Page 25. The machine on the right’s for plasmapheresis. Basically it’s withdrawing Al’s blood, separating the blood cells from the plasma containing the antibodies attacking the immune system, and circulating the cells back into Al’s body with new plasma.
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Poor Al looks so gaunt and swollen and frail.
Neat machinery. Looked like dialysis machine to me at first, but plasmapheresis is more logical in isolated autoimmune disease.
Was already really enjoying this comic, my compliments for doing your homework on current-day machines. I see these daily, nice to recognise them here, although that’s always the phase where it’s not so nice for the patient anymore…
Agreed. The careful research for the same of verisimilitude (even on the subtlest level) is one of the things I love about the comic. I reacted the same way to the military uniforms and symbols. And to software problems versus mechanical issues with the giant robot.
What Brendan is actually doing is no more helpful or considerate to his dying partner than taking Al’s picture and then calling the picture ‘Al’.
Think of this from the actual Al’s perspective, your partner comes in, does his little brain scan, and then walks away treating his mind snapshot with more consideration than the actual person. I do hope Al is not in any way aware of what is going on as people in a coma sometimes are.
More than likely, we’ll never know. Though I’m pretty sure the answer is no, seeing as how whomever did their own scan started at roughly the same point that Brendan did, and Al wakes up with no really break from his collapse to his ‘waking up’, in his own mind, anyway.
As for ‘helpful’, there’s not much more that Brendan could do then what he’s doing now. Multiple Organ failure isn’t something you just Recover from. The longstanding issues beyond regaining consciousness and not dying from it last for a very long time, likely even the rest of your life.
There are definitely issues regarding what he’s doing, like CONSENT, but of all the problems that Al has with being ‘brought back’, actually being brought back is very low on the list. He’s probably fine with still being around, it’s just everything else he’s got trouble with in the future.
would you rather they be looking up a nice casket? chill out my friend
Just saying,
Copying a person (if it was possible) is not ‘saving’ the person in any way, they aren’t a book or cd you are ripping, talk about the most severe of copyright and intellectual property infringement possible. It is actually just substituting a copy for the person in the survivors mind, so they don’t have to deal with their loss, which is childish…and dangerous. Death is part of life, and Brandon is not dealing with it. At all.
If anyone here wants to see what fresh ‘brave new world’ transhumanism leads towards, check out the Eclipse Phase rpg. It isn’t pretty, and goes quite a ways towards the commoditization and devaluing of human life, as well as the dehumanization of the ‘copied’ humans themselves, kill one, who cares? Just whip up another copy and torture it to your black heart’s content. If I can whip up a copy of a person, in any number of reiterations I would like, or lobotomize a ‘copied’ human mind into a semi-mindless servant, exactly do you claim to value human existence aside from as chattel property? Or claim you are opposed to slavery?
There are some things in this world we should not be allowed to own or barter in.
I’d agree, but Brendan doesn’t think so. He explicitly believes he can copy Al’s soul to a new vessel with no loss on Al’s part. As unreasonable as that may be, it would be pointless to tell him otherwise. And it’s probably only that belief that keeps him alive right now.
The look on Brendan’s face shows how hard he’s trying to keep it together. He KNOWS that Al isn’t going to be looking good but no matter how hard you prep yourself the impact of seeing someone with all those tubes and machines hooked up to them is gonna hit you hard
this page hits so hard. I’ve stood by a few family members in the ICU just all hooked up and… aaah. so many memories just rushed through me and locked up my chest. I really feel for Brendan and for Al in different ways right now!
Hang on buddy, live just long enough to live forever.
Jesus… Brendan, you stole Al’s brain. You copied his brain, Brendan.
Hi there! Long time reader and first time posting a comment here! Just wanted to say something that I have noticed while reading through these flashbacks and also going back to the beginning and rereading the first few pages. I saw where Brendan had left a note on Al’s pillow but Al apparently never read it. I was wondering if that is important to the overall story? Thanks! David
I keep seeing people mention the note as written TO Al, but I just reread the first few pages as well, and considering that the note is in Al’s bedroom and Brendan is the one outside, it seems to me that the note is signed FROM Al, isn’t it?
I’ve been going back and forth on this one a bit.
At first I thought it said ‘—AL’, as in, Al signed it and came home in the middle of the night coughing up blood and found that Brendan had never read it.
And on Page 19 of Chapter 5, it looks like Brendan is the one who leaves the note there after Al storms out of the building. (Al’s already outside and stays there until after dark; the hand we see leaving the note is probably Brendan’s, since Al’s hands are enormous and since Brendan’s also in the process of grabbing one of the replicators, presumably in order to make sure at least one of them is safe.)
It’s interesting that Android-Al wakes up and goes, “No,” on Page 5 of Chapter 1. Is he looking for the note that isn’t there? Or does it more have to do with not being in the bedroom he expects?
I just…ugh. I don’t know why, but this seems like such a violation. Even with all of the hurt feelings and the horrible things that have been said, this is just beyond the pale. If I knew that anyone had done this without my explicit consent, I’d be trying to shut down too. *shudders*
not to get too personal in the comments here, and this might be kind of weird, but: as someone whose mother is terminally ill (she just got admitted to the ICU two days ago and we discovered her cancer’s spread to her brain), and therefore someone who has been very familiar with hospitals, these past few pages have been so cathartic for me. seeing a relatable character go through the grieving process with me and seeing him react in the same goal-focused way I’ve been reacting… I thought it’d be hard to read of late, but it’s been a comfort instead. thank you, Blue, for weaving this wonderful story.
that said, still heartwrenching. :(
Okay, total Internet stranger here, but I’m so sorry to hear this. Thinking of you.