K-Pax (114 page)
ON
E
o
f
th
e
nurse
s
foun
d
hi
m
a
fe
w
hour
s
late
r
lyin
g
unconsciou
s
an
d
i
n
th
e
feta
l
positio
n
o
n
th
e
floor
o
f
Bess'
s
room
.
H
e
wa
s
littl
e
mor
e
tha
n
alive
.
Hi
s
eye
s
wer
e
barel
y
dilatable
,
hi
s
muscle
s
lik
e
stee
l
rods.
I
recognize
d
th
e
symptom
s
immediately-ther
e
wer
e
tw
o
tw
o
othe
r
patient
s
exactl
y
lik
e
hi
m
i
n
War
d
3B:
H
e
wa
s
i
n
a
dee
p
catatoni
c
state
.
pro
t
wa
s
gone
;
Rober
t
ha
d
staye
d
behind
.
I
ha
d
rathe
r
expected
somethin
g
lik
e
this
.
Wha
t
I
faile
d
t
o
foresee
,
however
,
wa
s
tha
t
late
r
th
e
sam
e
mornin
g
Bes
s
woul
d
also b
e
reporte
d
missing.
GISELL
E
ha
d
th
e
repor
t
translate
d
b
y
a
cryptographe
r
sh
e
knew
,
wh
o
use
d
a
s
a
basi
s
fo
r
thi
s
the
pax-
o
versio
n
o
f
Hamle
t
tha
t
pro
t
ha
d
don
e
fo
r
m
e
earlier
.
Title
d
"Preliminar
y
Observation
s
o
n
B-TIK
(R
X
4987165.233),
"
i
t
wa
s
primaril
y
a
detaile
d
natura
l
histor
y
o
f
th
e
Earth
,
especiall
y
o
f
th
e
recent
change
s
thereon
,
whic
h
h
e
attribute
d
t
o
man'
s
"cancerous
"
populatio
n
growth
,
hi
s
"mindless
"
consumption
o
f
it
s
natura
l
resources
,
an
d
hi
s
"catastrophic
"
elevatio
n
o
f
himsel
f
t
o
superiorit
y
ove
r
al
l
th
e
othe
r
species
wh
o
cohabi
t
ou
r
planet
.
Al
l
o
f
thi
s
i
s
consisten
t
wit
h
hi
s
us
e
o
f
capital
s
fo
r
th
e
Eart
h
an
d
othe
r
planets,
an
d
lowe
r
cas
e
fo
r
individua
l
beings.
Ther
e
wer
e
als
o
som
e
suggestion
s
a
s
t
o
ho
w
w
e
migh
t
"treat
"
ou
r
socia
l
"illnesses"
:
th
e
eliminatio
n
of
religion
,
capital
,
nationalism
,
th
e
famil
y
a
s
th
e
basi
c
socia
l
an
d
educationa
l
unit-al
l
th
e
thing
s
h
e
imagined
wer
e
fundamentall
y
wron
g
wit
h
u
s
and
,
paradoxically
,
th
e
thing
s
mos
t
o
f
u
s
hol
d
dear
.
Withou
t
these
"adjustments,
"
h
e
wrote
,
th
e
"prognosis
"
wa
s
no
t
good
.
Indeed
,
h
e
gav
e
u
s
onl
y
anothe
r
fe
w
decade
s
to
mak
e
th
e
"necessary
"
changes
.
Otherwise
,
h
e
concluded
,
"huma
n
lif
e
o
n
th
e
PLANE
T
EART
H
wil
l
not
surviv
e
anothe
r
century.
"
Hi
s
las
t
fou
r
word
s
wer
e
somewha
t
mor
e
encouraging
,
however
.
The
y
were:
Oh
o
minn
y
blu
p
kelsur-"The
y
ar
e
ye
t
children."
Epilogue
ROBERT'
S
mothe
r
arrive
d
wit
h
Gisell
e
th
e
da
y
afte
r
prot'
s
departur
e
an
d
staye
d
throug
h
the
weekend
,
bu
t
ther
e
wa
s
n
o
indicatio
n
whateve
r
o
f
cognizanc
e
o
n
Robert'
s
part
.
Sh
e
wa
s
a
lovely
woman
,
a
bi
t
confused
,
o
f
course
,
abou
t
wha
t
ha
d
happene
d
t
o
he
r
son-fro
m
th
e
beginnin
g
sh
e
ha
d
been
completel
y
unawar
e
o
f
prot'
s
existence-a
s
wa
s
everyon
e
else
.
I
tol
d
he
r
ther
e
wa
s
n
o
nee
d
fo
r
he
r
t
o
stay
longer
,
an
d
promise
d
t
o
le
t
he
r
kno
w
o
f
an
y
chang
e
i
n
hi
s
condition
.
I
droppe
d
he
r
a
t
Newar
k
Airport befor
e
headin
g
fo
r
th
e
Adirondack
s
wit
h
Chip
,
wh
o
tearfull
y
admitte
d
hi
s
cocain
e
proble
m
whe
n
I
confronte
d
hi
m
wit
h
it
,
t
o
joi
n
Kare
n
an
d
Bil
l
an
d
hi
s
wif
e
an
d
daughter.
