Osiris_91

A man awakens to silence and immediately feels cold.

He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself alone on a sterile bed and inside a bright, unfamiliar room. The man struggles to sit upright as his gaze shifts to a blurry figure seated beside him. It’s a woman, and she’s speaking, but he hears only sounds and no words.

“Can you hear me?” the woman repeated in a louder, more deliberate tone.

The man was able to discern the question and “Yes.”

“What is your name, sir?”

"Eli," he stated. "Eli Cox."

"Mr. Cox, my name is Dr. May and I'm one of the physicians responsible for your health & well-being. Do you understand?"

He nodded in assent and inquired, “Where am I?”

“Mr. Cox, strict protocol dictates that I obtain satisfactory answers to all my questions before we discuss yours. Is that clear?”

"Yeah, I suppose so,” Eli reluctantly replied. “And you can call me Eli."

"Very well, Eli, let’s begin,” Dr. May said before asking her first question. “Prior to today, what is the most recent memory you can recall?"

Eli concentrated for a few moments and recalled, "I remember being in a hospital room, with my family. My right arm had an IV, and I was holding my daughter's hand – Katie. And she was crying. I’d never seen her so sad before," he began to sob, but unable to form tears.

"Do you remember the date?"

"Um, it was winter, a few weeks after Thanksgiving. Probably like December – something?” He estimated. “I don't know, I'm not exactly sure.”

"December of what year?"

Confused, Eli mimicked, “What year?” And then said, "2025."

"Do you recall anything after that memory?"

"Um, I remember other people in the hospital room. My wife was somewhere. My Dad maybe? A doctor I didn't recognize gestured for everyone to leave, while other doctors and nurses rushed into the room.. Katie was hysterical."

Dr. May inched closer to Eli’s bedside and subtly altered the tone of her question, "Eli, what I mean is, do you remember anything that happened after your time in the hospital?"

"After that? No, nothing," he assured.

A pit of anxiety Eli had felt inside his stomach, which had originated when Dr. May’s questioning began, suddenly expanded, as enlarged beads of sweat multiplied around his forehead. Before panic was about to engulf his sanity, a loud male voice emanated from the ceiling and echoed across the room.

"Come on, Eli.. don't be shy. Did you see a bright white light? Or any large pearly gates? What about a red guy with horns? He may have been holding a pitchfork, but that's not necessarily the case. He also quite fond of fire, if that helps you at all.." the voice mocked playfully.

Before Eli could process the unexpected intrusion, Dr. May tilted her head upwards to reply, "Oh, stop it, you!"

The voice could be faintly heard from the ceiling, snickering.

Dr. May faced Eli to explain, "That’s your other physician and my superior, Dr. Osiris. Don’t read too much into his questions, he just enjoys playing around sometimes.”

“Having a fun attitude makes reintegration much easier,” the voice advised.

“That it does, Sy, that it does,” agreed Dr. May. “You’ll see, soon Dr. Osiris will be your new best friend. You're very fortunate, he's one of the best in this facility and loved by all his patients.”

Dr. May stood from her chair, leaned in to place a hand on Eli’s shoulder, and then cautioned, “When you meet Dr. Osiris, you must understand that despite appears indistinguishably human, he is in fact, an AI-powered sentient robot. His digital handle is Osiris_91, but you’ll hear everyone just calling him Sy."

Dr. May paused to type on her tablet, while reclining in her chair, and then continued, "Okay, back to business. Now, some of what I’m about to say may be difficult for you to comprehend. All I ask is that you try to keep an open mind, believe what I say is true, and refrain from asking any questions. Understood?"

Eli nodded in agreement while convincing himself that he’d trust her for now. Dr. May placed her tablet on Eli’s bed, collapsing to the size of a credit card after being releases. An orange icon in the shape of a microphone displayed brightly on the small screen – he was being recorded.

Dr. May explained, “December 18, 2025, was the date of your last memory. The events you recall were the moments before you went into cardiac arrest and died.”

“Today is March 20, 2075, and its the first day of spring. This building is called ‘The Central Genomic Resurrection Facility-Ann Arbor.’ For all intents & purposes, you’ve been brought back from the dead. Cloned, I should say, using your original DNA and with your entire consciousness and memories nearly reconstructed from scans of deep archival brain matter impressions collected after your death.”

“Am I human?” Eli asked.

“Please, no questions,” Dr. May reminded Eli. "But yes, you are human, you have a heart, lungs, bones, and all the attributes of any human being. Though best not to focus on the spiritual or philosophical ramifications of whether clones are human until after you're fully assimilated. For now, simply think of it as a continuation of your life, 50 years into the future, and you're no longer sick!"

“Are you a clone?” Eli asked.

Dr. May smirked at the unexpected question and explained, "Oh no, they don't make clones into old ladies like me. No, I was studying to become a nurse at Dartmouth when you died. Then I went to medical school and became a doctor, and now fate has brought me to you. Still doing what I love, though, caring for people who need to be cared for."

“Will you be cloned after .. you ..”

“After I die,” Dr. May interrupted. She paused for a moment, looked into Eli’s eyes and said, “I hope so, I surely do. But such decisions aren't up to me.”

“I know, you have so many questions, like – Why were you brought back? What's different in the world? Is your family still alive? Et cetera, et cetera. However, before your turn for questions, a full medical examination of you must first be conducted by Dr. Osiris, who should arrive any moment. Second, you must watch a media _ intended to help catch you up on time missed. And then, Dr. Osiris and I will answer any & all the questions you have.”

_

"Eli, buddy!!" Dr. Osiris, voice loudly exclaimed, “I apologize, but I won’t be able to see you until later this afternoon. Ellen, I require you to escort me in 3-1-3-M in ninety seconds. Before you leave Mr. Cox, provide him access to the orientation file on your tablet, and he can play it when he’s ready."

"Sounds good, Sy, I’m on my way,” Dr. May agreed obediently.

Before exiting the room, Dr. May turned back towards Eli and said, “I know it's tough, but the answers are coming. If at anytime you need immediate medical assistance, just press the red button on your forearm. I’ve enjoyed our time together. I sense that there may be hope inside of you, but what do I know?” Eli stopped himself from asking what Dr. May meant by ‘hope,’ as the door gently closed behind her.

Eli looked down to discover a black chrome cuff secured around his wrist. A prominent red button was present, along with five white ones underneath, all six embossed with black symbols he couldn’t decipher.

Eli grabbed the black, metallic device left on his bed by Dr. May and found that its metal frame softened when he touched it. A bright orange icon in the shape of a play-button hovered in 3D while slowly rotating a few inches from the screen.

Eli sat motionless, staring at the device for an unknown duration, took a few deep breaths, and finally pressed ‘play.’