To Whom It May Concern (and I assume, to no one in particular): I write this under duress, and perhaps, under the influence of the residual discharge from the apparatus. Please accept this as a formal, if highly redacted, apology for the introduction of generalized anxiety into the human emotional spectrum. I regret the instability and the persistent, low-grade hum it emits within the psyche. The mechanism, which I have termed the 'Axiomatic Regulator,' was intended merely to map the variability of anticipatory dread. It was, I now realize, catastrophically over-engineered. The core components included: a primary induction coil (labeled 'The Anticipator'), which operated on a frequency derived from—[REDACTED]—and a series of crystalline resonance chambers designed to amplify subconscious feedback loops. The most problematic element was the Chrono-Visceral Manifold. It required a constant, fluctuating input of pure, unmediated what-if. The entire system glowed with a sickly, erratic yellow-green light, and the sound was a high-pitched, desperate whine, like a thousand clocks running slightly out of sync. The Regulator did not measure dread; it manufactured it. It took the simple, natural curiosity of the subject and forced it through a series of escalating, irreversible feedback loops until the result was… this. I have sealed the entire setup. It is unstable. Please do not attempt to recalibrate the pressure valves or adjust the dial marked ‘Impending.’ I take full responsibility for the collateral damage. — Dr. E. V. Thorne. (1912)
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