NeuroVault Chapter Seven
Your mind. Our promise.
Some people arrive in your life wrapped in warmth and good intentions, and yet something about their presence unsettles you. Not them, exactly, they've done nothing wrong. It's the timing. The circumstances. The way the pieces around them don't quite fit together the way they should. Most of us learn to talk ourselves out of that feeling. We call it paranoia, or rudeness, or an unfair judgment of someone who deserves better. But the gut doesn't speak in reasons, it speaks in signals. And the wisest thing you can do is listen, even when you can't explain why.
Chapter Seven
Five days crawled by as Mara’s implant healed, with Katie visiting every morning. Walter complained the entire time as he noticed Mara’s frequent headaches.
Mara was pouring her morning cup of coffee when a familiar knock came at the door.
“Morning, Katie,” greeted Mara as she opened it. Katie entered, smiling.
“Morning, Mara. How are you feeling today?” As she made her way to the couch, Katie smiled at Walter, touching him on his shoulder.
“I’m feeling good. I woke up headache-free this morning.” Plopping down on the couch beside Katie, Mara flicked her hair to the side.
“Perfect. Right on schedule.” Katie pulled a set of nitrile gloves from her pack and put them on. She poked around at the incision site, humming happily.
“That healed up nicely, Mara. You might still experience some localized soreness for a few more days, but I think I am done here.” Taking off the gloves, she shoved them in the side pocket of her pants. From another pocket, Katie pulled out a pink wallet with white daisies on it. Flipping through the dividers, she found what she was looking for. Pulling out a white card, she handed it to Mara.
“This is your medical clearance confirmation. When I get back to the office, I’ll put in the request for a technician to come and set up your workstation. It’s usually the next day, so expect an appointment email to come through tonight. When he gets here, just hand him this card and you should be all set.” Slapping her hands to her thighs, Katie stood up.
“This has been a really enjoyable week, Mara. You’re a fantastic patient.” Walking past Walter, Katie paused and placed her hand on his cheek.
“And you, handsome man, take care of yourself.” Walter, placing his hand on hers, smiled.
“Always beautiful, always.” Removing her hand, Katie made her way to the door. Walter’s smile turned into a scowl once he was sure she couldn’t see. Mara met Katie at the door.
“Thanks, Katie. I hope that boy gets his act together and realizes what he will lose.” Katie chuckled.
“Oh, I doubt it, but stranger things have happened. Have a great day, guys.” With a wave, Katie left. Mara closed the door, returning to the living room.
“I’m going to miss her.”
“I’m not.” Walter snapped.
“Why? She was really nice, Dad,” Walter waved his hand dismissively.
“She’s a well-practiced phony, Mara. You can’t trust people like that.” Mara placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head.
“Gawd, you’re so cynical, Dad.”
That evening, the appointment confirmation came through from NeuroSat. They would arrive sometime between 7 am and 5 pm.
“They couldn’t make the appointment window any bigger? How could they possibly keep that schedule?” Walter scoffed.
“Good thing I have nothing better to do, right?” Mara added.
Mara’s alarm rang at 6 am. Enough time for her to have a coffee and shower before the start of the appointment window. Taking her first sip, Mara stared out of her bedroom window. The air outside seemed cleaner today as she watched a pigeon land on the roof next door.
At 10 am, Walter shuffled out of his bedroom. Mara looked up from the show she was watching on the couch.
“Hey, Dad, you slept in today. Are you feeling, okay?” With his index finger, Walter cleared the sleep from his eye.
“Technician come yet?” he asked, making his way to the kitchen.
“Nah, still waiting,” she said, returning her attention to the show.
“Of course. Bet you a credit he doesn’t show until 4:49.” Coffee in hand, Walter joined Mara in the living room.
“Whatcha watch’n?”
“A new show called Verella Beach. Duncan just found out his fiancée cheated on him.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Want to watch a movie instead?”
“That would be preferable, Pumpkin.” Mara scrolled through the pay-per-view channels until they agreed on a new movie called Creature of the Deep. Mara made popcorn, and they watched while Walter made comments about the movie’s inconsistencies. As the credits rolled, Walter looked at his watch.
“12:30,” he said, tsking.
“He’ll get here when he gets here, Dad,” Mara replied with an eye roll.
“Wanna watch another movie?” Walter looked at his watch again.
“I have a pretty busy day, but we can fit one more in.” Walter continued his critiquing as they watched the next movie.
“That was a good ending. I didn’t see that coming,” Walter commented with a shrug. Mara stood up, stretching her legs. Walter, looking at his watch for an unknown number of times, scoffed.
“4:30, I think you’ll owe me a credit, Mar.” As she headed towards the bathroom, she turned to look at her father.
“You’re not a man of patience, are you, Dad?”
Standing up from the toilet, Mara heard a knock at the door, followed by the creak of Walter’s chair.
“Crap,” she sighed, quickly zipping up her pants. Rushing to the door, she gave Walter a look.
“I’ve got it, Dad.” Shrugging, Walter sat back down. As Mara opened the door, she glanced at the name tag of the young man standing in front of her. She chuckled, seeing that his name was also Walter.
“Hey Dad, it’s a younger you.” Craning his neck, Walter looked toward the door.
“Meh, I was much more handsome.”
“You know, if Mom were here, she’d slap you up the side of your head, Dad. Don’t mind him, Walter.” The younger Walter smiled.
“If your mom were here, she would have her hands all over me. She couldn’t get enough of this Walter.” Little Walter laughed at this.
“Gross, Dad,” Mara said with a gag.
“I was much more punctual at his age as well,” Walter added.
“Sorry, sir, it’s been a crazy day. I’ve done 18 of these setups today. A personal best.” Slapping Walter on the side of his head, Mara led the technician toward her room. She caught Walter’s eye as she passed. As Mara entered her room, she noted the time on her alarm clock. Looking back over her shoulder, she stuck out her tongue.
“4:45, you owe me a credit, old man.”
The technician worked efficiently. After completing the setup of her workstation, he looked at Mara.
“Do you have roof access?”
“What do I need roof access for?” Mara asked with a confused look.
“You don’t need access. I just need to pop up there to install the satellite link.” Pulling a small square box out of his tool bag, he showed it to Mara.
“Oh, yeah, you’ll be able to get up there using the fire escape.” Walking over to the window, Mara struggled to open it. Her arm complained as she tried.
“Here, let me get that.” His first attempt failed as he blushed. With a smooth movement, he grabbed a rubber mallet from his toolbox and began tapping around the window frame.
“These old windows can be tricky.” Little Walter’s next attempt was successful.
“I didn’t know they were giving me a dedicated connection.”
“Yeah, NeuroVault requires all of its employees to have a secure connection to its network.” After placing the dish on the roof, he returned to Mara’s room, closing the window behind him.
“Okay, all done.” He handed Mara a small box.
“This is your neuro-interface. It’s really easy to put on. Just follow the instructions in the box.”
“Sounds good, thanks, Walter.” Taking the box, Mara looked it over. The NeuroVault logo was on the lid, safety certifications written on its side.
“Oh, one last thing.” Pulling a business card from his pocket, he handed it to Mara.
“If you have any issues connecting, call the number on this card. Tech support will sort you out.” Mara walked Walter to the front door, letting him out.
“Have a great evening, Mara,” he said as Mara closed the door behind him. Back in her room, Mara stared at the box. She lifted the lid, turning the box over to empty its contents into her hand. Before she even took the box away, she knew what it was. Placing the box on her desk, she confirmed it with her eyes. In her hand sat a familiar, anodized aluminum housing shaped like a colon.
“Huh, so this is what they were for.”