The State Security Minister spoke. “Given the probability, we consider it prudent to order an immediate wipe of the Shu upload from the Quantum Cluster.”

Chen bowed his head. It was the end of his dreams. The Equivalence Theorem. The Nobel Prize. The Fields Medal. The billions in commercial licensing. All of it. He had to try one more time.

“But, Minister, her capabilities, the Ministry of Defense depends on them. It’s not too late. We may still be able to stabilize her personality, a clone, even a prisoner, fitted with an interface…”

“No,” Bo Jintao said curtly. “Defense now tells me that their other quantum clusters, thanks to you, Chen, have all the capabilities they need. My own people say the same.”

Thanks to Su-Yong, Chen thought. Not me. My wife has made herself replaceable.

“The rest was closed months ago,” Bo Jintao said. “She revealed our capabilities in quantum cryptography, proved herself a national security risk. And now she attacks us. It is time to shut her down.”

“Minister Sun.” Chen turned to his patron. “Please…” Please, let me wring one more discovery out of her… You’ll get your piece of it…

Sun Liu spoke at last. “I’m sorry, Chen. I agree with Minister Bo. Your wife has proven too great a risk.”

Chen’s heart fell. He lowered his head in submission and defeat.

“But…” the Science Minister continued, “shutting her down does not guarantee an end to these attacks.”

“Our cyber defense team will stop them,” Bo Jintao said.

Sun Liu shrugged. “Perhaps. But we know she is capable of things human programmers are not. The attacks may continue for some time. Perhaps the agents she left behind will target Beijing next?”

Bo Jintao frowned. “What do you suggest?”

“We break her,” Sun Liu said. “We force her to tell us what agents she’s left behind, and how to disable them.”

Chen looked up. Sun Liu knew. He was the only one who knew where Chen’s discoveries truly came from. And what he was really saying now… He wanted to force Su-Yong to tell them something else. The Equivalence Theorem. Despite himself, his heart raced.

“You can do this?” Bo Jintao asked.

“Yes,” Sun Liu said. “Chen can.”

Bo Jintao turned to Chen. “You could do this, Chen? To your own wife?”

Chen sat up straighter in his seat, looked the Minister for State Security in the eyes.

“For the good of the state, I can, and I will.”

Chapter 21: Regress

21

REGRESS

Friday October 19th

Martin Holtzmann trembled in his car. Nakamura could have been anyone, an assassin. Whenever they wanted him dead, it would be so easy. He was sweating. His breath came fast. His heart was pounding in his chest.

He couldn’t let Anne see him like this.

“Drive around the block,” he told the car.