"The Contract"

"Follow me, please." Sanya guided the four applicants towards the main building of the D.M. Cadre research facility.

The cold and spacious lobby of the main building (1st floor) had high white walls, a receptionist's desk, and three futuristic-style sets of sofas for visitors. They scanned their I.S. codes at the receptionist's area to register. Then, they were brought to one of the meeting rooms to discuss their new job.

Sanya and the applicants sat down in round office chairs.

"Please take a look at our contract on those tablets," Sanya said. "Let me explain the rules in our research facility."

According to Sanya, their jobs would mostly be household chores, like cleaning the assigned room, cooking specific kinds of food, and tending to the needs of the mutants. Some mutants were said to be friendly, while some prefer solitude. She explained that these mutants, however peculiar they may look, have hearts like humans. They still think and feel like humans, and it's just that they were only born different.

"You will receive your salaries every last day of the month," Sanya said. "As I mentioned a while ago, the schedule is Saturdays to Thursdays, 12 hours daily. You will be given a personal sleeping area in the East Wing of the facility, and for your free day, you can go home. I understand that the job takes most of your time, but this is why we pay a lot."

Lia and her new colleagues listened carefully to Sanya's explanation. The young scientist slightly adjusted her eyeglasses, and then continued. "You all have to follow a set of rules: (1) Be kind and respectful to mutants. (2) Be sensitive to their needs. (3) Do not let them intake any food or substances without the scientists' approval. (4) Don't teach them bad or awful things that can make them emotionally unstable. (5) Always clean your assigned rooms. (6) Do not go to other rooms not assigned to you. (7) Always lock the door using your official D.M. Cadre Research Facility I.D., and lastly, (8) Never set them free. Never take them outside the room."

Listening to the set of rules made the applicants wonder what kind of work they were about to do. Are the mutants kind to normal humans?

"Mutants are being observed by the scientists, that is why they are locked up in their rooms," Sanya explained, when she saw their doubtful faces. "Scientists need to know the reason why they were born like this. We also want to find out if it can be cured. These mutants are being observed 24/7 as part of a series of tests. It's for mankind. Don't be nervous." With that statement, she gave a warm smile to assure them. "You can review the contract, I'll come back after 30 minutes to discuss with you if you have questions or negotiations."

Sanya left the room for them to think. It was obvious that even though they first agreed to take the job, they would have doubts after giving them a glimpse of an unfamiliar and odd world.

"I said I badly need a job, but.." Gem opened up. "I'm more nervous about hanging out with mutants... No offense."

"Me too," Lovely said. She placed her left hand under her chin, explaining her thoughts. "I've never seen a mutant before. I read fairy tales like Rapunselle and the Tiny Mermaid, but I'm afraid to see a real hybrid."

"Rapunselle is not a hybrid, she just grew her hair and had a great shampoo brand." Sanno jokingly said. He laughed at his own joke, and the three girls glared at him. "Okay, sorry. I'll stop."

"I.. I need a lot of money, so, maybe... I..." Lia stuttered. Before speaking, she bit her lips, doubting if she should tell her real feelings or just agree with them. "I'll accept the job. It's for my brothers' college fees and my father's hospital bills."

"You're not afraid of being hurt or something?" asked Gem. "Even though they'll pay us with tons of digital cash, we all know that we're going to risk our lives here. What if the assigned mutants to us are violent ones?"

"You got a point.," replied Lia. "But I also think that this workplace is already equipped with security alarms or something.. Maybe, they've thought about risks like that. Even the scientists examining them can be in danger, so maybe they had developed something for those kinds of emergencies."

The two girls thought deeply about Lia's insights. They knew that Lia had a point; they're not in the ice age anymore. It's already the year 2048.

"I'm going to agree with her.," Sanno said. "I also badly need cash, so we're on the same page." He winked at Lia. She smiled at him, gesturing a thank you.

"Then... let's review the contract altogether. Tell me if you see suspicious statements." Gem said. She scrolled down the tablet, and read carefully, word per word, the details of the contract.

"Ahh, the severance pay.." Lovely said, noticing the last part of the contract. "It states that the severance pay will only be given if the caretaker quits after 6 months of service. Isn't this a little long-serving?"

Sanno burst out laughing. "They wanna make sure that you'll work your ass off first! The government wants to make sure the money that will be given to us is worth it!"

"Do you know that you're the only happy person here?" Gem asked in a cold tone while glaring at Sanno. "We're all nervous about what's in store for us inside the facility."

"I can't be nervous, I need money," Sanno replied, being serious after annoying them. "Perhaps you have other choices of work, but I do not have one. What's more, I'm already here. Why would I chicken out?" Sanno held the tablet tightly. He scrolled down until the last page of the contract, clicked the "I AGREE" button, and let the camera scan his I.S. Code. The pop-up window saying CONGRATULATIONS, YOU'RE HIRED appeared.

"I'm done, how about you girls?" Sanno asked.

Because of Sanno's actions, Lia had the courage to scan her I.S. Code, too. When she saw the pop-up window, she looked at the two girls. With an apologetic facial expression, she told them, "I'm sorry, looks like I'm in, too."

Gem and Lovely looked at each other. Sanya suddenly went inside the meeting room and was delighted to see that the two applicants had accepted the contract.

"How about you two? Is there something you want to change in the contract?" Sanya asked. She was hoping they'd say there was none.

"Can I ask something?" Gem stood up, facing Sanya. "Can we choose our own mutant to take care of?"

"Oh, that... Well.." Sanya explained. "You can't… It all depends on that psychological test you had." She then placed a piece of paper on the table.

"So that's?" Gem asked, pointing on it.

Sanya fixed her eyeglasses and replied, "The results of the tests."