The Shocking Truth Book 1
Copyright© 2025 by somethin fishy
Chapter 3
19 September
Doctor Rebecca “Becky” Hastings sighed and opened the next file. Seeing that it was another boy threatening suicide, she put her hand up, rubbing her forehead to try to stem the oncoming headache. It seemed as if three-quarters of her work was with boys who saw no way forward. This file belonged to a boy in the pediatric wing who had been struck by lightning. When he was struck, he was thrown against a car, where he broke his back and legs. Worse, he was having memory problems, and what he could remember gave him no hope for the future.
Becky read the file, and her first thought was that if there was someone who didn’t have a terminal illness and felt justified in committing suicide, it was this kid. If what he said matched reality, she couldn’t believe any parent could do that to their child.
Slowly, she stood up and stretched. Despite being only 44 years old, Becky felt 104. Like most other medical professionals, Becky was overworked and underpaid. Nobody was willing to enter the medical profession, as it was guaranteed that you would be overworked, underpaid, and constantly worry about being sued for everything you had done. Most people graduating from medical school were barely literate. The bar was so low, in the interest of diversity, that it was impossible to fail unless you were a white male or genuinely interested in becoming a doctor. After all, the establishment couldn’t have a good, young doctor showing them up. All you had to do was attend class a couple of times a semester, and you would be guaranteed a diploma. A person didn’t even need to pass a test to pass the class.
Something about this new case piqued her interest, and she was looking forward to meeting with the young man. It had been years since she had looked forward to a case like she did with Alex’s.
It was a ten-minute walk from her office to Alex’s room, and during that time, Rebecca thought about various lines of communication she could use to get him to open up to her in a constructive fashion. It was apparent that Alex had no problems opening up regarding some issues, but Rebecca felt he was hiding far more.
In only a short time, Alex had gotten good at watching for others approaching while he was wandering around inside his head. After several days of brain time, Alex finally organized all of his remaining memories, and while there were gaps, he hadn’t lost as much as he had thought. He still retained about two-thirds of his memory from before the lightning strike, but nothing of that day.
“Hello, I’m Doctor Hastings, your psychologist.”
“Hey, doc.” Alex looked at her. “I would ask if I’m supposed to be on a couch, but...” he looked at his bed and restraints. Becky laughed.
“Sorry, I can’t do anything about those yet. But maybe together, we can get it to where you can move around again.”
“I highly doubt that will happen unless you have superpowers, in which case, why are you here? There is nothing you can do to improve the basic reasons for me wanting to die.”
“Why do you say that?” Becky asked while pulling up a seat. So far, she hadn’t been disappointed by this young man. He was certainly interesting.
“Well, let’s start off with the obvious: I’m apparently paralyzed from the waist down. That means a wheelchair, which means even more harassment at school.”
“Can’t you report the harassment to the school? By law, they have to protect you.” Alex laughed hard.
“My parents, in their infinite insanity, decided it would be best for me to go to Fremont. Something about learning what it’s like for the oppressed, or some bullshit like that. Anyway, the faculty is half of my problem. If I report any harassment, I’m racist and just don’t understand when the other kids are joking. Because giving you a swirly and then forcing you to eat shit is just a bloody fucking joke. Of course, they report that I’m causing waves to my mother, who promptly gives me a lecture on how I’m the oppressor because I’m a white male and I should atone for my sins. I’ve never had any fucking slaves. My grandparents never had slaves. From what I can tell, my ancestors were fucking anti-slavery activists. But yet, I must fucking atone for their sins on top of every other fucking problem in the world.”
Becky couldn’t close her mouth. In all her years as a youth counselor, she had never heard of such mental abuse. She had to do something.
“Can you write down all the abuse you have suffered? Maybe I can get you into a better home.” Alex tipped his head back and laughed. He kept laughing until he began coughing.
“Oh, thanks. I needed a laugh. Let me give you a word of warning: stay as far away from me as possible if you want to keep your job, house, or anything else of value. If you were to go through with this, my mother would be outraged and come after you with both barrels. She is a filthy lawyer, and by the time she’s done with you, you will be just another homeless, crackpot whore. If she can’t find any evidence of wrongdoing, she will fabricate it and ensure that it’s severe enough that you will never get another job. If you have family money, she will launch hundreds of lawsuits against you for everything you can imagine. Granted, most won’t stick, but it only takes one. Since she’s got several judges in her back pocket, you will be found guilty, and your family’s wealth will be confiscated,” Alex paused, looking at Becky. “I see that you don’t believe me, but I assure you. I have seen her do it before to lesser people. My mother will not tolerate anyone questioning her.”
Becky was shaking by the time Alex had finished. While his warning was outlandish, something in his eyes told Becky he was telling the unvarnished truth.
“What about your father? I saw him listed as Tom.”
“My father hates my guts. Actually, I would be astonished if he were my biological father. I have blonde hair and blue eyes, and haven’t really started puberty yet. My father has black hair, brown eyes, and claims he started puberty when he was ten. My mother has blue eyes and also started puberty early. My sister began when she was nine. Since my mother cannot keep her legs closed near anyone with more power than she has, I think you can figure out the rest.”
“Well, boys don’t begin puberty as early as girls.”
“My father was already well into puberty by this point in his life. He likes to brag that he picked his first cherry in the supply closet of his fourth-grade classroom.” Becky was desperate to come up with something to boost Alex’s outlook on life.
“But you only have six years to go, then you can leave home.”
“With a degree from the worst school in the state. Of course, that is assuming they don’t find “something wrong,” and I am blocked from graduating. That is also assuming I haven’t been murdered by that time. Of course, nobody would care, so whoever kills me will get away with it.”
“But I would care,” Becky said quietly. Alex smiled warmly.
“I believe you, and in a different world, I would agree, but there’s nothing you can do for me in this world. You should probably save your effort for people you can help. I suppose you could report my mother’s behavior to the Bar Association, but she sleeps with most of the governing body and has dirt on every one of them. After covering her ass, she would be after you. You could report my father for repeatedly sleeping with underage teens, but I doubt the university, which in this case is also your employer, would do anything. You would probably get fired for something. You could report both of them for child endangerment for allowing my older sister to leave the house to get high, drunk, and laid, but see previous statements regarding my parents.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Becky was desperate. Alex smiled.
“You can let me go so I can end everything.” Becky gave him the that’s not going to happen look. “Then can you get me a used laptop with internet access?”
“Why used?”
“It makes it harder to be traced. You should pay cash and do not put your name on anything.”
“I cannot be part of any illegal activities.”
“Shame. I could get my mother and father arrested and put in prison for the rest of their lives without getting you into any trouble. I could also give you a pay raise and eliminate all your debts.”
“How?”
“I got most of my memories back and found I’m a very gifted computer nerd.”
“Oh.”
Becky sat quietly next to Alex’s bed, her mind in turmoil. Alex had shocked her with the depth of abuse he had gone through, but he still seemed a well-rounded individual. He was definitely more intelligent than she had been at his age and far more mature. Furthermore, Alex told her he could get his parents locked up without putting her in danger. Becky knew that if Alex were to survive, he would need a drastic change of circumstances.
While Becky sat next to his bed, Alex slipped back into his brain. He was curious to see if he could slip into another person’s brain. For that, Becky was perfect. She was experiencing enough turmoil that Alex doubted she would notice if he succeeded. Knowing how he slipped into his head, Alex focused on Becky.
To Alex’s surprise, he slipped into Becky’s head with no problem. He found everything in her head neat and tidy, a complete contrast to his own brain. But in his defense, he had been struck by lightning and almost lost his entire memory. Alex didn’t try to manipulate Becky’s mind since he didn’t know what he was doing, and she seemed like one of the good ones. Flipping through Becky’s memories, he learned everything about her and why she had been so willing to help him.
Becky’s life had been sad as well. While her childhood had been happy, she had been devastated when her family was killed by a tornado that hit their house. Becky had been away at a friend’s birthday party, which was how she had been spared. In addition to her parents, she lost her older brother and younger sister in the disaster.
Since the disaster happened just after she turned 18, Becky had to deal with everything. Despite that, she still graduated at the top of her class and received a sought-after scholarship that paid for all four years of her undergrad. That allowed her to save her money for grad school, which she passed with flying colors and debt-free at 24.
The day after graduation, she married the man of her dreams, but fate once again interfered with her happiness. Three years after they were married, her husband and newborn baby girl were killed when their vehicle was slammed into by a drunk driver. The drunk driver walked away without a scratch, and because she was a “historically oppressed” minority, she got away with only a slap on the wrist, while Becky was left trying to pick up the shattered pieces of her life.
To compensate, Becky threw herself into her work and was instrumental in saving countless troubled children and young teens. She had a way of connecting with them that no one else did. Now, she had come up against one of her toughest challenges as her usual methods didn’t work and, worse, could be dangerous.
Seeing how a person’s brain was supposed to work, Alex could begin reorganizing his. He only spent about an hour in brain time in Becky’s head before slipping back into his own. Seeing the mess, Alex began organizing and cleaning. While not altering his brain’s wiring or general architecture, Alex was able to refine his approach.
Twenty minutes later, Becky stood and told Alex she would be back so they could talk some more. Alex nodded to her and told her to have a good night. Having time, Alex went through his memories and matched fragments. Essentially, he was defragging his brain. The longer he worked on it, the faster he got until the memories automatically defragged. By the time the night shift began, Alex’s memories were as good as they would ever be.
Realizing time worked differently in his head, Alex wondered if he could sleep in his head so he could have more time for other things. Looking around, Alex thought, ‘It would be nice if there were a bed here.’ To his astonishment, a bed appeared. A bonus was that the bed was the exact firmness Alex liked. He kicked his clothes off and passed out.
While Alex slept, he dreamt. The dreams were detailed and vivid enough that Alex could remember them. When Alex woke up, he felt completely refreshed and ready to tackle anything. It was the first time in many years that Alex had such an attitude.
The clock in his brain said he had been asleep for ten hours, which Alex knew translated into only a few minutes in the real world. As Alex opened his eyes to the real world, he knew the experiment had been a success and felt completely refreshed. If only he had something to do.
Looking at the computer next to his bed, Alex wondered and remembered a dream he had had. He hopped into his brain before focusing on the computer. Getting into the computer was only slightly more challenging than getting into Becky’s brain. Once inside the computer, Alex began experimenting with his new power. One of the first things he discovered was that firewalls no longer meant anything, and login procedures were easily bypassed.