Amber had nightmares about being taken into custody by Peacekeepers. Sure, there had been people who claimed to have escaped their prisons or work camps, but they ranged from untrustworthy liars to drunks or junkies who would then say anything to get attention. All there was to go off of was speculation: they threatened to take people to labor camps, they seemed to enforce any arbitrary law made up on the spot, and they had no love for the people who lived outside of Aurum. It didn’t take a wild imagination to think of what they might do if you wound up their prisoner.

Sadly, Amber would need to face this reality alone. Her and Dane were separated the moment they were brought into the compound. He was taken into one of the dozens of spartan buildings lined up along a paved road, while Amber was brought into another one across the street. It was in that windowless room a female soldier gave Amber a pat down, as she was held against the cold wall. She had everything on her person taken, her knife tossed into a plastic bin before the soldier pulled out her pistol. She held it out for the others to see, the group of them having a laugh at the makeshift weapon.

“Shit, you outlanders really are as resourceful as they say. Still, this thing’s a cap gun compared to the hardware we pack.”

“You guys hiring? Maybe I can afford one of your spares.” Amber said, long past caring about the outcome of her sarcasm.

“As a matter of fact, we are. But you don’t get paid in scrap metal.”

“It’s reclaimed metal.” Amber corrected, earning her a slap across the back of the head from the soldier.

“Whatever.”

The soldier was thorough in her search, even taking away her boots and digging into her pocket to pull out a folded envelope.

“Wait!” Amber said, looking back at the searcher.

“That… that’s personal. Can you just pretend you never saw it?” Amber asked the silent group of soldiers. They all seemed to be looking to one in the back, likely the one in charge. He took the envelope, holding it up to the fluorescent lighting for a brief moment before handing it back.

“Fine. I’ll let it slide.” He said.

Amber let out a sigh of relief as she felt the envelope slip back into her pocket. A Peacekeeper with a heart…

Barefoot, her arms still cuffed behind her back, Amber was led from this empty room into another. Down a long corridor of artificial lighting that stung the eyes, she was eventually taken into one of the several numbered doors. Inside was a sink, an uncomfortable looking bench, and a small scale on the floor. It reminded her of an exam room back at Dr. Long’s clinic.

“What are you–“ The door closed behind Amber before she could finish, left alone in this small room. All she could do was sit on the bench, and wait. Once the shock had worn off, thoughts of Dane suddenly rushed into her mind.

“God damn it.” She hissed, hanging her head low as she stomped her foot.

Dane wanted out. He wanted to go home. And I dragged him in here. Amber thought to herself. Her eyes watered as she grit her teeth, the fact that Dane was still alive was the only thing that kept her from having a total breakdown. If anything happened to him…

The door opened soon after Amber had sat down, and a young man wearing scrubs and holding a tablet stepped into the room. He waved and smiled awkwardly.

“Hello ma’am, I’m Jason. I’m just here to get some information. I’ll have you out of here quick. Can I get your full name?”

Amber looked up at him with a tired gaze, one that almost caused him to flinch before he exhaled sharply, and stepped out of the room behind him to pull in a small cart of equipment.

“Amber Helton. Hey, that guy I was with, Dane, is he ok?” She asked, as the young man looked at Amber and tapped away at his device.

“Afraid you’re the only person they brought in, but they probably took him to another block. Don’t worry, you’ll see him before they send you out. Say, you wouldn’t happen to know your blood type, would you?” He asked.

“I have no idea…” Amber groaned.

“Oh, that’s fine, I’m just gonna take a little sample in a second. Can you press your hand right here?” Jason held out the tablet, a dim screen with a blinking light on the side. She cautiously reached out her hand and pressed it against the glass for a moment as it scanned her.

“Great. Now step onto the scale?” Amber grunted as she rose to her feet, and shuffled over to the scale. Jason looked at the number that showed on the display, and logged the information.

“One-twenty-three, looks like five foot six?” Jason said, tapping away at that pad of his.

“Is this going to take any longer?” Amber snapped, only realizing how aggressive she sounded when Jason stepped back a foot.

“Sorry, sorry, almost done.” He stammered. “Just face me?”

Amber turned around, giving Jason a deadpan look as he used the tablet to take her photo, and rested it back on the cart.

“Great. Now, you aren’t afraid of needles, are you?” Jason said, as he held out a contraption that Amber could only describe as a “blood sucker”. A glass vial connected to a small tube tipped with a needle. She winced, shooting a glare at Jason as he tried to raise his hands, as if calming her.

“I only need a little bit, promise.”

“As long as you aren’t putting anything inside of me.” Amber groaned.

“Oh! The opposite! I’m taking some out.” Jason twinged, as if regretting his words as Amber let out a sigh and sat back down on the bench to let the attendant do his work. She let him swab a cotton ball on her forearm, before slipping the needle inside. Amber hissed as she felt it pierce the skin.

“So, what’s it like out there? You know, the outskirts?” Jason asked, trying to break the tension.

“What, you from Aurum?” She asked through gritted teeth. Before Jason responded, he had pulled the needle from her arm and tossed it into a bin, while setting the vial of her blood down on the cart.

“Yeah, medical student doing the rounds out here. They don’t let me off the base, but I’ve always wanted to see it.”

Amber chuckled, realizing for the first time that people in Aurum might actually want to see the outside of their city. At first, Amber was thinking of telling him about the lack of fresh water or the dangers you faced outside of a town, but she quickly found herself thinking of the things she liked.

“It’s… pretty nice. You can always go get some fresh air if things get too crowded, and the people in your community are always there for you. Even the bad ones look out for their own.” She said, thinking back on the days when she ran with a less than friendly crowd. “What’s it like behind those giant walls?”

Jason scoffed, and rolled his eyes. “Well if you’re claustrophobic, it’s pretty much the worst place to live.” He said, just before the door opened, and two more soldiers stepped in. Jason backed up and let them grab Amber by either arm and lead her out of the room.

“Hey, good luck out there!” He said as she left the room. Just as she rounded the corner, Jason made sure everything on his cart was accounted for as he left the room. He looked down at the vial of blood, and hoped that it would be the only blood Amber loses. She seemed like such a nice girl.

The holding cell was nearly the size of a closet, just large enough for a bit of walking room between the cot and the toilet, with another one of those humming and flickering lights overhead, and a metal door that was slammed behind her. Thankfully, the Peacekeepers had been kind enough to remove her handcuffs before shoving her inside.

“Knock when you’re changed.” The woman shouted from the other side. Before Amber asked what she was talking about, she looked down at the cot in her cell. Folded neatly on the sheets was a plain white tank top, a pair of dark cargo pants, a pair of boots, and a small silver tag at the end of a chain necklace. Curious, she read what was engraved on the tag.

Amber Helton

CT - 1178

Iron

N/A

It was some kind of ID tag, she assumed. But what iron meant, she had no idea. Nor could she even fathom as to guess what the N/A was referring to. Regardless, she stripped her old clothing, making sure to take out the folded letter from her pocket, and changed into the new outfit. She slipped the letter into one of her many pockets, and laced up the boots. Finally, she slipped the tags around her neck and knocked on the door. It opened, and the two soldiers who had brought her here waved her out.

“Not going to cuff me?” She asked.

“Is that a request?” The man asked. Amber bit her tongue, and followed the two soldiers down the hall. One in front of her, one behind, she was led up and down stairs, past countless unmarked doors, office spaces, and bland grey corridors. All the while those damn lights flickered and hummed above. Amber thought for a moment that they were going around in circles to confuse her. Either that, or the base she saw on the surface was just a small part of some underground facility. She wasn’t sure which to believe, either seemed likely.

After what seemed like ages of marching, the soldiers stopped at one of the many unmarked doors, and opened it for Amber to enter. Inside was some kind of conference room, and sitting at a table large enough for eight was Dane. He wore the same outfit that Amber had been given, and looked up at her with a smile that seemed almost like it was out of pity. The two soldiers shut the door behind Amber, leaving her alone with her partner.

“Dane, I am so sorry!” Amber said, the moment the door closed and she slid into a seat at the table. Dane just held his hand up, looking off to the side. Was he angry? Ashamed?

“Don’t. Probably pushed my own luck getting close to the base, right?” He asked, scoffing.

“But you didn’t even want to be here! It isn’t fair, they can’t just make you take the trial!” Amber snapped.

“Actually, if I’m being honest…” Dane said, finally looking back up at Amber. “I still wanted to come. I just had a talk with Mama Es after we had our chat. Who’d have thought that a 65 year old woman under five feet tall could be so scary?” He said. “She, uh, talked me out of it.”

“Well, still, I’m sorry I got you dragged into this too.” Amber said.

“Hey, you can apologize by buying the first round after we win. Hear me?”

“Loud and clear.”

After a brief moment, Dane spoke up again; “Oh, hey, what did they put on your dog tag?”

Amber looked at it again, reading it out to Dane. “Iron, N/A, then some kind of ID number and my name. You?”

“Same thing. What do you think it means?”

Amber shrugged in reply, turning around at the sound of the metal door opening, and seeing two new faces enter the room, both of them wearing the same uniform that Dane and Amber had been given. Were they contestants as well? One of them was an older man, with a short head of gray hair and a beard of the same color that covered his aged face. Behind him, was someone who looked like he had seen better days. His skin was caked in a layer of dirt that looked like it couldn’t be scrubbed off, and Amber wondered if he had shaved his head bald, or if it had all fallen out at some point. His sunken eyes and twitchy posture made her think it was the latter.

Amber desperately hoped that if the trails were some kind of competition, that these two would be on the other team.

Three soldiers entered, and shut the door as the other two men took their seats on the other side of the table. The one soldier whose uniform bore just a bit more flair stepped to the front of the room, as the lights dimmed and a screen against the wall lit to life.

“Gentlemen, ma’am,” he said “I hope that you are all well. My name is Sergeant Myers.” He said, pausing as if he wanted them to take that in. “ Now, some of you have been waiting longer than others, so let’s cut straight to business. It’s time for you to learn what you will be facing during your Gilding Trial.”