The Empathy Experiment

I've finally found it. I twist my hair back into it's long ponytail. The cure to the Repression Injection. For the lucky people who don't know what's going on, here's a quick backstory. My backstory.

I was 9 when the government did it. They made an injection to control people's emotions. Of course, nobody knew it at the time. People were booked in for their GP and given a simple 'vaccine' against a virus nobody knew of- because it didn't exist. People came back different. They were... emotionless. Blank. They had their memories, but that was it. When I had my first injection, it felt like they'd injected me with a fire that burned my insides out. 5 minutes later, I couldn't feel anything. The happiness in me, it... hid. Same with every other emotion. But the more you resisted, the more damage it did. People died. My mum was one of them. It's the reason I became a scientist- to study the Repression Injections. They recently began injecting babies with it a week after birth. By the time people realized what it was, it was too late.

I've found the cure, after 16 dedicated years of my life. The antidote sat in front of me in a test tube, it's emerald green glow fascinating me. But I don't smile- I can't. So I stare at it blankly as my mind whirls in joy. I should use this- I just don't know how. I delicately hold the green test tube up to my goggles and observe it. This could save us all, but it has to be kept quiet. People caught plotting a rebellion are killed brutally in the public executions- they aren't too rare. Their purpose? To set an example. I remember my mum's death. When I ran into her room to wake her, and I realized she wasn't breathing... I couldn't even cry. I felt numb- normal.

A quote for you from the government- Emotion is weakness. Emotion is a blockage in the tunnel to improvement.

I sit at my desk and stare at the green liquid for another 10 minutes.