Across The Universe With A Giant Housecat (The Blue) Read Online Free PDF

of their work.  
    I followed her through the door on the far end of the waiting room, taking one last appreciative sniff at the engineered soothe-plants.  
    The hallways that followed were, like the waiting room, finished in pale grays, teals, and whites. The nurses and doctors we passed were dressed in those colors as well, their soft-soled shoes quiet on the tiled floor. My guide, who introduced herself as Leah, walked at a brisk pace, glancing behind her to make sure I was following.
    Turning a corner, Leah stopped in front of a door, opened it, and beckoned me through the doorway.
    Beyond was a typical exam room: padded table, chairs, sleek equipment for unknown medical purposes. It was familiar to me: I had seen and experienced it all after my accident. The surroundings, coupled with the faint disinfectant tang in the air, jogged the memories of that time. I shifted uneasily. That had been an uncomfortable time, to say the least.  
    Picking up a tablet, Leah began asking me all the typical health questions that came before any doctor’s visit. I answered them absently, a cold feeling of worry coming across my chest.
    Visions of cold lab tables, needles and tissue samples being drawn flashed through my head. It wouldn’t be so bad if they just wanted one or two, I mused, but what if they wanted to keep me around indefinitely, to perform tests? After all, I was the only known Space Reader alive.
    I swallowed as Leah rattled off questions about my diet.
    “Leah,” I began firmly, determined to get this uncertainty over with. “Why am I here? Is it because of the medical vest, or something else?”
    “Oh, they didn’t tell you?” Surprise registered in her eyes. “Dr. Kassa wants to check your healing progress.”
    “So I could re-join the military?” I asked as relief washed over me. “Is that what they want?”
    “Probably. Maybe. You’ll have to ask her to be sure.” She tapped something on her tablet. “Yes, it says that they want to see if you are fit for active duty.”
    I nodded, and the questions continued.  
    So the military wanted me back. But why did they go through all this trouble to find me and bring me here? Surely there wasn’t a shortage of twenty-year-old males with incomplete military training? Why not just find someone new? It wasn’t like I had received any special training or knowledge beyond what was standard at Horatio Nelson Military Academy.
    Leah finished her questions. Thankfully, she didn’t hand me a gown to put on. The padded table was already uncomfortable enough.
    Almost immediately after Leah had finished, the door opened and Dr. Kassa came in.
    She hadn’t changed in the time since I last saw her. She was still the gray-haired, bespectacled woman who had kept the pain at bay after the accident and was responsible for the fact that I could walk now.
    “Alan,” she said warmly, coming over to me. “So good to see you! I trust the vest has served you well?”
    “ Very well,” I answered. The thing had stopped me from getting killed on several occasions now.
    “Great! Let’s take a look.”
    What followed was the usual round of poking and prodding with various instruments, followed by more questions. Then I was told to strip down—to my annoyance—and get into some sort of scanning tube. When that was over and I had my clothes back on, Leah pulled out a device to draw blood.
    I was instantly on guard. “Why do you need my blood?” I asked.
    “I want to make sure you haven’t contracted any latent diseases since I last saw you,” answered Dr. Kassa, looking surprised.
    That made sense. Even so, I was uneasy as I held out my arm. What if there was something in my blood that told her I was a Space Reader? I couldn’t see any way to get out of it without having to give a reason, so I gritted my teeth and let her take her sample.
      “All right; we’re all done,” said Dr. Kassa, picking up a tablet Leah had been using and looking over it. “According to