Phase 43

Chapter 23 - Finn

            "Thank you very much. The rest of this will be fairly easy, but there will be a few blood tests and vaccine injections. The needles are very small, so they shouldn't hurt more than a bee-sting. I assure that you will be okay. At the end of the process, you will be given a small tablet. It will look like a tiny vial - inside it will be a portion of your blood. On the cap, there's a small LED light. If the light is red, then you are safe. No infections, no virus. Your blood will also stay red. If the light flashing green, then you unfortunately have the Phase 43 virus. When you receive your vials, please take one of the chains that will be provided and wear them as a necklace. This will allow us to let you inside the Pristine. Thank you very much, and we will see you on the other side," the woman explained. She finished with a sweet smile, then had her men take our clothes and walked out. We all shifted uneasily, but Lucas was bouncing on his feet.

            "Can we go can we go can we go?" Lucas cried happily. Darren turned his steel grey eyes to me, a sad light behind them. I glanced away, forcing my fears down.

            Lucas happily, obliviously, led the way through the long halls. We came to a door with an automated message.

ONE AT A TIME.

STEP INTO THE ROOM &

PLACE YOUR FEET ON THE MARKS.

            Scott offered to go first. He stepped through the room and disappeared through the door. We waited about 45 seconds, then the message appeared again. This time Elliot went. Next came Charlie, then Lucas, then Ashley, then Darren. I stayed behind, stepping into the room last.

            It was a small circular room, lined with white light emitting from the floor. It was about the size of a ski-gondola. I glanced down at the small footprint stickers on the floor, placing my bare feet directly on top of them.

            "Please turn around slowly," a robotic voice called. I did a quick 360, my heart still hammering too fast to hear in my chest. Small green lasers literally scanned me up and down, and then another door was opening. I walked into a similar room, but this time, there was a small robotic arm.

            "Please extend your right forearm," the robotic voice said. Biting my lip, I held out my arm and waited for the arm. It swung over, a small light flashing over my exposed skin before a tiny needle popped out. I didn't flinch when it tucked itself into my skin, but I was worried about how Lucas was doing. He hated the doctors in general, and I always had to hold him when he was getting shots. I hated not being there for him.

            After 30 seconds the needle pulled out. I wondered if it had taken my blood, but it didn't seem like the right place too.

            "That was a vaccine. Please follow the arrows," the little voice called. I lowered my arm, rubbing the sore spot as little arrows appeared on the walls. I followed them through the dark room, stopping when they disappeared. I looked around, finding myself in a larger, slightly lighter room. A man was sitting on a chair by a large machine.

            "Hello, Seraphina," he called. I almost growled at the use of my real name, but I didn't really have the energy to.

            "Is this the blood test?" I asked quietly. The man nodded. He pulled on a pair of Latex gloves. He motioned for me to sit on the large, dentist like chair next to his large machine.

            "Did the rest of my family come through?" I asked slightly frantically as I sat down. The man didn't say anything, but nodded. I released a tiny breath. The doctor quickly punched in a few things on the machine, and then another large robotic hand was swinging towards me.