There he lay on a Hospital Gurney, Henry Johnson is 48 years old, and his liver is failing him. He is not qualified for a donor, and even if he was, he couldn’t afford the operation. He’s destitute and has no surviving family members except for a son who he’s never met.
The boy’s mother Alice stole off into the night with their baby during one of Henry’s drunken rampages. He doesn’t blame her, nor did he try to find her, or the boy. Now the boy, Aaron, is eight years old and will have never known his father or the reason behind why things played out the way they did.
Traipsing into the room was a man called Howard Lucas, he was twenty minutes late and hastily apologized for it. Three days ago Lucas had called Henry and insisted upon meeting him in person. Howard promised him 200 credits just to hear him out, and with that 200 Henry intended upon buying enough whiskey to finish the job.
Mr. Johnson, Howard remarked — how would you like to live forever?
You’ve got my attention, replied Henry.
Mr. Johnson. I’m here to offer you just that, immortality!
Henry sneers and said how about those 200 credits for starters?
Done, replied Mr. Lucas, Henry checked his account, and sure enough there it was.
So what’s all this about immortality, Henry replied.
Howard Lucas continued his spiel, the same one he gives to all of his clients. Mr. Johnson, I work with Evolved Corporation’s cybernetics division. We are here today to offer you an extraordinary gift! We at Evolved Corporation think that all human life is precious and unique. What we aim to do is capture as many lives as possible, storing them permanently. This way none of your experiences will go to waste, and your ancestors will have available to them a copy of your entire life, granted, your life will officially become the property of Evolved, yet, your family will have access to the unedited copy upon request via direct neural download.
Henry replies, and how exactly does that work, what could they do with this copy?
Mr. Johnson, because of the latest advances in neural networking, an algorithm of an individual’s entire lifespan, can easily be transmitted and stored into someone else’s brain, this is how you can achieve immortality. When someone downloads your life-signature, they essentially add all of your collective experiences to their own. Thereby, you will live on forever in the memory of your loved ones.
After some more convincing, Henry agreed to the procedure.
It was Saturday afternoon, and Henry was nervous. He knew that by agreeing to undergo this operation, he would die. He thought to himself. I’m going to die anyhow–I may as well go out with a bang.
The lab techs wired Henry’s head with 42 electrodes, each one, affixed to key areas of his freshly shaven head. The anesthesia worked very well and managed to dull the pain caused by the laser cutter. The only thing Henry did not count upon was the smell of the burning flesh caused by the laser as it began to slice through his brain tissue. He quickly started to panic, but then realized he couldn’t move. The immobility was caused by another drug that the people in the lab coats used to induce paralysis.
Henry blinked in abject horror, this was all too much, and he wanted to change his mind. Fuck, he wanted to spend those credits! Something strange has happened, everything is suddenly black for a moment, but now in-comes the memories. Loads and Loads of memories! Henry is confused, and so very, disoriented. Startled, he hears himself say aloud, Dad?
Evolved player: Download complete.
28-year-old Aaron is now overwhelmed with both emotion and understanding. What before seemed like a hole in his life, was no longer, as he is now both Aaron Colburn and his father Henry Johnson. He feels both exhausted and invigorated, but also very thirsty, and is craving whiskey of all things. Muscle memory kicks in, and Aaron is on the road headed to the nearest bar to order a whiskey sour.
Henry screams No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as loud as he can.
Oblivious to his father's presence and slightly annoyed, Aaron cranks up the volume on the radio.
Henry has no control. He’s now forced to watch Aaron’s life unfold minute by minute, and to stare at the back of his eyelids while Aaron sleeps. As time continues its never-ending march forward, things start to become more and more uncomfortably familiar to Henry. He watches as his boy follows in his path, a path the boy may never have traveled if only he had taken that last drink, and told Howard Lucas to go fuck himself.
