THE SURFACE

MY BREATHING IS SHALLOW.

It only takes a moment for Fear to settle in, leaving me nearly no space to breathe and rendering my body crippled. Somehow, the sunlight above us still manages to cut through the thick glass around me, casting a rainbow fragment across my leg.

I force myself to take a deep breath, naming each color I see. Sunflower yellow. Scarlet red. Lavender. Emerald Green—as rich as Ivy's eyes. To my surprise, she's already watching me when I look up, her face contorted into an expression of apology. An expression that reminds me of the events of the last hour.

The broadcast that left the entire bunker speechless. The exposed lie of the girl I'd placed my hope in for so long. Seeing Ivy face to face for the first time, then letting Anger cloud my judgment. Watching as the two people I have left in this world were stolen from me. Seeing sunlight for the first time as my bunker got ambushed.

My home.

Even though it holds memories that I'd much rather forget, it's still the place that shaped me. The place that made me who I am. And now, I'm locked in a glass box on the Surface, unaware of what's going to happen to me next.

I check in with Ivy again, an unspoken connection between us beyond the facts of the situation. She's the one I was captured with. The one who saw Grant and Gracie be taken by Authority soldiers. The one person who was the start of my entire life falling apart. A tingling sensation slowly engulfs my right leg, forcing me to shift my weight.

And that's when I notice something else I hadn't on the way up. Stretching far above our glass prisons is yet another glass box, its sides disappearing into the solid ground underneath our cells. I point to the corner diagonal to Ivy's cell, moving my head side to side in an attempt to show her what I found.

She looks up, mocking my movements. Her body freezes after a moment, indicating to me that I'm not just imagining the other box. And that she wasn't a part of whatever's happening.

If this was all crafted by her—the war, the lies, the raid—why would she stage her own capture? Show up in my room with an apology on her lips? Guilt rises in the pit of my stomach, threatening to swallow me whole until a holographic screen materializes on the wall of glass in front of me.

Standing in the frame is the same man who invaded our bunkers, destroying everything the Garden stood for. The man that Ivy seemed to know. He has a slender build, much more than sorrow in his eyes. Something closer to Hunger and Rage. Like they've been lifelong friends of his. Like Monotony was to me.

His suit is crisp, with not a wrinkle in sight beyond the ripples that run across the holographic screen every few seconds. It's almost laughable, the way his world looks in contrast to ours. Through one of the frosted glass walls, I can make out the general shapes of a skyline, telling me there's an entire city of citizens that have been living on the Surface.

And letting us rot beneath their feet.

He clears his throat before addressing his unwilling viewers. Unwilling victims. "I'm sure you're all wondering what's happening to you, and we'll get to that in due time. First, I want to introduce myself. My name is Alexander True. I am the head of The System, an administrative society dedicated to making the world a better place."

Is this guy serious? Lying to people for a century is the exact opposite of making the world a better place. I'm sure if he was on the other side of things, he'd feel the same way. To know that I lost my parents under the guise of a dictatorship leaves my blood boiling. I force myself to listen closely, knowing Ivy's doing the same.

If we can figure out what the goal is here, maybe we can come up with a plan. Find some way out. If we don't get killed first.

"Earlier today, you watched a news broadcast by Ivy Carlisle that exposed the work of countless generations." He pauses at this, eyes boring into mine from the futuristic screen. "While the truth came out earlier than we'd hoped, I first want to offer my deepest condolences. I understand how all of this may be confusing and infuriating to those of you who lived below the Surface."

Below the surface. He can't even call it what it was.

"My colleagues and I have been working on a Project for decades now. The war took so much from each and every one of us. My parents, in particular, were working on a serum that would allow the human race to withstand any and every natural disaster known to man. A serum that would allow our genetic makeup to adapt to new environments, a concept beyond natural selection."

His voice hitches at the mention of his parents and I lean forward at this. Contrary to his cold and rigid exterior, I can see a flaw in his demeanor. Everyone has a weakness, and he just exposed his. "Even though they lost their lives trying to protect their research, we've been able to recover their discoveries and accelerate the process. The good news? You all are here to play an important role in the experiment we're calling Project Bunker.

"What does that mean, you might ask? During your time beneath the Surface, some of you have been subjected to the original serum as a way to slowly introduce it to the population. Of course, we've been keeping an eye on how it affects different individuals while we finalized the serum for mass distribution."

My mind spins as his speech goes on. We've been used all this time as his lab rats. Unwilling and unaware subjects to his little science experiment. Unaware of what he's been preparing for "mass distribution." And there's no telling what the serum does to an animal, let alone an actual human being. I catch Ivy's gaze, a wave of Fear washing over me.

Upon instinct, I run a nervous hand along the back of my neck, preparing for what I know is coming. Preparing to let my new acquaintance settle in like Monotony had for so much of my life in the bunker. Welcome to your new home. Make yourself comfortable.

The next bit of the speech I catch is all Fear needs to make his presence known. Even in my little glass cell.

"Determining your current status is simple. If your glass cell turns red, that means you've already received part of the serum—a group I like to call the Changed. If it stays clear, that means you're part of the control group...for now." He pauses for dramatic effect, counting down five seconds with his white-gloved fingers.

My heart threatens to burst underneath the pressure building in my chest and I let out a shaky breath, searching for a sliver of comfort from Ivy's steady gaze.

She waves at me, pointing to her eyes in a silent attempt to get me to follow her lead. I watch her inhale deeply, forcing myself to do the same as I swallow the frog in my throat.

We fall into sync almost instantly, the rise and fall of her shoulders matching my own. I freeze as Alexander's last finger goes down and a siren sounds above us. I hold Ivy's gaze, praying her box stays clear. A few moments pass, and a brief wave of relief washes over me.

Neither of us is bathed in scarlet. We're safe. We're okay.

A half-hearted smile tugs at Ivy's lips, and I offer her the same, well aware of the ever-present pit in my stomach. Before I get the chance to look around, Alexander's words stop me.

"Congratulations to those of you who received the first sequence of the serum. Now, I'm sure you've noticed by now that you can't see anyone else's cell beside one, and that's no mistake. Gotta keep the mystery alive, right?" A cheerful chuckle escapes his throat and I find myself wishing I could get my hands on him for just one second.

The agony I felt after losing my parents introduces itself again, and I struggle to understand him. To understand how we've both experienced the same type of pain, yet he's taken his anger and grief to an entirely different level.

Why did he need to use us as his subjects? And why keep us in the bunker? I'm sure plenty of people would've been glad to volunteer, especially if the opportunity came with handsome compensation. Judging from the technology I've come into contact with already, funding is one thing they have plenty of.

"Each cell has a fingerprint scanner, which will be your way out. Before you get any ideas, every bit of the environment you're in is rigged. I'd hate for anyone to find out what'll happen if you try to escape." He pouts in thought, clearly enjoying the position he's in. Enjoying the power he holds over every one of us.

"You'll want to get inside the mansion as soon as possible, as the timer will start as soon as this broadcast ends." The feed cuts to a picture of a grand mansion unlike anything I've ever seen before. Elaborate detailing decorates the columns leading to the front entrance. In the bottom corner, I catch a glimpse of an empty cell.

It's right outside.

"The rules are simple. All you need to do is survive twenty-four hours inside the mansion, and you're all free to go. As in free, I mean back to the bunkers if you'd like. Or, you can discover what life is like on the Surface. No matter your decision, participating in this experiment is your only ticket out of captivity.

"Be sure to tread carefully. Be smart about who you trust. Since this is our first test run of the new serum, we haven't officially uncovered all of the side effects just yet. That being said, things are sure to get interesting. I assure you, there's much more to this experiment than meets the eye. Your beloved Ivy Carlisle would be the first to agree."

He says her name with no regard for the disgusted tone in his voice. Ivy flinches at this and I find myself feeling sympathetic toward her. Whatever she was forced to do, she clearly regrets now. And judging from the way she tried to sacrifice herself in the Garden and the way she talked to him, they must've been close at some point.

He strikes me as the type of person who would do anything to get what he wants. Even if it meant using the people closest to him for his own twisted agenda.

"I'll leave you all with this. Stay alert, be cautious, and stay alive. Let the games begin." His Cheshire cat grin serves its purpose, leaving me on edge. A subtle chime sounds above me, an oval sensor revealing itself in the center of the glass wall facing Ivy's cell.

I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst. Ivy nods at me and we press our thumbs to the sensors in unison, the glass wall before me disappearing into the platform the cell sits on.

I stretch out my legs, feet dangling inches from the plush green grass beneath me. The first I've ever seen in person. In some ways, I'm thankful for the opportunity to see the world beyond the dark confines of the bunker. To finally feel sunlight on my skin. To finally introduce fresh air to my lungs.

But in others, this is the last taste of twisted freedom we'll experience. Unwilling subjects, thrown into an experiment we didn't get the choice to object.

I lower myself to the ground, keeping my eye on Ivy. One thing's for certain. Whatever happens over the next twenty-four hours, I will do everything in my power to keep as many people safe as possible.

Without a word, Ivy pulls me into a desperate embrace, her apology spilling out in the form of tears. The curls in her hair remind me of the siblings I adopted in the bunkers, reminding me of a question that's yet to be answered.

Are they alive? Or will grief pay me a visit for the third time before this experiment even gets started?