Counterfeit

-sixtyfour-

—sixtyfour-

AVA DIDN'T KNOW the Plan, and she also had no knowledge about the Alteration or the Hibernation Pods, or anything else I had been informed of, throughout the meeting. I could see her world ending and restarting all over again, just like mine had done.

I wanted to be with her, keep her calm, but I didn't want to leave Charleston after what had just happened. After a while had gone by, Charles seemed to be more comfortable again, managing to save us all from the ramblings and entertainment of Patrick trying to explain the formation.

Nervous, and somewhat afraid, Charleston sparked the beginning and the end. "The alarms were a signal from Thelonius. Tomorrow, when everyone is getting their results, news is going to be revealed. Some people will receive a different result than the standard, meaning that for tomorrow, they won't be labelled an Insusceptible. These faults will allow the residents to believe us when the time for evacuation comes. Their trust in the ESA won't be in confidence."

My immediate thoughts drifted to MiKinley. I wasn't ready for him to find out. I wanted him to have hope. To be able to save him. Charleston's eyes met with met, but there was nothing distinguishable in eyes. Like he couldn't bare to answer me.

"Panic will of course set in. Security will be tighter."

"That means no more making out with the resident, Charles!"

I blushed at what Patrick had bellowed out, embarrassed that now everyone seemed to know what we had done, though I knew that they were all somewhat aware. After all, I used to know these people.

"It means we need to be careful. Every move could trigger a mistake. A downfall. Get caught, and people die - our friends die. Unknowingly, they rest their life in our hands. It is our duty to rescue them."

"So..what next." Ava spoke up.

Charleston took a breath of courage. "Results of course are tomorrow. We take in the reaction to judge how how we proceed with the evacuation. I know the anxiety you all feel without an exact date, but it will be soon. A couple more errors pushed by Thelonius, and we could have all the residents out of here within a week. Pip, Ava - I need you guys to inform Thea. Keep her updated. Let her know what to expect."

Ava nodded in response, but I was too overthrown by the fact that Thea was going to be okay. She was healthy, or somewhere in between like me, and I knew that Charleston was confirming it.

"For now, we wait until tomorrow. You'll know the errors we force, so don't let them scare you. When evacuation day comes, we'll need all of you involved. This includes sourcing all the campmates, giving them a reason to believe us, guiding the INs and RDs to the exit portals. You'll be able to know who is who from their tattoos."

"And what about the IRs?" I asked.

"The Irremediables... They can't leave this place."

"When are we going to come back for them? MiKinley's an IR."

"No, Pip... Really, I mean they can't leave this place. Them being inside a Dormir is the only way for them to be consciously alive... I'm so sorry..."

MiKinley. I was losing him.
Please... World... Slow down.

-sixtyfour—
Hope you like! I had so much fun writing this chapter!