Sims by F. Paul Wilson Page B

beliefs lean the opposite way, I have not been sufficiently persuaded to grant Beacon Ridge a declaratory judgment.”
    Patrick was reaching for his briefcase, preparing to gather up his papers and slink away when the key word sunk in.
    Not? Did Boughton say,
not
?
    He saw Maggie’s stunned expression, glanced over at the defense table and saw Hodges on his feet, protesting to the judge, and Abel Voss seated behind him, pale with shock.
    He did! Boughton denied the judgment!
    Fighting the urge to pump his fist in the air and cheer, Patrick focused on Boughton’s response to Hodges.
    â€œNo sense in getting your blood pressure up, Mr. Hodges,” Boughton was saying. “I sympathize with your position, and concur on many of your points, but I believe larger issues are at stake here. At the very heart of this matter lies the question of the legal status of sims. We accord animals certain rights in this society—protection against cruelty and neglect, for instance—and if sims were mere chimpanzees, they would be covered by those laws. But sims are something more than chimps; sims did not exist when the laws protectinganimals were framed; sims are not a product of normal evolution or natural selection. So how do we classify them?”
    â€œI believe the United States Congress directly addressed that when it passed legislation—”
    â€œI’m well aware of that legislation, Mr. Hodges. But I believe areas exist within current law that remain open to interpretation. And I believe there might even be questions as to whether congress overstepped its bounds when it passed that law. That sims are something more than animals is, I believe, beyond question; and yet because they are decidedly less than human, they cannot automatically be accorded those inalienable rights guaranteed by the Constitution. So where do they fit? What rights
do
they have?”
    â€œIf it please the court,” said Abel Voss, standing now. “Sims are a commercial product, owned by SimGen Corporation. They are private property, your honor.”
    â€œAs were slaves in the Old South,” Boughton said, gazing askance at Voss over the top of his reading gasses. “But that changed, didn’t it.”
    â€œSims are not human, your honor, so how can they form a union?”
    â€œIf you did your homework, Mr. Voss, you’d know that the NLRB statutes—written long before the first sim was created—refer to ‘persons.’ The word ‘human’ is never mentioned. Of course sims are not human, but does that automatically mean they are not persons? An interesting question, don’t you think? One that will have to be decided by the NLRB and, eventually I have no doubt, by the Supreme Court. Sit down, Mr. Voss.”
    Boughton looked at Hodges, then shifted his gaze to Patrick. He shook his head and smiled.
    â€œLook at those confounded expressions. What a shame. If you’d read my rulings a little more carefully, you’d have seen this coming. You will find I am nothing if not consistent.”
    He rapped his gavel and began reeling off a list of dates that Patrick couldn’t follow. Good thing Maggie was here. At the moment he was too stunned to hold a pen. He glanced over and saw Hodges and Voss with their heads together, undoubtedly planning an appeal.
    This was going to be a protracted fight, but amazingly he’d won the first round.
    Later, on the way out of the courthouse, Maggie said, “What are we going to do?”
    Good question. A defeat would have solved so many problems, and yet . . . he felt exhilarated, downright jubilant.
    â€œDo? As long as we’re still alive, we’re going to run with it, as hard and fast as we can.”
    â€œReally? But the partners—”
    â€œI’ll handle them.”
    He already had an angle worked out. He’d explain to Kraft that as much as he wanted out of the case, it would look bad for Pecht &