Forma Brigade

Chapter 3: Welcome to Testing

At the turn of the 70's when music was kicking into gear and the energy of the world became electric, one oddity changed the course of history forever. Inexplicably, a small group of people from all over the state of New York suddenly came down with a mysterious illness that couldn't be explained, or to a more alarming degree, even acknowledged as reality. What is now known as the Forma Virus popped up one day miraculously and without warning. Some within children, some in adults and unfortunately a slim margin graced newborns as well often to the horrid dismay of their parents. They were written off as mutations, with health and safety inspections running constantly testing sewage levels and radioactivity of power plants in the area, hoping to stop whatever the hell was causing all of this. Years later and the mutations weren't dying down, only increasing in number and in turn drastic measures were taken. The government intended to herd these special cases all together in slum areas, attempting to contain this influx of disease and madness that sprouted up without any explanation one day and just decided to stick around, altering our perception of what was possible forever.

Once this plan was carried out, the world soon saw the harsh reality of the situation, and the masses reacted. "Injustice," they cried out from the streets. "Honor and liberty for all, even the sick," was plastered on the windows of stores and alleyways throughout the city. Riots broke out, people stormed the streets, parents cried for their children to be released, all screaming and pleading. Then the 80's swung by bringing waves of change. With the increasing spread of this disease, seemingly unstoppable and at random, government became forced to manage the situation at a cultural level, now labeling those affected by this sudden shift as a sub-species in and of themselves. Now seen as special humans that were still considered people with their own wants and needs, however gaining specified restrictive rights and privileges. "Formable," was the final label the world decided upon spawned from a chat forum somewhere and adopted quickly by the public, leading to the now slang term made real of, "Forma."

"Of course, you are a part of the world of Forma itself Anita." Her father continued with a raised finger of gallant importance, explaining their situation as they made their way quickly through the lab's inner workings. Past the testing chamber were a series of cushy calming lobby rooms, furnished with long fluffy couches and chairs, all occupied by the exhausted workers and scientists. A few water coolers and tvs clung to the walls with vivid lime-green plant life hanging here and there, giving off a refreshing feeling in an environment that desperately needed it.

"But what about. . .well, everything?" Anita chirped, finally snapping out of the shock from before and pitching her collective two cents. "I've got school, and kick-boxing and. . And I was gonna take a pottery class or something, eventually. . .Is all of that just, gone now?" Her tone held that strong hint of dejection, feeling as if her life had been stolen from her in one fell swoop. Something she always knew was possible, but only to other people who weren't her.

While Anita was busy preparing an epic series of moping and whining fits, she was quickly shaken by the presence of Jack's strong palm placing itself on her shoulder, offering up some well needed comfort.

"You don't have to worry about that." He flashed her another cool smile that of course would make anyone believe right away there was nothing to worry about. No matter the topic of conversation really.

"For schooling, the lab has special instructors that come in to specifically teach us about integrating back into society." Reassuring was a poor choice of words to describe the disarming effect this young man had on the poor girl. "Think of this place as some parts science and other parts hospital. We're going to rehabilitate you, make sure you learn everything you need to know about Forma and living as one, and then hopefully in a few years, if you want, you can start living on your own." Anita blinked trying to process everything that was being said while also recording eye color and hair alignment. She took some time to step back and clear her head, recounting all of the words that were actually spoken in that small timeframe. Right, she had heard about that integrating process before. However, she just never paid it much attention because It wasn't really something that was going to affect her and her daily life. Not until today obviously.