Sci-Fi Failed Attempt #2

Continuing in the vein of yesterday, we continue with our survey of the year "2057."

Lily had wanted to be a scientist her entire life. Or a doctor. Either one. Maybe both. Every since the time she was ten, she knew that her path lay somewhere amidst the innovations of either. She was eighteen and just about to graduate high school when the first intra-oxegenary-cortex microchip had been successfully introduced into the human brain. There, in that meeting of technological science and medicine, she knew what she was going to do with the rest of her life. She would be one of the first Technicians.
As yet there was no formalized course in becoming a Technician. It was too new of a profession. Anyone wanting to become a Technician, however, had to first complete their Bachelor of Nursing degree, then go on to the beginning courses taken by Neurosurgeons, and upon passing that, make a complete study of the technologies involved in the microchip. The whole process took about six or seven years, depending on which school attended. Most schools, because of the shortage of Technicians, the whole idea, again, being so new, waived their regulations for participation in the liberal arts and all but the non-electives necessary for the position. Lily was accepted to University of California at Davis and went through the entire program, graduating top of her class. She became one of the most sought after Technicians and a pioneer in the development of a specific course for the position. Lily’s name, in the world of techno-medicine, was synonymous with innovation and passion.
She was thirty-three this year and still as passionate about her work as she had been at age ten. Ever more advancements were made, and many of them had her name on them. She was justifiably proud of her achievements. This summer, 2072, she was on a roadtrip visiting patients who had had the “brain” or, as was its technical name, the Impulse Stimulating Microchip (ISM) implanted in their brain. Accompanying her on this trip was a group of the select Technician students from all over the world who were observing the long term effects of the chip. So far, the trip had gone exceedingly well.
Today, the second Monday in July, they were visiting Eva Edner in Northern California at her house near Whiskey Town Lake. As Lily stepped out of the bus, she thought how perfect the setting was. Here amidst the grandeur of the universe was the grandeur of the medicine of man allowing the middle aged woman to step out of her house to greet them.
“Miss Edner,” said Lily, extending her hand, “I’m Lily Tossi. Thank you for allowing us to see you today.”
“It’s a pleasure to have you,” said Miss Edner. “Please, come in.”
She took them inside the house and settled them in the living room. She offered them drinks before sitting down herself. Lily began the actual process of examination, just as she had on the previous subjects. There were a series of questions she asked first, all in order to assess the level of intellectual functionality available to the woman. Next, being careful to ask permission first (she had learned from experience that some subjects were touchy about this), she began the actual examination of the head. Carefully lifting the hair away from the temples, she showed her students the scars left by the procedure and explained part of the process of making them. It was the same routine every time. After the assessment and examination, the students plied Lily and Miss Edner with questions about the procedure and the patient’s experiences.
“I haven’t noticed anything different about myself,” said Miss Edner to one question. “Of course, I’m not sure how much I remember about before. There seems to be these stages in my memory of light, and then a brighter light, and then to now, which is somewhat darker than I remember. But I would guess that’s just a trick of the mind, you know. I function normally, I have no motor problems, in fact I probably function better in that regard. But I don’t know for sure. Perhaps I just don’t remember how I functioned before.”
“What Miss Edner is experiencing,” explained Lily, “is the higher quality of electric impulses stimulating the brain. The impulses emitted by the chip are sharper and of a higher energy than the regular impulses of the brain. These impulses result in such things as improved vision, motor skill, even memory. Remember, the original microchip was used in people with Alzheimer’s, autism and the like. S o it makes sense that a technology derived from that would show some of the same improvements we found in those initial subjects.”
“These sharper impulses, are they of a high enough energy to short out the brain, as it were?” asked one student.
“No, and since we haven’t touched on this before, let’s talk about it now. You’ve heard people say that we probably don’t use all of our brain capacity. This isn’t strictly true. While the brain is a bit like a file bin, it can also be likened to a major league slugger. The more strength he has with which to hit the ball, the farther that ball will go. The greater energy stored in one impulse, the better the brain will operate. So, we have not only restored the brain, we have improved it.”
There were a few more incidental questions and review of theory. Lily finished her diagnostic of the chip while her students recorded their observations. The diagnostic consisted of putting a slightly magnetic sensor behind one ear and what was called a post behind the other. This had been likened to Frankenstein’s electrodes on either side of the head, and was always cause for some laughter. Sci-fi had met the world. With the sensor/post combination in place, Lily applied a wire to the sensor and plugged it into her computer. There, a program ran all checks it needed to, recording the results as it went. A final notification gave the all clear and once the apparatus was turned off, Lily removed the sensor and post. Once this was done, all questions answered, Lily and her students left Miss Edner to the peace and quiet of her home. One down, thought Lily, seven more to go.
As they were driving out of the long dirt driveway, Lily noticed a silver Pathfinder enter and drive towards the house. She didn’t think about it too much. Miss Edner probably just had a visitor.