Chapter 7

The BrainSuite software had been in existence for about 18months at that point, since it’s much publicized launch in early 2021. It had been created by a team from the newly amalgamated GoAppuSoft Corporation, formed following the recession of late 2020 from three of the biggest technology and software companies. Using a mixture of advanced scanners and microscopically fine probes it was able to ‘map’ a brains electrochemical activity. 

It had been discovered that through using a recent advancement in virtual reality that used similar probes to ‘fool’ the senses beyond just sight within the system that a patient’s brain could be altered, though not with great success beyond disturbing motor functions.

In late 2021 it had been theorised and tested that this system could be used to ‘implant’ the new signals within a patient's brain to control a replacement limb, thereby enabling them to control it like the original. Sadly this had been found not to be the case, as the actions of the replacement didn’t ‘fit’ with what a brain accepted as the ‘right’ commands

Which is where Naira’s theory came into practice. She had theorised that if you could attach an entirely new limb to the patient, and then used the BrainSuite to alter the brain with a set of commands ‘lifted’ from the brainscan of a creature that had that limb from birth, but rewritten into the formatting of the human brain, then the human brain would be able to control the new limb.

Which is exactly what she was about to do to Violet’s brain, with the aid of modified and altered brainscan commands she’d taken multiple versions of from her beloved cat Alma during the recent lockdown.

“Now Vee, this isn’t going to feel good at all, I’ve got to apply the cortical electro probes, along with the others over your head. This will sting, and feel decidedly Odd. I’ve heard the sensations described as having your brain scratched for an itch, but I’ve never experienced it. Try to stay as calm and stationary as possible for me please. Even with your head clamped solid this has to be Pinpoint precise to avoid any damage! I’ll put the eyepiece and mouth attachment on first though” With that she checked the straps on Violet's head, then lifted what looked like a bulkier slightly oversized gas mask with several wires and a pair of pipes running from it onto her face, before attaching it closed securely

“Give me a thumbs up on your left hand if you can hear me Violet” she gave a thumbs up “excellent. Is that comfortable?” another thumbs up “Perfect, now I’m going to attach the crown to your head” Thumbs up. Once she saw that Naira reached to her workbenches table and carefully picked up what looked like a fine helmet made of carbon fibre spiders webs and wires It had 20 one inch long towers rising in a symmetrical pattern running from the temples of the head back over the front half. Naira then carefully placed it upon Violet’s head, it was a perfect fit for her skull, and even wrapped precisely around her new ears. Once she was happy with it’s placement, and making sure it was seated Exactly on some hardly even visible marker points, along with making some connections near the ears Naira secured it down solidly.

“Ok Violet, here come the probes” Thumbs up, with which Naira typed a command on her terminal, and 20 small sharp sounds were heard for a fraction of a second, like tiny versions of her scalpel, before silence bar a released breath from Violet, muffled by the mask.

“Ok Vee, we’re all connected and online, everything is green. I’m going to start the program in 3..2..1…” 

Violet never heard the zero, because at that moment her vision bloomed into a flash of every colour imaginable, and many that probably weren’t, whilst her ears were filled with an oscillating soundwave of every frequency audible to the human hearing, both all at once and in a scale, rising and falling. Her senses of taste and smell progressed through much of the same in their own way, but in ways words simply couldn’t do justice to. And to Violet this sensory onslaught seemed both never ending and final.

What seemed to Violet like an eternity in a moment later, but which Naira informed her was around 6 hours in actual time, everything seemed to phased into nothing, before she felt Naira removing not only the crown, but the mask and all her restraints, before facing her blinking face with concern screaming from her facial expression.
“Can you still hear me Violet” were her first words. Violet stopped blinking, and focused on Naira’s face for a full 5 seconds before answering in a calm voice “yes, and I can understand what you’re saying before you ask” Naira let out a breath she was holding, before gasping it back in when she spotted Violet’s ears twitching in her direction. “OHMYGODS!” was all she could say as Violet looked at her quizzically “your ears twitched!!”

“They did?” asked Violet bemused “I didn’t even notice. I was just paying attention to what you were doing”

“Wait, Really? That wasn’t you twitching them??” 

“Nope” stated Violet 

“did you feel them move, did it feel weird?”

“No, not weird. I mean I felt them, like I can feel my tail moving” as soon as she said that Naira dropped to her knees to look under the split in the bed, and sure enough Violet’s tail was swaying lazily back and forth, brushing the floor slightly each time. As she sprang to her feet again she screamed “OHMYGODS it WORKED!! It actually WORKED!!” loud enough to cause Violet’s ears to flatten as she recoiled, hissing slightly and squeaking out “not soo loud please!”

“Ohh shit! Sorry” Naira whispered blushing
“Do you think I can stand Naira? I feel like I’ve been lying down long enough”

“Sorry, of course, if you feel up to it” with that she removed the drip from Violet’s arm, and gently helped her to her feet.
Once standing Violet gently rolled her shoulders, before reaching her arms up and stretching at her full height, her tail rolling lazily behind her. Naira let out a faint “eep” sound as she stopped, causing Violet's ears then head to turn to face her “what was that for Naira?”
“You’re still naked Vee” Naira blushed “oh yeah, can you get me a shirt or something please?”

About an hour and a half later they were both sitting on the sofa, Naira sitting normally facing Violet, who was sitting on her curled up long legs. Both were eating a bowl of fried salmon rice, though Violet’s had some extra slices of raw salmon to go with it. In the time it had taken to cook they’d not really said much, Violet had dressed in an oversized shirt Naira had, and her own low-rise underwear which she’d brought with her specifically to allow for the tail.

Whilst she dressed and they’d cooked Naira had begun to notice some other things about Violet’s mannerisms and actions. Aside from not being consciously aware what her ears and tail were doing at any point in time, they also seemed to follow her mood and/or emotions. Like when she saw the salmon and licked her lips, her ears were Alert and her tail flicked back and forth. And when Naira asked her something that took thinking about one of her ears turned back in thought. What she also noticed is that at the same time as her ear turned she also tilted her head to that side. And when she walked she walked seemingly with more grace to her steps, her tail swishing to counter each step. Naira was beginning to suspect that the BrainSuite had awakened more of Violet’s feline nature.

After they ate they Naira asked for about the 30th time how Violet felt, to which she replied “Naira I feel fine! Perfect!” she smirked “or is that Purrrrrrrrfect” which elicited an almost comical ‘jaw drop’ from Naira “oh, what’s up Naira?” 

“You...you Purred!! Vee I haven’t heard you purr in years!!” Violet looked taken aback “oh. Errm. well” Before changing the subject “Oh, do you still have that huge mirror in the other room? I’ve not seen what my ears & tail look like yet” Violet blushed 

“Yes of course!” said Naira “come on, lets go and see the real You”
With that they both rose from the couch and walked into another of the workrooms of Naira’s studio, before standing in front of a full length mirror. Violet at first didn’t make a sound, didn’t even breath, as Naira turned to see the dumbfounded expression on her face as she took in her 2 foot of tail, which stopped swaying slowly. Her ears were fully erect as she noticed first them, then the smooth skin on both sides of her head where her human ears would have been, her left hand slowly rising to stroke where the scar tissue had been, before she turned to Naira questioningly

“Oh, I used some of the extra money you sent to grow you some suitable skin to cover those bits” Naira casually replied, smiling at Violet’s gobsmacked expression
“....I’m finally me” Was all Violet herself said, before passing out, fortunately Naira was able to catch her before she hit the floor.

When Violet finally came to again she was laid on the end of the sofa again with Naira sitting next to her gently dabbing her forehead with a warm moist cloth “I take it you like my work then” beamed Naira “I don’t think I’ve ever known you pass out like that Vee”

Violet simply shrugged, and adjusted herself so her tail wasn’t slightly trapped “I think it was understandable really. And thank you for catching me” she blushed, before her expression turned serious “and thank you for All of this. I know I don’t deserve it, and recently I’ve been a lousy friend…”
“Stop that Right now” snapped Naira “You Haven’t! After what happened, well, yeah. And you Deserve this!! Thank you for trusting me to try what was essentially an experiment on you”

“I had nothing to lose Naira, and so much to gain. Thank you” with that comment they hugged.

After that they talked for about an hour more, before the exhaustion was painfully clear on Naira’s face, the last few days clearly taking their toll on her. At which point they both retreated to separate sleeping rooms upstairs in the studio, Naira to her normal bedroom, and Violet taking one of two guest rooms.

Violet was finally trying to sleep, despite all the time unconscious she felt exhausted, but she kept tossing and turning, occasionally catching her tail, causing her to jolt up from that position, and staying up for a couple of minutes. Coupled to being able to hear so much for the first time in Years she was struggling.

But she needed sleep, and after years of being able to stop almost eighty percent of sounds just by turning her hearing aid off all the noise was simultaneously claustrophobic and exhilarating. Yet even with that she was slowly dozing off when she heard it the first time, the ever so faint yet to her unmistakable “My Kitty!” from somewhere she couldn’t place.

Suddenly she sprang from lying down to a feline attack position on all fours on the bed, her tail thrashing back and forth, ears twitching to hear it again.
After 15 minutes straining to hear it again she whispered to herself “I’m imagining it, I Must be” and a further 20 minutes her adrenaline was wearing off and she finally laid down again. Yet just as she was about to close her eyes she heard it again “My Kitty….” 

Snapping awake again, but forcing herself to relax as she lay there it came again, very faintly “my Kitty…”

Barely remembering to breathe Violet lay in the bed with tears streaming down her face. There was only one person that could be, that she could Hear like a whisper across a crowded theatre, but still there.
Only one name
“Krymson. My Mate”