King of All I Survey

"What about a lot of little dark energy generators gathered together? Would that affect your memory?" I wanted to explore this further because it seemed like a basic vulnerability in Joe, who is effectively Earth's only real defense against alien attack. Whether I truly trusted him or not (and I mostly did), we needed him intact and fully capable.

"No, putting multiple small ones in the same region only adds their effects. Making a larger one increases the effect exponentially with the size of the energy sink," Joe replied.

Wagner was nodding his agreement.

"So, there's no way it could happen?"

"No, none."

"Alright, then let's get back to the topic. Professor what do you suggest for the Island of Tranquility? We don't need to figure out the alien tech anymore. I can't risk them talking about aliens and stuff if I just send them home. I really don't want to erase it from their memory."

"Send them home?" Wagner asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "I was more suggesting adding some different skill sets, rather than sending people home."

"Oh. Then what would the other researchers be focused on?"

Wagner blinked. He looked as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Whatever they want to focus on, of course."

"I tried that in kindergarten once when the teacher was trying to teach the other kids ABC's," I say, shaking my head. "It didn't work out so good."

"Ha! But you understand what the teacher did not, Timothy. Some minds are more suited to unstructured freedom of thought. Let the researchers' studies follow their passions and they will discover miraculous things. Funnel those discoveries to your product development teams, and likewise, if the product teams run into particular problems, feed those problems back to research. Let them both use and feed each other's strengths, Timothy."

"I guess…"

My response was interrupted by another person appearing in the observation deck. His back was to me, facing out into the ocean. He turned around. It was me. He was clearly shocked to see me. I was shocked to see me, too. We stood just staring at... ourself?

"Ha! Two of them!" Wagner looked at Joe quizzically, "Is this the result of some sort of wormhole or time displacement?"

"No," Joe replied calmly, "There really are two of them. Both of these bodies are artificial, of course, grown up versions of King Tim using age progression analysis to simulate what he will look like when he's actually that age. One is linked directly to King Tin's real brain via sensory input and motor control output neural shunts. The other has a simulated persona that I created from King Tim's own psyche. It is him to within a very minute tolerance. Each day, the memories of each are implanted in the other to keep them up to date on everything they've done and to minimize the likelihood of their personalities drifting in different directions."

Two voices protested in perfect synchronization, "Stop talking about me like I'm a science experiment!" The eyes of the other me went wide, and I felt mine do the same. Suddenly I had a vision of an old comedy where someone stood in the frame of a broken mirror matches every movement of the person looking at the mirror. First one hand raised, then a wave. Then turn around and quickly turn back to catch the other off guard… I laughed at the thought, and so did I.

"Amazing!" Wagner exclaimed. "The synchronicity of thoughts is unbelievable."

"Professor, it's good to see you again," the other me said, smiling. "How have you been?"

"Ha! I have felt this good in fifty years thanks to the rejuvenation." Then his broad smile faded into his ever-present curiosity. "Which one of you is the real Timothy Bailey?"

"I…am…" We both said with a dawning horror. Am I? How do I know? We both saw these same doubts in each other's eyes.

"I am… not," the new entry to the observation deck said, after a long minute. "I feel like I am, but I know that I am not the original Timothy Bailey, I think that's what you probably meant to ask Professor. I'm real. I'm just not the original."

I searched through my own memories. I did not have any memories in which I knew that I was the duplicate. I should because every day his memories were copied into my head and vice versa. We should both have memories of being the original and of not being the original… "Joe?" I asked. The other me did not ask…

"There is a filter applied to prevent you from getting confused about whether you are the original Timothy Bailey. If that realization were allowed to carry through on a daily basis, it would become very confusing for you in a relatively short period of time. Perhaps debilitatingly so, with the likelihood of a growing and deep-seated paranoia, but with a foundation in the reality of your circumstances. It would be difficult to counter without a harsh intervention in your thoughts. The filter largely prevents that, although I do monitor both of you closely to make sure that you are operating within the parameters of the original personality model."

Wagner let out a long slow whistle.

"That's a lot to unpack…" I said, reeling from the implications of the information Joe had just shared. "I mean, you could…"

"I won't." Joe interrupted.

The other me was shaking my head slowly. "I didn't think about you being here," he said to me. "I just like to come here to think things through sometimes."

"Me, too," I said.

"Maybe we should add a second observation deck so we don't run into situations like this."

"Or maybe we shouldn't. It might be nice to talk about things out loud with someone who understands what I'm thinking." I grinned. "Though I'm not sure we'd have anything to add to the discussion…"

"We can try it. You never know."