Finally, the day had come. The clock struck ten. Ioanna had gone to bed quite late, around two in the morning, but allowed herself to sleep until ten, as nothing important was happening in the Capitol. Thomas had probably already started editing the film from the footage they had. Opening her eyes, she turned toward the window. The sun's rays slowly crept up her body. Stretching, she rolled over onto her back again. In two hours, she had an activation procedure scheduled, after which, within twenty-four hours, her reproductive system would function, and she would be able to conceive a child.
Ioanna got out of bed and approached the mirror. She saw her reflection, realizing that soon, much would change. After getting dressed, she grabbed her handbag and left her room. The previous night in Babylon had shown her more clearly the difference between the old and new worlds. Her conversation with Marcus Grey made her understand why the old world had collapsed. She was confident that her world would not meet the same fate. Here, every citizen of the Consolidated Nation was part of a united whole, and this gave her a sense of peace.
Stepping out of the hotel, Ioanna found herself on the square. Once filled with tourists, today it was occupied by hundreds of followers of the Last Ones, shouting slogans. They believed that the Fracture Machine would lead to the apocalypse, that tampering with the divine plan was unacceptable, and that it was wrong to seek answers to questions hidden by God. Although religion was tolerated in the Consolidated Nation, it was unwelcome. Crimes committed for ideological reasons were punished as harshly as possible, with sentencing to the Tenth district for multiple generations.
Like most citizens of the Consolidated Nation, Ioanna did not believe in the existence of gods. For her, they were myths, tales that parents told their children, about wizards who controlled the sky and lightning, walked on water, and held up the heavens. A good story, but not the truth. The only thing she believed in was science, which could lift the veil of mystery and answer the questions that no one had previously dared to ask.
The Last Ones did not see what she saw and continued their obstinance. Their fear of the Fracture Machine was understandable. After the catastrophe in the Third District, another attempt to answer the same questions raised concerns. Even deep down, Ioanna feared the possible consequences, but she knew that Martha Crockford, who was at the helm, kept her madness under control. Martha would never allow the same mistakes that led to the collapse in the Third District.
Passing by the square, Ioanna climbed the steps to the metro station. The magnetic train was due to arrive in two minutes. She felt a mixture of anxiety and anticipation — or perhaps it was the same feeling. She thought about what it would be like to give life, to raise a child, and to provide everything it would need. She worried about whether she could be a good mother. But the results of the tests reassured her somewhat, preventing panic from taking hold.
Finally, the train arrived. When it came to a complete stop, metal clamps gripped the cars, the doors opened, and a few people exited. Ioanna, along with ten other passengers, boarded. Despite it being rush hour, the transport flows were distributed thanks to the additional air routes for the Ethers, which eased the load on the city's network.
Taking a seat by the window, Ioanna prepared for a short trip — she had only four stations to travel to reach the Clinic of the Department of Population Development and Control. The clamps returned to their place, and the train shot forward. Thanks to the magnetic installations, the lack of friction allowed the train to reach tremendous speeds — ideal for the Capital, where the population reached thirty million people. The Capital was one of the largest cities in the Consolidated Nation, rivaling even the Second District in size.
Skyscrapers flashed by the windows, between which other trains and tunnels raced. Ethers flew between them, and sometimes Hawks could be seen. Four stations passed quickly, and within fifteen minutes, Ioanna stepped out onto the street. Descending the stairs from the platform, she found herself on a bustling street. People hurried about their business, cars raced past, and Ethers soared above them in several layers.
The Department of Population Development and Control towered on the opposite side of the street. Almost every man and woman in the Consolidated Nation went through the activation procedure, and Ioanna was no exception. Entering the building, she saw about a hundred women waiting their turn, and just as many men on the other side of the hall. They were all undergoing the distribution process. More than a thousand scientists awaited patients in their offices, and the vaccines lay calmly on the shelves. The queue moved quickly since the procedure itself lasted only a few minutes, and within twenty-four hours, conception became possible.
Finally, it was Ioanna's turn. She approached the counter, where a red-haired girl stood, her hair slightly swaying from the building's cooling systems.
"Good afternoon the girl smiled at Ioanna. Her uniform fit her perfectly, complementing her figure. The blue dress with white seams fell to her knees. "Place your hand on the scanner to your right," she slowly pointed to the small device with a screen. The screen was pristine white, with a platform for the hand beneath it.
Ioanna's legs began to tremble with tension. This was the moment when her life would change, when she would become a mother. The vaccine would flow through the veins of the young woman, and in nine months, she would bring new life into the world — a new member of the Consolidated Nation, who would lead civilization into a bright future.
Placing her hand on the platform, the sterile screen changed to a slightly bluish background. In the center, a name appeared: Ioanna Averino, and the room number — four hundred and eighteenth.
"Dr. Abraham is expecting you," the receptionist gestured towards the elevator number that would take her to Abraham's floor. Her white gloves blended with the sterile white hall.
"Thank you," Ioanna nodded, already finding it difficult to stand. It felt like anxiety was slowly spreading through her body like a virus, overtaking her piece by piece.
The reporter slowly approached the elevator and touched the call screen. The elevator began descending. Ioanna turned around. The women waiting behind her, awaiting their turn, were constantly looking at the other side, where their husbands waited. Ioanna felt sadness knowing her husband wasn't standing in that line, waiting for the elevator. She understood that as the vice-chairman, he had many urgent tasks to address, and that he would also undergo the vaccination procedure either today or tomorrow, but that feeling wouldn't leave her.
Finally, the elevator reached the ground floor. The doors opened. Unlike the sterile white hall, the cabin was gray. For unknown reasons, the department's designers didn't change the color of the metal. The woman stepped inside. The doors closed behind her, and the elevator began to ascend. Several floors passed quickly, and Ioanna found herself in a long corridor. It was equally sterile and white, perhaps even empty.
She walked slowly towards the required room, feeling like a criminal heading to a courtroom where she would be sentenced and sent to the Tenth District — a place where every day, people worked in factories, having broken laws or betrayed the Consolidated Nation, and were now on the path to redemption.
There it was. The room where the syringe with the vaccine awaited her. "In a few minutes, this will be over," Ioanna whispered, but even her whisper seemed audible in the quiet room. She knocked on the door.
The door slid open. Inside was a small table, behind which sat Dr. Abraham He was busy going through documents on his computer. Lifting his head, he glanced at the woman.
"Ioanna Averino," the man said. He was old, his long white beard fully covering his chin, but his eyes were kind. Perhaps that's why he was chosen to vaccinate the population.
"Hello, Dr. Abraham, Ioanna stepped inside.
"Please, sit down, Mrs. Averino," the man stood up and gestured to the chair across from him. She took her seat.
"Does it hurt?" Ioanna asked. Some colleagues at the channel said it did, but she didn't believe them.
"Not at all," the man lowered his eyes, avoiding direct contact with the patient. "Do you know how the vaccination process works?" he asked, opening the patient file and verifying the information.
"Hmm," Ioanna only knew the basics; perhaps there were some details she wasn't aware of. "You administer the vaccine, and in twenty-four hours my reproductive system is activated, and..."
"Yes, yes," the doctor quickly interrupted. "That's exactly how it works." He stood and went to a device in the wall, retrieving a tablet before returning to his seat.
Ioanna sat with her hands clasped, while the doctor reviewed the data on the tablet. Occasionally, he glanced at the computer and then back at the tablet. Ioanna noticed that he seemed nervous, so she decided to ask about the side effects.
"Is something wrong?" she leaned forward slightly, trying to see the data that so fascinated Dr. Abraham.
"Hmm," the doctor frowned. "You..." he reached for a glass of water and cleared his throat. "Do you know why we perform vaccinations?"
"But... I already answered that question," Ioanna was confused and unsure of what the doctor wanted. "Didn't I already answer?"
"Yes..." Dr. Abraham lowered his gaze. "You know..." His lips moved, but no words came out. "This happens very rarely. To be honest, this is the first time in my practice."
"What do you mean?" Ioanna was startled.
"You know that after the Great Consolidation, due to uncontrolled reproduction, society degraded, and along with it, the Nation. That's why the Department for Population Development and Control was established. That's why you took tests and had analyses done," the man took another sip of water. "But people kept reproducing, so it was decided to create a virus. A virus that would stop the human reproductive system. And when we administer the vaccine, the virus goes into a passive mode but is passed on to the next generation. Thus, children are born sterile, and upon reaching a certain age, they have the right to undergo vaccination and continue the human race. You know these criteria."
"I don't understand you, doctor," Ioanna knew all this, but didn't understand why the doctor was explaining it again.
"For seven hundred years of the Consolidated Nation's existence, this has happened about a hundred times, and as far as we know, only at the beginning of the virus's use."
"What are you talking about?" Now the woman understood something was indeed wrong.
"Sigh," the doctor set the glass of water down. "The early versions of the virus were unstable. What does that mean? In the human body, it could mutate and create a new strain. Experiments showed that the virus could only mutate in one direction — becoming resistant to the vaccine. Of course, nothing catastrophic would happen. No disaster, no end of the world... But in the patient, the vaccine wouldn't work. The reproductive system wouldn't activate. And secondary attempts to administer injections or use other methods would damage it. Thus, the patient would become infertile... Technically... not because of the virus. And as a result, the patient's lineage would end with them."
"You mean..."
"During the tests, we noticed that your results are outside the norm. Retesting showed that the virus in your body reacts, but weakly. It's possible that the vaccine may not be enough to trigger your reproductive system."
"How is that possible?" Her voice trembled. "You're saying this happened centuries ago."
"That's right," the doctor glanced at his tablet. "I can assume it's due to genetic mutations, which are natural but monitored by the department."
"Monitored?" Ioanna sat motionless.
"You, like me and everyone else, were born in this world. Your parents, like mine, were tested and allowed to be activated. But that's not the end. Throughout the pregnancy, we monitor the process and correct any deviations."
"How?" None of her relatives had ever mentioned pregnancy corrections.
"It's extremely rare, more rare than removing a damaged fetus," the doctor shifted his gaze back to Ioanna.
"Damaged?"
"It's just part of the process," the doctor sighed. "Sometimes during fetal development, abnormalities occur. In such cases, we either remove it or correct the DNA while it's still possible. At this stage, its parameters are flexible enough for adjustment."
"What's your point, Dr. Abraham?"
"The point is, perhaps the doctor examining your mother missed that a mutation in your body is affecting the virus."
"Oh..." Ioanna struggled to breathe, something in her chest blocking her air.
"But you shouldn't worry, Mrs. Averino," the doctor tried to comfort her. "Your case is unique but not hopeless."
"Really?"
"I didn't say the virus isn't responding to the stabilizer," Abraham walked over to the counter and filled a glass with water. "Here," he placed it on the table beside Ioanna. "The likelihood of the stabilizer working is fifty-fifty."
"Is that supposed to comfort me?" she drank the glass dry.
"I think so," the doctor replied. "I've informed you of the situation, possible causes, and consequences." Dr. Abraham retrieved a packet labeled with the reporter's name. "I'll administer the stabilizer, but the exact result will be known in three or four days."
"Three days?"
"It usually takes a day to activate, but in your case, it'll take a bit longer to confirm if the virus has entered a dormant stage. Roll up your sleeve."
"Tell me the truth. What are the chances?" She rolled her blouse sleeve up to her shoulder.
"As I said," Dr. Abraham pierced her skin with the needle. "Fifty-fifty." The liquid flowed through the needle into the girl's body until the syringe was completely empty. "That's it. I'll schedule you for a follow-up in four days."
"And then?" she asked in a trembling voice, looking up at him.
"Live as you did before, but try not to stress," a faint smile crossed Abraham's face. "If the virus responds, not all is lost."
"What if it doesn't work?" Ioanna clenched her lips.
"It should work," the man touched the monitor. The screen displayed: "Appointment concluded."
In his career, Abraham had occasionally dealt with fetal corrections, even performing removals. But he had never encountered someone with vaccine resistance. He had children himself and even one grandchild. For a moment, he remembered standing in this same clinic a decades ago, nervous, anticipating the birth of his child. He knew exactly what every patient felt during these visits, for every citizen of the Consolidated Nation had experienced it. But the girl in front of him... her fate was different. He hoped the vaccine would succeed; he truly wanted it to. But if not?
Ioanna slowly rose, straightening her blouse sleeve, and left the office. As soon as the door closed, she leaned against the wall, her legs refusing to hold her. She was breathing heavily, fear gripping her throat. Why? Why her? She could feel the stabilizer spreading through her body, and with every heartbeat, it sped up.
Ioanna rushed outside, inhaling the air of the clean, sterile city. It wasn't enough. She couldn't breathe anymore. Nearby, next to the Department of Population Control and Development, she spotted a park. She headed toward it quickly, afraid that she might collapse at any moment.
"Fifty percent yes," she kept repeating.
Spotting an empty bench, she collapsed onto it. Tears started rolling down her face under the midday sun. Her breath remained erratic, her thoughts tangled: the happy life she had imagined would now shatter and then rebuild, over and over. Fifty-fifty. Ioanna tried to calm herself, but it was in vain. Suddenly, amidst the whirlwind of thoughts, she remembered her mother's words: "Morning is wiser than evening." Problems often look different, easier, after waking.
Half an hour passed before she could rise from the bench and leave the park. She headed to the metro station. People walked beside her, each in their own direction, cars moved by, and the Ethers whizzed overhead.
The trip to the hotel near the Capitol took even less time than the one to the Department of Population Control and Development. The crowd still stood in the square, shouting rehearsed slogans. Step by step, she approached the hotel entrance. Her mind had seemingly shifted into some kind of survival mode. She hadn't noticed the doorman opening the door for her or greeting her. Marcus and Thomas were discussing something in the lobby, and when Thomas waved at her, the reporter didn't see him and walked straight into the elevator. Her finger pressed the button, and the cabin carried her up. Two minutes later, she entered her room. As she stripped off her clothes, Ioanna collapsed onto the bed. She didn't have the strength to turn off the central control system and dim the room. All she could do was close her eyes. Morpheus opened his gates, and Ioanna stepped into a world with no fear, no pain, only peace... Ioanna fell into a deep sleep.