The Fox Inheritance Read Free

corner of the bathroom. With Kara, it was a strand of hair from a brush. No one could be sure that either of those things belonged to either one of you, but it was all that they could find. Tokens, we call them. Those were stored with the uploads, along with your medical records and several photo chips they stole as well.
    "Through tragic circumstances, however, this brilliant and selfless man died before his hopes and dreams for us could be realized, and our uploaded minds became part of his estate, the value and importance unknown to his heirs."
    It's possible that Dr. Ash's intentions were honorable, but the fact that he kept his actions a secret leads most to believe that money was his motivator--either blackmail or perhaps selling the technology to a competitor. He was in enormous debt. Unfortunately, shortly after the backups of the mind uploads were made and your DNA tokens were secured, he died under mysterious circumstances in a freak boating accident. Some think that his plan to eliminate the trail of unsavory characters he had hired backfired on him. Either way, he couldn't carry out his plans .
    "And as a result of his untimely death, the uploads changed hands many times through several generations, waiting for the right person and the right technology to come along."
    They were forgotten in a storage facility for decades. They were only labeled FOX, and came to be known as the Fox Inheritance. Finally, the battery docks that kept you suspended neared their expiration and gave a two-year warning signal. The small research facility that had acquired them didn't have the resources to decipher the outdated codes, and they didn't want to get mixed up in something they suspected might be illegal, so they gave them to Dr. Gatsbro, who was known to conduct research beyond established boundaries--for an agreed-upon price, of course.
    "Finally, after two and a half centuries, the right person came along--someone with the resources, expertise, and vision--to give us a second chance, our very own Dr. Gatsbro." Kara smiles sweetly at him and tilts her head like she is truly touched.
    Dr. Gatsbro is silent. He finally nods. "Excellent job, my dear." He turns to me. "And for you, Locke, your job will be to describe your new bodies and how they are every bit as good as your old ones. Better even. Can you do that?"
    I look at my hands. Their sense of touch is amplified. They can detect a grain of sand in my palm. I rest them on my thighs, which are stronger and more muscular than the ones I remember from so long ago. Better. But not exactly mine. It's taken me a full year to get used to that. Could he have made them the same, or did he just have to guess? I look up, his eyes still fixed on me. "Yes, of course, Dr. Gatsbro. Better even."
    I recite my well-rehearsed spiel, but I know my dramatics are subpar compared to Kara's. Still, he seems pleased.
    " Well done ." He draws the words out like a gourmet meal. "Very well done," he repeats to himself and sends us to our rooms to await the arrival of our visitor. When we are almost out the door, and perhaps at what he judges to be a safe distance, he adds, "And if our visitor should bring up the subject of Jenna, leave that to me. Understand?"
    He couldn't leave it alone. My eyes lock on Kara, but she only nods and walks out of the room.

Chapter 6

    Where were you, Locke? Where did you go when you didn't answer me? When you left me alone? Where did you go? Why didn't you answer me?
    She doesn't want to know.
    She shouldn't know.
    Because where I went is hurtful, and I don't want to hurt her. I went where I had to go. I went where I survived on gulps of memory and scraps of touch. I went where I remembered a good kind of quiet. A peace. I went to be with my memories of Jenna. Her voice may have been gone, but my memories of her were still alive.
    "I don't remember where I went. I died. I shut down. I was lost in a black hole. Just like you."
    Where were you, Locke? Tell me. Where were