Existence Denied

CHAPTER 12

The following week felt like a nightmare. Twice Jared lost control and broke down sobbing, letting the fear take over. The first happened when he said his final goodbye to Lorraine. Finius' henchmen had to pry the pair apart, which resulted in an irate Lorraine breaking the nose of one man and the arm of another.

When Coyo confirmed the fiery redhead had taken the flight to her home country, Jared nearly cried again.

Several hours later, Lorraine called from her home in Ireland. He saw family surrounding her, and he begged them to care for his weeping wife before the call ended.

The second time he broke, the transition team had come to shave off his beloved dreads.

Afterward, a bald Jared sat in the luxurious room in the NP headquarters with only Coyo for company. He refused every request to speak with his mother, who threw a temper tantrum for not getting her way. Coyo did not leave his side. He talked to his son frequently about other matters, but the night before Jared waas to replace Sawyer, Coyo seemed eager to talk about the process.

"Boy, you'll learn a lot when you go in. You'll see how them aliens think of our world as a kind of dollhouse where everything has to be kept perfect. They'll talk to you because you, like them, see things as numbers. Perfection has to be calculated to a pinpoint."

"I wish I'd never gotten into mathematics."

Coyo placed his wrinkled hand over Jared's as he sat at the desk. Jared couldn't figure why they had such a fancy desk in the room. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't anything he had to do but wait to die.

"Boy, listen to me. You got to try as much as you can to hold on to yourself. When you're in, do me a favor. Don't stop thinking about your grandma's pie—how she baked them in a circular pie pan. Remember the diameter of those circular pans. And the pie. don't forget the pie because the taste of it..." He licked his lips. "The taste goes on forever and ever. Don't forget the pie."

Jared lifted a hand to smooth back his dreads before realizing they were gone. Gone like Lorraine, his home, and soon, his life. Coyo was in there, and he remained himself. I don't want to be a human computer. I want to live my life.

He lunged for his father as he burst into tears. Jared sank to his knees and cried, screamed, and wailed at his fate. The old man held his son, his gnarled hand rubbing the bald head in comfort. 

"Jared, you go in there, and you don't forget me, or Lorraine and the joy of the last five years." They never mentioned the baby. Neither knew if the room had listening devices. "Boy, don't forget the pie. The endless goodness of pie."

"I won't forget the pie."

****

The next day, Dr. Jacob Maxwell, the NP's head scientist, entered Jared's room, introducing himself. The middle-aged doctor, tall and thin with a shocking clump of white hair in the front, smiled at the listless man. Jared sat on the edge of the king-size bed, his hands in his lap, his eyes void of emotion.

"Jared, on behalf of the NP, we thank you for your dedication to your upcoming service," he said, a beaming smile on his face. "I'll be heading up your transformation."

Jared glanced up. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Frankenstein."

Coyo, sitting in a nearby chair, snickered.

"I'll need you to take off your shirt and shoes. The pants you're wearing are NP issued and highly recommended for the procedure." He motioned to the ladderback chair near the table. "Please sit here."

Jared removed his shirt, shoes and sat. Dr. Maxwell pulled out a tape measure and marker, drawing lines on the silent man's chest, wrist, and head. When he finished, he pressed the call button on the nightstand. Two men wheeled in a portable chair, and a woman carried a cup filled with a silver mixture. Dr. Maxwell did not introduce them but took the cup and paused before handed it to Jared.

"Before you drink, perhaps you'd like to say goodbye to your associate," advised the doctor. "The drink is a type of paralyzing formula as well as assistance to the next level of the transformation."

Coyo had come around the table as Jared stood. He grinned as tears formed in his eyes. "I lied, boy. Men hugging is manly."

Jared gave a choking laugh as his muscular arms embraced the old man. He put his lips to Coyo's ear and whispered. "I love you, Daddy. Thanks for everything."

Coyo's voice shook with emotion. "I love you too, son. Please boy, don't forget the pie and how it goes on forever and ever. You have to remember your grandma's pie and the shape of it, okay?"

"I won't forget." Jared let go of his father and took the cup. He kept his eyes on the older man as he drank. He sat in the portable chair and closed his eyes as a sense of peace flowed through his tired body. Before he slipped away, he whispered, "Pie."

After that, Jared knew no more.

Coyo walked with his son to the Life and Death room and saw his brother, Sawyer, for the first time in years. He saw the metal-like chest and wrist, its wires secured into the chair that connected him to the system. On the right side of his head, part of the skull was missing. A half-metal dome covered the opening. More wires connected the dome to the chair.

When it had been his turn, Coyo hadn't drunk the potion in his suite. He'd waited and watched, hoping for a chance to escape. The room was just as he remembered. Small and dark with one wall of glass for observation. It didn't seem fitting for the home of the glorious Life and Death bringer.

Coyo sighed. Sawyer had given his life for him. Only a shell of the man, a wizened statue, sat in the chair. He said a silent prayer as the science team disconnected Sawyer's wires from the connection chair, placed him on a gurney, and wheeled the dying man out of the room. The rest of the team moved Jared into the seat and draped him with protective cloths as a nurse rolled in a trolley with various tools and equipment.

Dr. Maxwell stepped forward, a small drill in his hand. He gazed at the eager faces of the team. "We'll start with the head, then the chest, and lastly, the wrists. We have two hours to get him into the system. All hail the new Life and Death bringer."

The rest of the crew repeated the Doctor's words. "All hail the new Life and Death bringer."

Dr. Maxwell switched on the drill and leaned toward an immobile Jared. The whirling sound filled the small space.

Coyo turned and stalked out of the room.