The Time Bubble Box Set 2
to create something that could properlycommunicate using a neural network. Even so, to begin with, this had itslimitations,” said Henry.“Our early prototypes could talk about past experiences andrecall family events but not with true consciousness,” added Vanessa.
“For example, one of my copies could remember details of aholiday I had been on when I lived in England those couple of years,” saidHenry. “It could recall paddling in the sea, or the time a seagull stole mychips on the seafront at St Ives, but it couldn’t associate the feelings thatcame with those experiences. It couldn’t relate how bloody cold the water wasor how pissed off I was at that bloody seagull, merely that the events hadactually happened.”
“And now?” asked Alice.
“We’ve made incredible progress,” said Vanessa. “What youare going to see today will blow your mind.”
“Are you saying you’ve achieved true consciousness?” askedJosh, excitedly. “That could change the world!”
“That’s exactly what we’re saying,” said Vanessa.
“I find that somewhat hard to believe,” replied Alice. “Allthe research I’ve ever read on the subject has concluded that creating a trulyaccurate, conscious and sentient copy of a human mind is impossible.”
“I’ve lost count of the number of things that science hassaid are impossible over the years,” said Vanessa, “until they becamepossible.”
“She has a point,” said Josh, thinking about how he hadlearned to time travel, contrary to popular scientific belief. “How does it allwork?”
“It’s quite simple really,” remarked Henry from the couch.“You see this dish here?”
He gestured upwards to a large, white, curved spherical diskon the ceiling, several feet above him.
“Yes,” replied Josh.
“Well, this is going to scan my brain completely and uploadit into Henry Junior here. The whole process is going to take less than aminute.”
“As simple as that?” asked Josh. “I’ve seen this sort ofthing done in old films and they always had some big helmet or something theyhad to wear with loads of wires and stuff sticking out of the side.”
“Oh yes, I’ve seen those old black and white movies, too,”replied Henry. “But they were made a century ago, long before the makers couldhave had any concept of wireless technology. The modern equivalent is far morestraightforward – and completely painless, too.”
“It doesn’t harm you at all?” asked Alice.
“No – we’ve tried it a couple of times already. I’m notlosing any brain cells in the process. It’s a pure copy we are creating, withthe original left intact.”
“What happened to your earlier copies?” asked Josh.
“They’re right here,” said Vanessa, gesturing at the body onthe couch. “We’ve used this same body each time. There were a few teethingproblems with our previous attempts which meant we had to wipe the earlierversions.”
“What sort of teething problems?” asked Alice, feeling alittle wary.
“Oh nothing to worry about,” replied Vanessa, sensingAlice’s apprehension. “We are reasonably confident we have ironed most of theissues out now.”
“When do we start?” asked Josh, fascinated to see theoutcome of the experiment.
“Right now,” replied Vanessa, pressing a large, green squareon the touch screen panel on the headboard of Henry’s couch.
“And now we stand well back,” she said, gesturing to theothers that they should follow her back to the other side of the room. “We don’twant the scanner picking up any stray thoughts from us and putting them intohis head.”
“It’s a bit like being at the dentist when they have toleave the room when they take the x-rays,” observed Josh.
“Good analogy,” replied Vanessa.
From a safe distance they watched as the equipment emitted abarely audible hum.
“I thought it would be a bit more dramatic than this – allflashing lights and sparks,” remarked Josh.
“That’ll be down to watching too many of those old moviesyou were talking about,” replied Vanessa.
After less than a minute there was a repeated beeping noiseand the low hum of the machine stopped.
“It sounds like an old microwave,” said Alice.
“Another good analogy,” replied Vanessa. “Our new Henry’seffectively cooked and ready to go. Let’s go and meet him.”
The original Henry was already sitting up, none the worsefor his experience.
“All present and correct, I think,” said Henry. “The thingabout this process is you don’t feel a thing. Now let’s see how my copy hasturned out. Computer – activate Henry Mark IV.”
The android Henry’s eyes glowed blue and he instantly sat upand looked around him.
“Obviously, other than the shirt he doesn’t look exactlylike me – at least not yet. Like I said, we haven’t worried too much about theaesthetics, but we do possess the ability to graft a person’s exact features onif we so wish. I could make him indistinguishable from myself – couldn’t I,Henry?”
“Indeed you could,” said Henry IV in the same slightlyrobotic-sounding voice that they had already heard from Dani.
“He doesn’t sound like you either,” replied Alice.
“Yes – but he could,” replied Henry. “We can in theoryreplicate any human being in every detail – including their voice, mannerisms,and that one thing that makes humans stand out from robots – ourimperfections.”
“But it would still be an android?” asked Alice. “Not aliving, breathing creature?”
“It wouldn’t be breathing,” replied Vanessa, “but as forliving, that really depends on your definition. If it can feel emotion, thensurely it must be alive, mustn’t it? Why don’t you ask it?”
“I’m not an it,” protested Henry IV. “I’m a he.”
“How do you feel?” said Alice.
“I feel great,” replied Henry IV. “I had a bit of atoothache earlier and that’s gone for a start.”
“Yes, I really must make that dentist’s appointment,” saidthe original Henry.
“You can remember the toothache and what that felt like,then?” asked Josh, addressing Henry IV. “Even though presumably you have noteeth yourself?”
“Don’t I?” asked Henry IV. “No, I suppose I haven’t. And itseems I have no tongue either.”
“But you still remember everything?” asked Alice. “Youretain the essence of everything that makes Henry the individual he is?”
“I certainly do,” replied Henry IV, gesturing across to theoriginal Henry. “As far as I am concerned, up until a few minutes ago I wasliving in his body.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?” asked Alice.
“Why should it?” replied Henry IV. “If you think about it,I’ve just immortalised myself. Now that I’m in this new body I’ve justeliminated all disease, pain and fear