Sol finds Carlisle's steely gaze the moment she enters the room, fixing him with an unwavering look. Carlisle meets her amber eyes with an equally unreadable expression. "Sol I presume," Carlisle greets coldly. "Have you brought evidence of your claim?" He asks not bothering to stand, arching a brow in skepticism.

Sol is unaffected by his callous tone, producing from her person the slip of paper on which she wrote the coordinates. "Here is your proof sir." She asserts confidently. Carlisle eyes the scrap with disdain before tentatively taking it between two fingers.

"This is all you bring as proof. Clearly you've come just to waste my time." Carlisle scoffs pocketing the scrap.

"I assure you I am not here to waste your time sir. Send out a drone. You will see what I tell you is true." Sol persists not allowing her voice to match the desperation of her words.

"Why would I waste valuable resources on moronic survivalist prank?" Carlisle asks with scorn, standing so he looms over Sols meager form.

Sol doesn't flinch meeting Carlisle's gaze passively. Carlisle is impressed at the sturdy survivalist. Many survivalists would have easily been bated into a physical altercation by Carlisle's words.

Carlisle switches tactics. "Leave now, never speaking of this again and I'll supply you with more rations than you can eat monthly for the rest of your life." Carlisle tries.

"This information is worth way more than that. If you are unwilling to take me seriously, I will take what I know to another Eco Pod." Sol challenges evenly, turning her back on the man with more resolve than she feels. Unsure if she'll be able to make the trek to the next closest pod.

Carlisle watches Sol turn and head to the door without hesitation. "Very well. You'll be made a member of the Science Faction. You will tell no one of the satellite or the island you claim to have seen. Agreed?" Carlisle offers shrewdly.

Sol stops at the door, turning back to Carlisle meeting his steamy gaze. "Deal." She answers glad her respirator hides the smile she fights to contain.

Carlisle again is drawn into those eyes. Deep pools of butterscotch, a large exotic shape that softens the boys attempt at a hard look. "Bob will take you to my quarters. Wash up before you touch anything. You will wait there for me. Do not leave." Carlisle instructs with an authority afforded to him by a life of privilege. "And take that thing off. If anything, it's only making the air more polluted." He adds his full peach lips curling in disdain.

Sol hesitates only a moment before removing the respirator. It's been a security for her all her life but refusing would show an unacceptable amount of weakness. The thing comes of and Sol feels naked but still fights to maintain eye contact.

Carlisle falters, seeing Sol for the first time. Beautiful. Plump lips, a small but regal nose and a heart shaped face the color of milk chocolate, a vice he gave up in childhood. Carlisle never let himself become dependent on luxuries, as he would have no control over their availability, and he hates feeling out of control.

Sol wavers under Carlisle's intense gaze, inadvertently flinching at a sudden flash of anger. "Leave now. I have work to do." Carlisle commands dismissively.

Sol follows the baby-faced resource manager Bob out of Carlisle's office and back into the elevator coming to notice the stature and girth of the man in the small space of the elevator. She'd been too preoccupied with the anticipation of this meeting to pay much mind to the man that she'd written off as harmless based on face and subservient demeanor. Now that she has been put in his charge on her way to an unknown location her instincts are screaming danger. She does her best not to show these concerns as the elevator ascends an unnerving height. As the moments pass, she can only imagine how far off the ground she's been taken. Another threat one she's less familiar with has her bracing herself on the rails along the elevator walls.

"Fear of heights? It can be a bit unnerving." Bob sympathizes the picture of serenity. Sol forces herself to release the rail and face the much larger man shoulders squired.

"Just caught off guard for a moment. Won't happen again." Sol responds jaw raised proudly; amber eyes set on the dingy brown eyes of the man that dared to pity her.

Bob looks away, nervous chuckle accompanying the twitch at the corner of him mouth.

The display above the door shows 100, dinging and sliding open to reveal a long hall of gray doors intermittent all along. Sol watches Bob steps out then follows him down the hall to the end. He taps a code into a pad beside the dark grey door enervating it to pop open, Bob pushing it the rest of the way. The room is a stark contrast to the hall all wooden fixtures and earthy tones. Bob leads Sol through a living area adorned in lush seats, pillows and carpets. Sol has never seen anything like it. A room seemingly completely devoted to sitting and nothing else.

"This door leads to a restroom and I suppose you can wear something of Carlisle's, he's taller but slender so.." he stops himself frowning at Sol, eyes a little wide realizing what he said may be taken as offensive. Sol doesn't seem to notice following him in and looking around with an impassive expression. "These will do." Bob mutters pulling out silky grey shirt and pant handing them to Sol. Sol eyes them for a moment before taking them in her hands still soiled from unloading the haul earlier.

"You can reach me through the coms here." Bob continues leading Sol back out into the seating room and gesturing to a display screen fixed on a wall opposite the door they entered through. He taps the screen until his face is displayed. Sol just nods. "Do you need anything before I go?" Bob offers courteously.

"No." Sol responds almost on reflex. Never except offered help unless you're ready to repay with interest. Dad had taught her that the hard way.

Any time he'd given sol a gift he'd held it over her head. An apple for breakfast meant extra chores, more hours at the computer and any complaint was met with a reminder. The biggest had been when dad had given her a day off, allowing her to join the others her age in scavenging and mostly goofing off around the skate park. The next day dad informed her of her preeminent union with co-op leader Hennisen. "Did you enjoyed your bit of leisure. Your union with Hennisen will provide you and your family with the opportunity for more days like that." Was a common response of dad to any of Sols complaints. That she would be providing her future children with a life with such freedoms. He'd end by saying he'd never had a day off. That Sol was lucky he has done what he has to provide her with the life they had. That Sol owed it to his grandchildren. Sol couldn't deny she'd enjoyed the day. Feeling almost normal. Her days were spent up to that point either in the lab with dad or at his beck and call among the trash heaps.

Sol resents the freedom the others her age had. It's probably why she beat them up any chance she got. Dad caught Sol goofing off with Brady when they were ten, when she was supposed to be fetching him some corrosives. Brady had pissed Sol off teasing her about her poofy hair, so she sat on him. Dad had yanked her off him snapping an old broom handle over her bottom. Then he dragged her back to the dorm and ordered mom to shave her head.

"Forward met Sol." Bob bids with a slight bow of his head.

Sol watches the man leave then proceeds to the restroom Bob had indicated. Sol takes in the pristine state of the facility with pure porcelain white amenities. She recognizes the shower head as something that sprays out water for cleaning your body. It isn't something she's ever used before. Clean water is spares around the co-op. Instead survivalist use sanitizers that release a harmless gas in a dingy yellow tube, killing bacteria and viruses while not harming human cells. Dirt and general grime is another issue solved with a wet rag generally in her dorm.

The lack of choking on the air leaves Sol with some security that the water is safe. She peels of layer after layer of soiled well used garments catching a glimpse of herself in the gleaming mirror over the sink. She jumps, startled having never seen herself like this, never so clearly. She quickly looks away climbing into the porcelain tub and pulling the curtain.

After a long sigh she turns the nob releasing cold water onto her feet. She shrieks quickstepping away from the pins and needles. Increasingly warm water laps at her toes encouraging her forward. She notices a button on the faucet and concludes it is for turning on the shower head. She presses it jumping back but nothing. She twists it but nothing, then pulls it releasing chilling water over her body. "Concede." She hollers, huddling away from the spraying assault.

The water warms quickly surprising Sol at its pleasurable effect. She rubs the blessed liquid into her face looking down at the dirt-stained water flowing down the drain. She moans as the water pelts her back, groaning in appreciation as she massages the soap she finds on the ledge of the tub into her short curly locks and scalp. It's so warm and smells so good Sol considers staying here forever. Then she recalls where she is and whose bathroom she's in. Someone who could come back anytime now.

Drying off she slips into the too large silky grey garments. The pants are kept up by her ample hips but require 3 folds at the legs. She rolls up the sleeves then evaluates herself in the mirror. It's cold in the climate-controlled building especially after the hot shower and Sols nipples show the effect rising the thin material. The silky frock clings to her waist despite being oversized. Sol can't let the steely eyed man know she's a woman. He may assume she's week.

She listens at the door for a moment, then satisfied with the silence makes her way back to the closet in Carlisle's bedroom. She pulls on another top and pants and finds a jacket putting that on too zipping it up to her neck hiding the soft smooth chocolate colored skin there. Back at the mirror she's satisfied with the camouflage. she grazes her full lips with her fingertips feeling strange at being anywhere but her dorm without her respirator for an extended period of time.

She pulls the collar of the jacket up over the lower half of her face proceeding to rifle through the contents of the apartment. She's the fruit of scavengers after all. She finds a small kitchen area with a cold food storage and heating apparatus. Meager food stuffs are present though. A shelf in the living room holds various trinkets and books. Nothing particularly useful. The bedroom is only clothes and bedding.

She pulls open the curtains in curiosity, revealing water that touches the sun reflecting its light brilliantly. The sky is ablaze in orange, yellow and pink hues. Sols heart aches with the beauty unlike anything she's ever seen. Her life up to this point subsisting mostly of dull greys and browns. Sol swipes away a tear, glaring at the salty traitorous drop. She doesn't cry.

"Amazing view isn't it?" A melodic masculine voice inquires, causing a chill up Sols spine, freezing her for a moment. She turns, head held high meeting the man's gaze with nothing. 

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Thank you for reading(: Please let me know what you think so far(: 

Word Count: 2000

Total: 9300