“Ah—!”
No.54 screamed and bolted upright.
She was still in her bed. No fire. No heat. The light on her wristband was still yellow.
It had been a nightmare.
Except it felt too real. Her heart was still racing. She hugged herself in the corner, eyes wet, staring at the empty bed across from her. In the fan’s jittering shadows, No.53’s mattress looked even more eerie.
***
The next morning, the bell rang on schedule.
She’d barely slept. Her wristband docked her another three points.
Out in the corridor, watching the girls line up, she suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. She failed washing inspection twice before she finally passed.
After breakfast, just as she was heading to the fitness zone, her wristband flashed a message: report to the medical room immediately.
Her stomach twisted.
A woman in a long white coat received her. A badge on the woman’s chest read DR-M.
This was Doctor M, the one responsible for their health. Her temper was… relatively mild.
“No.54, your recent sleep data is terrible. Is something bothering you?”
“No.” No.54 shook her head. “I just… have nightmares sometimes.”
“Is this because of No.53?”
No.54 shook her head—then, after a beat, nodded.
“They shouldn’t have taken her away in front of you,” Doctor M said after a pause, her voice softening. “No.53 is fine. She just won’t become one of the very best pioneers.”
“The world is waiting for you girls to rebuild it,” she continued, “but you’ll need strong bodies to survive how harsh it’s outside.”
“Yes, Doctor M.”
“Your numbers aren’t good.” Doctor M glanced at the monitor beside her. Only then did No.54 realize every stat from her wristband was displayed there in crisp detail. “If this continues, you’ll be eliminated just like No.53.”
“I’ll get better,” No.54 whispered.
“I hope so.” Doctor M opened a drawer and placed a pill on the desk. “By procedure, I should run a full physical on you right now. But let’s treat the insomnia first.”
“I’ll give you a week’s worth. You’ll come here once a day and take one. No exercise today. Remember to swallow it before bed.”
“Thank you, Doctor M,” No.54 said quietly.
***
That night, the moment she returned to her room, No.54 put on the headset and lay on her bed hugging her pillow, waiting for Linneya to call.
She didn’t take the pill. She was afraid she’d fall asleep and miss Linneya.
Why isn’t she back yet? What if something happened?
Whenever No.54 closed her eyes, the horrible thoughts stampeded. So she lay there staring at the spinning fan blades, forcing herself to stay awake.
Much later—so late her eyes were burning dry—Linneya’s voice finally crackled through the headset.
“Hi! No.54. You asleep?”
“Linneya! You’re finally here!”
“I just got back,” Linneya groaned. “I’m exhausted.”
No.54 let out a breath she’d been holding for hours. “Whew… as long as you’re okay.”
“Heehee. Thanks. I thought you’d already fallen asleep.”
“How could I? Did you find anything?”
“No.” Linneya’s tone dipped. “This place is huge. We left in the morning and it took us until noon just to reach the edge of the caverns.”
“We finally found an entrance, but we walked a long way and still didn’t hit the end. No signs anyone ever lived there. The farther we went, the more scared I got. Uncle Eisen wouldn’t let me go deeper, so we came back.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah. This won’t work. Sister White said there are over a thousand caves in Edean. Even if we searched until we were twenty-eight, we might not finish.”
“Right. Don’t go tomorrow.”
“Mhm.” Linneya’s voice brightened. “Oh! No.54—today, on the way back, I thought of a way to help you escape.”
“What way?” No.54 sat straight up.
“Didn’t you say the doors on your level can be opened with a keycard, not just by the Administrators?”
“Yes, but those keycards are with the discipline teachers, the floor chiefs, the doctors…”
“We’ll steal one.”
“That’s… impossible.”
“Not for me.” Linneya giggled. “And we’ve Pinecone.”
No.54 blinked. “Even if it works, then what? This is Level 245. The card only works here.”
“Then you can open your balcony door at night. Duh!”
“But I can’t climb.”
“You won’t need to. I’ll have Pinecone deliver climbing gear. You put it on and you’ll be able to climb down easily. If you’re brave enough, you could even jump.”
“Just make sure it’s a night without six-legged guards.”
No.54’s heart started pounding. “And after that?”
“I’ll lure away the giant gatekeeper on Level 1,” Linneya said. “You run straight into the city under the tower. There’s nobody there—nobody goes there—but there are tons of houses. Pick one and hide. I’ll bring you food every day.”
“And then, when Sister White drives a maglev car down to pick me up, we’ll sneak you out.”
“Would Sister White… really take me?”
“Sister White is super strong, but her heart is soft. And she doesn’t like the people in Edean.” Linneya sounded absolutely certain. “By then you’ll already be out. We’ll beg her together. She’ll say yes.”
No.54 laughed shakily. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Heehee! Just think about where they keep the card.”
“I… I saw one in Doctor M’s desk drawer today!” No.54 blurted. “And I’ve to go there tomorrow for my medicine.”
“Perfect!” Linneya said. “I’ll send Pinecone up right now. Tomorrow you bring it with you.”
“Okay.”
No.54 clenched her fists in the dark and nodded. She accepted Linneya’s jailbreak plan.
That night, even without the pill, she slept deeply.
***
The next morning, the bell rang.
No.54 paced in front of the mirror until she was sure her skirt hem could fully hide Pinecone. Only then did she walk out.
She passed washing inspection, ate breakfast, and forced herself to look calm as she entered the medical room.
Doctor M smiled. “Your color looks much better today. Sounds like you slept well.”
“Yes. Thank you for your medicine, Doctor M,” No.54 said with her head lowered.
She edged closer to the desk. Pinecone slipped from under her skirt and disappeared beneath the table.
Doctor M placed another pill on the desk. “And I’ve good news. I filed a request to move you into a new room. Tomorrow you’ll transfer to C-Zone 07, and you’ll have a new roommate.”
“What?” No.54’s face went white.
C-Zone was on the inner side of the corridor. Bigger rooms—but no balconies.
Which meant: the escape plan was dead.
“What’s wrong?” Doctor M frowned.
“Can I… not move?” No.54 forced the words out.
“No.” Doctor M’s face hardened. “Why?”
“N-nothing. I’m just… used to my room.”
“Weren’t you the one who said you kept having nightmares in there? I thought you’d be happy.”
No.54 knew the more she said, the worse it would get. She bowed her head. “Yes. Thank you, Doctor M.”
“Hm. You can go.”
No.54 didn’t move.
Doctor M narrowed her eyes. “Do you need something else?”
Only then did No.54 feel Pinecone return against her leg. She bowed quickly. “No. Thank you, Doctor M.”
She turned to leave.
“Wait.”
No.54’s heart lurched.
Doctor M’s gaze dropped. “Why are you still wearing a skirt?”
“I… thought we weren’t running today,” No.54 whispered.
“Did I say that?” Doctor M’s expression turned cold. “Normal training volume resumes today.”
“Yes, Doctor M.”
***
Back in her room, Pinecone immediately darted out and held up a keycard like a trophy.
No.54 managed a weak smile and took it.
She wanted to warn Linneya, but they’d never talked during the day. She tried the headset anyway.
No response.
She only had five minutes to change clothes.
So she grabbed paper and pen and wrote:
Card acquired. Situation changed. We have to move tonight.
She folded the note carefully and handed it to Pinecone.
“Get it to Linneya. Fast.”
Pinecone chirped and vanished through the small window opening. No.54 finally breathed again.
***
The whole afternoon passed in a haze. It was movie day, but her mind stayed stuck on the climb and the hammering in her chest.
That evening, as soon as she was back in her room, she threw on a light workout outfit, tied up her hair, and cinched her cuffs and pant legs the way she’d seen climbers do in old films.
Then she sat on the edge of her bed and waited for the headset to connect.
Minutes crawled by.
No Linneya.
“It’s still early,” No.54 told herself. “Maybe she’s not back yet.”
Two hours passed. Nothing.
Did she go cave exploring again?
Two more hours—this was the time they’d talked yesterday. Still nothing.
No.54 couldn’t sit still. Every so often she lifted the headset and whispered into it.
Only static answered. Shhh… shhh…
Two hours after that, Linneya still hadn’t come.
“What happened to you…?”
No.54 slid down against her bed. Tears spilled, and her hands began to tremble.
Then the connect button lit up.
She wiped her face in a panic, snatched the headset, and blurted, “Linneya—!”
“Hi! No.54!” said a voice she didn’t recognize.
No.54 went rigid, like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her.
“Y-you… aren’t Linneya…?”
“Correct,” the stranger said, unhurried. “I’m not her. But I can still get you out. And I can do it better than she ever could.”