A man emerges from the doorway at the top of the stairs, surrounded in a metal exoskeleton and suspended from the ceiling by straps. I see now that there is a track along the ceiling from the top of the stairs, all the way through the ballroom, stopping just before the dining area alcove.

The body of his suit makes him look like a Prowler, but with the head of an old man, wincing through a forced smile. Brackets of metal and fabric wrap around his legs, connected and supported by stilts on either side. A strap wraps his waist and connects to a pack that pokes up over his shoulders. Metal brackets weave down his arms, and a cap fits over his skull, connecting hundreds of hair-like wires from the top of his bald head to the pack on his back.

"Good evening," he calls, his voice reverberating through the room in echoed waves. "Tonight we are celebrating a myriad of triumphs." His eyes scan the room like the Prowlers' lasers over land. "Our first, for which we celebrate each day, is our continued survival. As you know, the old world spun into chaos, and our organization Roberts and Cooper saved you from this. Now, we have resources for all. Now, we have control over the future. Now, is our time to be Founding Fathers of this world. That is why we have our Leaders, guiding us into the future; our Scientists, creating new technologies for us; our Soldiers, protecting us from those who would threaten our survival; and our Workers, building what we need to thrive. Let us applaud their accomplishments now."

The room fills with applause, but my hands never move from Daniel's body.

Cooper's round face, slashed with deep wrinkles, remains stoic, and scans the crowd until he apparently has found their show of pride sufficient. He holds up his mechanical arms to hush the room, and within a moment, silence returns to the hall.

"The second triumph for which we celebrate tonight is the development and preparation of gamma ray detectors, by our own Daniel Crowley. Daniel, please join us at the top of the stairs."

The crowd applauds, and he leaves to join Gunther and Cooper on the second floor, leaving me hanging on to the ghost of his presence.

As Daniel walks away from me, Alexander appears at my side. "I'm going to make this right," he says under the lull of clapping hands.

"You said that you wanted to remind Gunther he's a good man. Would a good man do that to Phoebe?" I ask, pointing my chin at her as she dances without music in the corner.

"He can be good. He wants to be better."

"Why are you so loyal to him?" I ask, but by now Daniel has reached the top of the stairs, and George Cooper begins to address us again.

"With his invention, Daniel Crowley has given us a gift. He has created a way to reverse the damage done to the earth through our defensive strategy."

Does he mean their nuclear war?

"This instrument will also be able to provide an energy source for us, so that we are no longer solely dependent on Dr. O'Neil's geothermic devices, which will allow for future growth. Again, let us applaud this triumph."

Everyone begins clapping again, and Alexander continues, "Gunther and I grew up together. We are like brothers. Can you imagine if Daniel were in Gunther's shoes? How long did it take you to forgive him for his association with the government? I can't imagine very long. Why? Because you know him, and you know he isn't bad."

"There's a line, Alexander," I say, feeling my chest fill with heat. Daniel is nothing like Gunther. "At some point, you need to give up, and stop defending him."

The applause dies. Alexander shakes his head, and walks back into the crowd, just as Daniel returns to my side.

"Everything okay?" he asks. "I saw Alexander walking away."

"Yeah, everything's fine. He just wanted to talk nonsense."

"Finally, the third triumph," Cooper booms, and the room silences. "Our third triumph is our defeat of the Deathless."

My heart freezes, but my eyes shoot like bullets to the top of the balcony.

"As you all know," Cooper continues, "the Deathless rebels have attempted to thwart our plans since the Great Reanimation. They've taken our soldiers, our scientists, and most recently, they tried taking our ideas and our Leaders. These rebels murdered President McCleary, but the murder of our people stops now!"

Everyone around us cheers, and I feel like I'm back in the utility closet in the bunker, trapped and surrounded.

Cooper grins and calls, "Bring out the prisoners!"

Four soldiers exit the room at the top of the stairs, dragging two men behind them. They pull the men up by their hair to face the crowd. On one side is Winston's bloodied face, and on the other is Sato's. Both men now wear dirt-stained grey jumpsuits, like the one Jane wears, and both look like they've been beaten over and over again for days.

Daniel squeezes his arms around my waist, and it helps to keep my body from collapsing. I want to scream. I want to run up the stairs and snatch Winston and Sato away from the soldiers, when I notice one of the soldiers holding them. His short, fur-like black hair, tan face, and bright blue eyes are unmistakable triggers of memories from my childhood: That's Ian Becker. The boy who I let teach me how to skip stones, even though I already knew how, and who I let hold my hips in front of Daniel.

"Ian," I whisper.

"I know," Daniel spits under his breath.

Cooper raises his voice over our gasps. "Our newest workers, Dr. Winston Fowler and General Kevin Sato. As Deathless rebels, they tried to lead their misguided followers. When the Deathless tried to hurt us at the bunker, we defeated them, killing nearly all their soldiers."

The burning anger fills my cheeks. It streams through my body like lava in my veins, bursting and bubbling under my skin, until I can't control myself any longer: "Stop!" I scream.

Cooper fixes his stare on the crowd. "Who said that?" he demands.

I can't believe I just did that! In a place where you will be threatened for just about anything, I yelled at the absolute leader.

No one says anything, and for a moment I think maybe I can get away with it. But then, I would be no better than the rest of these people, applauding and cheering mindlessly at the "triumphs" of this Prowler. I need to support the Deathless.

"I did," I call, and walk to the front of the crowd. "My name is Isla Blume, and I am Deathless." I turn back to face the crowd. "You all need to think about what these people are telling you. Think about what they're doing to all of us."

Cooper looks over at Sato. "General, is this true? Is this little girl one of your soldiers?" General Sato stares at me in pain, but doesn't speak a word. "Look, my fellow founders. Look at how desperate the Deathless must be if a Comforter was one of their soldiers." I hear muted laughter, and I desperately wish I had my slingshot to show them just how powerful my little body can be. "Will anyone else stand up and say they are Deathless?"

I search the crowd frantically. Phoebe is inspecting the sequins on her dress, and Mitchell is hiding his face behind a glass of champagne. I can't see any other dissenters, but if they're here, they remain quiet.

"So, General: This is your one soldier. The last remaining Deathless, hm?"

I think about the camp. I am certainly not the last Deathless, but I really might be the last soldier here.

"So you see," Cooper continues to the crowd. "As Ms. Isla Blume has proven tonight, we were victorious. And, not to worry, Daniel, I am sure she will come around to our way of life soon enough," he says, half threatening and half consoling, as if Daniel were really one of them. "Thank you, Ms. Blume, for demonstrating exactly how victorious we were. Let us applaud her vivacity."

The crowd applauds, and I watch Cooper as he motions for the soldiers and Ian to carry Sato and Winston from the room. I yell for them to stop, but my cries are buried beneath the applause. I catch Gunther's gaze. He's furious with me, but I don't care.

Cooper booms over the ruckus: "Celebrate!" The music resumes, and everyone continues dancing.

What just happened? I'm frozen in shock.

This situation is worse than any one of us could have expected. Phoebe is... whatever she is, Mitchell and Daniel have joined the enemy's leadership team, Sato and Winston are being tortured, and I am the last Deathless soldier.

I retreat to the exit by the grandfather clock, my eyes frozen ahead of me. All I feel is Daniel's warm hand on my shoulder, and the gentle pats from people here and there. They're probably accidental hits from mindless dancing.

All I want is to get out of here before I spontaneously combust.

---

Behind the scenes:

My inspiration for the ballroom came from a beautiful performance venue in Pittsburgh called Heinz Hall.

I was also inspired by Tori Spelling's home. It's the perfect layout for Cooper's estate. Put her home and Heinz Hall together, and you've got an opulent estate. A beautiful room of death, as Isla would call it. 

Some of you may also be wondering what exactly Cooper's metal suit is all about. George Cooper is unable to walk on his own, as will be explained later in the book. To help him move around the estate, or at least from his room to the ballroom, a track runs along the ceiling, supporting his weight. This technology exists today to help those who have been paralyzed.

I merely took this technology and made it look and feel ominous to fit with George Cooper's general style.

I hope you are enjoying reading! Leave your comments below, and don't forget to vote! <3