The car took him to therapy before work, never a good sign. He called in from the waiting room. Jann didn\u2019t like it of course, but what could Rick do? If you wanted health care you followed the rules and that included emergency therapy. He just wished he\u2019d known. Rick had skipped breakfast and now he was sitting there hungry. You didn\u2019t dare ask the receptionist how much longer. They scrutinized you constantly and even a twitch meant something. He tried to look happy. That\u2019s what they wanted to see.<\/p>\n
The android behind the counter called his name. The bald face mimicked a human persona remarkably. \u201cAndrea will take you back, Mr. Dalton.\u201d<\/p>\n
He followed the tall, platinum-haired woman in the pleated black dress to a therapy room. Once he settled into the waterlounger, she went after his tea. \u201cMint, hot?\u201d she asked from the alcove.<\/p>\n
He had this. Rick drank mint iced except in the morning, except during emergency therapy when he always asked for it cold. \u201cIf you don\u2019t mind, I\u2019d like iced.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. Doctor has a note. You\u2019re to take this.\u201d<\/p>\n
A small square section of the table rose. In the center dimple sat a little gel cap. He sighed as he picked it up. \u201cThank you.\u201d <\/p>\n
She was there with his beverage. \u201cDoctor will be with you presently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d He watched her leave, careful to look away appropriately. He swallowed the gel cap, sipped, and glanced at the Monet. Studied the ballerinas a bit, because he was sure they knew he liked it. Then back to the tea. <\/p>\n
The space behind the desk shimmered as Dr. Kim\u2019s hologram appeared. \u201cHello, Rick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Dr. Kim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Kim\u2019s image flickered and then the sharp eyes were back. \u201cRick, we had a spike in your routine I wanted to discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n
He felt a chill. How serious was it? Not reevaluation, please not that. They would pick him apart for a week. He remembered to interact: \u201cI\u2019m sorry if I let myself down.\u201d Straight out of the therapeutic handbook.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo areas we need to cover\u2014meds and diet.\u201d Dr. Kim waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy medications\u2014Dr. Plummer gave me permission to-to use Diatholyn . . . Only when I need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hologram stared. \u201cAnd your Reatox?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me nauseous sometimes. You said you were going to see about trying something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amusement, like a snake eyeing a mouse, slid over the doctor\u2019s face. \u201cYou do realize that willful withholding of prescribed medication is a crime, Rick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoctor\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s move on. Diet.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m eating normally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBreakfast? This morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I skipped it. I was running late and\u2014\u201d That was a verifiable lie and he had to retract. \u201cI wasn\u2019t actually late but I didn\u2019t want to be late and so I was in a hurry. I have been trying to lose a pound or so.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cA mini-diet, then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you weren\u2019t planning on visiting the vending machine for a strawberry crunch before work, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n
He admitted, \u201cI was.\u201d No sense making this worse. <\/p>\n
\u201cRick, according to what I have here, your predilection for snacks has increased your caloric intake well over six thousand calories in the past few weeks. This explains your gain of one-point-eight pounds. Okay. We\u2019re finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m recommending reevaluation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoctor, please.\u201d Rick tried to control his voice but he was upset.<\/p>\n
\u201cRick, you\u2019ve displayed independent behavior and you have lied about it to your therapist.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wanted to scream back the truth. That the pills took away his spirit and replaced it with a lie. But that would only earn him a session under the laser. He remembered to respond. \u201cI\u2019ve been foolish and irresponsible, Dr. Kim.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTherapeutic medication is the foundation of our society. Try and remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter reevaluation, I\u2019m certain you\u2019ll do fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that necessary? I promise\u2014I\u2019ll take whatever you prescribe from here on out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. There\u2019s also your eating disorder. It\u2019s just a mess, Rick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more breaking the rules, Dr. Kim, I promise.\u201d Rick\u2019s voice had a touch of huskiness; he almost believed it himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait.\u201d The hologram froze.<\/p>\n
Wait? Now Rick was going nuts. The escort androids could burst in at any time. He sighed. He hated reevaluation.<\/p>\n
Dr. Kim\u2019s image reanimated. \u201cRick, I may be able to help you. If you\u2019re willing to cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s someone from NSA. Wilson. Once I receive a confirmation from him that you\u2019ve cooperated fully, I\u2019ll consider this entire matter closed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo reevaluation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Just stick to your prescriptions, and your diet, and you\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re finished.\u201d
\n
\nThe room went dark as the hologram vanished. Rick made his way outside. He was worried about this Wilson. What did they want with him? Was it about the job? His work was used by the authorities, Rick knew that. Half the American workforce was involved in government work these days. But why would they contact him this way?<\/p>\n
It had to be about the job, he reassured himself\u2014maybe Alice\u2019s too-short skirts or that day Greg left early. What else could they want? The NSA had access to quadrillions of nanocams and he was certain they had every moment of his life recorded. What could Rick tell them that they didn\u2019t already know?<\/p>\n
Wilson contacted Rick on his wrist phone during the ride to work. Only audio. \u201cMr. Dalton, I need you to help me clarify something. On this video\u2014\u201d A tape began on the little screen. Holly on top of him in bed. Golden hair splashed over his face as she leaned down. The tape froze. \u201cMs. Fensterbush whispered something to you. Is that correct?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d Rick was mortified. There was no way to stop this.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she whisper?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d A tightness gripped his chest. How could he tell? <\/p>\n
\u201cI was told you would cooperate with my inquiry. What exactly did she whisper?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2014\u201d How could he do this! <\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Dalton?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t take\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014her preventative.\u201d He hated himself for saying it. But what choice did he have? If he lied and Wilson found out, the consequences would be horrible. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not registered for a baby, are you?\u201d He could hear the wicked smile in Wilson\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Mr. Dalton.\u201d Wilson ended the connection. The car parked and Rick went into the office.<\/p>\n
Jann walked him to his cubicle. \u201cHow are you?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
He slid into his chair with a sigh. \u201cSomething came up. I won\u2019t be seeing Holly again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you liked her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d The experience had devastated him. But overreacting would only lead to inquiry. He couldn\u2019t afford any more mistakes, not after his morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll just have to move on. Do you need a repressor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe doctor gave me a gel.\u201d For once Rick was grateful for the numbness the medication provided.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always Cindi. I\u2019d be happy to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, thank you, Jann. I\u2019ll just file for a replacement.\u201d Dating the boss\u2019s sister might be too close to bending a rule. He wanted to stay away from all that. <\/p>\n
\u201cPlease yourself.\u201d She began moving down the aisle. \u201cLet me know if you need anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d He turned on his equipment. One hundred and forty-four cam feeds popped up on the desk screen. He began taking notes. Regina Simms was viewing prohibited internet porn again and that Freeburg character in Omaha had cigarettes hidden in his basement. The Hendersons were arguing at well over seventy decibels. Rick recorded a slew of violations including one sex offender. This was John Turner\u2019s third adultery too, in less than two years of marriage. He would be going under the laser. Too bad, but maybe Turner should stick to the rules if he wanted to get married. <\/p>\n
Rick went close-in on a couple of feeds and found more. John and Mary Kline were whispering, pretending to watch vid while they whispered. He could not make out what they were saying. He marked it down as suspicious. <\/p>\n
Kay McGill in San Jose was going to be in a lot of trouble. The three cams inside her apartment were all effectively blocked. A clear infraction of the Domestic Surveillance Act. Rick activated a fourth feed. He could see McGill now, hunched over a basket. A white head popped up and a long pink tongue licked her face. McGill scratched the dog\u2019s ears. Rick could hear yips from the puppies. <\/p>\n
Rick checked McGill\u2019s record. She didn\u2019t even have the mother dog registered. He could not believe his luck. The pups, the mama, the cam blocks, it was a forty pointer at least. It was turning out to be one heck of a day after all. If this kept up he might make bonus.<\/p>\n
A black-eyed puppy wobbled into view. Its eyes shone with joy. Rick poised over the keypad, paralyzed by the image on the screen. His excitement drained away. The next move he made would send the report and end this. The black-eyed pup would disappear forever.<\/p>\n
He found a Reatox in his desk and gulped it. The puppy\u2019s head bobbed into view again. Rick watched it, fighting back the regret. He thought about Holly. She also had beautiful eyes that he would remember. <\/p>\n
The medication took effect. His calm returned. Holly, he\u2019d been thinking about Holly. He would miss her. He hoped his next partner pleased him as much. Peering at the picture on the screen, he flashed with anger. McGill was the cause of this. Those poor dogs\u2014all because of her recklessness. Rick hoped they scraped her cerebellum clean. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The car took him to therapy before work, never a good sign. He called in from the waiting room. Jann didn\u2019t like it of course, but what could Rick do? If you wanted health care you followed the rules and that included emergency therapy. He just wished he\u2019d known. Rick had skipped breakfast and now …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19223,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19778],"tags":[19777],"class_list":["post-136189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tcl-29-fall-2018","tag-the-colored-lens-29-autumn-2018","entry entry-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19223"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=136189"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136190,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136189\/revisions\/136190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=136189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=136189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=136189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}