The Mind Meld

It was the deep humming sound of an electric motor, which aroused me from my sleep. Strange, I thought. What is a motor doing in my bedroom and why would it be running? But when Chuck opened his eyes, it wasn’t his cell where he found himself. Instead of a pillow encasing his head, he found himself dressed in a hospital gown, strapped down held motionless, and his head was adorned with what appeared to be a helmet with countless wires extruding from it.

Slowly, like the sun rising in the east, his mind cleared. “Hey, John,” Chuck shouted. “Get me out of this thing.”

A voice crackled through an unseen speaker. “Give us a moment, Chuck. We’re waiting for the ion field to clear.”

How did I forget about the ion field? Wasn’t that something we did after each experiment?

They were simple answers to these questions, but somehow, they eluded him. A moment later, the voice of the love of Chuck’s life, came over the speaker and made his heart leap for joy.

“Charlie, it’s me. Amanda. How are you feeling?”

So badly did he want to say, I feel great, but he couldn’t lie. Physically, he felt fine, but mentally, he was disorientated. It was as if two separate beings were sharing one body. Each, had its own agenda, never agreeing to let one control the other. A battle was raging in his head and there seemed to be anything he could do to stop it.

“Charlie?”

“I’m sorry, Amanda. I was a little distracted. I’m sure you can understand why.”

As Amanda well knew, Charlie had every good reason to be distracted, for he literally wasn’t himself. While she was talking to Charlie in the lab, she was standing beside him in the room with her. After releasing the call button on the mike, she whispered, “It worked. It really worked.” She gazed at the Charlie standing next to her. It’s you down there. He may not look or sound like you, but it’s you. He has all your memories.”

Charlie grasped her hand. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, we have to see how much of my memories he actually has and then we need to see how few of his old memories are still intact. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

“No matter if our success is minimal,” John rebutted. “It’s still a fantastic leap forward in our endeavors to reach immortality.”

“That word, will never leave this room,” snapped Charlie. “As far as the world will ever know, we’re attempting a radical procedure to help prison inmates to become completely rehabilitated.” He pointed at the Charlie in the lab. “Don’t forget. Today, he made be a copy of me, but yesterday, he was a death row inmate, with only a week to live.” A green light began flashing by the door. “Let’s go and see what we have.”

The three of them proceeded to the lab door. Charlie entered the code in the security lock and the door hissed open. There, they were greeted by Chuck’s smiling face. “Just a moment Chuck, and we’ll have you set free.”

The three circled the table and began their work. A moment later, they had Chuck was sitting on the edge of the table. “We need to do a quick assessment before we begin. What is your name and why are you here?”

My name is Charles DeLand and I’m in charge of the project known as Operation Mind Meld,” replied Chuck.

Charlie continued. “What is the purpose of this project?”

 “The purpose of this project is to erase the engrams of one’s mind and replace them with a digital copy of the engrams from another person. In essence, transferring one’s memories into another person.”

“How long were you in lockup before coming to us?”

Chuck’s gazed around the room before he answered, “Seven years and some change.”

“What was your name?”

“Mike something.”

“Mike Ellis was your name before, you went down the rabbit hole. Do you recall why you were in lockup?”

“I was heading Operation Mind Meld. Is that why they wanted to execute me?”

Amanda piped in, “What about us, Chuck? Do you like us?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Then he pointed at her. “But you, you are something special to me. I know we are close, but I don’t know the reason.”

“Don’t fret over it, Charlie,” Amanda replied. “Hopefully, it will come back you in time.”

“Excuse us for moment, Chuck. We need to step outside and talk a few things over.”

As he sat on the watched his colleagues conversing through the glass door. “I can read their lips, he thought. Mike’s sister was deaf, so he learned how to communicate like her. So, he sat there and listened to most every word they said. They don’t trust me, he thought. They think I’ll do something irrational and possibly harm one or all of them. Why would I do that? I’ve known them for several years. John was my son’s God Father. He paused for a minute. What was my son’s name? he turned his eyes towards Amanda and could see she was upset. But in the end, she reluctantly agreed to their plans.

The three slowly walked back in the room and the expressions on their faces told Chuck everything. There’s no way they’ll let me out of here. Wasn’t that part of the original plan? It the experiment succeeded they would announce it to the world. If it didn’t then the test subjects would either disappear or be declared insane. I needed to escape and the longer I waited the less chance I’ll have for success.

Amanda was the first to speak. “Come with us, Charlie. We’re taking you to your new quarters.”

“We’ll get you settled in today,” John added. “Tomorrow, we’ll begin a battery of tests. What do you say?”

“I say, you can go to hell.”

Chuck swung his fist at John and broke his nose with one punch. As John fell to the floor, Chuck grabbed Charlie by his shoulder and with all his might, kneed him in the groin. While both men were sprawled on the ground, Chuck grabbed Amanda’s hand and dragged her down the hallway.

As Amanda tried to pull her hand back, Chuck quickened the pace. “Let go Charlie,” she shouted. “Where are taking me?”

“Away from here.”

“What do you mean, away from here? Why don’t you want to stay with us? We can help you adjust.”

Chuck squeezed her wrist. “Do you remember what happened the failed test monkeys? I remember.”

Amanda barely got the words out. “We exterminated them.”

“I’m no test monkey nor guinea pig and don’t want anyone of you to consider me as one.” As Chuck came to a corner, he turned down a narrow hallway and stopped in front of an elevator.

“You seem to know where you’re going,” pleaded Amanda. “So, why do you need me? I’ll just slow you down.”

“You’re my insurance, bitch. If something should go wrong between here and freedom, you might be only ticket out.”

His harsh words struck as if an arrow through her heart. How could he say such a thing? Though Charlie’s face and features were completely foreign to her, in his words, she could hear Charlie speaking. He’s alive in there, I know it. So, she asked, “Charlie, do you love me?”

As the elevator slid passed the fourth floor, he looked into her eyes. “Yes, Amanda, I love you very much. I would never harm a hair on your head, but this other man inside of me, this Mike, he wouldn’t pause for a second if he wanted to snap your neck. So, please, don’t give him a reason to, like screaming.”

When the elevator door slid open, Chuck put his hand around her waist until they walked out the door. As they passed through the parking lot, he pointed at a car. “That’s yours, isn’t it?”

Amanda nodded her head.

“Give me the keys.”

As she rummaged through her pocketbook, she asked, “Where are you planning on going?”

“I have friends out there, so I think. I just need to lay low and get a new identity. Seems like I have a head start over most.” He cracked a smile. “I’m going to miss you, baby, even if I don’t know you.”

Amanda handed him her keys. “Good luck, Charlie. Make good in your new life.”

“I’m planning on it.” Chuck started the car, but before he took off, he rolled down the window and called out, “One more thing, Amanda. Watch out for Charlie. He isn’t as nice a guy as you think. Trust me, I know.”

“Thank you for your advice, Charlie. If there’s one thing I learned today, it’s that.”

 Charlie put the car in gear and headed down the road. A tear rolled down his eye, when she disappeared from sight. Shit, man. I miss her already. But there was no sense in turning back. I’m not Charlie and I’m not Mike. Somewhere between now and when I woke up, the two people in my mind have molded into a new person, a blend of the two. Operation Mind Meld was a success, not in copying one’s memories, but in creating a new personality, and I am living proof. What my future holds, is unknown, but rest assured, I’m going to make the best of it.