I tried to do as he said, I got up from the metal table, pulled up the white cloth, smoothed Ben's chest, and walked towards his voice.
Akio's words fell on me like soft breadcrumbs. I followed him. His voice is calm and restrained, and every word makes me feel the same. Calm and quiet, his words became louder and louder as I approached where I guessed him. I feel safe. It is safer than I have felt in the past many, many days.
"Can you go in?" I heard Bruce Dunman ask.
"If necessary, I can, but that would be very dangerous," Toyoda said. "For all of us. She is far away. Maybe farther than I can reach."
I continued to walk towards his voice and warmth. Only at this moment did I realize how indifferent I was. I am so cold, painfully cold. My fingers are hot. My toes and the tip of my nose are frozen.
"Abby," Qiufu's voice rang. "Open your eyes."
I followed his request, and it was not an easy task. I tried several times to open my eyes, but failed. It was not until the fifth or sixth attempt that I was able to open my eye-opening muscles and let them open. As soon as I opened it, I blinked at the bright light.
Mingfu knelt beside the leather sofa. He put my two hands on my waist with one big hand, and his other hand heavily on my forehead.
"You did it," he said. "Good boy. I almost followed you in."
I blinked again, trying to say something, but couldn't say anything.
Bruce Deman stood on Schoff's shoulder. His eyes were shining, and although he didn't smile, I could feel him smiling under the expressionless face arranged by the heart. His hands trembled almost imperceptibly. With anticipation? excited? fear? He saw that I was watching them, so he stuffed them into his charcoal pants pockets.
Akio looked at me up and down. He stared into my eyes, and then pressed his fist against my shoulder, reassuring me.
He smiled and said, "I'm very relieved that you look at least as good as when you were sleeping. It seems that you are not injured this time." He patted my arm lightly. "how do you feel?"
"I feel terrible," I said. "What happened?"
I looked at Bruce. He said nothing. I looked back at Qiufu, and he also looked at Bruce. He frowned, waiting for Bruce's assessment.
Bruce still said nothing. He took a hand out of his pocket and rubbed his chin.
I struggled to sit up. My body feels really tired and heavy, but lying on the ground trying to have any kind of conversation with these two men feels too weird.
Finally, Bruce said: "When you fall asleep for the first time, your brain activity looks completely normal, as expected, but once you start to fall asleep, we are able to detect two different activity patterns, which is unusual. . For example, I have never seen anything like this before."
"Okay," I said slowly. "What does it mean?"
"It is too early to say what this may mean. Your body does not respond as it should be in a normal dream state. The brain usually shuts down the part that allows you to move physically, effectively paralyzing you. In my dream, you can walk, but in fact you are not walking, but sleeping.
Your brain does not completely inhibit movement. You exercise a lot. This is not uncommon in itself. Some people suffer from a disease called somnambulism. They will complete tasks like walking, sitting up or walking around. But this time is different. At some point, you are indeed thrown off the sofa roughly, in a way and intensity that you cannot do to yourself. If I knew you were possessed, I wouldn't be surprised. Are you sure she is not possessed, Mingfu?"
"She is not possessed," said Toyohio. "At least it was not the devil. In my initial assessment, I found that there was a human being there, a human named Ben, who was completely awake and completely separated from Abby's consciousness."
Danman nodded, "The next step is for us to take an image of your brain. I need a better look, and then any equipment that I can manage, I will dispose of it here. We will draw a map of your brain to see if we can Make sure what is thinking in your cute little head. The device is in Denmanus," he stared at Akio calmly. Some important things happened between them. Akio nodded slowly, he knew there was no other way.
"Sorry, let me arrange it," Danman said.
"He is very enthusiastic," I said to Akio. By the way, he was still half sitting on the sofa.
"Yes," Toyuo said. "Bruce is in trouble and can't fully trust him."
"Oh—" I said. Shock. "If we can't trust him, then why do you bring me here?"
Akio shook his head. "If I thought he was not the only one who might help you, I wouldn't do it."
I looked down at my hand.
"Cheer up," he said, "for him and for you, all hope is not lost."
His voice surprised me. It wasn't until that moment that I thought that my situation might be hopeless. I tilted my head to one side, "Do you think I am hopeless?"
""No, you didn't hear clearly. What I'm saying is that hope exists, and you'd better stick to it. "
"Do you think I will die?"
"One day," he said. "Let us not let it become what it is today."
He stood up and stretched, then looked back at me sitting on the sofa.
"Don't think about death," he said softly. "When you think of death, death thinks of you, you don't want her to think of you. Instead, think of life." He held my forehead with his thumb. His touch brought shock like static electricity. "Don't fall asleep again until we figure it out," a kind, compassionate tone conveyed his words, a tone that had never been heard before.
This is as serious as my instinct tells me.
"Just to be safe," he added, and showed me his most charming smile.
Bruce went back to the room and put the phone in his pocket.
""Are you ready? I am ready. My best fMRI technology is waiting for us. "
"What about Toro?" Ming Fu asked.
"Go to his house or his cave and hang on his feet for a day. Whatever."
We filed out of the chapel and walked towards Bruce's beautiful sports car. It has no back seats, at least not many back seats, I know I will sit there. Somehow, as we boarded the car, it happened that Bruce and I stood alone together.
"You should eat these," he said as he handed me an amber medicine bottle filled with large white pills.
"What are these?" I looked at them suspiciously.
"Modafinil. Hope they keep you awake. Trust me, no one knows better than me how to stay asleep."
"Thank you," I said, and stuffed them into my pocket. I don't know what Modafinil is. Is this what Akio Toyoda asked me to raise my guard
I squeezed into the back seat and sat on a sad bench with half of my ass up on the chair. Bruce put the driver's seat forward so that I can get in the car more easily. Bruce climbed into the driver's seat after I stopped. The car rumbling, its voice deep and hoarse. I understand why some women think that such a car is very xìng to a man.
Bruce Danman looked at the rearview mirror and smiled at me. The corners of his eyes wrinkled.
"You don't look good, Abby," he said to me.
I shook my head.
"I haven't felt it for several days," I said. "I feel like I'm clutching the edge of the cliff, and I may lose this feeling at any time."
He turned his gaze back to the road in front of us, "I can understand the feeling. How is your arm?" He was chatting. Gossip. I got the impression that he is a master of small talk.
My arm hurts.
"It's okay," I sighed.
"So, tell me what you do?"
"I am a photographer." I said. I was surprised to find that I had stated this so firmly. Normally, I would say something about working in a coffee shop and part-time photography, and some mild and unassuming words. I decided to give up my gentle and humble attitude. Especially if I am going to die today. I am going to die as a photographer.
stop! Stop and think about death.
He nodded, "Great."
You will never make money, I heard my mother say in the back of my head. Photography is a hobby, not a profession.
"I like it," I said.
"What picture did you take?" he continued.
"Most of them are people," I said. "There is light. I am fascinated by how light and shadow deceive my soul."
I'm tired.
I yawned and blinked my sandpaper eyes a few times. I'm so tired. My eyes felt heavy and they started to close.
"Abby! No!" Ming Fu reached out from the passenger seat and shook my knees. My knees are actually on his knees, so my knees are not long enough. My eyes opened quickly.
"Don't fall asleep," he said.
"say to me.
"We are almost there," Bruce said.
Akio put his hand on my knee, and when I blinked, he yanked my leg again. Of course, I blinked slowly, but—
"I'm not sleeping," I snapped. The lack of sleep makes me very annoyed.
"That's it," he said.
"Okay," I growled. I rubbed my eyes vigorously with one hand, squeezed the bridge of my nose vigorously, and then squeezed the base of my thigh vigorously. I was so tired that I could hardly feel the pain, so I just squeezed my cheek. Earlier that day, the wound on my face had not healed, but at least I could feel the tingling.
"We are here," Bruce said. He parked his car outside a parking lot that looked like a traditional office building. It is located next to the building; I have seen this huge glass dome building in magazine articles and TV shows. Bruce is often photographed leaving the building or with the building as the background. There are at least twenty nearby parking spaces. He parked the car in the shadow of a bush. (To be continued) (End of this chapter)