Memory Series Sequence 351001002451983...
Memory Series Sequence Sub-002-0909 - Evasion doctrine is active.
Seeing all the different medical equipment and technology available here was terrific. One lab we visited was a rehab research facility where they tested advanced exoskeletons that could aid people who use a wheelchair like me. I had tried many exoskeletons, and I own one, but wearing it took a toll on my body. I couldn't wear it for long periods because of my spine injury. Mostly, I used them whenever we went out in public, even though their purpose was for short-term use. I rarely used my wheelchair, and the downside to exoskeletons was I could only use them for a few hours before being recharged.
A spinal implant would obliterate the need for a medical exoskeleton. Older spinal implants only partially restored a person's ability to walk and had the same limitations. They had to be recharged, just like the medical exoskeleton. The new implant I was hoping to get would be decades ahead of anything available on the market. The other problem was the price and difficulty with the initial surgery. We couldn't afford the spinal implants on the market now, and there was no guarantee my health insurance would even pay for them. Hospitals consider spinal implant surgery an elective procedure; thus, doctors view it as unnecessary. As of now, only the wealthy can afford the surgeries needed for spinal implants, which is what led me to DNA Labs.
The advanced equipment here gave me hope I could soon walk again. There was nothing like what I saw here that was available anywhere else. After visiting several more labs, our guide led us to the many gardens surrounding the H-shaped high-rise building. There were plenty of locations where we could relax during our stay here. It was only a ten-minute walk to the next building, a mixture of a laboratory and a production factory. The exterior of the building was in the shape of a pyramid made of reflective metal with striped glass. There was an eerie resemblance to the Pyramids of Giza, but it was much more extensive. On each side of a corridor building, a smaller pyramid stood. In front of the pyramid was another medium-sized pyramid, almost the same size as the largest one. As soon as we entered this building, several employees handed us headsets.
"It's going to get loud once you enter this building, and you're going to need these," a worker said, handing each of us a headset.
Dr. Iris put hers on and placed her microphone near her mouth, then gestured to her mouth as she spoke.
"We are now entering the Production Plant. These headsets will allow us to communicate over the noises from the floor," Dr. Iris announced loudly.
"This is where they fabricated many of the materials and chemicals they used for their technology. Right here on-site, they could create everything they needed. In addition to the main building, four smaller buildings house the large, automated warehouses. A corridor attaches each building, allowing for specialized production," Dr. Iris added.
"I have never seen a robot in person before," I replied.
"DNA Labs uses state-of-the-art Dumb A.I. class robots that can do most manufacturing and productions. Of course, we still have humans involved in the process, but this allows us to build anything we want," Dr. Iris replied.
There were even robots and drones rolling around everywhere, doing various tasks. The building's interior was open so I could see from one side to the other.
"In this building, there are four production spaces that are separate from one another, just like this one here, etc. Each of the buildings connected to this one has almost identical layouts," Dr. Iris announced while we passed by a conveyor belt that everything was uniform and organized for optimal efficiency.
There were many large equipment stations lined up in rows with a walkway in between each of the rows. Aerial Drones brought supplies to each station where the robots would take the supplies. Robots performed heavy lifting and manual labor while humans operated the machines. There were conveyor belts on either side of the walkway that allowed quick movement from one side to the other on the production floor. The noises that filled the air were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of machines all working at once.
"These machines produce the parts needed to create a lot of the medical equipment that you are used to seeing in hospitals across many countries," Dr. Iris explained.
"We also produce a lot of robots that you see in major cities," Dr. Warren added.
"Is this where they make all those drones you see in the city?" Kristonia asked.
"Yes, this facility makes much of what you see in major cities. The production here is 24/7 nonstop, and this is one of many facilities DNA Labs has across the globe," Dr. Warren explained.
We continued our tour to the perimeter of the floor space. More labs lined the perimeter of the production facility.
"It is here that technology, such as the spinal implant you will receive, specialists developed as well as designed it. Then, following the design approval, mass production begins on this very floor, and the others like it," Dr. Warren announced as we walked into the lab.
"So, does everything happen here?" I asked curiously.
"Not everything. Lab One creates the prototype, then sends it to one of the many labs to undergo final design research. It will go through several labs like this before its completion," Dr. Iris explained.
"Wow, that's so amazing. I would have thought more went into it than that?" Kristonia replied.
"DNA Labs sends the results of all of their research to Lab One for further refinement. So, yes, more steps are involved, but Lab One will be the last place where specialists will perfect the end design," Dr. Warren responded.
"So, it's kind of like crowd research, where everyone works towards the same goal," Kristonia questioned.
"That's correct. As a result, promising research is fast-tracked to completion," Dr. Iris replied as we headed down the corridor.
The corridor was about one hundred yards in total and on each side of the hallway had a moving conveyor floor. I paid close attention to the people and robots moving down each conveyor floor, which Dr. Warren noticed.
"Those are the expressways. It allows quick transportation from one part of the building to the next. There are three to four conveyors per expressway with a holographic barrier to separate it from the stationary floor," Dr. Warren explained as we approached the entrance to one of the automated factories.
It had an identical layout to the previous building. Dr. Iris led us to the closed room to our right and entered it. We passed by a one-way mirror into what looked to be a control center.
"Instead of labs lining the perimeter of this building, there are control rooms in their place. Here the operators control and monitor all the activity on the floor. No human workers are on the production floor, and everything is completely automatic." Dr. Iris explained.
"Robots or drones handle all packaging and shipping from here. Right down to the loading of the drone trucks, which head directly to the airport to be distributed across the world," Dr. Warren added.
"We do everything here and send it around the world. I thought Amazon was the only company with that capability," I answered, pleased as my admiration grew.
"Well, they deal with a different market than we do. Everything we do deals with medical equipment, robotics, and drones. DNA Labs is the largest producer of those three industries," Dr. Iris explained.
"There are four production floors with an automated warehouse, but unlike the previous building, this one is only seven floors high. However, it has ten subfloors with the same layout as the above floors," Dr. Warren explained.
This entire building reminded me of a production factory where there would be assembly vehicles with other large equipment throughout the facility. But, instead of people building everything, robots were. We left the automated facility and headed back toward the entrance of the building. It only took about twenty minutes to get to the front of the building where we first came in. It was bigger than I expected, and I was astonished.
"That was an impressive building. Before today, I'd never seen a robot before," I said.
"Technically, they are drones, not robots. However, the military uses robots more since they are one of the few organizations with a license to use robots," Dr. Warren explained.
"Although DNA Labs has a license as well," Dr. Iris added.
The next building was another short ten-minute walk, which differed from the rest. From its exterior, it resembled a round cylinder tower with a twist mid-way up. Like the first building, the second was mostly glass and steel. We entered another open lobby through a double glass door and passed behind the reception desk. We followed Dr. Iris and Dr. Warren down the hallway about one foot, with doors on either side of the hallway. It took a brisk five minutes to reach the center of the building. At the center, there was a large water fountain and another lobby. A glass roof covered the lobby, and balconies surrounded it on all sides. Dr. Iris took us down another identical hallway, with rooms on either side. Finally, we entered an elevator, and I watched as Dr. Iris pressed a button for the fifteenth floor. Waiting for the elevator doors to open, I decided to ask some more questions.
"How long do you think it will take for me to walk once the implant surgery is over?" I asked.
"It could be as little as a few weeks to several months. It depends on your body and how well your body accepts the implant," Dr. Warren replied.
"What type of implant is it?" Kristonia asked.
"It's a synthetic-based implant combined with organic DNA from the host patient. In general, it is a hybrid type of implant that will allow us to tailor it to the needs of each individual patient to ensure that no rejection occurs. The organic part of the device simulates the growth of new nerve cells, while nanobots grow synthetic cells that intertwine with the organic tissue of the patient," Dr. Warren explained.
"Sounds complicated to me," I replied as we entered one room, and it was more like a vast control center than a laboratory.
"This is One Central Media. DNA Labs can monitor everything on the planet here and beyond. A live feed is available from every major city, news network, and live feed on the planet," Dr. Iris explained.
"You mean they can monitor everything, everywhere, and anyone?" Kristonia asked.
"Yes. Aside from our medical, robotic, and drone production, we also excel at virtual surveillance. In addition, we work with many government agencies closely," Dr. Warren added as we walked around the control center.
There was a lot of influence from NASA's mission control center when designing the control center. Rows and rows of workstations stood arranged in a curved pattern around a sizable hologram-like screen that covered the entire wall from floor to ceiling, encompassing the entire length of the wall. On the opposite wall were the observation and conference rooms. After watching the various workers doing their job, we left the control room. As we did, Dr. Warren began explaining more about the purpose of this building.
"Every floor had large rooms with consoles and flat-screen monitors with holographic interfaces. These interfaces display information from different news sources and law enforcement agencies across the globe," Dr. Iris announced as we entered another room that appeared to be a series of newsrooms you see on the mainstream news networks.
It was a large studio with several smaller studios flanking the primary studio. Aside from the media studio, there were four smaller studios. All of them were active, with various news anchors reporting on multiple topics.
"This is our media studio where we can share round-the-clock information on DNA Labs projects. We can update the public on new medicines or announce a new type of medical advancement," Dr. Iris explained.
"We can also update the world on the latest in robotics and drone technology," Dr. Warren added.
After watching the different studios, Dr. Iris ushered us out of the media room. We headed to another room just across the hallway from the media studio. This room had grand data banks that filled up the entire room.
"This is a room for storing data. Nothing much to see here," Dr. Warren explained as she motioned us back to the hallway.
People were moving back and forth down the hallway. Everyone wore DNA lab uniforms from various divisions and departments. All wore headsets with tablets running around like they were talking to themselves. Unfortunately, the Doctors didn't show us much more of this building as many of the floors were only special access, so we kept to the less busy areas to avoid getting in the way.
The Doctors led us back down to the entrance of the building, and we headed for the last building. During our stay here, we would stay in this building. However, before entering, we stopped at the entrance.
"All on-site staff live in this building, which combines the advantages of the first three buildings. It is the largest building in terms of size and is of a hybrid construction type. It is here that you can find most of the housing for the personnel," Dr. Iris announced.
"Hybrid building? Do you mean it's automated?" Kristonia asked.
"Yes, and no. I mean it is a high rise and a reverse high rise. So, as a result, it is a skyscraper with both an above-ground and an underground portion," Dr. Iris explained further.
The design of this structure was comparable to the second building, but it was a tall and slender pyramid that was the tallest of the four buildings. Moreover, the facility had a more extensive base than the second building. As I had heard of similar architecture in the American Territories, I understood what the doctor was talking about.
"The overall design of this superstructure is the same as a diamond, with the equator being ground level. The interior square is open from the top of the floor to the bottom floors. Even so, it does not appear to be completely open, as its internal structure duplicates the exterior's structure as if it was a house within a house. The first time I saw it, the complex engineering that went into its design overwhelmed me," Dr. Warren explained.
Dr. Warren motioned for us to follow her inside the double sliding doors of the building.
"This is Resident One and your new home for now," Dr. Iris announced.
The outer pyramid had many more labs, including offices, and it was the biggest of the four buildings. Inside was a sleek and futuristic theme that dominated the entire structure. People and drones were darting around in every direction. There were holograms at the entrance of almost every room we passed by; Dr. Iris noticed our curiosity.
"Those are our holographic greeters. Each one greets guests as they enter the individual clinics. Resident One is also a practicing hospital. Of course, many of the patients are wealthy, but through our charity program, many people from all over the world can come here and receive lifesaving treatments," Dr. Iris explained.
"DNA Labs also covers room and board and the flight here, just like they did with you two. So, here, they have helped many individuals at Resident One," Dr. Warren added.
"I never heard of this place, though?" I replied.
"But you have. The public knows it as Heartfield Hospital. Although there is a front hospital in Heartfield, it's here that the genuine breakthroughs take place," Dr. Warren added with a smile.
"So, this is where we were supposed to come in the first place?" Kristonia replied.
"Yes, we always bring special cases here first. Then, as soon as the treatment has started and everything seems to go according to what the doctors expect, the doctors will transfer the patient to the hospital in the Maine Territories," Dr. Iris added.
"So, if Kristen does fantastically with the trials, could we transfer before summer?" Kristonia asked.
"Absolutely. If Kristen's implant passes all the examinations, then there is no reason to keep her here anymore," Dr. Warren replied in a cheerful voice.
A look of excitement flashed across my face.
"Then the kids could come to visit like they wanted this summer," I announced excitedly.
"I do not doubt you will be back in the American Territories by then," Dr. Iris replied.
"So, where are we, then?" Kristonia asked.
"It's classified. We don't even know our location. It was part of our non-disclosure agreement we signed upon being hired," Dr. Warren responded.
"Well, I would feel more comfortable knowing exactly where on the globe we were," Kristonia said irritably.
"I understand. It took me a while to get used to it as well. But I promise it will get better as you become more familiar with this place," Dr. Iris replied reassuringly.
We headed to the center of the structure, where the inner domicile was located.
"This monumental building is the dormitory. There are one hundred floors total, with fifty above and fifty below ground. Inclosed walkways connect the floors every ten levels. Although it may look like you could easily jump off the balcony, it is impossible. There is an ultra-thin bulletproof glass that is almost translucent. You can find this type of glass in all structures similar to this one. It's a safety precaution. When a person gets too close to the edge, a holographic interface will warn the person," Dr. Warren informed us.
Our next stop was one of the enormous cafeterias located every ten floors of the dormitory. After that, we headed underground to level seventy.
"We will now head to the recreational and retail portion of Resident One. This next corridor leads to a separated underground building," Dr. Warren announced as my sister rolled me onto an expressway for the first time.
The conveyor floor moved us down the long corridor at a constant speed. I was relieved, as it gave Kristonia a break from pushing me. I wondered why we hadn't taken them more. Some conveyors connected to each building, and we did not need to walk everywhere we did. The moving floor only took ten minutes to get us to our destination. That would have taken us at least twenty minutes by foot. During the entire tour, this was by far the longest corridor. The walls had view screens covering each side, displaying images of a beautiful park. Along the hall, we saw vivid hologram images of lush park scenery following us. We felt like we were walking in an actual park as it followed us.
Once we reached the end of the corridor, it was like walking into a mall shopping center, and Dr. Iris motioned us to the balcony area.
"It's a little different here. The safety barrier is further out, allowing people to look over the edge." Dr. Iris announced as she gestured for us to lean over the edge. However, since I was in a wheelchair, I could not look.
"They have a fucking ice-skating ring here, Kris. That's awesome!" Kristonia shouted excitedly.
"That's cool. Maybe I can try ice skating once I can walk again," I replied, laughing.
"The mall is our retail and recreational area for the residents of Resident One. Everything you can do in the city; you can do here. It is only one of two areas like this," Dr. Warren explained.
"The mall area comprises twenty stories, and the center reaches the sky. It has a holographic projector that simulates the sky outside. It has everything a mall in any city would have. Any store you can think of is here in one of the mall areas," Dr. Iris continued.
They seemed to have done this a hundred times before, but I knew we were the first as my coming here was to take part in an experiment. Before coming to DNA Labs, they likely knew each other well. Dr. Iris mentioned they were colleagues, so they must have been very close.
"Restaurants from every major chain are here as well. There are water fountains and kiosks on every level. Everything you could ever need is in this building or the other retail and recreation zones," Dr. Warren finished.
The rest of the tour comprised visiting some of the well-known stores we were used to seeing. They even showed us the Cinema AMC and Regal Theater. I was so excited to see all the unique sights, and it was busy, like the malls in the city. All I could think about was I wished my family back home could have been on this tour with us.