He needs a lab rat

The next afternoon, Dr. Kekyll wandered into the bustling quad at Finster University, the RAC tucked carefully into the pocket of his white coat. Students milled about, voices mingling into a low, excited hum. His eyes swept across clusters of animated conversations, groups of laptop-wielding youths, and lone stragglers desperately skimming textbooks.

He needed a subject - someone impressionable, someone too naive to question him closely. Someone who would trustingly follow without second-guessing his explanations.

“Economics majors,” Kekyll murmured dryly. “Always good for something.”

His gaze settled almost immediately on a lanky young man sprawled on the steps of the student center. Tommy McFirth, a walking cliché in cargo shorts and flip-flops, squinted at a textbook titled Fundamentals of Economic Thought, his expression blank and troubled.

Perfect.

“Having trouble there, young man?” Kekyll asked, approaching casually.

Tommy jumped slightly, glancing up with a mixture of confusion and relief. “Yeah, I mean - yeah, kinda. It’s just this stuff on supply and demand, dude. Like, which one’s which, you know? If supply is high, shouldn’t demand also be… uh, high?”

Dr. Kekyll suppressed a grin. “Something like that. Economics is tricky business. Perhaps I could offer you a unique opportunity to help the scientific community, something far simpler and infinitely more rewarding than supply and demand curves.”

Tommy’s eyes brightened, and he nodded eagerly, textbook already forgotten. “Cool, yeah! Science, right? Like, space lasers and stuff?”

“Close enough,” Kekyll said, gesturing toward his lab. “Come on, it’s right this way.”

Tommy shifted nervously in the chair situated at the center of the sterile, gleaming laboratory. “So, uh, Dr. Keggle - ”

“Kekyll,” Jon corrected mildly, adjusting several electrodes to Tommy’s forehead and wrists. “Just relax, Tommy. This won’t hurt at all - at least, it didn’t for me.”

“Yeah, cool. Okay.” Tommy glanced around with wide, trusting eyes. “And you said this was, like, perception research, right?”

“Exactly. We’re exploring how perception can be altered by technological intervention. Think of it as advanced virtual reality, but without the cumbersome headset.” Kekyll smiled benignly, finishing the adjustments and stepping back to grab the RAC.

“Virtual reality?” Tommy repeated, mouth slightly agape. “Oh man, like video games?”

“Something along those lines,” Kekyll murmured. He fiddled with the device, inputting parameters for the first real test of the RAC’s perception manipulation feature. The screen flashed briefly, confirming readiness:

[ SUBJECT: TOMMY MCFIRTH | PARAM: PERCEPTION MOD ACTIVE | STATUS: PENDING ]

Kekyll raised the RAC, aiming it casually at Tommy’s chest. The student’s eyes widened, but he stayed obediently still, an eager grin spreading across his face.

“Alright, Tommy,” Dr. Kekyll said quietly, thumb hovering over the activation button. “Let’s see how far reality can bend.”