• Chapter One Part Two
    I slept for about an hour, then news coverage of the beginning of the celebration parade popped up on the laptop. There were people assembling on the streets outside my apartment. I though to join them later, but now I just wanted them to be silent so I could rest. As if to refuse to let me continue sleeping, the lights in my room switched on without warning. I made my way to the shower, the water already warming up for me, and muttered, “Machines are out to get me, I swear…”
    I brushed my wavy light brown hair, trying to loosen the tangles before wetting it. My hazel eyes were dull, as they were every morning. The sharp features of my face showed signs of the morning’s weariness, though makeup would cover it up enough later. After feeling the water and adjusting the temperature to my liking, I lazily washed myself.
    I heard the phone ring while I was in the shower, but I decided to pick it up when I was decent. The muffled notice left by the answering machine played in the distance. “You have reached Ada Galleher. Please leave a message, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.” When I got the chance to check my voicemail, I realized I should have picked it up when it rang. It was my boss - Scott Riley.
    “Listen, Ada, I know we all had today off… There’s this man coming in for an interview at around ten that I would have taken care of myself, but something came up that I can’t handle on my own… Can you come take care of it?” he asked, and chucked nervously. “Well, call me back, alright? I hope you can come, we really—Oh hey… Oh? I’ll get on that. Um… See you, Ada.”
    Knowing it would be best to call him back, I instructed my phone to dial, but nobody answered. I left a voicemail, hoping someone would get the message. “Hey, Scott. I got your message. I’ll be there in a bit.”
    The parade on the street prevented me from driving to work, so I walked as quickly as possible to the building. Six blocks away, third building, and ten floors up. The elevator inside already knew exactly where it was to stop and let me out. I eventually arrived at the Branch of Programming Security; an office crammed with one large desk, too many cubicles to be comfortable, and enough computers to make a victim of the Virus go completely berserk. This was my office, my home away from home: The Virus Testing Facility and Observation Room, my boss called it. It was more of a research center for the effects of and cures for the Virus and less of a testing facility, though.
    When I arrived, the small number of my co-workers who were in the office were sitting somberly at their desks, each of them slaving over their computers. They seemed to be monitoring a test of some sorts. There was a man I had never seen before, taller than me but slightly stout with wavy brown hair that fell to his shoulders, sitting in one of the lounge chairs in the corner. He was dressed in an off-white business shirt and tan pants. His tie made the outfit a touch more formal than our office’s usual attire. I could tell he was uncomfortable in this setting, and also completely insecure of himself.
    I was immediately bombarded by Scott, a red haired man in his late fifties. He had an excited expression, but somehow also seemed to be very serious. “Ada, thank god you’re here. Just now, we seem to have found a calming agent for some of the most severe Virus symptoms. Oh. But more on that later. That man over there, Myles Belford, has been waiting for a bit. Do you mind?”
    “That sounds exciting. I’ll be back as soon as the interview is over.” I said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible, given that I was called in unexpectedly and would much rather be home sleeping. I glanced back over at the man named Myles, who realized he was being addressed and stood up. “Mister… Belford, correct? Follow me, please.”
    The man followed me into an empty room, where I interviewed him for little over a half hour. He seemed extremely apprehensive, almost as though I were interrogating him. His attitude rubbed off on me; it became difficult to talk to him.
    Now aged forty-three, he had been working as a software programmer for nearly fifteen years, and had previously worked as one of the developers behind the prototypes of the microchips we use today. He stopped working on the implants before development ended because of disagreements with the other developers, but he refused to give me any details, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. Despite his history being as impressive as it was, I felt (and my boss agreed) that with his timid personality, his input would be overwhelmed by that of the others. I reluctantly dismissed him, feeling that a mind like his would be useful around here.
    Back in the main office, almost nothing appeared to have changed at all. In fact, everyone seemed to be in the exact same position as when I first entered the room. Confused, I inquired, “What… was all that about?”
    “Oh, that…” Scott said, reviewing notes of some sort at his desk. “That calming agent I mentioned earlier? We though we’d found a way to cure - or at least relieve the symptoms of - the Virus. We used a sedative drug that was chemically similar to the one that causes medically induced comas. It should have calmed the man… It worked fine in theory!”
    “And in practice?” I asked. I tried looking over Scott’s shoulder to view the notes, but the font was too small for me to read from a standing distance.
    Scott played with the pen in his hand, uptight. I could tell he was frustrated with himself. “Well, we learned it makes for a great anesthetic. It simply put him to sleep. I don’t get it…”
    “I just… think you’re trying too hard. I don’t think the Virus can be cured with a simple injection, or a drug. It’s… more complicated than that….” I laughed internally at that. Yeah, like I would know.
    He sighed, and held his head in his hands. “Maybe you’re right… Sorry for dragging you here on your day off. How about some lunch? I’ll treat you, as thanks for coming in.”


    Read the rest:
    -Preface- -Chapter One Part One- -Chapter One Part Two: Reading Now- -Chapter One Part Three- --Chapter One Part Four-