Mwene pried the door open with a crowbar, with great difficulty. The chilling grinding of metal filled the empty hallways. He stuck the crowbar between the door and the wall to keep it open. Only the narrow light from his flashlight, in Nike's hands, pierced through the seemingly endless darkness of the med bay like a knife through butter. Mwene walked to the end of the bay with Nike closely behind. He reached a large console and with a couple of keystrokes on a keyboard the fluorescent lights lined the edges of the room flickered on, one after the other. It then became apparent just how large the room was.

Most of its fixtures were oxford white. Tall, slender gas canisters lined the second half of the room on the right with cabinets and medical refrigerators, as tall as the room lining up the first half. To the left was a waist high table with blocky black microscopes about half the height of the table with glass chambers in them and monitors on its pristine surface. At either side were large, blocky computer consoles. At the opposite end were five beds, with a single black pillar supporting them from underneath, evenly spread out against the wall. In the middle of the room was a single bed with a large, thick circular disk hanging from the ceiling directly above it. Three robotic forklift-like arms are attached to it and are pressed against its curved side. One arm had a nozzle on its end.

“This is definitely better than a medical bay on Terra, it may even be on par with what the average citizen has access to on Arda.” noted Nike who walked around the room, his wide eyes absorbing every detail in the room until he stopped at a computer console in the far right of the room.

"Lay down on the U.D.S.|'' instructed Nike as he pointed to the bed in the middle of the room. Mwene did just that and with a couple of keystrokes two of the three arms jolted to life and began to rotate around the U.D.S. which gradually began to lower down.

“The U.D.S or Universal Diagnostic System is the cutting edge in medical technology. Think of it as an X-ray, CAT scan, an MRI and many others rolled into one. A miracle machine. If there's anything that can help us figure out what's happening with you, it's this." explained Nike.

Two arms, both with solid steel bars on their ends, began to hover over his body. Mwene was surprised at how silent it was. Only the key strokes filled the room.

"Well, it's official.” Nike declared flatly. “I have no idea.”

“Anything bad?”

“Nope. In fact, you're perfectly healthy.” Nike announced.

“Strange.” thought Mwene.

“Except you have higher than average growth hormone levels but it’s not that high that it's alarming. We're done.” revealed Nike.

The U.D.S shut off and the arms put themselves back into their original position. Mwene got up and felt his medallion slightly vibrate. He took it out from underneath his shirt and held it in the palm of his hand. It was warmer than usual but unremarkable in every other way.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“What is it?” Nike asked as he approached.

“I don't know. Ever since that day it has gotten warm on its own. If only we had only met that pastor earlier...” Mwene lamented.

“Can't obsess over the past. Those that do tend to not have faith in their future. Plus, the last time I checked we've got a date with destiny.” Nike put out his hand and playfully gestured to Mwene to give him the medallion which he did. Nike walked to the microscope while looking at it closely.

"Wasn't this slightly chipped in some places?’ inquired Nike.

''Yeah, a bit'' replied Mwene who was following closely behind.

He placed it in a glass chamber and activated the microscope. With a couple of taps on the microscope's computer keyboard the medallion appeared on the monitor.

‘At first glance it looks new. Brand new and clean.”

The microscope started to zoom in but before he could make out anything the lights started to blink off and on. Mwene rushed to the computer console and started to type frantically.

“There's some faulty electric wiring I haven't been able to find somewhere in the engine room.” explained Mwene nervously.

The bay door opened fully, dropping the crowbar just outside the med bay. Mwene and Nike glance at each other briefly. They know that if they can't recover it in the event that the door shut, they'll be trapped. Mwene dashed for the door, his arm reaching out for the crowbar. The lights switched off. White smoke began to emerge from the medallion. Mwene's arm grabs the crowbar. The door slammed shut. Nike gasped. Mwene was motionless. The lights came back on.

“Are you okay?” asked Nike as he rushed towards Mwene expecting the worst. He knelt next to him and looked at his arm only to be puzzled. A circular dent had formed with his arm still through it. Slowly Mwene pulled his arm out. His skin showed no bruising, no blood, no irritation. He pulled the crowbar through the dent to reveal his whole arm.

“Do you feel anything different?”

“No. I'm fine.” remarked Mwene.

Nike pinches Mwene on the arm.

“Hey!” Mwene exclaimed in pain as he quickly pulled his arm away from Nike

“Now that's strange. You didn’t feel the door that would have definitely cut off my arm but you felt that.” Nike pointed out.

Mwene looked at his arm, he was lost in his thoughts. This made no sense. All his life he believed in the laws of cause and effect in the same way his father did, according to his mother. He had heard stories of people who prayed that an afterlife existed, stories of people allegedly meeting deities and prophets in moments before death. He thought it was all death anxiety and DMT flooding people's brains inducing such imagery but now he wasn't sure. The only thing he knew for certain was that he wouldn't find the answers on Paradise.

A beeping noise brought Mwene back to reality. He looked to the other side of the room where Nike opened the microscope's glass chamber. The smoke flooded the room only to vanish as quickly as it appeared. Nike touched the medallion and quickly withdrew his hand and looked to Mwene with a raised eyebrow.

“Did it burn? ” Mwene asked, worry was sketched across his face. Nike reached in and grabbed the medallion and held it up. It was still slightly smoking.

“It's warm and odourless.” Nike replied. Mwene got up and walked to the computer console. After a couple of taps of the screen he turned to Nike.

“That beeping isn't a fire alarm.” Nike then immediately reached for his pocket and took out his phone and answered it. After a moment he ended the call and started to type.

“Who was that?”

“It's Ayla. She's got the rest of the gang. They want to know where we are.”

Mwene's phone began to ring. He took it out and answered it. After a moment he ended the call.

“That was my cousin. He wants to talk.”