In The Raw

Bethany Harlowe, Research Administrator at Better Living Industries

[bethanyharlowe]

I do so look forward to the start of the vital organ growth project. Not our most lofty goal, perhaps, but I find it exciting on a more personal level.

[xmandyvalentinex-blog]

Why do some things go out of style? I don’t always want to get new things when I like what I already have. :-(

[bethanyharlowe]

Stagnation leads to decay, and your purchases help drive the economy. If you don’t improve your personal style, how do you expect anyone to believe that you’re improving yourself?

[bethanyharlowe]

il--dottore He seems afraid to inspect his surroundings too closely. Or, afraid to take his attention off me, perhaps. As opposed to when he first arrived, when I could scarcely get him to concentrate his attention on me for looking to every noise and shift in his peripheral. His focus is improving, or at least the order of his priorities is.

I wish my own patients were half so cooperative. Unfortunately, the time frame and sheer number of them usually means we can’t invest much energy in terms of training. It’s quicker, in most cases, to simply sedate them in one form or another, unless it happens to be a trial with genuine volunteers. 

[bethanyharlowe]

dexteramortem Thank you very much, Miss, ehm…?

Harlowe, Bethany. It was good speaking to you; I’m sure our work will overlap in the future.

[bethanyharlowe]

dexteramortem Have you? I mustn’t have made the wrong choice contacting you, then.

…I’m running some tests based on a mutation theory. I’ve found that cells which contracted radiation poisoning more recently react differently to treatment than m… cells with an earlier strain,

Anyhow, those records will be of great use to me. I can hope.

A worthwhile study indeed. All right, I’ll go ahead and authorize the transfer. You should see the documents sometime tomorrow afternoon.

[bethanyharlowe]

il--dottore It was something of a mess of trial and error at first, but the contact lenses provided a crucial turning point. In the right direction. And actually he’s quite responsive to auditory cues, rather than visual ones, but the lenses function well in tandem with that, too.

I virtually never use methods that encourage autonomous strategic thought, but there are exceptions for everything.

Ahhhm… end goal. Well… a perfect draculoid, by my own standards, I suppose.

Interesting... I suppose that makes sense, though. If he has a tendency towards auditory cues, it can only help to deprive him of visual ones. If he’s been wearing the lenses long-term, have you noticed any changes in how he uses his eyes? Does he still attempt to look around himself?

[bethanyharlowe]

il--dottore [suppressed laughter]

Ahah… forgive me, I was joking. Or… skirting the subject. What is it exactly you’d like to know about the case?

Goodness, but you gave me a fright! I was going to have to reconsider our relationship if I found out you were in the habit of using department supplies on dogs. [audibly smiling] 

So it’s a training experiment, then? Is the visual deprivation the primary method, or just one part? What’s your end goal?

[bethanyharlowe]

il--dottore I’m training a dog. It’s more of a hobby, not strictly work related. I’m receiving quite a lot of criticism, because it’s not a pedigreed dog, but interestingly enough, mutts tend to be more well rounded.

.....you’re using the contacts on a dog?

[bethanyharlowe]

il--dottore It can be done easily enough while he’s sleeping, or under the guise of post-op treatment. I’m not sure how much maintenance is truly necessary, but I’m particular, you know, about ah… these kinds of things. Every little thing is crucial. A lens slipping momentarily out of place is crucial.

Understandable. I generally have more free rein in my own work, but of course you need to be restrained when your subject isn’t replaceable.

Are you free to go into any details, by chance? I have to say, the hints you’ve dropped are intriguing.

[bethanyharlowe]

il--dottore Hello again, Bethany. They’re functioning perfectly thus far, exactly what I had in mind. I’m glad to know there are at least a few individuals I can count on in the Company.

Oh, fantastic. How are the subject’s eyes? Have you needed to refresh the contacts at any point?

[bethanyharlowe]

This is why I despise inter-departmental meetings.

[bethanyharlowe]

dexteramortem   Only the years I’ve specified, thank you. I’ve got more than enough current data to work with, but early tests are more difficult to come by. One man’s failure is another man’s chemical sequence filler.

Mm, quite so. All right, that should be simple enough. There is, however, the matter of approving the record transfers - I’ve heard good things about your work, and if you can give me a brief rundown of your current project, I may be able to bypass part of the process.

[bethanyharlowe]

dexteramortem My apologies, let me clear anything up that I can.

It’s de los Rios, in full, to begin with.

Lovely name. Well, Mr. de los Rios, first off I wanted to confirm - were you looking for the patient files from 2019-2021 exclusively, or all those up to the present day?

[bethanyharlowe]

Mr.... Rios? De los Rios? My apologies, I’m unsure what title you prefer. I’ve received a rather unclear memo from one of the facilities I oversee, regarding a data request you put in two days ago.

[bethanyharlowe]

Giovanni? It’s Bethany. No need to rush to the phone if you’re occupied, but if you’ve a moment free, I’d love to hear how those contacts are treating you. They should have been sent over some time ago.

[bethanyharlowe]

il--dottore Nothing out of the ordinary… well, with the exception of–I trust you won’t repeat this, but I’ve been working with a very promising candidate for my personal unit, and it’s been somewhat off the books lately. I have thought on visual manipulation before, of course, but truthfully I believe it would make all the difference in this case. Even… say, some sort of lens, a light reactive lens. Though the science of it is quite beyond me. I couldn’t say what is and isn’t a bullshit proposition.

Light reactive... contacts, you mean? A fascinating idea. And it seems fairly straightforward, to my thinking... there would be challenges in terms of permeability and which type of light it reacts to, but - hm. How would that solve the issue of removing them, though? Contacts would be more difficult than a bag, yes, but far from impossible.

[bethanyharlowe]

il--dottore Of course I can believe it. The only means of getting anything done around here is through force and intimidation. Unfortunately, it’s earned my subordinates and I a nasty reputation in the board room. [distracted smile] Professional integrity shouldn’t come at such a cost, but there’s nothing to be done about it immediately, I suppose.

I like the sound of that… ah, forgive me if it sounds strange, but… when the technology has reached some stability, I’d be very interested in donating a few subjects to test levels of permanence. A temporary dose would be ideal for the interrogation rooms, but think of the benefits of a permanent implant for, say… an unstable reform, or a draculoid with low performance or insubordinate qualities.

I’d be more than happy to take on anyone you send over. If I might ask, what are you currently working with?  Direct visual control might not be on the week’s calendar, but I may be able to offer some suggestions in the meantime.