17: Presurgical Delusions

A single dream is more powerful

than a thousand realities.

J.R.R. Tolkien

“Just one night, Mr. Walker,” the nurse said, arriving to check his stats before bed. “I understand you aren’t pleased to be here, but you only have until morning, when you’ll undergo the surgery.”

Phil rattled his restraints, reminding her of the nature of his case. “I never wanted the operation, so you can stick it in your ear.”

Instead of taking offense, the nurse chuckled. “Now, now. Your blood pressure is running high. Your worrying about the surgery is likely to affect your body’s response. We need to get your numbers down.” She added something to his drip, to be dispensed throughout the night. “The doctor prescribed something to help you rest. That way, your immune system will be better prepared to combat the effects of the procedure, which benefits everyone.”

“Whatever lets you sleep at night.”

“This shouldn’t take long. While you can’t control your future, this should help you face it by leaving you less time to fret. Pleasant dreams!”

By the time she left to check on her other patients, Phil was already nodding off.

Phil came awake—sort of—when he found himself back in Roosevelt Plaza Park. Only it was the middle of the day, and there wasn’t a soul to be seen. Somehow, the scene didn’t sit right with him. Something wasn’t right.

“He ... she ... you ... it ... they...”

“Pardon me? Who’s speaking?” Phil spun around, searching for who was addressing him.

“Us ... them ... their...”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“Excuse we. Speak us ... We this ... still work...”

“Where are you? Who is this?”

“This new. We work technique. One ... second?”

The voice alternated between normal speech, grainy radio signals, and loudspeaker distortions. Phil rubbed his ear, trying to clear whatever obstructed his hearing.

“This work do? Sorry, is this working?”

Phil stopped turning, instead glancing straight up into the partially overcast sky. “Yes, but who are you? What is this about?”

“One ... moment. Still pro ... processing. Okay, we achieve parity. Sorry, but we not mast ... er technology.”

“What technology? Who are you? Where are you?

“For now, exist we your mind. Still wrestle with techniques. Language interface working. Visuals not. We not actual speak, place ... concepts in brain. You process as language. Words not our own.”

“Okay, I’ll admit, you sound quite intelligent. I take it you’re responsible for what happened to me. Are you the ones who allowed me to see these ... beings, or are you part of them?”

“Little both, part neither. Long story.

“We old civilization. Tens of thousand years ago, we want spread knowledge to other civilizations. Since space travel so distant ... impractical. We discover other means of interact. Unlike those you battle, we inspire. Rather than transfer knowledge to societies not ready, we ... guide them.”

“Your language is improving,” Phil noted.

“It develop as speak.”

“As we speak,” Phil emphasized, hoping to hasten their learning process.

“We start with who you call fairies. Thousands of years, artists lead figures in science, medicine. We suggest areas explore, give them idea study. We learn motivation, drive and relate mean more than data. Make message relevant, we developed fairy. While boost creativity, they give suffering. Help artists humble, relate others, reduce arrogance.”

“Wait. You engineered the fairies, creating an entirely new species which didn’t exist before?”

“We advanced technology. Civilization stall, collapse. Since, we lose knowledge. Only reclaim recent.”

“Recently,” Phil corrected, curious where this was going.

“Without guidance, creatures we develop adapt technologies, learn to reach other worlds. Instead of build, tear down. We use illness to boost creative, they use to torment and destroy. Why your culture see expanse in brain illness over time. More people sick, sickness more severe.”

“Those I encountered understood English better than you. If you’re so advanced, why are you still struggling with it?”

“They familiar, we distant, technique not work yet.”