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agreed the mannequin. ‘Any Implant is bound to be. But remaining on Earth is a gamble too – especially in Temporary Suspension. Larry has a future Earth Society to face, while Dim Dever has a distant unexplored ecosystem. OLGA will use knowledge from other Implants to design yours. There is a very good chance you will succeed.’
    Ira grinned. ‘Mannequin, those are OLGA’s very words. You must be sharing again.’
    ‘Your servant,’ apologized the meck.
    Ira and the headless robot strolled to the windows overlooking the feed-lot playground. Dim was standing out among his trees patting a goat on the head. Ira looked up at the stars. There, near Orion’s familiar outline, was Procyon, equal to Betelgeuse in brightness. ‘It looks so close.’
    ‘Send us a message torpedo when you get there,’ said the mannequin, leaving the human with his thoughts.
    Morning found Larry standing in his mannequin with the crowd watching the shuttle lift off. He was well rested, but insecure about his future. He checked out of his quarters with the rest of the Procyon Implant Team. Ira and Jen had tried one last time to entice him along. He declined, more a reflex based on his previous decision than a new effort at thinking it out. After they departed he looked around at the sea of faces – strangers. He realized that he knew no one on the entire Earth.
    ‘It’s going to be lonely without the Dever Clan,’ he said.
    The ship disappeared into a cloud layer.
    ‘You still have me,’ said his mannequin carefully, ‘. . . and OLGA’s priority rating, credits for travel, education, good food. We can make lots of new friends.’
    Larry thought of this existence in a world where space travel was routine. He and Mannequin could learn many things. But education and travel seemed too much like spectating to Larry. He’d be observing, but not taking part. He would need a complete body in order to savour life to its fullest. He wanted to play an active role – complete with men his own age.
    ‘No. Sorry. But I can’t just take a guided tour through life. How old am I?’
    ‘Two hundred years on the calendar, but twenty on your RNA clock. You are a young adult.’
    ‘I feel like a young adult, and I’d like to get back into TS quickly and stop my metabolic clock until there is a new breakthrough. I want to feel this young when I receive my new toes and gonads. Then I can really enjoy life. Your offer of travel and education would sound attractive then.’
    Mannequin began to walk towards the suspension mausoleum. ‘Do you remember the warnings about the dangers of Suspension?’
    ‘Organic damage in Suspension and social evolution to adjust to. Yes. You have my informed consent,’ said Larry.
    Strangers checked him into the oxygen squeeze. Tubes and wires were attached to the arterio-venous graft and monitor electrodes under his left rib cartilages. Other tubes were hooked into the mannequin’s appropriate tanks and sockets.
    ‘As before,’ said the meck. ‘I’ll watch your ions while you sleep.’
    ‘Thanks. See you on a new tomorrow.’
    Starship Dever’s Ark locked on to Altair for its dive past the sun before swinging out in the direction of Procyon.
    Ira and Jen tucked Dim Dever into his Suspension chamber.
    ‘Want me to tuck you in?’ asked Jen.
    Ira shook his head and settled down in a large, soft chair. ‘Plenty of time until the jump. I think I’ll just sit here and chart the Gum Nebula with our shipbrain.’
    ‘Fine. I’ll be back after I’ve had a snack with the tecks.’
    He watched the screen print PUPPIS and VELA. The radio-brightness contours of GUM were painted in.
    ‘ Puppis , Ship’s stern; and Vela , Ship’s Sails,’ mused Ira, ‘very apropos for our 11.3-lightyear journey. Are you going to take good care of us?’
    Dever’s Ark was young. Its cyberpersonality remained somewhat bland. ‘Everything that can be done has been done.’
    ‘Good. And what can you tell me about our destination?