Chapter 11.1 — Rowhammer Lashes Virtulette x BSED
Maya sat in her dimly lit apartment, the soft glow of her computer screen casting eerie shadows across the room. She reached for the small silver case, which was on her desk. Her fingers were trembling with anticipation.
Inside lay her salvation; an escape. Escape from the chaos of reality. Inside of the silver case were Virtulettes. They were lined up perfectly.
With practised precision, Maya lit the virtulette with a push of a button. She inhaled deeply, feeling the tendrils of smoke fill her lungs. Almost instantly, she felt the familiar rush of clarity and focus.
The world around her seemed to sharpen, each detail crystal clear and vivid. As Maya continued to puff on the virtulette, she delved deeper into her work.
A curious feeling was — she became SOMEONE ELSE. She ‘saw’ herself as someone else. It wasn’t like looking into a actual mirror, but a persistent mental image that it must be, if someone saw her, she looked like this:
Her mind was racing with novel insights, that seemed to make perfect sense. This was still her brain, her own neurons, but they were working without disruptions. The emotion was one of satisfaction, egoless gratitude combined with salient, energizing, seemingly ever-lasting climb of stairs to achieve more, and more. And more. It all maked sense. Things were clarified one by one. She was certain the path was leading to whereabouts of Dr Gumfit. She needed a bit more evidence. And another puff.
She paused to think. What is the #1 number one thing necessary to know, right now?
There was one above everything else:
The Laboratory.
- Laboratory’s location. The laboratory has to exist SOMEWHERE. And that’s the place where Gumfit will be, that she was just absolutely SURE ABOUT.
- How big is the lab?
- What does he need to be efficient? Can I determine the approximate close-by facilities absolutely needed by Gumfit’s lab?
As Maya continued to puff on the virtulette, she felt another rush. Our brains are distinctive only to contrasts.
BSED. Strange word, fascinating. She read more. It seemed to be some kind of medical ailment.
“Virtulettes are smokes that enhance concentration and the ability to wholistically understand large and complex situations.” Maya is especially keen on these devices. She actually is addicted and believes they are necessary for her to understand what is going on. The downsides are severe; and this is something that Maya doesn’t know. The virtulettes, by extending the rational side of the brain, make a syndrome called blinkless stymied emotion disorder.
BLINKLESS STYMIED EMOTION DISORDER
BSED is manifested by a glaring, glass-like hollow stare in people who have the syndrome.
“A person, when having an acute BSED onset, seems to be out of this world. The effects are not only instantaneous, but actually lasting.”
She asked the Terminal for more information. What happens? What are the effects?
People who have used virtulettes extensively end up often committing… she couldn’t continue reading. It was really late. Better get some sleep, Maya thought. She left the terminal, and closed her eyes. “It’s gonna be all right. I know it.” She stretched in a V shape, pushed the tips of her fingers as far out as she ever could. It felt magnificent and relaxing. She felt drowsy and the bed was absolutely the best place in the world. She plowed into it.
The last memory that would be available to her, tomorrow — of this evening, was about a tiny hair-like sensation, prickling on the grooves on the soles of her feet. She felt itching. It made her her snicker and cuddle the pillow tight. Her cheek was unordinarily hot. Sweat dripped slowly down from her shoulders, the liquid drops making a whirlwind trip down along the curve of her back, finally getting absorbed into her lace underwear.
The movement stopped; Maya fell asleep instantly…
