The Immortality Game

“It’s different,” Marcus said. “Meshers ride through the Web like the ultimate virtual reality. Papa is a different sort of entity now, growing larger all the time. He can be almost anywhere at once, as long as it’s interconnected. And he’s even snuck small copies of himself onto private networks. He’s on both of those generation ships up there.” Marcus pointed at the ceiling, but Zoya knew what he meant. “He seeded his copies into the slots of the people working on the ships, and when they plugged into their network, he was in.”

It took a moment for Zoya to realize Marcus was done talking. “So, what have you been doing with your life then, if you think your country is dying?”

Marcus smirked. “What my father wanted me to do, actually. I just got my doctorate yesterday…‌or whenever it was; I can’t figure out all these time zone changes.”

“First a diplomat, now a doctor.” Zoya forced a small smile. “You’ll be a real catch for some lucky woman.”

“Very funny,” Marcus said. “What good does my degree do me in a country without people? And I know what I look like.” He stared down, either at his belly or the floor, Zoya couldn’t tell.

“You need to adjust your attitude,” Zoya said. “If our law permitted it, you’d be able to marry in this country easily. It’s not easy for a woman to find a partner anymore, not with all the cheap virtual mate programs out there. Men get all they want without any of the hassle. They don’t see any point in marrying now, except for some of the ultra-orthodox, of course. I was saving up to order a baby. A few more years…”

“Order a baby?”

“There’s a clinic near my apartment.”

“Hmm, not so different from us, I guess,” Marcus said. “The Mormons still have children the old way. Lots of children. But then they have as many wives as they can afford. They don’t want us half-citizens propagating beyond what they can use in the work force, so we have to put in a request for a spouse months or even years in advance. And we need further permission to order a child. It costs a small fortune, so most of us don’t even bother any more. I figured I’d never have a family. Of course, now they’re scrambling to try to figure out what to do about Meshing. It’s wrecking everyone’s plans.”

“That’s sad,” Zoya said. “Didn’t you have any dreams at all for your future?”

“I tried not to think about it much, just focused on my degree. Designing new kinds of nanobots is fascinating. I used to dream of all kinds of crazy things I might be able to make them do.”

It seemed to Zoya that Marcus meant to go on talking, but he suddenly stood up instead and walked over to the large smartwaiter.

“I wonder if this works like ours back home or if this is only for the bots?” he said.

Zoya shrugged. She’d heard of smartwaiters but had only seen one once, a small one in a medical office. If the American wanted to play with it, she figured he was welcome to it.

Marcus stared at stainless steel door. “I’d like to order lunch, please,” he said. Nothing happened. He looked at Zoya. “How do you activate these things here?”

“I’m sorry, I have no idea.”

«Father?»

«Might as well, you seem safe enough for the moment. Tell me what you want and I’ll relay the order.»

“You want anything to eat or drink?” Marcus asked Zoya.

Zoya got an inscrutable look on her face. “Umm, okay, how about some bread, salami, cheese. Oh, and water…‌cold water.”

«You got that, Papa? And if they can do it, I’d like pepperoni pizza and some ice cold Pepsi.»

«I’ll see if they can do that for you.»

«And an empty pan or jar or something, too.»

«What?»

«My bladder’s about to burst and there’s no place to go here.» It was all Marcus could do not to bob in place. He clutched one hand to his abdomen to try to relieve some of the pressure.

«Got it. I’ll tell it to hurry.»

«Thanks.»

«Sure. Look, I’ll give you a little time here since I’m sure you need it, but then I have to get you out of here and safely to your apartment.»

«Yeah, as long as you help her as well.»

«We’ll see, if it doesn’t hinder getting you away from here.»

Javier’s mention of the apartment made Marcus remember the traveling bag. «Papa, I forgot the bag in the car!» With your DNA samples…

There was silence for a few seconds and Marcus began to think his father wasn’t going to answer.

«It’s okay,» Javier said. «I spoke with the driver—he’s shot in the leg by the way—and he says the bag is fine. He’ll have Diplomatic Security drop it off in your room.»

«Hey…‌did you have your dinner with Mama?»

«Of course I did. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.»

«How is she?»

«She’s happy. Her friends are good company for her. I haven’t told her what we’re doing.»

Marcus walked back to Zoya and sat down. He now needed to go so badly he couldn’t help but rock back and forth with his arms around his knees. “Father placed the order for us.”

“Are you okay?” Zoya asked. “You don’t look well.”

“It’s embarrassing,” he replied.

“What is?”

“I…‌I have to go to the bathroom really badly.”

Zoya grimaced. “Now that you mention it, so do I.”