28. Transhuman Interface Disc

Dave unveils a new kind of tech that will allow Laramie and Aluel share each other's senses.

I’ve got Aluel cradled in my arms as I stroll down the hallway toward the Adaptive Tech works workshop. I’m eager to see what new tech he’s come up with.

I knock on the door and wave a silent hello as I step inside. Dave looks up from his workbench, his eyes brightening behind his thick-framed glasses. I connect myself to his speaker so I can talk.

“Hey there, Kreuzberg!” I try to apply my best morning sexy voice on his last name, but it sails over his head.

“Well, hello! If it’s not my favorite test subjects!” Dave replies, rubbing his hands together. “So, brace yourselves. I’ve cooked up something that’ll blow your socks off.”

I set Aluel down gently on the workbench, turning her to face him. 

“Oi. Your lady tells me you’re about to switch it up for us, yeah?”

“We’ll see,” he says. “I think so. I hope so.”

Dave rummages through a drawer. He pulls out a transparent, floppy pad about the size of my neck stem. It looks like the same stuff you put in your shoes to avoid blisters, except intricate circuitry laces through its silicone surface. 

“What is that thing?” I ask as he hands the peculiar item to me. It feels cool and almost slimy to the touch. I hold it up for Aluel to examine, and I can see light filtered through its gel-like insides.

“Have a feel, love,” I say, touching the disc to her cheek. Her dark eyes widen at the bizarre texture.

“Proper strange, that is,” Aluel remarks in her South London lilt. “Like some sci-fi film prop. What’s it meant to do, then?”

Dave leans forward on his elbows, clearly excited to explain. “This, my friends, is a transhuman interface—the first of its kind. If it works like I’ve designed it to, it will give you each back a little of what you’re missing.”

I glance from the disc to Aluel, my pulse quickening. The possibilities race through my mind.  

“You’re saying this little thing could actually let us share senses? For real?” I ask incredulously. “Like sight, sound, touch—the whole shebang?”

“That’s the idea,” Dave confirms with a confident nod. “Aluel would experience everything you can feel, Laramie. You’ll be able to access her vision, hearing—even her taste and smell.” 

Aluel lets out a low whistle. “Whoa, that’s bare like Black Mirror, if you ask me. But I’m in if you are, Rah Rah.” 

I run my thumb over the sleek surface, considering. Since I lost my head, I’ve had to put a lot of trust in technology—in Dave. But this is a whole new frontier.

“You’re absolutely sure it’s safe, right?” I press. “No unintended side effects or crossed wires?”

“I’ve run every test I can think of,” Dave assures. “Built in layers of safeguards. But you’re right; there’s always some element of the unknown with beta-level tech.”

I think about our early tests with the necklace, and how I lost my grip on my own consciousness—but those early experiments let Dave refine the interface and improve the battery life. Now, I use the necklace every day and hardly ever touch my loquette. It’s like a pair of glasses with an outdated prescription used only for backup.

Slowly, I arrive at a decision. No risk, no reward, right?

“Okay then, Mr. Science Man,” I say, infusing my voice with as much flirtatious mischief as I can muster to mask the nerves fluttering in my chest.

“Hook us up! Let’s take this baby for a spin.”

A Quick Orientation

“Brilliant!” Aluel chirps. “I’m buzzing to give this a go.”

Dave reaches out, gently lifting the interface disc from my palm. “Before we dive in, let’s cover communication. Laramie, you’ll still need to use your necklace to talk to Aluel. Bluetooth speakers or earphones, your choice.”

I nod, absently fingering the familiar black beads encircling my collarbone. My trusty eyes and ears.

“But since Aluel can feel everything you do, you can also communicate using your body,” he continues. “You can clench a fist, tap a rhythm on your leg, or even work out some specific muscle flexes. Aluel will feel those sensations as if they were her own body and be able to decipher their meaning.”

“It’s like Morse code but with nerve endings,” I muse. The concept is wild and exhilarating.

Terrifying. 

“Precisely.” Dave flashes an appreciative grin at my quick grasp of the system. “And, of course, you can always default to good old-fashioned notes or keyboards, which Aluel can respond to with her voice.”

“Sounds like we’ll be proper natterboxes,” Aluel quips.  

I make a snort sound, amused by her cheeky optimism in the face of such a mind-bending experiment. 

“One last thing…” I venture, a sudden thought piercing the buzzing anticipation clouding my brain. “Will I still be able to access Goddess mode? It would be cool to show Aluel how I can slip into other languages, zoom in on things, and just ‘know’ things. Wanna read a whole book together in the next 60 seconds, Al?”

Dave’s brow furrows as he appears to mull it over. “Theoretically, yes,” he says slowly. “But I’d advise against it. Your loquette and necklace access your quantum mind after six weeks of training with the collar. Her mind doesn’t have the receptors to handle all that new data. It might even cause permanent damage.”

Aluel’s eyes widen in shock. “Oh, love! Keep away from my thinker, please.”

The last thing I want is to overload Aluel’s brilliant mind before we even get started. “No worries, Ladybug. We’ll keep to the basic five senses.”

“Well, look at you… holding back,” Aluel teases, her voice warm with affection. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

I hold up two fingers, a gesture she already knows.

“Alright, if there are no other burning questions...” Dave raises his eyebrows expectantly. “Then let’s fire this puppy up, shall we?”

Aluel and I lock eyes... lenses... whatever. A moment of perfect understanding passes between us—a singular, unspoken thought.

Ready or not, here we go.

I lift up my necklace, and complete darkness floods in as if my world was turned off with a switch. I feel Dave carefully positioning the disc against my neck stem. The sensation of the cool, supple material sends a jagged shiver ricocheting down my spine. 

I feel pressure and resistance as Dave pushes the disc more firmly into the top of my neck. I aspirate, wishing I could take a real breath right now. I feel my clothing pull against my skin and settle again.

Then, the disc tightens painfully, like a pinch across the top of my entire stem. I want to cry out, but I can’t. I reflexively try to peel it away, but it’s stuck—not going anywhere. Dave rests his hand on my arm and taps something in our secret language.

Patience. Let it happen.

He’s right. The disc seems to relax and flatten out. I touch the top of my neck again, and instead of my skin, I feel a slightly tacky silicone surface warming up to my body temperature. I give Dave and Al a thumbs up to let them know I’m okay.

What happens next is almost impossible to describe.

I feel a weight settling onto my neck which I recognize as Aluel’s head. At first, there’s no break in my sensory void, but then I notice the clench of her jaw, the way her scalp stubble is starting to itch. I can feel her eyes moving around as if they were my own.

Then, sight kicks in.

I find myself staring down at my own body from an entirely new angle. Aluel’s angle. For her benefit, I hold up my hands and turn them so she can see.

“Whoa,” she breathes, awed. I can hear her voice resonating inside her head, not processed and amplified through a mic.

“I felt that! I—” she pauses, choked up. I haven’t felt anything below my neck in months.”

I can feel the connection, too—the slight pinch where the disc adheres to her neck, the air flowing into her lungs out of sync with my own skin aspirations.

It’s beyond surreal. Two sets of sensations, distinct yet united. Existing separately and simultaneously.

My heart clenches. I instinctively rub one hand on the other arm so she can feel the fine hairs on my forearm. I reach up to touch her face and immediately feel the sensation of my fingertips brushing her lips and cheekbones.

“This is wicked. You’re brilliant, Dave!” Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “Thank you.”

I realize for the first time during this intense new experience that I am still not wearing my necklace. Everything I can perceive is getting filtered through Aluel’s eyes and ears, transmitted to me through the disc.

I squeeze my hand again and feel Aluel’s face spread out into a broad, goofy smile.

“I can feel you, love. I know you’re there.”

The tears Aluel’s fighting finally spill over. I can feel them streaking down her cheeks. I reach up instinctively to wipe them away.

Her watery smile breaks into a grin. “Well, that’s dead convenient. No need to trouble Betty for a Kleenex.”

Aluel glances over at Dave, and I see him watching us with a satisfied smirk. He looks pleased with himself.

“We know you’re a proper miracle worker,” Aluel teases. “Don’t let it swell your head.”

He gasps in mock affront, putting a hand to his chest. “Moi? I would never! I am but a humble servant of science.”

Aluel snorts at that. I feel her shake her head fondly. 

“Humble, he says?” Her lips purse. “More like a right evil genius.”

My hands tremble slightly as the enormity of it all hits me. Aluel notices, of course. She runs a soothing thumb over my knuckles.

“Alright there, love?” Her voice is soft with understanding. I pick up my necklace and reconnect to the speakers.

“Yeah, I just... It’s a lot to take in. I can feel your whole head. I even taste your toothpaste!”

“Oh yeah?” She huffs a wry laugh. “Wanna give my head a spin? Maybe take it out for a cappuccino?”

She grins, and I clench both fists in an enthusiastic YES! Her enthusiasm is infectious.

“That’s me girl.” Pride suffuses her tone. “Time to scarper off and hunt down some more mayhem. You in?

I make a crackly laugh through the speakers, bright and startled. “You’re going to be a terrible influence, aren’t you?”

“The worst,” she confirms cheerfully. “But you love me for it.”

I can’t even deny it. Heaven help me, I really do.

Test Drive

My steps are surer now as we make our way out of Dave’s workshop and into the hallway. Aluel’s presence is a comforting weight, her head swiveling this way and that as she takes in our surroundings with fresh eyes. My voice is in her earbuds.

“Everything looks so different from up here,” I muse. “Brighter, somehow.”

The fluorescent lights seem to sparkle and dance across my vision. It’s not the heavily processed, perfect image I usually see. I realize how different people’s eyes and brains can be.

Is this how Aluel always sees the world? No wonder she’s so unfailingly optimistic.

We pass a mirror, and I can’t resist the urge to stop and stare. The sight of Aluel’s deep, dark head perched atop my neck is jarring, to say the least. We have a small rubber seam between us as if some plumber had caulked us together. I run my pale, freckled hand along the bead, my manicure bright blue against our contrasting skin.

The longer I look, the more... right it feels. It’s like two puzzle pieces finally slotting into place.

“Quite the pair, aren’t we?” Aluel quips, catching my eye… her eye in the reflection.

“That’s one word for it,” I mutter, but there’s no heat behind it. If anything, I’m smiling inside.

She winks at me, cheeky as ever. “Come on then, Rah Rah. Let’s tear up the town.”

I snort indelicately. “I think you mean ‘let’s roll’.”

“Eh, potato, po-tah-to.” She waves a dismissive hand—or tries to, anyway. I can feel her intended movement translate into a sort of full-body shimmy on my end. 

“Whoa, did you feel that, Lar?”

“Yeah!” I reply, steadying us against the wall. “Maybe more of you is leaking over than Dave thought. We’ll need to tell him when we get back.”

Reporting In

Dave glances up from his workbench as we return, a knowing smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Having fun, ladies?”

“You got no idea!” I gush. “We got mozzarella sticks and a soda. I could actually feel the crust and the molten, gooey cheese inside. Aluel burnt her tongue, and it hurt me, too! The soda wasn’t just an abstract flavor in my mind—it had bubbles!”

Then, I remember Aluel’s disrupted motion, the way I could feel her trying to move my arm.

Aluel brings it up first. “So Dave, you sure this thing ain’t got no... unexpected extras? Like, I dunno, the power to mess with each other’s moves?”

He blinks, taken aback. “Uh, no. Definitely not. I mean, I implemented a multi-layered security protocol utilizing advanced biometric scanning and quantum encryption to prevent any sort of neural cross-talk or unintentional override.”

“So... that’s a no?” I ask.

“Well, I—” He flounders for a moment, then sighs. “Look, I can’t say with 100% certainty that it’s impossible. This is a beta model. Uncharted territory, after all. But I’ve done everything in my power to make it safe.”

Aluel hums thoughtfully. “I suppose that will have to do for now. We trust you, Dave. I mean, sorta.”

I’m not quite so easily appeased, but before I can press further, a flashing red icon catches my eye. “Uh, guys? I think we have a problem. I’m getting a battery warning.”

Dave leans in to examine my display, then curses under his breath. “Damn it. I was trying to crack the power drain on this thing. It’s just not holding a charge for more than a couple of hours.”

“What?” Aluel yelps, alarmed. “But we just started!”

“I know, I’m sorry.” He runs a hand through his hair, looking genuinely contrite. “I just need to do some more work on it.”

Aluel deflates, and I can feel her face frowning with palpable disappointment. “I suppose we should disconnect, then. No point in pushing it.”

“Yeah,” I agree reluctantly through the speakers. “Better safe than sorry.”

With a heavy heart, I summon my settings and choose DISC RELEASE.

Instantly, the connection severs. Aluel’s presence vanishes from my mind, leaving behind a hollow ache. Her head wobbles precariously on my neck for a moment before I catch it toppling, cradling it gently in my hands.

“Well, that was fun while it lasted,” she jokes, but there’s a waver in her voice.

I set her down on the workbench with the utmost care, already missing her warmth. “We’ll do this again soon. Right, Dave?”

He nods emphatically. “Absolutely. I’ll have the power issue sorted out in no time, I promise.”

Aluel smiles at me, her dark eyes shining with gratitude—and something else, something deeper that makes my heart skip a beat.

“I’m already counting down the minutes, love.”

Betty Returns

A rude, loud knock at the door startles us out of the moment. Aluel’s dour home attendant, Betty, enters without waiting for a response. She takes one look at Aluel’s head resting on the workbench and raises a stern eyebrow.

“Time for your bath,” she announces brusquely, already reaching for Aluel’s carrying case. “Best not keep me waiting.”

Aluel sighs, resignation written across her features. “Gotta bounce, I reckon.”

Betty places Aluel into the padded case, and my friend looks up at me with a mischievous grin.

“Same time tomorrow, love? Maybe we can get into some proper mischief and hit the town for a bit of lunch and shopping. Really put this disc through its paces, yeah?”

I can’t help but return her smile with two thumbs up, excitement already building. “You’re on. I can’t wait to taste food again. Do you like anchovies on your pizza?”

“Oi! Don’t go getting any funny ideas,” she teases, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “My mouth, my rules.”

Betty clears her throat pointedly, and Aluel rolls her eyes. “Alright, alright, I’m coming. See you tomorrow, Laramie. Don’t go having too much fun without me.”

With that, Betty whisks her away, leaving Dave and me alone in the workshop. The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken thoughts.

Maybe I’m the Solution

“So,” he begins hesitantly, “that was... intense.”

I nod, my mind still reeling from the experience. “Aluel’s been through so much, and she’s still adjusting to being completely dependent on others. I can’t even imagine…”

Dave leans against the workbench, his brow furrowed in thought. “The disc could change her life, though, at least a few hours at a time. It’s a way to regain some sense of normalcy.”

I feel the weight of the unspoken demand. To make the disc work, Aluel would need a headless friend to perch upon. It would be a true symbiotic relationship.

“But is that really fair to her?” I voice the doubts that have been nagging at me. “I mean, we’d be making her so dependent on me and this technology.”

He shrugs, his expression pensive. “It’s not ideal, but what other choice does she have? You saw how happy she was, how alive. That’s not something to take lightly.”

Am I really up to the task of being Aluel’s lifeline?

I struggle to tamp down my inner critic. “I just don’t want to let her down,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.

Dave places a comforting hand on my arm, his touch warm and reassuring. “You won’t. And you’ll always have help.”

I take a deep, unnecessary breath, trying to center myself.

He’s right. We’re all stumbling blindly into uncharted territory, but we learn to make the best of a bad situation.

“Okay,” I say finally, my resolve hardening. “Let’s continue testing this thing—for Aluel.”

Dave smiles, his eyes gleaming with pride and affection.

“For Aluel,” he agrees.