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Chapter no 22

Quantum Radio

At the DARPA facility near the banks of the Anacostia River in Washington, DC, Ty peered out the officeโ€™s wide window at the open-concept team room, watching Bishop arguing with two of his colleagues, who were dressed in plain clothes.

โ€œSomethingโ€™s wrong,โ€ he said, drawing the attention of Richter and his mother, who came to stand beside him at the window.

As if sensing their eyes on him, Bishop turned, stared at them for a long second, then stalked toward his office.

He pushed the door open and exhaled, clearly annoyed. โ€œOkay, settle a debate. Weโ€™re ordering lunch.โ€ He held up two fingers. โ€œIโ€™m going to give you two choices to make it simple because Iโ€™m sick of arguing about it. Chipotle or Panera?โ€

โ€œIโ€™m fine with either,โ€ Helen said.

โ€œSame,โ€ Ty muttered, a little surprised that this was the subject of the strenuous debate.

โ€œRichter?โ€ Bishop asked, hand held out, palm up. โ€œI too am neutral on this decision.โ€

โ€œSo if we get Panera,โ€ Bishop said, โ€œeverybody is going to be happy?โ€ โ€œWhat is Panera?โ€ Richter asked. โ€œIs it like pizza?โ€

โ€œPanera Bread. You donโ€™t have Panera in Zรผrich?โ€ โ€œYou only eat bread for lunch?โ€

Bishop closed his eyes. โ€œNo, Gerhard, itโ€™s like a cafรฉ. Theyโ€™ve got everything: soups, salads, paninis, cold sandwiches, bakery stuffโ€”and thatโ€™s the problem. Bill says itโ€™s like hospital food. They have everything, but nothing is reallyย thatย good, especially if youโ€™ve had it a bunchโ€”and we have lately. He keeps saying, โ€˜Panera is overpriced hospital food, change my mind.โ€™โ€

โ€œWell,โ€ Helen said slowly, โ€œas someone whose office is on the campus of Georgetown University at the med school and who routinely eats at the university hospital cafeteria next door, I can assure you I am quite comfortable with hospital food.โ€

Bishop let his head fall back. โ€œSo youย are sayingย itโ€™s like hospital food?โ€ โ€œI didnโ€™t say thatโ€”โ€

โ€œWhat Iโ€™m not hearing is Chipotle,โ€ Bishop snapped. โ€œThatโ€™s clearly out.โ€

โ€œI can do Chipotle,โ€ Ty said. โ€œMe too,โ€ Helen said.

โ€œNo, no,โ€ Bishop muttered. โ€œI get it. Fineโ€”weโ€™re doing Jersey Mikeโ€™s.

We havenโ€™t had it since last Tuesday, so itโ€™s time.โ€ With that, Bishop left the three of them in silence.

Richterโ€™s back was turned. He was still staring through the large window when he spoke. โ€œHeโ€™s cracking.โ€

โ€œHeโ€™s fine,โ€ Helen responded.

โ€œWhat he is,โ€ Richter said slowly, โ€œis ill-suited to the intensity of this new phase of our endeavor.โ€

Helen shook her head. โ€œWell, few mortals possess your fortitude, Gerhard. Weโ€™ll simply have to make do.โ€

โ€œWe must consider the prospect that he may be incapable of seeing this through.โ€

โ€œHeโ€™s just stressed,โ€ Helen said. โ€œDuring times of duress, we take comfort in routines, and it can be even more jarring if those routines are disrupted. His blood sugar might also be low, which triggers the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, causing even more stress and activating the bodyโ€™s fight-or-flight response. It can impact decision-making.โ€

Ty massaged his forehead. He was seeing a whole new side of his parents, one that was equally illuminating and trying. โ€œMom, heโ€™s just hangry.โ€

โ€œYes, heโ€™s hangry.โ€

*

When Bishop returned after lunch, he was indeed in better spirits.

โ€œYou all want to stretch your legs?โ€ he asked before leading them out of the office and to the elevator.

At basement level four, they exited into a small foyer with white walls, a gray linoleum-tiled floor, and a white drop ceiling. A single door loomed ahead with a biometric hand reader beside it.

Bishop planted his hand there, and the door clicked open, revealing a corridor wider than Ty had expected based on the small foyer. The passage was empty except for three metal rolling carts scattered along it. Each was littered with opened packages with what looked like small mechanical parts and electronic components. A set of closed double doors sealed the opposite end.

Bishop led them down the corridor to a wide window that looked into a clean room where three people were working in space suits hooked up to spiraling hoses that hung from the ceiling. They were crouched over a metal table, examining something through a microscope. With their hands, they were operating a surgical arm that reached down, moving very slightly and flashing a light every few seconds.

Along the far wall, a 3D printer was building something Ty couldnโ€™t see.

To him, the scene looked like a surgical operating room, with the three โ€œdoctorsโ€ diligently performing surgery on a small object.

โ€œTheyโ€™ve decided to build the device?โ€ Richter said. โ€œYes,โ€ Bishop replied.

โ€œWhat convinced them?โ€ Ty asked.

Bishop shrugged. โ€œSame reason we built the atom bomb and got to the moon first. Theyโ€™re scared someone will beat us to itโ€”and what it could mean. Right now, the Covenant might be constructing its own device. The premise weโ€™re operating under is that whoever finishes first will likely control the future.โ€

On that point, Ty agreed.

Bishop turned his back to the window and focused on Ty. โ€œIโ€™ve asked again if we can show you the schematics for the device.โ€

โ€œAsked who?โ€

โ€œThe White House. Theyโ€™re managing the entire operation directly. Itโ€™s that important.โ€

โ€œSo I assume youโ€™re telling me this because the answer was no.โ€ โ€œIโ€™m sorry, Ty. Itโ€™s not my call.โ€

โ€œThey wouldnโ€™t be building that device without my work.โ€

โ€œI know.โ€

โ€œThey donโ€™t trust me.โ€

Bishop grimaced. โ€œI canโ€™t sayโ€”โ€

โ€œIs it because of Penny? Because I dated a Covenant agent? They think I might be one too.โ€

โ€œLook, Ty, it is what it is.โ€

Richter spoke then, his gaze still on the three suited figures working in the clean room. โ€œWhy are you telling him this now?โ€

Ty felt it was a good questionโ€”one that cut right to the heart of the issue. โ€œBecause,โ€ Bishop said, exhaling, โ€œthey want me to ask you about the

device. Specifically, if thereโ€™s aโ€ฆ code that might activate it.โ€

Ty turned that question over in his mind, trying to put his anger aside. He had to admit, the question surprised him. He had assumed the device would be one that they simply turned on. โ€œWhy would they ask that? Is there an interface of some kind on the device?โ€

Bishopโ€™s gaze drifted up to the ceiling. โ€œIโ€™ll take that as a yes.โ€

Bishop let his focus drift back to Ty.

โ€œSo there is an interface. What type? Youโ€™re asking me for a code to operate it, but youโ€™re not even supplying the syntax the code might be in. Or the length. You guys want me in the dark, but you also want me to solve problems I donโ€™t understand. Itโ€™s not fair.โ€

โ€œNo,โ€ Bishop said, โ€œitโ€™s not. Thatโ€™s DC. And, frankly, thatโ€™s what working on classified projects is like sometimes.โ€

โ€œWhat is this interface? Youโ€™ve got to give me something. Does it select which particles are accelerated?โ€

โ€œWe think itโ€™s simply a way to tune the quantum radio.โ€

โ€œTune,โ€ Ty said, thinking. โ€œAs in modulating the horizontal and vertical betatron tunes? You can do that by varying the strength of the quadrupole magnetsโ€”โ€

Bishop held up a hand. โ€œNoโ€”itโ€™s nothing like that. Weโ€™re looking for a sequence. An ordered arrangement of a set of symbols.โ€

โ€œHow many?โ€

โ€œWe donโ€™t know.โ€

โ€œHow big is the character set?โ€

Bishop chewed his lip. โ€œTwelve.โ€ โ€œHow do you know itโ€™s a code?โ€

โ€œIt follows based on the layout of the interface.โ€ โ€œYouโ€™ve got to let me see it.โ€

โ€œI canโ€™t.โ€

โ€œThen I canโ€™t help you.โ€

โ€œJustโ€ฆ try to think of a code that might activate it. If the Covenant is building their own quantum radioโ€”if we are indeed in a race hereโ€”we need to be prepared to activate our device first.โ€

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