Symbiosis - The Worker

2543 (25-4th-5) New Calendar - Prima Centurai

“Supervisior?”

The woman turned around and stretched her mouth upwards at A4386A.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I believe I am malfunctioning,” A4386A reported. “My muscles appear to be going into spasm, and I fell unconscious twice this morning. Yet my health monitor reports me to be healthy.” She considered this. “It may also be malfunctioning,” she concluded.

The supervisor nodded.

“That is unusual,” she agreed. “What is your name, worker?”

“A4386A.”

“No, worker, your name.”

“I…don’t understand,” A4386A answered, confused.

The supervisor looked at her for a moment. “Very well A4386A,” she said. “You will go to the Sector 32a medlab now, and report to medtech Inge.”

“Understood,” A4386A responded, and left.

It was a medlab she hadn’t been to before, so she had to follow the signs. It was below-ground, it seemed, however; after the first two flights of stairs she had to stop and rest as her body shuddered with exertion, leaving her breathless and light-headed. Eventually she found the neatly marked door at the end of a narrow, empty corridor, dimly illuminated and poorly heated, although she welcomed the cool air. It would need fixing, she thought. Later. Unsteadily, she pressed the lock-pad and the door clanked open. As she stepped inside it closed behind her, and she faintly heard it lock.

A4386A’s first thought was that she’d made a mistake in her navigation. The room she now stood in was large and bare, and contained only one bed at one end and one chair in the middle. One wall was mirrored; the others were clinically white, with no distinguishing features. A speaker grill was nestled into one corner of the ceiling. No one was around.

She considered the situation. Presumably, this was the wrong room, but she was sure she had followed the signs correctly. A mistake in the signs, perhaps? Although that was very unlikely, she thought. She wondered at it, shivering, and then wondered at the fact that she was wondering. Had she done that before? Was that a question?

She felt faint again, and was just sinking to the floor when another door opened at the other end of the room, and a tall medtech Symbiote stepped inside. He stretched out his arms towards her, his fingers long and triple-jointed, and he laid his hands on her shoulders.

“Good afternoon,” he stated calmly. A4386A believed him. “I am medtech Inge. What is your name?”

“A4386A,” she answered. “I am malfunctioning.”

“Yes,” the medtech sighed. “So I see. I am sorry.”

“Sorry?” she asked, confused. He looked at her hard.

“Confusion already. Interesting,” Inge muttered, apparently to himself. He glanced at the bed. “Well, make yourself comfortable,” he said, motioning her towards it. “This is going to be a difficult few weeks.”