The Shrink R&r [part 1 V1.4] < Extended >
As Elias reached for the sphere, he noticed the subtext on Thorne’s computer screen: System Update: THE SHRiNK R&R [Part 1 v1.4] – Initializing Human Defragmentation.
The brass plaque on his door simply read , a title that felt more like a threat than a medical designation. Inside his office, the air always smelled of ozone and expensive cedar.
"Rest and Relaxation?" Elias asked, his voice hopeful for the first time in months. THE SHRiNK R&R [Part 1 v1.4]
The sphere touched Elias’s palm, and the world went beautifully, terrifyingly dark. Thorne does when he’s alone in the office?
Dr. Aris Thorne didn’t treat patients; he "recalibrated" them. As Elias reached for the sphere, he noticed
"We’re going to initiate the R&R protocol," Thorne whispered.
Thorne finally looked up. His eyes weren't quite the same shade of blue—one was the color of a summer sky, the other the flickering cyan of a dying monitor. "That’s not a glitch. That’s an over-clocked consciousness. You’ve reached Version 1.4 of your burnout. Most people crash here." "Rest and Relaxation
"Wait," Elias stammered, his fingers inches from the light. "What happens in Part 2?"
