A little exposition and a place to rest their heads.

The man spoke magnanimously to them as they meekly followed him through the dense maze of hallways and strange rooms.

"You know, we've been doing a lot of research into the human brain. More specifically, what can be done to it. Did you know that we still don't understand how SSRIs work? We know what they do, and we have some theories about why that helps people with mental illness, but at the end of the day it's a black box. We're like a child putting a quarter into a gumball machine; we can map input to output but the inner workings are a mystery.

"We can do a lot more than get gumballs, though. I'm sure you'd love to know how I'm controlling you."

"Yes!" June shouted. Meredith shrugged. "Sure."

"It's a very limited technology that makes you unable to distinguish imperative statements from your own thoughts. You're following me because it feels like you want to because I told you to. Just like we told you not to try to escape or harm anyone or interfere. You haven't even thought about that, have you?"

June was stunned into silence. Meredith spoke up. "I was thinking of trying to escape earlier!"

"But you're not anymore, are you? You see, this crude tool we've used on you two is very impractical. Limited range, limited timespan, and if overused it tends to cause madness. Sure, it's fun toy, but it's not what we're after. No, what we wanted was ataraxia in a can. You know those monks that can slow down their own heart rate? That state of sublime, profound contentment is called ataraxia. People have spent their entire lives in prayer, contemplation, and solitude just for a chance to experience that bliss. Now our friend Meredith gets to feel that way all the time!"

"Oh, my gosh!" Meredith said. "That explains it!"

June disagreed. She realized that they were already in a small, hotel-like room without windows. When had they arrived?

"So you did lobotomize her. Or turn her into a monk or something," she said angrily. "You took away her ability to resist you."

"Resist anyone," the man corrected. "But she's not lobotomized. I think you'll find that she has the same cognitive abilities as before. The same personality, the same memories, the same preferences. She's just a little more enlightened, a little less perturbed by the troubles of this world. Trust me, when you see what we have planned for you, you'll beg for ataraxia. Now I've got to leave, but Meredith, why don't you see if you can help your friend calm down a little?"

"Wait!" June cried. "If we're gonna be your test subjects, at least tell us your name!"

"Call me... Damian," he said without turning around

"Will do, Damian!" Meredith said brightly to the closed door.