Mind Trace

by McCaghren, Holly

  Ignoring him, Alice could not help her fascination. "What does it do?"

  "Nothing at the moment. What it will eventually do is put Cyberconn back in the game. I have the electronics down, but I'm a bit rusty with the software. I have named this wonderful little device the Memory Keeper. As you can derive from the title, it is a device that stores an individual's memories so that they can sort through them and organize them more efficiently. Memories stored in the device won't be subject to the same degradation that occurs over time as the person's ability to access those memories is naturally debilitated."

  He picked up a crude, headband-shaped device lying next to the glowing orb. Alice had not even noticed it there, preoccupied as she was. He held it up so that it was at eye-level. It also had super-thin, nearly transparent lenses that she assumed would fall over each eye.

  "The user places this over their head, and it communicates wirelessly to the orb. The user interface is controlled via brain waves, allowing the user to sort through memories, picking and choosing which ones to store.

  "You may be wondering if this could be used to remove secrets from a person's mind, unwillingly…but, that isn't how this works. The memories themselves cannot be accessed unless the user permits it. There is a sort of 'acknowledgement' that the brain produces, informing the Memory Keeper where the memory is and how to obtain it.

  "I have the primitive communication worked out. The Memory Keeper receives signals from the headset and can transmit data back, but the interpretation of those signals into sounds and images is where I am hopelessly lost. The hardware is in place, but I just can't figure out how to write the algorithm that decodes the brain signals into something meaningful."

  Alice had continued to stare at the device, mesmerized at the complexity of it. Garrett stood silent for several minutes, watching her. When it was obvious that she wasn't going anywhere, he decided to leave her to work on it.

  "Well, if you want to look it over, feel free. The computer is right over there. Although, if you manage to irreversibly screw it up, I shall never forgive you."

  He smiled, hovering indecisively for a few more moments before leaving the room.

  Once she was alone, Alice examined everything, analyzing it in great detail. Her mind had been in a state of constant activity since she entered Garrett's humble workspace. Finding a chair beneath one of the tables, she wheeled it around to face the computer that was connected to the Memory Keeper.

  Whatever casual façade Garrett might wear, that man has a brilliant mind. Understated, but brilliant. If Eric knew this device existed…

  She shuddered at the thought.

  I’ll worry about Eric later. Time to work on this beauty.

  Within seconds, she was hard at work decoding images and writing code that would have taken any normal person a lifetime to unravel.

  ***

  Garrett found it strange that he had not heard anything from Alice all afternoon. He had gone by the lab several times to check on her, but each time she was completely immersed in her work, to the point that she didn't notice him at all.

  What does she think she can accomplish in one afternoon that I couldn't in years?

  I guess it's harmless if it keeps her occupied.

  Around dinnertime, he ordered a pizza, and brought her a plate. She looked up at him for a brief moment and muttered a small thanks before turning back to the screen.

  Wow. She can be so intense sometimes, it's scary.

  Before he left the room, he glanced up at the screen she was working on. Complex equations filled almost the entire screen, equations composed of symbols he had never seen before.

  Ha. She probably doesn't even know what those mean. I admire her for trying, though.

  "Isn't that cute? Did you write those all by yourself?"

  Garrett expected indignation at his obvious goading, but she merely mumbled incoherently and continued working on whatever it was she was doing.

  Sadly unfulfilled, Garrett left again. He had already finished all the things he needed to do, but there were certainly other things he could work on if she insisted on staying in the lab.

  He went back into his office and labored half-heartedly, all the while, his mind burning with curiosity.

  What does she think she's going to do? Could she actually accomplish something? There is no way...

  It doesn't matter. I refuse to hover over her, watching. If she insists on working, I will let her do so in peace.

  He decided to give her a few more hours before insisting that she get some sleep before the next day. It was already almost seven o'clock. Jeremy had agreed to meet them at eight the next morning, meaning they would have to leave by five to make it on time.

  Garrett plopped down on the couch in the living room and turned on the television. He dozed off a few times before eventually falling into a deep sleep.

  Several strange dreams later, he bolted off the couch, disoriented. Checking his watch, he discovered it was near midnight.

  Where is Alice? I didn't mean to sleep that long!

  He heard no sounds anywhere in the darkened house. As he staggered to his bedroom, he saw bright light shining from the doorway to his hidden workshop. Peering inside, he found Alice fast asleep on the table next to the Memory Keeper. She looked so young and innocent, the effect magnified by his brightly colored pajamas.

  Amused, Garrett slid next to her to examine what she had been so fervently working on. As the computer came out of standby, he saw an entirely new directory of files and programs that wasn't there before. Curious, he ran the main program and watched as the orb began to glow brightly and an image appeared on the lenses of the headset.

  A strange feeling, a hope too far-fetched to accept, swirled in his mind. Garrett hesitantly reached for the headset and pulled it over his head. Through the semi-transparent lenses, he could see a prompt asking him if he wished to begin sorting through memories. Unsure of how to proceed, he tentatively thought, "yes."

  Almost instantly, the screen changed, requesting that he begin recalling the particular memories he wished to store. His first thought was the moment when he met Alice. Images flashed quickly in front of his eyes, stopping on a picture of Alice in the parking lot. Then, a dialog box appeared over the memory, prompting him to approve or reject what he had seen. He gave another affirmative, and watched as it was replaced by more flashes and a status bar ticking across the lens.

  There is no way that is possible.

  He ripped off the headset and connected the Memory Keeper to the computer, fumbling with the cables. He downloaded the data to the computer, and to his great astonishment, found himself watching his recollection of his first moments with Alice.

  In his haste, he made enough commotion that Alice stirred and started to wake. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at the computer screen, his face transformed with complete and utter incredulity.

  She managed a sleepy "hey" and a shy smile when he turned to look at her.

  "Alice!"

  He swept her into a claustrophobic hug before she realized what was happening.

  Garrett, caught up completely in the splendor of the moment, did not stop to think about the awkwardness of the gesture. He was only aware that he was staring at the realization of years of hard work and ideas, completed in a mere afternoon by a complete stranger. Alice had given him a reason to hope again, in spite of the fact that he had done nothing to deserve it.

  "Alice, I don't know how to thank you! Do you know what this means? Do you know what you've done?"

  He finally released her and stood back, staring. Garrett sorted through a multitude of emotions before settling on complete astonishment.

  "How did you do this? How is this even possible? You did in one afternoon what I couldn't do in years! You had never even seen any of this until this afternoon. I don't know what to say… I never thought it would be finished."

  Garrett turned again to the computer screen, thinking of everything it meant to him.
>
  If EngineerCorp knew about this, the things they would do to get their hands on this technology... It can never happen.

  "Alice, no one can find out about this. It shouldn't even be mentioned until after EngineerCorp is dealt with. That's the only way I can prevent them from stealing it."

  She gave a serious nod and the dark cloud abruptly vanished. Garrett couldn't hold his elation back for long.

  "Alice, what can I ever do to repay you? What you've done here…it's a miracle."

  Alice yawned and stretched back in her chair. "I guess you'll just have to owe me one, Garrett."

  She gave a wry smile before continuing. "But given my luck lately, I will probably need your help sooner, rather than later."

  Garrett smiled back at her.

  She amazes me. Look at what she is capable of! It seems that the more I get to know her, the more I realize I don't know. Someone with this level of ability… She is truly rare, indeed.

  A thought occurred to him, prompting him to ask, "Alice, does Eric know that you can do… this?"

  He was at a loss to describe what it was that she just accomplished.

  Her brows furrowed and her expression clouded. "He suspects that I have certain aptitudes, but he knows nothing for sure. I'm just…" Alice hesitated. "Just really good at what I do. That's all," she reassured him.

  Garrett looked at her doubtfully, but he did not press the issue.

  She's hiding something; I can tell that much. However, if she doesn't want to tell me, that's her choice. Besides, I owe her much more than respect for her privacy.

  He instead replied, "Well, my dear, I have kept you up long enough, and we have to be up bright and early in the morning. Off to bed with you now."

  Garrett herded her from the room as one would a small, unwilling child. The sarcasm was lost on her, tired as she was. He led her into the guest room, said a quick goodnight, and returned to his own.

  He fully intended to lay awake, thinking over the entire marvelous situation, but his body had other plans. He was asleep moments after his head hit the pillow.

  Chapter 11

  Alice woke the next morning to someone vigorously shaking her. She opened her eyes to see Garrett an inch above her face, bright, cheery and exclaiming, "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!"

  Already?

  She groaned, and rolled over to look at the clock on the bedside table. The vivid red numbers informed her that it was 4:30am.

  "I let you sleep in. You looked so peaceful." Garrett sighed wistfully before retreating down the hall.

  He yelled back as he left, "Don't worry about breakfast. We'll get some on the way out of town."

  Alice grumbled again and rolled out of bed. She discovered her clean clothes neatly folded on the dresser and she grabbed them before heading to the bathroom. She took a rushed shower and was completely dressed and ready in less than twenty minutes.

  A new record!

  Garrett was waiting for her in his office, absently toying with the flash drive that held the files for Jeremy. He looked distracted and somewhat dazed, but he focused on her as she entered the room.

  "Glad you had enough time to get ready. Although, I'm sad that you finally ditched the pajamas. Now, you look almost like...an adult, I suppose." Garrett winked at her as he gathered his things together.

  Alice gave him an angry glare, but he had already turned away.

  "We better head out. I need to fill up my tank before leaving town. Do you have everything you need?"

  She gave a quick, wistful glance around his house. Alice had not brought anything with her, much less anything she was worried about leaving behind. Still, she was almost sad to leave. Garrett was a decent man, sarcasm and all. In the short time in his home, she began to feel safe and strangely comforted.

  Ever since Mom and Dad died, I just kind of stopped talking to people. Garrett…he's different. I feel almost like we could be friends. Granted, we don't have much choice in the matter at the moment.

  Alice sighed as she looked around one last time.

  Maybe things will be different after this whole thing blows over... If it's ever over.

  They stopped to fill up the car and to get breakfast at a local kolache shop before leaving town. When Garrett left, it was still dark. Alice leaned back against the headrest. She had not intended to fall asleep, but the slow, steady drone of the engine and the rhythm of the road beneath lulled her into unconsciousness.

  ***

  Alice was woken by the warmth of the morning sun, shining on her face. The rosy, red glow inside her eyelids rudely intruded on her slumber. Garrett was still driving, staring tiredly ahead at the highway. She examined their surroundings.

  Given our current location, we have thirty-seven miles to the rest stop. Good to know.

  Alice looked over at Garrett again, sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

  "Huh? Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it. I've just been thinking about everything. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and find out that it was all some kind of cruel dream." He smiled weakly.

  Ha. Yeah, or a nightmare, depending on your perspective. I am glad I can help, Garrett. At least this nightmare has given you new hope.

  He dismissed his concerns with a simple shake of his head.

  "But, onto more uplifting matters. We have about forty minutes left by my approximation."

  Alice cut him off without thinking.

  "Thirty-eight minutes and twelve seconds at the current conditions…" she trailed off, realizing what she was saying.

  Oh, man. I'm not supposed to know that. Normal people don't know those things.

  She forced a hasty laugh. "Well, I was just making a best guess, to pass the time, you know? My, it sure does look like it's going to be a beautiful day!"

  Garrett gave her a few weird looks before awkwardly smiling at her. "You certainly are a strange girl. And yes, it does appear to be the beginning of a beautiful day."

  He directed his gaze back to the road and the car grew silent again.

  Change the subject. He probably thinks I'm a freak.

  "So, you really trust this Jeremy guy?" she asked after a brief silence.

  "Yeah, I do. He did his best to help me during the rough times, and I've pulled him out of a scrape or two, myself. I was hoping that his connections and expertise could help us, or at least make this a little easier. We can't really just come out with the information. If it's not successfully broadcasted in the right places, it's very likely that someone will intercept it and then make sure we're not around to try it again."

  Yeah, that's for sure. I'm out of my league here. If Garrett trusts Jeremy, then I don't really see a better course of action.

  I wonder if Garrett realizes that he's putting himself in the line of fire now, too. Anyone who goes against Eric Martin is either a complete fool, or someone who never wants to see the light of day again.

  I really don't know which category I'm in…

  Since she had some time, Alice decided to get to know Garrett a little more. She would be spending the foreseeable future with him, at least until they accomplished what they set out to do. There was also a small, nagging curiosity in the back of her mind, ever since she saw the faded picture of the twin boys. Alice could not help but think that there were some dark secrets he was hiding too. She'd have to get to know him better before he would be willing to confide in her about anything like that.

  She chose a neutral approach. "So, Garrett…how does a guy like you end up doing something like this?"

  He gave her a questioning, sidelong glance. "I'm assuming you mean how I ended up creating Cyberconn, and not how I ended up aiding and abetting a fugitive?"

  Alice made a brief sound of indignation, preparing to launch a complete counter-argument, including pointing out that it was his fault that she had even gotten to this point in the first place. Garrett must have guessed as much and interrupted, answering her intended question.

  "I could give you th
e long, drawn-out version, but since we don't have several weeks, I’ll summarize. My parents were rich, successful and had outrageous expectations. Like any normal kid, I did my best to make them proud. In turn, they set every possible opportunity before me, hoping I would find something in which to channel the 'overabundance of talent' they were sure I possessed.

  A lot of money and many years later, they had just about given up on me. Then, on my eleventh birthday…"

  Garrett stopped to give a brief chuckle, lost in the memory.

  "I inadvertently found the technical manual for my father's stereo system. About three hours later, he found me on the floor of the media room with the entire system in pieces. Needless to say, he was nonplussed. But, it did seem as if they had finally discovered something that I had an aptitude for.

  I started taking apart anything I could get my hands on, trying to understand how all the pieces fit together and what made them tick. When I was a little bit older, I began studying all the technical books I could find. When I started making things of my own, my father decided I needed to put my 'inventions' to good use. After I got out of Harvard, he insisted that I take endless business classes and entrepreneurship seminars, until it finally occurred to me that the only way I'd get any peace was if no one else was telling me what to do.

  With my dad's help, I started Cyberconn. Everything started out so well. My parents were proud of me, bragging about me to anyone that would listen. Cyberconn was one of the leading tech companies in the country. Everyone wanted what we had and I thought I'd finally achieved the dream, so to speak."

  Garrett grew silent for a moment, face darkening. "Then, things took a turn for the worse. EngineerCorp suddenly came into possession of supposed evidence that proved Cyberconn was ripping them off. My parents were devastated. They wouldn't believe me, no matter what I told them. After that, they kind of disowned me. Nice of them, huh? You more or less know what happened since then. Business crumbled and we were reduced to the sad, pathetic excuse of a company you saw in Newport. I've been struggling all this time just to keep us from going under. I'd practically given up hope, until you came along."