Loopholes in Light

"Hello, Andre. How glad I am to see you again. I knew I would do it, one day."

"I can't say the feeling is consistent, Dr. Pedersen. Amazingly, he's still alive!"

"Not a day goes by that I do not appreciate the miracle of modern science. But miracles can be misused ... so we are here. I'm sure you know that the law has not changed -"

"I really am. The ID-mat cannot be used for suicidal intent, because transmitters are not death machines - however, no matter what the state says. They strip everyone who uses them back to their atoms, killing them during the process. "

"Kindness, not cruelty. I know you disagree, Andre."

"Of course I wish. I wish to die as some people wish to visit Mount Everest or the moon. Their wishes come true. Why not mine?"

"Because you do not have a cure for legal homicide - unless you say you are depressed, terminally ill, or weak ...?"

"You can see in my file that I'm not those things. You can see by looking at me."

"Have you tried again, knowing that you will end up here, in the Recovery Room, with me or someone like me?"

"I was counseled as I had been counseled many times before? Yes, I was counseled."

"Why, Andre?"

"Because this time is different. In this ... I came to say goodbye."

"Don't tell me you've changed your mind!"

"That will not happen Dr. Pedersen. Instead, I will change my mind."

"Ah, that's why you're smiling. Go on. If you've spent the last forty years designing an argument, you're paying close attention to me."

"I didn't do anything like that. My plan was established when we last saw each other. You suggested I join the tourism industry instead of dying. Do you remember?"

"My memory ... is not the same as before, but yes, I saw that comment in your files while I waited for the Recovery process to be completed."

"Well, I've taken your advice to heart. I first walked the earth, then crossed the solar system - and what a wonderful place it was. "Suicide with a d-mat is my wish if the situation does not stop me."

"I'm afraid, Andre, that the state will never approve of your magic desire--"

"But you should, and you should. You see, I did not just cross the solar system to visit the planets - Jupiter with his ribbons and Saturn's shining hat! I once stood on a rock near the sun next door to my home, feeling the glorious glow of the old snow beneath. My boots were locked, and ... oh, I must stand lest I give you false hope! I am more confident than ever that my last wish will be fulfilled, today. "

"Traveling may have enriched your mind, but I can't see how it will change mine."

"Imagine, good doctor, that human existence is measured in seconds. The hour here, the year there, all that includes life. What happens when the flow of these times is interrupted? We call this death: the measure is over.

"However if the flow is restored ... by d-mat say ... then a miracle happens! Life is restored, the number goes on again.

"Imagine what happens when a person goes to the stars using an id-mat. When the body is torn apart to extract its precious data, captured, frozen, and stored, this precious asset is slowly encoded into a twisted pole. A laser light, burning out of space at a precise speed - the speed of light itself.

"That packet of data may go away for years before it reaches the recipient and is returned to the case. Years of mortgage debt, which can be disputed within a few days of seeing it."

"That's one way--"

"Let me finish my writing Dr. Pedersen. I have practiced many times! What if the total number of days of a human life exceeds those spent in a deadly d-mat cave?

"If you do the math, Doctor, you will find that, because of my astronomical journey, I have now passed that critical moment. but they do not trample too much. "

"Well, but the situation is moving, Andre! These are details that you seem to have ignored in your speech: the basic difference between a person who has been scanned and retained and someone who has been scanned and deleted. The first one is still alive with everything. "Someone must be kept a lot of time since birth - it's important.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Dr. Pedersen."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to explain why?"

"Can't you guess? I'm not asking for cancellation, but for the restoration of non-existence, the only state I am, the pedestrian in this state, that I may care about separation and true death."

"I'm starting to see it now ... Yes ... Let me tell you, Andre, how much I love your dedication - no, that's a very soft wood. Pursuing this goal for so many years, without stopping or getting distracted."

"Don't rot me too much. For me, it's only been weeks."

"Anyway, to throw yourself at such a will into the unknown future ... You've come a long way about me. It's been a great pleasure to chat with you."

"So will you give me the desire of my heart?"

"Yes. The state can't stop you from leaving. May I ask where you intend to go?"

"Andromeda galaxy. My data journey will take two and a half million years."

"And you naturally do not expect the recipient to come to you, then your signal, stored in the universe, will jump out and disappear into space forever ... Gambling, then, and then be brave. I look forward to the result."

"You? Dr. Pedersen, being well cared for, you certainly can't expect to live long enough to get that!"

"I can be sure of that - although some would argue about the meaning of life. My physical body died many years ago, but my d-mat pattern also works whenever I am needed in the Recovery Room. "

"Please don't tell me--"

"Yes, Andre, when humanity devises a way to escape that twisted light that contains your details, I'll be there to greet you at Andromeda, all those years from now. And I especially look forward to our conversation."