The accident happened on a Tuesday. I was inspecting beams on the third story when I heard a loud pop, and suddenly I was falling.

 

When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor informed me that my right arm was permanently paralyzed. Then my boss came to tell me I was laid off since I was no longer fit to work at the job site. I was completely dejected when I went home on Friday. On Monday morning, I heard a knock on my apartment door.

 

“Good morning, Matt. I’m Robert. I work for a biotech firm called NeurAlly,” he said. He had the overly polished look of a salesman, but oddly seemed too anxious to look me directly in the eye. “Your former employer contacted us regarding your recent injury. Sorry to show up unannounced, but I figured it’d be easier to explain our offer in person. Can I come in?”

 

“Sure,” I said hesitantly. “Wait, did you say offer?”

 

“Yes,” Robert said as he walked in. He glanced around for a place to sit, but decided to awkwardly stand by the door instead. “Our company restores functionality to paralyzed sections of the body. Once repaired, the nerves are supported and protected by a permanently implanted device. For full disclosure, the procedure hasn’t received final approval from the government yet. In the meantime, we’re inviting you to participate in our trial.”

 

“So, that’s your offer? For me to be a guinea pig?!”

 

“We prefer ‘reconnection candidate.’ But you’re right, to a certain degree. I’m not here to sugar-coat the risk. Best case scenario, you’d regain full use of your arm. Worst case…”

 

“I’d still be like this.”

 

“But our success rate is quite high,” he said, quickly trying to regain my interest. “Furthermore, there’d be no financial cost to you.”

 

“And then I’d get my job back?” I asked, with a hint of cautious optimism.

 

“Ultimately, that’s not our decision. But we would give you full medical clearance to return to your previous role.” As he turned to leave, he said, “Thank you for your time, Matt. I look forward to hearing from you.”

 

As I watched him walk down the hall, I was struck by Robert’s uneven nature. His sales pitch was convincing, but his tone was borderline desperate. Like he needed this as much as I did.

 

* * *

 

Despite my uneasiness about Robert, I decided that I had to get the implant. I told him I was in, he scheduled the procedure, and it was successful. The night after the surgery, I had a strangely vivid dream of a construction site on fire. But I quickly forgot that as my arm miraculously came back to life. Before I knew it, Robert signed my clearance to return to work.

 

I immediately went to my boss’s office and told her that I wanted my job back. She said they were unable to be legally liable for unapproved technology. I was simultaneously furious and confused. On my way home, I wondered why she gave NeurAlly my information if she knew she wasn’t going to rehire me.

 

I continued to have increasingly realistic dreams. I only experienced the fire once, but after that I had a recurring vision of talking to Robert at my apartment. I asked him about it, but he gave me a vague, unconvincing excuse about it being a typical side effect of the procedure.

 

A few nights later, I woke up from my most life-like dream yet. Except I couldn’t feel or move my body. I was lying on my kitchen floor and staring straight into Robert’s face.

 

He looked concerned and frustrated. “What’s wrong now?” he said under his breath. He was fumbling with a device in his hand, and with the click of a button I could suddenly feel my whole body again. As I started to move, he cursed quietly and pressed something else. Everything below my neck went numb again, and I fell back down.

 

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, despite my compromised position.

 

“Your implant wasn’t just designed to reconnect your nerves. It also has a… remote control feature. I was testing it while you slept, but it seems to have malfunctioned. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened, so NeurAlly had insurance just in case.”

 

“Insurance?”

 

He made a few taps on his phone and turned it to show me footage from a security camera. It was of a man setting fire to a construction site, and it quickly became apparent that the man was me. “That was the night after your procedure.”

 

“Why would you make me burn down a random site?” I asked.

 

“Because it wasn’t random. It belongs to your former employer. They got a sizable insurance payout, and NeurAlly got incentive for you to cooperate.”

 

“But why would you want to help my company?” Before he could answer, I continued my train of thought, “Because the accident wasn’t accidental. But you couldn’t have been sure that I’d be paralyzed. Unless the doctors-”

 

“I’m sorry, Matt. You weren’t supposed to find out.”

 

My head was swimming in a sea of disappointment, resentment, and fear. Strangely, I also felt a bewildering sense of empathy. Robert was like a caged animal that had bitten me, genuinely apologetic for his actions but clearly acting purely based on survival instincts.

 

“Why are you sorry?”

 

“Because I wish I didn’t know either,” he explained. “My implant malfunctioned too, and I was haunted by the knowledge that NeurAlly-

 

“Wait, you don’t work for them?”

 

“Not exactly. I made a deal. If I convinced a certain number of people to get their device, they’d remove mine. You’re my last. If I can demonstrate that your device is operational, then I’m done.”

 

“But won’t you be paralyzed?” I asked.

 

“Yeah, but that’s better than being a puppet. Maybe you’ll get the same deal for your freedom… someday.”