8. Bob – August 4, 2133

Bob signs up for cryonic preservation at CryoEterna, attends science fiction convention panels in Las Vegas, reunites with former employees to celebrate his software company's lucrative acquisition, and is struck by a car while crossing the street, apparently dying.

Bob visits CryoEterna's offices and enrolls in their head-cryopreservation program after being assured that future medical advances will enable his revival. He pays his deposit and signs the necessary paperwork. Newly wealthy from Terasoft's acquisition of his InterGator Software company, Bob attends The Vortex science fiction convention in Las Vegas as a VIP. He participates in two panels—"Exploring the Galaxy" featuring author Lawrence Vienn and "Designing a Von Neumann Probe" with Dr. Gerald Carlisle—and finds the discussions about self-replicating space probes and extraterrestrial life particularly engaging. He meets his three original employees and shareholders—Carl, Karen, and Alan—at a restaurant to celebrate their windfall. During lunch, Karen challenges his decision to undergo cryonic preservation, arguing he'll wake to a world where everyone he knows is dead. Bob defends his choice philosophically, citing his humanist beliefs. He calls his mother in Minnesota, exchanging their customary banter, and briefly talks with his sister Andrea. After a nap in his hotel suite, Bob heads back to the convention but is struck by a car while crossing the street near his hotel. As he loses consciousness, he hears medical personnel discussing codes and declarations of death.