“We’re all on the same side here, are we not? The health and well-being of the three young people should be–“
“Of course, of course. But we are also each responsible to the institutions that we represent, to ensure that–“
“That there is no cause for anyone to–“
“No lawsuits, that?”
“That also, of course; but primarily to ensure that each party is doing its proper part.”
“Carrying out its responsibilities, as I–“
“Can we get the medical situation clarified, at least? Dr. Zane-Tucker?”
“Certainly. As you know, Steven Diaz presented on–“
“Was brought in by ambulance from the–“
“Yes, we know all of that, but what is the current–“
“Very good, your packets have the latest update right there. Physiologically he and the other two–“
“Colin Colson and the Lewis girl–“
“Kristen Lewis, if you please, yes, they are all in good health–“
“They have all been in comas since–“
“Can we let Doctor Tucker speak, please!”
“Zane-Tucker, please. Thank you, yes, all three patients are in good health, physiologically. Their brain functions are also normal, as you can see in figure–“
“Normal except for–“
“Please!”
“Sorry.”
“As you know, Mr. Diaz was put into a routine induced coma due to undetermined brain trauma from a penetrating head injury incurred while racing in the desert.”
“Those d-mned racing rigs should be illegal, they’re–“.
“Yes, well. Initial attempts to remove the foreign object faced complications due to excessive bleeding, but ultimately the team was successful in–“
“Successful? We know that the piece of steel in his head just vanished overnight, after the others were already–“
“Mr. Mbanku, with respect–“
“Are you still denying it? Can the hospital produce it, then?”
“The fact that the object was misplaced–“
“Misplaced? Is that really your story?”
“We need to discuss the health of the–“
“Why are these two other children–“
“They are not children, the patients are all fully adults.”
“Why are they still unconscious? Is this experimental apparatus–“
“It is not experimental, it has been approved for evaluation in–“
“For evaluation, right, it’s some first-draft experimental brain-lace–“
“People, please!”
“The situation is unusual, as we all acknowledge, but the patients are all in good health, and there is every reason to think that they will return to consciousness without–“
“Every reason to think, meaning what exactly? Has this happened before?”
“If you’ll turn to page three in your packet, you’ll find–“
“It has?”
“In very similar circumstances, in fact, yes. As the case-study describes, two college students in São Paulo spent nearly a year in–“
“That wasn’t this experimental therapeutic–“
“Exactly, that was with an earlier and more primitive device, with fewer safeguards, so in this case we can certainly expect that–“
“And they were okay?”
“They were somewhat disappointed to come out, in fact, as described in–“
“That wasn’t in some rushed emergency situation, though, it was–“
“It was a malfunction in the limiting circuit of their virtuality induction networks, yes. Whereas in this case the apparatus is in perfect working order. Only the sudden unexpected changes in Mr. Diaz’s EEG led the hospital to–“
“To basically trap the other two kids in–“
“Again, Mr. Mbanku, the patients are all adults, and–“
“Why can’t the hospital bring them out again? What is the problem? Is that not a malfunction?”
“Not at all, not at all. As you can see in the specification documents in your packets on pages–“
“But surely the hospital should have had procedures in place for the possibility of something like this. Why were the other two allowed into virtuality with the patient at all, when they were just visitors? Were they fully aware of the–“
“Mr. Colson and Miss Lewis were fully informed of the situation, and there are copies of the signed consent forms–“
“No one reads those when their friend is–“
“In any case, there is no reason to think that any harm–“
“It had better not, that’s all I’m saying. It had just better not.”
ceoln 