Recursion

by Blake Crouch

Slade takes the DVD from the coffee table to the entertainment center. He loads it into the player and turns up the volume. Onscreen: a tall, emaciated man she has never seen before is reclined in the memory chair. Jee-woon Chercover is leaning over him, inking a tattoo of letters—M-i-r-a-n—into his left shoulder. The emaciated man lifts an arm and says, “Stop.” Slade steps into the frame. “What is it, Reed?” “I’m back. I’m here. Oh my God.” “What are you talking about?” “The experiment worked.” “Prove it to me.” “Your mother’s name is Susan. You told me to tell you that right before I got into the egg.” Onscreen, a huge grin spreads across Slade’s face. He asks, “What time did we do the experiment tomorrow?” “Ten a.m.” Slade turns off the television and looks at Helena. She says, “Was that supposed to make any sense to me?” “I guess we’ll know in a minute.”