Chapter 40: Prison of the Mind

Lazily lying on his bed Victor was reviewing the results from the previous night's operation. The biopods were lined up in perfect order, each containing raiders, giant ants, and wild dogs—specimens for NIM's experiments. NIM, the AI that controlled Vault 101's hidden labs, hovered in the background, running diagnostics and simulations. The raiders had been captured silently, stunned without fatality during Victor's stealth mission, and the aggressive former prostitute-turned-junkie—had been subdued as well, though she had fought back viciously.

"Report, NIM," Victor said, glancing at the glowing screens.

"All subjects have been detoxed and stabilized,"NIM replied, his voice calm and efficient. "The raiders are recovering from extensive drug addiction, bone fractures, and malnutrition. The junkie girl is particularly aggressive, but her physical condition is now normal. All subjects remain unconscious, as per your orders."

Victor walked past the biopods, his eyes scanning the data on the raiders' physical and mental states. "And the mental damage?"

NIM paused before replying. "Severe trauma, long-term Psycho abuse, and deep psychological scars. These cannot be fully addressed with physical treatments alone. However, the detox process has brought them back to a stable condition."

Victor stood in front of Silver's bio-pod, watching her face twitch slightly in her induced sleep. "I want them connected to the neural interface. Each one gets their own VR environment—separate, isolated, comfortable. We'll treat them kindly but keep them contained. Let's see if we can restore any of their usefulness."

NIM's synthetic voice responded immediately. "Affirmative. Neural interfaces will be initiated. I estimate a 1:5 time acceleration ratio in the VR world. One hour in reality equals five hours in the simulation."

Victor gave a nod, thinking ahead. "Good. Start with basic training and tasks. Slowly increase difficulty. If any of them show promise, we'll see if they can be molded into something more useful. And NIM, if after two weeks they're not progressing… move them to bio-experimentation."

"Understood,"NIM replied as its robotic arms moved with precision, connecting the raiders and Silver to the neural interface system. Each subject's mind would be transported into a virtual prison—a mental landscape where they would be given all the warmth and care , a test for their behavior patterns, talents.

Later That Evening

Victor left the lab, his mind occupied with the next phase of his plans. He casually met his friends in the Vault's dining hall, their conversation light and carefree. They laughed and joked about their daily routines—lab work, small repairs, and helping out in various departments of the Vault. As always, there was no mention of the VR training or the secret work that kept them busy late at night.

Amata leaned back in her chair, her eyes glinting with curiosity. "You've been pretty quiet today, Vic. What's going on in that head of yours?"

Victor smirked, keeping his tone playful. "Oh, you know, just thinking about the next experiment I need to do. Nothing too exciting."

Paul, who had always been the more skeptical one, chuckled. "Yeah right, Victor. I bet you're up to something more than a simple test."

Victor just smiled, deflecting the question. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just tired of sitting in the terminal."

They laughed, and the topic moved on, but Victor's thoughts were already back in the hidden labs.

Nightfall – VR gaming

When night fell, Victor and his friends gathered in the VR world. The digital landscape around them was designed to resemble the Capital Wasteland—desolate, harsh, and unforgiving. The training sessions had started as basic combat exercises, but now they were moving to more advanced scenarios.

Victor led them through several combat drills, teaching them tactics, positioning, and coordination. The simulated enemies became more challenging with each session, forcing them to adapt and sharpen their skills. Victor watched closely, offering guidance and advice when needed, but letting them learn through gaming experience. Victor could see the progress they were making, but there was still more to be done.

Midnight – Hidden Lab

After the VR session, Victor disconnected from the system and headed back to his quarters. From there, he activated the hidden lift that took him to his secret lab, where NIM was hard at work controlling the various functions of Vault 101's hidden sections.

The biolab in Hall 3, the greenhouse in Hall 2 on Level 2, the mechanical workshop and chemistry station in Hall 1 on Level 1—NIM ran everything from this underground hub, managing research, bot operations, and simulations. It even controlled the security bots and assault bots that patrolled the hidden areas, ensuring the Vault's secrecy.

"Update me on the status of the subjects," Victor commanded as he stepped into the lab.

NIM's voice echoed through the room. "The raiders and Sara Silver have adapted to their VR environments. Their physical conditions have improved significantly—drug addictions cured, trauma treated. However, mental scars remain. The neural interface is running smoothly, and they are responding to the simulations."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "And their progress in the virtual world?"

"They are being provided with meals and a safe environment,"NIM continued. "Initial tasks have been assigned. Their personalities are beginning to resurface, though it is too early to determine if any will prove useful."

Victor nodded, satisfied for now. "Keep monitoring them. If any show signs of talent or potential, I want them groomed for further use. If not, prepare them for bio-experiments."

NIM's robotic arms worked quickly, adjusting the settings on the biopods. "Understood. Progress will be monitored and reported."

With that, Victor turned and left the lab, knowing thatNIM would continue his work in the background. He had bigger plans for the future—and this was just the beginning.