18:52

RUBY

I am in the eye of the storm...

I stand silent, and still as pandemonium explodes around me. The hysteria of shrieking voices, the frenzy of feet pounding the earth, the flurry of blurred faces and figures rushing around me, and my father;  commanding and conducting the mayhem like a maestro with a baton. 

"Clean that off the glass. NOW!" He screams. "Check the perimeter!...Make sure no one comes near here!...Double up security at all the access points!" My father flicks the baton, and his orchestra responds swiftly, and accordingly.

"Turn on the fence!" He yells again, the voices and footsteps and rushing movements are building to a crescendo now.

A voice I've never heard before answers my father's urgent demand, "But we haven't turned the fence on in over a decade," the voice lowers itself to a whisper, as if it doesn't want to be heard. But I can hear every word, because I am in the eye... "We don't have enough power, sir."

"WELL, GET THE POWER FROM SOMEWHERE AND TURN IT ON!" The words shoot from his  mouth like fiery comets tearing up the atmosphere and for a second everything around him stops, as if it's been shocked into silence, and then it starts again.

"And get her out of here," he barks. I only realize who the her is when I feel the powerful hands clamp down on my arms.

"Dad, I..." But I'm not able to finish my sentence, because in one, swift movement, I'm no longer in the eye. I'm violently ripped out of it and thrown into the fray. My calm bubble bursts and I'm immersed in the chaos. Devoured by the sea of panic.

I feel my feet lift off the ground as the strong guards start dragging me away. I kick and wiggle and twist my body until I finally break free of their grasp. I fall to the ground, and once more, I'm face- to- face with the smiling sun.

Someone drew this. Someone put this here for us to see.

I stare at it; there's something about this simple drawing that calls to me. I feel inexplicably connected to it in a way that I don't understand.

It suddenly dawns on me that I only have seconds before this picture will be scrubbed away. Erased, as if it never existed. I gaze up; my father's not looking in my direction so I quickly, surreptitiously, take a photo of it. And just in time! Suddenly, I'm lifted off the ground and pulled away...

19:34

RUBY

The picture is blurry, but there's no mistaking what it is. And there's no mistaking it's significance either. This picture changes everything.  Every belief we've held onto for almost 100 years. 

There are other survivors...

I sit in my bedroom alone, cradling the photo protectively in my hands. My father is barking loud commands to the men in his office. He seems obsessed with two things at the moment; not letting anyone find out about the picture, and restoring power to the fence.

None of this makes sense!

My mind spins; a million thoughts rush through it at a dizzying speed and I'm desperately trying to process them all, but I can't. I'm utterly confused. My father has been searching for survivors for years, and now that we finally have proof of them, he wants to erase it and pretend it never happened? And who the hell was that woman with the red hair? I look down at the picture again...

"Don't tell anyone about this, Ruby!" It's the only thing my father has said to me since leaving the fence.

My hands tremble, and even though it's a perfect 78.8 degrees tonight, a cold, clammy sensation slithers over my skin.

Don't people have a right to know about this? What if the survivor is someone's relative? What if the survivor needs our help?

In retrospect, I can't say exactly how it happened. I can't pinpoint that one thing inside me that compelled me to do it; but I had no choice.

My finger hovers over the 'Publish' button of the Greenhouse Report...

"Breaking News; A message from the outside." Are the words I've written.

I close my eyes and take my final breath. This will be the last breath I ever take in this life. Because as soon as I press this button, I know that everything will change. Forever.

Publish.

I don't have to wait long. In fact, I don't have to wait at all until our message board comes alive. I squeeze my eyes together tightly, I can hear the sound of notifications beeping and buzzing from the room next door. And then, I hear the scream, the footsteps, my door being flung open and...

I feel the fiery sting of his hand across my cheek, the immediate salty burn of tears in my eyes and the loud ringing in my ears.

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE, RUBY?" Flecks of his saliva hit my face in short, sharp bursts as he unleashes his rage on me.

"You're just like your mother!" My body rocks back and forth as he grabs me by the shoulders, and shakes. 

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE. NO IDEA."

19: 42

JACK

The blizzard rages and I haven't seen one this bad in a long time. The sky, the land and even the fence I now cling to have all been swallowed up by its unforgiving grey fury. The fence shakes violently, and it takes all my energy just to keep from falling. The screams of encouragement from below, have long since been drowned out by the roaring winds.

I'm not sure if I can make it to the top! I'm not sure if I can get over safely! I'm not sure if I can get back to my people!

But I'm sure of one thing; if I don't find cover, protection from this storm, this will be my last night here. It's as if the winds are making one last final statement, reminding us that although we've found what we've been looking for, there's still no escaping them.

And then, out of the corner of my eye, a flash so bright and frightening that I almost let go of the fence. I turn, and what I see is... unimaginable. The fence on the other side of the perimeter seems to wake-up suddenly, as if it's only been asleep this entire time. Lights flicker on and it crackles and pops to life.

And then, like a wave speeding toward the shore, the lights and sounds rush toward me. I'm in the path of the wave, and there's nothing I can do but hold on tightly and brace myself for the inevitable impact as it moves my way.

And then it hits...

All my muscles contract and my entire body clenches and shakes. My fingers involuntarily tighten their grip on the fence, and  I'm stuck to it.  As if we're now locked together in a bond that can never be broken.

The reek of burnt flesh and singed hair assaults my nostrils.  I taste something sharp, bitter and bloody in my mouth as my teeth clamp down tightly and my jaw locks. My skin burns and my insides rattle against the confines of my body. The pain is unbearable and it feels like it will never end. Like a million sharp blades cutting into my skin, and then, suddenly, I'm airborne.

Flying, floating, tumbling through the cold air. My body smashes through the walls of wind and sleet and snow. And then the sensation changes and, I'm falling. I cannot see the ground. I have no idea where I am and when I'm going to crash... I just know that I am.

I close my eyes; I see my mother's smiling face and soft red hair. I see my father, my brother, my little world around the bay and I realize how far away I am from all of that now. And how, I may never see it all again.

I hit the ground.

The agony reverberates throughout my entire body. It locks me in its torturous vice-grip, and I cannot breathe.  I gasp, trying to pull air into my lungs, but they're not working. My eyes flutter closed. My lungs scream out for the oxygen that I'm unable to give them and then, I sink. The snow engulfs me, my body falls deeper and deeper and then everything is black...

I'm gone.

19:44

RUBY

I sprint from the house.  Hot tears stream down my cheeks and cloud my vision. This is the first time my father has ever hit me, and the shock of it is almost worse than the pain.

I run along the shore of the lagoon, where the clear, warm water meets the sand and enjoy the feeling of the water splashing up my legs. My feet sink into the wet sand, but I move as fast as I can.  I want to be as far away from my father as I possibly. As far away from the terrifying madness that was etched into his face a few moments ago. 

I reach the other side of the lagoon and stop when I see the scene in front of me. Even though the shops are closed, Lagoon Boulevard is bustling with people. Pushing, jostling, rushing... but to where?

I step onto the street, and immediately get swept up in the crowd. It pulls me along with it, as if it's an entity unto its own.

"Where are we going?" I ask a man who pushes past me, almost knocking me off my feet.

He turns and looks at me, "To the perimeter. The photo you posted of the drawing. We're all going to see it."

My stomach plummets...

What the hell have I done?

19:47

JACK

The blackness finally gives way to faint glimmers of light. I open my eyes and look up; fast-moving beams of light appear and disappear through the thick haze of the storm. At first, I'm not sure what they are, but then I hear the familiar sounds. The whipping of the blades through the air. The machines... they're coming for us!

I stagger to my feet; my head spins, the earth sways, and I fall into the snow again. I try and stand, slower this time, but the combination of muscle weakness and strong winds knock me down.

I need to get back to my people!

But I'm so disoriented that I no longer know where the fence is. To my left, a faint light radiates out of the icy blizzard, to my right, more light.

I try and calm my mind, but it feels shattered. Partial- phrases and shards of broken images burst into my consciousness and then disappear without a trace. My brain is buzzing, and I feel like I can't process anything.

Which way?

I look up, away from the lights on either side of me. The storm is getting worse. A heavy black cloud is rolling in; lower and lower and lower. Soon it will meet the land and swallow it whole in its gaping black mouth, and then, there'll be no light to follow at all.

"Which way?" I try and scream into the night, but my voice is hoarse and raspy.

Left. I choose left.

I start crawling across the snow, making my body as flat as possible so that the winds cannot scoop me up and toss me. Each shuffle through the snow feels like the last one I'll ever be able to make. The only things keeping me going are the thought of seeing my people again, and wondering what the machines are doing to them?

19:48

RUBY

The cobbled street finally comes to an end. We've reached the wall of  jungle that surrounds the perimeter.  It looms in front of us like a dense, green barrier. The crowd begins breaking up into smaller groups, and we all start pushing our way through the palm trees and vines that have remained undisturbed for so long.

I see some familiar faces, and a few people have come up to me to discuss the picture; where exactly did I see it? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure,  it's been so long since I was here.

We continue to beat our way through the mattered knot of plants, until a yell pieces the silence that we've now fallen into. Everyone stops walking and more screams fill the air... 

What the hell is happening?

19:51

JACK

I'm too exhausted to turn back and crawl in the opposite direction when I realize I'm not at the fence. I'm at the structure.

The snow is falling so heavily that it covers my back with a layer that feels like it weighs me down. I need to find protection from this blizzard, or I will die out here tonight.

Visibility is so bad, that I almost bump into the structure before I know it's there. I place my hands on it, and it gives off that same warmth I felt before. If I press my body up to it, maybe I won't freeze to death in this storm after all.

I crawl all the way up to it. The outside is covered in a wet layer of melting snow, and I start wiping the moisture off. The bright greens burst into view again, but this time, I see something else too...

I only see the feet first. I wipe more of the moisture off and look up. And that's when all the faces come into focus.

Faces, staring down at me.

19:52

RUBY

I must get to the front.

I must see that they're looking at. I start pushing my way through the people, most of them recognize me and let through. The sea of arms and torsos finally thins out, and I'm at the glass wall.

Gasps, urgent whispers, panicked yells explode around me once more. It's pandemonium all over again. I look down to see what they're pointing at and that's when I see it...

Him.

A weather-beaten man on his hands and knees outside the dome; red, bloody cheeks, swollen, cracked lips, ice beads clinging to his eyebrows and beard. He looks so foreign to me, and yet, so familiar. I can't put my finger on it, but when he scratches his head, and a strand of red hair tumbles out from under his hat, I know.

I bend down so that I'm at eye level with him.  I put my face all the way up to the glass and look into his eyes. Once more, I'm completely disarmed by the intense gaze of two piercing, green eyes.

I move my face closer to the glass. We're separated by only an inch now, and yet, we're worlds apart. Our eyes lock, and something passes between us. I raise my finger to the glass and start drawing the sun. His finger comes up to meet mine, and suddenly we're moving in unison, drawing the outline of the picture together.

"We can't leave him out there." Someone yells.

"He's going to die!" Another scream.

"We can't let him in. He might be dangerous." More screaming.

"He looks diseased!" A panicked voice screeches, and then, arguing erupts.

As the chaos breaks out around for the second time that day, I am in the eye of the storm. Except, this time, someone else is in it with me. As the world around us goes mad, this stranger and I sit in calm silence, watching each other.

We're not even touching, and yet, our worlds are colliding.

Things will never be the same again...

***

The steam whistles through the maze of pipes. The vile stench hangs thick and putrid in the air below the Greenhouse. A man stands by a large vat, his body obscured by the white suit he wears. He tips the remains in; rotting vegetables, the fin of what was once a great whale, a pale arm, a leg, a rib cage...

The stench is so foul that he gags before moving away. He walks through a door, down a long damp passage, another door, another passage until he reaches the room. It's dark. Pitch black. He peels his suits off, and then, with one flick, the lights come on and the massive room is illuminated.

At the far end of the room, another man wrestles a red-headed woman back onto her bike, chaining her in place, just like all the others. Thousands of pairs of legs move together in unison above a floor awash with sweat. 

Did you know the biomass generated from a rotting kitten can power one light bulb for 56 hours?

Did you know that cycling for 24 hours can power a small house for an entire day?

Did you know that the Greenhouse was not meant to sustain them for this long....?