion pump we were after and had it digested and rebuilt. When we’re done here, I’ll set it up.”

  “I know that’s a good thing,” said Allie with a heavy sigh. “I just wish there was another way.”

  “Me too,” said Reed.

  The infusion pump in question was loaded with advanced sensors and a programmable AI, which they could use to automate the process of keeping Tom Hoyer in a coma. It was an inhumane fate that didn’t sit well with any of them. No one deserved to be kept in the limbo between life and death, not even Hoyer, but they had no choice. They had given up on getting him to disclose the location of his reconstitution centers, and if he regained consciousness while unsupervised, he might find a way to kill himself, unleashing their most dangerous adversary.

  “Any leads on Rico Gillespie?” asked Aronson. “My contacts in the military have all come up empty.”

  “I have too,” said Reed in frustration. “But I did manage to have the nanites assemble bugs and keystroke tracers within key intelligence agencies to expand our reach.”

  Reed had taken himself off the grid immediately after the events in the Texas safe house, so he wasn’t able to collect his replacement contact lenses. Not that it would have mattered. They were useful only when paired with Eve, and if he was linked to the NSA’s AI, he could be tracked.

  Along with handling security for their three-person team, Reed’s chief responsibility was finding Gillespie, who was the fly in the ointment. Reed had felt forced to kill him in Texas, even knowing he’d be reborn. If he hadn’t, Gillespie would have come at them in the study—hard. He could have attempted kamikaze attacks to free or kill Hoyer, knowing that his own death wouldn’t be permanent, while theirs would be.

  Gillespie was exceedingly dangerous. Because he was slated to be automatically reborn whenever he died, he could take great risks. They were just lucky that Hoyer hadn’t given him access to the nanites. Even so, since Gillespie knew that true immortality beckoned, he wouldn’t rest until he found a way to free his psychopathic benefactor.

  “How’s it been going in the lab?” asked Reed.

  “Great,” said Allie. “Bryce and I are making even better progress than we expected. There’s a chance we’ll get there in less than a year.”

  Reed blew out a long breath. “Then the fun will really begin.”

  “You seem a little wary about that,” said Aronson.

  “I am. Right now, life is great. First of all, I’m in love, which I suspect is pretty obvious.”

  “That’s very flattering, Zach,” said Aronson, fighting to keep a straight face. “I’m fond of you too. But I’m afraid I only have one love, and that’s quantum physics.”

  Reed laughed. “Then I guess I’ll have to settle for Allie.”

  “Sorry, Zach,” said Aronson with a broad smile. “I couldn’t resist. Go ahead.”

  “I was saying that everything seems right with the world. I’m in love, and fulfilled. I’m having fun playing with nanites. And I spend most of my time in the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, with two people whose company I truly enjoy.”

  Reed sighed. “But once Allie’s quantum computer is perfected,” he continued, “everything will change. Wildly. We’ll learn if we really have an unlimited travel pass. We’ll likely unleash an alien superintelligence. I’m sure nothing can go wrong there,” he added sarcastically. “And even if all does go right, we’ll still have to find a way to block nanite replication that not even quantum computers can breach. Then we’ll have to find a strategy to reveal the nanites to the world. The upheaval this will cause will be unprecedented.”

  No one spoke for several long seconds.

  “It is daunting,” said Aronson finally. “But we just need to take it one step at a time. The only thing we can be sure of is that immortality and galactic civilization will shake things up in a big way. But so what? We’ll adjust.”

  Reed smiled. “I thought the only things we could be sure of were death and taxes,” he said.

  “Well, yeah,” said Aronson with a wry smile. “But immortality will eliminate death. And unlimited wealth will eliminate taxes. So I decided that this was one old saying that needed an update.”

  “Good call,” said Reed.

  “It’ll all work out, Z
ach,” said Allie softly. “I’m beginning to believe in destiny. Not that we won’t face daunting challenges. But I think we’ve proven we’re pretty good at facing them. And Hoyer was right. We wouldn’t want it to be easy. Once you become an eternal being, you really need to keep busy. So even if we flail around initially, once we unlock true immortality, we’ll have all the time in the world to adjust.”

  “Of course you’re right,” said Reed. “It’s just while I was away, I realized that I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. So I found myself selfishly hoping that nothing changes.”

  “I know the feeling,” said Allie. “But we’ll just have to make sure that our lives—everyone’s lives—only get better from here.”

  And for some reason, Allie was more certain than ever that they would. Once they broke through to the next level of nanite functionality they’d have to see where they stood. But assuming the AI had been telling the truth, they’d usher in the most transformative period in human history. It would be messy. Chaotic. Unpredictable.

  And definitely not easy. When the nanites hit the fan, everything would change all at once. What had been scientific consensus would be quickly upended. Legal and social norms would have to be reinvented. Scientists and philosophers would redouble their efforts to understand the nature of sentience, to determine if duplicates qualified. Religions would have to reinvent themselves to contend with alien life, and contend with new questions about the soul. Did it vanish with its host? Or did it live for eternity somewhere else, with a human body and brain being simply a temporary receiver to direct its will?

  But once this turbulent period was over, no matter how long it took, Allie vowed to be at the forefront of finding ever bigger goals for humanity. To lobby for epic projects befitting gods. Hoyer and Aronson were both right in their own ways. Without a challenge, humanity would lose its edge—would lose its way.

  Lack of challenges would be especially dangerous given infinite lifespans. Death was cruel and horrific, but it did put a clock on achievement. With unlimited time, no fear of death, and nanites providing all material needs, humankind would be even more susceptible to the boredom, laziness, and hedonism that Bryce Aronson had warned against.