BRAIN SCAM Part 4
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I intended to have just three parts to the story but a reader commented that it seemed unfinished. "What happened to Dr. Abrams and his diabolical system?" he asked. I had to agree with his complaint. So here's a conclusion to the story.
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It was not their first coupling but their sex that night in Mike's apartment was infinitely more meaningful and satisfying because it sealed their unwavering commitment to be life partners. Kim awoke as the first light of dawn seeped around the edges of the window drapes. He glanced over to the still-sleeping young man lying next to him and smiled, reminded that Mike was a handsome embodiment of masculine beauty. His character and integrity was flawlessly admirable. His personality was a blend of compassion for others mixed with incisive intelligence. Every minute spent in his company was a joy. Why, Kim began to wonder, did he propose to me last night? Why would he be attracted to a computer geek? Why would he want a partner of Japanese descent? Was it merely the sex he was after? Ignoring abundant evidence of Mike's honesty, Kim feared the proposal had been no more than a way to ensure continuing gratification of sexual needs.
Such self-degradation was highly unusual for Kim but his admiration of— love for—such a wonderful partner seemed to eclipse his normal confidence. The more he thought about it, the more he felt unworthy of Mike's companionship. But he was reminded of something when, as a virgin, he had been reluctant to agree to his college room mate's request to share a bed. "Tomorrow is promised to no one," the room mate said. "So dance, sing, and have fun while you can." If Mike's promise of fidelity was doubtful, Kim resolved to enjoy the opportunity for pleasure for as long as possible. Very gently so as not to awaken his bed partner, he laid his arm across Mike's firm chest and pressed their naked bodies together. Not surprisingly, his cock responded by swelling to rigidity. A blend of lust and love crippled his judgment and he began to fondle Mike's cock and balls. It wasn't long before both young men had firm erections although Mike was still asleep.
Several minutes passed. "That feels good," Mike murmured. The comment was almost imperceptibly quiet but it disrupted Kim's euphoria as though it had been the blare of a fire alarm. He immediately withdrew his hand from his partner's crotch and panicked over being caught violating a slumbering victim.
"Don't stop," Mike pleaded in the normal voice of someone awake.
"I'm sorry," Kim replied. "I shouldn't have taken advantage of you while you were asleep."
"I'm glad you did. You should feel free to do anything you want with me. My body is as much yours now as it is mine."
"But it was almost like Abrams compelling an unsuspecting test subject to do things he wouldn't ordinarily do. That's wrong!"
Mike rose up on one elbow and looked down at Kim. "What he did was wrong. We agree on that. But we're different. We're partners. For life. You weren't doing anything that I wouldn't welcome."
Kim began to continue his apology but Mike interrupted by delivering a passionate kiss. Simultaneously, he reached down and lovingly fondled Kim's cock that, because of the distraction, had begun to deflate. Breaking the kiss, Mike grasped Kim's hand and placed it back where it had been. "Continue working your magic, my love."
After several minutes of erotic foreplay, the two young lovers settled into a sixty nine position and repeated what they had done so often but that had only recently become an expression of love rather than mere physical pleasure. Their orgasms were followed by blissful cuddling.
Mike's thoughts revolved around his extreme good fortune to find a companion as admirable and desirable as Kim. Kim, however, dwelled on his earlier uncertainty about Mike's intentions. He felt compelled to sweep the doubts away so he said, "You said we're partners. For life. Did you really mean it?"
Mike was surprised by the question but answered immediately. "Absolutely! I've fallen in love with you. I want to have you by my side forever. I can't remember being as happy as I am right now, being with you." Kim was quiet for a few moments, which caused Mike some concern so he added, "Why do you ask? Do you have any second thoughts about becoming partners?"
"NO! It's just that ... well ... I can't believe how lucky I am that you want me around forever. Maybe I should tell you something. You know that my room mate in college and I had sex. Frequently. When graduation approached, I told him I didn't want us to break up. He laughed! And said he enjoyed our sex but wanted to move on with his life. I was heart- broken. I thought I loved him. I thought he loved me. But I was wrong. On both counts. My feelings for him were not nearly as strong as my feelings for you. Second, I completely misjudged his feelings about me. I was depressed for weeks. My attraction to him turned to resentment. I refused to have sex with him again. For the few weeks until graduation we hardly spoke to each other. So that's my sad story. And the reason why I couldn't be sure that you were serious about being life partners."
"You can be VERY sure, Kim. I'm yours for as long as you'll have me. You're the most important person in my life and I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy."
Kim seized his lover into a forceful embrace and said, "You've made me very happy already."
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Two weeks later, Kim had moved into Mike's apartment. Saving money on rent for an apartment he rarely used was not the main reason. Rather, it was the extreme pleasure of being with the man he loved. The sexual coupling every night was wonderful but more important was that their emotional bond magnified as they shared ideas and opinion, joked and laughed, and cooperated as a pair in daily activities. Kim had, as he predicted, easily found another job—one that was at least as challenging and enjoyable as when he worked for Dr. Abrams. The lives of the two young lovers were idyllic.
They had just finished dinner and were discussing how to spend the evening when the doorbell rang. Mike answered the door to find two men in business suits. "Are you Kim Yoshimoto?" the somewhat older man asked. Mike thought the question was odd because an obviously blonde Caucasian was unlikely to have an oriental name.
"No."
"Is he here? We'd like to talk to him."
Mike was uneasy about two strangers and hesitated to answer the question. Instead, he asked one of his own. "And you are...?"
"My apologies. We should have introduced ourselves. I'm Charles Wilson. My partner is Randy Gillespie. We're with the FBI." Both men flashed a badge. "Is Kim Yoshimoto here?"
"Yes. Come in." Mike ushered the men into the living room and called out to Kim, in the kitchen, "Kim, two guys are here and want to talk to you."
Kim entered the living room with an obvious look of surprise and asked, "What about?"
Rather than answer the question, the older man introduced himself and his partner and then asked, "Can we talk in private?"
Kim glanced up at Mike but couldn't read his expression. "I'd rather not," Kim replied. "Mike is my partner. There's nothing you can ask or that I say that he can't hear."
"As you wish," came the perfunctory reply."
Without asking permission, the two men sat down. Mike sat next to Kim on the sofa.
"We understand that you were employed by a Dr. Donald Abrams. Is that correct?
"Yes."
"What were your duties?"
"A computer programmer."
"And what type of software were you writing?"
"I'm afraid I cannot say. I'm bound by a non-disclosure agreement."
"I see," grunted Wilson, who was clearly the senior man in the pair of visitors. "You left Abrams' company before it declared bankruptcy. Why?"
Kim became uncomfortable. He didn't want to reveal the reasons. Besides being embarrassing to both he and Mike, it would have to include information about the capabilities of the computer system. "I was fired. For not performing my duties as he instructed."
"Can you elaborate? What did you fail to do?"
"I can't say. To explain the situation would violate terms of my confidentiality agreement."
Gillespie, the junior FBI agent, said, "We know the purpose of Abrams' research. He once submitted a proposal to us asking for funding." Wilson, the senior agent, gave his partner a disapproving look for divulging privileged information. Gillespie fell silent.
But Wilson then realized that revealing a little more may facilitate gathering more information from Kim and said, "He claimed he would be able use electrical stimulation of the brain to control a person's memory and behavior. He thought it would be useful in our investigations and interrogations. We rejected his proposal partly because it was outlandish but mostly because of ethical concerns. It would be contrary to protections of the Fifth Amendment. Since we already know about his research, answering the question will not jeopardize your compliance with the confidentiality agreement. Did you work on that part of the research project? "
"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I cannot be sure it wouldn't violate my commitment to never reveal the details of my work. If I were to say something that you don't already know, I would be inadvertently revealing something that I'm honor bound to keep secret."
Wilson adjusted his tactics. "Have you been in contact with Abrams since leaving his organization?"
Kim wanted to say, "No, thank God," but replied simply, "No."
"So you don't know his whereabouts now?"
"No."
"If you hear about where he might be, we'd appreciate your contacting us. Here's my card. You can call me at any time. Thank you for your time."
Kim took the card. The FBI agents stood to leave. But Kim's curiosity compelled him to ask, "What's this all about? Why is the FBI interested in finding Dr. Abrams?"
"I'm sure you understand that we cannot comment on the nature of the investigation. All we can say is that he hasn't been seen for a week."
Both Kim and Mike were surprised that Abrams seemed to be hiding from the authorities. Kim asked, "Why is the FBI interested? Has he broken any law?"
"No, not yet," replied Wilson. "Unless you have an ongoing association with representatives of..." He paused to reconsider his comment. "...a country that poses a threat to national security. I've told you more than I should have. I hope you will treat the information with utmost discretion."
"I will," Kim replied but then glanced at Mike and added, "We both will. But let me say one more thing. The part of the system he thought you'd be interested in doesn't work. And it never will. Unless he finds a computer genius to fix a flaw in the computer program."
"What do you mean?" Wilson asked.
"I've said as much as I'm allowed to say."
Wilson looked at his partner, hoping but failing to detect some sign of understanding by the more computer-savvy agent. Gillespie then asked, "This flaw—is it a problem in the program or was the problem deliberately planted in the coding?"
"I'm sorry. I can't be more specific. But you can be sure that the problem won't be solved soon and without considerable the expertise of a very experienced programmer."
When the FBI agents were gone, Mike said, "It appears that Abrams is a fugitive from justice."
Kim frowned and said, "We don't know that for sure. But what worries me is that he's been in contact with a country that is a threat to national security. Do you suppose he would betray his country?"
"I'm afraid it's a possibility, Kim. He didn't hesitate to use the system to betray our trust ... all for gratification of his lust. He's already proven that he has no conscience. Let's hope he's merely avoiding his creditors and isn't trying to peddle his system to an unfriendly country."
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A few days later, Mike received a phone call at work from Jennifer, an associate of Kim's when they both worked for Dr. Abrams. "Sorry to bother you at work, Mike," she said. "But I got a phone call from Abrams. He wants to contact Kim and asked if I had his phone number. I said I didn't but might be able to find out."
"I could give you his cell phone number but I'm not sure he wants to hear from the bastard. He's still very upset. Not about being fired ... he found another, better job right away ... but about how Abrams used the computer system to victimize both Kim and me. That was unforgivable."
"I understand," Jennifer replied. "He said he would call me back on Friday. I'll just tell him Kim doesn't want to talk to him."
Mike thought about the visit from the FBI agents and said, "There's something else you should know. And a favor I'd like. Kim was interviewed by agents from the FBI who are eager to learn his whereabouts."
"Oh my!" Jennifer exclaimed.
"Yes, it seems he's been in contact with a foreign country, an unfriendly country, and he's disappeared. We promised to let them know if we heard from him. As far as I know, he's not suspected of any crime — yet! The FBI just wants to interview him."
"That's not entirely surprising," Jennifer remarked. "After what he did to you and Kim, it's not out of character. And the computer system in the wrong hands scares me."
"As it does me," Mike replied. "So here's the favor I'd like. When he calls back, try to find out where he is."
"I'm quite sure he won't tell me if he knows the FBI is on his trail."
"I agree. So ... if Kim is willing to give you his phone number ... tell him to call in the evening or on the weekend. In the meantime, I'll alert the FBI. Perhaps they can trace the call."
"This is beginning to sound like something out of a spy novel," Jennifer said with a slight chuckle.
"I suppose you're right. But I'm convinced it's something we have to do. No doubt he wants Kim to repair the coding of the software—the malicious part that allows him to manipulate and victimize people. Who knows? Perhaps we can prevent the dangerous computer system from getting into the wrong hands. Are you willing to help?"
"Of course!"
"Good. And thanks. I'll pass the plan by Kim and call you this evening to let you know whether Kim is willing to share his phone number."
Kim was initially reluctant to talk to Abrams. And adamant in refusing to repair the computer coding if asked. But he was easily persuaded to be contacted by the unethical researcher if it would prevent the misuse of the software. Kim called Jennifer and gave her his cell phone number. He then called FBI Agent Wilson to say he expected a phone call from Abrams.
"Thank you for calling," Wilson replied. "I'd like you to do me a favor when he calls. Can I count on your help?
"That depends. I'd like to help but first I need to know what you want me to do."
"Simple. Make a note of the date and time of the call. If any identifying information shows up on your cell phone, write that down. Finally, write down the highlights of the conversation. One more thing: If you can inquire about his location, it would be helpful. Will you do that for us?"
"Yes."
"Then call me immediately with the information. Again, thanks for your help."
The following day at seven in the evening, Abrams called but there was no identification of the caller except `wireless call.'
Kim had barely said "hello" when Abrams said, "Kim, I want to offer my apologies. I have no excuse for firing you and I've regretted my hasty action. I'd like to make amends by offering you a chance to make a lot of money. I was pleased to learn that you found another job but I'd like to pay you for some of your spare time. I'm sure you can find a use for the extra cash and it would do a lot to overcome my guilt. Are you interested?"
Kim suspected what the spare time work would be and said, "I assume you want me to repair the computer program."
"That's right. You have the exceptional talent and the familiarity with the program. You're the only one who can do it."
Having thought through several scenarios of the conversation, Kim was ready with a response. "I might be interested. But there are a number of things we need to discuss. Can we meet somewhere—for a long, private conversation?"
There was a long pause on the line while Abrams evaluated the request. "I understand you have some concerns and need more information. Can't we discuss them now?"
"No. It would be better to meet. Among other things, I will need the documentation of the program. You can bring that along in case I agree to do the work."
"That's one of the things I admire about you, Kim. You're very analytical and circumspect." (Kim recognized that the comment was little more than flattery engineered to win cooperation.) "When can we meet?"
"Almost any evening or on the weekend."
"Friday night at eight. I'll meet you in the lobby of the Larkspur Landing Hotel on Ranch Drive in Milpitas. The lobby is almost deserted then and we can talk. I look forward to seeing you again, Kim." Abrams hung up abruptly.
Kim immediately called FBI Agent Wilson and told him the details of the scheduled meeting. Wilson said, "Good work, son. You may see me and Agent Gillespie there but if you do, don't acknowledge our presence. Okay?"
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Abrams was effusive when he greeted Kim on Friday night, which was quite different than his demeanor at his former company and was transparently insincere. But Kim kept his goal in mind: to walk away with the complete documentation of the computer system. Less than an hour later, the goal was achieved, having made only the promise of giving it a quick scan. They agreed to meet again the following Friday night when Kim said he could give a reliable estimate of the time it would take to find and fix the flaw in the system.
Agent Wilson called Kim the next evening to say, "Forget the second meeting with Abrams. He's in custody and charged with violation of a law that prohibits the export of goods or intellectual property to countries under sanction by the government. We have confiscated his files and computer equipment—with, of course, a search warrant. The evidence is compelling. But we'd like to have the package of documents he gave you,"
"You're welcome to have it," Kim replied. "I have no use for it."
"Good. I'll send Gillespie by to pick it up. I owe you a great debt of gratitude, son, for your help. For that matter, the country owes you its gratitude."
"I'm just glad Abrams' dangerous software won't fall into the wrong hands. I only hope that ... eventually ... it can be used responsibly to diagnose and treat the mentally disturbed."
Mike's first reaction to the news bordered on elation that Abrams would be punished and the danger of his system had been averted. However, after several minutes, he said, I just had a terrible thought, Kim. If there's a trial, they'll probably want a witness to substantiate the ways the system can be abused. Geezus! I hope they don't want me to describe what Abrams made me do."
"That wouldn't be pleasant, Mike. But it would be clear that you were forced into doing things against your will and knowledge. Therefore, it would be no reflection on your character or morals."
"I suppose you're right. But I still don't want to say in open court what happened."
The trial received little media attention since it was tried by a three-judge panel and not open to the public or the media. That eased Mike's anxiety but he was still uncomfortable when he took the witness stand.
The conviction of a brilliant neurologist and researcher was reported but since the trial was not open to the public, there was no mention in the report of the evidence or the identity of the witnesses. It did briefly mention the sentence—a ten-year probation during which Abrams could not have access to a computer.
EPILOGUE
The many years of increasing acceptance of same-sex marriage had its effect on Kim's parents who put aside their ancient Japanese attitude and proudly attended the wedding of their youngest son to a man that had earned their respect and love.