Exiles: The Unity Program

Chapter 2

A hiss emitted through the cabin, followed by the sound of a lock unlatching. The side doors lifted into the air, releasing the group from their confines. The air from outside slammed into Seraphine, thick and gritty, as if it were alive with particles that scratched at her throat and stung her eyes. The acrid, metallic tang of pollution flooded her senses, sharp and overpowering, filling her lungs with a weight that made each breath a struggle. The atmosphere felt dense, damp with a clinging humidity that settled uncomfortably on her skin like a thin film of acid. A dim, rusty glow filtered through the haze outside, barely illuminating anything beyond a few feet, as if the world had been swallowed by a perpetual, toxic twilight.

"Stop," a male voice commanded from within the shadows, his tone slightly husky. "This could be a trick."

Nobody moved in response to his words. He wasn't completely wrong. The hovercraft suddenly going out of commission and letting them free seemed too good to be true. On the other hand, it could very well be a malfunction, and the craft had truly crashed, leading to their unexpected release.

"Come on," the girl who had sat behind Seraphine urged, brushing past her. "I doubt this is some trick."

"We can't just leave," another girl protested, her voice tinged with fear. "If we crashed, that means something went wrong. Something bad could be out there. We're probably safer in here."

"Safer and dead," the first girl shot back, her tone clipped. "How long do you want to stay here? Two days? A week? We don't have food in here. Our rations dried up last night. We all know that. We were told we would get new rations once we reach our destination, but not in this. If we stay, we're as good as dead."

Seraphine glanced at the cameras again, but they remained unmoving. If this were a trick, she thought, the watchers would have at least turned them to see how they were faring.

"That's better than dying out there, isn't it?" the second girl countered, stepping forward. "At least if we stay, they won't have to look for mangled body parts or go home empty-handed. Our families would have someone to cremate and say goodbye to."

Seraphine grimaced at her words, still hesitating. As much as she wanted to escape the hovercraft's cramped confines, she didn't want to step out into the toxic landscape. But neither girl was wrong. They would either die in here or out there. Which fate were they willing to risk?

"I say volunteers take a peek outside," a different male voice suggested. "Those who want to leave can check it out, and those who want to stay can remain here. If it looks decent outside, you let us know, and we'll go from there. So, who's going?"

"I will," the first girl volunteered, though her voice was tight.

"I will too," the male voice who had first spoken chimed in. "Anyone else?"

"I will," Seraphine said before she could stop herself, shocking even herself with the words.

"Me too," a third male replied as he stepped forward. "Three of us should be enough to check things out. There are masks for emergencies in the back. We can take them with us to be on the safe side."

"Who made you guys the boss?" the first girl countered snidely.

"Oh, shut up, Lina," a fourth girl snapped, her irritation clear. "If you're going out there, just go already."

The red light gave Seraphine a glimpse toward the back of the cabin, where figures stood just outside their cages.

"We should all go," another male suggested as he stepped forward. "We shouldn't split up. That's just asking for disaster to happen to at least half of us. Splitting up always ends badly."

"He isn't wrong," one of the others agreed reluctantly. "We should go together. It's better that way. If this is a trick, they can't take us all down at once."

"Unless they expect us to go together," one rebutted with a huff.

"I don't think we have a choice," Seraphine interjected, pointing at the cameras. "Besides, I really don't think we're being watched anymore. Even if this was a trick, it went wrong and cut their ability to see us off. If they can't see us, they don't know we're getting off at all. So if we're going, we need to go now before they fix the problem."

The others looked up, finally taking note of the stationary cameras. One of the guys turned and headed for the back of the cabin, likely to retrieve the masks mentioned, and returned with a knapsack.

He held the bag out. "First come, first serve."

"Shouldn't there be enough for everyone?" one of the girls chastised, but stepped forward to fish out a mask for herself.

Stepping forward, Seraphine reached into the bag and pulled out a breathing mask. Its sleek, matte-black surface caught the dim light as she turned it over in her hands. The mask was lightweight, contoured perfectly to fit her face without the bulk of older models she had seen depicted in books. Thin, vented slits lined each side, barely noticeable but capable of purifying even the toxic air beyond the hovercraft. Slipping it over her nose and mouth, she felt the gentle pull of the silicone lining as it sealed against her skin. The straps wrapped around her head, forming a snug fit without pressing uncomfortably. As they settled, she felt the slight, reassuring weight of the stabilizing node where the straps met at the back of her skull. A faint blue light flickered over the tinted visor, displaying her oxygen level and the quality of the air outside.

The difference was immediate; the purified air cooled the back of her throat, though the taste of the outside still lingered, foul and bitter.

When she looked at the other girl, she caught sight of a small, translucent panel displaying air quality readings and oxygen levels in soft, blue digital text on the left side of the girl's mask. She didn't need to check her own to know it had the same feature.

Groans of relief resonated through the hovercraft, and without another word, they turned to face the wretched outside. Seraphine wasn't sure any of them had ever been beyond the megacities before. She knew that the lower levels of the city dealt with some remnants of the old world more than the others, but it couldn't be this bad, could it?

She glanced to her right at the blonde girl, hair pulled back into a high ponytail, cheeks smudged with dirt, dressed in the plain, bulky clothes characteristic of Sector Epsilon—the closest sector to the ground. Had she ever been out here? Seraphine wanted to ask, but she bit her tongue to keep from doing so.

Longing washed over her for the comfort of home—sitting in front of the cozy electric fire because they weren't allowed real ones, reading one of the old books her mother had brought home, or simply spending time with her.

For the first time since she had heard they were coming out here, fear flooded through her as she stared out into the gritty wasteland, squinting to see beyond the haze, but to no avail.

Never be anyone but who you are, Seraphine, she would tell me every night. Her mother had always been so adamant on no one being able to change her.

Then again, being herself was exactly what had brought her to this moment. She had followed her mother's advice, and this was her reward. Her 'punishment,' really. A new form that The Order had decided the megacity needed for criminals—and here they were, the first volunteers. Were they, though? It wasn't as if they had chosen this. They hadn't raised their hands and signed up. They had been selected. Exactly why, she couldn't fathom. But here they were.