Treatment

‘The Cell’ Treatment 

By Drew Brockbank (14/12/16)

An endless pasture of elegant green grasses, with the occasional shrubbery and flowers to complement but yet not distract from the picturesque landscape. A young boy, no more than five years old, runs across the scenery. Like an Ant in a shopping mall, the boy is merely a spec under a microscope. Before the boy runs too far and is consumed by the setting, another calls out to him. A mother and father, linked together and as inseparable as the day they met, call for the boy, Issac, to slow down. The couple however, in their mid thirties didn’t fear for their child’s safety as these were the same fields they had conquered when they were children. The woman leaned into her Husband. “David” she said while tightening her grip on his arm. He took his eyes off Issac so he could gaze upon her. She was silhouetted by the suns rays, highlighting her beauty and her flaws which David cared just as much for. “Yes” he said as he felt a warmth consume him. Undecided whether the warmth was from his wife or the sun but either way he was content. As she began her reply, she licked her lips as if to ready herself, but before she was able to speak, David felt the warmth leave him just as quickly as it had appeared. His vision began to fade, the green fields turned sour and grey, until his sight was gone all together. 

Until, David’s vision returned all at once, like a TV screen rebooting, but yet his surroundings had completely changed. He was in a cell, but not your average prison cell, the room was stripped of all character and emotion, with only a bed and a desk to accompany him. A striking contrast between where he came from, however as he sat up in the bed his head began to ache with the memories of his wife and son beginning to evade him, they started to feel more like echo’s of what was, rather than his own memories, his own past. He began to check around, to test the cell. The sound of wardens and other prisoners from beyond the thick steel security door was piercing. It was obvious that David was not the only prisoner here. 

Other than the desk, the cell had very little to offer in terms of variety. There was a small vent in the corner which David assumed led to the subsequent cell. As he inspected the vent further, a hatch opened up at the bottom of the door, as David turned with curiosity a tray of food slipped into the cell. On a closer inspection of the tray, he noticed that the food wasn’t like anything he'd eaten before, or seen for that matter. The dry substance seemed to have more in common with astronaut food than an average meal. David took the white block of food in his hand and began to get a sense of its consistency between his fingers. It wasn't long however before the ration had turned to powder in his hands. He hoovered up what he could from his hands before focusing his eyes onto the empty tray. Was this the beginning of an endless cycle for him he thought.

A few days had passed, but yet nothing had changed. He had become restless with zero stimulus. He tried to gaze out the window but the view was just as stagnant as every other thing in this place. Misted glass, meaning all hopes of a picturesque view were blinded by a mundane fog. “Maybe I could request a sea view” he thought to himself before falling back into reality. He closed his eyes and let his blank face absorb what he could of the suns rays, taking a moment to recharge and to assess. Until it came to him, a light bulb moment. Using the sun he would be able to track the time, like basic sun dials he would have to follow the suns movement around the room and mark its flow. He started by using himself as the marker, watching how the sun moved around him. However without something to mark on the walls he couldn't possible track the time with any kind of accuracy. His plan had stalled before he had chance to enter second gear.

Before he was given chance to feel disappointment, he heard a voice. The first voice he had heard which wasn't his own. A sweet, soft, woman's voice from the vent which lied in the corner of his cell. “Hello” he said filled with doubt to whether or not this voice was real or simply in his head. However there was a reply, the voice was real. A woman introduced herself as Hannah. She was also held in a cell similar to David’s by her description. David couldn’t see her but yet the idea of no longer being alone meant he instantly gravitated to her. They quickly began to bond over their situation as it was obvious they were both as happy to have found one another. David shared his ideas of a sun dial, Hannah was impressed by his inventiveness and offered up help. She told David that she had snapped her dinner tray to create a sharp point, “perhaps that would be enough to mark the walls’ she said. Hannah was able to fit the thin piece of plastic threw the vent, with David still unable to see her because of the length of the makeshift shiv. Before there conversation could continue, footsteps could be heard nearing the door, they both decided it would be best to put their little experiment on hold for the time being. Once the noise had died down, David attempted to mark the walls with limited success, the plastic was too brittle causing it to crack under any real pressure. There had to be another alternative. He sat down ready to chat with Hannah before the lights all shut down, signalling the night shift, so he felt it better to leave her. Falling back into his bed, not realising how tired he was until his feet were off the ground. David fell into a deep sleep, thinking, new day, new start. 

David awoke to the sound of his daily tray being slipped into the cell. A pile of trays had began to pile up in the corner, with no one ever coming to collect them. He took up his spot next to the vent and called for Hannah, a few moments later she answered. He continued to tell her that the tray had proven ineffective on the walls and they would require something more substantial. They thought back and forth for a couple of moments before Hannah interrupted. “David” she said in a faint tone threw the vent. “Yes” he replied with curiosity. The gap between the reply seemed like an eternity within the cell. “Can I ask you somewhat of a personal question?” she said timidly, David went along with her request. “What was your life before all this? before the cell?” David paused, his mind had gone blank, everyday in the cell had pushed him further away from what he once knew about himself. He wasn't sure if those memories he had felt were even real. After composing himself David said “I’m not even sure anymore, I remember a family, my family, at least I think”. Hannah interrupted “you think?”. “Its all a little hazy, I remember a young child, running and…” David paused as some of the memories came back to him. “My wife, I have a wife! She was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen”. David felt safe for the first time in his confined environment. Hannah spoke up, “she sounds lovely, what is her name?”. A sense of dread ran over David, as here he was taking about his own wife and how beautiful she was but yet he couldn’t even remember her name. “I don’t remember” David whispered as if he was telling himself. “What kind of a husband does that make me? What kind of a man?” he said as the safety he had felt moments earlier came crashing down. Hannah jumped in to reassure him, “It makes you human” she said with confidence, “Your memories will return in time”. This didn’t really comfort David much “I don’t even know where they are, They could need me.. god knows I need them” David said while trying to hold back the sound of his tears threw several Inches of bricks and plaster which separated them. He placed his hand of the wall between them hoping she was doing the same. Hannah finally spoke up “I’m sure they're fine, anyway I’m sure your boy is brave and can protect them for you”. David smiled before realising something that shocked him. “I never said he was boy” he said with trepidation. Hannah fell silent as he heard rumbling from across the hall. So David moved away from the vent to avoid attention. 

David laid on his bed, rethinking the last few words Hannah had said to him. Questioning whether he had told her if he had a boy or not. He decided to investigate to try and peak threw the vent between cells to see if Hannah was everything she had been telling him. He took one of his left over trays and snapped it, into a make shift screwdriver. There were four heavy duty screws in the vent. David thought that even if he could remove two, he could warp the vent enough to peak threw. The first screw was the most difficult, but eventually little parts of the tray chipped away to form a shape which resembled more of a screwdriver. Once David got the second screw out, he tried to pry the vent, as soon as he felt he had enough room to take a better look. The lights of his cell powered down. The room went from white to red and the outside noise fell silent. Smoke began to fill the room. He tried to pull his shirt to his mouth to block the gasses in the air but before he had chance the room was engulfed in smoke. A guard entered. Barely visible threw the gas. David grabbed him before being thrown to the floor. Davids hands latched onto the first thing that they fell into contact with. A pen on the guards trouser pocket. However it came loose due to the force and David began to feel weak, unable to do anything of use. He heard the guards enter Hannah’s cell. His last memory before passing out were her screams. Her screams for help. 

When David finally awoke, his head was throbbing from the beating he had taken the day before, If that was yesterday, at this point he had no idea how long he had been out. After he took a moment to compose himself, his mind snapped back to the last thing he remembered. Hannah calling for help. He took up his position next to his vent, the vent that he had came to care for, as it was his only connection to another human being. He called out for her, but yet no one replied. He placed his hand on the wall, as an attempt to reach out to her. He curled up in a ball on the floor. Alone. His eyes passed across the room until he spotted something at the back of the cell, under his bed. A pen, it must of been form his tussle with the guard. At least now he had something to occupy his mind. He could finally complete his sun dial. He spent the next few days working quietly, until his clock was complete. However without knowing a marker time he couldn’t possibly know what exactly the time was. However he could now predict when his food was delivered and when the guards made their rounds. 

The next few weeks in the cell were slow. David with his functioning sun dial, but yet no uses for it. He spent his time fully alone, even though he would still speak to the vent hoping that one day Hannah would return. A part of him even did, so that just for a moment, he didn’t feel as alone. He started out by pacing the walls, looking for something new to entertain him, but eventually he realised he had come to know every inch of this bland cell of his. David began to do less and less as each day passed, realising he was here to stay and that walking up and down a six foot room was just wasted energy at this point. 

It was about two weeks since Hannah was taken. David had lost all motivation, until he heard something over the constant daily activity from outside his cell. Someone was being placed into the cell next door to him. Hannah’s old cell. He waited patiently for the guard to leave, before whispering into the vent, like Hannah had once done to him, what felt like an eternity ago. “Hello” he said timidly. To his delight he heard the voice he had been dreaming to hear since the moment she had left, Hannah’s. You could tell by the tone in her voice that she had changed. That something had effected her while she had been away. David asked about her, she had been kept in a observation bay, where she described “mind numbing experiments”. David was filled with pain and regret, as wasn’t this all his fault. Wasn't he the one to open the vent, wasn't he the one to get her entrapped? A part of him was just happy she was home, close to him again in a way. David was incredibly excited to share his new sun dial that they had originally worked on together. She was pleased to hear he had fun as she described it, David felt bad that he had bragged about his invention, even though his experience had been anything but fun. However Hannah wanted to talk to David for other reasons. She had no intention of spending any more time in her cell. She told David “There is only one guard working when the food is delivered, using your sun dial, we can be ready! We could overthrow him.” David was surprised to hear Hannah’s plan, whatever she had been threw, she didn’t want to go thew it again. David felt he owed her, so he agreed to her terms. If the past two weeks had taught him anything, it was that he wasn’t getting out of here any time soon. So what did he have to lose. “Okay Hannah, I’m in” David said with some confidence. Hannah responded with joy, the idea of escaping here was so very tantalising. “So how do we get the guards to open the door?” David questioned, “Well you do whatever you did the last time” said Hannah. David looked hesitant “Well that didn’t go too well last time, remember”. Hannah quickly replied “Well this time, we will be ready!”. “Okay, Okay, point taken” David said as he got the hint. They continued to hash out the plan before deciding to turn in. They both needed their rest if they hoped to pull this off. 

It was a long night for David, the thunder and lighting from outside wasn’t helpful, but yet he did manage to get a few hours of sleep. As David awoke from his final night in the cell, he felt relieved knowing that even if his mission failed, he wouldn't live long enough to spend another minute in this bland emotionless cell. He was ready. 

However as he sat up in his bed something hit him, something he hadn't felt during his entire stay. A breeze. A small draft from the doorway. He moved closer to investigate. It was open. The exact door he had planned to escape from, wasn't locked. How long had it been open? He had no clue. Was it just today? Or had it been open all along? It can't have been he thought to himself. He pushed the door and it slipped further a jar. As he went to take his first step outside he paused. This all seemed too convenient, what if it was a trap? David felt, he'd came this far, he had to see what was beyond these four walls. 

As he stepped out of his all familiar cell, David quickly realised things were not what they had seemed. The sound of other cell mates and daily prison life fell away, the noise must have been piped in. This wasn't where the weird ended but rather the start. His cell block turned out to be just the lone cell, no one either side of him. More of an isolation room now he could see it from this angle. The plain white cell was just as boring to look at from the outside but the room it was located in was another story. A building filled with charm. The small antique ornaments located around him had more character than the entire cell he had began to call home. The building he was now in was so grand in scale. It was a jarring contrast for David. So much colour, so much history. After the shock of being thrown into a whole new environment, David remembered. "Hannah" he said. Was she even real? He thought, or was she just a lie like this whole place. He pushed on, there was more to this place, more he had to discover. 

He left the cell behind him, hopefully for the last time. He entered into a long corridor with high ceilings, this was the most room he had in weeks. The walls were covered in large paintings, he took a moment to admire one. Before continuing down the corridor. There was a whisper of music from down the hall. He followed it as there was very little to guide him. It led to a large office type room, filled with trinkets. An older man, around 50 years old, dressed with a specific style, stood within the room with his back to David. A record player sat upon his desk playing a classical tune. As David stepped into the room, The figure turned around to face him. “Hello David” he said with a grin on his face. “I imagine you're very confused right now, Take a seat and I’ll explain myself”. David stood without saying anything, his eyes fixated on this mysterious person. “Very well, you don’t mind if I do?” the man said while gesturing at his chair. “My name is Issac and this is my facility. Tell me David, are you aware of the Chinese room theory?”. David looked straight back at Issac with an empty expression. “Of course you don’t, allow me to explain. A philosopher named John Searle said that a computer in an isolation room, if you will, is passed questions from outside the room, and consults their databanks to generate an answer. In theory the appropriately programmed computer with the right inputs and outputs would thereby have a mind in exactly the same way human beings have minds, do you understand?” Issac questioned. David’s face was as blank as the first time he asked. “You see David, you're that computer” Issac said as straight as he did his own name. David stood there frozen in his tracks however he did manage one word, “Hannah” he whispered, worried about what the answer may be. “Ahh, you aren't grasping it are you, she was never real David, just my way of testing you” Issac said while leaning over to a microphone which laid on his desk. As he spoke into it, his voice was warped into the all so familiar voice. Hannah’s voice. David shook his head in disbelief “But.. But… My family…” he managed to squeeze out before Issac interrupted. “Implants of memories that once were… my memories but from another point of view. My fathers to be exact. David, you’re a creature of my design, a design which has gone threw many forms. This is not the first time you have been in that cell, or this room in fact. However there comes a time, where a ground breaking A.I. such as yourself is no use in a sterile environment. There comes a time where you become more than the computer I talked about. A time where you're faced with a decision, a decision of consciousness”. David stood as still as a statue. “David?” Issac questioned “Do you understand what I’m telling you?”. David remained still, Issac moved closer and snapped his fingers in front of David, but still he remained motionless. Issac held his index finger and thumb to his own eyes, as they had become heavy. A guard stepped in from outside the room. Issac gestured at David, “Take him, perform a full wipe and run the whole system again”. The guard spoke up “But sir, you said this would be the last time” Issac snapped back “I know what I said… RUN THE SYSTEM AGAIN!”. The guard walked out with David on a wheel chair. Issac walked back over to his desk before hitting his hand on the table top. 

David’s vision returned all at once, like a TV screen rebooting, but yet his surroundings had completely changed. He was in a cell.

THE END