2030_ The Real Story of What Happens to America - Albert Brooks [131]
They walked over to where Masters was holding court. Twenty or so people were gathered around him, listening to his stories with rapt attention.
The few people who were known to practice euthanasia had become famous among the older crowd. It was as if they held the power of life and death in their own hands. And when people did meet Masters, they always liked him, because he wasn’t anything more than a man with knowledge that others were afraid to talk about. It wasn’t difficult to look up the information on what medications or potions could end your life, but when that information was one man’s specialty, and he actually practiced it, it gave that man an aura. He was a celebrity, whether he liked it or not.
Brad and Barbara sat down while Walter was in the middle of what would be a thousand stories that everyone wanted to hear. “So I asked her if she was sure,” Masters said. “And when she said yes, I took out my old laptop. I had designed a program where the individual had to press the ‘return’ button three times before the end.”
“Three times?” someone asked.
“Yes. Three steps before the injection. That was to make absolutely sure that they chose this of their own free will.”
“What did the steps say?”
“The first step said, ‘Are you aware that what you are doing now will cause death?’ The second step asked the same question but in a different way. And the third step said, ‘If you press “return” now, that’s it, you will never return.’” The people laughed. Walter loved that joke.
“Did anyone change their mind at the last minute?” a woman asked.
“No. Not one.”
Someone else asked if he still performed the service.
“No. I came on this ship like you folks. This is my retirement. I no longer practice.”
“But what if someone was suffering?”
Masters looked at the person who asked the question. He smiled. “I might help you throw them overboard, but that’s it.” Everyone laughed. And in a strange way they all felt safer than they had before Masters arrived. It was as if the man who could end their suffering was now one of them. Just the knowledge of that took away some of the anxiety of death. And how could that be a bad thing?
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Susanna Colbert was having dinner with her Chinese counterpart when her wrist tingled. She looked down and saw her assistant. Susanna was informed that Nate Cass was on the line. She excused herself and went to a corner where she could talk privately. It was funny; they’d finally come up with a working Dick Tracy device to communicate with, but no one had figured out the privacy aspect. You still had to either whisper into your wrist or walk someplace where you were alone. And even if people couldn’t hear you, they could look over your shoulder and see the face on your watch. There was no privacy in the future. “Hello, Nate.”
“Susanna. I hope everything turned out for the best.”
Susanna knew that Nate Cass was not calling to chat. He had done her a huge favor, and she had been wondering when it would be called in. This seemed to be the moment. As soon as he said he needed to meet in person, she knew the favor would not be a small one. Nate said, “I’m going to be in Washington next Tuesday. I would love it if you would meet me for a quick lunch.” Susanna pressed a button on her watch and her schedule was superimposed over Nate’s image. She knew that whatever it said, she couldn’t say no. The reason Susanna was so successful in business was that she followed the unwritten code of “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” By the urgency in his voice, it seemed Nate wanted a total body rub with release. But she was going to keep her word.
“Tuesday is a monster for me, but I’ll make time because it’s you.”
He didn’t thank her, he simply said, “Noon or one, you pick. We can have a bite at the Emerald.”
The Emerald was one of the newer hotels in Washington. It was designed