We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Book 2: Chapter 42: Business

Book 2: Chapter 42: Business

Howard

March 2193

Vulcan

The Enniscorthy Distillery Company was doing well. I looked over the spreadsheet. We were just barely keeping up with orders. And we insisted on C.O.D., so no receivables issues.

After some discussion, we’d decided we needed a planetbound distillery, and we brought Stéphane in to set that up.

Bridget slapped the cover closed on her tablet, then set it on the desk. She worked her shoulder and spine a few times before leaning back in the chair.

Stéphane frowned in her direction. “Backache again? You should see the doctor.”

Bridget answered with a noncommittal smile, then looked towards my image on the phone. “I guess you don’t get backaches, right?”

“Not unless I want to. We Bobs try to keep things as realistic as possible, most of the time, though. I don’t need to let my muscles go stiff, but stretching them out feels good.”

She nodded, staring into space. “You’re effectively immortal, aren’t you? How old are you personally, Howard?”

“Well, I’ve only existed for eight years’ subjective time as Howard. But my memories go back to Original Bob’s earliest memories as a child, maybe around two years old. So I remember around twenty-nine years as Original Bob, then four years as Bob-1 before he built his first set of clones; four years as Riker; fifteen years as Charles, who was one of Riker’s first clones; and eight years since Charles cloned me. That’s subjective time, as I said. There’s a lot of relativistic time dilation in there. So, I’ve experienced sixty years of life.”

She made a face at me. “That sounds complicated. Do you share thoughts?”

“With the other Bobs? No. When a Bob is cloned, he wakes up with the same memories as his parent at the moment the backup was made. After that, though, we each go our own way.”

“Wow. I’m not sure I could handle that. Life is complicated enough.”

“Well, what about as an afterlife?” I smiled at her. “Original Bob had to die first, before he became a replicant. Not much future in death, I’m told.”

“On the other hand, your relatives stop calling.”

“We do have one non-Bob, you know. Henry Roberts is the Australian probe replicant.”

She made a moue of something, maybe disapproval. “Yeah, word is he’s not fully bolted down.”

“Mm, well, Henry had some issues with sensory deprivation early on. We know how to handle it now. Any new replicants would probably be fine.” I looked at her sideways. “You thinking of applying?” ??N????

“No, just curious.”

Stéphane added, one eyebrow arched, “Immortality sounds good, though.”