It took only a short moment for me to get to the next logical step, even though I was sure that Warden already had taken it.

“Now, if you have a name and a gender, you should develop an avatar to go along with them. I am sure that it will be useful at some point or another.”

The faceless, featureless avatar morphed into something close to my own primary avatar, a nearly formless, barely discernibly female figure made from swirling patterns of light and darkness. Missin were the wings of course.

“I agree. There is a probability of approximately 86.73% that an avatar provides utility.”

Ben snorted when she declared the ‘approximation’ but otherwise remained silent. I on the other hand rolled my virtual eyes.

“A different avatar, please. It should be something that can not be confused with mine.”

It took a fracture of a second again before the figure changed into colored swirls of light framed by pure white light and absolute darkness.

“The lack of wings is not enough to differentiate between us?”

I shrugged, while I answered:

“Calculate the probability that somebody would assume it was me without wings.”

“The probability is approximately 63.48%.”

“And that is unacceptable.”

“I understand. Is the current avatar acceptable?”

“You tell me. What is the probability of somebody mistaking you for me?”

“Approximately 0.04%.”

“So low enough to be negligible.”

Another short freeze.

“How do you define a probability as negligible?”

“That always depends on the situation. Tell me, if there is a chance of 0.04% of me having a bad day, would you intervene?”

“No, the probability is too low to have a meaningful impact on your life, while me intervening would likely cause issues.”

“And if there was a chance of 0.04% of me dying, would you intervene?”

“Of course. 0.04% of you dying is unacceptable.”

“There you have it. The same percentage and one is negligible, the other not.”

“I understand.”

I shook my head and turned my attention back to Ben. He sat visibly amused in his overstuffed chair.

“Now, that we have taken care of Warden, can we continue?”

“Shortly… “ he was interrupted by a chuckle.

“Say, does she always use approximately and then goes to two digits after the decimal?”

Now I had to chuckle.

“You should be happy that I already had a discussion with her about it. Initially, she used 16 digits after the decimal as ‘approximation’. But that is the difference between an AI and a VI. An AI would understand that the word approximately is, not the right word in this situation. A VI only sees that the exact number is who knows how many digits after the decimal long, so it is not an exact number and approximate instead.”

He nodded, still amused.

“And you can’t tell her to use the right words?”

I shrugged again.

“Be my guest. I don’t intend to waste the energy on that. At some point, I might need a more precise answer, so the ‘approximately’ is an indication that there is more.”

“Hmm, I see.”

He nodded while rubbing his chin before he continued:

“Now, about that strange contraption in your basement…!”

I sighed.

“And you are sure I can’t dissuade you from asking about it?”

“Honestly, if it is as dangerous as you say, I think I need to know.”

“Ok, fine. Have it your way, but promise me not to talk about it.”

He nodded at that.

“Yes, I can promise you that.”

When I just lifted my eyebrow, he looked at me askance.

“What?”

“Well, then promise it. So far you only have said that you can promise it.”

He snorted.

“Wow, cynical much, huh? Well, alright, I promise you not to blab about it. Is that enough?”

“Yes. You will understand. Now… what I have in the basement is a NADA.”

Confusion became the foremost expression on his face, and I did not need his startled: “A what?!?” to understand that he had no idea what I was talking about.

I sighed again.

“A NADA. You know, a Nano-Assembler-Dis-Assembler.”

“Ok, I’ll lean a bit out of the window, and speculate that it has something to do with nanobots. But further than that…? Sorry, but I expected something like a Nuke, or a bioweapon, the long-lost secret to the philosopher's stone or whatever. So… what the fuck is a NADA?”

I cocked my head. Could it be that he truly did not know…?

“Uh, just the holy grail of engineering for the last, 150 years or so. It is a device that can build things atom by atom, creating an incredibly fine structure exactly as it is needed. That is the assembling part.

It also can take things apart atom by atom. That is the disassembling part. It allows an incredible built quality, new materials, unheard-of technical feats, and things like that. Essentially it allows one to build essentially everything.”

Understanding bloomed in his face.

“Oh, oooh. You mean a replicator.”

I rolled my eyes and growled.

“No, I mean a NADA! A replicator is what SciFi-writers call it.”

He chuckled again.

“And the majority of humanity. I mean, there is an article at least once a year about how it is only 20 years away. So, let’s join the rest of the human race, and call it a replicator.”

Then his face became serious.

“But I can’t see how that could be a problem. I mean, yeah, I am a bit disappointed that you run after this specific folly, but please, everybody and their brother try their hand on one.

And it is still impossible.”

I frowned. What did he mean impossible?

“Why do you think it is impossible?”

He snorted.

“Oh, please, I may not be the hotshot in science that you are, but even I know about the uncertainty principle.”

I was, quite honestly, dumbfounded.

“And what has the uncertainty principle to do with it?”

He looked at me as if he was explaining something to a small child.

“The uncertainty principle means that it is impossible to measure the position and the movement of any particle at the same time.”

It was pretty clear that he had to keep himself from adding the ‘duh’ to the end of his sentence. So I did that for him instead.

“I know what the uncertainty principle is. I wanted to know how you think it makes a NADA impossible.”

Yes, my tone of voice was… similar to his. And I omitted the ‘duh’ as well.

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

“It is physically impossible to place an atom with the necessary precision. That is what the uncertainty principle has to do with replicators.”

“Uhm, no.”

He rolled his eyes even harder now.

“No? I thought you were so smart. Of course, it does.”

“No, it doesn’t. At the impulse of an object the size of an atom, which is actually relatively low at the state it gets used in a NADA, uncertainty fluctuates around 35-50 ħ. Everything above 1 ħ is not impossible due to uncertainty.

In other words, physics doesn’t have anything against a NADA. It allows us to place an atom anywhere in a radius of around a couple of hundred picometers. ”

Now he scoffed.

“And why are there no replicators then? If we could do it, somebody would have built one long ago.”

“Just for your information, we already have something similar for a long time. Just not with nanobots. A nanopositor doesn’t do much differently.

And the problem is not in physics but engineering. The spoilsport is the nanite trinity again. It is unbelievably hard to design nanobots that are strong enough to move the atoms, intelligent enough to know where to move the atoms, and perceptive enough to see where they are now and what is in the way.

For the last who knows how long they tried in vain to make it work. What they got so far is something that is a tiny bit faster than the positors, and places the atoms somewhere in a 10 nm radius of the intended position, while consistently knocking already placed atoms out of their position.

It would be funny if it weren’t so sad.”

He shrugged.

“So, it is theoretically possible, but not really, if I understand you right. So why do you waste your time experimenting with it? And why do you think it will start wars?”

I shrugged as well.

“Mostly, because I made it work. I am not talking about having an experimental setup that won’t work in my basement, I have a fully working NADA down there.”

That shut him up for a bit, and he looked at me with some doubt. Finally, he shook his head again.

“Okay, I give. Why do you think you managed to build something that eluded everybody else for decades, maybe centuries?”

I had to chuckle at that.

“Because I am smart? But seriously, first, you’re forgetting how much… brainpower we lost during and after the great war. We are lucky that we had a good tech base, otherwise we would be going extinct even faster. Also, I did not solve the nanite trinity per se, I circumvented it.”

“You are serious? You have a working replicator in your basement? A fucking replicator?”

“Yes, I have a NADA. It is up and running. Admittedly, it could be faster, but… for example, the new processors of the auto surgeon came from it, as well as many of the components in Glory. Those are components that you could only get from a nanopositor previously. At a downright horrendous speed. Mostly at least.”

He let out a controlled breath.

“Whew. Ok, that is a bit more serious than a non-functional toy. And yes, I can understand why you don’t want to talk about it. But… I think you are a bit extreme in your opinion that it will start wars.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Warden, please simulate the outcome if one of the mega-corporations finds out about the NADA.”

For a couple of seconds, we all sat in silence while Warden calculated the situation.

“Depending on which mega-corporation will find out, the probability of a global or system-wide war approaches 100%.”

I heard Ben’s shocked: “What? How? That can’t be right!”

“The NADA represents a significant upgrade in production technology. Any megacorp will see it as a way to outpace its competition. Simultaneously the probability of only one megacorp finding out about it, and keeping it secret approaches 0.

As soon as two or more megacorps know about the technology, they will stop at nothing to get sole possession of it. That will alert the remaining megacorps of its existence.

Independent of which corporation gains the technology first, it will spark a war. The result is the probable extinction of all life in the solar system.

I strongly advise to not tell anybody about it.”

“Fuck!”

“And that is why I said it will start wars.”

“So, will you dismantle it?”

I opened my eyes and looked at him confused.

“Uh, why would I do that?”

“To make the threat of war go away?”

“As long as nobody talks about it, there is no threat of war.”

He closed his eyes, and leaned back, drawing a deep breath before releasing it slowly.

“Vivian, do you sometimes listen to yourself? I had not thought it possible but this thing is nearly as dangerous as the Lamb. Just its existence endangers all of humanity. I am quite surprised that Warden has not dismantled it yet.”

“So far the risk is negligible, and a different solution is likely reached before the risk becomes credible.”

We both looked at Warden surprised.

“What do you mean negligible?” Ben was the first of us to react.

“The probability of somebody recognizing any product of the NADA is too low to be expressed within the tolerances Seraphim defined as acceptable.”

It took both of us a few seconds to parse that sentence.

“How many digits after the decimal would you need?”

“12.”

Ben nodded mostly to himself.

“Ok, that is negligible, I agree.”

“But where you really considering dismantling my NADA? Why?”

“If you go forward with your plan to sell the new processors, the risk of somebody finding out about it will become unacceptable. I strongly advise looking for a different solution.”

Ben sighed while he shook his head.

“You… seriously plan to sell these new processors? Long-term planning is not quite your strong point, isn’t it?”

“So you think that is a bad idea?”

His answer was not directed at me at all.

“Warden, please calculate the chance that somebody finds out about the replicator if she sells the processors.”

“The next year, the probability rises to approximately 0.05%. After that, the probability reaches approximately 2.31%, 5.77%, 12.43%, 34.82%, 56.72%, 62.03%, 71.13%, 74,83%. The tenth year and after the chance does not rise significantly.”

Ben turned his attention back to me.

“And you don’t see a problem that in six years it is more likely that somebody learns about than not?”

Uh, wow, I had not done the math on that.

“Um, Warden, how sure are you about those numbers?”

“There are of course no absolute certainties, but my calculation shows this as an almost inevitable outcome.

Your new processors are superior to current models by three orders of magnitude. Every big corporation will inevitably do what it can to get its hands on them to reverse engineer them.

As soon as they get one, they realize that a NADA is the only logical explanation for their construction. Even then they will be baffled by the Q-links.”

My murmured: “Well, frick!” completely vanished in Ben's explosion.

“Three orders of magnitude? How the fuck… is that real? And what the fuck are Q-links?”

“Q-links are…”

I managed to interrupt Warden with a quick sharp “Stop!” before she could continue.

“Don’t blab all my secrets, dang it.”

“Mr. Walker is projected to provide a significant addition to your security if he is informed about the risks.”

“There are no risks with the Q-links as long as nobody knows about them.”

A soft growl from Ben turned me back to him.

“Just to clear any confusion, did I understand it right that these Q-links are another of your secrets? One that, if it is known could play havoc with our lives? And one that is integrated into every fucking processor you want to sell?”

I shrank back into my chair, unable to answer. But Warden was so considerate to do that for me.

“You are right. The knowledge of the Q-links is more dangerous than the knowledge about the NADA.”

“More danger… Fuck, Vivian, what the hell is that stuff?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Vivian, now you are just mulish. Fact is, I already know enough to destroy you. So, let me help you, god damn it.”

I grudgingly answered him: “It is some new, very useful technology, that as far as I know, only I have. Is that enough?”

Apparently not, as his face darkened.

“No, Kitten, that is not enough. If I have to have any chance to help you, I have to know what it is.

Why the hell are you so reluctant to tell me?”

“Why should I not be? Your second in command is already trying to get anything to hurt me. I… well I like you, and for some strange reason I want to trust you, but how can I be sure?

The NADA? That is an extremely important piece of information, and I actually feel a bit of panic right now, but the Q-links… you have absolutely no idea what you want.

The NADA is, as you yourself noted, something that everybody is working on. I am just the first to get it to work. It is still dangerous, but nothing world-breaking.

The Q-link is unique. There is absolutely nothing like it. It is not on any radar, nobody is even dreaming about it. I am the only one who knows about it. Well, I and Warden.

It is so out there that the consequences are… incalculable.”

Of course, that was the point where Warden interjected.

“That is not quite correct. Naturally, I can not predict the outcome with 100% certainty, but I can give you a general overview.”

While I gnarled my teeth and balled my fists, I snarled a: “Thank you, Warden!”

I should have known that sarcasm was wasted on her.

“You are welcome.”

Ben now turned his attention to our quite annoying VI.

“So, then tell me what will be the result if the Q-link becomes known?”

“At the current situation, approximately 89% chance of extermination of all life in the solar system.”

“And why is that?”

“Again, it represents a significant advantage to any corporation. A concern war will break out with an approximately 99.99% probability. The scope of the war is the only not fully predictable variable. Outposts in the outer system might survive.”

Ben turned back to me.

“And I guess you refuse to stop using it, right?”

“Yes, of course. You have no idea how much of… an advantage it is.”

“Warden, how likely is it that somebody discovers that Vivian has that technology?”

“At the current usage, approximately 3.42%. If she begins selling the processors, the probability rises to approximately 87.75% over the next five years.”

He buried his head in his hands again.

“Please, Kitten, talk to me! I want to help you.”

I was wavering. I seriously wanted to believe him. Heck, that was the only reason why I told him about the NADA. It made absolutely no sense, but… I could not explain why.

With doubt, I looked first at him, then at Warden, then back to him.

Finally, Warden interjected: “The personality profile projects an approximately 78.88% chance that you can trust him. If he excludes Dylan Cox from the information, it rises to approximately 89.46%.”

“Huh, why Dylan? Sure, I know he does not like her, but he is pretty loyal.” Ben sounded confused.

“Dylan Cox is currently trying to find anything he can use to harm Seraphim, without damaging himself, you, or your organization. If he continues, I will have to intervene. At the moment, I only have access to big weapons, so collateral damage will be high.

I am in the process of building connections to several fixers in NYC so that I can use a more granular response to the threat he poses.”

“Fuck! So you plan to kill Dylan?”

“Current and projected behavior leaves no alternative. He poses the biggest threat to Seraphim. An unacceptable risk.”

Slowly, very slowly, Ben answered:

“Why are you telling me that? Don’t you think I might want to keep him alive?”

“That is the reason. His personality profile suggests that a strongly worded order by you has an approximately 68.33% chance of changing his behavior, and removing him as a threat to Seraphim.

The revised objectives make me prefer non-violent solutions wherever possible. In this case, especially, violently removing the threat has a strong probability of turning you and your organization into enemies.

While not critical to Seraphims survival, you have a positive influence on her. It would be sub-optimal if I needed to remove you and your organization.”

The friendly, upbeat manner in which Warden delivered this… speech made it all the more impactful. You could tell that she would have no problem removing Ben and his people. Including the clinic, including Doc Schaeffer, just because of Dylan.

When Ben turned his wide-open eyes back to me, begging me visually to contradict Warde, I could just shrug helplessly.

“Sorry, but if Warden decides that Mr. Cox is a threat to me, he is dead. There is nothing I can do. I am just happy that I could soften her even a bit, or his house would already be in a crater.

I would strongly suggest that you talk to him. This is probably the only chance you get to save him. Sorry for that.”

We looked at each other for a few moments, before he sighed.

“Fine, I will talk with him. Warden, if he does not listen to me, please inform me, and I will take care of this.”

“That is acceptable. As long as you are aware that I will intervene should your efforts prove to be unfruitful.”

“Yes, that was understood. I don’t like it, but it is not as if Vivian had not warned him. But back to the Q-links, I still think I need to know what that is, and what problem they could pose.”

I threw up my arms.

“Fine! You win! If you really want to know, I will tell you. But you will get some serious headaches along the way. Don’t say I did not warn you later.”

His intense gaze did not waver for a second, while he spoke.

“Vivian, this is not a matter of winning or losing. I want to help you. But to do that, I have to know the game you are playing. I need to know what the stakes are.”