Three Hearts Beating as Two

*** This is my submission for the

Valentine's Day Story Contest 2023

.

Fair warning to my fans, this is a little different from my usual fare. Though it contains my standard interracial / taboo themes, there is also a sci-fi element which (I humbly believe) facilitates some nice twists in the story.

Regardless, I do hope you enjoy.

U_D***

Hurrying through the automatic doors of MIT's Biological Engineering building, Dr. Haoran Gao's mind was occupied by everything except the present moment, as usual. Passing students and professors greeted him with deference, which he responded to with cursory, tight-lipped nods.

Even at 23, the young prodigy commanded the respect and admiration of practically the entire science faculty.

From an early age, Haoran had seemed to absorb knowledge like a machine, one scan of a page enough to commit its contents to memory. At 11 years old, he had been skipped 2 grades, his prodigious mathematical and verbal aptitudes already leagues beyond his peers. His mother informed his school principal that all the boy seemed to do was read and write science fiction stories.

At 16, he was granted a scholarship to MIT. At 19 he was awarded his first doctorate.

By 20, he was a professor, teaching hundreds of students each year.

When proof-of-concept for his transcerebral communicator had been released, news spread quickly, creating ripples in the biotech industry. Within a month the university had half a dozen major companies offer 8 figure deals for part ownership of any technology resulting from the breakthrough.

Haoran didn't concern himself with the details, allowing the university to choose a patron on his behalf. He simply presented a meticulous list of all the equipment necessary for the project. Some were easily available, some bespoke. All were expensive.

A year later, the device was successfully tested on primates.

Now, after years of working late nights and weekends in the lab, the experiment was finally ready for its last phase.

It was to be his legacy.

His brainchild was about to be born into the physical world, destined to change the world for the better.

If he were alive, Haoran's father would have been extremely proud.

There could be no errors, no oversights. Haoran would check the support technicians output personally. It had been a nightmare to get the proposal passed by the ethics board, and Haoran had no intention of allowing any mistake to derail his work at this stage.

When he entered the observation room, Dr. Cindy Yu and Dr. Bryan Fuller were already seated at the monitoring consoles.

"Well... are we ready?" Haoran said brusquely, for once sounding slightly nervous.

Cindy cleared her throat. "Good morning, Dr. Gao. It is Monday 6th February, 10:04am. Both subjects have been sedated, vitals are steady. All relevant equipment checks have been performed and all systems are confirmed as operational. Backup systems are online and functional. In other words... we are ready. Please confirm TCC activation."

"This is it, Dr. Gao. This is what we've been waiting for." Bryan said excitedly.

"Fingers crossed." Haoran muttered as he checked the measurements on the array of monitors before them.

With a deep sigh, he allowed his shoulders to relax. The readings looked good.

"Ok team. We proceed as planned. Please activate TCC." he ordered.

Bryan clicked a button on his screen and the large machine on the other side of the glass began to hum. The test overseers felt the gentle vibration of the machine underfoot.

The two adult male subjects on the other side of the glass were strapped to beds, wearing only light blue surgical gowns. A team of doctors stood by in case any irregularities arose.

Subject A was a white male, 29 years old. Eric Monroe, former machinist, recently unemployed. In good health.

Subject B was also a white male, 36 years old. Joseph Reed, former professional football player, in good health.

Both were sedated.

With the latest iteration of the TCC, diodes were implanted subcutaneously and were invisible to the naked eye.

The link had taken approximately five minutes in primates, for humans it was expected to take longer, but no one yet knew for sure.

The trio watched as the connection confirmation bar moved from 1 to 5%, slowly ticking up. Haoran vaguely noticed his mouth was dry as the indicator passed 80% some fifteen minutes later.

Then 90%. Then 95. 96. 97.

The air was heavy with expectation and tension.

98%.

99%.

Haoran blinked.

100%.

Oh my God, he thought.

He exhaled loudly, and the other scientists laughed nervously, allowing themselves a momentary respite.

"Ok team, so far so good. Let's progress to phase 2. Bring them both out, let's see what's what and, more importantly... who's who."

Again Bryan pressed a button on-screen and stimulants were injected intravenously. The three scientists silently watched both sets of vitals begin to surge on the monitor.

"Wakey wakey." Cindy almost whispered.

On the other side of the glass, Joseph Reed's eyes blinked open.

"Subject B appears to be conscious." Bryan said. Leaning forward, he pressed a button on the intercom, before saying, "Hello Joseph, can you hear me?"

The tall, powerful man on the other side of the glass looked disoriented and confused.

"Joseph, can you hear my voice?"

"Are you... talking to me?" he said groggily.

"Yes. Can you hear me clearly?"

"I can hear you alright... but my name's Eric."

Bryan punched the air and Cindy whooped, jumping to her feet to hug Haoran.

As the gravity of the moment sunk into Haoran, he smiled slightly before beginning to laugh giddily.

It worked, he thought.

IT FUCKING WORKED!!!

_______________________________

Both subjects were run through a series of basic motor function tests to assess their physical coordination. Both scored highly. There seemed to be little to no lag between the neural connections the men shared. After the assessment, both were sedated once more and their cerebral connection was safely terminated, ensuring no jarring crossover as each individual effectively returned to his own body.

By the time the experiment ended and the team was debriefed, it was almost midnight. Haoran was simultaneously euphoric and weary as he drove home, the long drawn out climax to his work finally taking its toll on his mental and physical reserves.

As he turned into his driveway twenty minutes later, he noticed the lights were on.

He opened the front door of the house and immediately was hit by the aroma of his mother's traditional Chinese cooking. It was only then he realized he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"Hi Mom." he called through to the kitchen as he lowered his laptop bag to the floor and kicked off his shoes.

"Hi dear!" his Mom replied. "I made sticky rice, you want some?"

As he walked into the kitchen, he saw his 42 year old mother standing by the cooker, facing away from him, serving up a plate of food. Wearing a pale yellow frilly blouse with a black skirt, he tried not to notice the curve of her ass and the outline of a large bust.

His Mom was still a beautiful woman.

She turned to him with a dazzling smile, long, silky hair swirling, her teeth perfectly white and even, her dark brown eyes radiating that familiar maternal warmth. High cheekbones coupled with full, plump lips gave her a deeply sensual femininity. She presented her cheek and Haoran leaned down to kiss it, as usual.

"That'd be great, thanks!" he said, sitting down at the table.

"So!... How'd your thing go?" she asked distractedly.

Qing Gao knew her son was a genius... but she also had no idea what he actually DID all day. He had given up trying to explain his work to her, consoling himself to the fact that she was proud of him regardless.

"Yeah... really good." he smiled self-consciously.

"Oh? Well, that's good!" she said with overblown enthusiasm. "So is that the end of your test... project... thing?"

"Well, the hard bit is done." Haoran said, surprised she had even remembered. "Still have some analysis and writing to do."

"Hmmm... So now that you'll have a bit more free time... does that mean you'll start looking for a girlfriend soon?" his mother cooed embarrassingly.

"God Mom! I swear you're more interested in my love life than I am!"

"Ohhhh! You have a 'love life', do you?" she smiled. "Could have fooled me!"

He wondered whether his mother knew he was still a virgin. With his slight frame and poor social skills, it wasn't exactly as if women were banging down the door.

"Maybe I've secretly been building a robo-wife for the past three years..."

"Well, since your father passed, you're the only man in my life! I just want to make sure you have a good woman to look after you when I'm gone... human or otherwise!"

Haoran gave his Mom a dubious look.

"... and, you know... maybe... someday... give me a grandchild... or three?" she said, before laughing good naturedly.

Haoran smiled before lifting a spoonful of rice to his mouth.

Unsurprisingly, it tasted delicious.

"Tell you what Mom... You keep making food this good, I'll have no reason to replace the only woman in my life... even though she's inexorably approaching obsoletion."

Not comprehending his words fully but assuming she had been somehow insulted, Qing scowled before hitting her son playfully with a towel.

"Cheeky boy!" she chided. She leaned in and said in a low, conspiratorial voice, "You know... next week is Valentine's day. Maybe you should ask that Chinese girl you work with on a date, hmmm? What was her name again, Mindy?"

"CIN-dy has a girlfriend..." Haoran said somewhat smugly between bites.

Qing took a moment to process this bombshell, her brow furrowed in puzzlement.

"Is there some kind of anti-grandchildren conspiracy against Chinese mothers!?!" she railed at the ceiling. "The 'One Child, Zero Grandchild' policy!?!"

Haoran guffawed at his mother's outburst, food sputtering out of his mouth onto the kitchen table. Without a shake of her head, she began to clean it up.

Once finished, Qing sat beside him, watching as he ate with maternal pride and affection. As much as he would never admit it, he loved being the apple of his mother's eye.

"You know it's your father's anniversary on Monday." Qing said quietly. "If you can... would you come with me to the cemetery?"

"Of course." With everything going on, Haoran had completely forgotten. It had been 15 years since his father had passed away.

The three months preceding his father's death was incredibly tough for the family, and the main reason Haoran had pursued bioscience in the first place, in search of a way for sufferers of chronic pain to escape their daily misery, even temporarily. Who knows? Maybe even have 2 individuals share one person's consciousness, experiencing life by proxy. The potential was limitless.

Haoran hated seeing his mother sad. Wanting to cheer his mother up a little, Haoran said, "Actually... I MAY have a surprise planned for you this weekend..."

"Ooooooh!" His mother's face lit up. "You're such a tease! You have to give me a hint!"

Haoran took his mother's hand in his and turned it facing straight up. He creased his brow, lightly dragging his index finger along the lines of her palm.

"Hmmmmm! Interesting!... I see... I see a... tall, dark stranger in your future!"

_________________________________________________

The following day, Dr. Gao returned to the lab and met with his colleagues. They discussed the outcome of the testing and next steps for documentation of the results and eventual publication.

The two subjects were asked to attend follow up screenings to ensure there were no unexpected side effects, either from the TCC itself or the sedation.

Before he left, Haoran asked Joseph Reed for a moment of his time.

Nonplussed, the broad 6'5 hulk stepped into a meeting room with Dr. Gao.

"What's up, Doc?" Joe said with a broad grin.

"Thank you again Joseph for all of your help with the experiment, it has been a great success and we couldn't have done it without you." Haoran said earnestly.

"Sure boss, any time. And please, call me Joe." the older man smiled. "Couldn't really say no to that kind of money!"

"Actually, that brings me on to another point." Haoran licked his lips nervously. Was he really going to go through with this? "I'd like to perform some... additional tests this weekend... taking some of the motor skills outside of the lab... if you're available and willing?"

Joe's cold blue eyes held the gaze of the young Asian polymath, and Haoran felt a nervous shiver run through him. The man's physical presence was undeniable.

"This weekend?" Joe asked.

"Yes, if that suits?"

"And I get paid the same rate?"

"Yes, of course."

Haoran had squirreled some of the budget away for this very reason. It was the reward he would give himself for all the late nights.

"Well in that case... sign me up, Doc!"

____________________________

When Joe arrived on Saturday at the MIT lab, he was a little taken aback to find only Dr. Gao there.

"So... its just us today?" he asked the younger man, a little dubiously.

"Yes, it is fine. All backup protocols are in place, and working." Haoran assured him. "There is no need to take you out of sedation for tests today Joe. You will effectively 'go under', I'll perform some rudimentary tests as my brain connects to your body, and you'll wake up in 3 or 4 hours."

"Sounds good. Just don't run any marathons Doc." Joe chuckled and Haoran smiled. "My knees ain't what they used to be!"

Haoran programmed the TCC to automate the sedation and initialization phases. If all went according to plan, Joe shouldn't remember any of the events.

As they lay on the tables, side by side, neither man spoke. Haoran felt the cold liquid of the tranquilizers being pushed into his bloodstream. His eyes gradually began to lose focus and he slipped into darkness.

When he came to, he noticed a dull ache in his knee. Feeling intoxicated, he slowly sat up, and reached down.

As he did so, he felt the pull of the IV line and saw a strong white hand moving to touch his now giant knee.

Realization slowly dawned on Haoran. It took a few moments to recollect that he was in Joe's body. He stretched out his fingers and marveled at the feel of a much stronger hand under his control.

He laughed out loud. It sounded like Joe.

"Here goes nothing, Doc." he said, with a smile.

Knowing he didn't have much time, Haoran had to hurry.

Removing the drip, he got dressed in Joe's clothes . He grabbed the case containing the mobile connection hub, briskly walked out of the lab, exited the building, and made his way to his car.

For once, Haoron noticed some admiring glances from female students as he passed. So this is what it's like to be a tall, handsome, well built guy? Haoran thought.

He had to admit, it felt pretty fucking good.

Driving home, he checked his reflection in the mirror and chuckled. It was a surreal experience to see a stranger's eyes looking back.

It was also a rush.

His hands felt powerful on the steering wheel, almost like he could bend it if he chose to.

As Haoran got close to his home, he wondered what his mother's reaction would be to this huge white man containing the consciousness of her son.

The idea had come to him some months ago, a way to show her in reality what his research had achieved, what he couldn't seem to explain to her with words.

Making her proud was the most important thing in the world to Haoran, and if she realized what an amazing feat her son had performed, he knew she would be ecstatic.

He pulled up outside his house and walked nervously to the front door with the case firmly in his iron grip. He was about to put the key to the front door in the keyhole before he realized how terrifying that could be for his mother.

Instead he rapped on the door with a strong knuckle.

Moments later the door opened, and his mother stood there wearing a floral dress, her hair tied up.

"Oh, good afternoon." she said politely.

"Hi... my name's Joe." Haoran said with a smile. "I uhh work with your son."

She looked past him, seeing Haoran's car parked.

"Oh, I see! He never told me about a 'Joe'," She took a step back, her arm sweeping to welcome Haoran into his own home. "Please come in, come in!"

Haoran stepped inside and placed the hub suitcase by the coat rack.

"Is that part of the project you're working on?" Qing asked.

"Uhh, yeah. Actually, about that..." Haoran began.

"I'm afraid Haoran is working today." Qing interrupted. "I was just moving some boxes in the garage, though I think I might have hurt my hand..." She gently rubbed her wrist as she spoke.

"Oh! I'm sorry to hear that." Haoran said with concern.

"I HAD asked Haoran to tidy those away..." she continued, a little dejectedly. "But... I mean... you know how busy he is!"

Haoran felt deep guilt over forgetting to tidy the garage, and particularly for causing his mother pain.

"Please Mrs. Gao, allow me to do it!" Haoran said enthusiastically.

"No, I couldn't! You're a guest! It.. wouldn't... be... ri..." Her words seemed to trail off as Haoran rolled up Joe's sleeves, exposing his muscular forearms. He stepped past her, opening the door to the garage.

For the best part of an hour, Haoran tidied the garage, easily lifting the boxes and files of old research notes and equipment onto the shelving units, sorting them chronologically as he went. He swept the floor and changed a broken lightbulb.

He felt his mother's eyes on him as he moved.

When he finished, he turned to her. "Now, that looks a bit better!" he said with a smile.

"Thank you so much Joe!" she gushed, handing him a sweet, homemade lemonade. Her cheeks seemed flushed. "You made that look easy!"

"No problem Qi... Mrs. Gao." Haoran caught himself, hoping she didn't notice the slip. He drank the lemonade in one gulp before handing the glass back to his mother. She looked at it in disbelief.

Checking his watch, he realized he only had 45 minutes to get back to the university and prepare for the disconnection.

Revealing his identity to his Mom as he walked out the door would be too anticlimactic. The surprise would have to wait for now.

"Sorry, Mrs. Gao, I have to run." Haoran said. "If I don't get back to the lab, Haoran will kick my ass!" He chuckled inwardly.

"Oh my! Well, tell him he owes you a favor for doing his chores, Joe!" she waved as he grabbed his case and left. "And please, call me Qing!"

"Take care Qing!" he yelled back over his shoulder.

As he drove back to the university, he allowed himself a chuckle. He egotistically wondered if one day this failed surprise would be a funny story in his biography.

After arriving back at the lab, Haoran performed the relevant system checks before reconnecting his IV drip and initiating the sedation and disconnection process.

Again darkness enveloped him.

This time when he woke, he was in his own body.

Looking at his own hand, he realized he felt a little disappointed.

"Well Doc, how did it feel?" Joe asked as he rose to get dressed.

Haoran smiled to himself.

"Honestly?... It felt pretty damn good!"

_______________________________

The next day, Joe returned to the lab as planned.

As it was a Sunday, the campus was virtually empty. Again, Haoran performed all of the diagnostic checks and initiated the TCC.

This time when he woke, Haoran didn't waste time, getting dressed immediately. He was already driving back to his home fifteen minutes after coming out of sedation.