THE MOMENT
John was nervous. He sat patiently in the white lobby and tried to distract himself with games on his node. It wasn't that the 45 year-old-man was afraid of needles exactly; but, he most certainly preferred them to remain on the outside of his skin. However, he volunteered to donate and most of his mind was focused on keeping himself in his seat instead of walking out. It helped that he'd already answered all the relevant questions. He could still leave if he really wanted to; but, the fact that they already had his information was a good reason for him to push through.
"John Majesty?" His name was called and he looked up from his node to see a nurse waiting for him by the door. He got to his feet and followed her through the door, then down a narrow white hallway.
"Thanks for coming in today. My name's Lucy," she smiled and gestured at a seat for John. He sat down and she went about preparing the gauze and needle she was going to use. She was deliberate and efficient as she unwrapped the sterile black needle and in moments she was wiping his arm with an alcohol swab. "This might sting," she smiled. John looked away at the white wall and waited. He felt the stab, but it was relatively painless. He felt comfortable enough and looked back down at the action. She was filling a small tube with his blood. Once it was done she deftly undid it and replaced another tube that led into a bag.
"This is going to take a bit. In the meantime, we're gonna run some tests to get your blood type and a few health markers," she said.
"Thanks," John smiled and let himself relax. The needle was already in him, so the only thing he could do was wait. He'd agreed to the tests when he completed the paperwork; but, he was pleasantly surprised that she was going to go do it now. He assumed he would get the results at a later date; but, he was glad to be alone as she left the room with the smaller vial. He pulled his node out again and resumed his puzzle game. About 10 minutes later Lucy returned without the pleasant smile he last saw her with.
"Do you know your blood type, John?" she asked.
"No?" he shook his head. He was confused by the question; but, she smiled again after his answer.
"Sorry, I had to ask," she said. "You answered it on the form already but, I had to make sure you weren't lying."
"Oh. Okay," John nodded with a shrug. He didn't know why it mattered and so he wasn't sure if it did. Lucy went to work on removing the bag and needle.
"Your blood is special...," she began explaining while her hands worked. "...it's compatible with every blood type, and it contains cells that can cure every disease, mental or physical," she said.
"Really?" John asked. He'd never been sick a day in his life, and he'd discovered many strange things during that life. He was surprised; but, nothing about what she said sounded particularly impossible.
"Oh yes," she nodded. "It's called 'Type O -Infinite'."
"I had no idea...," he shook his head. "...why did you need to ask if I knew that?"
"My Superpower is I can tell when someone's lying," she shrugged. "Whenever we draw this blood type, we're required to add it to the Sharp Medical registry. The registry is public information; but, you also earn a small financial bonus. Every now and then we get someone with O -Infinite blood trying to donate like they don't know what they have to get the bonus again. It's just a mess of paperwork if we add someone to the registry that's already there."
"Oh wow, I just keep getting more and more special," John chuckled to himself. "I'm a Super and Unique Soul too," he said.
"Well, don't let it go to your head," she used a playful tone as she finished disconnecting everything from him. "The fact that we have the tech to identify it so quickly and easily should tip you off about how un-special you are in the multiverse," she giggled. "'Public' only means Earths served by Sharp Development. Speaking of which, I have your financial bonus on behalf of the company," she reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out a $100 bill. She held it out to him. "We didn't have anything smaller. Got $25 to give me change or should we just mail a check?"