I am happy.

At least I think I am. I am living in one of the safe zones. I have a job, a decent place to stay and I have a dinner date with Tom tonight. Even more importantly I have my arms and legs, I have my eyes and I even have my teeth.

I think I am happy.

"Lucy, are you working tonight?"

"No," I replied.

There are 35 of us working in shifts here at level 35 of the Terrain Reformation Agency. We all work with data beyond that none of us knows much about the other. Honestly, none of us wants to know more about the other. From Monday to Friday, we scan in at 8 a.m. every morning and scan out at 4 p.m. Saturdays are mandatory in-house therapy sessions followed by our weekly medical checks. Sundays are relaxation days as per agency policy.

All of the Agencies' offices and relaxation places are underground. In fact, everything is owned by the Agency. All utilities and facilities are provided by the Agency. Only the housing quarters are on the surface. As far as I can remember it's always been this way.

The surface outside of the safe zones has been uninhabitable and most of the data is collected by specially designed probes. It is sent to us for sifting and sorting. Occasionally techs are sent out to fix the probes or for recovery.

The auto lock logs me off the system and buzzes me to leave the level. I've finished my work for the day.

------------------------------------------

"How are you today?"

"I am well."

Tom seems satisfied by my answer and doesn't ask any more questions. We never talk to each other about work as it is against Agency policy. Interestingly, we don't talk much at all on any of our dates.

"Duck?"

"What?"

"Do you want to try the duck?" he asked.

"No."

"You look tired. Duck is high in protein. It will give you energy for later in the night."

"No."

I shudder at the thought but manage to shake my head. Thankfully, he doesn't insist and returns to scrolling through the digital menu. The Agency matched us two weeks ago and set up our weekly dinner schedules. The probation period is over and tonight is meant to be our special night.

"Rabbit?"

"What?"

"Do you want to try the rabbit?" he asked.

"No."

"You look tired. Rabbit is high in iron. It will give you energy for later in the night."

"No."

I am disgusted by him and he doesn't even notice. He casually returns back to scrolling through the menu. It's Agency policy that all citizens should start dating maximum by 36 and should have a suitable partner by 40.

I am not sure what happens if we don't. I've never wondered about it before. The longer I sit here and look at Tom I can't help but feel strangely sick.

"Are you sick?"

"What?"

"Your health readings are normal but you don't look well."

"I am tired. I think we should postpone tonight."

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Sleeping in is the best.

It's one of the best things about relaxation days. It's usually one of these days that I always wake up on time and then have nothing to do. Last night, I dreamt of a white rabbit in a coat with a watch. He was in a hurry to get somewhere. It was strange.

After breakfast, I log into the "Find a Date" servers to check my status. Delayed. That means Tom hasn't left a review. The Agency will leave me alone for some time. I checked his profile and he has another date scheduled today. I pray it goes well.

None of us have been outside the safe zone. None of the people I know like being on the surface. Besides the housing quarters, there's nothing here but old ruined buildings and the barrier. Most people prefer entertainment on levels 45 and 55. Living on the surface is lonely.

My morning walk led me to the Museum. I haven't been here in a long time and I am surprised it's still open. The place is completely deserted. I can hear the muffled sound of a song playing in one of the exhibits. It's about the year 2525. Everything is already cataloged and easily available on the home console.

"The Agency organizes educational tours here," a voice answers my unasked question.

I turn to see a man standing near the yellow rubber duck exhibit. He smiles at me. There's something familiar about that smile.

"Do you know about him?"

"No," I reply.

"He is one of the famous Friendly Floatees. Back in 1992, containers of toys were knocked off a ship releasing various floatees into the ocean. They were attached to cardboard but it disintegrated setting the toys free. Oceanographers used them to study ocean currents."

"Interesting".

"The toys were in many forms but the cutest were the ducks."

"Cutest?"

"You always thought they were."

I step back. Before I can move away he has me in a chokehold. I tried to struggle but he put a gun against my neck. I stopped.

"I've been waiting for you for a very long time."

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I am not afraid.

I lay paralyzed on the floor. My vision is blurry from the pain burning my neck. He injected me with something. Next thing, I am stuffed into a sack and carted off.

The white rabbit waves at me and hurries away. I know this is my last dream. I am certain I am dying but I am not afraid. Life at The Agency was a numbing astringent. It was lonely and monotonous. Tom was not even a distraction let alone a life partner. Other people didn't feel that way. I was relieved. Honestly, I was happy it was over. I followed the rabbit.

"You really do like your beauty sleep. Get up!"

I woke with a throbbing headache. I wasn't dead. My neck didn't burn. It was bandaged. I was sitting against a wall while he smirked down at me. I didn't recognize the place but it appeared to be an abandoned warehouse somewhere near the barrier.

"You shot me!"

"I had to get this out of you". He tossed a broken nano chip at me. "Besides, scanning you was easier when you're still."

I felt something I hadn't felt before. I grabbed a stone near me and threw it at his face. I had never done that before or felt that way before. He caught it.

"You're angry. That's good. The medicine is working."

"Medicine?"

"How's the headache?"

"It's better. Who are you?"

"How much do you remember?"

"Remember? What do you mean?"

He sighed as if he was pondering. It was odd. I felt like I knew him.

"Your real memories will come back slowly."

"Real memories?"

"The life you've been living for the past 2 years is a fake. All those memories are planted through the pill."

I stared at him.

"After the third war in 2525, the world was trying to rebuild itself. Unfortunately, The Agency came into power and got control of the world's resources. They further divided the world into the elitist and the poor. Mother nature has its own ways of balancing things out."

"But what does all this have to do with me?"

"I am coming to that. The elitists lived in barriers like this. One of the numerous safe zones but they started getting sick and dying without a reason. The safer they were, the weaker they got. Their immunity got worse. That's when they decided to start experiments on humans to find a cure."

"A cure?"

"They started capturing people, implanting them with fake memories, and putting them into designated safe zones. After a certain time, they would start making them sick by giving them diseases."

"Like lab rats."

"Yes."

We sat in silence for a while. I didn't know what time it was. It didn't matter.

"Who am I? Who are you?" I asked.

"You were getting information on The Agency when you got sent here. I was hired to get you out."

"Now what?"

"We go out the barrier."

He held out his hand for me. I couldn't go back. I went with him.

Word Count - 1299