what?”
“Saving my frozen, and, I can assure you, quite grateful, ass.”
They both laughed. “And I do agree with you,” he continued, beginning to circle the unit. Even in his new world of technological wonders, it began to dawn on Justin that he might be looking at an invention unique in mankind’s history. “This thing is amazing. I just didn’t realize how amazing.”
“Yeah. You know the saying about sus units,” Omad said, grinning. “Better to be looking from the outside than in.”
“Couldn’t agree with that more,” Justin said, also grinning. “I wonder what this thing’s worth now?” he asked, almost as an afterthought.
“You mean,” answered Omad, “if it’s still yours, don’t you?”
“Well, why wouldn’t it be?”
“Justin, you’d be surprised what GCI can lay claim to given enough time and money.”
“No, actually. I wouldn’t,” he said, remembering his run-in with Hektor. He’d played the same game many times before. What you couldn’t steal outright you could attempt to steal by incessant litigation, with the hopes of eventual settlement. Best to check out Omad’s theory.
“Please connect me with Neela, sebastian.”
“Of course, Justin,” answered his avatar. “So you know, most people don’t use their DijAssist as a calling device. You may wish to have a handphone installed.”
“Thanks for the info. However, call now, marvels of the future later.” The connection was made instantly, and once more Neela’s attractive face filled his DijAssist’s screen. Justin made a mental note to ask sebastian to give himself a “face” as well. It was becoming a little disconcerting to converse so freely with a block of plastic… or whatever composite the DijAssist was made of.
“How can I help you, Justin?” Neela asked.
“Under the laws in operation here, do I own my suspension unit?”
“Well, provisionally, yes.”
“Provisionally?”
“You have to take effective control of the unit by securing a safe location you have claim to… a storage space will do. Also, you’ll have to pay any reasonable expenses incurred in the retrieval of your unit. But you have primary and binding legal claim to it. You can prove it is your unit?”
“You mean coming gift wrapped in it doesn’t count?” he asked.
“A man gets rescued in a boat at sea. Does that make him the boat’s rightful owner?” Neela shot back.
“I see your point. I believe I have sufficient documentation to substantiate my claim.”
“Good, you’ll need it. Is that all?”
“For now. Thanks.”
“Glad I could help. It’s good that you called me,” Neela said, and broke the connection. Justin felt his cheeks redden a bit.
The corners of Omad’s mouth tilted up. “You like her,” he said, grinning.
“Of course I like her. She’s nice, and she’s helping me.”
“Uh-huh. What a shame.”
Justin was thrown by the response but chose to ignore it.
“How’d you find me?” he asked, switching to a topic of more immediate interest.
“I’m a tunnel rat. Correction—I’m a great tunnel rat.”
“Which means?”
“I search mines for minerals that are difficult to manufacture. I specialized in finding the old ones and reassessing them based on modern extraction techniques. And that’s where I found you.”
“You said specialized, as in past tense?”
“Yup. Thanks to you I just made 51.3 percent. I had to cash in the ridiculously expensive lunar vacation they gave out to shut me up. But I’m now in control of my own destiny. I work or not as I wish, and I’m only sixty-nine years old.” Justin could feel Omad’s beaming pride.
“Why would they want to shut you up?”
“Guess they didn’t want word getting out about you and this,” he said, pointing to the suspension unit.
“What difference would it make?”
“Probably not too much. But a find like this…” He again pointed to Justin’s former crypt. “Worth thinking about how best to exploit it.
“Saving my frozen, and, I can assure you, quite grateful, ass.”
They both laughed. “And I do agree with you,” he continued, beginning to circle the unit. Even in his new world of technological wonders, it began to dawn on Justin that he might be looking at an invention unique in mankind’s history. “This thing is amazing. I just didn’t realize how amazing.”
“Yeah. You know the saying about sus units,” Omad said, grinning. “Better to be looking from the outside than in.”
“Couldn’t agree with that more,” Justin said, also grinning. “I wonder what this thing’s worth now?” he asked, almost as an afterthought.
“You mean,” answered Omad, “if it’s still yours, don’t you?”
“Well, why wouldn’t it be?”
“Justin, you’d be surprised what GCI can lay claim to given enough time and money.”
“No, actually. I wouldn’t,” he said, remembering his run-in with Hektor. He’d played the same game many times before. What you couldn’t steal outright you could attempt to steal by incessant litigation, with the hopes of eventual settlement. Best to check out Omad’s theory.
“Please connect me with Neela, sebastian.”
“Of course, Justin,” answered his avatar. “So you know, most people don’t use their DijAssist as a calling device. You may wish to have a handphone installed.”
“Thanks for the info. However, call now, marvels of the future later.” The connection was made instantly, and once more Neela’s attractive face filled his DijAssist’s screen. Justin made a mental note to ask sebastian to give himself a “face” as well. It was becoming a little disconcerting to converse so freely with a block of plastic… or whatever composite the DijAssist was made of.
“How can I help you, Justin?” Neela asked.
“Under the laws in operation here, do I own my suspension unit?”
“Well, provisionally, yes.”
“Provisionally?”
“You have to take effective control of the unit by securing a safe location you have claim to… a storage space will do. Also, you’ll have to pay any reasonable expenses incurred in the retrieval of your unit. But you have primary and binding legal claim to it. You can prove it is your unit?”
“You mean coming gift wrapped in it doesn’t count?” he asked.
“A man gets rescued in a boat at sea. Does that make him the boat’s rightful owner?” Neela shot back.
“I see your point. I believe I have sufficient documentation to substantiate my claim.”
“Good, you’ll need it. Is that all?”
“For now. Thanks.”
“Glad I could help. It’s good that you called me,” Neela said, and broke the connection. Justin felt his cheeks redden a bit.
The corners of Omad’s mouth tilted up. “You like her,” he said, grinning.
“Of course I like her. She’s nice, and she’s helping me.”
“Uh-huh. What a shame.”
Justin was thrown by the response but chose to ignore it.
“How’d you find me?” he asked, switching to a topic of more immediate interest.
“I’m a tunnel rat. Correction—I’m a great tunnel rat.”
“Which means?”
“I search mines for minerals that are difficult to manufacture. I specialized in finding the old ones and reassessing them based on modern extraction techniques. And that’s where I found you.”
“You said specialized, as in past tense?”
“Yup. Thanks to you I just made 51.3 percent. I had to cash in the ridiculously expensive lunar vacation they gave out to shut me up. But I’m now in control of my own destiny. I work or not as I wish, and I’m only sixty-nine years old.” Justin could feel Omad’s beaming pride.
“Why would they want to shut you up?”
“Guess they didn’t want word getting out about you and this,” he said, pointing to the suspension unit.
“What difference would it make?”
“Probably not too much. But a find like this…” He again pointed to Justin’s former crypt. “Worth thinking about how best to exploit it.
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