Chapter 9 · The Backup

"That's not appendicitis."\n\nVera's voice is flat, but her hand clamps around the tablet hard enough to whiten her knuckles. The frozen screen shows her three years younger, wearing a hospital gown, eyes half-open beneath a surgical light.\n\n"Then what the hell was it?" I ask.\n\nThe timestamp reads 11:47 p.m., May 14.

I remember that night. Mom told me Vera needed emergency surgery and that I shouldn't come because I'd stress her out. I bought flowers anyway. They never let me past the lobby.\n\nAlpha pulls up the surgery log.\n\n"Subject V-01.

Prototype cardiac unit installed at 23:19. Vitals stable for six hours. At 05:33, Subject exhibited spontaneous rejection. Psychological distress caused system cascade. Emergency extraction ordered by R. Chen."\n\n"Psychological distress?" I say.

"Try using words normal people understand."\n\n"She woke up," Alpha says.

"She felt the hardware. She began screaming."\n\nVera stares at the screen.

"I don't remember screaming."\n\n"Memory suppression was administered after extraction. Standard protocol for failed trials."\n\nMy stomach twists.

"Dad put a machine in your chest, you woke up, and he cut it back out."\n\n"That's the short version," Alpha says.\n\nVera swipes to the next page. Her fingers don't shake.