Mave looked around her relatively spartan living quarters. Three glowing posters were lit on the wall screens. Various music groups from different parts of New Cradle silently played their instruments and smirked and winked at Mave on a seamless loop with minor variations each time.
Mave looked to Brandon Complex, leader of Lost Generations from Ignis. He nodded solemnly. Things will be okay, his expression said. Next to him on the wallscreen Peter England whipped his hair out of his eyes and winked. Peter’s emerald green eyes and Brandon’s deep brown calmed her as they always had through the past few years.
On the floor in front of her were three synthetic fiber satchels in order of ascending size. Mave was sure she had a bag of her own somewhere, but wasn’t sure if anything she packed in it wouldn’t be thrown out. They were being pretty strict with her. Would she even get to say goodbye to her family?
Forcing her mind back to the task Mave packed her second onsie outfit, the one that could change color and style easily because of the nano scales and adjusted for heating and cooling. She also chose pants and a shirt, both of which could only change hue instead of color.
Her holo-bracelet had copies of most of the media she valued, but it was probably time to add more useful information. She wasn’t sure what the connection to New Haven Network would be like when she was between populated sectors.
The ride to the outermost sectors was silent. Mave was grateful that she was allowed to ride in the front seat this time, avoiding further embarrassment at sitting in the back. She looked at the articles in the backseat, a satchel and larger backpack. These were now the only things in the world she owned. Absently she wondered if the woman in the seat next to her was breaking some rule by allowing her to ride up front, where she might be able to escape from the relatively slow-moving vehicle.
Mave looked out on the square domiciles. Children played, couples young and old walked side by side, old friends sat a their favorite spots in parks or just outside their homes, chatting as the holo-light faded into an artificial dusk.
The sector administration building passed by Eden Field. Rows upon rows of wheat stretched out into the distance waving gratefully under the dutiful drones attending them. In the far distance she could see the large various shade blue skyscrapers of New Haven cutting cleanly into the air, pointing an accusatory finger at the cradled land in the sky above on the other side. She had only been to New Haven twice, and now she wouldn’t get a chance to see it again for M.O.T.H.E.R. only knew how long.
On the outskirts of the city, far away from others, the sector administration vehicle approached the sector gate. Not all sectors had gates, but the sectors bordering the outside of the greater cityspace always did.
The sector gate was a relatively small building with an ionized gate field blocking all unauthorized exit and entry. Next to the small building were metallic posts placed at periodic intervals. The force fields were activated by proximity only in order to save energy.
Over a radio installed in the front desk a speech by the Hall or Orators played, but whether it was recent or old Mave wasn’t sure.
“Hullo, Wendy. Got another one, eh?” Said the plain-faced man at inside the small booth.
“Afraid so, Alan. Here are the details,” she said. The sector administration woman, who Mave now knew was named Wendy, handed the man in the sector gate booth a small white slab not unlike the one she was carrying but slightly larger and square instead of rectangular. The man did something with the slab that Mave could not see and handed it back.
“All done, Wendy. Does she need a pack?” he asked, motioning toward Mave.
The woman eyed Mave for a moment, looking at her satchels in the back.
“Definitely. I think she was caught unawares.”
The man in the booth, Alan, shook his head. “Poor thing.”
He disappeared for a moment and reappeared with a fairly hefty green satchel.
“Here ya go. Be sure to explain to her how it works.”
Wendy nodded. “Do you need her white card to cover the gate pass?”
“No. Haven started covering those for the outlying sectors.” The man in the booth, Alan, pressed a button and the force field blocking their path dissipated. The main road stretched out into a forest in the distance.
“I can take you as far as the forest. We’re not supposed to go much further than the gate, but the walk is long and the hololight can be unforgiving after a long time without water.”
Mave said nothing.
“Be careful. The woods aren’t empty. There are people there.”
When Mave turned startled to the woman, a satisfied smirk crossed Wendy’s face.
“Yes. Not a lot of people know. Well, I suppose most people don’t know much else than what happens in their sector and maybe whatever nearby metropolis if they stay informed. I’m not sure exactly who is in the woods, but I know that other deselects have passed through them unharmed. The Wealds, they’re called. I wouldn’t stay long if I were you.”
It was nearly dark now, and a hologram of the stars surrounding the ship replaced the normally mostly visible landscape and cities on the other side of the cylindrical form that was New Cradle. When they reached the edge of the forest, The Weald, Wendy stopped the vehicle.
“You packed light. That’s good. That white slab of yours is your key to the world. Don’t lose it. It can answer any of the many questions you have. You can’t return here until you’ve been to the two other cities. Then you’re pass into Haven’s surrounding sectors will be renewed and you can visit your family.”
Wendy looked longing into the darkening forest.
“You know, there are many who secretly envy you. Not a lot of people get to see the whole of our small world.”
Mave looked out to the forest with mixed feelings. Her sense of adventure made everything feel as if it tingled with the excitement of the unknown. But her thoughts continued to return to those she’d left behind. She could enjoy this much more if Harper and Lynn were here by her side. If she could return to her sector and stay there.
“Goodbye, Wendy. Thank you.” Mave said, before taking her satchels and the food pack and placing them outside the vehicle. With a small, nervous wave, Wendy drove the sector administration vehicle back toward civilization.
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