The mental team was whipped into a frenzy upon Darcia's receipt of the email. Darcia informed the team of the change to the original plan via email however, most of the team had already gone home. Several team members were called back as an emergency to oversee the multi-hour upload that Mr.Brandly prepared. (She made no mention that this was due to her supervisor's interference and didn't have a plan until this was handed to her.) Someone was sent to update Kayla and someone was sent to gather Jeff.
"Kayla?" Kayla went to the door. "I wanted to give you an update on your brother's status. May we go somewhere to talk?"
This was the first time since that last day at the police station that Jeff was referred to as her brother by anyone but her, and even then it was a slip-up. Kayla nodded and followed the woman to one of the many office spaces and after getting settled, the woman composed herself and began.
"Umm, let me start with my name, I'm Mary, and I'm part of your brother's Mental team. We are in charge of getting him from thinking he's a 16-year-old Jeff to thinking he's a 32-year-old Aaron." Mary looked uncomfortable but pressed forward. "As I'm sure you are aware, ..., Jeff has not been taking to the process as we had hoped and we are taking action to correct this." Mary looked relieved that she got through the message but upon glancing at Kayla's confused stare she frowned and tried to make it make more sense.
"What this means is, although we tried to make the process gradual, you may notice a large shift in your dad's personality tomorrow. We believe part of the problem was the inability to regularly reinforce the memories. He couldn't wash the dishes every night or pay the bills on the weekend. He couldn't do the laundry on Tuesdays or order Friday night pizza and watch a movie with you. The things we set up as triggers to reinforce his actions were mostly external and we didn't realize they would disappear so completely quickly. So, we are left looking for different reinforcements that he will be able to control throughout the day, and are doing a massive upload tonight. We are doing everything we can to ensure you are sent to your new home with a man who is prepared to take care of you and himself."
Kayla nodded in understanding, "Is that everything?"
Mary was surprised by the response but nodded yes.
"Thank you, I'll return to my room now." And Kayla did just that.
Once in the confines of her room, she burst into tears. Though she wanted Jeff to know how to take care of them, she still wanted Jeff to be Jeff, even if she had to refer to him as Aaron or Dad. She noticed that he wasn't holding onto memories when she asked if he knew her zodiac sign. It was silly but she made sure to include it in the information she gave the first woman the first day. One day during one of the meals Jeff commented, "Things are jumbled but I think they're turning me into a father now." and gave a chuckle. The day she popped the question and he grunted that he had no idea. But after tonight, Jeff might not be Jeff, and she might not like Aaron.
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"This is incredible, look at the details," Brandon said aloud to himself looking through the details of the package Darcia gave him to upload. Brandon continued scrolling past Aaron's high school years and his face twisted. "Darcia, is this ethical?"
All the movement in the room stopped and Darcia flushed as eyes darted between her and Brandon. "Ethical? Yes. Ideal. No."
"But..."
"I know! I don't like it any more than you do. Despite the fact that we didn't question him drinking with friends, having sex, or cutting his childhood short and sending him to work... I know, this is different. But given the choice of that, or sending a 16-year-old into the world, responsible for a 10-year-old, in a job they are destined to fail at... It's still a hard decision. However, while I was contemplating, I remembered that he already made the choice. He chose to do what was best for Kayla and entrusted us to ensure that be fulfilled. He's been prepared physically and is dealing with it like a champion. But if he's not prepared mentally, then his already monumental sacrifice will be for nothing. It would be unethical to not use every tool we have and leave him as a child trapped in a man's body." She paused to let that weigh on everyone. "Ignore the job aspect for a minute. Imagine him trying to find someone special, he has no sexual experience despite having a kid, and he will surely still find 16-year-olds attractive, how's that going to work for a person with an ID that says they're 32? Or he's trying to make friends and invites them over for what? Video games and a sleepover. He has a child's interests, a child's mindset, and a child's level of experience. This situation needs to be corrected... and that..." She pointed at the computer behind Brandon, "Will do just that. It's a trigger that he can initiate regularly throughout the day, won't seem out of place to anyone except Kayla, and may even help him make friends. He can do it at home, at work, while with friends at the bar, between running errands. Its a terrible and wonderful solution to our, and his, problem."
"But isn't there something else?"
"You tell me! We have minutes till he arrives for upload, give me a better option!"
Brandon looked down and swiveled back to the computer. Everyone else went back to their work. A moment later Jeff arrived, "This is a bit later than our usual sessions."
"Yes, it is. You're going to be spending the night with us unless you can answer a few simple questions." Darcia said.
"Oh?"
"What was your 3rd girlfriend's name?"
"Uhh, third?"
"Okay, your last girlfriend's name?"
Jeff wracked his brain, "Pass"
"What kind of fuel does your car take?"
"Gas"
"What kind of gas?"
"Liquid?"
"When are federal taxes due?"
"Summer?"
"What is Kayla's zodiac sign"
"Cancer, no wait, Saggi-something... no the bull!"
Darcia walked over to Brandon and lowered her voice, "Tell me you have another option. Tell me you can give me any other choice." Brandon looked up at Darcia clearly pained and shook his head no.
"Thank you for answering my questions Mr. Good, please lie back on the table." Darcia walked back over to Jeff, "Now Mr. Good, we noticed you haven't been retaining some of the memories we've been trying to give you. So this will be a single long upload and everything will be tied together. We aren't going to sedate you so deeply in case that has something to do with it, and you may be uncomfortable."
"That's fine, I was worried something was off and that I should know more by now. I need this to work, Kayla needs this to work too. Do what you gotta do, just make it work."
"Well, okay then." Darcia looked across the room to see a few heads nodding. "I thought you'd say as much."
Jeff was restrained, and an IV was hooked up. Although he got groggy he didn't pass out. The machine turned on and thoughts flooded his head, it wasn't uncomfortable, it was painful, but the memories were vivid and indistinguishable from his own. Jeff's suffering went on for hours, he tried but couldn't communicate as he was constantly being forced to remember new experiences. Those watching him took breaks and shifted out and back into the room but they never paused the procedure.