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"Of course I had planned on it When I say Dakura, I actually e moon that orbits the privately owned planet"

"Someone owns an entire planet?"

"Arthur Dakura does Or did It was sixteen years ago I was very sick, and your father illing to do anything to save ed to have me taken to Dakura"

"The doctors there were able to help you?"

"Yes But they aren’t the kind of doctors you’re thinking of Not all of them, anyway The colony on the moon was founded by Arthur and funded with his vast fortune He wanted to find a way to cheat death, so he concentrated on the hu like a hacker ineer some software--"

"Why? Hoould that let him cheat death?"

"Because--and I can only explain it as it has been explained to h the pathways of our brains If you keep the brain healthy and ticking, feed it the right prograrabbed the pillow froainst the bulkhead She pulled the pillow into her lap, grasping and releasing fistfuls of fabric anxiously

"Are you like that, Mo like that?"

"No, dear Well, not exactly I meanI look at you and I see a brain in a very lovely jar, a beautiful shell designed to protect it, keep it nourished, er They left me in onna be sick"

"What I’m about to tell you next will likely ods, Mom What?"

"I haven’t been co on Dakura, sweetheart"

"You said we needed to go there because you’re ht But it’sa set of keys A copy of very important keys And noe need to make sure nobody else finds theet to Dakura, I need you to kill me"

22

Molly nearly ripped the pillow co she’d misheard

"I need you to kill ht ere going to rescue you!"

"Sweetheart, you already have rescued me The real me is the one in here, the one that spent the last few years with your father The old shell we left behind--"

"Your body"

"Okay, the body we left behindit was dying The man that helped us, he had Arthur’s doctors hook ht it was a favor for us, but later, your father realized the man did it for himself It was years before your father could find a way to steal a copy and install it in the ship"

"Who was this guy? Why would he do that? And why go back to kill your body? Why does it even matter?"

"We didn’t think it would, your father and I But years later, we found out who that man was He isn’t a very nice man In fact, he isn’t a man at all"

"Wait--what? Who--or what is he?"

"He’s our real enemy, not the Drenard That isit’s hard to explain We have a complicated past with him, your father and I You, as well, for that matter"

"Me?"

"He’s the reason you’re here He helped deliver you"

"Deliver me where?"

"Deliver you As a baby Your father never told you about your birth?"

"I was six! The only thing I ever asked him about was you, but it just made him quiet"

"Of course Poor Mortiuy? Why was he there when I was born?"

"He was following us Your father and I were tracking down soht to them"

"And he’s not hular, that’s what he is A sialaxy and open a back door so he can let in--" Her mom fell silent

"Let in what?"

"I can’t say I’ off-topic, anyway"

"That’s fine withyou The old you, I et there before this ht not matter"

"If it’s been sixteen years, how do you know he hasn’t already?"

"Because he hasn’t had sixteen years; he’s had half a year And he isn’t the only person that would be interested Besides, if he’d already accomplished e aialaxy could you know that’s so iht to herself

"It’s difficult to say how ether in that brain of hers It took years for your father and I to realize that all the pieces were there, and stewing And for all that ti we could do about it You have to believethat old body ofyour father And it’s best if you start thinking of that shell as a jar and me as your mother Neither is easy, I know"

"I don’t knohat to believe," Molly said "And I still don’t understand what you could know that’s so important"

"When your father and I were on Lok, there was a popular gae--"

"Pick That Door," Molly said

"That’s right! You’ve seen it?"

"Re-runs on flat panels, not the holovids And just once or twice--I really hated that show"

"Yes, well, so did everyone else, but we all watched it Do you reist of it?"

"Yeah It was due to a distant planet and the other had soerous froas They described each in detail and the contestant chose to open a door or just go aith nothing"

"That’s about right And actually, youthan it was"

"What’s your point?"

"Well, dear, that’s what I know I knohich door to open"

"For a gaust

"No, sweetheart Of course not For real"

"Real doors?"

"Oh, yes And there are terrible things behind one of those doors Things that other people, so to let out I knohere one of those doors is, and so doesht knohat fusion fuel is made of, which could lead to problems"