you took backup-and-restore, the rest of theBitchunry just followed, a value-system settling over you.
Those who didn't take backup-and-restore may have objected, but, hey,they all died.
#
The Liberty Square ad-hocs marched shoulder to shoulder through theutilidors and, as a mass, took back the Haunted Mansion. Dan, Lil and Iwere up front, careful not to brush against one another as we walkedquickly through the backstage door and started a bucket-brigade, passingout the materials that Debra's people had stashed there, along a linethat snaked back to the front porch of the Hall of Presidents, wherethey were unceremoniously dumped.
Once the main stash was vacated, we split up and roamed the ride, itsservice corridors and dioramas, the break-room and the secret passages,rounding up every scrap of Debra's crap and passing it out the door.
In the attic scene, I ran into Kim and three of her giggly littlefriends, their eyes glinting in the dim light. The gaggle of transhumankids made my guts clench, made me think of Zed and of Lil and of myunmediated brain, and I had a sudden urge to shred them verbally.
No.
No. That way lay madness and war. This was about taking back what wasours, not punishing the interlopers. "Kim, I think you should leave," Isaid, quietly.
She snorted and gave me a dire look. "Who died and made you boss?" shesaid. Her friends thought it very brave, they made it clear with double-jointed hip-thrusts and glares.
"Kim, you can leave now or you can leave later. The longer you wait, theworse it will be for you and your Whuffie. You blew it, and you're not apart of the Mansion anymore. Go home, go to Debra. Don't stay here, anddon't come back. Ever."
Ever. Be cast out of this thing that you love, that you obsess over,that you worked for. "Now," I said, quiet, dangerous, barely in control.
They sauntered into the graveyard, hissing vitriol at me. Oh, they hadlots of new material to post to the anti-me sites, messages that wouldget them Whuffie with people who thought I was the scum of the earth. Apopular view, those days.
I got out of the Mansion and looked at the bucket-brigade, followed itto the front of the Hall. The Park had been open for an hour, and a herdof guests watched the proceedings in confusion. The Liberty Squaread-hocs passed their loads around in clear embarrassment, knowing that theywere violating every principle they cared about.
As I watched, gaps appeared in the bucket-brigade as castmembers slippedaway, faces burning scarlet with shame. At the Hall of Presidents, Debrapresided over an orderly relocation of her things, a cheerful cadre ofher castmembers quickly moving it all offstage. I didn't have to look atmy handheld to know what was happening to our Whuffie.
#
By evening, we were back on schedule. Suneep supervised the placement ofhis telepresence rigs and Lil went over every system in minute detail,bossing a crew of ad-hocs that trailed behind her, double- and triple-checking it all.
Suneep smiled at me when he caught sight of me, hand-scattering dust inthe parlor.
"Congratulations, sir," he said, and shook my hand. "It was masterfullydone."
"Thanks, Suneep. I'm not sure how masterful it was, but we got the jobdone, and that's what counts."
"Your partners, they're happier than I've seen them since this wholebusiness started. I know how they feel!"
My partners? Oh, yes, Dan and Lil. How happy were they, I wondered.Happy enough to get back together? My mood fell, even though a part ofme said that Dan would never go back to her, not after all we'd beenthrough together.
"I'm glad you're glad. We couldn't have done it without you, and itlooks like we'll be open for business in a week."
"Oh, I should think so. Are you coming to the party tonight?"
Party? Probably something the Liberty Square ad-hocs were putting on. Iwould almost certainly be persona non grata. "I don't think so," I said,carefully. "I'll probably work late here."
He chided me for working too hard, but once he saw that I had nointention of being dragged to the party, he left off.
And that's how I came to be in the Mansion at 2 a.m. the next morning,dozing in a backstage break room when I heard a commotion from theparlor. Festive voices, happy and loud, and I assumed it was LibertySquare ad-hocs coming back from their party.
I roused myself and entered the parlor.
Kim and her friends were there, pushing hand-trucks of Debra's gear. Igot ready to shout something horrible at them, and that's when Debracame in. I moderated the shout to a snap, opened my mouth to speak,stopped.
Behind Debra were Lil's parents, frozen these long years in theircanopic jars in Kissimmee.
========= CHAPTER 9 =========
Lil's parents went into their jars with little ceremony. I saw them justbefore they went in, when they stopped in at Lil's and my place to kissher goodbye and wish her well.
Tom and I stood awkwardly to the side while Lil and her mother held anachingly chipper and polite farewell.
"So," I said to Tom. "Deadheading."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Yup. Took the backup this morning."
Before coming to see their daughter, they'd taken their backups. Whenthey woke, this event -- everything following the backup -- would neverhave happened for them.
God, they were bastards.
"When are you coming back?" I asked, keeping my castmember face on,carefully hiding away the disgust.
"We'll be sampling monthly, just getting a digest dumped to us. Whenthings look interesting enough, we'll come on back." He waggled a fingerat me. "I'll be keeping an eye on you and Lillian -- you treat herright, you hear?"
"We're sure going to miss you two around here," I said.
He pishtoshed and said, "You won't even notice we're gone. This is yourworld now -- we're just getting out of the way for a while, lettingyou-all take a run at it. We wouldn't be going down if we didn't havefaith in you two."
Lil and her mom kissed one last time. Her mother was more affectionatethan I'd ever seen her, even to the point of tearing up a little. Herein this moment of vanishing consciousness, she could be whomever shewanted, knowing that it wouldn't matter the next time she awoke.
"Julius," she said, taking my hands, squeezing them. "You've got somewonderful times ahead of you -- between Lil and the Park, you're goingto have a tremendous experience, I just know it." She was infinitelyserene and compassionate, and I knew it didn't count.
Still smiling, they got into their runabout and drove away to get thelethal injections, to become disembodied consciousnesses, to lose theirlast moments with their darling daughter.
#
They were not happy to be returned from the dead. Their new bodies wereimpossibly young, pubescent and hormonal and doleful and kitted out inthe latest trendy styles. In the company of Kim and her pals, they madea solid mass of irate adolescence.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Rita asked, shoving mehard in the chest. I stumbled back into my carefully scattered dust,raising a cloud.
Rita came after me, but Tom held her back. "Julius, go away. Youractions are totally indefensible. Keep your mouth shut and go away."
I held up a hand, tried to wave away his words, opened my mouth tospeak.
"Don't say a word," he said. "Leave. Now."
"_Don't stay here and don't come back. Ever_," Kim said, an evil look onher face.
"No," I said. "No goddamn it no. You're going to hear me out, and thenI'm going to get Lil and her people and they're going to back me up.That's not negotiable."
We stared at each other across the dim parlor. Debra made a twiddlingmotion and the lights came up full and harsh. The expertly crafted gloomwent away and it was just a dusty room with a fake fireplace.
"Let him speak," Debra said. Rita folded her arms and glared.
"I did some really awful things," I said, keeping my head up, keeping myeyes on them. "I can't excuse them, and I don't ask you to forgive them.But that doesn't change the fact that we've put our hearts and soulsinto this place, and it's not right to take it from us.
Can't we haveone constant corner of the world, one bit frozen in time for the peoplewho love it that way? Why does your success mean our failure?
"Can't you see that we're carrying on your work? That we're tending alegacy you left us?"
"Are you through?" Rita asked.
I nodded.
"This place is not a historical preserve, Julius, it's a ride. If youdon't understand that, you're in the wrong place. It's not my goddamnfault that you decided that your stupidity was on my behalf, and itdoesn't make it any less stupid. All you've done is confirm my worstfears."
Debra's mask of impartiality