.7

"Material nature and the living entities should be understood to be beginningless. Their transformations and the modes of matter are products of material nature."
- B.G., 13.20


The days passed monotonously into weeks, and perhaps even longer. Isaac had lost all sense of time to know for certain.

But one day, everything changed. The extraction sessions, the mind-altering narcotics, and the spirit crushing interrogations all suddenly stopped, and Isaac was transferred from his containment cell in the hospital to an exclusive, high-security housing wing in the Government Sector. When he asked about what was going on, Dr. Werren dismissively informed him that their work was complete and he was scheduled to reside there until his appeal.

For Isaac, the improved living conditions were a most welcome surprise. He had his own private suite where he could live without being supervised through glass walls like a caged animal, and as with most privileged EarthGov establishments, they had spared no expense in the construction of it. Intended for the upper echelon of the Sprawl's administration staff, the suite was decadent and lined with luxurious, floor-to-ceiling walls of amber hued glass that boasted a majestic view of one of the station's vast cityscapes, cast against a backdrop of the stars and a distant Titan moon. He was also granted a token amount of permission to wander outside of his apartment any time he liked, provided he remained within the small, secured quadrant where it was located.

As comforting as these improvements were, it all naturally raised suspicion in Isaac's mind. This sort of charity was definitely out of character for the Council, and it made him think that perhaps he had been set up for some sort of trap or another bizarre experiment designed to test him psychologically. Still, it was impossible to resist taking some advantage of it; after suffering for so long at the hands of his captors, Isaac was desperate to experience something of a normal life again.

And so, time marched on.

Having been freed of all the drugs Isaac's lucidity returned over time, and along with it came a perpetual state of anxiety as he endlessly speculated over what had been done to him. He tried in vain to remain hopeful for the future, but just about everyone involved in his case had ceased communicating with him. Only Werren's assistants would routinely to check in on him, and no one had even bothered to tell him the date of his hearing. In the end, Isaac merely expected his luxurious accommodations to vanish and his impending appeal to be nothing more than a cruel joke that would end in a gang of white coats dragging him away.

Back to the Machine.

One morning Isaac was sitting on his bed, examining the questionable scar on his left arm when he suddenly felt a sharp, shooting pain in his right eye. He squeezed it shut and pressed his hand to it, taking a moment to draw a few deep breaths. Seeking a distraction from the pain, he glanced out the window of his apartment. With his left eye he saw the light of the sun scintillating off of the starport's landing dock, dappled by the silhouettes of countless aircraft gliding in and out like tiny, flying insects. One of them, a small, weather beaten repair ship, caught Isaac's attention as it lifted up off the dock and took to space. As it triggered a landslide of memories that converged upon him from out of nowhere, his eye widened.

Kellion. Red planet. Enormous ship. They're headed towards it. She's dead.

Finally, he heard a very familiar voice.

"How many times have you watched that thing? You must really miss her."

As he tried to recall who had once spoken those words to him, Isaac was interrupted by the buzzer of his apartment door. He immediately stood up, and pulling his hand away from his eye he gazed sadly at the drop of dark red blood that clung to the center of his palm. He wiped it off on his shirt, then turned his attention to the door as he heard the buzzer again. He approached and opened it to find Dr. Werren standing outside, with his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket and a serious expression crimped into his copper beard.

"They're ready for you."

Isaac glanced uneasily down both ends of the hallway, noting that the doctor was apparently alone.

"What? You mean, right now?"

Werren nodded.

"Let's not keep them waiting, Isaac."

Feeling unprepared Isaac's blood ran cold, but he reluctantly walked out the door and headed down the hallway at Werren's direction. Isaac kept a wary eye over his shoulder the entire way, wondering if anyone might come at him from behind to restrain him. But as far as he could see only Werren was present, who had very little to say.

When they approached the elevators, Werren used his security card to call for the Executive access car. They both stepped in when it arrived, the doors shut and the elevator began a slow ascent to the Executive Suites in the upper quadrant of the Government sector. They both remained silent, Werren either not inclined or authorized to speak, and Isaac simply too nervous to. Instead, he turned his attention to the rather impressive panoramic view of the Sprawl beyond the elevator windows, hoping it would all be over after this.

The elevator finally reached its destination, and without a word Werren led Isaac down a hallway to a floor of convention suites. They passed several doors, all of which seemed identical to one another, before Werren finally stopped in front of one of them. He activated the hololock with his identification card, and when the doors slid open he motioned Isaac into the room.

"In here."

Isaac walked first into a large convention hall, which though simplistic in architecture boasted intricately carved, wainscoted trim of glazed, deep red cherry wood. It was not at all like the dark, Marker-slathered Council chamber Isaac was used to seeing, and already he felt a weight lifted from his chest to know he would not have to face such distasteful iconography again. He looked around and right away saw the usual Council members sitting at a large table in the center of the room, and his first thought was that he had been expecting to see a bigger, much more intimidating audience. Even more surprising to him was that there was a new face present among them.

Adrian Mattock?

Isaac could only gape dumbly at whom he recognized to be his old superior and friend from years past. Mattock smiled warmly when he saw Isaac, and not quite sure how to respond Isaac tried to do the same but executed it with less confidence.

Seated in the center of them all was the old Counselor, giving her best impersonation of a glacier as she looked at Isaac through her gold trimmed glasses. Underneath her facade of calculating indifference, Isaac could sense there was tension as his eyes met hers. She seemed impatient, as if she were just as eager to be through with all of this as he was, and somehow this vision of her seemed to emphasize the unidentifiable familiarity he felt about her. As he tried to mentally unravel the mystery of this old woman, she suddenly raised her voice.

"Allright everyone, let's get started. I believe we've already called the roll and approved the minutes, so why don't we just get down to the agenda item - further discussion on the progress of subject #1544C/55613. We will also be addressing the matter of the petition for his release, filed by Director Mattock."

To officially acknowledge his presence she motioned toward the Director, who was sitting several chairs down the way. He just as officially returned her gesture, keeping his eyes on her as she turned to Isaac.

"Mr. Clarke, as you may already know, today we will be reviewing the final results of your progress, and based on this, determining what our next steps will be."

She paused to examine the papers in front of her. Isaac shot a nervous sideglance at Mattock, whose eyes he saw remained fixed on the Counselor with an expression of uneasiness on his face. The Counselor looked back up at Isaac.

"First, I hope you're enjoying the new accommodations. Has everything been to your satisfaction?"

Isaac slowly, hesitantly nodded, and the Counselor smiled.

"Good. You deserve it. You should be very proud of the work you have done for us, Mr. Clarke. The value of your contributions to our research shall prove to be immeasurable when the time is right, so it's the least we could do."

Again she paused, leaving an uncomfortable silence to fill the air. Her fellow Council members were tight lipped and added nothing to the meeting, as if they were all merely assembled just to listen to this old woman prattle on with hollow flattery. As he witnessed the proceedings unfold in this seemingly scripted manner, Isaac began to wonder if anyone but the Counselor had any real authority to do or say anything at all.

"I know there has been a great deal of concern over the effects your accident may have had upon you. But so far, you have proven to be quite a positive case - you have made a full recovery from not only your physical damage, but your psychological scarring as well. And, we're certain that any of the residual symptoms you still carry pose no threat to others, and are nothing to be concerned about. It seems we've gotten you back to normal again."

Isaac frowned a little.

"Normal. Is that what all of this progress has been about? Getting me back to whatever 'normal' is?"

The Counselor cocked a side grin at his patronizing tone.

"Well, I can tell you that we have learned a great deal about the Marker because of you. And because of that knowledge, we were in turn able to help you recover properly. All of this took a lot of work on both our parts. You're all the better for it. And so are we."

Again she grinned, and before Isaac could question her she changed topic.

"I would like to move on to the next item - Mattock's petition to have you released into his custody, with continuing supervision overseen by this Council. So at this point, I'd like to open the floor to the Director."

The Counselor then waved her hand pretentiously at Mattock, who sat forward in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Members of the Council, I am here today on behalf of Mr. Clarke to appeal the sentence that has been imposed upon him. What was necessary, what you claim had to be done, has been done. But now, the results speak for themselves - anyone can see that he's ready to resume a normal life. It isn't necessary to keep him any longer, to make him suffer any further injustice at the hands of this Council. The need for his talent is far greater in other places around here."

Listening to the gravity in Mattock's diction, some of the Council started to ask him questions.

"Well, Director. We don't disagree with the facts presented by the subject's latest analysis, but we still have no guarantee that his returning to population will be safe for him, or for others. There might still be a chance of another... episode."

Mattock glanced briefly at the Counselor, who appeared to be paying more attention to her paperwork than the concerns of the Council as the others continued to question him.

"What is your special need to have Isaac back in Mining Operations, Director? He hasn't been assigned to Titan Station for a number of years now, so surely there is no immediate position to fill. Why all this concern?"

Mattock chuckled.

"With all due respect, this is a matter of civil decency, not of filling a gap in my workforce."

"Understandable, but when a sense of civil decency towards one person overrides the safety and welfare of so many others, that is neither civil nor decent."

Upon this reply from one of the Council members, Mattock drew a sharp breath of frustration.

She hadn't said anything to him about having to jump through hoops for these people.

The Director leaned forward in his chair, wrapping his chin with one hand and tapping the stack of analysis reports next to him with the other.

"There is no threat. It's all right here in black and white. If Isaac was really so threatening, then none of you would be here right now."

No one in the Council had a rebuttal to this, and Mattock tipped a slight nod of reassurance at Isaac, who had been watching the debate with a grave look on concern.

"If he's going to be here anyway, imprisoned or not, then he's of much more use to me in Engineering than to you here. If you know anything about Isaac's track record, you're aware that he has contributed a great deal of his talent to the implementation of many of the systems aboard this station. Critical systems that run this place and keep everyone alive. When it comes to keeping this place together, Isaac will always have a purpose and a position here."

Another Council member - an EarthGov official Mattock knew had Unitologist ties - raised his voice.

"Director, you have publicly stated on record that you strongly oppose the USG Ishimura's final assignment, along with the Church's involvement in planetcracking in general. Can we have faith in that you're in fact here for the subject's sake, and not because of your anti-Unitologist views?"

Feeling a sense of abrasion, the Director's face drew taut.

"My views bear no relevance to this issue. Isaac is not a criminal. He's not insane, he doesn't deserve this. None of this is his fault. It's yours."

The Council member's face slackened when he heard Mattock's reply, appearing to be a little put off by his venomous comment. Incited by returning feelings of contempt for the exploitation of the USG Ishimura, Mattock pressed his fists to the table and rose to his feet.

"Isaac has suffered enough for the Church's damnable schemes. You've taken enough from him. Just let him live out the rest of his life with dignity, goddamnit."

Mattock had turned his heated glare directly upon the Counselor as he said this, whose own clandestine alignments with EarthGov, the Church of Unitology and the Marker Test Program he was well aware of. As he watched all of this unfold in front of him, a bead of nervous sweat slid down the side of Isaac's head; such a brazen attack on the Council while at the same time asking for their sanction seemed frighteningly counterproductive on Mattock's behalf. Unable to watch any longer his gaze fell to the floor, while Mattock continued on with a calmer voice.

"I take full responsibility of seeing to Isaac's care. I will ensure that he remains safe. That others remain safe. If anything happens, I bear the full reaction. I think I've earned the Council's trust after all these years."

The Director fell silent and slowly regained his seat, signaling the end of his speech. The Council members began to discuss amongst themselves all while Isaac looked on anxiously, feeling exposed before them like a mouse in an open, unprotected field.

"Director, a side bar, please."

The Counselor raised her eyebrow sharply at Director Mattock, who arose from his chair to approach her, and the two began a whispering discourse too quiet for Isaac to hear over the other idle chatter in the room. He could only watch in silence through dulled eyes as they continued their sidebar for several minutes, until Mattock finally returned to his seat with a somewhat less serious look on his face. A few moments later, the Counselor proceeded.

"So Mr. Clarke, I'd like to ask you - are you confident that you would perform in your duties without incident if released?"

Isaac tilted his head.

"Without incident?"

"We know you are often assigned to some of the most dangerous work. We wouldn't want you getting hurt. Are you up to it?"

Isaac eagerly nodded.

"Oh, yeah. Yes, of course."

The Counselor looked around the room, all the while highly aware of Dr. Werren, who was sitting with a tense posture and arms crossed. He had not said a word since the start of the hearing, and she could tell by the fuming look on his face that he had something exhortatory on the tip of his tongue. While she had no interest in allowing him to infect the others with his personal fears, she knew she had to give him the opportunity as she had promised him. Holding back a sigh, she reluctantly addressed him.

"Dr. Werren? Do you have anything to add here? Now would be the time."

The doctor's brows raised with a little surprise, and he unfolded his arms. He sat up in his chair and glanced around at the Council.

"... Well, I think everyone here knows exactly what I have to add. I still firmly stand on the grounds that we have simply not invested enough time into complete study of Isaac's condition. So maybe there are no more visible side effects... as if his average of 5 hours of sleep a week wasn't visible enough to open your eyes. But that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous in some other way we haven't seen. We still haven't even fully broken down all of the samples we've taken, who knows what they carry?"

The Counselor shook her head.

"We've gone through enough of them to get a clear picture. The pathogens are not an issue."

Werren blinked his eyes at the Counselor incredulously.

"Madam... that is not a acceptably scientific answer. In order to be sure, we have to go through all of the data. We have to see every detail."

The Counselor's beady, dark eyes glimmered angrily.

"Werren, you're over-thinking it."

She said nothing further, and feeling a little shocked Werren did not have a reply for her. His disappointingly realized that no matter what he said, even if he might have swayed the favor of any of the others, ultimately his words would fall upon deaf ears as the Council would more than likely side with the Counselor like the sheep they were. Biting his lip, he slowly backed down into his chair and glared down at the floor. Seeing there would be no further interference from Dr. Werren, the Counselor turned to Isaac again.

"Well, all good to consider, in any case. But Isaac, we should discuss what the terms would be, pending the Council votes in your favor."

She flipped over a few pages in front of her, and pressed her immaculately polished nail to the ink as she read it.

"It would be the equivalent of a secured probationary period. You will have restricted clearance to work in Mining Operations wherever the Director assigns you. You will also have a curfew that you must follow, and you must take residence in the domestic housing wing we assign you to, so that your presence can be accounted for at all times. Unfortunately, you won't be getting your flight privileges back at this time."

Isaac's face began to fall.

"What?"

Sensing his disappointment, the Counselor tried unfeelingly to reassure him.

"While the terms of your probation are rather light, you should understand that you're technically still going to be on lockdown - so we cannot allow you to leave the station. Any violation of these terms will result in the immediate reinstatement of your sentence. But rest assured that once we are satisfied with your behavior on the outside, your privileges will be restored to the fullest extent."

Isaac sighed with frustration. All he wanted was to go outside, even if just for a few moments, to feel the freedom of open space after so long in confinement - but the terms seemed like a method employed to prevent him from doing just that, despite the restricted 'freedom' they were offering. Still, he didn't want to complain his way back into their cruel hands.

"Well... allright, then."

The Counselor beamed a terse smile of satisfaction then turned to the others, deliberately overlooking Dr. Werren.

"Thank you. With that said, I think that concludes arguments from all sides. Director?"

She tossed a glance at Mattock, who shook his head, then turned back to everyone else.

"If there are no objections, let's open the roll and tabulate the vote on these items."

Isaac held his breath as the Council members silently input their votes through the consoles before them on the table. He had never felt the air drawn so completely from a room before, and after a silence that seemed to last an eternity the Counselor looked up from her console to make direct eye contact with him.

"All right Mr. Clarke, it's been decided. Your sentence is hereby deferred, and you will be released into the custody of Director Mattock. You will be transferred to Titan Station Mining Operations in order to carry out your probationary period, starting immediately."

Isaac's couldn't believe it. As elated as he was to hear this, it seemed so improbable that his appeal would have passed so easily despite what he felt was a seriously negative undertone filling the room, and underneath the joy he felt still lie the bitter fear that this was all some dream he would be forced to awaken from at any moment. But this dreaded moment of awakening never came, even as Mattock rose to his feet to approach and Dr. Werren begrudgingly started to remove the subject ID tags from Isaac's wrist.

"Isaac?"

Drawn back to outer awareness by the sound of the Counselor's voice, Isaac dazedly looked up at her.

"Huh?"

Observing his blank, distant expression, she looked at him oddly.

"I said, good luck to you."

Isaac continued to stare at her until she finally turned to her fellow peers and adjourned the meeting. Stunned by what had just happened, Isaac jumped when he suddenly felt Mattock's hand grip his with an excited, friendly handshake.

"Isaac... Isaac! My god, I can't believe it. It's been a dog's age!"

Isaac barely felt it as his friend hugged him around the shoulder, and he finally turned to Mattock with a small, distracted grin.

"... Yeah. Yeah, it's..."

Seeing that Isaac was overwhelmed, Mattock bent his eyebrows with a little concern but smiled.

"Don't worry. They won't be putting their hands on you anymore. I'll see to that."

Mattock looked him in the eye and nodded reassuringly.

"It really is good to see you. I just wish it were under better circumstances. C'mon. Let's get you the hell out of here."

Mattock led Isaac out of the room, and as they walked out Isaac turned back to look at the Counselor, hoping this would be the last time he would ever see this wretched old harridan. He saw she was already looking back at him with the same exact sentiment written upon her face, her warning as evident to him as if she had spoken the words directly.

Good luck, Isaac. You're going to need it.