“Now, these may not be the latest technology, and they won’t connect you with the CS.” Nurse Saarinen picks up the glasses and nods at them. “But they do the job. All wellness channels are available for you to use as you wish. The ‘Life Changes and Second Chances’ channel is extremely popular among your ki—” Nurse Saarinen clears her throat. “Well, they’re very popular around here. I highly recommend you start with that.”
Kaarina drops her bag on the bed. With hesitant steps she walks to the window and looks outside. A thick line of pine trees rises in the distance. A yellow rapeseed field and a two-meter high stone wall separate the forest from the Chip-Center.
“Dinner is served at six o’clock sharp. With supper, you’ll be taking your first dosage of Happiness-pills. They should help with the possible side effects you might experience after the chipping procedure.” Nurse Saarinen takes out a blank medical chart and a pen, both stored on a plastic case by the door. She holds the pen in a way that makes Kaarina doubt she’s ever used one in her life.
“Are you experiencing any discomfort? Headaches, sharp pain, nausea?”
Kaarina shakes her head no.
“Any abnormal sensations?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Nurse Saarinen clears her throat again. “Like blurry vision, tinnitus or… voices?”
“This bitch is fishing. I don’t trust her. They asked me the same thing today. Some bullshit about it being normal, that they can fix it. Bull. Shit. They’re after our blood, our cells, whatever the fuck else we are to them. They’ll probe and poke us until we’re just drained sacks of meat. Don’t do it girl, don’t tell this hag shit.”
“Miss Kaarina? Would you like us to switch back to Finnish?”
She shakes her head and meets the nurse’s gaze. Continuing to speak English, she replies, “No need, I’m okay. I guess I feel a bit lightheaded, but nothing a good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix. I am awfully tired. Would it be possible for me to skip dinner and go straight to bed?”
The nurse puts down the chart and the pen, frowning with disappointment. She reaches for the AR-glasses and heads for the door.
“We can talk more tomorrow morning when Doctor Solomon joins us. There’s a note-tablet on your nightstand. Please write down any unusual sensations and symptoms that may occur during the evening or overnight.” She opens the door and waves her hand dramatically. “Ah, and here comes dinner, just in time. Why don’t you eat and take the pills, maybe watch an episode of Heal, Myself and I?”
Someone hands the nurse a tray, which she brings to Kaarina.
“Just take the damn tray. Eat the food. But do not touch those pills.”
She takes the tray from the nurse: A bowl of vegetable soup, a piece of crisp bread, two glasses of water, a pile of different shaped white pills. Nurse Saarinen’s gaze drills into her, as she waits for Kaarina’s reply.
Clearing her throat, Kaarina takes Bill’s advice and plays along. “Better get to it then. Now that I think about it, I am famished.”
***
The sun peeks out from between gray clouds, warm and comforting on Kaarina’s face. They walk side by side next to the rapeseed field, the doctor and her. Nurse Saarinen hovers not far behind. Doctor Solomon walks slowly, her hands crossed behind her back. The doctor’s calm demeanor fills Kaarina with hope. Maybe they can fix her after all? Maybe it’s just a matter of days and she’ll be just like everyone else—one of the Chipped?
“It’s not perfect, you know,” Doctor Solomon says. “The city, this world we’ve created. Every now and then, we get feedback, even criticism. Mostly it comes from West-Land, where life is all so different. People assume that the two regions are run under one policy. But even before The Great Affliction, this would have been impossible. People isolated themselves, created a new world inside social media, video games, and their virtual offices… Each nation lost its way, but each one in a different way.”
“I’m not…” Kaarina clears her raspy throat. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“Well, sweetie. Let me ask you this. How many Finns have you known to purchase a gun?”
Kaarina blinks, shakes her head.
“That’s right, love. None. Even when they thought their days were numbered—and for most this was the unfortunate truth—gun violence was unheard of. Wasn’t it?”
Kaarina nods.
“Then think of America, or Russia. Think of the time before. When the old world, all those troubled and muddled countries, were turned into beautifully organized cities. How people turned against one another, ready to shoot if their neighbor walked too close to their front lawn. Someone had to intervene…”
She turns and smiles at Kaarina. “Ahh, but it’s such a lovely day. Too lovely for such dreary topics, don’t you think?”
The doctor stops by a rosebush with flowers too colorful and vibrant to be real. Though she can’t see the beauty right now, Kaarina’s seen it before. Like a reflex, Kaarina’s hand reaches for the AR-glasses, but she’s left them in her room.
Doctor Solomon reaches for a flower, but doesn’t pluck it from its bush. Instead, she leans slightly forward and presses it against her nose. Are the fake plants scented somehow? Or is the smell only there if you have a working chip?
“That plastic-sniffing dipshit. How long are you going to let this turd brainwash you?”
Kaarina doesn’t answer the doctor, doesn’t answer Bill. She mirrors the doctor’s pose, soaking in her ease and confidence. It feels good to be so close to her, to someone who has created order in the middle of such endless chaos.
The doctor lets go of the flower, crosses her
