“You took a lot of liberties.”
“I had a job to do.” Riley is clearly on the defensive and doesn’t see any humor in the topic. “I’m not going to try to justify my reasons for altering the treatments now. The whole project is…just wrong.”
There’s a long pause. I don’t have a clear understanding of the technical and medical side of what everyone is saying, and I don’t have anything to add. I rub my thumb over the edge of Riley’s hand, trying to comfort her.
“Well…back to my point,” Errol says. “It’s the bond, for lack of a better word, that caused the initial breakdown, but there was more to it than that. Originally, I thought there was a defect in the implant itself, and I still do, but that’s not the main issue here.”
“What is?” Cross asks.
“His implant has changed. It no longer matches the same specifications it originally had. This might have started in the defect itself, but it…well, it grew from there.”
“Grew?” Riley glances from Errol to me.
“It’s weird, and it really shouldn’t happen.”
“Am I going to sprout moth wings?” I have to press my lips together not to laugh.
Errol doesn’t hold back. His belly laugh shakes the table, but Riley continues to scowl.
“No insect-like changes just yet,” Errol says, “but if you start shoving your tongue into flowers at night, let me know.”
I glance at Riley sideways and run my tongue over my lips. She blushes and pulls her hand away.
“Would you please get on with it?” Donald Cross is also unamused at the turn the conversation has taken.
“So, here’s how it works.” Errol presses a button on his tablet and a three-dimensional holographic image appears in the center of the table. It’s a collection of slightly curved circuit boards, all lined up to fit together in a pattern. “This is the structure of the primary implant. The individual pieces are connected through living brain tissue. The implants themselves are bio-organics, and they have the ability to repair themselves if needed. That’s how they should work, anyway, but Galen’s are different.”
Riley sits up straighter and leans forward to get a better look as part of the hologram lights up in red.
“You see these strands?” Errol says. “They’re very small—almost undetectable—but they’re there, and they aren’t part of the design. His brain is connecting to the implants in completely new ways. The repair design seems to have gone into overload, and it’s created new connections. I can’t even tell what they’re doing.”
“Is that why I remember who I am, and the others don’t?”
“I don’t think so,” Errol says. “That has to do with the original defect—there’s something mechanically wrong with the memory net. Basically, there’s always been a hole in it; it’s just gotten bigger as you remembered more. Eventually, it broke down completely.”
“So, what is it doing?” Riley asks. “What information is being transmitted through the new connections?”
“I can’t tell exac
tly,” Errol says, “but considering how everything is connected, I think it all has to do with you. I know the specimens are all supposed to bond with their doctors so you can control them, but this…this is way beyond that.”
I watch Riley’s reaction, but she doesn’t look at me. She stares at the hologram, transfixed. I reach over and take her hand again, but she doesn’t move.
I don’t know what to think of the information Errol Spat has provided.
“They’re supposed to be emotionless,” Anna says. She directs Errol to highlight a different part of the implant. “All of these connections are targeting his amygdala and hippocampus—the emotional centers of the brain.”
“Those should be shut down chemically,” Errol says. “Only rage and aggression are supposed to remain.”
“Galen’s not emotionless though, is he?” Anna looks between Riley and me, and Riley shakes her head.
A hard ball forms in my stomach and works its way up to my chest. I don’t want to hear any more of this. I know where it’s leading, and I don’t want anyone telling me some malfunction in the implant is the reason I love Riley.
“Let’s get back to the real question here,” Cross says. “Can we remove the implants?”
“Not a chance,” Errol says. “There’s no way to do that without killing him. We can, however, render them inert. It’s a better solution anyway since removal requires access to the specimens and actual surgery. Making the implants inactive is something we can design and potentially be able to activate remotely.”
“You want to give me an off switch?” I stare at Errol.