Koji Suzuki - Loop

"The Loop… well, you might say it turned cancerous."

By which he meant that all the patterns in the program had been assimilated into one set pattern: all diversity vanished, and the program ground to a halt.

To Kaoru it sounded like his father was rambling. He didn't know what to make of all this. And it was no wonder: he knew nothing about the project's methodology, and he couldn't see it as a whole.

But he did have a desire, first of all, to understand what it was his dad had been working on. And, second, he wanted to find out whether or not it was a coincidence that most of his father's colleagues from the lab had died from the MHC virus.

So it had been Kaoru's idea to visit the research centre. His father had given him the name of a surviving colleague and done what he could to ensure that the visit went smoothly.

Word from his father would doubtless have reached somebody at the research centre by now. Kaoru had every expectation that he'd be received courteously.

He glanced down at the paper again.

There was something about the total number of bases in each gene that was tugging at him.

The top page held nine numbers, ranging from four to six digits, each number representing the bases in one gene.

3072

393,216

12,288

786,432

24,576

49,152

196,608

6144

98,304

Kaoru had a special ability when it came to numbers; it was this ability that was sending up a red flag now. But he couldn't put his finger on exactly why. He felt like there was something these numbers had in common. Yes, he was sure of it. His intuition on that point was strong.

To clear his mind he gazed at the scenery outside the window. On both sides of the tracks tall buildings clustered; the streamlined train threaded its way between them silently.

The train slowed down as it approached a platform. He saw a building under construction, and beyond it another painted in bright primary colours.

The station was in a cluster of four skyscrapers, each a thousand feet tall, organically connected into a single city-within-a-city. It had an English name; everybody knew it.

The Square Building.

"Square." He knew what it meant: a quadrilateral with each side the same length. But it had another meaning, as well.

Kaoru looked down again at the printout, concentrating on the nine numbers.

"It couldn't be," he murmured. He recalled that the English word "square" also referred to the process of multiplying a number by itself. And with that, it came to him.

3072 = 2(10) X 3

393,216 = 2(17) X 3

12,288 = 2(12) X 3

786,432 = 2(18) X 3

24,576 = 2(13) X 3

49,152 = 2(14) X 3

196,608 = 2(16) X 3

6144 = 2(11) X 3

98,304 = 2(15) X 3

It was astonishing: each number equalled two to the power of n times three.

Kaoru made some quick mental calculations as to the probability of nine random four to six digit numbers all turning out to equal 2n x 3. There were only eighteen such numbers in all the possible figures up to six digits.

Kaoru didn't need to come up with the exact probability, though: it was breathtakingly close to zero.

Why do this virus's gene sequences come out to 2n x 3?

The chances of it happening were basically zero, and yet it had happened. These nine numbers had surmounted that wall of improbability. It couldn't be a coincidence. He had to proceed under the assumption that it meant something.

He could remember coming to the same conclusion during that debate with his father ten years ago. That time the topic had been the emergence of life. Oh, and superstitions, jinxes… It was best to think that behind every amazing coincidence was some entity pulling strings.

An announcement came on to say that the train had reached Kaoru's station. The voice sounded to Kaoru like it was coming from far, far away.

Kaoru was expelled from the train doors onto the platform. If his father was to be believed, it was only a ten minutes' walk from the station to the research centre.

Kaoru wandered the hot platform, looking like an apparition. The sudden transition from the chilled train interior to the oppressive heat outside had left him tired.

He placed the stack of papers back into his briefcase and followed his father's directions to the research centre.

The centre was indeed not far from the station, but the road was hilly, and by the time Kaoru arrived he was drenched in sweat again. He stood in front of an old-fashioned building behind an embassy and compared the address to what he'd written down. No mistake. The fourth and fifth floors of this building held the laboratory maintaining the Loop data.

Kaoru took the elevator to the fourth floor, where he asked the receptionist to page a Mr Amano. This was the name Hideyuki had given him.

When you get to the lab, have them page a guy named Amano. I'll let him know you're coming.

Hideyuki had stressed this step a number of times.

The woman at the desk picked up her intercom receiver. "There's a Mr Kaoru Futami to see you, sir." Then she smiled at Kaoru and indicated a couch in the hall. "He'll be with you in a few moments."

Kaoru had a seat and waited for Amano to show up. While he waited he surveyed the place, taking in the fact that this was where his father had worked before Kaoru was born. Had he walked past this very reception desk every morning on his way to his lab?

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The voice came from a completely unexpected direction. Kaoru had been expecting Amano to appear from the main section of the floor, behind the receptionist, but instead he approached Kaoru from the elevator landing. Kaoru stood and bowed slightly.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Kaoru Futami. My father's always saying how much in your debt he is."

"Not at all, not at all. I'm in his debt, actually."

Amano took a business card from his card case and handed it to Kaoru. As a mere medical student, Kaoru of course didn't carry business cards, so he had to take Amano's without offering one in return.

Beneath the name of the research centre was the man's title, Professor of Medicine, and his name: Toru Amano.

Kaoru was puzzled to find a medical professor in what seemed to be a computer research centre. But come to think of it, his own father had a medical background. Perhaps it wasn't so surprising after all.

"What's your specialty, if I might ask?"

Amano smiled, showing the dimples in his cheeks. "Microbiology."

He was a small, slender man. He'd been junior to Kaoru's father by two years, so he had to be in his late forties, but he certainly didn't look that old. He could easily have passed for mid-thirties.

"Well, I know you must be busy, so…"

"It's nothing. Why don't I show you around?"

Amano guided Kaoru to the elevator and pushed the UP button.

The upper floor had a similar reception area; Amano led Kaoru past it without stopping.

He brought him to a large private room. Two walls were filled entirely with books, and several computers sat on the desk.

Amano sank into his chair, motioning Kaoru toward the chair for guests.

"I'm told you'd like a detailed explanation of Dr Hideyuki Futami's research."

"That's correct."

"How is he, by the way? How's his health holding up?" It didn't appear that Amano was just asking to be polite: he seemed sincerely worried. If it was proven that the cancer had spread to Hideyuki's lungs, the situation would be essentially hopeless, but Kaoru glossed over that.

"About as well as can be expected."

"He taught me quite a lot, you know." Amano got a look of nostalgia on his face and continued. "Things have changed these last few years. It's gotten… quiet."