CaldwellstaggeredintotheroomwithMs.SevenLevinfollowingclosebehind.Turbulence.Shepressedahiddenbuttonsomewherebelowthehandleofherredleatherattachécaseandthefoursidescollapsedtorevealacontraptionwithseveralsensorsandthosetinydevicesthatsatliterallymillimetersfromyourretina.Theynotsomuchasprojectedimages,asdirectlystimulatedyouropticnerves.Therewasalsoadevicethatlookslikeanoldlady’sshowercapbutitwashookeduptoathinfiberopticcablethatdisappearedintoonesideofthecontraption.Therewassomethingthatlookedlikeanopticaldiscthatsheloadedintothecontraptionanditstartedwhirringandspinning.Caldwelldidn’tlikethelookofanyofthis.
“Whatthehellisthat?”heaskednervously,beadsofsweatrollingdownthesideofhisfaceanddisappearingintohisshirtcollar.
“It’sthebitsofyourmemorybankthatyouaregoingtoneedforthismission.I’dsaythatdischoldsthetriggerstoabouttwenty-fivepercentofyourmemory,specificpartsofyourmemory.”Closeup,CaldwellnoticedahardtoughedgetoSeven’sattractiveface.Itwassomethinginthoseeyes,asthoughsomecoldandcalculatingarcticpredatorwaspatientlybidingitstimebehindthevacuousblueofheririses.
“SowhatexactlyamIgetting?”heasked,shudderingatthethoughtoftherawanimalinstincthehadglimpsedsittingpassivelyinthere,waitingtobeawakened.
“Youaregettingmemoryofthephysicalskillsyouusedtohavebefore.Ifyouusedtobeachampiontennisplayer,youwillbeabletotapintothatskillsetandpossiblywinagain.Isaypossiblybecauseitwilltakeawhiletore-alignyourbodywithwhatyourbrainsaysyouarecapableof.IunderstandyouwereablackbeltatsomethingandthatyouhadsomebasicshootingpracticeatTheSeminary.Youshouldbeabletogetthosebackwithsomeeffortonyourpart.Ofcourse,you’llfirsthavetobeephysicallyfit.Youlooklikeyouhaven’thitthetreadmillinawhile.”
“LikeIcanaffordit.Wereyoupartoftheoriginalprocedure?”Caldwellasked,hopingtopersuadehertogivehimeverythingback.
“I’mafraidIamnotatlibertytoanswerthatquestion.”Thosecoldeyesstudyinghim,vacantandemotionless.
“Please.Humorme.”
“Iamnotatlibertytoanswerthatquestion.IfyoukeepinsistingI’vebeeninstructedtohalttheprocedureanddestroythis.ThisistheonlydiscIhaveonboard,”shethreatened.Forawomanwithanamelikeshehad,shesurewasunflappable.
“OK,buttellmeonething.Howdoesthisthingwork?”heasked,changingthesubject.
“Prettysimplereally.Yourbrainstoresinformationinlittlepartments.Informationoncertainthingstendtobestoredinacertainareaofthebrainbutapartfromthisvaguesystemofcranialgeography,thewaytheinformationisstoredishaphazard,relyingonmemoryassociationtomaketheconnections.Soyoumighthaveachildhoodmemoryofridingyourfirstbikesittingnexttoyourmemoryofthesquarerootofsixtyfour.Whattheydidistheybuiltamapofyourmemory,segmenteditintocoresectorslikespeech,physical,mental,artisticskillsandextrapolatedthatoveratimelinefromwhenyouwereinyourmother’swombtoapproximatelysixyearsago.”
“Andyouleftspeechandblockedofftherest?Assigningeachoneatrigger?”
“YoulearnfastMr.Caldwell,”shesaidsmiling.Thenthesmilevanishedassherealizedthathehadtrickedherintoconfirmingthatshewasindeedthepersonwhohadcarriedouttheprocedure.“Theywereevenabletoisolatedifferentformsofspeech.TheyblockedoffallyourChinese.Theyhadto.”
“Why?”Caldwellasked,ignoringtheobviouscover-up.
“ItwouldhavebeenabitstrangeifyoufoundoutyoucouldspeakMandarinandCantonesefluentlyandreadafairamountbuthadnomemoryofit.”
“SoifIsawacharacter,sayinHongKong,whichwasatrigger,wouldIgetpartialmemoryrecall?”
“No.Thefont,sizeandcolorofthecharacterhavetobeaperfectmatch.Thetriggersalluseacustomfontwithcertainuniquefeaturesthatyoucouldn’tidentifyunlessyouwerelookingforthemspecifically.”
“SoafterHYDRA,howdidIenduphackingforaliving?Imean,whydidIchoosethesameprofessionandnotdeliverpizzaorsomething?”
“Thatwasjusthowyouarewired.Youhaveanaturalpropensityforputersandcode.Actually,yourcoreskills,theonesthatgotyouajobatHYDRA,werealllockedawaybutyourbasicpropensityforhacking,that’sallyou.Youwillgetthosecoreskillsbackinaboutanhour.Thestuffyou’vebeendoingthelastfewyearsparedtowhatyouhaveingislikeparingkindergartenhomeworkwithaPHDthesisinquantumphysics.”
“Itakeitthat’sthegoodnews.CanyouexplainthefrequentmigrainesIget?”
“Yes.That’syourbrain’snaturalimpulsetotrytoaccesstheblockedareas.Wehadtoassociatethoseactivitieswithpaintostopyoufromtryingtoaccessthosememorybanks.That’swhythepaingoesawayveryquickly.Itdisappearsassoonasyourbrainfocusesonmemoriesthatarelessthanafewyearsoldorhavenotbeenlocked.Themigraines,Iamafraidareheretostay,untilyougetpermanentmemoryrecoveryandyourbrainstartsrewiringitself.”Caldwellcouldswearhesawtheanimalretreatevenfurtherbehindhereyes.
“Wellthanksforexplainingthistome.Iknowyoudidn’thaveto,”hesaidwithgenuinegratitude.
“Wele.Offtherecord,itpainedthosewhohadclearanceintheLondonofficegreatlytoseethisdonetoyou.Youweretheagency’swhizkidbuttheorganizationhadtoefirst.Iamsureyouunderstand.”
“We’llhavetoseehowthistripgoesbutIamnotbeyondforgiveness,”hesaid.Shesmiled,rubylipspursedtogetherlikeastrawberry.
“OK,that’senoughidlebanter,”shesaid,bringingupagasmaskfromthesideofthecontraption.“Takeadeepbreath.”
WWＷ、xiaoshuotxt.nETT xt＋～小＜说＋天＞堂