The BCI

Bobbie felt her brow furrow while watching the screen tucked into the corner of the kitchen counter. An Aerial view of the Coelaton lab, locked down. Several figures in hazmat suits milled about near the ambulance. The shot spun slowly around as the drone or helicopter circled above the damaged building. The new’s anchors shrill voices needling her as she watched the video fade out. 

Bobbie began smiling again as the screen shifted to a shot from the Coelaton’s opening event. Jennifer looked lovely in the black dress the pair had selected that evening. Her effervescent smile disarmed her like it always did as lights flashed and flickered as photographers took snapshots for their outlets. “…the Brain Control Interface, or BCI is frankly an illimitable leap forward for humanity. Think about it Bryanna, a simple connection from your brain directly to the internet. No clunky keyboards or burdensome styli. You know, pen’s pencils… by entropy… chalk‽” Jennifer said sweetly, Bobbie saw herself drift behind the elegant brunette on the screen. “Frankly I don’t know why anyone would balk at such a wonderful innovation.”

Bobbie’s face slipped as the newscast chyron flared up. The awful comment, Blaming Jennifer for the field inversion and destruction of the Coelaton lab, was too much. The incident wasn’t Jennifer’s fault, not really. The finer details were still under investigation, but the Australian government had agreed the incident was likely an accident. At first, Bobbie had been relieved to see Jennifer seemingly unharmed. But the remarkable changes in Jennifer were like something out of science fiction. Thankfully all the tests seemed to indicate that Jennifer was still in there, and the current hope was that everything could be undone.

The chyron shifted again, and the anchorman moved onto some random talking head. Bobbie was grinding her teeth as she watched. She brought the phone back up to her face. “Jesus, this is bad.” 

Bobbie could hear Tariq sigh on the other end of the line. “I tried to warn you. This is going to be a disaster; I don’t envy your evening.” Bobbie watched as Tariq slipped into the file footage, patting Jennifer on the shoulder.

Bobbie’s eyes drifted to the ceiling, tracing the sophisticated etched copper plates in the ceiling. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I doubt she’ll notice.”

Stepping back to the counter, she poured herself a mug of coffee, using the last of Jennifer’s civet. Tariq took a shallow breath. “Is…is she still there?”

Chewing on her lower lip, Bobbie nodded to no one in particular. “Yeah…” Reaching across the counter, she filled a small cup with apple juice. “Most of her anyway.”

There was an awkward chuckle from the other end of the call. “Well, at least you still have your sense of humour. Anything I can do?”

Bobbie sipped her coffee, again shaking her head to no one in particular. “Just, keep up the hard work. It’s the only way to fix the project or help Jennifer.” 

“That’s Jenny!” A sharp, ethereal voice squealed from the other room. 

Bobbie winced, holding the phone away from her face. “Yes sweetie, we know.”

“'Sweetie'...?” Tariq’s voice clawed through the phone. “You can’t… Bobbie no…”

Spinning on her feet, Bobbie stalked towards the backdoor. “Just shut up, you know me!”

“Indeed, that’s the prob...”

“Not another word, or so help me Tariq.” Bobbie leaned against the jamb, looking out along the eastern garden. A small satellite dish peeked above the hedgerow. “Look, I would never betray Jennifer like that. Just… keep the team focused.” Bobbie went to end the call before slapping the phone back to her cheek. “Tariq. wait.””

“Hmm?”

“Have… Has there been any progress with the synovial flush?”

Bobbie felt her pulse surging as Tariq took a deep breath. She heard a marker scraping against paper in the living room. “McKenna does feel confident in a combination of craniosacral massage and the synovial saline wash.” Tariq chuckled. “It’s not funny, but to be honest I’m not so sure it wouldn’t be equally effective to burn sage and place a quartz Rolex on her forehead.”

“You’re right, that’s not funny.”

Tariq chuckled nervously. “Look, just… get through tonight. We’ll switch off tomorrow.”

Bobbie crumpled against the counter. “I’m not leaving her.”

The room was quiet, save for the sound of Jennifer shuffling about in the other room. Tariq sighed.  “Yes Ma’am. Before you go…”

“Yeah?”

“'Jenny'?” Tariq queried after the new name.

Bobbie sighed, running a hand through her dyed hair. “She… had trouble saying Jennifer. It’s just easier this way.” 

Bobbie could almost hear Tariq grin on the other end of the line. “Oh man, she’s going to be so angry when we fix this.”

Bobbie grinned, chuckling softly, nodding. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face.”

Ending the call, Bobbie finished her coffee and stepped towards the living room. Leaving her mug and plucking up the glass of juice as she crossed the threshold. Her heart skipped, the easel had been pushed in front of the bay window. There was a thick wood line, but an eager cameraman could probably catch a glimpse of Jennifer’s new look.

The lime green chair she’d borrowed from Katie and Josh was seated in front of an easel. Jennifers body was hidden in shadow, the details washed out by the morning sun. For just a moment Bobbie was relieved, Jennifer seemed almost normal, and she was eagerly diving into the problems on the page. 

Bobbie deflated with each step towards her friend. Jenny’s feet were swaying above the tile floor as the tiny figure wiggled, her purple hair slipped out of the shadow. The sheet in front of Jenny was covered with simple arithmetic, but the math was all wrong. Just one of the six answers was correct, flipping a coin would have been more accurate. 

“I don’t get it. This is, like, so hard‽” Jenny whispered. Shaking her head, Bobbie set the small glass down on the tray on the ottoman before approaching the chair. 

Bobbie couldn’t help but grin. Jenny had been a terror when they were shopping, insisting on outfits and clothes that went completely against the sleek and sophisticated aesthetic Jennifer had built her brand upon. Jenny looked confused, but there were reassuring flickers of the brilliant woman she’d been. Just, fighting through the strands of purple hair and pink cloth.

The blonde woman stooped, leaning against the back of the chair. The BCI worked incredibly well, but the field inversion had really done a number on Jennifer’s body. She was smaller, curvier… a caricature of the leading techno wunderkind Bobbie had worked with for six years. 

Bobbie took a breath and held it for a minute, then rested a hand on her knees. “It’s…ok sweetheart, this stuff can be hard. Let’s work through the problems.”

“Can’t I watch TV instead?”

“Jenny. We need to try and fix the brain thingy, remember?”

Jenny swung her feet, pouting slightly. “I guess…”

“OK, how about this, let’s get through these questions and then you can watch something. OK?”

---

I admit I love to dabble in some bimbofication from time to time - and it pairs well with shrinking! Hope ya'll enjoy <3