Etheca

Chapter One

She awoke to find the room enveloped in darkness. Her circadian rhythm had been off for weeks despite the increased dose of benzodiazepine in her daily ministration.  She wasn't surprised this was happening, it was only logical that in the lead up to today she would be restless. But what she couldn't fathom, was why this was having such an impact on her, this wasn't like Pip. She waited for the lights to brighten in mimicry of the sunrise and the human need for routine and order. To her left, Eris slept peacefully, unaware of the anomaly that lay in the bed beside her. If it weren't for her short breaths piercing the silence, Pip wouldn't have been able to distinguish her from the shadows.

Eventually, the lights began their gradual glowing and Pip, feigning awakening from slumber, unfurled her arms from beneath the sheets and stretched. She turned to face Eris, planted a kiss on her brow and slipped out of bed as if it were any other morning. As she walked over to the kitchen, the back of her left arm began to bleep and Pip automatically turned off her Mederi's notification. A reminder she was due for her morning ministration. She released her grip on the implant, her fingers lingered over it momentarily, feeling the ridge where her skin ended and the monitor began. It protruded from just above the elbow to the middle of her bicep and wrapped around the width of her arm.

As a Libera, Pip had access to the latest Mederi technology and hers was part of a test where each monitor was capable of receiving and distributing her ministration into her bloodstream while relaying real time feedback to the centre about her physical and mental condition. It was intended to check all vitals, internal body temperature, organ functionality and checks for foreign contaminants that need to be eradicated. This new monitor was even capable of detecting any abnormalities in brain functionality pertaining to thoughts of self termination. Just thinking about it reminded her of Gale and his self-inflicted lacerations which triggered his Mederi. He was taken to the preservation centre for close monitoring to ensure he didn't impact the order of the population in Etheca. He was deemed a lost cause and was sent to Hera. She wondered if she would find him there.

She selected her morning meal from the fridge. It was specially curated to meet her exact nutritional needs, sadly though, this didn't include allocation for seasonings. It was always best practice to take your daily ministration with food and so Pip, after placing the food pouch into the warmer, entered the dispensary chamber to receive her morning dose.

Others weren't quite so lucky to have access to an in-home dispensary, the majority of people had to go to injection chambers sanctioned around Etheca, and in some less prosperous parts of the city, still received their ministration orally. The Menkin Centre had recently developed a new kind of biodegradable polymer used to create microneedle patches; Pip's new Mederi had a retractable opening where the patch could easily be placed to quickly and painlessly administer her medications. She removed the patch, as the medley of various drugs had now entered her body, and she placed it in the polymer receptacle beside the chamber. A vaguely yeasty smell perforated the air, signalling that her breakfast was almost ready.

Pip removed the meal pouch from the heating unit and emptied its contents onto a plate. She sat down to her morning 'meal' and attempted to read the daily announcements on her slab. Her dark eyes glazed over the text creating the illusion of reading, when in reality her mind was solely preoccupied on the assignment she would be embarking on in just a few hours from now.

A message popped up on her screen, interrupting an article on a new initiative to improve air quality in the districts.