Testing the subdermal sensory mesh.

"I will begin tests with calibration of the peripheral nervous system," The man has retrieved a dictaphone from his labcoat pocket and sets it down somewhere out of your field of vision. His explanation, though not directed to you, is an opportunity to learn more about your new body as he dictates research notes. "The prototype has been constructed with a subdermal neural mesh that replicates the human sensory nervous system. The mesh can detect stimuli in a broadly similar spectrum to an organic system, heat, moisture and both fine and gross touch. Unlike the organic system, the synthetic system can be easily adjusted at will by an authorised user via the operation settings interface."

The man pulls out a smartphone, holding it up before his face and tapping and swiping the screen. Suddenly a tingle runs through you and you can feel the pressure of the padded bench on which are lying on your back, buttocks and limbs. You can also feel the lab is comfortably warm. You still cannot move at all, so though your senses have been switched on your motor functions remain deactivated. You feel a touch on your arm, though you cannot see the man's hand you feel a finger run along your skin.

"I can feel that," You blurt out, elated to finally feel anything at all instead of the disorientating detached nothingness. "You touched my arm."

"Hmmm?" The man seemed to have forgotten you could respond. He peers at you and then smiles proudly. "Oh very good news, the sensory mesh seems fully integrated, but please do not interrupt in future unless I ask for your feedback."

"Now where was I?" The old man mutters. "Ah, yes the settings interface. For ease of operation, this has been designed as an application installable on a modern smartphone that can interface with the synthetic model via a wireless connection. For ease of use, most scalable settings are adjusted with a slider bar calibrated as a percentage. Now if you could tell me how this feels."

You see his finger move on the screen and abruptly the comfortable warmth of the room is an unbearable heat as if you were lying next to a furnace or were in a desert under the blazing sun.

"Hot, too hot. Shit, it feels like I'm burning." You respond, your voice is still emotionless despite your distress. You see his finger move in the opposite direction.

"Cold, now I'm fucking freezing." The temperature now feels well below freezing and if you had any movement you would expect to be curled up and shivering.

"Good, good." The man says unconcerned by the effect his testing has on you. "Heat recognition seems to work adequately. Moving along to the sense of touch."

"For the primary purpose of the synthetic sense of touch has adjustable value." The scientist dictates. "When motor functions are activated a secondary adjustable value will be an autonomous response. We will test the autonomic response soon, but first the sensitivity."

"What's an autonomous response?" You ask, interrupting the man.

"Tsk, tsk. Pleases don't interrupt." The old man replies with a hint of irritation. "It is an involuntary reaction to stimuli. Screaming and flinching when in pain. Crying out, becoming aroused and losing control of motor functions when experiencing pleasure."