With great reluctance, I stride toward Pioneer 1A. I know Zia’s right—a lower transfer time could be crucial in a combat situation. If your machine comes under fire, you might need to switch to another control unit immediately. But practicing the transfer is so freaking boring.
Because the A-series robots are lined up in numerical order, I find myself next to Pioneer 2, Jenny Harris. I expect her to turn her turret away from me out of nerves or embarrassment, so I’m surprised when a cheerful “Hi, Adam” comes out of her speakers. If she had a face she’d be grinning. I retrieve a memory of the dream we shared yesterday, an image of the blue-eyed, blond-haired Jenny lying on a grassy hillside in Virginia. It’s a nice memory, but it makes me uncomfortable. I’m worried about where this is going.
“Uh, hi,” I respond.
She turns her turret toward Pioneer 2A and powers up her wireless system, as if she’s getting ready to transfer her files to her evil twin. But instead she sends me a radio message, encrypted in such a way that only I can decode it.
I noticed that Zia didn’t answer your question. About whether she could transfer as fast as you can. I bet she can’t.
It’s a little strange to communicate by radio with someone who’s standing right next to you. Although it’s not as intimate as sharing circuits with Jenny—I can’t see her thoughts now and she can’t see mine—I still feel anxious as I compose my own coded message and radio it to her.
Zia likes to give me a hard time. I have no idea why.
It’s simple. She’s jealous.
Jealous of me? You’re kidding, right?
It’s so clear, Adam. She hates the fact that you’re smarter than her.
I turn my turret clockwise, then counter. No, I think there’s more to it. Something weird is going on inside her head. Inside her circuits, I mean.
Well, whatever the reason, you shouldn’t let it bother you. I’m on your side, and so is DeShawn. And Shannon too, of course.
The mention of Shannon sends a bolt of alarm through my circuits. She can’t overhear us, but I turn my turret toward her anyway. She’s busy practicing her transfers, sending her data to Pioneer 4A and then back to Pioneer 4. She’s concentrating so dutifully on the exercise that she doesn’t see me aim my camera at her. But Jenny does. She sends me another message.
Don’t worry. I won’t tell Shannon what happened between us.
I swiftly turn my turret back to Jenny. Uh, good. I mean—
I know you like her more than me. Because you knew her before.
No, that’s not true. I like both of you.
I’m okay with it, Adam. Really. Don’t feel bad.
Jenny, I—
Listen, we better get to work. Zia will have a fit if she sees we’re not practicing.
Before I can say anything else, Jenny begins transferring her files to Pioneer 2A. I stand there for a couple of seconds, feeling foolish and guilty. Then I face Pioneer 1A, my own evil twin, and force myself to make the leap to its circuits.
I feel even more uncomfortable now, and I suspect that Jenny isn’t happy either. As we transmit our data back and forth, our Pioneers gradually move apart, taking a few strides after every transfer. Within a few minutes I’ve moved both my robots to the other side of the gym. Now I’m near Pioneers 6 and 6A, DeShawn and his evil twin. This maneuver also maximizes my distance from Zia, who’s panning her camera across the gym, constantly checking on the rest of us.
DeShawn raises his arm when he sees me, and I hear a surprising noise come out of his speakers. It’s laughter. He’s only the second Pioneer to figure out how to do this. His laugh is deep and sonorous—very different from Marshall’s laugh, which is sharp and grating—and just the sound of it is enough to cheer me up. But I’m also jealous. I want to laugh too. I’m starting to wonder if it’ll ever come back to me.
“Yo, Adam, check it out.” DeShawn straightens his arms and bends his legs at the knee joints, putting Pioneer 6 in the exact same posture as 6A. The robots stand side by side like mirror images. “Like two peas in a pod, right? Which one’s the real me?”
“Oh boy, tough question. Maybe the one that’s talking? That’s just a wild guess, though.”
“How about now? Want to change your guess?”
My acoustic sensors detect something unusual. DeShawn’s synthesized words are coming from the speakers of Pioneer 6 and Pioneer 6A. “Whoa, what the—”
“That’s not all. Watch this.” As DeShawn’s voice booms in stereo, both of his robots extend their right arms. Moving in perfect synchrony, Pioneers 6 and 6A raise their steel hands to their turrets and snap off a salute. “Private DeShawn Johnson, reporting for duty, sir.” Then both robots step forward and simultaneously swing their arms. Pioneer 6 slaps his right hand against the left side of my torso, and Pioneer 6A slaps his left hand against my right side.
Unfortunately, the clanging gets Zia’s attention. “Hey!” she shouts from the other side of the gym. “What’s going on over there?”
DeShawn waves at her. He’s moving just Pioneer 6 now. “Sorry, Zia. We’re taking a break.”
“You’ve only been practicing for five minutes! Get back to work!”
“Okay, no problem!” DeShawn keeps waving till she turns her turret away from us. Then both his robots step closer to me and speak in unison again. “I hate that girl. She’s no fun at all.”
“How are you doing that?” I ask. “How can you control both of them at once?”
“I just figured it out this morning. It’s like a balancing act. Instead of transferring my data files, I copy them. Then I send the copies to the other robot.”
I glance at Pioneer 6, then at 6A. “Wait a second. All your files are in both robots?”
“Yeah. Crazy, huh?” Each robot wraps one of his arms around the other’s waist. “We’re brothers. Tight as can be.”
“But if you copied everything, wouldn’t you turn the other robot into a clone? Like an identical twin, but with all your memories? And wouldn’t it start thinking for itself?”
“Yeah, that would happen if you transferred the copies and did nothing else. But there’s a second step, the balancing. While I’m sending the data to the other robot I’m also coordinating their thoughts. The signals jump back and forth by radio, constantly moving between the two Pioneers. As long as they stay in radio contact, they can share the same mind.”
If I had a mouth, it would be gaping. This is incredible. “My God, DeShawn. You’re a genius! How did you figure it out?”
Pioneers 6 and 6A turn their turrets, first clockwise, then counter. “Nah, it was just trial and error. I tried different things until something interesting happened. If you want, I’ll transmit the instructions to you. Then you’ll see how simple it is.”
I’m dying to try it. “Can you send the instructions right now?”