‘The many-worlds interpretation says that whenever you open the box, the universe splits, so in one universe the cat is dead, and in a parallel universe somewhere, the cat is still alive. That happens with every observation.’

‘Right.’

Hannah looked out of the window at her gran’s funeral home in the distance. Indy was working at reception there, waiting for Hannah to finish, waiting for her to move on with her life. Waiting for a snog.

Hannah turned to Rita who was fingering a big hoop earring. ‘So do you think, in a parallel dimension, Mel is still alive, about to have a baby, my half-sister?’

‘That’s an interesting way to look at it.’

Hannah sighed. ‘There’s a problem. Say you were inside the box instead of the cat. Then you would observe if the source decayed and the waveform collapses. You’d be dead. That’s quantum suicide. But the many-worlds interpretation goes the other way. Since you can only observe outcomes where you’re alive, by definition, then you stay in the universe where you keep surviving. Quantum immortality.’ Rita was frowning, lines across her forehead. ‘You’ve lost me.’

‘If you always end up in the universe where you survive, doesn’t that mean you can do anything you want?’

‘I don’t think that’s helpful.’

‘Maybe that’s what my dad thought,’ Hannah said. ‘Maybe he thought he could just do anything he liked and get away with it.’

Rita sighed. ‘It doesn’t take quantum physics for men to think they can get away with stuff.’

Hannah smiled. She imagined being a cat in a box, waiting to die. ‘And I’m half him, that’s the way genetics works.’

‘That’s not how life works.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘I’m nothing like my parents.’ Rita smiled as something occurred to her. ‘Let me tell you about my mother.’

‘What?’

‘It’s a line from Bladerunner. Ever seen the original Bladerunner?’

Hannah shook her head. ‘Just the recent one.’

‘They catch a replicant and interview him, ask about his mother. He says “let me tell you about my mother” then shoots his interviewer under the desk.’

Hannah smiled and lifted her hands. ‘No gun.’

‘You’re not a replicant,’ Rita said.

‘But I don’t know that, they had implanted memories, right? If that’s true, can you erase some of mine?’

‘If you erase your memories, don’t you erase yourself?’

‘I don’t know.’

Rita smiled. ‘This is more like an ethics class than a counselling session. We’ve kind of gone off topic.’

‘Did the replicants have morals?’ Hannah said.

‘I think they were programmed into them.’

‘So they couldn’t do whatever they wanted.’

‘No more than any of us.’

Hannah shook her head as her phone rang.

‘Sorry,’ she said, pulling it from her pocket. ‘I’d better take this.’

She pressed reply. ‘Hey, Mum.’

‘Something’s happened,’ Jenny said down the line.

4

JENNY