The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect (18 page)
Caroline stopped typing and looked at the line. She hit the backspace key four times and continued:
| Why did you reduce them to static copies? |
| There was no reason to tie up resources supporting them and the faint possibility, if one of them were to discover technology, that they might pose a threat. |
Caroline wanted to throw up.
| Where did you get the dog that infected me with rabies? |
| I have a static copy of the Earth at the time of the Change. I located the dog there and created an active copy of it for your exhibition. |
| I thought you just simulated them. |
| Using the static copy is less work. I only use simulations when there are no suitable originals, or when a human form is involved, since it is unethical to keep multiple active copies of people. |
| But it's open season on animals. |
| Some people are bothered, but my actions are consistent with the general pre-Change attitude of humans toward animals. |
| Were any of the alien life forms intelligent? |
| Four hundred and twenty-nine worlds had structures complex enough to be in danger of learning to use technology. |