Chapter 425

“So, uh, are you going to find out what it is?” James asked after the silence in the room grew deafening. The doctor had stayed quite long after he’d admitted he didn’t know what the anomaly was, and that didn’t make James feel comfortable, at all. He’d come in just for a quick checkup. He’d not been expecting some random anomaly in his brain scan. Then again, the anomaly wasn’t technically attached to his brain, so, he supposed, at least there was that.

The doctor glanced at him, his eyes only barely focusing on James. It was then James realized the man was reading something rapidly on his AR glasses. Was he already trying to look into what it was? James figured he may have been a little too aggressive in his tone, but then again, how else should he have responded? It wasn’t like he was just going to sit there in the room calmly after a doctor admitted he didn’t know what something was in James’s head.

“What I just used on you,” the doctor said after another brief pause, “is some of the best equipment we have. Other than sticking you in a full monitor capsule, and doing a scan that way, we can’t get any more information on what exactly that thing was.”

“Alright,” James said slowly. “So, is that what we’re going to do?”

“No.” The doctor shook his head, focusing more on James. “At least, not just yet. Technically, I don’t even know if that anomaly is anything negative, and I’m sure you would have mentioned if you felt anything wrong before I did the scan.”

“Then, what?” James wasn’t following. He was generally healthy. Most people were in the current times. After all, there were drinks, foods, supplements, and science to ensure humans pretty much didn’t have any strange issues occur. The government even mandated such things. After all, it was more beneficial in the government’s eyes, for everyone to be healthy. A sickly or failing populace was less efficient, and more a strain on the system, is how the cynics claimed the government viewed the people. James, and most everyone he knew, was just thankful they didn’t have to worry about their health. Unless, you know, they had an unfortunate meeting with the concrete, thanks to a bully’s fist.

“I’m going to send the scan data to some of my colleges, as well as a few other specialists I know of. They’ll look over the data and analyze it in depth, and we will come up with a solution then.” He glanced over James, and then at the rest of his equipment. “If anything does feel off, I can use the tools here to make sure everything is working fine with the rest of your body,” he shrugged, “otherwise, as far as I can tell, its still safe for you to leave today.”

“What if something happens?” James pressed. “People don’t usually just have strange things in their head, do they? Plus, your scanners couldn’t even determine what it was…”

“That’s the point.” The doctor emphasized. “It doesn’t know what it is. This scanner is calibrated to detect every possible problem known to man. It can detect blood clots before they’ve even fully formed. It can detect when a neural pathway is blocked. They can even detect…” The doctor shook his head. “Just, take my word for it. The scanners are thorough. If you were in immediate danger, it would have alerted me.”

“If its so advanced, why can’t it tell what that thing is.” James countered.

“Could be its nothing.” The man said with a shrug. “It could actually mean there is nothing in that space. Which would be strange, but still, not damaging. However, if that’s the case, then your medical profile should have indicated that something there had been removed. Usually, if something were to be missing, it would be the result of a tumor or benign mass being removed to prevent future problems.”

James touched the back of his head. “I haven’t had any surgeries.” He said simply. It was true. He was fit as a fiddle. Hell, other than the mandatory government implant, he didn’t’ think he’d ever had any type of intrusive surgery before.

“Well, there you go.” The doctor offered a halfhearted smile. “I wish I could give you more news, but I can’t. At least, not right now. Once I’ve had more eyes and opinions on the matter, I’ll be able to decide on a course of action for your care.”

“But I don’t have to worry. Right? This isn’t a problem.” James pressed. Last thing he needed was to be worried he was going to randomly have an aneurism or something.

The doctor scratched at his chin, obviously lost in thought. “The strange thing about it,” he said, half to James, and half to himself, “is that if it was completely empty, it should have shown up as such. The fact the scanner is showing a completely blank spot, makes it seem like there’s something there, that the scanner just can’t see.”

“But again,” James pressed, “that would have required a surgery. Besides, what technology exists out there that would be able to stop your scanner from seeing what was there…” James trailed off as his mind reminded him there was, in fact, technology like that. In fact, he had ‘living’, ‘breathing’ proof right at his side. Dagger, after all, had managed to completely hide his main weapons from the scanner at the hospital. However, that had been different. Because the scanners hadn’t reported strange, anomalous, bits of emptiness. It had just been like the weapons weren’t there, at all.

“I wish I had answers for you James.” The doctor wheeled himself away from James, back to where he’d been sitting when James had first entered the room. He made a few motions with his hands, and suddenly a release form appeared in front of James.

“If it makes you feel better, I can have you admitted for the day for monitoring, though we would need to get your parents approval for it. Otherwise, you can sign off right there saying I saw you, and cleared you, and be on your way. Either way, I’ll reach back out to you whenever I do hear back from my colleagues, and we can see about getting you into a full monitor capsule to dig deeper into it.”

James held his left wrist up to the document, and then applied his signature on the form, confirming it was, in fact, his signature. A clever way to avoid forgery, the signature panel wouldn’t actually activate until it read his chip, and then, it would only stay active for a small amount of time, just enough, for him to sign.

“If you think its nothing, I’ll trust you.” James said, his tone flat. “You’re the expert, after all.”

A brief scowl crossed the doctor’s face, to be replaced a moment later by a sigh and a headshake. “I really do wish I could be of more help.” The man said. “But as I said, I’m pretty sure it’s nothing. And hopefully, everyone I send it to, will confirm my suspicions, so I can fully put your worries at ease. Until then, here’s my number,” a number popped up on James’s AR glasses, transmitted to him from the doctor, “contact me immediately if something feels off, and we will get you in here ASAP.”

James just gave the doctor a nod and a smile, stood up, and walked out of the room. Dagger followed closely on his heels, and he immediately found himself deep in thought. Something about this seemed wrong. And he knew better than to just dismiss such things, especially the more he started to see the world being peeled back regarding technology, and the capabilities of the technology in the world. If Dagger was any indication, there definitely was technology that existed that was capable of keeping the scanner from being able to detect what it was. That being said, James had to wonder who could unveil what it was for him. And, beyond that, who would he trust to do so? Because if it was hidden from scanners, and he had no knowledge of something being implanted in his mind, it was obvious, it wasn’t meant to be found.

Then again, James realized there were a few different people he could turn to. He paused, just in time to keep the door from closing. He had an idea. He wouldn’t call it a good one. But it was definitely, an idea.