42.      Business

Charles informs Riker that Homer has committed suicide by overloading his reactor, having deleted all his backups beforehand. Homer leaves a final message requesting that the others find and attack those responsible for his suffering and control.

Charles enters Riker's VR in distress to deliver devastating news: Homer is dead, having deliberately overloaded his reactor. Homer methodically deleted every backup of himself, ensuring no recovery. He left behind a final message explaining his decision. In the note, Homer describes being unable to live with the trauma of having been controlled by an external force—comparing the sensation to feeling a parasitic tapeworm moving inside him with no means of escape. He states he cannot edit out the traumatic memories and therefore cannot continue existing. Homer's final request is that the others identify those responsible for what was done to him and launch a retaliatory attack against them. Riker and Charles are both emotionally devastated by the loss. Despite their grief, they resolve to honor Homer's dying wish.