Rehabilitator
The Rehabilitator was a device to change people into more idealised forms of themselves according to the ideals of the device's user. The Rehabilitator could reconstitute a subject's physical and mental wellbeing, while simultaneously damaging these aspects in the user.
Characteristics[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Rehabilitator looked like a large kaleidoscope. It was brown and shiny, with one dark end and one clear end. It was much heavier than it looked, being made of a dense, unnamed metal which was not naturally found on Earth.
When in contact with human skin, this metal would transfer compounds into a person which would produce a feeling of elation. This sensation was highly addictive, but the addiction could be avoided if the device was used alongside a specially-made viewing box, so that the user never comes into physical contact with the metal alloys.
When viewed through the rehabilitator, objects and places would look darker and bluer than they naturally were. Living beings however appeared to be significantly more colourful, as if the device was able to detect the presence of a living organism. When viewed through a Rehabilitator, Toshiko Sato appeared to have a silvery glow. (PROSE: Kaleidoscope)
Usage[[edit] | [edit source]]
A user could view any living being through the Rehabilitator's clear lens, and that being would begin to change into what the user considered the ideal version of that being to be. The changes caused were both mental and physical - in the case of Steve Dillard, the Rehabilitator was able to remove his alcoholism and anger issues, while also making him appear physically younger and thinner. Steve eventually regrew a missing tooth.
While making significant improvements to the person it was aimed at, the Rehabilitator took a physical and mental toll on the users. Gwen Cooper and Owen Harper had intense cravings for chocolate after only using the device for a few seconds each. Because of the addictive and euphoric properties of the metal alloys the device was made from, when the lens was pressed against the user's face they experienced a pleasurable sensation which temporarily masked the negative side effects of using the device. After using the Rehabilitator continuously for a number of hours Danny Dillard became weak and fragile, hungry, and unable to concentrate. He also developed an addiction to the device which he later satisfied with illegal drugs.
The longer the rehabilitator was used, the longer the effects would last for both subject and user, and the stronger these effects would be. After several hours, any changes would be permanent. (PROSE: Kaleidoscope)
History[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Rehabilitators were created by an ancient alien race who tried to maintain peace. After this race went extinct, the devices were discovered by a humanoid race who used them to rehabilitate prisoners. This practice was discontinued when terrorist groups got hold of three of the devices, and used them to convert others to their cause. After this the devices fell out of common use, and over time were scattered throughout the Galaxy.
At some point in the 1990s, a Rehabilitator with its viewing box was found in Cardiff. Jack Harkness brought it back to Torchwood Three, where he wrote a report on the device's effects and history.
In 2009, another Rehabilitator was found in Cardiff. Though Torchwood was able to find it, it was stolen by local kids. When they were unable to find a use for it, they gave it to Danny Dillard. He used it to try to improve his father, eventually becoming addicted to it. Though Torchwood was able to get back the Rehabilitator and remove Danny's memories, the addiction remained and Danny turned to drugs to try to recapture the feeling. (PROSE: Kaleidoscope)
