The Postmortal

John observes posters with the phrase “Immortality Will Kill Us All” printed on them as he walks to visit a doctor for a “cure.” At the doctor’s apartment, he provides a code word and is invited inside. The doctor gives him a basic description of gene therapy. He tells John that the cure for aging will be ready in two weeks, and he should use the time to reflect on whether he would like to be permanently 29, reinforcing that death is still a possibility. When John reasserts his desire to not age, the doctor takes a blood sample, teasing John about being a lawyer. When John asks the doctor why he would risk his license to deliver an unauthorized cure, the doctor claims that it is curiosity.

The pope announces that all people who have taken the postmortal cure will be damned to Hell, sparking outrage and conflict among Catholics. John reflects on how the immortality promised by religion is now contrasted to a real form of almost-immortality.

No one in John’s life, himself included, has openly admitted to pursuing or getting the cure. However, his roommate Katy gets him to confess. She interrogates him for more information and asks for a referral, but John has been instructed not to refer anyone, even though Katy guesses who provided him with the information. John agrees to refer Katy if she pays for cable for the next six months, and she celebrates having found someone to give her the cure.

John visits his dad in Connecticut for the weekend, needing someone to talk to about the cure. After sharing his pursuit of the postmortal cure and offering a referral, his father admits that he still mourns for John’s late mother. The two briefly argue about their conflicting viewpoints on death and the afterlife before John’s father outlines his mixed feelings about the cure. The two move on to easier topics of conversation.

John returns to the doctor’s apartment building, passing by more posters protesting the aging cure. A blonde woman exits the elevator in the lobby, and John is immediately attracted to her. He takes her presence as a sign that he must stay forever young. John asks the doctor about the woman but receives no answers. John is strapped down for the three deep-tissue injections. After the procedure, the doctor encourages John to enjoy his life.

John enjoys the feeling of not aging, even though he acknowledges that it could be the placebo effect. He walks by a pro-cure protest that is growing violent and gaining a police presence. He meets with Katy at a bar to celebrate his cure.

John receives an email from his friend Jeff containing the transcription from a broadcast given by Allen Atkins, a television personality. Atkins supports the cure, citing the Constitution, and he speaks disparagingly of liberals for their supposed role in suppressing it. He then encourages his viewers to purchase guns so that they can be prepared when their liberties are threatened. John is disturbed by this content.

John spends the next week at work, trying to settle into his new unlimited potential. He gets pulled aside by a colleague, who tells him to learn divorce law because all the financial advisors and hedge fund managers are seeking divorces. The lawyer then shares a story about a recent client who wanted a divorce or annulment, claiming that he married his wife under false pretenses when “forever” meant several decades. John resolves to learn divorce law.

John walks Katy to her initial cure appointment. They stop for lunch, and she grapples with the postmortal; she resolves to make something out of her life. John spots the woman from the elevator and promises to meet Katy after her appointment. The woman notices his approach and starts to run from him. Before he can catch up with her, the doctor’s apartment building explodes. John runs to the apartment and questions the people he meets, looking for any sign of Katy. He rushes into the building but is soon kicked out by firefighters. He realizes that Katy has been killed.

John struggles to face his lonely apartment. He reads a blog post written by a woman called Ladyhawke, who saw the bombing while attending a pro-cure protest. She emphasizes the peaceful, pro-cure protests compared to the violence done by the anti-cure groups, who she believes are responsible for doctor deaths all over the nation. John feels overwhelmed.

John attends Katy’s funeral and becomes increasingly convinced that the attractive woman was the one who planted the bomb. He spends his free time reading articles about the many bombings that have occurred, upbraiding himself for not having paid attention before Katy’s death.

He also reads articles written about Graham Otto, a scientist who uncovered the cure for aging accidentally while researching gene therapy for hair coloration. After verifying that gene therapy worked with animals, he tested it with patients experiencing early-onset Alzheimer’s, stalling the disease and prolonging their lives indefinitely. Doctors injected themselves and were coerced, bribed, or flattered into administering the cure to those who could pay for it. Otto expressed a distaste for such rapid use of the cure, highlighting the potentially negative effects of something becoming so common so quickly. While closing the lab one night, he and his colleagues were kidnapped and set on fire in a pro-death protest.

John takes the train to visit his sister Polly, needing to get away from Manhattan and his thoughts of Katy. He confesses that he has gotten the cure and talks about his feelings of culpability for Katy’s death. Poly chastises him for having gotten the cure, her anger grounded in concern for his well-being. She worries about the implications of ending aging for future generations, then describes the insecurities in her marriage that she fears will be amplified by being postmortal. John and Polly shift the conversation away from the cure, and John has a temporary reprieve from his grief.

John emails a friend in DC to ask about the uptick in protests. His friend responds by detailing the intense security measures that have been taken, which have severely impacted public transit. The Supreme Court justices have been moved to an undisclosed location while they debate the constitutionality of banning the cure in California, the first state to make a decision on the injection.

John spots a woman who looks like the one he saw outside the doctor’s apartment and chases after her. When he gets closer, he realizes she is not the same woman. Identifying blondes and chasing them becomes a part of his routine as he continues to grapple with Katy’s loss.

John reads a news article about four pro-cure protesters who were shot by the National Guard, resulting in a mass panic that left many injured. He then watches a man run screaming through the street with a pro-cure sign before turning on the news. Protesters are waiting for a presidential address.

John provides a transcript of the presidential address. The president begins his speech by reinforcing the principles of liberty on which the United States was founded, then warns against the consumption of natural resources that would be exploited by immortal people. However, he signs an executive order that reverses the ban on the cure and passes a series of regulations. John listens to protesters celebrate outside, comparing them to Katy.

John scours the internet for peoples’ responses to the pronouncement, which are extremely varied. He then takes a walk and observes Manhattan, struck by how normal it feels while knowing that normalcy is temporary.