Ten years from now? Drake, if you come back to me in eight or ten years and ask me again, I’ll admit I was completely wrong. And I promise you, I’ll help you to do what you’ve asked.

An absolute promise? I don’t want to hear some day that you changed your mind, or didn’t mean what you said.

An absolute promise. Sure, I’ll give you that… There was the sound of Tom’s relieved laugh.

Drake turned off the recorder. “I said, eight to ten years. It has been nine.”

“You recorded us, back then when Ana had just died? I can’t believe you would do that.”

“I had to, Tom. Even then, I was convinced that you would change your mind. But I knew that I wouldn’t. You have to live up to your agreement. You promised.”

“I promised to help you, to stop you from doing something crazy to yourself.” Tom’s face went ruddy with intolerable frustration. “For God’s sake, Drake, I’m a doctor. You can’t ask me to help you kill yourself.”

“I’m not asking that.”

“You might as well be. No one has ever been revived. Maybe no one ever will be. If they do learn how, Anastasia will be a candidate. She is in the best Second Chance womb, she had the best preparation money could buy. But you, you’re different. You’re not sick! Ana was dying before she was frozen, she had nothing to lose. You have everything to lose. You’re healthy, you’re productive, you’re at the height of your career. And you are asking me to throw all that away, to help you take the chance that someday, God knows when, you might — just might — be revived. Don’t you see, Drake, I can’t help you.”

“You gave me your promise.”

“Stop saying that! I also have my oath as a physician: to do no harm. You want me to take you from perfect health to a high odds of final death.”