Chapter 28
The rest of the orientation thankfully passed without incident. The only thing that made me feel a little uncomfortable was that Jay passed Melanie over for a chance to have a memory extracted, and she clearly blamed me for it.
However, it was hard for me to worry too much about her angry eyes burning into the back of my head as Jay all but led me by the damn hand through campus.
He had a way of making me feel like it was just him and me as he showed us around, and a few times I found myself forgetting there was a whole crowd of people tailing behind us.
On our tour, we learned that there were four main ‘neighborhoods’ that made up the Nexus. NeuroWell, NeuroComms, The Cortex, and NLQ, which stood for Neurovance Living Quarters
We’d just done the practical in NeuroWell, where most of Neurovance’s therapy research was done. Jay informed us that the building was where we would be spending most of our working hours, though we were free to use any of the outdoor collaboration stations scattered throughout the campus.
There was also NeuroComms, which was an even bigger neighborhood dedicated to marketing.
NeuroComms didn’t just house social media and PR experts; they were also responsible for global market localization and distribution, apparently.
The Cortex was where the main cafeteria was located. There was also a bar/restaurant that was open on weekends that employees could take advantage of, called the Memory Tap. The Cortex also held a large atrium where company-wide town halls and new product demonstrations were held.
Then, finally, the biggest part of campus was NLQ.
My jaw dropped as Jay led us through the massive white and chrome gates that opened up into what essentially looked like a futuristic resort.
“Neurovance doesn’t believe in traditional hierarchy, so you’ll find yourself living close to managers, directors, and even C-level execs, such as myself.
“We believe that rank doesn’t equal brilliance, and everyone at every level has value here.” He glanced back at us, his eyes shining. “I was an intern when I pitched the idea for the NeuroExtractor 1.0. The founder’s original working concept for the procedure was much more invasive.”
There was a wave of impressed murmurs, and many of my new colleagues’ eyes shone with excitement at the possibility of bringing their ideas to the table, despite the fact that we were a group of entry-level researchers.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t get past the possibility that I might be living close to Jay, or someone like Jay. The whole idea made me nervous… but then again… most things made me nervous.
I was going to need to learn to adapt to these new stressors, and quickly, or I might not last here long.
“NLQ has four fully equipped gyms. We also host yoga, spin, and pilates classes. They’re free for anyone to join. You’ll also find three Olympic-size pools, four tennis courts, two basketball courts, and a dance and movie theatre,” Jay rattled off.
“Curfew is 10pm on weeknights. Everyone is expected to be in their cubes by then, unless they have permission from their department supervisor to be out late for work. Friday and Saturday nights are open; there is no curfew. If you need to leave campus to visit family and friends, you can fill out a request form with your NeuroPath rep. Each cluster of rooms has one, and you’ll meet them when you collect your key card.
“Any questions?”
Hands shot into the air, and Jay chuckled, his kind eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Okay, we’ll pause here and do a quick Q&A for those who want one, anyone who wants to go ahead and get settled, check the user information on your Nexus profile.
Pathways and Growth—our version of HR—should have updated your address.
You’ll find the street and cube number for your new living quarters, and you can proceed from there.
Your NeuroPath rep will be waiting to onboard you.
Anyone who’s stationed on Amygdala Ave, you might as well wait.
I’m the NeuroPath rep for that street, so you’ll be waiting for me to finish up here anyway. ”
I glanced down at my Nexus app and opened my profile to find that, of course, I was stationed on Amygdala Ave.
I shuffled uncomfortably as I realized I would be living on the same street as Jay.
Melanie stayed for the Q&A too, and I realized that she was also on Amygdala Ave, and my discomfort grew.
Jay had been nothing but nice to me since I’d gotten here, but any positive attention he gave me seemed to piss Melanie off even more, and it worried me.
I’d met people like Melanie before.
I shivered as I remembered one of my classmates from MIT—Dylan—and how aggressively he’d targeted me, trying to get me to drop out.
Melanie may not be able to openly bully me, but I knew that wouldn’t stop someone like her. She would find quiet ways to try to ruin my life until I quit, and I was already dreading dealing with it.
My suspicions proved correct as Jay finished answering questions, and he turned to face us. His eyes lit up when they fell on me, but then he noticed Melanie waiting as well, and his smile slipped.
She immediately started laying it on thick.
“Wow! I can’t believe you gave the founders the idea for the NeuroExtractor as an intern! You’re such an inspiration, Jay,” she cooed, sidling up beside him and boldly looping her arm through his.
He frowned down at her and gently but firmly removed her from his arm. I felt a little bit of satisfaction at his clear rejection of her attempt to kiss up to him.
“I encourage you to read the part of your handbook on appropriate employee behavior, Ms. Larson,” he said dryly. “Typically, we encourage employees to ask for consent before touching colleagues. Many employees—MTRs especially—are on the spectrum and are overstimulated by unwanted touch.”
“Omigosh! I’m so sorry! Are you on the spectrum?” she asked, making her eyes comically wide, and if I didn’t know any better, I would say Jay looked like he wanted to roll his eyes.
“Please read the manual as soon as possible.”
Her fake smile faltered slightly, but she doubled down.
“Oh yes, for sure! I’ll study it back to front. I want to do well here.”
Jay’s nose wrinkled slightly as he led us past one of the tennis courts and down a lush, green street with large maples growing in front of cube-like white stucco structures.
“Welcome to Amygdala Ave,” he said, changing the subject. He reached into his back pocket, pulled out a small ivory envelope, and slid out two white plastic cards.
“Cube number?”
“Fifteen!” Melanie chirped immediately, and I sighed in relief as Jay blandly handed over her key card before pointing down the shady street.
“Across the street, there.”
“Great! Excited to see you around!” Melanie cooed, and Jay gave her a tight smile, waving her off before turning to me.
His entire demeanor relaxed once Melanie was gone, and it was just him and me standing at the intersection that led onto my new street.
“What number did you get, Milo?”
A balmy breeze rustled through the canopy of greenery overhead, and it sounded like music, carrying the sound of my name along with it.
My-loh.
The way his mouth curled over the syllables when he said my name felt so intimate.
I was positive there was something in the handbook that said it was inappropriate to drool over how the CMTRO said your name.
“F-four,” I stammered, double-checking my phone to make sure I was right.
Jay’s smile widened, and it made my stomach erupt with butterflies.
“We’re next-door neighbors. I’m in cube six,” he said, and I nearly whimpered in horror.
Of course we were.
“Here’s your key card,” Jay said, handing me the plain white card. “There’s a lanyard in your welcome packet. Most people just wear theirs around their neck. You need it to get into most buildings,” Jay explained, easily falling in step with me as I made my way to cube number four.
I noticed that Jay wasn’t wearing his key card around his neck, and I wondered if it was because he thought it would mess with his too-cool-to-care aesthetic.
“Do you want help settling in? The AI system that runs the cubes can take some… getting used to. She can be ah… a bit sassy. It might be quicker and easier if I introduce you to her.”
My fingers shook as I passed my key card over the black scanner settled next to my charcoal door.
He wanted to… come into my cube? Was that allowed?
“Uhm, isn’t that against some sort of company policy? Like, is it okay for the CMTRO to come into an entry-level employee’s cube? That feels like breaking some sort of rule.”
Jay leaned against my door frame. Crossing his hightops out in front of him, he gave me a lazy grin as I fumbled to open my door.
“I’m the NeuroPath rep for this street. It’s my job to make sure everyone gets settled in with as little friction as possible.”
“You didn’t offer to help Melanie,” I grumbled before I could stop myself.
Why did he think I needed help, and Melanie didn’t? Was it because I kept tripping in front of him!? He probably thought I was a huge dork.
He was watching me with that strange look he’d had on his face in the lab earlier, when he’d told me I needed to choose an older memory to extract.
“You’re right. I didn’t offer to help Ms. Larson.”
“Yeah, well, I’m just as capable of getting my AI set up as she is. I know I’m a klutz, but I’m really smart, okay? I may not have made a great first impression, but I promise, when it comes to the work, I can hold my own.”
Jay’s eyes were shining, and his full lips were tilted up slightly at the corners.
“I don’t think you’re a klutz, Milo.”
My skin sheeted with goosebumps again.
My-loh.
“Yeah, well, you’re the only one,” I grumbled, proving my own point and dropping my key card after my fourth attempt to get the scanner to flash green.
I cursed as my card fluttered to the ground. I moved to snatch it up, but once again, Jay beat me to it.
Suddenly, he was kneeling before me.
I looked down at him, my lips parting as he looked up from where he was crouching, holding my card out to me between his middle and index fingers.
His face was directly in line with my hips, and there was a beat where my crazy brain imagined him crouching before me for an entirely different reason.
My face turned beet red, and that amused smile of his widened as if he were picking up exactly where my freaky little mind had gone.
Oh god.
Oh god, oh god, oh god.
I snatched the card out of his fingers and spun around, swiping it over the scanner again. I puffed out a sigh of relief as it finally turned green and the door to my cube popped open.
“Oh, look at that—got it open. Anyway! It was nice meeting you! See you around!” I squeaked, rushing into my cube and slamming the door shut on a very amused Jay, who hadn’t even had a chance to stand up yet.
I sighed and slid down the door, burying my face in my hands in an attempt to cool my burning cheeks.
Cripes.
I might have had one horrifically humiliating memory extracted today, but I’d somehow successfully added several more.
I groaned, hoping I never crossed paths with Jay Reynolds again.