Louie knew. That dog knew in a single instant that it wasn’t his master who had just walked through the garage door. The very first real test, and it had failed utterly.

Jeremiah said nothing. He was gripped by a sudden alarm. If that dog cost him this $10 million, he could kiss those expensive organic dog treats goodbye.

He turned to Brent with what he hoped was an expression of casual exasperation and tried to explain it away.

“I’m sure he was expecting Parker at the door,” he said. “That dog’s whole world revolves around Parker. He barely tolerates anyone else.”

Brent said nothing but offered a half grin, which Jeremiah took as a good sign. He turned back to the image with some relief.

The clone closed the door behind him, put his keys down on the counter and called to Louie without success. He then went to the refrigerator and took a bottle of water. Jeremiah noted that a different camera seemed to pick up his movements almost seamlessly as he walked through the house. There was never a time when he was out of view. Only the angles changed, blending together almost like a professionally edited film. He couldn’t understand how they did it. He watched from behind as the clone climbed the stairs and, when he reached the top, had a front view as the clone walked across the hallway into his bedroom.

“Is there someone operating these cameras?” he asked Brent.

“No, it’s all automatic—sensors pick up the clone’s movements and the next camera is cued from that. It’s pretty neat, huh? This is the first time I’ve seen it in action. It’s flawless.”

He was slightly shocked when he realized that he had a clear view as the clone took off his jacket and tie in the bedroom.

“How many cameras, exactly, are in my house?”

“A lot,” Brent told him. “We can see him anywhere in the house and all around the property. There’s even a camera in your car and, of course, there’s a whole separate system so we can watch him at ViMed.”

“And in the bedroom, I see.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. There’s a fail-safe installed so we won’t be able to see anything private. It will fade out if anything, you know, physical happens. And there are no cameras in the bathrooms.”

Jeremiah was glad to know they wouldn’t be watching the bedroom, but more because of what they wouldn’t see rather than anything else. What Brent didn’t know was that Jeremiah had insisted, right at the start of this whole thing, that the clone be prohibited somehow from any physical relations with Diana. Scott had assured him it was possible with a little tweaking of the clone’s physiology, and reinforced by suggestion during the initial Meld. Sexual desire for her had simply been wiped out of the thing. As for Diana, Jeremiah doubted it would even be an issue. Those cameras would never have the need to fade out.