"I don't think she's coming, hon. I'm sorry." William looked up into his wife's eyes as she struggled to hold back the tears. She towered over him as he locked the brakes on his wheelchair. He reached out his hand and grabbed the crutches that she was holding.

"I really wanted mother to be here," he said. "For the drawing."

"Maybe it's for the best. She wouldn't let you do it if she was here, She's always been such a... you know."

"We'll see how she feels about it in another twenty years. I mean you. You'll see."

"Oh, Will. You could-"

William held up his and stopped the flow of words. They had already had that discussion too many times. This wasn't about winning. It was about dignity.

"I-I can understand her not wanting to be here. I mean..." Sarah waved her arm at the other families that had gathered on the grassy hill outside the Drawing center. Tears were in abundance as each said their farewells as best they could. There was screaming, shouting, wailing and even a fair amount of cursing. William watched them for a moment, not because he wanted to intrude, but because he couldn't bare looking into his wife's eyes one more time.

"How many do you think there are?" he asked.

His wife sobbed beside him.

"They're all so old," he said.

Most of the Contestants were in their upper eighties, barely navigating the hillside with their walkers and wheelchairs. Some were very sick; William saw a few makeshift oxygen tents poking up from the crowd. A team of white-coated Meds made their rounds... trying to keep the Contestants alive long enough for the Drawing. There were even a few MST victims in full bloom... their skin a garden of pustules and boils. Armed guards kept them well segregated from the rest of the crowd.

And then there was William. It was just his luck to contract one of the rare forms of cancer that wasn't treatable with Pan-C. Undetected, It had ravaged his body silently for years. It seemed content to eat away at him slowly, but then it suddenly accelerated and spread from his bones and into the other parts of his flesh. The weight fell off almost overnight, leaving him a mere skeleton of a man. At 6'1", he weighed just under 100lbs. His teeth and hair were almost completely gone. His fingernails had fallen out long ago. The Meds assured him that he would not live to see 2097. When they amputated his leg, William didn't even bother with a prosthetic. It would just be a waste of money at this point. They gave him just a few months....just long enough to take advantage of this year's drawing.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Sarah asked.

"It's terminal, Say. What choice do I have? "

"But... but..."

"But what? The cryo? In all the years people have been going under, they've never brought anybody back from the deep freeze. At least this way I'll have a chance."

"I know. I just... I want to be there."

"I'm sorry, Say, those are the rules. No non-Contestants allowed past the gates."

"I don't mean that. I just wanted... I don't know."

A long, low tone announced the opening of the Gates. A few of the more mobile Contestants started ambling towards the wide, concrete walkways that lead up to the huge gates. Most, however, were in no hurry. There were still good-byes to be said.

"Help me up."

With his wife's help, William stood and balanced himself on his crutches.

"You sure you don't want the chair?"

"I begged the Meds to let me keep this leg. I'm gonna use it."

"You'll get tired..."

"Tired already."

William pivoted and swiveled until he faced his wife of seven years.

"Say," he said.

Sarah broke down. She wrapped her arms around her husband and buried her face in his sunken chest.

"Don't go," she cried, "Don't. Please don't"

"I'm gone anyway, Sarah. Days... Weeks... that's all I have. Just let me do this. Please."

Sarah cried for another ten minutes, and then the tears slowly gave way.

"Come on," said William. "Do you want to walk with me to the gate?"

"I... I don't think I can, Will."

"I know. I guess..."

Sarah looked up into his eyes. Something inside of her was dying.

William sighed, and then leaned down to kiss his wife one last time. Then he turned and started down the hill. He knew that she was watching. Every fiber of his wretched body wanted to turn and look back, but he knew that if he did, he would lose all the nerve he had left. He wasn't afraid. The Drawing was painless, which was much better than what the cancer was putting him through. No, the pain he feared was draped across his wife's face. A torture so horrible that he would surely return to her side and live out his last days in agony if he looked upon it. William didn't look back.

...

As his reached the bottom of the hill, the wide open grass abruptly turned into hard, unyielding concrete. Before him, the gold Gates of the center stood open. Beyond them in the Atrium, Masses of octo- and nono-generians were already being herded through to the Ticket counters. There must have been thousands of them, but the Atrium was so large that it didn't appear the least bit crowded. Row after row of Ticket windows stood open and ready to serve. Most were computer driven, but a few were manned by actual humans. As William passed through the Gates, a guard gently grasped his arm and pointed him in the direction of one of the human Tellers.

William headed in that direction. He walked past the decorative fountains and pillars and paused briefly before a huge metal panel that contrasted sharply from the surrounding decorum. It was a flat display that cycled through the photos of the past Winners. William read a few descriptions.

Paul Jacob Steven - Age:109 - 2093 Winner!!!

Jemina K. Brad - Age:93 - 2094 Winner!!!

Keri Francis Boorleen - Age:67 - 2095 Winner!!!

"They should have before and after pictures," said an elderly woman as she passed by. "Those are just after. I wanna see the wrinkles and liver spots..." The woman continued on her way.

thought William. They all looked so happy. So alive. William wondered what they were doing now.

"Move along..." said a guard. The mechanical man gently nudged William along path to the Tellers. William glanced back to see a few more seconds of the display, but after two more Winners, the metal

panel rotated on its long spider-legs and walked away. Apparently it was programmed not to stay in one place for very long.

William took his place in a short line behind five or six elderly Contestants. The line moved quickly, and soon he found himself before a young dark-haired woman who looked a lot like Sarah. She looked up into his eyes and jumped slightly. That was why most Tellers were AI-machines or dumb-terminals, humans simply couldn't take hour after hour of looking death in the face. Especially the kind of Death that William had. William felt sorry for the girl... what would she do when the MST-Vics came through? They would be last, so hopefully she would have either quit grown acclimatized.

"Name," she said.

"William Strang. NMN. Citizen ID-2386657"

"Fifty credits, Mr. Strang."

William dug into his pants pocket and pulled out his disposable Cash-Card. It had exactly fifty credits on it.

"Small price to pay, eh?" he said as he handed the card to the young woman. She grabbed the thin plastic rectangle and ran it through the reader without responding. The reader beeped, fell silent for about six seconds, and then beeped again. A separate machine spat out a small token, which the girl picked up and handed to William.

"You're in pod HX-09-14," she said in her best imitation of her mechanical co-workers, "Follow the signs to the HX wing, then to block 9, and then pod 14. It's not far. Ask a guard if you get lost. Meds are on every corridor if you feel ill. Drawing is in 2 hours."

"Good. Hey, since I got a human, I might as well ask...what are the odds?" said William.

"I...uhh...It's hard to say."

"Come on. The Earlies and Reservations are already in."

"I can tell you about this Center, but there are plenty of others."

"This is the last Center to open; the rest are already full or close to full. The Med's have must've done a rough count on the hillside. What's the count...You can tell me."

The woman smiled slightly, and then caught herself. She was smiling at a dead man.

"One in 90,000." she said. "There will be five winners today."

"That's good odds. Better than last year, right?"

"I wasn't here last year. But I think, so yes." William noticed that the Teller was trying to avoid looking at him. He got the hint and moved along.

"Wait!" called the girl.

"Yes?"

"Do you want me to check for messages? We're always supposed to check."

"Messages? Oh! Oh, yes!"

Contestants whose families could not make it in person were allowed to receive messages at the Tellers. It was the least that the Center could do.

"There should be one from my mother... Emma Strang."

The girl punched a few buttons on a display. She shook her head.

"No. None for you, sorry."

"Are you sure? She- She couldn't be here and I'm sure she'd want to... say something."

She checked again.

"Sorry. But you can access the Com-Net from inside your pod. Talk to her yourself in real-time."

"Okay. Thank you for checking."

The Teller was already looking past him at the next Contestant in line.

It took William about twenty minutes to hobble through the pristine corridors to the main Entryway, where hallways led to the Center's multitude of Annexes. The trip should have been much shorter, but William was in no hurry. He stopped to enjoy the scenery. The Meds said he was going soon, but not THAT soon.

At the second H-Annex Entryway, he showed his token to the robotic guards and they waved him in. He maneuvered himself past a series of large white doors… HL…HM…HN…HO… He wasn't alone in the hallway. A steady stream of Contestants were milling around, straining to read the two-foot high letters on the outside of every door. Some were lost. Others were simply too tired to move on. Guards kindly pointed the way, and even carried some of the Contestant's who's strength had given out. A few Meds rushed up and down the hall, their little black bags jingling as they ran from one emergency to another.

thought William. He wondered how many Contestants had to be stuffed into their Pods by the ever-present Meds. How many of their hundred-year old hearts gave out just seconds before the Drawing was done?

Every once in a while William saw someone under the age of fifty. Medical Cases. They were few and far between, but very easy to spot amidst the sea of elderly Contestants. Some, like him, wore their afflictions on the outside for all to see. Others looked perfectly healthy. Victims of the silent killers. Or Thrill-Seekers taking the Ultimate Gamble.

HX-Annex was indistinguishable from the rest. William flashed his token once again and the door slid silently open. William walked inside, and squeezed in between the rows of upright metal and glass cylinders. Block 9 was about a seven minute walk from the main door. William turned down the corridor and paused at the fourteenth pod

"Please insert your token," said a mechanical female voice. This was the voice that the Teller had been trying to imitate. William smiled at the revelation. "Please insert your token," repeated the AI.

William pressed his token into a small notch on the front panel of the Pod. The mechanism hummed and there was a loud 'click' as the door unlocked. The front half of the cylinder swung open silently.

"Welcome Contestant William Strang. Please enter the VivoPod and receive your instructions. The Drawing begins in one hour, thirty minutes."

William stepped inside. The Pod was padded on the inside, and had a small bench to sit on. Not very comfortable, but better than standing. The Pod door swung closed.

"Welcome, Contestant William Strang. Please note that the VivoPod door has closed. Pod doors will lock in one hour, twenty-five minutes. You have until that time to leave the Pod, and forfeit your token and registration fee. Once locked, Pod doors can only be unlocked from the outside. In the event of an emergency, Vivo-AI will unlock the Pods and the guards will escort you to the nearest exit-"

"Emergency." said William. The very idea seemed humorous.

"Note the display lights located inside the Pod."

William looked around and saw a small panel that had three lights. One red. One blue. And one yellow.

"When the Pods lock, the yellow display will illuminate and a short tone will sound. When the drawing commences, the yellow light will flash. Vivo-AI will randomly select the winners and activate the appropriate Pod mechanisms. The yellow light will continue to flash while Vivo mechanisms are brought up to full power. The display will then switch to Blue if you are a winner. It will change to Red if you are not a winner. The Pod mechanisms will then activate. While you wait for the Drawing, you may access primary communication and entertainment functions from the Pod's console. Good luck, Contestant William Strang. This message will repeat until it is acknowledged…

Welcome Contestant William Str-"

"Acknowledge." said William. The recorded message fell silent. He sat quietly for a few moments and watched as the other Contestants filed past his Pod on their way to their own. He nodded at the few that looked in his direction. Some nodded back… one even mouthed the words "good luck," but most just looked away and hurried down the corridor.

Time passed slowly. William sweated inside the Vivo-Pod even though the air temperature was adjustable for any level of comfort. His weak heart pounded in his chest.

"… either way, I win," he said to himself. The comforting thoughts of logic did nothing to assuage his sweaty palms and dry throat.

"Mom.." he said. "I never said goodbye to mom. Computer… scan for incoming messages for me."

"No messages found."

"Darn. Computer, connect me with Emma Strang."

"That party is not available."

"…mom…" William sighed. He stood and grasped the interior door-handle, but stopped just short of twisting it. William slumped back down on the small bench. He waited…

And waited...

...

"Pod doors will lock on Three minutes." said the AI voice.

William stood. It would all be over soon, and he wanted to be upright when it happened.

he thought.

The tone sounded. The Pod door clicked.

"Pod doors are now locked, and can be opened only from the outside. The Drawing begins in five minutes."

"Five minutes," repeated William.

"Four minutes to Drawing." said the AI-voice a minute later.

"I need this." said William. "I want this. This is the way it has to be. The cancer...I can't die that way… I have to do this… At least there's a chance… either way I win, right?"

"Three Minutes to Drawing."

"Mother… Computer, check for incoming messages."

"No messages found."

"Connect to Emma Strang."

"Party not available. Two Minutes to Drawing."

"Good… she'd just try to talk me out of this anyway. Never let me live my life… Won't even let me die the way I want…"

"One minute to Drawing."

"Oh God. The stress is going to kill me. How many people are having heart attacks right now… Quite a lot, I'd bet. Better odds for me, though…"

"Forty-five seconds to Drawing."


"Good-bye Sarah. I'll see you… I'll see you…"

"Thirty seconds to Drawing."

"I'm gonna win… I'm gonna win…I'm gonna win…"

"Twenty seconds to Drawing."

William closed his eyes. Then immediately opened them again. He fixed his eyes on the three-light display that was currently beaming a steady yellow light into the Pod.

"Fifteen seconds to Drawing."

There was a loud 'click' and then the Pod door flew open. William looked out into the wrinkled face of Emma Strang.

"I'm not going to let you!" she shrieked.

A mixture of Tears and mascara made frightening tracks down her face. The old woman reached into the Pod and grabbed William by the left arm.

"Mom!" shouted William. "What are you-"

"Ten seconds to Drawing."

"-Doing!"

"This is SICK, William! I'm not going to let you!"

"I'M sick, mom! Please-"

"-Eight-"

"No!" Emma Strang yanked son out of the VivoPod. William stumbled and hit the hard metal floor. He got tangled in the crutches, and felt something snap in his one remaining leg.

"-Six-"

He reached out for the Pod. His mother grabbed him and tried to drag him down the corridor. Something hit the floor, William's eyes saw it clearly... A token. Emma's.

William grabbed her and pushed the old woman away. The shove sent her flying backwards, arms pinwheeling

"-Four-"

"AAAIIGH!!" Emma tripped over her son's discarded crutches, twisted, and fell into the open VivoPod. She hit the padded interior with such force that the door swung closed.

"MOM!! NOO!!"

"-Two-"

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!"

"The Drawing has begun."

Sprawled on the cold floor, William saw his mother's screaming face illuminated by the pulsing yellow light. The Pod began to hum as the vast array of machines beneath the Center were brought online. The overhead lights dimmed as power was diverted to the Extractors and Emitters that were fixed above each VivoPod. He tried to drag himself towards her, but the pain kept him immobile. There was a sharp bone protruding from his leg.

"Winners are being Declared!" said the AI voice, barely audible over the rising howl of the machinery.

William looked into his mother's face. His heart pounded in his chest… and almost stopped when the yellow light inside her…his…Pod winked out.

"Mom, NOOO!!!"

A second later, her form was bathed in a soft, blue light. The occupants of the other Pods were illuminated with angry, fiery red.

"NOOO!!!!!"

Sparks began to arc around inside the Pod. Emma stiffened as energy was sucked out of the 'non-winners' and funneled directly into her body. The other Contestants slumped against the glass windows of their Pods.

"NO! YOU BITCH!!! YOU FUCKING BITCH! THAT WAS MINE! THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE!!!"

Years, and then decades dropped off of Emma Strang like a discarded snake-skin. Wrinkles and age-spots vanished. Varicose veins faded and were gone. Hair that had been gray for thirty years suddenly darkened to a youthful deep brown. A tiny, undetected lump of cancer in her left breast shrank and disappeared. A kidney, removed years ago, suddenly regenerated itself.

"YOU BIIIIITCH!!!!" howled William. His screams deteriorated into unintelligible rants and obscenities as the machinery powered down.

Emma Strang's Pod unlocked and opened, revealing the perfectly healthy body of a seventeen-year old girl.

[END]

Copyright 1998 by Marc Washington