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Rebirth
Stuart Aken
C
enturies had passed since Jared had seen her. Like him at
the time, Adelita had been in her prime; a reward for the
few remaining males. But Jared had seen her as more than mere
recompense for his ability to exist when most of his gender had
declined and died. He had always felt more than mere physical
desire for her. Something he could not name, though he was
sure a name existed for it, somewhere in the distant past. At the the day after that, ad infinitum. But he hadn’t wanted to appear
time, he’d been sure she had wanted only his genetic rarity. Yet, desperate; a man of his standing could have any companion he
here she was again, real as ever; her utter perfection mashing his desired, after all. He never had forgotten her, though.
emotions and rippling his deteriorating skin with small tremors. Now she’d come back. For him? He looked around the ward;
Zareen, her most recent sisterclone and a close visual, if arti- his ward, his domain. There was no one else; only the carers and
ficial physical copy, glanced across the soft sterility of his ward Zareen. With over two thousand commercial sisterclones, Adelita
at her creator and complained to Jared, ‘Adelita’s human skin was unlikely to have travelled the Many Ways just to visit an arti-
is still soft as a baby’s, unlined as a ripening peach. It’s just not ficial clone that bore her genes. So, was it true?
right. She’s organic. How can it be, my Lord?’ She shrugged in The male, less robust than the female, had deteriorated much
an attempt to mimic frustration but the bounce of her flawless more rapidly than predicted: early research failing to isolate
breasts somehow mocked the act, reducing it to pantomime. actual problems from the hypothetical and the theoretical. The
How Zareen could possibly know about babies or peaches was apparent distance of the threat had allowed energy and research
a mystery. Under the recent extension of human rights to premier to concentrate on those aspects that ultimately turned out to
androids, she was permitted certain memories from her origi- be favourable mostly to the female. When they’d predicted,
nator. Such a relaxation in the laws had been inevitable almost millennia previously, the gradual decay of the Y chromosome,
since the inception of the Preservation Programme, though only they hadn’t realised what effect that decline might have on the
of late had clones gained some rights that had been exclusively rest of the male coding.
human. But the last proper baby had yelled her birthing protests Oh, sure, Jared was still extant, still a reality. Unlike his fellows;
over two hundred years before Zareen’s incubation. And aromat- long since reduced to memories and emotions wrapped in the
ically enhanced holograms might be impressive but they were a plastaderm of their physically perfect cloned artificials. No longer
poor substitute for real peaches, if his memory served him well. truly human but, at least, surviving.
You couldn’t actually touch them, and nothing virtual had the But no android, however well constructed, housed Jared’s
same qualities as reality. essence and archive. He stubbornly resided in the very body that
‘So, how do you know, Zareen?’ had struggled down the birthing canal of his mother.
‘Imagination. I requested that quality during my first enhance- ‘Natural childbirth? I mean, really? My Lord.’ Zareen gently
ment, my Lord.’ stroked him in apology for her almost lapse. She knew the answer
Well, imagination was fine. Reality was what worried Jared. but it was her way of simulating amazement.
And seeing the reality of that walking epitome of idealised femi- Over the centuries, in spite of continual exposure, he’d never
ninity enter his sheltered empire was shock enough to shoot his come to terms with the eavesdropping ability of Premier Class
health indicators way outside their safety zones: conditions his Sisterclones. That weird skill in attracting, sifting and decoding
dedicated carers were eager to prevent. the brainwaves of those nearby so they could read their thoughts.
‘You wish me to deal with the intruder, Sire?’ It was expected between androids but not between android and
Jared allowed the android medics to regain control over human. The ability had arisen out of the commercial and biolog-
his natural functions and felt the air flow smoothly once more ical desire to have sisterclones respond at once to every whim
through his pipes, the blood cycle as it should around his aged of those few real men who existed at the time. But it had always
body. unnerved Jared.
‘No. Treat her as the Utmost Celebrity she truly is.’ ‘Nothing artificial about me, Zareen.’ Redundant information
But he wished her elsewhere; anywhere but close to his bed, and, given the nature of what kept him alive, no longer strictly
where he lay deteriorating as he finally suffered the physical true. But she’d always found it difficult to accept, such acknowl-
effects of extreme old age. Suppose she recognised him through edgement making her own state somehow less desirable, lower
his decay? All those centuries ago, they’d matched in quality of grade than the truly human.
appearance, intellect, knowledge and, most of all, energy. What ‘That’s why I still want you, Jared.’ Adelita had approached
was it she’d said, that last time? without him noticing.
‘A performance worthy of the occasion, Jared. Emotional Close up, she was even more perfect than he recalled; though
component deeply moving, physicality supreme, sensory he knew the phrase broke rules and he’d never dream of saying
elements comprehensively targeted and achieved.’ it aloud.
She’d hinted then, through her laughter at her own silliness, at ‘Perfect is an absolute and therefore incapable of
future visits. ‘Once I’ve swum the pool and served the remaining modification.’
men. Sometime in the not too distant, if that meets with your He’d forgotten Adelita’s human, and therefore uncanny, ability
approval?’ to read his mind; a by-product of her generous sharing of emotion
Approval? He’d have had her the next day, and the next and and skill with her sisterclones, an unexpected consequence of the
34 Writers
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FORUMRUM #99
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