Read Electric Forest for Free Online Page A

beneficial
parasite. You can't get by without it.

    "Here are the facts. Once every eight days, each eight-day

    33
    cycle to the hour, you will have to visit your capsule. The capsule has its own self-servicing equipment, but certain fluids must be re-stimulated, and various accretions dissipated. Once every eight days. You will find
comprehensive instructions on the side of the capsule. The process is minimal and uncomplicated, merely
     

     
    the pressing of a few buttons. It is, however, vital. Your body supports your brain. Mens sana in corpore sano, at its most uncompromising. If the body deteriorates, so does the brain, and without your brain, your consciousness cannot operate. From now on, Magdala, you are a beautiful woman with an imbecile child. A nurse attends to this child, but every eighth day your assistance with the brat is called for. Otherwise, you are free to do as you wish. You can even travel the capsule is stabilized to survive accepted forms of transport, since it must accompany you on any prolonged journey. It's the one piece of luggage you can't leave behind. I'm sure you appreciate that.

    "The last section of data is probably so obvious it doesn't demand explanation. Nevertheless, I'll explain it to
    you. I developed this miracle. Perhaps I'm too facile with it. You won't be. Yet. Your new body is equipped
    with an entire assembly of simulate parallels heart, lungs, intestinal organs. Your eyes blink automatically; similarly your heart beats and you breathe. You can eat and drink, too, and excrete, if your sense of
thoroughness desires it though, in fact, this wonderful un-body of yours can internally eliminate ingested food and fluid, which, of course, it does not depend on, without recourse to the accepted procedure. Any other mortal function is feasible. You can hiccup, sneeze, sweat, cry tears if the fancy takes you. You have a circulatory pseudo-blood system. You can even blush. But these rather fatuous demonstrations will not usually be triggered spontaneously. Not usually.
    "There are a few restrictions that still apply. A few natural physical impulses that will relay so forcefully from your physical brain, that they'll govern your body haphazardly

    34

    fear, for example. Actually , I confess, I don't believe I’ve tracked them all down. You may get some
    surprises. The one sure biological law you'll still be subject to, however, is the sleep process. The human brain cannot perform effectively without some ration of sleep. The reasons for this are numerous, and I'll spare you them. In any event, physically you'll need little rest, and your sleep requirement will be
appropriately low. You needn't worry about allocation. Lack will communicate itself. You'll get tired in the usual human manner, and lose consciousness in the same way. You'll be glad to hear your new body will continue to breathe and retain its other life signs during this time. Or maybe your thinking hasn't got far enough, yet, to see why realistic blood and comatose life signs are necessary.
    "There's a second blatant stricture. Death. If you had any notions of escaping our friend, the Grim Reaper, you can erase those, too. Consciousness Transferral isn't a gate either to immortality or invulnerability. I
don't know how long a human being can survive existence in a maintenance capsule. Experiments suggest indefinitely after all, the wear and tear is slight and protection more or less infinite. Perhaps, on the other hand, atrophy will set in early despite the extreme ministrations of the mechanical nursemaid. If you take care of your capsule, I'd say you could expect at least thirty years of guaranteed life. But once your
    physical brain dies, your life is finished. Your consciousness goes out with it, and so, my Magdala, do you, whatever condition your simulate body is in. That is why I stress your care for the capsule. It's your ticket for the ride.
    "Which leads me to death's appendix, injury. Don't injure yourself, Magdala.