A Million Clones

Chapter Four: Terribly Wrong

Medication: The Gov claimed it was a way to keep you healthy, but no one really believed it. It was mandatory. Usually you had one medication every year until you died. And on that day they sedated you because, the Gov said, it was a painful injection. Jen hated it.

The Test: The Gov hated outsiders, and that was why every twelve years you would receive a test. A screening. To see if you were different. Difference was failure, and failure something that the Gov couldn't (or wouldn't) afford.

Jen had only heard hear say of the test from the thirteen year old girl next door, "It's okay, I guess. No school. Usually they do it with the medication, but the time I did it the medication had been the day before. They scan this scanner thing over your whole body, pull up some stuff on a computer, and you're done." The girl had then, as an afterthought, tagged on. "They do it to protect us, you know." Probably Gov Whisperers, telling her what to say through the earpiece embedded in her ear drum. Gov Whisperers gave "friendly advice," or at least they claimed to, but mostly they were a source of publicity for the rest of the Gov, giving credit to the "Government Saviors" as they liked to call them. Jen knew better.
Now, as she tried her best to maintain calm, her heart was pounding in contradiction. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. The robe that the woman had handed her weighed heavily in her hands, instead of the thin lightness it was supposed to have. Thump. Thump. Thump. Suddenly a loud voice boomed over the PA intercom. Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Stay calm, everybody. If you have your hospital gowns on. A tube will come down from the ceiling. Twist the strap of the tube over your head and breathe in deeply. Everything is all right. The medication will make you strong and healthy, and the test we're conducting today will keep our society happier and safer."
The voice sounded almost robotic, the lack of inflection, empathy, or care. It sounded unnatural and disinterested. It sounded like the voices that Jen had always heard, weaving in and out of her life. Except for before...
In a flash Jen was whisked away from her thoughts. The cold metal tube brushed against her cheek, it breathed with a strange air and incited a deep panic. This was actually happening. All around her the students were strapping the tubes, following the instructions. Jen felt compelled to do the same. What was the point after all? Wouldn't she just be found out eventually? Better comply and at least have that in her favor.