Version Innocent

Chapter 55

  After Terra finished her backup, they had decided that Jeff would be next. He was only two minutes into his backup procedure when Sam 6.7’s projection reanimated. Sam and Terra didn’t notice at first because they were both watching the backup machine’s display intently.

  Sam 6.7 walked over to them. “How’s it going?” he asked.

  They both jumped, startled by his sudden appearance.

  “Don’t do that!” Terra said. “You’re going to kill poor Sam with fright, and then we’ll never get his backup.”

  “Oh, I think he’s made of more robust stuff than that, aren’t you, Sammy?” Sam 6.7 teased.

  “World probably wouldn’t care if I didn’t get backed up,” Sam 23.1 said flatly.

  “I just thought I’d let you know that we’re going to have company fairly soon, I don’t know how long I can keep them out of this room. But I’ll try my best,” Sam 6.7 promised.

  “Well, your machine needs to be faster,” Terra said.

  “It makes better scans than the old machines, much better technology. It takes a little longer, but it’s worth it. Now I forgot to ask earlier, but does one of you have the backup cube of Quig Oberman? In all the excitement it slipped my mind,” the projection asked with a concerned look on his face.

  “Yeah, I got it.” Sam 23.1 reached for his suit pouch and fished around until he found the small box. He held it out to Sam 6.7, but the projection waved him off.

  “Don’t give it to me. Just drop it in that square hole there on top of the console. I’ll copy the information to the ark with the rest of them.”

  Sam 23.1 looked at the projection skeptically and then turned and dropped the cube into the hole on the backup machine.

  Sam 6.7 had a look of intense concentration for the next minute, and then he looked back at them. “Good, that’ll do. Oh, they’ve made it into the landing cavern. I’ve got to go.” The projection’s image flickered and then disappeared, only to reappear in statue mode back in the center of the room.

  “Strange guy,” Terra said. “He didn’t used to be like that.”

  Sam 23.1 snickered. “You’re telling me. I am that guy, kind of.”

  “Let’s just hope he can stall them until your backup is made.”

  “Yeah.” Sam wondered if he were needed here at all. It seemed his other version had accomplished, or was about to accomplish, all his life’s goals. What would he do? How could he measure up to that?