The Arrows of Time

‘Close isn’t good enough,’ he said. He wanted to switch off the console so he didn’t have to keep staring at the skewed bar graph that had already burnt itself into his brain – but he knew that as soon as he did he’d feel compelled to switch the machine on again, just in case there’d been an error found, a correction issued. ‘This isn’t over,’ he swore.

Rosita’s tone became less sympathetic. ‘Someone had to lose. If you don’t accept the vote, what does that say? That if the other side had lost, they’d be entitled to ignore it and build the system anyway?’

‘Knowing the Council, they probably would have,’ Ramiro muttered.

‘You got more than five votes in twelve,’ she said. ‘After the trial run, some people are sure to change their minds. You still might get your way in the end.’

‘Once the system’s in place, what will a vote mean?’ Ramiro asked darkly.

Rosita scowled. ‘Listen to yourself! If people don’t like it, they’ll vote to get rid of it. No one’s cutting us out of the loop.’

‘It’s not that simple,’ Ramiro protested. ‘Suppose the Council claims that they’ve received an official message with the result of the referendum – before they’ve actually identified the real message and examined it. Just announcing a win could be enough to turn that into a self-fulfilling prophecy.’

Rosita hummed dismissively. ‘Most of what you said in the debate made sense, but now you’re just sounding paranoid. An official report would quote the exact numbers on each side, not just a win or a loss. A fake announcement of a win might raise the likelihood of a real win, but publicising a fake set of numbers would have no chance of making those precise numbers come true.’

Ramiro considered this. ‘You’re right,’ he admitted. He was sure that the Council would still find a way to use the system to seal their victory, but he needed to think through the mechanics of it more carefully. ‘You really came to the debate?’

‘Yes. Why wouldn’t I have? Just because you’re fighting with Corrado doesn’t mean there’s a problem between us.’ She lowered her gaze. ‘He doesn’t speak for me on any subject. I always thought we were going to decide those things together, and work out what suited us both. It’s not his business trying to force anything.’

Ramiro was grateful for the sentiment, but her timing could not have been worse. ‘I can’t think about that now.’

‘I understand,’ Rosita said. ‘I just want to make sure that Corrado doesn’t stop us talking, whenever you’re ready.’

‘It will take them half a year to build the system,’ Ramiro replied. ‘Then the trial will run for a year. Maybe after that, when everything’s settled, we’ll be able to…’

‘Make plans for the future?’ Rosita suggested. She buzzed softly, as if the idea had already become quaint.

Ramiro said, ‘You have to promise me something.’

‘What?’

‘Promise you won’t send back any messages about this.’ He would have been happier if she’d sworn to receive no messages from anyone, but she’d already made it clear that she was determined to take part in the trial.

‘I know how to keep quiet,’ she replied. ‘I won’t tell you anything you don’t want to know.’

Ramiro said, ‘That’s not enough.’

‘It’s not up to you!’ Rosita retorted angrily. ‘You don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t communicate to myself.’

Ramiro was chastened, but he couldn’t let the matter drop. ‘Just knowing the outcome would give you something over me. That’s the kind of thing I’d expect from Corrado – but if you’re serious about respecting my choices, when we talk about this you’ll come to it blind.’

Rosita struggled visibly to contain her response. Finally she said, ‘Respecting your choices doesn’t mean I have to limit my own perspective.’

‘Limit your perspective?’ Ramiro buzzed incredulously. ‘You’d think I was asking you to gouge out your rear eyes. When did this toxic gimmick that you hadn’t even heard of until a few stints ago become your birthright?’

‘The day it was invented,’ she replied.

Ramiro said, ‘It might have been invented, but it hasn’t been built yet. You shouldn’t take anything for granted.’

‘Nor should you.’ Rosita headed for the door.

Ramiro didn’t want them parting like this. ‘I’m sorry I offended you,’ he declared. ‘And I’m grateful for what you said before, about Corrado.’

Rosita paused, clinging to the rope. ‘We should talk again when we’re both feeling calmer.’

‘All right.’

Ramiro watched her leave, glad that he’d salvaged something from the encounter. Then he turned back to the console and the unchanged tallies.

Who could be satisfied with a community divided along the lines of that vote, with half the population knowing the future all the way to the reunion, while the rest battled day after day to defend the integrity of their decisions? Rosita had given him a foretaste of the kind of negotiations the two sides would be facing, and that was already bad enough.