7. Control (02:00)

Julia: I’m just—

Nadiye: Yeah, but it’s—

Julia: Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to—

Nadiye: Oh god now we’re talking over each other. Hang on. Let’s start again.

Julia: ok! I was going to say, despite the time slips, I reckon I’m starting to control it. How about you?

Nadiye: Yeah! Or I can a bit. Some days it’s just lined up with whatever’s going on inside my gut, to be honest. If I’m really sick it kinda reacts to me, keeps me in a bit of a bubble. It helps. But days when I’ve got energy, I’ve been playing with it. What’s your control like? Can you activate it at will?

Julia: A couple of times!

Nadiye: I haven’t hacked it yet.

Julia: It’s a bit trial and error; I still need to pin down exactly what I did when it worked. It’s incredible when it does. I’ve been using it to discharge the pressure when it builds up too much.

Nadiye: You mean like, quieten the noise?

Julia: Yeah. Spotting when the rift forms is key. It’s strong enough for me to see clearly now. <>, with two clusters of light <>.

Nadiye: Mine is a little different, more nebulous.

Julia: Did you try gently pressing on your implant? It helps trigger it.

Nadiye: Really? You can feel it under your skin?

Julia: If I press down with my fingertips midway between my belly button and my pubes. There’s this firmness. A resistance where it should be soft. Can you feel it? Or a tightness? Do you feel anything?