The Braincase

Emma was engrossed in reading the latest book by horror author Sara Siu. These books were romance novels with a dash of true crime and only a thin horror veneer. The latest book was titled "Polyamorous Paradox."

Only 20 pages in, she feared this would be another vampire tale. She hated vampires.

She had always enjoyed reading these books in a bright, crowded space, where it was easy to "escape" if things got intense. Today, Emma was at The Drip Den, home to a maple, bacon, and oat milk latte called the "Latte Breakfast," which she was trying.

Lost in the plot, and before she could react, a sudden jolt to the table splashed her coffee.

A charming stranger with dark hair swiftly handed her a napkin with a bright smile and curiously said, "Looks like your coffee needs a dance partner."

Her reaction was stunned silence. She was doubly caught off guard because, as this happened, she had just read the line, "Looks like you need a dance partner." She did not believe in the supernatural. Yet Emma couldn't help but be surprised by the serendipity of that moment.

"Hi, my name's Mark." he said while glancing around the room, "It looks like all the other seats are taken. Do you mind if I join you? I promise to let you read in peace; I just read that one myself."

After wiping up the last of the minor spill, she still hadn't said anything. He stood there politely, waiting for permission. She looked up and snapped out of it: "Oh! Yes. For sure!" She gestured towards the chair opposite her.

She wasn't sure what it was about him, but he felt very safe. He was dressed well and was wearing a fantastic cologne that she could smell in the background. He exuded just the right amount of confidence, kindness, and that certain something else.

She felt secure sharing her space with him.

"I read all the Siu books," he said as he sat down: 'Spectral Seduction,' 'Bewitched Banshee,' 'Ghoulish Gals.' I finished Paradox last week."

Emma paused and put down the book. "Okay, I have to ask, is this going to be -"

"Vampires," they said in unison.

"Yeah," Mark continued, "It's a vampire book. But it's better than you might think."

"Man!" said Emma, annoyed, "Vampires are the worst! If I don't like vampires, should I continue?"

"Siu does do something interesting with the scientist, but I'll let you find that part out by yourself." He sipped his drink, "What do you have against vampires?"

“Well,” She frowned. “It's the whole blood thing. There isn't enough energy in the blood to sustain these energy expenditures! There would be so much energy necessary for supernatural strength and shape-shifting."

"I feel like needing vampires to adhere to natural laws is asking for too much. I mean, what about sunlight or the whole immortality thing?"

"Those things already occur. Like there's porphyria, a disease with light sensitivity. There are also all sorts of creatures that live more or less indefinitely. Lobsters. Flatworms. In other words, there is some base in science for the other things. But energy is a finite resource, and they don't even try to address that logic gap."

"Porphyria, flatworms, and lobsters are not the same as vampires." He said with a smirk.

"Why do you need me to like vampires?" she scoffed.

"Oh, I just think you should give them a chance," he chuckled. "Just don't quit the book before they introduce everyone in the polycule. You'll thank me later."

She smirked back at him, "I'm starting to think that you must be a polyamorous vampire."

He tilted his head. "It's the middle of the day. I'm not sparkling. I don't eat much blood outside an occasional rare steak. I sleep on a mattress I heard about on a podcast. It came in the mail, vacuum sealed inside a box, and I sleep on it very much alone, " he replied.

"What about immortality?" She teased.

"That - I can't be certain of," he said with a straight face, "I only died once, and that didn't seem to stick, so who knows?"

"Oh? Do tell." she was enjoying the game of verbal tennis.

Mark leaned in, "Have you ever heard of Phineas Gage?"

"Is that a relative?" Emma asked.

"Nope, but I have something in common with him."

"What's that?"

"We both got into accidents. We both survived but lost parts of our gray matter in the process," he said with a much quieter smile and tapped the side of his head.

Suddenly, Emma didn't feel like this conversation was as carefree as it had been a minute before. He could see the concern on her face.

"I'm fine!" he explained. That's when I first dove into the Sara Siu books. It was while I was recovering in the hospital. The long and short of it: I have a titanium and silicon sandwich instead of part of my skull - well, more than a small part."

His casual tone put Emma at ease, "So, is that why you bumped my table? Mental defect?"

Mark paused and looked at the ground. He looked hurt by her statement.

She quickly tried to backtrack: "Oh no, I'm so sorry. Sometimes, I just say things and don't even think about what I've said. "He put up a hand to cut her off and started smiling.

"Ha! I nicked the table as an excuse to start this impromptu coffee date."

Emma blushed, and she said forcefully, "Not nice!" She slammed her book down on the table.

"You fall for that - Every. Single. Time." he laughed.

"Sorry? Every single time?" she asked, puzzled.

"Ah, yes," he smiled. "Emma, I think you're great, and I never quite know how to make this work out between us." He continued to look at her with a smile while she remained confused. "I've tried so many different things, so many different times. I figured I'd be upfront with you this time, explain what's happening, and see if things turn out… better."

"Okay, you've lost me again," she said.

"The plate in my head is not only replacing my skull; it's actually replacing most of my brain."

"How much of your brain?" she asked, concerned.

"At this point? Almost all," he paused, "It was gradual, but they used some very advanced AI to supplement what I'd lost. They did machine learning on data from my life and used a predictive fill to make it all work."

"You're fucking with me again, right?" she asked with a furrowed brow.

"Nope," he replied, "but here's the thing. This thing in my head is lightning-fast, way faster than my old brain. Combine that with the AI, and well, I get to live through every day as many times as I want to and see how every choice plays out. I can play out a billion lifetimes in a second."

She stared at him. "I really can't tell if this is a joke."

"Think of it this way," he leaned in, "You know how they talk about how the world might be a simulation? How is our perception of reality just a series of inputs that our body interprets as what's real? Well, in my head, I've sat at this table and discussed Sara Siu and vampires with you at least a hundred times. In some scenarios, we date for years, but it always falls apart at some point. But I want it to work. I've dated most of the women in this room, but you're the one. You're my one. I'm here now, figuring out if this approach is better. I'm trying to see if letting you in on all this sooner is the trick." He looked at her with a half-sad smile.

Emma sat there in stunned silence. After a full minute, she spoke.

"You've played out this scenario, and this is what works?" 

"Sort of." Mark paused before saying absent-mindedly, "I've yet to see if it works."