Mind Sync

by Kirsten Harrell

  “You might be speaking English, but it sounds like a bunch of Greek to me,” Bree quipped.

  “This is very serious. As a result of this increased neural activity, you have dangerous levels of neurochemicals building up in your brain. If we do not clear these, you will suffer brain damage.”

  “What can you do to stop that?” Max butted in.

  “We have a healing chamber that would help disperse the neurochemicals, decrease the toxicity, and infuse the appropriate nutrients.”

  Bree scoffed. “You better think of something else because I am sure as shit not going in some fucking alien healing chamber.”

  “Humans do not have an equivalent to our healing chambers.” Ipeshe continued to look at Bree with those damn swirly eyes. “Nor do you have a way to deal with the toxic buildup from lambda, kappa, and tau waves because your scientists were not aware of these brain wave frequencies before we arrived.”

  “Well, then, I guess we’ll just forget this shit and move on.” Bree attempted to stand, but the room turned on its side. She managed to sit back down before falling down.

  You must listen to Ipeshe. The overload of chemicals she mentioned is extremely dangerous, painful, and WILL cause permanent brain damage. Even though Kusharian brains have evolved to operate at these high frequencies, we still must increase our intake of nutrients and monitor our levels of toxic byproducts so that we can maintain a healthy brain chemistry. Commander Mind Fuck’s unwelcomed thoughts flooded Bree’s head.

  I didn’t ask for your fucking opinion, so shut the hell up! Bree directed this thought back to the intrusive alien.

  Ms. Jackson, I suggest that you start treating me with more respect. To honor Ipeshe, I’ve been patient; however, you need to settle down and stop cussing at me.

  I will fucking stop cussing at you when you fucking get out of my head. Deal? A hot burst of anger flooded from Bree’s core, spread through her body, and up to her face. From the intensity of emotion, she figured her ears were purple.

  “Is she talking to you again?” Max’s eyes narrowed.

  Bree nodded. The combination of anger and mind sync caused another sharp pain to stab at her brain. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Her vision warped - like looking backwards through a peephole. She scrunched her eyes tight. Fuck it! Now a whooshing sound pounded in her ears.

  “I give you my word and my honor that I will keep you safe while at the Kusharian Head Quarters.”

  Max leaned over and whispered in Bree’s ear. “Ipeshe’s eye swirls didn’t slow down. I think you need to do this. You’re not going to be of help to anyone if you’re brain damaged.”

  The bedroom door opened and Kozeb stumbled out with Zuhl right behind him. His hands were secured behind his back and Zuhl held something in her hand. She pushed a button on the gadget and Kozeb squeaked.

  Zuhl pushed Kozeb toward the door. “I am taking Kozeb with me to finish the interrogation. After you help Ms. Jackson, we will meet to discuss plans.”

  “Not so fast.” Bree stood up quickly. She intended to go with them, but her legs failed her. Max grabbed her arm and guided her back down to the chair.

  “Max, go with them,” Bree ordered.

  “No, I’m going with you.” Max spoke in a firm voice.

  “Jason and Nina can come with me. You need to go with Commander Intrusive to make sure we get the full story about Kozeb and the silver boxes. One of us needs to go and make sure that Zuhl doesn’t betray us.”

  “That’s not necessary. Despite your disrespect and hostility, I will honor you by sharing information regarding Kozeb,” Zuhl protested.

  “I’m the one who got that shitbag here. This was my op and I say Max goes. Period. End of story.” The whooshing was so loud she could hardly think. Bree groaned and waved her hand for Max to go.

  Zuhl nodded.

  Bree glared at Max until he nodded.

  “Promise me you’ll let Ipeshe help you?”

  “Fine. Now go!”

  Once Max, Zuhl, and Kozeb were out of sight, Bree turned her attention to Ipeshe. “Now, you and Nina will figure out a way to deal with this pain and get the Intrusive One out of my head. Something other than the Kusharian healing chamber. I’m not going to your HQ.” Another flash of excruciating pain rushed through Bree’s brain.

  “I suppose we could take you to the hospital. Perhaps we could find a way to help you there.” Ipeshe shook her head. “I honestly do not know if human technology will work though.”

  “No. No hospitals either. Take me to my parents’ healing center. I’m not about to go to the hospital with a headache and tell them I’m hearing voices in my head. Maybe a soak in the salt pool or a massage will help.” She needed to get back on her feet quickly and follow through on this op.

  “I am sorry this is happening to you. I do not know if I can do anything to help you there, but I give you my word, I will do my best.” Ipeshe reached a hand to help Bree out of the chair.

  Blinding pain or not, Bree’d get out of the chair on her own.

  Holy shit! Much easier said than done.

  She considered grabbing a trash can to take with her in case she needed to puke again, but didn’t think she could carry it.

  One painful step at a time, she made her way down the stairs.

  Nina and Jason hopped out of the Jeep when Bree stumbled out of the building.

  “Oh my God! You look awful!” Nina exclaimed.

  “Gee, aren’t you a real charmer?” Bree had trouble getting the words out. She made her way to the Jeep and collapsed into the front seat.

  Heart galloping, stabbing brain pain, encroaching darkness.

  In the safety of her Jeep and brother’s care, she no longer fought it.

  She allowed the darkness to swallow her.

  18

  “Bree! Wake up.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “We’re here. Do you want me to go get Dad? We could carry you in,” Jase said.

  Here? Where? What the hell is he talking about?

  The screaming headache slammed into her awareness. Oh yeah, she’d requested to go to her parents’ spa.

  “No, you fool! I’ll walk.” One eye fluttered open to glare at Jason, but the bright light made her reconsider. Eyes scrunched tight, Bree struggled with her seat belt.

  “I don’t think you are in any shape to make it in there on your own steam,” Nina chimed in from the back of the Jeep.

  Oh, right. The good doctor had come with them. A new sensation danced around the edges of the overwhelming pain. Determined not to be carried inside in front of the sexy doc, Bree tumbled out of the Jeep and landed on her feet. “See. Perfectly able to walk on my own.” Maybe.

  “You don’t look so good, Bree.” Fear rang in Jason’s voice. “Are you sure you can do it?”

  As much as she wanted to look Jason in the eyes and reassure him, she needed to keep her eyes on the ten feet of pavement between her and the back door to the healing center, if she wanted to get there on her own two feet. “Absolutely.”

  One foot in front of the other - in a more or less straight line - Bree reached the door. Nina opened it and Bree stumbled into the back hallway, then almost into her parents, who were standing side-by-side with matching worried faces.

  Damn, it! Jason must have called ahead to fill them in on the situation. The little shit.

  “Hi, Dad, Kali.” Bree straightened up, hoping to hide her pain.

  “Bree, honey, are you ok?” Kali rushed forward. Her gauzy outfit flowed like etherial wings. She trapped her step-daughter in a long hug. As soon as Bree wiggled free from Kali, her dad ambushed her with a bear hug. His silk mandarin-style outfit matched the setting as much as Kali’s; quite the New Age couple.

  “Ok… ok… That’s enough. I’m not dying for piss sake.” Bree slipped out of her dad’s desperate hold.

  Nina stepped forward with her hand out. “Hi. I’m Nina Cordero.”

  Bree’s father took Nina’s hand first and shook it.
“Derek Jackson.”

  Then her step-mom introduced herself. “Kali Montauk. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nina. I’ve heard great things about you from some of our clients.”

  “Thanks. Nice to meet you both.” Nina’s face reddened a bit.

  Bree winced as the pain stabbed through her brain with added force. “I hate to break this up, but can I go lay down for a few? Maybe get a drink or two? Tequila would be nice. Unless someone has a vape pen.”

  “Yeah, right.” Kali chuckled and shook her head. “Come on with me, let’s see what we can do.”

  “I’ll wait here for the Kusharian. What’s her name again?” Her dad asked.

  “Ipeshe, and thanks.” Nina responded.

  Kali placed her hand on Bree’s back to guide her down the hall. “How bad is the pain?”

  While she wouldn’t admit it, Bree appreciated the supportive touch and her stepmother’s subtle ways. “Oh, not bad.” Bree shrugged. “Just like a wicked hot bread knife being plunged through my brain and a massive freight train roaring in my ears.”

  “Right. So not bad at all.” Kali mimicked Bree’s sarcastic tone and gesture. Bree loved that about her step-mother - she had a good sarcastic wit about her.

  Kali steered Bree into a room down the long hallway.

  “What are we doing in here?” Bree looked at the floatation tank sitting in the middle of the room. While she enjoyed some of the treatments at the center, she’d never considered going in the floatation tank. Massages, saunas, the salt pools, and even energy therapy were all options she enjoyed. She’d gotten used to these alternative treatments growing up, but floating in a dark, silent, coffin-looking thing filled with super-salty water for an hour or more seemed a little more like punishment than relaxation.

  “It helps people achieve a deep state of relaxation. It also helps reduce pain by increasing endorphins and blood flow,” Kali explained.

  “The relaxation helps slow the brain waves to alpha and sometimes theta waves,” Nina said as she applied a special bandage to seal and protect Bree’s mountain lion wounds from the salty water.

  Bree gave Kali a blank look.

  Her step-mother smiled. “Alpha waves are associated with deep relaxation. Theta waves are even slower, and are usually experienced in sleep and deep meditation.”

  Bree scrunched her brows and nodded. “That’s it? I just float and the literal pain in my head and the figurative pain in my ass, also known as Commander Mind Fuck, will go away?”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure.” Nina raised both of her hands palms up and shook her head slightly. “Ipeshe’s going to add some Kusharian medicine to the tank that should help detoxify your brain and stabilize your brain waves. We simply don’t know about the mind sync. The priority has to be your health right now. Your brain can’t continue like this without serious and permanent damage similar to a stroke.”

  The excruciating pain made it difficult to argue. Not to mention, she generally had a policy of avoiding brain damage. “Alright, whatever. What do I wear?”

  “Nothing. Well, I suppose you can keep your bra and undies on, but it’s best not to have any clothes to distract you from the experience. I say just let the girls float free.” Kali smiled and wiggled her eyebrows.

  Bree harrumphed. “Oh bloody hell, this just keeps getting better. I’m going to be locked naked in that salty coffin with alien drugs. For how long?”

  The two women chuckled before Kali answered. “Probably an hour. But I’m only guessing. We’ll have to ask your Kusharian friend.”

  “She’s not my friend.” Bree insisted.

  Nina shot an annoyed look her way.

  “Well, she’s not.”

  Bree’s father coughed to announce his entrance. Ipeshe and Jason followed behind him. Her brother announced the obvious. “Ipeshe’s here.”

  “I have a wicked headache, I’m not blind,” Bree snapped.

  That comment drew several disapproving looks and one hurt puppy-dog look from Jason. Damn it. Her head hurt too bad to worry about anyone else right now.

  “I am Ipeshe Briqhlo of the ChaTudech. Daughter of Nikku Briqhol.” Ipeshe balled her left fist and put it to her chest, then held out her right hand to shake Kali’s hand.

  “Thank you for helping our daughter.” Kali’s smile reached her eyes.

  “I am honored to be in your presence.” Ipeshe returned the smile. “I have the Lhox Sudah. It is a potent medicine that we make from our Lhoxosa plant. This will help your daughter’s system to flush the toxins and supply nutrients for her brain.”

  “Uh, hello. I’m over here. You mind talking to me?” Bree interrupted. It’d been a long time since a health care provider had addressed her parents instead of her.

  “I do apologize. It is our tradition to honor the female with the most experience, especially if she has produced offspring.” Ipeshe looked back and forth between Bree and Kali.

  “Yeah, well it’s my brain we’re talking about. Besides, she didn’t… uh, produce me.” Bree flashed a quick apologetic look at her step-mother. No matter how much she loved Kali, she wasn’t her biological mother. When Kali nodded and smiled, Bree pressed on. “Have you used this shit on humans before or am I your first guinea pig?”

  “We have not had reason to use this on humans. We have not seen human brains waves reach this frequency before.” This time Ipeshe spoke directly to Bree. “I have, however, factored the differences in our physiology in calculating the dose. I will monitor your brain during the treatment to assure your safety.”

  “Super.” Bree took in a deep breath and loudly exhaled as she scanned everyone in the room. “Well, get the hell out of here so I can get this over with. I can’t get naked with all of you standing around staring at me.“ She worked out regularly to sculpt her body into a fighting machine and had adorned much of it with beautiful brightly colored tats, but that didn’t mean she wanted to show it off in all of its naked glory to this crowd. Except for Nina; Bree wouldn’t mind if she stayed for the naked festivities, but she opted to keep that thought private.

  “Ok. We’ll see you in an hour. Please do your best to relax.” Derek’s voice swung up at the end, like he couldn’t decide whether he was asking or telling her to relax. He patted Bree on the shoulder, then he headed out of the room with the others following.

  Everyone except Ipeshe.

  “Don’t think you’re getting a peep show.” Bree stuck her thumb out and indicated the door. “You’ve got to go too.”

  “I need to put the Lhox Sudah in the tank, then I will give you the privacy you require to get in the water. Then I will come back once you are in the tank to monitor you and give instructions as needed.”

  With the lid closed, the tank looked like a giant wooden clog. The lid opened upwards, like a huge clam shell. Ipeshe opened a glass bottle and poured the special alien medicine into the warm shallow water which contained enough salt that she’d float on the surface.

  “Once you close the lid, it will be completely dark and silent. The sensory deprivation will help you relax,” Ipeshe explained. “However, I am turning on the intercom system so that we can communicate if necessary. Please do your best to relax so that the medicine and the healing experience will work most effectively.” Ipeshe left the room.

  Bree sat down and let out a quiet laugh at the turn of events. When she’d started the day, she definitely hadn’t counted on taking an alien-medicine-laced salt bath inside a giant clog. Nope, hadn’t seen that coming at all.

  In the changing area of the room, Bree took off her thigh rig, then placed her two knives on the bench in the changing area before stripping out of her faded and nearly thread-bare jeans. She folded the jeans, her turquoise tank, bra, and undies, and placed them on top of the weapons, then slid her bare feet into the spa sandals and pulled the white robe around her shoulders. Ohhh… the very soft and fluffy robe. She’d be taking it home.

  Bree crossed the room and dropped the robe onto the chair beside the tank
before another jolt of pain struck. A gasp escaped her lips. Her eyes slammed shut. Excruciating pain burned hot through her head. Fingers clenched the back of the chair. She didn’t dare move. Nothing to do but wait and breathe.

  Fuckety fuck.

  Inhale.

  Exhale.

  Repeat.

  Eyes open. Blood rushing to her fingers, bringing color back. Now or never. Bree crawled into the tank.

  This better work, or Instant Karma be damned, I’m going to kick some serious ass. Make that two Kusharian asses. Bree thought as she laid back in the tank and floated.

  Zuhl’s mental voice intruded into Bree’s isolation tank time. That would not be a wise course of action. I protected you from Instant Karma once today, I don’t plan on doing it again.

  Whoa! Hold on. First, what the hell do you mean you protected me once? Second, this tank is so fucking not big enough for the two of us. In other words, get the hell out! Okay. Wait, answer my question and then get out.

  Did you notice any Karma Guards today when you attacked Kozeb? Zuhl asked.

  Apparently Kusharians can be snarky mother fuckers.

  What did you do?

  I put a block on your nano-trackers. I was concerned that Kozeb would antagonize you or your family into violence. Ipeshe shared with me that you had been hit by one of the brain zappers - I think that’s what you call them - so we didn’t know if you would react with violence like some of the other humans.

  Hold the fucking phone! Are you telling me that you can turn off our trackers? That you DID turn off our trackers. Oh, for Karma’s sake. Hot damn! That’s brilliant.

  Perhaps it was time to play nice with the Kusharian intruder.

  Slow down, Ms. Jackson. I didn’t turn them off. Zuhl sent back quickly. I blocked the signal for a short time. The system reset and your trackers are active again.

  So block them again. Permanently. Bree pushed the thought with some force, despite the pain still racking her brain.

  That’s not going to happen. Ipeshe, I do apologize for disrupting the treatment.