Hob gritted his teeth through the examination. True, it was less invasive and impersonal than all his previous pre- and post- watch medical checks had been, and the person was trying to talk to him like a normal person. The three young women crowding over Devika's shoulders to watch the whole thing as he laid there in his boxers, however, was far more an uncomfortable a sensation. These were not tech that he was familiar with. Not that the pit crew who undressed him and wired him up like some sort of mannequin were any better, more just on the opposite end of the spectrum as far as these things went. He could only wonder whether or not Yuriko and Charlie were getting the same treatment at the moment. Not to mention what the other Watch would think when they came out of their tubes.

As the three ladies began to attach the pads and settle his head into the brackets connecting the machinery to the discs upon his temple, Hob glanced at the rubber air mask. He tried very hard not to think about the feel of their hands as they readied him. What was worse: the touch of people he didn't like or that he didn't know? "They told me that the mouthpieces were designed not to break off," he grumbled testily, "That the templates for their creation were based off of athletic mouthguards and dental bits used for electro-shock patients. Did they lie about that, too? I'm not surprised."

The gaze of the NI-tech then flickered to Devika, his expression flat and curious at the same time. "The restraints aren't for my safety, you do know that? They're to protect the gear inside the NI-Tube. If I start to convulse and flail around in there, my arms and legs are toast either way. I may not be replaceable, but as far as they're concerned the equipment isn't either. They know I don't need my arms and legs to do my job. Just a working brain and central nervous system."

"Do what you like," he finally muttered. "It doesn't matter. It takes 30-90 seconds to active an emergency log out, plenty of time for me to break my arms whether I'm strapped down or not. Just make sure that bracket is tight about my temple though. I disconnect prematurely, and it's bye-bye to my temporal lobes."

Hob closed his eyes and braced himself. Paradise was only a few minutes away now. There was work to be done, yes, but his imagination and visualization of the tasks made it less work and more fun. Once in the system, he would be free for awhile to be himself. At least until they yanked him out and back into the cold reality of his slavery.

"Let's just get this over with. Fucking four hour watches."