Testing the Mind Seeking Gear
Trevor stood waist-deep in the pod as it sealed shut around him, the water humming softly with a low, mechanical rhythm. Overhead, the experimental mind seeking gear honed in on his position and desires to take over. He didn’t realize this wasn’t the normal training session. His pulse quickened and his mind raced.
The Occlipsers moved first.
They descended swiftly affixing themselves tightly against his head, and locked into place around his eyes with a precise, airtight fit. Trevor inhaled sharply, hands lifting in an attempt to remove the invading giant goggles as a burst of color filled his vision. The world narrowed, sharpened. Depth, motion, timing—everything seemed suddenly clearer and louder at the same time. He could not comprehend the commands being thrusted into his mind. He was disoriented, caught by the hypnotic spiral, water sloshing as he shifted in the pod.
Then the cap followed.
The black silicone surface stretched open and slammed onto his head, seamless and cool, the HeX emblem at the front glowing intensely as it aligned. Trevor let out a a tense grunt as the pressure from the cap grew. He couldn’t think and soon his movement became foreign. Soon the numbing bliss took hold. The initial rush faded, replaced by something steadier. His hands dropped back to the water. His shoulders relaxed.
The noise of the pod receded.
With the gear fully in place, Trevor felt… centered. His thoughts stopped racing and began lining up, one after another, clean and deliberate. His breathing evened out. Muscles that had been tight moments before felt primed instead—ready, responsive, efficient. The water against his skin felt lighter, easier to move through, as if his body now understood exactly how it was meant to work within it.
He rolled his shoulders once, experimentally, then again with confidence.
Trevor wasn’t overwhelmed anymore. He was focused.
The surprise had passed. In its place was a calm, disciplined awareness—a sense that his strength, timing, and control were no longer competing for attention but working together. The pod lights dimmed slightly, reflecting off the HeX on his cap as he lifted his chin.
Trevor was strengthened, his mind now one with the SYNC collective. He was now a Unit, a Drone and the bliss overwhelmed him so that he could not defy it.
The gear took hold of its new host. The reprogramming protocol was activated. His body shifted turning toward unflinching effort into precision, motion into purpose, and a mind to servicing the SYNC Hive. When the pod finally disengaged, Trevor felt more athletic, more present, and more prepared than he ever had before.
Trevor was now SYNC and more shall follow.
