Maddie hated traveling to Cypress. She hated it even more on the rare occasions when Ray-Lyn came along.

Ray-Lyn stared out the window as their armored train puttered on. "Times like these, you really have to wonder if we shouldn't just euthanize ex-Volunteers and be done with it."

As their cart was a two-seater, Maddie stared out her own window. Green as far as the eye could see. Green...and primitive. At one time all the earth was like this—lush and wild. Now the flowers gave off harmful fumes, the fruit from the trees just as deadly. This was where her mother would end the rest of her sentence, the rest of her life.

"You always say this."

"Well how can we leave them out here like this? Their bodies take on atrophy each time. It's like they're shriveling up." Ray-Lyn glanced at her. "You still thinking about that mutt?"

Gus.

Maddie thought of him every second of every hour in the last day. She'd have to carry out the decree. If she'd struck him sooner or done her job, she wouldn't have to take the man's hand now.

"They could sentence him here," Ray-Lyn told her. "Would that be better?"

Maddie swallowed down her response. There was nothing more to say. Right now, she'd go see her mother. Maybe today the woman would remember her.

"Our mothers chose to come here rather than finish their life term. It's not honorable, but we can tolerate it. It's a Volunteer's right. Not that any would dare take it," Ray grumbled.

"I wasn't thinking about her," Maddie lied.

"Sure, you were. Whenever you look about ready to cry, it's easy to see. Mine's no better," Ray-Lyn reminded her, to soften the blow.

That wasn't entirely true. Ray-Lyn's mother, Maddie's mother's trusted second in command, followed her leader even into the wilderness. She still wore her helmet and mask whenever they visited—Maddie's mother sometimes didn't. The woman was no longer in her right mind.

"The gas in the air burns their lungs, I hear. Mah said as much." Ray-Lyn choked back a sob. "I don't know how much longer I can put up with this. I should just wait for her to turn her back and shoot her in the head and end it."

Maddie met her gaze, fear burning her eyes. "Ray...."

Ray-Lyn leaned back. "Well slap my backside and call me a babe, you actually do feel something."

The vast landscape zipped by. Maddie tried to take it in. "Mother'll be alone without her friend. You do not mention it. Do you understand?"

Letting out a snort, Ray-Lyn leaned back, bringing her feet up. "You're still on the same level as me, Mad. You know that." She wiped her eyes. "But my mah's gotta suffer. She'd want it that way, anyway."

Maddie didn't answer.

"If it was me, though, I'd want you to put a gun to my back and end it. None of this is natural," Ray-Lyn muttered.

All communication required the dials on the ceiling. Ray turned on her preferred radio show with the flip of a switch. Thankfully it was all but finished.

Ray, well aware of Maddie's disinterest in such programs, must have had a reason for listening to it live now.

"Once again, we invite all dedicated Volunteers interested in fulfilling their duty to join us for an in depth interview about the Outer Limits. Live. Tickets are limited."

No sooner had the voice chipped out that Ray reached up to type into the interface on the ceiling.

Bells sounded as the upcoming railroad crossing sped toward them. Maddie pulled the lever above her head, indicating their stop. Their cart sped up, unlinked from the main train, and slipped into the exit ramp. This was no dignified way to travel, but they couldn't risk breathing any of that rancid air.

The cart joined the main dirt road, hovering over the gravel, and they were off.

Ray checked the dials. She looked up at the safety-glass dome which protected them as they journeyed through the wildlife preserve. Not many animals around—most, if not all, were tainted anyhow.

Something slammed into them, rocking their car. The buck backed up and charged them yet again.

Maddie flipped the switch for the electric shield. Animals this stupid from nerve damage were dangerous for different reasons—pain rarely deterred them.

"You've brought your accomplishments today, too?" Ray asked. "You shouldn't do this to yourself. She might not recognize you."

Fingers tracing the thick binder on her left, Maddie ignored the warning.

"I've brought the most expensive pastry I could find. But at this point I wonder if cheaper might work best."

Ray scoffed. "You keep doing this, but I wish she'd just ask for mercy, anyway, and let you help her journey to the next life. If Mah wasn't so damn stubborn I'd gladly do the honors."

They traveled the rest of the two hours in relative silence. Quiet was common for them, but usually Ray would find something to talk about.

Maddie's mind rested on her suit, it felt tight. The way she shifted, tugging at it with little success made Ray curious.

"Gained some weight?"

It was a poor joke and one Maddie didn't take kindly to. Her sharp glare conveyed as much.

Rubbing the smooth flesh of her bald head, Ray eased back, laughing. "Sorry. But you've got your annual checkups so what's that matter?"

"It matters," Maddie grumbled.

Gaining weight was normal for a citizen; it signaled illness or death for a Volunteer, however. As their food rations never changed, a sudden increase in weight indicated a possible growth...a tumor. It was the number one cause of death for Volunteers left out in the wilderness too long.

Considering where they headed now, it was a poor joke for anyone to make, even Ray.

Maddie made an observation of her own. "You sound a bit distracted. You and Andy fighting again?"

Barely casting her a glance, Ray peered out the window and grumbled, "Restraining order."

And that was that.

Volunteers rarely had much of a private life. Ray's wasn't what anyone would classify as private per se, but it was the closest other Volunteers in their pod had gotten. A lot of good that did.

The ceiling of their cart lit up. Maddie pressed the accept button prompting the vehicle to seek out docking permission. The pitch black tower in the distance looked even worse than she'd remembered.

She must have made a noise, something, because Ray soothed, "Hold it together. Makes no sense coming if you're going to fall apart each time."

A stone door moved to the right, allowing them entry. After it closed, they waited another ten minutes for the air filters to do their job of filtering the air.

Ray pulled on her helmet. Maddie, wearing a similar hair cut to her mother, combed her short hair with her fingers before putting the helmet on.

The size of Ray's bag made her curious. "What you got?"

"This?" Ray, ready to deny the existence of whatever it was, eventually took out the civilian helmet. "Sweet air."

Maddie gasped. "Ray...."

"Shh. It's just for a treat. There's only about an hour's worth. Figured they could share it. Mah used to love this. I can't come without leaving something."

"A canister's enough. And at least that they can throw away. Leave it here."

"The hell I will. I will not leave it. It cost me too much."

The hatch lowered, cutting off their squabble.

"Volunteers. Welcome."

Silence greeted them when they turned to look. Other than the Inner City, and the Outer Limits where people had mass air filtration that allowed for free movement without the benefit of a helmet, nearly everyone wore some sort of protection. As such, it was customary for a greeter to identify his or herself quickly, thus allowing a stranger to match the helmet's markings with a name.

For whatever reason, this person did not. The white lab coat surely had a nametag but they would need to go closer to see it.

This greeter said nothing further to them, only turned and made a speedy retreat. Maddie barely had time to gather up her things. She wanted to give Ray a piece of her mind but that would have to wait.

A total of five minutes passed with them trailing behind that orderly before they realized what the matter was.

"That's Andy," Ray said.

Maddie wouldn't know. Andy grew up in the Inner City. It seemed unlikely anyone from that background would come all the way out there.

"Are you sure?"

"I know his walk. Check the limp." Ray cut the two-way com and instead called to their greeter. "Do we get a name?"

The orderly stopped short, indicating that they should follow the hallway alone.

As uncomfortable as Maddie was with anyone unidentified at their backs, she walked past. Mostly because she wanted to keep Ray in motion. This wasn't the time for a confrontation.

Ray did pause at the orderly but one tug of her arm had her moving on her own. Water dripped from the dank walls. Patches of moss and mold here and there were all the more troubling.

Maddie hated this place. And although she'd visited more often than Ray, they both knew the way. As far as she knew, this place was of their mothers' choosing.

As expected, Ray glanced behind her often. Maddie wasn't having it. "We'll deal with that later. Keep on your toes. If this place gets any more rundown, who knows what sort of vermin we might encounter."

Black gun in hand, Ray said, "Was saving it for the mercy kill. Suppose I could waste a few shots for vermin."

It was a joke, but the edge on Maddie's glance—their eyes were the only thing visible in the suit—told Ray to stop with that nonsense.

Nothing felt safe and secure until they exited the hall and found the warden waiting for them.

"Mad. How are you? It's been too long."

Maddie nodded. She tried to remove the helmet, but the warden shook her head.

"No. Our filters are down in this area. Let's get to the meeting room. There we can talk freely." The warden was a heavyset woman and though she was no Volunteer herself, she'd raised three Volunteers who wound up under her care. Her weight and simple mask were a testament to her privileged life as a former politician. She was from the Inner City. As her three children retired here, so did she.

"Warden, I hope you don't mind the intrusion," Maddie said.

"No. No. Come. She'll be good to have the company." She acknowledged Ray, finally. "Ray-Lyn—"

"Five-Five-Four," Ray corrected, demanding a formal recognition.

"Of course," said the warden, "how rude of me." But she uttered not a word of that formal greeting. Instead, she turned on her heels and led the way.

Mad caught Ray by the chest. It wasn't a harsh gesture, just one to remind her to watch her manners. There was no love between the warden and Ray but that was her own fault. Suggesting the mercy killing of her own mother the few times she'd come hadn't gone over well—even less so because it was never stated as a joke.

Ray and her own mother would meet, though—supervised.

Usually Mad would do the honors but today she wanted to use the short visit to speak to her mother freely.

When Ray shoved Maddie back, Maddie knew her meaning reached well enough.

"Sweet air is hella expensive. Not gonna waste it on no corpse. So are we green?"

Maddie kept her hand at Ray's armor, searching those blue eyes for honesty. "Are we?"

Ray groaned and pushed past her. "We're green. Let it go."

They followed the warden. Partway they broke off, Maddie continuing on, while Ray entered a room and set up her things. Maddie didn't know why Ray wasted her time. Ray's mother, incredibly untrusting of her daughter, never took even one gift.

A red helmet came Maddie's way and she smiled. The phoenix plastered on it was enviable and that was for the right reasons. Ray-Lyn's mother. The woman took off her colorful markings and gave Maddie a proper smile and a small hug. She wouldn't speak without the helmet, but her smile was enough. This time, too, her hair thinned and her skin cracked in places, but that smile never wavered. The length of her hair was troubling, though, no one'd bothered to cut it for her.

The woman would greet her child without her markings. Few Volunteers would roam without a helmet—the one possession of a Volunteered which reflected their very identity. Maddie envied that bravery.

Ray's mother stepped past, an orderly at her back as she dipped into the room with Ray.

Maddie doubted Ray would—could appreciate such consideration. Ray hated to see her mother without the helmet. It gave her nightmares. While Maddie found it brave. Yes, this poor air meant a slow deterioration, but to face it unflinchingly as Ray's mother did—and with a smile...that spoke of bravery untold.

They came upon two doors. The one directly before them led out of the tower and into the courtyard. While the door on the right led...to someone special.

Before Maddie could walk in, the warden held her shoulder, patting the armor.

"Don't expect too much, Maddison. You do this to yourself every time. I suggest you go in, give her what you've come to give her, and leave. I do not relish having Ray-Lyn here and you've earned a reputation of your own that's reached even these aging walls." She patted Maddie's shoulder again. "But don't expect too much. Though she did agree to cut her hair."

Maddie met eyes with the warden, genuinely grateful. "Thank you."

And the woman walked away.

It took another minute, staring at that dark wooden barrier before Maddie summoned enough courage to open it. A black helmet greeted her, so close to the entrance that Maddie nearly jumped back.

Maddie told herself it was meant as an invitation, but the eyes behind the helmet remained closed; the woman refused to move back and allow Maddie entry.

Slipping by in such bulky armor wasn't possible and the other alternative of shoving the woman back was even less of an option. The last time Maddie put hands on a former Volunteer this old, she wound up slammed to the floor on her back with a gun under her chin.

No. The woman wasn't allowing her to enter.

Maddie looked left then right, feeling helpless despite her ranking as a combat Volunteer. Would she honestly have to do this out in the open? In the hall?

Another five minutes of just standing there meant she would.

"Hello," Maddie said, gripping the bag.

A door slammed open in the distance with Ray scurrying out. Her mother exited next, throwing the sweet air helmet after her. It struck Ray in the back.

The verbal exchange between the two distressed Maddie even further.

Ray turned, intent on coming back for another pass, but her mother dragged off the helmet yet again and Ray made a speedy retreat.

A tin laughter followed as the woman returned to the room. She wore the helmet again when she walked out, heading in Maddie's direction.

Ray's mother let out a sigh. "Not letting you in, huh?"

Feeling foolish, Maddie nodded.

"No matter. Come. We'll visit together. How is Six?"

Sentinel Five-Five-Six, Ray's older sister. Maddie envied the woman's care and consideration for her girls.

"She's...she's well," Maddie muttered.

Ray-Lyn's mother pushed past her and entered the room, leading Maddie's mother along with her.

"What have you got for us? No sweet air, I hope."

"N—no, ma'am." Maddie put the bag down. "Just photos and news articles. Thought to bring some programs to watch but—"

"No, thank you. Not much use for those out here," said Ray's mother, patting the thinning armor of her friend. "Eh, boss?"

Maddie couldn't ignore it this time, her own mother's Volunteer armor's degradation. No one was caring for it. That armor could last a lifetime under the right conditions.

The next twenty minutes were both painful and appreciated. Although Ray's mother chatted away, both Maddie and her mother said nothing. On more than one occasion, Maddie tried to see her mother's eyes to no avail. Like Ray-Lyn who kept talking despite anyone listening, Ray's mother went on and on.

Maddie needed it. If she'd come all this way for nothing, then it would make her return home all that much harder.

Two brown eyes shot open.

Maddie's breath hitched. "Hey, you're awake."

She tried to meet her mother's gaze, but the woman stared through her. Instead of answering, she rushed out.

Ray's mother joined her. "Ray.... That blasted child."

And they hurried out, leaving Maddie stunned and confused. Maddie looked around the barren room, careful to ignore the dirt on the ground. She would say it was used for gardening if that wasn't a laughable notion. Still, she'd come all this way, so she left her gifts on the floor. Despite the stillness there, she exited the room to hell on earth.

Orderlies rushed from all directions. Former Volunteers, many feeble and weak, geared up. One even secured a detention jacket for the crazed.

Maddie thought to ask someone what was happening, but the discharging of a gun told her.

"Ray...."

Many people fell in Maddie's wake as she charged down the hall, shoving bodies aside.

Ray didn't have a gun in hand by the time Maddie reached—no, Ray's mother did, trained right on her. While Ray...she had her hands around an orderly's neck. Maddie didn't need to read the name badge; she knew. Andy.

"Let. Go," the warden commanded. "I order you to let go."

The body below Ray's grip writhed.

Maddie stepped in and held Ray's shoulder. "Stop it."

It took a considerable amount of time before Ray did let go. The orderly sunk to the ground, gasping.

While many rushed to help, the warden kept her eyes on Ray. "Get out. Don't set foot in here again. Get out."

As was Ray's way, she lifted the helmet and spat in the warden's direction. Once it was securely on again, she said, "I'll go where I want. No need to see us out, though."

Maddie took a fleeting glance at the orderlies who brought emergency masks, offering more oxygen to Andy.

Saying goodbye seemed laughable now, so instead, Maddie turned and followed Ray out to their vehicle. She found Ray inside, hurrying around.

"I'm filing a report. I need your signature on it," Ray insisted. "I'm filing a report right now."

Minutes. Three hours to get to Cypress amounted to...mere minutes. Thirty minutes at best.

Eyes fixed on the stone chamber as their craft twirled and turned about-face, Maddie seethed. It'd be weeks to clear another visiting request.

This was Ray's way—her habit. At this point, turning a calm and uneventful situation into madness amounted to a natural talent. No one could manage it quite like Ray.

Chaos followed Ray, but Maddie couldn't complain, because until recently, chaos had followed the both of them—they were famous for it.

Ray's fingers danced along the wall on her side of the cart, but not steadily. She trembled. Whatever transpired in there shook her to the core. There was no sense in asking but equally, Maddie was too resentful to truly care.

"I'm filing a report," Ray muttered yet again.

But when said report came up on Maddie's own interface asking for a witness, she stared at it. Their cart decoupled and set off back onto the main street.

"Mad?" Ray took off her helmet and waited. "You need to sign it."

More than a little disappointed with the turn of events, Maddie waved her away and sat watching the floor.

"Mad?" Ray waited.

Without looking, Maddie pressed her thumb to the screen—anything to get her to shut up.