"Name?" A small woman with curly auburn hair asked as she sat across from Venus.

"Venus." The answer was soft and simple.

"And surname?" The woman's faded jade eyes drifted up to Venus.

"I don't have one. I only have my serial number."

The woman's eyes grew wide as the realization set in, "You're from a breeding facility?"

Unease set into Venus. It was never a good thing for others to find out that she was a Breeder. What if they decided to return her to The Cube? The woman hunched over her paperwork and quickly filed through it, "What facility do you belong to?"

Venus tensed showing the woman before her that she was hesitant to answer.

"We won't be sending you back," she assured her. "It's only for our records and to be aware if anyone may be looking for you. Dealing with facilities is a little different than individuals."

"The Cube," Venus reluctant answered.

The woman leaned over her paper and scribbled The Cube down on her paper. "You escaped then?" The woman only got a nod as an answer as Venus' attention drifted around the outdated room.

The wood panel on the wall where bending and bowing from age, and the laminated floor was dull and stained from years of dirt.

"Did others escape with you?"

The question stung deep, making tears fill Venus' eyes. She slowly nodded as visions of Mars and Cas' face flashed in her mind. Both gone, and her left alone wondering if she made the right choice to leave the Cube. She made the decision for them to escape with her and they paid with their lives.

"They didn't survive," her voice came out hushed and pained.

"What were their names?" Venus took note that the woman's voice didn't sound sympathetic at all. As if she was asking a dog about it litter mates.

"Mars and Cassiopeia."

"A male and a female?" The lady's amber eyes drifted up to her.

"Yes." Venus' scowl showed her irritation with the questions, not that the woman seemed to care.

"And do you know what talents you were created for? It's to help with job placement," the curly haired woman clarified.

"I was made to breed, that's it," Venus bit out, and it wasn't a talent she was going to perform for any of them.

"Alright, Venus, we will appoint you to cell block one, room two-hundred-seventy-three." The woman got up and walked to a large bin and pulled out a grey top with matching pants. Thankfully it wasn't tight like the white clothes the Cube provided, but not at all flattering. It also hit to close to home for Venus. Assigned clothes, housing, and tasks. Still slaves to a system, but this one was flying under a false banner of freedom.

Venus took the clothes from her with a scowl on her face. Turning on her heals, she scanned the back of the room looking for the others that had already finished registration. Among them was Peter and Pepa. Two of the four people she had left in the world.

Hugging the rough fabric to her chest she meandered over to them. The look of concern on Peter's brow was hard to miss.

"Where did they stick you?" Peter asked her as soon as she walked up to them.

"cell block one, room two-hundred-seventy-three," she told him as her violet eyes looked down at the grey garments in his arms. Her brows furrowed when she noticed Pepa's are were empty.

"You should be right next to me then." The realization that she'd be close brought some relief to Peter.

"And where are you?" Venus' eyes flicked up to Papa's.

The small young woman seemed upset as her eyes shifted between Peter and Venus. "I'm not able to stay here with you all. I'm not an MB, but they have told me that they'll use my medical degree to help take care of you all. I'm to come once a week."

"The rest of the time she'll be busy running her own practice in a normal society " Peter finished for her.

It was something Pepa always wanted. To be a functioning doctor. For others to overlook her birth defect, and see her as the great physician she was. But this scenario was a but of cold water on the spark of joy that tried to ignite itself in her chest.

None of them knew what to expect from the New Anada government, but their hope were low.

When all the MBs had resigstered, they were divided into two blocks, one and two. Venus noticed that Shaw was separated into block two, and it made her wonder if it was because if Peter was set to be the spokes person for their block and Shaw for block two.
The groups were lead out of the mansion and down through the rumble streets before the each spit off one head east and block two west.

The walk felt all to similar, just like the day she was brought to the Cube. The boy were seperate from the girl splitting off in different directions as the were guided into their new hell.

"I don't like this," Venus hissed as she grabbed ahold of Peter's arm.

His blue eyes drifted down to her, before he wrapped a comforting arm around her, "Neither do I."

Block one's houses was an old apartment building that stood next to a large damaged piled of bricks.

"What the hell happened to this place," Venus whispers.

"Some kind of battle. Or at least that was what I was told."

As they entered the apartment building the heavy smell of dust violated their senses.

Time had rotted and decayed the building.  The faded wallpaper bubbled and peeled of the walls like a cancer, giving the new residence no hope that their dwelling would be any better. 

As each one filed into their assigned homes the found the door knows had been replaced with handles that had no locking mechanism.  Nothing to keep the safe between them and the outside world.

When Venus stopped in front of her door she glanced to her left to see Peter staring back.  His reassuring eyes was the only communication that passed between them before she pushed open her door. 

A small studio apartment laid wait on the otherside.   A metal framed queen-sized bed laid against the the far outside brick wall in front of a large bay window.   Its thin mattress promised her no comfort, but it was at least clean looking.   A steady drip of a kitchen sink caught her attention as she closed the splintering door behind her, it loud groaning hinges filled the apartment.

There wasn't much to the apartment.   A sink, small stove, and a couple of cabinets.   What she thought was a closet, held a toilet, pedestal sink, and an old claw foot tube. 

The whole apartment seemed to be covered in a grey hue.  Venus wasn't sure if it was painted that way, or if the filth of this part of the city had melted itself with everything it came in contact with.

As she walked out of the bathroom,  she wrapped her arms around herself.   For the first time in a long time, she felt alone.  As alone as she felt the day she arrived at the Cube.

The same fear coarsed through her.  The fear of the unknown.  The weight of her loss bared down on her like a heavy weight.  Cas, Mars, her children,  all gone and out of her reach.

The only thing that pulled her from her dark thoughts was a light knock on the door.

"Come in," she quickly sniffles and dried her eyes with the sleeve of her ratty dirty jacket.

As the door creaked open Peter soon slipped in with a sad smile on his face.  He glance around her apartment finding it exactly like his own.

"I think I might actually miss the Cube," Venus tries to play it off as a joke, but the statement makes Peter frown when he saw the seriousness in her eyes.

"Don't say that."  He crossed the room to her and wrapped his comforting arms around her.

"Why?" She pulled away to look up at him.  "It was clean and warm.  My best friends were  still alive.  I left to protect them and my children!  Look Peter," she threw her hands out to the side.  "What good did it do?!"

"We'll get them back, Venus.  Just give me time to figure out how, but you and I will get you babies back."  He leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"And then what, Peter?  We live as fugitives or come back here and live like animals?"

What would you have me do?" Peter honestly asked.  "Name it, Venus, and I will moves mountains to make you happy again."

"We do what we were made to do," she frowned.  She was tired of doing everyone else's bidding.

A look of confusion passed over Peter's face, "And what's that exactly?"

"We fight.  We fight for our right to live."

End of Part 3

A/N:

I can't thank my readers enough.  Truly.  I recently went through two huge major emergency surgeries.  I'm still struggling,  in pain, and recovering,  but seeing the votes, comments,  and increased reads through all of this has lightened my day.  You have no idea how much I appreciate you all.

Soon I will will start Part 4. (Slowly writing through energy boosts) I'm pretty sure you know what to expect in the next book  😏.   That's right ladies and gentlemen, we are going to war.

Hope you're getting amped!  (Screams Freedom from the mountain tops.)

Wishing everyone a safe, healthy, and happy holidays. 😷

Happy Holidays!
Reading_Mermaid08