anyone high up on the food chain. This was unexpected, since the director wasn’t even on the food chain. He was top dog. Head honcho of Eternal Tranquility.
The dude probably even had windows . Not that there was much to see, given the environmental disasters of a century or so ago, but still. Windows . All she had were holopaintings. Good ones, though.
Taking a breath, she keyed in the appropriate codes and waited to be addressed by the next thing to God in her world.
“Good evening, Ms. TwoSeven.”
His voice was smooth, his appearance more like that of an avuncular academician, complete with the tweedy jacket and studded leather chair. The round tortoiseshell glasses, in an age of eye transplants, were a nice touch.
“First, let me say how pleased we are with your work as a facilitator. You are a credit to Eternal Tranquility, and I’m happy to be able to tell you there’s a bonus on the way to your account as a mark of our appreciation.”
Well, that was a nice surprise. Martine blinked, caught off-guard by the compliment and the money. She almost missed his next words.
“…coming in tonight. He’s a special case and we’d like you to handle his facilitation in the morning. All the arrangements have been made. Unfortunately, this is one of those patients who will require every ounce of your skills, Ms. TwoSeven. However, I’m confident you won’t let us down.” He glanced off camera as if checking on something. “The files will be attached to this message. Please contact my assistant if you have questions. Good night, Ms. TwoSeven.”
The screen went blank, and Martine felt her mind assume pretty much the same state. She’d gotten a bonus and a difficult case in one fell swoop.
Curious, she tapped the attachment and opened the single folder she’d been sent. One page was inside. The heading was in red.
“ Subject UAM. Please alert facilitator.”
She winced. UAM meant unable to accept mortality, and defined those poor folks who refused to admit they were at the end of their existence. They clung to life with tooth and nail, fighting the inevitable.
Martine disliked facilitating them. It was difficult to ease their concerns, sometimes painful for them both, and drained her resources, both physical and mental. Thus far she’d had several of them and eventually succeeded in helping them leave in peace.
She’d surrendered her own peace for several days afterward. And she really wasn’t looking forward to it again. Thankfully not a lot of them came to Eternal Tranquility, since the whole point of the place was to bid farewell to their lives. If people refused to accept the endgame, odds were pretty good they weren’t going to show up to be facilitated. Those who did had been sent there by their relatives or whoever had power of attorney over their estate. She was of two minds when it came to this issue.
Death was inevitable. But Eternal Tranquility offered the chance to deal with it in the most pleasant way possible under the circumstances. The operative word being offered . It was a choice. One a recalcitrant client refused to even consider, and that made creating a final illusion extremely challenging.
There was an image included on the data sheet—surprisingly, a holoshot. Something usually reserved for sports stars or other infamous celebrities. Martine opened it and got her first look at the man who would soon connect with her and surrender what was left of his life energies.
He didn’t look sick. He looked… savage .
Chapter Two
No click of high heels accompanied Martine’s steps as she walked to the facilitation station at 0930 as requested in her log.
She’d set her bedroom to deep-sleep mode last night, knowing her mind was troubled and she’d have difficulty getting the rest she needed. Fortunately the white noise—a softly flowing stream—and the minute adjustment in the O2 levels of her environment had worked wonders and she’d slept dreamlessly.
She wasn’t happy
The dude probably even had windows . Not that there was much to see, given the environmental disasters of a century or so ago, but still. Windows . All she had were holopaintings. Good ones, though.
Taking a breath, she keyed in the appropriate codes and waited to be addressed by the next thing to God in her world.
“Good evening, Ms. TwoSeven.”
His voice was smooth, his appearance more like that of an avuncular academician, complete with the tweedy jacket and studded leather chair. The round tortoiseshell glasses, in an age of eye transplants, were a nice touch.
“First, let me say how pleased we are with your work as a facilitator. You are a credit to Eternal Tranquility, and I’m happy to be able to tell you there’s a bonus on the way to your account as a mark of our appreciation.”
Well, that was a nice surprise. Martine blinked, caught off-guard by the compliment and the money. She almost missed his next words.
“…coming in tonight. He’s a special case and we’d like you to handle his facilitation in the morning. All the arrangements have been made. Unfortunately, this is one of those patients who will require every ounce of your skills, Ms. TwoSeven. However, I’m confident you won’t let us down.” He glanced off camera as if checking on something. “The files will be attached to this message. Please contact my assistant if you have questions. Good night, Ms. TwoSeven.”
The screen went blank, and Martine felt her mind assume pretty much the same state. She’d gotten a bonus and a difficult case in one fell swoop.
Curious, she tapped the attachment and opened the single folder she’d been sent. One page was inside. The heading was in red.
“ Subject UAM. Please alert facilitator.”
She winced. UAM meant unable to accept mortality, and defined those poor folks who refused to admit they were at the end of their existence. They clung to life with tooth and nail, fighting the inevitable.
Martine disliked facilitating them. It was difficult to ease their concerns, sometimes painful for them both, and drained her resources, both physical and mental. Thus far she’d had several of them and eventually succeeded in helping them leave in peace.
She’d surrendered her own peace for several days afterward. And she really wasn’t looking forward to it again. Thankfully not a lot of them came to Eternal Tranquility, since the whole point of the place was to bid farewell to their lives. If people refused to accept the endgame, odds were pretty good they weren’t going to show up to be facilitated. Those who did had been sent there by their relatives or whoever had power of attorney over their estate. She was of two minds when it came to this issue.
Death was inevitable. But Eternal Tranquility offered the chance to deal with it in the most pleasant way possible under the circumstances. The operative word being offered . It was a choice. One a recalcitrant client refused to even consider, and that made creating a final illusion extremely challenging.
There was an image included on the data sheet—surprisingly, a holoshot. Something usually reserved for sports stars or other infamous celebrities. Martine opened it and got her first look at the man who would soon connect with her and surrender what was left of his life energies.
He didn’t look sick. He looked… savage .
Chapter Two
No click of high heels accompanied Martine’s steps as she walked to the facilitation station at 0930 as requested in her log.
She’d set her bedroom to deep-sleep mode last night, knowing her mind was troubled and she’d have difficulty getting the rest she needed. Fortunately the white noise—a softly flowing stream—and the minute adjustment in the O2 levels of her environment had worked wonders and she’d slept dreamlessly.
She wasn’t happy
Similar Books
Killer Calories
G. A. McKevett
The Fifteenth Minute
Sarina Bowen
Character Driven
Derek Fisher, Gary Brozek
Monsoon
Di Morrissey
Time Patrol
Poul Anderson
Four Hard SWATs
Marteeka Karland
Love And The Real Boy - Coming About, Book 2
J.K. Hogan
Faerie Wars 01 - Faerie Wars
Herbie Brennan
Sweet Alibi
Adriane Leigh