Cross My Mind

Episode Three

From the distance, the unending sight of rectangular glass structures resembles the view of a district in a country side village. Garba and Mila, having completed their breakfast followed the lights illuminating the floor leading them to yet another structure in the mega building that looks to be precisely made with pinpoint accuracy. Before the two lies an incredibly well lined up number of stalls that give the viewer the impression of a roadside shopping district.

While Garba is stunned by the scale at which Neuratechnologies has taken the volunteer program, Mila on the other hand has already opened up the available stall in front of them and started going in. Garba followed her in.

The inside space of the stall looks like a regular office space, two people were seated in the innermost part of the stall with a few files and two large tablet computers on their table, on the opposite side of the table, two chairs have been prepared.

“please come closer and have a seat” one of the men said, who is busy looking into one of the tablets and the other man is also paying careful attention to his tablet.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, the second man who although dressed in the same white blazer as the first man, looks much younger and sound very vibrant when he speaks.

“Mila Goldenberg, Nationality American, twenty five years old grew up in Youngsville Louisiana” he said and looking back at His tablet, he continues.

“Garba Danladi, Nationality Nigerian, twenty six years old, born with Heterochromia, posses a Bachelors Degree in computer science but has difficulty finding a job due to his differently colored eyes”

Before Garba say anything, Mila is already standing up looking dazzled.

“this is actually a lot easier than you think Miss Goldenberg, the cameras up there have facial recognition ability so we know who you are the moment you walk in here” the older man finally said. Pointing at four cameras overhead them in the stall.

“I am Barrister John Andre here to represent the two of you and this is my Partner Barrister Andrew Jonathan here representing Neuratechnologies. The two of you have already passed the preliminary screening, you are both medically fit to volunteer for the trials if you so wish to. The process is FDA approved and pose no real health danger to you, of course you will be handsomely rewarded with a total sum of ten thousand dollars at the end of the trial. You’re also entitled to risk allowances cumulating to a total of five thousand dollars” one of the men said smiling.

The other man clearing his throat now, said “you are also expected to sign Non Disclosure Agreement as a condition for the contract, you will be put out under anesthesia during the implantation of the chip so once you are put under, you wont be able to say no, so please take your time and think about it properly".

Garba waved his hands and said, “where do I need to sign? The very fact that I am here means I have already prepared myself and the money sounds good to me”.

The first tablet was passed to him and he signed the contract and passed it back to the man, when he looks at his side, Mila is already signing hers as well. It took another hour of rigorous explanation of the conditions of the contract before the two Barristers allowed Garba and Mila to get back to their cubicles. By the time the rest of the volunteers were stepping out of the cubicles, it is already time for lunch and the massive computer generated face on the hanging screens is already flickering to light to congratulate the few confirmed volunteers who signed the contract and is already as well, directing the ones who changed their minds about volunteering to follow the purple LEDs flashing on the floor to their exit stations.

Mila and Garba who are now heading towards the dining space watch as more than half the number of volunteers follow the purple lights to leave the facility and head home, having changed their minds.

“aren’t you afraid things may not go well with the implant surgery and you’ll end up with permanent brain injury?” Mila asks Garba out of the blue.

“to be frank, I don’t know you well, I also don’t fully understand why you need the money bad enough to be here but there is one thing I think I do know. That is anyone still willing to go through with the trial even after hearing the risks with the implantation surgery must have no other option. This is literally selling your soul to the devil. We both know that these big companies don’t care about us, not just Neuratch but every last one of them doesn’t care about the people, as long as their products are successful in the market the meager amounts they are paying us for our health and well being means nothing to them”. Garba stated.

“you’re not wrong about that” Mila responded.

They reached the dinning area, ate and went back to their respective cubicles.

After Garba has taken his bath and retired to his bed for a nice evening nap when the projection screen in the room slowly materializes its luminescence. In a few seconds, instead of the funny looking computer generated face which Garba has seen on screen all day, Garba is now looking at a familiar face on the screen that seems to almost be looking straight at him. As if by magic, the familiar person clears his voice and said

“Mr. Danladi, I can see you and I am sure you can see and hear me too, I am Dr. Akihiro Amida the head of research at Neuratechnologies and I am connecting to your cubicle to congratulate you and give you my assurance that I am the main developer of the prototype device we are testing on you and I can assure you it is completely safe. We will be moving you to a better equipped facility tomorrow, you will rest therefor a day and we will carryout the implantation surgery on all our contracted volunteers. We have as many skilled surgeons as there are volunteers so you can feel free and safe” the man excused himself and the screen went off instantly.

Garba has been pondering where he knows the Dr. Akihiro’s name and face for a while and it finally hit him. Dr. Akihiro is a renowned scientist who has mastered the Holy duo of Neuroscience and computer programing. He is very famous first for winning a Nobel prize in physiology for his work on the signaling patterns of the brain and secondly, for developing the first ever working theory of neural pathway integration that allowed a group of neuroscientists and robotics engineers from MIT to develop the first ever artificial additional limb, which uses signals from the brain to operate an extra robotic arm on a human being to carry out supporting function in hundred percent synergy with the person’s real arm.

“to think I will get to speak with the famous scientist through a volunteer program that I enroll in for money, life really is unpredictable” Garba murmured to himself.

The next morning, Garba wakes up in his cubicle with a carefully folded set of new clothes on his bedside with a letter that says

‘put these on and have breakfast, the bus departs by ten o’clock this morning’

At the breakfast table, Mila was also wearing the same kinds of clothes, she was already there before Garba arrived so he sat next to her.

“morning Mila, I assume you’re among those travelling as well” he said

“hey did you know they are recording us even in our rooms, some weird looking Asian old man was talking to me through the projector in my room yesterday, it gave me the creeps”. Mila responded.

Garba could not help but laugh at her because he for some reason assumed she wont know who Dr. Akihiro Amida is.

“you know they gave us a manual when we first came here right, they mentioned that only toilets wont be monitored. It is almost time, we should get on the bus soon” Garba said as Mila continues to complain.

The two finished up their breakfast and followed a crowd of about forty other volunteers into the bus.