After a picnic, Judy and her father strolled along a park trail.


    They then sat on a bench facing a duck pond. Judy took bread crumbs from her sandwich bag and tossed them into the water. Ducklings swam toward the food, but a swan bullied them away.


    Her father threw a rock at it and muttered, "Sure reminds me of those days…"


    Judy asked him, "Which days?"


    "Oh, it was a long time ago, before you were born. Parks had many swans. Well, they weren''t really swans ... They were people."


    "What do you mean?" — She swung her legs back and forth.


    "Well, it''s quite a disconcerting note in our history — when our own park was not this peaceful paradise you see before you."


    "Oh? I don''t understand." — She tossed more crumbs.


    Her father pointed at the horizon — "Do you see the beautiful lawn? Can you smell the rose garden? What else can you observe?"


    "Let me see." Judy looked around. "I see... children playing, a couple lying on a blanket, and a dog-walker with small dogs."


    "Do you feel any fear?"


    She shook her head. "No. Not at all. Should I?"


    "Well, there''s a time when you would have. Instead of this — pleasant, beautiful, and peaceful landscape — litter covered the grounds, with the filthy odor of trash and urine. Hypodermic needles stuck out — making the grass too dangerous to lay down on for a picnic."


    She looked stunned. "That''s terrible!"


    "Yep. At any moment, a hoodlum might try to rob you, or much worse. Criminals and drug addicts owned these parks ..."


    Judy appeared horrified.


    He continued, "The unfortunate ones — those who truly suffered and wanted a home — fell under the same label. That''s when the choice was given."


    "The choice?" — She glanced at him inquisitively.


    "Yes. Something we won''t have to repeat – hopefully – ever again. The afflicted were given a choice, either embrace a change of lifestyle or get forcibly injected.


    "Many did so voluntarily and ambitiously. They were privately committed, rehabbed, and their bodies were reconditioned, but those who fought it were administered the injection."


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Oh, no! What did the injection do?" — Judy looked astonished.


    "Well, it didn''t hurt anyone, as some may claim it did. It wasn''t a violation of free will. Its inventors believed it the greatest gift of compassion for all."


    "But what did it do?" — She raised her eyebrow.


    "It''s the same serum you were administered when you were born. Nanites flow through your bloodstream, make repairs, and genetically alter mutations. They detoxify the body and reprogram cells that go awry.


    "Today, it''s delivered as a mandatory vaccine to prevent illness, cure cancer, and stop addiction. Back then, it raised controversial ethical questions. You see, a group of scientists felt fed up with the ever-growing social epidemic of fear — unable to raise their children in a safe environment. So they created a secret organization."


    Judy stared at her father. "I see. And then?"


    "At first, they wrote anonymous editorial letters which appealed to legislators and the public. But, outspoken critics claimed their method would violate free will or poison people.


    "Lawsuits brought on by those determined to block further research, drained the organization''s legal fund. Almost bankrupt, the scientists couldn''t finish their work.


    "Then, additional funds came from anonymous wealthy donors, and they devised a plan.


    "Disguised volunteers roamed the night and offered the afflicted a choice — come join them in their privately funded rehab facilities, or receive the injection ..."


    She blinked her eyes. "But what happened to a person who was injected?"


    "Good question — I''m not sure I should …"


    "Not sure you should what?" — She looked straight into his eyes.


    "It''ll sound horrific if I tell you ..."


    She elbowed him. "Oh, come on dad, I''m old enough to hear it!"


    "Well, alright. Once injected, recipients went comatose for several hours. Social media reported dead bodies lying all over the place with talks of a serial killer, and conspiracy theories spread about alien abductions or government experiments.


    "But once the bodies arrived at the hospital, they awoke. Out of what seemed for them to be a nightmare. They only had a foggy recollection of their past lives of being downtrodden and addicted. Furthermore, they found themselves renewed and cured of not only all addiction, but something even more incredible had occurred ...


    "With regular follow-up visits, physicians discovered their patients'' newly nanotech enhanced biology immune to all infectious and contagious disease. And later, it proved to cure every type of cancer ..."


    Judy sat still. "And then?"


    "Alright. News of the panacea quickly spread. Stakeholders sent a PR spokeswoman who kept their names anonymous. She spoke of the nanite serum, and how it worked as an ultra-advanced gene-editing tool, based on earlier CRISPR research. It utilized microcellular ATP powered nubots for distribution and repair."


    Judy raised an eyebrow. "You sure know an awful lot about this."


    "Well, it''s my profession. I should ..."


    She giggled. "Right, so then what happened?"


    "Well, out of fear of personal lawsuits, the scientists remained anonymous, but under an umbrella organization, they acquired FDA approval ..."


    Judy shrugged. "That''s it?"


    "No. With government endorsements, they recorded testimonials of families reunited with cured members, and they broadcasted PSAs. The ads claimed it as the best vaccine ever created — the cure-all to every ailment and disease. "


    Judy scratched her chin. "But how do you know so many details about …"


    His phone rang. "Hold on. It''s the hospital. I need to answer this …


    "Dr. Smith speaking. She doesn''t? She''s one of those anti ... Well, we made it... I mean, it''s mandatory according to the law. She''s got no choice. Right. I''ll stop by the hospital later today to formulate a nano-vaccine for her newborn. Goodbye."


    Judy stared at her father. "Were you one of … ?"


    He shook his finger and smiled at her with a hush gesture.