The Intruder Read Free Page A

this, although I have my implant set up differently. It is a visual display, like what you see here, with color and graphics, and, of course, with sound."
    She reached for the side of the screen and touched a figure that looked like a human ear. A piano concerto began to play very softly. Dr. Berry touched a new graphic element and the display rearranged itself to place the new site at the center of the screen. A voice said, You have entered the learning station.
    Jeremy noted that the graphic at the center of the screen had the words "learning station" in bright orange letters.
    "Now watch the upper left portion of the screen," Dr. Berry said. Jeremy looked at the dark corner, trying hard not to be distracted by all the other things on the screen. Suddenly a voice said, you have one message , and a bright red 1 flashed on and off.
    "Touch the flashing number, Jeremy," she said.
    When he did, the computer voice said, voice or text mode? and the display was overlaid with a white box, which contained two smaller boxes. In one was the word "voice," and in the other the word "text."
    "You can answer by speaking, or by touching the right button," she said.
    Jeremy touched the "voice" button and the computer said, Message for workstation three. Doctor Berry wishes to see you immediately.
    Jeremy looked away from the display and smiled at her. "Pretty neat."
    She smiled and swept her hand over the display again, causing it to go dark.
    "I'll make you a deal, Jeremy," she said. "You let me insert the communications implant, and I'll let you borrow this workstation for a while." 
    "One last question first, please," he said.
    Dr. Berry 's smile faded a touch, and she looked disappointed. "Okay," she said, and her tone of voice said, "but only one."
    "Show me how to turn it off before you put it in."
    Her pleasant smile returned and she said, "of course," very softly. She grabbed the hand-held instrument, which reminded Jeremy of an air-powered nail gun, and opened a side compartment, showing Jeremy the pea-sized implant. It was to be implanted just behind his ear, under the skin. To turn it off or on, he needed only to push it with his finger.
    "Can I ..." he began, but she interrupted.
    "You have to be quiet. Your jaw moves when you talk," she said.
    He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else while she put the medical instrument against his head. Jeremy felt a sudden, sharp pain, and then a warm, tingling sensation. He thought he might faint. Everything went black and his head began to swim, but then he recovered. Dr. Berry 's hands were holding his head, and she was saying, slowly and gently, "it will pass, just be still. You'll be fine in a moment."
    Jeremy closed his eyes and tried to sense any new sounds, or any change at all from a minute ago. Was this thing already connected to his brain? Should he hear something?
    "It's not on yet," Dr. Berry said, as if she read his thought. She pushed very gently on the implant with her forefinger and he was suddenly distracted by a new sound.
    You have one message from Doctor Berry , a voice said. Or was it a voice? It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He didn't hear it, but he didn't imagine it either. It wasn't the sound of a thought -- it wasn't that intimate, that much a part of him. It was from outside, in some sense, but inside his own head. 
    "Has it connected itself to my brain that fast?" he asked.
    "No. Some of the connections form almost instantaneously, but others will take a while to develop. The connections with the ear form very quickly, but you probably don't want to know the physiology of it."
    Jeremy barely suppressed a shiver as he thought about it. He wasn't squeamish about blood, or operations, but he really didn't want to know about things inside his brain.
    "So how do I get the message?" he asked.
    "You have to train your implant to receive your own, unique signals," she said. "You're going to have to experiment with different mental