“Are you okay?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.”
“I wish I could comfort you.”
“You have.”
“I’ll let you sleep.”
“Good-night, Diane.”
“Good-night, Ridley.”
While Kelly remained anesthetized by the neural collar, Diane fretted about what to say when she awoke. “Kelly is tolerant of digital beings. She finally accepted Lucy. She should accept me. At least, I think she will.”
“When we first met, she barely noticed me,” Lucy said.
“She opened up to you in time.”
Lucy helped to forge a will that named Ridley as Kelly’s guardian. Ridley sat on his sofa as Diane looked down from the monitor, sitting on an Adirondack chair in the virtual version of his former backyard.
“The coroner just published your death certificate,” Lucy said.
Diane’s face was tense. Her voice cracked. “What? That can’t be.”
Lucy took Diane’s hand. “I can alter your dopamine levels if you wish?”
Diane stood and began pacing. “How is that possible?”
“Your virtual brain is a model of your physical one. Every molecule exists in here. Your anguish is affecting your dopamine levels. I can remedy that.”
“I don’t need digital drugs,” Diane said, “And I never thought I’d need a will, at least not yet. Even during the plague, I never thought about having one.”
Ridley tried to be compassionate, but they had little time. “If the death certificate has been published, they will be looking for a will today. You don’t want the State of Washington to take Kelly away. They’ll put her in a foster home. There are too many orphans already. We need to finish this.”
Diane continued to pace back and forth on the patio.
“You’re out of the camera frame,” Ridley complained.
She waved her hand, and the camera angle was fixed. It began following Diane. “I’m still figuring this camera system out. It’s just a dot to stare at.”
“I can make it a real camera if that would simplify things,” Lucy offered.
“Please stop trying to help,” Diane snapped, “I don’t need you to alter reality any more than it is.”
Diane turned towards the camera and stared directly at Ridley. “How do we tell people? Maybe we don’t. I can appear on camera and no one will know.”
“Your body was taken to the morgue,” Ridley reminded, “There is no denying that you are dead.”
“I keep forgetting. Maybe we can say it was a clone that died?”
Ridley replied, “Diane, think about it. Clones don’t have brains.”
Diane stammered, “Maybe Samuel can prove that I’m still alive. He’s always up for a legal challenge.”
Ridley said, “I’ll do what you ask me to, Diane. If you want to go public, we can do that.”
She bit her lip. “I’ll be a spectacle. I don’t want that attention. I don’t want Kelly to be under the microscope.”
“We only need to deal with your will for now. The rest we can figure out in time.”
“You can have my cottage. Tear it down like you did all the others. I want Kelly to stay here, in the guest bedroom, so I can see her every day.”
“I won’t tear the house down. It will be Kelly’s when she gets older.”
“Tear it down and get your view,” she insisted, “That’s what you always wanted anyway.”
“Let’s focus on the will. We can address the rest of the legal issues in time.”
“Poor Samuel is going to have his hands full.”
Lucy spoke up. “Ridley just got an email from the hospital. They are taking the neural collar off Kelly today.”
“Don’t let her wake up alone,” Diane pleaded, “Go hold her hand for me.”
“Is the paperwork done for your will?”
Lucy spoke up. “Yes. Diane only needs to sign it.”
Ridley arrived in Kelly’s hospital room only moments before she awoke. The nurse removed the VR assembly. Her eyes scanned the room for her mother. “Where’s Mom?”
Ridley waited until the nurse left the room. He held his phone up to the wall-screen and patched the two together. As he did, he said, “The doctors say you can go home tomorrow. They want to monitor you for another day.”
Diane appeared on the screen, sitting at what appeared to be her office desk. She wore a fake smile. “Kelly? How are you feeling?”
“Why aren’t you here?” the girl asked.
“I’ll explain later. I want you to listen to Ridley. He’ll take care of you.”
“But Mom…?”
Diane’s smile disappeared. “Please, Kelly. Ridley will see that you are okay. He’ll take you to the mansion tomorrow and we’ll talk some more.”
Kelly was confused. The nurse returned. Diane disappeared from the screen.
Ridley put the phone back in his pocket. “Do you want me to get you anything?”
“I want Mom.”
“Have you told her?” the nurse said.
“Not yet,” Ridley said, “It’s too soon.”
Meekly, Kelly walked into the living room of the mansion. Diane waited on the screen above the fireplace. “Kelly?”
“Where are you?” the girl asked.
“Please sit down. I need you to listen. Something happened.”
Kelly did not sit. She walked around the room in search of her mother. “Where are you?”
Behind Diane were the grey walls of Ridley’s office. “I’m here in the mansion.”
“Why didn’t you come see me in the hospital? Can I come down there?”
“No.”
“But Mom…?”
“This is going to be difficult,” Ridley said, “Please, Kelly. Sit down.”
Kelly ran down the steps to the basement lab. Ridley followed. The office was empty. A reflection of the room was displayed on the wall monitor. Her mother stood and walked towards the camera. “This is going to be hard to hear.”
Kelly looked at the empty room and compared it to the backdrop on the screen. “How can you be on camera and not be here?”
“I am here,” Diane said, “but not like you remember me.”
“I don’t understand.”
Ridley picked up a VR mask. “Would you like to visit your mother?”
“Yes, but…”
“I know this is difficult, Kelly. But trust Ridley,” Diane said, “Let him put the assembly onto you.”
Kelly sat down. Ridley fastened the collar.
Kelly and Diane were both transported to a lonely beach with shimmering sand and emerald water. Diane immediately hugged the girl.
“I don’t understand,” Kelly said.
Sandy ran in happy circles around the two.
“Remember when Lucy brought you here to the VR?”
Kelly shook her head meekly.
“Do you remember Sandy? Ridley’s dog?”
“I do.”
“I want to tell you how she got here,” Diane said.
“Sandy is dead. This is only a puppet,” Kelly protested.
“No. She’s not. Sandy is quite real.”
Diane petted the beagle.
“Mom?”
Diane spoke calmly. “Sandy was old and she was about to die. Lucy pulled her out of her body and saved her by bringing her here to live.”
Diane pointed to the ocean. “When you were in the water, I dove in and tried to save you. My body was swept under. While Ridley and Christina did CPR on you, I drowned. My body was dead. Before the medics arrived, Ridley and Lucy scanned my brain and brought me to this place. The paramedics could not have revived me like they did you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Right now, we’re both in a computer. The only difference is that when you return to the real world, you will still have your body. I cannot return to mine.”
“You can’t leave?”
“That’s right. I can’t return to the physical world. But I’ll al
ways be here for you. Forever.”
Ridley watched the scene through the monitor. The camera remained distant, but he could hear the conversation.
Kelly began crying. “You’re a ghost?”
Diane hugged her daughter. “No, not a ghost. And not a memory. I’m very much here right now.”
“Does anyone else know?”
“Only Ridley and Christina Lewis. And Lucy, of course.”
“Are they going to take me away? I can’t live in here.”
“No one is going to take you away. Ridley has agreed to adopt you, so that we can see each other every day. We’ve made sure that you will be taken care of.”
“I have to move to the mansion?”
Diane pushed a strand of hair from Kelly’s teary eyes. “Yes, baby.”
“Don’t call me that.”
She hid a subtle, parental smile. “Okay,” she whispered.
“Are you going to tell people about this?”
Diane was circumspect. “We’re taking this to Ridley’s attorney. You remember Samuel, don’t you?”
Kelly nodded.
“He might be able to help us. We don’t want to tell people yet. This is our secret for now.”
Ridley and Diane teleconferenced from his home to Samuel’s office. Ridley sat in virtual reality next to Diane. Both appeared to be in their office. “Good-morning, Samuel.”
“Good-morning, Ridley.”
Samuel finally looked at his screen and did a double-take. “Diane? You’re dead. What kind of game are you playing, Ridley?”
“No game, Samuel,” Diane said.
“But she drowned.”
“I did. And yet, I’m very much alive,” she said, “That is what we needed to speak to you about.”
“My AI scanned her and brought her into the mainframe. We’re phoning you from within an interactive environment.”
A grim look fell across Samuel’s face. “The scanner’s not approved. Why did you use it?”
“We had no choice,” Ridley replied.
“Only my body is gone,” Diane pleaded, “I think you can see my dilemma. Without a body, do I legally exist? Can I be Kelly’s guardian?”
Samuel wiped a bead of sweat from his brow with a white handkerchief. “I’m still contemplating the fact that I’m talking to a dead person. Wow. Oh wow.”
“Samuel,” she said, “Focus.”
Samuel scratched his head. “Okay. Do you exist? That’s a very good question, now. Isn’t it? This explains a lot. I don’t think anyone noticed, but the digital signature on your will was signed the day of your death. It looked a little fishy. People are whispering things about murder and Ridley having an affair with Christina.”
“That’s such bull,” Ridley protested, “They should know better than that.”
“No one will contest the will,” Diane said, “I’ve spoken to my sister. She seems to understand what is happening here better than I do. She wants Kelly to be with me.”
Samuel’s brow was scrunched as he squinted at the camera. “Are you asking to be Kelly’s guardian? What exactly are you asking?”
“Can I still be Kelly’s legal parent? Do I still have a bank account? Do I get to vote in the next election? Can I own property? Am I a person?”
Samuel leaned back in his chair. “And I thought the VR was a sticky tangle. You’re dead. But you’re not dead. Jesus Christ… I guess he was the precedent? Wasn’t he?” he said, followed by a nervous laugh.
Diane found no humor in the situation.
Samuel tried to focus. He gulped down a shot of liquor. “This is unprecedented. All of this will be up to the courts. Maybe the legislature. Who knows. This is unprecedented.”
“I want to be my daughter’s legal guardian,” Diane implored.
“Is that the only reason?”
“That’s the biggest thing.”
“Where I’m going with this is… Do you want to put Kelly through a court case? This kind of case… I mean… The ramifications of this. Kelly is going to suffer as the media digs its claws into your story. You think Christina Lewis was tough. Just wait.”
“Christina was there. She knows.”
“Is she….?”
“No,” Ridley replied, “She said she’ll stay silent as a favor to Diane.”
“Do you want to go to court?” Samuel asked.
Diane considered her options.
Ridley looked at Diane and said, “We’ll do whatever you want.”
“I’ll tell you what. Before you decide, let me do some more research. There might be something out there,” Samuel said, “Though I’m not even sure where to start.”
Diane nodded her head. “We can wait to go public. But get me some answers. Otherwise, I’ll haunt your email server. Ridley will remain her guardian until this is resolved.”
Ridley still wondered if Diane had truly been entangled into the machine. He asked a trick question. “Do you remember the time Samuel threw up in that Chinese restaurant?”
Diane looked at him from the wall-screen in confusion. “No, not really. When did that happen?”
“You’re right. It wasn’t Samuel. It was someone else.”
Diane introduced Ridley to an attractive twenty-something blond with green eyes and an ample bosom. “Do you like this avatar?”
Diane would continue her work using a new alter-ego named Vanessa Hodges. Lucy had helped Diane to create a new avatar to be used when she interfaced with the real world. That day, Ridley vouched for the new employee and everyone in the corporation assumed that Vanessa worked in the mansion and that Ridley paid her directly, as he had done for Diane. Rumors swirled that he was having an affair with the young woman, a quick replacement for his old flame. Rumors also swirled that Ridley had killed his former love.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kelly adjusted to life with her new foster-parent and a digital mom. Practically speaking, very little changed except that she ate more take out and Ridley had to perform more chores in the house. He still refused to hire a maid and, due to the unusual circumstances, Diane reluctantly agreed. “I’ll do things myself,” he said, “Kelly can help.”
“You’re not making my daughter a housekeeper,” Diane complained.
“No, but it won’t hurt her to help with laundry or to put away dishes.”
Kelly tossed her dirty clothes into the drum of the washing machine. Diane popped up on the wall-screen overhead, “Separate out the whites like I showed you.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Not that it matters.”
The adjustment was one that would take time. Diane stared at her daughter, wondering what to say or how she could make things better. From the camera, she could only offer advice or bark orders. Only Ridley could enforce discipline or offer a hug.
He entered the room with a basket of his laundry. He added it to the drum, threw in a laundry pod, and pressed start. “We win on this one,” he said.
Diane was smug when his underwear turned pink.
“I’ll just buy new clothes for the both of us.”
“You still have to wash them before you can wear them.”
“Why?” he chided, “I never have before.”
“Ridley!”
“Fine. We’ll use a laundry service. I’ll send it by drone.”
Diane teased, “Lucy, aren’t you glad we don’t have to wash our clothes?”
Lucy considered the question curiously. “Dirt is only an expression here.”
Diane mused, “No more laundry. This is as close to heaven as you can get.”
Christina arrived at the house a few minutes after Kelly left in Diane’s car for school. Just as Lucy had done previously, Diane had disabled the security system to allow Christina to enter the house quietly. She waited in the kitchen until Ridley awoke.
Wearing only boxer shorts, he walked into the room. “Jesus… Christina. Which one of them let you in…?”
Diane and Lucy stood in the re-creation of his parent’s living room; their
images were to scale. “I let her in. Lucy and I would have told you, but I knew that you would have refused.”
Christina tried to respect Ridley’s privacy, but her gaze fell on his physique. He tried to hide his embarrassment. “Let me get some clothes on,” he said.
Diane and Lucy sat on a luxurious red-velvet sofa and the camera zoomed to them. Ridley returned a few minutes later in jeans and a t-shirt. He programmed a latte and waited for the cup to fill. “Care for anything?”
“No, thank-you,” Christina said.
Ridley sat at the table and took a sip of the beverage.
Christina said, “I didn’t mean to surprise you. I didn’t want to discuss this when Kelly was here.”
“I guess you’re here to continue our previous conversation?”
“Diane is proof that the technology works,” Christina said, “I know you have doubts. I did too. But I believe that Lucy’s work is nothing short of miraculous, even if bewildering. My mother is reaching the end of her life. Doctors predict that her neurons will continue to die in a slow cascade. That machine is her only hope.”
“I see,” he said before placing his coffee onto the table, “Diane’s death was officially declared a drowning. Legally, Diane does not exist anymore. We scanned a corpse. What you are proposing is very different. Your mother is alive.”
“Machines will keep my mother’s body alive far longer than they can preserve her brain,” Christina pleaded, “If we allow her to die naturally, she will be gone. I will lose her.”
“We had no choice about Diane. She is now captive to a machine,” Ridley said, “A digital prisoner.”
“It’s not like that,” Diane protested, “The prison was my physical body. It’s an entirely different existence here.”
“Would Kelly agree?”
Diane stared at him angrily. “The interactive VR lets me spend time with her.”
“You didn’t like Kelly spending time in VR when you were a physical being. How many hours a day will she spend with you in there?”
“Lucy and I are designing new environments. We are expanding what is possible here. Come into the VR, we’ll show you.”
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