Death Wish by Lindsey Menges Page A

strides to the front of the room and clears his throat. The assembled group goes quiet, the light chatter instantly silenced. The Primary nods to a group in the back; the receptionists and other staff members of the Clerical Department shuffle out of the room. The last one to leave shuts the door. Whatever we’re about to hear is, apparently, for Godparent ears only.
“Good afternoon, everyone.”
The Primary greets us formally, his powerful voice easily filling the room. His expression is sterner than normal. If I wasn’t sure before, I’m now certain that this meeting wasn’t called for positive reasons.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering why you’ve been asked here today.”
There are murmurs of agreement, and the Primary raises his hand for silence.
“We are here today because something has happened. Something bad . Last night, two citizens died.”
There is silence after his statement, and more than a few confused looks are exchanged throughout the group. Harrison looks at me and mouthes What is he talking about? I shrug.
“Um, Primary Johnson?”
A timid Godfather at the front of the room raises his hand. The Primary looks at him, and the Godfather has to clear his throat before continuing.
“S-sir, I’m confused about why two people dying warrants a meeting. I mean, we complete Death Wishes every day…”
His voice trails off at the Primary’s piercing gaze. But the Primary nods before turning back to the assembly.
“That is true, Godfather O’Malley, we do complete Death Wishes daily. But that is not why we are here. We are here because the two people who died… did not submit Wishes.”
Now a collection of gasps meets his words. I inhale sharply. They didn’t submit Wishes? That’s impossible. Only the Godparents, Life Chip Engineers, and Surgeons know how to end life. And since the Clerical Department holds onto our Life Chip Extractors until we’re out on assignment, there’s no way a Godparent can kill someone while off the clock.
A few people in the group give voice to my thoughts, but the Primary raises his hand once more. The room goes silent and he continues.
“To learn more about the details of these deaths, I have brought in Doctor Timothy Alquist and Doctor Harriet Sloan, two members of our city’s surgical team. Please give them your undivided attention.”
The two Surgeons I noticed at the beginning of this meeting walk forward. Their white scrubs may match, but physically they couldn’t be more different. Doctor Alquist is extremely tall and thin, with pale skin and a shock of red hair, while Doctor Sloan is short and curved, with cocoa-colored skin and long, black hair that’s been braided and draped across her shoulder.
“Thank you, Primary Godfather Johnson,” says Doctor Sloan in a smoky voice. She steps forward while Doctor Alquist turns and types on a nearby keyboard. The projector whirs, and a picture of a Life Chip comes on screen.
“As you all know,” she says, addressing the group while gesturing to the picture, “the Life Chip is the invention that has granted humankind practical immortality. Before now, all that the Fairy Godparent Organization knew about the Life Chip is that everyone is implanted with one immediately after birth, and that death can only be achieved if it is removed. But because of the recent, sudden deaths without a Death Wish in the area, we have decided it would be prudent to explain a bit more about the inner-workings of the Chips to the local Godparents.”
Alquist taps a key and the screen behind Sloan changes to an image of a man and woman. They both have deep chestnut hair, olive skin and closed eyes.
“This is a picture of the deceased: Mr. and Mrs. Joel and Beverly Smith. They were found by their neighbor, Ms. Amelia DiAngelo, collapsed in their apartment. There was no evidence of a break-in, and their Life Chips were still intact. They remained under the skin at the base of the skull and were unharmed.”
“Wait a minute,” Harrison