Paradoxes Are Fun
whatever it is you’re doing, keep doing it- may be inappropriate for children under 13
- one weird trick
- I do look mighty cute in riding boots
- looking furtively at me
Tune in next time part 908 Click Here for Earlier Installments
Paradoxes are fun, until you’re caught inside of one. Such as: trying to remember who tampered with your memory. My only clues that it had even happened were “Ursula” and the fact that I couldn’t remember anyone by that name.
The pharma man gasped and lurched into a sitting position. I sent silent encouragement to the nanobots, thinking “whatever it is you’re doing, keep doing it.” The pharma man’s return to consciousness was apparently rather unpleasant, and between coughing jags he muttered numerous words which may be inappropriate for children under 13, and a few that I considered inappropriate for myself. But the risk of him dying, and therefore the risk of his nanobot-infested remains falling into Colloquillian hands, seemed to have passed.
I hadn’t thought about my studies of digital mysticism in years. It was almost as if, until moments ago, they weren’t part of my backstory. Could that be another clue? A theory took shape in my mind. Whoever altered my memory had tried to suppress everything related to my being a digital mystic, which must mean Ursula was connected in some way to that part of my life. Had she stolen my jacket, or my memories? Or both? Or neither? I patted the phone in my pocket. Whoever messed with my brain, they must have used nanobots. If I could transfer the ones from the pharma man into myself, maybe they could reverse the damage. It would be one weird trick to pull off.
Fleur nudged me in the ribs, and I realized that I had — again — neglected my diplomatic duties whilst lost in speculation. The ambassador had just said something that I only caught the end of: “… but I do look mighty cute in riding boots.”
“Checks out,” I said. Then, turning back to my wife, “There is an urgent matter that I must attend to around the corner. Excuse me.” And I strode off before she had time to object.
Once out of view, I took the phone back out and ordered the nanobots to march the pharma man over to where I waited. And waited. It clearly shouldn’t take more than a few seconds, so I peeked out to see what was going on. No one but the pharma man spotted my sneaky peeking, but he wasn’t moving. The only sign that he was being influenced by the microscopic implants under my alleged control was the way he kept looking furtively at me.
bonus points for using them in order