Engineered

Chapter 1

I wake up in my white bed in a white room alone. Slowly I take off the neck piece that I have to wear at night. They say that it is to monitor my breathing, but I know it's not. As I'm setting the neck piece down on the bed, the voice on the loudspeaker speaks.

"Good morning, please report to the door to receive your food."

I stand up and walk over to the door and there it is, my daily bowl of gray mush with a pill and a cup of water. My first advisor sits outside of the room watching in through the window, documenting that I took the pill and drank the water and ate the mush. I always do, because why wouldn't I?

First, I take the pill, it's about the size of the nail on my little finger, but spherical. It's pale blue and had to be served in a small dish so that it doesn't roll away. After I've swallowed the pill I eat all of the mush. It's not much, only about a cup, but it's plenty.

The engineers make everything so that I'm perfect. The perfect weight, height, personality, intelligence, everything. The advisor walks away early, which seriously confuses me. He always stays until I've returned the empty dish to the door.

"Number 390276 please go to your door. It is time." The loudspeaker says.

Time? It's time?? Everyone leaves this... this... place on their 16th birthday. They get a name and are pushed into the already functional world perfected by the engineers. I suppose today is my time. My 16th birthday and the day I leave the white building.

I stand up and walk to the door and it swings open to two advisors I've never seen before.

"Hello Number 390276, I'm your doctor." The first advisor says. She's a middle aged woman with brown hair tied in a neat bun.

"And I'm your specialist." Says the other, another woman who has dark skin and very blonde hair that's super curly.

"Okay, sure." I say, when in reality I'm not sure.

"We're going to start the process now, please follow me." The doctor says.

I follow her down the white hallway and into a room with no windows, a cot looking bed with a sheet over it, and a table with tons of things I've never seen before, like strange wooden sticks and a grey platform that had a white disk with numbers on it. A doctor's office. Today I get my first full examination to make sure I've developed and grown properly. I've never heard of anyone who hasn't, so I'm not scared. I honestly don't know why they even do it anymore.

"First please take off your garments and put on this." The doctor says.

She handed me a white dress with an open front. Quickly and quietly I take off my white shirt and pants and put on the garment she gave me. The specialist stands in the corner taking notes and watching me.

"Please drink this and lay down." The doctor says as she hands me a vile of purple liquid. Once again I obey, drinking and laying. In a matter of seconds I can't move my body, feel anything, see anything, or hear anything. Life is black and motionless.

I'm asleep.

And I can't wake up.