It's Monday and if you have been following my blog recently, you know that means a free short story for you all! I have been trying to provide free entertainment for the past few months as the world has gone crazy. Here is a little horror story previously published in an anthology for your entertainment! Enjoy! At What Price
By Sheri Velarde Even Sam, a clerical nobody, a small clog in what could only be described as the biggest medical researcher and manufacturer on the planet, had heard the rumors of what the press conference would reveal later that day. She hoped, even prayed to gods that she didn’t know, that being an employee would maybe give her a chance at being one of the first to receive their latest development. If they had truly developed neurotransmitters that could help control and even cure so many diseases, well then she might not end up in wheelchair after all. Now she just needed Microsonic Industries to make it official and she could plead her case. She stared at the television in the waiting room, rapt with attention like everyone else on the planet. This announcement would change everything for millions of people on the planet. “We here at Microsonic Industries are happy to announce a new breakthrough in how neurological conditions and diseases will be treated from here on out. We have developed synthetic neurotransmitters that are not only chemical based, but also mechanical devices that can be implanted in damaged areas of the brain and spinal cord. This will allow normal activity to return to the damaged areas. This is the cure that people with Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, stroke victims and many more have been waiting for. We can also help those who have suffered brain and spinal injuries. We have already successfully helped dozens of people and we have now received government clearance to open this treatment up to the masses. Soon we hope to be able to help people from all walks of life in every corner of the world.” Beaming, Sam turned down the television. They had even mentioned multiple sclerosis This was it, this could improve her life, save her life. Reaching for her cane, she stood up and made her way to her boss’s door. She knocked and waited to be invited in. “Hello Mr. Woodard. I was wondering if I could take a moment of your time.” “Of course Samantha. What can I help you with?” “It’s about the announcement. As an employee of Microsonic that I might be able to…” She drifted off, not sure she should blurt her request out loud. Mr. Woodard glanced at her cane, understanding shining in his eyes. “You wanted to know if we could put you on the fast track to getting the procedure.” Swallowing her nerves, Samantha nodded. “Yes. My multiple sclerosis has progressed from Relapsing/Remitting to Progressive. I’m getting worse. I don’t even remember what its like to have a good day anymore. If I don’t get one of those transmitters I’m going to be in a wheelchair within the year.” Standing up and coming around his desk, Mr. Woodard stopped in front of Sam. “You have been a model employee since the moment you stated in the mailroom. You’ve given us five years of your life. I will put a good word in for you. I promise, if there is anything that I can do I will. It has pained me to see you deteriorating before my eyes.” A stray tear slipped down her cheek. “Thank you sir.” She gave him awkward hug, not knowing how to put her gratitude into words. Shockingly her boss hugged her back. She hopped that meant he would stay true to his word and help her get this treatment before it was too late. For the next week Sam waited for an answer from Mr. Woodard, who hadn’t mentioned their talk or the embrace afterward since it had happened. Each day at work she went about her normal routine, inputting data away from all the hubbub that the company now received thanks to their announcement. She was just a small and insignificant cog. Why would they ever bump her up in the waiting list for their new miracle? She knew that thousands of people had already placed their names on the waiting list, some paying more money than she ever had earned in her life to get the life altering procedure sooner rather than later. All she had going for her was that she was a good secretary. She doubted that matter in such a company. The days ticked by and Sam lost all hope. Her limp seemed to grow worse each day as well, as if her body had decided to give up as well. She began to imagine what her life would be like in a wheelchair. Then she started thinking about what she would do if she got even worse, if she could no longer take care of herself. She had no one to take care of her if it came to that, she would be alone or in a home. Then just as she had given up completely, Mr. Woodard called her into his office. “Samantha, I have some good news. I talked to my higher ups, who talked to their higher ups and so forth. I need you to submit your medical records, but it looks like you are an excellent candidate to receive one or more of our neurotransmitters.” “Really? I am going to get the procedure? That’s fantastic!” She stood there in shock. Mr. Woodard smiled, “Yes, but that’s not the best part. As a dedicated employee here at Microsonic Industries it has been decided that you should get the treatment pro bono, it just would feel wrong charging you for this procedure. And of course you will be welcomed back to your job just as soon as you are ready.” Sam stood there speechless, tears of joy streaming down her face. Somehow she found herself in Mr. Woodard’s embrace once more. “Thank you.” She finally managed, “Thank you so much sir.” “I think it’s about time that you started calling me Matt.” **** The next couple of weeks went by in a whirlwind, full of doctor’s appointments and preparations for her surgery. She was to have the surgery at the very clinic where Microsonic had developed the technology, by the people who had pioneered the technique. The best of the best were in charge of her treatment and soon she not only wouldn’t have to worry about life in a wheelchair, but hopefully she’d have her full life back. She could have a life with mobility, with no pain, with energy to actually live. Soon she found herself prepped and getting ready for surgery. As she waited in pre-op, her head nearly shaven, she planned all the things she wanted to do. “Are you ready?” A nurse interrupted her musings. Sam found herself wheeled back to the operating room. She was asked to count back from one hundred, she felt herself drifting off, but she could still here the doctors talking in the background. “Why are we doing this again? Why waste something so expensive on a secretary?” “Its great publicity. Plus cases like this will help us keep our private clients out of the spot light. We roll out the sick people that we healed and no one will question the healthy paying for the treatments. It’s a win win. We are seen as saviors even as we work on building the super humans of the future.” “Like us.” Just before she went under all Sam heard was laughing. She didn’t think it was just her mind making it sound evil either. Once she awoke in recovery, Sam began to think that her subconscious had made the whole “evil” doctor conversation up in her mind. Instead he focused on her recovery. Already she could feel her mind operating with less brain fog. Soon she was up and about, walking slowing but rarely having to use her cane. It was truly miraculous how quickly she healed from surgery, even more so how she could feel her body repairing the damage from years of multiple sclerosis. The myelin sheaths must have been either replaced with mechanical parts or had somehow started to regrow. She still didn’t exactly understand how everything worked, only that she felt better than she had since she was a teen. Seven days after her surgery she started to prepare to go home. As she packed her bag, she once again heard something that disturbed her and this time she knew it wasn’t part of her drugged out imagination. “How are the VIP patients doing?” Someone asked in a hushed voice out in the hallway by the nurse’s station. “Excellent. We just ran some basic IQ tests on the latest recipients and their scores are already off the charts. If the results keep improving we will be responsible for creating something akin to super humans. I suspect we will be reaching AI intelligence levels soon. And with the cover of helping neurological disorders no one will be the wiser to what we are really doing here.” The conversation continued, but whomever was speaking moved out of Sam’s hearing. Sam stood there in shock. What she just heard on top of the half remembered conversation as she was being put under for surgery made it fairly clear that there was something going on here above and beyond one of the top medical breakthroughs of the century. Something inside of her had to know more, she had to figure out exactly what was happening at Microsonic Industries. What she would do once she got to the bottom of things she had no idea. Not really stopping to think of what she was doing, she crept out into the hallway. No one was at the nurse’s station as this was not a regular hospital and had a much smaller staff. She walked up to the desk and looked for clues as to where the so-called VIPs would be. She couldn’t be sure, but there were three people listed in a separate area, away from the people in her ward. She thought that might be whom she was looking for. Before she could snoop anymore though, the nurse came back. “Is there anything that I can help you with?” “Yes, I was wondering if there were any more forms that I need to fill out before my discharge tomorrow?” Sam said, trying to sound as natural as possible. “Anxious to get out of here?” The nurse chuckled. “Yes. Sure this place is nicer than any hospital that I have ever been in, but it will be nice to sleep in my own bed and to start living my new and improved life.” “I can understand that. You have made huge improvements from what your chart says. I will get the forms to you so you can fill out everything before tomorrow.” “Thank you,” Sam answered as she headed back to her room. Her mind whirled with ideas, thinking about what she could do with her one night left. She thought that she at least had to try to find the VIPs, try to find out more about them. If she got caught, well she just had brain surgery and she could feign confusion. That night after everyone else had went to bed and the night nurse was the only one on duty in her ward, Sam waited for the nurse to check on her before slipping out of her room and hurrying down a long corridor towards the three patients who were being kept away from everyone else. She knew that her time was limited at best, so she had to hurry and find out what she could before someone found her wandering the hall. She came to another nurse’s station, though thankfully it too was empty. Hurrying she looked at the charts, taking quick pictures of the names on them so she could research the patients names later on. She then flipped the first chart open, scanning it looking for the reason for the surgery. To her shock no mention of any neurological disease or condition were mentioned. She looked at the other two and found the same thing. Instead she found references to IQs and intelligence. The old scores compared to the new scores showed that these neurotransmitters enhanced intelligence in otherwise healthy people. Before she could look for anything else, she heard a noise down the hall, so sticking to the shadows she scurried towards her room. How she made it back with no one finding her out she didn’t know. The rest of the night she kept expecting someone to rush in having discovered her snooping on security cameras, but nothing happened. The next morning Sam was discharged with no problems, given her follow up appointments and sent on her way. If anyone suspected her, they did not let on. Once she arrived at home, Sam got on the internet and began looking up information on the patient name she had found. They were three billionaires, heads of industries that all seemed to have political aspirations. “So that’s why they want super intelligence, they want to take over the government and who knows what else.” Her stomach felt sick. The very company that had just given her life back to her, the company that people were praising as the salvation of so many, were really trying to create some sort of super humans to take over their government. Now that she knew their secret, what the hell was she going to do about it? On the one hand, people like her were now able to live life to the fullest once more. She couldn’t take that away from people. But on the other hand they were letting billionaires use this lifesaving technology to enhance themselves and their intelligence to possibly take over the world. She couldn’t let that happen, could she? It wasn’t like she had any hard proof, for all she knew they too were sick and she just missed that in their files. Deep down she knew that wasn’t true though. They were perfectly healthy and had no need for the neurotransmitters, yet they had them implanted same as she, all the while in a secret wing of the medical facility. There was no innocent explanation for what she had seen. Could she ever live with herself if she let a secret like that go on under the very nose of society? Could she continue working for a company that would sell its most important discovery to the highest bidder and all for personal gain? Sure, they had paid for her to have the surgery and made her life now something worth living, but did that make up for the evil she had learned?
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AuthorAuthor, artist, jewelry maker and all around creative person. I write in many genres and have a lot of fun doing so. Please take a look around and enjoy! Archives
January 2022
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