Free Dreams in the Tower Part 3 by Andrew Vrana

yourself. I have other patients to attend to.”
    “Thank you doctor,” Diane said. “And get some sleep.”
    Dr. Watanabe turned and started for the next bed, muttering what sounded like, “Then who will do my work?”
    When they were alone with the man in the bed (who was still staring squinty-eyed at Mike), Diane walked over to stand beside him. He finally looked away from Mike and fixed his gaze on Diane’s grave face, from which he shrank back slightly. Mike realized now that the man wasn’t being rude intentionally; he seemed to be confused and more than a little frightened.
    “Hello,” Diane said. “What’s your name?”
    “Liam,” the old man said. “Are you another doctor? You don’t look like one. Neither of you do.”
    “We’re sort of specialists,” she said. “Are you feeling alright Liam? Can you talk to us for just a few more minutes?”
    “Sure,” he said. “But I’m really tired. Can you make it quick?”
    “Of course. I just wanted to ask you a few things. First, what do you think about Silte Corporation?”
    The man sat up straight. “What kind of a question is that? I love Silte Corporation! And all their subsidiaries. I mean, they’re the greatest company in the history of the earth! Every one of their products and services are unbeatable. How could I not love them?”
    Looking ponderously at Liam, Mike wasn’t sure if he should feel pity or disgust. He settled for a mix of both. This sixty-something man looked like the type you saw sitting off alone in the gloomy corner of a bar, drinking down the pain of a world that never cared about his happiness. And yet here he was spewing out a cheesy ad for Silte Corp with the enthusiasm of a coked-up high school cheerleader. It was a scene that bordered on the grotesque.
    “Wonderful,” Diane said. She opened a drawer in the table beside the bed. “Your things?” Liam looked in the drawer and then nodded slowly, as if not completely sure. She proceeded to rummage around inside it, digging for something in the clutter. “Ah,” she said after a while. “I found your tab.” She pulled a very old, bulky tablet out and sat it on the bed by Liam’s legs.
    “My tablet,” he said, picking it up slowly.
    “I see you have an Egoto Flatbook,” she said.
    “Egoto?” The old man looked from the tablet to Diane and back again, his face reverting back to the squinty-eyed expression he had shown Mike before, though this time Mike was certain it was a dirty look.
    “Yes,” Diane said. “Egoto was not a subsidiary of Silte when they made tablets. Nor, if nothing has changed in the last day or two, are they now. Silte Corp has no connection to Egoto or their products.”
    “Piece of shit ,” Liam said, slamming the tab down on the bed. Mike flinched and took a step back, but the man seemed calm enough, just sad.
    “I’ll get a new one,” Liam said. Then he perked up again, grinning stupidly. “That’s it! I’ll get a new one right now.” He picked up the tab, rested it on his plump belly and began tapping on it merrily. “Plenty of Silte companies make tablets better than this junk.”
    Looking at Mike with raised eyebrows, Diane said, “Believe it now, Mike?”
    He watched the man eagerly tapping his tablet screen for a while before answering her. “Yes,” Mike said. “I don’t need to see any more of this.” He turned his back on the disturbing sight and started for the door.
    Behind him Diane said, “Thank you for your time, Liam.” The man said nothing.
    The walk back through the hospital basement was long and silent. Mike couldn’t say anything, and Diane didn’t need to say anything; she probably knew as well as him that he had no choice now but to join them. She had probably known that the moment he stumbled drunkenly up to her apartment door and fell sweetly, complacently into the trap.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    25
     
    When Dellia had finally gone as far as she could with