Chapter 46

The ride with the strange people was silent, at least on Riley's end. She was nervous about what was going on and didn't trust these strange people. "This building," the man now known as Romit said. "It used to be an airport." Riley had no idea what an airport was. "This building is our headquarters for the Bureau for Genetic Welfare."

It was clear most of them were still trying to figure out what an airport is. "Oh, right," a girl said. "An airport is used for air travel."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Air travel?" They had never heard of such a thing.

Riley stares at the building they're approaching. The building was very white, as if it was freshly painted. There was a significant amount of greenery around the building. A contrast to the red/orange clay that went miles in each direction. The airport, as Romit had called it, stood out. "We're going to get all of you into decontamination."

The truck came to a halt, and all of them got off. Riley felt as if she was in a dream. Nothing around her made sense. That was most likely why she wasn't scared; nothing made sense.

Riley walked where they told her to go, not bothering to check on the rest. There were several people around her, but she couldn't focus on her friends when the reality in front of her didn't make sense. Romit pointed to a circular door, a sign she needed to walk through. Riley did as told and stepped into the room. The doors behind her slammed closed, successfully cutting her off from anyone.

She began to fear for the safety of her friends. "There is nothing to fear," a voice said. "You need to be decontaminated from the world you live in." Riley inspected the room, noticing a hole that had blue flames. "Please, remove your clothes and put them in the incineration hatch."

Riley assumed there weren't any other options. Rather than wasting any time, she undressed. She hoped there weren't any cameras that would expose her to unknown eyes. Slipping out of her clothes, she walked towards the hatch and threw her clothes inside.

"Step forward." The voice made her jump. There was another room in front of her, and Riley assumed that was what they were talking about. The red-haired girl walked into the next room, ignoring the racing thoughts in her head—the doors behind her closed. Before Riley could ask questions, water started to rain down on her.

She smiled, letting the dirt fall off of her. The hot water brought Riley comfort and allowed her to relax. In her relaxed state, questions began to fill her mind. What was this place? Could they be trusted? Riley wasn't sure who they were but had to have faith. "You're clean." That water turned off. "Please, place your arm in the tube."

There was a small tube beside her. Riley slowly stuck her arm inside. There was a loud beeping sound and a painless zap to her arm. She yanked her arm back. Imprinted on her wrist were several rows of lines, almost like a bar code. "Ahead, there is a set of clothes."

Riley walked forward again and grabbed the clothes, wanting to get dressed as fast as possible. First, she put on the white shirt with the matching bra. Then she did the same with her pants. It felt odd to be in such a vibrant color, but Riley had nothing else to wear. Walking forward, the next set of doors opened.

The first person she saw was Tris, who was leaving her room as well. "I've never felt so clean in my life," Christia walked out of the room next to Tris.

"That was the best shower I ever had," Peter stood beside her. Riley searched the room for her four missing friends and found them on the other side. Uriah stood tall, but his hands were trembling. "Slightly cold."

"Always a complaint with you, Peter." He winked at her, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

"Yours is different." Christina grabbed Tris's arm, wanting to inspect the mark. She let go of Tris's arm and grabbed Riley's. "Why are they all different?" The four other men approached them.

"Wow, Eric," Peter said. "In those colors, you can almost pass for a real, functioning human being." Eric remained silent, and Riley glared at Peter.

Suddenly, the lights in the room turned off. Nobody was sure what had happened. Before anyone could ask any questions, a hologram appeared. "Hello. Welcome to the Bureau for Genetic Welfare." The voice was unknown. "At the start of the 21st century, scientists discovered a way to map and edit the human genome." Riley stared at the visuals displayed before her.

The voice vanished and was replaced by another. "You can settle for merely adequate, or you can select excellence." It sounded like an ad. "A genetic solution that puts you in control of your life. Why hope for a better future when you can pick perfection?" Riley wasn't sure what to make of the information. "Choose Perfexia."

"What started as an attempt to erase humanity's faults almost obliterated humanity itself." The happy videos were replaced. There was rioting and fighting. "Genetic modification deepened the rifts between people. As they got more entrenched, the world began to tear apart." Riley stayed in her spot, but the others moved around. "That was until humanity crossed a line it could never return." War. "In the ashes, a small bunch of genetically unmodified individuals founded the Bureau of Genetic Welfare." That was the place Riley was at now. "Our mission is to oversee a grand experiment to refine the human genome. That experiment took place in the city of Chicago." The images were of her home. "Your participation in our work means you are now the guardians of the future. Your destiny begins today."

The hologram turned off, and the lights came back. "Now," a voice said. Riley jumped, not having expected anyone. "Follow me." The unknown man turned around and walked out of the room. For a moment, nobody moved. They were all unsure and overwhelmed by what they had just learned. Tobias moved first, followed by Uriah and Peter. Riley follows Peter closely, feeling weirdly drawn to him. She couldn't explain it.

They followed the man out a set of doors. "Life in the Bureau can be demanding." Riley noticed a large number of people staring at them through a gate. "But it's worth every sacrifice."

"It's them," a girl said.

"We don't have all the resources we would like." They continued to walk, "but I think you will be satisfied with the resources we do have."

"Woah." A bunch of kids ran up to them.

"It's really them," another girl said.

"They're in person," a different girl said.

"Who are they," Christina asked.

The man stopped walking, "we bring them in from the Fringe. They get healthy and get a second chance." Riley wasn't sure what the Fringe was, but it sounded scary.

"Hi, Four."

"Hi, Four." They were all children.

"Hi, Four," the last girl was older. Maybe their age.

"Hey," he responded. Riley raised an eyebrow at her brother, a smirk on her face. He happily ignored her. They began walking again. "How do they know who we are?"

"The experiment is the entire focus here at the Bureau. Our surveillance technology is centuries ahead of anything in Chicago. They have grown up watching you." That alarmed Riley. She didn't like the idea of people watching her grow up.

"Nothing creepy about that," Peter muttered.

"You have to forgive some of them," he said. "Your arrival is the most exciting thing to have happened in a long time." Riley looked around the room. "Welcome to your new home."