Page 99 of The Restoration Program
“Is this your grandmother’s?” she asked, unable to help but think he must’ve had to pry the family heirloom from his father’s hands with a crowbar. Ryan nodded.
“You were meant to have it,” he said. “May I?”
She turned to allow him access to her neck. As she swept her hair aside, she was met with adoring stares and dozens of phones recording them. She looked higher—the Facility itself had toggled all of their lobby screens to a live feed. She glanced at the onlookers, but couldn’t find the culprit camera. She watched in disturbing HD clarity on the massive screens as Ryan’s fingers caressed her gently after fastening the clasp.
“So, will you marry me?”
Her thundering heartbeat all but muted the excited whispers swirling around them. The weight of the crowd’s rapt attention made the air feel thick and stale. But the bright blue eyes of the only constant in her life watched and waited, glittering with desperate hope.
Questions flashed towards her tongue, none of them sticking.
Will you really be happy with a Barbie housewife?
What about having kids like I promised Dad?
What if I can’t be that carefree woman you fell in love with anymore?
Will I be enough?
Will you leave me?
Nicole touched the diamond, its surface cool and smooth. The weight on her neck was a reassurance. He loved her—wasn’t that the simplest, most important truth?
She stopped trying to see what Carlos was thinking and rubbed at her watering eyes.
“Let’s set a date,” she answered.
Nicole kissed him, and the room exploded in applause that left her ears ringing.
DAY ONE HUNDRED EIGHT
“It’s… it’s just surreal, you know? Right from the beginning, my doctor gave me three months to live.” The teary-eyed girl on the screen sniffled and wiped her cheeks.“I… How can I even put into words what it feels like to know that I have the rest of my life ahead of me again.”She sobbed out a laugh and ceased being coherent. A huge hand crept on screen and cupped behind her, rubbed her shoulder.
Nicole paused the video, trying with all her might to absorb the girl’s gratefulness. The accompanying article went on about how the Restoration Program’s practices were a resounding success thus far.
Having caved into checking news outlets and social media, Nicole found no shortage of opinions. The Program and its growing Facilities were no longer hidden in the shadows. They were readily accepting interviews, cheerfully explaining the basic science and showcasing their most successful patients.
Major news outlets approached the revolutionary practice from different angles. Some focused on the political facets, quoting bureaucrats and lawmakers about the potential to address overpopulation with the Restoration Program. Hopeful candidates for office were prepared with a clear stance on NüPrints, along with the bills they planned to draft if elected. Meanwhile, the number of NüPrints grew every day and waitlist numbers climbed higher as the terminally ill realized this didn’t have to be the end.
Fluffier news sources painted a sunshiny picture of miracles, second chances, and happy reunions. As of this morning, she and Ryan had contributed to that narrative. They had finally replied to one of the dozens of invitations to share their testimony.Fatal Accident Can’t Stand in the Way of True Love—She wrinkled her nose at the tagline that theJournalhad conjured up. Ryan had been over the moon about how the journalist had captured their “heroic romance,” sending a link to his coworkers, parents, and even a distant cousin he hadn’t seen in years. Reading through the article was difficult for her—their first meeting and previous life felt like an introduction to a dark fairytale.
As Nicole eyed the other dozen tabs she had opened on the browser, she knew the contrasting sentiment that awaited her in the conspiracy forums.
On the days when Ryan was buried in his work at home or pulling late nights at the office, she spent hours devouring thread after thread. She couldn’t help herself.
Ryan said it wasn’t healthy to obsess over what these idiots were saying, but at least she didn’t have to worry about him catching her in the act right now. He was at a grocery store around the corner. Simple errands were the only times he felt comfortable enough to leave her alone at the apartment.
“Alright, Mistereggs_bozo88, let’s see what you have to say today,” Nicole murmured as she navigated to the “NüPrint Theories” subsection of the forum. Sure enough, there was a new post from the thread’s most avid member.
9:51pm eggs_bozo88: PROOF THAT NüPrints ARE ROBOTS -- MUST WATCH!
A video link was attached to his post. Nicole used her whole hand on the trackpad to click on it. It was less than a minute long: amateur-style footage of a NüPrint female with short blond hair sitting on a bench with a human who Nicole assumed was her girlfriend. Her little legs kicked far above the grass. At the very end of the video, the NüPrint’s eyes caught the light and refracted in the camera like tiny flares. The cameraman made a muffled, gasping noise. The NüPrint snapped her head towards him, like she’d heard him. The footage ended.
Nicole swallowed her pity for the girl—being spied on by some sweaty blogger while she was brave enough to enjoy a day out in the park. She sighed and clicked back to the thread to read the comments.
11:01pm 9isacolor: THIS is what the Restoration Program doesn’t want us to see. SO fucked up trying to pass them as tiny humans
11:42pm Meemer: fake
