The Sector

Chapter Two

Apart from Gianna and the other Officers stationed around the Hall, just one other Occupant remained—Patrik, the only other person in the entirety of the Sector who shared Seth's Life-Day.

"Boys," Gianna said, stepping forward with a tight smile on her lips and her hands clasped lightly in front of her. "Happy Life-Day to both of you."

They smiled timidly back at her. There was no denying how daunting it was, standing in the Hall, surrounded by Officers and facing someone like Gianna all but alone.

Seth's mouth was dry.

"First things first," she continued, "I've sent Officers to both of your Residences to collect your possessions. They will be transported separately to the Testing Zone, where you will reside for the next four weeks. After your four weeks are up, the results of each of your Tests will determine where you go from there."

Seth and Patrik shared a curious glance.

"If you'd like to follow me, we'll be on our way."

With that, she turned on her heel and left the Hall. The rest of the Officers remained, waiting until Seth and Patrik followed.

She walked them back through the familiar streets of the Sector to a van parked by her own Residence. Gianna held the sliding door while the boys climbed into the bed of the van and then she followed. Another Officer already sat awaiting them in the driver's seat.

Gianna slid the door closed again, the Officer turned the key in the ignition, and the van rolled off.

For well over an hour, they drove. The bed of the van was windowless but Seth imagined they would be passing the same stunted concrete buildings he saw every day. The familiarity gave him a sense of calm; he preferred it when things were structured, uniform, orderly.

Seth sat with his elbows on his knees, picking at loose skin on his fingertips. "What kind of Tests are they?" he asked, looking up through his eyelashes at Gianna where she sat across from him.

The corner of her lip twisted upward. "I'm not at liberty to give you any information about the Tests. You'll find out what each one is when you take it; no sooner."

"Well how many are there?" he shot back.

Gianna pursed her lips and turned her eyes away.

"You said we'd be staying in the Testing Zone for four weeks," he prodded. "That's a long time; there must be a lot of them. Surely that's not classified information as well."

"I'm afraid it is, Occupant. And I would appreciate it if you would refrain from asking any more questions until we arrive. You will find all of your answers soon enough."

Seth rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall of the van, his arms crossed against his chest.

It took them another ten minutes to reach their destination, but to Seth it felt like so much longer. 

When the Officer pulled the van to a stop, the sliding door rolled open and they were greeted with entourage of Officers lining a path for them to the largest, tallest, grandest structure Seth had ever seen. 

It was made of the same old concrete he was used to, but the enormity of it astounded him. At least three stories high, as wide as seven Residences side-by-side and equally as long, Seth's jaw fell slack at the mere sight of it.

There was no way they were still in the Sector.

"Follow me," Gianna said, starting towards the colossal building. Seth and Patrik stumbled after her, mouths gaping wide.

When they entered, Seth could have sworn his jaw almost fell right off. The cement building had looked old and worn and weathered from the outside but the inside was an entirely different story. Clean and polished and tidy, he felt as though he needed to shower before taking a single step further, lest he ruin it. He and Patrik shared another glance, grins splitting their faces when they locked eyes.

If this was what the rest of Seth's life would look like, he would happily take it.

"This way," Gianna barked over her shoulder, already six meters ahead of them and entering a dimly lit corridor. The boys hurried after her.

In the corridor, they passed several closed and unmarked doors. Seth could hardly contain his curiosity but he doubted Gianna would tell him anything even if he asked.

Exiting the corridor at the opposite end, they found themselves in another vast room. An old wooden desk sat in the center, a spectacled man seated behind it, tapping studiously away at the keys on his keyboard.

"Darbee," Gianna said, her voice carrying well across the empty room. The man looked up, his glasses slipping to the end of his nose.

"Ah, Gianna. New Occupants, I presume?"

She nodded.

"Their Tag Numbers?"

Gianna looked back at Seth and Patrik.

"U-uh... 8730824," Patrik stuttered.

The man—Darbee—tapped the numbers into his keyboard.

Next, he looked to Seth.

"1836503."

"Okay," he said, making the last few keystrokes. "Go ahead."

Seth and Patrik glanced from Darbee to Gianna and back again.

Gianna raised her arm, indicating yet another corridor across the room. Together, with one last glance at both the Officers, they started towards it.

This corridor was darker than the first, with only a few sparsely spaced lights illuminating their path.

The room at the other end was the smallest they'd seen so far. Two Officers stood on either side of the entryway as if they were guarding the room and another man sat at a desk by the far wall.

"Seth and Patrik, yes?" he greeted them, looking up from his computer screen.

The boys nodded.

"Good, good." He rose from his desk and circled it to stand in front of them. For a moment he appraised them in silence.

Seth had never felt more out of place.

"First things first," the man continued as normal, "my name is Frasier, and I will be carrying out most of your Testing. Before we begin with that though, we need to get an idea of where you're currently at physically, mentally, and emotionally in order to determine a baseline for you both."

The corners of his mouth twitched upward and he turned without another word, leading them towards a doorway and into another room. 

"Follow me," he called back over his shoulder.