The moment I open my eyes, the transfer I saw comes back to my mind. I wonder to myself whether it was real or just a dream. I know it was real, but part of me still hopes it was a dream. I wonder who the man on the stretcher was.
I sit on the edge of the bed. 7:12. I take the paper Melissa wrote from my pocket. After looking at it for a while, I put it back in my pocket. I need to destroy this paper. Melissa knew this would happen. That means it's not the first time it has happened. And it won't be the last.
I get ready and leave the room. Other people are starting to leave their rooms too. You can still see sleep on some of their faces, while others look very energetic. I would like to sleep a few more hours myself, but even if I had the time, I don't think I could fall asleep again.
People act as if nothing happened during the night. Of course they have no idea what happened anyway. On the stairs my eyes unintentionally drift toward the corridor from last night. The door is closed as usual, but I look inside through the glass panel in the middle. For a moment I stop and watch that place as if the two autonomes are still there.
I go to the dining hall and wait in line. As usual, meaningless conversations scratch at my ears. I take some breakfast onto a metal tray and sit at a table.
The man sitting across from me looks at me while cutting his eggs."You look sleepless."
As if I didn't already know that I look sleepless."I overdid it at the gym yesterday. I couldn't rest," I say. Actually I want to tell everyone why I stayed awake all night, but I'm afraid of what might happen between me and the autonomes afterward. The man goes back to his meal.
A few minutes later Melissa walks in. She takes a metal tray and gets in line. While waiting in line she turns and looks at me, but only for a second. Then she looks forward as if she never saw me. I continue eating my breakfast.
After getting her food she comes and sits across from me and starts talking about the man she analyzed yesterday. She laughs, sometimes touches my arm while telling something, and eats her breakfast at the same time. I understand that she's trying to look normal, but I'm not as good an actor as she is.
After the meal I go to my desk and turn on the computer. I wonder if I can find a file about the transfer, but I know they can see everything I search. So I want to act intelligently.
First I type "files" into the search bar. I look at the files that appear on the screen. Then I type "file transfer" and look around a bit. Then I type "data transfer." After spending some time there, I type "transfer." If someone asks, I think I'll say I was looking for an old file.
I click on a file called "Transfer Protocol." There are many records. I click on the 00:09 record. The content is deleted. I check some of the others too, but all of them are empty. Then I scroll to the bottom of the open record. There is a sentence there.
"Transfer completed."
I close the files and return to my normal work. At that moment an autonome enters the room. I think they have come for me, but I don't turn and look at them. Actually no one looks, but I can guess that everyone is watching from the corners of their eyes.
It stands in the middle of the room for a while. I feel like it is scanning us with its sensors.
"Identity verification," it says."Place your IDs on the table."
This is new. Everyone in the room takes out their ID and puts it on the table. The sensor lights of the autonomes move over the IDs. Then they turn around and leave.
Melissa stands up and walks over to me. She holds her tablet screen out in front of me.
"Can you check this?" she asks.
I look at the screen. File number 17483. This time the content is filled, but blurred. I'm curious about what's inside this file, but there's nothing I can do right now.
I lift my head and look at Melissa. So that people think we're working I say,"There's a data shift."
Melissa nods."Yes."
While pulling the tablet back she pauses for a moment.
"Didn't you sleep last night?"
She asks the question in a normal tone.
"No," I say.
She smiles slightly for a moment and returns to her desk without saying anything. I return to my work as well. I click the "Approved" option and the alarm for the break rings.
The room suddenly becomes active. Chairs are pushed back and people stand up. I stand up as well.
When I step into the corridor, Melissa is walking a little ahead of me. She signals me to come with a movement of her head. I follow her. We walk through the crowd. People are talking to each other and there is loud noise everywhere. Melissa suddenly separates from the crowd and I follow her. She opens the door of the cleaning room, enters, and closes the door. I go in right after her.
This time Melissa looks directly into my eyes and asks excitedly,
"Did you see it?"
"Yes," I answer.
"How many?"
"One."
Melissa grabs my arm.
"But you know there wasn't just one, right?" she asks.
"How many were there?" I ask.
"The transfer protocol runs every night, but I don't know how many people are transferred each time," she says.
I don't like that answer. Because I feel like she knows more than she's saying.
"Then what was the file you showed me? The one that said 17483," I ask.
"You'll find that too," she says.
"What was that identity check nonsense today?" I ask.
"I think they're looking for the ID we showed in the archive the other day," she says.
"What did you do with that ID?" I ask.
"Don't worry, it's somewhere safe," she says.
"By the way, you hadn't seen that man yesterday before, right?" she asks.
I shake my head.
"No."
"Normal," she says. "But you'll start seeing him soon."
She grabs the door handle.
"Why?" I ask.
"We'll talk later. Let's go to the break area before we attract more attention. Wait a bit after I leave before you come out."
Melissa leaves without answering my question. I look at the shelves. There's a strong detergent smell. I look at the metal shelves, the plastic bottles, and the cleaning cloths. Then I leave as well.
Melissa has already disappeared. An autonome is waiting near the break room. I recognize the number written on its chest. This is the autonome that sometimes behaves differently.
As I pass by, it stops me.
"Identity check."
I show my ID. It reads it with its sensors. Then it says nothing. I lower my ID. It still says nothing. I think I can go and start walking.
Four steps later I hear a voice behind me.
"17483."
I turn around and look at the autonome. It's still not moving, but I'm sure it said that.
"What?" I ask, but there is no answer.
I give up entering the break room and turn around. I enter the stairwell. I look toward the corridor where I saw the stretcher, but the lights are off. I put my hands on the glass and lean closer to it. I rest my forehead on my hands and with the force of that movement the door opens.
It wasn't locked.
I go inside and close the door. I walk quietly. There's a heavy smell here. I don't know what kind of smell it is. I feel like I've smelled it before, but I can't remember where. The lights where I am turn on as they detect me. The corridor is empty. I see many deep scratches on the floor. As if heavy things have been dragged.
A door on the right further down is open. I go inside. There are empty stretchers. But two of them are occupied.
I walk to the first one. There is a man with his eyes closed. Not the man I saw, but someone in the same condition. He is breathing, even if weakly. I see his chest moving up and down.
I walk toward the second man. As I get closer, the smell becomes heavier. I begin to have difficulty breathing. I look at the man. His eyes are closed just like the other one. I look at his chest. It isn't moving.
Then I notice red stains under the back of his head.
I lift his head slightly but can't see anything. I lower his head again and turn the man completely onto his side.
I see a large hole in the back of his head.
I feel like I'm about to vomit, but I pull myself together. I look closer. It's a disgusting sight, but I try to understand why they opened a hole like that. The hole looks very clean. As if something was carefully removed.
Not understanding anything, I lay the man on his back again.
Then something comes to my mind and I touch my own head.
I have a scar in the exact same place. But I don't remember how I got it.
I immediately go to the unconscious man and lift his head. There's no blood. I move my hand around his head. There's no scar either.
I stop for a second and think.
The dead man died because the operation failed. The unconscious man is next, and he will also undergo the operation.
So where are the ones whose operations were successful?
As far as I understand, everyone is brought here like this. I was brought here the same way, and I must be one of the lucky people whose operation was successful.
I hear the sound of the door at the beginning of the corridor opening. Then the footsteps of an autonome, and then the door closing.
Since the door of the room I'm in opens outward, I have nowhere to hide. I consider lying on one of the stretchers, but it's too risky.
The footsteps are getting closer. I don't have much time.
I move next to the door frame and wait against the wall. The autonome stops in front of the door.
I panic, but I stay silent.
For a moment I feel like it will keep moving, but the autonome enters the room. Suddenly it turns a light toward my face and my eyes are blinded.
After looking at me for a few seconds it says,
"Unauthorized area."
This is the autonome that was standing in front of the break room door.
I don't know if it followed me or if it's just a coincidence that it's here. My hands are shaking, and my heart is beating like it's about to jump out of my chest.
The autonome takes a step toward me.
"Identity verification."
Slowly I take my ID out of my pocket. As I try to show it to the autonome, it slips from my hand and falls to the floor.
I must move a little too quickly toward the ground, because the autonome also makes a sudden movement.
I don't look at it. Slowly I pick up my ID from the floor and show it.
The autonome looks at the ID, but I don't see the sensor light scanning it.
It gives the ID back.
"Identity confirmed."
I don't understand. How is that possible? I don't have authorization to be here, yet it said identity confirmed. I don't even think it scanned my ID.
I look at the autonome.
"Please return to your duty station," it says.
I check the time. Five minutes left until the break ends.
I quickly step out into the corridor, hoping I won't run into another autonome.