my beta boy | ✎

Delta

"No hunger, no poverty, and nobody left behind..."

R16 found herself in the theater room again, letting the imagery and voices saying what a great contribution all mothers were making to Society wash over her until they were a blur of colors and nothing but white noise.

"Babies are our most precious resource."

Somehow, she found peace in the darkened room. Once she got over the anger she felt at each word wrenching her freedom of choice away from her, it was, really, quite peaceful.

"Thank you for your contribution to Society."

It was one of the few places where she could be alone with her thoughts, so if she weren't hiding in the dark, she would be out for a walk on the vast grounds that Matriarch Manor sat upon. In fact, she's begun to make a habit out of it. After her daily morning checkup, she'd go for a stroll until the lunch bell rang. They weren't bound by mealtimes and could order whatever they wanted to eat, whenever they wanted to eat, but she was drawn to the routine. After lunch, she'd hide in the room and have her dinner before slipping out for another walk. Night walks were the best because darkness amplified her peace.

The gentle ringing that filled the manor alerted Sistine to dinner. She hadn't even realized that so much time had passed. Time had warped itself in Martriach Manor, dripping slowly and bleeding together until her days were punctuated with meals and solitude. There was no escaping the checkups, though, which began at 7AM on the dot.

Omegas would file into each room to dispense supplements and check for the fetus' vitals along with the mother's blood pressure and blood sugar. Now that she was nearing her final trimester, they started monitoring for fetal movement and she had to sit quietly for twenty minutes as the Omega – always a different one – counted the baby's movement. And every Tuesday, she was scheduled for a visit with a specialized Omega who would do ultrasounds.

It was hard not to look at the back of the monitor, wishing that she could see what she had created with Bee. It was harder not to think of him, but the moments of peace that she stole for herself was a small comfort.

Inch by inch, she eased herself out of the armchair. She stood up and stretched, glancing around and comforted by her solitude. Despite not having anything to eat since lunch, she didn't feel hungry. In fact, she didn't quite feel anything at all. Not the nipping cold that bit at her ankles as she stepped out in the night air, or the piercing pebbles underfoot. She hadn't bothered to change out of her bedroom slippers, the only thing driving her forward was the inescapable need to be alone.

She found herself wandering off the path lit by solar-powered lamps until the stars twinkled brightly above her. The moon gleamed more brightly than she ever imagined it could and she followed it mindlessly.

"Oi, stop!" A voice suddenly rang out. It took Sistine a moment for her eyes to readjust to the darkness but she saw a Delta walking towards her, moonbeams enhancing the blue of her uniform.

"Sorry!" Sistine squeaked, though she wasn't quite sure what she was sorry for.

"Turn back," the Delta said curtly, her demeanor commanding.

R16 stumbled backwards and the Delta deftly caught her by the elbow, "I said turn back, not walk backwards."

"State your designation," the Delta asked, still gripping R16's arm.

"Rho Sixteen," Sistine answered as confidently as she could, trying not to wrench her arm from the Delta's grasp. She didn't want to seem defiant.

"Rho Sixteen, what are you doing out during dinner and why are you so far off the trail?" Her voice was pleasant but her tone was biting.

"I-I wasn't hungry," Sistine revealed truthfully, "and I wasn't paying attention... The moon, it's so bright."

The Delta glanced up at the moon, "Hm, I suppose it is. Though that is no excuse for wandering. Now head back, Rho Sixteen."

"Thank you, Delta..." Sistine's voice trailed off, waiting for the officer to supply her number.

"I'm not here to make your acquaintance," she said gruffly, "but I suppose I best walk you back... in case you get lost."

With her hand still on her arm, the Delta walked Sistine back towards the path. Sistine turned as the Delta navigated her and realized just how far she had gone off from the path marked for them. A dark expanse lay before her and she couldn't see any solar-powered lamps to guide her back.

"I don't think I've been down this way before," Sistine said sheepishly, "are you always out here alone?"

The silence that she was met with was so painfully loud and she nearly breathed a sigh of relief when the Delta broke the silence, "Yes."

Too anxious to try again, Sistine gave in to the silence and followed the Delta until the path came into view.

"Try not to wander off again," the Delta's words came sharply.

"I like it out here. It's peaceful," Sistine said with a small smile, "I envy you."

"There is nothing to envy," the Delta said in response.

Sistine nodded and moved to leave as the Delta let go of her arm, "Is it lonely?"

Another silence dragged on before the officer finally offered a response, "Yes, it can be..."

R16 turned back and gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile, "Don't they rotate you?"

"Why should they?" Sistine thought she heard bitterness in the Delta's voice, "I hardly come across anyone."

"How long have you been posted here?"

"Long enough, now go on," with a curt nod, the Delta turned around and made her way back into the darkness and soon it was as though she had never even existed.