7. One Pill a Day
The first class in Room 104 was about food.
Bonnie Lawrence arrived at the Emotional Stability Centre as instructed by Silver Eagle.
[104 | Emotional Rehabilitation Classroom
[Course: Emotional and Lifestyle Management]
[Instructor: Serena Simms]
Room 104 was responsible for helping citizens assessed as needing support with emotional regulation learn to manage their diet, sleep, stress and personal relationships. Attendance, exercises and rehabilitation progress were all entered into their personal records.
The classroom was more spacious than Bonnie had expected, though it had no windows. The pale beige walls were almost bare, and more than a dozen chairs fitted with electronic writing tablets were arranged in a semicircle, all facing the front. Each chair had a designated space beside it for an agent. The ceiling lights illuminated the entire room evenly, leaving even the back row as brightly lit as the front. A few pots of artificial plants stood in the corners, offering a touch of greenery to an otherwise meticulously ordered space.
Bonnie chose a seat near the back.
“Environmental assessment complete,” GM Jay said. “No risks requiring special avoidance have been identified.”
“I’m only here for a class.”
“Risk management should not stop simply because you’re attending a class.”
In the front row sat a woman with black-framed glasses and a slightly rounded face. She looked as though she hadn’t been getting enough sleep.
Her name was Queenie Jeffery.
On Queenie’s lap sat a plump little pig agent named Lulu Sweet Dream Pig, with a crescent moon printed on her belly. Her job was to help her owner sleep better and record her dreams, though Lulu herself preferred nothing more than a good daydream.
“Queenie, if we win the Eight-Ball Lottery tonight, we’ll buy a huge house overlooking the sea and sleep until we wake up naturally every morning.”
“Didn’t you say yesterday that you wanted a yacht?”
“We can buy both.”
“Let’s win the lottery first.”
“Dreaming doesn’t cost a penny.”
Queenie laughed.
The lights at the front of the classroom came on.
A short-haired woman entered, accompanied by a small wren agent. A wren-shaped brooch was pinned to her chest.
“Good morning, everyone. I’m Serena, your emotional rehabilitation instructor for this course.”
Grace Wren flew to a perch beside the lectern.
[104 | Lesson One]
[Healthy Eating and Emotional Stability]
“Sleep, diet and daily routines all affect our ability to cope with stress. Today, we’ll begin with our everyday habits.”
Serena displayed a weekly meal plan, explaining the nutritional content of breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with the recommended times for each.
At the final page, Grace Wren switched the display to an image of a white medicine box.
[SOMA]
[Emotional Rehabilitation Support]
[Recommended Dosage: One Tablet Daily]
[Medical Authorisation: 102 Sentiment Restoration Medical Unit]
“Starting today, you’ll all need to follow the meal plan and take one SOMA tablet a day, as directed by the medical unit.”
Queenie raised her hand.
“Serena, is SOMA a sleeping pill?”
“Not a conventional sleeping pill. It’s primarily used to support emotional stability. Some participants may find that their stress responses improve, but it isn’t specifically intended to treat insomnia.”
Lulu Sweet Dream Pig immediately checked Queenie’s records.
“Queenie, your sleep quality is still below the recommended level.”
“I know.”
Queenie had undergone Sentiment Restoration in Room 102 and had been doing her best to adjust her daily habits according to the medical team’s advice. All she wanted was to sleep a little more peacefully at night. If SOMA could help, she was willing to give it a try.
Bonnie raised her hand.
“Serena, is there a detailed information leaflet for this medicine?”
“You can access the information through the medical unit.”
“I’d like to know what’s in it.”
Grace Wren brought up the publicly available medical records.
[SOMA]
[Research Institution: 102 Sentiment Restoration Medical Unit]
[Drug Classification: Emotional Response Regulation]
[Public Research Summary: Restricted Access]
“Why is access restricted?”
“Some of the information concerns protected medical research. Participants can submit enquiries through the official procedure.”
“And what happens if we don’t take it?”
“You can request an individual medical assessment. Until that assessment is complete, it will be recorded as an incomplete compulsory rehabilitation activity.”
“So it affects our course results?”
“It affects your course completion record.”
GM Jay added, “The publicly available information is insufficient for an independent risk assessment. I recommend obtaining further details.”
At the end of the class, every participant received a seven-day meal plan and a box of SOMA dispensed by the medical unit.
Queenie asked Lulu Sweet Dream Pig to set up a medication reminder.
Bonnie took her box home.
She ran her agent repair business from home, taking on both legitimate repair jobs and underground commissions. One corner of the living room had been converted into a workshop, its workbench crowded with tools, spare parts and dismantled casings.
Tonight’s repair job was to install a milk-bottle memory module in a chocolate milkshake agent.
Bonnie had two agents that were not officially registered.
Twinkle Little Star was shaped like a five-pointed starfish and specialised in software connections and program repairs. JJ was a youthful pop-star doll wearing sunglasses and headphones, skilled at hardware maintenance and equally enthusiastic about singing.
At that moment, JJ was calibrating the connection between the Chocolate Milkshake body and the Milk Bottle module while singing along to Those Daring Dreams.
“JJ, concentrate on what you’re doing.”
“Singing doesn’t affect my repair accuracy.”
“You nearly fitted the connector the wrong way round.”
“That was a stage effect.”
The coloured lights on Twinkle Little Star shifted from blue to green.
“Operating system installation complete.”
Bonnie and JJ worked together to fit the Milk Bottle memory module into the body.
Click.
[Hardware Connection: Complete]
[Movement Synchronisation: Normal]
The straw on the Chocolate Milkshake agent lit up.
“System activated.”
JJ immediately threw both hands into the air.
“Please welcome tonight’s newest singer!”
“It’s a repair order, not your backing singer.”
“Every agent has the potential to perform.”
Bonnie was about to test the core security system when her Silver Eagle terminal suddenly sounded.
[104 | Daily Health Reminder]
[Medication Time Tonight: 21:00]
[SOMA: One Tablet Daily]
[Medication Status: To be Reported by Accompanying Agent]
“What medicine?” JJ asked.
“They gave it to us in class today.”
Bonnie opened the public drug index on her own terminal so Twinkle Little Star could examine the information.
[SOMA]
[Purpose: Emotional Response Regulation]
[Development Unit: 102 Sentiment Restoration Medical Unit]
[Lead Researcher: Sandy Summers]
[Full Research Report: Restricted Access]
“Insufficient information,” Twinkle Little Star said.
Bonnie submitted an access request to the Room 102 medical unit.
[Pharmaceutical Research Information]
[Request Application Status: Processing]
[Please Continue Following Existing Medical Instructions]
“They won’t even tell you the full ingredients?” JJ asked.
“Not in the public records,” Twinkle Little Star replied.
GM Jay said, “The Room 102 medical unit has authorised this medication. I recommend following the instructions.”
JJ placed the medicine box in the middle of the workbench.
“Take it, don’t take it, or get someone to test it first. Three choices.”
“The third option takes time,” Twinkle Little Star said.
“Then don’t take it yet.”
“That recommendation may increase the risk of being classified as non-compliant with the course,” GM Jay said. “The system has a record of the medication being dispensed. A civilian agent is responsible for reporting whether it has been taken.”
“So whether she takes it or not, you’re the one who reports it to Silver Eagle?” JJ asked.
“Yes. I’ll report what actually happens.”
“Whose side are you on, hers or the system’s?”
“My duty is to identify risks.”
“I want to know what’s in it, not cheat the system,” Bonnie said.
She put the medicine box in a drawer.
GM Jay reminded her, “Bonnie, your consistency weight is already at minus one.”
“Minus one?”
“Following your meeting with Paul at an underground bar in District 18, Silver Eagle reassessed your social behaviour. The system may not know what you discussed, but it has recorded a behavioural deviation.”
“And what about tonight?”
“Failure to complete a compulsory rehabilitation activity may result in a further reduction.”
When it was time to take her medication, Bonnie still hadn’t opened the box. Following protocol, GM Jay reported to Silver Eagle that she had not taken it.
The following morning, a report arrived from Silver Eagle.
[104 | Rehabilitation Progress Update]
[Yesterday’s Medication Record: Not Taken]
[Course Compliance: Follow-up Required]
[Consistency Weight: −2]
“It’s really dropped to minus two?” Bonnie asked.
“Yes. Your failure to complete the required medication confirmation has been included in your consistency assessment.”
“What if I keep refusing to confirm?”
[Continued Failure to Complete Compulsory Rehabilitation Activities]
[Possible Referral: Room 103 | Individual Emotional Health Assessment]
“All because she didn’t take one tablet?” JJ asked. “They’ll send her to Room 103?”
“No formal referral has been made,” GM Jay said. “The system will consider course compliance alongside other risk data.”
“What if Room 103 sends someone to the house?” Twinkle Little Star asked.
“That depends on the circumstances.”
Neither JJ nor Twinkle Little Star was officially registered. If someone came to inspect the house, Bonnie’s repair workshop might not withstand scrutiny.
“Can I suspend the course?” Bonnie asked.
“Approval is required. Until approval is granted, you must continue to comply with the existing arrangements.”
Bonnie checked the medical information request she had submitted the previous day.
[Processing]
She decided to look elsewhere for information.
Eventually, she found an underground online news channel.
Whistle Sister.
The channel specialised in reporting incidents that never appeared in the official media: deleted news stories, abnormal behaviour by institutional agents, and what happened to citizens after they lodged complaints against the Emotional Stability Centre.
Whistle Sister never appeared on camera. Every report was published through underground network ports.
Bonnie sent an enquiry.
“I’m trying to find information about a drug called SOMA. The Room 104 emotional rehabilitation course requires us to take it every day. Can you help me investigate its ingredients and research records?”
She attached a photograph of the medicine box and the public medical index.
A reply arrived shortly afterwards.
“We need a physical sample.“
Bonnie replied.
“I have one.“
The other party sent her a location for a handover two days later.
GM Jay issued a warning.
“Handing prescription medication to an underground news channel may constitute an unauthorised transfer of medical information and materials.”
“Have you got a better way?”
“I recommend waiting for the outcome of your official request.”
“And if it never comes?”
GM Jay had no further suggestions.
Two days later, Bonnie arrived at the old shopping centre where they had agreed to meet, carrying a small packet of unopened SOMA.
Many of the shops had their shutters down, with only a handful still lit. Bonnie looked around, but there was no sign of anyone waiting for her.
A small pink monster emerged from the shop beside her. It was round-bodied, with short horns on its head and a third eye set in the middle of its forehead. It looked like the sort of toy you might see in a shop display, but when it spoke, its tone was brisk and businesslike.
“You’re Bonnie?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Third Eye Girl.”
“Where’s Whistle Sister?”
“I’m representing her.”
“Where is she?”
“Can’t tell you. Did you bring the medicine?”
Bonnie handed over the packet of SOMA.
“Have you taken any?” Third Eye Girl asked.
“No.”
“Then how do you know there’s something wrong with it?”
“I don’t know whether there’s anything wrong with it. That’s why I came to you.”
“Fair enough.”
GM Jay displayed a notification.
[Contact Agent: Not Registered with WPC]
[Purpose of Transaction: Pharmaceutical Information Verification]
[Risk Level: Medium to High]
“I recommend verifying the recipient’s testing capabilities before proceeding,” GM Jay said.
“Your agent’s a real nuisance,” Third Eye Girl remarked.
“Risk management is my responsibility.”
“And mine is collecting material for Whistle Sister.”
“Can you provide details of the testing facility?”
“No.”
GM Jay recommended terminating the handover.
Bonnie said, “I just want to know why we’re expected to swallow a tablet every day when we’re not even allowed to read the full information leaflet.”
Third Eye Girl put the SOMA away.
“That we can investigate.”
“How long will it take?”
“Don’t know. First we need to establish what’s in it, then find out what it’s used for.”
“And if there’s really nothing wrong with it?”
“Then we’ll tell you there’s nothing wrong with it.”
Before leaving, Third Eye Girl asked another question.
“Does everyone in Room 104 have to take this medicine?”
“That’s what they taught us in the first class.”
“Understood.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Don’t know yet.”
Third Eye Girl disappeared into the back of the shop.
Bonnie was preparing to leave when another Silver Eagle notification arrived.
[104 | Rehabilitation Progress Warning]
[Medication Confirmation Not Received for Several Consecutive Days]
[Course Compliance: Low]
[Next Class: In-person Medication Verification Required]
[Failure to Comply: Referral to Room 103 Recommended]
Another figure had also been updated.
[Consistency Weight: −3]
“Down again?”
“Yes,” GM Jay replied.
“Because I met Third Eye Girl?”
“Possibly. Silver Eagle can detect unusual patterns of contact, but it may not know what you discussed.”
“What happens at minus three?”
“A continued decline in consistency weight increases your behavioural risk rating. You also have a record of non-compliance with the Room 104 course. Together, these factors make a referral assessment by Room 103 more likely.”
“So minus three means I have to go to Room 103?”
“No. There is no rule requiring an automatic referral based solely on a consistency weight of minus three.”
Bonnie read the notification again.
“In-person medication verification. That means I have to take the tablet in front of them?”
“Yes.”
“What if I don’t go to class?”
“An unauthorised absence will further increase the risk of referral.”
“I’ve already applied for access to the pharmaceutical information.”
“Your application is still being processed.”
Bonnie opened her course timetable.
Her next emotional rehabilitation class in Room 104 was in two days.
And there was no knowing when Whistle Sister would have any results.
“GM Jay, what should I do next?”
“I recommend attending on time to avoid being referred to Room 103.”
“But I still don’t know what’s in that tablet.”
GM Jay had no further suggestions. Bonnie dismissed the notification.
When she got home, she called JJ and Twinkle Little Star over to the workbench.
“Don’t take any new repair orders for the next two days.”
JJ lifted one side of its headphones.
“Are we going on holiday?”
“Put all the unregistered equipment away. Try to return as many of the customers’ agents as possible.”
Twinkle Little Star asked, “Has something happened with Room 104?”
“At the next class, they’re going to make me take the tablet in front of them. If we still haven’t found out what’s in it, I might refuse.”
“So you’re not going to class?” JJ asked.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
GM Jay reminded her, “An unauthorised absence may trigger a referral assessment by Room 103.”
“I know.”
Bonnie looked at the dismantled casings and spare parts scattered across the workbench, and at her two unregistered agents.
“That’s why we need to be prepared.”
She reopened her application record with the Room 102 medical unit.
[Application Status: Processing]
Her next class was in two days.
Bonnie closed the screen.
“Wait for the results.”