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“No, she never met her Blocker. I share her weakness,” Talyn said. “I struggle to allow the feelings to leave. I absorb the negative emotions.”

Dr. Cross nodded as he attached electrodes to Talyn’s head. “It happens. But it is not a weakness. It shows you have a strong ability. We have made recent developments in electro-stimulation therapy. It’s not out of the question that you might respond to that rather than an expunge.”

“How long does it take to work?”

“The full effect is usually seen in six to twelve months. There’s a thirty percent success rate.”

Talyn gritted his teeth. He didn’t think he could wait six to twelve hours. His brain felt on fire, and his pulse kept racing and making him breathless.

“That’s not for me. I’ve always struggled with this. I’ve tried treatments and drugs over the years. The most effective thing is to block everything out.”

Dr. Cross stood in front of him. “I’m sure you’re aware that keeping your barriers in place for too long not only keeps things out but also traps it inside.”

“It’s the only thing I’ve found that’s worked.”

Dr. Cross hummed under his breath as he monitored Talyn’s brainwaves.

Talyn tried to remain calm and ignore the pain thumping through him, but every second felt like torture.

“Your mind is stable for now, but I see a level of instability. Without treatment, things will get worse.”

“That’s why I’m here. I’ll have the procedure whenever you’re ready.”

Dr. Cross removed the electrodes and returned to the seat next to Talyn. “You understand the seriousness of an expunge?”

“I do. I’ve looked into it before today. You remove my ability. You take away the emotions.”

“I essentially take away you. You’ll still be alive and functioning, but you’ll feel nothing. You will not feel the pain and the anxiety that is obviously troubling you, but you’ll also feel no joy.” Dr. Cross clasped his hands together. “We also have a number of patients who have been expunged who stop functioning altogether. They see no value in doing anything, so they don’t.”

Talyn twisted his mouth to the side. He’d heard of these cases. Sometimes, patients who’d been expunged just never got out of bed one day, or they sat in a chair and never moved again. They didn’t care enough about anything to carry on with a life that meant nothing. But at least, they had peace. Their minds weren’t troubled. They could rest, just as he longed for.

Dr. Cross nodded slowly. “I advise counseling before going through this.”

“No counseling,” Talyn said. “Nothing will change my mind. I don’t need someone poking around in my already messed-up head and convincing me this is wrong. This is the best and only thing for me. If I don’t stop this now, I won’t be able to keep control of my mind. I will not end up like my mom.”

Dr. Cross examined Talyn’s brainwaves on his port screen. “I admit these patterns are troubling. I see you have almost reached the limits of containment. You have a little time to think about it and give yourself an opportunity to say goodbye to people you’ll be leaving behind once your memories are gone.”

“I’ll make my goodbyes.” Talyn nodded. “I have few people in my life. It won’t take long.”

Dr. Cross nodded. “Very well. I’ll schedule the expunge for tomorrow morning.”

Talyn grabbed his arm. “No, it needs to be done now. You’ve seen the state my head is in.”

“That won’t be possible.” Dr. Cross tried to pull his arm away.

“I’ll pay more, but it must be done. I’m begging you. I can’t hold on for much longer. Please, whatever it takes.”

Dr. Cross was silent as he stared at the port screen and rubbed his forehead. “Perhaps some strong sedatives to get you through the night, but I cannot do the procedure straightaway.”

Talyn slumped in his seat. He couldn’t bear this pain. He thumped his hand against the side of his head. “Fine. Knock me out, whatever it takes to get through the night without me going mad.”

Dr. Cross nodded. “We’ll get you stable and rested overnight. First thing in the morning, we’ll undertake the procedure.”

“Thanks.” Talyn closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing.

An alert buzzed on Dr. Cross’s wrist comm. “I’m with a patient. I asked not to be disturbed.”

“Sorry, Dr. Cross, but we’ve got a problem in reception.”