Grimfoot
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- Posted: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 18:40:16 +0000
"…majority…process…"
The brain jerked to life at the new stimuli, working to process input it couldn't begin to comprehend. All that registered was that this phenomenon was unknown, and there was no knowledge of how to proceed. The only thing to be done was to wait.
"Ma'am…signs of…appears to be…awake."
There it was again.
Something twitched; with a sudden tugging sensation, the cerebrum registered movement of its own, and suddenly the voices – yes, that was the term – voices, were clearer. Much clearer.
"The subject is responding to auditory stimulation."
"Yes, I see." More sounds were registering now. Soft, rapid taps; inhale, exhale – respiration; a shuffling noise rapidly approaching. Suddenly, very close, there was a sharp rap against a hard surface. The brain recognized a possible threat, and muscles instantly contracted as one, moving it away from the danger. Now the encephalon was aware of its body as a whole: head, the main trunk – torso and abdomen, a part of the mind was quick to supply – arms and legs, hands and feet. Each part, ready for commands.
Somewhere beyond, roughly at the location of the taps, the voice spoke again. "Hello, in there. I know you can hear me. Nod your head if you understand."
Understand? Yes, it found that it could understand. And nodding…a quick jerk of the neck vertically, and the motion was completed. Odd, how it recalled the concept of the thing, and yet the movement was so unfamiliar…
"Good. Very good. Now we'll test your reaction to visual input. Open your eyes."
Eyes. Open your eyes. Eyes were on the upper portion of the head. The brain attempted to manipulate the appropriate parts, and an odd distortion of sounds followed. Ah, those were –
"Eyes, not ears. Try again."
There was a twinge in the lower stomach – embarrassment. On a second attempt, eyelids slid open a fraction, then just as quickly snapped shut again in a grimace of discomfort. The light was much too bright.
The voice again: "That's all right. You'll take a little more time to adjust. We can try again in a few minutes." There was a slight pause, the sound of faint scratching, and then, "Do you know where you are?"
No – but how to convey that? The brain took time to consider this. If a nod was affirmative, then a negative response was indicated by…a shake of the head. Twisting the neck from one direction to the other was the correct action, but an awkward one to execute. The voice seemed satisfied, however.
"Understandable. Can you tell me who you are?"
That question was much more difficult. The cerebrum stalled, switching gears to what it was at first; a simple query. In its entirety, it was just a collection of coordinated muscles and other materials, an organic machine of bones and blood. Who…that was a strange concept. It implied a personal identity, a description of an organism above and beyond the physical parameters. The question of who was a complicated one indeed, and the brain, quite frankly, was baffled by what it might imply.
Who it was as a person…who it was…
Who...
An assistant glanced up at the figure by the tank from behind a myriad of monitors.
"Ma'am, mental operations are diminishing."
The woman merely shrugged, pulling her hand away from the glass.
"That's fine. She'll be awake again soon."
The brain jerked to life at the new stimuli, working to process input it couldn't begin to comprehend. All that registered was that this phenomenon was unknown, and there was no knowledge of how to proceed. The only thing to be done was to wait.
"Ma'am…signs of…appears to be…awake."
There it was again.
Something twitched; with a sudden tugging sensation, the cerebrum registered movement of its own, and suddenly the voices – yes, that was the term – voices, were clearer. Much clearer.
"The subject is responding to auditory stimulation."
"Yes, I see." More sounds were registering now. Soft, rapid taps; inhale, exhale – respiration; a shuffling noise rapidly approaching. Suddenly, very close, there was a sharp rap against a hard surface. The brain recognized a possible threat, and muscles instantly contracted as one, moving it away from the danger. Now the encephalon was aware of its body as a whole: head, the main trunk – torso and abdomen, a part of the mind was quick to supply – arms and legs, hands and feet. Each part, ready for commands.
Somewhere beyond, roughly at the location of the taps, the voice spoke again. "Hello, in there. I know you can hear me. Nod your head if you understand."
Understand? Yes, it found that it could understand. And nodding…a quick jerk of the neck vertically, and the motion was completed. Odd, how it recalled the concept of the thing, and yet the movement was so unfamiliar…
"Good. Very good. Now we'll test your reaction to visual input. Open your eyes."
Eyes. Open your eyes. Eyes were on the upper portion of the head. The brain attempted to manipulate the appropriate parts, and an odd distortion of sounds followed. Ah, those were –
"Eyes, not ears. Try again."
There was a twinge in the lower stomach – embarrassment. On a second attempt, eyelids slid open a fraction, then just as quickly snapped shut again in a grimace of discomfort. The light was much too bright.
The voice again: "That's all right. You'll take a little more time to adjust. We can try again in a few minutes." There was a slight pause, the sound of faint scratching, and then, "Do you know where you are?"
No – but how to convey that? The brain took time to consider this. If a nod was affirmative, then a negative response was indicated by…a shake of the head. Twisting the neck from one direction to the other was the correct action, but an awkward one to execute. The voice seemed satisfied, however.
"Understandable. Can you tell me who you are?"
That question was much more difficult. The cerebrum stalled, switching gears to what it was at first; a simple query. In its entirety, it was just a collection of coordinated muscles and other materials, an organic machine of bones and blood. Who…that was a strange concept. It implied a personal identity, a description of an organism above and beyond the physical parameters. The question of who was a complicated one indeed, and the brain, quite frankly, was baffled by what it might imply.
Who it was as a person…who it was…
Who...
An assistant glanced up at the figure by the tank from behind a myriad of monitors.
"Ma'am, mental operations are diminishing."
The woman merely shrugged, pulling her hand away from the glass.
"That's fine. She'll be awake again soon."