You, Me, We Are All Mistakes

22. DELICIOUS AND SINISTER

CHAPTER 22
DELICIOUS AND SINISTER

The relief was so palpable in Nelson's bladder that for a few seconds he forgot his situation. He zipped and vacated another bleached white cubicle to rejoin Tina and their companion whom they now obliquely referred to as a Knowall.

Tina had meanwhile decided to double-down on her grilling.

"So Dex, you're saying the human race has jumped from Luddites to all-out nuclear warmongers."

"With a few steps in between, yes."

"Yet you are now calmly going to erase us. What makes you any different?"

"Let me explain. You will be erased, but not in the context you have obviously interpreted it. It is a rare decision indeed, and one that we have not taken lightly."

Nelson returned to the conversation.

"Well, you can stick your erasure..."

"It's not what you think, Nelson," interjected the Knowall. "By being erased, we're not exterminating you or undertaking anything detrimental to your health."

"Then what does it mean?" continued Tina.

"It's a self-protection mechanism for both of us. Say, for example, someone unearthed one of your hidden traits, and you'd really rather they hadn't..."

"Ah," cut in Nelson, "...like when a friend catches you top-shelfing at the newsagent magazine rack?"

A librarial silence descended, the Knowall and Tina turned in bewilderment.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," declared the Knowall finally, "but the parallels are comparable."

He scratched his white stubble again digging deep to his ebony skin, and then continued, "In summary, you'd rather their discovery was kept private given the effort you've expended crafting your image."

"Yes. That's right," reaffirmed Nelson.

"Well, we have a lot to protect here, and you know of our existence. We're inviting you in, but if you are to become part of it then we need to initiate a process that we term erasure."

"Become part of it!" rushed in Nelson. "Part of what? And why do you need us, and what do we have to say in this matter?"

The Knowall ignored the outburst, and the questions, and continued.

"If you... agree, we first need you to gently disappear from the surface without raising any vast amounts of suspicion. To be honest, it helps that neither of you were previously connected to the other. To erase you, it means we slowly and effectively remove you from the human race, and once we're comfortable it has been a success, your records will be... well, erased."

Two pairs of eyes widened in dismay.

"Okay I know it's a delicious and sinister expression, which is probably why we use it. It simply means that you will live here now – outside of humanity. And also, you can be of great use to us."

After a beat, Nelson was the next to challenge. "Tina has asked, and now I am asking again... why do you need us, and what do we have to say in this matter?"

"It's clear you each need to evaluate your own personal situations," beamed the Knowall. "We're not planning to incarcerate you or any similar dramatic action. We simply want to invest in your future and show how you can help us, and we can help you."