Part Two

Agatha’s mind was too excited to sleep. It wandered, fueled by the endless possibility that was her soon to be assignment.

“Leo?” She whispered, rolling over on Leo’s bed. “Are you awake?”

Leo’s soft, steady breathing provided her with the silent answer she half expected. She sighed and rolled onto her back. It was going to be a long day, she knew she should make more of an effort to get to sleep. She stared at the ceiling, trying to calm herself. When that failed after a few minutes, she got up and decided to take a walk. She quietly shuffled about the room, admiring Leo’s extensive collection of books and journals. Over the years she’d come to memorize most of their titles, yet she was surprised at a small, thin journal. There was no way Leo kept a journal, she was willing to bet it belonged to someone else. Slowly, she pulled it from the shelf.

The contents were filled with hand-written notes, his father’s handwriting. It must have been one of his journals from his days as a recruit, when he first made something of himself at the compound. It appeared to be a time log mostly, jotting down notes from his shifts spent outside the fence on excavation sites. None of them had a successful outcome recorded, only a few were remotely fascinating. A metal capsule filled with contents from a time long since passed took up the later half of the book. A series of blank pages followed before leading into a lengthy entry about the past, things they had learned from the capsule. She scanned over the paragraphs quickly, until she reached the last sentence.

What about the future?

Those four words became imprinted in her brain. Did Leo’s dad know something no one else did? What secrets could be hidden in this question? Did it even mean anything? What does Leo know?

She closed the book, and slid it carefully back into place. She turned back towards the bed, her eyes lingering on Leo’s peaceful face. How she envied him, his ability to sleep after such excitement. She took a deep breath and tiptoed back to him, crawling back into her side of the bed. She looked outside at the clear night sky, the millions of stars hovering against the darkness. “What about the future?” She whispered, closing her eyes. By some miracle, she managed to drift off, despite that question lingering in the faintest echo of her mind.

What about the future?

~   ~   ~

She was woken by gentle pressure on her shoulder. She opened her eyes slowly to the early morning light. The sun was just starting to rise over the mountains in the distance.

“You slept?” Leo taunted, tossing her jacket to her.

“I’m just as surprised as you are.” She replied, shrugging the leather fabric over her shoulders.

“We should probably get going if we want to make breakfast.” Leo informed her, glancing at his watch.

“I hope they still have coffee,” Agatha agreed, following Leo down the hallway.

“Of course you do.” He chuckled as they approached the cafeteria.

They fell in line with other residents of the compound, while designated staff placed a serving of the day’s special - steel cut oatmeal with blueberries - onto their trays. They moved down the line, grabbing the fruit of the day - bananas - before ending at the drink station. Agatha wasted no time pouring herself a cup of black coffee, while Leo followed suit.

“Since when do you like coffee?” She teased.

Leo shrugged. “Since we’re getting an assignment.”

“Fair enough.” She agreed, as they took their places at an empty table. They’d only been able to take a few bites of their meal each, when a site guard dressed in all black came into the room, marching right up to them.

“I’m afraid your services are required.” He informed them. “Please come with me.”

Agatha’s heart lept to her throat and she quickly exchanged a glance with Leo. “This is it.” She whispered breathlessly.

He nodded and took a deep breath. “This is it.”