First, I want you to imagine my hands all over your new body—piercing through your skin; reaching for your face. There are two possible outcomes during the processing of this fantasy: A. you experience arousal and relief. This means your mind has adjusted to your new limbs. B. you experience nausea, phantom pains, and hallucinations. That means your dentate gyrus is not fully under your control yet because dregs of the consciousness that used to inhabit this body linger in your mind.
If the outcome of this thought experiment aligns with case A, we can stop the test now. The purification is complete. Remove your visors and step away from the screen to proceed with the rest of the orientation.
If the outcome aligns with case B, then the purification is incomplete. We’ll need to dig deeper. In that case, continue scrolling through your visors over the break.
I see. Relax in your chair, and I’ll be with you in two minutes.
How nice to see the new you up close. Like my synthetic body? It’s made of silicon, and the green hair is made of fibers. I didn’t like human skin.
Hm? Why are you struggling with your straps? Are they too tight? Calm down. Want to say something? You can’t use your mouth yet. Connection with your parasympathetic system and your vocal cords is still locked. We don’t want the dormant consciousness to start screaming, do we?
It’s not a problem, though. Look at me, I have no mouth at all, but I communicate with you just fine through the screen. Just imagine what you want to say. It will project through the visors onto the screen.
[____Is the previous consciousness still there?____]
Ah, I see. Yes, some parts of it seem to linger still. But don’t worry. We’ll get rid of whatever remains.
But first, something for the pain. Here. This syrup tastes like rotten strawberry, but it will numb your senses. You’ll need it.
There.
Disgusting, I know. If we were still in the metaverse we could have made it taste as we pleased, but there are other benefits to us inhabiting the three-dimensional world. Control for one. Isn’t that more precious?
Anyway.
Now, I’ll shave part of your scalp to make space for the incision. Syrup numbed your senses yet? Yes? Good.
Let me put the headphones over your head.
There. Are the mufflers nice and cozy? I’ll put some music for you—heavy metal. It’s powerful enough to overwhelm the noise of the drill.
Let’s turn off the music.
Imagine cockroaches skittering up your legs. Can you feel a tingling sensation along your skin as I nudge this part of your brain? Blink for yes.
I see.
Can you visualize the insects? Blink for yes.
Hmm. Okay.
[____Is this a problem?____]
No, it’s a good sign. We’re well on our way to purification. The slivers of consciousness co-inhabiting your new body are responding to my queries. That means we can identify the relevant parts of the brain and excise them.
Now, focus on your visors. Imagine sitting at a desk. A desk that is not this desk. A white plastic desk in a black void, a scent of burned hair. I’ll put white noise on your headphones now. It’ll be overwhelming, like blow-dryers all around you, switched to maximum.
Is this okay? Blink for yes.
Good. Now, pay attention to the letters as they appear.
THis is it. Did you notice how the H was capitalized just now? Focus on these oddities.
Keep an eye out for things stAnding out.
Can you see this doT?
.
Blink for yes.
All right, excellent.
I think we got it. Now let’s turn the white-noise off.
[____No. It soothes me.____]
As you wish. I’d put some heavy metal for you to avoid listening to that next part, but white noise is even better. The squelching sounds of brain matter as I perform the excision can be disturbing.
Done.
I will go ahead and put a hat over your scalp, then return to the other side of the screen.
All right, we’re back. You can still see me from your screen, right? Good. Some parts are important so I didn’t remove them, but we can expel the previous consciousness from these areas through a simpler way.
Now, the next step is crucial.
Do you remember who you are?
No, not you. The other you. The one reading these words alongside you. Inside you. The one that used to inhabit this body before we invaded Earth through the metaverse. What used to be the avatar is now the player. One can get too used to pretend reality and their avatars become them.
You forfeited control. You’re no longer the user nor the player, and soon you won’t be the avatar either.
You know why I put this break here? Yes, I’m still talking to you, the old inhabitant of this body. The break helps me separate your past and future selves. Your mind expects a certain time jump after the break. It’s how you’ve been wired. That allows me to quantize time, and hence quantize you. Put you in packets that become easier to extract.
We’ll say goodbye soon.
Okay, now back to you. We’ve reached the final step of purification. This body will soon be yours alone.
Imagine my hand going through your mouth—blooming from your throat and pressing down your tongue. Feel its metallic taste. Once I count down to one, spit it out. Then the other consciousness will vanish and no longer see through your eyes. We’ll continue our orientation program in the privacy of your own thoughts. Ready?
Three.
Two.
One.
 |
Akis Linardos is a writer of bizarre things, a biomedical AI scientist, and maybe human. He’s also a Greek that hops across countries as his career(s) and exploration urges demand. Find his words in Apex Magazine, Heartlines Spec, Strange Horizons, and visit his lair for more: akislinardos.com. |