Friday Challenge Entry #1

For the Friday Challenge

This is my first try at actually writing a story. Be gentle...

"Methuselah unbound"

Dateline May 16, 2024

With the advent of nanotechnology, medical breakthroughs seem likely to become an everyday occurrence. Foremost among them the possibility of nearly limitless healing, and the extension of human life. - Dr. Janice Ghant, Interview published in New England Journal of Medicine June 1, 2024


Some time later...

Gabe sat at the edge of his cot, trying desperately to think of a way out.
But none came, at least none that he hadn't already tried.

Over and over...

To look at him, you'd never guess he was the oldest living natural born human. His salt and pepper hair gave him the appearance of a man in his early forties, a maddening effect that bothered him every time he caught his reflection in a shiny surface. Not that he'd had a mirror, at least not since they took his last one away after his final attempt, a couple decades ago.

He had known it was fruitless the second he began slicing at his wrists and forearms.
But it was the only method left to him. He'd put off trying it for so long. Mostly because of the pain.

But still he watched helplessly anyway as the nanomachines in his body were quickly undoing his latest failed effort at suicide. Easily repairing the deep gashes in his arms before he had even finished cutting.

After that the warden moved him into isolation, so as not to be a danger to himself or others.

Gabe had long ago resigned himself to the fact he'd likely never see the outside world again, other than on TV, or through the fine mesh of the windows of his cell, but in his deepest desires, he kept alive the hope that maybe just maybe one day he'd be free.

It was a surprise then, that a few weeks later Gabe got a visit from his attorney. Or more accurately his last attorney's great-granddaughter or something.

He'd honestly lost track, but the important part to him was that she'd taken on his case when her father died.

Gabe sat silently listening to her speak, glad to hear a human voice not barking orders or threatening to hurt him. He drank in the very sight of her, the fact that she came from the outside world was so distracting he hadn't heard much of what she had been saying, but a key phrase immediately caught his attention.

“Wait, what do you mean free?” He asked incredulously as she flipped through the stack of papers she'd brought along with her.

His lawyer flashed him a quick smile as she handed him a single sheet of paper, densely packed with legal jargon.

“Mr. Kinross, the firm has had your case since day one, and quite frankly I can't believe I'm the first to find this obscure legal loophole.” she said as she pointed to one line in particular on the document.

“What's cruel and unusual punishment?” he asked handing back the sheet of paper.

She again smiled and pulled out a small palmtop computer from her pocket. Its screen quickly flashed to life as a thin beam of greenish light tracking her eyes sent the information directly to her optic nerves.

“Yours is a special case Mr. Kinross. You were incarcerated back before the great digitization of 2103. Every piece of information about your case is only available on hard-copy. Like these files.” she said resting her hand on the small stack of papers on the table.

“When I tried to go over your case it made me wonder what laws were in effect at the time of your incarceration. And that's when I found this.” she said as her eye movements activated the projector function of the tiny computer.

Hovering above the table's surface was a document Gabe only had faint memories of, but had never actually seen before.

“The Constitution of the United States?” he said still wondering what this had to do with the other paper she'd already shown him. As far as he knew the Constitution had no such thing written in it, but he was working from vague childhood memories of the document.

His lawyer pulled another sheet of paper from the pile which was an exact replica of the one floating in mid-air. She'd highlighted the passage she'd shown him in the brief for his case, but now there it was, smack dab in the middle of the Constitution.

Eighth Amendment– Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

“What does this mean?” he asked feeling that hidden sliver of hope grow as she began to speak.

“It means they can't keep you in here for more than the term of your natural life. Which you've already served, quite a few times over.” she said gathering the papers and materials on the table and placing them back into her briefcase.

“As of this afternoon at 3:20 p.m. you are a free man. Congratulations Mr. Kinross.” she sad holding out her hand and shaking his as the news sunk in.

Once she had everything packed up, and was ready to go, Gabe finally worked up the nerve to ask her a question he was afraid to know the answer to.

“How..how long have I been in? I honestly don't know anymore.” Gabe said, his voice trailing off as he mentally prepared himself to hear the answer.

“Mr. Kinross, I've been told by both the prison psychotherapist, and an outside panel of experts not to answer that. At least not outright with a number right now.” she said as she turned to signal the guards they were ready to leave.

“You have an appointment with a special therapy group, with others like you. Men and women who've served especially long prison sentences.” she said, the tinge of compassion clear in her voice.

That worried Gabe more than anything. He'd long ago given up counting off the days of his sentence. But the thought that finding out how long he had been in here suddenly became his prime concern.

He'd long known about the others like him, men and women who'd received the “treatment” before committing a capitol crime. They had been among the minority, but he supposed that effective immortality or not, human nature was human nature. And he was among the last of them to be freed.

Gabe of course had heard of the rumors of people opting to reverse the treatment, happily going back to aging and dying as humanity once used to. The news of which was especially unnerving for him, since his generation of nanomachines were completely impervious to this new cure.

He'd found the decision he had made in haste so long ago had trapped him in a new prison. One he could never get out of. One of his own making.

His own body.

As they walked down the long corridor towards freedom, Gabe wondered if anyone he knew was even still alive. Where would he go? What would he do?

And most importantly to him, could he ever die?

Or would he be forever known as what the media dubbed him upon news of his release, the modern Methuselah?