"Begin what? I still have no idea what I am doing here, " said John angrily.
'That's confidential," said Dr. Hurley.
"Confidential? Don't I need to sign a release or something? You know, informed consent, "asked John.
"I'd rather not. I'd like to keep this as quiet as possible and avoid any kind of paper trail. That's why I advertised in the local paper rather than use the usual circuits to find test subjects. Look, I'll give you an extra thousand dollars for your trouble. Not bad for just a day's work, eh?" said Dr. Hurley.
"But not enough to get electric shocks to my brain! Forget it! I am out of here," said John.
"Electric shock?! To the brain! " said Dr. Hurley loudly. Her face scrunched up and John was sure she was going to yell at him. Then she suddenly bent over and started laughing. "Is that what you really thought you were here for? What rubbish! Who do you think I am - Dr. Frankenstein? Or maybe Dr. Mengele?"
John was insulted and began to leave. Dr. Hurley gently grabbed his hand.
"Easy, boy. I did not mean to hurt your feelings. Please, stay. I really need your help. And if it means I must spill my secrets, then I guess I will have to trust you, " said Dr. Hurley.
John stood still, not yet convinced. He heard Dr. Hurley sigh behind him.
"I promise I will not harm you. There will be no electric shocks, no pain. And I am on the cusp of one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind. Surely you want to be a part of that? Or at least are curious enough to stay and hear me out?" pleaded Dr. Hurley.
John had to admit that he was. Slowly he turned and faced the doctor.
"Okay, I'll bite. What are you doing here? And what do you need from me?" asked John.
Dr. Hurley's face lit up as she explained her experiments. It was obvious her work was a labor of love. John only got about half of what she was saying, her jargon too technical for him to follow, but he got the gist of it. Apparently she had developed some kind of device that allowed its users to share thoughts, to essentially communicate telepathically through a machine. The computers could read brain waves, convert them into electronic signals that traveled through the wiring, and reassemble them into brain waves in another person's brain. John was simply supposed to sit in the chair and interpret these brain waves as he received them. Essentially the other subject was going to look at pictures, and John was supposed to try to determine what they were looking at. It seemed simple enough. And the Doctor assured him it was painless.
"There is no need for surgery or anything barbaric like that. You just slip on the helmet, and the computer uses magnetic waves to send the signal directly into your brain. It's kind of like closing your eyes and recalling a memory. Totally painless, and no shocks. So what do say? Care to be the first boy to read someone's mind?"
John smiled and nodded his head.
"Sure, sounds pretty easy. But I believe you promised an extra thousand?" asked John.
"Of course, of course," said Dr. Hurley happily. She reached into her purse and pulled out several bills. "Whatever it takes to make you a happy test subject. It seems to work better when they are happy."
John looked in her purse at the large amount of cash. He was a little upset he hadn't asked for more.
Dr. Hurley noticed his disappointment. "Of course, this is just for the first day of testing. I promise that you will receive the same amount for each additional day. And we will need several weeks of testing."
John's eyes lit up with excitement. He could be set for the whole year with just a few weeks work.
"Doc, you got yourself a deal," said John happily.