Chapter Three: The Seller

Lin turned off her television. “My son Cheng Ye died in the accident. They asked if I wanted him back. The person who woke had his face but didn't know me. Every day I fed the system stories, photographs, recordings, school files. Eventually you called me Mom and complained my food was salty. I knew some memories came from others. But the person who took me to appointments and sent money home was you.” “Then who am I?” “The person who could leave each time, but kept coming home.” Kinship verified. Xu opened the cache. Hundreds of personality components flashed by. At the bottom was a certificate signed the day after the accident. Seller: Harbor Mirror Identity Technologies. Product: Cheng Ye.