After pushing a double shift, True logged out at the matron's office and waited for the next elevator to arrive. Her reflection in the elevator door showed that her short brunette hair was not as styled as when her shift had begun. The dome platform elevator network had an independent over-head mono-rail which enabled each hanging capsule, which accommodated one person; to travel in every direction. It was possible for a capsule to travel through multiple dome platform networks to reach a particular destination.
As True waited for the elevator, her fatigued facial expression covered the somewhat shy look of guilt. Which may have otherwise have drawn attention to the fact of her not wanting to be stopped now for a bag check by the W.A.F. The next elevator capsule arrived, and the door opened. Although her blue plastic satchel had extra padding inside, True still took extra care to avoid any accidental knocks to it as she entered the capsule. In the elevator capsule True could sit in a comfortable position.
After instructing the navigation console which route to take, she checked her email first and placed an order for an evening dinner. Dinner was to be delivered to her apartment on the fourth floor of Accommodation Dome 56, which for convenience was the next nearest living quarters to the Hospital Dome 97. While in the capsule, True had to make sure that the satchel remained safe from damage. And maintain her typical travelling behaviour, as each capsule had a built-in security camera for alleged safety reasons.
So after ordering a warm meal of pasta and tomato sauce, she returned to reading and responding to her incoming emails. The capsules had no actual windows, but instead had rotating adverts beamed on the inside panels to keep the passenger occupied. Purchases could be made direct via a touch-keyboard pulled from a virtual menu. The red digit five-minute destination arrival countdown appeared above the capsule door. True arose and collected her satchel in preparation as the capsule docked at her apartment.
The apartment door had to be opened by face recognition, and on days when her fatigue altered her facial expression; the recognition took sixty seconds longer due to the micro-processor scrolling through the gigantic memory database searching for a facial match. Once in her apartment, True placed her satchel on a small round table next to her lounge couch; before swiping her entertainment and shopping card through the slit to the left of her apartment's delivery portal. The card unit value display showed a deduction of a few units, which triggered the portal door to open; allowing True to collect her evening meal. She took a quick shower and donned soft and comfortable clothing.
As she ate her meal she switched the wall screen on to catch up on her regular and favourite soap shows. And for a short period forgot that she had smuggled something out of the hospital. But a sudden jolt in her mind triggered a reminder for her to check in her satchel. True finished her dinner as fast as possible and took the satchel into the bathroom; as she thought it might be safer to open it there instead of in the lounge. As she opened the satchel bit by bit, her heart jumped as the door bell rang. Panicking she thought what to do next.
True closed the bathroom door and reassured the visitor with “Wait a minute.” which sounded fake as she could have first checked the entrance cam display to view who was there, had time allowed. Without checking the surveillance camera, she opened the front door. Upon the door opening, she heard “Hi True!” and smelt the somewhat sweet aftershave her brown haired brother always wore; when he walked past her and looked towards the lounge table hoping that he was in time to grab her diner leftovers. While Thorn focused on the takeaway container, True closed the front door and for the first time; wanted her brother to leave.
True greeted her brother with “Hi Thorn, how's it going? Any news?”
Thorn had made himself comfortable on her couch as usual, and shrugged both his shoulders as he confirmed “Oh the usual, nothing much. I'm getting overtime in at work due to what's-his-name's visit – you know, um the World Administration Force Commander, Kern, General Kern, that's him. But that's it with me. And you? You look as though you haven't slept for a while. And why are you still standing? Is something wrong sis?”
Trudy remembered that she could never fool her brother Thorn, and said “You're correct I guess, I have slept less than I wanted. I took another shift as we didn't have enough on call to cover. So yeah, I'll be glad to get to bed – you staying long?”
“True, come on, what's with you? So nervous – Hello! You can't fool me! You keep looking over at the bathroom and now you want rid of me?”
Trudy, noticing the conversation took a direction she did not want and knowing Thorn may extend his visit duration now that his interest awoke, accepted that it was time for defeat. She exhaled a saved up gasp and said “Thorn, do me a favour please and get the pair of cleaning gloves which are wedged under the sink in the kitchen; and join me in the bathroom – I want to show you something.”
Thorn first thought that the toilet needed repairing for his sister. But having arrived in the bathroom after having first collected the cleaning gloves, with thoughts of toilet cleaning, he was surprised and curious at what he might now confront. True pulled the test tube out from her satchel and held it up for her brother to inspect.
“What's that? I mean how did you get that purple stuff?” Thorn asked as he closed in on the cork-sealed glass tube which True now held up in her hand.
“I don't understand myself yet what it might be. But what I know is that many patients are in quarantine, who have open skin pores with this fluid erupting. And that the stuff grows and grows if not contained in a glass compound, for example this test tube.” said True.
Thorn made a cupping-hand gesture and said “Heck True, don't drop it, just don't drop it! So how come the patients are still alive?”
“Well we understand that the fluid doesn't harm the actual person from whose pores it spouted. With the patients in quarantine, it's unknown just how contagious or damaging the stuff is. For these people, admission to hospital was voluntary after a recent chip scan, with complaints of severe pain around the wrist parts with the implant. And within a day the patients had a series of miniature craters in the same part of skin.” True explained as if she still wasn't believing it herself.
“What happens when the fluid comes into contact with other objects?” Thorn asked.
“First take a cotton ball using the gloves.” True said pointing at the gloves.
He donned the gloves and collected one of the cotton balls as requested.
True gave a hand signal for him to bring the white piece of cotton over, and as he came closer she opened the test tube and urged “Quick! Push the cotton into the test tube – that's it.”
Once the cotton was inside, True re-sealed the test tube. They both watched to see what might happen next to the fluffy ball inside the tube.