Her strides were confident as she kept on walking, nodding to the officers. There was no nervousness in her nor any fear. The building was one under constant security, yet here she was, an outsider walking around like she owned the place with no one the wiser. And why would they be? She had spent most of her years here, sure, not in this particular sector but still in this structure, following her parents wherever they were patient enough to take her. That was why she had been permitted the entry today in the first place.
Good relations did help, mostly when it came to anything related to the government!
However, since she knew no one in this branch other than the one she was looking for, it was the badge on her chest that let her stay clear of trouble, that and the fact that she really looked the part of a scientific and had the confidence in her gestures that let others not doubt her. Which in reality was the furthest from the historical courses she was taking. Once the security caged passed, she was directly allowed inside; the mural in front of her turned into an open door.
At the other side, she waved her hand in front of the right wall, and a transparent map appeared. Locating the head of department's office, she smiled and waved her hand to turn the map off, and proceeded to follow the instructions. Zheng Xuanjin, she thought, just you wait! Running away from a lovely girl like her wasn’t it plain meanness? Going out for a month was it really that bad that she suddenly kissed him? Not contacting her for two weeks and not even going back to his home during this whole time, wasn't he being the childish one between them? She tried but hadn’t been able to contact him at all! No phone, no mail, nothing. She could only barge into his office now!
Yet as she knocked and was even permitted the entry, the man in front of her wasn’t her boyfriend but his direct subordinate it seemed. Sitting down on the presented chair, she smiled and repeated what she had already said to all those who asked her along the way here, she had been invited by the chief Zheng himself. Surely, knowing that man, he would be quick to come when she was so freely using his name.
Who would have thought that the vice chief would suddenly brighten up and said that the chief had indeed talked to him about her, bringing out a weird looking helmet that he presented as the chief’s surprise for her.
“Really?” She asked, laced with doubt. One had to remember that she was still the one doing the pursuing in their relationship and even though his twenty-seven years wasn’t old to her twenties, he still thought himself too old for her. Something having to do certainly with the fact that he was the superior of people twice his aged, like this subordinate. Wouldn’t it be peculiar that his very first present wasn’t something he gifted her himself?
But then again that man had no romantic bone in his body at all! He could have very well thought this as saving his time while doing another thing. Did he know from the start that she would end up bribing her way to his office?
“Yes, it is our latest invention”, Li Xing explained, putting the thing on her head, while he connected it. "The chief is coming back in a couple of hours but he said if you came, I had to properly transmit this. It's not officially out yet but the chief was adamant about making one for you, having the whole center worked twice to get the project approved for a quicker release."
The straps were fixed under her jaws. He went back behind the desk and after a moment of search took out a small bottle containing many pills. She eyed it curiously not taking it though.
Smiling, he explained, "actually, our project is something that shows solutions to others. Those who need counsels but have no one to ask for can used this. As long as you have a problem, trust it to give you a solution. It even gives solutions to problems you didn't release you were thinking about... The helmet is connected to your brain. For safer measure, it should be used when the brain is in its resting time. And for that our medical team prepared these pills. They are delicious you'll see, fresh and melt on the tongue. One is enough."
She took the bottle in her hand, and put one pill in her hand, immediately feeling it melt on her tongue, turning into a cold sugary liquid.
"What's the project's name?"
"Longevity, my idea" he answered proudly, "anyone one who has fewer problems has a better chance of living older."
"It sure sounds nice" she murmured already tired. Something in which Xuanjin took part as inventor, she was eager to experience it.
Li Xing turned on the power button on the helmet, and let down the skylight.
She welcomed the darkness.
***
It was completely dark around her. She couldn’t hear herself breathed or see her own nose. She heard nothing and saw nothing, it was a little destabilizing as experience. Suddenly, a voice rang. It was her own voice, which was extremely creepy. If everything wasn’t still black she was pretty sure she would see herself have goosebumps.
Using her voice, the program’s assistance –maybe?- kept on talking. There was nothing electrical or phony about it; it was really a human voice.
[Welcome dear client. You are now using ‘longevity’. We hope you’ll get satisfaction and rest of your worries. Do esteemed client want to use the identificational mode or the anonymous one?]
“The identificational,” she said without thinking too much.
A little moment later the voice started speaking again.
[Esteemed client’s name is Ming Li Miao, age twenty, astrological sign the lion. Do these informations need corrections?]
“That was fast!”
The apparel it seemed took it as confirmation and didn’t linger, directly going down to business.
[The client’s current biggest trouble based on the brain’s memory is to reconcile herself with her boyfriend. Is it correct?]
You! Out of all the things you could choose must it be something related to emotions, if it had to be can’t you talk about my absent parents, or better, my next exams in a couple of months!
“Absolutely not!” she retorted, not feeling like talking sentiments with who knew what like that. And anyway, Xuanjin was gifting her something; didn’t it mean they were already reconciled?
[The calculations are correct. However, Client is in denial, the trouble needed to be addressed quickly.]
“Don’t just ignore what I’m saying, alright?!”
Yet it did just that, starting a lengthy explanation about how to make her relationship work. She could only back down and listened. It was using her own data and analyzing the data of her boyfriend based on her memory to be accurate. However, wasn’t it talking more and more quicker and way too much?
“Can’t you slow down a bit? To me, these are just words alright, and complicated ones at that. What do you mean by 'let him space' or 'talk things out', I can’t even see him these days, how am I supposed to talk?
[Is miss Ming willing to use the practical phase of the program?]
“…That depends, is it going to be simple?”
[Yes]
“Take too much time?” She didn’t want to miss Xuanjin’s return.
[No, time is relative inside here.]
“Then bring it on!”
[In which order does the client fees comfortable?: alphabetical, by the highest priority, the least priority-]
“Randomly, thank you” she cut it, that thing was actually long-winded, she had to remind the team to work on this aspect, it really could be annoying if one didn’t have the patience.
[…May miss Ming wait a bit. Starting the Initialization…]
A ‘ding’ was heard.
[There are twelve stages in this counsel, is client ready to experience the first one?]
“Wait, you need to explain things a little more” don’t just stay silent when you have to talk! Was what she wanted to shout but hearing her own voice really made it difficult for her to release her temper on herself, “first, what does this practical phase consist of? What am I supposed to do and the more important, how can I exit this program the moment I want?” She had forgotten to ask that to Li Xing.
[Forceful exit is not recommended. That is dangerous and can cause health problem and brain damages.] The hell, Li Miao thought, don’t go around inventing unsafe things like that Xuanjin! [Furthermore, for a complete understanding of the solutions, miss Ming is asked to bear with it and complete the whole program that had now started.]
The thing seemed as radical as that stubborn Xuanjin!
[Start of miss Ming’s therapy. Number of sessions: twelve. Choosing choice: random. Initialization of the first, _ding_esteemed client miss Ming is asked to learn to be open and talk thing out.]
That dark place suddenly lit.
“Hey” Li Miao shouted, “you answered none of my questions, don’t just decide things on your own.”
The machine completely ignored her, not even acknowledging her shoutings. Zheng Xuanjin, what’s the meaning of this nonsensical program you are developing?
________________________
N/A: It’s all subjective and a little random. This single person with only a cat as a companion doesn’t dare pretend to know how relationships work!
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