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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 1990)
rjjiyk;.. . .'.:~~zr: . _ ws?______ /H iSni i catcK«rvj ) .** _ Lisa Pytlik/Daily Nebraskan > 6 Great i Menu Specials !9t Take Your Choice. . .Save & Enjoy! All 5 Lincoln Locations I Not Valid With I Delivery Orders I _ ---------------- J Drake, Mary return to center I Search begins for eight others involved in telepathy experiment I It made sense, a lot of sense, and I wished I had thought of it. Mary and I were already on our way to the Regional Center, watching pe destrians fight an autumn wind from the safety of the aging bus we rode. Bus service had really improved back when single occupant ve hicles were banned, but the buses themselves had to be 30 years old. We were packed on there with all kinds of people and a little reluctant to talk to each other. We were, after all, going to the Reg to seek out other people "like our selves.” That was the w'ay we talked about it around strangers, which was everyone. Who was going to believe us and our story about 1 • * 1 .1 • _L inditing iiii^duui lumaii wiut lain other? Who would buy a story about being kidnapped and having boost ers pul in our heads which resulted in hallucinations and voices and other stuff? We knew there were eight oth ers like us. The company told us all about the whole program, secure in their prominent position and certain no one w'ould ever listen to us. And we figured the others would be thin king like we were and trying to reach the other people they sometimes felt in their heads. What I better place than the Reg to look for people everyone else would call crazy? t t + * * We couldn’t get in. I don’t know what we expected. We got off the bus and walked to the closest build ing, left without any further steps in the plan. A guard drone picked us up. We followed it to the front desk and waited for someone to show up. After about 20 minutes, three big guys stalked into the waiting area. “Visiting hours arc over for the day," one of them announced in a tired, challenging tone Mary and 1 waited for each other tospeak.andmy impaticncebroke. through. . “We were wondering il you might have had any new admissions in the past few days. Past few weeks, maybe.” “No one comes in without a court order. Voluntaries have to have the money, and if they’ve got it, they all go to the private hospi tals. Looking for a friend of yours?" “Sort of." That was Mary. "Sev eral of them, actually. Lots of hallu cinations, maybe some voices. Schi?o types.” One of the men called the first one over and whispered to him, then returned to face us. “Joe here heard about a couple people come looking around like you last week. You wanna tell me what’s going on?” I started to answer but Mary shook her head and started for the door. One of the three moved toward me and I hurried after Mary. • ♦ + • # “That was just weird!” We both laughed, feelingsecure again on another bus. It might have been the same one as before — all the people looked the same. “It was just weird Those three guys. It was too much." We were headed back down town, out of ideas and just a little shaken. “Let’s get a drink," I offered. "Your best idea yet, Drake." • • * * * m We settled into a booth in the I darkest corner of a very dark bar I with a large draw in front of us H both. There were a dozen bars like ■ it on O Street, and they all lasted m about a year before getting shut ft down, usually for selling drugs without a permit. Between the blaring band and the men and women yelling at the holostripner, there was no chance of us talking. It took a few mo ments, but Mary and I made con tact. To anyone watching, we would have looked like any other bored, reticent couple in for a last drink before drifting apart, heads hung and drinks untouched. •r.u i • „ u_ i_ i V /JS>V u IV.I o^a ill. upuv-iv^, i II iv.-a 11. Don’t fooi around. What arc wc going to do? You know those other eight have to be out there some where. What about the zoo? The zoo? What are you talking about? That’s where I like to go to sort things out. It’s the safest place to take a walk these days. HEY! Hey! You’re there. Listen to me. Mary and I looked up. “Who was that?” she mouthed through the noise. “She’s got to be in here," I mouthed back. We stood up and looked around. We saw her at the same time, and there was no ques tion. Spilling her own drink, the woman pointed to one of the uni sex bathrooms and we followed, sure that things had begun to fall together. Prtenon Is a senior psychol ogy and philosophy major and a Dally Nebraskan reporter and columnist. This is the eighth in a continuing series. --I i BEFORE HE CAN FOLLOW _ HIS DREAMS HE^S GOT TO Selective Service Registration. I "ol£5wthFrulIs ■**»»—| Noodles Comedy Club As Seen On HBO, CiNEMAX, ShoWTiME, Carson & Letterman ShowTiMEs: FRidAy & SATURdAy 7:50 & 9:45 pM Must bz 21 CaII 475-0900 foR Reservations SUPPORT NEBRASKA GYMNASTICS AT THE BIG 8 INVITATIONAL FRIDAY, NOV. 16 & SATURDAY, NOV. 17, 7:00 PM DEVANEY SPORTS CENTER GOOD LUCK HUSKERS! G^MMEES, 1HE STUDENT GYMNASTICS BOOSTER CLUB TO JOIN GYMMEES. CALL ANNA BETH AT 436-6164 OR _JILL AT 436 6096 _