Two of a Mind Read Free

his reaction.
    â€œAnd whilst it may not be someone you know,” Ms Thorogood continued as soon as the noise died down, “they may also be of either gender. He or she may be local or from the other side of the world.”
    â€œHow will we know what they’re saying if they’re foreign?” Jing-Wei raised her flushed face.
    â€œCommunication between PTs isn’t verbal. Language isn’t a barrier because the connection is purely telepathic. Think of a Holo-Comms call – the words spoken are digitised to travel through the satellite system then reconstituted by the receiver so that you can hear them clearly. Advances in technology created the current configuration that translates foreign languages automatically. The language centre in the brain has adapted to the telepathic connection in a similar way. When your PT’s thoughts and feelings reach your mind it understands the communication on a subconscious level.”
    â€œShame it doesn’t sort out our French homework, Miss!”
    â€œFrankie, I hear that your French essays can be very entertaining. You don’t need any help finding risqué translations.”
    We tried to stifle our giggles but Ms Thorogood had a twinkle in her eye.
    â€œWhat happens if you’re a spy? You’d give away all your secrets and your PT might be on the other side!” Tylar fancied a career in the diplomatic service, convinced that it was less about good international relations and more ‘cloak-and-dagger’.
    â€œMy dad says stuff about your job is automatically kept confidential,” I piped up.
    â€œYeah,” Tylar nodded, giving the ‘nudge-nudge, wink-wink’ gesture, wagging his elbow in my direction and blinking rapidly – he couldn’t quite manage the one-eyed wink. I wasn’t sure whether he was being serious or snide. My dad did work for the diplomatic service and travelled abroad quite often but it was hardly the stuff of spy stories. Poor old Dad, his ample belly wouldn’t be much help if he needed to escape through a secret tunnel or shimmy up a drainpipe. No, I couldn’t imagine him as an international spy.
    â€œHe’s just a civil servant!” I said, then, feeling I needed to defend him, “A
senior
civil servant.”
    Ms Thorogood smiled at me.
    â€œYour dad’s right, Dez. There’s a natural mechanism to keep certain aspects of your life private and to protect both you and your PT in the early stages of your connection. Such as work related information; your PT’s identity, thoughts and actions; and intimate romantic behaviours.” I’m sure she paused for effect. “Yes, okay, I’m talking about sex!”
    Once more she waited for the class to settle down.
    â€œLet’s have a look at the reasons for this selective block,” she said. “Tylar had a good, if somewhat extreme, case. Telepathic-twinning doesn’t mean that we automatically have immediate access to all the thoughts and feelings of our connected partner. The temptation would be too great to use the information gleaned. Luckily, no one has that ability. It seems that by good evolutionary design our brains have an inbuilt security system that will only be unlocked under certain circumstances. We call this phenomenon the ‘Bloc’ – B L O C, without the K. You won’t be able to share the identity of your PT until the full telepathic permission evolves.
    â€œWe’ll be covering it in more detail near the end of the course but imagine if you were connected to one of the Royal Family or a celebrity. Without the Bloc you’d be able to tell others who you had as a PT and, when word got around, you’d be chased by the press looking for juicy gossip!”
    â€œShame,” sighed Mitch, the wheeler-dealer of the class. “I coulda made a fortune dishing the dirt.”
    â€œSpecially if you’d seen ‘em in the act!” Darius