– Doctor Emmett will no longer be able to visit you, – he announced without any preamble.
– What happened? Where is he? – Nia asked fearfully. She felt her heart sink.
– Doctor Emmett has been arrested for his interest in forbidden knowledge, – the new doctor replied.
Nia felt the world around her collapsing.
– Arrested? For what forbidden knowledge? What will happen to him now? – Tears welled up in her eyes. She had become so used to Doctor Emmett, to his kind eyes and sincere concern. He was the only person she could trust in this crazy world.
– Don't worry, – the new doctor snapped. – Doctor Emmett will be cleansed and sent for retraining again. Then he will reappear in the hospital and take on a new patient.
– Cleansed? And retrained? Won't that take a long time? – Nia wondered.
– No, not at all. It's only a few years. There's no need to worry about Emmett. He's been through this procedure several times. He starts getting too close to patients too often, and that's unacceptable and causes problems.
Nia was shocked.
– Cleansed minds? Several times? That's terrible! How is that possible? – There was despair in her voice. She pressed her hands to her chest, as if trying to protect herself from this terrible truth.
The new doctor just shrugged:
– These are the rules. Our job is to heal, not to befriend. You must understand that all this is done for your own good.
With these words, he left the room, leaving Nia in complete confusion: Mind cleansing. Forbidden knowledge. Friendship with patients is a crime? What is this world I'm in? And what will happen to me now? Am I next?
Nia spent what seemed like several more months in this hospital. How much time had passed? A week? A month? A year? Her favorite pastime was watching the lights of the unusual metropolis in the distance, and she began to prepare an escape plan. Since both days and nights were very similar to each other, it was unclear when the day began and the night ended. What difference did it make? It was always twilight here. She decided to wait for a time when there would be the fewest people around the hospital, and jump out of the window, since that was the only way out. It was the third floor, and she thought that even if she broke something, it would be better than just doing nothing. A broken leg is better than a broken will.