pulls himself together she’s leaving.
“I’ll walk you somewhere,” he says. “Paul and I won’t be done for a while.”
Clearly Paul told her not to trust him before he went in to spill his guts, but after a second she says, “Tell me more about your books,” and he falls into step beside her.
He tells her about the library that used to be the guest bedroom before he realized he didn’t have guests and there was no point in it. He explains why there are no windows and special light bulbs and a fancy dehumidifier to make sure mold doesn’t get into the books.
(It’s also lined in lead, which keeps Mori from getting a look at his computer. Some things are private.)
Her expression keeps changing, so subtle he’d swear she was human if he didn’t know better.
She talks about the library at Alexandria, an odd combination of a machine programmed to access information and someone with enough imagination she might as well have been there.
(Maybe this is immortality, as far as it goes.)
She mentions the Dewey Decimal system, and he says, “That’s how I shelve mine.”
“That explains your code,” she says. When he raises his eyebrows, she says, “It’s … thorough.”
(Diplomacy. Also not his.)
“It has to be,” he says. “I want Vestige to be perfect.”
He doesn’t say,
“I know,” she says, in a way he doesn’t like, but by then they’re standing in front of Paul’s office, and she’s closing the door.
This floor has a balcony overlooking the atrium.
He sticks close to the wall all the way back.
He goes home and erases her avatar from his program.
(Not like he cares what she thinks, but there’s no harm in cleaning house.)
Marketing calls them in for a meeting about the press announcement.
They talk a lot about advertising and luxury markets and consumer interest and the company’s planned stock reissue and how the Patents team is standing by any time they want to hand over code.
“Aesthetics has done some really amazing work,” Marketing says, and Mason fakes polite interest as hard as he can so he doesn’t stare at the photo.
(It’s not quite Nadia; it’s close enough that Mason’s throat goes tight, but it’s a polished, prettier version, the kind of body you’d use if you wanted to immortalize your greyhound in a way society would accept.)
“Gorgeous,” Paul says, and then with a smile, “is she single?” and the Marketing guys crack up.
(One of them says, “Now now, Paul, we’re still hoping you can make a studio match—HR would be pleased,” and Paul looks admirably amenable for a guy who’s in love with a woman he thinks he made.)
It’s only Paul on the schedule to present, of course—Mason’s not a guy you put in front of a camera—and it’s far enough away that they’ll have time to polish the code.
“Naturally, you should have the prototype presentable ASAP,” the Marketing VP says. “We need a pretty face for the ads, and we need her to have her personality installed by then. Aesthetics seems to think it’s already in place, in some form?”
The VP’s face is just bland enough not to mean anything by it, if their consciences don’t get the better of them.
Don’t you dare, Mason thinks, don’t you dare tell them for a chance to keep her, second-gen or not, it’s a trap, not one word, think about what will happen to her.
(She’s still a doll, he thinks, deeper, ruthlessly; something will happen to her eventually.)
“I don’t know a thing about the particulars, I’m afraid,” Paul says, and having thus absolved himself he throws a casual look at Mason.
Mason thinks,
He grits his teeth and smiles.
“We’ve been running tests,” he says. “Would you like to see Galatea?” Then, in his best Paul impression, “She has a crush on Paul, of course.”
The Marketing guys laugh, and Mason pulls up Galatea on his pad, and as the lights go down he catches Paul glancing gratefully in his direction.
He hates how strange it feels to have someone be grateful to him; he hates that it’s Paul.
Paul walks out with the Marketing guys, grinning and charming and empty, and from the plans they’re making for the announcement and the new projects they’re already asking him about, Mason suspects that’s the last time he’ll ever see Paul.
It’s so lonely in his office he thinks about turning on Galatea, just for company.
(He’s no better than some.)
LiveScribe: MORI PRESS CONFERENCE—VESTIGE, PT 1.
SEARCH PARAMETERS—BEGIN: 10:05:27, END: 10:08:43
PAUL WHITCOVER: From the company that brought you Memento, which has not only pioneered the Alpha series real-time response interface, but has also brought comfort to grieving families across the world.
It’s this focus on the humanity behind the technology that is Mori’s greatest achievement, and it is what has made possible what I am about to show you. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present: Galatea.
[MORIVESTIGE00001.img available through LiveSketch link]
[APPLAUSE, CALLS, SHOUTS]
PAUL WHITCOVER: Galatea isn’t human, but she’s the nearest thing. She’s the prototype of our Vestige model, which shifts the paradigm of robotics in ways we have only begun to guess—if you can tear your eyes away from her long enough.
[LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE]
PAUL WHITCOVER: Each Vestige features critical-thinking initiatives so advanced it not only sustains the initial personality, but allows the processor to learn from new stimuli, to form attachments—to grow in the same way the human mind does. This Vestige is built on a donor actress—anonymous, for now, though I suspect some in the audience will know who she is as soon as you talk to her.
[LAUGHTER]
In seriousness, I would like to honor everyone at Mori who participated in the development of such a remarkable thing. The stock market will tell you that this is an achievement of great technical merit, and that’s true. However, those who have honored loved ones with a Memento doll will tell you that this is a triumph over the grieving heart, and it’s this that means the most to Mori.
Understandably, due to the difficulty of crafting each doll, the Vestige is a very limited product. However, our engineers are already developing alternate uses for this technology that you will soon see more of—and that might yet change your world.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for being here today. It is not only my honor, but my privilege.
[APPLAUSE]
Small-group interviews with Vestige will be offered to members of the press. Check your entrance ticket. Thank
