Kerstin waved her arm in front of the young doctor. “So give him a complete exam. Or are you incompetent?” She turned to Dr. Fiender. “Robert, you may accompany the team to the exam room. See if you can fix this. The NP turned him into a clown, and the prophecy sensor is completely unreliable. So do something. But make sure he reports to his personal presentation assistant in one hour.”
“Nanette?” Chase asked.
Kerstin whipped around, her eyes full of fire. “How would I know? Just make sure you get there, Chase. You will not ruin this night.” She went out the door and down the hall.
The doctors—Jack and Fiender and the rest of them—surrounded Chase. They walked in silence to the exam room. The examination resulted in nothing. No conclusion was reached. No adjustments were made. Chase faked the good cyborg.
“Kitten is very excited about the show,” he said. “And so am I. The world will be astounded at what I can do.” Stretched naked on a gurney, he stared at the monitors surrounding him. They meant nothing to him, and the doctors seemed unconcerned about the numbers and lines of computer code.
Jack spoke to Fiender in a hushed tone. “Sorry, Robert. I may have wasted your time. His readings show compliance. This morning he seemed about to pop.”
“What does that mean?” Chase asked.
“It means I wasn’t sure proper management could be maintained. But you seem much better now, Mr. Sterling. Less confused. More sure of yourself.”
“I’m sorry I troubled you, Jack. I feel fine now. Quite fine. I and my exoself are in perfect harmony.”
“Good,” Jack said. “So you’re ready for this? For tonight?”
“It’ll go off without a hitch, Jack.” Chase pushed himself up on the gurney. “Somebody get my clothes. No time to waste. It’s nearly show time.”
Robert reached for Chase’s pants and shirt. “Perhaps you and I could get some dinner before the show.” He looked to the other doctors. “Is that permitted? You can monitor everything I say and do, of course.”
No one seemed to care.
“Fine with me,” Jack said before he left the room.
34
Dinner was two sandwiches delivered to Chase’s suite. He easily set the COP to show that he’d spent an hour waiting patiently for Nanette, though it was only a few minutes. Now he played it back so that he and Fiender could speak privately.
He wanted the doctor to set him free from the programming right now, and he wanted to take off and never look back. At least part of him wanted it. But he longed for the crowd he knew waited for him at the studio. He wanted to hear the applause, to feel the love of his fans. They must have missed him. They must be anxious to see him.
Tonight he’d pick a few poor souls, touch them—they would love that—and tell them what kind of medical treatment they needed. He’d give a few fans the gift of a new assignment—jobs he pulled from his magic data bank. He’d bless a few more with better, but modest, housing. How did this happen so fast? Only a few weeks ago the people expected to see one lucky life changed outrageously. Now they’d be content with a few upgrades in housing? Chase knew it wasn’t true. They’d despise him for giving them what they needed, and not what they wanted. Maybe Larin would be the one to bless them with new lives. But then he’d be the one they loved.
“Son, what are you thinking?” the doctor asked.
“I’m torn between wanting to run from here and needing to return to my status as the most popular man in the Western Republic. I can’t have both, can I?”
“Maybe neither. You can’t run, Chase. No matter how you mess with the programs, you can’t hide—not for long. They’d find you. As for your popularity, people are fickle. Give them something new to occupy their empty lives, and they forget what was.”
“But I am new. I’m completely new.”
“Will you embrace your role as the new Chase Sterling?” Fiender bit into his turkey-on-wheat. “Is that what you want, son?”
“What about you? Are you embracing your new role?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said earlier that you didn’t want to do this anymore.”
“I don’t want to make techno sapiens. I thought I did, but really, I only wanted to heal people, to give them new organs. Maybe do a little brain-machine interfacing for the military. For the good of the people, of course. Not for world domination or forced evolution.” Fiender dropped his sandwich to the plate and his hands to his lap. “This is my fault. I took the research too far, and now there’s no going back. I only wanted to help people.”
“Robert, what have they got you doing?”
“The next step is to turn prisoners into soldiers. No one will need incarceration in the future. Oh, they’ll go to jail, but soon they’ll be shipped to bases, fully augmented, completely under control of the WR.”
“That’s the select group you spoke of. After that?”
“People applying for reproduction permits.”
Chase nearly dropped the coffee mug he held at his lips. “What on earth are you saying? What have they got planned?” He set the mug on the table beside him.
“Ovum coding,” the doctor said. “Preconception genetic reconstruction.”
“Who’s doing this, Robert? Who’s making these decisions?”
“The system,” Fiender said. “The government. The network. The computer models say it’s time.”
“What will happen to the babies?”
“They’ll be stronger, less prone to disease. And they’ll be ready for programming. No NP needed—it will be inborn. Only one generation will need coding. After that, it will be part of the genetic makeup of the human…The transhuman race. Or posthuman, I should say.”
“This will happen worldwide?”
“That’s the plan, Chase. And I did it. Well, Naomi Helgen started it, but I perfected it.” His face showed no pride in the accomplishment. Only regret.
Chase stood and faced the window. “What’s my part in all this? Am I just a showpiece? You told me a few weeks ago that I was the firstborn of many to come.”
“Yes. Starting tonight you will begin to bring the world on board.”
“So I’m the spokesman for transhumanism. Not exactly my dream job.”
“There is no way to get out of it, son. I can free you from the system, but you’ll have to act the part. Even then it won’t be long before they figure it out.” The doctor covered his face with his hands. A guttural sound escaped his throat. “Perhaps I should have programmed you like they wanted. At least then you wouldn’t know the extent of your misery. You wouldn’t be fighting a war you cannot win.”
“I’ll play along, Robert. I’ll be the hero the world needs. I’ll show them the way.” Chase turned to face the doctor. “But I’m getting out of this, first chance I get.”
“There is no place you can hide, son.”
“I know a place. You can come with me.”
“What are talking about, Chase? You can’t escape. I can’t either.”
“The underground. I have friends.”
“Religious people? What do you know about such things? You’ll bring death and destruction to the whole group.”
Chase sat across from the doctor and looked him in the eye. “Not if I still have my exoself. Don’t take it from me, Robert. Disengage the COP and the NP, but leave the super powers and the data bank alone.”
“They can use it to track you.”
“Not if we mess with the program. You can do it. If you can manipulate the evolution of the human race, you can program one man to hide from the bad guys.”
Fiender let out a sick laugh. “I am one of the bad guys, Chase.”
“You were, Robert. Not anymore.” Chase smiled.
“Who are these friends of yours? How do you plan to join the underground?”
Chase sat back and studied the doctor. He had no choice but to trust him. “Do you remember a young woman, dark skin, pretty, who helped with the programming when you started the augmen
tation?”
The doctor raised his brow and looked at the ceiling. “She was a network employee who had some training in AI, as I recall.”
“Do you remember her name?”
“Don’t know that I ever knew her name. I didn’t work with her directly. Seems like there was some sort of fuss from Kerstin, and I never saw the girl again.”
“Kerstin didn’t want my trusted assistant involved.”
“Melody Reese? The woman you attempted to contact in New York?”
“That’s right. She programmed all kinds of information in me about church houses and sympathizers. I haven’t tapped into all of it yet. But it’s there, and I can use it to hide. I know I can.”
“I thought you weren’t able to speak with the girl.”
“I wasn’t. Now she’s gone underground. I don’t know where she is.”
“But you know that much. How?”
“Had a visit from a former estate employee, also in the underground now,” Chase said. “If I can join up with the group, they’ll protect me. I know they will.”
“How do you know? You’re not one of them. Are you?”
Chase felt a jolt in the exoself, and he knew time for this conversation was nearly gone. “No, I’m not one of them. But I need them, and they need me. With the exoself, I have a bargaining tool.”
“But not me,” the doctor said. “I would be most hated by a group of God-loving throwbacks.”
“Time’s up.”
“Yes it is. Be careful tonight, son. Do exactly what’s expected of you. Go on now. Reset your COP and head for the studio.”
“Will you be there?”
“I think I’ll stay right here, if that’s OK with you, and watch the GV.”
“If that’s what you want.”
Chase made a mental shift and set the COP to real time. “Dr. Fiender, thank you for stopping by. I’m sorry we couldn’t have dinner together. Please, stay here and have a sandwich.”
The doctor seemed confused, but he caught on and played the part. “Yes, yes, thank you, Chase. And good luck out there. I’ll be watching.”
Chase turned to the door and pulled on the black string hanging under his shirt. The door slid open, and he headed for the underground passageway that ran from the estate to the studio. He found a mini-drive waiting for him, his name flashing across the front bumper. Riding alone into the dark tunnel, hope sparked in him. Somehow, he’d find a way out of this.
But just as real as that hope was the anticipation of standing before an adoring throng of fans. Was it programmed into him to crave the audience? It would benefit the powers in charge of all this for him to continue gaining the praise of the people. But it was just like him—the real him—to think this way. Both of these deliberations, he knew, came from the self. The exoself was only a program. It was Chase who’d mastered the art of uncertainty.
35
Chase arrived backstage to find Kerstin ripping into some poor intern. He didn’t even slow down to find out what the young man had done wrong, and Kerstin didn’t seem to notice that he walked right past her and into the green room. He hurried through the door and found Larin sitting on the sofa. At least he thought it was Larin.
“Hello, Chase,” the man said. His skin, his eyes, his posture, everything was younger. The graying hair was brown and lustrous. He’d put on a few pounds—just enough to look healthy.
“Larin. You look…well.”
“Of course I do. What did you expect? A sick, aging man?”
“No. It’s just that it’s a bit of a shock to see you again. The last time we were in this place, both our lives were about to change radically. Only I didn’t know it was going to happen to me.”
Larin’s eyes were hollow. And fearful. “I didn’t know what they were going to do, Chase.”
“But you knew something. Didn’t you?”
“They only told me there would be a surprise ending to the show that night.”
“Who told you that? Kerstin?”
Larin didn’t answer.
“I thought so.”
She came through the door and took control. “I see you two are catching up. Here’s what will happen: Chase, you will go out after the announcer introduces you.”
“Kitten,” Chase said, and he nearly choked on the word. “We’ve been all through this. I don’t know why Larin and I couldn’t rehearse together. Then maybe you wouldn’t be trying to fill us in on every move right now.”
“I didn’t want you to rehearse together because I wanted it to be fresh. I wanted you to see him for the first time on stage. You were not supposed to come in here.”
“Nobody told me not to come in here, kitten. I walked right past you, but you were so busy yelling at some kid that you didn’t notice.”
“No harm done. Just act surprised when you see him.”
“There’ll be a lot of acting tonight.”
She crossed her arms. “What do you mean by that?”
He moved forward and kissed her forehead. “I didn’t mean anything. Don’t worry. I know what to do.”
“I’m not worried,” she said. “I had some concerns earlier today, but since then the doctors have declared that you’re in perfect working order.” She looked at Larin. “No one is to know that he required some last minute adjustments.”
“Really, Kerstin, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just here to do my job. As if I had any choice,” Larin said.
“Meaning what, Larin?” She went at him, her claws coming out. “You wanted this job.”
“I still want it.” He looked at Chase. “But it was his.”
“He’s had the need for retribution programmed right out of him. He wouldn’t hurt a pussycat.” She paused and seemed to turn even paler. “Unless we wanted him to.”
Chase couldn’t help but smile. “That’s right, kitten.”
“Both of you get ready,” she said. “Chase, go and wait behind the new digital wall. As soon as your name is announced, the wall will begin to fade. You’ll step though it before it’s completely gone.”
“Yes, I’ll walk through the wall.”
She practically pushed him out the door. A hoard of studio grunts surrounded him, checking his hair and makeup, giving last minute instructions.
“I know what I’m doing, people. It’s not like I’ve never been on this stage before.”
A young woman lingered with him behind the digital wall. He could hear the low roar of the audience. The sound began to pull him in. “What are you doing?” he asked without really looking at the woman. “I’ve got this. You can go.”
“I heard you can diagnose people just by touching them.”
“This really isn’t the best time.”
“I’ve had a permit for a baby for almost a year, and it’s about to expire. But now I’ve missed—”
“OK, OK,” he said. He grabbed her arm and looked her in the face. “Yes. And you’re lucky it happened now.”
She smiled and gushed her thanks. “What do mean about me being lucky it happened now?”
The announcer bellowed his intro. “Ladies and gentlemen, at long last, Chase Sterling.”
Chase motioned the woman to leave as the wall began its slow fade. Before the facade of solidity was gone, he stepped through. The audience cheered and then began chanting his name in unison.
“Chase. Chase. Chase.” Small groups among the crowd began to rise to their feet. Soon all of the five thousand were standing. Chase accepted the adoration. He stood before a sea of people who loved him. He listened as their voices rose in unison and echoed through the great auditorium. After a few moments, he lifted his hands and motioned the crowd to settle. They dropped to their seats and waited.
The familiar set was gone. No longer gold, but translucent blue, the stage had the look of water. The tiered balcony no longer needed the darkened portal. Kerstin was behind him, he knew, and not watching from above. She would call no one to begin a new life. The flashing beams were gone,
and what looked like soft gray mist lifted from the stage and floated over the audience. Shimmering gold and silver orbs flitted about the auditorium like pixies or angels. One swooped close over the heads of a row of fans, and they cried out in awe.
“Welcome, my friends,” Chase began. “How I’ve missed you. I spent so many years on this stage changing lives. My plan was to carry on with that mission. Now I’m the one whose life was changed. As you can see, I have completely recovered from my injuries.”
The people cheered, and some rose again to their feet but quickly took to their seats.
“Those injuries were impossible to survive. In fact, I was a dead man. But thanks to SynVue and a team of scientists from the Helgen Institute, I was awakened. Now, I am not only whole, I am an example to the world of what technology can do for us. For the human race.” He walked to the edge of the stage.
“No longer will mortal wounds mean the end of life. You, good people, will one day need reviving, rebuilding. And it can be done. Look at me.” He spread his arms and laughed. “I am no longer a man of just flesh and bone. I am capable of more than you can imagine.” He turned to the left side of the stage and made a request to the directors. “Turn down the lights.” As planned, the whole place went black. A few people raised their voices in fear.
“Young lady in the fourth row, I can see you’re in distress. Yes, you in the yellow blouse.” Chase walked the incline and moved into the crowd. “Stand up, dear. I’m coming to take your hand.”
The woman stood, confused and fearful.
Chase grasped her shaking hand. He pulled her from the throng and walked her through the darkness to the stage. “I have pulled from among you a woman with dark hair and blue eyes. She’s standing beside me now. Please bring up the lights,” he said, and the brightness returned.
The crowd seemed impressed but not overwhelmed. “Sir, I hear what you’re saying.” Chase looked to the right side of the audience. ”You in the gray blazer and green shirt.”
The man looked at Chase.
“That’s right, you, my friend. I can hear every word. You said, ‘They made him see in the dark. So what?’ But they can do it for you, too. I’m here tonight to show you what’s coming. No longer will we grant a better life to only a few. Now SynVue will give these same benefits used in my augmentation to as many as are deemed fit to receive them.”
Wake the Dead Page 16