The revelation had people more curious than concerned. The Shadow was shrouded in secrecy. No one had ever met one of them in person. Those in the group who remained quiet sat with this new information and weren't sure what to do with it. The more vocal members bombarded the man who called himself Mr. Camouflage with questions.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Who authorized it?"

"My aunt went missing a few years back after she lost her job. Do you think they took her?"

"Are we going to die?"

"What's your real name?"

Among the noise, one question stood out among the rest and silenced the group. "You mentioned we have been selected to be removed from general population, where were they planning on taking us?"

Mr. Camouflage looked at all the faces in the group and bowed his head in shame.

"Look..." he stammered, struggling to find the right words. "Before I tell you this, I want you to know that I was not a part of this decision making process."

"Tell us."

"Being selected and removed from general population means being lead to a slaughterhouse for humans. We were on our way to being killed. No trial, no explanation, no final goodbyes. We were taken abruptly against our wills, loaded onto a bus, and hauled off to be killed."

A tear of shame and sorrow ran down Mr. Camouflage's face. "I'm so sorry that I was a part of a group who does that."

"It's not your fault, Cam," Dane said, sensing his remorse.

"Yeah, don't beat yourself up over it," Lauren added.

"Once I found out, I threatened to expose them. They told me it's not what I think it is and to let it go, but I kept looking into it. Then... they did unspeakable things to me, which crippled me for life. And that wasn't enough for them. One day, I was taken just as you all were."

"You stopped it though," Lynn said.

"Yeah, you saved our lives, didn't you?" Cheryl asked.

"I may have bought us some time, but they'll be looking for us," Mr. Camo said. "Out here... it's only be a matter of time before they find us, or we succumb to the elements. Either way will be an unfortunate and unpleasant way to go."

"What do you mean, 'succumb to the elements'?" someone asked.

"I'm no survival expert, but from my understanding, we can go three weeks without food, but only three days without water."

"There has to be plenty of food and water out here," Dane said optimistically.

"Then what?" Lauren asked. "We're just supposed to live out in the woods for the rest of our lives with each other as one big happy family?"

"The sad truth for us all is not that we've been deemed worthless and undesirable for society, it's that we no longer have a society to go back to," Mr. Camouflage pointed out. "It's not like we can just follow the road we came down and find our way back to the city and pretend none of this happened. We don't have a home. We don't have a bed to sleep in. We no longer have jobs to go to. We're on the list. The second we pop up on the grid... well, you know the rest."

"So what do we do then?" Lynn chimed in.

"We all have to make a very difficult decision... and as I see it, we have three options to choose from.

"Option A: we keep a low profile and avoid all major roadways until we eventually arrive back to the city, or any city for that matter. Once there, we can try to find some meaningful existence. As I mentioned before, this is highly improbable. They'll be looking for us. As soon as you fall back into old patterns — show up at your girlfriend's house, text a friend, log into to any online account... I don't have to remind you that we live in a hyper-connected world, if we're on the grid, they'll come for us. Even if you remove your chip, facial recognition and behavioural biometric scans will identify you instantly. The only way to survive in this environment is by being housebound 24/7."

"We'd be prisoners."

"Precisely."

"Okay, what are the other options?" Dane asked.

"Option B: we live in the woods for the rest of our lives off the grid. Maybe we come across an abandoned city, or community, or maybe we don't. Either way, we set up camp, hunt and forage, and hope they don't come looking for us. You'll give up the comforts you once knew and eventually adjust to this new life. But remember, to the rest of the world, you're dead. That means, you'll no longer be able to contact your friends and family, and you'll be living in perpetual fear, constantly looking over your shoulder. Unsure whether each day will be your last.

"Also, this will not be a pleasant existence. You may go days or weeks without eating or bathing. There will be no laundromat, no supermarket, no VR theatre, no pharmacy or hospital. To quote the great Thomas Hobbes in the Leviathan, life like this will be 'nasty, brutish, and short'."

"What's the third option?" Train asked.

Mr. Camouflage took a moment before he answered, looking around at all the worried faces illuminated by the campfire. The nine of us will have to work together, figure out a way to do an impossible task. With little to no practical skills, no weapons or ammunition, no intel, and no guarantee we will find adequate food and water, we will fight back our oppressor to end this tyranny, and overthrow the most powerful government the world has ever known... somehow. And I remind you, we don't even know who, or what, we're up against. The most deadly enemy is the one you don't know.

"Now, we don't have a lot of time to make a decision, and I don't expect everyone to make the same decision. You need to decide which option is right for you. You don't need to make your decision right now, sleep on it, but by morning, we will gather again to discuss which option we all prefer."

The gravity of the situation was really sinking in. Until then, most people figured there would be some way to forget about this whole situation and return to their old lives as if nothing had happened. They were starting to realize that may not be the case.