The next morning, while Charlie was anesthetized, Dr. Cull opened the top of his head and began removing large portions of his brain. Cull removed his yearning for love, his self-reflection, his hopes for a return to New York and to Maggie’s good graces. He left in place the brutality and the desire to serve. He made Charlie Duchamp, as much as he was able, into an extension of his own will: a clenched fist; a grip at the throat.
