Secondsight/Story:Price of Treason

The next few days passed quickly as Anya found herself visited by various staff members that arrived to take some measurement or reading. Eventually, she had been taken to a medical-style room with a padded table. After she had been restrained, she had been sedated and fitted with the first round of implants and connectors. Similar surgeries and injections took place. From what she had overheard, each had been hardwired into her brain, neck, and spine with a network needed to interface with the Seer cybernetics. After a week, she had finally awakened from a similar surgery sore along her spine.

This time, however, she felt different compared to the earlier sessions. Her hair had been sheered away before surgery leaving her scalp smooth. As she woke, she felt another twist of horror run through her as she lifted her hand to run it along her head. There were no traces of incisions where they had conducted their procedures to add to her growing list of implants. But, she had finally begun to feel as if she had was really becoming Seer 4319 as the staff addressed her. As she shifted on the table, she lowered her hand and brushed over a metal device that had been fitted around her neck. A soft hum came from it hinting that it was currently operational.

As she began to lift her other hand to reach for the collar, a woman in white hovering over her caught it. She shook her head and scolded gently, “Do not play with it. We implanted the relays for your control collar today. It’s been linked to the connectors and it needs to finish its diagnostic.”

Anya’s voice was hoarse as she croaked, “Control collar?”

“All of the girls are set up with one,” the nurse fretted with the device and smiled. “It’s going to make it easier for you now to start adjusting to the changes.”

“I don’t understand...” Anya began to panic and tried to rise from the bed. She began to fight the nurse as fear took over, “I’m not some dog...”

Before the nurse could reply and Anya could leave the bed, she suddenly felt something cold seem to slide through her body. The device around her neck hummed louder as she found herself unable to rise any more. To her shock, Anya felt her body rebel against her desire to run from the room. As docile as a lamb, she shifted herself back on the table and laid down as if to allow the nurse to begin to checking her again. Anya tried to curse or protest, anything to express her horror, but even her words betrayed her. Despite her attempts to fight, she heard herself suddenly, “Seer 4319 is ready for processing. Please give instructions of what is required of this unit.”

Another voice echoed in the room, out of her line of sight. A man chuckled at her reaction, “I’m glad we finally got her set up. That thing cuts down on the whining and lip you get from them while we set them up.”

The nurse began checking a display near Anya and shook her head, “The girls are always scared when they come here, you know that. They don’t realize that their minds are so damaged and sick most of the time. You know that some people require quite a bit of help in order to get better.”

A male technician stepped into view as he shrugged, “She’s one of those Resistance folks, Eva. I read her file, she came from one of those up-town families and she pretty much had an easy life. Guess that wasn’t good enough for her.”

At his words, the nurse called Eva shook her head and gently patted Anya’s head, “You shouldn’t be so cold to them. Until the Praetor heals her mind, she’ll be tormented by the false idea that being a Seer is a bad thing. It’s hard for them to accept that they are receiving the best care.”

Anya wanted to shout at the two as the spoke as if she had already been mind wiped. Tears formed in her eyes as the control device kept her from protesting her situation. Eva seemed to notice her discomfort and smiled at her gently once more. Her tone was comforting, as if she felt she was doing some good in comforting her charge, “I know. It’s frightening. But, we’re going to make it all better soon, I promise.”

She was unable to even twitch in protest as she simply remained still as the nurse studied her. Anya once more heard her own voice betray her, “Unit is currently online and awaiting processing.”

‘Someone help me....’ Anya thought dismally as she realized she would soon be little more than the computer she sounded like because of the collar. All she could do was mentally scream and curse as Eva continued to putter about her as if the collar was making mean what she said to the nurse as she was questioned.

She had lost track of time as the weeks had blurred together. Anya had been subjected to the last steps in her processing to physically transform her into a Seer. Earlier that morning, she had been prepped for surgery and the last of her cybernetics had been implanted. She woke quietly to find herself in complete darkness with something pressing tightly against her eyes. Panic surged through her as she realized that the visor she had seen the other hapless Seers fitted with had been surgically grated to the connections introduced several days earlier. She tried to scream and fight, but the control device about her neck kept her body calm where she rested on a padded table. No sound came from her as she fought against the terror that ran through her mind.

From what she had pieced together, it was normal for a Seer to be fitted with their cybernetics after the Praetor had finished their conditioning. Since her transition was a punishment, not a treatment for rogue powers, the staff had been instructed to attach her new hardware before she was conditioned. Unlike the other units that had been rendered mindless by this point, Anya had been left aware and intact as it was done. Even though she could not see, she could feel the various equipment that been hardwired into her as if she was already a drone. Nightmares of what was to come played through her mind as she tried to imagine what it would be like once her will and identity were stripped from her.

As the horrors played out, another sinking fear began to form in her mind. If the state felt she should be punished for her crimes, what if it was decided without telling her that she would going to be left with her mind intact as her body existed as a soulless machine. Her fears and terror began to feed upon themselves until her mind almost felt like it was about to crack under the strain. As she began to consider having her mind left functioning and aware, she began to beg mentally, ‘Please! Please! I’m alive!’

A soft hand suddenly was placed on her head as a voice echoed in her mind, ‘Perhaps, you should be left as you are and put into service. You have no abilities and you are fairly worthless to the Network. By all rights, you are a waste of resources because someone felt turning you into a Seer would be a good punishment. Given what you did to innocent citizens, I am thinking that leaving you this way may be fitting. We can use you for promo events that we host to reassure the people that traitors such as yourself can become useful additions to society. At the same time, while you serve as a silent witness to that fact, your mind would be left to eat itself alive in its prison.’

The sincerity and casual tone of the new mental voice caused Anya to suddenly recoil. She mentally was torn between crying and screaming at her tormentor. Eventually, her terror won out, ‘I swear, I’ll be loyal! I’ll never hurt anyone again! Please, let me go!’

Silence echoed through her mind and in the room. Suddenly, she could hear people leaving causing her to tense in fear that mind voice was about to give such an order. As the door shut behind those leaving, a pair of hands gently stroked over the cool metal that extended over her eyes. The mental voice threaded back into her mind, ‘I know you will be loyal. I know you will never hurt another soul again. I’m going to make sure to of that very soon. You’ve been a very naughty child. All the pain you caused, I can feel that you enjoyed doing it. Didn’t you?’

‘No...,’ Anya initially denied the accusation. But, she knew that there was no lie to someone in her mind.

As soon as she lied, she felt the mental presence seem to latch on to that train of thought. It followed it to somewhere deep inside her mind to what seemed to make up her very identity. Once the intruder reached that point, a sharp ‘cut’ was made deep within. Agony slammed through her mind as she screamed mentally, only the control collar kept her from physically expressing the same. Even though her mind was blinded by the pain, she could hear the mental voice whisper, ‘Only bad girls lie like that. I already know you enjoyed what you did to them. It’s all over your mind. But, we’re going to help you to be a good girl. Don’t you want that, Anya?’

The mental hand remained wrapped about the area the cut had just been made. As the pain slowly passed, Anya tried to figure out how to answer the voice. She began to consider lying again. But, as the thought crossed her mind, it seemed as if she had forgotten how to. The thought drifted to the place where the voice had just clipped into her mind and vanished. Shock registered through her as she realized that the intruder had some how just pruned the ability from her, ‘What did you do to me!?’

‘I told you we’re going to help you to be a good girl, Anya,’ the voice whispered soothingly. ‘But, that requires that we remove all of those bad impulses inside of you. There are some people that do not grow up right or they do not adjust to our society well. Your mind did not develop properly. That is why you were so mean to those other people. Did you know when you hurt them they were as scared as you are right now? When someone is punished, it is done to try and get them to not repeat the same mistakes. Now that you know how it feels, do you think it was right that you did that?’

‘No,’ Anya found herself admitting grudgingly. She felt herself already forgetting the very concept of trying to use deception to protect herself.

‘You are such a selfish little girl, Anya,’ the voice scolded her again. As she tried to understand what it meant, she suddenly felt the mental hands reaching into her mind again. Blinding pain slammed through her as she felt several parts of her suddenly cut away from inside. She screamed mentally once more as she felt the same hands seem to twist the areas that were cut to try and reconnect them somewhere else.

The intruder finished their work and allowed her mind to adjust to the shock it had just undergone. Her mind seemed to be assimilating the changes at an accelerated rate, attempting to build new thought patterns around the new lines of being. A part of her knew that the person in her mind was causing her mind to regenerate around the damage. Despite that knowledge, she felt the new adaptations take place. Originally, she had hated admitting that she had enjoyed her criminal activities. Suddenly, she felt herself wanting to confess to all of her sins. Guilt seemed to grip her like a fist as she bawled mentally.

‘Anya,’ the voice patiently called her name once more. ‘Anya, stop crying. It’s not going to help now. Nothing is going to change. I already know you don’t mean it that you are sorry. I had to change many things in order for you to think as a normal person. Did you know this is how real people feel after they have hurt someone like you did?’

Her mental anguish continued as she felt the guilt seem to rush out of control through her mind. The new thought patterns made remorse easier to feel now as if a part of her had been defective before this session. She felt a part of her mind suddenly become grateful to this person, ‘I didn’t know! I’m sorry! Please, what...how...’

‘I know you’re sorry now, Anya,’ the voice said casually. ‘I fixed it so you can actually feel what you should have been feeling already. Now, do you understand why you are a bad girl? There are parts in your mind that do not work right. Much of this may not be your fault, it may just be how your brain formed over the years. Do you wish to be a good girl? You’ll feel much better after we’re done.’

Anya meekly whispered in her mind, ‘Can you just make it go away?’

For a moment, she could feel a surge of pride from the person that was speaking in her mind. That pride, however, echoed with a dark glee at her situation. The voice soothed through her fear, ‘That wouldn’t be fair, Anya. It just isn’t right that those you hurt have to suffer, but you can simple escape with just a tap on the wrist. You have to be punished. So, we have to make it to where you can be a good girl now, but also be taught a lesson for what you did. Right?’

As she hesitated, the questioner seemed to relish in her discomfort. Anya felt a light kiss on her forehead where the cybernetic over her eyes was attached. The person in her mind still held a grip on the area of her mind that been ‘fixed’ earlier. When Anya seemed to be inclined to answer no, she suddenly felt the mental fingers probe into the core of her being again. The same agony ran through her as she was blinded by it. A sharp edge seemed to slash at areas of her that were coming to surface to the questions. Those aspects that were found wanting were simply removed like an unwanted weed or growth. Anya felt nearly six cuts before the cutter began forcing what was left into new patterns. Her mind began to quickly wrap around the new lines.

The voice slid through her mind like silk again, ‘There now. You see, you actually have it in you to be good and accept what you are, Anya. Once we get all of those bad thoughts out, you’ll feel much better. Now, little one, do you think it would be fair if we didn’t ensure you learned your lesson?’

As she recovered the strength to answer, Anya could no longer feel the desire to have the pain cut away. Her anger and embarrassment at her situation had also disappeared. She had suddenly begun to feel an overwhelming need repent for who she had been. With an almost like child-like hesitance, as if fearing she might be scolded, Anya felt answered softly, ‘No, it wouldn’t be. I just want to be good now. I’m scared.’

‘I know, little one, I know,’ the voice soothed her gently. ‘I know it hurts when we have to take out those evil thoughts. But, you still have so many. It is going to take sometime before we have them all out. No matter what, though, we’re going to get all of that out and make it all better. We’re going to find a place for you with us as well. Doesn’t that sound nice, Anya?’

The question whispered through her mind stroking at different emotions that still remained in her. Anya could feel herself suddenly grow afraid that an area that the voice touched would suddenly be taken away from her. Instinctively, her mind sought to defend itself even as she wanted to wrap herself in the comfort that the voice was offering. A part of her sobbed mentally with relief, however, at the offer of acceptance despite her foul deeds, ‘Please, tell me what I can do to make it better!’

As her mind responded to the probing, the intruder caught something it was looking for among her thoughts. Anya suddenly tried to fight to protect what it had just found. A cruel amusement echoed through her as the person suddenly cut deep into the aspect it found. There was nothing simple about the alteration that the person was trying to make. Anya writhed physically and mentally as she felt whatever attached that part to her tear away leaving jagged wounds down the very center of her soul. For a moment, she could hear screaming as her reaction had even managed to override her control collar. But, the feelings suddenly became detached as the broken threads were rewoven into a new, unnatural through pattern.

‘Poor, brave, girl,’ the voice cooed to her as she regained a sense of herself again. ‘I know that hurt so much, but I had to take it out. You didn’t need that anymore. Now, tell Mother who you are and what you want to do.’

Where Anya had once existed, she suddenly felt as if she had just woken from a dream. She could feel that she had hurt so many people and let down those that had cared for her. The memories that she had enjoyed what she had done made her sick as she tried to relocate who and what she was. As she searched, the new thought pattern began to pulse to life as it gave her the answer, ‘I am a Seer. I was given the unit number 4319. I’ve been given to the state in order to protect those that I endangered because of my crimes.’

‘Very good, little one,’ the voice purred. ‘Do you remember Anya, 4319?’

‘I...’ the new Seer stumbled for a moment before she corrected herself, ‘She was convicted of treason against the state. For several years, she was helping with violent raids that hurt a great many people. It was felt that she was dangerous. In order to keep her from repeating her actions, she was changed. I have replaced her, but I’m still responsible for repairing what she did to Praetoria.’

The person in her mind seemed to smile as her mind readily accepted the fact that her old identity and sense of self had just been destroyed. Her former fears and terror melted as Anya passed into a shameful memory. The woman now fitted with cybernetics to help her control her behavior now floated within a peaceful acceptance of what she was becoming. After a moment, the voice in her head echoed, ‘Now, you are becoming a good girl. Once we’ve removed all those nasty, evil tendencies you’ll be ready to be linked with your sisters. There will be no more being alone, I promise’

In the lab within the Mother of Mercy Hospital, the person that had been fitted with cybernetics and control devices had become a new creature. What had entered as the rebellious teenage Resistance fighter was slowly molded into the remorseful Seer 4319...

It was said that the sun never set on Praetoria. Banners constantly heralded the shining example the city served against the chaos that existed outside of the barrier that protected the good citizens. In Imperial City, the sun indeed shown golden against the gilded glass of the various buildings that dotted the skyline. People had begun to go about their daily business that morning as several members of the PPD arrived at a corner selected for the day’s promotional blitz. Tables were set up as members of different agencies were locating their area in order to be able to discuss their roles with curious citizens.

Near one of the tables, several figures had been lined up to stand quietly in a row. Several of those assembled consisted of women that had become new Seers for Praetoria. A few others dressed in respectable attire smiled as people passed nearby. Staff from Mother of Mercy Hospital and the BAF were on hand as well to discuss their role in helping to keep Praetoria safe.

Those that had been assembled were those that had been patients of both facilities. Each of them had either been minted into a Seer or rehabilitated via the mental therapy both provided. Citizens were introduced to the former criminals and allowed to speak with those that had been shown the error of their ways. Stories that each told extolled the virtues of their second chance to live a more productive life within the state that they had taken for granted.

Among the quiet Seers, however, one of the units had drawn particular interest given her past. A young woman dressed in conservative business attire studied one of them. Her interest drew the attention of one of the Hospital staff, “Good morning. Is there anything I can help you with?”

The woman continued to eye the Seer that quietly levitated before her. She tilted her head slightly as she finally answered, “This woman... I know her. She...”

The staff member gently patted the citizen’s arm soothingly, “At one time, she used to be a horrible person that worked with the Resistance. It was required of her that she become an agent of the state to protect it. She can’t hurt anyone now.”

“Can she... does she even remember what she did,” the woman asked bitterly.

With a nod, the staffer looked to the Seer that held their attention, “Seer 4319, explain to the citizen what you are and what are now to do.”

After the command was processed, the Seer directed her attention to the concerned citizen, “I am a convicted traitor to the state of Praetoria. I have been placed under state control and reconfigured in order to now protect the people that I once harmed. Part of my role is to serve as a warning to those of the Resistance that would use their powers or intelligence to abuse the protection that our city offers them.”

The citizen hugged herself as she heard the Seer’s reply. For a moment, she seemed on the verge of tears of relief given she had just seen the face of a person that had haunted her nightmares for the last few months. She studied the cybernetics that glowed showing they were online and regulating the unit’s links into the network. As trembled, the technician smiled and put a comforting arm around the woman, “She can’t hurt you anymore, ma’am. The Praetor and staff have made sure of that. Part of the state’s order is that women like her are to be part of our promo events in order to show we are doing something about the dangers. You’ll be seeing more Resistance traitors that have psychic abilities brought into the network and placed in public areas like this. We want the others to see what is going to happen to them when we find them.”

“I know it’s petty to ask,” the citizen sniffled and wiped her eyes, “but, do they even pay for their actions? I mean, she seems rather content to be a Seer now.”

“I understand,” the tech replied as she guided the woman away. “And, to answer your question, those that are sentenced to become Seers receive special attention. They are made to fully understand why they become what they are and become very dedicated to helping us now.”

The words echoed from somewhere across a void. People came and went as Seer 4319 remained passively on display for those familiar with her past. She was made to repeat many times what she had become and why she had been changed. As promised, the Hospital had found a place for her. 4319 was now part of a program to place psychics that had been convicted of treason at public areas in order to serve as a warning. Her former victims were encouraged to take comfort in the fact that justice had been served. Former friends from the Resistance would react with either disgust or fear at the fate she had endured. Outwardly, she accepted her role with a docile resignation as she simple served her duty.

However, within the wasteland that had been left of her mind, a small thread of self pulsed at each time she was required to repeat the words. There was no name for that thread of sentience that trembled. It simply floated disconnected to any part of its body. While it was aware that it was the traitor that was discussed, it had no ability to use the body that had once carried its voice.

Old friends and family that had no knowledge of her criminal past reacted with horror and disgust. Her sins were laid out for all to see. As it was explained time and time again, the thread tried to take over its body in order to plead for forgiveness. She watched those who had trusted her shudder as if her past evil may somehow infect them. As the day wore on, she was even faced with her parents that had come to see for themselves that another of their children had gone rogue and require the Seer program in order to be controlled. The surviving traces of the Seer’s personality wept in shame as she was forced to repeat her crimes yet again.

Even with the psychic surgeries that had destroyed and removed most of her mind, she had been left with just enough to understand on some level what she had become. At one time, she would have sworn revenge on the Praetor and her people for savaging her mind and her torment. But, despite the destruction wrought on her brain, she had come to understand that her approach to defying the darkness of Praetoria had endangered those the Resistance had claimed they wished to save.

As people she knew came and go, she began to fully appreciate her sentence. While her body and voice were now controlled by the Network, the small shard within her mind could only quietly suffer from the shame that had been left to her. When the Praetor had finally finished shattering her mind, she had told the Seer that a part of her would always pay for her actions. Given the gift of a shocking clarity and sanity, that part of her now understood what it had done and that there would never be a way to redeem itself.

After proving to be a success in her new role, Seer 4319 was often assigned outside of various PPD offices and recruitment centers. There was always information provided nearby that gave the details of her past as Anya Steele. As the good Seer, she was required to answer that she had been convicted as a traitor and felt her new role was a proper reaction. She held no use as a Scanner, so the Network had indeed found a place for her as a promotional display. Within her mind, that fragment of self continued to suffer without any avenue to express it’s remorse or promises it had changed.

As she remained near the doors of a local PPD office, she heard someone stepping outside and pause near her post. After a moment, the person stepped closer and spoke softly, “I know there’s something left inside of that wreckage you call a brain, Anya.”

Despite her conditioning and the control devices, the Seer reacted as if struck. She jerked slightly and turned to face the newcomer. After a moment, she recognized the voice of her brother that had turned her in. Deep within, the echo of her past whispered his name. Oddly, the weak voice broke through her Seer persona, “Romulus...”

Her brother nodded to her as he folded his arms across his chest, “Yes. I asked the Praetor to leave something in there that would hurt, Anya. One of my team members was nearly killed by the crap you pulled. Her body no longer will respond to her brain for some reason. No matter what the Hospital did, she’s trapped in her mind and unable to even control her blinking. I asked them if they could make it to where you knew what that felt like some how.”

Seer 4319 trembled as she took in the information her brother gave her. In a sense, she knew exactly how that felt right now. She wanted to beg his forgiveness, try to make it right some how. Given she had managed to utter his name, she attempted to get her voice to respond to that last piece of herself. But, nothing came from her mouth. Despite her attempts, she simply regarded her brother with a Seer’s usual calm.

Romulus stepped closer as he whispered near her ear, “I hope it hurts, Anya. I hope everyday it hurts like hell so you know what she feels like. You betrayed everyone. You didn’t even care when they hauled you away. If you had just had one ounce of remorse, I would have stepped in. The offered to just let you go through BAF because of me. But, I couldn’t do it. It wouldn’t have been fair to her. They told me you feel bad about it now, but I know it’s only because you got punished for it. We all know it. Now mom and dad have to go about their lives looking at their daughter wrapped in all sorts of machines and wonder what they did wrong. They blame themselves for what happened to you.”

She shivered once more as Romulus’ words slashed into her again. Mental tears flowed within with no escape within the real world. To her surprise, her reply actually slipped through her lips once more. Her words were little more than a weak whisper, “It does, Romulus. I wish I could make it right.”

Her brother eyed her quietly for a moment. It appeared that the Praetor had allowed her some ability to respond to him on some level. He simply nodded at her answer, “As far as I’m concerned, you died, Anya. I’m not sure if the Praetor wanted you to be able to talk to me, but you will never again address me as if you know me. As far as I’m concerned, you’re some mental echo in just another Seer.”

As he turned to leave, the Seer suddenly felt a familiar cutting pain slash through her mind. Whatever thin tendril the fragment in her mind had found to speak was suddenly cut away. Her implants kept her from vocalizing the scream that ran through her as the pain slowly faded away. Just as she regained herself, she realized that Romulus had paused to add something, “I spoke with the Network about your scheduled appearances, 4319. You are going to be set up outside various locations that you were involved in during your crimes. You’ll also do some time outside the hospital my partner is at. The Praetor felt that it would help those recovering from those events. I swear I’m going to make this hard on you, Seer. But, don’t worry, you’ll get your wish. I’m going to help you make it right.”