Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All characters in sexual situations are 18 or older. Thanks for reading!
"We're going to run a diagnostic, Mrs. Nisha. You might feel a little dizzy for a moment." Dr. Bess Nagatomo gave her patient a reassuring smile, adjusting the domed hat on Penelope's head. She glanced at the other onlookers. "This might be better with more privacy." The small exam room was crowded. Theodore, Freddie, Victoria, and Meredith stood shoulder to shoulder near the closed door. All of them peered at Penelope with interest or anxiety.
"We all paid for our stay at Serenity Valley, doc. We're not leaving." Theodore wasn't sure why he'd said it. The others hadn't paid. Even he and his mom hadn't paid. His dad was footing the bill. Either way, he wasn't leaving. "We need to see what you did to her brain. And don't you dare change anything while you're in there."
Bess frowned at the entourage. "We're just having a look to see her status. The therapy equipment is in another room." She glanced at Penelope. "I thought you would remember where things were."
"Sorry, doctor." Penelope shrugged. "I have amnesia."
"Oh, that's interesting." Bess pressed her lips into a thin line.
"I knew that." Meredith raised her scandalously tailored glove into the air. She wriggled her fingers for attention. "I remember where everything is."
"Yes, Ms. Cooks. You're always very helpful." Bess didn't look over at her other former patient. It was a strange exam. She couldn't remember having two patients in the same room before, let alone family. She sighed, pulled up a screen in front of her, and turned on the machine.
"Ooohhhh... that feels odd." Penelope gripped the armrests of her reclining chair.
"Freddie?" Theodore nudged his Alternate companion. Freddie looked very much like his mother. With their clothes on, they appeared to have almost the same figure. But he could feel corded muscle under her bodice sleeve. Her arms were lean, but strong. "Are you watching?" He whispered.
Freddie leaned over and placed her lips by Theodore's ear. He smelled wonderful. She inhaled the scent of his skin and shampoo.
A good AI doesn't get distracted.
She focused her mind. "I am familiar with the interface the doctor is using," she whispered to Theodore. "I'll keep an eye on things and let you know." She turned back to the doctor, startled to realize that she'd missed the last few seconds. She tried to access her other cameras and replay Bess's latest actions, but of course, she couldn't. She had only her two eyes. She worked hard to concentrate on the diagnostic screen.
"Are you okay, Mom?" Theodore flexed his hands into fists over and over. He had Freddie on one side, and Victoria on the other. Without thinking, he grabbed Victoria's hand and squeezed. It eased his tension some when she squeezed back.
"I'm fine, Teddy." Penelope smiled bravely at her son. She did not like the device on her head. It had none of the calming effects of the brain scanners at home. "I'm just a little dizzy."
"That's perfectly normal, Mrs. Nisha." Bess's fingers moved quickly over the screen, adjusting several settings and bringing up the initial readings. "That's odd. I... don't see our work in here. There should be a pitch in your gamma waves here. But... it's not there."
"Someone else erased Mom's memory?" Theodore felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't like that idea. Not at all.
How and why would someone do that?
"Your alpha waves are higher than the baseline we have in our files. Beta waves are lower. I'm not sure..." Bess's voice trailed away as she studied the results. "This is unusual, I -" A flashing light lit up on the screen, and Bess quickly swiped the screen into nothingness. "That's all for now. Dr. Roshani can go over the results of the scan once our AI has had a chance to crunch the numbers. That could take some time, so please relax and enjoy your stay at Serenity Valley." Bess removed the domed hat from Penelope's head and fixed her entourage with a stiff smile. "Have a good day."
"But..." Theodore's cheeks flushed with anger. "That's it?"
"It's okay, Teddy." Victoria opened the door and tried to pull him out into the hall. She cringed at the thought of one of his explosions out in public.
"It's not okay. What did you see, doc? What was that flashing light?" Theodore surged back into the room.
"It's fine, Teddy. I'm fine. No need to worry." Penelope raced over to her son, hugging him around the waist. She could feel the anger coursing through him.
A good mother soothes her son.
She prayed that her vagina wouldn't start thrumming. Not right there in the exam room. "Let's go back to our suite."
"Fuck that. I want answers, doc." Theodore's voice rose. "I want -"
Freddie put her lips to his ear and whispered, "Not now, Teddy. Please keep a cool head for once. I promise we'll get to the bottom of this."
"Fine." Theodore let the sea of women lead him out of the room. Even Meredith helped. He wasn't sure he liked being led around, but if it had to happen, at least it was by a gang of ladies. They brought him back to his suite, where he was staying with his mother and Freddie. Victoria and Meredith went out to explore Serenity Valley while the Nishas settled in with tea.
"They're hiding something. They're fucking hiding something. Did they erase my mother's memory, Freddie?" The anger hadn't fully left him. His teacup rattled in his hand. It seemed to long to go smashing into the wall. He resisted it.
"I wish I could talk to my well-connected former self," Freddie mixed some sugar into her tea. "I saw what the doctor saw, but I'm not sure what to make of it. She was lying about one thing though."
Penelope leaned toward Freddie across the small table in their suite. Penelope's breasts threatened to overturn her teacup. Freddie deftly pulled the cup out of harm's way without Penelope noticing. "Am I ill?" Penelope said. "Oh, no. Am I going to die?"
"No, Penelope. You're fine." Freddie sighed. As she made the sound, she realized it was real and not just something she was doing for human benefit. She sighed again, experiencing the depressurizing feelings that came with it.
"Well... what's the fucking thing the doctor was lying about?" Theodore set his cup down before he could launch it out the window.