Chapter Four: The Man in the Cradle

Gu Yan did not turn around. The opening adult cradle breathed cold air across his neck, but the console's black glass already reflected the face inside. It was identical to his, except for the closed eyes and two fresh punctures at the temples. “Who is that?” “Who you were before you vote doesn't matter,” Little Full said. The console pressed him for the thirteenth decision. Releasing the original fire memory risked irreversible personality fusion. Sixty seconds remained. Gu held two fingers to his carotid artery and watched the cradle's monitor. Both heart rates accelerated together. Even an ectopic beat landed in the same millisecond. He bent his left little finger. The man's finger moved.