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Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Dedication
  4. Dedication2
  5. 1994
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 2006
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 2018
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. Acknowledgements

Above all of this racket, there were three possibilities in her mind: the fraction of human-level civilisations that reach a post-human stage (that is, one capable of running high-fidelity ancestor simulations) is very close to zero. The fraction of post-human civilisations that are interested in running simulations of their evolutionary history, or variations thereof, is very close to zero. And, the fraction of all people who have had these kinds of experiences and who are living in a simulation is very close to one.

At least one of these three things was almost certainly true.

44

44

When Margaret came back with the tea, Heidi had the Tamagotchi phone in her hand. She had no idea how Heidi had got it. Margaret never left it anywhere where it could just be seen. She almost dropped the mugs. Panic ran through her like electricity. There were wireless signals everywhere, and for an instant she felt all of them running through her. There was a part of her already reaching over the coffee table and pulling the phone from Heidi’s hand. But most of her stood there, holding the mugs, rearranging her face, while Heidi got round to looking up from the phone.

‘I didn’t know you had this.’ Heidi held the phone up slightly towards her, like she was holding bait for a falcon, or something more dangerous.

‘Huh?’ It was always her first response. It bought time. Confusion was a currency.

‘Have you had it all this time?’

The lying kicked in faster than the truth. It never changed. She didn’t even think which would be better – she just lied. ‘Paranoid client,’ she said, putting down a mug next to Heidi. Heidi didn’t let go of the Tamagotchi phone.

‘Oh.’ She turned it over. ‘I thought it was my one.’

‘Yours?’ Margaret held a mug in both hands and blew on the tea.

‘From that day.’

There was a silence. It was so tempting to fill the silence, but she wouldn’t make an amateur mistake. It was a game of chicken, really, especially with Heidi. The game was performed in this space between them. Both of them knew the other was lying, but they’d been taught to deal with just what they were told. That trying to work out what was behind the language was crazy-making. It wasn’t worth the effort.

‘You know.’ Heidi started pushing buttons on the phone and the electricity ran through Margaret again.

Margaret screwed her face up like she really didn’t know. Like she was trying to remember but couldn’t. Inside, her mind raced, her pulse raced, she could almost see what Heidi was about to do. She was terrified Heidi would really do it, and it was coming at her like a large truck.

‘With the pizza stone?’ Heidi said. ‘I left a phone just like this at your house that day.’