“You’ll be home by eight o’clock, right?” Claire asked Darius over the phone.

Darius studied Claire’s face. He figured she was up to something: her jaw was slightly askew and she had not released her breath. “Will do. What’s cooking?”

“It’s a surprise.” Claire smiled and gave a mysterious wave before severing the connection.

Darius chuckled as he flipped the phone closed. Marrying Claire had been a good move for him. He has been without a wife for thirty years before he moved in with her. They had renewed the marriage contract three times over the last thirty years, and, surprising even himself, Darius had few regrets.

Darius stepped off the conveyor at the lit indication and walked into the medical center’s lobby. The doctor, a tall, buxom woman wearing a long, white lab coat, met him as he entered.

“Welcome, Darius,” Dr. Maudry said. She led Darius through the lobby to the exam room. Darius removed his clothes and entered the examination chamber. He heard Dr. Maudry close the steel door and watched the lights in the exam room dim. He sat in the chamber’s only chair and waited for the light show to begin. This was Darius’s second trip this week to the chamber. A few abnormalities had shown up on his previous examination, and he had received mail scheduling him for a follow-up examination. With the chamber’s door closed, the air quickly warmed under the heavy lights.

A low rumble began as the examination machines warmed up. Because of the sensitivity of the machines, no entertainment could be provided during these exams, which suited Darius just fine. Over the past few years, he had grown tired of the stale, homegrown episodes that the entertainment industry was now producing. Blissful silence was preferable even if it was difficult to find. The machines rumbling became louder as the scanning lights began to work across Darius’s body. Just as the sound became almost annoying, it winked out with an audible pop from the sound cancellation device.

The examination took two hours to complete. Halfway through it, the sound cancellation device failed, resulting in maintenance robots entering the examination chamber. The exam was delayed for fifteen minutes while the robots tinkered with the machinery. Darius watched this all with an air of indifference. Dr. Maudry, sitting in front of a large console with many screens and even more indicator lights, was sound asleep. The archaic symphonic sounds of Beethoven wafted through the open door of the examination chamber, drowning out the now annoying sounds of the examination machines. After the robots finished their work, they resealed the chamber’s door and, with a pop, the examination machines fell silent.

The examination ended as it began. The sound cancellation device popped, and Darius heard the examination machines rumble grow softer until the machines hissed with the release of high-pressured air. The examination spotlights flickered off as the lights outside the chamber flickered back on. Dr. Maudry was stretching as she walked over to the chamber door and turned the locking wheel. She held the door open for him. He dressed as Dr. Maudry reviewed the examination screens.

“The preliminary scans are normal just like last time. We’ll let the computers crunch the results and get back to you whether you’ll need follow-up therapy,” Dr. Maudry said. “In the meantime, don’t exert yourself too much. No exercise yard and no walks longer than fifteen minutes. I’m sure it will be nothing, but,” Dr. Maudry cleared her voice and hums an off-key C before continuing in a sing-song, “Safety is Our Only Concern.”

With a back wave of her hand Dr. Maudry herded Darius out of the examination room. He loitered in the lobby, reading the doctor’s schedules and safety reports posted on the walls before leaving the building. He had been thinking of going to medical school. He had had four jobs since his last schooling, and was hoping for an interesting challenge for the upcoming year. Darius punched his destination at the control panel to the conveyor and made himself comfortable. The people mover was empty and the machines increased the pace to a brisk walk. Darius glanced down at his watch. It was already six o’clock. Even if traffic remained light, he would not make it home by eight o’clock. He sat on the molded chair and watched the episodes that flashed across the entertainment screen.

At a few minutes before nine o’clock, Darius approached his apartment complex from the south side. Behind his apartment, the security wall was clearly visible. Roving aerial drones patrolled the barbed security walls, which were illuminated by searching spotlights. The light was a deterrent since the drones and surveillance technology protecting the wall did not use visual sensors.

Darius opened the door to his apartment. Uncharacteristically, the lights did not immediately turn on. Darius poked his head into the dark apartment. “Claire, you there?”