The Invitation(20)

“What we’re seeing here is what’s known as a DTI scan, short for diffusion tensor imaging. It’s actually more detailed than a conventional MRI scan. This looks like the brain of an adult. I would guess between the ages of thirty to fifty years old. Nothing really unusual about it.”

“Show him number two, Tim.”

As the second image appears Professor Hobart looks intently at it, pauses, then hesitantly asks, “What am I looking at here?”

“That’s what we were going to ask you,” the Director says.

“The next two images are the same with higher magnification,” adds Mr. Colby.

“Let me see them,” Professor Hobart says.

Seeing the magnified image, Professor Hobart fixes his attention completely on the object in the photo, and says nothing.

“This is magnified eighty times,” Agent Colby says.

After hearing no response from Professor Hobart, Mr. Colby shows the last photo.

“And this image is magnified two hundred times”

Seeing the strangely intriguing image, the Professor stands up, and slowly walks toward the TV screen. He sees the clearly discernible symmetry of a six-sided object, with what looks like thousands of microscopic filaments attached to it extending outward in all directions. Even the cursory glance of an untrained eye would immediately recognize it as something with design, purpose, and function. Squinting his eyes, Professor Hobart shakes his head in perplexity, and looks at Mr. Slaughter.

“This must be a hoax. Somebody doctored the original scan.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well first, I’ve never seen anything like this before, and I’ve been reading brain scans for over twenty years. Secondly, to think this thing is actually implanted in a person’s brain is simply not credible.”

“Any guesses as to what it might be?” the Director asks.

“It’s a hoax. It has to be.”

“Is it possible that a foreign country could have developed this technology, whatever it might be?”

“That’s not possible, in my opinion.”

“Why not?”

“For one thing, it’s so small. No technology that I’m aware of could even begin to make something like this.”

“It’s about one one-hundredth of an inch in diameter,” Mr. Colby says.

“That’s roughly the thickness of, what, four or five sheets of paper? That’s impossible.”

“Well, bear with me for a moment, Professor. Let me ask you this. If this thing were real, and had some kind of active, functioning purpose, would it make a difference where in the brain it was placed?”

“I would think so.”

“What if it were placed in, uh, what is it, Tim?”

“Uh, it’s the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,” Agent Colby says.

“Yeah, we call it DLPC for short.”

“Is it significant?”

“Very. It’s the part of the brain that’s associated with cognition and abstract thinking, a center for planning, and information processing. It provides executive functions that regulate other more primitive parts of the brain. Because of that, it’s a highly interconnected region.”

“You mean something like a command center?” the Director asks.

“Generally speaking, yes, but again, I have to tell you. What you’re suggesting is not possible.”

Pointing closely to the image still on the TV screen, Professor Hobart continues: “If you look at the perimeter of this object, you can see literally thousands of these tiny hair like strands coming out of it. I’m only speculating, but they look surprisingly like axons, though much larger, of course.”

“What are axons?”

“Axons provide connectivity for neurons in the brain, a bit like the electrical grid carries power.”

“So this would suggest that this thing is actually wired into the brain somehow?” the Director asks.

“That’s right, which is utterly impossible. The micro-engineering required to make something so small and complex, and then to place it deeply into the brain, is practically inconceivable. It’s like humans traveling to the stars. Also, if you look closely at the photo, you can see a faint halo surrounding the object.”

Straining to see this detail, the Director acknowledges the overlooked, and almost imperceptible, aura radiating from the strange object.

“Wow, I never even noticed it.”

“Neither did I,” Agent Colby says.

“What does that mean?” the Director asks.

“I don’t know what it means, but what it suggests is that this thing is giving off some kind of energy, and the only energy in the human brain that I’m aware of, are the minute pulses of electrical energy that naturally power the brain. However, they look nothing like this. Everything that you’ve shown me here today is way outside the capabilities of modern science, so I’m sorry to tell you, but I have no doubt that we’re seeing the product of an elaborate hoax.”