The Gateway

§0 §0§l The Gateway§0 §0§l of the Mind§0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0§o by§0 §0 §0 §0 WillFTWTF§0

THE GATEWAY§0 §0 OF THE MIND§0 §0 §0 In 1983, a team of§0 §0deeply pious scientists§0 §0conducted a radical§0 §0experiment in an§0 §0undisclosed facility.§0 §0The scientists had§0 §0theorized that a human§0 §0without access to§0 §0senses or ways to§0 §0percieve stimuli would§0

be able to perceive§0 §0the presence of God.§0 §0 They believed that§0 §0the five senses§0 §0clouded our§0 §0awareness of eternity,§0 §0and without them, a§0 §0human cuold actually§0 §0establish contact with§0 §0God by thought, An§0 §0elderly man who§0 §0claimed to have§0 §0"nothing left to

live§0

for" was the only test§0 §0subject to volunteer.§0 §0To purge him of all his§0 §0senses, the scientists§0 §0performed a complex§0 §0operation in which§0 §0every sensory nerve§0 §0connection to the§0 §0brain was surgically§0 §0severed. Althought the§0 §0test subject retained§0 §0full muscular §0

function, he could not§0 §0see, hear, taste, smell,§0 §0or feel. With no§0 §0possible way to§0 §0communicate with or§0 §0even sense the§0 §0otuside world, he was§0 §0alone with his§0 §0thoughts. §0 §0 Scientists monitored§0 §0him as he spoke aloud§0 §0about his state of mind§0 §0in jumbled,

slurred§0

sentences that he§0 §0couldn't even hear.§0 §0After four days, the§0 §0man claimed to be§0 §0hearing hushed,§0 §0unintelligible voices in§0 §0his head. Assuming it§0 §0was an onset of§0 §0phychosis, the§0 §0scientists paid little§0 §0attention to the man's§0 §0concerns.§0

Two days later, the§0 §0man cried that he§0 §0could hear his dead§0 §0wife speaking with hiim,§0 §0and even more, he§0 §0could communicate§0 §0back. The scientists§0 §0were intrigued, but§0 §0were not convinced§0 §0until the subject§0 §0started naming dead§0 §0relatives of the§0 §0scientists. §0

He repeated personal§0 §0information to the§0 §0scientists that only§0 §0their dead spouses§0 §0and parents would§0 §0have known. At this§0 §0point, a sizable portion§0 §0of scientists left the§0 §0study.§0 §0 After a week of§0 §0conversing with the§0 §0deceased through his§0 §0thoughts, the

subject§0

became distressed,§0 §0saying the voices were§0 §0overwhelming. In every§0 §0waking moment, his§0 §0consciousness was§0 §0bombarded by§0 §0hundreds of voices§0 §0that refused to leave§0 §0him alone. He§0 §0frequently threw§0 §0himself against the§0 §0wall, trying to elicit a§0 §0pain response.§0

He begged the§0 §0scientists for§0 §0sedatives, so he could§0 §0escape the voices by§0 §0sleeping. This tactic§0 §0worked for three§0 §0days, until he started§0 §0having severe night§0 §0terrors. The subject§0 §0repeatedly said that§0 §0he could see and hear§0 §0the deceased in his§0 §0dreams.§0

Only a day later, the§0 §0subject began to§0 §0scream and claw at his§0 §0non-functional eyes,§0 §0hoping to sense§0 §0something in the§0 §0physical world. the§0 §0hysterical subject§0 §0now said the voices of§0 §0the dead were§0 §0deafening and hostile,§0 §0speaking of the end of§0 §0the world.§0

At one point, he yelled§0 §0"No heaven, no§0 §0forgiveness" for five§0 §0hours straight. he§0 §0continually begged to§0 §0be killed, but the§0 §0scientists were§0 §0convinced that he was§0 §0close to establishing§0 §0contact with God. §0 §0 §0

After another day,§0 §0the subject could no§0 §0longer form coherent§0 §0sentences. Seemingly§0 §0mad, he started to bite§0 §0off chunks of flesh§0 §0from his arm. The§0 §0scientists rushed into§0 §0the test chamber and§0 §0restrained him to a§0 §0table so he could not§0 §0kill himself. §0

After a few hours of§0 §0being tied down, the§0 §0subject halted his§0 §0struggling and§0 §0screaming. he stared§0 §0blankly at the ceiling§0 §0as teardrops silently§0 §0streaked across his§0 §0face. For two weeks,§0 §0the subject had to be§0 §0manually rehydrated§0 §0due to the constant§0

crying.§0

Eventually, he turned§0 §0his head and, despite§0 §0his blindness, made§0 §0focused eye contact§0 §0with a scientist for the§0 §0first time in the study. §0 §0He whispered "I have§0 §0spoken with god, and§0 §0He has abandoned us."§0 §0 §0His vital signs stopped.§0 §0

§0 §0There was no§0 §0apparent cause of§0 §0death. §0 §0 §0

§oTranscribed by§0 §0 §0§lMaester Giles§0 §0§oof§0 §0§lThe Assembly§0 §0 §0§o"ipsa scientia potestas§0 §0§oest"§0 §0 §0 §0 §0§oFebruary 14th 2014§0

§0 §0 §0§l Maester§0 §0§l Alliance§0 §0 §0 §0 §4§l The§0 §4§l Assembly§0 §4§l Scriptorium§0