"I don't understand," said Francine into Beat's cell phone.
"Then I'll explain," came Mavis' voice. "You're familiar with the old saying, 'the eyes are the windows of the soul'? Andrew Putnam spent the last years of his life developing a technology that would read and write the human brain like a computer hard drive, by directly stimulating the optic nerve. He invented a device called the Opticron, which is still being tested. This device, which you now have in your possession, is capable of transferring knowledge and memories from one brain into another, as well as erasing memories up to a specific point in the past."
"So that's how you switched our bodies," said Francine with interest.
"And erased Beat's memories," Mavis continued. "I told you that I attended Uppity Downs because of my uncle's will. That was a lie. I never had a rich uncle. I got into Uppity Downs the same way Beat did--by volunteering for Mr. Putnam's experiments. He knew he wouldn't live much longer, so he planned to transfer the contents of his brain into some young bodies, so that his scientific knowledge and experience wouldn't be lost."
"Whoa," Francine marveled. "That's, like, immortality."
"That's one way to look at it," said Mavis, "but to him, it was simply a matter of conserving resources. If you can preserve the minds of the old scientists, then you no longer have to bother with training a generation of new ones."
"So that's what he did to you," Francine mused. "He copied his brain into your brain."
"In a manner of speaking," Mavis replied.
"And he did the same thing to Beat?"
"Precisely."
An expression of wonder formed on Francine's face. Beat, who was standing with her in Arthur's room, did her best to listen in on the conversation with her long ears.
"It's a perfect cover," Mavis went on. "Since I possess the memories and personality of Mavis Cutler, I can easily pass myself off as a normal little girl. But I also have Andrew Putnam's knowledge and memories, so I can continue with his research and inventions."
"So what does all this have to do with switching our bodies?" asked Francine.
"That was an experiment," Mavis explained. "Beat used the Opticron to switch you, then planted listening devices in your bedrooms so she could analyze your responses to the situation."
"Why did you pick us to be guinea pigs? Why didn't you experiment on someone who knew what was going on?"
Mavis paused and took a breath. "One of the first things you learn as a scientist is that prior knowledge of the nature of an experiment can corrupt the results. Beat had no intention of leaving you switched for longer than two weeks. If you'd known that, you would have reacted differently."
"Yeah," said Francine thoughtfully. "I wouldn't have pounded Beat to a pulp, for one thing."
"It's exactly that kind of irrational response that worries us," Mavis went on. "It's hard enough when two little girls get their bodies mixed up, but what if it happened to the entire population of Elwood City? Or New York? Think about it."
Francine shuddered as she drew a mental picture of thousands of confused, angry New Yorkers swarming the streets in search of their own bodies...
"We have reason to believe that others are developing similar technologies," said Mavis ominously, "including the nation's enemies. Once they perfect the science, they'll use it to gain an intelligence advantage over us, or for purposes of terrorism. It's only a matter of time."
"If this is so urgent," Francine asked her, "then shouldn't you take it to the government?"
"At one time Mr. Putnam was supported by grants from the Departments of Health," Mavis answered. "But when he started to work on the Opticron, his ethics came into question, and Congress passed a law banning his research. He had to continue in secret. That's why, when Beat found out that your dad's a CIA agent, she tried to switch you back right away. Unfortunately, she moved a little too slowly."
"And now I'm stuck," Francine complained.
"There's still a chance." Mavis' voice rose to a hopeful pitch. "Bring me the Opticron, and I'll use it to copy Mr. Armstrong's knowledge and find out where your body is."
Francine thought for a second, then became suspicious. "How do I know you're not really after his secrets? How do I know you're not an enemy agent?"
"Haven't you listened to a word I've said?" Mavis' voice became emotional. "I just told you all our secrets. You could tip off the government about us, and then our work would be destroyed forever. I've risked everything to help you, and you still don't trust me!"
The girl's words struck a chord in Francine's heart, but she knew that she couldn't afford to take chances, no matter how much she wanted to trust Mavis.
"I'm sorry, Mavis," she said somberly. "You'll just have to think of another way to help me." As Mavis began to protest, Francine closed up the cell phone and handed it to Beat.
"So, what happens now?" Beat asked her.
Francine sighed despondently. "The rest of my life."
(To be continued...)
"Then I'll explain," came Mavis' voice. "You're familiar with the old saying, 'the eyes are the windows of the soul'? Andrew Putnam spent the last years of his life developing a technology that would read and write the human brain like a computer hard drive, by directly stimulating the optic nerve. He invented a device called the Opticron, which is still being tested. This device, which you now have in your possession, is capable of transferring knowledge and memories from one brain into another, as well as erasing memories up to a specific point in the past."
"So that's how you switched our bodies," said Francine with interest.
"And erased Beat's memories," Mavis continued. "I told you that I attended Uppity Downs because of my uncle's will. That was a lie. I never had a rich uncle. I got into Uppity Downs the same way Beat did--by volunteering for Mr. Putnam's experiments. He knew he wouldn't live much longer, so he planned to transfer the contents of his brain into some young bodies, so that his scientific knowledge and experience wouldn't be lost."
"Whoa," Francine marveled. "That's, like, immortality."
"That's one way to look at it," said Mavis, "but to him, it was simply a matter of conserving resources. If you can preserve the minds of the old scientists, then you no longer have to bother with training a generation of new ones."
"So that's what he did to you," Francine mused. "He copied his brain into your brain."
"In a manner of speaking," Mavis replied.
"And he did the same thing to Beat?"
"Precisely."
An expression of wonder formed on Francine's face. Beat, who was standing with her in Arthur's room, did her best to listen in on the conversation with her long ears.
"It's a perfect cover," Mavis went on. "Since I possess the memories and personality of Mavis Cutler, I can easily pass myself off as a normal little girl. But I also have Andrew Putnam's knowledge and memories, so I can continue with his research and inventions."
"So what does all this have to do with switching our bodies?" asked Francine.
"That was an experiment," Mavis explained. "Beat used the Opticron to switch you, then planted listening devices in your bedrooms so she could analyze your responses to the situation."
"Why did you pick us to be guinea pigs? Why didn't you experiment on someone who knew what was going on?"
Mavis paused and took a breath. "One of the first things you learn as a scientist is that prior knowledge of the nature of an experiment can corrupt the results. Beat had no intention of leaving you switched for longer than two weeks. If you'd known that, you would have reacted differently."
"Yeah," said Francine thoughtfully. "I wouldn't have pounded Beat to a pulp, for one thing."
"It's exactly that kind of irrational response that worries us," Mavis went on. "It's hard enough when two little girls get their bodies mixed up, but what if it happened to the entire population of Elwood City? Or New York? Think about it."
Francine shuddered as she drew a mental picture of thousands of confused, angry New Yorkers swarming the streets in search of their own bodies...
"We have reason to believe that others are developing similar technologies," said Mavis ominously, "including the nation's enemies. Once they perfect the science, they'll use it to gain an intelligence advantage over us, or for purposes of terrorism. It's only a matter of time."
"If this is so urgent," Francine asked her, "then shouldn't you take it to the government?"
"At one time Mr. Putnam was supported by grants from the Departments of Health," Mavis answered. "But when he started to work on the Opticron, his ethics came into question, and Congress passed a law banning his research. He had to continue in secret. That's why, when Beat found out that your dad's a CIA agent, she tried to switch you back right away. Unfortunately, she moved a little too slowly."
"And now I'm stuck," Francine complained.
"There's still a chance." Mavis' voice rose to a hopeful pitch. "Bring me the Opticron, and I'll use it to copy Mr. Armstrong's knowledge and find out where your body is."
Francine thought for a second, then became suspicious. "How do I know you're not really after his secrets? How do I know you're not an enemy agent?"
"Haven't you listened to a word I've said?" Mavis' voice became emotional. "I just told you all our secrets. You could tip off the government about us, and then our work would be destroyed forever. I've risked everything to help you, and you still don't trust me!"
The girl's words struck a chord in Francine's heart, but she knew that she couldn't afford to take chances, no matter how much she wanted to trust Mavis.
"I'm sorry, Mavis," she said somberly. "You'll just have to think of another way to help me." As Mavis began to protest, Francine closed up the cell phone and handed it to Beat.
"So, what happens now?" Beat asked her.
Francine sighed despondently. "The rest of my life."
(To be continued...)
