"Remember, your health is important to us!" The echo in the airlock made the voice even more mechanical-sounding. Its statement was accompanied by a series of apparently positive emojis, a white plus sign on a green background. There was some relaxing background music too, on a subliminal level. Winnie smiled tightly. So it must be true!
"All your health concerns are OUR concerns! This remained in bold, large type, while a smaller message scrolled past, not read out by the voice. "Followingexclusionsmayapply,includingbutnotlimitedto..." Winnie's eyes ached as she tried to follow the vanishing small print. That part was new.
With a sigh of relief echoed by the swishing airlock doors opening, Winnie stepped forward, already forgetting what she had read, focused on not losing her place in the line now filing towards processing.
"Remember, being well is a state of mind! A positive attitude goes a long way!" This message blared out, and Winnie could see a few other care-service clients pause and look around in confusion at this novelty. She shrugged. Just more of the C. Corporation's think-right drive. As a happy face emoji appeared with the WHS' favourite white-on-green plus sign, alongside a frowny emoji with a thermometer in its mouth. Knew it, just like 'think-right, be alright'.
The reception interface took her details with a quick biometric eye scan. Her official ID and medical stats popped out in a hovering virtual screen for her information. And anyone else's, if they cared to look. The interface switched to a humanoid face which gave her a green smile. "Please proceed, Citizen Smith! And stay well!"
Relieved to be in at last, Winnie Smith followed the directions of the winking "Please take a seat" hover sign. The waiting room extended as far as the eye could see, full of patiently waiting care-service clients, the seats by convention spaced two metres apart, and separated by Perspex screens to form cubicles.
The room was bathed in a green glow, as in-situ holographicprojections flicked into life at every seat. "The World Health Service cares!"proclaimed the sign, against a background melody telling a tale of challengesmet and overcome. Prevention is betterthan cure, as my gran used to say. She grimaced to herself, as another memoryof her old gran's sayings resurfaced. 'Thisis getting on my tits'.
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Short StoryThe near future: thanks to the benevolence of the C. Corporation, all citizens are entitled to their monthly health clearance. Failure to show up is not an option - non-cleared citizens have no rights to employment or education - no involvement in s...
