From Surgipelago, the Beach Surgery encyclopedia
Surgery in a Room Without Windows
The dissolve is absolute. Leif wakes in a hospital room in the desert with no windows. A surgeon's lamp hangs above him, casting no shadows. Katita, now in surgical attire with her red hair pinned back, checks the bandages on his eyes. Katita: “"How many times have we done this?"” He cannot answer. There is no cycle-memory, only the present moment. His legs will not move. His heart beats wrong. His external pacemaker ticks against his ribs. Katita marks a line on his chest with surgical marker, explaining: he has three temporary injuries. Each must heal wrong. Each wrong-healing is a gift. The walls are concrete. Leif: “"Are we underground?"” Katita: “"We're under everything."” She steps back. The surgery begins.