🌘

“I’ll make every effort to recognize your boundaries too,” you sign.

You feel happiness from her, but still wrapped up in anxiety.

“You’re sweet Aydan, but it’ll be more difficult than you think,” she signs.

“Well I might fuck up but we’ll be okay, whatever happens--I love you.” Just as you sign this, the door behind you opens.

“Oh good, you’re both here,” Xi signs in JSL. You feel an intense spike of feeling, which you have no time to process before Akiko’s emotional radiance suddenly switches off. You follow her lead, concealing your emotions from Xi, for now. “Come on in,” she signs.

Her counseling room--like every other medical exam room but made artificially comfortable and soft, but no less clinical--has two couches set up in parallel. “Lie down here and we’ll get started.”

You and Akiko fall into place. Your eyes meet for a moment.

“Thanks to Professor Reina, head of the Communication School, we were able to find a CommSpec with a compatible neural profile. Aydan, this is Akiko, a second year from Atarachiba Colony, and Akiko, this is Aydan, a first year Lunatic,” she signs.

“I know Aydan, we have Cybernetics Theory together,” Akiko signs. You can’t detect any sign that she’s holding anything back--you’re impressed.

“Oh good, that will make this go smoother,” Xi signs. “I will induce you and monitor your synchronization, so don’t overly devote your mental resources to the sync program, Akiko. What I need you to focus on is sharing your emotional intelligence and training to help Aydan navigate repressed sectors of their system.”

“I can do that,” she signs.

“You understand your objectives, Aydan?” Xi signs.

“Yes. I’m going to get into the blocked area of my emotional memory,” you sign.

“You’ve read the introductory text I sent you on technopathic synchronization?” Xi signs.

“Yes,” you sign. “I’m ready to try it.”

“And you both understand that this procedure may leave you with a lingering feeling of attachment to each other for a few days?” Xi signs.

“Yes. Nothing I haven’t seen before,” Akiko signs.

“Yes, I understand,” you sign.

“Okay. Lie back now, and we’ll get started,” Xi signs. “Akiko, I’m going to have you both close your eyes, and I’ll talk Aydan through the induction verbally. Is that okay?”

“Yes, I know what to do. Port 4400?” Akiko signs.

“Sure, if that’s your preference,” Xi signs.

Akiko lies down, looking over at you as she shuts off her eyes.

“Now Aydan,” Xi says. “It’s best if you fully relax and enter a meditative state. Open port 4400, and allow each other public key access, we will use that for the interface. Disconnect your terminals from the academy network and the broader æther--you will be vulnerable in this introspective state. Although this is a fully internal dissociation, the experience will be similar to an ætherwalk, and you still have the core processor to power your technopathy. Be careful when using technopathy, as your synchronized mind will be much stronger than you are used to.”

“Understood.”

After configuring your terminal as asked, you relax your body, close your eyes, and clear your mind. You receive the connection request, and submit your consent.

“The connection is open,” Xi says. “Do you have telepathic contact?”

“Hi Aydan,” you sense Akiko’s communication, beyond words and signs, pure impression. Feeling her inner voice makes you calm.

“Akiko...” you communicate to her through the open channel.

“Yes,” you say out loud.

“At this point, think only of your sync partner. Imagine her in your mind’s eye, every detail you can think of. Keep in mind she can fully see this,” Xi says.

You imagine Akiko. You feel the feedback of her thinking of you. Your empathic sense is open now, with or without the aid of the program--your own endocrine system responds to her feelings.

“If you are comfortable with this, physical contact can also help you enter the synchronized state,” Counselor Xi says.

Without thinking, you reach out to your side, and she grasps your hand, slipping her fingers in between yours.

“Good, good,” Xi says. “I’m going to fully induce you now. As during an ætherwalk, I will be monitoring your sync rate and vital signs, but unable to see exactly where you are or what you are doing. You will only have text-level contact with me.”

“Understood.”

“Good luck, Aydan.”

Floating in an emotional feedback loop, you look back on your memories of Akiko. What will you call to mind as you join as one?