It wasn't that his wrist felt any different. But now that the bracelet was gone he just felt different. His entire military personnel, finance, and medical files had been encoded into that bracelet, and it had been updated every time he went on deployment, had a personnel action, got paid, went on sick call, and so on. After ten years the bracelet had become a part of him. "Dean, you're next," Nast said. Dean stepped up to the table where Nast had set up the ID fitting device. "Gee, Mr. Nast, I thought only the induction centers were authorized to use these things," Dean said as he stuck his left wrist into the ring on the top of the machine. Nast pressed a green button on the console and instantly the bracelet snapped off Dean's wrist. Nast dropped the bracelet into a pouch. "Right," he said, gesturing for Claypoole to step up to the device. "Major military hospitals have them too. Your Commandant himself arranged the loan of this device for my exclusive one time use. Claypoole?" Claypoole stepped up and stuck his wrist into the fitter.
