The two men in uniforms did not speak as the tall white doors of the elevator opened. Behind the door was a long gray hall lined with many doors numbered with silver plaques. Below the carpet was colored a rich green the color grass. We followed the uniformed men in the hallway as the doors closed stirring a breeze behind us.

"Is this where the committee is?" I turned and asked the men.

The others also turned, but the uniformed men continued walking. Not even a twitch rippled through their stony faces as the doors numbers passed by their tall heads.

2789, 2790, 2791, 2792, 2793...

This continued until we reached door numbered 2815 and the armored men stopped.

One armored man removed his black glove and pressed his hand against a flat black panel of the door. It flashed a red then green light making the door open. The two men stood back, focused their shielded faces at me and extended their arms into the door.

As I took my first steps into the room, I halted at the threshold. It was more spacious than anything I had ever seen. This room was also gray, warmed by the natural light that cut through the narrow windows stacked on the walls like bricks.

The lower deck of the dorm had more space than I had seen in some homes. In the back corner was a sleek kitchen with steel fixtures along a long glass counter. At the center of the counter was a glass bowl filled with colorful fruits. Beside the kitchen was a white desk and shelf lined with many books.

On the top deck, was a set of steel bars that led up to a large white bed. Around the bed, a lush green garden bloomed as the morning sunlight beamed through a large round window on the ceiling.

"It's it's -" I began to say when I heard the door close behind.

I was alone in a strange new room. This felt all too familiar.

Before I could explore the room any more, I was distracted by the swirling sound of a monitor. Behind the thin legs of the desk, a metal device that looked like a trash can on wheels rolled towards me.

"Good afternoon," the device said, its voice was wavy and artificial sounding.

"Wh-what are you?" I said and looked at the flashing blue and white lights of the device.

The device's wheels began to turn faster and towards me.

"An Integration Recourse Intelligence System," the device said, the round eyes on its face turned to half-moons, "You can call me, Iris."

"Um, Iris," I said, still looking at the door and it's handle for a way out, "I don't know what that means."

"I am here to assist you with using the accommodations found in your dormitory, but I am also a resource for any questions you may have until your committee meeting."

I had forgotten about the committee meeting. A rush of dread flowed through me again.

"I am sensing an increasing amount of cortisol in your bodily systems," Iris continued and scanned a blue light at my ankles, "Would you like me to contact the medical department to prescribe a medication that could assist with your anxiety."

"No, no thank you," I said and moved my ankle away.

"I would like to register your genetic and vocal profile for dormitory access," Iris said and wheeled closer, "To proceed, please hold out a hand."

"What for?" I said.

"A genetic and vocal profile will allow you to enter your dormitory using a simple hand and voice command."

"Um, I guess I can do-"

"Please hold out your hand, and place it on my touchpad," Iris continued.

The top of Iris began to illuminate and swirl as if it were a pool of vibrant ocean water. I dipped my hand into the pool as the heated gel tingled around my palm.

"Please keep your hand steady until the process is complete," Iris said.

I felt the heat surge, grow more uncomfortable as the pool rippled under my fingers and around my wrist.

"Is it supposed to hurt?" I said the panic in my voice rising.

"You may experience slight discomfort."

"Slight?" I said and watched a strip of lights on the device ripple with my voice.

Iris repeated back in my voice, "Slight?"

"How - how did you do that?" I said and pulled back my hand.

The once blue gel was now a dingy grey and rippled back into the device as it's top closed.

"Your genetic and vocal profile has been registered," Iris said as it's swirling blue lights dimmed, "Thank you for your cooperation."

"You're welcome?" I said as I held my throbbing hand.

A harrowing scream came from outside the hall before I could ask any more questions.

"Get it away from me!" I heard Evee say.

Her cries had awakened something in me. My anger with her had not simmered, but a protective pull stirred me in a way I could not ignore. I ran towards the door. I had to find her.

"Please stay in your dormitory," Iris said and wheeled after me, "An authorized personnel will arrive to assist the situation shortly. Please stay in your dormitory."

I ignored Iris and continued out the door.

There was no latch, just a smooth black pad where the handle should be. I place my hand on the black pad like I had seen the armored man do. The latch unhinged and released me back into the hall.

Out in the green-carpeted hall, there was no question where she was. Three people dressed the same as the nurse who had escorted me, stood outside a single door.

"Get it away!" I heard Evee scream again.

I ran towards her voice. The anger in me steadying my breath and moving my aching legs faster towards her door.

The other nurses stopped their talking to look at me.

"Please return to your dormitory," a man with a blue mask over his mouth said, his gray eyes glared through his glasses.

"You don't understand," I said through heavy breathing, "I know her. If you could just let me talk to her."

"They killed her!" Evee continued, "Don't you understand?"

The sound of smashing glass followed her voice. The nurses now looked even more panicked and less sure what to do.

"We are going to need additional assistance with Patient two," the nurse said as he pressed the side of his glasses.

As their backs were turned, I pulled through the door. There was Evee, huddled in the corner of the room and a small desk lamp in her hand. Another device, identical to Iris wheeled around the room, rolling around the broken pieces of glass on the floor.

"I would like to register your genetic and vocal profile-," the Iris said calmly over Evees screams.

"Evee!" I shouted back, my voice cutting the clamor.

The room went silent.

"Valen?" Evee said, her large brown eyes puffy and wet.

"Evee, it's okay," I said and held out my hand, "It's not going to hurt you. Just let it take your hand."

"But, these things they killed, they killed Ocean -"

"I know Evee, but it's different," I said and paused, "It's all is different now."

These words hung in the air as we held our eyes on each other.

Evee lowered her hand to the device, sinking her hand into its blue pool of gel.

"What is this stuff?" she said and grimaced.

"It is genetic immersion material," the device said as it's blue pool whirled faster, "Please keep your hand contained."

Evee's face winched, her eyes stared back at me to say, "This hurts like hell."

"Abort any calls for backup on floor 252," the gray-eyed nurse said behind me, "We have pacified the patient."

Before I could correct him, Evee interrupted.

"You can all go," she said, "I did what you asked. Why are you still here?"

The nurse consulted each another, but only with their eyes. Each stretch of their brows and glance at the littered floor made their thought more oblivious. They didn't want to clean up this mess any further. Without another word, the nurses gathered their bags and packed away their tools into the small pockets of their white coats. Each looked back at Evee in awe before walking back into the hallway.

I pulled up the sleeve of my loose shirt and followed them out the door. There were still many questions I had for Iris before meeting with the committee. I wondered how many questions she would be able to answer before tomorrow.

"Wait," I heard Evee say behind me, "I didn't mean you too."

I continued on and stepped on a piece of glass. It's hard surface crumbled under my soft shoe.

"I thought I'd make this place look more like home," Evee said and gave a faint chuckle.

I turned slowly to her and observed her slumped seat in the corner of the massive room.

"They kept you in that bed just as long, didn't they?" I said with a slight smirk.

Evee looked around at the mess at her feet, "Did you want to, you know? Sit for a bit?"

The air between us was dense with too many unspoken words.

"Yeah, sure," I said but meaning the opposite.

I didn't want to sit. I didn't want to have to talk. I had accepted my anger and even learned to wear it like armor. I was afraid to let it go, or worse have it built up again.

Evee stood up and walked towards the steel bars that lead to the second level of the dorm. Her bed was like my own. Flat and surrounded by a bed of flora. But unlike my own, her garden had bloomed with pale blue flowers that matched the thin lines on the walls.

"If you hadn't come sooner, I would have been up here next," she said, "Then they really would have had to call for backup."

I followed behind her, and up the steel latter, the tension between us climbed with every step.

Evee bounced onto her bed, it's soft foam molded to her form.

"Much better," she sighed and reclined back onto the bed.

It was tempting. To have a soft bed to lay on, but I stood to the side and away from Evee with no words to speak.

"Listen," she said.

"Evee," I interrupted.

"No Valen," she said, "I really think you should listen to me."

I nodded and folded my hands against my turning stomach.

"What you saw wasn't what you thought it was -" she said and sat up on the bed.

"Evee, really it's okay," I said feeling more uncomfortable with every moment.

"Ocean," she said and paused on her name, "She had woken up with me that night. Hideki offered to give us some tea to help us. When he started to talk about his family and how he lost them, I guess it really got to me. I know we never talk about this stuff, but I really miss my dad, Valen. I do, and as much as I try to be strong and do everything for myself. I know -," Evee said and started to cry, "I know that I can't -

"I wanted to thank Hideki. Thank him for giving me some hope that I would find my dad," she said.

"Evee, I-"

"But, I should have just told you, but I couldn't think straight," she said and held the mark at her forehead, "It's like there's someone else speaking inside me - ."

"And now - Evee said and huffed on her tears, "Ocean is gone, and it's all because of - "

"Evee, -" I stuttered as the tears rushed out of me like a faucet.

"Nate won't even look at me," Evee said her tears gathering on her white shirt, "He thinks I'm crazy."

"We'll talk to him together," I said, and held her hand, "And we'll tell him everything. He'll understand."

"You know," Evee said and laughed while wiping the tears from her eye, "Being locked in a room isn't as fun without you and those movies."

"You hated the movies at the center," I said and laughed with her through my weeps.

"I did always hate those movies," she said and looked down at her chin, "But I never hated you."

I held her hand tighter and pulled her head into my chest.

"We'll make this right," I said into the crown of her curls, "All of it, I promise."

The truth was I had never hated her, and I knew I never could.