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“Yeah, that’s fine.”
Sophie set the tripod on the ground again before joining Jeanie near the silver sarcophagus that took up the majority of the space in the room. Beside the pod, there was a counter along one wall for people to set bags or the like, and a computer built into the other wall that currently only displayed the True Match logo.
The sight of the pod made Sophie hesitate. She wasn’t sure how much ‘discomfort’ the scanner would cause, but she knew she had to act like it wasn’t bad no matter what. People got tattoos all the time, and those were uncomfortable too, but people loved them. She had to think of it that way.
Blowing out a breath, she stood with a smile and went back to Jeanie’s side. “Ready?”
Jeanie nodded, smoothing her dress again.
“Okay. Here we go in three, two, one… So, we’re here in the scanner room. And this is where the magic happens, right? Tell me what to expect when we’re brought back here.”
“Well, our technician will be here with you the entire time. They’ll direct you on what to do. Our scanners are wiped down after every visitor, so you don’t have to worry about cleanliness. You lay down. The scanner closes around you, then you’re scanned. Once the scan is complete, the data is automatically uploaded onto our database and is immediately entered into rotation for scanning. If your mate is already in our system, it will take between five minutes to five days to finish matching. But, again, if your mate hasn’t been scanned, you have to wait until they do.”
“And how long does the scan take?”
“Between one and three minutes. Shouldn’t be any longer than that. Honestly, getting you checked in and back here will take longer.”
“Great! Shall we do this then? I’m excited. I can’t wait to meet my soulmate. I’m hoping he’s got a sweet tooth, or this is going to be a very awkward relationship.”
Jeanie chuckled. “Okay. I’m going to get the system ready. You can set everything you don’t need on the counter.”
Sophie walked to her camera that was already on the counter and leaned down over it. She whispered into the microphone like Jeanie couldn’t hear-
“I’m kind of nervous, but, like, also excited, but also scared. It’s like a 30-30-30 split. Wait, that’s only ninety… Ten percent is a craving for something sweet… Hm, yeah. Sweet. I think I’ll get cupcakes on the way home. Chocolate. And red velvet. Yeah. Definitely.”
“Ready over here, Sophie,” Jeanie called out, a grin in her voice.
Sophie winked at her camera before turning back to the pod. She found that, since she turned around, the lid had opened. It split down the middle, the two halves pulling back and down, under the bed, leaving a white, rolling surface for her to lay on, with a simple pillow at the head.
“I just get in?” She asked, hands hovering over the bed.
“That’s it,” Jeanie smiled, pressing some other buttons on the touchscreen. “The bed is eight and a half feet long and has a maximum weight capacity of a thousand pounds. So, theoretically, any human of any size should be able to fit inside. Eighteen and up only, of course.”
“Naturally.” Sophie smiled as she turned, sitting down on the bed. It was at just the right height that she could do so without jumping. She waved at her camera before laying back, resting her head on the pillow, her feet bouncing eagerly. “Let’s do this!”
“It will only take a couple minutes,” Jeanie promised, the lids coming up over her.
“Definitely not claustrophobia friendly,” Sophie mumbled as they sealed over her. Twin lines of light, one on each lid, ran down the body of the pod, so she wasn’t encased in darkness, but she was definitely encased. Sophie made a mental note to mention to her viewers that if they had a fear of enclosed spaces, they should take something for that before coming.
“You okay in there?” Jeanie’s voice echoed through a speaker.
“This bed is way comfier than I expected. I might take a nap,” Sophie joked, knowing her camera would be able to hear her in the room.
“I’m glad. Here comes the not so fun part. I have to sterilize the scanning field. Once it’s sterile, I can scan you. It’s going to feel weird, but it will be over quick. Here we go in three… two… one.”
Sophie tensed. She wasn’t sure what would happen, but she was ready for anything. From electric shocks to chest pressure to having her breath stolen.
A sudden rush of cold, like she had plunged into icy water, rushed over her. It did steal her breath, and weighed on her chest, and shocked her nerves all at once. She wouldn’t call it painful, exactly, but it was terribly uncomfortable and turned into a stinging tingle all over her body.
The lights over her turned from yellow to purple, then the pod hissed as the lids broke apart. Air rushed in that wasn’t any colder or warmer than that already inside. Which was weird considering how cold she still felt. Like the air wasn’t the thing that was cold, just her own body.
“Er, I give the bed a nine of ten for comfort. I give the scan a two,” she announced, doing a full body tense and wiggle to try to banish the lingering feeling.
“That’s fair,” Jeanie laughed. “But it’s over quick, right?”
“Yeah. And it doesn’t really hurt. It’s just not pleasant.”
“Sorry about that. Unavoidable part of the process, I’m afraid.”
