P.R.O.B.E.

Chapter 2
Part 2

Chapter Description: Prepped and ready

Part 2:

“Is the specimen prepped?”

“Yes. Neural patterns analyzed, heart rate normal, mental activity coming back online.”

“Good, how much time until we can begin.”

“He’s waking up now but until he is fully aware the transference could backfire and we’d be left with a--”

Jonathan let out a soft groan. His head felt like it was several pounds too heavy. Straining and slowly opening his eyes he let the world around him gradually refocus itself. “Wha---” he tried, but his mouth was dry as a bone and his voice felt sandy.

Then a woman somewhere nearby spoke, “Doctor, he’s regaining consciousness. Mental functionality at 43% and rising.”

Jonathan’s head was upright. He slowly began to feel his body becoming more tangible. He wiggled his fingers as best he could. He could feel himself in a seated position.

Light was pouring through his eye sockets. Slowly he continued to open his eyes but it didn’t do much good. Even after his eyes were open the light combined with his dizziness didn’t let anything focus properly.

“Good,” said a different voice. Female, middle-aged as far as he could make out. “Deactivate the sedative and prep for initiation.” The sound of high heels grew as they came closer to him, and he saw the scratchy outline of a chair being put in front of him. Then the owner of the high heels sat in the chair and he squinted his eyes to make them come into view.

Jonathan cleared his throat as best he could and tried to speak. He was still dizzy and exhausted but he could feel sensation returning to his body. “Wha—who… who are…”

“Easy Jonathan, easy. Don’t strain. Relax. I know that you have a lot of questions and let me do you the favor of answering most of them for you. My name is Doctor Regina White. I am the head doctor of P.R.O.B.E. I’m sure you’ve heard of us. But more on what we do in a minute, I want to take this time to ensure you that we are not here to hurt you. We are going to help you. We are a biochemical facility mainly dedicated to chemicals which can delete, copy, imprint, and modify the behavior of many cells in the body. I know that all seems scary but I assure you that it is completely legal and ethical. We were originally organized by a benefactor who is dedicated to curing illnesses of all sorts, from behavioral to physical to even psychological.”

Jonathan tried again, “But… but you… P.R.O.B.E. I thought you—”

“--A community service organization?” asked Doctor White. “Yes, that is one aspect of that we do. It’s why you’re here with us today, Jon. We are going to see if you will be able to perform the community service asked of you by the authorities. As for how we are going to do that, I’m afraid that I can’t tell you exactly what we are doing here until it is done. Doing so will compromise the outcome and may leave you in a worse off situation than before.”

By now Jonathan’s focus was almost completely returned and he looked at the woman intently. She was in his mid-years and was very beautiful. She seemed to emanate a sense of authority around her.

“But you, I don’t know where—agh!” Jonathan exclaimed. He tried to move his head but found that his head was being held in place be some kind of leather strap. He could only dash his eyes around the room, but there was unfortunately nothing to see in his field of vision save for the woman in the chair in front of him. He tried to get up, but in doing so he found that his wrists were bound to the arms of the chair, as were his legs and his waist. Glancing down as best he could, he saw medical patches, monitors and electronic pads stuck onto his bare skin. It was only then that he realized that he was almost completely nude, save for some piece of cloth draped around his waist and between his legs to cover himself.

Jonathan then began to panic. He struggled as best he could in his weakened state. “Let me… let me out. What are you doing? Stop! Let me go!”

A voice from somewhere behind him spoke out again. “Sedation levels at 15%... 10%... 2%. Sedation levels negated. Mental functionality at 79% and rising quickly. Ten seconds until we can administer the transference. Ten… nine… eight… seven… six…”

Jonathan still struggled, but the woman got up and came close to him. She rested her right hand on Jonathan’s left. He didn’t stop trying to struggle. “Jonathan…” she said. Still he struggled and fought against his restraints. “Jonathan look at me.” He did. She was holding a small pill between her fingers. Her eyes held no sign of warmth anymore. She simply looked at him with a business-like face. “You signed up for this process, Jonathan. We have your signature. Don’t worry. You will thank us for this. But you won’t know that you do.”

“Three… two… one… Set to start the process, Ms. White.”

Doctor White then smiled and said, “Open wide.”

The last two words were almost patronizing. They carried the smallest traces of a sing-song tone. Jonathan kept his mouth shut.

“Hold him.” Doctor White said. Then before he could do anything, hands from behind him reached around and forced his mouth open and motionless as she slid the pill onto his tongue. Then the hands forced his mouth shut. He tried with all his might not to swallow it, but he could feel it dissolving on his tongue. Within a minute he had swallowed it all.

Then he saw the woman reach out of his field of vision for a moment. When she pulled her hand back into view, She was holding what looked like a strangely futuristic wireframe helmet. She lowered it onto his head.

Then she walked away, leaving him with nothing to look at but a grey metal wall just a few feet in front of him.

Then he heard a different voice from behind him. “Project P.R.O.B.E. Case number 50.7-29, Serum protocol 6187IS. First human test. Initializing brainwave remapping in five… four… three… two… one…”

Then an electronic beep sounded throughout the room and the lights went out like snuffed candles and Jonathan’s vision was plunged into darkness.

To be continued…