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  “Are you fucking delusional or do you just have a God complex?”

  “I’ve been told both, but if you’d just take a step back, I could explain my view on this.”

  “This ought to be good. Go ahead and explain.”

  “Well, if you think about the fact that the initial SIM versions are not tangible, and that’s what I’m giving them, you should realize that this isn’t a risk. They’re not simps, Lee. They’re just avatars of the people they love and miss. It’s good for their spirits and it’s easy enough for me to do. I’ve got an app on my tablet that reads information from the IHSIR.”

  “That’s just rich, Mic. You’re hacking the International Human Social Information Repository to steal life chip data so that you can recreate the people that they’ve lost. I think I’m going to puke.”

  “Look Lee, that’s what my vision was all about in the first place. I wanted to provide a way for people to find comfort in a world that didn’t have any to offer.”

  “Save it, there’s no cameras rolling, Mic.”

  “You can’t think I’m that shallow.”

  “Yeah, I can, and I do.”

  “I think that you need to back off, Lee. Fish didn’t mean any harm, and as you can see for yourself, no one is upset but you.”

  “Shut up Giz, I didn’t ask you.”

  “Bitch,” he muttered and returned to his keyboard.

  “You’re both assholes.” With nothing else to say, I left them to their clacking and went back downstairs. If I wasn’t in such bad shape I would have left right then, but the reality was evident in the amount of time it took me to get down the stairs.

  “Do you want some spaghetti?” Alice called out when she saw me.

  “Yeah, actually I would,” I said, sitting down across from Jake. I didn’t offer to help with anything because I was too pissed off to think of it. Besides, I was useless with one hand. Alice put a plate in front of me, and Barbara came around the counter with a fork and a napkin. “It’s not terrific, but it’s hot and it’s food,” she said.

  I took a bite and swallowed hard.

  “What kind of meat is in this?” I asked chewing a strange bite.” “Is that canned sauce?” I added.

  “It’s cut up Slim Jims and canned tomato sauce, but we didn’t have enough so I added some catsup. We also added some chopped up fresh onion and we used powdered garlic,” Alice said proudly.

  “I see,” I forced a smile.

  “Not too shabby right?” Barbara said with an expression that screamed please agree with me.

  “Right,” I said. “Thanks, Alice.”

  “You’re welcome!” she sang out as she headed straight for the stairs and a status update on her SIM dead boyfriend. Out of sheer necessity, I forced down a few more bites, working hard to avoid the meat, and then shoved the plate away. Barb was sitting across from me with her elbows propped on the table. She was resting her face in her hands and staring at me.

  “Spill it sister, you’ve been a crab all day,” she said.

  “I’m sorry, I just don’t get the concept of hubbing with dead loved ones. It’s like picking a scab and never giving it a chance to heal.” She sighed.

  Lee, have you ever had a dream about someone you’ve lost after they were gone?”

  “Yeah, of course I have.”

  “And didn’t it make you wake up feeling like they were a little closer to you?”

  I thought about that for a minute. “No. Actually when I dream about people I’ve lost, it’s usually as much of a nightmare as their death was.”

  “I’m sorry, Lee. It’s not that way for everyone else, and you can’t expect them” she gestured toward Jake with her thumb — “to act and think the same way you do. We all have our own ways of coping.”

  She stood up from the table and went to the kitchen. I sat there watching Jake talk to himself — or to his parents — and tried to understand the perspective that Barbara had just explained. It just didn’t work for me. At the end of the day, when a person dies they are gone, and trying to bring them back in a virtual realm is just unnatural and unhealthy. Barbara returned with a cold can of beer and handed it to me. “Here, I think you need this to help you cope,” she said with a wink, and went back to the kitchen to tidy up. I picked up my can of beer and wandered through the living room to the back French doors leading to the backyard. I needed to be alone before I snapped.

  There was a high stone wall, which offered privacy if not a false sense of security. A simp could jump it without exuding the slightest bit of effort. The grass was ostentatiously green, and I noticed a pool in the distance. It was probably sparkling clean and perfect just because I hurt too much to get in it. That would be my luck. I pulled out a chair from the patio set and carefully lowered myself. The glass table was dusty, so I decided to just hold my can and power it down. It was early in the day for liquor, but I justified it easily enough. It’s not like I drank every day and with things as shitty as they were, who wouldn’t? I placed the empty can on the table and burped. The effort sent a stabbing pain through my ribs. I heard the door behind me open, but I didn’t bother to look up. Whoever it was didn’t matter.

  “Hey there, mind if I join you?” I shrugged my shoulders and Mic pulled out a chair.

  “I’m sorry if I upset you. I really want you to understand that I didn’t mean to.”

  “What does it matter?”

  “It matters. I know you don’t think much of me, but I can’t have you thinking I’m an asshole.” He handed me another beer after cracking it open. I accepted the brew and took a long drink.

  “Would it interest you to know that the reason I developed SIM profiling for the deceased was because I missed my twin brother?”

  I glared at him. I’d read that somewhere, but hadn’t really given it much thought. The whole concept was still freaky and weird as far as I was concerned.

  “Yeah, I’d heard that,” I said, tilting the can to my mouth again.

  “Okay, I guess nothing I say is going to make you feel any differently about me, and I guess I get that – but in fairness to the others, could you just try not to dole out guilt trips?”

  “I’m not going to say anything else. Whatever floats their boats is fine, but if they start getting addicted, it’s on you.” His face looked disappointed.

  “I’m setting timed sessions,” Mic explained.

  “Whatever. You know what your software has done. Look around you, Mic. This is all the result of your winsome technological dreams.”

  “I could give you a thousand reasons why you’re wrong, Lee, but it wouldn’t matter. You look at me with such revulsion, and yet I am not the monster you think I am. How can I prove that to you?”

  “End it. Give me back my life.”

  “I’m trying.” With that, he slammed his beer can on the table and excused himself. Why did he care what I thought of him? I scowled at a mockingbird that landed on the brick wall in the distance. Why did those birds have to make such an annoying sound? Just as I contemplated that, I saw the top of a head duck down. It was one of those moments where you question what you’ve seen because it is so unexpected and happens so fast. My mind pieced it together quickly – the mockingbird must have nested in one of the trees back there, and whoever was snooping over the fence must have been too close. There was definitely someone or something back there. I got up from my chair as casually as I could, and headed back inside the house. Mic was at the table making an adjustment to the visagles for Jake when I broke into the conversation. “Someone is on the other side of the wall in the back, trying to look over. I think we’d better get prepared for a simp attack.”

  “Oh dear God!” Barbara said, covering her mouth. “Jake, remove the visagles and come with me.” Jake didn’t move. I shot Mic a dirty look.

  “Mom, I’m so much happier with you. Can I just stay here forever?” Jake’s little voice made me want to rip Mic’s throat out. How could he be so ignorant?

  Mic looked at me a
nd then touched a small button on the top of the visagles. Jake pulled the visor down and looked up with a pleading expression. Tears filled his chocolate colored eyes, but they didn’t spill. “C’mon Jake, go with Barbara,” I said, before turning back to Mic. “Where’s Alice and Giz?”

  “Alice is hubbing in her room, and Giz is in the office.” I turned and headed for the stairs. There wasn’t time to chew his ass out for it now, but I’d get back to that when the time came, if we lived through this. I yelled for Giz as I got halfway up – hearing me, he came out with his laptop under his arm. “Tell me we’re not bugging out!”

  “I don’t know yet, but there’s something out there so you need to hustle.”

  “Right, got it.” He ran back to the office to collect his things.

  I didn’t bother to knock on Alice’s door, because I knew she was hubbing and wouldn’t hear me. What I saw when I opened the door made me sick to my stomach. She was making love to thin air. Yeah, nothing unhealthy about that. I walked around to the side of the bed and touched the button on the top of her visagles the same way Mic had with Jake. She jerked upright and immediately covered herself with a blanket.

  “What the hell!”

  “Yeah, sorry about that, but listen up – there’s someone or something peeping over the back wall, and you need to get your stuff together and get ready to bail out of here if we have to. If it is a simp attack, we’ve got minutes before it’s on, so I suggest you get your clothes on quick.” Wide-eyed, and at a lack for words, she nodded. I walked out, leaving her with her visagles clutched to her chest. I went straight for my room and grabbed my boots, shoving them in my bag one-handed. There was no way I was going to get them on in time if we were under attack, and I didn’t want to leave them. I slung my pack over my shoulder after grabbing my slingshot, and headed back to the kitchen where everyone was.

  Mic was busy sliding his finger around on his tablet and then shaking his head. “I’m not picking up any roaming IP addresses. I don’t think it’s a simp.”

  “Only one way to find out,” I said, pulling out a dining room chair and standing on it. “Oh yeah, there’s a body out there. Dark hair, looks female, and she’s heading back toward the house behind you.

  “Just one?” Giz asked.

  “Yep, just one,” I replied. I pulled my slingshot out of my pocket and headed for the back door. Everyone was following behind me and questioning my decision, but I remained focused. I grabbed a small decorative rock from the planter box and then I realized I couldn’t use my slingshot with my fucked up hand. Carefully, I pulled out a patio chair, stood on it, and spied her standing under the awning of the neighbor’s back porch. She was looking right at me, so I heaved the rock with everything I had. When it hit her in the forehead, she cried out.

  Stepping down from the chair, I turned to the rest of them and smiled. “She’s human.”

  “Aunt Maude?” Mic shouted.

  “Micah, is that you?” replied the shrill voice from over the wall.

  “Yes, it’s me Aunt Maude. Stay there, I’ll come around for you.” Barbara looked at me and smiled. “Do you want a beer, Lee? I’m going to get one for myself and come back out here. I’ll grab it for you.”

  “Could you make that two?” Alice said.

  “Are you old enough to drink?” I said with a smirk.

  “I’m twenty-two, but I don’t have any ID.”

  “I’m just kidding, Alice.” She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and sat down. Her cheeks were flushed, and her blue eyes darted away.

  “I’m so embarrassed,” she muttered. I allowed several moments to pass before I responded. My first instinct was to let her have it, but she was young, and I was trying to keep that in mind.

  “Don’t be,” I said.

  “I just miss him so much.”

  “I get that, I really do, but you’ve got to be aware of your surroundings. I would suggest if you’re going to hub, you do it with someone very close by to keep an eye out for you.” I paused before adding, “And keep your clothes on.” Her expression told me she would, going forward.

  “Here we are,” Barbara said, setting down three beers. Giz had gone around with Mic to get his aunt, and we could already hear them coming through the house in our direction. I took a big gulp and then slurped the foam that pooled around the top of the can. Great, another person to add to the group. I probably should have been a more appreciative house guest, but again, social skills tend to suffer when the world goes to shit. Mic opened one of the doors, and stood aside so that his aunt could pass through first. His manners didn’t escape my observation. “Everyone, this is my Aunt Maude,” Mic announced as he pulled out a chair for her to sit down in. “Can I get you a drink?” he asked her softly, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder.

  “I’ll take one of those cold beers if there’s one to spare,” she replied.

  “I’ll get it for her,” Barbara said, and disappeared inside. Stupid me, I should have offered to get it. I wouldn’t be sitting there subjected to the scrutiny of her pale blue eyes if I had thought of it first. She pulled her silver-rimmed glasses down and peered over them to size me up, and then a generous smile spread across her wide mouth. She reached across the table and patted my hand. Her creamy skin was covered with light brown spots, yet she radiated youth when she smiled. “You’re the one who threw that rock at me, aren’t you?”

  “Uh-hm, yes, I am.” I wanted the ground to open up and suck me in. I’d smacked an elderly woman in the head with a rock. What a tactful way to make a first impression. “I’m so sorry, I hope you are all right. I didn’t know if you were –“

  “A human or a simp,” she concluded for me. “It’s all right, sweetie. No harm done,” she offered reassuringly before taking the beer from Barbara and taking a small sip. “Oh that tastes so refreshing. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a beer. Let’s see…it would have to be at least ten years ago before Bart passed on. He was my husband, and the brother of William, Micah’s father. God rest his soul as well,” she said, taking a second sip.

  “So, what were you doing at that house back there?” I asked.

  “I was after some lemons off the tree that hangs over the fence, and when I couldn’t reach them, I decided to walk around. I knew it was a risk, but I wanted a fresh lemon or two. I’ve been sneaking out here and there for supplies, but never that far, because I have bad knees. At any rate, I found my neighbor, Jessica Wealdon – you remember her from when you were little don’t you Micah?” He nodded, “Very fondly. She used to make popcorn balls for Halloween.”

  “That’s right, she did! Well, when I got over there I could hear her calling out for help, very faintly. I went inside, and found her sprawled out on the kitchen floor. I guess she’d been there like that for days.” Maude shook her head slowly, and pushed back a strand of her silvery hair. “I stayed with her for days, and I did my best to nurse her back to health, but she passed away last night. I was going to come back home, but then I heard noises and figured that there were simps in my house. I’d been trying to figure out for sure, and that’s why I was looking over the fence.”

  “So what happened to your neighbor?” Alice asked.

  “You know dear, I think she may have had a stroke. She was up there in her years. It wasn’t a simp attack, if that’s what you were worried about. I have lots of neighbors who had them as housekeepers and helpers and what not — because most of my neighbors are my age, and can’t get around so good,” she laughed. “But Jessie didn’t like them. She was actually afraid of them. She used to joke and say they were right up there with circus clowns. That bothered me at first, because I felt like it was an insult to my nephew’s hard work. But I guess in the end she had a valid point of view.

  “Indeed,” I said. Mic gave me a look that said would you give me a break? I batted my lashes innocently at him, and then returned my focus to his aunt. She was lovely in a motherly sort of way. I found she annoyed me less than I’d e
xpected, and she actually made me feel a little cheerier for some reason. I soon learned that Maude was the artsy type. She took us all into her art studio later that evening and shared some of her paintings with us. One in particular made the hair on the back of my neck stand up – and kept me awake later that night: A simp woman giving birth. She’d even managed to capture the less-than-natural-looking fingernails gripping the white sheet. It was oddly graphic, but the head of the fetus, with that unmistakable port in the top of its little pink head, made me cringe. I wouldn’t exactly say that I was moved by the piece, but it was symbolic as she’d explained. “What’s the one thing a simp cannot do?” she’d asked us all as we stood there starring at the canvas. “It’s a reminder to me that we are still in charge of this planet. We’re still able to create life!”

  “Who’d want to, in times like these?” I’d blurted, unable to hide my contempt at the mention of something I’d never experience. Giz walked out of the room at that point, and then I felt like a complete ass. I debated trying to talk to him, but that would mean divulging that I knew his wife had been pregnant. I told myself it was better to leave things as they were and play stupid, but the scowl on Mic’s face let me know how much he’d resented my thoughtless comment. I was certain he regretted sharing that bit of information with me. The conversation continued to flow, but I was feeling awkward at best, and anxious to call it a day. My ribs ached, and the pain forced me to sleep on my back, so it was a restless night to say the least. At some point, I fell into my nightmares again. This time I was lying in a hospital bed, begging a faceless nurse to let me see my baby. When she turned around, she had an infant in her arms, and then I saw the port and began to scream.

  “Lee, wake up!” Mic’s voice brought me out of my haze and I sat up abruptly, which caused my ribs to burn. I took a moment to catch my breath and absently realized he was stroking my back. “Hey there, are you all right, now?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I just had a nightmare.”

  “You want to talk about it?”