They meet for the first time on the plane, where they are still not allowed to speak to each other. A few of them have been on planes before, commercial airlines which sit no more than sixty people, flying to Hell's Haven, or rarely, Underpass City. This plane is different, a private airline, fit to sit no more than twenty people. In the back row, the two attending officers sit together, scanning the subjects once they are assigned to their seats.

Across from them, the supervisor sits next to Benji. She scrolls through pages of notes. Benji hopes his farmhands have put everything together. They sent someone out a few days ago and their list of required changes was long and their offering of funds was non-existent. Bought a safe for Benji's shotgun and padlocks for everything from the equipment shed beside the barn to the cutlery drawers in his kitchen. Cleaned and repaired two of the empty work quarters and bought sheets for the subjects.

The flight is long. Titus has flown by private jet to Hell's Haven yearly, on vacation after vacation. That trip takes a long time, passing through the dead and poisoned lands between all of the cities in the Adam Collective. This takes even longer. His legs cramp halfway through the flight. When he uses the bathroom, he stretches his legs. The officer knocks on the door and he keeps going for a second longer. Titus wonders what his father would say if he saw him now.

Then he wonders what his father would say about his arrest or any of this at all. The last leg of the flight is plagued with such thoughts.

Six hours pass before they are loaded off the plane.

Rhiannon Rose was put next to Harvey at the front, though she doesn't know his name. She is behind him in line as they are let off the plane. Harvey hisses in the sunlight. The windows in the plane are dark, filtered heavily and only showing the shadows of the grey lands. As she steps into the light, she stops for a second.

It has never felt this bright.

Burning. Fire. Heat. Crackling and smoke.

"Move," an officer says.

She does, stepping forward.

Harvey looks back at her, cowering beneath a hand to protect his eyes. There are maybe three days when you can see the sun every year in Neo Elysian, and it's never like this. Always a hazy outline, barely yellow. It burns.

He stares at Rhiannon Rose as she steps out of the way, glancing at everyone else who steps out. Ace, as he knows him, steps out next and winces as well. So does the next man, and one after the other they all hide from the light. Not the ginger girl who sat beside him for the last six hours and stared at nothing.

"Holy fuck," Eurydice hisses. They sent her out in a fuck-ugly shirt, the green-brown colour of the river in The Sticks and black pants that crinkle with every move. All of them are matching too, and so Eurydice would be reminded of the ugly colours if she weren't blinded. Her arms are exposed and she feels the heat.

"Communication is prohibited," one the guards says.

Eurydice rolls her eyes and then shuts them tightly. They are allowed to talk once the officers leave, so they've been told. Stupid to keep up with their power play now.

"We'll have clothes, hats and sunscreen for y'all at the farm," Benji says. He rubs his eyes once and then is fine. "I'm afraid it's only going to get hotter once we hit July."

The group is led into a van where they are cramped together for another two hours before they are brought to the farm. They roll the windows down due to the heat. Calath sticks their head out of it. The wind rushes through their short curls, and they are suddenly aware of the slick sweat up their back.

Gale sits quietly. He can feel a flush in his face and cannot decide what parts of it are the heat and which others are the anger. The ride is bumpy, jolting him left and right. He's got to piss but can't ask.

Once they get to the farm, they are let outside once more. Before them is the farm.

Kae pinches her nose from the smell. The manure was laid weeks ago and the smell is only just lingering. Beyond the van they came in are acres and acres of land. Flat land spreads out far ahead. Trees are off in the distance to one side and to the other, there is a dirt road. Before them are trellises of peas and it is hard to see the ground past them. Just sky, a soft blue hue.

Just nearby is the house where the manager lives. It is larger than any of them expected. Lords don't even live in places that aren't attached to others. The wealthiest have penthouses, spaces above them but not below. The building seems to sprawl, at least three floors tall, and with a fenced-in porch. The paint is peeling and chipped. The wicker rocking chair on the porch is off-kilter. It is space upon space.

The officers remain but Benji and the inspector leave as he shows her the property. They are left between all of these rows.

Norbu sits on the grass. He plucks a blade from the ground and pinches it between his fingers. It's shorter than he had expected it to be. He smells the earth, crisp and light. It's damper than he had expected it to be, for somewhere with so much sun.

Looking around at the others clustered together, Faris takes a step away. Just one. He watches the officers and waits for one of them to say anything. He doesn't fancy being tackled to the ground. He could wait. Faris could spend the rest of his life waiting if the last hour was his and his alone.

More than half a year in holding hasn't changed that. It just feels closer to his last hour now than ever before.

He takes a few more steps, walking diagonally so they can see his face until he is up close to the trellises. Vines curl around the splintering wood. Faris watches them. It's greener than he had expected. On the rooftop gardens, the plants have a sort of brown hue to them. He knew artificial light wasn't as good at producing food and plants, but seeing it is different than he had expected.

Kae watches him. She doesn't want to move in case the officers notice her. The trellis is there. She imagines the blades of grass curling over her feet. She imagines them entangling her so she is stuck. Faris leans down and his knuckle grazes a pea. Kae puts a hand up to her throat, clawing at the horror inside. Her heart is pounding. She needs to grab a pod. Run her fingers along its waxy surface. Crack it. Smell it. Hold it. Have it. She moves her hand to her wrist, tracing the butterfly charm on her bracelet.

As far as she knows, no one else got a personal effect. She shouldn't draw her attention to it. More importantly, she shouldn't steal the pea.

Finally free, Cosmia stretches. She does not do well idle, sure she's mad an enemy of the guy who sat beside her over the flight since she wouldn't stop fidgeting the entire way. She turns her body just right and sighs.

"No communicating," an officer says.

She sighs again, louder.

"Hey," the officer calls out.

"You are so fucking trite," Eurydice rolls her eyes. The officer turns toward her and she flashes her sharpened teeth. "If you wanted to do an inspection, it was stupid of you to come out here with us."

The officer moves toward her, passing through the others. Norbu sticks out his leg from his spot sitting and trips the officer. Harvey snickers.

The other officer grabs Norbu by his arm, the other pulled back and in a fist.

"I appreciate the tour, Ben-jam-in," the inspector calls from in the doorway.

The officer recoils from Norbu and the other stands up.

"It's no problem, ma'am," he says and sticks out his hand. "I'm excited to work with you."

The woman uses her stylus to push away Benji's hand. She gives him a curt nod, then calls out to the officers.

"It's perfectly approved," she says. "If we want to make it to the plane before night, we should head out now."

The officers nod, peeling away from the group. The van is not parked far away. The convicts watch as the men and the inspector climb into it. The engine kicks on and it pulls out of the farm.

"That guy was a fucking prick," Norbu says, adjusting his glasses.

For all his months spent in holding, Faris never saw him. In truth, he didn't see many officers at all in the panopticon.

Benji pulls out his watch, "it's only five. The sun won't set for almost five hours."

Titus looks at Benji with a furrowed brow, "we travelled for more than eight hours."

"We're far west. Runs on different time," Benji explains. He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He needs cleaner clothes, and to catch up on the books. "Come on. I'll show you your quarters and explain some rules."

Rhiannon Rose recoils, shaking her head.

"You think we're following your rules?" Eurydice chuckles to herself.

Benji looks at her. A bear. He doesn't take his eyes off her.

"You're welcome to do as you please. If any one of you doesn't work though, I'll send all of you right back," Benji points out.

Then, Benji turns and walks away. They all follow. As they do, Harvey smirks. The North Mercadian is smarter than he looks. Harvey cannot afford to be sent back, and he bets that some of the others are just as keen. The farmer has already made the others enemies of each other. Harvey admires the spirit.

So, they walk past the farm. A ways around the back there are three small buildings, one in total disrepair.

"There used to be four quarters, but there have been a couple storms that damaged some pens round that side of the house," Benji explains. "Don't care which of the two you picked. Ones got six bunks, the other four. It's got a bathroom and a kitchen as well. Running water even if you can believe that."

Titus' spine stiffens. This place is hell. Just as fiery. He can feel his skin melting off him already.

"What is this, the fucking dark ages?" Eurydice asks. "You throw shit out your windows too?"

"Smells like it," Cosmia shivers. "Would rather bathe in the Sticks."

Benji sighs.

"I'll make dinner for you all tonight, but not much longer. I'll give you guys paper to make a grocery list and send out one of the labourers to get them tomorrow. Just..." Benji sighs. He scratches his forehead. "Take it easy. I've got clothes in the house and y'all can pick out a few outfits after dinner. Shoes too, proper ones. We'll do an actual orientation tomorrow about the farming. For now though, I've got a few rules.

"The first, if you've got questions, ask. I know you guys don't know much about life up north, so I'll be patient. I hope you can be patient with me too, but that ain't a rule. Just, we're going to have to work together to get through the big harvest.

"Second, don't go off the property. I don't mind if you go exploring. Don't step on the vegetables either I suppose. The property is surrounded by a fence. You tall fellas can step over it but it's just a courtesy. I don't have the license to use it and I'm not about to make the Lord mad the first day you're all here.

"Third, don't talk to anybody till I tell you that you can. You might see some of the labourers finishing their day, but on the off-chance its someone from a different farm, just act casual. I don't want to freak out my neighbours.

"Fourth, don't do any more crimes. No attacking each other, no stealing my stuff. Anything you really want I'll let you use. I'll trust y'all first, and if I'm disappointed that's my problem. The cutlery and machinery is locked away, but I don't mind giving you the keys any time you need it.

"Finally, if doors are locked, leave them that way. I'm not going to bother you about everything shitty thing that happened that made you the way you are. I hope you can do the same."

Benji adds nothing else. Except a nod. City folk may be weird, with their funky hair colours and piercing and teeth, but they still seem like the kind that can respect nods.

~~~~

We are finally here. For those of you that have completed or started relationships, thank you so much! I don't know how much I can do more before I get a larger chunk of relationships. I might have to start going on my own, but I like your input better. But thanks. Honestly, I'm so happy people are allowed to speak now.