We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

[Incoming SCUT Communication from Alpha Centauri]

“Cool!” I put down the file I’d been working on. “Calvin or Goku?”

[Bart]

I raised an eyebrow at Guppy. And got exactly the same reaction as always.

I sighed and grabbed the connection. “Bill here.”

“Hey, Bill, this is Bart. I’m from Calvin’s first cohort. Wow, this is really—”

I popped into Bart’s VR. It was a little rude, doing that without an invitation, but I always got a kick out of the surprised look on my face.

I liked Bart’s VR right away. He’d set up a rustic log cabin, with a cast iron wood-burning stove, a fireplace, heavy hand-made furniture, and lots of rugs and blankets. It reminded me of a place my father used to take us for vacations when I was a child.

Bart was sitting in the big old rocking chair in which dad used to spend most of his time relaxing. He had the look. I mentally added another notch to my SCUT cabinet.