At Professor PSI, Professor Mercedes Holcraft and Professor Gilbert Baker had been partners at Duke Universities Synesthesia and Parapsychological Research Department for over a year. Mercedes had fallen in love with Gilbert over the past few months, but said nothing for fear of ruining their professional relationship. Together they had procured an IRD (Intracranial Recording Device) for the department, which was capable of recording a person’s thoughts. After months of research and modification, they had created their crowning achievement… the MISD (Mutual Intracranial Sharing Device). If successful, this machine would allow two people to communicate through thoughts alone.
The project was being funded by a U.S. government agency, but billionaire Jean-Michel Dufaux wanted the technology for his own nefarious reasons. He had approached Mercedes a number of times about working for him, but her ethics prevented her from doing so. Frustrated, Dufaux hired an undergraduate assistant to sabotage the machine.
Holcraft and Baker connected themselves to the MISD and began the experiment. After the machinery generated enough power, Mercedes could “see” into Gilbert’s mind as he could into hers. The experience was overwhelming. The flood of emotions was incredible, their experiment was a success, she had never been so connected to another human being, and she discovered that he felt the same about her as she did for him. The MISD powered down, and Mercedes could hardly wait to leap out of her seat to celebrate with Gilbert. But Gilbert wasn’t there… the MISD had apparently done something to him.
While grief enveloped her, she could “hear” the thoughts of other people, and she could “see” that Dean Masami Noda was going to burst through the doors of the lab at any second. She was confused, dazed, and overwhelmed. And then, Dean Masami Noda burst through the doors of the lab. WHAT WAS GOING ON?
Over the next few days it became clear to Mercedes that she could see into other people’s minds. She spent every waking hour examining the MISD, to try to determine what went wrong. When she finally found it, she knew that it was sabotage. She interrogated her current lab assistants, but discovered nothing. Mercedes had a strong suspicion of a previous assistant that was given a job with Defaux Industries right out of college…
