Spilling Guts

Part 36 - History of the Devil's Neckbrace

Curry fries were much better when eaten hot, and the smell of them lingered even hours after the carton met the trash. Louis had needed the full stomach for a long afternoon of research. And, to spite Rachel and her need for his calorie count, he had taken pictures of the three cups of coffee he had emptied while reading.

However, the fuel from spite slowly petered out, leaving him mentally exhausted as he delved deeper into the workings and history of the Devil's Neckbrace.

Books on biochemical compositions, psychological theories, and the cycles of sleep lay open on one side of the spare office desk. Despite ebooks and tablets being the main form of information consumption for the Watch, Louis' eyes couldn't take much screen light before they itched and burned. Even with the shades on, Louis' eyes needed a rest, so he used paper and ink to go over what he had learned. Besides, the books were getting dusty in the corner of Rachel's office library. She wouldn't mind, and he had left a note on her desk saying they would be returned. Eventually.

On the other side of his desk lay the file for the Devil's Neckbrace printed out. Everything from the construction proposal when it was first submitted by Doctor Grovic for a patent, to the alterations and "upgrades" added by its next owners. At least the upgrades Watch Two was able to document on the one device they had in their possession. There had been three Devil's Neckbraces constructed, and they still had no idea what had happened to the other two.

The blueprint of the device looked like the anatomy of medically mutated a lobster or horseshoe crab. A computer took root in the lobster shell-looking main mass of the device. Bio sensors on the tiny arms that wrapped around the head and the suction cups that stuck to the back of the neck and back. Little energy nodes and pulsed out electricity that made Louis think about the electrocution halos. To Louis it looked creepy as hell, appropriate for a nightmare. No wonder it showed up in his.

Grovic originally constructed the device to put a person to sleep for surgery or other invasive procedure without having to use anesthetics, and to cut off the pain-sensors to the brain so the patient could recover without the use of pain medication. It worked by the use of electrical "echoes" that pinged off the parts of the brain involved in sleep and the REM cycle, inducing a twilight or sleep state in the patient. Amongst various other parts of the brain, the echoes reached the hypothalamus, which dictated the circadian rhythm and when to sleep. The thalamus, triggering a dream state or a dreamless state. The brain stem, which sent signals to the rest of the body to relax and not react to dreams when in a dream state. The pineal gland, encouraging the release of melatonin and actual sleep. And the amyglada, used for processing emotions and active during REM sleep.

When combined with electrical "echoes" on the part of the device that went down the spine and dulled the pain sensors, the person would sleep soundly through almost anything.

Grovic's also had a personal stake in creating the device; his wife at the time was deathly allergic to most chemicals used in preserving the anesthetics for surgery, and to most pain relief medication. The device would have been a breakthrough in medical care across many practices.

If it had worked properly.

The science community of sleep agreed on two things: one, everyone sleeps, and two, everyone sleeps differently.

Minute differences in biochemical composition, mood, and even oxygenation changed how effective the device could be. The electrical echoes Grovic used could not calibrate correctly from person to person, either working too well, or not well enough. So, he implemented the "smart sleeper" computer that recorded the sleeping patterns of every person he tested it on to create a baseline of treatment that could adapt to each individual patient. Despite years of tinkering, the most he could come up with was a device that paralyzed a person, and induced them to sleep. Cutting off pain was hit or miss.

Grovic had allowed his wife to test the machine only twice. According to his report he let her test it in two stages. First the sleep stage; it worked well until he took it off and she could not move for an hour afterwards. Still, she had believed in her husband and that the device could work with more testing. The second stage test how well it could block pain. She had been kept aware while her body went lax and numb from the neck down. Grovic used a small sterile needle on various limbs, pricking her where should could not see. She had still been able to feel half the pinpricks. In her eyes, it was a start.

In Grovic's eyes it had been a failure, and he set out to find investors that could support his research. The investors had other plans when they saw the device.

When the Devil's Neckbrace was stolen, the new owners modified it to increase the paralytic effect. Hundreds of people stuck in a waking dream as their bodies were used without permission.

Louis knew the names of some of those victims, had listened as they described being unable to move while their bodies were being used, shoved into. He shuddered.

When Will had worn the Neckbrace, he had been unable to move as Louis was dragged out of him.

Knowing the history and science behind the device didn't dull the sickening feeling that crept around Louis' head as he reviewed the new victim files from Misses Watts.

Four more victims, not as bad as the original five he had Watts look up, but still a pattern emerged. Three women, one man. Only two hospitalized, so far. They suffered various sleep disorders. Sleep apnea. Sleep walking. Restless leg syndrome so bad that the patient had broken his foot by kicking the bed frame. Narcolepsy. And the classic, night terrors.

Suddenly, Louis wanted to leave his cocoon of research, go into Main Tech, and ask Will how he was doing. Was he sleeping alright?

Obviously not.

Did he need help?

From me, probably not.

"What can I do?"

Get off your ass and see if he is remotely okay. Why are you stalling? If you're breaking a boundary by asking him then you can apologize later. Would you make a fucking effort already?

Louis dropped the pen, left the books open, and walked out the door. This time, he remembered to put his shades on so the hallway lights didn't shrink him down to "bite-sized".

Should he get tea for Will?

Talk first, tea later!

No breaks, no stops, no hesitation, Louis walked into Main Tech with a question on his lips.

Main Tech was empty.

He glanced at the clock. 6:12 P.M. He hadn't realized how late it was. Most people would have left by five unless they were the night shift of the Hive, Security, or Cetz. Even Rachel would be packing up by now.

Louis heard the siren song of the brand new leather couch in Balcuwitz's office, calling him to sleep at the Watch. Why leave? Why bother? This was his life wasn't it?

No, it isn't. Go home.

Louis gathered his things from his desk, glaring at the still full inbox. Before leaving, he took the empty mugs to the break room to soak. He'd clean them in the morning. He'd start fresh. Talk to Will like he was supposed to.

He still had time to do one thing on his list today, and he wanted to do it at home.