The Afterlife Machine

"Whoa. Where am I? How did I get here?"

"You're at the Yenabgon City police station." 

"Police station? Why am I at a police station? I did nothing wrong."

"I know this must all seem confusing to you, Jason. It's normal to feel disoriented and confused at a time like this. Try taking slow, deep breaths." 

"Okay."  

"Is it helping?"

"I think it is."

"Good."  

"Jason. My name is Detective Brian McLeod, and this is my partner Saul Nicholson. We just have a few questions for you."

"Questions about what? I didn't do anything. Whatever the crime is, detectives, I didn't do it."

"Don't worry. We don't suspect you of anything. We just think that you might have some information that can help us."

"Okay." 

"What is the last thing you remember before finding yourself here?"

"I was in my kitchen, grabbing some paper towels. I had a girl over. We each had a glass of iced tea, but she spilled hers. Thankfully, it was set on my glass side table. Nothing got stained, so paper towels were all I needed. I grabbed a small handful and scrunched it up in my hand. And then, like that, I was here with you guys."

"Tell us about this girl you had over. What was her name? How did you know her? Why was she over there?"

"Saul. Give the kid some time to answer before you bombard him."

"Alright. Jason—tell us about this girl you had over." 

"It was a girl from work. Her name was Lorelei Thatcher."

"Where do you work?" 

"We're both sales reps at Weston Pharmaceuticals."

"Did you work together often?"

"Our routes took us to separate hospitals and doctor's offices, but we both started at the same time and became fast friends during training. We maintained that friendship by having lunch once or twice a week." 

"So you got to know her very well."

"I would say so. She spoke a lot about her personal life. I was surprised at some of the things she told me."

"Like what? 

"A lot of what she said was said in confidence. I don't know if I should mention—"

"Everything you tell us will remain confidential, Jason. You don't have to worry about anything you say getting back to Lorelei." 

"Okay. I'm just confused. What does my relationship with Lorelei have to do with any crime?"

"Just bear with us." 

"Alright. Whatever you say. Well, she had a great relationship with her grandmother. Lorelei visited with her often. She was depressed for a month or so when she passed. She had aspirations to be a singer. I never heard her sing, but I am sure that she was great. Oh, what else. She likes dogs a lot, but her boyfriend never let her get one—"

"Tell us more about the boyfriend. What do you know about him?"

"Lorelei didn't like talking about him, but he seemed like a dick. As I mentioned before, he wouldn't let her get a dog. But it was more than that. He was always calling her. Often, during our lunches, he would call. If she didn't answer the first time, the phone would just keep buzzing and buzzing until she finally answered. She would always walk outside to talk to him, but by the stressed expression on her face, I could tell they were not pleasant calls. Then there was that one time her car battery went out. She was so worried. She kept saying: 'Trevor's going to be so mad at me.' I mean, it wasn't her fault. Why would anyone be mad at her? Only a dick—that's who. In fact, it was because of him that Lorelei was at my home in the first place." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"They had a huge fight. I never learned what it was about, but her boyfriend, Trevor, apparently said some terrible things to her. As I mentioned, her grandmother had long since passed away, and her sister was out of town at the time, so she only had me to go to. She texted and asked if she could come over. Heh, heh… How's a man to say no?" 

"Heh, heh… Indeed. Tell me—did anything happen between you and Lorelei?"

"I admit that I tried to make a move on her. I tried to put my arm around her, but she flinched. That's what caused her to spill the tea. She was nice about it, though. She said that she wanted to work things out with Trevor." 

"Were you upset?"

"I mean, I was disappointed. Who wouldn't be? But I wasn't going to take it out on her or anything. If anything, it was bad timing on my part. So, to clear the air a little, I went to get some paper towels to clean up the mess."

"And then you were here."

"And then I was here."

"Jason. I want you to do a simple exercise for me." 

"Okay. What is it?" 

"I need you to think about the period in which you walked from the living room to the kitchen for paper towels. But instead of telling us what you saw, I want you to concentrate on the other sensations, like what you felt or heard. I know it sounds strange, but I need you to do this for us?"

"Sure. Let me think a little." 

"Take your time." 

"As I walked into my kitchen, I remember feeling a chill breeze from the window. I had left it open. It gets a little warm in my house. Then I remember hearing the rustle of leaves outside. Then the ringing of metal as I pulled the paper towels from their holder."

"Anything else?" 

"No. I don't think so." 

"Alright. We got everything we needed from this guy. Nicholas—unplug him." 

"Unplug? What do you—"

"You didn't have to do that, Saul." 

"You care too much about these apparitions, Brian." 

"It just seems cruel, cutting him off like that. He was already confused as hell."  

"No. What's cruel is the fact we have to do this in the first place. We already know what happened. The physical evidence is overwhelming. What's the point of going through this whole rigmarole?" 

"It's for our protection, really."

"That's what they tell us." 

"I'm serious. Remember what happened to Russel last week?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. It’s bullshit that the perp was able to get off. The evidence was overwhelming.”

"Yeah, but that’s the world we live in now. Lawyers jump all over you if you don’t get a postmortem done. I see it all the time in the news. Just last week, some guy in Denver got away with a hit-and-run because the officers failed to do one. They had video evidence and everything, but still he got off."

"Okay, you’re right. But it’s still bullshit, especially in this case. There’s nobody to prosecute."

"You’re speaking to the choir, man."

"Nicholas—are you about done over there?"

"I'm just adjusting the probes here. And… ready!" 

"I can’t… stupid bitch… pay…"

"What the hell is happening, Nicholas?" 

"The guy's brain was blasted to bits. There's hardly any good tissue to work with here. Let me adjust the probes. Perhaps I can get something from him. This might take a few minutes." 

"Ugh… Alright. Do what you need to do." 

"Man, that kid sounded angry. Saul—have you ever wondered about what we are doing? We could be waking up a vengeful spirit." 

"Weren't you just lecturing me about the necessity of this stupid procedure?" 

"Heh, heh… Yeah. But I still wonder. Could we be meddling in matters of spirits and poltergeists?" 

"Do you actually believe in that shit?" 

"I don't know what to believe, really. This stuff is pretty wild. These apparitions are so life-like that I wouldn't be surprised if we found out we were actually summoning the dead." 

"You're crazy, Brian."

"I'm just expressing some thoughts, really. But, if you really think about it, what do we really know? We are messing with matters of life and death, things way beyond our small comprehension." 

"Well, let me settle the matter for you—we are not summoning up any sort of spirit. It doesn't work that way. I read an article somewhere about the specific way it works. It's pretty interesting, actually, but I could hardly explain it. Nicholas—could you help me out here? Explain to us how your gizmo works." 

"Well, the first thing I do is inject a concentrated concoction of nanobots and lubricating fluid into the brain tissue. The nanobots travel through the tissue and create a complete scan of the brain. Every detail is captured—the synapses, the neural pathways, the volume and nutritional makeup of the cerebral-spinal fluid. By the time they are complete, the nanobots will have created a three-dimensional map of the brain so detailed that a neurosurgeon could use it as a reference for surgery. It's actually what they use in hospitals. Anyway, when I connect the probes to the brain tissue, the nanobots send a signal to the main computer. Using complex algorithms and programs, the main computer converts the image into code. The code is then used to create the apparitions that speak before you." 

"See, Brian. They're not spirits. Nothing supernatural here. They're just a bunch of ones and zeros." 

"Actually, the code is much more complex than common bina—"

"Oh, shut it, Nicholas. Focus on getting the boyfriend on for us."  

"Perhaps Nicholas is right. But I am not willing to rule anything out, really. A computer creating a perfect replica of a person that even has their memories. It's just so unreal."

"It's science."

"Perhaps it is. But, as I said before, we are dealing with matters way beyond mortal comprehension. We should be open to other possibilities." 

"Suit yourself, Brian." 

"Okay. I got it. He should be ready for you guys. 

"I can't believe it! What's she doing with that tool! Stupid, unloyal bitch. I'll make her pay for this." 

"Trevor—you might be a little disoriented right now. That is understandable. I need you to take a few deep breaths. We have a few questions to ask y—"

"I'll make her pay for this. Stupid bitch!" 

"Trevor? Can you hear me?" 

"I can't believe it! He put his arm around her. I knew she was sleeping around, the whore. She's going to pay for this." 

"Trevor—did you kill Jason Richmond and Lorelei Thatcher?" 

"She'll pay, alright. Yes, she will. I'll make her pay." 

"We're not going to get anything more from this guy."

"Agreed. Nicholas—can you connect us to Lorelei?" 

"Right away." 

"What should I write in the report about that lunatic?" 

"Try something like: 'insufficient brain tissue for a meaningful response.'"

"Heh, heh… I like that. Sounds nice and professional."

"Whoa. What happened? Who are you guys?"

"It is normal to be disoriented at moments like these, Lorelei. Let me catch you up to speed. You're at the Yenabgon City police station. I'm Detective Brian McLeod, and this is my partner—"

"I don't care who you are. You two interrupted something very important." 

"And what is that?" 

"If you must know, I was just speaking to my grandmother. It's been ages since we spoke. We had a lot to catch up on. But there were others too. My great-grandmother, who died before I was born. And her mother before her. I had never met them, but they said they'd been watching me my whole life. They said they were proud of me." 

"Nicholas—are you sure those probes are on right?"

"I'm sure." 

"Anything wrong with the brain tissue?"

"Not at all. She was shot in the stomach. Her brain is perfectly intact." 

"I know where she was shot. I was at the crime scene."

"What's the matter, Saul?"

"She's speaking nonsense. I just wanted to make sure the probes on were right."

"Well, he said everything is fine. Let's just continue the interrogation." 

"Yes. Let's continue. And let's make this fast. I presume you summoned me because of the Trevor incident."

"We did. We just have a few questions for you. First of all—"

"I'll just explain the whole thing to you. I'll try to leave the nonsense out of it for you. It all started yesterday. Trevor and I had a fight. He said some terrible things to me, and I was pretty upset about it, not that it matters now. I went to my friend Jason's home for comfort. I couldn't think of anywhere else to go. My sister was out of town, so I went to his place. Jason went to the kitchen. Moments later, I heard a gunshot. I was so scared at that moment. I knew that it had to be Trevor. I knew he had a gun, and he was pretty unstable when I left him. I tried to run out of the house, but Trevor was in the living room before I could get too far. He said: 'here's what you deserve, you cheating bitch.' Then he shot me. I writhed in pain for a while on the floor. Since he shot me in the stomach, it took some time for me to die. I do remember hearing another gunshot, though. But I didn't feel it, perhaps because the pain from the first shot was so bad already."

"Hmm… That second shot was likely when he killed himself." 

"Trevor killed himself?"

"He did. Blasted himself in the head."

"Poor man. Don't get me wrong—he was awful. I think that came from some unresolved issues from his past. He told me off-handedly that his father was abusive to him. All the same, I am glad to be done with him. He never made any effort to heal. He was just satisfied with inflicting his pain onto everyone else." 

"In any case, that was a comprehensive account of events, Ms. Thatcher. I appreciate it. However, there is one detail that you left out. Jason. He tried to put a move on you, didn't he?"

"He did." 

"Why didn't you mention that to us?" 

"Jason is a good man. His advances were well-intentioned, and he didn't get angry when I didn't reciprocate. I didn't want to embarrass him." 

"Were you and Jason ever romantically involved?"

"No."

"Noted. It just seems odd to me that you wouldn't mention Jason's advances to you. 

"What are you insinuating, officer?"

"I'm just curious. You and Jason both ate together twice a week. You went to his home when you were having trouble with your boyfriend. He made advances toward you, and you didn't mention it. It seems to me like you were very close." 

"I'm the victim in this incident. Why are you interrogating me?"

"We are not trying to accuse you of anything, Lorelei. We just need to make sure we went over every nook and cranny. That's all."

"He's right. Our reports have to be extremely detailed. So tell me—were you and Jason in any type of relationship?"

"No! And I'm sick of you asking about it. In fact, I'm sick of this whole interview. This matter, while tragic, is so small and minuscule compared to what's out there. There are bigger things in store for me. There are people with whom I need to speak. We're done. Goodbye, officers. Good luck with your report."

"Nicholas—what happened. She's gone!"

"I don't know. Everything here looks normal. The probes are on correctly. Here, let me try to readjust them."

"Well, hurry up. What is that stupid smirk about, Brian?"

"Oh, nothing. It just seems strange. She was talking about her grandma and other family members. She seemed really eager to talk to them, to get out of here to some other realm of existence. It doesn't seem to be the type of behavior of an apparition created using code and algorithms." 

"It wasn't a spirit, Brian."

"Who knows. As I have said, we are dealing with forces we don't understand, Saul." 

"Oh shut up… Nicholas—what's going on over there? There's smoke coming out of the machine!"