"Arthur! Get moving, for crying out loud!"
Mark's voice cut the heavy, warm air in the dorm, and was followed by a thunk as a plastic bottle hit the floor next to Arthur's bed.
Arthur groaned from under the blanket. "Just give me five minutes ..."
"Five minutes? Breakfast ends in ten minutes, and orientation begins in twenty. Get. Up."
Mark walked over to Arthur, grabbed the blanket with his hand, and pulled it off in a single smooth motion.
"Ah--!" Arthur curled himself up in protest at the sudden summer heat.
"What the hell man. I'm going to get up"
Mark, with hands on hips, said "You always seem to be the last person awake, even though you go to bed earlier than everyone else. What are you, a vampire?"
Arthur finally sat up, mumbling "Maybe."
He sat up, his hair sticking out in all directions like a poorly drawn sunburst. His half-lidded eyelids said that he was not entirely awake. The ceiling fan was on, but it did little to combat the heat.
Mark was fully dressed with a navy t-shirt, trackpants, and sneakers that were tied tightly. He appeared to have been awake for hours while Arthur was still showing signs of stubborn laziness.
"Bathroom. Now." Mark points.
Arthur slowly begins to get up and leaves the room with a brush and towel in hand.
Mark looked at his phone to double check the time and then at Arthur's disaster zone that he called a desk --camera cap, stacks of manga, an open laptop in the middle of an anime episode.
5 minutes later, the bathroom door creaked open. Arthur appeared with wet hair and a smug, annoying grin.
Mark said, "That was quick."
Arthur stretched his hands. "Efficiency. I was brushing my teeth while washing my face."
"That's chaos, not efficiency." Mark grabbed his bag. "Let's get going, we're gonna have to sprint in order to find anything left that's edible."
The dinning hall was quiet. The usual morning noise had faded with the morning rush of students having already left. When they arrived at the cafeteria only a few trays remained. Two sad pieces of toast, and two hard-boiled eggs were all they could manage to find.
"Gourmet breakfast," Arthur muttered.
"Shut up, and eat. This is your fault"
They both quickly inhaled the food as they crossed the campus, and head for the main auditorium.
The place was humming, with rows of packed seats and the low chatter of conversation, as well as the occasional bursts of laughter. The majority of the students were already present, either scrolling on their phones or whispering to friends.
There were only two seats left, dead in the center in the last row.
Mark groaned. "Perfect."
"Let's just go"
Arthur slung his bag on one shoulder, and sauntered along the aisle as if it were a catwalk. Mark trailed after, his cheeks warm under the stares. He mumbled apologies while they squeezed by knees and bags.
It wasn't until Mark and Arthur squeezed into the last two seats in the middle of the row that Mark realized who was sitting beside Arthur, it was Emilia, the girl everyone in their year already knew by name.
She was just that pretty, with her tall height, sharp-features, and a cool and poised demeanor. She carried herself like she belonged somewhere far more important than a crowded freshman auditorium. The seats beside her had probably been empty the whole time. With both guys and girls being too intimidated to sit right next to her.
Arthur, on the other hand, slide into the seat without hesitation.
Mark looked at him. Does he know who's next to him?
The room was buzzing with energy with friends greeting each other and students swapping stories.
Emilia squinted to the side. "You've cut it very close."
Arthur blinked. "Oh--uh... yeah. Got lost."
Mark murmured under his breath, "We live 5 minutes away"
Arthur didn't reply.
Before Mark could tease him any further, the lights changed and a loud fanfare came from the speakers. The curtains parted, revealing a row of professors and administrators wearing perfectly pressed suits.
The noise of the chatter grew quieter.
The tall, silver-haired woman stepped up to the podium with a warm and confident voice.
"Welcome, new students of Harvard University School of Medicine Class of 2010! Today marks the start of your journey as future doctors."
The ceremony unfolded in a rhythm familiar to anyone who'd been through an orientation with speeches from the dean, the student council president, and a senior lecturer whose dry humor drew a few scattered chuckles. Arthur sat remarkably still, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee and focusing his attention forward.
The Dean then gave the final command: "All freshmen please rise to recite the Medical Student Oath."
As chairs slid back, a wave of movement swept through the room. Mark was struck by the subtle change in Arthur's facial expression, a focus that seemed sharpening his posture.
The right hand was raised.
"I do solemnly swear by whatever I hold most sacred, that I will be loyal to the profession of medicine and just and generous to its members. That I will lead my life and practice my art in uprightness and honor….These things I do promise and in proportion as I am faithful to this oath, may happiness and good repute be ever mine, the opposite if I shall be forsworn.."
The response echoed through the audience in unison. It was deep and resonant.
Arthur's voice blended in with the other students, but his gaze was fixed on something beyond the stage.
"I will hold myself aloof from wrong and corruption and from the tempting of others to vice….. cure of my patients and the prevention of disease ….. I shall see or hear of the lives of men which is not fitting to be spoken"
Before smiling, the Dean let silence settle. "Now, you'll take your first steps into the career you have chosen."
Stagehands unrolled two long racks containing crisp white coats. The faculty members came forward and greeted each student, draped the coat over their shoulders. Each new student was greeted with a steady rhythmic applause.
Arthur walked up to the podium when his name was called. The faculty member who was waiting for him had a steady hand and deep smile lines, which spoke of years in practice. She adjusted the collar and adjusted his coat as she met his gaze.
She said, "Wear it with honor."
Arthur nodded but as soon as the coat touched him, an odd shiver swept down his spine, like an electric current running through his mind. The applause that surrounded him was distant and almost muffled.
When he returned, his heart was pounding but his face remained composed.
A calm, mechanical voice then echoed through his mind without any warning:
The initialization process has been completed by the user.
"The Medical System has now been activated"