Leila swerved to avoid an autonomous delivery bot that was scuttling along the smooth pavements. She was tempted to grab one by the inexistent scuffle on its neck and fling it into one of the illegal pubs where homeless people gathered.
Those damned things kept getting in her way as she tried to make her way to her lab.
A hover car made a loud whirring sound above her as it zipped through a multi-layered traffic lane.
She paused in front of an unassuming building. A plain barely visible panel slid open, and the retinal scanner activated with a faint hum casting a faint blue light on her face as it scanned her eye. The door whirred open and she stepped into the lab.
She had an important meeting with Ada earlier this morning. It was the last meeting before the Memory Erasure, they had a lot of ethical and emotional grounds to cover before Ada entered the pod to undo the years of pain and damage she had been in due to that accident.
Leila's thoughts went back to Ada, recalling the first time she met the Middle Aged woman, she looked lost, walking the busy streets like a malfunctioning robot. Leila remembered approaching her because she felt a deep connection to someone that could be in that much pain. Ada had let herself be stirred into a Food Center, and didn't put up much of a fight when Leila dragged her to an empty seat.
She remembered they both stayed silent for hours, before Ada spoke up unprompted.
She wanted to give up on everything because she had memories she was attached to, memories that were holding her down, stopping her from living, breathing and functioning.
Leila remembered offering to amplify the happy memories connected to this person that was causing her so much pain. But Ada had asked to be freed of it, she didn't want to remember. Amplifying the happy memories wouldn't change the fact that she had lost her reason for living.
Leila admired her courage then. Her willing to let go of the memories, even if it meant losing a part of her, and she had swore then to help Ada no matter what it cost her.
The beep-beep-beep sound from her hologram shook her from her reverie. The update was finally complete, she was successful and the only thing now standing between Ada and her new life was one more session.
"Steele! We did it." Leila whooped, jumping up in happiness.
"Congratulations." Came the AI's voice. "Mrs Ada Maurice is outside."
Leila looked up in surprise, she hadn't expected her to come this early. "Let her in."
Ada Maurice walked in, a kind looking woman wearing a faint smile and delicate hairdo. She had lines around her eyes, lines that told her tale of grief and pain.
"How are you doing today, Ada?" Leila asked, fighting the urge to move towards the woman to hug her. She had never had to fight professionalism in any of her clients.
Ada smiled warmly, settling on one of the comfy couches placed in the lab. "I have a really good feeling about today."
"I'm happy you are feeling good. For today's session, I have to walk you through the process, and also make you understand the pros and cons of the medical procedure you are about to go through. This is mainly for ethical reasons, so I hope you do understand that this session is particularly important." Leila spoke walking to the couch opposite Ada.
"I'm aware, go ahead."
"Thank you. As you are aware the process should be quite simple but can prove difficult and painful as you go through it." She clicked the record button on the device placed on her wrist as she started.
"You'll have to step into the pod over there and the first thing that happens is your Neural Resonance Mapping, that is the pod scans your brain's neural pathway to identify memories associated with specific emotions. Do you understand this bit?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then the neural connections responsible for connecting these traumatic memories are severed. Synaptic links that store traumatic memories are specifically targeted and snapped, this however does not affect unrelated memories."
"Does this mean I'll not remember anything about my husband and child?" Ada asked, with a frown settling on her face. The frown was quickly replaced with another small smile.
Leila clasped her hands together as she answered. "No, this just means every painful memory related to them will be wiped off. And this just implies that you'll have moments feeling empty, however you will be detached from every traumatic memory related to them."
"I can deal with the emptiness. The emptiness is much better than this excruciating pain. Everyday I wake with the stark realization that I lost very important parts of me to that horrible accident. I don't think I can continue living like this. It's what Leander would have wanted."
Leila gave her a soft reassuring smile. "I'm happy you have made the conscious effort and decision to go through with this process. It is brave of you to recognize what you need for your healing."
Ada leaned back into the couch, her hands resting on her laps, she had the calmness to her that often came when someone had reached a point of no return in their decisions. Leila pointed at the holographic projection floating between them. She tapped the display showing Ada's neural connections, zooming in on a particular dense cluster of connections.
"These," Leila began, pointing to the cluster, "are the anchor points for your most painful memories. The pod will identify these connections and sever them. You'll most likely feel light-headed after the procedure, and there's a chance you may experience brief flashes of disorientation as your brain adjusts to the gaps."
Ada stared intensely at the holographic projection of her brain. "What other side effects should I expect? Apart from the light headedness of course?" She asked.
"It varies." Leila shrugged, tapping several neural displays at once.
"If you remember, I mentioned emptiness earlier. And as this is a fairly new project in this lab, I can't accurately predict all the side effects of this Memory Erasure. But Steele and I will work with you after to help stabilize your neural functions and possibly eliminate the side effects."
Ada nodded, heaving a sigh of relief. The promise of a new life was motivating, she didn't need to live with it weighing her down anymore.
Leila clasped her hands together as she finished the explanation. "This procedure is as much about letting go as it is about embracing what comes after. It's a reset, Ada, a real chance to rebuild your life."
Ada nodded, her expression calm but resolute. "I understand. And I'm ready for that chance."
Leila leaned back in her chair, relief washing over her. "I'll finalize the preparation then. We can proceed tomorrow."
Ada stood up then, walking towards Leila to give her a big hug. Then she made her way out of the lab just as quietly as she made it in. Leila was about to get breakfast when Steele's voice interrupted, his usual calm laced with an edge of urgency. "Dr. Leila, we have a situation."
Leila turned toward the hologram projector, where Steele's orb pulsed with red light.
"What is it?"
"The memory pod has registered unauthorized interference in its system."
Leila froze, her pulse quickening.
"Interference? From where?"
"It appears to be an external signal. Someone is attempting to override the pod's neural mapping protocols."
"What?!" Leila shot to her feet, her mind racing. "Who would—"
Before she could finish, the lights in the lab flickered, plunging the room into brief darkness before the emergency systems kicked in. Steele's voice continued, now sharper, louder.
"Warning. Memory pod security breach detected. Initiating lockdown."
"Dr. Leila, the override attempt is escalating. The pod's systems are no longer responding to internal commands."
Leila stared at the flickering holograms, her heart pounding. "Steele, isolate the pod. Cut all external access now!"
Steele's orb pulsed red. "I am attempting to comply. Warning: Unauthorized control escalating. System integrity compromised."
The pod let out a low, ominous whine as its surface flickered with chaotic streams of energy.
Leila's stomach sank.
Whoever was behind this wasn't just trying to disrupt the system, they were in control.