“Ah, yes. Well, just a few years ago, memory extraction was just a hypothesis, but you managed to make it a reality. I’m confident you will find success here as well. It doesn’t seem too far of a leap.”
Reminding myself that this man had two PhDs—one of which was in Neurotech—I gave him an easy smile.
“Thank you for your vote of confidence. Still, manipulation would require a level of nuance not necessary for a simple extraction. We’re a long way away from producing a viable prototype.”
“Jay is always so modest,” Luke interrupted, his tone deceivingly light and teasing. “Just the other day, he informed me that he and one of our new MTRs have made significant advancements. They’re ready to begin testing.”
I forced myself to keep smiling.
“Testing signal output and thought acquisition, yes. We haven’t even begun to work through the process of actual manipulation.”
“Fair enough. I’m prepared to fund this project in an effort to accelerate development. I’m sure with enough funding, you will be able to prioritize research,” the doctor said, still watching me with that eerily calm smile on his face.
“Money always helps, yes. But it’s not the end all be all. As I said, I don’t have enough at this stage to promise success. I would hate for you to invest and be disappointed.”
“He won’t disappoint you,” Luke snapped, his calm demeanor shattering.
Still, the doctor only looked at me, his smile widening.
“No. I don’t believe he will. A man with Jay’s track record seems destined for success.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll work with Sebastian to clear Jay’s plate so he can focus on developing the manipulator. Dr. Grey, I’ll follow up with you on this since I know you’re on a timeline. I’ll have my administrative assistant send through the required funding contracts.” Luke was clearly doing everything he could to lock down this deal before I ruined it for him. I cut him a cold look before glancing back at the doctor. Unable to help myself, I cut in.
“Iamcurious, Dr. Grey, what plans does DARPA have for this technology? Neurovance is already facing a healthy dose of criticism from the public. You understand my concerns around sharing this technology with the military. Is there anything you can do to assure me that my work will be used ethically?”
Seb literally sucked in a breath, and Luke was glaring at me so hard I was shocked the paint didn’t start peeling off the walls.
“Of course, Mr. Reynolds,” he said, falling back on formalities.
Another mask.
“We plan to use this technology to ease the burdens of war that often plague our soldiers. A soldier’s mind is akin to a battlefield, after all. We’re simply looking for ways to… remove thedebris.”
My eyes narrowed. “With their consent, I would hope? Manipulating a person’s mind without their knowledge wouldn’t just be unethical, Dr. Grey. Some might go as far as to call it evil.”
The doctor’s eyes glinted in amusement, and he got to his feet. He straightened his jacket and looked me square in the eyes as he said, “The concept of ‘evil’ is a construct, Mr. Reynolds. I don’t believe there’s any such thing. Only unexplored consequences.”
Iresisted the urge to jump up and cheer as the manipulator’s output finally clicked into place.
“Ahh! I did it!” I chirped happily, and NOVA let out a chipper‘Yay Milo!’
“Thanks, NOVA,” I grinned, holding the device up in front of me so I could examine it in better light.
Jay’s cave was relatively dimly lit, but I had several surgical lamps set up around my workstation to help me see better.
I couldn’t wait for Jay to get back from his meeting so we could test out my work and see if it did what it was supposed to do in practice.
His proud smile and soft words of praise I was sure he would give me hummed like a warm promise in my tummy as I picked up my soldering iron to add some final touches.
The morning had felt empty without him, no matter how delicious the bagels he’d ordered me were or how much my cheeks had warmed when I put on the outfit he’d picked out for me.
Today I was in a white button-up with little DNA strands embroidered into the fabric and a pair of comfy Levi’s. He’d also left out a chrome butt plug with a note next to it that just said:Please? <3
Despite the rush of embarrassment that coursed through me at the sight of it, I couldn’t help but indulge him.
I prepped myself with my fingers and some lube before inserting it, wincing against the sting. It wasn’t exactly abeginnerplug, and I had a feeling it was to keep me ready for whatever it was he had planned later.
Once it was in, though, I was able to more or less forget about it unless I flexed intentionally around it, and I went about my morning as usual.
