"David Marusek - The Wedding Album" - читать интересную книгу автора (Marusek David)

Solar Bill of Rights. In addition, they will be deeded ten common shares of World Council Corp.
stock and be transferred to Simopolis, where they shall be unimpeded in the pursuit of their own
destinies.

"What about my civil rights?" said the elderly Benjamin. "What about my destiny?"

After midnight tonight, continued the eminence, no simulacrum, proxy, doxie, dagger, or any
other non-biological human shall be created, stored, reset, or deleted except as ordered by a
board of law.

"WhoтАЩs going to compensate me for my loss of property, I wonder? I demand fair compensation.
Tell that to your bosses!"

Property! said the eminence grise. How little they think of us, their finest creations! He turned his
attention from the audience to the Benjamin behind the lectern. Anne felt this shift as though a
cloud suddenly eclipsed the sun. Because they created us, theyтАЩll always think of us as property.

"YouтАЩre damn right we created you!" thundered the old man.

Through an act of will, Anne wrenched her gaze from the eminence down to the stage. The
Benjamin there looked positively comical. His face was flushed, and he waved a bright green
handkerchief over his head. He was a bantam rooster in a clown suit. "All of you are things, not
people! You model human experience, but you donтАЩt live it. Listen to me," he said to the
audience. "You know me. You know IтАЩve always treated you respectfully. DonтАЩt I upgrade you
whenever possible? Sure I reset you sometimes, just like I reset a clock. And my clocks donтАЩt
complain!" Anne could feel the eminenceтАЩs attention on her again, and, without thinking, she
looked up and was filled with excitement. Although the eminence floated in the distance, she felt
she could reach out and touch him. His handsome face seemed to hover right in front of her; she
could see his every supple expression. This is adoration, she realized. I am adoring this person, and
she wondered if it was just her or if everyone experienced the same effect. Clearly the elderly
Benjamin did not, for he continued to rant, "And another thing, they say theyтАЩll phase all of you
gradually into Simopolis so as not to overload the system. Do you have any idea how many sims,
proxies, doxies, and daggers there are under Sol? Not to forget the quirts, adjuncts, hollyholos,
and whatnots that might pass their test? You think maybe three billion? Thirty billion? No, by the
World CouncilтАЩs own INSERVE estimates, thereтАЩs three hundred thousand trillion of you
nonbiologiks! Can you fathom that? I canтАЩt. To have you all up and running simultaneously-no
matter how youтАЩre phased in-will consume all the processing and networking capacity
everywhere. All of it! That means we real humans will suffer real deprivation. And for what, I ask
you? So that pigs may fly!"

The eminence grise began to ascend into the sky. Do not despise him, he said and seemed to
look directly at Anne. I have counted you and we shall not lose any of you. I will visit those who
have not yet been tested. Meanwhile, you will await midnight in a proto-Simopolis.

"Wait," said the elderly Benjamin (and AnneтАЩs heart echoed him-Wait). "I have one more thing to
add. Legally, youтАЩre all still my property till midnight. I must admit IтАЩm tempted to do what so
many of my friends have already done, fry the lot of you. But I wonтАЩt. That wouldnтАЩt be me." His
voice cracked and Anne considered looking at him, but the eminence grise was slipping away.
"So I have one small request," the Benjamin continued. "Years from now, while youтАЩre enjoying
your new lives in your Simopolis, remember an old man, and call occasionally."