Object
Keller Machine
A grotesque and highly controversial brain-like psychic entity that manifests as a sentient reservoir contained within a bulky Process Theatre apparatus at Stangmoor Prison. Designed to extract negative impulses from criminals via neural probes and restraint gear, the device stores those impulses in its reservoir box before channeling them into psychic assaults that violently unravel victims' minds—audibly shrieking in agony as it feeds on latent malevolent impulses. Its psychic emanations are neutralized only by Barnham’s uniquely cleansed consciousness, which the Doctor exploits as a shield during transport. The entity is nearly indestructible; standard measures fail, necessitating atomic-level or massive electrical force to destroy it. Linked to multiple deaths across the Process Theatre—including hallucinatory drowning in a dry room and the suspected instigation of riots despite an absence of rats—the machine’s unstable operation sparks growing horror, public condemnation, and the suspension of its use.
61 appearances
Purpose
Extracts negative or evil impulses from criminals to leave them rational and docile
Significance
Drives the central conflict as an unstable psychological weapon; its malfunctions cause fatalities, riots, and ethical clashes, threatening the World Peace Conference and validating the Doctor's warnings against Kettering's arrogance
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used