The Big Switch Chapter 1, a full metal panic fanfic

In Tokyo, Uber works as a Taxi-hailing app.

"The cab should be here soon," Sousuke told Kaname. The two were excused from school that day, so he wore casual clothing with a distinct military appearance.

"I'm still not certain I want to do this," Kaname remarked, looking indecisive. She wore her school uniform, trying to make the day seem as close to her daily routine as possible.

"I can be ordered to do things," Sousuke said in a mater-of-fact manner. "You cannot. You are doing a service for Mithril."

"But… well…." Kaname felt even more uncomfortable, the full weight of being Whispered sitting on her shoulder like a heavy vulture. "They could stop protecting me…." She swallowed "And-" The weight grew heavier yet. In a real sense, the fate of all Whispered rested on her today, didn't it? If she could help Mithril discover what the Whispered truly were, and how they came about, shouldn't she do what she could to help?

"It is not a problem," Sousuke said. "While you need protection, I will protect you. If Mithril told me to leave you, I-" He had wanted to say 'I would leave Mithril.' That was nothing more than wishful thinking and braggadocio. "I'm sorry, Kaname." Why did he feel like his heart was being squeezed in a steely gauntlet?

"It's okay, Sousuke," Kaname said, sighing. Did she want Sousuke to be her very own knight in shining armor, rushing to her rescue whenever a dragon appeared? Did she really want his blood on her hands? Why was her heart beating so fast?

The cab arrived. They both climbed in, buckled up, and rode silently until they reached 4-1-17 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo. After settling the bill and stepping back next to the blue-haired girl, Sousuke looked up at the four-story building, its front façade showing brickwork and a large amount of glass.

"You're not scanning the building thinking about hiding places for snipers, are you Mister?" Kaname made a face. Just because today had be Mithril, it didn't have to be military. Science, yes. Bombs and guns, no. That wasn't simply wishful thinking, was it?

"Negative," Sousuke replied. He put a hand over his eye, trying to block out as much sun as possible.

"Good!" Kaname said, tossing her hair. The strong wind through it back in her face.

Walking into the busy medical center, the two students were met by a trio dressed in white coats.

"Welcome to The Tokyo Neurological center, Miss Chidori," a wizened old man with a prosthetic eye and bad halitosis said. "This is a medical institution that challenges itself and others to develop to revolutionary treatments against diseases and symptoms that have been overlooked and undetected by other specialized institutions."

"We are rather proud to say that all doctors of the TNC are alumni of the Medical Department of the University of Tokyo," a second man said, younger and sporting an enormous spherical mass or red curly hair and large protruding front teeth. "Indeed, we treat things here that other regional facilities will not."

"Yes, that is true," a slender and attractive woman with green hair and orange highlights said. "It's not just the usual headache… vertigo or dizziness… hyperhidrosis… unknown fever…." She droned on for a minute more as the three professionals and two high school students made their way through the large clean building.

"As I have been briefed… I mean informed-" Sousuke Sagara winced when Kaname Chidori gave him a quick elbow to the gut. The three people with them knew who and what they were. The remainder of the hospital staff and all the patrons did not. It annoyed him that the opening spiel seemed like an Informercial. He was not bothered by the elbow. That was par for the course. "-The Tokyo Neurological Center delivers medical care via neurosurgeons, neurophysicians, orthopaedic surgeons, and gynecologists, all of whom are representative medical specialists in Japan. The medical bills are covered by the Japanese National Health Insurance and several international insurances."

"Correct," Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr said, polishing his fake eye and putting it back. "And… thanks o our recent cooperation with Stanford University… we have taken steps away from the mundane and towards the magnificent."

The five people boarded a normal seeming elevator. The buttons went from 'G' on up. There were no lower floors. At least, not until the attractive and curvy young lady used a key to release an optical retina scanner and finger print scanner.

"We wanted to use an ass reader," Dr. Alfred Necessiter said, using a hair pick to fluff up his afro. "But it wouldn't fit Miss Uumie's large and curvaceous buttock." Anne Uumellmahaye Esq., a delicate-looking soul, took the man's head in her hand and rammed it into the elevator door, leaving the impression of two large teeth. Said white objects now skittered across the floor.

"Since the nineteenth century at least, humans have wondered what could be accomplished by linking our brains… smart and flexible but prone to disease and disarray… directly to technology in all its cold, hard precision." Miss Uumellmahaye spoke as if nothing had happened. She handed the distressed doctor a special solvent and an even more advanced adhesive. He reattached his teeth, as he had many times before. "Writers of the time dreamed up intelligence enhanced by implanted clockwork… starships controlled by a transplanted brain… things like that."

"Almost like Al-" Sousuke winced. Kaname had stomped on his feet. "Kaname! These people are aware for the Arbalest's A.I. They helped in development of some of the newer computing algorithms."

"That is correct, Miss Chidori. We are not some backwater charlatans," Dr. Hfuhruhurr claimed. "We are among the best the world has to offer. We have made great strides with Brain-machine interfaces that connect computers and the nervous system. We can restore rudimentary vision in people who have lost the ability to see…treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease… and we have numerous ways to and prevent epileptic seizures. Those are the simplest of our accomplishments."

"Not only that, we are mastering another frontier," Dr. Necessiter said. "Inventing hardware is not the hardest part. Even with Black Technology… wherever that comes from…"

"Please save that lecture for the laboratory," Miss Uumellmahaye pleaded.

"Right," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said with a quick laugh. "That can wait. We haven't finished with our bragging yet. As my esteemed colleague had been saying, the biggest challenge it's trying to understand, on some level at least, what the brain is trying to tell us and how to speak to it in return-"

"Like linguists piecing together the first bits of an alien language, researchers must search for signals that indicate an oncoming seizure or where a person wants to move a robotic arm." Dr. Necesiter continued. "Improving that communication in parallel with the hardware that will drive advances in treating disease or even enhancing our normal capabilities."

"The lab," Miss Uumellmahaye said forcefully. "We are almost there."

"Fine, fine," Dr. Necessiter acquiesced.

"The scientific interest in connecting the brain with machines began in earnest in the early 1970s, when computer scientist Jacques Vidal embarked on what he called the Brain Computer Interface project," Dr. Hfuhruhurr remarked. "As he described in a 1973 review paper-" The chatty researcher sounded as if he could give Sousuke a run for his money when it came to long explanations.

"Enough noise!" Anne Uumellmahaye was not just a researcher, she was also a lawyer and an administrator. who turned out to be an administrator type. She whacked the older man on the head. Kaname and Sousuke looked at one another. They both felt self-conscious. Sousuke put a hand to his head, as if feeling a phantom pain. Kaname's clutched one hand, as if she were holding a halisen.

"Although brain-controlled spaceships remain in the realm of science fiction, the prosthetic device is not,"Dr. Necessiter said, not the quickest learner. "Stanford researchers including Krishna Shenoy, a professor of electrical engineering, and Jaimie Henderson, a professor of neurosurgery, are bringing neural prosthetics closer to clinical reality. Over the course of nearly two decades-"

"Shhhh-hhh-hh-h!" Miss Uumellmahaye smacked him too, even more than his fellow researcher. "You're giving me a headache, and you might scare our volunteer away!"

"But there was always another equally important challenge-" Both men spoke at the same time. Dr. Necessiter bowed to Dr. Hfuhruhurr, a signal for him to continue. It was a decision based on politeness, not self-preservation. "-One that Vidal anticipated: taking the brain's startlingly complex language, encoded in the electrical and chemical signals sent from one of the brain's billions of neurons on to the next, and extracting messages a computer could understand. On top of that, researchers like Shenoy and Henderson needed to do all that in real time, so that-"

"No No No No No No." Alternated strikes landed on both men's heads.

"Doesn't look attractive when someone else does it," Sousuke remarked. Instead of looking sheepish, fire glowed within Kaname's eyes. That misplaced aside had stoked the furnace, not shut it down. There would be a reckoning. Yes. This day or another, all things would be remembered.

The group passed through a series of coded gateways, the last few guarded by larger and larger numbers of men in Mithril security uniforms. Sousuke asked the highest-ranking officer if there was an A.S. on site. The answer was no. One would have to be transported to the helicopter landing deck on the roof. There was, however, a small arms room. Sousuke was given the location and the door code.

"Here we are," Miss Uumellmahaye said. She ushered Sousuke and Kaname into a large room that seemed to have little livable space, given the number of odd and wonderful devices that filled its confines. The number of computational devices alone was staggering. That, and the number of different chambers topped by electrodes or large colorful conduits.

"It's like 'Frankenstein'," Sousuke said. "Or 'Bride of Frankenstein'. In the one film-"

"No," Kaname said, rapping Sousuke sharply on the pate. That earned her a quick grin from Miss Uumellmahaye.

"This machine over there, which looks like a robot's vision of a magic mushroom, has features stemming from a less advanced interface, called NeuroPace," Dr. Necessiter said, patting the device affectionately. "The embryonic version was developed in part by Stanford researchers."

"Using electrodes implanted deep inside or lying on the top of the surface of the brain, NeuroPace listens for patterns of brain activity that precede epileptic seizures and then, when it hears those patterns, stimulates the brain with soothing electrical pulses." Dr. Hfuhruhurr added. "This infinitely more advanced equipment may help us determine if outside influence are causing you to download your so-called Whispers. The machine will recognize certain patterns of neural activity… sound an alarm… and synchronize by hyper-speed connection with every radio telescope on the face of the planet."

"Mithril has a secret charitable connection to many telescope operators," Dr. Necessiter noted. "And an under-the-table monetary deal with the others. Some of the arrays were actually built with Mithril money."

"So, in short" Miss Miss Uumellmahaye said. "You get hooked up… we wait for a Whisper event… and we see if we can track things. There may be an alien agent on earth… within a low earth orbit hidden in a blind spot… or somewhere within the solar system."

"If itis aliens," Sousuke said, not ready to accept the existent of extraterrestrial intelligence. "There are any number of science fiction tropes that prove just as likely. Such as time travel-" Sousuke was cut off.

"Time travel!" Dr. Necessiter laughed out loud. "Time travel? Really?! Time travel!"

"Let's keep things in the realm of possibility," Dr. Hfuhruhurr interjected. "And, for safety's sake, Iksnay on the Onay Daliensay."

"What?" Kaname looked like she was beginning to question the sanity of the people here, and the likelihood that any good might come from all this. She was willing to put up with a lot of things. Pig Latin was not one of them.

"Miss Uumellmahaye is a big Erich von Däniken fan," Dr. Necessiter said. "Her license plate says 'Chrt Gdz.' She named her cat Giorgio after Giorgio A. Tsoukalos and her goldfish after Nibiru, a planet that Zecharia Sitchin says Mesopotamian gods came from. She has Transformers underwear-"

SMACK

"Too… much… information…" Miss Uumellmahaye said sharply.

"So… it's best not to shoot down the lovely lady's pet postulate," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said. "She has a mean left hook… she bites… and her godfather is Dr. Painrose." The last name belonged to the head of Mithril's Intelligence Division.

"You mentioned hooking up," Sousuke said rationally, bringing things back to business. "I doubt that you were implying 'meet up', or 'making a connection between herself and extraterrestrial beings', or the less savory possibility that you were suggesting that she needed to 'begin a relationship with an alien species with the goal to have casual inter-species sex'." He pictured children of little green men and Grays, each with long blue hair.

"Sousuke!" Kaname barked.

"And I doubt you meant a slang reference, where she would be 'obtaining illicit drugs to help her do better on future exams or reach a state of-"

"SOUSUKE!"

Is he like this all of the time?" Miss Uumellmahaye asked Kaname.

"Yes," Kaname answered. She nodded to the two older men. "Them too?"

"Yes," Miss admitted. She and Kaname sighed at the same time.

"As I was saying," Sousuke soldiered on. "By 'hook-up' you would be implying making a connection between components in a system." His eyes narrowed. His voice became somewhat husky. Kaname took notice on an animal level. "If she is to be hooked up to anything, I will make certain it is safe." He remembered all too well the Russian set-up near Lake Kanaka… the nano-den Amalgam funded in the dark recessesthe world's biggest cavern, the Son Doong Cave in Central Vietnam … and the cloning facility being built by the Chinese on Chongming Island, at the heart of Dongping National Forest Park. He had rescued Kaname from all three sites.

"Sousuke…." Kanames speech was soft and filled with gratitude this time.

"Over here… over here…" Dr. Hfuhruhurr sounded as if he was about to show off his new grandson or a fancy automobile. "This is where the real magic lays." With an expansive sweep of his arm, he outlined a large ovoid machine, covered by a myriad of colored light bulbs, and connected to countless wires and metal tubes. He and his fellow scientist looked like they were fighting the urge to bow to the machine, or blow it a kiss. "The Big Ball," he said.

"That's so sexist!" Miss Uumellmahaye complained, making a sour face.

"There's nothing sexy about balls," Dr. Necessiter said, mistaking the meaning of sexist. "Dirty girl! I once liked to think of this miraculous machine as the 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space." He was a huge Dr. Who fan. "But, we are not dealing with time, right?" Naturally, no one there had any knowledge about Yamsk 11… December 24… a TAROS unit connected with multiple dolphin brains in containers… the girl, Sophia Barova… or iota and tau waves. "So, I started calling it the Omni Sphere!" He chuckled. "Welcome, Mr. Bond, to the Ommmmnisherrrre."

"Sorry," Kaname said. "That name has already been taken." She meant Transfer and Response Omni-Sphere and not Tele-chrono Alternation Reactor Transfer and Response Omni-Sphere. "Don't different branches in Mithril know what the other ones have?" She would have expected these men to be at least familiar with the TAROS. She herself had not yet become clued into to the existence of TARTAROS.

The scientists looked crestfallen. Big Ball and Omni Sphere were spiffy cool names. And, they hated being kept in the dark about any Black Technology devices.

"How about the Magic Egg," Sousuke suggested. He did not mention that Kurz Weber referred to his left testicle by that name. "After all… this chamber is not round…."

"WHAT A WONDERFUL NAME!"

All three hospital personnel clapped their hands, for different reasons.

"Yes… hmmm… maybe we can patent that name," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said. "Not only will this Magic Egg prove invaluable today, but less advanced and no-longer-secret secret versions will someday help with Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease… Stem Cell Therapy to Repair and Replenish the Brain… and the Design of Smart Brian Prosthetics." He emphasized words like he was a prize fight announcer.

"And Future Rapid Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders…Unlocking the Promise of the Focused Ultrasound… and The Promise of Brain Biomarkers," Dr. Necessiter added.

"Not to mention New Aspects of Gene Therapy… Molecular Intervention Using Minimally Invasive Technology… and Healing the Brain with Neuromodulation," Dr. Hfuhruhurr tried to top his colleague in flair and cadence.

"Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Brain Cancer! Neuroimaging for Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric Disorders! Diagnosing and Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases through the Microbiome!" Dr. Necessiter put his hands on his hips, turned his head, and struck a vintage Superman pose.

"And help old men with no appreciation of time or the needs of other to finally shut up before they are shipped off to a facility where they can practice ESP with goats." Miss Uumellmahaye didn't sound as if she were joking. She had never seen the movie 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' starring George Clooney. There were other Mithril facilities working on mental manipulation. Some were in distant and dreary locales. A few even lacked internet connections.

"Can the Magic Egg instill normal social mores… remove the functions of the otaku genes… or permanently remove a person's foot from his mouth and his head from his a-… hind-portion?" Kaname did not look at Sousuke. She didn't have to.

"I'm afraid not," Miss Uumellmahaye said. "Otherwise it would already have done so. And I could become rich selling machine-time to suffering wives worldwide."

"Right!" Kaname smiled. "They could tell their men that it was a sports kiosk… hand them some takoyaki or saki… and zap them!" In the U.S., she would have said 'hot dog and a beer.'

"There may be the teensienst weensiest problem" Dr. Necessiter admitted, losing a battle with his conscience. "Although this type of machine has proven successful in human subjects, we need to keep one thing in mind. Brain stimulators are pretty much always on, much like early cardiac pacemakers. Although the consequences are less dire …the first pacemakers often caused as many or more arrhythmias than they treated… there are still side effects-"

"Including, tingling sensations, difficulty speaking, and uncontrollable flatulence," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said, pretending to hold his nose. "For cardiac pacemakers, the solution was to listen to what the heart had to say and to turn on only when the heart needed help, and the same idea applies to deep brain stimulation."

"That's why we're developing brain pacemakers that can interface with brain signaling, so they can sense what the brain is doing and respond appropriately." Miss Uumellmahaye remarked.

"Flatulence…." Kaname looked like she might raise a grievance.

"Passing gas would not make you any less of a student or person," Sousuke said. "Not even if you… shart, as Mao says… copious amounts of fecal material. Also, if you are being considerate, I am certain that this facility has fire hoses with sufficient psi to cleanse soiled seats, floors, and-"

"S-O-U-S-U-K-E-!" Kaname almost peed herself, shouting like that.

"Please," Miss Uumellmahaye pleaded. "You need to keep as tranquil as possible. We will monitor you via EEG, and there are parameters we need to adhere to." She had a tranquilizer dart-gun in her carry bag. The three of them worked on large simian research subjects, too. Urzu-7 might need to take a nappy nap.

"We could slip her a gorilla's dose of Imodium," Necessiter suggested. "Although we might need Rotor Rooter to get her going again."

Miss Uumellmahaye spun about and stopped just short of shouting louder than Kaname had. She began repeating mantras she had learned as a child. "Please take a seat, Miss Chidori. The seat has levers and buttons for adjustments… eight ways…" When Kaname was comfortable, the older woman placed electrodes on her head… a blood pressure cuff on one arm… and a pulse oximeter on one finger. "I will need to start an I.V. line for necessary drugs… for the procedure, and for any necessary recovery."

"I could probably find an anal plug," Dr. Necessiter joked.

"Or one of those air fresheners they hand from taxi mirrors," Dr. Hfuhruhur quipped. No one paid the wannabe comedians any heed.

Sousuke raised an objection, still concerned about Kaname's health and safety. Kaname told him she was a big girl and would make decisions herself. She said that life as Whispered was risk enough by itself. Miss Uumellmahaye told Kaname what types of thoughts were best to think, which were acceptable, and which should be avoided at all costs. The two doctors suggested that the mission would go smoother if one of the two women was naked. Sousuke made it a point to put a new clip of bullets in. He merely said 'rubber out, hollow points in.' There was nary a peep after that.

"It's time, gentleman." Miss Uumellmahaye began pushing buttons and turning dials. Various esoteric pieces of machinery sprung to life… began humming out of tune… powering up banks and rows of blinking lights… and throwing off rainbow halos of light. There was an eerie tooting sound. Willy Wonka would have loved things.

The two scientists began their own checklist of preparatory work, as they regaled a vigilant Sousuke with subjects close to their hearts. More machinery joined the chorus, and colorful LEDs flashed, looking like red, blue, and yellow fireflies in a vast Conga line.

"Miss Uumellmahaye," Kaname yawned after a weak sedative was added to her I.V. bag.

"Please, call me Anne," the other woman said.

"Okay, Anne," Kaname said, following the other woman's request. "What makes you suspect that aliens are behind the Whispers?" At that time, no one in Mithril had a clue about the actual source of the future information transfer.

"What humans today could create Black Technology?" Anne said. "You'd need Black Technology just to create Black Technology. That's a circular argument."

"But… there are a lot of mysteries on Earth, and-" Kaname did not sound very convinced.

"Yes, there are, "Anne said. "The Great Pyramid of Giza… Machu Pichu… the Nazca Lines… Pumapunku… the ancient Baghdad batteries….and countless others."

"I know but- "Kaname was cut off again.

"And how about the genius of Johannes Kepler… Leonardo da Vinci … Isaac Newton… Charles Darwin… Marie Skłodowska Curie… Stephen Hawking… Steve Jobs… and Mark Zuckerberg? They all had a level of insight out of place for the given day. And, seeing that none of them reported abduction type episodes… and none of the mysteries of antiquity have provided physical evidence of aliens on the Earth itself… there is a high probability that aliens have the means to beam knowledge into the brains a select few humans. You will doubtless be someone very important, someone very famous, or both."

"Don't forget James Clerk Maxwell, the Father of Electromagnetism," Dr. Hfuhruhurr tossed in a pertinent genius. "He was the first to think of light as an electromagnetic radiation. He laid the foundation for the atomic theory. He also discovered the electromagnetic spectrum of light, and color photography." He pulled at his lower lip. Neither gal paid him the slightest attention. "He turned to his compatriot and shrugged. They still had a captive audience of one.

Dr. Necessiter brought up one of their fellow scientist's work at the medical center. "Mister Sagara, did you realize that the Frankensteinian notion of head…or, more accurately, body… transplants moved closer to reality Friday with the announcement that the first head swap has been carried out on human corpses." He began making fine adjustments on something that looked like a cross between a blender and a breeder reactor. "Damn it. Nessie, have you seen the blue widget?" Furby was Hfuhruhur.

"The next step," Dr. Necessiter told Sousuke, "Is a head transplant between two brain-dead organ donors." He was working on a machine that looked like a gigantic Lava Lamp. "Hey! Nessie! Have you seen the red doohickey?" Nessie was Necessiter.

Sousuke took a pen and a piece of paper out of his pocket. Were these words ones he should know? He wanted to do well in English class. He wrote down 'widget' and 'doohickey'.

"Ex-Mithril researcher Dr. Canavero announced at a press conference in Vienna on Friday that a surgical team led by his collaborator in China…Xiaoping Ren… had successfully transferred a head from one human cadaver to another," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said, sounding skeptical. "The maverick surgeon said details of the surgery… led by a team from Harbin Medical University in China… would be released within days by a surgical journal." He had moved over to a large power converter that opened and closed continuously like an accordion. "Damn it all. I need the special thingamabob!" He wondered what the young military maniac was scribbling down.

'What did someone have to do to become Ex-Mithril,' Sousuke wondered. He also thought a more significant thought. 'Just what kind of research might Amalgam have going on out in the world?' He stood taller, and his mind sharpened against itself, like obsidian chipped by a harder stone. What if one of these three might be an Amalgam plant?

"After experimenting on mice, rats, dogs and primates, the first full rehearsal on a human body has taken place, Canavero announced with his signature theatrical flair." Dr. Necessitter sounded envious. Envious, and infatuated. He put on a welder's helmet before opening a door to a furnace-like device. He placed a large crystal in long metallic tongs and loaded it into place. "I hope the dingus works this time."

"This time?" Kaname said, trying to focus on her own concurrent conversation soley. "But… why do we need to find the aliens, if they do exist…" She had seen too many monster movies while she lived in America. Human-alien relations rarely ended up beneficial to both parties. 'Independence Day'. 'The Thing'. 'They Live'. 'Predator. 'Earth Versus the Flying Saucer's. 'Mars Attack's. 'Critters'. "I mean-"

"I know what you must be thinking," Anne said. "But… think of it this way… if they are good and have been our benefactors and maybe even protectors, we should thank them… don't you think? I mean, they may be waiting for us to be advanced enough to find them. They will show us our way about the stars." She had a far-away look in her eyes and clasped her hands together as if in prayer.

"And if they're bad?" Kaname had become quite the skeptic, seeing how her life had taken a wrong turn many times. She hugged her arms tight across her chest.

"Then, we better find out sooner than later, right?" Anne said, twirling her long locks. "We can't just sit back and wait. We can't hope for a happy 'War of the Worlds' type of miracle. And who knows. Maybe H.P. Lovecraft knew things that we don't know." She frowned. The two other professionals had begun speaking louder to drown out her words. She nibbled on one finger nail, stopping when she realized what she was doing.

"Yes indeed, the first human transplant on human cadavers has been done," Dr. Necessiter said. "A full head swap between brain dead organ donors is the next stage." He then mentioned that an operation on a live human being will be imminent, before checking the readout on a massive computer. When one dial didn't seem to read right, he banged on it with his fist. When that didn't work, he decided to take more drastic action. "I need that gewgaw!"

"Some people say that we stand on the brink of a revolution, not only in medicine but in human life as well," Dr. Hfuhruhurr tossed a large glowing mallet over his shoulder. "But, revolutions don't always end well," he added under his breath. "Why doesn't some yokel come up with cranial screw-top brain surgery or something? This stuff has the makings of a bad movie."

"Thanks," Dr. Necessiter said, after catching the mallet. "Did you say something more? No? Canavero is the audacious and controversial creator of HEAVEN… the 'Head Anastomosis Venture" project. The most recent plan would see two teams of surgeons swiftly cut off the heads of two people…one, a person whose body is crippled by, for example, a neurological disease or car crash… the other from a brain-dead organ donor." He banged away with his mallet until the computer read what he wanted.

"The healthy head would be shifted onto the donor body using a custom-made swivel crane," Dr. Hfuhruhurr clarified. "Next, surgeons would reconnect and stitch up the trachea, esophagus, the carotid arteries and jugular veins… link up the spinal cords and wait for the recipient to reawaken… and most importantly, move and talk." He held a round storage core that he wanted to insert into a square aperture. "I need that gimcrack back." He jumped high to retrieve the mallet before it became entangled in a large web-like crown of wires sitting abreast a chittering machine.

"Still," Kaname said. "Thoughts being injected into human brains… originating from outer space… that seems a bit crazy…." She swallowed hard, seeing a researcher banging away at sensitive instruments with the Hammer of Thor, or so it seemed. A bead of sweat rolled down between her shoulder blades.

"I see," Anne smiled. "That coming from a high school girl who knows how to build a palladium reactor… and knows the Lambda Driver like the back of her hand." She knew that Kaname only knew those things in the Whispered state; she had yet to learn how to recall that information on command.

"I don't really understand those things… it's… well… it's hard to explain…." Kaname wished that she didn't need a near death experience to remember Black Technology. No. She wished that someone could just remove it all from her head. "Do you think that you guys might be able to take that stuff out from my brain, someday?"

"I really can't say," Anne said sadly. "Nowadays, all of the non-Black technology is being used for studies on putting thoughts in."

"That sounds ominous," Sousuke said, catching Anne's words. "I will not allow any man to put something in Kaname against her will." That didn't sound right. He blinked rapidly for a few moments.

"Let me explain," Anne continued, her face flushed. "An international team of scientists from Spain, India, France, and the United States has succeeded in transmitting the thoughts from one person to another. Two greetings… 'hola' and 'ciao'… made the historic trip from India to France, where they were received and spoken by the receiver, who was blindfolded and wore earplugs. That person's colleague… the sender… was five thousand miles away."

"How?" Kaname was somewhat interested, despite her best efforts. "How did the transmission work." Something didn't have to be Black Technology to be amazing.

"An EEG captured the brain activity of the sender… machines converted the letters of the two words into binary code…the code was sent to a computer… and then over the internet… making its way to France. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on the receiving end enhanced the electric signals in a key part of the recipient's brain, essentially injecting information into that brain."

"That would be a good way to learn Japanese History," Sousuke interjected. He was still listening to both conversations. His struggles with that school subject were well known. The two men physically spun him around so they had his full attention.

"It works like this." Necessiter said. "An electromagnetic coil attached to the skull emits magnetic pulses which in turn generate electric currents that stimulate certain neurons in the brain."

"Newer research is making great leaps at exponential speed," rushed to put in. "Who knows what an eons old civilization could do with that premise?" He cursed. Now that Miss Uumellmahaye had him speaking about aliens

Sousuke wasn't concerned about aliens. His view of the world was a very cynical one. He had come by that way of thinking honestly. His concern was simple. What could political leaders… religious leaders… military leaders… or people of wealth and power… do with a machine that could implant thoughts or commands into the world's populace? Just because science could do something, did not necessarily mean that it should do something!

"Of course, our work here could still be a dead end, if the aliens used some other method," Anne said. "For example, there is also the concept of gene jumping… horizontal gene transfer… things like that." She gave Kaname a brief explanation that flew way above her head, and then added "Viruses can transfer one type of animal's genetic material into another, where it's incorporated one way or another into the other creature's genetic material. That has happened countless times amongst invertebrates and lower species. And, at the dawn of mankind, lesser primate genetic materials were transferred to the earliest humans. If Mother Nature herself can do something like that, what could aliens do? The Whispers could have a genetic origin." She brought into view a small leather bad which she opened. She took out a tourniquet, a syringe, a sterile needle, and blood collection tubes. "I will need to collect some of your blood, Kaname. There are other studies done down here in The Dungeon."

"You should take his blood," Kaname said, nodding in Souske's direction. "He seems like an alien often enough." She bit at her lip. "Or a Terminator." She pictures Sousuke saying 'I'll be back!'

"Yes," Dr. Necessiter said, "I've heard he's like something out of WarHammer 40,000."

"Oh, don't be an ignoramus," Dr. Hfuhruhurr laughed. "Genetically altered super-soldiers… the most powerful fighting forces available to the Imperium of Man? Posh. Pfffbt!" He smiled. "He's like something out of DOOM."

"Idiots," Miss Uumellmahaye griped. "You are talking about the good guys, not the aliens."

"Blah blah blah," Dr. Necesitter said. "You just admitted that your precious aliennnsss are the bad guys."

"And," Dr. Hfuhruhurr added. "The analogy still fits. And, speaking of aliens. You're like Sil in 'Species'. Miss Chidori is like the main character Mariella in 'Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend'. Get it. Because she has blue hair and…."

"I am not his girlfriend," Kaname spat out looking at Sousuke. His expression changed very little. The edge of his mouth slid down an iota.

"I see," Miss Uumellmahaye said. "Young love…."

"Where were we, Sousuke?" Dr. Necessiter asked, upending boxes of tools and solutions looking for something in particular. "Where in the brain-burning blazes is that gollderned gizmo?"

"Please don't mention Gizmo," Dr. Hfuhruhurr chided his fellow researcher. "We don't need any gremlins today." The type of gremlins that he really thought about were more akin to the Loony Tunes creatures reeking havoc on a WWII bomber, than the furry ones in the Joe Dante movie that should be kept dry, and should never be fed after midnight… the ones that looked a lot like Furbies. Or, was it the other way around? "Bio-ethicists have accused the 'noggin exchange' surgeon of being reckless. Transplant surgeons say nobody has ever been able to repair a spinal cord that has been cut clean through. They're working on that here, now. But they're still years away."

"But Canavero insists that he has developed a way to coax axons and neurons to grow across the gap between the two severed spinal cords using a special glue-like substance developed by a B.C. researcher," Necessiter said, sounding a bit hurt. He idolized the Italian neurosurgeon. "Sergio said… and I quote…'I understand humans love the gory side of the surgery, but this is a medical procedure for a medical condition for people who are suffering awfully. So, it's not a joke'." The delicate tool that he was using to adjust atmospheric pressure broke when he applied too much force. "Shit. I need a new whatsit."

"Serrrrgioooo's critics say that even if it proves technically feasible and the person survives, there's no basis for the supposition that the transplanted head …and brain… will retain the person's mind, personality or consciousness once it's hooked up to its new body." Playing Devil's Advocate was one of Dr. Hfuhruhurr's favorite pastimes.

Anne laughed at the look on the other woman's face. With her own history of romantic entanglements, she had no right to tease anyone about love. "Please put the headphones on, Kaname. It's a way for me to send you instructions when the machinery gets noisy." She had to keep her temper in check. The rising crescendo of conversation meant that she was close to shouting herself. She could have said 'when the two mouthy males got noisier'. "It's also a way to listen to music. Please select any radio channel you like. We have Sirius, Pandora, Spotify, and Line Music, if you prefer them. Also, the sound system can accept MP3s and CDs, if you want to bring your own music next time." She walked over to a large control console, with blinking icons, star maps, and multiple telephones of different colors.

Dr. Necessiter and Dr. Dr. Hfuhruhurr had started a shoving match, with Sousuke valiantly striving to serve as a referee of sorts. This was super science in action, not a rugby scrum.

"I will now work on aiming the various radio telescopes that are on the side of the earth we want," Anne continued, growing irritated past her boiling point. She swatted at Dr. Necessiter and missed. She kicked out and caught Dr. Hfuhruhurr on the shin, hard. He began hopping on one foot like a kangaroo amputee, before glaring at the young woman. "I will orient individual arrays on the most like sources of alien life, such as Proxima-B… the TRAPPIST-1 system… LHS 1140b…. Ross 128b… GJ1214b… Europa… Enceladus… and Titan. I will give blanket coverage to any sector having known planets with a gaseous atmosphere and liquid seas."

"As I was saying," Dr. Hfuhruhurr said. "What good is a head transplant, anyway? The poor pitiful person will encounter huge difficulties in incorporating the new body with its pre-existing body schema and body image. You should remember that review article, the one the Italian scientists wrote in 2015… in Surgical Neurology International-" That journal that had rejected Dr. Necessiter a dozen times. "-They wrote that similar problems have occurred in cases of face and hand transplants. The result, they said, could have serious psychological repercussions… namely insanity, and even death."

"What Canavero has said is his true goal…which he revealed to the Post last year-" Dr. Necessiter started. The Post was the newspaper that had been very critical of articles that Dr. Hfuhruhurr had submitted to other publications. "-Is life extension via brain transplants…the idea that, as we age, we could have our brains transplanted into more youthful bodies… though… well… it's not clear where those bodies would come from…."

"It will be murder!" Dr. Hfuhruhurr claimed loudly. "The rich will take from the poor. The strong will take from the weak. People will be treated worse than cattle!"

"It will be a revolution the likes of which have never been seen before," Dr. Necessiter shouted.

"There's no time for this chatter and childishness now," Anne demanded.

"Sousuke, if you stop paying attention, maybe they'll stop-" Kaname looked peeved. "Listen to me! Now, Mister!"

"Did you say something, Kaname?" Sousuke was distracted. His hand was in his pants pocket. There was a taser there. He was running through possible options. He could set low voltage levels that would do less than stun.

"Is it childish to speak the truth?" Dr. Hfuhruhurr asked. "Man is the only animal that can question the deeper philosophical questions, just as humankind is not so kind, creating so man deeper philosophical questions. If you have someone else's DNA running through your system, then who the hell are you?"

"Broflake!" Dr. Necessiter shook his fingers at his fellow scientist. 'Broflake' is a term which the Oxford dictionary defines as 'a man who is readily upset or offended by progressive attitudes that conflict with his more conventional or conservative views.'

"Snowflake!" Dr. Hfuhruhurr shook his fingers right back. 'Snowflake' is a 2010s derogatory slang term for a person, implying that they have an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or are over-emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions

"THAT'S IT!"

Anne rushed forward, arms extended, intending to grab each vociferous man by the ears, and force them into submission. Both of her targets bent over and lurched forward, intending to duck under her grasping talons. All three foreheads met with a resounding 'thud.' The two scientists and the scientifically trained lawyer turned administrator felt dazed, wobbling on Jello legs, their sense of direction scrambled. Each began falling backwards, trying to maintain their balance with rotating or flailing limbs. Anne in particular looked like a drugged or drunken ballerina. Dr. Hfuhruhurr fell impossibly slow, like a sloth caught in a Freeze Ray. Dr. Necessiter fell like the toppled statue of a despised dictator piulled by an angry crowd. All headed towards one activated machine or another.

"Just… be careful…" Dr. Necissiter said, gyrating like a spastic top. "Whatever you do…."

"Don't… hit… The Big Switch…" Dr. Hfuhruhurr finished.

Dr. Necessiter's hand pushed in a large red button. He frantically began working on the machine. "We can fix this."

Dr. Hfuhruhurr's elbow slid along a large wheel marked with arcane symbols. "This, too!" He began his own race against time.

"Whew!" Anne reached up to dab a cloth at her forehead. "We lucked out, you imbeciles."

"Uhhh." Sousuke pointed at something. "Is that switch the 'Big Switch' you mentioned?"

Miss Uumellmahaye's other hand coved a huge brass and silver switch, which had been thrown during all the commotion.

"F-U-C-K-!" All three adults blurted that out simultaneously.