After That

Lena agreed to show him one memory and no more.

"Not a reconstruction," she said. "A source clip from 2018. You will watch it once. You will not pause, repeat or enhance it."

"Why?"

"Because repetition is part of the problem."

They sat in a small consultation room without immersion hardware. Celia waited outside, visible through the glass. Elias disliked the arrangement until he realized it was meant to protect Lena as much as him.

The clip opened on a childhood photograph of Havers Park. The same climbing frame. The same two boys. An adult voice asked Elias to describe the scene. Elias's recorded voice answered from off camera.

"Owen took the picture. Mara's on the swing. I'm behind the camera, no, wait, that doesn't work."

A younger Lena said, "Good. Keep the contradiction."

"I hate when you say good after I fail."

"You haven't failed. You noticed the structure can't support your first account."

The camera angle widened.

Elias appeared on screen at twenty-six. He was thinner, unshaven, wearing a grey sweatshirt. A blue cup sat on the table beside him. The sight of it made his throat tighten.

Recorded Elias looked exhausted but not confused.

"Run the house next," he said.

Lena's voice answered, "Not yet."

"Stop controlling the order."

"The order is the procedure."

"Then the procedure is annoying."

The video cut to a rendered childhood street. Elias recognized 312 Vale Street immediately. His younger self spoke over the scene. "We walked past it after Havers. Mara stole a flower."

"Check age cues," Lena said.

"I'm nine."

"Hands."

The camera view dropped.

Adult hands.

Elias on screen swore softly.

"Good," Lena said again.

"There it is."

"Don't repair it."

"I know."

"Elias."

"I know."

The scene froze.

Recorded Elias removed the headset and pressed both hands over his face. When he lowered them, he looked at Lena.

"How many?"

"We don't know."

"How many memories have contamination?"

"We don't know."

"That's becoming your religion."

The clip ended.

Present-day Elias stared at the blank screen.

"What happened after that?"

Lena's face changed.

He recognized the question from the day before, when she had asked whether he remembered what followed a childhood reconstruction.

"You became distressed."

"That's vague."

"You accused us of contaminating more memories than we could demonstrate. You tried to leave. Then you came back an hour later."

"Why?"

"Because you wanted to continue."

"And then?"

Lena looked toward the glass where Celia waited.

"Do you remember what happened after that?"

"No."

"Good."

The word made Elias stand.

"You said that before."

"I know."

"Why is it good?"

Lena's composure cracked just enough for him to see fear beneath it. "Because after that you asked us to do something I still don't know whether I should have agreed to."

"What?"

"I am not telling you in this room."

"Then where?"

"When we have the full consent record and someone independent present."

"You're protecting yourself."

"Yes," Lena said. "And you. Those aren't mutually exclusive."

Elias walked to the door. Behind him Lena said, "You asked for the blue cup."

He stopped.

"Why?"

"You said the white one belonged to Mara."

Elias turned.

Lena looked down at her hands.

"You wanted something in the memory that belonged only to you."