The trek up to B-2 was uneventful, if tense. June had insisted on escorting us to Ben, who was to be our escort to the exit of the Bunker. Our ex-teacher had his feet propped up on his office desk while my father chatted him up. I was surprised to see him outside of the Greenhouse Floor, so I staggered mid step as we rounded one of the numerous stacks of supplies in the Storage Floor.

"Dad?" I asked, a bout of nervousness shooting up through me.

"Ronny! How could you not tell me the implants were going to be complete today," he said as he jumped to his feet and made his way to our little group. Without waiting for a reply, he embraced all four of us, June included.

"Dale, if you would," June said as she poked his arm.

"Oops, sorry!" he exclaimed, taking two steps back.

"No you aren't," Ben added from his spot at his desk. An open leaflet covered his face from the shining lights above. "Twenty seven years with the same group of people hasn't been enough to get you to stop hugging everyone on sight. Why would today be any different?"

"Now that is just rude. I merely have a proper grasp of where my priorities are."

"In breaking people's personal space bubble?" With a loud groan, Ben rose from his spot. Catching the leaflet as it fell, the bulky man joined us. "Good to see you kids came out alright. Especially you, Ronan, what with this hippy clinging to you like you were going to fall apart."

Dad glared in Ben's direction, eliciting a wince from the storage manager. "Never mind. Elias got me up to speed. I have some basic stuff for you three just in case, then we are going to see you off on the Engineering Floor."

June waved us off after taking a moment to check on our stitches. In the meantime, I saw my dad help Ben unload a duffle bag. We stared at the bag curiously, but Ben swatted my hand away when I tried to reach for it.

"Patience. Can you grab the vests, Dale?" With a serious expression, one that I rarely recalled seeing on his face, my dad strode out of sight. "Now, I'll be quick before your pacifist father gets back. Here in this bag are a set of handguns and magazines for each of you. I know you aren't much of a shot Samuel, but I would feel better if you kept it on you. Danny, I fully expect you to hit center mass on anything you find. Understood?"

"What do you mean? Why would we need weapons?" Samuel asked, his eyes wide as Ben opened the duffle.

"The animals above ground they... aren't the same. I know the others wanted to keep the information from you all until after the first few trips, but I don't trust chance. Mother Nature has been twisted, and the animals and plants you've come to know in your studies are probably much different," Ben said. He looked over his shoulder as my dad’s steps drew nearer. "Don't tell anyone I told you until after you return. Elias was very clear that they would manage the 'surface'."

With a tug, Ben flipped the duffle inside out. Some hidden layer of material covered the guns while revealing a few reusable water bottles and several packs of insta-meals. Even with the ominous message our old teacher had dropped on us, its impact was muffled when we laid our eyes on the dehydrated food.

"Oh, please no. There has to be something else. Anything," Danny begged.

"This is what the Bunker manifest authorized for the first twenty excursions to the surface. Those packs were meant for teams of five, so you three have a way to go before you get any better rations," Ben answered, a knowing smile dispelling some of the tension of his previous words. "You'll be through them in a flash."

"Yeah, because we'll puke them," the woman added. It certainly didn't help being the daughter of the Bunker's head cook when it came to terrible food.

"Oh, my dear Daniela. They aren't that bad. You should tell them about the early days, Benjamin. Before the Greenhouse was fully up and running!" my dad said as he rejoined us, having overheard the tail end of our conversation. When I glanced at Ben, a frown wrinkled his bald head.

"Don't remind me of that nightmare. We had these twice a day for almost a year!"

"We rarely hear anything about the early days of the Bunker. Neither do we really hear anything about the days after the discovery of the Metier Crystals. Why is there so much secrecy?" I asked. Those two topics were a constant sore spot for us three. Not even our concerted efforts on Juan, Daniela's father, had managed to crack him. The cook was about as easy going as they came, yet he clammed up at the mention of those days.

"I think once you've been to the surface, Elias ought to bring you up to speed. He hasn't led us astray yet," Ben added, giving the dufflebag a meaningful look. "But before that, Dale if you will."

"Right of course!" My dad presented each of us with tactical vests. "These are military grade bulletproof vests. We figured that they would be a good utility compromise for you all on your first trip. There should be a multitool and a survival knife on the bracings."

"Wow," I said, looking over the sleek lines of the equipment. I'd seen similar gear during our simulation training, but never the real deal. When my father handed them over, they felt surprisingly light. The multitool was standard fare in the Bunker, there was even an identical one stashed inside of my desk, but the knife was a first for all of us but Danny.

I wasn't sure how long we took staring before strapping on the equipment, but I didn't care. The fact that we had received so many things meant that the elders of the Bunker were serious about returning to the surface. I could get behind that! When we were all ready I slung the duffle over my shoulder with ease.

My father gave all three of us a hug before Ben managed to peel him off of us. Making sure we promised we'd return quickly, he left us to return to the Greenhouse.

Don't worry, dad. You'll be managing a farm topside any day now. I cast a look down the flight of stairs and we made our way through to Engineering. The main hallway cut through the floor while doors hid hundreds of different machines from sight. Ben had tried to explain some of the specifics to us during his time as our teacher, but the material had gone over our heads. After that, he'd emphasize that 'this made power', 'this circulated air', and 'this pumps our water' when referring to the different regions of the floor.

However, on this trip he took us past all the rooms and towards a dead end. Or what we'd long ago assumed to be a dead end. The earth sciences professor pressed his hand against the wall, causing a panel to open out. The silence from the three of us remained throughout the whole process of Ben working the touch screen through a series of prompts, but the hum of other voices prompted us to turn around.

Making their way to us were Danny's parents, Samuel's dad and Elias. The odd quartet walked directly to this not-dead-end. They knew this was here. All of them... why keep all of this stuff hidden? Did it have anything to do with the early days of the Bunker?

My train of thought was derailed when Mayor Elias and the others reached our group. I couldn't read my friends' expressions regarding the strange developments, but I could tell they were just as confused as me. Regardless, they both moved to embrace their parents. Juan and Ava were all smiles, while Sam's dad, Jerome, looked about ready to have a nervous breakdown. Each made their way to embrace us and wish us luck before stepping back when Elias approached.

"Children. It appears you beat us to the exit. My apologies for the delay, but I had to inform your parents. Ronan, where is your father?" Elias asked as he shook all of our hands.

"He met us early, then went back to the Greenhouse. You know him," I said, adjusting the duffle bag on my shoulder. Ben's words echoed in my mind.

"Ah, no matter then. I just wanted to check that there were no issues with the implants and to see you all off. This first door is the only electric one, the others you three will have to open manually," he gestured behind us where the wall was moving out of the way on unnaturally silent hinges for something that was more than three feet thick. The space beyond looked to have a similar dead end wall, but now that I knew about the one hidden door there was surely another.

"I have authorized you three with access. I trust that you will use discretion with this clearance. As much as we know about Metier Radiation, it pales in comparison to what we don't. I want you three to remember that this is just a test so we can adjust the Implants to the radiation levels on the surface. Two Hours, and then you return. We are all hopeful for the future. No need to compromise further trips," Elias added with a wrinkled smile.

After yet another awkward series of hugs, back pats and teary eyes we watched the concrete slab of a door slide closed behind us. I felt a sudden bout of claustrophobia, but thankfully my friends were there to distract me from our stony enclosure.

"Man, that was awkward and way too emotionally charged," Danny said.

"You can say that again," Sam agreed.

"Come on guys. I think seeing the sun for the first time ought to shake us out of the funk our parents put us in," I said, walking towards the panel we could see to the right.

"Don't need to say that again!" Danny said as she rushed towards the panel ahead of us. "I call dibs on this one! Mr. Barnes said we had two more which works perfectly!"

"I'll take the next one then," Sam added. The blond patted me on the shoulder. "You should take the topside one, Ronan."

"You sure?" I asked, suddenly hesitant as the prospect of finally seeing Earth brought a lump to my throat.

"Oh, for sure. You've been waiting the longest out of all of us."

"Man, I'm only a few months older than you!" I quipped back, poking my friend in the ribs. He flinched, as I knew he would, and followed after Danny with a chuckle.

Taking a moment to really appreciate how lucky I was to have such great friends, I joined them at the console. Thankfully, while Sam and I had been distracted, Daniela had bothered to look over the instructions for opening the doorway. She had us stand midway down the wall where a panel prompted authorization. After a soft click, the slab separated itself inward from the larger wall with a pop. Just visible were two handholds. I set down the duffle bag as Sam and I strained to pull open the concrete block. Thankfully, as the thing started to pivot, the slight momentum helped finish the turn.

Sam and I panted as we stepped away from the two foot thick rounded doorway, while Danny simply strode through. As she stepped through, having expected our complaints, she called over her shoulder. "I read the instructions. Don't you dare say I didn't contribute!"

I grumbled my way through the doorway after passing Sam the duffle bag. Thankfully, shutting the doorway was much easier and I realized the door was set at a slight angle so that it was easier to close than open. Curious... Shaking my questions about the door's design off, we repeated the same process for the second and then finally third door.

I'd half expected rays of sunlight to creep through the opening as I stepped through the third doorway, but it just revealed an extremely dusty lobby area. Two counters flanked the doorway and on the other end was a simple metal door. Fluorescent light from the concrete tomb shone over my shoulder. Its white sheen reflecting off the few spots in the lobby that weren't covered in dust. However, soft light filtered through the gaps on the door before me. Without waiting for my friends, I rushed between the two counters and tried the door.

With a loud squeak, the world turned unimaginably bright. And colorful. And full of life.

A golden orb shone down from a real sky above us and a natural breeze caressed my face as it passed. The smells I'd come to know from the Greenhouse Floor, but mixed with hundreds more, reached me and I felt tears stream down my face.

I heard gasps from behind me and I knew my friends had made it to the surface with me. Out from the bowels of Earth and onto the surface. After a few seconds of simply staring at the sun and the gentle clouds that drifted across the sky I knew that I couldn't go back to the Bunker. I loved the people there, but I'd never felt the rush of adrenaline I did those first few minutes on the surface. Just being on the surface pumped energy through me. I wanted to jump around and run around and explore.

Explore!

The word brought the rest of the world into focus. Outside of the sky, there was the earth. Dozens of strange green, orange, yellow and purple flowers and grass covered the ground around us. A few feet from us was what I recognized from our simulation training as a game trail that led further into a forest. A forest! Full of real trees, not the single apple tree on the Greenhouse floor.

I half turned to call out to my friends when I saw them frozen in place. A mix of fear, awe and confusion scrunching their faces. When I panned to the side I saw the source of their reaction. A dog-sized squirrel was glaring in their direction. Propped on a tree that had grown over where the Bunker was built, the creature sniffed the air and spun to look at me. When it's eyes landed on me, however, I finally realized it wasn’t just an oversized squirrel. Ridges of grey fur cut geometric patterns along its body, while a faint fog enveloped it.

Immediately, I remembered Ben's warning and reached for the zipper on my bag. The squirrel didn't like that at all. With a piercing whistle it leapt off the tree and flew. Thankfully it didn't head straight for my friends, instead opting to take a flapless glide up above our heads.

"Danny, here!" I shouted as I chucked one of the pistols at my friend. She was still shell-shocked, but Sam managed to catch the weapon in hand. "If it comes closer, shoot it!"

Fumbling with the bag, I pulled out the other two handguns and spun in slow arcs while making my way to my friends. I cast a longing look at the door into the lobby space. Crap, we were so caught up we were wandering! The path down to the bunker was easily two hundred feet behind us. From the single leap I'd seen of the squirrel it would be able to cover that distance in a moment.

"Sam, get Danny the gun. I don't think I'll be able to hit this thing. Doubt it's going to be friendly," I said, passing him my second gun. I looked around, having lost sight of the creature.

"It's circling above us like a vulture. Danny, Danny!" Sam snapped at our friend, finally getting her out of her head.

"Wha... What is that thing?" she said, grabbing the handgun with practiced ease. She took a moment to adjust to the weight of a real gun, but immediately brought it up by her face. "Check your safeties," she added as she flicked her own.

"Damn it, that would have been bad," I said as I flicked the tiny lever that would have kept the gun useless. I blinked as a red line of text highlighted itself in my vision.

BPM (147)

"It's coming!' Sam exclaimed as he spotted the creature dive bombing us. I blinked the notification away with a thought before training my gun on the squirrel.

"Hold it, dive out of the way when it gets closer. When it banks, we’ll have a better shot!" Daniela called as the three of us stood back to back. I held my breath as the grey form of the creature grew in size. "Now!"

I tucked myself into a half roll and turned on my knee back to where the creature was directed. Making sure that neither of my friends were in the line of fire, I let out two shots. The weapon jerked in my hand, and a moment later the creature wailed as one of my shots clipped it. The second after, it dropped to the ground thanks to a headshot from Danny. Damn she's a good shot.

The still fast moving creature tumbled like a rock. Thanks to that initial surprise we were more than a bit hesitant to continue exploring, instead we paused to regroup and watched the trees and sky intently.

"You think the gunshots scared anymore of those things away?" Sam asked. "It was so fast."

"I don't know. But I know it wasn't the friendly nut hoarders that used to live on the surface," I said, finishing yet another sweep of our surroundings. It was eerily silent except for the rustling of leaves and the grass around us. "We should go check it out. How are you doing, Danny?"

"Eleven shots left." I heard the click as she slotted her mag back in the gun. Pausing to check the duffle bag, I counted three spare mags and decided that it was as good a time as any to spread them around. Making sure to keep eyes on all the surrounding trees as we moved forward, we reached the body of the strange squirrel.

A small pool of deep red blood spread across the ground and bits of skull peppered the ground around the dead creature. I heard Sam gag behind me, and Danny immediately reassured him. Taking a step closer, I nudged the creature with my boot.

The instant that my foot made contact with the creature it started to crystallize. A rippling wave of sparkly stone covered the creature in less than ten seconds. I was speechless as I stared at the sudden change. When the change completed, there was a squirrel-shaped statue of what I could only identify as smoky quartz, it shattered like a dropped lightbulb. The fragments floated up slowly into the air before zipping straight towards Danny. Just as I was about to warn Danny to look out for the strange fragments, the cloud split off. A significantly smaller spray of the smoky quartz slammed right into my chest.

I braced for the hit, but the moment they reached me they passed right through my vest as if it wasn't there. The impact didn't feel physical. However, any further thoughts vanished as all of my muscles snapped me stiff. The motion was so sudden and extreme that I cracked every joint with the force of the spasm and dropped to the ground, a fragile pile of Ronan. I couldn't help but feel like the very crumbled squirrel I'd nudged.

Then the pain hit me.

I'd only ever broken my arm once during a stupid fall when I was younger. The agony that the fragments had caused me was similar but multiplied about a hundred fold everywhere. Immediately the world fell out of focus. A strangled cry left my throat as I tried to call for my friends only to see a small pillar of fire rising into the air. I didn't have the presence of mind to process that development, especially when bold red outlines appeared in my vision. Even through the blur that was the rest of the world, I was able to read the lines.

Vitals:

BPM (ERROR)

Oxygen Sat (ERROR)

Lactic Acid (ERROR)

Metier Radiation: ERROR

Then the world faded into blissful darkness.