"Batch 3.6182, your orientation will begin in a few moments." A mechanical voice informed the area through the PA system. The announcement caused the people around Jafferson to bustle with excitement as they congregated around the middle of the lobby area, and waited for their next instructions.
Confused, scared, and apprehensive about what the orientation would entail, Jafferson stood back and watched as a few staff members stepped up to the front of the main gathering and got everyone's attention.
"Before we head towards the main orientation area, let's get you all some clothes that don't smell, yes?" A friendly-looking male staff member announced. His voice was somehow amplified and distributed through the PA system even though he didn't have a microphone or anything of the sort.
There was a small cheer and a few people from the batch chuckled, they had collectively been ignoring the smell as everyone understood what was causing it.
Quickly, they were sorted into a few groups and led down an identical metal hallway to what looked to Jafferson as a communal bathing area. It reminded Jafferson of bathing areas that are present in prisons, though he had to rely on what he saw on TV and in movies, as he had never gone to prison in his original life on Earth.
After a rushed and uncomfortable experience, Jafferson found himself as one of the first people who finished cleaning themselves and waiting for more instructions. Once around thirty to forty people were waiting, the friendly male staff member (named K. Yurn, now that Jafferson could see the embroidered name on his uniform) directed the group down a third identical metal hallway into a room with many special seating pods all lined up in neat rows. It reminded Jafferson of a futuristic classroom.
They were instructed to find a free pod to sit in, and as Jafferson awkwardly made his way to one of the pods the furthest away from everybody, somebody tapped Jafferson's shoulder behind him to get his attention.
He turned to be met by a scrawny, short, light-red-haired young man who beamed at him with excitement. He looked young, almost as if he was in his mid-teens, but there was something about his body language that made Jafferson believe he looked younger than he was.
"Seem you had same idea as me," the young man chuckled, "nev' like the front."
The young man's broken English took Jafferson by surprise since all the talking he's heard so far had been quite normal in comparison, but at the very least he could still understand him. Since Jafferson didn't know how to respond, he simply said, "Yeah."
"Want far-est one, then? Or, I take far-est, you take next?"
Far-est…furthest, Jafferson slowly caught up with what the young man was trying to say.
"Uh…yeah."
The young man chuckled heartily, "Oh! Sorry yeah? Universal Translation Program struggle with slang dialect. When say Far-est, mean, whaseyou, furthest, yeah?"
The way the young man's speaking pattern changed again and again caught Jafferson by surprise again. All he could focus on was, "Universal Translation Program?"
The other man laughed and turned around and pointed to a spot on the left side of the back of his neck. Jafferson could see a small bump that looked solid and flat where the other man pointed. Instinctively, Jafferson reached up and touched the same area of the back of his neck and froze when he also felt a similar bump.
"Errybody have UTP node in to help with talking to errybody else, yeah?" the other man turned back to Jafferson. He then pointed to the back corner and cleared his throat before he spoke slower, "So, you want furthest pod, or I can have it?"
Taken out of his shock, Jafferson also cleared his throat and stepped aside so that the other man could take the furthest pod.
Preoccupied with the strange conversation with the young man, somehow Jafferson found himself in the pod next to his. The next far-est.
The pods were positioned so that they were within an arm's reach and once again, he felt the young man touch his shoulder and he looked to his side. The young man held his hand out.
"Forgot to say, name's Dexta. Dexta Eastmore."
Jafferson awkwardly reached over and held the hand in a firm handshake, and automatically returned the sentiment, "Jafferson Palmount."
"Everyone seated?" K. Yurn's voice, mysteriously connected and amplified through the PA system called out. "Good, we'll get you to place your visors on."
"When we getting our N-HUDs, manter?" a broad-shouldered man bellowed from somewhere in the middle of the rows. He looked awkward as his size seemed to be a little too big for the pod, yet he was forced to sit in one anyway.
For a split-second, Jafferson was confused by the word 'manter', until the other set of memories filled in the information for him.
'Manter' — East-New Republic slang for 'boss' or 'superior', usually derogatorily used to undermine their authority.
K. Yurn had an expression that was half a grin and half-grimaced at the interruption, there was always one in every batch that wanted to disrupt the orientation process.
"We'll get to it when we get to it."
"But why we need to use this kid visor instead of getting real thing?" the man taunted more, "We ready for new life, new job, yeah?"
"Well, you might be ready, but others might still be struggling with defrost. Might be a little foggy upstairs, yeah?" Yurn's properness slipped as he started to get more and more annoyed by the interruptions. Even from the back, Jafferson could see the man's face start to redden with anger and embarrassment.
"Eh? Foggy?" the broad-shouldered man chuckled, he then stepped out of his pod and looked around, "Anybody foggy? Or we ready for new life and mek some mon'?"
The man was actively stirring up trouble because he could since he was the biggest one out of everyone by quite a bit. Some of the people around him started to agree with him vocally, even if they were a little bit uncomfortable with the whole situation.
Dexta clicked his tongue next to Jafferson. The latter turned to him.
"Be faster we just go through orientation, but he mek trouble for nothin'."
Before he could stop himself, almost like a part of the real Jafferson took over the body for a moment, Jafferson stood up and called out, "Come on dude, sit down and let them do their jobs."
A deathly silence suddenly washed over the room as the broad-shouldered man turned around menacingly towards Jafferson.
"Eh?" the man growled.
"Korram, why use 'dood' to him? He East New Rep, frein," Dexta whispered next to Jafferson.
"What?" Jafferson was confused by the people's reaction.
"You say I am dood?" the broad man growled again, but before anything more could happen, a loud whirring sound rang through the PA system. It was loud enough that everyone including the other staff members that stood at the edges of the room had to cover their ears.
Only one person didn't cover their ears. The one that set off the warning noise. Yurn.
"Sit back down, both of you!" Yurn ordered loudly. His voice reverberated through the PA system.
The broad-shouldered man glared at Jafferson before muttering something — probably unpleasant — under his breath and sitting back down on his pod. He hawked his throat and spat out a large lump of mucus and spit onto the floor, to the dismay and disgust of the people around him.
Jafferson awkwardly sat back down into his pod when Yurn turned to him and also glared at him.
"What a way to get out of defrost frein," Dexta chuckled quietly under his breath, "I pray to Kor you not see big-man 'nee time soon."
Jafferson gulped. He regretted saying anything.
Should have just stayed quiet, he thought to himself.