Cogizol

Cogizol is the name of a neurochemical drug prototyped in early 2005 and perfected in late 2008. It was developed by World Tree Pharmaceutical and sold to both the Pigeonhole Foundation and the NAPD. Due to the questionably ethical nature of the drug and its potential for misuse, it was kept a secret for almost half a decade until suitable safeguards could be implemented. Only a small amount of Cogizol is manufactured at any given time, and possession by any third party without permission is a severe illegal offense. Using Cogizol on another sapient creature without vested authority is punishable by death or life imprisonment.

## History

Cogizol was first proposed by the NAPD in the early 21st century as a "truth serum equivalent", allowing POWs and persons of interest to be interrogated. The idea was scrapped after the release of Hot Chip, which turned out to be unintentionally capable of the same results. Cogizol was later re-imagined as a drug that could go one step further, allowing total dominion over its user should the NAPD ever have need to exert such interpersonal authority. The NAPD approached the Pigeonhole Foundation's research department with its proposal, but the latter respectfully refused to work on a project so distinctly aimed at manipulating people. Undeterred, the NAPD turned to World Tree Pharmaceutical, contracting a smaller and more obscure private business to see its needs fulfilled.

Cogizol's predecessor was finished in 2005, but lab tests on animals and POWs showed unfavorable results. It was eventually accepted that fauna biology was too diverse and complicated for one drug to have desired effects across the board. Even human beings were different enough to ensure a less than 30% success rate between members of the species. In response to this realization, World Tree Pharmaceutical began work on a MK II variant that could be attuned to any individual with DNA. Once attuned, Cogizol would only be effective against a single target, but would affect said target with a 100% success rate.

Not only did this solve the issue of organic variance, it also made Cogizol far more expensive and harder to use as a weapon of terrorism.

The variant was split into two distinct categories: Zetrocogizol and Cipricogizol.

## Zetrocogizol

Zetrocogizol is the default state of the drug. Its prefix "Zetro" comes from the Plezmos word meaning disconnected, detached, or untamed. In this state its effects cannot be accurately predicted, and it is ill-advised to use on any subject. Zetrocogizol is altered by the induction of a large quantity of DNA, wherein psuedoviral compounds locate the most plentiful batch of organic code, fill in damaged gaps to compile the strand sequence, and distribute it across the entire matrix of the substance. Once this process is complete, the cogizol is attuned to a single individual and becomes Cipricogizol.

Injecting Zetrocogizol into an organic creature causes a variety of unpredictable neurological effects, some of which can be permanent.

## Cipricogizol

Cogizol that is infused with the essence of one being. It is considered useless for any other subject and inadvisable to combine with Cipricogizol attuned to another separate being.

Injecting Cipricogizol into a related host is similar to injecting Zetrocogizol into a host of any kind. Injecting it into an unrelated host has no effects whatsoever.

## Effects

When injected correctly, Cipricogizol neatly divorces the subject's sentience from their body, effectively walling off their free will. A subject can still see, hear, feel, smell, and taste, but will be unable to exert control over its senses or command its physical form unless explicitly directed to do so. In their place, the subject's body will be piloted by an insentient, highly suggestible part of their brain that will follow all directed commands to the best of its ability. This piloting force is connected to more parts of the brain than the sentient personality, and can be instructed to engage in both high-level abstract pursuits (such as reciting events or finding an object) and basic commands the sentient personality may have no control over (for instance, willfully stopping the heart or refusing to react to pain).

Because it is disconnected from the rest of the system, the sentient personality cannot be instructed to think or feel certain ways, and is free to react to stimuli however it desires. However, it has absolutely no authority over its body unless manually granted leeway that can be revoked at any time.

Cogizol is made to safely degenerate within the body after a certain period of time. Its effects are temporary, but can be indefinitely prolonged with continuous administration. After it fades from the bloodstream, the victim's control over their body is smoothly restored with no long-term side effects, although some users suffer from increased moments of sleep paralysis for the next several days or weeks.

## Use

Cogizol is occasionally used by the NAPD as a tool for punishing major offenses, extracting information, or enforcing compliance. However, it sees more common modern use as a tool for assisting with the many new forms of surgery and body modification procedures warranted in a post-1992 world, particularly if the patient is required to be awake and alert or even help during the act. In these instances, Cogizol is invaluable in ensuring total compliance between doctor and patient for the physical and legal protection of both. It allows even the most invasive techniques to proceed without fear of the patient flinching, hesitating, or pulling away out of instinct. When used in this setting, Cogizol distribution is carefully measured and almost always combined with both a painkiller a mood relaxer.

The NAPD is notoriously merciless when it comes to unlicensed use of Cogizol, despite other compounds existing that are arguably deadlier. This is thought to stem from both ethical and egotistical principles: yes, you've violated human rights, but you've also stolen from the NAPD, and no one gets away with that for long.

Misuse of Cogizol by third parties is rare, but not nonexistant. It played a known role in the Tuskegee Metal Experiment and occasionally cropped up within powerful crime syndicates, although the names associated with the outside use have mysteriously disappeared over the years.

## Trivia

* Due to a legal loophole, World Tree Pharmaceutical is not whitelisted as a valid carrier of Cogizol, however the terms of their contract state that they can produce and stock this drug "with intent to sell explicitly to the NAPD."
* The mob-boss Edward Glass was known for refusing to meet with other leaders unless they dosed with Cipricogizol beforehand, as he had an intense fear of being assassinated or betrayed at high-level meetings. He was disappeared shortly before 2013.