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Edwin Rutledge looked out his windows to the sprawling Las Vegas Strip beyond. His office atop the Babylon Hotel and Casino was the definition of opulence. Italian leather couches surrounded a tasteful glass coffee table. Guests had no idea they were sitting in seats worth more than a typical car. But in a city of extreme displays, silent quality appealed to Rutledge more than a neon sign saying I’M IMPORTANT.
Still, some demonstration of status was needed. Mahogany bookshelves and curio cabinets stood on fine Persian rugs. His antique walnut desk backed up against a stunning view of the cityscape.
“Sir,” came his secretary’s voice through the intercom. “The IT person is here.”
He adjusted his diamond cuff links and pressed the intercom button. “Send them in.”
The double doors opened, and an uncomfortable-looking man shuffled in. He looked more like a customer of the casino than an employee. Ill-fitting jeans, a T-shirt with a Star Wars reference on it (or maybe Star Trek—Rutledge could never tell the difference), tennis shoes, and absolutely no effort put into controlling his wild hair.
Rutledge gestured to the leather chair facing his desk. “Have a seat.”
The man nodded awkwardly and sat down. He looked for all the world like a child who had been called to the principal’s office.
“So, Mr. Chen—”
“Nick,” he interrupted.
“Sorry?”
“Call me Nick.”
“Ah,” said Rutledge. “Mr. Chen, please tell me why my keno lounge is off-line.”
“Okay, so what happened is—”
“The keno lounge makes the Babylon two hundred thousand dollars a day,” Rutledge interrupted.
“Yeah, but—”
“And you turned it off. So you, personally, have cost us two hundred thousand dollars today.”
Chen scowled. “No, I saved you millions.”
Rutledge raised an eyebrow.
“Have you heard of quantum computing?”
“I see it on the news from time to time.”
“The past few years have had major advances. Noise reduction is solved, coherence protection is damn near perfect, and long-term state management can keep a qbit safe for months. But today is special. Today, QuanaTech’s new Model 707 hits the market. It’s a total game changer. It’s a 1,024-qbit system, with a 512-qbit long-term memory capability. And we’re talking logical qbits, not just physical—”
