Space Thinker D: Part 3:

Oh boy oh boy oh boy I get to go on a colony trip!

"Did you think about what sort of things to buy you might need to use down there?
Your assignment will be to help a group of Cor workers recover an artifact from a place that was called a "medical research hospital".  What sort of things do you think it would be a good idea to bring to mind them and get the job done?"

"Yes 32, I did. Well, if they're workers they probably have some repairmen, equipment users and diggers or hackers."

"That's the basics to consider on who will be involved. You forgot menders."
"Okay so probably a couple packs of stims and some antipains for the menders to give out, memory pack modules for the hackers to use with their diagnostic tools, and we'll need something to move around all of them in so we should rent some transports and H-tables to move equipment with? The diggers might need new drills or shovels."

"Very good. The camp already has H-tables and the company will be loaning us some transport so you don't have to worry about that."

"What about you? What do you think you'll need D?"

"We'll probably need commsets."

"...anything else?"

"33-a will probably want some sort of a present or she'll refuse to work with me."

"A word on that, I did train her myself, you shouldn't fear working with her. I know in the past you two didn't exactly... but try again this time, okay. I'll try to remind her that you aren't an animal again and see how far that goes."

I had a pained look on my face. Last time I worked with 33-a she talked like I wasn't there, insisted on how I was 'cute' and pulled on my cheeks, while I was doing an assignment. I sulked and she got angry then wouldn't talk much after that. 32 treats me like a human being.  33-a at least was better than 33-ab.  If it was 33-ab she'd probably make a hideous high pitched squee (maybe they gave her implanted sonic equipment? Perhaps it's a mind dril to melt my brain so I just obey more? It's scary) if she's happy. That's probably a bad thing too (hot cold hot cold). So do I work with a grumpy supervisor or an annoyingly happy one? Ugh.  I told her I didn't like the way she treated me and she got really cold again and pretended I wasn't there. Which is really annoying when you have to give reports to your manager. Junior managers, ugh... who needs them?  I know 33-a and ab are clones of 32 but maybe they were modified wrong? Could my manager 32 ever have been that bratty or obnoxious?  And why do they get so bent out of shape when an experiment talks back?

"32, what happened to 33-ab?"

"Would you prefer I used my 33-ab assistant instead of 32-a?"

"NO! I mean um, just wondering about her."

"Mood stability issues and impulse control. She was defective and starting to alternate between being very happy and very unhappy.  It was not... terribly productive. They sent her back for further modifications, I suppose.  Or maybe reprocessing."

"Will she be alright do you think?"

"I think so.  This isn't like the old days in the past when they used to do brain surgery to force people to be less trouble.  Plus the cloning process is a whole lot better than it was when the cors were rolling out their 1-10 and 20 series."

How old is 32 anyway? I can't ask her that. If she seems to know and remember things like that... I guess my eyes wandered a little too long. She's talking about before they had cloning.  Maybe her template got access to some history tapes? She had holostorage exercises at the academy or something else?

"I... can only answer what I am allowed to tell you. You know that. Now, come along. Let's buy those things as we had discussed and I will let you see your friend. He might know something that is to be of our use."