Enantiomers , he repeated .
Chiral opposites . Like our hands . They ’ re the same shape but we can ’ t have them impose over each other . They ’ d have to be moved through a fourth-dimension for that kind of assimilation to take place … Don ’ t you remember this ?
He smiled . ***
Aldreson leaned back . Yawned . Tried to circulate some blood . Sorry , Laurence . I – I … Her desks caught her eye . Why were they so empty ? She checked the time . 16:03 . Laurence , opposite , a grin . I feel that way too , he said . Putting you through the ringer aren ’ t I ? Yeah … Yeah . Forgive me . I – have you been here before , Laurence ? Loads . Not exactly here , like . What do you mean ? Well , the earth spins through space in orbit , doesn ’ t it . It ’ s not going up per se , since there ’ s no directional axis that makes any kind of sense when we ’ re talking about an infinite , flat universe . We ’ re going , at least , away . And here , now , this space is new . It ’ s always new . Alderson knew that , didn ’ t she ? Of course she did . She was a … a … The Necker cube , he prompted then , getting out his iPad , as if he were the expert . So , I was thinking maybe that the Necker cube could be a kind of superimposable phenomenon that might allow a redefining of how spatial geometries operate – as in , maybe , we could invert the space a shape inhabits . He drew two Ls on his iPad . One inverted from the other . If we were able to bend space through the fourth dimension , we could make a shape impose over itself . And my proposition is , what if we could twist consciousness in such a way .
Yes , Alderson replied , barely grasping at what he meant . She didn ’ t like the implications regardless .
He grabbed the right L . If this were someone ’ s mind , we could invert it so that the other L isn ’ t inverted any longer . Both are the same . He highlighted the other , previously inverted L , and imposed it over the other . Now there was only one L . But Alderson said , So there ’ s a third L ? A third ? Laurence replied . I see it as a third . A combination of the two . She looked up to the empty bookcases . Why were they so empty ? Laurence ’ s words fluttered by like leaves in the wind the longer she looked . Do you read , Laurence ?
Not how you mean , he replied . I don ’ t read : I take . RSL 87