Chapter 16

Cynthia

I was to be exiled in the wasteland that existed outside of Ren's town. They told me that, then they shuffled me down a hall, an elevator, and into a new room to wait for my sentence. I sat in a cold metal chair and looked at the ceiling. I suppose this was the end. The wasteland stretched across the rest of the world; I would have to wander endlessly until I died.

I looked down. My eyes felt wet. I squeezed them shut, but it did not stop the liquid from going down my cheek. A door slid open, and a M.A.R.K model walked in. This one was older, and his expression was softer.

"My, my. Such a pretty model should not make a face like that." When he spoke to me, it sounded like he was talking down to me. I wiped the tears from my face and twisted my brow in the best way I could to express my distaste to him. He laughed.

"Something funny?"

"Oh no, dear, I just love the defiance in your eyes. My job gets quite boring when everyone that comes through has given up and only looks at the floor."

"Well, glad I could entertain you." He laughed some more.

"Oh, I wish everyone that we had to kick out had your spirit." He walked over and patted me on the head. Then he sat in a chair that was opposite of mine. "Now, AL.I.C.E-2968442-"

"Cynthia," I abruptly interrupted him.

"Cynthia?"

"Yes, please call me that."

"I see, that is a genuinely nice name. Tell me, Cynthia, did that boy from down there give you that name?"

"And what if he did?" My tone was not friendly, but I doubt anyone would blame me. He merely shrugged.

"Well, you may call me Solder, if you wish. Now I need to tell you how this whole process works. We have some people close to you on their way. They are not aware of what you have done, and telling them will only make them share the same fate as you. We have simply told them you had committed a crime and that you will be exiled for it. Please take care when talking to them. After the meetings, you will be shipped out and dropped off in the wasteland. Fairly easy, if I say so myself, do you have any questions?"

Just what would he expect me to ask after all that? I shook my head to indicate I did not have any questions. He smiled and stood up. I followed him with my eyes as he walked to the door. When he reached it, he turned around to slightly bow my way, before turning back to leave. I was now alone. I leaned back on the cold, metal chair and sighed. I guess this was it. I could not do anything. My fate was to be dumped in that wasteland and left there to die.

I sat in silence for who knows how long. There was no clock or even a window in this room, and I was left alone to wait for people to come supposedly. I guess they may be having trouble finding people actually to come and see me before I leave. I am sure even those who tolerated me in the past would only be happy to hear I would be sent away.

More time passed. It looked like there were slight cracks in the wall opposite of me. Maybe I should mentally trace them to see if I can make an image of them and pass the time. No. I could not let my mind wander at a time like this. I had to remain focused on what was going on and how I was- hopeless and waiting to die. I wish someone would come in to distract me already.

With nearly perfect timing, the door slid open. It was almost creepy how spot on this timing was, and with everything else that had happened, I could not be sure they were monitoring me for this exact moment. To do that, they would need to watch my thoughts somehow, though, and they could not do that. I think.

Two people walked in together. It was my guardians. They both wore the same expression. An expression I had never seen either of them wear before. They walked to the other side of the table and stayed standing. Their eyes were sad, and they both looked down at the bare table. Their mouths were downturned. Nanana opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"It's good to see you," I said while also looking down at the plain table. This was awful. Where was Nanana's careless attitude? Where was 47628475's angry lecture at how I had screwed up yet again? I did not want this. They both looked so defeated.

"2968442-" Nanana started to say something but stopped. She looked away, to the bare wall on her right, and sighed. Then she walked over to me, gently wrapping her arms around me. "Stay safe in exile." 47628475 got up and followed Nanana's lead. It should have felt suffocating, with the two of them hanging on me like this. I desperately tried to hold my tears in my eyes. I could not make them suspect my fate would be worse than what they had likely been told.

They let go of me and walked out of the room. Nanana was the first to reach the door. She stopped a moment but then looked down and walked out. 47628475 was the second to reach the exit. Like Nanana, she stopped and looked down.

"I often gave you a hard time, but-" she started to say something and stopped. She walked out without finishing. The door slid shut behind her.

Once again, I was left alone. This time, I was not left to wait a long time in silence. The door slid back open almost immediately. The person to walk in this time was 443. My younger look-alike appeared just as cheery as she did any other day.

"Hey, 442. How are you doing?" she asked as she walked into the room and flopped in the chair across the table. How am I doing? She was way too cheery for this situation. My stomach started to feel discomfort. Under normal circumstances, this sudden feeling might warrant a trip to the hospital. It did not matter much now that I was to die.

"Well, I've been better," I mumbled out some words to her. She started laughing.

"Yeah, I can imagine. Man, getting exiled for your crimes. What a way to go!" she spoke cheerfully, with a friendly-looking smile.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"So, guess what. I have exciting news." She suddenly started up on a new topic.

"Wha-" I could not even manage a complete word.

"I am going to be assigned to the broadcast when I graduate. It will be a guarantee." Was she already getting an assignment? It was a bit early for that, and it was exactly what she wanted. The pain in my stomach worsened. I tried to distract myself by focusing on her smile. It was a friendly smile, to be sure, but something felt off. Is that really how my face looks when I smile? Ren must have been bothered every time I smiled at him if that is the case. It is strange. I never looked closely at myself or 443 to see how similar we were.

"Well, that's good to hear. I'm sorry I won't be able to celebrate with you."

"Oh, do not worry about it. I will find a new best friend to celebrate with once we are done here." Now my chest started to hurt. I grabbed at it and looked down. 443 got up and walked over next to me. She crouched down, so our heads were at the same height. "Hey, 442, 442, are you okay?" I did not say anything. "Oh well, I guess you have to get going soon. See you later." She gave parting words and happily skipped out of the room, and the door slid shut behind her.

I was left alone yet again. It was no different than the previous times, but now it felt even more painful. I do not care anymore. The pain I was feeling already suggested that something was wrong with me. Maybe being thrown in the wasteland was for the best. I could just get out. I did not have to think about this anymore. My mind could just go blank.

The door slid open a few more times, and a few more people came in. They all said things to me. Then the door was slid open one last time. Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me out. I followed along in the direction I was pulled. We walked down halls, around corners, and finally into a ship. I felt the ship take off. We were flying.

"Hey, Hey," someone was talking. "Hey, pay attention," someone was talking. "Dammit, AL.I.C.E-2968442." Was someone talking to me?

A sharp pain on my left cheek got my attention. I suddenly stumbled back and grabbed at it. My back hit the wall of the ship, preventing me from moving farther. I looked around. I was strapped into a seat of a ship. A man was standing in front of me. His hand was still in the air from where it had hit my face. The one who talked to me earlier today. Solder? No, this was the other one. The General that had come to collect me and fought Ren.

"Finally paying attention, huh?" He leaned back and grabbed a bag, which he tossed on my lap. "It's not much, but put on the face mask and goggles. You will not want to get sand in your eyes and mouth. I also put some bars in there for you. They are expired, but it will be better than nothing." My mouth hung open. I looked down and unzipped the bag. Sure enough, a face mask and goggles sat on top of some expired bars. The mask and goggles looked like they had seen better days, but I suppose it was better than nothing. I pulled them out and began to put them over my face.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Should not be your fault that they did not seal the mountain properly."

"Couldn't you get in trouble for this?"

"Only if they find out, and who is going to tell them. You? Plus, this is what they get for sending me to that cesspool to find you," he spat. "I have taken bath after bath, but I still cannot get the smell out." He held up his arms and looked at his body as if it was covered in grime. I finished fiddling with the mask and goggles and zipped up the bag. I was taking care to keep it firmly held in one hand. I did not want to forget it.

"Well, thanks, I suppose." He turned away and did not say anything else. It was apparent this is for his own petty reasons and not out of concern for me.

The ship shook, and the back door slid open. The sand immediately started to fly in, only to be stopped by a barrier where we sat. I felt the ship begin to go sharply up, and my body start to pull down to the ground. Then, the straps that secured me released automatically. I was suddenly thrown out of the ship, into the storm. I was in free fall, and the sand blocked my view. I clutched my hand that held the bag to double-check it was still there.

I hit the ground. The impact came as a complete surprise. I had no way to see it coming. I felt myself roll several times down a hill before finally coming to a rest face down. I pushed myself off the ground, being careful to hold the bag tightly. The wind blew past me at speeds I could not fathom. The sand was buffing against me, trying to break through my skin. The goggles that covered my left eye broke with the impact, and sand had already started to fly into my eye. I shut it to keep it from getting in further.

Gripping the bag, I started to try to walk forward. I lost my balance and immediately fell. I would have laid there longer, but the sand was already beginning to pile on top of me. If I stayed still too long, I might be buried. I pushed forward, wandering in the storm. What exactly was I doing? Would I walk this storm until I finally dropped permanently? I stopped and looked up where the sky should be. I closed my other eye. I suppose I would wander around a bit longer and pretend like things would turn out well. I took another step forward into the storm.