Part 3
She was getting a bit worried about this assignment. Dolores was not even sure how you would start going about removing these items. The investigator bit her lip and looked nervously around. She had heard a story about a colleague who was invited into a similar situation, only to end up as a member of a long term test study. She was going to be very wary when working for this company. They didn't have a bad reputation, but if you were stuck in these sorts of items it would be hard to badmouth them.
The lecturer paused putting those demonstration models away and pulling out the next tray which was quite a bit larger. It contained various bands and straps and tags all labelled up.
“To compliment the muffs system we have designed the sash-system. The mark 1 is a simple belt that adherers around the waist and has a loop that the mittens can be attached to at the front. It also uses the pull tag system to activate, the arms can be temporarily or permanently locked in place”. Again the video played the model already wearing mittens and gag was placed into the first iteration of the sash-system.
“The mark 2 has a reinforcing loop as well as the adhesive used. That product is designed with the cuffs on the sides”. A second short clip showed the woman modelling it a little more immobile in this position.
“The mark 3 has two reinforcing loops with cuffs at the back”. In the next clip the model was looking worried looking at something off screen.
“Now the mark 4 has a very broad 4 inch belt with 3 reinforcing loops. Not only are there a set of loop cuffs but there is a wrap around that goes round the cuffs and mittens from wrists to elbows it is really very secure and has two reinforcing loops on that part of the restraint as well, capturing the arms holding them so that there is no movement. It is very strict when combined with say a muffs-mark 4. The belt comes in the usual 1% 5% 20% 100% solutions”. The investigator looked at them trying to imagine what it would be like to wear the Mark-4. That didn't look comfortable, secure but not comfortable which was the point. On the screen the model didn't like having her arms pulled behind her back as she was spun around in front of the camera it looked punitively stringent.
She fiddled about under the table for a second, starting a slide show behind her.
“There are also leg restraints that come in ankle thigh band and bands above and below the knee. They have loops that can be easily fixed onto anything you want. Wheelchair bed each other etc. Available in the usual mark 1-4 varieties, they can be sealed temporary or permanent”. The projector set up showed a set of pictures of the nervous looking model wearing the different variants of the sash system in every possible configuration. She looked particularly uncomfortable in the full mark four which was very tight. The last shot showed a nurse force feeding her through the airway-mark4 in her mouth while pulling off the activation tags on the rest of the system. Dolores could feel her heart beat increasing she was getting more and more worried by what she was seeing.
Getting towards the end of the presentation the host pulled out a tray with two items on it. What looked vaguely like a sleeping mask and a rubber bag? Dolores couldn't quite work out what they were for and that had her a little bit worried. She considered that enlightenment would probably not make her feel any better. Michelle gestured to the pad.
“There is also a couple of ancillary products, the Good-Night its a gel pad that goes over the eyes like a sleep mask, but its got a 100% solution on it so its staying put. Its perfect to calm down the most disruptive of patients”. The detective held it up. She could imagine being a patient trying to claw this thing of her face kept blind in the dark for some insult or infraction. It sent a chill down her spine. She was worried what the second item was. The operations director put more picture of the same model up. She now had the blindfold and an Airway-Mark 4 in place, the nurse was just making everything snug.
The presentation continued, the focus to the last item on the tray.
“See this rubbery material it shrinks when you pull the tab. It contracts up to about 50% curtsey of compound codename N82. It is a lot more diluted than our emergency plumbing tape, honestly the plumbing tape will sometimes stop leaks simply by crushing pipes shut if people use too much.
This is the 'lights out' hood, it is a bit punitive to say the least. Its designed to be partnered with an airway-mark 4. Once you place it over a patients head and pull the tag. Well they will be soon rather pacified, if someone acts up you can layer up to 3 of them. Its very hard to remove once applied, it has to be cut off and they are quite resistant to cutting. You can see some of our initial product testing”.
She showed her a video of a test. A woman in lab coat pulls it over her own head then pulls the tap. the rapidly shrinking item suddenly had the woman struggling to remove it failing abysmally clawing at it she couldn't get it off. She was desperately trying to communicate but failing. She was desperate to get it off as it seems to get tighter and tighter. Her muffled cries were recorded by the camera. One of her colleagues was seen putting her in a sash-system mark 4, presumably for long term experiment with her hands behind her back then adding a second hood then a third until she was rather featureless. The woman had obviously wanted to stop the product test but her colleagues seemed to be happy to keep it running.
Just when Dolores thought that the show was over still another tray of supposed nefarious medical products was pulled from below the table. These ones looked quite benign some sort of plaster maybe? They did have a couple of warning labels on them and tiny writing which hinted that they could potentially do something more. Miss Anderson looked rather pleased with them.
“Now this is something else we have developed. This is a PaciPad its a strong contact anaesthetic on an adhesive pad. Having the glue not affect the adhesive was very tricky. They are currently produced in half hour, hour, two hour and 12 hour variants. They work after 2 seconds its a very strong adhesive with very strong chemicals. You have to be careful not to accidentally apply them to yourself, when handling you have to use gloves. They are designed as a way to pacify a patient without having to resort to something more violent”.
Dolores picked up a glove put it on then picked up a PaciPad packet. It was vacuum sealed in two layers of bag with a very strong container. In theory it was a civilised way to deal with a mental patient. She could see other uses it would be easy to sneak something like this and use it to immobilize someone taking them unaware, she mused about the possible uses. That was the penultimate product the company still apparently made one more item for her to become familiar with.
And the last item was fairly recognisable the investigator blushed on seeing them.
“The lock-diaper is a unfortunate product that we had to produce some time ago, to compliment some of our other products as they left patients unable to care for themselves. The model has a reinforcing loop around the waist. It seals shut with a tab system and is hard to remove without the right tools. Its intended for long term wear basically an adult diaper – designed with 12 hour 24 hour 36 hour 48 hour use variants”. She had a range of samples the 12 hour variant was quite thin the 24 hour variant was twice as thick. The 36 hour variant three times the thickness of the base model and the last variant 4 times. She had a sample of material and poured a lot of water in it. The material expanded a lot soaking up all the water. A video played showing the model before in the full hood with all the other restraints and the diaper.
“Its got a special gel in it that absorbs water. The seal keeps the smell in everything is hygienic. They are not exactly pleasant to wear, but well patient comfort is not that much of a consideration by that point, its more about manageability of the patient. Once they are in an airway-mark-4 and a muff-sash system with a lights out they don't complain very much no matter what happens to them”. That thought made Dolores shudder, she would not enjoy having to spend a lot of time in one of those or even a short time in one. She remembered the video of the assistant trialling the product, no way would she be volunteering for anything when she worked undercover at this place.