The Beginning and the End

[Chrysalis]

22.1.823, Subject Omega: Log Entry Three

Begin Log Entry


Today we attempted psychological evaluation and interrogation. My assistant, Doctor V took it upon herself to perform this task. And indeed, as was the case with the rest of the subjects, Omega proved unreceptive to our methods, remaining callous and distant throughout the ordeal. At least at first. In the next log entry is an attached video file of Doctor V’s session with the subject.


-Doctor T.


End Log Entry



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22.1.823, Subject Omega: Log Entry Four


Begin Log Entry


[Security Video Playback Starts]


(The subject is standing perfectly centered inside his 6 by 6 holding cell, his eyes closed, hands behind his back. A heavily reinforced two-way mirror is obscuring his view of the adjacent chamber. He outwardly appears to be male, caucasian, Late twenties or early thirties, true age indeterminate. He is approximately 195cm tall, of a lean build.)

(Doctor V walks into the chamber and takes a seat facing the subject. The subject’s eyes dart open as if aware of her presence. V. jerks back slightly in her seat, taken aback, but starts speaking after clearing her throat.)

V: “This is Doctor V. We’ve designated you Subject Omega. Can you tell us your name?”

(The subject cocks his head to the right and considers the question for a moment before speaking)

O: “I can.”

(A moment of silence.)

V: “But you won’t...of course.”
-
O: “V...That’s not your real name is it? Maybe I’d share mine, if you shared yours. Quid pro Quo, as they say.”
-
V: “I’m regrettably not auth-...”

(The subject inhales sharply, stopping V. midsentence)

O: “Oh, but no need. It’s Vivienne is it not? Such a lovely name, Vivienne. It should be a crime to hide it behind the ugly one letter abbreviation. Vivienne, Vivienne….Vivienne...Mmh.”

(Vivienne swallows a nonexistent lump, visibly disturbed for a moment.)

V: “I see guesswork is your forte. Is that your role in your...society? Guesswork?”

(Vivienne smirks, now contently hiding behind the comforting rational explanation she conjured on a moment’s notice)

(The subject thinks for a moment, and then drops his arms from behind his back and stretches around a bit.)

O: “At times. But dear Vivienne - can I call you that? I think I might. I’m not that interesting, you on the other hand, you’re very - very intriguing. Tell me more about yourself. Your childhood, perhaps?”

(As he speaks he assumes a very human-like posture, his mannerisms and facial expressions become animated with a nigh-perfect mimickry of healthy emotion and friendliness, akin to a lively next door neighbor, albeit with a sort of uncanny distance in his eyes, unnoticeable to most, but not Vivienne. This unsettles her deeply. A few moments of silence follow.)

V: “My...childhood? I’m afraid I’m not the subject of this session...And-”

(He interrupts her train of thought with another sharp inhale, striking a nerve, provoking the emotional response she intended to provoke in him. The roles now seem reversed.)

O: “Yes, childhood. The experiences accumulated within that short period of one’s life are ultimately what shapes one’s life, for better or for worse. Don’t you agree, Vivienne? Your childhood is what captures my curiosity right now, I simply -must- know. Good? Or bad? Bad I think...I’m almost sure….there are things buried in there. Memories that don’t surface often...painful memories.”

(Vivienne’s heart starts beating faster. His words hit too close to home. The subject has invaded her personal space, a part of her she never reveals to anyone. Her shock at this violation is apparent on her face.)

V: “Now listen here you-...!”

O: “Yes, very painful indeed. It seethes from you now, I can smell it. It smells of untouched nature, of autumn air and rain and decaying leaves, of paradise lost, sanctuary violated. Who violated your sanctuary, Vivienne? Very bad men, I assume, yes that seems correct. You can tell me what happened yourself, what did the bad men do? Or I can continue to narrate your life for you if you prefer, you’ll find my…”guesswork” tends to be very precise indeed.”

(A smile spreads across the subject’s face, though the smile doesn’t speak of any kind of human joy, rather a perverse thrill he seems to derive from probing the young doctor’s mind. A kind of thirst to know and by proxy, experience her life. His eyes occasionally dart to Vivienne’s position, as if aware of her through some extrasensory mechanism far beyond that of normal humans.)

(Vivienne would speak, but she can only look in horror, her face locked in a blank expression, sweat breaking out of her forehead. He knows, somehow he knows what she never told anyone.)

O: “You’re oddly quiet doctor. Shall I continue then? I think I shall. Gran Canaria. Now that was a truly splendid place, not so much these days as I understand it, but it used to be quite the proverbial paradise. I shall always treasure my few visits there.

Have you ever been? I think you’d agree with me, dear Vivienne. As a matter of fact, I highly suspect you’ve been there, you have that...air about you. I think you used to live there, as a child. Yes, that seems right.

Now the only thing really bad with Canaria was the security, those Zoners really love their liberty, so they sacrifice some of the former for the latter. Understandable I guess. But that allowed for much lawlessness, and indeed for a time, bandits became common. They’d raid settlements you see, engaging in senseless murder and rapine.

Were you aware of that? Actually...I think you were intimately acquainted…”

(His last few words are spoken through a stranger voice, now growing in severity as compared to his falsely innocent, lively voice from before. His mouth forms into a wide grin for a moment, he appears to relish what is transpiring.)

(The doctor is still firmly locked in her chair with the same expression on her face, mouth open, tears now welling up in her eyes.)

O: “You’re old enough to have experienced it, certainly. It must have been terrible, I can see it now...a young girl hiding beneath her floorboards, put there by her mother now being taken...then taken away by the bandits...the young girl looking through the cracks...in disbelief and abject terror, struggling to not make a sound....Do you dream about it often? Perhaps...even fantasize about it? It would be understandable - the mind creates-”

(Vivienne jerks up from her seat)

V: “SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

(She storms out through the door, hysterical. The subject chuckles for a moment, then returns to his normal unemotional, bland expression. A trickle of blood pours from his nose, he seems mildly annoyed at it, but not surprised, he wipes it quickly with his hand and returns to his original position at the center of the room, putting his hands behind his back, closing his eyes.)


[Security Video Playback Ends]


This...this thing is pure evil. There’s nothing but malice inside it. I recommend it be destroyed...by incinerator and its ashes spread across the sands of this God-forsaken planet. If you still insist on keeping it alive then take this damn recording and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine! I quit!


-Doctor V.


End Log Entry


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--Addendum: Poor Vivienne, I empathize with her, but she knows I can’t do that. Oh well, I guess I can offer to “relocate” her to Wing X, the human trials department always needs fresh “resources”.


-Doctor T.