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The Real Me

Page

of 21

Write the Next Page (page 22)

I need some advice and it's not the sort of thing I can write to an agony aunt.

About a year ago I started building a matter duplicating machine. It could find the position and velocity of every atom in a human being to the limit imposed by Heisenberg's law. It then used this information to construct a copy, and it does it all in a fraction of a second and without harming the original in any way. 

You may be surprised that I was able to build such a complicated machine, but you wouldn't be if you knew how good I am with my hands.  The birdhouse I made is simply lovely  and I have all the latest tools from the Sears online catalogue from America.

I was a little nervous but I decided to test the machine by duplicating myself. The day before yesterday I walked into the chamber, it filled with smoke (damn those cheap Radio Shack transformers I had bought online, I thought for a moment) then there was a flash of light, and then 3 feet to my left was a man who looked exactly like me. It was at that instant that the full realization of the terrible thing I did hit me.

I yelled,  �This is monstrous, there can only be one of me.� My double yelled exactly the same thing.  

I thought he was trying to mock me, so I reached for my fathers�s old service Luger that I always carry with me inside a bag of apples (I wonder why people think I'm strange, but hey, I�m not going to get mugged) and pointed it at him. I noted with alarm that my double also had a gun and he was pointed it at me.  I shouted,  �You don't have the guts to pull the trigger, but I do.�

Again he mimicked my words and did so in perfect synchronization. This made me even more angry and I pulled the trigger.  He did too.  My gun went off but his gun jammed.

I buried him in my back yard.

Now that my anger has cooled and I can think more clearly I've had some pangs of conscious about killing a living creature, but that's not what really torments me. How do I know I'm not the copy? 

I feel exactly the same as before, but would a copy feel different? Actually there is a way to be certain, I have a video tape of the entire experiment.  My memory is that the copy first appeared 3 feet to my LEFT, if the tape shows the original walking into the chamber and the copy materializing 3 feet to his RIGHT, then I would know that I am the copy.

I'm afraid to look at the tape, but should I be? If I found out I was the copy what should I do? I suppose I should mourn the death of John Clark, but how can I, I'm not dead?   If I am the copy would that mean that I have no real past and my life is meaningless? Is it important, or should I just burn the tape and forget all about it?

Page 1

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Started by
Peter James
19/06/2007 18:19:00

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Summary of the story so far

Current page by
Peter James
19/06/2007 18:19:00

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Summary of The Real Me	Close
This story has been started by the best selling author Peter James


Why I wrote this page	Close
Hi this is just a quick word from me (Peter James, the original, or at least, one of his as mint duplicates...) to say I think the storylines and ideas you are all coming up with are quite fantastic! I'm looking forward to contributing something myself, soon, too! All very best and please keep it up! Peter