An ethereal proclamation of "A. Jhay please" being whispered into my ear tore me out of an article about electromagnetic pollution, and I placed the magazine back on the pile as I left the room, which had emptied significantly since I'd entered.

Outside the room, I realized that I didn't exactly know where to go and looked around until another one of the beings in full hazmat suit came up to me, silently had an 'ah-ha' moment and made a slightly complex gesture toward a patch of the black strip adorning every wall. What I initially assumed to be a decorative feature lit up, and a dotted green line lead deeper into the ward. I nodded at the being in thanks and followed the line.

After passing numerous doors, corridors and people testing out all sorts of shiny cybernetic limbs, some of whom shot me encouraging looks, the line finally terminated before a white door without handles. There was a nub above the door which bathed me in green light for a moment and the door slid open. I took a hesitant step inside.

The entire far wall was a large window, giving a breathtaking view of the city. The right-hand wall was filled with dark, switched-off monitors, while the left-hand wall held what looked like a metal vault door, alongside a table with a bunch of tools hung above it. Bent over one of the workbenches stood a being almost identical to the one we’d met in the lobby, except the emblem on this one's suit was black instead of red.

It turned toward me and clapped both pairs of hands together enthusiastically, then held up a hand, pointed another at the workbench it had been working at, shook its head, and pointed a third toward the chair at the center of the room, which was slowly morphing into a form reminiscent of the chairs I was used to.

I sat down once it stabilized, settling in for a longer wait.

The being remained quite aloof during the procedure, only doing some small, but understandable gestures in my direction. I suspected that either the being couldn't talk, or that its physiology was too different to make audible sound.

In any case, the replacement itself was relatively painless, the only moment of discomfort being the melding of metal and flesh to such a degree I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began (It really looked quite strange on the larger monitor), and the connecting of my biological nerves to the cybernetic ones.

I barely had time to get my bearings before I was led out of the room, had a pamphlet pressed into my hands and the door closed behind me. All in all, the whole thing went alright, even though it took a long-ass time to actually design the arm, most likely because they had to do it from the ground up. I looked down at the flyer in my (biological, the cyber-arm was still acclimating and those metal fingers were rather tingly) hand, and began to read.

Cybernetic Appendages for dummies! Molded for you, our valued customer, from the cheapest materials around!

So you finally took that leap, got that eye fixed, your hand replaced or your bones strengthened? Power to you, friend, power to you. With ZynCorp cybernetics, you shall not miss the original part - boasting an assortment of exotic materials, mechanisms and energies, our Modular Basic Cybernetic System (MBCS) is guaranteed to tailor to your biological distinctiveness!

Specs for [Basic Symmetrical Appendage Replacement, Five Digits, Endoskeletal Structure, Left Side]:

- Titanium-Xeron alloy-based "bone" structure system [Endo]

- X-045 Self-replicating Repair-Nanite factory [Marrow] [§2960-8 ALB compliant]

- HC-supraconductor wiring [Signal]

- Haptic Sensor Kit [Basic, Hand]

- MMH-2 motor system [Automatic tuning to other arm through LD]

- Aluminium-LMC-Carbon alloy covering [Exo]

We at ZynCorp hope you have a safe and productive time with your new appendage.

To see more query the Network under "ZynCorp basic manual".

...

"Honestly more objective than I'd thought," I muttered to myself while reading. The second page was a small, moving diagram of several exercises I should be doing to familiarize myself with my new arm, and I recognized a few of the ones I'd seen people do while walking toward the workshop earlier.

I tried out one that looked like the equivalent of flexing your bicep repeadedly, and was slightly entranced by how smoothly the metal mirrored how my actual skin looked. The entire covering was a myriad of tiny little plates that moved and "bent" like real skin would, shifting over and under eachother as required. It might be a problem if I was ever planning on having some sort of fixed design on it, but it looked 'extremely cool' in my objective opinion.

The third page of the pamphlet was a series of very interesting suggestions for modifications, all buyable from either this... ZynCorp or independent merchants. There were general improvements, like a more refined set of repair nanites or a lacing that would go over the "bones" and make them virtually unbreakable, but they were expensive. One of the later ones (a palm tazer activated through thought) had a number in excess of a million SYC, the semi-official currency of the Nexus and a few connected worlds.

The last page was, then, an instruction manual for what I could only describe as "advanced users". It detailed what Libraries you should download and use to be able to modify the arm's software to your heart's content, or to build interfaces into its programming to install custom augments to the mechanism. It looked interesting, so I took a quick shot with my LD (another amazing trick courtesy of Ska'an, the ability to take pictures of the area you're seeing with a mere thought. The resulting image was slightly strange and quickly blurred around the edges, the human eye being what it is, but it was very useful for things like this) and stowed it away, having reached the elevator.

Pressing the button labeled "Psych. Ward.", I took the opportunity to Appraise my new extremity.

Name:

[ZynCorp BSAR-5D-EnS-L]

Rarity:

[Common-Common]

Type:

[Cybernetic Arm, ...]

Owner:

[Amelia Grayheart]

Description:

[This is a cybernetic replacement for a left arm, specifically built for humans and your body shape. It perfectly mirrors your right arm on the y-axis, and has been tuned to output the same strength potential at all times. It has a core of titanium alloy as well as repair nanites which give it an effectively infinite time of usage. This type of cybernetic is able to be widely modified without loss of warranty.]

Condition:

[Excellent]

Estim. Value:

[1500-3000 SYC]

The floor aptly named "Psychological Ward" was very comfy. Wooden walls, a soft, carpeted floor, warm colors and large, but narrow, windows.

After conferring with the local attendee, I quickly proceeded to the mental evaulation. It was conducted by a very thin and spindly being without a trace of hair - or skin - anywhere to be seen, instead sporting vibrant green scales, reflective yellow eyes and very sharp teeth. He (And he was a he, as identified by his badge) spoke in a sibilant tone of voice, stereotypically drawing out his "s". To my great chagrin he didn't have a snake-like tongue darting out of his mouth to taste the air, though.

"We ssshall proceed to the mental evaluasssion now, Misss Jhay. If you would follow me, pleassse." He said, opening a beautifully carved wooden door.

What followed was... an experience.

"I have taken a preliminary ssscan, Misss, and it doesss not look very good. There iss definite ssscarring along your Axisss of Dreamsss, that'sss thisss part here," A scaly finger tapped the side of a hologram of my brain floating above his desk, "asss well asss ssseveral sssmaller isssues not readily apparent. It isss quite the unusual set of damages to a mind, and I am not sssure if we can work on it with the toolsss we have available to usss here, it isss sssimply too deep-ssseated. However, there isss an experimental new form of treatment, which would allow a specialissst to enter their patientsss mind directly and asssesss any damagess. It wasss only recently cleared for sssapient tesssting, and hasss therefore not been ironed out to its fullesst extent. We can work with what we have here, remove the ssscar tisssue and provide a treatment plan for the deeper isssuess, but it would only be a ssstopgap, not a sssolution."

And with that bomb of a diagnosis, he leaned backward in his chair, looking at me over crossed fingers.

Ding!

I startled so hard at the sound of my LD I almost fell out of the chair.

Relevant information available.

Jesus H. Christ, you startled me! What is this "information"?

Based on previous scans, it has been determined that the set of damages to your mind could prove fatal to your mental health. Traditional treatment for your array of issues is rare and expensive. Relevant records of the Lilun Method pulled from the Network Archives.

I mentally thumbed through two files, one a more detailed description of what the snake-like doctor had spoken about, the other a record of voluntary tests involving the method. The overall success rate was just over 70%, with most of the subjects walking away healthier than before.

I contemplated. The mind was my sanctum, and yet it had repeatedly been invaded - first the Rapture, where I could feel the very edges of my mind fraying away, then Ref, then the crystal snake trying to order me around, then the cloud of darkness, which had inspired an almost unnatural terror within me. Not to forget the strain of holding up the elven shield, or my disillusionment.

Not to mention the whole "false identity thing", but maybe I could hide that?

I decided.

"Let's do it."

A brief time later, we'd switched to another chamber, this one slightly more populated. The style had been maintained, but now there was a set of people all around, bustling slightly. The snake-doctor (Hassem he said his name was, but I didn't think I could pronounce the "s" in the middle like he did) was sitting opposite me in a straight-backed chair at the center of the room. He looked around at the small group and ordered "Alright, team, move it! Ssstandard configuration, sssecure restraintsss and don't allow usss to break eye contact!"

Then he turned to me and spoke in a softer voice.

"All you need to do is look into my eyesss, it works bessst if you unfocus enough ssso the unjoined image of both my eyesss merges into a sssingle one, like ssso." He stared at me, and all of the sudden, his gaze felt much more intense than before. I realized he'd unfocused his eyes, but not his mental focus, and now his left eye was looking into my right, and his right into my left. It was slightly unnerving.

I tried to mirror him, and it took some prodding - luckily I knew what he meant, and could actually do what he asked, and before long, we were looking at eachother. His eyes had an iridescent sheen to them.

"Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll be."

"Alright, then. Begin!"

There was a rumble from above, and a brass ring descended between us, coming to rest in such a way that we had to look through it to continue eye contact.

With an electric crackle, a curtain of blue sprang to life all around us, cutting off the rest of the room.

The ring's interior began to glow a soft yellow, and I saw the doctor's eyes grow impossibly large before I could see no more.

"Wake up, Misss Jhay."

I groaned.

Weird, I could have sworn...

"GAH! What the hell was that?" I jumped off the ground, tumbled through the air and bounced on the ground. The floor was not quite soft, just... elastic.

"Pleassse, calm down. If you feel panic, take a few deep breathsss." said the same voice as before. I looked up, and saw the familiar form of Doctor Hassem stand before me, one hand extended. I grasped it, and he pulled me up.

"Where are we?"

"Inssside your mind, of course. The processs worked perfectly."

"Huh."

For the inside of my head, it was damn foggy. And dark. And suspiciously silent. I said as much.

"It isss indeed uncharacterissstically quiet. The fog, though, I know what it isss... A compulsssion of sssome sssort, but I have not ssseen itsss like before."

He poked at the fog, and it slithered around his hand, trying to find purchase.

"Interesssting, it ssseems to ssstay away from you... I wonder why that isss..."

"I'm sorry, but what? I still don't understand, how could this be my mind? Why does everything feel real, why do I feel temperature inside my own head?"

"Calm yourssself! I shall explain, but I cannot guarantee that you ssshall underssstand." He stopped poking at the bubble of fog, and sat down on his haunches. I did the same.

"Thisss place, thisss space... It isss a represssentation of your mind, your current head-ssstate. Were it not for thisss fog, then you could sssee what it truly isss, just like how the compulsssion's aftereffectsss are currently blocking your mind. Sssurely you have noticed your thinking being ssslower, perhaps you have not given asss much ssscrutiny to thingsss asss you ssshould have?"

I frowned. Not... really? Then again, I had trusted two virtual strangers with my life... and I still lived in Neetu's place despite not... really knowing much about him. I hadn't asked anyone about Magic either...

While I was in thought, the fog seemingly went into a frenzy. What seemed like air currents whipped through it, throwing up spirals and shapes in the mist. Hassem looked around wildly, before grabbing me by the shoulder and shaking me out of the spiral of thought.

"Focusss! You mussst focusss on here and now!" He shouted over the roaring wind. I didn't hear.

Ever since Earth, probably also before, I'd been just sort of... wading through my journey, never questioning, never wondering... I'd trusted two strangers, aliens no less, with my life, but why? What was the source of this... passiveness?

We were at the eye of a storm, the mist around us congealing and freezing into shapes, runic spirals and pictograms faster than the eye could percieve, ripped apart by the gale-force winds and attempting to form anew. A spiral of madness, me at the center, Hassem shouting something a short distance away.

I remembered something... darkness, but also light... points of light in the darkness, mesmerizing me, tearing away my eyes, running for my life... a cloud of shadow destroying something... destroying a city...

The hurricane parted before me as I stood up, my eyes unseeing. I followed the memory, taking no heed of the increasingly frantic activity around us. Hassem noticed me beginning to walk and quickly moved to catch up.

There was something here, something in the dark, the foggy bottom of my mind, where this... thing was spewing from. simply followed the path opening before me and closing behind me, Hassem's long strides falling into step with me. As though knowing I wouldn't take heed of anything he said, he simply walked silently beside me, poking at the narrow path occasionally.

We walked through a valley of darkness between cliffs of storm. There was a light shining ahead, like the light at the end of a tunnel, but also not. The valley opened up into a dome, the shining light coming from a raised pedestal ahead.

On the pedestal, there sat an orb. Inside the orb, there sat an image.

Innumerable points of light, suspended like stars in inky blackness. I recognized the image, and felt a bitter hatred rising within me.

The bitterness quickly turned to heat, and the orb began reflecting a growing green light from somewhere. I wasn't really in a state to care about light sources at that moment.

From the orb, a tendril of pure darkness was connected to the domed ceiling, the storm raging outside with renewed ferocity.

I felt the hatred turn into anger. Burning, all-consuming Anger. How dare this... memory attempt to defile my mind?

I reached out and plucked the orb from its pedestal, and brought it close to my face. The green on its surface intensified.

And then, I threw it to the floor.

It shattered, and the storm screamed a long, undulating cry of pain, suffering. I heard no remorse.

And then, it was silent.

"I have to sssay, that wasss posssibly the mossst dramatic removal of a compulsssion I have witnesssed yet."

I looked up from the shattered memory on the floor, black ooze joining innumerable shards of crystal.

"Look around you, you have jussst sssucceeded in removing a taint within your own mind."

"I did, didn't I?"

"Indeed. With the sssource of the compulsssion destroyed, your natural defenssses should be able to overwhelm its last vessstiges. However, there isss ssstill sssomething here. An unknown type of Geasss, that isss, a control enchantment. Itsss ssstrength wasss... insssane, no pun intended, but it wasss... damaged, in a manner of ssspeaking."

I shivered at that. "Where can we find it, and how do I destroy it?"

"I'd sssay we follow the chanting."

Hassem apparently had better ears than me (although I'm not sure how that made sense - weren't we inside my head?), because I could only begin to hear the chanting he'd mentioned a few minutes after we began walking.

My mind apparently was a featureless plain, at least until I began to see the occasional rock, then patches of dirt and grass, then small trees, and eventually the trees and plants became more and more, with a transition so smooth I didn't even notice we were suddenly walking through a young forest instead of a featureless black plain.

"Your mind isss regenerating itssself. Give it time, and I sussspect it will become quite lively once more." Said Hassem when I asked him about the sudden flora.

The chanting grew ever louder, but the words were garbled.

/T &§S M&§T%D. IT W/§% SU&§)&§($.

There was something in the distance, a light peeking between the trees, slowly rising upwards. The sun?

The chanting grew louder still, and we broke through a section of the underbrush.

Before us, in a clearing, was a mountain of glass.

No wait, ice... it was radiating cold.

As I got closer, the chanting was almost deafening, and a single piece of the mountain rolled upwards, crested the hill, and disappeared.

"What is this?"

"I do not know. I have never ssseen itsss like. How interesssting."

We began walking around the mountain as more and more ice fragments rolled around or over its peak, the mountain's mass quickly lessening. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

The chant slowly became clearer.

"IT W/L% SU&RE&§(R."

Wait a minute, wait a minute wait a minute.

I remember...

"IT W/§L SURRE&§(R."

Oh no, nononononono....

"IT WILL SURRENDER."