Book #4 of the Roman Lee Series

Detectives Roman Lee and Lonnie Temple uncover a conspiracy at Memorial Hospital with the help of Dr. Marlene Scott. The world’s first neurological procedure physically linking the human brain with an AI implant is a success and all eyes are on multi-millionaire Sebastian Conroy’s company Neurolink and its newly enhanced employee John Bentley. But just a few weeks after being discharged something has been happening incrementally to his personality and his memory.

John Bentley is losing time. Minutes have turned to hours. Waking up in the alleyway next to his office building was just the beginning. He may have lost much more…

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One

John and Trina Bentley were rushing through O’Hare in Chicago trying to make their connecting flight back to Kirkwood. Having spent the last seventeen days on a Royal Caribbean cruise it had been combined with an all-inclusive resort stay in St. Lucia. Both were physically exhausted from the travel.

Both looked at the monitors looking for their connecting flight to make certain it was still on time. John noticed that Trina seemed nervous again about boarding another plane. He pulled her close kissing her lightly.

“One more and we’re home.”

She squeezed him tightly.

“It seems like we were quicker to get there than coming back.”

“We need to hurry, they’ll board soon. I’m certainly not going to concede our seats to a last-minute flight crew needing to get east.”

“Definitely a memorable ten-year anniversary.”

“Any luck and we will be bringing back another passenger.”

The trip had been specifically planned on the calendar to coincide with her cycle in the hopes of conceiving a child. Their Instagram accounts were inundated with comments and emoji’s from followers around the world after announcing that they were starting a family. The picture that drew the most likes was the pair standing together on the beach just as the sun disappeared from view reflecting off crystal blue waters. A high-resolution filter enhancing the moment as her head rested on his shoulder. The caption read “Life is amazing on its own but is truly magical when you share it with the one you love.”

They paused for a moment before handing over their boarding passes. A large flat screen television in the waiting area was showing footage of a drone taking off with passengers and later landing safely miles away. The building in the background looked familiar. It was the Acropolis hotel and casino owned by the Razin brothers. They had constructed a landing area close to the building as a more direct route for incoming traffic from Kirkwood International. Instead of taking a shuttle or renting a car they could take a drone via Ufly. It was a division of Udrive out of Europe that had picked Kirkwood and Houston Texas as the testing grounds for the future of short distance air travel.

Trina Bentley looked intrigued.

“When did that happen?”

“I thought I read about it online before we left. One of those banner alerts on the news sites. I remember clicking it on it now.”

“Crazy world isn’t it?”

“Technology is making everything advance so quickly.”

“Let’s go honey, before they leave us.”

After finding their seats both were happy to see that they had a row to themselves where they could stretch out a little. Relieved to feel the plane pulling away from the terminal they each tried to relax. Trina was the one that was having the difficult time during the return trip.

John had already closed his eyes, a look of complete calm overtook his expressions before they had even reached cruising altitude. Trina watched her husband with envy while waiting for the Dramamine tablets to bring relief for the motion sickness that always plagued her. Opting for less risky medication because she was uncertain about the success of their past two weeks of love making efforts, it was taking longer than normal to relax. Casually glancing out the window over the long wing, she watched as it flexed catching the suns occasional rays as they penetrated gaps in the cloud-covered sky. Both of her hands felt like pins and needles as circulation was limited because of the grip she had maintained on the armrests. Relaxing a bit now she rubbed them together slightly restoring the color as the effects of circulating blood crept into her extremities.

Trina focusing on her own relaxation barely noticed the back of John’s hand strike her forearm as he went through his ritual of slight body twitches before entering deep REM sleep. The cabin shook briefly as they encountered some turbulence about 20 minutes into the flight. He barely moved. Taking his hand in hers she ran her thumb over the top of his knuckles gently, watching his chest rise and fall. It was one of the reasons why she was smitten with him. They had met at a Barnes and Noble in Boston while waiting in line to pay for their purchases. He was a risk taker fearing almost nothing. John had come from a large family that often overlooked his cavalier behavior as a youth. His siblings mirrored one another with similar personalities. There were also times when they tried to outdo each other when it came to daredevil feats. John had told Trina the story on their first date about how he and his brothers would take running jumps off their garages in an attempt to land on the next-door neighbor’s roof with an unfriendly jagged fence situated down below. That ended when his friend from school slipped before making the leap across slamming into the wall of the opposing garage shattering his ankle. Trina, on the other hand was extremely conservative, even cautious to a point where it almost drove her husband crazy. She was born a single child to parents who had struggled to conceive until later in life. If there had been any confusion of what helicopter parents looked like before the term became commonplace, you didn’t need to go any further for the definition. It was a work in progress to get her to go outside her limited comfort zone, but he had at least got her to fly now, albeit with the help of prescribed medication.

Even though they had both gone through numerous consultations reading every bioengineering article available, she still had deep reservations about the procedure John Bentley agreed to take part in next week. He was going to be the first human being with his brain physically connected to a nano computer driven by Artificial Intelligence. Life after all, was going to change in several directions at once. They had finally made the decision to start a family. Debates and discussion had given way to reason when they agreed that timing would never be perfect no matter the hope for an ideal situation. But John was going to try to make things a bit easier. His employer’s investment in him came with great reward. She could leave her job as an office manager for a temporary agency when she felt comfortable enough to walk away from it. They would be financially secure being able to purchase a home outside the city of Kirkwood after relocating from Massachusetts. The tuition coffers for future education would be full for their children.

Trina Bentley’s cell vibrated with a notification from Instagram. It was from Sebastian Conroy, the CEO of Neurolink and John’s employer. He wished them a safe return and looking forward to the coming weeks and months as they were going to be making history. The plane dipped once more dropping fifty or so feet from an air pocket over Lake Michigan. She felt like she had swallowed her heart. John’s eyes fluttered open. His hand felt like it was in a vice.

“You ok?”

“That over the counter med isn’t helping much.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost four.”

“We should be landing soon.”

“Sebastian commented on our post.”

“What did he say?”

“That he wished us well and was excited about our return but more about you coming back home so they can make history.”

“You still have reservations about it?”

“I just don’t see how you’re so relaxed all the time, nothing bothers you, ever. What if we fell out of the sky right now?”

“What if we did? I wouldn’t have the controls in front of me to avert such a disaster, so why waste the time worrying about it.”

“The surgery and the implant?”

“I am more concerned about the non-compete clause in the contract that I signed to be honest. The documents governing retention of corporate information and everything else under the sun that I agreed to.”

“So, some things do bother you then.”

“Look, let’s not argue. Even though it may be a bit premature, starting with a simple prescription, becoming parents requires sacrifice. This is just the beginning.”

“You’re right, that was selfish of me.”

“There is one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Being a spectacle at social gatherings. I can almost envision the first time someone jokingly remarks about plugging in a smartphone for a quick charge.”

“No one’s going to steal your portal virginity but me Mr. Bentley.”

“Glad to see you’re feeling better. For a minute, I was frightened you had lost your sense of humor.”

An announcement came over the speaker from the captain which intruded on a fleeting moment of silence between them. They would be landing in Kirkwood shortly. The temperature was a warm eighty degrees with humid conditions. She thanked them for flying with her and the crew over beautiful Lake Michigan.