The platinum golem blinked. "Go on."

"It's the world's oldest story. The same obsession drove the ruler of that ancient terracotta army you admire. You shared it with Yosil Maharal, differing only in details.

"You don't want to die, Vic Kaolin.

"You want to live forever."

From the laboratory-hospital in the bas.e.m.e.nt all the way to a rooftopsanctuary that no living outsider has seen in years, the mansion is a nested puzzle. If money and power could defend secrets against a modern nested puzzle. If money and power could defend secrets against a modern age, this is the place. age, this is the place.

My climb reaches a slate attic where I must angle a bit and changemy skin reflectance. Stopping by a dormer window, I peer in at rows of cooler units built for holding ditto blanks. Most now stand empty, their cooler units built for holding ditto blanks. Most now stand empty, their ready lights turned off. Only a dozen look active, with contents ready to ready lights turned off. Only a dozen look active, with contents ready to bake and release. bake and release.

Yup, I thought, turning to resume my climb. d.a.m.n that distraction,wasting time by staring at the maestra! I'm running late.

"Who does want to die?" asked the platinum copy of Aeneas Kaolin. "We all fight to live, at all costs."

"Not all costs."

"Okay. But what's your point? That I seal myself away as an organic hermit, interacting with the world by telepresence and ditto? Are you comparing a fastidious lifestyle -- which hurts no one -- to Yosil's willingness to sacrifice millions for some mystical transcendence?"

I shook my head. "No comparison. You're more pragmatic and subtle. Though your plans suffered recent setbacks, they aren't dashed. If your former allies proved erratic, you'll replace them with others, less brilliant but more easily controlled."

His expression was blank as a robot's. "Go on."

"Take that gray Albert who carried the bomb to Universal. He thought he was looking for hidden technologies. And there were! A whole series of breakthroughs from Project Zoroaster. First, golem-replenishment -- "

"Which had worrying side effects, so I held back from announcing it. There's nothing sinister. In fact -- "

"In fact, you use the process yourself."

"It's obvious? Well, maybe I'm just trying to get the most out of these expensive shiny dolls." ditKaolin chuckled dryly. "Aren't most rich hermits penny-pinchers?"

"You've been reboosting this one for weeks."

"It shows?" Kaolin feigned a vain look in a nearby mirror. "All right, my aim is to test test the process." He raised a jittering hand. "No doubt you've noticed the shaking." the process." He raised a jittering hand. "No doubt you've noticed the shaking."

What I noticed noticed -- with growing respect -- was his multilayered cover story. Peel one level back, and he slid easily to another. -- with growing respect -- was his multilayered cover story. Peel one level back, and he slid easily to another.

"And memory lapses?"

"Another unpleasant side effect you should watch for, Morris. Call it one last sacrifice for my customers."

"Admirable. And the explanation might stand, if replenishment were the only new technology. But there's dit-to-dit imprinting -- "

"You're the pioneer in that area, Albert."

"Am I? Your technicians hope to learn from my peculiar Standing Wave. But the machinery for high-fidelity transfer seems far advanced. Farshid Lum thinks we're entering an era when long-lived dittos will pa.s.s their memories on to fresh blanks without needing a rig, creating their own sense of personhood -- "

"And millions, maybe a majority, will resist that weird future!" ditKaolin shook his head sadly. "We'll see a return to the social upheavals a generation ago."

"No doubt. Then, to make things worse, there's remote dittoing. remote dittoing. Specialists like Gineen Wammaker see a golden chance to expand markets. Top experts in any field may dominate their professions worldwide, not just in the city where they live. Will that throw the rest of us on the purple wage?" Specialists like Gineen Wammaker see a golden chance to expand markets. Top experts in any field may dominate their professions worldwide, not just in the city where they live. Will that throw the rest of us on the purple wage?"

Clara sat on the edge of her chair, clearly wanting to poke holes in this argument, but she suppressed the impulse. Good girl. Good girl. ditKaolin raised his shoulders. ditKaolin raised his shoulders.

"All right, Morris. I admit it. I saw these trends, over a year ago, and didn't like where they're taking us. So I dragged my feet in bringing them to market."

"Frustrating the chief innovator -- "

" -- and thus maybe pushing toward mystical pursuits. Dammit. I should never have launched Project Zoroaster in the first place."

His sigh was so dolorous and reflective ... I hated to spoil such an artful pose.

"You express ambivalence, Vic Kaolin. Yet the R&D workers at Universal got every support, almost to the very moment the technologies were ready. It was only then that you pulled back. And, coincidentally, someone hired an unsuspecting Albert gray to investigate rumors of squelched -- "

"I see where you're taking this," he answered with a frown. "Beta and Wammaker and Irene all had reasons to want want the new techniques. So did Lum's Emanc.i.p.ation zealots. None of them had a motive to wreck the Research Division, any more than I did." the new techniques. So did Lum's Emanc.i.p.ation zealots. None of them had a motive to wreck the Research Division, any more than I did."

"Less reason than you, sir."

The frown deepened.

"You imply that I acted on my fears about the coming new age. That I arranged for the bombing as an act of conscience, conscience, to safeguard society from destabilizing and possibly immoral technologies?" ditKaolin paused, looking down. "Have you any idea how much I'd sacrifice? The friendships, wealth, position, and power?" to safeguard society from destabilizing and possibly immoral technologies?" ditKaolin paused, looking down. "Have you any idea how much I'd sacrifice? The friendships, wealth, position, and power?"

Clara nodded. "Yes. Though even your enemies would credit you with the valor of strong convictions ...

" ... if any of that were true."

Here comes the tricky part. A rat's nest of fibers entangles the roof, surrounding the reflective dome.

I must extend my claws, far longer than any natural beast, using them as stilts to step carefully over the detector filaments. My belly brushes them, gently as a local breeze.

The same breeze lofting Albert's kite, a gorgeous eye-lure, high above the meadow ...

Pay attention now! With my body arched high, the pixelated skin on my back can't pull off the invisibility trick. Not in all directions at once.

I'm running late. But hurry is out of the question. Mustn't overheat.

Pal couldn't do this. It's not a matter of brains (not many in this skull), or guts (Pal has more than anyone), or even soul. Patience Patience is what I bring from Albert. is what I bring from Albert.

Steady now ... then quickly, to the silvery dome!

Across a hilly field, Pal and realAlbert maneuvered their gold and red kite, playing the exquisite toy against rolling white clouds. A pretty distraction.

My real concern? The little spy-golem we sent climbing the mansion wall was late checking in! This could all turn into a big bluff.

"Why are there so few of you?" I asked our host. "There used to be dozens of these platinums running around. But now, UK employees see you mostly by telepresence, if at all. What happened to hands-on management?"

ditKaolin's tremor permeated to his voice, stammering angrily. "Enough! I've been forbearing with you t-two ... but this impudent g-grilling has gone too -- "

He sputtered to a halt as beams of light shot up from a nearby table. Rays swirled, resolving into the figure of an elegant gray-haired man in his hale seventies, wearing a loose white robe. The face, pinkish-brown, matched the platinum's, but details of crease and wattle were more finely etched. Perfectly imperfect, down to the pores.

"I owe you an apology, Major Gonzales and ditto Morris, for a.s.signing this golem as your host. It's old and so often replenished, the poor thing isn't thinking clearly."

The shiny ditto started to protest -- then shut its mouth and sagged. For all intents and purposes, it was no longer there.

"Of course I see where you're going with this line of questioning, ditective. You've shown that I did have a motive to sabotage UK -- my ethical and social concerns about new golemtechnology. Concerns borne out by recent events.

"Not that I'm admitting anything. But with a possible motive established, shareholders will act to safeguard their interests. My retirement won't be voluntary. You can see why I might have acted clandestinely -- "

"Setting up others to take the blame!" Clara accused.

"Again without confessing, tell me who was harmed. The arch criminal Beta? He's a figment in the mind of a sick young lady. As for that strange person, Queen Irene, it's too bad what happened to her. But she chose her own path. One with no exit."

Moving closer to the holo image, I wondered -- was it artificial? Among all the promises of the so-called Digital Age, one of the best-fulfilled was lifelike simulation in 3-D. High-level computers can fool you in a conversation, especially if a golem provides backup for the hard questions.

We had a plan to check on that.

I held up a finger, starting to enumerate. "First you devoted vast resources to Project Zoroaster, urging Yosil and his team forward. But when prototypes were built, you forbade ma.s.s production."

"I said, I changed my mind."

"After moving prototypes here, to your house! Then you tried to have the R&D Division destroyed -- "

"I never admitted -- "

" -- snaring Wammaker, Gadarene, and Lum, to scatter blame on both those who favor and oppose the new methods!"

Kaolin's expression was cold. "A clever plan. If it worked that way." "A clever plan. If it worked that way."

"And it almost did! But for the Maharals. They surprised you, Vic. When you tried pushing Yosil aside, he stole truckloads of equipment and vanished. That could only happen with Beta's help, so you set out to destroy your ally ... only to discover he was linked to Ritu, the a.s.sistant who knew your business inside out!

"The Maharals threw you into panic. You made hasty mistakes."

"Like underestimating you, Mr. Morris."

I waved that away. "Worse, events under Urraca Mesa drew unwelcome attention. The World Eye is alerted now. Your scientists are blabbing like songbirds. So there's no longer any hope of suppressing suppressing the new golemtechnologies. But you do have another option. Is it possible to the new golemtechnologies. But you do have another option. Is it possible to distract distract everybody, enough to still have your way?" everybody, enough to still have your way?"

"How would I manage that?"

"By provoking social war! Give Lum's emanc.i.p.ators enough new tricks to demand golem-citizenship. Help the maestra transmit 'hurt-me' succubus-ivories to every town. Neo-Luddites like Gadarene will denounce all this from pulpits, gaining scads of angry new followers. So long as they all keep their stories straight, everyone profits handsomely!"

"You make it sound so cynical."

"Hence the new role you've chosen!" Clara stood up. "Your days at the helm of Universal Kilns are over, but there's still time to affect style and spin. Cry out about p.o.r.nography and G.o.d and declining morals. Convince half the public that your aims were pure, and they'll protect you from the other half! Your new businesses will thrive, and n.o.body will remember all the toys you stashed away in your bas.e.m.e.nt."

The holo figure shook his head.

"I should never have replenished that green. But I was shorthanded and needed somebody to send over to Irene's." After a pause, Kaolin smiled. After a pause, Kaolin smiled. "This is all very clever. But it a.s.sumes I had a reason -- a goal -- worth so much effort, cost, and risk. Why cause turmoil, just to monopolize a few new wrinkles in golemtech?" "This is all very clever. But it a.s.sumes I had a reason -- a goal -- worth so much effort, cost, and risk. Why cause turmoil, just to monopolize a few new wrinkles in golemtech?"

His questioning smile seemed confident. Without proof, all I could do was bluff. Where was was our little spy-golem? our little spy-golem?

"You had plenty of reason," I said quite slowly. "Because those new wrinkles, put together just right, add up to a form of immortality. Something you want, Vic Kaolin. Because, in fact, you're actually -- "

That very moment, my implant lit up.

Finally!

Letters began resolving in the focal plane of my left eye, forming a message from the tiny ferret-ditto we had sent scaling the mansion walls. The information I needed to complete my sentence.

"Because, Vic Kaolin, you are actually -- "

-- NOT DEAD.

d.a.m.n. I owe Pal fifty.

Well, Gumby owes it, in a bet over whether the head of UK was still alive.

It seemed obvious! What other reason could Kaolin have for all the schemes, tricks, and betrayals? He had had to be dead! Everything pointed. The hermit thing. Only being seen in ditto or holo form. And those shiny platinums getting scarcer every year ... to be dead! Everything pointed. The hermit thing. Only being seen in ditto or holo form. And those shiny platinums getting scarcer every year ...

The memory problems made sense if his copies were stockpiled months or years ago. Each one must study briefings when it's thawed. Then each golem tries to last as long as possible to maintain the illusion. To keep away the coroner and probate. To prevent folks from crying "ghost!"

Why else would he pay a fortune to develop dit-replenishment and dit-to-dit, then keep them off the market? It all made sense.

Yet there he stands, inside the dome, glimpsed by the clever eye in my paw -- a gaunt figure with mottled-pale skin that meets every spectral test my clever implant can apply, wearing a white robe while facing a holo display that shows Clara and Gumby ... who look dumbfounded as I transmit the news.

NOT DEAD, my message reads inside their glowing implants.

From across the meadow float sounds of laughter, tinkling like bells, mocking how certain we were. Everyone but Pal, who made the bet, offering odds and saying -- "Naw. A trillionaire can afford to be more clever than just dead. There's got to be more to it than that."

"Because I'm actually not not dead?" dead?"

The holo image of Kaolin raised an eyebrow. "Did I hear you right "Did I hear you right, ditective? My motive in this grand scenario is that I'm still alive?" ditective? My motive in this grand scenario is that I'm still alive?"

Internally, I tried to gird myself. A bluff is a bluff, after all. You must carry it through.

"That's right, Vic Kaolin. Because ... because the dead-man scenario is too obvious! Someone would put it together and get a writ, demanding to see you in person."

"It's been tried."

"Yes, but people will persist, eventually finding cause to invade your privacy screen and demand proof of life." I shook my head. "No, the immortality we're talking about isn't yours. At least not now. Rather, it's -- "

I paused, buying a few seconds by coughing behind my fist. The man in the holo tilted his head, prompting me.

"Yes? It's -- "

"It's about business!" Clara blurted. "Because ... you're a businessman. And an avowed elitist. You've watched your fellow zillionaires, many in their waning years, grow desperate for more time. Why not provide it and make a buck? With renewal and dit-to-dit, your peers can release their dying organic bodies, then continue in a daisy chain of dittos!"

Clara grinned, barely able to contain herself. "But that's only part of the plan. It has do be done in secret because -- "

"Because the law says only organics are people!" I exclaimed. "To make it work, your customers have to become hermits, like you, allowing no one near enough to check flesh. And it could look awfully suspicious if more than a few turned recluse at the same time. That limits your market, except -- "