Free Elysium by Jennifer Marie Brissett

doctor and studied the two big filing cabinets that stood guard by the door, holding the secrets of many deranged minds. Adrianne wondered if the stories they held were real or as imagined as everything else around her.
    “Adrianne, how do you remember it?”
    Adrianne looked Dr. Tomas in the eyes. “I don’t remember it,” she lied, “but I know that I didn’t hurt myself.”
    The doctor wrote something down on his clipboard.
    “You said before that ‘War is coming.’ What did you mean by that?”
    “Just what I said.”
    “What war do you mean?”
    Silence.
    Dr. Tomas looked off into space for a minute, considering.
    “Tell me about Antoine.”
    A twinge of pain. A raised eyebrow.
    “What do you want to know?”
    “You seemed to have cared for him quite a bit.”
    Silence.
    “His death must have been a very painful experience for you.”
    Again silence.
    “Tell me about him. What was he like?”
    … zero one one zero one one zero zero zero one one zero one one zero zero zero one one zero one one zero …
    “Adrianne?” The doctor wrote something down.
    “Adrianne, there is a new medication that I would like to give to you. I think it may help you moderate your moods.”
    Adrianne concentrated on the light streaming through the barred window that sent shadows to the walls in shapes of grids and lines. The color of the curtains was a shade of cream fit for pouring into coffee. The smell of artificial lemon and pine furniture wax permeated the air and made her feel woozy.
    “Thomas, I know you’re only trying to help. Do what you think is best.”
    ** BREAK **
    >>
    >>
    >> createdoc defrag.fi
    # defrag.fi -- defragments a life span
    # by compressing it segment by segment
    init time, place;
    init life_span;
    init segment = _get(param[0]);
    life_span = getLifespan (segment);
    place = getLocation (life_span);
    print “** Defragging…”;
    while (life_span)
    {
if ( fragmented (life_span)) then
{
time = getTimeLine (life_span);
life_span = _compress (time, place);
life_span = getNextLifespan (life_span);
}
else break;
    }
    return print “**Lifespan Defragmentation Complete”;
    .eof
    >>
    >>
    >> execute defrag 177
    ** Defragging…
     
    Adrian sat in the back of the room, eyes wide open in the dark. Dr. Tomas looked in on him through a slit in the door. They stared each other down. Predator to prey.
    “How are you doing today?”
    In a low whisper Adrian answered, “Why don’t you come in here and find out?”
    A cold chill.
    “Would you like me to come inside?”
    “Yes,” Adrian said calmly, “that way I can pluck your eyes out of their sockets, doctor.”
    Dr. Tomas closed the slit on the door and turned to the orderly. “Increase his medication.”
    >>
    >> process -b
[1] 01110001 04:31:02
[2] 10101100 10:52:49
[3] 10110001 00:00:00
[4] 10101011 53:45:13
[5] 10010101 34:38:24
    .
    .
    >> kill [3]
    >> kill [3]
    >> kill [3]
    >>
    >>
    “Adrian, this is Dr. Tomas. Can you hear me?”
    A snarl vibrated from behind the locked door. Adrian sounded like a large cat with teeth made for rending flesh. He hissed, then went quiet like a menacing dark spirit in the back of the cell.
    “How long has he been like this?”
    “All night.”
    A growl, low and intense.
    “This is not working.” He wrote out a new script. “Stop the medication and give him this.”
    >> kill –l [3]
    *PROCESS 10110001 TERMINATED*
    >> clear
    .
.
.
    **Lifespan Defragmentation Complete
    >>
    >> restart process 10110001
    *PROCESS 10110001 RESTARTED*
    >>
    .
.
.

7.
    Antoine walked across the wet cobblestone driveway toward the modern wing of the hospital. He wore a military-issue jacket and heavy boots, fresh home from his stint overseas. The sky was clear and moist after a mid-morning shower. He pulled up his collar and ducked his head. As he approached the hospital, he faced his reflection in the glass doors and saw what others saw. He was very good-looking, a condition of birth. It hadn’t made the struggles of his recent years any