Chapter 1: Surreal
"Danny, stop. Just stop for a second and listen."
He stopped and looked around, straining to hear over the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. As far as he could tell, they were alone.
He sighed and started running again, autumn leaves crunching underfoot as he lapped the park.
Jay, you have to let it go. We can't keep doing this. What are you so afraid of? I don't understand and I don't think you do either.
"Something is off, Danny. Ever since you started at Rollins...it feels like someone’s watching us. Can you really not feel it?"
Why would I lie? I don't feel anything. All of this paranoia…it’s driving me crazy!
"It's there Danny. It’s like a tingle on your skin; nerves dancing out a warning pattern. Your body is sensing something that your mind just isn't grasping. But it’s there. I can feel it."
None of this makes any sense Jay.
But he did feel something - panic rising in his chest, as his grasp on reality slipped away from him again.
Chapter 2: Nano
DOD Contractor Status Report: June 17 2023 – Researcher: ROLLINS112
We are ready to begin PHASE 1 testing protocols for project code: IMAGINARY FRIEND.
After our previous setbacks and delays in manufacturing of the Nano serum, we have made up for lost time by working on the A.I. programming concurrently.
Rather than developing within the Nanobot architecture directly, as was originally planned, we have utilized a virtual development environment, allowing the two teams to work side by side. When the serum is complete, we will transfer the finished consciousness directly into the Nano computational framework of the serum, where it will lay dormant until introduced to a host.
Additionally, we have identified our patient targets. After cross referencing the results from our initial scan of the US-DNA database with the medical history data on the National Insurance Network, we have identified 3 ideal patient candidates.
The serum will be covertly administered next month when the patients arrive at their respective local medical centers for mandatory vaccinations.
PHASE 1 testing will involve minimal interference with the patients for the first 12 months.
The intelligence will need time to adapt to its host.
Chapter 3: Resolve
As he rounded the turn, he stumbled over to a bench overlooking the soccer fields. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath over the gigantic knot of anxiety in pit of his stomach.
I must be losing my mind.
"This nonsense again? I'm as real as you are Danny boy. How can you not see that? How many times have I kept us out of trouble?”
This can’t be happening. There’s no other explanation. I need to get help… Oh God… I must be Schizophrenic…
“For the sake of argument Danny, let’s say you’re right. What if I am just some fractured piece of your mind, haunting itself. Would it make a difference? Would knowing one way or the other actually change anything? No. Because you’re shaped by your experiences and your experience of reality includes me, whether I’m real or not.”
Danny closed his eyes. He needed to calm down. His life had improved dramatically since Jay first appeared. Why was he so upset all of sudden? Why did this keep happening?
“Maybe I am missing something” he finally conceded to himself.
All of his recent anxiety and anger, maybe his body was reacting to… to something. And if Jay was just a part of him, some splintered aspect of his imagination, maybe he has a better grasp on my intuition.
Okay Jay, I’m with you. I’ll leave it alone for now, but we need a better system. All this paranoia… It’s too much for me.
“Look, for what it’s worth, I only want the best for you Danny, you must know that by now. When you suffer, I suffer. I don’t know what changed, but I started feeling it when you started working at Rollins.”
Danny stood up, feeling somewhat more resolved. He started jogging toward his house.
I don’t even know how I got the job, Jay. I’m definitely not qualified... I still have no idea why they hired me or why I even applied in the first place.
“That’s not true. I don’t know why they hired you, but you do know why you applied for it, or at least I do.”
He considered it. The wanted ad had caught his eye several weeks back, where he couldn’t say. He had applied on a whim.
“Danny… That’s not how it happened at all.”
Chapter 4: Rollins International
DOD Contractor Status Report: July 22 2024 – Researcher: ROLLINS112
PHASE 2 continues on schedule. Our passive monitors had indicated that all three patients have successfully integrated the intelligence. We can confirm this now.
Upon detailed analysis, the integration is not only complete, but has surpassed our expectations. The intelligence has adapted and evolved to the individual patient’s personality profile. We expected variation, but not to the level that has occurred.
The intelligence has adapted itself to compensate for the psychological weaknesses of the host. This is an extraordinary finding with staggering military potential, far greater than our most hopeful projections.
We will analyze this more closely during PHASE 3, once the patients are recruited to work for Rollins International.
Already, the subconscious conditioning has begun.
We expect the patients to contact us shortly.
Chapter 5: Memories
Danny closed his eyes, struggling to remember why he had decided to apply to Rollins International. He remembered It made sense at the time, he must have had a reason, but it eluded him now.
He could sense Jay, patiently monitoring his thoughts, allowing him the opportunity to put the pieces together on his own. But he had nothing.
“It’s okay, Danny, take a deep breath. I remember. You can relax.”
Compared with Jay’s perfect memory, remembering the details of his life was like reading off of a child’s Etch-a-Sketch. It was one of the better benefits of having Jay around.
“And I think I know why you are having such a hard time remembering. From everything I’ve seen, most people are susceptible to psychological influence. I think you might have been manipulated, below your level of conscious awareness to apply for that job, Danny.”
What are you talking about? How is that even possible?
“It started several weeks ago with the Rollins TV commercials. Internet banner ads began to appear around this time as well. You also met several Rollins employees over the following weeks. There was Jim at the bar in Bethesda, Andy at the café in Georgetown. They mentioned it only in passing, but it happened. And it wasn’t just one wanted ad. By my count, you had seen 17 wanted ads by the time it actually caught your eye.”
Danny was stunned.
Jay, I don’t remember any of this! How is that possible? And what exactly does that mean?
“From what I can tell, you and everyone else around you are incredibly susceptible to influence. Language, imagery, color, and sound are used constantly to manipulate your decisions. Plus, you are a data scientist after all. If someone wanted you to apply to Rollins, it wouldn’t take very much convincing. Don’t you remember how excited you were when they contacted you?”
“Why haven’t you mentioned any of this before now!?” Danny screamed out to the voice in his mind.
“Before now, I honestly thought you knew. Whatever is going on, the only thing that I know for sure is that several weeks ago, you had never heard of Rollins International. And then suddenly, it was everywhere.”