"Um ... earlier than you, I expect. Kaolin had reason to think we can"t last beyond midnight. He saw us both at your house, remember?"
"Are you sure sure that was the same Aeneas-copy who shot us?" that was the same Aeneas-copy who shot us?"
"Does it matter?"
"Perhaps. If this one was made up to look like him."
"Possible. But those anatomically correct platinums are expensive and hard to manufacture in secret. Put it this way, Ritu. If you had a working phone, is Kaolin the first guy you"d call?"
"I ... guess not. Still, if we had some idea why -- "
"I bet it connects with all the other weird stuff that happened yesterday. Your father"s fatal "accident" not far from here. The disappearance of his ghost at Kaolin Manor, along with one of my grays. Kaolin may have thought Maharal"s ghost and my gray were in cahoots."
"In what what?"
"Then there was the attack on UK. Another of my dittos was involved somehow, according to the scandal channel. Sounds like something set up to discredit me."
"So everything"s about you? Is that a bit solipsistic?"
"There"s nothing solipsistic about my house getting blown up, Ritu."
"Oh, right. Your archie. Your real ... I forgot."
"Never mind."
"How can I? You"re a ghost ghost now. Terrible. And I got you into all this." now. Terrible. And I got you into all this."
"You had no way of knowing -- "
"Still, I wish there were something I could do."
"Forget it. Anyway, we can"t settle a mystery, stuck here in the desert."
"And that bothers you, Albert. Beyond knowing your life"s ended. Beyond the injustice, I sense frustration -- wishing to solve one more riddle."
"Well, I am am a detective. Learning the truth -- " a detective. Learning the truth -- "
"It drives you, even now?"
"Especially now."
"Then ... I envy you."
"Me! Your rig lives on. She"s in no apparent danger. Kaolin seemed a lot more interested in -- "
"No, Albert. What I envy is your pa.s.sion. The focus, purpose. I"ve admired it for some time."
"I don"t know if it"s so -- "
"Really. I imagine it adds a special sting to dying -- to being a ghost -- never knowing why it happened."
"Never is a strong word. I can hope."
"There you go, Albert! Optimistic, even after death. Hoping some plane or satellite will notice that SOS of shredded seat fabric you laid out on the sand. At least it would let you tell everything to the next detective."
"Something like that."
"Even now that the sun is going down, with no rescue copters in sight?"
"A character flaw, I guess."
"A splendid one. I wish I had it."
"You"ll continue, Ritu."
"Yes, tomorrow there"ll be a Ritu Maharal and no Albert Morris. I know I should be more sensitive saying it -- "
"That"s all right."
"Can I tell you something, Albert? A secret?"
"Well, Ritu, confiding in me may not be the best -- "
"The truth is -- I always had trouble with dittos. Mine often head off in ways I don"t expect. I didn"t want to make this one."
"Sorry."
"And now, to face death out in the desert. Even if it"s just one of us who -- "
"Can we discuss something other than imminent extinction, Ritu?"
"Sorry, Albert. I keep compulsively returning to the same insensitive topic. What would you like to talk about?"
"How about the work your father was doing, before he died."
"Albert ... your contract excludes you from enquiring into that subject."
"That was then."
"I see your point. Anyway, who could you tell? All right. For years Aeneas Kaolin nagged Father to work on one of the hardest questions in soulistics -- the non-h.o.m.ologous imprinting problem."
"The what?"
"Transferring a golem"s Standing Wave -- its remembrance and experience -- into a repository other than the human original who made it."
"You mean dumping a day"s memory into somebody else else?"
"Don"t laugh. It"s been done. Take a hundred pairs of identical twins. Five or so can swap partial memories by exchanging dittos. Most get brutal headaches and disorientation, but a few can do perfect inloads! By using golem intermediaries to share all their life memories, the siblings become, in effect, one person with two organic bodies, two real lifespans plus all the parallel copies they want."
"I heard of that. I thought it was a fluke."
"No one"s eager for publicity. The potential for disruption -- "
"Your father was trying to make it possible between non-twins? People who aren"t related? Egad."
"Don"t be too surprised. The notion"s been around since dittoing began, inspiring countless bad novels and movieds."
"There are so many, by amateurs and metastudios. I don"t try to keep up."
"That"s because you"ve got work. A real job. But the arts are all some people have."
"Um, Ritu? What does this have to do with -- "
"Bear with me. Did you see the parasensie called Twisted Twisted? It was a big phenom, a few years ago."
"Someone made me sit through most of it."
"Remember how the villains went around s.n.a.t.c.hing the dittos of important scientists and officials -- "
"Because they had a way to inload memories into a computer. Cute notion for a spy thriller, if impossible. Transistor versus neuron. Math versus metaphor. Didn"t someone prove the two worlds can never meet?"
"Bevvisov and Leow showed we"re a.n.a.log a.n.a.log beings. Physical, not software bits and bytes. But souls can still be copied, like anything else." beings. Physical, not software bits and bytes. But souls can still be copied, like anything else."
"Didn"t your father study under Bevvisov?"
"Their team first imprinted a Standing Wave into a doll at Kaolin Klaynamation. And yes, the plot gimmick in Twisted Twisted was dumb. A computer the size of Florida couldn"t absorb a human soul." was dumb. A computer the size of Florida couldn"t absorb a human soul."
"I don"t think every story about other-inloading involves computers."
"True. In some dramas they ditnap a golem and dump its memories into a volunteer, to extract secrets. Sometimes the inloaded personality takes over! A scary notion that can really get to an audience. But seriously, what might actually actually happen if we learn to swap memories between people, erasing the boundary between human souls?" happen if we learn to swap memories between people, erasing the boundary between human souls?"
Subvocal note to self. Watching Ritu speak, I realize -- she"s making light conversation, but her speech rhythms indicate high degrees of stress, carried realistically in the gray. The topic concerns her deeply.
If only I had some of my a.n.a.lytical gear while this is going on!
"Well, Ritu. If people could swap memories, men and women wouldn"t be such enigmas to each other anymore. We"d understand the opposite s.e.x."
"Hm. That could have drawbacks. Think how the s.e.xual tension contributes to the spice of ... oh!"
"What is it?"
"Albert, look at the horizon!"
"Sunset, yah. Pretty."
"I forgot how special this time of day is, in the desert."
"Some of that orange radiance comes from SWETAP. I guess we"re going to have to get used to drinking water that glows ... Hey, are you getting cold? We could generate heat by walking. It"s safe now."
"To what purpose? You were made before before sunset yesterday, remember? Better save what little sunset yesterday, remember? Better save what little elan elan you have left. Unless you can think of something better to do with it." you have left. Unless you can think of something better to do with it."
"Well ... "
"Let"s sit close and share heat."
"All right. Is that better? Um ... you seemed to be saying that all these bad movieds had something to do with your father"s final project."
"In a sense. Holo-story plots always focus on the most stupid stupid ways that technology can be abused. But Father had to consider every scenario. Other-inloading has serious moral implications. And yet -- " ways that technology can be abused. But Father had to consider every scenario. Other-inloading has serious moral implications. And yet -- "
"Yes?"
"For some reason, I felt that my father already knew a lot about the subject. More than he was letting on."
"Go on, Ritu."
"Are you sure you want me to? Does it matter, with the end rushing closer every minute? One more thing I always found creepy about dittoing. The ticking clock -- far better to find some distraction before the final melting away."
"Distraction. Okay. How would you you like to spend the remaining time, Ritu?" like to spend the remaining time, Ritu?"
"I ... well ... What"s your personal philosophy about banging pots?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Clay play. Kneading slip. Do I have to spell it out, Albert?"
"Oh ... dittos.e.x. Ritu, you surprise me."
"Because I"m being forward? Unladylike? We don"t have time to be demure, Albert. Or do you follow some neocelibate creed?"
"No, but -- "
"Most of the men I know -- and lots of women -- subscribed to Playdit Playdit or or Claymate Monthly Claymate Monthly in their tweens, getting that plain-wrapped package once a week containing an imprinted "expert." Even when they"re older -- " in their tweens, getting that plain-wrapped package once a week containing an imprinted "expert." Even when they"re older -- "
"Ritu, I have a steady girlfriend."
"Yes, I read your profile. A warrior. Impressive. Have you exchanged total vows, or partial?"
"Clara"s no prude. We reserve true-true contact for each other -- "
"That"s sweet. And prudent. But you haven"t answered my question."
"Dittos.e.x. Yeah, well. A lot depends on whether you inload."
"Which neither of us seems likely to do tonight."
"I see your point."
"About distraction. I mean, what"s the point of inhibition when the world will end in an hour or so. Whatever life can be salvaged -- "