Someone's In My Head (WATTYS AWARD WINNER 2015)

Chapter Twenty-Five (Pt. 2)

Back in reality, Layla was staring at me expectantly. Thanks to Phil and Lenny's timely intervention, I had totally missed Layla's reply. "I'm sorry, what?"

Layla simpered delicately. "I was just saying that I'm impressed by your...depth in politics."

I shrugged. "Well, I'm one of the rare species that actually stays awake during Civics class, so I guess I got the basics covered."

Layla rolled her eyes, but I could tell that she was trying very hard not to laugh.

"So, you called Royce just now." I pointed out matter-of-factly.

Layla nodded, her expression going from jocular to gloomy in less than one second. "Yeah, though I suppose you've heard most of it."

I blushed, but couldn't resist retorting. "Pretty wise of you to choose a fish tank for a phone booth, eh?"

Layla smiled thinly. "Fair enough."

"The Initiation?" I prompted, tipping my head questioningly. "Is it some sort of creepy experiment where I have to strip naked and get my testicles X-rayed?"

Layla pursed her lips. The look on her face gave me a very uncomfortable feeling in my guts. "Not...per se."

"What?" I demanded. "What per se? Tell me, Layla."

She winced. "Okay, okay. Remember the list I told you about?"

"'Athena's Children'?"

If Layla was surprised by my knowledge about that name, she didn't show it. She merely glanced around, checking if there was anybody nearby, before talking. "The Initiation is a test we conduct on each and every subject on the list. It's usually held after the subject has allegedly undergone an accident and walked out of the hospital alive. And since you're the first one who'd succeeded in doing so, this is also the first time The Initiation had to be performed."

"What is the objective of this...operation?" I wondered aloud.

"We too, like the Malader Org, would like our specialists to study the brain patterns and neural activity of the post-accident subject. Hopefully, what we manage to procure through The Initiation could be used to save the other people on the list from becoming potential victims." Layla explained.

"So, what's the catch? The subject gets entitled to a free lobotomy?" I enquired. Mind the emphasis.

"No!" Layla exclaimed, frowning. Then her mien turned sheepish. "But you do have to...y'know, strip naked."

"Oh."

"Though I believe the nudity is necessary for the Floating Process."

I snorted. "The Floating Process? What is it, like Lesson Number One for aquaphobics?"

Layla ignored my obviously non-sarcastic question. "You'll be introduced to a tank filled with salt water. Mind you, this ain't no normal table-salt-plus-water mixture; it's added with 850 pounds of Epsom salt, and the temperature of the water will always be maintained at around 37 degrees Celsius―the normal temperature of the human body. Hence, once you're inside, you'll not only float; due to the similarity in temperature between your body and the water, you won't even feel the presence of the water. It's basically like floating in mid-air."

I whistled. "That sounds kinda cool."

But Layla wasn't finished yet. "The floating sensation, plus the mild drugs that are delivered through IV, shall sooth your body and help you achieve the state of relaxation that is imperative for your neural activity to be observed."