TERRIBLE IMMUNITY

EPISODE 1
THE FIRST BREAKING

We Humans live simultaneously in two worlds, the inner world and the outer world, also differentiated as the Physical World and the world of the mind. The world of the mind is a place. It's as real as the Physical World. Mind is not a condition or state, it is an actual place.

We live in the mind directly and in the Physical World indirectly

through a simulation taking place in the mind. Though we only know the physical world through a simulation it does really exist, our physical bodies and brains do really exist, somewhere else.

It is true we have actual physical nerve cells that could be said to know the physical world directly through being stimulated, but our conscious and semi-conscious minds are many processes away. Just because it is a simulation does not mean it isn't real. It still relates to a very real place.

Imagine yourself in a universe of pure mind-stuff, thoughts, ideas, experiences, imagination, dreams. There is no physical material there, no gravity, no separation of parts, no distance, no depth. But all those things can be experienced there. They can exist there as experiences. Even though there is nothing physical about the Psychiverse it is still just as substantial as the Physical Universe.

Consider that all your sensations of the Physical World having substance are simulated in the Psychiverse. The Psychiverse is as real as the Physical World, just made of substances so completely different. How can we exist in two realities at once? How can our minds exist in another world and still be part of our brains and bodies in the Physical World?

How can a water lily grow both underwater and above the water without being cut in two? It is still one plant even though it is two very different kinds of plants in one. The Psychiverse is completely different from the Physical World but is not separated from it. They exist distinct from each other and as close to each other as any two things can be. What is it like in the Psychiverse? Try to imagine it right now, it is easy to do because you have been there, in fact, youre there right now. All you need to do is look around you, the experience you are having is a real time simulation of the physical world taking place in the Psychiverse. Go ahead and touch something, everything youre experiencing is made of mind-stuff, pure imagination.

Humans have always suspected the existence of Mind but our instincts limit us from recognizing its true nature. You can't go beyond the simulation through mental effort. Your physical brain holds you back, on purpose.

It isn't that we havent gained the sense of it yet. It's not that it's difficult to realize but that our brains limit us, for the sake of the survival of our physical bodies. As long as there have been humans, people have tried to experience the Psychiverse itself and get outside of the simulation but we can't do it through brute willpower or concentration;

the only way to do it completely stop us from seeing it. Yes, lobotomy. You would need to go cells, in order to liberate the

is to wipe out the brain cells that actively I'm describing what can be classified as in and change a brain, taking out certain mind to the Psychiverse.

So we are stuck in the simulation, made to feel it is direct experience when it is indirect. But a very few have found a way to release their minds. When this story begins, there are only two,

Ge Hong and Franklin Cornwell both living in Philadelphia. Ge Hong released Franklin, that is, physically altered Franklin's brain, freeing him to explore the Psychiverse. Ge used a method of killing off particular cells in Franklins brain. Ge was released at the beginning of the 1900's and he released Franklin in 1952. The method used is known only to them? For this and other reasons, there are only two people, in 1965, who are free to see past the simulation and explore the Psychiverse.

What does a simulation look like on the "outside"? This is Franklin's simulation or mind, when he is paying attention to his physical environment.

This is him starting to pay attention to the Psychiverse. Normally a mind in the Psychiverse is turned in on itself but Franklin is free to direct his awareness outside of the simulation.

This is how Ge chooses to see Franklin in the Psychiverse and how Franklin will be depicted in this story to make it easy for you to recognize him.

Franklin has chosen to see the Psychiverse as having distance and space so that he might experience it in a meaningful way. He moves among human minds and the minds of animals. He watches a bird mind for a little while. One of his favorite things to do is enter a bird mind and ride along inside the birds experience. He rarely tries to take control of a bird. One time he accidentally made a bird fall out of the sky while trying to get it to turn. It may be possible to learn to control an animals mind even though all his attempts have failed.

All these minds, all these simulations have no awareness outside of themselves and its easy for Franklin to look into any of them. He can see into peoples most private turns of thought. He can see subconscious events the people having them cant see. It makes Franklin uncomfortable how much he can see and how completely vulnerable and exposed everyone is to him.

Every human mind has two points of origin. One is the point where physical brains stimulate and read the Psychiverse, generating that mind. Franklin and Ge dont know what the other point is. Every human mind also emerges from a ribbon linking minds together, by family. If only one person in a family remains living, the ribbon ends with an origin point.

Human minds collect in groups and a field surrounds them. Ge has taught Franklin that the field protects humans. It only lets in the minds of humans and Earthling animals. Franklin presumes that the field came about through evolution. The mind evolves as the brain evolves. The field must be generated at the same time as individual minds. Even if two people are enemies in the physical world it may be that their minds work together in the Psychiverse to generate the field.

He pushes through to the outside of the field, something he has been doing a lot lately even though Ge has warned him not to leave the field for more than a few minutes.

The Psychiverse is no less than the place where all minds, all forms of awareness great and small manifest and control all the countless brains in all the countless planets and physical realities in all the universes. The Psychiverse is greatly populated, not with physical creatures but with their minds. They all live here, every last one of them, most of them oblivious of the Psychiverse and only aware of their own simulation. Nearly all of them none the wiser that their most vulnerable, most tender, most secret and hidden side is completely exposed. It is true that minds of aliens on other planets exist here, and in a place where there is no true distance, those minds are as close to our minds as the minds of our next door neighbors on Earth. They all seem so blind and helpless to Franklin, but this is no physical world. What would be the point of attacking the mind of a creature whose planet is probably light years away. Are humans more evolved for having a protective field around themselves when many of these alien minds do not? Or do humans need protection when other minds do not? Why would humans need a protective field? What do they have that something else might want? Franklin asks himself such questions throughout the day. He studies alien minds, fascinated for hours but making little sense of anything they hold in consciousness. He has never found an alien mind that thinks remotely like humans. He is faced not just with different languages but completely different ways of thinking and experiencing. He often becomes worn out by not comprehending. Once he studied a dolphin mind and found it remarkably similar to human minds and so much easier to understand than alien minds.

An alien mind approaches Franklin. He saw this one yesterday. Franklin has never been approached by an alien mind before; its evidence that the alien has senses outside its own mind. Franklin eases away and the alien follows. It makes an attempt to communicate. ALIEN I was your friend before I killed you tomorrow. I will tell you how to live independent of your sick body.

Franklin retreats. In the next instant he is back within the protective field.

The alien appears on the other side and waits there. Franklin watches it looking in. It frightens Franklin that the alien knew how to speak thoughts. Only Franklin and Ge did that. Most likely the alien has been watching long before it made itself known and it knows far too much about human minds. Franklin is frightened but also as curious as only a lifelong explorer can be. He cant decide if he shouldnt try to communicate now that he is safe within the protective field. He may never find another outward-sensing alien mind, ever again. Whatever Franklin decides to do he must let Ge know first.

Franklin moves deeper into the gathering of human minds to get away. He waits a few hours before going to Ge.

FRANKLIN "Can I meet you in your quarters this afternoon? I have something I want to discuss with you in the Physical World." GE Why not discuss it here? FRANKLIN I dont think we should use spoken thought to discus it, Ill explain when we meet. GE Yes of course, my bedsores have already been treated this morning, visit anytime today. The alien has camouflaged himself and watches Franklin and Ge on the other side of the field.

When Franklin parts company, the alien continues to observe Ge for many hours.

Ge sees what he thinks is Franklin on the outside of the protective field calling to him. ALIEN Can I meet you?

Ge leaves the protective field to find out what Franklin wants.

The alien drops its disguise and takes hold of Ge. GE Franklin! Help!

It devours Ge and pulls at the remaining ribbon.

Hearing Ges call, Franklin comes and witnesses the alien devour Ge and pull Lian, Ges daughter out of the protective field and devour her.

The alien pulls Lians husband out and consumes him. Franklin leaves the field and approaches the alien from the other side.

Franklin nears the aliens points of origin while the alien pulls Lians older daughter out and consumes her.

Franklin interferes with the aliens points of origin, hoping he can snuff them out. Years ago Ge had taught Franklin that human minds could be (and have been) killed this way, but will it work on the alien? Franklin has never actually tried this technique and isnt sure if hes doing it right. Painful as it is to Franklin, he manages to put out the points of origin like sparks deprived of oxygen. The Alien realizes what Franklin is doing and moves to attack, too late.

The alien breaks apart and in pieces drifts off. Later in life Franklin will wish he had collected some of the alien remains but he is of no mind to think of doing so at present.

Of Ge and his family line, only Lily, his granddaughter, remains. She drifts away from the protective field. Franklin catches her. Franklin cant tell if something is pulling her away from the other human minds or if she is being pushed away. He finds it difficult to pull her back. All that remains of her family ribbon does not end in an origin point like it should. FRANKLIN She has been orphaned.

With much effort Franklin pulls Lily into the protective field. FRANKLIN What is pulling you away Lily? Franklin remembers seeing her mind first forming in the Psychiverse during the first year of her infancy. Even during its earliest development Franklin noticed that it resembled intelligent minds like Marin Luther King and Thomas Evans, the lunar scientist. And yes, Franklin has sought out the minds of famous people, Richard Feynman being one of his favorite minds to respectfully observe. Once he observed the mind of Sylvia Plath before her death. The first thing he thought was that it resembled little Lilys mind. He tries releasing Lily and she falls away from him. She will fall out of the field again if he does not catch her. He knows he cant hold her in the field from now on. Sometimes he must return all attention to his physical body. He does not know what will happen to her if he lets her go but it cant be good. Its no accident that human minds have evolved to group together even if Franklin does not know the reason why.

Aurora, Lilys aunt, is nearby and Franklin wonders if he could bind Lilys ribbon to Auroras. Aurora is the daughter of Ges first wife and the result of an affair so she isnt related by blood to Lily and does not share a family ribbon with her.

Franklin tries anyway. He presses Lilys ribbon to Auroras. Franklin has no idea if it will work or how exactly he should do it. He imagines a binding force around the two ribbons and a force materializes, such are the powers of imagination here. It does appear to bind the two ribbons. After a few minutes whatever pulls at Lily, ceases pulling. The two ribbons seem bonded. He has no way of knowing for sure. Ge is gone now and cant tell him. Franklin doubts Ge would have known anyway.

Franklin wonders, did it work or will Lily come unbound? Not now but a day from now? He watches over Lily and Aurora, checking on them every day for many years afterward.

Ge sleeps.

Lian cleans glass. Nurse Shauna enters and stands next to Lian. SHAUNA How long has Ge been asleep? LIAN Over an hour. SHAUNA Doesnt it make you nervous that hes a mind reader? LIAN All you need to do is ask him to leave your mind alone. SHAUNA How do you know he does? LIAN Im a bit of a mind reader myself. SHAUNA I think I am too!

GE You're not keeping anything from me? FRANKLIN Not anything you should know about. GE Would you unmask your mind from me then? FRANKLIN The entity spoke to me on it's own. I didn't tamper with it. Please, you must come see. GE It is not so rare for them to talk to us! You must obscure yourself from it! It knows too much and we know NOTHING! We see NOTHING!

MAN Where do I go for the lecture on mind expansion? HOSTESS Up the stairs. I can take your coat!

FRANKLIN Each point in that wave must remain isolated from earlier and following points, lest the signal become corrupted. Adding a stronger point in the wave to a weaker point will make the strong point weaker or the weak point stronger. The result is always the loss of the original information. Information is carried by material and forces of the physical world.

FRANKLIN But what is a human experience? Has science accounted for a human experience? Or have they written it off, avoided it? They have! I'll tell you what a human experience is and why science avoids it. Look around you! Listen to the sound of the wind on the windows! Hear the footsteps in the adjacent room. Smell the mustiness of central heating. What is happening? You are having a human experience.

MAN Why cant we just live in the physical world? WOMAN They believe our experience of the physical world is an artifice and they want to explain exactly why. MAN But his explanation sounds more like an artifice. WOMAN They propose a science for the existence of human experience. MAN You sound like you believe him.

Lily is with her mother and older sister, Lian being Lily's mother. Lily stands by the table where Lian and Lily's sister sit looking at the sister's homework. LILY Mom, Kimberly said she will read my palm, can I do it? LIAN I would much rather have you stay here with us. LILY Mom! Please?! LIAN Well, say goodnight to Grandpa and come right back after Kimberly's done, It's your bedtime soon. LILY Thank you Mom! Lily skips out of the room.

Ge (Lily's grandfather) has been placed in the iron lung for the night, to help with his breathing. Lily stands beside him. LILY ..and on Friday our class is going on a field trip! GE Where to? LILY The library downtown, its one of the largest libraries in the country. GE If you find a good book will you tell me about it? LILY I will! Well, Im going to get my palm read, goodnight grandpa.. GE Goodnight. Lily leaves Ge's room. His eyes close. The iron lung chugs away.

Lily runs past a table where the board of directors are having a meeting.

Her Father is at the head of the table. He sees her and calls to her.

FATHER Honey, come here a minute. Lily stops in her tracks, then runs to his side. FATHER Have you seen Grandpa tonight? LILY Yes. FATHER How's he doing? LILY He was falling asleep. FATHER Well, as long as he doesn't need anything. LILY Would you like some tea? FATHER No thanks, sweetie.

Lily runs down a hall to a well-lit room ahead.

In the lecture hall the visitors stand around socializing. Lily runs through the room to the box windows along one wall.

Lily finds Kimberly, a high school student and daughter of a professor who belongs to the University of Eternal Mind organization. Lily and Kimberly sit in one of the box windows together. KIMBERLY Let me see your hand. Lily gives her hand to Kimberly. KIMBERLY Youre going to have an amazing life, I can tell. LILY From reading my palm? KIMBERLY Um, Sure! Lets see.. You are a natural diplomat. You can bring harmony to groups of people. But you must take care not to sacrifice your own needs just to resolve social tension. LILY Whats a diplomat? KIMBERLY It's someone who makes sure that things go well between people and groups. LILY (OBVIOUSLY PLEASED) Oh!

In Ges room the iron lung chugs along like an old sewing machine bolted onto a water tank. Ge shakes his head slightly. GE Uh! With eyes closed he squints and grimaces, shaking his head. GE Not the others.. His face relaxes, then he cries out. GE Franklin! Help!

A vacuum point opens inside Ges chest causing an implosion strong enough to suck a hole through the top of the iron lung, killing Ge. The sound it generates breaks out a window pane.

Lian and Lilys sister hear the explosion. They jump back to their feet.

Vacuum points appear in both their chests, caving in their upper bodies, driving them to the nearest walls and killing them.

When Lilys father and the other people in the boardroom hear the implosions her father gets to his feet and runs to find out what is happening.

But his body shrinks as his chest implodes. The vacuum of the implosions pulls his body backwards, throwing it against a wall.

Everyone in the building has heard what could be gun shots or explosives. A panic spreads.

Kimberly grabs Lilys arm. She begs Lily to run with her, away from the sounds like explosions but Lily is unresponsive.

Someone knocks into Franklin. Shauna moves Franklin to the side of the room. The whole time Franklin watches Lily with a look of desperate concentration.

Police and medics arrive. The police block off the street. Those inside are not permitted to leave. The death scenes are marked, measured and recorded, then the bodies are removed. A grandfather, a mother, a sister and a father. Outside a curious bystander steps closer to the building. An officer stops her. OFFICER 1 Please stand back, we arent sure yet what happened in there.

Another officer talks over the radio. OFFICER 2 We found four bodies. Over forty people in the building during the killings and no one saw anything!! Some were in the same room with the victims! I think theyre all on reefer!

One by one, the police interview detainees then allow them to leave. Its getting later and later in the night. OFFICER 3 I know youre upset Mr. Cornwell but try to focus. Do you know how it is possible that no one saw the murders? FRANKLIN We live in many worlds but only see this one. They were killed in another world but died in this one. OFFICER 3 Mr Cornwell I need you to come down to Earth for a while. FRANKLIN I think I stopped it. I only hope it didnt, didnt, didnt do anything to Lily. OFFICER 3 Stopped what? FRANKLIN You wont find any evidence about their attacker. He never came into this world. OFFICER 3 I cant let you leave until you answer all my questions. FRANKLIN I live here!

Lily still sits in the box window. Someone has put a blanket around her. A pillow is beside her. She is exhausted from weeping and being awake past midnight. Shauna stands beside her. LILY I want to go to my mom! SHAUNA Honey, wont you lay down and try to get some rest? Aurora, Lilys half-aunt arrives after the killings. She is speaking with a social worker, Patricia, who takes the occasional note as she speaks with people in the lecture hall. PATRICIA Youre the girls aunt? Oh, am I glad you made it tonight! Im Lilys appointed guardian. Im so SORRY to hear about your loss! AURORA Thank you. PATRICIA Are there any other blood relatives or godparents? AURORA I believe not. PATRICIA Lily is loved by many here, but I havent found anyone who can take care of her. Most of these people are college kids. AURORA She can stay with me. PATRICIA Really?! Thats the best news Ive heard all night! While she is with you we can look for a foster home for her unless... it turns out that you may adopt her. And, are you a member of the commune? AURORA Commune? Are you talking about this place? the Center of Mind Awakenings? PATRICIA Yes, thats what I meant! AURORA Im not a member. PATRICIA What a relief! And, you have your own place? AURORA Yes. PATRICIA Perfect. I will go with you to your home and stay while you help Lily settle in there. AURORA Yes, of course. PATRICIA Be strong! AURORA Yes. PATRICIA Time heals all wounds. AURORA It does. PATRICIA Do they know you here? Ive talked with a few of the members who mentioned Lilys aunt. AURORA I grew up here, but I havent been back in a very long time. PATRICIA You had some sort of falling out with them? AURORA I dont agree with their ways. PATRICIA Well! I dont think many people would! Its getting so late for Lily, lets go get her.

Two weeks later Franklin looks into Lilys mind.

He can tell she sits in a chair and hears Aurora talking to someone else. He can see what Lily sees.

Franklin makes himself to appear like a smaller version of himself and he enters Lilys experience.

Lily cries on the couch. Franklin enters the experience Lily is having of the room she is in. FRANKLIN Lily.. Lily does not look up, she continues to cry. FRANKLIN "I fixed something for you. Do you remember the monster who attacked your family?" LILY Yes. FRANKLIN It nearly got you too but I stopped it. It did manage to damage an invisible glue that holds you to this world. I made it so that Aurora shares part of her glue with you, so you can stay tethered to this world. But you need to do something for me. Can you remember this? You need to stay close to Aurora. If you stray too far from her you wont be able to hold onto this world, do you understand? Lily nodds. FRANKLIN ..I'm going to go away and when I do you wont remember that we talked but you must remember to stay close to Aurora. Your life depends on it. Do you understand? LILY I understand.

PATRICIA "Here are the adoption papers. This is a wonderful thing youre doing, how do you feel about it?" AURORA Im not sure. PATRICIA "You will! Everything will settle into place. Take care of Lily, shes lost everything! Ill stop by periodically to see how you two are doing." AURORA "Fine. Can I get your home address?" PATRICIA I suppose so, but you can reach me through my office. AURORA Yes I know.

Aurora drives with Lily out of the city.

For Episode Two go to www.solomation.com Story and illustration by Cy Porter 2013 All episodes of Terrible Immunity are copyrighted, do not plagiarize. Please share copies of this story with friends and love ones. All video and printed episodes of Terrible Immunity can be found at www.solomation.com. This work is entirely fictional, any resemblance to real people and events is coincidental.