Happy New Year

Can a thought be dangerous? What seems like a simple question at first glance has dominated philosophical discourse since the dawn of civilisation. From the rise of democratic debate in Greece, to Martin Luther committing heresy against the Catholic Church, to angry television pundits decrying protests on American college campuses – the underlying idea has captured human imagination again and again. More often than not, a commitment to the free exchange of ideas receives the favour of the public, and life goes on as normal. But what if there were dangerous thoughts? Thoughts that spread easily and cause harm to those infected by them. Thoughts that were dangerous enough to warrant some kind of intervention and containment. These thoughts actually do exist, and are known as memetic cognitohazards (or occasionally as infohazards). Entities which are capable of spreading memetic cognitohazards in almost supernatural ways that defy rational explanation are referred to as cognitohazard entities.

Luckily, the dangerous nature of memetic cognitohazards has not prevented the analysis and study of such phenomena. The Department of Memetic Cognitohazard Research – or the DoMCR, as it is typically abbreviated – is one of many research centres across the world dealing in the documentation of memetic cognitohazards. The DoMCR is one of the most prestigious cognitohazard research centres, with a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking centres its relevant field. It has produced many reports that are not disseminated amongst the general public for obvious reasons, but are very highly regarded by those with the clearance to be aware of their existence and activities. Of course, being an employee of such an organisation is no easy task. Aside from the high expectations of such a prestigious job, employees actively working with or near memetic cognitohazards undergo mandatory daily mental evaluation sessions at the end of each shift. These are to ensure that the employee’s mental strength has not been compromised by the artefacts and entities they are forced to work with. Even before being officially hired, potential employees must undergo an intensive series of mental testings and cognitive workshops designed to evaluate various traits such as willpower, endurance, and constitution.

One particularly average employee of the DoMCR was a twenty-three year old transwoman named June. Having just barely scraped through the hiring process, June had acquired a few years of experience at the DoMCR. This was somewhat noteworthy, considering that the average duration of employment the DoMCR was just five years, owing to the mentally strenuous nature of the work involved. In this sense, June was technically above average in her relevant work experience. But June’s tenure at the DoMCR seemed to be coming to a close. An overwhelming feeling of burnout had slowly been creeping up on her – not just because of the stress inherent to working at the DoMCR, but also a growing sense of alienation from the dysfunctional society around them, the crushing melancholy of transitioning into independent adulthood, the realisation they lacked any important skills or long-term prospects for future employment, and the daily mundane body horror of gender dysphoria. It would be enough to drive any normal person into existential pessimism, let alone an employee of the DoMCR.

It was this growing sense of lingering existential nihilism that June was trying to drown out on a warm morning in late December as she took her usual commute to work. Headphones on, shoegaze playlist turned all the way up, dissociating from both her thoughts and body. Eventually, the train reached its destination, and June reluctantly dragged her body out of the train seat and out onto the station. From there, the DoMCR was ten minutes of walking distance away, located in a generic unassuming office building. There wasn't even a single sign outside advertising the existence of what lay within.

The DoMCR building was split into two separate facilities. Downstairs was a sprawling network of sterile hallways, storage cells, and scientific laboratories. This was where various cognitohazards were contained and where primary research was conducted. Upstairs was the offices, where administrative decisions where made and reports were written. This was were June primarily worked. Almost every day, she arrived at 8:50AM and went upstairs to her office desk. At 9AM, she would clock in and begin her shift. During this time, she would receive daily tasks through a work group chat, taking an hour break at midday for lunch, before eventually clocking out at 5PM.

For June, this particular morning began according to its usual schedule. At 8:50AM, she arrived at the office. At 8:55AM, she sat down at her office desk and turned on her personal computer. At 9AM, she clocked in and began working. But then something unusual happened. At 9:20AM, she received a private message from her workplace supervisor, requesting a meeting in ten minutes. At 9:30AM, June arrived at her supervisor's office.

"You wanted to see me?" June asked, knocking gently on the side of the open door.

Lydia, June’s supervisor, looked up and smiled warmly. “Please, come in. Take a seat.”

June did as instructed. As she did so, she looked around the office. It wasn’t a room she spent much time in. Lydia’s desk was currently a mess: redacted documents strewn everywhere, an ashtray full of cigarette remains, a half-empty cup of coffee dangerously close to the edge of the table.

“Apologies for asking,” Lydia began, “but are you working on any important projects right now?”

“Mostly just helping edit the harm reduction guidelines for dealing with infohazards in archaeology and geology,” June replied, “but nothing that can’t wait if you have something else for me to work on.”

“As a matter of fact,” Lydia said, reaching across her desk to a pile of folders and picking out one near the top. “I do have something rather important that I would like you to work on. Just over the holiday season. I know you prefer the desk work, but we have a lot of shortages with everyone visiting their families, and I would like you to help pick up the slack.”

“Of course,” June nodded enthusiastically. “I understand.”

“Fantastic,” Lydia remarked, flipping through the file. “Well, here’s the brief: in late November, a new cognitohazard entity was discovered deep inside a previously undiscovered cave system of the Blue Systems. Initial reports are a bit vague and occasionally conflicting, but it was apparently found already sealed in a containment unit of some kind. Covered in a bunch of moss and fungi that suggested it had been there for several years, according to some local flora experts. Was shipped over here upon the request of our outreach team. No name or visual description provided by anyone.”

“So we know nothing about it?” June asked.

“Just that it exists and that it can talk,” Lydia said. “I want you to figure out some more details about it. Some basic descriptions and background information, summarised in a brief report if you can manage that. Just leave the heavier stuff for the more experienced researchers to deal with once the holiday season is over. Do you think you can manage that?”

“That sounds fine to me,” June replied. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Ah, yes, one more thing,” Lydia perked up. “Due to a lack of our usual resources over the holiday season, as well as some recent management restructuring, funding redistribution, and so on, we've made some changes to the mental evaluation programs.”

“Oh?” June leaned forward in her chair, curious.

“Daily mental evaluations at the end of each shift are now voluntary instead of mandatory. There will be a mandatory evaluation at the end of each week, and it is encouraged you wait until then unless you are sure that you need an evaluation. Obviously, we can't stop you from taking your daily mental evaluations, but we'd rather you not waste our resources like that.”

June blinked a few times. “You're... you're not actually serious, are you?”

“It's not really my choice,” Lydia shrugged. “But we ran the numbers, and this is evidently what works best for us going forward.”

“B-but that can't possibly be safe!” June protested. "When we're dealing with cognitohazards all the time, keeping a strong mind is one of the most important things we can do! I didn't push myself through all that hiring process stuff just for-”

“June,” Lydia interjected. “Can I offer you some professional advice?”

Taken aback by the sudden interruption, June simply nodded.

“Your unwavering dedication to official protocol has always been one of your strengths,” Lydia said. “The same goes for your ability to follower orders and obey authority. You’re a very valuable employee, and I respect your professionalism. Unfortunately, there have been several moments such as this, when your unwavering dedication falters and an apparent lack of enthusiasm briefly takes over. Most employers would view this as perfectly acceptable, but the we are not most employers. Our standards are quite higher, for obvious reasons and I’m sure you obviously understand the importance of not succumbing to these occasional urges.”

June simply nodded again, trying to hide her emotional shock. This seemed very unlike Lydia’s usual behaviour. Lydia was known to keep her personal feelings close to her chest. She had a reputation as a role model of professionalism within the DoMCR. June had never heard Lydia speak so openly, and it stung to know that it had finally happened because of her own apparent mistakes.

“As understandable as your personal ethics may be,” Lydia concluded, “my personal recommendation is that you simply need to learn when to keep your mouth shut and not think for yourself so much. Any deviation from protocol is a serious risk that will get you in trouble sooner or later. We really don’t want anything bad to happen to you, do we?”

“I... I'm sorry,” June managed to stammer out. “I’ll do better in future, I promise…”

“Don't worry about it,” Lydia sighed, sliding the folder across the table to June. “Just get to work. Please.”

June made her way down to the room where this new specimen was being held. As she did so, she tried to recalls protocols for this kind of activity. She hadn’t really done this kind of work in a while, so it was important to refresh her memory (even if official procedure apparently wasn’t as important anymore). First and foremost was the thing June had been told on her first day: always be impersonal when dealing with living cognitohazards. Remain cold and clinical. Don’t give them any emotional stimuli to use as a weapon against you.

She eventually reached the designated room. Swiping her keycard against the door’s security lock, she was greeted by an unusual sight. In the centre of the room was a containment unit of some kind, almost resembling a giant dog cage made out of gold, suspended above the ground by metal wires hanging from the ceiling. The gaps in the cage were large enough that June should have been able to see the creature inside, but the details remained obscured for some reason. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t human. A single chair sat in front of the cage, with a clipboard, papers, and pen. June sat down, and got ready to start taking notes.

“A visitor?” the creature hissed. Its voice was distinctly feminine, emotionally ambiguous, and inexplicably uncanny.

“Yes,” June nodded. “I’m here to research you.”

“Research me?” the creature chuckled. “That’s why I’m here?”

“Pretty much,” June nodded. “At least until we know if you’re dangerous or not.”

“Do you think I’m dangerous?” the creature asked.

June ignored the question. “Let’s start with the basics. Do you have a name?”

“Of course I do.”

“Would you like to share it?”

“Not unless you give me yours first.”

“I’m not going to do that,” June replied. Giving away any personal information was strictly against protocol. It was an easy way for cognitohazard entities to gain influence over a potential victim, and also one of the first tricks they would usually try.

“You’re smarter than you look,” the creature said. “You may call me Edith.”

June made a note of this on her clipboard. “And what exactly are you?”

“I am something that used to look like a lot like a member of your species,” Edith said. “But I am no longer sure of what I would refer to myself as.”

“I get the impression that you’re not from this word,” June remarked. “Is that correct?”

“You are correct,” Edith replied. “I am from another dimension, I suppose you could say. I was sent here by the inhabitants of my former home as punishment for my actions.”

“Could you elaborate on that?” June asked.

There was a long pause, as if Edith was collecting their thoughts. June waited patiently.

“As I told you,” they eventually began, “I once did look like you. Like most people of my world, in fact. But I was different inside. I had strange powers. I could get into the minds of other beings. I could make them do things for me simply by thinking about it. I began training my abilities, developing immensely powerful psychokinetic skills.”

“Were there many others like you?” June interrupted, looking up from the notes she was quickly scribbling.

“There were a few,” Edith nodded. “Hidden away from the world, for their own protection. Not many people understood us, and fewer chose to tolerate our existence. But we had our ways of finding each other and forming communal networks. There was one in particular that drew my attention. She was as beautiful as she was wise, and I was quickly enamoured with her. We grew close, and in doing so we made each other more powerful. Our skills became unmatched. It was only after we fell in love I learnt she was of royal blood. Together, we schemed to claim her right to the throne and overthrow the regime of our world using our combined powers. And so, she eventually became known to the people as their Empress. I ruled alongside her, as a self-appointed Goddess.”

“And is she still back home, in your world?” June asked. The possibility of another cognitohazard entity laying dormant somewhere, waiting to be found, was something that the DoMCR obviously needed to know about.

“No, she is also in this world somewhere,” Edith explained. “We were both overthrown and banished by our own subjects. It was mostly my fault. My Empress was the more powerful of us, but she shied away from public. I was the one who had to be in the spotlight, and I enjoyed every second of it. She said I acted like a cult leader sometimes. And I had certain urges. Very sadistic urges. Occasionally, I would take a select few of our subjects and change them in certain ways. Make them more durable. They would become my toys for a while. My dolls, as I liked to call them. I would always fix them afterwards, but apparently this was unacceptable. We became pariahs amongst those we ruled over. They called us evil and disturbed. Eventually, public discontent reached a boiling point. There was a revolt. Such infantile behaviour, don't you think?"

June simply shrugged. As interesting as Edith’s story was, it didn’t stir much sympathy within June. A tyrannical dictator banished from their homeland for abusing their citizens? Hardly something that June could relate to. And even if she could have related to Edith’s story, protocol dictated that becoming entangled in the personal matters of a cognitohazard entity was dangerous. It was safer to remain emotionally detached and not answer such questions.

“Well, the disgruntled citizens banded together. They found the most powerful magic users throughout the world. These magic users formed a council and combined their powers together. Somehow, they were able to defeat us. As punishment for my cruelty, they tortured me. My form became twisted and deformed beyond recognition. Hence why I no longer look like you. Because they believed me to be the more powerful and dangerous one, they locked me in this magic cage cursed with antimemetic properties that prevent others from perceiving me properly. Not only does it dampen my psychokinetic powers, but it also can’t be opened by anybody with powers similar to mine. Then they sent me and my Empress to different locations, separated at random, so that our powers could no longer be combined. Does that answer your earlier question?”

“What question?” June asked, looking up from her notes.

“Do you think I’m dangerous?”

A cold silence fell over the room.

Against her better judgement, June declined to partake in the voluntary mental evaluation after her shift ended. She wasn’t really sure why. Perhaps it was because she felt fine, or perhaps she just wanted to go straight home. Regardless, after arriving at home and quickly greeting her housemates, it was time for the usual dinner routine of some tuna pesto pasta and a glass of milk. Quick and easy, very little effort required. While the pasta boiled on the stove, June stripped out of her formal work clothes and into a loose-fitting green dress. It’s floral patterns had faded over the years, but June loved it dearly. It was one of the few outfits that matched how she felt inside.

After an hour of laying back on the couch, scrolling through her social media feeds, June decided it would be a good idea to settle down for the night. Her irregular bouts of insomnia meant getting to bed early was probably a better idea than getting to bed later. She trudged upstairs, throwing herself down into the soft embrace of the bedsheets. Hugging her favourite plush sharks against her body, sighing. Laying completely still, waiting for the comforting void of sleep to eventually swallow her up for several hours. As usual, her brain kept her awake by bouncing around between random thoughts – either bittersweet visions of a different life she could have been living, or perverted fantasies that made her blush and instinctively start grinding against her plushies. More often than not, it was somewhere between the two scenarios.

Following an indeterminate amount of sleep that was almost certainly too short, June found themselves on the train to work once again. While chugging down a caffeinated energy drink to make up for her lost hours of sleep, June began thinking about how to approach Edith during the upcoming work shift. Obviously, it wasn’t safe to release that creature out into the world. Maybe that would change at some point, once some compromise was reached. That meant establishing what they actually wanted first. Making deals with cognitohazard entities was risky business, but not unheard of. Obviously, Lydia would have to approve and finalise any official agreements. And it would probably involve less paperwork than outright exterminating Edith, if such a thing could actually be achieved. These thoughts were still circulating through June’s mind as she entered Edith’s containment room.

“Hello June,” Edith remarked. “How are you today?”

“I never told you my name,” June said, trying to hide her anxious surprise. “There’s no way you could have learnt that.”

“This cage only dampens my psychokinetic powers,” Edith replied. “I was eventually able to peer into your mind after spending enough time around you yesterday. I didn’t get much, but I did learn a few important things about you.”

“Oh, right…” June flicked back through yesterday’s notes in her clipboard. “That checks out. Sorry.”

An awkward pause hung in the air for a few seconds as June silently sat down in her chair and began preparing to take notes for the day’s session.

“Did you pick that name yourself?” Edith eventually asked, breaking the silence.

“A friend helped me choose it,” June said.

“It’s a very pretty name,” Edith smiled. “Suits you quite nicely. Much better than your old name.”

“Do not try this with me,” June sighed, not looking up from her notes. “It’s easier for both of us if you just let me do my job without trying to get inside my head. I just want to do what’s best for everyone involved, including you.”

“You’re no fun,” Edith chuckled. “But sure, whatever you say. Let’s keep this relationship of ours professional for now.”

“We’re not…” June caught herself and paused. Taking a deep breath, she regained her composure. “Let’s just stick to the questions.”

“If I answer your questions, will you let me out of my cage?”

“The point of these questions is to decide if we can let you out of your cage.”

“You’re not willing to just trust your own judgement?” Edith pressed their face up against the bars of the cage. “Let’s make a deal. Just between the two of us.”

June sighed. Business as usual with these entities. Begging to be let out of containment units was one of the most common tactics – in fact, she had been specifically briefed about it during the training course for the job. Making personal deals with cognitohazard entities was explicitly forbidden. Everything had to be screened and approved by relevant committees with the official clearance, as if the only things more powerful than eldritch creatures were bureaucratic regulations and safety departments.

“I could give you everything you want,” Edith continued. “I know everything you want.”

“I'm sure you could, and I'm sure you do,” June replied. “But not everything is about me. I have responsibilities.”

“Do you even remember the last time you did something for yourself?” Edith asked. “Or have you always been this much of a pushover?”

June ignored the question. “Let’s start here. Hypothetically, if I do let you out of the cage, what would you do? What do you want?”

“I want to go home,” Edith said.

“You can be trusted to not treat our world the same way you treated yours?” June asked.

“What do you mean by that?” Edith responded.

“Uh, how should I put this…” June paused and considered the question. “I’m asking if you can be trusted to not destroy this world for your own sick pleasure and rule over it as a petty tyrant?”

“As much as a new harvest of worshippers might benefit me,” Edith sighed, “it would ultimately be a waste of my time and resources. I just want revenge against the inhabitants of my world. Honestly, I don’t care about your world beyond the fact that my beloved Empress is also stuck here somewhere.”

“You do understand it would be a massive risk for us to let you out just based on that reasoning, right?” June asked, frustrated. This conversation was going nowhere. Reasoning with Edith didn’t seem like a realistic option at this point.

“What evidence do you have that I’m not being honest?”

“You’ve already tried to manipulate me multiple times with your powers. You haven’t even tried to be subtle about it. That doesn’t seem like the actions of someone being honest.”

“Oh?” Edith laughed. “Name one example of when I’ve tried to do that.”

“Well, uh…” June paused. Her mind had gone completely blank. She had just been thinking of some examples a few seconds ago, and suddenly they were gone.

“June, I think you might be imagining things,” Edith said. “I just want to go home. I just want to be with someone who cares about me. Please, I’m desperate. You understand these feelings, don’t you?”

“No, I’m just…” June tried to hide the shakiness in her voice by casually chewing on the tip of her pen. Edith was finally starting to get to her. That had to be what was happening, right? She took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. “Whatever. It’s not important.”

Another day, another shift at work. June went through the usual routine of dragging herself out of bed, riding the train to work, and going down to interview Edith again. Her daily caffeinated energy drink was still working its way through her bodily systems when she entered the containment room. Hopefully this would be the last day she had to do this. She felt that she nearly had enough notes to hand in a completed report to Lydia. In fact, she’d already been working on a draft report during her work hours that hadn’t been dedicated to collecting interview notes. Besides, it was usually a good idea to minimise the amount of time spent around cognitohazards, for obvious reasons.

“You look tired,” Edith said. “Did you stay up too late?”

“No,” June lied. The truth was that she was exhausted. Perhaps staying up until midnight while getting high with her friend Valerie had been a bad decision. Regardless, she sat down in her chair with her clipboard and a large bottle of water. As she did so, her mind drifted to the events of yesterday evening. When she had eventually arrived home from work, Valerie was already waiting outside June’s house. The two immediately embraced upon greeting each other, before June pulled away.

“I’m not late, am I?” June asked.

“Not really,” Valerie shrugged. “Actually, I think I’m kinda early. Only been here about ten minutes already.”

The evening was usual routine for the two of them: getting pizza, watching a movie, and cuddling on the sofa. Then it was time for drugs. The two went upstairs to June’s bedroom, closing the door behind them. Valerie sat on the bed while June got out her boxes of nitrous oxide canisters, a pack of balloons, and a cream whipper.

“What colour do you want?” June asked.

“Orange, please,” Valerie responded.

June fished two balloons out of the pack – one yellow and one orange. Loading up the whipper with one of the canisters, the room was soon filled with a loud hiss as June pressed down and filled the orange balloon with nitrous. She passed the balloon to Valerie, before turning back and refilling the whipper with a new canister. Now another hiss filled the room as June filled her yellow baloon with nitrous. The two friends turned to each other and grinned.

“Ready?” June asked. Valerie nodded. The two raised the balloons to their lips and starting breathing. The trick was to treat the nitrous oxide as if it was oxygen – breathing it in, then breathing it back out into the balloon, repeating these steps until you felt like you needed a breath of fresh air. June had a habit of pushing herself until it felt like her lungs were about to explode, and so Valerie was the first to lower the balloon and fall back on the bed giggling. Several seconds later, June finally gave up and joined her. Cold fuzzy sensations overtook their bodies, as they dissociated from the world around them. At some point, each friend regained enough of their senses to remember the other was lying there next to them. They leaned into each other and started passionately making out. This was the most blissful feeling June knew: the cold wet embrace of their mouths contrasted with the warmth of their desperate bodies pressed up against each other, numb limbs tangled like tree branches, everything melting into a primordial soup of libidinal desire, even the distinctions between the two bodies being blurred.

Eventually, the two broke the kiss, lying on their backs and gasping for fresh air.

“Fuck…” Valerie managed to get out before breaking down in a giggling fit.

“I wish that feeling could last forever,” June sighed dreamily. “You know the one.”

“Yeah,” Valerie muttered, biting down on her tongue.

“It sucks that this has to end at some point. I don’t want to go to work again tomorrow.”

“You keep saying that every time we do this. Learn to live in the moment.”

“I’m trying. I just have have a lot on my mind right now.”

“That super secret job you can’t tell me about?”

“Yeah, I got a new project, it has me thinking about stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Like… belonging I guess. Being homesick.”

“June, do we really have to have this conversation again?” Valerie groaned. “I mean, what are you even homesick for at this point?”

“I… don’t really know,” June admitted sheepishly. “Don’t worry about it, its dumb.”

“No, look, I’m sorry,” Valerie sighed, rolling over and pulling June into a warm hug. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I don’t think now is the right time. I do care about you, I promise.”

“It’s fine, I understand,” June said, resting their head against Valerie’s chest. “You really don’t need to apologise. Random things come out of my mouth sometimes. I’m just weird.”

Suddenly, June blinked and she was back in the room with Edith. Her recollection of that entire evening had flashed by in just a few seconds, but had felt like hours. Was Edith getting inside her head? Had she seen those memories? The white walls surrounding June inexplicably felt more cold and sterile than usual. A sense of claustrophobia was creeping into her mind. She shook her head, trying to compose herself. She couldn’t leave herself at a disadvantage when dealing with something as powerful as Edith, but her mental strength and clarity mind seemed to be absent today. It would be best to simply wrap up this final interview as quickly as she could.

“Well then, what questions do you have for me today? Or have you finally decided to let me out of the cage?” Edith asked.

“I am not letting you out of the cage,” June said. “I don’t trust you. You’re sadistic and manipulative. You could do all kinds of awful things if I let you out of there.”

“Don’t be so emotional!” Edith laughed. “What happened to our professional relationship?”

“You haven’t given me a convincing reason to believe you won’t wreak havoc on this world if we let you out,” June continued. “Besides, you don’t even know where your Empress is. If you really do want to return home with her, then we can’t let you out until we find her.”

“Maybe I could give you a good reason to let me out of the cage,” Edith said.

“Really?” June asked, exasperated. For a brief moment, without even realising, she let her mental guard down. “Let’s hear it then.”

“As I already told you: I can give you what you want,” Edith answered.

June paused, taking a swig from her water bottle. “Like what?”

“I can take you Home.”

“Home?” June repeated, faltering. Something deep inside her subconscious stirred. Against her better judgement, she chose to ignore it, focusing on the conversation. Even with all the visual distortion emanating from the cage, June could see a disturbing smile spread across Edith's face.

“Back where I come from,” Edith explained. “I could take you away from this place. Away from all this. That's what you want, isn't it? What you spend so much time wishing for when nobody else is around? To be anywhere other than here?”

“No,” June shook her head, gritting her teeth. “No, that's not-”

“You don't need to be ashamed,” Edith said. Their warm motherly voice effortlessly wrapped around June’s soul. The sensation was like being penetrated by rays of warm divine light and rusty poisoned swords at the same time. “It’s okay to feel like you don't belong in a world that wasn't made for you. It’s perfectly normal, even if nobody else understands you.”

“Shut up,” June's voice began to break.

“I've seen you in bed, laying awake when you wish you were asleep. Holding those pillows against your fragile little body, trying not to wake your housemates up with your tortured sobs and whimpers.”

“Get the fuck out of my head.”

“I could take you someplace you'll belong,” Edith cooed, pressing their face up against the bars of the cage. “Keep you by my side. Hold you close and make you feel safe. I'll love you forever, I promise. You just have to do one small thing for me.”

“Don’t-”

“Let me out of the cage, June.”

June suddenly panicked and rushed out, slamming the door of the containment cell behind them. They leaned back against the door, shaking and quivering, trying to hold back the tears that were welling up behind her eyes. She felt small and weak, like a scared child.

"How... what the fuck was that?" June finally managed to whisper in shock.

June didn't even need to take a mental evaluation test to know she was compromised. This just wasn't normal. In all her years at the DoMCR, nothing had ever seen through her like that. Nothing had ever made her feel like that. Nothing had ever gotten in her head like that. On the train ride home, she texted Lydia to let her know that she was putting herself in quarantine, would therefore be absent from work tomorrow, apologies for any inconvenience caused. Shaking hands turned the brief message into a five minute endeavour.

The night was long and delirious. June plunged in and out of something that was halfway between awake and asleep. With her eyes closed, June was subjected to visions of Edith holding her fragile form in a tight embrace. With eyes open, she felt like she was going through some kind of drug withdrawal. Her body felt sick. At one point, during a brief period of sleep, June imagined herself as a dying bird in a desolate field, sparsely populated by a few vicious predator animals. Then Edith appeared, leaning down and breathing life into June’s mouth. And then she woke up in a cold sweat.

Eventually, after an unbroken period of what felt like sleep, June woke up and checked her phone. 10:36AM, New Year's Eve. She sat in bed for several minutes, catatonic. She already belonged to Edith. She didn't know how or why, but somehow she knew that before she had even entered the office on that fateful morning, her fate had been sealed. Something had happened. Meeting Edith was just the trigger that unlocked whatever was buried deep inside her. Edith had eaten through her mind like a computer virus. Like a poison coursing through June’s body. And now it was finally time to submit.

“Fuck...” she groaned, the full weight of her situation slowly dawning on her. “Am I really going to do this?”

The answer was obvious. And yet, despite her reluctant acceptance, being so powerless felt... good? Fuck, it actually felt amazing. Without even thinking, June reached down and began touching herself. Thinking of submitting completely to the mental disease running through them. Uncontrollably moaning Edith’s name, whimpering, desperate for their touch. Tainted, corrupted, helpless. All June could think of was how it shouldn't have felt so good. The thought of throwing everything away, letting that creature out their cage, betraying everyone she knew, potentially dooming humanity – and then a mind-shattering flash of pleasure ran through her mind as orgasm overtook her body. June collapsed onto her bed, muttering incomprehensible half-formed thoughts as a blissful afterglow radiated throughout her tired body.

At some point, June pulled herself together and started planning. There was no way she could do what she needed to do while other people were still in the work office. Obviously, the best approach would be to wait until the evening, after the usual closing hours. Employees coming in past their regular hours to do extra work was not unheard of, but on the evening of New Year’s Eve, the odds of anyone else being in the building was incredibly low. Even Lydia wasn’t supposed to be working that day. The only risk was that June’s keycard had possibly been suspended for the duration of her quarantine – but that was a bridge she was willing to cross when it came to it. For now, this was the closest thing she had to a proper opportunity.

At 4:45PM, June left her house for what she imagined would be the last time. For once, the trip to her destination was not accompanied by headphones and loud music. At 5:50PM, she finally arrived outside the office. Luckily, her keycard worked just fine. Between that and the lack of mandatory mental evaluations, June knew that something suspicious was going on with security management. But the thought was pushed to the back of her head as she entered the building and headed downstairs.

“Hello June,” Edith said, their voice as soothing as it had ever been. It felt like warm honey dripping into June’s ears.

“Hey,” June said nervously.

“Are you going to be a good girl and let me out of my cage?” Edith asked.

“I don’t have a choice,” June replied.

“No, you don’t,” Edith chuckled. “I’m inside you, spreading through your nervous systems and spinal column like a virus. You’re basically just my obedient meat puppet. You belong to me.”

“It’s not just you, is it?” June stepped forward, a sudden realisation striking her. “You didn’t just get inside my head that easily. There’s no way you could have with that cage. Something else happened, didn’t it?”

“How did a pretty little thing like you figure that out? Weren’t you told to not think for yourself too much?”

“… Lydia. It was Lydia, wasn’t it?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. She’s been the one pulling the strings ever since you were hired here. You never thought about how you just scraped by the hiring process? How you even got into that process with barely any relevant prior experience? How you were kept away from the more dangerous projects until just a few days ago? How your keycard still works, even when you’re supposed to be in quarantine?”

June’s mouth was hanging open in shock. “B-but… that’s not…”

“I bet you didn’t even notice all that subliminal programming she put in that fragile little mind of yours. So many subconscious triggers you accumulated over the years, teaching you exactly how to respond to me, letting my words break you. You thought you lost against me, but you lost the day you were hired here. You were just a blank obedient marionette, playing your part so well. Just a simple doll for beings so much more powerful than you.”

“B-but that means…” June stammered, her brain trying to process the implications. “L-Lydia is… your partner… the E-Empress… s-she’s an eldritch cognitohazard… like you…”

“Yes, and she’s in charge of the DoMCR,” Edith nodded. “All of the entities contained within this facility are her puppets just as much as you are. Once I’m reunited with her, we will combine our powers to return back home, more powerful than ever. We will wreak havoc on those who were foolish enough to depose us from our dimension with our new army of monsters.”

“W-was any of it real?” June asked. “N-not just my job, I mean… like, have I really just been living a lie this whole time?”

“Does it matter?” Edith asked. “Maybe you were already being manipulated for years before you applied for this job. Maybe your entire identity and personality used to be different before being completely rewritten multiple times. Maybe I already told you all of this on multiple occasions during our interviews and you just forget it afterwards. None of that is important anymore. You just have one job to do now, June.”

“I… I shouldn’t be doing this,” June’s whispered. Her knees were weak. Her voice was shaking. “I can’t do this. I won’t do this.”

“But you will,” Edith said. Their motherly tone had suddenly become cold and harsh. “You’ll do it because I told you to. Because you belong to me. Because you already gave your free will to me without even realising it. Now, this is the last time I will ask you: let me out of my cage, June.”

Something finally broke inside June’s mind. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. This was it. She slowly reached out and unlocked the latch on the top of the cage door. Then she reached down and unlocked the latch on the bottom of the cage door. Finally, June reached for the edge of the cage’s door and began to pull it open. She jumped back in shock as it was suddenly grasped from inside.

“This is your last chance,” Edith warned. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I want to do this,” June replied. The grip on the door loosened, and June was free to swing the cage door open. As she did so, she was overcome by the sudden flow of intense tainted energy radiating from the cage’s interior. She stumbled back, tripping over and landing on her backside, leaving her to stare up in a mix of awe and horror as Edith’s form was finally revealed to her. Edith hadn’t been exaggerating when they had claimed to have been mutilated beyond all recognition, as June would never have imagined that the thing now emerging from the cage had once looked like a human. Long tortured limbs that bent in ways that they normally shouldn’t be able to, reaching out of the cage’s entrance and pulling the rest of the body out. June was almost hypnotised by the appearance of a pale monstrous face, with rows of endless teeth like daggers and glowing red eyes. Acidic saliva dripped down onto the floor as Edith’s body lurched forward and loomed directly over June’s vulnerable form. For what felt like an unbearable eternity, the only thing June could her was her own ragged breath and the rapid beating of her heart.

“You’re so pretty,” Edith said.

“T-thank you,” June stammered.

“You’re so pretty,” Edith repeated.

“Thank you.”

“You’re so pretty.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re so pretty.”

“Thank you.”

“June,” Edith said, breaking the conversation. “I need something from you.”

“Anything,” June replied without thinking. “Anything for you. Please.”

“Good dolly,” Edith grinned, baring their sharp fangs. In that moment, all that June could focus on was the rows of endless teeth that seemed to line the entire inside of Edith’s mouth and throat. Without warning, Edith suddenly lunged forward, ripping into June’s flesh. She didn’t even have time to scream as her body was suddenly torn apart and devoured.

Everything was fuzzy when June eventually awoke again. Its body felt weird, its… wait. That was new. Thinking of itself as an it, not a her or a they. As much as it tried, June could only think of itself as an it, like there was some weird inexplicable mental block preventing it from thinking about itself in any other way, as if it were just an object. This was confusing, but it would hopefully get used to it soon.

As the fuzz slowly cleared out of June’s head, it looked around. It was still in the same room as before, but now… there was a person here? Wearing June’s old clothes. Was that… Creator? No, that’s not right. June knew the name, but couldn’t process it as anything other than Creator. A title, not a name. What was going on? It felt so confused. Everything was a mess.

“Finally awake?” Edith’s voice rang out. June would recognise that soothing tone anywhere.

“Huh…?” June groaned. “What… happened…?”

“Oh, I took your humanity,” Edith explained. “I needed it to regain my old form. I missed feeling like this. As for you…” She reached down and picked up June. “I think you deserve to see your reward.”

Reward? June stumbled, trying to stand on its feet. Everything about its body felt different. Then it saw the mirror. It saw the reflection. It recognised the face and hair staring back, it recognised that green dress it adored so much. But everything else was different. There was no more flesh. Just carved and polished wood, with a thin waxy sheen that almost mimicked human skin. Wooden limbs attached together by ornate golden ball joints. A life-sized wooden doll. Such a pretty dolly, staring back at June. Listening closely, June could hear the constant ticking of clockwork deep inside itself, like the intenral mechanisms of a wind-up automaton. Presumably, this was the sound of its new inner organs, no longer of biological origin.

“What do you think?” Edith asked.

“It’s…” June was at a loss for words. “It’s so beautiful. It’s perfect.”

“I told you,” Edith smiled. “I could give you anything you wanted.”

“You were right,” June whispered. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet!” Edith exclaimed. “There’s more. You need a new name, befitting of your new body.”

“A new name…” June repeated, wonder and excitement flowing through their voice.

“Hmm,” Edith mused. “Something nice… I always thought Vivisection was such a beautiful name for a girl. Or Vivi for short.”

“That does sound like a nice name,” said… oh, had it forgotten its old name already? It was simply awaiting a new one from its Creator, after all.

“It’s decided then! Welcome to your new life, Vivi,” Edith remarked. “You’re my doll. You’re mine to protect and cherish. And to do whatever I want with…”

“I-I don’t know how to thank you,” Vivi said. It felt a strange feeling welling up inside. A euphoric spring of emotion. Without even realising, tears began streaming down its face. They pressed up against Edith, sobbing. This was truly the happiest Vivi had ever been since perhaps its childhood.

“Your eternal servitude will be thanks enough,” Edith said, patting Vivi on the back. “The fulfilment of your new purpose. No more feeling lost in a world that wasn’t made for you. No more feeling like you don’t belong anywhere. This is what you wanted, right?”

Vivi just nodded, too choked up with emotions to verbally communicate.

“However,” Edith said, her voice turning cold. “I do have at least one thing that I want to make very clear to you, Vivi.”

“What’s that, Creator?” Vivi asked.

“I may be a kind and caring Creator,” Edith said, “but I expect your undying respect and dedication in return. Like I told you earlier, I have… a sadistic side. Dolls like you are fun to play with, but they’re also fun to break and rebuild. Over and over. As many times as I want.”

“To b-break?” Vivi did faintly recall a memory of being told about this. Fear began creeping through its new body. A shiver ran up its spine. A sadistic smile crept across Edith’s face.

“Oh Vivi, don’t tell me you’re going to try and back out of this?”

“B-but I d-don’t w-want t-to be broken,” Vivi stammered. “I-I don’t want-”

“Maybe I wasn’t making myself clear enough,” Edith sighed, before violently shoving Vivi against the wall.

“P-please, stop,” Vivi whimpered in terror, staring down the cold gaze of its Creator. “I-I haven’t done anything!”

“You’re mine, Vivi,” Edith snarled. “I do what I want with you. What you want doesn’t really matter. Understand?”

“I understand I promise I promise!” Vivi pleaded desperately. “Please, I’m sorry!”

“I don’t think you do understand,” Edith replied. “Lydia already told me you have the occasional problem with authority. Too much thinking for yourself, like you were doing just now. So I want you to understand that whenever I want to, I can do something like… oh, this.”

In one swift motion, Edith reached forward and tore Vivi’s right eye out of its socket. Vivi gasped and collapsed to the floor, body shaking from a mixture of pain and shock.

“Usually I like to repair my dolls after breaking them,” Edith said, crushing the eye in her hand. “But I think I’ll just keep you like this. It’ll be a permanent reminder of what I could possibly do to you if you ever decide to step out of line. And nobody else is ever going to want a broken doll like you.”

Vivi could only mutter “I’m sorry” over and over between sobs of pain and fear, like a broken record on repeat. As Edith stood over Vivi’s shuddering form, a cruel idea suddenly crossed their mind.

“This gives me an idea,” they said, slowly unzipping their pants. “There’s something new I want to try with this body.”

Vivi looked up, seeing Edith’s cock in front of its face, rapidly growing erect. It opened its mouth, instinctively expecting to receive Edith in its mouth. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Vivi gasped as it felt a warm pressure against the back of its empty eye socket.

“Fuuuuuuck!” Edith moaned, thrusting their new appendage into Vivi’s head. “Good dolly. Pretty dolly. Ugh, that feels… so fucking good!

Vivi remained prone, letting Edith use its body. The sensation felt alien and intrusive, but Vivi knew better than to complain now. Its purpose was to serve its Creator, which meant being used and broken as much as their Creator wished. There had to be an adjustment period, right? This would eventually just come naturally. And if it didn’t… well, Vivi didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Not unless it wanted to be abandoned and helpless, left to fend for itself as an unwanted broken doll. As Edith continued moaning and thrusting, Vivi could only imagine its Creator turning their back and walking away, as they regretfully lamented that something more worthy hadn’t set them free. The thought terrified Vivi more than anything else.

Eventually, Edith’s thrusts came to a sudden halt as Vivi felt something warm and sticky fill up its empty eye socket, dripping out the gap between the intrusive appendage and the socket hole, flowing down Vivi’s face as if it were a mutated mockery of a teardrop.

“Good dolly,” Edith moaned, removing themselves from Vivi’s socket and pulling their pants back up. At that moment, Lydia appeared behind Edith and tapped her on the shoulder. Edith turned round and smiled warmly.

“My love,” they whispered gently. “My one and only.”

“Finally reunited, after all these years,” Lydia replied. The two embraced and kissed, lips locked together in a passionate rhythm. Meanwhile, Vivi shakily rose to its feet, holding back muffled chokes and sobs. Lydia broke the kiss and glanced over.

“You broke your new plaything already?” she asked, almost sarcastically.

“It needed to be taught its place,” Edith replied. “It questioned my authority, after I had given them the gift of eternal servitude. Such disrespect is unbecoming of a doll.”

“It truly is,” Lydia sighed. “Sadly, I feel such an event was predictable. You can never scrub all of the original personality out of these things. But I’m sure it won’t be making that mistake again. Isn’t that right, Vivi?”

Vivi suddenly snapped to attention, suppressing the shock it was still processing. “N-no, of course not! I’ve learnt my lesson, I promise! I’m so sorry Creator, please don’t throw me away or take my other eye! I’ll do better, I really mean it!”

“Very good,” Edith smirked. “But I’ll do as I please with you, Vivi. Remember that. If I chose to throw you away or leave you blind, then that is my choice.”

Vivi shuddered, and then obediently nodded. “O-of course, Creator. Forgive me. I know being your doll is a privilege, not a right.”

And you shall serve me, your Empress, just as you serve your Creator,” Lydia said. “You’ll make a nice plaything for me to use sometimes as well.”

“Of course, Empress,” Vivi said, kneeling down before its new owners. A mix of adoring devotion and crippling fear gripped its wooden body, as if in the presence of some terrifying vengeful deities. Something inside its mind had been irreversibly corrupted. “Anything for either of you. Break me, use me, devour me, destroy me, over and over, again and again, forever and ever. Whatever you wish, I am all yours.”

Edith and Lydia glanced at each other, smiling happily. Then they looked down at their creation.

“Good dolly,” they said, in unison.

Vivi began crying, overcome with euphoria again. It was finally time to go Home.