NABC Book 3: Chapter 41: Resurrection
Book 3: Chapter 41: Resurrection
Book 3: Chapter 41: Resurrection
Howard
October 2220
HIP 14101
I reached out, for the umpteenth time, to flip the switch. And pulled my hand back, yet again. Oh, my freakin’ God, what was wrong with me? I had Bridget’s scan—finally, after months of court battles. I had a matrix and a ship built for her. Her VR was set up, her firewall was set up, I had accounts set up for her on BobNet...
What the hell?
In desperation, I sent a text off to Bill. Am I doing the right thing?
The answer came back almost immediately. Oh, hell, no.
Well, nothing like a little bit of support from your friends. Chuckling, I flipped the switch.
Bridget appeared in the middle of my VR—twenty-eight years old, thick red hair, dimples, lab coat—just like the first day I’d met her.
I stared, slack-jawed. I couldn’t help it. I was completely, utterly, frozen.
Bridget turned a full circle, then smiled uncertainly at me. “Howard?”
I wordlessly got up, rushed to her, and wrapped her in my arms. She hugged me, put her head on my shoulder, and we simply existed, for what could have been forever.
Finally, she stepped back and looked at me searchingly. “I guess this means I’m dead?”
“Original Bridget is dead. You are very much alive.”
“Okay, Howard, I’ll toe the official line. I know you’ve always been sensitive about the difference.”
“It’s important to get an image of yourself as a unique person, Bridge. You aren’t just a copy. You’re you, and you’ll become more you as time goes on.”
I took her hand and led her to the couch. I had copied the couch from her apartment, in the hope that it would reassure her. She looked at it and chuckled, no doubt fully aware of my intent.
“We’ve got hundreds of Bobs now. Every one of us is different. Some are a little different, some are a lot. There’s no feeling of us just being ‘Bob clones’. And you aren’t just a ‘Bridget clone’.”
Bridget’s lips pressed together for a moment. Then she looked me in the eyes. “Got it. If I believe my Catholic upbringing, Original Bridget is now in either Heaven or Hell. You know the Catholic Church was never able to come up with a coherent policy on replicants, right?”
She took a few more milliseconds, then smiled at me through the tears. “I have to admit, I love that you didn’t include runny noses in the VR world.”
“Look, there’s a limit to even our obsessive realism.” I grinned at her. “We also don’t have mosquitoes. That by itself is worth the price of admission.” I lost the grin and looked into her eyes. “So, want to talk about it?”
Bridget sighed and sat back into the couch. I noted in passing that it was the same couch as she’d had in her real apartment, the one I’d used when I brought her back. The VR was, in fact, a mostly faithful copy of her former home, except for the addition of a bigger sitting room area, and a bay window with a sun-filled view of the Vulcan landscape.
“I talked to Howie,” she said. Her lip quivered for a moment. “He was distant, but seemed embarrassed about it. I think he’s caught between a rock and a hard place, wanting to accept me, but knowing that Rosie would never forgive him.”
“Um.” I said. I figured that would be safe.
Bridget smiled sadly. “Rosie was always difficult. She knows what she wants, and isn’t interested in differing opinions. Or concerned about damage from trying to get her way.”
“Be patient, Bridge. Howie will come around. Out of curiosity, if nothing else. I can put him onto my relatives as well. Give him a more positive viewpoint on replicants as family.”
Bridget nodded and wiped her eyes. Then she looked at her hands with a quizzical expression. “I suppose I could really just alter the VR to clean myself up, couldn’t I?”
“Yes, but don’t. If you start getting in the habit of shortcutting things, you end up just floating around the room like Dracula. The VR helps us remain grounded.” I stopped and thought for a second. “Although now, with the androids and all, it might not be as important.”
Bridget stood up. She wandered slowly around her VR, occasionally picking up objects and examining them. She ended up at the bay window, looking out at the Vulcan forest in the distance. The sun was setting, and long shadows stretched across the foreground.
She gazed out at the landscape for a few moments, then raised a hand and made a small gesture. The Vulcan landscape changed into an aerial view of the Odin cloudscape. Blimps floated in the distance, moving in small groups.
“That’s from the videos I took,” I said, pleased. I walked over to stand beside her.
Bridget turned to me and returned my smile. “Please don’t be insulted, Howard, but it was the chance to study the Odin lifeforms that turned me around on the replication question.”
“Hah-HAH!” I replied. “My evil plan is working like a ch—Ow!”
“Just remember you can still feel my wrath, wise guy.” She grinned as I rubbed my shoulder. “Now, can we see about a field trip?”
“Yesss, precious, just don’t hurts us again.”
“Oh, Howard!”
Well, I’d wanted a family.