"What my colleagues fail to understand about animal magnetism is the ultimate goal," said Doctor Adam Wagner. "They have sentimental ideas about the state of man in nature, as some sort of untouched angel. Knowing what we know about humanity, why should we assume that returning to a more primitive state would result in nothing more than a beautiful doll?"
Rachel sipped her tea quietly as she listened to the doctor. She had been entranced by him long before ever seeing him in person; his papers on the use of electricity to stimulate the nervous system had caused fights to break out in university hallways between teachers of all the scientific disciplines. For her part, Rachel had been fascinated by them, and when she had actually begun working with him, she'd found that even the most simple experiments broke apart every theory she had ever been taught.
"I suppose we can't blame the scientific community for their optimism," Rachel said. "What creator doesn't hope their work will be a thing of beauty?"
"There are many different forms of beauty" he replied with a smile. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Rachel blushed. Doctor Wagner was, in her opinion, the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His youth was past, his dark hair streaked with grey, and the shadows under his eyes spoke of countless sleepless nights, but his brilliance shone from his eyes and his precision was clear from his graceful hands. She had never exchanged words of love with him, nor did she intend to, but still...
"A creature such as man," Wagner went on, "contains as much of the devil as the angel, or even the beast. It is my belief that if regressed, the human mind and body would be able to reach a state described in stories of myth. What could seductive demons and creatures of the night be but memories of perfection lost?"
Rachel put her hand to her head. She wanted to respond, but the words she'd had in her head just a moment ago were hard to remember, and she was unaccountably dizzy. Had the room always been this warm? Her eyelids fluttered, and the last thing she saw before they closed were Wagner's brilliant eyes focused intently on her, the slightest of smiles on his face.
***
"Rachel? Miss Hoffman?" Wagner's voice woke Rachel from a dreamless sleep. She didn't know why her body felt so stiff until she tried to move her arm, and found it stuck in place by her side. Her mouth was dry, and when she tried to lick her lips, there was something stopping her- but what? Rachel opened her eyes and blinked away the sudden brightness. She was in the laboratory, with all the clockworks and lightening machines running at full power, and she was strapped down to the comfortably cushioned operating table. Above her, lights buzzed and sparked and cast blinding flashes back and forth.