Authors note: One of those things that just came to me as I was falling asleep. According to one of the rulebooks, something called MemoMax software is used to transfer "memories to a new clone with speed and absolute accuracy. However if the clones really do see themselves as "versions" of each other, then I suspect that this tech is used a bit more often than that. To clarify, while later editions of the game imply clone creation & memory implant as happening after loss of a citizen, I'm writing this story from the older perspective of starting with a 'clone family' of 6, and exploring what that would be like.
Standard disclaimer: Not mine, no money, just sharing ideas for fun.
~~The Promotion~~
Jane-KKD-2 took another sip of her Bouncy Bubble Beverage and considered the Teela-O-MLY-1 trading cards laying on the table in front of her. She already had two copies of "Teela Earns Her Promotion to Orange Level", but hers were rather dog eared. And sort of stained from an unfortunate incident where she'd accidentally taken four doses of Happy Supplement and spilled red algae soup on them.
Lonnie-KKD-3 was trying to keep a casual expression, but she could feel his increasing anxiety. She knew that he tended to use up his Happy Supplement early in the week. She also knew that the more happy, or at least cheerful he was, the lower the price would drop.
"How much do you want, again, Citizen?" She carelessly let a silver tablet of Cheerful Relaxation fall out of her right sleeve as she turned to look at the Return To Work clock, which was at seven minutes, fifteen seconds in its countdown. She turned back just in time to see Lonnie-KKD-3 hastily swallow something.
"Well," He said, and his voice slurred slightly. "I was just saying."
Before he could finish his sentence, she smiled brightly and said. "You won't take less than 17 credits? Really?"
He hiccupped and echoed, "Not less than seventeen."
She sighed heavily. "You drive a hard bargain, Lonnie-3." She then started counting out 17 by threes. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that he first frowned; trying to follow her math, then started nodding his head in time with her counting.
"And that's yours." She ended with a flourish.
He handed her the card. "And that's yours." He attempted a half-bow, just like James-O-SPY on the latest Teela-O episode, but the five-minute buzzer interrupted him.
"All citizens will return to their assigned work station within the allotted time." Friend Computer reminded everyone. "Lateness will be subject to summary execution!"
Carefully Jane-KKD-2 tucked the card into the right hand thigh pocket of her black Standard Issue jumpsuit. After her mandatory work cycle was over, she looked forward to sharing her new acquisition with her clone-sisters. Then she jogged quickly back to the stairs, up one level, paused for a retinal scan, detoured around the temporarily inactive R&D supply hub storage, over a walkway and then returned to her currently assigned work station.
The table that she was using as a work area had a new folder on it labeled "Script 67-AG-PROMO". She opened it to find a blurry still-vid shot of a grey vial and several black and white striped tablets. Then a few pages of technical and medical jargon, which she ignored. Finally a page with a number of phrases: "Super Cheerful! Now available in long-lasting formulation" "Friend Computer Wants You to be Super Cheerful!" "Super Cheerful with New Sharp Flavor". There were several hash marks by each of the phrases, and a hand-scrawled note in blue ink that read "A little more creativity, please" signed with the initials D-I-REG-3.
She sighed. Maybe it was the Happy Supplement wearing off, but none of the three phrases seemed very interesting to her. Friend Computer wanted promotional segments to be interesting. She would have to think of something else.
She opened up the Portable Computer Unit and entered her ID, password and extra password. Then she called up the list of Computer Approved adjectives and began to scroll through them.
She was so absorbed in her new project that the Return to Your Assigned Barracks bell rang twice before she heard it. Quickly signing out, she joined the flow of HPD personnel going from Work Cycle back to their clone families.
"Hey Jane-2! Happy to be going home?" Virgil-KKD-4's voice boomed out, echoing even in the crowded hallway. He and his clone family lived in the same barracks as Jane-2's family. All the Virgil's tended to be loud and enthusiastic, and half of them were regular Promotional Vocalizers for the Promotional Vid Segments. He was always enjoyable to be around. His emotional presence reminded her of a Bouncy Bubble Beverage.
Jane smiled at him. "Did you finalize a new Promotional Segment today? I heard you were on the rotation this week."
"I was, I was and it was delightful!" He slapped her on the shoulder. "This one was musical," his voice changed cadence, and he sang out "Teela does what we should do / Teela drinks it so should you / Bouncy Bubble Super Taste / Finish work like it's a race" Then his voice changed to a monotone chant that was so rapid it was hard to follow, "Bouncy Bubble Super Taste available for morning workcycle supplement for only 3 credits per individual serving. Do not take on an empty stomach. Do not take if you are using Super Cheerful Plus Drink. Side effects of excessive use may include blurred vision, headaches, nerve damage, insomnia, hiccups, visual or auditory hallucinations or brain damage."
Her smile faltered. She'd written a musical Promotional Segment for Bouncy Bubble Super Taste, but this was not it. After a moment she said. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it."
He nodded encouragingly. "Not yours, then? I sort of hoped it was. Well, I'm sure your next idea will be a grand success."
"Thank you, Virgil." She smiled back at him. His happiness was catching, and somehow picking up happiness from a person always felt better to her than picking it up from a pill. Not that she would ever say that to anyone. Because only a mutant could do something like that.
The route home was delayed by a group of red-garbed troubleshooters spraying down a section of corridor with a foamy spray. The floors were quite slippery, and the masked and biohazard garbed troubleshooters were quite brusque about waving groups through in between vacuuming up each application of foam.
As they carefully picked their way through the clumps of antiseptic smelling foam, Virgil muttered, "I think that a few folks could certainly use a sixpack of Bouncy Bubble Happy Shots."
Jane kept her face downward, staring carefully at the floor as she made her way along. All around her she felt anger, fear, frustration, fury. Murderous intent. Nasty violent feelings and waves of desire for violence came like waves off of the troubleshooters. She hated being near them. Why were they always so afraid, so angry? Her skin crawled as she could feel the way they glared back and forth. They never seemed to be angry at her, or at any of the infrareds, for that matter. But the feel of barely-controlled violence was always there like the background hissing of the air conditioning or the crackling of the computer's loudspeakers.
She felt Virgil's hand at her elbow.
"You okay?" His voice was gentle. "I know some of these spots look pretty slippery."
The sense of his cheerfulness intensified with his touch and steadied her. The anger and fear of the troubleshooters seemed to fade a bit.
"It's a bit tricky here," she admitted. "Thanks for the assistance."
He lowered his voice to a passable imitation of James-O-SPY. "Always a pleasure to assist a loyal citizen, citizen."
At the barracks they dispersed to meet up with their clone families. Jane-KKD-2 was the first of her sister-clones to arrive at the discussion table nearest their shared bunks. Jane-3 and Jane-6 walked into the KKD-Barracks Unit-117B arm in arm, chatting about whether the early morning test screen should be a jagged stripes or a checker pattern. It was a longstanding argument. Jane-3 was in favor of jagged stripes, but Jane-6 thought the pattern was too reminiscent of static and thus was not a true test of monitor fidelity.
Jane-2 pulled her new Teela-O trading card out of her pocket and held it up where her sister-clones would see it. She said nothing, just waited with a happy smile on her face.
They didn't notice it at first. It was actually a bunkmate, Dorrie-KKD-6 who saw it and gave a squeal of envy. "Friend Computer surely smiles on you today, Jane-2! Is that a mint copy of 'Teela Earns Her Promotion to Orange Level'"?
Jane-3 and Jane-6 hurried over to get a closer look, and Jane-1 and Jane-4 joined them.
Dorrie-6 reached out a reverent fingertip. "Oh, you are so lucky. I haven't seen one in this good condition in months."
Jane-5 stepped into the circle of admiring clones and said. "Well let's hope that no one ends up getting sick all over this one."
Jane-2 felt her face getting red. Jane-3's giggling was not helping.
Despite her embarrassment, Jane-2 reached out to touch the nearest two of her sisters, and felt a calming sense of togetherness.
Oddly, though, the sense of calm and safety was marred by something. It only took a moment for the Jane family to realize what it was. Dorrie-6. She was very worried. Scared. Jane thought that she was almost as scared as a troubleshooter.
And there were no other members of the Dorrie family present. Where were they? Jane-2 recalled vaguely that some time ago Dorrie-1 had been promoted to red level, but she'd lost track of the news after that.
"Stand by for MemoMax download." The kind voice of Friend Computer reminded them it was time for their evening sharing.
Jane-2 blinked as a series of images came. A brief segment of her adjective research, a review of Jane-3's redesign of wider stripes for the test pattern, and equally short memory specimens from her other sisters' workcycles.
Her musing about their shared HPD & Mind Control career came to a sudden halt, when a wave of horror, fear and nausea slammed into her. Not just her – she could feel in a moment that her whole clone family had been affected and it was coming from Dorrie-6.
Before she could react, another crackle heralded Friend Computer's voice.
"I'm happy to announce two promotions, citizens. Dorrie-KKD-6 and Jane-KKD-1 are promoted to red level troubleshooters. Report to KKD terminal 16B for mission briefing and directions."
Promotion to red level. Every citizen's dream.
But Jane felt her sister's hands tighten as they held onto each other, all of them feeling the sick horror that was overwhelming Dorrie-6. Who had just gotten a MemoMax download from one or more of her troubleshooter clone-sisters.
Suddenly being a troubleshooter didn't sound like such a wonderful thing.
Jane-1 reached out a hand to take Dorrie-6's. "Come on, Dorrie." She said. "We don't want to be late for our very first mission briefing."
Jane-2 watched her clone sister walk to the barracks door. She would be the next member of her family to take that walk. Where did it lead? She was starting to think that maybe she didn't want to know.
