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The Story:

Lights blare through the dome ceiling that encapsulates our city to protect us from the harsh environment of RECO 17. I like pretending that they are stars or moons, blazing across the sky of a planet that spins at twice the speed of our home world, Earth. But they aren’t. They are merely Sweepers, the atmosphere scrubbers that are working to transform RECO 17’s air into breathable oxygen. It’ll still be several more years before they finish.

We live in the dome to research the soil and native bacteria of the planet in preparation for Retraction Day, when the dome comes off. Honestly, we are also here to start families and become natives for a more fluid colonization process after Retraction Day, which causes a bit of awkward tension between the sexes. We all try to play ignorant of that purpose.

My father works in the soil labs. I always walk to his station after school. It’s in a long white building with mirrored windows. All the buildings are white, but they vary in size and shape.

I walk through a door that opens for me.

“Hi, Alex. How were your studies today,” the receptionist asks.
“They were interesting, Miss Scarlet.”
“Well, good! You may go on back to your father.”

I walk down a long hallway that echoes back my every movement until I reach a gray door. The receptionist has deactivated the lock, so I’m able to walk right in.

My father’s station is a walled in portion of the room with no ceiling. When I walk through the door, he whips around startled.

“Alex! Come here…”

He shuts the door behind me and pushes me over to his research bench. He hands me two petri dishes.

“Here, quickly, put these in your backpack.”
“What? Dad, shouldn’t these be filed?”
“No! They… They’re just… Alex, just do it!”

After I put them away, he grabs a tablet and takes me by the shoulders.

“Follow me. If anyone asks, you don’t have anything.”

He opens the door, and we nonchalantly walk towards the exit.

“Dad, what’s…”
“Shh!”

Just before we reach the door, a security alarm begins sounding.

“Run, Alex! Run!”

 

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