A Memory in the Black (The New Aeneid Cycle) by Michael G. Munz Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael G. Munz
anger. "What the hell!"
Marc's action freed Marette. She rushed to another terminal as he dove toward the table's control hub. A second before either of them made it, Namura screamed. Her rig flared in a blaze of electric fire a moment before Marette cut the power and the lights went out.
The glow of the flame died quickly in the darkness. There was just enough silence to let it fade before everyone started shouting.
Chapter 7
Felix Hiatt sat i n a lab in Horizon Research's Northgate facility and, gingerly, touched a diagnostic cable connected to the memory implant behind his right ear. It still wasn't a sensation he was used to. "Sometimes I wonder about what happens to me if this thing borks out and I lose everything."
The tech, peering at readouts on a screen hidden from Felix's view, spared a quick glance up to ask, "Everything?"
"Yes, Neal, everything . Tout le monde , the whole nine yards. Hey, did you know 'the whole nine yards' refers to using the entire length of an ammo belt in World War Two?"
Neal chuckled. "Can't say as I did. You've got quite a bit in there, don't you?" He pointed at Felix's head.
"Oh, plenty. And more of it dealing with asparagus than you'd guess, too," Felix joked. "That's why I wonder so much. We know this thing somehow affects my own memory, so what happens to me if it all blanks out? You have to admit, it's an interesting question. At least I have to admit it; you're free to admit whatever you wish. Though I wouldn't admit you picked out that tie without a lawyer present."
" My wife bought me this tie."
"Say no more. " Felix grinned. Feeling this chatty was hardly a unique mood for him, but sometimes during his checks he spent the time just trying to learn all he could about how his implant actually worked. By now, he figured he'd gleaned as much of the technical stuff that he could grasp without a degree, so lately he was usually content to try to drag Neal (perhaps kicking and screaming) into a philosophical discussion.
Apparently satisfied with what he saw on the screen before him, Neal leaned back from the terminal, clasped his hands behind his head , and asked, "So you wonder how you'd know where you live, who your friends are? Like that?"
"Y ou're being too topical. I mean, what happens to Felix Hiatt. How much do my memories affect who I am?"
Neal shrugged. " I think even if you forgot all you know, you'd still be you. Amnesiacs don't suddenly take on different personalities."
"Ah, but what if this thing's different? When you guys stuck it in me you were just trying to add someone else's memories to mine, but then we find out it's augmenting my ability to remember new things, too. It's not just tacked on like you all thought it'd be, so if it goes, who knows how much it takes with it?"
Realistically, Felix hadn't had a blip of trouble since six months ago when he was helping Diomedes and Flynn to find the vigilante Gideon. Horizon had fixed it quickly enough then that the search wasn't hindered. Diomedes also killed Gideon in cold blood shortly thereafter. Okay, so things didn't always turn out well, but that didn't have anything to do with the implant.
"You're in here for testing every month," Neal assured him. "It won't go."
Felix grinned again. "And don't think I don't appreciate it, even if you've got no choice." The project was long since shut down, but the Cybernetic Research Act of 2038 made researchers responsible for taking care of any lasting effects. The litigation that would result from failure to do so made it much more cost effective for them to not abandon their test subjects. In a world where the police were falling apart, it was the lawyers who enforced the laws. "But what I'm getting at here, if you'd listen, is the question of how much of who we are is dictated by our memories."
"That's philosophy. " Neal smiled. "I'm a scientist."
Yep, kicking and screaming. "You ran a project on downloading the entire memory record of a human brain. You mean to
Marc's action freed Marette. She rushed to another terminal as he dove toward the table's control hub. A second before either of them made it, Namura screamed. Her rig flared in a blaze of electric fire a moment before Marette cut the power and the lights went out.
The glow of the flame died quickly in the darkness. There was just enough silence to let it fade before everyone started shouting.
Chapter 7
Felix Hiatt sat i n a lab in Horizon Research's Northgate facility and, gingerly, touched a diagnostic cable connected to the memory implant behind his right ear. It still wasn't a sensation he was used to. "Sometimes I wonder about what happens to me if this thing borks out and I lose everything."
The tech, peering at readouts on a screen hidden from Felix's view, spared a quick glance up to ask, "Everything?"
"Yes, Neal, everything . Tout le monde , the whole nine yards. Hey, did you know 'the whole nine yards' refers to using the entire length of an ammo belt in World War Two?"
Neal chuckled. "Can't say as I did. You've got quite a bit in there, don't you?" He pointed at Felix's head.
"Oh, plenty. And more of it dealing with asparagus than you'd guess, too," Felix joked. "That's why I wonder so much. We know this thing somehow affects my own memory, so what happens to me if it all blanks out? You have to admit, it's an interesting question. At least I have to admit it; you're free to admit whatever you wish. Though I wouldn't admit you picked out that tie without a lawyer present."
" My wife bought me this tie."
"Say no more. " Felix grinned. Feeling this chatty was hardly a unique mood for him, but sometimes during his checks he spent the time just trying to learn all he could about how his implant actually worked. By now, he figured he'd gleaned as much of the technical stuff that he could grasp without a degree, so lately he was usually content to try to drag Neal (perhaps kicking and screaming) into a philosophical discussion.
Apparently satisfied with what he saw on the screen before him, Neal leaned back from the terminal, clasped his hands behind his head , and asked, "So you wonder how you'd know where you live, who your friends are? Like that?"
"Y ou're being too topical. I mean, what happens to Felix Hiatt. How much do my memories affect who I am?"
Neal shrugged. " I think even if you forgot all you know, you'd still be you. Amnesiacs don't suddenly take on different personalities."
"Ah, but what if this thing's different? When you guys stuck it in me you were just trying to add someone else's memories to mine, but then we find out it's augmenting my ability to remember new things, too. It's not just tacked on like you all thought it'd be, so if it goes, who knows how much it takes with it?"
Realistically, Felix hadn't had a blip of trouble since six months ago when he was helping Diomedes and Flynn to find the vigilante Gideon. Horizon had fixed it quickly enough then that the search wasn't hindered. Diomedes also killed Gideon in cold blood shortly thereafter. Okay, so things didn't always turn out well, but that didn't have anything to do with the implant.
"You're in here for testing every month," Neal assured him. "It won't go."
Felix grinned again. "And don't think I don't appreciate it, even if you've got no choice." The project was long since shut down, but the Cybernetic Research Act of 2038 made researchers responsible for taking care of any lasting effects. The litigation that would result from failure to do so made it much more cost effective for them to not abandon their test subjects. In a world where the police were falling apart, it was the lawyers who enforced the laws. "But what I'm getting at here, if you'd listen, is the question of how much of who we are is dictated by our memories."
"That's philosophy. " Neal smiled. "I'm a scientist."
Yep, kicking and screaming. "You ran a project on downloading the entire memory record of a human brain. You mean to
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