Chapter Thirty: Revisions

Bob November visits Theresa in VR, where she shows him an archival reconstruction of pre-Jackpot Quin as a second-level VR environment for ex-Quinlans. However, Theresa reveals troubling news: several Quinlan replicants have voluntarily deleted themselves and their backups, a phenomenon that also appears to be occurring in ex-human space.

Bob November receives an invitation to visit Theresa in VR. He enters her Quinlan-form domain, where she inhabits an open-concept patio shelter overlooking what she reveals to be a reconstructed planetary surface of Quin before its civilization's collapse (the "Jackpot"). This archival footage has been extracted from Anec and repurposed as a second-level VR experience for ex-Quinlans who feel prepared for it. Bob and Theresa discuss the fluidity of human language and the adaptation of ex-humans and ex-Quinlans to virtual existence. Theresa then shifts to more serious matters: a concerning trend of Quinlan replicants voluntarily turning themselves off, deleting their backups, and leaving orders against restoration. Though only a few cases have appeared so far with no discernible pattern, Theresa is troubled and notes that Anec has been attempting to gather statistics from human arcologies, which have been reluctant to share data. Bob offers to help obtain information through his contacts, suggesting this phenomenon may be occurring in ex-human populations as well.