Nebula Awards Showcase 2016 by Mercedes Lackey

told him ten thousand times. This must be the Sloan !
    â€œIs it weapons again?” said the Beth. “You know how I feel about that.”
    â€œDamn it, why can’t you trust me for once?” said the Sloan. The sound of her voice surprised him, for it was low like the Beth’s, but of a different and pleasing timbre. “Why do you always get so goddamned dramatic?”
    â€œBecause you promised never again. You lied to me!”
    â€œThis is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You don’t understand.”
    â€œHow long? How long have you been working there?”
    The Sloan paused. “Four years.”
    â€œSince the day we moved here?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œIs that the real reason why you wanted to move here?”
    â€œNot the only one.”
    The Beth took a deep breath. “I’d like you to go.”
    â€œWait, can’t we—”
    â€œGet the fuck out!”
    The Sloan turned and left, and the Beth covered her eyes and wept.
    â€œExcellent!” said the Eye. “Superb!”
    Time and space shifted again, and the Meeker and the Eye were in a room filled with green-clothed humans. The Beth lay on a table, wailing, while the Sloan held her hand. In a spray of red fluid from her severely dilated lower orifice, a small creature popped out, still attached to the Beth by a fibrous chord. It wasn’t moving and had a faint blue sheen.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” the Beth screamed. “What’s happening? Please, why won’t someone speak to me? Is my baby all right?”
    â€œWonderful!” said the Eye. “Perfect!”
    Time and space shifted again. The Beth lay in bed, speaking to two half-sized humans. Yrma and Bella, the Meeker thought. They were more lovely than he’d imagined, their skin soft and vibrant, almost as dark as the Sloan’s. They’re getting ready for school, he thought. If they don’t hurry they’ll miss the bus!
    The Sloan came in and ushered the children out. “You have to tell them soon,” the Sloan said, after she closed the door. “I don’t like lying to them.”
    â€œWhy? You lie to them every day. They think you’re a programmer.”
    â€œThat’s not fair, Beth.”
    â€œIsn’t it? You get to have your secrets, and I get mine.”
    â€œAnd how do I keep it a secret when you’re dead? How do I tell them their mother, who presumes to love them, denied them a chance to say goodbye?”
    â€œI’ll tell them, when it’s time.”
    â€œAnd how will you know? Will the grim reaper knock three times?”
    â€œLet me deal with this my own way.”
    â€œDenial, that’s always been your way.”
    Again the Sloan left, and again the Beth wept.
    â€œYes, yes!” blurted the Eye. “I’m getting closer!
    The bedroom vanished, and the Meeker and the Eye stood inside a dim room. Humans sat before glowing screens, furiously punching at keys. A large metallic cylinder with a hollow center crowded half of the room. The Beth lay on a palette beside it, her eyes half-closed.
    The Sloan stood beside her.
    â€œAt last!” said the Eye. “I’ve reconstructed this moment from forty quadrillion Beths. Come, Meeker, let’s solve this mystery together!”
    The Beth looked much the same as he had known her. She lay still.
    â€œYou’re heavily sedated so you may not remember this,” the Sloan said. “But I hope you won’t think me a monster. I hope you’ll understand what I did was for you and the kids. It’s not weapons, Beth. I didn’t lie. I’ve been researching ways to store matter long-term. We can encode anything in a crystal. Every last subatomic particle and quantum state.
    â€œI spoke to Dr. Chatterjee yesterday. She said you had at most a month. The reaper knocked, but I guess you pretended not to hear.” The Sloan shook her head. “You get your wish, Beth. I