Do you remember the Jellies?...
Nah...I suppose not. You're probably too young, but believe me, for about twelve months there you couldn't turn on your feed or watch the VidChannels without seeing the things.
And on the streets? Seemed you couldn't walk a block without passing another of those shiny new booths. Identical. Tempting. Everywhere.
The latest fad. The next big thing. Another distraction for the bored and rich and feckless.
And that annoying fucking jingle..."You've not been clean till you've JELLY BEEN!"
What were they? Fuck knows, I'm not a doctor...but like I said, they were everywhere. Some people said they'd been bred by the guys in the white suits. Other people whispered that they 'came from somewhere else'. But one thing was sure. They were here and boy were they big business.
You ask me? They missed a beat there. Sure they made a fortune but if some bright spark had farmed them out as pets then they would have been billionaires. I mean my daughter, Jenny, she was forever banging on about wanting one. Truth be told you could see why. They were kinda cute. Each one about the size of your thumbnail. Tiny little blobs of glowing colour and man I mean glowing. Neon. Dazzling. All the colours of the rainbow. Red, Yellow, Blue, Green...every colour you could imagine. Some of them had weird ass little wings. Some had tentacles. But all of them had the suckers. Guess that was their job after all, huh?
So...I saved my spare credits for months. My wife had been dropping those hints, y'know the ones? The wife hints. Anyhow, on her birthday I presented her with a voucher for a Full Cleanse. It was worth it. Shoulda seen her face.
But the thing was. When we drove to the Booth it was boarded up and vacant. Same thing everywhere. All vanished overnight. Nothing in the news or the feeds. Just gone.
Do you remember the Jellies?
What happened to them?
Welcome to your FULL ALPHA CLEANSE and thank you for choosing to be part of The JELLY REVOLUTION.
The process is totally pain free and immensely relaxing.
Standing or sitting Booths are available depending on your personal requirements, please state your preference to your helpful assistants.
Upon entering the chamber your assistant will make sure you are comfortable and then seal the dock around your neck. Be calm, the seal is comfortable and will not cause you any discomfort. Jellies can not survive in our environment and require the right balance of gasses to perform their task.
Upon the release of Jellies into your chamber you will feel a tickling sensation. This is the Jellies commencing their task. Do not be alarmed. Soon you will experience the sensual and relaxing sensation of a Full Body Cleanse as the Jellies remove all the built up dead skin and deep clogged dirt that conventional cleaning products can not reach.
It is not necessary to wear underwear in the chamber although you may if you wish.
Some users report heightened sexuality during the process. This is quite normal and we suggest you relax and enjoy the ride!
REMEMBER: THE FACE SHOULD NEVER BE IMMERESED IN THE CHAMBER. This is for your safety as well as the Jellies.
And all wounds or abrasions must be reported prior to immersion in order for adequate and safe dressings to be applied.
And so...Please place your voucher in the slot, wait for your Personal Assistant and prepare yourself for an experience like no other on Earth.
ENJOY!
Paula's got a date. Paula's got a hot date. At 8.30 tonight she's finally hooking up with John from Accounts.
Paula's bought fancy things. Frilly things. Things with lace and VibroMesh.
Paula's had her hair sculptured and her pupils shined.
Paula's bought two small phials of Phermonica. Dusk and Sleaze.
John's not gonna know what's hit him. Poor thing.
And now Paula's getting the Cleanse. First time for her, hell this shit ain’t cheap but John's worth it.
John better be worth it.
The Assistant smiles kindly at her as he leads her through to the Chamber Room.
"Relax." He says.
Paula tries to relax and digs her nails into her palms like she did when she was a kid. Her pretty newly painted nails.
Her sharp, pretty nails.
Neither of them notices the droplet of blood. Crimson betrayal.
"Here we go." He says, as he locks the seal around her neck. "You're gonna dig this."
And with a gentle hiss of hydraulics he releases the Jellies.
IT FEELS LIKE:
Nibbling. Sucking. Probing. Stroking. Massaging. Tickling. Warm. Cool. Hot. Close. And when they begin cleaning 'down there' Paula closes her eyes and dreams of exploding stars.
She ignores the itch on her palm.
Her pretty, clean palm.
At 5.30pm Paula places a call to The Med Service...
As Follows:
"Hello? Hello?........I need help."
"What is the nature of your emergency?"
"Sick. Being sick...I can't stop. Hours now and I..."
"Hello? What kind of sickness?"
"Blue. It's solid and singing like a noise or a wing...I mean a, er...help me. I can smell things. Dark things like Buddha said. ........hold on....who is this?"
"Is there anyone with you? Someone I could speak to?"
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha.......I'm YELLOW now! I mean REALLY FUCKING YELLOW. Can you hear me glowing? Can you. My mother. Is that you Daddy? Who is this? What do I want? Why are you barking at me?"
"Hello?"
"I've gotta go now...Jesus told me to hang up...I can hear him in my eyes....Are these your eyes?"
"Hello?"
23 days later.
The people from the Company are here. Three of them. Two men in immaculate black suits. White shirts. Black ties. Expressions. And sat between them, in a purple crushed velvet catsuit and high reflective VizShades, is a young woman.
"You have something for us?" Says Suit One.
Doctor Jones wipes his sweaty palms on his bespoke jacket and offers his hand. Ignored. With a small cough he says.
"Er, yes. We thought you may be interested in this. You've read the casefile?"
"Yes doctor. We are capable of reading. Now, I believe you have a vidscreen for us?"
"Of course...." Turning he operates the small red control pad. The wall flickers into life. A room. A woman. A bright yellow woman. Not jaundice. Yellow. Like a glowing sun. Her skin is loose and flapping. She is drooling. "After ten days we became afraid of the possibility of cross infection, of pandemics...you understand? This is a secure facility but even so..."
"Yes doctor. We understand."
"The decision to terminate was approved and so..."
The picture changes. Cloudy droplets spray into the room. Stiffening and then clawing at her face the woman coughs, screams, slumps forward. Is still. A white suited figure enters the room. Bio suit. Gas mask. Cursory glance. Pulse checked. Turning to the camera the figure raises a thumb.
Behind him the woman convulses and coughs. Screams.
"Next we administered via tubes and yet...as you can see..."
Still. Cold. Dead. And then...the woman convulses and coughs and screams.
"We then moved to more, er, extreme methods."
The room. The woman. Behind her the Bio Suited figure. In his hands a military issue revolver. Five shots. In the chest. Stillness.
And then....The woman convulses and coughs.
And screams.
More Video...the gun, shaking hands, headshots, blood....coughing...screaming. Such screaming...
"As you can see...she seems incapable of killing...."
Suit Two nods. "Interesting."
Suit One. "I take it you have not informed New Dawn as we requested?"
"No...no, of course not....but what should we do? The booths must be closed down as soon as possible..."
"This is of no concern. We purchased the entire franchise and all viable stock last night. As of 3am the operation has been closed down."
The woman in the shades makes a movement with her hands. Slight. Heavy.
Suit Two. "And now doctor we wish to purchase your patient."
Doctor Jones is aghast. "What? You can't just buy people...what are you thinking?"
Suit One smiles. Tight and thin.
"Now now doctor...you do not strike me as a foolish man..."
Outside.
The sun plays secret games in black suits and cold eyes.
Suit One. "The transportation has been arranged for 5pm. Our operatives are running decoy."
Suit Two. "I still say we paid over the odds..."
But the young woman raises a hand.
"We paid what we had to pay. Think about it gentlemen. Regeneration. Healing. The future."
And with a cruel predatory smile Dominika Raith continues. ""There is a fortune to be found in immortality don't you think?"
And she laughs.
IT IS NOW 93 YEARS TO FRACTURE DAY.
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