Mindscan

How are you communicating with me?

"Don't you — aren't you the same copy I connected with before? We had this conversation yesterday."

I don't recall…

I paused. Could it be a different instantiation? "Where are you?"

In a lab of some sort, I think. No windows.

"Are the walls blue?"

Yes. How did you—?

"And is there a diagram of a brain on one wall?"

Yes.

"Then it's probably the same room. Or … or one just like it. Look — that diagram.

What is it, a poster or something?"

Yes.

"Printed on paper?"

Yes.

"Can you mark it somehow? Do you have a pen?"

No.

"Well, put a little rip in it. Go over to it, and, um, put a little one-centimeter-long rip in it ten centimeters up from the lower-left corner."

This is nuts. This is crazy. Voices in my head!

"I think it's quantum entanglement."

Quant — really? Cool.

"Go ahead, make that rip in the poster. Then I can tell next time I connect if I'm reaching the same room, or another, similar room with yet another copy of us in it."

All right. Ten centimeters up on the left-hand side. I've done it.

"Good. Now here's the tricky part. You said you are in the body you ordered, right?"

I didn't say that. How did you know?

"You told me yesterday."

Did I?

"Yes — or another one of us did. Now, I need you to mark your body somehow. Is there some way you can do that?"

Why?

"So I can be sure I've connected with the same you next time."

All right. There's a little screwdriver on a shelf here. I'll scratch something into my plastiskin in an inconspicuous spot.

"Perfect."

A long pause, then: Okay. I've put three small X's on the outside of my left forearm, just below the elbow.

"Good. Good." I paused, trying to digest it all.

Oh, wait. Someone's coming.

"Who is it? Who is it?"

'Morning, Doctor. What can I — Lie down? Sure, I guess. Hey, what are you — are you nuts? You can't—

"Jake!"

I — oh. Hey! Hey, what's happ…

"Jake! Are you all right? Jake! Jake!"

Austin Steiner, as I discovered, was a very competent family lawyer, but this case was huge, and Karen needed the best. Fortunately, I knew exactly who to call.

Malcolm Draper's face appeared on the wall screen, in all its youthful Will Smith-in-his-prime glory. "Why, it's — it's Jake Sullivan, isn't it?"

"That's right," I said. "We met at Immortex, remember?"

"Of course. What can I do for you, Jake?"

"Are you licensed to practice in Michigan?"

"Yes. Michigan, New York, Massachusetts. And I have associates who—"

"Good. Good. I have a case."

His eyebrows rose. "What sort of case?"

"Well, I suppose technically it's probate, but—"

Malcolm shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jake, I thought I told you what I do. Civil liberties; civil rights. I'm sure my secretary can dig up a good probate specialist in Michigan for you, but—"

"No, no. I think you'll be interested. See, the person whose will is being probated is Karen Bessarian."

"The author? Still…"

He didn't know. "You met Karen at Immortex, too. The woman with the Georgia accent."

'That was Karen Bessarian? My God. But … oh. Oh, my. Who is trying to probate her will?"

"Her son, one Tyler Horowitz."

"But the biological Karen isn't dead yet. Surely the Michigan courts—"

"No, she is dead. Or at least that's what Tyler is asserting."

"Christ. She transferred just in time."

"Apparently. As you can imagine, this case goes beyond the usual probate mess."

"Absolutely," said Draper. "This is perfect."

"I beg your pardon?"

"This is the kind of test case the world has been waiting for. We've only been copying consciousness for a short time now, and, so far, no one has challenged the transfer of legal personhood."

"So you'll take her case?"

There was a pause. "No."

"What? Malcolm, we need you."

"I'm precisely what you don't need: I'm a Mindscan, too, remember. You don't need one damned robot arguing the rights of another. You need someone who is flesh and blood."

He had a point. "I suppose that's true. Is there someone you'd recommend?"

He smiled. "Oh, yes. Yes, indeed."

"Who?"

"When you called, what did the receptionist say?" I frowned, irritated that he was playing games. "Um, 'Draper and Draper,' I think."

"That's right — and that's who you need: the other Draper. My son Deshawn."

"You and he are getting along — since you uploaded, I mean?"

Malcolm nodded. I grunted. "Nice to see for a change."