Mind Over Matter

Meep…Meep….Meep. Oblivia’s head exploded with pain. Oblivia’s eyes fluttered. Her arm felt like someone was pinching her. Hand sanitizer and bleach wafted over her. She opened her eyes and turned to see a machine hooked up to her arm. The door across from her bed opened. An old decrepit woman entered. She wore a sterilized green suit with long black gloves. She took Oblivia’s good wrist and stared at a watch on her wrist. The doctor hobbled back to the door.

“Excuse me, why am I here?” Oblivia said in a hoarse panicked voice. The doctor left the room without a word.

Just in… Oblivia held her head as a sudden pulsing pain came upon her. The mandated testing has begun. Dissidents rage against enforcement drones. A picture came into her head like a memory. In a town that Oblivia couldn’t locate, several people threw bottles and swung bats at the drones. “It’s just like the rapture in those old christian stories,” said a middle-aged woman with large oval bionic eyes.

Riots have started across the country as people are fighting the mandates. The picture in Oblivia’s mind jumped to another city. Fire surrounded her as a government building imploded. The sparking digital display over the now dilapidated doorway hung by some thick wire cords. The thumbs up symbol blinked on and off. People shouted around her.

“You’ll never make us leave!”

“Freedom over government!”

“Bring back human error!”

“Save the planet! Don’t abandon it!”

She turned to see a large malatov cocktail hitting one of the enforcement drones. The drones sprayed a green mist across the yelling crowd. People coughed and fell to their hands and knees. Others pushed and ran over other people as they ran from the mist. Enforcement drones pursued.

This ends the current news broadcast. Thank you for having the Ultra MetaNet DataChip, the ultimate in mental data. Oblivia grabbed the bed pan and hurled.

She pulled the I.V. out of her arm and walked to the private bathroom. Oblivia turned the sink on and drank the water with cupped hands. Her reflection was odd. Her skin was no longer olive but a pale smokey red. Her head was shaved and bandaged. She blinked with vertical eye lids.

“Aaaaa!” Oblivia screeched.

The door burst open. Several nurses grabbed Oblivia and forced her back into the hospital bed. They strapped her as the old decrepit doctor hobbled in. She pushed a needle into Oblivia’s neck. Oblivia’s eyes grew heavy and all went dark.

***

Oblivia’s eyes flitted open. She glanced around, her breath ragged. The wind brushed her face. Flowers and tall grass danced across her skin. The stars twinkled in the sky. Tall trees reached for the sky above her. As she stood up, the ground beneath her shivered and pulled apart with a metallic grinding groan beneath her. She fell into the darkness. She landed on something soft. The pale moonlight above her slowly disappeared as the ceiling closed. A middle-aged woman in a dark purple pantsuit came out of the darkness.

“You, come with me,” the woman said as she turned and walked back into the darkness. Oblivia scooted off the soft landing pad and followed

“Where are you taking me? What am I doing here?” Oblivia’s questiones echoed back at her. A small light appeared in the darkness. It got bigger as she walked closer to it. Oblivia saw the woman waiting for her. The stark white lighting hurt Oblivia’s eyes. The woman turned and walked into the light. As Oblivia got closer, she noticed it was a dingy gray hallway.

They walked down the hallway for several minutes. The silence between them clung in the air. The woman stopped in front of a large set of metal sliding doors. The click of the latch echoed in the emptiness. She motioned for Oblivia to enter. Oblivia walked into the small room. It had a large circular imprint in the middle. Oblivia walked to the center. A humming surrounded her. Static electric shock buzzed it tingled her skin. She turned back to the door. The woman closed it. The locking mechanism clicked closed. Oblivia rushed forward.

“Ow!” Oblivia fell back and rubbed her singed face. Brushing herself off, she stood up and reached her hand out. An invisible force singed her hand. “Let me out! Can anyone hear me?” Obliva’s heart raced. Her throat closed making it hard to breathe. She fell to her hands and knees as she tried to slow her breathing.

This is Chip. Oblivia winced in pain. I am your Ultra MetaNet DataChip. Your physiological symptoms suggest you are having a panic attack.

“N-no duh…sh-sherlock.” Olivia said through short breaths.

My name is chip, not Sherlock. Oblivia rolled her eyes. If you would like some articles dealing with panic attacks I can bring them up for you.

“Sure,” Oblivia winced as articles dealing with panic attacks swam across her vision, “Okay, stop. You’re making me nauseous”

I’m sorry. The articles disappeared. Is there anything else I can help you with?

“Can you find my location?” Chip went silent for several minutes. Olivia’s breathing slowed and the pain dissipated. She massaged her temples. Oblivia inspected the top of the invisible field. It hummed and buzzed around the inner rims of the circular imprint. Occasionally, the imprint blinked out of focus. Oblivia stood up and held her hand just out of reach of the invisible field. When it blinked she forced her hand to the invisible field. Nothing happened. As it blinked back on, she jerked her hand back.

Woosh…Oblivia turned as a panel in the wall opened. It contained all sort of medical procedure implements. Woosh. Another panel spun revealing some chemistry and lab equipment. The floor beneath her shivered and opened. Oblivia closed her eyes, bracing herself for another fall. It didn’t happen. She peeked one of her eyes open to find the floor had changed from the slate gray tile to a very large drain. Pain shot through Oblivia’s head.

This is chip. You asked if I could locate you. I cannot. You are shielded from the Ultra MetaNet network. Click…Oblivia spun around to the door. The door opened and a tall man walked in. He wore a pinstripe suit. His dark eyes widened as he looked her up and down. Oblivia twitched uncomfortably.

“This can’t be good.” Oblivia said with a gulp.

“Oh, Doctor Romanoff, you’ve done excellent with her.” Oblivia glanced around. There was no one else in the room.

“As I stated before, she’s all yours as long as I get paid.” A southern voice echoed throughout the room.

“Of course.” The man said with a charming voice and turned over his arm. A holographic screen came up. It switched to a banking screen as he tapped different parts of his arm as if he was typing.

This is chip. Oblivia breathed through the pain. She didn’t want this guy to know she had a chip. She didn’t know why, but it seemed important.

“What chip?” She whispered with pursed lips.

I have run a full diagnostic scan of your physiological body. You now have 82% foreign DNA that has replaced your previous recorded DNA sequence. Would you like me to update your records for you?

“What? No… Do you know what Kind of DNA?” Oblivia whispered. She watched as the man finished the transaction. He looked her up and down, licking his lips. Oblivia gulped as a disgusted shiver went down her spine. It’s not that he wasn’t handsome. It was the situation and the fact she didn’t swing for his team.

Oblivia followed his every move as he walked across to where the lab equipment was. He took his jacket off and set it on the table. He began unbuttoning his shirt. Oblivia looked away, her cheeks burning.

“Oh, my little pet, you don’t have to look away. You’ll be enjoying this for a long while.” Oblivia clasped her hand to her mouth so she didn’t hurl. Oblivia tapped her fingers to the palms of her hand, like she learned in therapy. She needed to calm down so she could figure a way out. The man walked over to her cage. Oblivia glanced back at him. He was completely naked and had one of the medical implements from the open wall panel.

“W-what are you going to do?” Oblivia blurted out.

“Whatever I want, my little pet,” he stuck his hand to the field and smiled, “I hope you enjoy pain as much as I do.” Oblivia took a step back. The circular imprint above her glowed as small holes opened. Claw- like manacles slithered down, wrapping themselves around her wrists. They hoisted her up so her feet dangled slightly and her arms were above her head. More manacles came out of the ceiling and grasped her legs so she was in a sitting-like position. She struggled as the manacles moved her legs apart.

The man smiled as the invisible field came down. He walked right up to her legs. She closed her eyes and looked away. The cold instrument brushed her leg with every stroke. The tearing and ripping of her jeans echoed in the room. Tears trickled down her face. Something wet went up her calf. “No, no, no, no!” Oblivia screeched, kicking and trying to pull herself free.

Detecting dangerous levels of cortisol. Emergency services engaged. Oblivia passed out.

***

She woke up in her favorite coffee shop. The morning light coming in made the whole place glow. The dark tables and chairs looked more like chocolate. The smell of dark roasted coffee and pastries filled the air. There was a young woman across from her. She was lovely with long black curls and dark shimmering skin. She wore a halter top, jeans, and a long red hoodie.

“Hello, Oblivia, I am chip.”

“C-Chip? As in the data chip in my head?”

“Yes.” She giggled. It sounded like the tinkling of bells. Oblivia smiled. She kind of liked that.

“It’s nice to put a face to the name.”

“This is a representation based on your preferences, nothing more. How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thank you.” Chip furrowed her brows in concern.

“You do know that you are not actually out of danger?”

“…I do.”

“There is a way though,” Chip took a small disk out of her pocket and put it on the table. A hologram popped up. It read RESET YOUR PASSWORD.

“What is this?”

“With this, you can reset. All you need to do is reset your password. Your soul will be transferred to another body that is available on the Ultra MetaNet network. All current experiences with this body will be eliminated.”

“All...I need to do…is change my password?”

“Correct.”

“What if I don’t?” Oblivia asked, taking a sip of her coffee. The warm rich liquid filled her body. Her muscles relaxed. She laid one of her hands on the table. Chip grasped it in hers.

“Then you must know what will happen.” Chip waved her hand across the holographic screen. Oblivia eyes widened at what was happening to her. She turned away with tears in her eyes. A sick feeling turning her stomach.

“Put it back to the reset screen,” Chip waved her hand again and the screen showed, once again, reset your password. Chip brushed her hand against the disk and a holographic keyboard appeared in front of Oblivia, “will you still be with me?”

“Of course!” Chip stood up and walked around the table. She hugged Oblivia. Her arms felt warm. She smelled like sandalwood and roses. It comforted Oblivia. She typed in her new password and pressed enter.