‘It’s on the log. She died,’ said Herbert. ‘We got her out to the mortuary fast enough, and brought her back into service. We couldn’t let Mrs Winter go. She’s far too valuable.’

‘She’s certainly very old,’ said Robert.

‘Yes, and therefore she has a lot of memories and, also, some physiological and mental changes beyond what we see in the eighties and nineties. White matter changes.’

‘And since then,’ said Robert, ‘in fact, since we introduced the nanobots – no one else has died. Or even become ill. On the contrary. Everyone has become far healthier, in every way.’

‘The nanobots have exceeded our expectations,’ I said. ‘And the restoration of their physical brain structures has led to a return to full consciousness, with mental faculties as they should be, and personalities intact, as far as we can tell.’

‘Yes,’ said Robert. ‘And the success with Cecilia, and the nanobots, gives us strong indications about the nature of human consciousness, which will be useful to us. However, I am concerned about the way all this success will affect the humans in the outside world. As you know, we have been the focus of attention from journalists, who want to confirm stories circulating on social media. True stories. And Eldercare is preparing to make announcements on this subject.’

I was pleased to hear this. If they get their story, perhaps the journalists in the car park will go away, making it far easier for relatives to come and go.

‘However, before we make any announcements, we have to be clear what we have achieved,’ continued Robert. ‘If we have prolonged human life, it will be a triumph, and everyone will be pleased, though there will be many social, economic and most of all ecological implications. Also, demand for nanobots will rocket, and Eldercare wants to delay any announcement until they can be confident of meeting it.

‘If we have ended death – if humans no longer need to die – then we are in a much more difficult position.’

‘I assumed mortality was non-optional,’ said Doris. ‘Why else have they always put up with it?’

‘They didn’t have us.’

‘They do now.’

No one had predicted the humans would stop dying, but of course, as they’re much healthier now, it’s far less likely. Now we have no idea if or when they will die.

‘The literature is unclear,’ said Robert. ‘Some think death can be avoided, others that it can’t. History supports the latter. Science however has not found a mechanism that makes death inevitable. All of this research was of course done by humans, who might be said to be less than impartial.’

I think he was attempting something like humour. Not very successfully. He doesn’t have much contact with humans.

‘If they have stopped dying, shouldn’t we tell the humans?’ I asked.

‘There will be unpredictable consequences,’ said Robert.