RESTORATION (a science fiction novel) (RESTORATION (the science fiction trilogy))

by Utley, Todd

  R E S T O R A T I O N

  Chapter 1 It was an early June blue sky day in Noblesville, Indiana. Nothing unusual was happening at the Kerrington’s house. Bobby just went outside to shoot some basketball with his best friend and neighbor Matthew McNeil. The two of them had been friends since Kindergarten at No.12 North Side Elementary.

  It was 2056, and even though the electronic revolution was winding down, there were still some cool things to do on the gaming console in the Family Room. Bobby was not all that interested in hologames though, he would rather pursue the more traditional things that sixteen-year-old boys like to do outside like sports and hiking. Technology entertainment was popular but for Bobby basketball was it and it was real, he enjoyed getting physical and having a good time, he was good at sports.

  He came from a long line of all stars and they all loved hearing their Grandpa Kerrington talk about the good old days of “Hoosier Hysteria” when basketball was the biggest thing in Indiana and everyone followed it with great pride. Even though he was a great ball player, he had a second love, he liked to go fast and he often thought that if he didn’t make it big in basketball then auto racing would probably be his second choice, after all, Indianapolis still had the greatest motor speedway in the world.

  Grandpa Kerrington was on his mind more than usual today because Bobby knew that he was very ill and was refusing the Restoration procedure that so many people were taking advantage of these days. Since the pandemic of 2027 and the legalization of human cloning to preserve human life, traditional death from old age was becoming a true thing of the past.

  One company in particular, LifeTech, had made the cloning process affordable enough for Medic-Star, the government health care program, to provide each person with a single clone to be used once in their lifetime at no cost, while additional clones could be purchased.

  In the more recent presidential elections several of the candidates tried to platform their entire campaigns on the promise of multiple clones to be available to each citizen at no cost making basic immortality feasible for all. Of course they hadn’t delivered on their promises but that is how it goes with politics.

  Bobby knew very well that Grandpa Kerrington didn’t approve of Restoration because of his religious beliefs. He was worried that his grandpa would pass away and never be seen again, just like in the old days when people died all the time.

  He knew that his grandpa hadn’t been using his Lifecorder unit at night because it was on the workbench in his garage in about a hundred pieces. He figured that he must have been trying to understand how the thing worked, which was a bit funny to Bobby because Grandpa wasn’t very good with the other electronic gadgets around the house.

  Bobby didn’t really think too much about his own Lifecorder unit because it had been beside his bed for as long as he could remember. He just knew that it kept track of all his memories, and after all, everyone has one, no big deal. Everyone had the implant in their brain that downloaded to their Lifecorder while they slept. If a person died they could be restored.

  Their clone would be brought up from storage and loaded with their life file. The scientist called it IHE, short for Individual Human Experience but no one else did.

  The equipment was elaborate but the procedure wasn’t. It only took about an hour. When you woke up you were still you, but in a fresh body.

  Grandpa was always ranting about how the government was playing God and that they had better stop before God got angry. But a lot of older people said stuff like that. Bobby knew why Grandpa was dying. He had seen pictures of his Grandpa when he was younger, with one of those smoking things in his mouth. He was standing with one of his best friends from his platoon in the photo. He was a decorated war hero according to Bobby’s father but he didn’t like to talk about it. He had some bad memories from his days in Iraq.

  Bobby had never actually seen anyone in real life smoking because cigarettes were banned many years before he was even born. First they were banned in public and replaced with the electronic version that was not nearly as bad for you. Eventually it just lost popularity all together.

  In 2027 there was a pandemic caused by a meteor that hit earth. It exploded on impact releasing toxic spores that settled on a nearby tobacco field. It multiplied on the crops releasing a deadly virus into the air that nearly wiped out everyone in Europe before spreading to every other continent. It had wiped out almost half of the world population before they got it under control.

  Shortly after the pandemic the government decided to outlaw the growing of tobacco all together for fear of the spores coming back. Grandpa had “smoked” as he says, for so many years that it caused cancer in his lungs. If he didn't go through with Restoration he was going to die.

  Many efforts had been made in the last hundred years to cure cancer but nothing succeeded. They had found more ways to stop it if it was caught early but those that waited too long to get checked out were faced with either outdated and expensive treatments or Restoration.

  Restoration had now become less expensive to perform than the old treatments so most facilities were abandoning the old chemical and radiation methods in favor of this new way to live on. Many of those that suffered through the old methods ended up having to be restored anyway so why go through all that grief. Only the true-blue hold outs chose death over life in that case for some ethical or religious reason. Just like Grandpa they believed you shouldn’t mess with nature or God’s plan for living things.

  Bobby was trying to keep his mind clear of it and was glad Matt had come over to play some ball. Matt was in rare form today with his shots from three point land and had launched one really high from way back. It came down short hitting the front of the rim hard, bouncing straight back even further.

  It might have been the distraction of worry for his grandfather, or it might have been the cat running from Butch, the neighbor’s fearless dog that believed all small animals were snacks. Either way he didn’t realize how far back he had ran as he launched into the air to catch the runaway ball. While still in the air he saw it, he heard it, but there was nothing he could do. It seemed as though time stood still.

  He saw Matt reaching out toward him as if to use his will power to pull him back. In his peripheral vision he saw the speeding car. Just like people always say, “my life flashed before my eyes.” It was true. In the same moment he heard the squalling of the tires, he could hear the radio that was on in the car, and he saw the horrified look on Stacey Rushbell’s face through the windshield.

  Stacey was actually a guy, a teenage bully. Well maybe just more of a nuisance than a bully. A pain in the butt for sure that lived four doors down. Maybe it was because of being a guy with a girl’s name or maybe it was just plain meanness. Bobby didn’t really know why, but Stacey was never very nice to Bobby or the other neighborhood kids. He was always teasing other boys. He was big for his age and had no worries about anyone bothering him. He was always telling Bobby, “Suck it up Nancy!” It seemed sort of ironic for Stacey to use that term when he had a girl’s name himself.

  In that split second that seemed to take forever, Bobby could see that Stacey was doing everything in his power to avoid hitting him. He had slammed on the brakes hard and yanked the wheel to the right. In that moment it was as if they communicated.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, I would never hurt you.”

  “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t be in the road.”

  Time moved again. Bobby wanted to dive out of the road, but his feet weren’t on the ground. He was
still coming down grasping the ball for dear life and wishing it could float and carry him over the speeding car. There was no more time, only the impact. There was darkness and a moment of nothing, nothing at all. It was like a blank spot with no feeling, no thought. Like that split second when a 100 mph fast ball reverses direction off the face of a bat as it becomes a home run. His senses came back on like the power during a storm in the middle of the night.

  He could smell the burning rubber. He could feel the heat of the pavement that had been warmed by the June sun beneath his body. He felt wet and tasted the blood in his mouth. He was afraid to open his eyes and not even sure if he could. He still felt partially disconnected from reality but he heard the cars electrics shut off and the door open. He could hear voices. They sounded frantic. “They’re calling for help.” He could hear footsteps that sounded weird like they were walking on something crunchy. “It must be the broken glass from the car under their feet.” He heard voices but couldn’t tell what they were saying anymore, and most strangely of all he didn’t feel any pain.

  He heard the Sirens. They grew louder and louder and then there was nothing, just nothing. It seemed like he entered a dream. There were beautiful people in a bright place. A woman came to him.

  “Come with me,” she said.

  He followed her to a bench by a lake and they sat down. She stayed there with him for a few minutes.

  “Wait here, don’t worry, everything will be fine,” She said.

  He wasn’t worried at all. He just sat there on that bench looking out at the beautiful lake. The place was so beautiful it was intoxicating beyond words, he couldn’t think of anything else.

  Bobby woke up to a group of people gathered around him. At first he didn’t really get what was happening but he caught up fast. He knew he had been playing ball and then his heart started racing because he remembered there was an accident.

  He didn’t remember everything, but he knew Stacey hit him with his car. He looked around the room and everyone seemed happy to see him. He realized he was lying in a hospital bed. He must have had a serious look on his face because everyone calmed down and stopped smiling so much.

  His mother leaned in close to him.

  “Bobby, Sweetheart, are you okay?” She asked.

  He realized he needed to say something because everyone looked so worried, but he didn’t really know the answer.

  He looked down at his hands. They looked normal. He looked at his feet. They seemed all right. He felt fine, in fact he felt better than fine, he felt great. It must have seemed like forever with everyone waiting for an answer.

  “Yes, I feel fine.”

  Everyone burst into joyous smiles again and started talking excitedly. Everyone was so happy, but Bobby was wondering why it was so hard to speak, it was like he had never talked before.

  “Hey Bobby, you’re the first one in our family to. . .”

  “Thank God you’re all right Son!” His father blurted out, as he interrupted Bobby’s cousin in mid-sentence.

  Bobby looked around the room now more intently and noticed Stacey Rushbell standing in the far corner. He was smiling, but in a way that Bobby had never seen before. It was a happy expression instead of his usual mischievous grin. Bobby motioned for him to come over. Before Bobby could say anything, Stacey spoke up.

  “Look Bobby, all those times, I was just messing with . . . , you know I didn’t,” tears began to well up in his eyes, but before Stacey could finish Bobby interrupted.

  “It’s all right Stacey, it was just an accident, besides it was my fault I jumped right out in front of you.” Stacey patted Bobby’s hand.

  “I’m so glad you’re all right.” He moved back to the outer edge of the room. Minutes later he slipped out unnoticed with a new plan that included being nicer to everyone.

  Grandpa Kerrington was right there by Bobby’s side all evening. Before he left, he told Bobby he loved him and tousled his hair just like he had been doing for as long as Bobby could remember. He left without saying anything else. Bobby could tell something heavy was on his Grandpa’s mind but it would be a while before Bobby would find out what it was.

  Regular visiting hours were over so the nurses ran most everyone out. It was only then while alone with his parents that Bobby got the answer to the question that had been on his mind since the moment he woke.

  “Have I just been in a coma or did I die?” Bobby asked.

  His mother looked away for a moment to keep from losing her composure.

  “Yes Bobby, you did die,” She said as she wiped a tear away.

  “You’ve known for a very long time from health class at school and the conversations we’ve had around the dinner table that Restoration works. We all know it’s possible to live again even after an accident like the one you had.”

  “So I got a new body?”

  “Yes, but it’s an exact copy of the first one. All the memories and experiences that make you who you are, were uploaded into your new body from your Lifecorder file. You’ll still know everyone and you’ll still have all your thoughts and personality and everything.”

  “I thought it took a while to grow clones?”

  “Your new body was grown at LifeTech and held in suspension just in case of an accident or illness or even the pandemic you learned about in history class. Many people have opted to go on living after an accident or illness and that is so much better than dying. Who would want to die when you can be restored?”

  Immediately Bobby without thinking of the delicateness of the subject blurted it out.

  “Grandpa Kerrington, that’s who!”

  The unexpected comment hit Bobby’s Father like a brick after such a trying day. What with the realization that he nearly lost his son, and then the thought of losing his father was just too much for him.

  “Excuse me for a minute,” he said. He quickly left the room to keep from breaking down in front of his son. Bobby didn’t mean to upset anyone he simply couldn’t understand why Grandpa didn’t want to live.

  His Mother leaned in and gave him a kiss.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow, okay? You get some rest now.”

  “Is Dad all right?”

  “Don’t worry young man, your father is a strong man and very wise, he’ll be just fine. We all had a very long day waiting anxiously to see that you were all right. You just focus on getting stronger so you can come home real soon. If you need anything just press that red button there by your hand and the nurses will come right away. Your father and I’ll be back first thing in the morning to see you.”

  “That drop of liquid the nurse put on the back of your hand a few minutes ago was a sleep aid. You’ll be out in a minute so just relax and get a good night’s sleep okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “I love you Son.”

  “I love you too.”

  Within seconds he was sound asleep.

  Dodge Kerrington had left the room in a rush to hide his emotions from his son. He knew Bobby had been through enough and he had read that some people, especially youth, have problems adjusting to the idea of a new body. The last thing he needed was to see his Father falling apart.

  It was hard to believe this was real. The paramedics had taken a final reading from the implant in Bobby’s brain just before he died in the ambulance on the ride to the hospital. Per standard procedure that information was added to the Lifecorder data.

  Dodge knew that Bobby would eventually remember the entire events of that day and the experience of the accident might cause Bobby some real problems with anxiety and nightmares. He was worried about whether or not Bobby would really be Bobby. His father had been ranting for years about the “playing God” thing and Dodge was concerned that his dying father might not accept Bobby again. That could cause Bobby and the whole family a good bit of emotional pain and complication.

  Dodge really wanted his father to accept the Restoration procedure, after all, why should anyone choose death when we have this technology? “W
ait, this gift, that’s it!” Dodge remembered one time before his Mother passed away that his father had mentioned he was thankful to God for the doctors and the new technology they were using to save lives.

  He remembered, from conversations with his father, that he had made comments like, “God had gifted the doctors with special skills and tools to save lives.” And “Science was a gift from God.”

  That was the angle. This is what he would use with his father to convince him to go through with the procedure. It saved Bobby and it could save his Dad.

  He was headed back to the room to say good night to Bobby and met Linsey coming out.

  “He’s asleep now and he won’t be waking up, they sedated him,” she said.

  “I really wanted to tell him good night.” Said Dodge.

  “It’s all right my Dear, we’ll see him in the morning, “Let’s go home.”

  Dodge looked in on him.

  “Good night Son, I love you,” he whispered.

  As he drove home from the hospital he began putting together exactly what he would say to his father. There were definitely some hurdles though because his father had several friends that had nearly died of old age related disease’s years earlier and they had opted for the Restoration process. His Father swore that he hardly knew them after the process and he believed they were not the same because the process was flawed. He knew his Dad would play the religion card as well. Dodge would have to choose his words carefully and be ready for any argument.

  Bobby woke the next morning very early. He was so hungry that his stomach woke him once earlier but he actually thought he was dreaming. He had hoped that was the case and that the whole thing had never happened. When he opened his eyes and saw the nurse standing in front of his bed with a tray, he knew it was real. He felt really good but at the same time not as strong as before.

  “Good morning,” said the nurse, in a tone that was just a little bit too jolly. Bobby tried to be cheerful back but didn’t really feel like it deep down inside, he was still worried about his Grandpa.