“Tell meeverything.”
“I’m telling you, Milo. If the police aren’t going to do anything about yourstalker, then I really think it’s time you reconsider the MTR position,” Melanie snipped haughtily.
She was sitting across from me in her luxury N-car, twirling her keys around her finger again as we made our way to Synapse Springs.
N-cars were pod-like, with no ‘driver’s seat,’ as the vehicles were self-driving. The cushioned bench-like seats that lined the perimeter of the cars could be folded out to create beds if needed, and the more luxurious models even had tables and minifridges built into them for maximum comfort.
I know it must seem strange that I’m still comfortable getting in an N-car after what happened to me, but realistically, N-cars are still much safer than man-driven cars.
Since N-cars took over the market, the numbers speak for themselves. The two casualties inten yearsare more than just a little impressive when you take into account the fact that before self-driving cars, there was an average of four thousand traffic-related casualties a year in the state of California alone.
So, the chances of me being involved in an N-car accidenttwiceare lower than my chances of getting struck by literal lightning.
I’ve always been good with math, and as awkward and shy as I am, I like to think I’m a more or less rational person.
So, despite the fact that my father was killed by a faulty N-car, I still always took advantage when Melanie offered to give me a lift.
Beat the heck out of taking the subway, that’s for sure.
I sighed again as the car pulled into Synapse Springs’ guest parking lot.
“You know I can’t do that, Mel. Neurovance employees are required to live on campus. I need to be able to take care of my mom.”
Melanie scoffed as the car parked itself. She popped up the door and stepped out into the sunlight, her long, tanned legs unfolding gracefully beneath her crisp pencil skirt.
“First of all, that’sexactlywhy you should take the position. There’s no way whoever this is would make it through Neurovance security to get to you.” She cut me a stern look. “Also, news flash!I’ma Neurovance employee who lives on campus, and check it out, I’m here with you visiting your mom right now!”
I bit my lip, climbing out of the car after her. “Yeah, but you’re the COO, Melanie. I’d just be some lowly memory therapy researcher. You said yourself that employees under probation are expected to stay on campus for at leastthree monthsbefore they can apply for leave.”
Melanie rolled her eyes as we walked up the perfectly manicured pathway to Synapse Springs.
The wide, white concrete path was lined with zen-like water features, and hidden speakers were playing soothing spa music, creating a calm, relaxed atmosphere before anyone even entered the building.
We approached the sliding glass doors, and the building’s AI greeted us.
“Welcome to Synapse Springs! Can you provide me with your visitor number, please?” The soothing artificial voice had a dreamy tone, and I smiled as I rattled off the number I’d been given once my mother was enrolled in the program.
The AI opened the doors for us, and we stepped into the clean, bright space. The clack of Melanie’s heels was absorbed by the softbamboo floors, and the white walls were decorated with soothing paintings of florals and mountain scapes.
“You wouldn’t be a lowlymemory therapy researcher, Milo. Sebastian asks about you almostevery day.Especially with Jay off on medical leave, Seb said he wants you to head up the entire department and spearhead the NeuroManipulator project.”
Melanie smiled and waved to the receptionist as we made our way to the elevator block, which was nestled between two indoor ponds complete with waterfalls and live koi fish. The spa-like vibes of the facility carried over into the cylindrical glass elevators, which faintly smelled of citrus and tea tree oil.
The AI’s voice chimed again, asked us which floor it should deliver us to, and Melanie gave it my mother’s room number.
“What!?” I squeaked. “No he hasn’t!”
Melanie cut me a smug grin and shrugged.
“He sure has. Ever since I made him read your essay, he’s been checking in with me dailyto see if your mom is settled enough that you would feel comfortable coming in for an interview.”
Sebastian Stevens was the son of Luke Stevens, the last living founder of Neurovance. No one knew what Sebastian looked like, as Neurovance kept most of its C-level employees faceless for safety reasons.
Neurovance made all kinds of things, but they were first and foremost the global leader in memory extraction technology. While memory therapy had a lot of good press around it for treating things like trauma and helping people like my mother who suffered from neurocognitive disorders, there was also a great deal of skepticism from the general public.
Celebrities were often criticized for abusing the technology, using their significant net worths to have minor, embarrassing memories deleted, or bribing people to undergo extraction procedures to avoid scandals.
Remember when I told you there have only ever been two N-car crashes in recorded history? Well, funny enough, Stephen Reynolds, the first person to create a viable memory extraction procedure nearly fifteen years prior, was the other casualty.
