“Are you afraid of death and dying?”
Tattiana’s question is clear and to the point.
I hesitate. “I’m not interested in dying, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Tattiana floats around me, a nest of wires in her hands. Neural-feedback stimulator. She wraps the wires around me like a cocoon.
“Hey, you’re not a hologram,” I say. “You’re real!”
“You are trying to deflect. Please Mr. Crick, tell me, are you afraid of death and dying?”
“I guess I am. There! I said it. Why are you asking me these silly questions instead of telling me why you kidnapped me?”
“Do you think it's possible to extend your life even beyond biological death?”
I sigh. “I guess in theory, anything’s possible as long as the laws of physics allow it.”
“An immortal body?”
“Sure, why not?” I say and close my eyes.
“What about the mind?” Tattiana asks.
“The mind has to be immortal too. Otherwise, what’s the point? If you can’t take it with you, don’t go.”
“So if you were to choose between body or mind, you would choose...?”
“My mind, of course. I can always get a new body.”
“Indeed.”
Tattiana floats towards me and grabs a hold of my left leg. She places her fingers behind my knee and proceeds to bend it. She does the same with my other leg. Her fingers flutter like butterfly wings, she twists and turns me until I am floating in the lotus position.
“The first lesson is Meditation and Exo-corporeal Navigation. Please focus on the dot in front of you. Relax and let your thoughts become a stream of consciousness.”
As I float in the air like a wired pretzel, all I can think is: what the hell have I gotten myself into?
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