The Lab Chapter 4

The Lab seemed to be an enormous underground complex of control rooms and laboratories with glass windows and desks with panels, computers and lab equipment.

The Lyfelyne corporation had spared no expense and went to great lengths to accommodate an army of medical staff.

Scientists in lab coats were moving in and out, conducting tests for what I assumed to be the 4th and final batch of vaccines.

I remembered when the pandemic first broke out, antibody tests had been developed quickly, but early batches of these potential vaccines were of no use, other than leaving people with irritating side effects in their eyes and ears.

Sunlight was something that had caused nauseating pain in test subjects and further exploration of these early potential treatments had been abandoned.

Now years later, the immune systems of people had weakened so much, that the Lyfelyne Corporation was under immense pressure by governments and global health organizations to find a final cure.

While people had stayed at home, with curtains drawn, awaiting word of a new vaccine, a potential cure, so their lives could get back to normal, whatever that meant, LyfeLyne was producing emotional surrogates called EMOCANICS.

They had been developed to help out with the anxieties that people had experienced after being alone for years now.

The early prototypes were used to soothe the most severely infected and dying, like the family member that couldn’t be with you, in your time of passing. The data that had been gathered back then, lead to new discoveries of what happens when we die.

The moment we cross over.

These early EMOCANICS had studied and learned human behavior well.

Today, with no family members to turn to during tough times, in need of natural emotional support, these virtual companions had gone into full production.

Now, Lyfelyne was following it up, with a physical, gender neutral specimen.

I had grabbed a lab coat to blend in.

Nobody seemed to notice me. I found an office that was unoccupied.

I looked at a screen that displayed millions of social media profiles being devoured by ANRAC. So, they are in full production now, I thought.

In the distance, through a glass window, I could see one of the female doctors and saw her screen that read:

Project EMOCANICS

Female Voice:

EMO TEST PHASE 5

Expected result: 25 percent conversion

EMO TEST PHASE 7

Expected result: 39 percent conversion

EMO TEST PHASE 9

Projected result: 76 percent conversion

GAME ‘THE WANT’

GAMERS ONLINE 10,798,563

SECTORS 7,12,14 PLEASE STAND BY FOR COMMAND

LAUNCHING PRE-GAME INTRODUCTION NOW