"We have a variety of models available, Mr. Joel," the young salesman explained, pouring coffee. "All depends on the use to which you intend to put it." The Cereno corporate logo was done in pastels on the wall beyond.
"That's personal," Martin Joel said, accepting the cup. "What are their capacities?"
"Well, our basic unit is little more than a recorder. A robot with your face to sit at various meetings which, for one reason or another, you can't--or won't--make, and take notes for you. Fully mobile, but limited dexterity. Capable of following simple instructions. The complexity of the units goes up from there. What do you need?"
"How about a stand-in, fully realized, fully interactive?"
The salesman's eyebrows bobbed once and a smile flickered on his thin lips.
"You want a clone, Mr. Joel, your replica. We have such units available. Understand, we rarely get call for one and they're quite expensive--"
"Money's not the issue. How identical are they?"
"Perfect copy. Of course, the persona is limited by how much of yourself you want encoded into it. We can meter it out."
"I want it to be virtually indistinguishable from myself. I want it to be capable of identical experience."
"Then it would almost be you."
"Almost?"
"The unit is bonded to you subliminally, slaved. With such a complex unit you would absorb its experiences directly through a neural link. One on one, complete transfer. The unit is yours--more than a slave. That lack of free will where you're concerned--that is the limiter. Without that you wouldn't be able to control it. It would be a distinct persona in no time and free to wander around. That would also be illegal."
"You're sure it won't become its own personality anyway?"
"It's possible. That depends on the extent of the use you put it to and how deeply you link with it."
"And should that happen...?"
"We're required to recall the unit, wipe its memory, and start from scratch. If it becomes too independent, too much its own persona, we would appreciate it if you'd report it to us before going to the authorities. We want to keep problems within the scope of the company. You understand, I'm sure."
"Certainly. We wouldn't want any legal entanglements." He frowned. "But once the memory is wiped, what do you do with the unit? I mean, it's human, isn't it...?"
"You don't get it back, if that's what you mean. We put it to some other use. Cosmetic surgery, new programming, perfectly useful elsewhere in the world."
"But--"
"Please, Mr. Joel, I can't get much more specific. Besides, I'm sure there won't be any troubles. We get very few complaints. Very few."
Martin nodded thoughtfully. "But in all other ways it would be my twin."
"Oh, much closer than a twin!"
"Fine. How long?"
"A couple of months. We'll need tissue samples, you'll have to go through a complete physical--"
"Isn't that awfully fast? As I understood it, cloning takes a long time."
"True and true, Mr. Joel, but technology never stands still. Our process reduces the time considerably."
"Doesn't forced development increase the chance for error?"
"Normally, but our patented technique has certain built-in safeguards. Errors are not a problem. Now, we need a variety of releases as well--"
Martin stopped hearing him. He let white noise fill his mind, a peaceful nonthought that, for the first time in months, relaxed him.
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