What day is it? A quick post from the ice cream shop in Bancroft (27,768 words)

I only have a little bit of time to grab this Bancroft wifi. So I'll post some key events to give you a sense of developments in the story.

First, here is a Security walking around "In Defense of Jorts: the jorts emporium":

The jorts were ill-matched with an old t-shirt of black, with a red lobster in the centre. The word “ascend” was lettered onto the lobster. The t-shirt, even more than the shitty expression on the clone’s face, confirmed a long-held suspicion that there was a little bit of Jordan Peterson genes mixed in with the DNA cocktail that created Security.

The Security was putting great effort into looking like a shopper, walking around and touching various sets of jorts, pretending to look for a pair that would fit him. If he didn’t have one of the most well-known faces in the city, perhaps it may have fooled the casual observer. Perhaps.

Gordon was no casual observer. As much as he wanted to run, he steeled himself to stay. He needed to distract Security for as long as possible to allow the others to escape. He hoped that the remaining resistance fighters who had not been in the meeting to get the instructions to retreat would have the good sense to take the opportunity he was about to give them.

“Pardon me, good sir,” Gordon remarked jovially. “I must compliment you on your jorts selection. Not only are you wearing a simply striking pair, but the selection you have in your basket are amongst our best.” Gordon pointed at the stack of stone-washed, paisley and Simpsons-imprinted items that filled Security’s shopping cart. “Can I show you to our fitting rooms?”

The clone looked at Gordon with cold eyes, utterly unmoved by Gordon’s insincere compliment about the items he held.

Oh dear, thought Gordon, I’ve given myself away. Not even the most enthusiastic of shopkeeps could find it in themselves to compliment jorts of any kind, far less the ones that Security had chosen. Too late he realized he had talked himself right into Security’s trap.

And then, some key background about the creation of the Security clones. Here they are talking about Jackie's role:

Rose was dumbfounded. “What do you mean, he created them? How did he create them?”

“I mean that when Jackie was living in the Underground, he was a Wall-

Tech clone scientist,” Corolla explained. “Not just any clone scientist, but the most important of the clone scientists. He perfected the technology that has allowed the Undergrounders to pass on their consciousness to new clone bodies when their old ones die. And he discovered the process by which the consciousness of multiple clone bodies can be shared in many living bodies all at the same time. He used that knowledge to create an almost invincible clone security force that can share their thoughts without speaking, that has the greatest strength and endurance that can be carried in a human body.”

“That’s horrible,” exclaimed Rose. “How can you trust someone so evil to be part of your resistance movement?”

Corolla shook her head. “Jackie has paid for his sins many times over. When he realized what he had done, the power that he had given to Wall-Tech, he was horrified. He tried to sabotage the cloning software by introducing a bug that would destroy the mind connections. But he outed himself with an impulsive tweet as opposed to Wall-Tech’s puppet, Mayor Ford, before he could insert the malware. He was imprisoned for a long time. Since they didn’t know what he was really up to, they eventually let him go but banished him from the Underground. He took up a life as a barkeep and joined the resistance, always looking for an opportunity to finish what he started.”

“You said that he knows Security’s greatest weakness. What is it?” asked Rose.

“Jackie had seen all the Terminator movies (even the forgettable third and fourth ones) and he knew that he needed a failsafe to keep the clones from taking over and destroying humankind. So, he used the genes of the stupidest pseudo-intellectual that he could access, Jordan Peterson. For those Underground, Jordan Peterson is revered as the greatest truth teller and defender of the little guy that Western society has ever known (while actually supporting enormous disparities in wealth in power). Jackie’s choice for Security’s intellect did not raise any suspicions. But it does mean that Security’s greatest weakness is Jordan Peterson’s mind – his arrogant racism and misogyny embedded in Security’s brain is the secret to destroying them all.”

Rose sat back with wonder at the brilliance of it. Yes, with Jordan Peterson’s brain, Security would be no match for a fierce band of anti-racists feminists.