Baikal.is /episode 5

previous episode

1010

Screen notes:

Music playing – energy drumming – images of our reality/ the narrative today – meditation, the cosmic mind – our fiction – Harry Potter/ Marvel Comics/ Disney etc…

War and Peace images – the good and the bad – the heroic and the defeated/ depressed/ servants of Thim doing their stuff, blissfully unaware…

It’s powerful, isn’t it.

How do you know…

What you’re dreaming? Er… long story. That chapter you just wrote about the water Orb – you put me in –

I never said it was you.

But it was, wasn’t it.

I guess so. You’re not supposed to interfere while I’m writing. You know the rules.

Yeah – but like you said – I seem to know what you’re dreaming – don’t I –

Because you’re from Primus Solaris?

Chicken or egg.

You mean whatever I’m writing affects the truth?

[facial shot]

That’s kind of insane, isn’t it.

No more insane than what’s happening in the world right now.

No, I mean "insane" in the sense of awesome.

Just as long as you don’t mess with this power.

So what was it like – do you remember?

Aren’t you forgetting – it’s supposed to be hundreds of years in the future.

Not for you it isn’t.

True. Look – I don’t know – when I see what you’re writing it comes back to me clear as day. If I knew any more than that it would interfere with the quantum field, wouldn’t it.

Yes, I guess so.

So write it nice. It looks like you and your brethren are all that stands between us, now, and the apocalypse.

Don’t – it’s unbearable.

Is it? Something tells me there’s another part of you – a warrior of the word – who relishes the impossibility of what you’re doing.

Eat or pupate – that’s what Miss Sattergee said, isn’t it.

Yeah – well if our world’s ready to pupate then this is definitely the place to be. You feel it don’t you.

I… do. She’s… strong. Very strong. It’s almost more than I can bear. I’ve gotta go. Time to write or it’s gonna split me in two.

Write Merlin, go write.

 1011

 Little did the people on Earth suspect an armada overhead in space...

General – there are more craft up there right now that we can count.

Listen North – when you have a billion dollars of equipment at your disposal I don’t wanna hear you can’t count the f***** craft. You’ll provide the relevant numbers or get your ass out of here.

Ok. Here’s the latest figure – seven minutes ago. Do you want me to read it out?

No, I think I’ll manage. [underbreath] Holy cow. What are they doing?

Nothing at the moment. They… appear to be observing.

Observing what? Why the hell did Earth suddenly become so interesting?

Earth, or Siberia – to be precise. That’s where they are concentrated – This is what they seem to be focussing on. [computer google earth thing matching the craft in space – zooming down on Baikal]

Lake Baikal. What the hell’s going on there? Still nothing from your man on the ground?

Not a thing – apart from the terror attacks targeting planes and trains on their way to the vicinity from Moscow. [brings it up on screen]

Intriguing. Someone’s working overtime to cause panic in the population.

We have reason to believe…

Yes?

That Thim’s trying to stop someone from accessing Baikal.

Thim – you don’t seriously expect me to believe that "AI out of control" shit.

You don’t have a problem accepting an armada of spacecraft overhead.

Because I can see it on the radar.

Look General – my job is to evaluate all versions dismissing none – until it’s eliminated empirically. Thim is definitely a card in play. I don’t take sides. I don’t give a shit if it’s true or not – but... this is moving too fast and with a scope too broad for usual state players 'n agencies – Mossad, the FSB, our CIA, even human traffickers, or the not so secret secret organisations which have insinuated themselves into every country’s apparatus: chicken-feed by comparison.

A few plane and train crashes and you’re making it sound like it’s game over.

I monitor the data General.

That’s what you’re supposed to do at any rate.   Well?

It’s no longer flowing. It’s getting jammed. There’s some kind of interference. The AIs are freaking out.

Why? Are people having problems accessing websites or online banking?

No General. That was only ever one percent of one percent. Most the internet was all about data flows. These data streams generated a kind of coherent electro-magnetic dataspace, a mind-field.

What?

Which is interacting with the consciousness of people all around the world.

What are you saying?

That people are being programmed to think and act in certain ways – without suspecting a thing.

My God! Why the hell did you never tell me this?

You never asked... You never needed to know.

You mean to say that you deliberately kept me out of the loop – when I’m supposed to be controlling our armed response to global security threats.

Yes, sir. I’m afraid so, but it’s worse.

What?

You yourself were being targeted just as Congress, the Senate, White House staff – everyone – everywhere.

Jesus Christ.

Except for individuals or anomalous zones which appear to be impervious to the signals produced by the data flows.

Of which Baikal is the first, I suppose.

Yes.

So, who is controlling these signals North? Don’t you know?

Whoever it is, or whatever – I and my group are referring to it as Thim.

Ok, so be it. Presumably, this Thim would be using all its resources to remain unobserved and untrackable...

Yes, by regular computers – but we’ve given up on the standard procedure untargetted dragnet (spud).

You have?

Yes. Waste of time. We’re not looking for footprints such as hyper-compression or tell-tale data-scrub gaps – we simply find and match correlations.

What kind of correlations?

Literally anything – between for example, books, movies and real-life events.

And?

They’re occurring more often than is statistically possible.

So this is scripted – you’re saying?

Absolutely. That’s what the data says – or it was until two days ago.

Huh?

It appears that Thim has encountered an unknown unknown. Something or someone which it simply isn’t able to scan or integrate – in other words a non-digital, non-binary data flow.

Is such a thing possible?

That’s what we’re looking into right now… General – I can show you what we’ve found – but I’ll need to wipe your memory straight after.

Like hell you will North. I’ll have you court martialled the minute you so much as… [he can’t talk when North flicks switch]

Sorry general. Bringing you up to speed is a fairly brutal experience. The same happened with the President, Joint chiefs of staff and agency heads. We can’t afford to let Thim use you. But don’t worry about the memory wipe – your deeper convictions, your sense of what’s real and what’s not will remain aware of what you’ve learnt – even if you can’t recall the details. This will make all the difference between working for or against humanity.

1100

  

Jesus this water is cold.

What do you expect?

Er… why not 36.6 degrees, like the Orb in Primus Solaris.

You can have your 36.6 degrees if you swivel your field. It’s gotta come unhinged.

I thought that’s what happened when i teleported here from Moscow.

Teleported? You imagine you flew here as a kind of particle wave?

Well how else?

Didn’t you in fact wake up?

Well yes.

So, your base reality – which had been centred in Moscow, ceased to be your base – a deeper one with lower entropy, higher energy – closer to the quantum-Is became your new home.

So…? I’m not sure I can process this.

Yes you can. It’s like you were living in false-floor reality – which popped when something in you suddenly saw through the subterfuge. Your body and inner-mind then scouted around, sending out kind of feelers to find the real base – your prime earth.

Ok. So now I’m actually living in a different reality?

More than that – you’ve re-earthed – so your Earth is no longer Thim’s psychotropic version.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve arrived at my absolute base, does it?

No. We’re on a kind of journey home – and now, with Baikal pulsing with the signals of the Mother stream – you couldn’t be better positioned.

I can do this, can’t i?

You are doing it.

I mean – [thinking about diving into Baikal in a different way]

Why ask? How else are you going to write the Story – sitting comfortably on the edge.

[Turns, looks across the waters – bellows “BAIKAL” in a physicalisation of voice]

Hot and cold – the heat of sexual energy – making love to her – and the body freezing to death in the water – in a cold state – no breathing – dives naked into the water – but instead of hitting her surface as before – he is rushing over her – stretching out – getting bigger – she comes into focus beneath him – goddess/woman/ sveta – feeling him, wanting him – cold and fire – back and forth as the falling into the water – in the very centre – far from help, far from land, over the deepest spot – she pulls him to her – into her – but the water is no longer 3D, and he, what is he, without words

but not yet consummation – he kisses the farthest shore – [cut to our Tibetan monks and our Indian shamans – both sharing in the mystery/ ecstasy/ dimensional opening – vesical piscis – vagina… water, fire, earth, air] bottomless... om

Shot of him sitting naked on High Nose clifftop in absolute detachment – while his data/ energies are cold-fusion dragoning in the waters below revealing symphonic imagery – creation cycle – energies/ memories/ form emerging from the infinite – [side-screen: panicking controllers brief shot –  financial markets baikaled – people feeling visceral quantum lurch] ...om

you must write – my beloved. Write... It is not yet time 

Opens his eyes, shivers, lost for words, lost for words, lost for words

next episode

Baikal.is /episode 4

previous episode

111

No way Sonya – I’m not interested in nature documentaries. You know the kind of films I watch.

Are you deaf man – it’s a not a documentary. It’s a kind of conspiratorial movie about this Baikal portal that everyone’s been talking about.

I don’t know anything about a Baikal portal.

Yes you do. There were all these strange clouds and things observed in the region: footage of UFOs and time anomalies.

You make it sound like the Bermuda triangle. I can’t understand why you fall for that sort of crap.

Well, I’m going to the movie so if you’re not interested I’ll offer your place to, let me see, one of those good looking guys who’ve been pestering me for a date for months now.

You sly witch. Ok, ok. I’ll come, if I must. Just as long as you don’t expect me to fall for all this x-files shit.

1000

We have a situation sir.

You do? What’s happened.

Look at these images of the magnetosphere.

Do I have to – you know I never can make head or tail of those things.

This one shows the gravitational field strength in the region and a number of other technical indicators.

Is this normal?

Let me put it this way – under normal circumstances we’d expect everyone to be dead with these levels of radiation and electromagnetic gyrations.

And?

Not a word of it. Either the Russians are keeping it all under wraps – or something’s going on we simply don’t understand.

Some experimental new weapon being tested?

It’s a possibility.

Is it just me or does it look as if this lake is bulging upwards?

Yes sir – we’re getting massive distortions in the visible light spectrum.

It could be hiding something.

Affirmative. At the moment, sir, we have questions but few, if any, answers.

Can we get someone in there?

We’re trying.

And?

There are problems with communications. Not a word from our man in a forty eight hours.

What about satellite data?

It’s become highly suspect. We simply don’t know if we can trust our instruments.

What on Earth could they be doing?

Whatever it is – it seems to be connected with our stock exchange.

What?! Now this is beginning to sound…

Look at these intense pulses here, here and here. And now if I overlay the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the US government bond charts –

It’s a perfect match.

Which begs the question, does it not, whether the Russians have found a way to control our financial markets via some kind of instruments housed in or near Lake Baikal –

Or is Baikal just the epicentre of what might be natural events – something in the line of the angry planet hypothesis.

Now who’s sounding conspiratorial?

Never underestimate the power of mother nature to remind us humans of our ridiculous insignificance – just when we imagine we’ve got things under control. Ok, lieutenant – I want answers. Get the people at the NSA and military intelligence to look for any signals or data activity corresponding with these EM pulses. Give it top priority and report back within 36 hours.

Yes sir.

1001

Boys and girls – your attention please – we’re coming to the site of the old 3D era – observe the arches here and opposite, across this beautiful canyon. Observe the water sphere suspended between them which maintains a regular temperature of 36.6 °C. It glows faintly at night and in the day it absorbs light which is why you’re advised not to look at it for more than a few seconds. If our scientists are correct, the entire 3D era is housed in this sphere – approximately 800 cubic metres of water believed to be anchored in 3D reality in what they refer to as Lake Baikal.

But surely their civilisation passed away a hundred years ago, Miss?

According to our measurement of time, yes, but at the quantum level – which is what holds the sphere locked in space the 3D reality is ongoing – pulsing backwards and forwards – oscillating between its inception and demise.

Can we measure these pulses Miss Sattergee?

Of course we can. Right now, for example we’re approaching full moon – as we call it.

Full moon?

Yes, because the night glow will be at its maximum – meaning it corresponds with the final moments of 3D civilisation – the last year or two on Earth when the whole world took notice of what was happening at Lake Baikal. Then, it’ll reach the minimum 73 days from now.

73 days – is there any reason for that?

Well, it’s been conjectured that 73 days here corresponds with the 11 year solar cycle in 3D reality – but I don’t wish to say that this has been proven definitively.

So what would happen to 3D reality if someone attacked the sphere, Miss Sattergee?

What a strange question Felix. You appear to be one of the descendents of that war-torn realm.

I’m uncomfortable with the thought, myself, but I feel we need to know more about the level of entanglement between our reality and their sub-etheric derivative.

Yes – well, as you probably know, Mr Riddle, some of our more outspoken critics of the 3D experiment have gone to not inconsiderable lengths to abort it using various means which I’d rather not discuss.

Naturally – the age of weapons was a blight upon our civilisation – but those individuals – did they…

Survive?

Yes.

No. The sphere is a privileged or protected quantum anomaly. It’s a bit like a soul. It’s one of the 16 such anomalies we find on Primus Solaris.

Or 17.

If you count the bottomless cave in Thebe. Well, that will do Mr Riddle.

My name’s Sim, not Riddle.

Yes, I know – it’s just an allusion to one of their dark fictional heroes who wished to find out more than he needed to concerning the dark arts.

Oh – and you have access to their datastream Miss Sattergee.

Those of us who live in the vicinity of the Orb – as we call it – grow sensitive to its thoughts and concerns – yes. Their writers of so-called "fiction" were highly tuned to the Field itself – the field that we see as a spectacular floating ball of water. Little did they realise – but they were able to reconfigure, to er… reprogram their reality by writing what appeared to be mere fiction – Mr Riddle was part of a novel which chicken or egg, reawakened individuals to the power of the Field itself – and their ability to transcend physical constraints of matter.

You mean magic?

That’s what they called it, yes.

And? Did they change?

Either they changed, or the Field shifted to enable them to start experiencing seemingly magical powers. Suddenly, thanks to a growing acceptance of quantum mechanics – individuals, not merely scientists, started investigating whether they too were part of a quantum field of consciousness – whether they too could zero one.

Huh?

To effectively cancel out the equal opposites. To call reality’s bluff – to chicken the egg, or egg the chicken.

Oh. That must have been a huge shift in their way of thinking.

It was. But it came not a moment too soon – as their civilization was careering into global war.

Oh God. How appalling.

Appalling, yet apparently necessary. It would appear that the quantum shift only hits the fan – as they would say – when things come to a head – when physically no other alternative exists.

Do or die.

Eat or pupate – is how I prefer to put it.

So, is there anything we can do to assist – if their time is of the eternal now?

Of course there is – each of us is there within that sphere, are we not?

I don’t know Miss Sattergee. It’s kind of hard to imagine that we’re part of such a blood-thirsty world as that.

Yes, but on the other hand – without this and the other anomalies – our reality would rapidly sink into an entropic sugar-high – which could then trigger an apoplectic stroke. 

You make it sound just like diabetes.

Oh – so you’ve studied 3D medical conditions.

Yes, of course.

Well, it appears that the various anomalies are like the skeleton of the body of our reality. Each of us had to participate at some level, to some extent in the 16 or 17 anomalies we know of. There may be more yet to come or already resolved – so we’re the other side of whatever they are going through – and they – as you can imagine – are we, are they not. So let’s join hands – let’s pray for the people of the 3D reality – the people of Earth – that they can make a beautiful transition from their "matter maketh man paradigm” – to the Baikal Isms~ water of life~ flow fundamental.

Amen. I feel inspired to offer up…

A prayer?

~My life for their safe awakening.

Sveta – no!

She’s gone. 

Where’d she go?

Oh my God – it just kind of reached out and absorbed her.

Children, children – let us give thanks for this great and terrible occurrence. Sveta has been accepted into the unthingable order of light. She is of the Orb. She is with Baikal.

Clapping, crying, joy and consternation.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

next episode

piper at the gates of dawn

A flute?

Yeah, why not?

I thought you said “Rome’s burning, everything’s coming apart!?”

Yes, I did.

And all you’re gonna do is play a flute?

All?

You heard me.

Er…

Well?

I’m processing.

Is there like a backlog or something?

It’s problematic.

Problematic? What on earth are you on about?

Your “All”.

All? What about it?

It doesn’t really fit into my cognitive scheme.

So the computer’s crashed has it? CPU overload – that kind of thing?

Yeah.

... [a minute later] Well, have you got it back yet or shall we try rebooting?

We could try rebooting, if you don’t mind.

Sure. Where’s the off switch.

Er… I was speaking figuratively, wasn’t I? 

Obviously. Look Merry – you’re playing games here so what do you expect.

You know, I’m not sure it’s meaningful to differentiate what I’m doing from what you or anyone else is.

How so?

Because we’re all, in fact, one and the same.

Oh, is that so?

Yes, apparently it is.

Like, your average punter starts playing a flute when the house is burning down?

Your average, no.

That just proves my point, doesn’t it?

But your average punter does whatever he or she can to help save the day – calling the fire service, running out screaming, using a fire extinguisher – whatever he or she’s best able to do.

But not playing a bloody flute, right?

Does it make you angry? Is that what you’re trying to convey?

No, it doesn’t. But your pig-headedness does. How on earth are we supposed to understand one another and make sense of things if you’re so grossly inconsistent? if you flaunt the laws of logic and reason?

But why do you assume I’m…

because playing a bloody flute isn’t going to fix anything, is it? So either you don’t care, or else you’re raving mad.

Oh, that’s what you meant – now I see.

And what did you think I was trying to say?

Well, your All had me flummoxed.

Jesus Christ. Are you really so…

Look, Zie, this is difficult to understand, I understand, and it’s making you very upset, so why don’t we just take a deep breath and have a break from all this angry shit.

Er...ok – it’s alright – I’m not angry, really. Just frustrated that you seem to be so deliberately obtuse and utterly hypocritical.

Oh, communication breakdown.

Huh?

Well, you seem to be under the mistaken assumption that flute playing is not a good way to mediate.

To what?

Well, this is all about mediation – isn’t it?

Er… how do you mean?

Well, if things are going to hell in a handbasket, then the last thing you’d expect me to do is play the flute if you’re thinking in terms of doing things – as your preferred form of mediation.

Well, it should be blatantly obvious that a hose is going to work better than a flute if we’re fire fighting.

Correct, the sword is mightier than the pen, is it not?

Oh, for God’s sake – a flute is not a pen. 

No?

No – a pen, or a phone call can make things happen – can put out fires – that’s abundantly clear – so stop messing with idioms.

But once you factor All into the equation…

?!

Which is what I assumed you wanted me to do…

Then you’re basically shifting the goalposts – aren’t you.

Am I?

Well yes, "All" goes way beyond 3D. It basically implies the Field, dunnit?

Er… you know, I have a kind of “do we have to go down that particular avenue” feeling right now, in fact, every bloody time you mention the Field. It’s like a recurring nose bleed.

Is it?

Yes – because it requires nose bleed levels of cognitive dissimilitude.

Cognitive dissimilitude? What an unusual turn of phrase.

Well, how else am I supposed to describe the complete suspension of all rational bounds of causality and empiricism, where we suddenly discover that playing a flute can be the best way to deal with impending bankruptcy, an alien invasion or global famine?

Why – are you expecting any of the above?

No, but what different does it make? Your preposterous invocation of the Field basically implies anything’s possible, so I may as well stand on my head in the middle of the street, or pull faces at a passing policeman.

That’s the spirit – now I see you’re getting the hang of this.

Except you know full well I’m being sarcastic, don't you?

Perhaps, but I suspect that within every poison pill of sarcasm, there’s a rosebud or honey drop of sincerity, of laughter, of love… You may think you’re being harsh and confrontational, but it’s never really that simple, is it?

Tell that to the sniper who puts a bullet in you.

How?

Precisely – you can’t if you’re already dead.

I meant – how can he put a bullet in me?

How do you think? He’s a sniper, isn’t he. He simply aims, pulls the trigger and poof, you’re gone.

Ah – so that’s what you believe.

Believe? That’s basic physics, or ballistics. Would you like to put it to the test.

Certainly – if you happen to have a qualified sniper at hand. Or we could try some other less complicated means, if you prefer.

I was joking Merry. You can’t seriously expect me to find a paid assassin.

He doesn’t have to be paid. He could do it for the sake of scientific research.

What do you mean “research?” What kind of research would it be shooting someone at point blank range and watching him drop dead.

Oh – you want it to be at point blank range, do you? In that case a sniper is unnecessary.

I don’t want it to be anything. The whole discussion is absurd.

Why?

Because people aren’t going to get involved in this kind of insanity.

Then how on earth are you going to test the hypothesis.

What bloody hypothesis.

The Field... mediation, what else?

I don’t know what you’re on about, Merry? No one wants to test the Field. It’s untestable. It’s patently insane to imagine you can play it with a flute. That’s why I hate all these nose bleed conversations. They always involve me having some kind of mental break down, feeling like I’m falling off the edge of the world into a bottomless corner of infinity.

Oh – how beautifully you're expressing yourself.

They have absolutely nothing to do with science or research.

No? Well, that’s perhaps where we need to apply more empirical methods – so perhaps we should try a little harder to find an absolutely bombproof test. The sniper seems like a good choice – particularly if we livestream it on youtube, or film the event with multiple, credible third party observers.

Merry, are you out of your mind?

Well how else are we to advance the course of science?

Committing suicide or murder is not in any way going to “advance the course of science” as you so inappropriately put it.

Correct – but watching how the Field responds to a fundamental data event is.

Er… you mean a life threatening “fundamental data event” is going to somehow or other activate the Field in a way it wouldn’t otherwise be activated?

No, I don’t. The Field is always activated if you choose to see it, be it, know it or play it.

And if you don’t?

It’s still activated, in fact, but you’re able to slip through the gaps between your 3D “shit happens, life's a lottery" reality and the Field itself – which means that you can definitely appear to experience termination.

Oh God. So we only die because we’re running a “shit happens” version of reality programme – is that what you’re actually saying – I pray I’m misunderstanding you for once.

Well, that’s the gist of it, certainly.

But…

I never actually realised the human body can emit smoke like that. How’s your blood pressure Zie?

My blood pressure? Smoke? I’m sick, sick to the maw by what you’re saying – as if we’d deliberately separate ourselves from a happy, benevolent Field in order to suffer and die? Can you really say such things without inviting outrage and blowback. It’s like your utopian delusions shift all the blame for everything horrendous that happens in the world from the perpetrator to the victim – because he or she chose to experience shit, how, by running this insane, malicious programme? 

Oh, I see.

Finally, the penny has dropped. Perhaps you’d like to backtrack and delete the tactless, neo-Nazi effluent you’ve been publicising.

No, I can’t delete anything because, in the end, All is All. Nothing is either created or destroyed. Conservation of energy, Newton’s second law.

Would you please draw a line between science and Neo-Nazi-Darwinism, before someone seriously takes you up on your irresponsible Field test proposal.

Look – if I just play my flute – assuming I know how to interact with the Field – it means that All being All – whatever is happening in the world around me – be it a sniper, a house fire or an impending foreclosure – will be palpable – I’ll be able to feel it and interact with it. That’s the nature of Fields – things are connected in ways you simply can’t imagine until/unless you connect.

So what happens to the bullet flying towards your head? It just stops in mid-air?

That’s up to the Field. That’s why it would help if this was all recorded, wouldn’t it, with multiple witnesses.

Except they’d go to jail if your Field failed to do its stuff, as conspirators or accessories to a crime.

Yes, that might be a problem – but the main thing is to start thinking about the Field in a less angry way.

Angry?

Well yes. It’s like cutting your nose to spite your face.

But why would I be angry with a Field? It’s you that annoys me with your utterly irresponsible ideas, which encourage the worst kind of logic. It’s like going back to the old biblical belief that you’re responsible for being sick – that your disease is a kind of punishment for your sins. Thank God people no longer think that way – otherwise they’d be killing everyone with mental or physical disabilities. You’re opening a toxic can of worms with this “blame the victim Field”.

Yes, I would be, were I not willing to demonstrate the Field, personally. No one’s going to die. I’m just going to play my flute.

But why?

Why what?

Why should the Field trouble to keep you alive?

The Field’s basically neutral. It doesn’t need to do anything. There’s no death, anyway. My body in one section or space-time-blob might splatter, if I don’t take the trouble to stay whole and complete, but energy is still always conserved.

Yes, but that’s not going to bring you back to life, is it? Your energy will fly off somewhere else, or change into a different form, harnessed by bacteria or fungi.

You know, energy is a lot more magical than you can possibly imagine, when you factor infinity into the equation.

Oh God, here we go again…

It’s the Aslan or Jesus phenomenon.

Huh?

If I walk into a life-threatening situation fully conscious and aware of what’s going on, then the Field ensures continuity.

And if you’re caught unawares?

Then I wasn’t really alive or awake in the first place, was I, which means I won’t really be any more alive or awake in whatever continuation or holding pattern I’m transferred into.

Look, this is all very well talking about continuity, but a physical body blown up by a bomb is no more able to reconstitute itself than a physical building or anything else.

You simply reveal the extent to which you are as yet unable to accept the power of Is, the Field manifesting throughout. You’re thinking in terms of things rather than wave forms. Matter is in itself immaterial. Matter is constantly flipping in and out of screen.

Screen?

It’s a kind of compression field. It’s where things get squished down into a flattened state – a kind of 2D version of reality that jumps from frame to frame. It looks real, it looks 3D thanks to the CGI of perception. 

I find that hard to believe, Merry.

Which is as it should be. You’re not really supposed to see it otherwise, until/unless you’re ready to start engaging Field which gives you the raw data as opposed to perceived frames. The Field, however, is not a thing you perceive, is it, that would be absurd. 

Absurd? Not half as absurd as the nonsense you’re endlessly spouting. Look Merry, if it’s not a problem, could you just get back to your flute playing.

~With pleasure!

As long as you’re doing that, though Rome may burn and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall, we’ll have some peace and tranquillity. Now, let’s see if there’s any truth in your hypothesis. I’m going to switch on a random number generator which always produces a more or less even stream of odd and even numbers thousands of times a second. If you’re able to access the Field as you claim, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to influence the output of this machine, without even coming close to it.

Good thinking Zie.

Here goes…

Ah – there it is.

You feel it? Well, I’ve news for you – the output is statistically normal. No deviation whatsoever.

You jump the gun. I merely felt it. Let me now pipe the way I would if I wanted the rats of Hamelin to follow me out of town and into the river.

Hey…

… … … … … … … … … … … … …/ … … .. . … .. …. … … … .. …. .. .

Holy sheet!

There, we’ve now connected more or less fully.

You and the machine – I can see that.

And you too.

Me? I… don’t understand.

You can direct it, if you like. I’ve connected it to your wave form – so have a practice – wave your arms left and right, like an orchestra conductor and see what happens.

Oh my God – it’s working.

You like it?

It’s incredible. Left – odd numbers, right – even numbers.

Oh – you can do more than that.

I can? How.

Play around – just see what happens.

Oh my God – it’s able to speed up and slow down. Incredible. How did you do that.

Well, you know the answer.

But that means you have complete control over the Field.

No, that’s untrue.

What’s stopping you from using this power to control the world?

Good question.

Well?

Again, it boils down to the nature of infinity. What would I get by controlling the world. What, in fact, does it mean to “control the world” when all the world’s a stage and all of us players.

Er…

But you could take control of me – couldn’t you?

Kind of – I guess so.

Do so. Make me dance – against my will.

Must I?

Yes do. Make me dance – I need to feel how this works.

If you insist. Here goes for nothing.

Oh – my – God – this is soooo weird. Utterly insane. I’m dancing against my own will. You’ve hacked me.

Well, what do you think hypnosis is? That’s presumably how it works.

But you could use this for untold harm – you could take over the world.

And what?

It’s a scary thought…

If you see human nature as violent, evil and oppressive, but if in actual fact, the Field is a place of unity and mutual respect – then I’d either be unwilling or unable to abuse this ability. To do so would clutter my infinity access point with noise and karma. I’d make myself sick.

Oh.

Indeed. Now, let’s see what happens when the entire Field flips into a hyper-state of unthingedness. Are you ready for that?

Sure. Sounds great as long as – oh sheet –

This might make you feel a little sick. You had a cooked breakfast this morning, didn’t you?

Yes… Ohhhhhhhhhh no…

Well, too late to stop now. We’ll get you cleaned up afterwads – at both ends.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Oh God…

Nothing like a little flute practice. Hey – Zie – you’re full of weird stuff. Don’t and imagine this is me. Hey – easy does it! 

What? Stop, please.

I can’t, Zie, it’s you – or something deep inside you. It’s hacking my flute. I’ve never played like this before. You must have been really desperate for some kind of release.

Hey – I’m begging you man. Those things look evil. Nooo, they’re devouring me.

Nonsense. They’re just – oh shit – yes, you’re right. Oh well – nothing that the Field can’t put right in a jiffy – or

You can’t just leave me in limbo.

Can’t, won’t… do you honestly imagine I’m in control. It’s like you’ve been under some kind of totalitarian repression and you’re finally getting to experience a little wild freedom. This is an energy force I couldn’t possibly contain, if I even wanted to – which I don’t. It feels so fresh – so exciting – like life is prickly, pulsating energy – like anything’s possible.

In the meantime I appear to be some kind of slug.

Were – until that giant crow swallowed you whole.

Holy bip.

Well yes. Now listen Zie, enough messing around. I’m not asking you to bring the Field under control – just to take a deep breath, so to speak, and see if there’s anything you should be doing in order to – whatever it is.

Apparently I have to learn Japanese gardening. That’s how I’m going to engage her.

Her?

Dorothy.

Oh, that’s how you see it. How romantic.

Well I suppose it’s all just science for you, isn’t it?

More or less, with a bit of Doctor Who and er…

Hitchhiker’s guide – yes – I see.

Hey – you’re not supposed to be hacking my consciousness.

Oh give me a break – it’s all One, isn’t it?

I suppose it is. Oh – that’s nice – apparently you’re also a Tai Chi master – at another level of your isness.

Yes, well there’s no limit to what we can uncover when we start probing the connectedness, is there?

That’s true. Now, can you see any potential assassins in the vicinity?

Oh my God – yes – over there.

Ugh – nasty little critters. How did you manage to drag them into our digi-frame.

Don’t ask.

You’ve worked with them before – haven’t you!

I’m not sure I like you probing all my secrets – is that strictly necessary?

Or ethical? no – probably not. Anyway – let’s get this over with. They seem to have some fairly powerful plasma weaponry. Flutey flute is feeling positively electric so I’ll give them the old one two…

Smokey!

Yep – they didn’t stand a chance, did they.

I’ll never look at your flute in the same light again. Now put me back in 3D – I feel like I’ve gone about as far into infinity as I can handle, or my bowels, at least.

Yes, it’s about as much as I can handle too. What a stench.

Cut that out. It was your idea, no mine.

Ok, Zie. You’re looking fairly er…

Hey – my body’s transparent.

Yes. Here – the bath is run.

Oh thanks. Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii – what the hell.

Liquid nitrogen. Thought that would do it quicker.

Jesus Merry – liquid bloody nitrogen. You could kill me.

I know. I do my best. But you’re looking a lot more pink and solid now. And we can put it on the messy brown stuff – it’ll turn to rock, more or less, for easy disposal.

Good thinking.

Pure genius. Ok, I’m out of here.

Huh? What the heck… er… I could have sworn someone was here a minute ago. God, must have been hallucinating. Jesus – I must be going mad. I need to get outside. Spend some time in nature. Japanese gardening – that’s an interesting thought – I should give it a try. I bet that would help put me right – or maybe a bit of Tai Chi… who knows. Weirder things have happened…