Solipsis: Escape from the Comatorium (41 page)

“
Thanks,”
Patrick says.

“
Look
out for her, okay?”

Both
Renees, in new identical animatrons stand in the elevator, taking
them down to the Comatorium. They walk to the pressurized door,
entering the Comatorium through a gust of Xenon-Oxygen. They quietly
walk, their metal feet clicking against the grates, through the maze
of vats, until they find the one belonging to their mother.

One
Renee crouches down, opening the rubber panel cover embedded in the
floor. She pulls out a plastic receptacle feeding into several tubes
that disappear into the base of the vat. She pulls three syringes
from a pouch on her hip. She takes a deep artificial breath. The
other Renee stares at the brain of their mother, floating in
cerebro-spinal fluid.

“
It's
ready...I won't do it if you tell me not to.”

“
Just
hold on a second.”

“
It
was her call.”

“
I
know.”

“
Put
yourself in her shoes. If you wanted to die, would you want someone
to take that right away from you?”

“
Do
no harm.”

“
It's
not that simple.”

“
It
is that simple,” she looks back into the purple-blue haze of
fluid. “Do no harm. We both took that oath.”

“
Her
continued existence is causing harm.”

“
She'll
get over it.”

“
She
doesn't want to get over it. But I won't do it, if you say no.”

Gwen floats in an infinite,
warm, golden, embracing bath of light. With her eyes closed, a smile
slowly creeps across her face. She's joined by a Renee on each side,
holding her close. Lost in a high of DMT and a lethal cocktail, her
avatar dissolves into the ether, her consciousness disappears. Tears
accumulate at the edges of her eyes, bulging in zero-gravity. A
droplet escapes, forming a perfect sphere and floating slowly away.

Thanks
to my teachers,

especially
Brian, Whitney, and Mitch.

Special
thanks to the four horsemen,

especially
Sam Harris for inspiring much of this work.

For
Hitch

www.JeffPollard.webs.com

www.amazon.com/author/JeffPollard