Echoes of Compliance

The station stood long before Layla’s existence had even been thought of, as a relic of the past. There remains an air of mystery surrounding how the station went from a temporary setup to a more permanent situation. Aside from all of the mystery, what is left of society has adapted to these conditions and seems to thrive. The history books they use in the station classes show the properties and conditions of Love related to the human brain and its effects on society. It was believed that the feeling of Love caused society’s downfall, causing the creation and implementation of the station and laws to prevent them from ever “falling” for love again. The Emotional Compliance Committee, or ECC, was created to oversee that these laws were being enforced. Once a year everyone is required to take the ECS, Emotional Compliance Scan,

Layla drags her feet down the hallway of Sector 9, the sounds echoing throughout the corridors. Her proximity bracelet light remains green at her side. Her ECS, Emotional Compliance Scan, is due and she needed to get to the scanning chambers immediately. The walls of the hallways were adorned with anti-love propaganda, and years of hate spewed in the form of government-issued posters and commercials. “Love is Death” one poster read in big red lettering, while another read “Is your proximity bracelet up to date?”. Layers of paper built up throughout the years, soaked and dripping in hate and loathing, cover the metal walls that have since become our home.

As Layla reached the scanning chamber doors, etched with R112, the light on the bracelet on her left wrist flashed from green to a repetitive yellow indicating that she was in a 10-foot radius of another person. The lab tech was probably assigned to complete her scan on the other side of the door. If anyone got within 5 feet of her, the bracelet would flash red and emit a beeping noise to indicate that another person was too close. This will also send a signal to the station President, who can then monitor you through the intricate camera systems to ensure you are not breaking any laws.

Trembling, her hand lay on the door as she attempted to find the courage to walk in. The scans were not painful, but something always seemed so invasive to her. Having someone dig around through your thoughts and memories and pick apart your emotions, always felt wrong to her. Layla kept her eyes forward as she walked into the room and past the lab tech. She was being careful not to get tagged for emotional misconduct, which could result in reprimands and an investigation. Taking a deep breath, she swings the door open as the light from the sterile white room blinds her. To her right stood the technician who would be administering her scan today.

“Name and ID?” The tech rambled in a monotone; it was a requirement before every scan to ensure they had the correct patient.

“Layla Shields,” She stated, as he continued to type on the electronic pad he held in his hand. “ID S4432212”

“Have you ever, or are you currently, experiencing feelings of personal ties or attachment to anyone?” He asked, never taking his eyes off of the pad.

“No.” She recited and then scoffed in return. “Are you, or have you ever, experienced a personality?”

Layla knew the implications of this question. Anyone who tests positive even the slightest for love is placed into seclusion until the feelings pass. They are also required to complete brain wave reformation training simulations, a series of unpleasant activities meant to rewire the different synapses. The issue, the procedures are not permanent, and over time require more and more intervention to change. This results in subjects being required to go through the simulations more often, with fewer results being yielded each time. More of a band-aid, than an actual solution.

Reaching the center of the sterile room, Layla comes to a stop, her eyes focused on the sterile chair sitting in front of her. The tech clears his throat in an attempt to hurry her along, as he makes his way around to the head of the chair. Turning around, she lowered herself into the chair, the cold seeping through her thin clothing causing goosebumps to appear on her arms. His impatience becoming apparent, the tech reaches out placing a hand on either side of her head. His touch was rough and lacked empathy, pulling her head back and pushing it towards the headrest. He urged her to move the process along without ever making a sound.

Layla closes her eyes in an attempt to comply with his instructions. The cold touch of the electrodes sends a cold shiver down her spine. Her mind rebelled, she was tired of living such a bland and colorless life. The station was built on fear and control, but who’s to say they have to keep living that way to survive? Breathe in and out she thought. Layla attempted to recenter her thoughts; she couldn’t let them see even a spec of what she truly believed.

“Remember, any attempts to manipulate the testing will be visible to us.” He informs her, with an authoritative air about him.

“Mm-hm” Nodding her head in reply.

He reaches up and begins to lower down the metal arm of the machine, the electrodes hanging off and moving around as if they had a mind of their own. When the metal arm got closer to Layla’s head, the electrodes started hovering toward her head stretching one when they got close enough to her. Small connectors had been embedded into her scalp in previous months, and she could feel the slight tug on her scalp that meant the two were attempting to join each other like a magnet.

Once the final electrode is attached to her temple, Layla’s vision becomes a tunnel of colors in front of her. Her body lay stiff in the cold sterile chair, with wires hanging off of her, with the tech seeing nothing but the stark white room and her limp body. Her mind though, had been split open like a coconut on the beach. Its contents spilled out in front of her in waves of beautiful memories painted in the colors of the sunsets she had seen over the years. Her emotions seemingly weaved in and out of the memories, like a rogue paintbrush.

“That’s impossible,” The technician had made his way to a desk in the corner of the room that faced away from the chair. “And incredible”

Picking up the phone, the technician dials out to his supervisor. Letting them know the results and pushing them to come to the room and look for themselves. His fingers quickly typed away on his keyboard as he did. This changes everything, he thought to himself. How is it possible that the emotions cannot be separated, and what would that mean to the girl? His mind spins with the endless possibilities and outcomes this could mean. At that moment, his supervisor walked into the room.

She approaches his desk curiously eyeing the graphs on the monitors, their results flowing in real time. The data information showed that all of Layla’s memories were intertwined with the emotion of love. Both had been so intertwined, that the technician could not see a way to separate them. This changed everything. For so long they were not capable of seeing the data and separating those feelings from the memories through the simulations. This changes everything. The surprise written on her face showed it all, they would have their hands full with the implications of this information.

An alarm on the computer starts wailing, and the screens start flashing red. Both the technician and his supervisor start to panic, looking around to try and figure out why the alarms are going off. So focused on the computers, that they do not notice Layla’s body starting to seize on the chair. Whatever the technician was doing, had been making her condition worse.

“What are we supposed to do?” The technician wailed, his attempts to bypass her feelings of love were backfiring.

The supervisor ushered him with her hand for him to move, before taking over his seat. “We have to figure out how to shut this machine down immediately.”

“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” The technician frantically attempts to find the controls, his hands shaking with fear as he tries to power off the machine. “I thought I could help bypass the emotions.”

“We will deal with that later,” The supervisor shot him a stern look, before turning back to focus on the computer screens. “Right now, she needs to be stabilized. Her vitals are out of control.”

Meanwhile, Layla’s consciousness had drifted, and she lost herself in this idyllic scene, a stark contrast to the panic and chaos happening outside. In the fields of colors, Layla felt content. The warmth of the love was making her glow as if it were the sun itself on a nice spring day. Her mother’s sweet words echoed in the wind, “Life is Beautiful, Layla”. The sky was streaked with beautiful blues, purples, and pinks. She never wanted to leave this place. Layla bent down tracing patterns in the vibrant grass, each blade a different shade of blue and green. Time seems to be standing still in this oasis of memories and emotions. She sits down in the grass, noticing that it tickles her skin as it touches. She lays back taking in the sweet scent of the wildflowers scattered throughout the meadow. The sky above her swirled in an ever-changing pattern of colors. Taking a deep breath in, Layla closes her eyes and imagines herself drifting away with the colors of the wind.

The long beep of the monitor starts to sound in the room. Alerting the technician and supervisor that she is gone. The harsh fluorescent lighting begins to flicker, as the silence between them is deafening. The tech’s hand hovers over the machine next to her, frozen in disbelief. He knew he should turn off the machine, but something held him back. Had he just caught a glimpse of something extraordinary? Something that defies what his society believes to be concrete facts? He found himself mesmerized by his curious thoughts, and weighing the implications of today.

For a quick moment, he could almost feel the warmth of the sun on his face and the sweet smell of flowers carried on the wind. The tech shakes the thoughts from his head and pushes the button on the machine. The room went eerily silent, and a sense of surreal tranquility filled him. The realization that the beauty of the natural world was never meant to be controlled flooded him, and that beauty would always hold a special place in his heart. The sweet smell of the meadow fades away, and all that is left is the memory intertwined with love.