The Spartacus Syndrome (short story)

The Spartacus Syndrome was the seventeenth story in the Bernice Summerfield anthology A Life of Surprises. It was written by Jonathan Morris.

Summary
After doing some undercover work, Benny sneaks aboard a Finshargle ship to stop them from stealing the minds of everyone on a nearby planet. Benny learned that the Finshargles steal the minds of whole civilisations and put them on soc-reels to sell. She wasn't in time to prevent the theft, but she takes the soc-reel, and to save the planet's inhabitants she uploaded her own mind into all eight billion of them.

As a result, eight billion people wake up thinking they are Bernice Summerfield.

After Benny escapes to the planet, Wookle and Poon aboard the ship try to track her down. It's difficult because everyone on the planet reads as Bernice Summerfield. When their spaceship appears in the sky above the planet, everyone comes out to see. The Finshargles use a megaphone to demand that Benny show herself. However, everyone on the planet claims they are Benny.

The real Benny explains the situation. Then, with the help of several other Bennys, she takes over the Finshargle ship and plans to take them to the authorities. Before she does so, she takes the soc-reel that she stole and replaces everyone's original mind.

Characters

 * Bernice Summerfield
 * Irving Braxiatel
 * Commandant Wookle
 * Under-Commandant Poon
 * Dealer

Worldbuilding

 * Benny pretends to be Menlove Stokes when negotiating with the dealer.
 * Civilisations stolen by the Finshargles include the Denizens of Oop, the Apostles of Grarb, Gloster Pi, the Ancient Sea-Druids of Farxant, Wakafroon and the Bottle City of Kandor.

Continuity
to be added