Alexander Mercer: Buccal Cavity Ablation
EPSILON EXPEDITION-1986: Alexander Mercer, a geospatial engineer part of the team assigned to map the Thompson Extension
While mapping out the Extension, Alex became separated from his team, 2 TDK (Thompson Den Kilometres) from the entrance.
This section of the Thompson extension is dominated by the “Containment Basins.” It is believed the purpose of these Basins is for holding runoff from the other parts of the Extension, preventing flooding.
Yet occasionally, the water levels seem to rise and fall in an unnatural rhythm, like the slow breathing of some vast entity, suggesting that perhaps they contain more than just water.
While the majority of these Basins are the size of regular swimming pools, Alex is reported to have fallen into one far larger. Unable to pull himself out due to the high sides of the basin, he spent 24 harrowing hours treading water in the engulfing darkness before he was found and rescued.
After leaving he thompson Extension, Alex began to manifest a severe case of hydrophobia- an irrational fear of water, commonly associated with Rabies.
Over the course of several months, this fear intensified, making Alex terrified not just of external water sources, but even his own saliva.
Desperate, Alex sought out an underground physician willing to perform an unthinkable surgery.
The removal of his mouth.
The procedure involved removing the labium supers iris and labium infers iris, sealing off the oral cavity, and rerouting the digestive system to allow for feeding through a tube. However, complications soon arose. Infections set in, and Alex began to reject the modifications.
Alexander Mercer, 16hrs post recovery from his Buccal Cavity Ablation surgery.