4

A Chapter by Bob

John made sure to check everyone’s outfits today, he wouldn’t be fooled again he saw that as the day progressed all seemed to fit back into place. He spent time out on the field with some friends and everything was as before. That was reassuring but by the time school dismissed, he couldn’t wait to leave. He was the first out of the door and when he got outside Jim was there waiting for him.

“I don’t know how or why but I just somehow know it wasn’t lying.”

Jim was understanding and seemed to believe him to a certain extend maybe he wanted to believe in something supernatural and extraordinary, “Maybe it was the tea man”.

“No this time it was different. It wasn’t just the void and the trip down memory lane that we always experience but I was able to connect to it. He was there I could feel it.”

“He?” Jim asked quizzically

“I don’t know, just sounded like a he and I can’t deny his existence anymore. I don’t know anything other than the fact that there is something.”

“Okay Johnny I’ll do some brainstorming but what you gonna do? Are you gonna keep taking medicine? I’m all for that by the way.”

“No, he said that was the first step so I think that this thing, whatever it is will develop overtime. Guess I’ll just wait and see besides I’ve been hearing his whispering voice call my name eventually he’ll get to me.”

Jim let out a surge of laughter, “That’s a good idea man, L-I-V-I-N it’s the only thing we can do.”

It was not too long before he did get John loud and clear. “Johnny you there?” he said comically and with that he started laughing as if it was hilarious.

“Yeah how long do I have tonight or should I start rolling up a performance enhancer?”

“Oh Johnny it’s always good to see you a jolly mood but I can’t answer that one for you. I’ve been trying all day but this line sounds steady just don’t hang up on me bud.”

“How much do you know? Every little bit, details. I want to know everything you know.”

“Like I said before I only know as much as you but I’ll try to let your mind at ease, show you I’m really trustworthy,” with every word he spoke he let a giggle as if conversing with John was the most fun he’d ever had. “I guess I’m what you call the sub-conscious, you don’t know all that much about it so neither do I. How can I put this? Yeah I got it; I was made to do things that help you. Johnny you aint dumb so you can guess what those are right?

“Yeah I got it. How? Never mind you probably wouldn’t know, Research?”

“When you insult me you insult yourself Johnny,” he laughed with himself again, “Research, what a drag but I guess we don’t have a choice.”

They did extensive research but did not find anything directly connected to their predicament. “As interesting as all of this is Johnny I feel that I will cut myself if you don’t stop this very minute. It’s just a bunch of information that doesn’t explain... hell I don’t even know what our problem is.”

“The problem is, how are we communicating and why are able to do all these things, but you’re right this is not helping,” John sighed heavily but as long as the line was still open he was going to keep using it, “Okay I’ll try something different then. How do you know what to do? Like the things that you usually do. The things I’m too lazy to do.”

“Can’t really explain it, somehow I just know what to do and when to do it and like I said we are the same so I need your help to do them bud.”

“So you’re programmed”

“Guess you could call it that”

“I read something about programming, I just can’t remember all of it”

“Consciousness puts us ‘online’ allowing us to override our instinctual ‘offline’ programming,” The voice recited information John had previously read in a monotonous tone expressing his irritation and boredom

“Okay I have to admit, that’s pretty impressive but that does explain some of it. How’d you remember all that and I couldn’t remember a word of it.”

“Like I said your a*s is lazy bud. You didn’t think it was important so, in through the one ear out through the other fortunately for you its stored somewhere so I just need to open that draw and take whatever file you’re looking for.”

“Whoa, that’s pretty cool. I guess you not as bad as I thought. This could be fun.”

John experienced headaches that started as a low throb and erupted into excruciating pain. It was so bad that most times he was disoriented, fatigued and nauseated. John popped pain pills that were as effective as tic tacs. He drank half a bottle of scotch, which helped a bit and put him to sleep easily.

The day after the sub pulled the weather prank, John was completely bewildered and rattled it was then that he realised this power was more like a skill. A skill that he would have to hone until he fully perfected, it was going to be physically and mentally exhausting.

Two minutes turned into ten, ten minutes into half an hour and when they reached the hour mark all of it was over. The day they communicated for more than an hour it was as if they finally tore down the wall. He was free and it didn’t take John long to realise that his sub-conscious was not all powerful. That assumption stemming from more than a few parties that he doesn’t remember at all, John thought that he may partly be guilty.

The sub was pre-programmed by John’s habits and that was all it did, tell his body when to sleep, eat, it did everything that you could just sum up to homeostasis. On other occasions, it would remember things more accurately and carefully stored them although John still remembered things; usually association was the key to that. After breaking the wall, after all the pain, John found to be ‘on’ all the time. It was very useful in times where he would have a lapse in concentration or was not up for a specific task. He couldn’t become lazy though because he was the eyes of the operation, the idea man, the on-the-spot-thinker in the tag team.

“I don’t know how to do that bud.” “Okay, so describe what all of it looks like,” John patiently suggested. “It’s just a bunch of raw data, everything just the way the zombie had out it.” “Fine,” John said, “what if I gave you a name and told you to... let’s say, weaken it.” “Huh,” the sub asked, confused. “”Like if I said I didn’t need a steady dose of interleukin -6 for a while.” The Sub didn’t answer and for a second John thought they were back to the days when the line would die mid-sentence “Oh so you can alter sleep duration and it’s quality,” it suddenly yelled. “What took you so... wait; did you go look up what interleukin -6 does?” “I’m the brains in this outfit Johnny, don’t take away from me.” “Whatever,” John giggled, “can you do it?” “I see where you’re going with this bud,” the sub laughed, “don’t you worry your pretty little self, I’ll take care of it.

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