Chapter 7: The Experiment Unfolds

Jason’s fingers hovered over his phone screen, the glow of the group chat illuminating his face in the dim morning light. The buzzing had woken him up, a relentless stream of messages that seemed to have started the moment he’d drifted off to sleep. He rubbed his eyes, squinting at the screen. Mia’s name flashed first: "Guys, we need to talk about what happened yesterday. Video call?"

Marcus chimed in immediately: "Alien mind control confirmed. We’re all just sardine puppets now." His joke was met with a flurry of laughing emojis from Lila and Tom, but Jason’s stomach twisted into a knot. He’d seen things—things he couldn’t explain. Images of distant planets, strange creatures, and data streams that made no sense. But the feeling of connection, of being part of something bigger than himself, lingered.

Diane’s message cut through the noise: "Seriously though, did anyone else feel like they were seeing into each other’s minds?" Jason hesitated, his thumb hovering over the keyboard. How much should he reveal? The visions had been so vivid, so real, but they also felt… private. Like something he wasn’t supposed to share.

"Jason?" Mia’s voice cut through his thoughts, her name flashing on the screen again. "You okay? You’ve been quiet."

He took a deep breath and typed out a response: "Yeah, I’m fine. Just… processing." It was vague enough to be true without revealing too much.

The video call invite popped up next, Mia’s face appearing on his screen with a determined look. "Come on, guys. Let’s figure this out."

Jason accepted, his camera flickering to life. The others joined one by one—Lila with her hair tied back in a ponytail, Marcus grinning from behind a coffee mug, Tom rubbing sleep from his eyes, and Diane sitting in what looked like her office cubicle.

"So," Mia began, her voice firm but laced with curiosity. "What did you guys see?"

The responses were varied. Lila talked about seeing patterns of light that reminded her of fractals. Marcus joked about alien overlords demanding more sardines (though Jason noticed he avoided eye contact). Tom mentioned hearing a voice whispering about quantum entanglement. Diane described feeling like she was floating above her body, watching herself cook sardines in a kitchen she’d never seen before.

When it was Jason’s turn, he hesitated. "I saw… images," he said finally. "Of planets and creatures and data streams. It felt like I was being downloaded with information."

The group fell silent for a moment, digesting his words. Then Lila spoke up: "I think we should research this. See if there are any explanations online."

Marcus snorted. "Good luck with that. ‘Sardine-induced telepathy’ isn’t exactly a common search term."

But Lila was undeterred. "There are forums for everything," she said. "Let’s try."

Jason pulled up his laptop as they continued to discuss their experiences. He typed "shared consciousness experiments" into the search bar, scrolling through results that ranged from scientific studies on meditation to conspiracy theories about government mind control programs. Then, buried deep in a forum thread titled "Unexplained Phenomena," he found it:

"Sardine-induced telepathy—anyone else experience this? Ate a can of sardines before bed and suddenly could hear my roommate’s thoughts."

Jason’s heart raced as he read through the thread. There were dozens of responses—some joking, some serious—all describing similar experiences after consuming sardines. He scrolled further, his eyes widening at a post from a user named "SardineScientist":

"I’ve been studying the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on brain function. Preliminary data suggests that sardines may facilitate temporary telepathic connections between individuals who consume them in close proximity."

The implications were staggering. Jason felt like he was staring into the abyss, unsure what he was seeing but knowing it was profound. He looked up at his screen, where the others were still discussing their experiences in hushed tones.

"Guys," he said quietly, his voice cutting through their conversation. "I think I found something."