Daniel had, since a young age, been intrigued by how mechanical and electrical devices worked. Though life’s challenges had dulled his passion, a seed of curiosity had always remained. It wasn’t until Emily came into the picture—thanks to the support of her loving family—that Daniel’s old interests began to reawaken within her.

  During quiet times, Emily loved to watch and assist her father, Thomas, as he tinkered with household repairs—whether it was fixing leaky faucets, squeaky doors, or occasionally working on the family car. Her natural curiosity for how things worked grew steadily over time. But there was something more at play. Deep within her mind, Daniel’s presence—his knowledge and experiences with building computers and hardware—began to subtly surface, mixing with her own curiosity in surprising ways.

  One evening, feeling confident in her growing skills, Emily asked her parents for a Meccano set—a metallic building kit with gears, motors, and pulleys that could be used to create cranes, trucks, and more.

  “Are you sure she’s ready for this?” Sarah had asked, eyeing the box filled with tiny metal parts and tools. “It looks pretty complicated—maybe she’s a bit too young?”

  Thomas had smiled. “She’s been a great helper. I know she’s young, but our daughter is mature beyond her years. I think it’s time.”

  When Emily received her Meccano set, it was more than just a toy—it became a gateway for Daniel’s knowledge to quietly flow into her thoughts. Together, they began to harmonize their consciousnesses, solving problems and tackling challenges as a team. As she built cranes and trucks, it felt like more than just the instructions guiding her. Flashes of Daniel’s memories, and occasionally his direct advice, appeared in her mind, making the process smoother and strangely familiar.

  But one lazy afternoon brought an even bigger surprise.

  Bored out of her mind, Emily decided to read the warning and liability documentation that came with the set—the kind most people threw out without a second thought. While it wasn’t her idea of fun, it led to an unexpected discovery. She skimmed through the English instructions, then absentmindedly flipped to the Spanish and French sections. Her eyes widened as she realized she wasn’t just reading the words—she was understanding them.

  “Danny!” Emily exclaimed internally, her voice brimming with excitement. “Why can I understand the Spanish and French instructions?! I didn’t learn these!”

  Her excitement spilled into Daniel, who laughed internally, sending warm pulses of amusement through her mind. “Wouldn’t you like to know…” he teased. “Maybe all those scrunchie care instructions you obsess over are finally paying off?”

  “Hey, stay away from my scrunchies!” Emily shot back, indignant.

  “I’m not sure I want to,” Daniel retorted, his tone mock-serious. “I’ve never spent so much time watching someone stress over which shade of scrunchie matches their outfit.”

  Before Emily could go ballistic, he added with more sincerity, “Seriously, though. You’re understanding those instructions because I knew Spanish and French.”

  Her excitement doubled. “Wait, you could speak both Spanish and French? And now I can too?”

  “Well, clearly, you can!” Daniel replied, his tone light and amused. “I wasn’t fluent, but yeah, I had a decent grasp of both. I took Spanish in high school and practiced with friends, so I got pretty good at it. French? That was a college elective. I was conversational at best.”

  Emily was impressed. “You really were the overachiever, huh? But wait—why didn’t you get as good at French?”

  Daniel chuckled. “The rules for French and Spanish clash hard. Pronunciation, grammar—it’s like driving on the right side of the road for one language and then suddenly switching to the left for the other.”

  Emily nodded, drawing seamlessly on his linguistic knowledge. “Oh, that makes sense. The rules are basically opposites. Must’ve been frustrating.”

  “You have no idea,” Daniel replied with mock exasperation. “But hey, now you’ve got the best of both worlds. You’re welcome.”

  Emily grinned. “Thanks, best invisible bud ever—scrunchie hater and all.”

  —

  The real test of their joint capabilities came one rainy weekend evening. The family’s old desktop computer, a vital tool for both Thomas’s work and occasionally Emily’s play, suddenly refused to turn on. Thomas attempted some basic troubleshooting but was at a loss. While he was confident with plumbing and drywall, computers were not his domain.

  “Emily… I think we can fix this,” Daniel muttered, his excitement bubbling into her thoughts. The prospect of troubleshooting computers again filled him with waves of eagerness, and Emily couldn’t help but feel it too. “You have my knowledge—we can do this together, just like the Meccano set.”

  “Do you think we’re ready?” Emily asked, her cautious smile betraying her own rising thrill.

  “Oh God, yes! These old computers were predictable,” Daniel replied, almost giddy.

  “Okay then, Daniel… here goes nothing,” Emily said internally, her confidence building.

  Taking a deep breath, she turned to her father. “Dad, can I take a look? I might be able to help…” she offered, her eyes gleaming with excitement at the challenge.

  Thomas sighed, clearly skeptical. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Emily. This is a complicated machine—I’ll have to find a professional to repair it.”

  “Oh, that’s bullsh—” Daniel began before quickly catching himself. Emily suppressed a giggle as she felt his irritation ripple through her mind. “Computers aren’t rocket science!” he grumbled.

  Reluctantly, Emily stepped back but leaned in close to the computer, muttering so only Daniel could hear. “Don’t worry. Let’s have a look tonight—after everyone’s asleep.”

  “Oh man—you’re naughty. I love it,” Daniel chuckled within her, his tone full of amused approval. “I should probably discourage this… but hey, why not?”

  Later that night, once her parents had gone to bed, Emily crept down the stairs, her heart racing with anticipation. Guided by Daniel’s excitement, she snuck into the garage, grabbed her father’s screwdriver and multimeter, and tiptoed into the study. As she approached the dormant computer, Daniel’s calm confidence resonated in the back of her mind.

  “You know, I think computer repairs weren’t cheap during this time,” he mused quietly. “If we play our cards right, we might save your dad a lot of time, money, and stress.”

  “Oh, shush, Danny,” Emily whispered as she quietly unpacked the toolkit. “Let’s be honest—you’re just having fun.”

  —

  The moment finally came. Emily quietly disconnected the cables from the computer, her heart racing with a mix of excitement and nervousness. She could feel Daniel’s knowledge surging to the forefront of her mind, seamlessly guiding her every move.

  Carefully, she opened the computer case, only to be surprised by how heavy and bulky the desktop felt compared to her smaller frame.

  Oof, Danny, she thought, adjusting her grip. You made this look a lot lighter in your memories...

  “It was lighter in my time,” Daniel shot back cheekily. “Computers in your time are just oversized bricks.”

  Emily grinned despite herself. As she leaned closer to inspect the components, Daniel’s voice chimed in again, this time with mock seriousness.

  “Are you... ahem... forgetting something?”

  Emily blinked, then smacked her forehead lightly. “Oh, right... discharge the capacitors. Duh,” she thought, feeling a twinge of embarrassment.

  “Yeah… let’s not shock ourselves right out the gate, Ms. Know-it-all,” Daniel teased playfully.

  “Oh, relax,” Emily grumbled, holding down the power button to safely discharge any lingering electricity. “But thanks for watching my back,” she added softly.

  “Always,” Daniel replied warmly.

  The components inside the computer looked familiar, yet slightly different from what Emily recalled through Daniel’s memories. As she methodically inspected the motherboard, power supply, and various connections, Daniel’s voice remained a constant presence in the back of her mind.

  Wow, this thing is ancient, Emily thought, recalling images of modular PCs from Daniel’s past.

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  “Welcome to the Stone Age,” Daniel teased. “But it’s still fixable.”

  After a few minutes of tracing cables and checking components, Emily spotted the issue: a loose power cable connected to the hard drive.

  “Huh, I wonder how this got loose,” she muttered, tilting her head to examine it. “Maybe it wasn’t plugged in properly at the factory.”

  “Or it just got jostled over time,” Daniel suggested. “Either way, we’ve got this.”

  Carefully, Emily straightened the pins and tested the cable’s integrity with the multimeter, guided by Daniel’s quiet expertise. With everything checked and in place, she reseated the cable and double-checked the other connections. Each movement felt precise and instinctive, their shared thoughts flowing in perfect harmony.

  As Emily continued her work, she frowned at the layer of dust clinging to the computer’s interior. I wish I had a can of compressed air for all these dust bunnies, she grumbled.

  “Compressed air?” Danny quipped. “More like your dad needs to actually vacuum this room. I mean, look at this—how does he live like this?”

  Emily giggled softly. “Good point.”

  –

  As Emily rechecked the cables and connections, she realized there was something deeper than just Daniel’s voice guiding her. Every move she made, every adjustment, felt as though it resonated through both of them—like an unspoken rhythm they instinctively shared.

  Suddenly, Daniel’s voice came through, filled with awe. “Emily… I can feel that. When you touch things—it’s like I’m touching them too.”

  Emily froze, her fingers hovering over the hard drive. “Wait… you can feel what I’m doing?” she whispered, her heart skipping a beat at the realization.

  “Yeah,” Daniel responded, his tone carrying equal parts surprise, excitement, and delight. “We’re in sync. It’s not just me helping you. We’re both doing this. It’s… it’s like we’re one.”

  Emily’s breath caught. She hadn’t even realized how seamless their connection had become. No longer just a voice in her head, Daniel was moving with her, two souls thinking and acting together without effort. “How long has this been happening?” she asked, her voice filled with wonder.

  “I’m not sure,” Daniel admitted, his tone soft and introspective. “I didn’t even notice until just now. But… I think it’s been like this for a while. Maybe since we started playing with the Meccano set? Or maybe… earlier?”

  Emily sat back on her heels, her hands trembling slightly as the magnitude of the moment sank in. “This is incredible. We’re… we’re really working as one.”

  There was a beat of silence before Daniel responded, his voice a mix of joy and disbelief. “Maybe this is what we’ve always been, Em. Maybe we were meant to be like this—when things are good, when there’s no stress or danger, or we aren't disagreeing and pulling in separate directions.. Two minds, two souls, perfectly synced.”

  Emily’s eyes glistened with excitement, the weight of their connection suddenly more profound than she’d ever imagined.

  “You’re always going to have my back, right?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

  “Damn straight,” Daniel whispered back, his warmth flooding her mind, steadying her hands as they moved in perfect harmony once more.

  Emily took a deep breath, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. She smiled to herself, feeling both reassured and exhilarated by their bond. “Okay then,” she said quietly, her voice steady now. “Let’s finish this together.”

  After verifying that everything was ready, Emily carefully reinstalled the computer casing and pushed the desktop back into place, wincing as it made a loud scraping sound against the wooden surface of the table.

  “Could’ve been quieter, but hey—small victories,” Daniel teased softly, his laughter rippling through her mind.

  Emily chuckled, plugging in the exterior cables with practiced ease. “Let’s hope Dad doesn’t notice that noise in the morning,” she thought, taking a deep breath. Her heart pounded with anticipation as she pressed the power button.

  The computer whirred to life, and a moment later came the familiar 'all clear' beep of a 90s desktop. Both of them felt the surge of triumph as the monitor blinked on and the computer began booting up.

  “We did it,” Emily thought, a wide smile breaking across her face.

  “Hell yes we did!” Danny added, his voice brimming with excitement.

  The victory was more than just a repair. It was a moment of embracing her new identity and their shared legacy. This wasn’t just Daniel’s knowledge or skill anymore; it was now part of who Emily was too.

  With a satisfied smile, Emily packed up her father’s tools and quietly slipped out of the room. She couldn’t wait for her father to discover the computer miraculously working again in the morning.

  “Let’s just hope he doesn’t ask too many questions,” Daniel quipped.

  Emily smirked as she tiptoed back to her room. “Ah, but wouldn’t that make things more fun?” she thought playfully, her heart light with anticipation.

  –

  The next morning, Thomas and Sarah were indeed surprised—and frankly bewildered—to find the computer working perfectly. Thomas scratched his head, staring at the screen. “I swear I couldn’t get this thing to work last night. It seems fine now…”

  Sarah frowned, her motherly instincts tingling as she surveyed the room. “Thomas, look at this,” she said, pointing to faint, small footprints indented in the office carpet. Thomas raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting from confusion to mild amusement. “Did Emily…? No way,” he chuckled. “Wait… could it be?”

  Thomas called Emily into the study. As soon as she saw the computer on and her parents’ concerned expressions, she felt her stomach flip. She had been caught. Her steps slowed as she approached, sheepishly avoiding eye contact.

  “Emily, hon—be honest—did you fix this?” Sarah asked, her voice carrying a mix of concern and impressed disbelief.

  Nervous about being admonished, Emily nodded, unable to suppress a small, proud smile. “I did. Dad looked so stressed, and… I just wanted to help.”

  Thomas knelt to her level, his face a mix of bewilderment and caution. “Emily, I don’t know how you fixed this machine, but you need to understand that some things can be dangerous. You can’t tinker around with them on your own! You could’ve gotten seriously hurt!”

  "Not really… low voltage crap… would just sting…" Daniel grumbled internally, his irritation evident. Emily bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at his snarky commentary. Still, feeling buoyed by her success and slightly annoyed that her efforts were being downplayed, Emily couldn’t resist launching into an explanation.

  “Dad, I was safe. I knew it was a hardware issue because the computer wasn’t even booting up. That usually means something is wrong with the motherboard, power supply, or connections. I checked the connections and found the hard drive power cable had come loose. I adjusted and reconnected the cable, then made sure the memory and other components were seated properly. That’s all it took.”

  She felt Daniel beam with pride from within. “Mic drop!” he muttered triumphantly, and Emily had to stifle a giggle.

  Thomas and Sarah exchanged baffled glances, their concern mingling with astonishment. “Emily, where… how… did you learn all this?” Thomas asked, his voice equal parts amazement and confusion.

  ‘Uh-oh,’ thought Emily, her confidence faltering. She hadn’t anticipated this question. As her mind raced, a surge of panic bubbled up. “Danny… help!” she thought desperately.

  “Oh hell… think quick, Danny,” he murmured, though his usual wit seemed absent in the urgency. Without waiting for his input, Emily blurted out, “I don’t know, I guess I just understand these things. I’ve been watching you fix stuff around the house, and I’ve read about computers in the books and magazines you leave lying around.”

  “Meccano set! Throw that under the bus!” Danny urged hurriedly.

  Emily’s face brightened. “Plus, I’ve picked up a lot from those Meccano sets you got me,” she added smoothly, hoping the explanation would satisfy their curiosity. She plastered on her most innocent smile, trying to sound casual.

  Sarah, still processing what she’d heard, gently patted Emily’s head. “We’re so proud of you, Emily. You’re incredibly smart, and we’re impressed. But you must promise us you’ll be careful. Computers and electricity can be dangerous.”

  “I promise,” Emily said earnestly, feeling both proud and humbled whereas inside, Daniel bristled, his adult mind finding the lecture a bit much given her success. “Really? It’s not like she was handling live wires or messing with high-voltage circuits,” he grumbled, his irritation threatening to overflow into Emily.

  As her parents walked away, speaking in hushed tones, Emily felt Daniel’s familiar exasperation bubble through. “I guess… they’re just being parents,” he mused with a sigh. “There really wasn’t a way you could’ve gotten hurt. I mean, unless you licked the power supply or got a jumper completely wrong.”

  Emily couldn’t hold back a smile, shaking her head. “Let’s just call it a win, Danny,” she gently chided him. “We fixed the computer—no pun intended—and saved Mom and Dad a couple hundred bucks.”

  “It’s still a freaking dinosaur,” Daniel quipped, his tone light and teasing. “Don’t be surprised if it wheezes its way to death soon.”

  Giggling at their banter, Emily moved on with her day, her mind abuzz with excitement about whatever new adventure awaited her and Danny next.

  —

  Later that night, after Emily had gone to bed, Thomas and Sarah sat down together in the dim light of the living room. Thomas leaned back in his chair, shaking his head in quiet amazement. “She’s really something, isn’t she?”

  “She is,” Sarah agreed, though her tone carried an undercurrent of unease. “But…how, Thomas? How did a child know how to fix something as complicated as a desktop computer?”

  Thomas’s amazement faded, replaced by a furrowed brow. He let out a slow breath. “I… don’t know, Sarah. I mean, Emily’s smart—really smart. Sometimes I think she might even be a genius. But fixing a computer like that? That’s not something you just pick up by watching or reading a couple of books. Or maybe it is? Honestly, I don’t know anymore.”

  A heavy silence settled between them as they both mulled over the thought. Images of Emily’s uncanny moments of maturity, her odd bursts of insight, and her advanced understanding of concepts far beyond her years played in their minds like a film reel. The pattern was becoming impossible to ignore, but the explanation eluded them.

  “You’ve seen it too,” Sarah said softly, breaking the silence. “The way she speaks sometimes… the words she uses. It’s like she’s not nine—it’s like she’s been through things we can’t even imagine.”

  Thomas nodded, his face still a mix of confusion and awe. “Yeah. And the way she just… knows things. Like how she explained what was wrong with the computer this morning. She wasn’t guessing—she knew. But how? That’s not normal for her age.”

  The weight of their questions hung in the room, unanswered. Rationality clashed with what their eyes and ears had witnessed, leaving them unsettled.

  The next morning, both Thomas and Sarah found themselves instinctively watching Emily more closely. Over breakfast, they replayed the events of the previous day in their minds, every detail magnified. Each time Emily said something that seemed beyond her years—a stray comment about a topic too advanced, a flash of wit or insight—they exchanged subtle, knowing glances.

  Emily, for her part, remained blissfully unaware of her parents’ scrutiny. She prattled on happily about school and her plans for the day, her voice carrying the natural exuberance of a child. But Sarah couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was slipping just out of reach—a missing piece of the puzzle, tantalizingly close but still veiled.

  Finally, when Emily left the room to grab her backpack, Thomas leaned toward Sarah, his voice low. “We need to talk to her soon,” he said, his tone serious. “You see it too, right?”

  Sarah nodded, her eyes following their daughter’s retreating figure. “I see it. I’ve been seeing it for a while now.” She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. “We need to understand what’s going on with her. Something’s… different.”

  They exchanged a look of quiet agreement, the shared concern in their eyes unmistakable. Whatever was happening with Emily, they both knew they couldn’t ignore it much longer.

  The EEG immediately reflected this shift—waveforms that had been merely erratic now became wildly unpredictable. Peaks and valleys appeared on the screen, overlapping and creating a pattern that confused the technician.

  Thomas, noticing Emily’s sudden change, moved closer. “Is she okay?” he asked, trying to keep the alarm out of his voice.

  The technician's frown deepened as he leaned closer to the chart, his hands twitching slightly as he glanced at the connections, then back at the erratic lines on the paper. “I don’t understand,” he muttered under his breath to himself. Straightening up, he casted a quick, puzzled glance at Thomas. “These readings... they’re not just unusual—they’re impossible. It’s almost like... like the machine is picking up signals from two different brains at once.”

  As Emily drifted deeper into the trance, the EEG readings grew more chaotic. The waveforms spiked sharply, resembling patterns seen during seizures, but with a peculiar consistency that defied typical neurological explanations. Then, as suddenly as the chaos began, the waveforms began to sync—two distinct patterns emerged, one deep and sinusoidal, the other gentler, almost melodic.

  The technician stared at the screen, baffled. “This can’t be right... the machine must be malfunctioning. It’s almost like... like her brain is in two states at once.”

  Thomas’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the waveforms sync into two distinct patterns. His analytical mind fought to rationalize what he was seeing but the truth was evident and hammered into him. He felt a cold sweat break out, a mix of awe and fear churning in the pit of his stomach. This wasn’t just a medical anomaly or equipment malfunction—he know this was real, tangible proof - a glimpse into the reality of Emily’s dual consciousness that he realized he was unprepared to confront.

  Just as the technician was about to stop the test, Emily suddenly gasped and woke up, her eyes snapping open as if from a deep sleep. The EEG immediately returned to normal, the strange patterns disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. Emily blinked groggily, rubbing her eyes as though waking from a dream.

  “Emily?” Thomas asked gently, kneeling beside her. “Are you okay?”

  Emily nodded slowly, still disoriented. “I... I think I fell asleep,” she murmured. “I’m sorry if I messed up the test.”

  “We’ll need to review the data, but... I’ve never seen anything like that before,” he admitted, a hint of awe creeping into his voice. “I’m almost certain the machine malfunctioned,” he added, though his tone lacked conviction.

  As they left the clinic, Emily remained quiet, sensing the tension between her parents. Thomas and Sarah exchanged worried glances, the former trying to process what he had just witnessed, the latter concerned about her husband’s worried visage. The ride home was silent, each lost in their thoughts, grappling with the implications of what they had seen.

  As they left the clinic, Emily remained quiet, sensing the tension between her parents. Thomas and Sarah exchanged worried glances—Thomas’s mind still reeling from the inexplicable readings, Sarah’s concern focused on the tension etched deeply into her husband’s face. As they drove home in silence, Thomas’s thoughts raced, the images of the dual waveforms burned into his memory. He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, a gnawing fear taking root, his search for answers had only led to more questions - questions he wasn’t sure he was ready to face.