Mind Games., page 1

Sarah picked up the glossy brochure next to her bed and began to read.

History of the Procedure.

"The brain transplant is not a new concept. It has been the dream of many doctors since the dawn of modern surgery to take a conscious, and active brain confined within a paraplegic's body and pair it with the healthy body of the brain dead coma victim. Early experiments, however, proved fruitless. Connecting the transplant brain to the donor spinal chord has never been perfected. Some experiments took place in head transplants, not only could the brain be kept in a safe enviroment but this solution was also thought to help allay some of the expected psychological effects of introducing an experienced and conscious brain into an unfamiliar donor body. However, this technique suffered from the same drawbacks as the first experiments in brain transplants, the brain still had to be connected to the spinal chord. To understand the complexity of this problem imagine, if you would, trying to plug your U.S manufactured radio into an electric socket in a European hotel. Though this may appear to oversimplify the problem, the fundamental issues are the same except that each human brain can only connect to it's own natural spinal chord. And unlike your radio there is no adapter."

"The big breakthrough came with a greater understanding of how the brain worked. Thought processes are simply very tiny electrical currents which form pathways. Some victims of brain damage were found to have "re-wired" the established or traditional pathways to circumvate the damaged areas. In some cases these pathways even leapt between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and in these cases the distinctly different halves fused in places to help enable these new pathways."

"Around this time Dr, Sir, Hugh Noble, the eminent neurologist based in Oxford, started to experiment with partial brain transplants. In these experiments the connection between the donor spinal chord and brain was left in place. The lower part of the donor brain (brainstem, Cerebellum, Medulla Oblongata, pons) was kept and the upper part of the healthy brain attached. This new technique showed early promise and Dr Noble was able to refine the technique. The operation we perform at this private hospital today still follows the technique established by Dr Noble 20 years ago. 10% of the donor brain, still attached to the spinal chord, is retained and 90% of the healthy brain is attached. the two pieces fuse naturally with time. After the operation the patient is kept in a low level drug induced coma for up to two weeks. The patient then spends a further two weeks artificially paralised but with increasing mental stimuli. The patient finally spends a final month in the controlled enviroment of the hospital. Only two months after the operation is complete the patient can once again embark on the healthy and active lifestyle they had before."

Sarah didn't know how many times she'd read that brochure. Probably every day since the artificial paralysis had finished and she'd been able to walk about her room. Tomorrow she'd be allowed to leave and she couldn't wait. She'd explored every square yard of the hospital and it's grounds and she was starting to feel like an inmate rather than a patient.

She walked over to the en suite bathroom and let her nightdress fall from her shoulders as she stood before the full lenght mirror. It was one of her guilty pleasures. She felt a little like a voyeur but she told herself that she shouldn't. This was her body, afterall she'd payed for it. She was beautiful, more beautiful than she could have hoped for. She cupped her firm breasts gently in her hands and smiled as she slightly tweaked her nipples. It felt good. Slowly she let her right hand slip down stroking her flat stomache all the time watching herself and smiling and then with the tips of her fingers, like a soft breeze, she gently touched her pubic hair. She felt a tingling sensation.

"Am I a virgin ?" she asked herself aloud. Her eyes widened at the thought. She didn't know. She laughed and then turned away from the mirror to have a shower.

...........................

She entered the familiar apartment block and took the elevator to the third floor and stopping at the door marked number 8 she looked in her handbag for the key.

"Mr crawford is not in."

She turned to the voice. It was Mr Harrison, an advertising executive who lived in apartment 9.

"He's not been around for atleast two months."

"I know." she replied smiling. "I'm a friend of his, Sarah. He's living in LA and he's just asked me clear up a few things here for him."

" My name's Ewen. A friend of his you say ?" this asked with raised eyebrows and a smile. "You don't seem to be his type."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." but her look told him she knew exactly what he meant.

He leant against the door frame smiling as she found her keys.

"How long are you in New York ?" he asked, confident.

"Just a couple of days until everything is sorted out here."

"Well, if you're only here for a short time perhaps you'd like dinner? Tonight OK ?"

He was smooth she thought. "Sure, why not ?"

She opened the door.

"I'll knock for you at 7.30."

"OK."

She closed the door and leant against it. It was all she could do to stop herself laughing out aloud. Ewen Harrison the suave bachelor. Well tonight would be a good way of finding out if everything worked as it should. She'd have to buy a new outfit though. She had some dresses here but they were all oversized to fit that repulsive other body she'd had. She'd sell this place and start a new life in a new city. She wanted sun and sea, she felt drawn to Florida. A beach life. Why not ? she could afford it.

...................

Her skin was quite tanned now as she sat in a beach bar near the Keys. She'd been cruising slowly down the coast looking for somewhere she felt comfortable, somewhere she might want to settle down for a while. The view was amazing and she marvelled at it as she sipped a strawberry daiquari.

"Mummy! Mummy!" a tiny voice screamed near by. "Mummy!" now with a tug on Sarah's shirt. "Mummy, where have you been?"

Sarah saw a handsome young boy of about 5 years standing next to her, tears streaming down his tanned face.

"Jude! leave that lady alone. Jude!" the deep voice from behind her grew louder as he approached. "Jude! that's not your mother."

The boys father gently put his hand on his shoulder."I'm sorry to have bothered .......... Carolyn ?..... Is that you ? Carolyn..? Where have you been ?........"

.....................

She was sat in the passenger seat of an open top BMW. The wind made conversation almost impossible which she was pleased about as it gave her time to think about the events of the previous hour.

The doctors at the hospital had told her that she would never be able to have children, it was something to do with the brain triggering hormonal responses which her's was not adapted for. She'd always wanted the full package but had thought it an impossible dream but here she was with a husband, a son, and as she'd found out earlier a younger daughter.

She'd made the decision quickly and played along. She'd claimed to be suffering from amnesia and the sight of the scar on her scalp beneath her hair had convinced him.

She'd tried to remember everything she could about the donor. She'd been found without any identification at the bottom of a cliff at a well known suicide spot in Nebraska. "So how had she ended up there if she lived here in southern Florida ?" she thought. That had been about a year ago and for six months the doctors had kept her alive in case anyone had claimed her but she supposed that news wouldn't have reached down here. Her body had then appeared in the body donor directory for a month's preview before the sale started. Bidding had been frantic as bodies as beautiful as that didn't come on the market often, not legal ones anyway. He'd been lucky to pick it up for less than a million.

That's all she knew.

........................

She'd been to see Dr Knowles their family doctor who'd been happy to diagnose amnesia after a cursory examination. He even pointed out a small scar on her shoulder which she'd not known she'd had which apparently had been caused by a fall from a tree when she'd been a girl and which the good doctor himself had stitched. The doctor had talked to her husband, Jake, and explained that he shouldn't ask too many questions and to allow her to ease back in to her own life. He didn't ask any questions after that and she decided to see what happenned.

He'd organised a big welcome home party for all their family and friends. She'd spent the night trying to remember all the new names and answer their questions. Almost without exception every guest asked if she really didn't remember them. As though the idea that she couldn't remember anyone else was OK but that she couldn't remember them was unbelievable, unthinkable even.

All except Jake's best friend, Peter. Peter seemed more relieved than incredulous that she couldn't remember him. He seemed to be always staring at her broodily. He made her feel uncomfortable and she found it unnerving. As he was about to leave for a moment they were alone and he grabbed her arm as though to take her to one side but Jake joined them and he let go and left with his wife.

.....................

Sarah was now Carolyn and it had been two weeks since 'she came home'. The town's people had welcomed her with open arms and she was enjoying being a mother and a wife. Jake seemed surprised but pleased with her efforts in the bedroom.

She was walking to the local store when she met Peter. She hadn't seen him alone since the party and she immediately felt uncomfortable.

"Carolyn." He stood in front of her blocking her way. "Carolyn, I need to speak to you."

"I'm on my way to the store." she gasped.

"This is important Carolyne. It can't wait." He grabbed her arm again. Don't you remember me at all." he said anxiously. "Don't you remember me....us."

She tried to pull her arm away. "US!" he almost screamed.

A car was coming down the road and he pulled her through the hedge and into a small wooded area. She lost her footing and he dragged her along the ground for a few yards."Get up!" he yelled.

She started to cry and wimpered that she couldn't stand. He tried to drag her up but she couldn't stand. "What do you want ?" she cried.

Just then someone walked through the hedge. It was Gloria, Peter's wife, and she was carrying a shotgun. Peter lunged at her and briefly they wrestled for the gun each with both hands on the gun, Peter very quickly rolled on top, Gloria struggling on her back. Siezing her opportunity Carolyn picked up a nearby rock and running over she smashed it across the side of his head. Slowly Peter fell and Gloria pushed him off. Carolyn, watched Peter as he lay on the leafy ground, blood seeping from the new wound on his head. Then she looked at the rock still raised to strike again and she let it drop. As she did so Peter groaned and stirred slowly.

There was a snap as the gun was cocked and Carolyn looked up to see the shotgun trained on her, Gloria behind it.

" I didn't believe you when you said you couldn't remember anything you spiteful little bitch. Two weeks and you're back to you're old tricks you slut."

Carolyn started to back away and as she did so Gloria walked towards her.

" I thought you were smarter though. I told you last time I'd do anything to defend my family."

Carolyn held up her hands and waved them slightly in a pleading sort of way but they continued to back further into the woods.

" It was my own fault last time because I didn't make sure. I left you for dead.I won't make that mistake again."

Carolyn looked back at Peter lying motionless on the ground.

"He'll be OK." Gloria said without looking back. She just nodded slightly in his general direction. " He's got a thick skull and he won't say anything about this either. He didn't last time when I told him what I'd done. Here will do. Stop here."

Carolyn stopped involuntarily and then she turned to run. She didn't get far.

[edit on 30-5-2005 by John bull 1]