On a quiet Missouri morning in the peaceful town of Dominville an old man sleeps in a 20'x20' room. He has not awoken in 3 days and many do not believe he ever will. He succumbed to a sudden stroke caused by his onset of liver failure in the past couple months. However before he took deathly ill, he informed the staff of the Kingdom's Dominion Assisted Living Care Center that he would be receiving visitors from a company called Sigmund Corp. in a few days. The year is 2060.
They were familiar with the company, but none had ever come to their small facility who could afford such an expensive procedure. Also, this was not a procedure that ethics could accurately determine the moral implications and therefore was looked at with suspicion and a sacrilegious mindset by most in the town. However, aside from all this, the facility knew that if this was the sleeping man's last wish, then they had no place to interfere.
On the sidewalk leading to the facility two people in lab coats were talking as they walked into the building.
"Haven't seen you in a while Ria. Where have you been?"
"Just took a break, Mark. Needed to get away. All the negativity Sigmund Corp. has been getting these days really started to get to me." Replied Ria
"Really? Come on, Ria! You've been doing this for years. How is it just now getting to you?" Mark said somewhat in disbelief.
"I just had a few really bad cases that got national news. Hear about that guy who wanted to kill the president? I was on that case."
Mark raised his eyebrows in mild shock, "Oooh. Alright, I understand then. Yeah the press had a field day with that one."
"You have no idea." Ria replied pondering
They continued walking to the door. Once they arrived, Mark opened the door for Ria and asked, "So what brought you back?"
"What else? It's the best damn job I can find. Also, I love to travel, so getting to visit all the different patients in different states is really exciting to me. That, and honestly, I missed it."
"Yeah, once you find a good one, it kinda makes the whole job worth it. Anyway, so know anything about this case?" Mark said getting down to business.
Ria grabbed her clipboard from her purse and glanced at it, "Only what is on the briefing, which is surprisingly not much. Doesn't even list any family."
"Probably just a rich guy who wants to relive his younger days again. That's typically what happens when they don't have any info."
"Eh, not always." Ria cautioned. "Jason was telling me that he just he had a guy not too long ago that had no family or friends yet apparently the facility itself paid for his wish. He told them his story and they were so moved that they agreed to pay."
"Dang, that actually makes me pretty happy. Good to know there is still some good in the world and not just all the rich pricks get their last wish granted." Mark said optimistically.
"You're right, anyway. Looks like we are almost to the counter."
The two of them walked through the large hallway and made it to the reception area where a nice looking mid-twenties receptionist sat awaiting them.
"Hello!" Mark called grabbing the attention of the clerk, "We are here to see Mr. Ernest Caloman. We are the Sigmund Corp. employees."
"Ah, yes. We've been expecting you. Do you have all of your equipment?" replied the receptionist
"Yes we do." Mark replied showing his rather bulky briefcase at his side.
"Great, right this way." She said getting up and leading them down another 2 hallways to the room where the old man slept, unmoving
"Good morning Mr. Caloman. How are we doing today?" asked the receptionist
Mr. Caloman laid with his eyes closed and his hands at his side. There was a large plastic tube coming from his throat forcing him to keep breathing. Tubes pumping fluids into his arms and chest were abundant and his chest moved with a slight up and down motion.
"I take it he is in a coma?" Mark asked cautiously.
The receptionist replied, "He has been like this since 2 days ago. It's really a shame. He talked when he first arrived, even walked around and was pretty healthy. But after a few weeks his liver began to fail, then his kidneys, then just last week something took a turn for the worse and he's been unresponsive ever since. I'm not sure if he will recover. It's a good thing you guys arrived when you did. He may not have much longer."
"Ah, I see. Well we will do everything we can to make him happy." Mark said putting the briefcase on the ground and beginning to take all the machines and wires out.
"So…" began the receptionist after a brief pause, "If you don't mind, what exactly do you guys do?"
Ria chimed in to speak since Mark was busy setting up, "We grant people's last wishes."
"Yeah, I get that. But how exactly? Like, what does that thing do?" she asked pointing at what Mark was working on.
"That, "began Ria, "Is a memory downloader and editor. What it does is it finds the active memories the subject is focusing on most during their dying days and then allows us download those memories into an editing space. We then enter those memories through these helmets.
Mark had just place two futuristic looking helmets with screens on them on the ground and began connecting wires to the helmets.
"So, we wear these helmets and then Mark has one more that goes on Mr. Caloman's head. We then administer an anesthetic to put the patient into a vulnerable dream state. Then when the machine starts up it connects to any active memories and projects them onto the screen in front of our eyes putting us essentially in the memory."
The receptionist still had a suspicious look and replied, "Ok, so how does that help grant his wish?"
"Well, when we enter the memories we then begin to search for an object in their memory that is linked to another important memory. Then, once we find it, we call them mementos, we scan the object with our ACEs. Then when we touch the memento, the next memory is found and generated and we begin the process all over again.
"Wow, technology sure is something these days." Said the receptionist.
"That it is." Replied Ria. "Anyway, onto business. Since you are the one who showed us to the room I take it there is no family?"
"None. Honestly it's kinda sad. He was just dropped off 3 months ago with a check for his first and last month here and we have been receiving payments ever since. No one has come to see him at all."
"No one?" Inquired Ria in disbelief. "Then how did he pay for this?"
"No idea, he just came down last week with a letter saying you would be here sometime today. Honestly it's kinda spooky how he fell ill right before you all get here."
"That is very bizarre. Well, maybe we will find out in his memories." Said Ria hopefully. She then started helping Mark connect wires.
The receptionist was almost out the door when she stopped and reluctantly asked one more question.
"Is it… is it true that you guys do euthanasia?" she asked cautiously.
Ria, having suffered many different versions of this conversation before, replied with experienced calmness, "Yes, if it is conclusively and decisively the wish of the subject. Yes we will perform euthanasia."
"Ahh, I see…. Did, Mr. Caloman sign up for one?" asked the receptionist even more cautiously.
"Yes, yes he did."
"I see… So this really is the last time I will see him?" The receptionist asked with a hint of sadness.
"Unless you believe in an afterlife." Ria calmly replied
"Not exactly." The receptionist chuckled
"Then yes, this will be the last time."
"Oh… ok…" the receptionist looked sad. "I guess if that's what he wants. But I just feel weird having a corporation get paid for it. It feels like a weird type of mercenary."
"I will say this. We do not allow euthanasia if there is any protest from the family. It has to be a unanimous decision by everyone. Honestly, that is the policy we have the most trouble with. Many times the patient will say they want a euthanasia but the family refuses when we get there and we are required to respect the wishes of the family."
"Hmm, I guess that should make me feel better. Eh." The receptionist said as she gave a small shrug then left the room.
Ria watched her go down the hall and turn the corner. She then looked back into the room where Mark was finishing hooking up wires to a large computer set on a portable desk.
Ria looked down at Mark's progress and said, "You know, Jason would have had this done 5 minutes ago."
"That may be correct." Mark replied, "But Jason never double checks the remote memory links so every now and then an operator will be in the program and unable to shift to the next memory. You have any idea how annoying that is? I'll take my time and do it right."
"Whatever. We almost ready to go?" Ria inquired impatiently.
"Yep, got everything hooked up. Just waiting on the test pings…" There was a ding on the computer monitor, "Now. Looks like we are ready."
"Good, alright. So you read over the briefing on the patient?"
Mark reached into his now nearly empty computer briefcase and pulled out a clipboard with papers on it, "Yep. Not much to read is there? You notice anything?"
"Not a thing." Ria replied, "It almost felt as if they knew nothing about this guy and he just randomly called. I even tried asking if they know where he is from and apparently he wouldn't say, all he knows is he wants to see the sea."
"Man, what a trip. I'm really kinda curious to see why?"
"Me too, then again, I always am."
There was a brief silence before Mark spoke up, "Well, no time like the present. You ready Ria?"
"As ready as ever. Lets go." She said picking up the helmet and placing it on her head.
The two of them both put the helmets hooked up to the computer on top of their heads and sat down on the nearby couch. When the helmet was activated small probes came out of the helmets and imbedded themselves just under the skin where an electronic signal sensor can pick up the electric signals from the brain. The two then almost immediately went into a trance-like state and plopped their heads back on the couch while their minds were taken to the depths of a dying man's memories.