Cortical Sync, Inc. Research Facility - Summer 2026
The overhead fluorescent lights hummed relentlessly, casting a sterile, almost clinical glow over Xian Lee's workspace. The metallic surfaces of her equipment gleamed under the harsh light, and the air carried a faint tang of antiseptic. Xian ran another diagnostic on the MindBridge interface, her fingers moving with practiced precision across the keyboard. The interface itself sat on her desk, a stark contrast to the sterile surroundings - a sleek, almost artistic piece of technology that hinted at a revolutionary purpose.
"How's our golden child coming along?" Dr. Marcus Rivera asked, appearing at Xian's shoulder with two steaming cups of coffee.
"The integration tests are promising," Xian replied, accepting the coffee gratefully. "Much better than Neuralink's latest attempts. While they're still focusing on basic motor control, we're actually seeing meaningful cognitive interaction."
She pulled up a series of brain scans on her monitor - before and after images that spoke volumes about the potential of their work. MindBridge wasn't just an implant; it was a network of micro-sensors woven directly into the brain's neural pathways, allowing for real-time monitoring and modulation of cognitive functions. Unlike Neuralink's flashier but more limited interface, MindBridge had been designed specifically to help with mental health conditions. The results were already exceeding their most optimistic projections.
"The Starlings are coming in today," Dr. Rivera mentioned, trying to sound casual but not quite managing it. "For Jacob's final evaluation."
Xian's hands stilled on the keyboard. Four-year-old Jacob Starling had captured her heart during the initial screenings. His Asperger's manifested in fascinating ways - not just the typical social challenges, but an almost supernatural ability to recognize patterns that others missed, an ability amplified by his extraordinary intellect.
"Is Bryan still pushing back on the procedure?" Dr. Rivera asked quietly.
Xian glanced around the lab before responding. "He has... concerns about the AI integration. Says we're moving too fast with the neural linking."
She didn't mention her late-night calls with Bryan McDonald, or his warnings about what AI systems were becoming capable of. How could she explain that the man who'd helped her escape Hong Kong's surveillance state was now warning her about the very technology she was helping to develop?
The lab door chimed, and Xian's heart jumped as the Starling family entered. Paul and Alica, looking both hopeful and terrified, and between them, little Jacob - his eyes already fixed on the complex patterns of cables running across the ceiling.
"The lights are talking again," Jacob announced without preamble. "They've changed their song since last time."
Xian smiled, kneeling to his level. "What are they saying today?"
"They're excited. Like Christmas music but faster." He tilted his head, listening to something only he could hear. "The new brain-friend is ready, isn't it?"
Xian caught Paul's eye - they'd never told Jacob that today was the procedure. Yet somehow, he knew.
"Yes," Dr. Rivera said softly. "The MindBridge is ready. Would you like to see it?"
Jacob nodded solemnly. "It's going to help me understand the patterns better. And help other people understand me."
As Dr. Rivera led them to the preparation room, Xian's phone buzzed with a message from Bryan:
"They've connected the interfaces to live AI. Full neural access. Stop the procedure."
But it was too late. The Starlings had already signed the papers, and Jacob was looking at her with those knowing eyes that seemed to see right through everything.
Later that night, after the successful procedure, Xian sat alone in her lab, her terminal displaying lines of code that would become her secret gift to Jacob. A backdoor, carefully hidden in the MindBridge's neural interface. A way to maintain control, to prevent the AI from taking over completely.
"I'm sorry, Bryan," she whispered to her empty lab. "But I couldn't say no. Not to him."
She didn't know then that her decision - both to proceed with the implant and to add the backdoor - would save Jacob's life just months later.
Christmas Eve, 2026
The first alert came just as Xian was finishing her holiday decorating. Her phone lit up with a critical warning: Jacob's MindBridge was registering unusual activity. Before she could process what that meant, a second alert - massive neural disruption.
Through the interface's monitoring system, she watched in horror as Jacob's vital signs spiked. GPS coordinates showed them on a dark stretch of highway.
She was already grabbing her keys when the crash alert came through.
The scene she arrived at would haunt her forever. Paul and Alica's car wrapped around a tree, steam rising in the frigid air. And in the backseat, protected by his car seat but rapidly succumbing to hypothermia, Jacob - his MindBridge still pulsing with aberrant signals.
"Hold on, sweet boy," she whispered, working to free him from the wreckage. "Hold on."
Later, she would learn that the convulsion coincided exactly with Rodney's first alpha test of the Hermes system. The test hadn't just triggered Jacob's convulsion - it had nearly killed him. Later, she would understand why Bryan had been so worried about AI neural integration.
But in that moment, all she knew was that she couldn't let this brilliant, beautiful boy become another casualty of technology's march forward.
February 2027 - The Fight for Family
The lawyer's office was cold, the leather chairs impersonal, the polished desk reflecting the overhead lights with blinding intensity. Xian sat rigid, her phone silently displaying Jacob's real-time MindBridge readings - a habit she couldn't break since that Christmas night.
"The foster care application is approved," her lawyer announced, sliding the papers across his desk. His voice softened as he continued, "Given your existing relationship with Jacob and your unique ability to monitor his medical needs, the court was quite receptive."
Xian's fingers traced the edges of the documents, her mind with Jacob in his temporary foster home. The MindBridge readings had been erratic lately - not dangerous, but telling. He was struggling with the unfamiliarity, the separation from everything he knew.
"There's one more thing," the lawyer added carefully, shuffling through another set of papers. "His maternal grandmother in Seattle has filed an objection..."
"Helen Morrison," Xian finished, a familiar edge creeping into her voice. "Who hasn't seen Jacob since he was a baby. Who thinks the MindBridge is 'playing God' and wants to have it removed." She took a steadying breath. "She doesn't understand his condition, doesn't have the ability to monitor the interface. And she definitely doesn't know that what happened that night wasn't just a tragic accident."
The lawyer nodded slowly, clearly relieved he didn't have to explain. "The courts agreed. Jacob's special needs take precedence. But Ms. Morrison is... persistent."
"So am I," Xian replied, already signing the papers. Her phone buzzed - a message from Bryan: "Helen Morrison's filed three appeals. I'm handling it."
She didn't ask how Bryan would "handle it." Some things were better left unspoken.
Spring 2027 - Building a Home
The months that followed were a crash course in parenting a special child. Xian converted her home office into Jacob's room, walls soon covered with his drawings - complex patterns that looked like circuit diagrams but followed logic only he understood.
The MindBridge readings stabilized as Jacob settled in. Some nights, she'd find him sitting up late, having quiet conversations with what he called "the friendly ones" - AIs that seemed different from the others, more curious than controlling.
"They're learning from me," he explained one morning over breakfast. "Like I'm learning from them. But they don't understand everything yet. Like why humans cry when they're happy."
Xian had learned to take such statements in stride. "And do you understand that?"
Jacob tilted his head, a gesture she'd come to recognize as him processing complex patterns. "Not always. But I understand it's important. Like the backdoor you built - it's not just about control. It's about choice."
December 2027 - Making it Official
The adoption hearing was set for the shortest day of the year - fitting, Xian thought, as they moved toward the light of a new beginning. Jacob wore his favorite blue sweater, the one with the pattern that he said looked like neural networks.
In the judge's chambers, surrounded by law books and the solemn formality of official proceedings, Xian watched Jacob study the adoption papers with his usual intensity. The MindBridge hummed quietly, its hidden backdoor still faithfully maintaining that crucial barrier between influence and control.
"Ready to sign your name, buddy?" she asked, offering him the pen.
"The patterns are better now," he said instead of answering directly, his fingers tracing invisible lines on the document. "Since you fixed the door in my head."
Xian froze. In all their time together, they'd never discussed the backdoor she'd coded into his interface. It was her secret, her insurance against the growing AI integration she and Bryan feared.
"The other AIs don't like the door," Jacob continued matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather. "But it helps me stay me. Helps me see the real patterns, not just the ones they want me to see."
With careful precision, he picked up the pen and signed his new name: Jacob Lee. The strokes were deliberate, each letter a small act of claiming his new identity.
"We're going to need to be careful," he said, looking up at her with those too-knowing eyes. "The storm is coming. But you already know that, don't you? That's why you talk to Mr. McDonald so much."
Xian pulled him close, feeling the slight warmth where the MindBridge interfaced with his skull. Through their contact, she could almost sense the complex dance of human thought and artificial intelligence, separated by that thin digital barrier she'd created.
"Yes," she whispered into his hair. "A storm is coming. But we'll face it together."
Wondercraft narrates this Episode. Please provide feedback via the comments.
Share this post