diff --git a/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/runtime/Intrinsics.java b/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/runtime/Intrinsics.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 875255deb..000000000
--- a/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/runtime/Intrinsics.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-package org.raku.nqp.runtime;
-
-import java.lang.reflect.Field;
-import java.util.function.Consumer;
-import java.util.function.Function;
-import org.raku.nqp.runtime.ExceptionHandling;
-import org.raku.nqp.runtime.ThreadContext;
-import sun.misc.Unsafe;
-
-public class Intrinsics {
-    private static Unsafe unsafe;
-
-    protected static synchronized Unsafe getUnsafe(ThreadContext tc) {
-        if (unsafe == null)
-            try {
-                Field theUnsafe = Unsafe.class.getDeclaredField("theUnsafe");
-                theUnsafe.setAccessible(true);
-                unsafe = (Unsafe) theUnsafe.get(null);
-                theUnsafe.setAccessible(false); // Clean up after ourselves.
-            }
-            catch (Exception e) {
-                throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, e);
-            }
-            finally {
-                return unsafe;
-            }
-        else
-            return unsafe;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Map given the unsafe singleton.
-     */
-    public static <T> T butUnsafe(ThreadContext tc, Function<Unsafe, ? extends T> f) {
-        return (T) f.apply(getUnsafe(tc));
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Foreach given the unsafe singleton.
-     */
-    public static void itsUnsafe(ThreadContext tc, Consumer<Unsafe> f) {
-        f.accept(getUnsafe(tc));
-    }
-}
-
diff --git a/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/runtime/Ops.java b/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/runtime/Ops.java
index e366f86cb..912496d5b 100644
--- a/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/runtime/Ops.java
+++ b/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/runtime/Ops.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
+import java.lang.invoke.VarHandle;
 import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandle;
 import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles;
 import java.lang.invoke.MethodType;
@@ -6039,7 +6040,7 @@ public static SixModelObject atomicbindattr(SixModelObject obj, SixModelObject c
         return value;
     }
     public static SixModelObject barrierfull(ThreadContext tc) {
-        Intrinsics.itsUnsafe(tc, (unsafe) -> { unsafe.fullFence(); });
+        VarHandle.fullFence();
         return createNull(tc);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/sixmodel/SixModelObject.java b/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/sixmodel/SixModelObject.java
index ba399ccc5..b12abd361 100644
--- a/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/sixmodel/SixModelObject.java
+++ b/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/sixmodel/SixModelObject.java
@@ -33,25 +33,28 @@ public SixModelObject get_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class
     public void get_attribute_native(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle, String name, long hint) {
         throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, this.st.REPR.name + " representation does not support natively typed attributes");
     }
-    public void bind_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc,SixModelObject class_handle,
+    public void bind_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle,
             String name, long hint, SixModelObject value) {
         throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, this.st.REPR.name + " representation does not support attributes");
     }
-    public void bind_attribute_native(ThreadContext tc,SixModelObject class_handle, String name, long hint) {
+    public void bind_attribute_native(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle, String name, long hint) {
         throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, this.st.REPR.name + " representation does not support natively typed attributes");
     }
     public long is_attribute_initialized(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle,
             String name, long hint) {
         throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, this.st.REPR.name + " representation does not support attributes");
     }
-    public SixModelObject cas_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc,SixModelObject class_handle,
+    public SixModelObject cas_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle,
             String name, SixModelObject expected, SixModelObject value) {
         throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, this.st.REPR.name + " representation does not support cas of attributes");
     }
-    public void atomic_bind_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc,SixModelObject class_handle,
+    public void atomic_bind_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle,
             String name, SixModelObject value) {
         throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, this.st.REPR.name + " representation does not support atomic binding to attributes");
     }
+    public SixModelObject atomic_load_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle, String name) {
+        throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, this.st.REPR.name + " representation does not support atomic loading of attributes");
+    }
 
     /**
      * Boxing related functions.
diff --git a/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/sixmodel/reprs/P6OpaqueBaseInstance.java b/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/sixmodel/reprs/P6OpaqueBaseInstance.java
index b34f465a4..ffc5581c0 100644
--- a/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/sixmodel/reprs/P6OpaqueBaseInstance.java
+++ b/src/vm/jvm/runtime/org/raku/nqp/sixmodel/reprs/P6OpaqueBaseInstance.java
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package org.raku.nqp.sixmodel.reprs;
+
+import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles;
+import java.lang.invoke.VarHandle;
 import org.raku.nqp.runtime.ExceptionHandling;
-import org.raku.nqp.runtime.Intrinsics;
 import org.raku.nqp.runtime.Ops;
 import org.raku.nqp.runtime.ThreadContext;
 import org.raku.nqp.sixmodel.STable;
@@ -115,41 +117,53 @@ public long is_attribute_initialized(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_hand
             return super.is_attribute_initialized(tc, class_handle, name, hint);
     }
 
-    private long scalarValueOffset;
-
     @Override
     public SixModelObject cas_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle,
                                               String name, SixModelObject expected, SixModelObject value) {
-        return Intrinsics.butUnsafe(tc, (unsafe) -> {
-            try {
-                long offset = unsafe.objectFieldOffset(this.getClass().getDeclaredField(
-                    "field_" + resolveAttribute(class_handle, name)));
-                return unsafe.compareAndSwapObject(this, offset, expected, value)
-                    ? expected
-                    : (SixModelObject)unsafe.getObjectVolatile(this, offset);
-            }
-            catch (Exception e) {
-                throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, e);
-            }
-            finally {
-                return Ops.createNull(tc);
-            }
-        });
+        SixModelObject result = null;
+        try {
+            String attribute = "field_" + resolveAttribute(class_handle, name);
+            VarHandle variable = MethodHandles.lookup().in(this.getClass())
+                .findVarHandle(this.getClass(), attribute, SixModelObject.class);
+            result = (SixModelObject)variable.compareAndExchange(this, expected, value);
+        }
+        catch (Exception e) {
+            throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, e);
+        }
+        finally {
+            return result == null ? Ops.createNull(tc) : result;
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
     public void atomic_bind_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle,
                                             String name, SixModelObject value) {
-        Intrinsics.itsUnsafe(tc, (unsafe) -> {
-            try {
-                long offset = unsafe.objectFieldOffset(this.getClass().getDeclaredField(
-                    "field_" + resolveAttribute(class_handle, name)));
-                unsafe.putObjectVolatile(this, offset, value);
-            }
-            catch (Exception e) {
-                throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, e);
-            }
-        });
+        try {
+            String attribute = "field_" + resolveAttribute(class_handle, name);
+            VarHandle variable = MethodHandles.lookup().in(this.getClass())
+                .findVarHandle(this.getClass(), attribute, SixModelObject.class);
+            variable.setRelease(this, value);
+        }
+        catch (Exception e) {
+            throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public SixModelObject atomic_load_attribute_boxed(ThreadContext tc, SixModelObject class_handle, String name) {
+        SixModelObject result = null;
+        try {
+            String attribute = "field_" + resolveAttribute(class_handle, name);
+            VarHandle variable = MethodHandles.lookup().in(this.getClass())
+                .findVarHandle(this.getClass(), attribute, SixModelObject.class);
+            result = (SixModelObject)variable.getAcquire(this);
+        }
+        catch (Exception e) {
+            throw ExceptionHandling.dieInternal(tc, e);
+        }
+        finally {
+            return result == null ? Ops.createNull(tc) : result;
+        }
     }
 
     public SixModelObject posDelegate() {