Cloned Dreams

James awoke from the familiar dream. Lisa and he were returning from the movies when the late night silence was split by the wail of sirens. Turning the last corner before their home they were greeted with a large crowd standing before what now was the smoldering ruins of their once beautiful home. Everything they owned was now gone. To this dream James awoke everyday. The truth of the matter was far worse than the dream.1

  In the year 2140 the World Government ruled that humans could no longer be sent into space. The government was losing too much of their top intellectual layer as well as creating home and community distress by taking the best candidates for the space program. Therefore from 2140 onward only clones could be sent on the long-range space programs. This solution would no longer disturb life on earth and should the clone ever return the original candidate would be long dead causing no conflict. This was thought to be the best solution.2

  James had gone into space in 2155 at the age of 30. The ships all but ran themselves and crews were down to one man. This kept the ships bulk down and allowed for longer range. The ships main computer had access to almost all of Earths libraries and could offer holographic theater or holographic interaction based on random program changes of the book characters in the library.3

  For a long time James was very happy, until he began to remember Lisa. He remembered meeting her for the first time. How he thought she was very beautiful in a way that left him totally incapacitated. Then, as time slowly and painfully went by he realized he had fallen madly in love with her and that life would be endless pain until he and her could be together. So he had shocked all his friends, left everything he had, and took the risk of telling her how much he loved her. This emotional memory was to have been eliminated from the clone and yet he could not forget her. 4

  The year was now 2190 and James was reaching maximum age. Soon the automated task of re-cloning him back to the age of thirty would begin. He would retain his forty years of knowledge and memories but would have a better change of survival in deep space being younger. To James it was as though he went to bed seventy and awoke thirty, nothing more. This cycle was done as any other part of the ships maintenance, clean the filters - done, check radio and navigation - done, clone James - done. Twice more James went through the cloning process. He learned new languages, watched whole new play cultures open up before him, and continuously dreamed of Lisa.5

  On this day of days James woke not to the dream of Lisa but to the ships warning horns. Quickly he hurried to the control center to find that he and his ship was all and well. None-the-less he sank into the chair stunned as he read the report on the computer. The sun had gone nova and with the exception of ships like James, all life on earth was now gone, vaporized and blown into cosmic dust.  Clones and the knowledge left on the ships were all that was left of earth. 6

  His head down on the desk James cried quietly. Then throwing the chair back he leapt to his feet. It was not anger or despair in his eyes but hope. 7

  “Computer, who is the foremost earth researcher on cloning,” James asked quietly.8

  The computer calmly and mechanically replied with a meaningless name.9

  “Computer bring the theater on-line and allow me to interact with the actors,” James asked more certain now. 10

  This time the computer answered firmly, “Yes.”11

  James spoke once again, “Then computer get me the good doctor on stage. It is time for some non-fiction.”12

  James hurried to the projection room only to find the computer still working. He waited and when hungry had his lunch. He waited and once again left, this time for dinner. Finally at 5 am the computer announced, “He is ready.”13

  “Sir, James spoke, I have a few questions for you and then I will explain our situation. First what is the smallest amount with which you can successfully complete a cloning? And second, whom would you need on your team to take that amount much smaller? As the doctor began running off names James finally smiled. 14

  “Computer, get them,” he spoke as he left the room. 15

  Over the next two weeks James waited impatiently as the computer pulled the doctor’s team from the ships vast library. James kept busy with calculations and further plans as the team worked night and day to come up with the solutions James sought. While they worked the ship ran at its highest speed to reach a point James thought might be suitable for his plan. Finally they ran several tests on James to confirm the theories would work and once the computer verified with James twice that the information was now safe within the databanks he threw a large party for the group of scientists. 16

  Taking the characters from the work Babbet’s Feast and exchanging the scientists they had a wonderful evening in the bleakest place on earth. Then, as the computer returned the now sated scientists to their own books and transferred the energy from the hologram circuits to the engines they increased speed and sought now to find the rendezvous point James had selected. 17

  Still sitting on the northern shores of Finland James stared out at the ice-cold sea and spoke so only the computer could hear him. 18

  “If Lisa had been hidden from me on earth I would have spent my life searching for her until I found her or until I died. But as Lisa’s molecules have been spread over the cosmos by the cosmic winds and as I need them then we will search until we find them. I have calculated the force of the explosion and I have calculated the distance given the time since the explosion. So all we need to be is upwind and we can let her come to us.”19

  “Ship, close all non-essential systems and set maximum speed for our rendezvous point, James commanded. 20

  James V had now been replaced and it was not until the time of James VII that the ship reached the intercept point. Then the next two James waited while the ship scanned for space particles with human DNA sequences. There was no Lisa. There was nobody. But still he waited and dreamed of the woman he loved and the woman who held his heart. 21

  Once again a morning came when James woke not to the dream but to the ships sirens. Hoping beyond all hope he ran to the control center. Quickly sitting, he read the report. 22

  “Computer, what does the mean,” he demanded. 23

  The computers voice replied back softly and patiently, “It means we were penetrated by a space particle and now have a virus on board. I had the virus on scan before it struck but am now unable to locate it on the ship.” 24

  “What is the difference in your scanners before it struck and now,” James questioned. “Why can’t you find it”?25

  “Originally I was using the Lisa scanners and I could track the virus. But now that it is on board the ships inner scanners are unable to locate it,” the computer answered. The scanners are programmed differently.26

  “Then program the inner scanners to Lisa’s program or turn the outer scanners inward. But find that particle, James yelled. It could ruin everything.’27

  The computer took a moment to reply and to James it seemed forever but finally the computer replied, “I have found the particle and it is contained.” “And James, I also have Lisa.28

   James missed the chair completely and fell hard to the floor. He lay stunned before choking out, “Where.”29

  “She is here, in the control center, with you,” the computer replied. It seems that during your time with Lisa you touched and breathed in her hair. You kissed her. During all those actions you took her being into yours. Her molecules are mixed with yours, James.” The woman you love is  part of you. 30

  Through a haze of tears James lay crying on the control center floor unable to find the strength or control to rise. The joy of finding his lost love overpowered him and finally he lost consciousness. He drifted in and out of sleep, the computer seeing to his needs. 31

  Weeks passed as the computer and the team of doctors worked but finally James awoke not from a dream but into a dream as he took his long awaited wife back into his arms.   32