The Device
Chapter 2
Cameron’s heart hammered so fast that he thought the two must realize. But they remained blank and passive, smiling at the blinking lights on the cartoon-ish device Maeve’s boss was so impressed by. His hand hovered over the button to stop the pattern, but his ears heard how with each repetition their response became a bit more enthusiastic. A bit more dreamy and soft. Finally he hit the button. The lights died and both girls blinked. Very slow at first. Then faster. The two of them seemed to need much more time than expected to clear their heads. He thought back to the warning that had filled the screen. The memory felt like a dark beast churning deep within him. He wasn’t cut out for this science stuff apparently. They had counted on him to call it off if the warning triggered.
They had also overruled him admittedly when he had wanted to stop and reassess the situation even though they wanted to continue.
But when it came down to it and they had needed him to react with reason… he had inserted a message of his own into their minds to carry on.
It was nothing big. Nothing unexpected even. Mere reassurance that things were going according to plan. And that he had everything under control. But it was not what they had signed up for. None of this was, starting from the moment that Maeve unintentionally had exposed herself to the range of effect of the device that linked her brain to her laptop. To the software that ran tests and processed all the data exchanged between the two. The software that Cameron controlled.
Their expressions changed. Where moments ago an oblivious smile had been, suddenly frowns and frantic looks around the room took that place. “Are you okay?” Instantly two windows popped up on screen. Yes. “Yeah,” both answered out loud as well, but their looks didn’t change. An almost desperate search for something. “Um, are we… are we already done?” Eryka shifted in her seat. Was that… regret? “Data...We need more data, don’t we?” Maeve turned to look at Cameron—and right back to the device. “Let’s gather more data, shall we?”
“Are you sure we can keep going? We’ve been at it for a while.” His attention turned to Eryka. “Weren’t you in a rush?”
“Silly. That doesn’t matter. We need to get this finished. I won’t start questioning the experiment now.”
“Exactly.” Maeve flashed him a smile that was a touch too bright to seem merely comforting. “I am sure that you have everything under control. Let’s continue.” At her words, Eryka too beamed at him and moved her head up and down.
The choice of words in their reasoning was terrifying exactly because of how casual his message sounded when they spelled it out.
“Alright. The system is good to go.” The notes were clear, but after seeing what had just happened that almost made him more nervous. “The next step is simple.” Nothing about continuing this felt simple. It couldn’t, no, it shouldn’t be simple to proceed with testing a device that… that did what exactly? What had he just witnessed? Nothing that was intended to occur within the conditions the three of them had worked out for this study, that was for sure. And yet it was so easy. All he needed to do was to push the thought from his mind, read the notes and press the buttons. The bitter irony of it almost made him shake. Did they hear it in his voice? “We raise the bar a bit by sending and receiving images. Something more complex than one-word answers, but still more abstract than long phrases or messages.” Like the one he sent directly into their brains. The message that told them he had everything under control. Which ironically only got sent because he had lost track of the plan.
“So long as it’s not dick pics.” Eryka played it off as a joke, but with a weird side look at Cameron still asked: “There’s no pictures like that on that hard drive, right?” Cameron just stared at her, mind racing a mile per minute. Why would she even consider that now? Did she suspect that he deviated from the outline of the experiment?
“Excuse me?” Maeve shot the question down with an ice cold glare. “Who do you think uses that laptop usually? Do you think I would have stuff like that on my work computer?”
“Of course not! Relax! I just… Look, I’m a bit on edge, okay? Can’t a girl make a joke?”
Before Maeve could reply to that, her phone rang. Under curses she scurried out of the room to take the call. “And I still think she has some naughty pictures hidden on there somewhere.” Eryka grinned. “You can’t tell me that defensive reaction wasn’t a bit suspicious.” Cameron shrugged it off: “Even if so, it’s none of our business.”
“Maybe. Who knows, maybe I’m not as serious and grown up as miss frowny science genius over there. Maybe my humour is a bit immature for your tastes. I’m just bored of this, y’know?” Before he could find out what she meant by that, Maeve returned with a frustrated look on her face. “We need to take a break. I got called into work.”
“You can’t be serious?” After just saying she got bored, Cameron wondered what caused Eryka’s reaction but either way she didn’t sound happy about the delay.
“Dead serious, I’m afraid. Don’t move to the next steps without my supervision. Someone needs to log the data. Someone who knows what we are looking for. No hard feelings please.” Cameron bit back a comment about having thought that from the start and simply nodded. “Will we carry on later?” “If I am back early enough, sure. We do need to make the most of our time here. But no messing around until I get back, am I clear?” She didn’t wait for a reaction before already rushing out of the door.
“Well, guess that is that. She’ll be gone for half the day at least, right?” Without really caring what he would reply, Eryka got up and stretched. Maybe it was her joking comment about dick pics that made Cameron notice the way she pushed her chest out. Or maybe he just needed a break as well. “I will call you once she wants to resume?” A half mumbled “Sure thing” was the only acknowledgement he got as the blonde disappeared towards her room. Only to emerge ten minutes later with a bag in hand, a mischievous smile on her lips and her eyes on the door. “See ya!” And off she went. He hoped that at least she remembered to unmute her phone.
Leaving him alone with the still running laptop and a device he barely understood.
Having all the time until nightfall didn’t help. Because no matter what he found to distract himself with, his thoughts always fell back to the ever same question. What in the world had he actually done? It wasn’t long before he dropped chores and cleaning to browse on his own computer, just in case that Maeve tracked the activities on hers. Even after hours of skimming through the few credible articles and research papers that he found, Cameron didn’t feel any closer to an answer. No matter the date or author, the one thing they all agreed on was that it was not possible for even advanced devices to have an influence on the person’s mind. Some wild speculations were mixed in, of course, about signals flowing both ways and creating a risk of the brain almost being hacked by the computer. But nothing pointed towards that being anything other than cheap science fiction.
Nothing besides the way both of his roommates had stared at the blinking lights on the device in completely oblivious fascination.
Or besides the fact that suddenly they were confident that he had everything under control. They never fully trusted that. Not until partway through the experiment.
Not until he had typed a message and sent it directly into their minds.
He was neither a computer expert nor a biologist. Chances were that it was actually far more complex than he imagined it, but the result seemed to be the same anyway. Wasn’t that way too risky? Again and again his agitated mind returned to the same pressing issue. He needed to stop this. Technology that transmitted signals to a computer without the need for mouse or keyboard was not new. But this was technology that had successfully done the opposite. Transmitting signals and even messages directly to the person without any form of intermediary like screens or speakers. Even a layman like him could tell that it wasn’t mere coincidence. But unlike an expert, he didn’t understand the risk. This needed to stop.
...Unless he found a way to comprehend better what could and could not be done? Just like his doubts, that nagging curiosity always pushed itself back into his mind. And just like his doubts, it was here to stay. He paced up and down his room, did a workout on the treadmill, started up 5 different video games and called it quits minutes later. Always to return to the sight of their blank, smiling faces when the device did… what actually? The question left him restless until he sat back down at Maeve’s laptop. He had never really shut it off, just in case that they returned. For the first time since they decided to start this experiment he had plenty of time to study the software and the controls of the device. Most of it made no sense to him, but as he looked into some of the functions that she had marked on the notes, he began to realize. It wasn’t like the device actually had hacked them. Not even close. But instead it had done something much simpler. Just like Pavlov had trained a dog with something as low tech, almost primitive like a bell, this device caused a small but highly enjoyable stimulation of the pleasure center in the brain. It was nothing more than just a warm, fuzzy feeling probably. But it was enough to make the brain want more. The same concept that caused people to keep on craving sweets and potato chips until the bag was empty if they took just one bite. An instinctive response they didn’t think twice about but sought to trigger more and more. And the experiment was designed to give them more. When he lost track of the number of repetitions, the many small rewards had induced a state of general deep comfort. They were almost euphoric. So much so that even the normally impatient Eryka was perfectly happy to continue as often as he would let them. In that light it made perfect sense that they had looked so lost when he finished up that step. They missed that reward and their first reaction was to crave more. Like… He shuddered as it dawned on him: Like they felt dependent on that stimulation.
By the time the keys turned in the lock, it was pitch black outside. Half a day had definitely been too enthusiastic as an estimate. Maeve walked through the door and stopped as she saw him. “Why the hell are you still awake? Can’t sleep?” He laughed. “Something like that. Maybe your inquisitive nature is finally starting to rub off on me.” She chuckled. “I doubt that. You’re not exactly the academic type.” Even so the comment got her interest. He saw curiosity flash up in her eyes before she dropped her bag and coat on the closest chair. She disappeared in the kitchen for a moment before returning with two wine glasses and a small paper bag from which she produced a full bottle. “Don’t tell anyone,” she winked before pouring both of them a glass and sitting down on the couch. “Never took you for the type to drink, be it after work or at all.” Her typical frown was back for a moment, but she shrugged: “Maybe your easygoing nature is starting to rub off on me. So? What kept you busy?” Her eyes pointed right at the still running laptop and the device on the table. Cover blown, huh? “Just some of the reactions during the test. I’m not too sure what I expected. But some of the reactions we got during the test were… ambiguous.” So far, so true.
“The device might have had trouble calibrating correctly.” She pondered the implied question. “I might have been a bit too close still. Sure, I thought I had taken the device’s range into account. But it’s possible that it was sensitive enough to be distracted by my brainwaves.” He bit his tongue to avoid saying that this seemed to be exactly what happened. Much more than just on the level of a distraction though. “There is also the chance that Eryka’s signal simply was not clear enough for the device to process it correctly. Have you considered that?” She sounded much more certain of that interpretation.
“We can’t do much about that. If it is what happened. So let’s assume that your brainwaves were the cause. Could we do something to prevent that from repeating itself tomorrow?”
Maeve took a sip of her wine before nodding. “I could sit further away from Eryka.”
A reasonable response. Cameron should accept that. He knew he should. So he nodded and said: “Or we could try and calibrate the device so it can tell your brainwaves apart and reacts only to Eryka’s. Couldn’t we? It’s a computer so a filter like that should exist, right?”
For a moment there was silence. He clenched every muscle in his jaw to keep his mouth shut. What was he thinking? That was the opposite of accepting it. In pretty much every way! Then slowly she smiled: “I suppose that would be the more beneficial solution. I could continue to monitor reactions from up close if we did that. But aside from that, even accidental exposure like today would be safely ruled out. Just in case I get another phone call and run through the sensor range or anything unforeseen like that.” Another sip of wine before she winked at him. “I knew leaving you in charge would pay off. You got everything under control.”
The words sent a chill down his spine. He couldn’t help but feel like they sounded a bit monotone. Mechanical. Even though he clearly saw the emotion behind it reflected on her face. Maybe even because of that. He had never seen her be so expressive and cheerful in just one single day. And here she was, waving for him to bring the device over almost with sparkling glee in her eyes. She was looking forward to it. Setting it up only took a minute, maybe two. But it were the longest two minutes of his life as he carefully aimed the sensors of the device at Maeve. The dark haired scientist mustered him as he prepared everything but said not a word until his finger hovered over the button. “Let’s go through the experiment again, just to make sure that there are no other weird factors at play. If you are still awake enough for that?”
“That should be my line. You’re the one who came home from work just now.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can take it.”
He hoped his poker face was good enough to hide that this simple statement caused his mind to race. Mainly to her blank face, fascinated by the lights. Her smiling lips, repeating mindless agreement.
The clicking sound of a key being pressed brought him back to the present. The device registered the pattern of her brainwaves. It was much faster this time than earlier in the day. As if her patterns were still memorized. An impression that only got stronger as he cycled through the standard questions and answers came swiftly, seemingly much easier than before.
While a smile spread on her face. Cameron was pretty sure she didn’t even realize it.
Nor that she realized he had hit the button that she had explicitly restricted only to the second stage of the experiment. The very same that sparked a weak jolt of pleasure whenever she responded.
He didn’t know how to put into words why he felt the need to do it. All the words he did come up with told him very clearly that it was wrong. But the dark, lurking impulse in his guts seemed to have a different opinion. And it was that impulse that moved his hands over the keyboard as he asked innocent questions, sparing not a single one and even adding some just to establish a pattern.
A pattern of flooding her brain with pleasure whenever she replied to him.
It was not a big thing. At least that was how he desperately reasoned his doubts away. All he did was make her feel happy when she answered his questions. That wasn’t wrong yet. Was it?
He knew the answer and took a sip from his glass.
“This is going well, isn’t it?” He only belatedly realized his half loud mumbling might count as a question too before she wiggled on the couch, closing her eyes for a moment but still humming:
“Yessss.”
That impulse was pressing buttons again. The lights on the device flickered to life before he took the time to really think it through. “Let’s check the reactions for the second step too, shall we?”
“Yes.”
Her head barely moved enough to focus on the lights. Her smile had grown a bit wider. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shifted in her seat for even more comfort. Were all of these conscious decisions? Really? It didn’t exactly sound that way as her repeated response to the pattern grew hazier and hazier. He shivered. Maeve seemed absorbed into the lights to an extend he didn’t think possible. If he had not read so much about the estimated limits of this technology and the human mind, he would almost believe that it mesmerized her.
“Yessss,” hummed the woman who for all intents and purposes was oblivious to his inner turmoil.
He shouldn’t. He wouldn’t.
His fingers found the slider for the intensity of the pleasure signal. It would be so easy. One tap. Just a tiny nudge.
As if in trance he watched the marker shift position. Only by a few millimeters. Then another one. And another one. Not enough to make a difference, right? It had barely changed!
“This is good, right?”
“Yessss.”
Her eye lids fluttered heavily, but caught themselves so she refocused on the glowing pattern. He held his breath as something terribly obvious occurred to him. The trigger for this pleasure didn’t need to be the lights. Or his questions. He didn’t really need to use any words! Step three in their progression offered him a very different option. But… no, he could never. It would take the experiment in a completely wrong direction. It would betray their trust. Most likely it wouldn’t even work!
He blinked as he realized his hands wanted to do away with at least one of those issues. Cameron deserves blind trust. He has everything under control. Never question the experiment.
The words hung on screen, virtually about to spark disaster. Earlier this morning they had been an accident. Their effect barely strong enough to smooth over a small hiccup. This was a whole different level of messed up. Nothing but cold, intentional reinforcement. He shook his head in disgust about himself. Experiment?! What experiment did he want them to accept unquestioningly exactly? If he could train his roommate’s brain to tingle with joy whenever he manipulated a choice? This was no 19th century laboratory and the one in front of him was no mere stranger. This was the real world and the closest thing he had to a friend in this place. He hit backspace. Or he meant to. Surely he did.
But his finger landed on enter instead.
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