Transmissions - Strange Short Stories

FLUID MASK™

For simplicity, FLUID MASK™ can be considered both information containment system and signal scrambler. The use of FLUID MASK™ can be employed in both sentient and non sentient entities, however, for the purpose of this high level description, we will be outlining the application of FLUID MASK™ as it relates to human, or semi-human subjects.

Certain fantastical ideas, sensitive or private information, or the latent desires of an individual, have always been a target for procurement by certain bodies who seek to gain a leverage from the information, be it economic, political or personal.

FLUID MASK™ offers complete defence against the most sophisticated methods of extraction that have become increasingly prevalent. It renders the user completely invisible to any form of remote mind probe, even those that operate on the sub conscious or dream zones of the brain.

First, the subject is interviewed at length. The nature of the questions must be completely impersonal and designed to elicit answers that pair low level abstract thinking with common sense. A good example would be: What colour is a black cat's reflection in a moonlit lake if the cat sighs twice per minute?

The answers that the subject gives are recorded. This recording is broadcast via a speaker system submerged in a tank containing a liquid solution. The first stage is now complete. The solution has been imparted with the nondescript essence of the individual. This will encourage a bonding with the host and minimise the chance of rejection.

The second stage of the process is undertaken over the course of several hours. 7.4 hours has been calculated to be the ideal time, although experiments have shown this stage to be successful in as little as 5.1 hours. This is dependent on the level of self awareness the subject displays. Interestingly, preparation time is increased in the case of subjects with lower than average self awareness.

It is during the course of this second stage that we employ the use of identity scramblers. This involves the introduction of printed factual information to the liquid solution. This may take the form of essays, news reports, old weather forecasts or historical records. The purpose of this process is to create an impenetrable barrier of purely descriptive text, devoid of any individualistic traits. A certain level of confusion is also desirable. Haynes automobile maintenance manuals and flat pack furniture assembly instructions have been deemed particularly effective in this sense. The printed material reacts with the solution and is slowly dissolved. This process is repeated three times. The second stage is now complete.

The final stage is somewhat ritualistic in nature. First, the subject is bathed and then wrapped in a foil covering. They are then ushered, under soft lighting, to the Chamber of Baptism. Here they are required to give a reading from the Book of Inconsequential Incidents. This is to aid the suppression of any imaginative wanderings the subject may be susceptible to, whilst also maintaining the purity of the chamber. Following the reading, the subject is escorted to the tank containing the treated solution and is fully submerged, naked, into the fluid. For several hours they remain, a breathing apparatus their only connection to the outside world. During this time, the high priests of the chamber gather on each side of the tank and chant recent news events.

Once the allotted time has passed, the subject emerges from the tank. A sticky, viscous liquid covers them from head to toe. When fully dry, this liquid forms an invisible membrane that fuses perfectly with the skin. The host is now impervious to all forms of mental hijacking, be it psychic, technological or otherwise.

Thus concludes the practical application of FLUID MASK™.

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