The Synthetic Effect
There was a metallic click as the door slammed shut.
Hux walked into the room, soft heels still clicking loudly on the solid metallic floor of one of Starkiller Baseâs holding cells. He eyed the new arrival, one slender red brow rising upwards. He smirked a bit at the sight of Rey, currently unconscious after the procedure that had entangled her memories and reality.Â
He moved closer, watching her breathe, steadily, in and out as she slowly began to return to consciousness. Each moment trailed on, until he could see her eyes, widening in surprise, unsure of what to think as synthetic thoughts and memories filtered into her mind, straining her ability to withstand the brain treatment.Â
âWelcome back.â He answered, watching her eyes find him in the near dark of the room. âHow do you feel?â
Reyâs instincts warned her that sheâd been caught again, that this was the camp of the enemy and she needed to do whatever she could to escape and get back toâ
Back toâŠ
Well, this was her home, wasnât it? She lived wherever the First Order did, and therefore had no reason to leave. Her brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of the conflicting information her brain was tossing around.
Her eyes rose to meet Huxâs as he spoke, her instincts yet again screaming âenemyâ while her mind sorted through her knowledge of him in a much more logical manner. Name and occupation: General Hux, Reyâs personal handler and overseer of military operations for the First Order. It was a relief to see him now in her momentary distress; after all she thought theyâd done together, he was the only one with the capacity to calm her down.
How did she feel? Scrambled, like there was constant radio static sounding in her mind. âTired,â she muttered as she looked around. âMy head hurts. What happened?â
âYou encountered a bug in your programming.â He answered as he advanced towards her. moving to study her reactions, taking mental notes. âI was concerned that it would ruin your progress, so I had the doctors run some tests. I am happy to see you seem to be better for the most part.â
He smiled at her though the smile did not meet his eyes. It was a calculated smile, one that had already been well thought out.
In her programming? She didnât have programming. She wasnât a droid. His answer only caused her more confusion. Her head should have been aching from the stimulus but she felt no pain. She didnât feel much of anything, in fact. It seemed as if her mind had been hollowed out, like she was missing something crucial.
Rey nodded, not sure what else to do but trust what her handler was telling her. He was one of the only people she could trust, after all.
âI trust it has been fixed, then? And I can go back to training?â
âYou can go back, when I believe you are ready. I think some rest might be a good idea. Though you have been in an unconscious state throughout the process, I wouldnât classify it as restful.â Hux commented, still watching her, trying to make certain it was safe to release her yet. There was always a chance, with her being a Force user, that she might reject the programming.Â
But he wasnât about to place himself in danger for no reason.














