TRANSHUMAN

14.

INT.  EVAN’S LAB

AARON is testing the capabilities of his new legs, flexing the parts and limbering up. EVAN (who’s now holding AARON’s trousers) is looking anxious again, and calls him over.

EVAN:

We should get going. This place may look deserted, but I’d bet money there are a few more fanatics like me patting about the corridors – it won’t look good if anyone finds out what I’ve just done.

AARON makes his way back over to his brother.

AARON:

You have no idea how badly I want to be mad at you. I mean, you’ve mutilated me. But I’ve never felt so… powerful before.

EVAN:

Ha! Well then, you’re going to love this.

EVAN bends down and locates a panel on one of AARON’s legs, which he opens to reveal a computerised interface. He keys in a series of commands.

AARON:

Wh… what are you doing?

EVAN hands AARON the jeans and gestures that they should leave.

EVAN:

Put these back on and come with me.

The pair make their way over to the lift to exit the lab. While EVAN calls the elevator, AARON struggles with getting the jeans over his robotic legs.

EVAN:

Now, tell me – who created the first non-invasive human brain-to-brain interface?

AARON thinks for a second, tilting his head as through waiting for the answer to be beamed in from outside.

AARON:

In an experiment at Washington University, Rajesh Rao successfully sent a brain signal across campus through the internet to take control of his colleague’s hand. Wait. How do I know that?

CONT.  THE LIFT

The pair get into the lift and EVAN presses the button for the ground floor. They continue talking as they ascend.

EVAN:

Incredible, isn’t it? You’re now hooked up to the internet through the TOR network. The military use the uplink to send orders securely to their soldiers, but there are far more interesting applications for it than that.

AARON:

It’s as though I can remember facts I never even learned. It’s bizarre.  Did you say these things were designed for the military?

EVAN:

Well, I adapted them for you, but that’s where all our funding comes from these days sadly. Those things were designed to allow soldiers wounded in IED blasts to return to service.

CONT.  RESEARCH FACILITY HALLWAY

When the lift doors open, EVAN hastily exits and strides down the corridor. Shortly though, he pauses and turns to AARON, who wasn’t so quick off the mark and is still lingering in the lift.

EVAN:

Hurry up – there’s still a lot we have to do.

AARON:

I’m still not leaving, you know.

EVAN sighs, and pauses for a second to choose his words before responding.