I did this because Lexx dared me, blame her. This is a sequel to chapter 12: Experiment.

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Experiment 2

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In the few, stolen moments when Danny could be himself, when he could remember what it was like to think, he was not afraid of hurting Sam. He could never hurt Sam. Or Tucker. Or Jazz. Or anybody, really.

At least, he couldn't kill them.

The incident with Freakshow had proved that. What Frostbite had taught him had confirmed it. Danny could never kill a person.

Even the thought of doing so made him sick. It was antithetical to his Obsession, the spiritual core that let him exist. It was physically impossible.

What Danny feared was the GIW would finding out.

The GIW knew a lot about ghosts, but they didn't really understand them. That lack had saved Danny so far, insofar as he could be said to be saved.

But if they found out- If they knew they were chasing a dead end-

What Danny feared was them finding out and disposing of their human test subject. What Danny feared was them finding out and deciding to use him for something he couldn't fight. What Danny feared was them finding out and somehow binding his Obsession to them. What Danny feared was them finding out and deciding that he was better used as an unliving anatomy lesson.

But, most of the time, he didn't fear anything.

He didn't feel anything. Except for obedience.

The wall in front of him was as blank as his mind. An experimenter in equally white clothes paced back and forth in front of it, periodically obscuring Danny's view. Danny did not turn his head to follow the experimenter's progress. His eyes did not rotate. He had been told to be still, and so he was.

"Alright, so," said the experimenter to someone Danny couldn't see, "the thing is, D-5541," the collar around Danny's neck purred to life, stroking at his dormant core, awaiting orders, "will follow any order unless the order involves inflicting significant damage on a human or sufficiently intelligent ghost, correct?"

"That's right," drawled a voice from behind Danny.

Without an order, the collar returned to its base state, conserving power.

"But it has inflicted that damage in the past, inadvertently."

This was almost, but not quite, enough for Danny's consciousness to claw its way back up to the surface.

"So, what I'm saying is, what if this is a perception issue? What if we block out its sensory input and just give it orders?"

"That would make control a lot harder," said the other voice. "Make it harder for it to operate. Damage a lot of its value as an asset."

"Yeah, yeah. But if we can overcome the hurdle, we can just cut out its sensory input when we need it to go in for the kill, or whatever you want to call it for ghosts, and let it operate normally otherwise."

"That could work," agreed the other voice.

"Great," said the first experimenter, stopping at the very edge of Danny's field of view. He clapped his hands together. "Let's get started."

Danny was afraid of hurting Sam.