Substitution - Chapter 13
#13 of Substitution (TF Themes)
Substitution - Chapter 13
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Hello, sweeties!
Welcome to the story, my dears - commissioned by Nex_Canis , as always - and what a chapter do we have coming here! I hope you'll have a good time, and I look forward to your feedback!
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"Mister Kyle?"
Talking with Roman Kyle was an effort that sapped Brantley of much of his energy, and as a result he had fallen asleep on one of the chairs in the so-called relatives' room, which really was more like a hotel suite and reserved for him. Any chance to rest his eyes was welcome, and he had fallen into fitful sleep that was interrupted all too soon by the inquisitive voice rousing him.
"Brantley Kyle?"
His first instinct would have been to grumble and give a suspicious face to whoever dared to interrupt him, but the sight of the German Shepherd woman in smart dress made him bite back his grumblings. The dog was familiar, and not entirely wanted.
"Mister Kyle?" the woman asked again.
Brantley flicked his ears.
"Yes."
She offered her paw.
"Juliet Ebstein of Ebstein, Ebstein and Jacobson," her voice was crisp. "I am your father's attorney."
"Yes, I know who you are," Brantley replied. Much like the staff of the Institute, the sight of her was usually not a promise of good news. "We spoke a few months ago."
"Indeed," the dog replied.
"I tried to contact you directly but I was unable to reach you through your home and your office, but I was told that you would be found here," she said.
"Hmmm," Brantley nodded.
"May we talk?" she asked. "There are matters of some urgency that should be taken care of."
"Well you are here," Brantley huffed. "Let's."
She settled onto one of the designers chairs next to him and placed a small shoulder bag onto her lap. Out of it came a data pad that she activated with a tap.
"I have been contacted by the patient advocacy department of the Nogura Institute regarding your father's condition," she spoke in a level voice, "and it appears that we may have to update some of the legal agreements that are currently in place to protect your father's interests."
And your own fucking interests, the wolf thought.
"Yes?"
She began to tap on her pad to recall documents.
"Upon your father's accident, you were placed in charge of his estate and estate according to the durable power of attorney signed by your father, Roman Kyle, assigning you to be responsible for the financial and medical decisions."
"I know," Brantley said. "We had talked about it. I have a similar agreement that would place mine to him."
"Indeed..." Mrs. Ebstein nodded. "Yet upon your father's expiration, his estate ceased to be governed by this durable power of attorney agreement and was instead to be governed by the will of Mister Roman Kyle, written...approximately six years ago."
Brantley felt a coldness in his chest. The lawyer's words were extremely matter of fact and entirely without passion, but they nonetheless affected the wolf. Her narrative reduced the horrible accident of Roman Kyle and his eventual death into simple legal terms.
"I know that will," he said. "It names your office as the executioner, and it names me as the beneficiary."
"Yes," said Mrs. Ebstein," that is correct."
"So what's the issue then?" Brantley asked.
"The legal framework in regards to the...the recombinant person is a complex one," she replied, "The Supreme Court has issued several statements on the subject, and we must rely upon them in making these decisions."
Brantley shrugged.
"You're talking about Kim versus Davis," he said.
She nodded.
"You know the case."
"Netflix already made a movie out of it, everyone knows the story," Brantley huffed.
"The legal ramifications, however, go somewhat beyond the average...movie plot," Mrs. Ebstein replied. "There are questions that need to be answered."
"As long as they are legal ones, not moral ones," Brantley grunted. "I've had to dodge religious protesters on the front lawn almost every other day."
The German Shepherd almost smiled.
"My matters are positively bureaucratic," she said. "It is about your father's changing legal status."
Brantley shook his head.
"What now?" he grunted. "Does he need a new birth certificate or something, because he's a mutant?"
She didn't take the bait. Brantley had not expected her to, either.
"As per Kim vs. Davis, the legal entity of Roman Kyle can be recognized as being embodied in a...new body, if certain prerequisites are met according to the legal framework," Mrs. Ebstein said.
"Like what?"
"A proof of identity based on DNA assay, and psychometric evaluation."
Brantley shrugged.
"They are evaluating him every day, every week," he said. "Is that not enough?"
"The results from the evaluation here are sufficient, but there are other parts of the process that must be taken into account," Mrs. Ebstein said.
"What more?" Brantley grumbled.
"We must re-determine the terms of the durable power of attorney that governs the medical and financial decisions," the German Shepherd continued. "Since Roman Kyle can be recognized as a legal entity again, the terms of his will do no longer apply to the government of his estate and his assets."
Brantley's ears flicked back and forth loud enough to cause a swishing noise.
"Are you saying...if I understand this right, you mean that...that he has to be...declared alive again?" the wolf asked. "And immediately also recognized as being unfit to make his own decisions?"
"In essence, yes," said Mrs. Ebstein. "His mental capacity has been deemed to be seriously reduced and he is unable to make financial or medical decisions for himself."
"So how much of your beloved bureaucracy will this take?" Brantley asked. "Is there paperwork to sign? Things to do? Money transfers to make?"
"You will only have to sign this..."
Mrs. Ebstein shifted onto another document and then handed over the pad for Brantley.
"This is the updated form that recognizes your status as the controller of Roman Kyle's assets and estate, as per the durable power of attorney agreement," Mrs. Ebstein said. "My office has reviewed it, and we see no obstacles."
Brantley looked at the mass of small print text floating beneath his fingertips. He could feel the headache coming up already.
"Well I guess it makes sense," he said. "You can't be both dead and alive at the same time in the legal sense."
"And that's what Kim vs. Davis was for, to see where the limits go," the German Shepherd replied.
"Indeed."
"There are some other things as well but they are not part of this particular issue," Mrs. Ebstein said, "more practical things to do with the social security administration."
"What does that mean?" Brantley asked. "Is that the birth certificate now?"
"That was actually another legal challenge - "
"I'm sure there was," Brantley interjected.
She wrinkled her nose.
"...but it was determined that due to the proven biological continuity, there is no need for a new birth certificate," Mrs. Ebstein took her small victory in the debate.
"Alright."
"Some other requirements are outstanding, however," she said. "Your father's biometric data will have to be updated. His voice, padprints and general appearance no longer match the comparative data in the federal database."
Brantley wasn't exactly thrilled to be reminded of the fact that his father - whatever there was left of his father, Roman Kyle, now inhabited a body he barely knew himself, let alone his son.
"Well I look forward to seeing you try to convince him to stay still for the duration of recording all those," Brantley said.
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