Please step into the waiting room, said the disembodied voice in a neutral tone. The door slid open, and Robert and Kate walked through it. The waiting area had synthetic leather sofas, and images of nature projected on to the walls. Please sit. Your case is now being processed.
Kate sat close to her father and squeezed his hand. She had just had her fourth birthday, and this was her first visit to the installation. Robert smiled at her. He wanted to reassure her that it was all fine, and that there was nothing to worry about, but no words came; only a limp smile.
He remembered his own first time. He had been terrified. But that was in the early days of genetic reprogramming, when there were still errors, and collateral damage. Robert’s brother John was a good example. The repro totally removed his identity, and his development stopped at that point, and he was not the only one. In Robert’s home district, there were hundreds of retros – as they were known. The one’s with the most severe problems were eventually housed in life maintenance units.
The government explained that these were the necessary costs for creating a healthy community in the future, and that those who were afflicted, like John, were brave soldiers, and the reprogramming had merely exposed their genetic weakness. Robert remembered the moment when he witnessed his brother disappear forever.
“But that couldn’t happen to Kate, now the repro techniques have improved so much.” He mused. “And the benefits far outweigh the risks. The government would never mandate reprogramming without doing a proper risk evaluation. They must have done the science. They know it works. So why am I feeling this nagging worry in my gut?”
Your case is being evaluated. You will receive attention in four minutes.
“Daddy, do I have to have the repro?” Kate asked with tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m scared.” Robert squeezed her little hand. “Don’t worry Kate, it is just like when you had the preliminaries. You were fine then, and you will be fine now.” He wanted to reassure himself. But he remembered that night when Kate was given her immune-enhancement dose, known as the preliminaries. She gave the classic signs of adverse response, sleeplessness, shrieking, and restlessness, which continued for weeks, perhaps months. But when the technicians ran a screening, they proclaimed that she was fit for the reprogramming.
You will receive attention in two minutes. Genetic reprogramming is the pinnacle of modern medicine. Through these advances we are eradicating diseases and improving the health of the whole of humanity. The procedure will take only twenty seconds.
The transparent door slid open silently. Step forward now. Robert and Kate move towards the open door. On the other side was the genetic reprogramming station. Robert tried to placate his racing heart: “It will be fine. It is for the good of the whole community. The government is there to serve its population, especially the children. It will be fine. They would not be doing this unless it was entirely safe, would they?” The door slid silently shut behind them.
