Page 15 of The Program

There was no sign of civilisation. Not even my enhanced senses could pick up any evidence of a settlement, only the local wildlife. On one side there was nothing but golden grasslands as far as the eye could see, the stalks tall and waving gently in the cool breeze. On the other side was a lush forest filled with colour and life. The trunks were a vibrant purple and occasionally oozed with a green sap. The leaves were a myriad of brilliant colours, from pink to orange to purple. Surprisingly it was the flowers that were the least vibrant, ranging from a drab grey to a deep black. They blended into the shadows as if hiding from the sun itself.

‘I think we should head for the trees,’ Libby suggested. ‘More cover and more wildlife for sustenance.’

‘Or more wildlife to worry about,’ someone mumbled, but I didn’t bother to see who it was.

‘Well, I’m going with the forest. L’s right. The trees will provide more cover and we’re more than capable of fighting off any predators. Just don’ttouch any of the plants if you can help it. We don’t know which ones are poisonous.’

The majority of the women agreed without any more arguments and followed as Libby and I led the way from the crumbled underground facility towards the treeline. The two darker women and the twins went in separate directions. One pair headed for the grasslands and were quickly engulfed by the tall strands while the other headed for the trees like us, only the opposite way. I was saddened to see them go, but I respected their decision. They were not my concern. Libby was. Bal was. The other children were. These mothers now, too, if we were about to build a community together. But in order to do that we needed to find a place to do so first. Somewhere The Program would never find us.

And that wasn’t anywhere near here.

CHAPTER 5

ARTEMIS

Thunder cracked above the canopy, vibrating all the way through the ground. The leaves shook with the sound, dropping a steady stream of rain onto our heads. Smaller animals scurried up trees and burrowed in the ground while birds we could hear but were too well camouflaged to see chirped and squawked from within their nests as they hid from the storm.

We were drenched despite being under the thick canopy of the trees, which meant the weather was most likely way worse out there than in here. I hoped the women who chose to leave were okay.

The sky had opened up not long after we’d entered the forest, and we’d been trudging through the slippery mud and tangled undergrowth for what felt like hours. Unfortunately, we needed to keep moving to get as far away from the toppled facility as we could before hunkering down in a shelter we were probably going to have to build ourselves.

None of us knew what planet we were on, let alone our exact geographical location in order to direct ourselves towards the nearest civilisation, nor did we have the ability to contact anyone for help. Not that we could even if we had the means. We had no one to call and anyone we managed to talk to would only ask questions we couldn’t safely answer.

We were well and truly on our own.

The two solars I had spent on my own were coming in useful right about now. None of these women had any survival experience, and they were extra vulnerable with their pregnancies. I had to keep reminding them to push onward or else risk getting caught again. By now, The Program had likely figured out that something wasn’t right with our facility and had more than likely already sent out a team to investigate.

The further we pushed forward the more laboured their breaths became and the more breaks were demanded. I tried to keep those pauses to a minimum, deciding it was better to move at a slower pace so the more heavily pregnant women were able to keep up and we would still be moving consistently away fromthem.

‘Stop. I can’t… go any… further,’ the female with the largest belly huffed and puffed.

A quick glance to the brand on my arm, visible through the torn fabric of my Program-issued jumpsuit, showed it was a pale brown, denoting my stirring need for food. It wasn't a darker shade, so I dismissed the need for later. We were going to have to stop soon, but I wanted to get a little further away first.

‘We can take a quick break, but we need to keep going just a bit longer,’ I told her while her equally pregnant partner helped her to sit on the sodden ground. Their hair was plastered to their faces and necks, their wet jumpsuits no doubt chafing much like mine was. But what was a little discomfort compared to the promise of safety?

They weren’t used to this I reminded myself for the umpteenth time. I needed to remember that they were used to small, enclosed spaces and short, timed, closely monitored exercise. This was probably the longest they had ever had to move in one go, not to mention the added weight of their unborn babies.

I didn’t envy them, but I was getting frustrated. If I were by myself I would have made it at least twice the distance by now. I detested being held back by dead weight, but I also couldn’t bring myself to leave them to their own devices. They wouldn’t last a day out here without help, and I was the only one with any experience to actually provide that help.

I might have been annoyed at their sloth-like pace, but I wasn’t a monster. At least not completely. After everything I’d done the jury was still out on my morality. If their children weren’t involved, I probably would have taken Libby and run as far away from them as possible. Anyone related to The Program was a liability and could not be trusted. There was no saying what kind of brainwashing they’d been subjected to.

Which was why I hadn’t mentioned the people I’d left behind on Nova Station when I’d been captured. I didn’t want anyone to know about them.Stars, I’d even censored myself around Libby, though I did talk about them a little. I’d caused them enough hassle and didn’t want to add to it by drawing attention to them with the wrong people.

‘We need to rest,’ the other woman on the ground begged. ‘We can’t move any further.’

I glanced down at their protruding bellies. If I were to guess from a mere glance I would have said they were only a few weeks out from their due dates. From their slumped positions and heaving chests – not to mention the bags under their eyes and the way they huddled together for warmth as they shivered uncontrollably – I couldn’t deny their exhaustion any longer. This was where we were going to make camp tonight, whether I liked it or not.

I scrutinised our surroundings and determined that this was as good a spot as any to set up a makeshift shelter. I would have preferred to put more distance between us and the facility, but at least the rain was forceful enough to wash away our tracks. It would have masked our scent as well in case they brought out their beasts to sniff us out.

‘Okay, you guys rest. I’ll make a quick shelter and see if I can find us something to eat,’ I reluctantly informed them.

‘How?’ the redhead from earlier asked.

I gave her a grim smile. ‘I’ve got some experience. I know what to do.’

‘Can I help?’ she asked, and it pleased me that she was eager to be useful, though right now she would just get in the way.

‘Not really. Just sit tight. I can give you some pointers at a better time.’

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