James studied the results of the MRI that had been taken when he had first been admitted to the hospital. He did not remember this, but apparently he had been unconscious from a blow to the head at the time. Looking at the image, he felt as though he were in some sort of science fiction movie. It simply did not seem remotely possible for what he was seeing to be real, especially coupled with what the doctors were telling him.
"Cranio…what?" He asked as he peered intently at the picture of his head with two brains inside it.
"Craniopagus parasiticus." Dr. Romanov replied. "Or at least that is the closest thing we can relate this to. It seems to be a cross between that and fetus in fetu. And something else entirely. To be perfectly honest, it seems we are looking at something that has never before been documented in modern medicine."
"Can you explain that a little better to me?" James asked. "I am not really familiar with those terms."
"Certainly." Dr. Romanov cleared his throat and frowned slightly as he thought of a way to put into words that James would understand. "Fetus in fetu is a condition that develops from a twin pregnancy in which both fetuses share a common placenta. One of the fetuses wraps around and envelops the other one. The enveloped twin then becomes what we call a parasite. This is because its survival depends on drawing upon the host twin's blood supply. The parasite twins have always been anencephalic, which means without a brain, and lacked some internal organs. The 'normal' twin usually dies before birth because of the need to feed the parasite through nutrients share from one umbilical cord."
"So how does that relate to me?" James asked. "The picture I am looking at shows two brains, and no extra organs. I don't see how this fetus in fetu idea applies."
"It applies because the extra brain in your head is completely enveloped," Dr. Romanov said. "Which brings me to craniopagus parasiticus. This is a condition in which a parasite twin head with an undeveloped, or in some cases, underdeveloped body is attached to the head of a developed twin. Only ten cases have been documented and of those, only three have survived birth. What separates you from these other cases is that your extra head is attached inside your skull instead of having any outward and readily visible attachment, which is the reason for the fetus in fetu comparison."
"And your reference to something completely different?" James inquired; feeling like his head was going to start spinning.
"What we are looking at is something that we have never before seen. It seems as if both brains are fully functional, while we can clearly see that one is smaller than the other and is, therefore, the parasite. They are joined at the medulla oblongata where motor functions are controlled. It is my belief that both brains are able to take hold of your body at different points in time to use it for their own purposes. This would be why you were unaware of the man called Wraith and his activities. While it was your body performing the work, you were not behind the wheel."
"So you are saying that this other brain, this parasite is the guy that has been trying to kill me?" James asked incredulously.
"Well that remains to be seen." Dr. Farnsworth said, finally adding something to the conversation. "I am going to be examining you, and hopefully I will get a crack at Wraith too. I need to try and figure out if this other brain of yours really is as functional and controlling as Dr. Romanov believes. If not, then you will be for multiple personality disorder, and will have to face the crimes committed by your alter ego."
"And if it is decided that this other brain is Wraith?" James asked. He did not know how much of this he could take.
"Then you will have a choice." Dr. Romanov answered. "You can opt for a very dangerous surgery to remove this other brain, or you can go ahead and face the legal ramifications of what has been done by your hands."
"How dangerous is this surgery?" James already knew the answer, but he still felt the need to hear it.
"There is a very strong chance you would die." Dr. Romanov said. "Most neurosurgeons probably wouldn't even want to attempt such a thing. The odds of survival are almost as great as winning the lottery. Twice."
"And what are the odds of me ending up with two functioning brains in my head?" James asked.
"Astronomical." Dr. Farnsworth said.
"So I take my chances." James answered. "It would appear that I am lucky and get those one in a million sort of chances. I would rather die on the operating table than go through life sharing a body with a murderer."
"It might not be much of a life anyway." Dr. Farnsworth put in. "Chances are high that this Wraith would get a death sentence. So opting out of the surgery would probably mean consigning yourself to die anyway."
"I would rather die on my terms than for the murders of countless people." James said. "I would almost be willing to take a pick to my head in order to get this monster out of it. I will take the surgery."
"You will take the surgery once I approve the idea." Dr. Farnsworth said. "This is all hypothetical until I decide whether this other brain is the killer, or if the killer is just another personality residing inside your brain. Don't think we will be throwing you on the tablet today and cutting your head open. It may take some time for me to properly ascertain how it all works. Just try to be patient and bear with me through it all. I am not in favor of tossing your life away alongside a killer's, but neither am I willing to let a killer got free just because an unnecessary surgery was done."
"I know, but I am really banking on the idea that I am not just totally crazy." James said. "So I hope you will excuse me if I view this surgery as imminent."
"Fair enough." Dr. Farnsworth replied.
"Dr. Romanov?" James said. "You said that most neurosurgeons would not even attempt this surgery. Why are you willing to do it?"
"For a number of reasons really." He answered. "I truly believe I am capable of pulling it off. I have all the confidence in my skills as well as those of my assistants. I am not worried overmuch about failure. I agree with you that a life shared with this man Wraith is not a life at all worth living. And of course, it will make medical history. Every surgeon dreams of getting their name immortalized for doing something nobody else has. It would definitely be a defining moment in my medical career."
"Sounds like good enough reasons to me." James said, and glanced at Dr. Farnsworth. "If Dr. Farnsworth will forgive me for sounding optimistic, let's make some history."