Time-Bomb

[Doctor Disharmony]

White.


It was such a simple color…….so why must it hurt? Why must it shine with a blinding brightness, a reflective entity of colorless vulgarity? This was a truly terrible thing. They claimed it to be a symbol of equality and balance. But anybody with half a brain would be able to decipher the fact that it actually promoted restrictions and physical containers within our own society. Some people saw it as a happy, energetic placement. She simply saw it as death. Because what would death, a future death at that, be were it not broken and vague? It wouldn’t be death, that’s what. Selena viewed others ignorance to this subject to be a shame. It actually saddened her. How could they turn such a blind eye to something that was peering directly at them? This made no sense……yet somehow, someway, it functioned. The entire body had been poisoned, and now the only way to really survive was to cut off the head. Though as of now, all the girl could do was squint her light hazel eyes to the excessive whiteness all around her. She was crammed into the left stalls with hundreds, most likely thousands, of people, all waiting behind the rows of silver panels. Being so close to this many others made her extremely uncomfortable. In fact, Selena was crawling inside her skin. Nobody would guess that the seemingly fearless and confident female standing so proudly with her shoulders rolled back and her vision set straight ahead did really want nothing more than to be able to scream and crawl up the enormous marble walls away from this prison of bodies. But she couldn’t do that, and she knew it would never be an option, as it never had been. She must go through with the plan and maintain her strong stance throughout this entire ordeal, no matter how much her heart broke at seeing these settlements be put into place.


Selena folded her arms, her fitted white jumpsuit appearing to adjust to this new position. Her hair fell down to her shoulders, a caramel shade of brown that seemed to reflect the glowing lights. She couldn’t help but scowl, shifting her boots to try and move away from the group beside her. This came to no use, as next to her was yet another swarm of human beings. The girl’s temper was quickly rising. It took all of her self-control to not burst out in a furious rage. They had been all counted, judged, set up, and placed within a period of 20 minutes. Incredible, right? Incredible that the Harvesters would be able to get all these people to get into a near picturesque formation in that short period of time. It was the collars, those damnable things leading and pushing and pulling. Out of everything, there were few aspects about this world that Selena hated more than the wretched device clamped onto her neck. Just thinking about it made her itch.


No matter, no matter. This moment, this current moment, what was really causing such a twist in her gut was the fact that she was supposed to meet her match in about 25 seconds. You could literally taste the anticipation in the air as it dripped off every giggling and squealing bundle of joy in the halls.


So damn ignorant.


She couldn’t stand this. Having to participate in the…….in the Love Harvest…….it changed everything. All the plans, all the timetables just thrown out the window because she was supposed to be “partnered up”. Even if this supposed mate of hers happened to be a fellow Rebel, there was no way she could possibly trust him in a coordinating zone for the plans. And with her luck, Selena was sure she’d get stuck with a rich Loyalist snob with a personality as shallow as his pockets are deep. She vented a tiny sigh. Just thinking about it made her exhausted. And as if to make matters worse, a loud beep shot through her ears. It was every single collar activating at once. All the commoner’s on the Lower Class side (along with her) opened their eyes in avid excitement as their pieces flashed a bright red. If Selena understood correctly, the same would be happening to those on the Upper Class side (save the fact that their blue color would be glowing ever-so-vibrantly). The hushed whispers of anxiety traveled through the crowd as the metallic doorways unlocked and slowly began to spread apart. She had to squint again. This time the lightning was even brighter, to a point where it nearly hurt. But nobody else cared. They were all so focused on moving forward they just closed their optics and began moving in the scheduled march they had trained for. Selena looked at all the guards lining the great room they now entered, their helmets black and reflective, revealing no emotion. It was incredibly unnerving.


So she just cleared her throat and kept moving, her feet moving in sync with the others. They all stopped, only yards away from the opposing crowd of the Upper Class section. They all seemed to stare at each other as one might gaze at a new species, with curiosity and such. Some of those Loyalists, many in fact, merely turned up their noses with a huff while they looked down upon the eager commoners. It disgusted her.


But even with all of this, they would persist.


“The Love Harvest may now commence. Follow protocol 14.5 as you proceed in an orderly fashion according to your regulated trackers. Let the order provide you unity.”


The robotic feminine voice left as soon as it had arrived. Let the order provide you unity. Those very same words were the symbol of the United Nations. Yet another thing that brought a sickening taste to her mouth. The collars then beeped again, flaring colors of blue and red glaring into her eyes as the people were released from their current formation. She herself felt the expected electricity to shoot through her entire body, centralizing at the band-like machine. Selena grit her teeth, having no choice but to begin moving in the designated path. This was it. Like all the others who were now being pulled into their future, she was grasped by the icy claws of cruel possibility. The Lower Class mixed with the Upper Class, people swarming one another as the piercing sounds grew only louder and louder. Her felt as though they belonged to somebody else, even though she was controlling them.


Let the order provide you unity.

 

[Sen Pai]

Anxiety.


Is that what you usually feel when you're about to meet the person who you'll spend the rest of your life with? Gloria Clauzel didn't know if she was excited or completely scared out of her mind. Brushing through her long blonde hair, Gloria quickly arranged it to look nice and frame her face perfectly. Hoping that she looked okay, Gloria bent down a bit, trying to blend in with the crowd of women, which was quite the challenge considering she was a tall 6'2. Finally giving up, Gloria stood up tall and glanced down at the tight white suit. Gloria tried to pull the suit to loosen it up, but, like a rubber band, it snapped back into place. Embarrassed at how much it showed of her curves, Gloria covered her body with her arms, doing her best to look modest.


"Remember what papa said," Gloria took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Wiping her sweaty palms on the white suit, Gloria recited what her father told her in her mind. "Stand tall and proud, for you are a Clauzel." Gloria didn't see what was so good about being an Upper Class citizen anyway. As a child, Gloria was told that Lower Class people were vermin, and rebels. But, when her father took her down to Rune City, she didn't see much of a difference. They all looked practically the same as the Upper Class people. Gloria had watched a man rob a rich Upper Class lady in horror, only to see that he had given it to a little girl begging on the streets.


That was when Gloria knew that the world wasn't like how her father had described it. It wasn't just black and white. The world was filled with colours, you just needed to look at it past the physical appearance.


After that little trip to the Rune City, Gloria's father never took her from the Clauzel property, and if she did, Gloria was always heavily guarded, being protected from the world. Even the simplest of scratches made everyone panic. Gloria giggled as she recalled one of her guards fainting when she came back with a bloody nose.


Gloria's deep violet eyes dashed around the area as her feet began to move in sync with the other Upper Class women. Almost bumping into the woman in front of her, Gloria froze in place when she saw the Lower Class women. "They don't look that different from us." Gloria thought to herself as a robotic voice rang through the room.


"The Love Harvest may now commence. Follow protocol 14.5 as you proceed in an orderly fashion according to your regulated trackers. Let the order provide you unity.”


Gloria gulped, hoping that her partner would like her, as she and the other women walked down the designated path. As the two classes began to mix with each other, Gloria looked around nervously, unsure on what to do except follow the beeping noise on her bright blue collar.


Gloria just hoped that her match didn't despise her.


But, let's just be positive, shall we?

 

[I C A R U S]

“One by one we bite the dust, we kick the bucket and begin to rust. Give up the torch when the number's up. We all fall down.”


Once upon a time, they told him that this world wasn't what it once was. Once upon damn time there were these things called choices, freedom, nondiscrimination, and peace. His mother used to tell him about these stories, where people used to wear all sorts of clothing, own all sorts of things, go to faraway places, speak what’s on their mind, and go on journeys to figure out what they would really like to do for the rest of their lives. She told him that these things used to happen, and that maybe, she’ll live just long enough to see it happen someday. A fairy tale from storybook, that’s what she had always wanted, but in the end, she died without seeing it; in a rundown cabin that they call “home.”


“Ashes to ashes, bones to paste, you'll wither away in your resting place. Eternity in a wooden case, we all fall down.”


He would've been glad if she had passed away due to sickness or old age, like what the causes of death in Rune City had usually been, but for her, that wasn't the case. His mother, a sweet and caring woman, had died in anguish and despair. Miria Vaughn wasn't supposed to be still out on the streets at 10:30, as the curfew stated, but still, she wandered outside hoping to find the white scarf that Desmund, his father, had lost after heading home from the coal mines. Miria never liked her husband, he was boastful and arrogant, cruel and reckless, but Miria tried to love him nonetheless. He knew his mother would be alright, besides, she’ll just get reprimanded and possibly sent to jail. His mother is strong despite her age, and he knew she could take it. And so, it was to his surprise, when an officer told him that his mother was dead. A stray bullet, rebels fighting, caught in the uproar. He never understood, nor tried to listen to the words uttered before him. He knew it was his father’s fault for pressing her to find his stupid scarf, and he knew it was his fault too for not telling his mum to stay inside and he’ll look for it on his own.


“We all fall down.”


That was the reason that he didn't hesitate to shoot his father when he was found with the rebels. He himself gunned Desmund down, riddling him with bullet holes to his head. He didn't regret the moment he pulled the trigger, but he admitted that he had made a mistake in looking at his father for the last time. For when he looked at Desmund’s bloody face, he sees a reflection of himself, and the “killer” he had become.


---


Josef didn't know how long he had been staring into space when he finished “cleaning up” the streets. His comrades were already stuffing their suits into their respective lockers in preparation for the “big day.” He didn't know what triggered the flashback, maybe it was because of the young woman with golden hair that he had to put down. She looked a lot like Miria.


“Hey Josef! Aren't you excited? We’ll be getting our biggest loot today! Dang. I wish I get a hot babe.” Marcus, the head of their team jokingly pulled Josef aside and began ruffling the young man’s hair. Mak, as he called, was a big brawny guy with several scars on his face, due to numerous “wipe outs” that he had lead, and successfully won.


“Psh. Don’t be stupid. Anata wa baka o sai. You know Josef Mak. He’s got as much emotion as a dead fish,” Keichi Miruyama, a member of the team replied, which earned a couple of muffled laughter from the others.


Pulling away from the group, Josef stuffed his suit, and began to dress in his regular clothing for the Love Harvest. He wanted to not go to the stupid event, but the collar from around his neck reminded him to not mess with the system. With a heavy sigh, he walked out of the HQ, and into the streets.


---


“The Love Harvest may now commence. Follow protocol 14.5 as you proceed in an orderly fashion according to your regulated trackers. Let the order provide you unity.”


The whole ordeal of getting there and preparing was a blurry haze to him. He wasn't paying any attention up to now, even when the speaker announced the start of the Harvest. Only when his collar, and that of the others, started blinking in a flash of red, did he swim back towards reality. A wave of electricity coursed through his body, making him flinch for a second. It sent him, no- ordered him, to go towards something. Someone. This is it, his entire future picked for him by the damned government. Oh won’t be his mother so proud.


“Hey my little Angel, I want to see you in your own future, okay?”

 

[Vibora]

Isaak’s eyes searched the faces around him curiously. Sure, traveling and associating with companies around the world showed him a wide variety of people, but then again, that wide variety was only in rich company leaders. He’d never seen some of the types of people. Some races and types of people were all own their own, and the secluded nature gave them not only more extreme features, but made them naturally unassociated with him. The heads of companies tended to look all the same.


Money was a loop, really. Poor rarely created rich, and rich rarely created poor. He wasn’t really thinking what most of the people in the room were bound to be thinking. They were all anxious about the reason of being there- the harvest- while he was eyeing the people around him curiously, mind not really doing much but taking in input. When they neared him, the girls would eye the often towering man up and down, while he would happily bow his head in a friendly greeting, not really even noticing disappointed faces from more poor, shy girls, and relieved faces from rich and stuck up ones.


Sure, Isaak was only incredibly well known in small amounts. If you had heard his name, then you knew everything about him, and if you hadn’t, no one had spoken about him around you. He could tell when people know who he was. They would approach him, forgetting about their reason for coming, and quickly tell him their name and a bit about themselves, and usually, their companies. He did stick out like a sore thumb. Most of the tall people were rich, and did not wear his calm yet curious face, that seemed to draw attention and people. He was unique, being one of the only people with the bar code tattoo and the number tattoo. The tattoos were hard to miss, even if they were mostly hidden. They had been inked on him in several layers, so dark and so perfectly done that the contrast was like black on white. He had gotten several curious looks, but had only gotten asked about them a few times. Most people were too anxious and fast moving to stop and talk, but that was how most people were anyways.


“The Love Harvest may now commence. Follow protocol 14.5 as you proceed in an orderly fashion according to your regulated trackers. Let the order provide you unity.”





If he were the jumpy sort, he probably would have jumped three feet into the air at the loud, booming announcement. He only flinched a bit at the appearance of the announcement he had forgotten to be expecting. It took him a bit to remember what he was actually there for, and he then allowed the crowds of people to push him about as the beeping went back and forth, quickening and slowing over and over. Eventually, he had found his way to a clearing, and noticed that as he approached the edge of the dome, the beeping intensified. Soon, at had quickened so much that it was merely a high pitched blur, which, combined with a magnetic pull, told him he stood before the one he had been paired with.


He looked at her, laughing a small bit. She looked so angry! It was as if she was ready to lash out at any point, and was just so bitter. She reminded him of a furious little Chihuahua, and he couldn’t help but bare a grin.


“Seems like you aren’t in your personal plate,”

 

[Brieternal]

Girls from all different shapes, sizes, height, weight, colors, faces, and anything else Elizabeth could think of bounced, fidget, squealed, colorfully spoke, and pushed her in many different directions. She didn't like the crowd, enjoying her nice little space back at home or at least organized military she worked with before coming here. This just agitated her personal bubble that kept her calm, especially this type of situation, which caused her to fidget and shirt both uncomfortably and frequently. Shifting in the elastic white suit, pulling her ebony locks endlessly, and her hands tugging at the metal around her neck, Elizabeth waited patiently as the time ticked closer and closer until this thing around her neck led her to her inevitable future. The mere thought cause a dry lump in her throat, her heart nearly exploding.


Merely seconds before, Elizabeth swallowed the lump and closed her bright grey irises as she focused on the night before. "So what are you hoping in your pair?" Her mother asked her excitedly prepared for bed. "I don't know... I hope he's kind but charming, funny but serious when need to be, and I hope the most he's like me..." Elizabeth told, looking into her mother twisted face, giving her a questioned filled one back. "Elizabeth, darling, it's great to hope but there's a good chance that you won't be paired with Prince Charming." Her calm face soon turned into a soft scowl towards her mother's words. Elizabeth wasn't trying to hope for the men in her books, she just hoped that she didn't have to go through the rest of her life hating the one person that she was inevitably bound to till death do us part. She wanted to dread that day, not pray that it will come any soon.


Elizabeth jumped when the loud beeping noises started to ring through the holding area before the wave of the girl's movement pushed her forward in a synced march. She stopped when everyone stopped like soldiers and looked around her surroundings before seeing the Upper Class ladies from the other side. Aside from their Posh attitudes, they really didn't look any different from her crowd.


“The Love Harvest may now commence. Follow protocol 14.5 as you proceed in an orderly fashion according to your regulated trackers. Let the order provide you unity.”


Once again, the beeping noises and the pulse of electricity caused Elizabeth to jump once more. She didn't do well under pressured, nervous situations ever since she was born. It only made her head spin as she walked the way the collar wanted her to. Her grey eyes scanned the area of many unfamiliar faces as her collar beep almost inaudibly compared to others. Please let me like you. She repeated to herself over and over again, nearly begging to someone to let her wish come true.

 

[Doctor Disharmony]

Gah, so many of them! So much beeping, so much brightness, so much confusion! This was a perfect example of organized chaos: Formal, purposeful, loose. She lightly stepped around line upon line of newcomers as they rushed towards the incessant chirps of their collars. It was ludicrous, how the rest of her life was supposed to be determined by where the magnetic pull decided to send her. All Selina could do was follow the forceful guidance. It was not the time nor the place for struggle, a fact she unfortunately new about all to well.


In seconds, the girl found herself simply standing still, fighting against the tug of her neck-brace. Whoever this guy was, he can find her. She refused to waste any more energy walking in this invisible route.


But then the people kept moving on by. She even saw some already embracing others, completely enveloped within their own hormonal passion. Selina brushed a strand of hair from her face. In her eyes, they moved within a speed so fast it was like slow motion, just passing by in a blur.


Yet the motions seemed to stop by the entrance of one man in particular as he finally stepped into her view.


And then the beep droned out in an intense whine of notification.


Her heart stopped.


Her body tensed.


He was tall, confident, pose. His hair was pulled back in an elegant fashion, nearly just as elegant as the very stance in which he held himself (though he somehow managed to maintain a casual glamor). With eyes almost as bright as her own, she found herself staring (really glaring) directly into his pupils. Great, he was in the Upper Class. She didn't have time to say anything, as he found his words before she did.


“Seems like you aren’t in your personal plate.”


His accent was as distinguishably as they come. It couldn't be more obvious that he hailed from Russia. To top that, he appeared to be in his late teens to early twenties.


Selina's eyes momentarily flickered to his wrist.


Even through the suit, the black bar-codes were obvious.


So he was rich, Russian, fairly young, sporting "complimentary" tattoos, and caused all the fellow woman passing by to take nervous glances in his direction (some men as well).


How incredibly familiar. She had made sure to familiarize herself with most important attendees who would be participating in this year's Harvest. His name was escaping her, curse her damn brain, but she was positive she knew who he was.


"You could say that twice, chuckles. And what, you are?" She raised an eyebrow inquisitively, her expression moving from one of discomfort to one of blatant curiosity and clear-cut sarcasm. Why on Earth was he grinning? And laughing? What was so humorous? Her pupils traced his face, locking onto him with an unwavering case of "I probably won't end up liking you very much."


This was the male she was supposed to be with? That fact was incapable of sinking in, especially at this point. The light hum of her collar continued to buzz, but it had softened now.


Today was going to be even more exhausting then she had previously anticipated.

 

[Sen Pai]

"There's so many people..." Gloria stared in awe at everyone. People were rushing around and finding their matches, some were very happy and started making out right away, which caused Gloria to blush and look away. Others...weren't as pleased with their pairings.


Remembering that she herself had a partner to find, Gloria began to walk around, following her heart the beeping blue collar around her neck. Gloria grew excited as the beeping of her collar grew louder. And louder. Louder! Only to find out that it was someone else's collar humming. Gloria watched in disappointment as the newly formed couple held hands and walked away to register themselves.


"What if I don't even have a partner..?" Gloria thought miserably. "What if everyone was just put off by my large size?" Walking around, Gloria was so deeply in thought that she didn't notice her own collar grow louder. "No wonder I'm so undesirable..." Gloria looked down at her feet, which were walking in a soft rhythm. The young woman stared at all the other couples around her. Gloria Clauzel was one of the few people that still haven't found their partners.


Gloria sighed in defeat. "It's official. I'm forever alone." Gloria was suddenly pushed out of the way of another couple.


"Oops! Sorry! I didn't see you there!" the girl turned around and looked up at Gloria, obviously shocked at how tall she was.


As they left to register themselves, Gloria caught the guy saying, "How could you not? She's a giant." Gloria felt tears form in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from letting out a little whimper.


"I'm a giant..." Gloria sulked by herself, surrounded by happy, and not so happy, couples. Picking herself up, Gloria knocked over a smaller blonde man. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Gloria turned around and crouched down to the man's level, although, she was still a few inches taller. Concern filled Gloria violet eyes as she held out a hand to the man on the ground. If only Gloria noticed the loud beeping noise from her own collar and the guy's red as she reached out for him.


Touching hands, Gloria finally snapped back into reality as a satisfying hum came from her blue collar. "Oh!" Gloria hid a big smile with her long hair. "Looks like I'm not a loner after all!" Gloria beamed at the man and quickly helped him up.


"Hello," Gloria giggled happily. "My name is Gloria Clauzel." Gloria stuck out a hand for the man to shake, only to notice that he was more than a full head shorter than her. Blushing furiously, Gloria bent down to the man's level. "Sorry about that," Gloria hid her face with her silky blonde hair once again. "Let me try again, I'm Gloria, you are?" Gloria smiled kindly at the smaller man.

 

[I C A R U S]

Cries, laughter, silence, humming, static.


Josef was beginning to lose interest to wherever his collar is taking him. He'd been weaving in and out of the crowd for what seemed like an eternity, brushing past couples of all ages, either too caught up in their hormones, or too disgusted with their "perfect" partner. At this point, he was wondering who his mates had been paired up with. Marcus probably has a beautiful, tall girl to match his height, with slender curves, a tanned skin, and huge breasts, just like what he wanted. But what a laugh would it be if he got the complete opposite. Wait, scratch that. Not only will Marcus suffer, but their team too. He'll be going about it for years, telling them how unfair it is that someone like him is paired with a "thing" from the planet of the apes.


Josef shook his head and began to focus at the task at hand when he almost bumped to a couple deep in each other's throats. Man, this is disgusting. Where is this damned collar going to take him to anyway? Maybe it's just fooling around with him, or maybe his partner suddenly died from an unknown disease or something. If that's the case he wouldn't mind. No, he wouldn't mind at all. He continued walking, hoping to end this Harvest and get it over with, when he was suddenly knocked over by someone. Grunting in mild pain from hitting the floor, Josef looked up to see a young woman with, no- young? She's a freaking amazon! How tall is she anyway? Not only that, but somehow, she kind of looks like Miria.


Grateful that the rich princess, as noted from her collar's beeping blue hue, has acquired some manners in her early life, he accepted her hand and was surprised from the slight hum emanating from his collar. Are you fu***ng kidding me?!


"Hello," she giggled happily. "My name is Gloria Clauzel."


Josef continued staring at the woman before him, with an emotionless face. This is a joke right? She offered her hand only to retreat it since he was apparently shorter than her. Man, this is pissing me off. If anyone of the crew find out about this, I'll never hear the end of it. Well, it was nice meeting you guys, I hope you choke on bullets that I accidentally fire on you. He knew he shouldn't be so worked up about something like this, but this "woman" somehow found a way to get into his nerves.


Bending down, the woman offered her hand again. "Sorry about that," she replied while hiding behind her hair. "Let me try again, I'm Gloria, you are?


"Not your partner," Josef quickly replied in a deadpan voice while ignoring her outstretched hand. "I'm pretty sure there's a mix up somewhere, unless you're volunteering to be my mom."

 

[Sen Pai]

What. In. The. God. Given. World. Was. That.


Gloria stared blankly at the man before her. "Pardon me?" A little frown formed on Gloria's lips. "Did he hit his head? I hope not. I'd rather not have hurt my partner." Gloria stood up properly and glanced around the room. "Is this man really my partner?" Gloria was answered with everyone else pairing up, there were no other men left in the area. "Maybe another girl took my partner." Gloria frowned as she tugged at the collar a little for her to breath, only for a small shock to go through her body.


Letting out a pained gasp, Gloria stepped away from the man and let go of the collar, which was probably cursed because of what it just did. "This is a really annoying thing." Gloria moved her shoulders around, trying to loosen up the collar.


After finally deciding to just ignore it, Gloria turned back to the man, feeling a little sad that he didn't like her. "I knew it." Gloria sighed, hiding behind her hair once again. "I'm cursed to be forever alone." Gloria glanced down at the man, wondering if she should try to shake his hand again. He did ignore her previously outstretch hand.


"I'm sorry if I'm not what you wanted." Gloria mumbled quietly, looking down at herself and feeling very ashamed. "You must've wanted a beautiful smaller girl, huh?" Gloria looked away, blinking her tears away. "Sorry for being a disappointment." Gloria averted her eyes somewhere else, hiding her face behind her hair once again.


"Maybe there was an error in the database." Gloria gave the guy a sad smile, trying to be little sunshine of hope. "I guess no Prince Charming for me.." Gloria shivered in envy as she watched most of the couples walk out of the area to register themselves.


"Oh, my god, Gloria! What're you doing?" Gloria scolded herself. "You're going to be a disappointment to your family if you come back and say, 'He doesn't like me'!" Gloria frowned as she pictured her father's reaction if she would come back and say such a thing. "I'm already a disappointment." Gloria thought to herself sadly. Even if she was sheltered from the outside world, Gloria could easily tell that her father would've liked a daughter that wasn't almost a whole foot taller than him. Gloria knew that her father would've wanted a small, petite heir, not a humongous freak.


Gloria didn't know what to do. She knew her partner wouldn't like her, but still, the young woman didn't know what to do in such a situation. Gloria had hoped her life long partner would instantly like her, but who was she kidding. Life doesn't work like that.

 

[I C A R U S]

"Hey look, I think that girl is crying!"


"Wha- Really?"


"Must be rejected 'cause she's freaking tall."


"Don't be that way! But yeah, she is enormous."


"Haha, he looks like a kid next to her."


Shut up. Josef glared at the remaining couples left that seems to whisper about them. Why don't people just mind their own business? Why did he even go here anyway? He knew this whole thing just screams trouble. He was lucky enough not to get spotted by Marcus and the crew. Josef rubbed the back of his neck and looked up to Gloria. What the hell is she babbling on about now? He wasn't really paying attention, but he heard bits about an error in the database, apologies for what had happened, and about another beautiful, petite girl he must've wanted. What in the world was that about? But he got to admit, Gloria had the very same hair and tall stature his mother had.


"Hey, shut up and don't even think about crying here," he ordered in the same monotone voice he used earlier. He doesn't even know why she's on the verge of crying. She's definitely trying to hide her face in shame. Damn. What the hell has gotten into this woman? She's already made him look bad in five minutes, and now she's trying to break record time by crying her eyes out.


Josef ruffled his hair in disgust. Now he had options, but they're not pretty. Option A: He could run away from the event. Sure he'll be sent to jail, or possibly be gunned down, but this whole living together thing is the same as death right? Option B: He could just pull on his collar until it kills him, but that simply takes the fun out of things. He would experience a lame death; man died trying to remove collar. Or Option C: He could... He could just...


No. No, no,no, no, no. Don't even think about it. You're not doing what I think you're gonna do.


Before she could say another word, Josef grabbed Gloria's hand and pulled her towards the registration booth.


Oh man, you're knee deep in troubles already. Well, you asked for it. Conscience out.


"It's Josef. Josef Vaughn. And don't even think about calling me by my first name."

 

[Sen Pai]

Gloria's self esteem was lowered at every word the people around them had said.


"Hey look, I think that girl is crying!"


"Wha- Really?"


"Must be rejected 'cause she's freaking tall."


"Don't be that way! But yeah, she is enormous."


"Haha, he looks like a kid next to her."


Gloria was on the verge of breaking down crying right in the middle of the Love Harvest. "Why did I have to come here?" Gloria wiped away a few stray tears from her eyes. "It was obvious that I was going to get rejected anyway." Gloria looked down at the ground shamefully. "God, I'm a freak." Gloria belittled herself, tearing down at her confidence when she first entered the Love Harvest.


Pushing her negative thoughts away, Gloria frowned when she heard the last comment. The tall woman was used to being taunted for being so tall, but this man was just being bullied because of her. Gloria had already caused enough trouble for the man, and really didn't want to give him any more. Sending a few sharp glares at the gossiping couples, they easily shut up and went back to minding their own business.


Gloria glanced down at the smaller man as he told her to shut up and stop crying. "Sorry." Gloria wiped her tears away and gave the man a tiny polite smile. He seemed to be deciding on something, and not wanting to get him angry, Gloria stood next to the man and waited patiently for him to speak.


The man grabbed Gloria's hand and dragged her to the registration booth, which had a much shorter line up than before, and stated in a monotone voice. "It's Josef. Josef Vaughn. And don't even think about calling me by my first name."


With a tiny smile, Gloria's eyes shimmered with a little bit of hope. "Alright, Josey." Gloria giggled quietly as she found the loophole in what Josef had said. Brushing her hair out of her face to finally reveal her deep violet eyes, Gloria smiled at Josef thinking, "How sweet."

 

[Drifter]

The male known as Victor looks around at the sterile environment, an ocean of white walls, and uniforms. So this was utopia? he thought to himself


The way everyone was lined up it struck him a lot like the district penitentiary system.


”Ah yes the tasteless, colorless, symbolism of pseudo equality.” muttering in a slow exhalation, under a throaty murmur.


Moving with the line, Victor proceeds at a leisurely pace.


The male’s biggest phobia was not with the Harvest itself, it is in fact the horde of masses standing much too close together for his taste.


Victor never allowed others to surround him, agoraphobia is as much a survival mechanism as it was a developed trait. To Victor this felt too much like being rounded up in herd of cattle.


He quickly assesses the surroundings and potential of being assassinated, followed by a mental proximity of those around him, and their rate of pace.


Everyone gets nervous, but the criminally inclined have a better perspective of risk then the population at large.


With the sudden jolt of a live wire, a resonating hum sets his collar alive with a vibrant azure brilliance. At which a virtual generated voice cuts through the tumultuous roar of the crowd


“The Love Harvest may now commence. Follow protocol 14.5 as you proceed in an orderly fashion according to your regulated trackers. Let the order provide you unity.”


It was in Victor’s mind a trivial matter of pretending to get married; a matter which he deemed of perspective and perspective is everything.


Day-21


Every Event of the preceding twenty-one days reeled like high speed cinematic clips through Victor's mind. At day twenty-one before the harvest ceremonies where to commence in Capital city; Victor's world came crashing down around him.


The first of Victor’s spiraling luck began in the confines of an underground bunker, less than two kilometers beneath the Neo-Fusion tea house and pub. Victor and his accompanying associates watched the luminescent hexal-monitors relay images of three-dimensional news. Images of Para-military and Interpol policing units exchange fire with guerrilla rebel units in the Hydra-Epsilon-5 district, just outside of Rune city. Victor's eyes flash with vexed concern as the concussive waves of heated ion blasts kick up cloud formations and violently scatter debris. The cause for his alarm is the particular building being raided…His building!


The Golden-Lantern is a multiplex structure boasting a four block pyramid style base that surrounds a central obelisk tower clambering skyward 45 stories high. However, unlike a pyramid formation the structure conjoins at four concave sides with three stacked sets, of four carefully engineered shelving systems, each one consisting of bio-gardens, and hanging vegetation. This megalith includes a bordering scenic walkway that breaks off into eight intricately different side sky-walkways with the option of transit via sky train. Spreading over the four stacked over hanging terraces is an intricate series of water feature that split into a network of falls used for irrigating the bio-gardens. Last of which the building itself is constructed of an eco-carbide alloy that is transparent and darkens at increased sunlight.


To the residents and many inhabitants of Rune city, the Golden-Lantern was an upscale Hotel and five star restaurant which included an inside hydroponic Koi-pond, two Olympic size swimming pools and a theater. In truth this seedy front was the site of Victor's underground arsenal shipment point, brothel and casino.


With the new laws Interpol’s use of justifiable force was backed by Codex 214, a code amended to the 14.5 “Harvest” protocol. Codex 214 is known as the “fidelity protocol” stating that the act of prostitution undermined the act of “superior selective” breeding. This deemed prostitution the same as taking criminal action in rebellion, insurgency and genetic terrorism. With the increase in Interpol raids, Victor had taken a number of substantial losses due to the rise of intercepted armaments and other illegal busts. With the success of the “Golden Lantern” Victor was about to get ready and pay back his father’s pension fund for a business loan.


Then irony struck…Everyone knew William Fortescue, a fifth generation Cambridge graduate in medicine he was one of the cellular biologist to be hand chosen as a founding member for the “Love Harvest Program”, when they say the apple does not fall far from the tree nothing could be further from the truth then with Victor. A sixth generation Cambridge graduate he used his knowledge of law and economics to set up a multi-level crime syndicate, using the business loan from his father for his activity.


Thus leading to the second equation of irony! His father promised to not allow any new loans until after his marriage through the “Love harvest program”. Being of Loyalist status, he was registered three months later (due to wanting to put it off). 
He now knew that waiting was no longer an option.

 

[Vibora]

“You could say that twice, chuckles. And what, you are”


She was friendlier than he’d expected, which was a surprise he was willing to welcome. Of course, that didn’t mean much, as he had sort of expected her to basically cuss him out. Isaak shrugged off her blatant sarcasm. He was used to meeting many people, and there were always those not happy to see him. H


er accent wasn’t new to him. Isaak could tell she was American in a heartbeat. He had to sort of ignore the programming that was trying to make him all fuzzy. Like his first crush in grade school. Isaak would admit, she was adorable, like a little girl. She couldn’t be older than he was, but he wondered how much younger she was. He shook off the thought and answered, off-putting the chemicals.


“Well, I haven’t been really making friends here.”


He stared at her curiously, taking her in. The Russian girls looked very different from her, and something that drew his curiosity was her hair. It was so much lighter than the Russians hair was. Everything about her was amber. Her hair, her eyes, her skin.


Isaak eyes went to her wrists, which were blank, unlike the Russians he knew. From there, his eyes drifted to her hands, which were worn, like his father’s used to be. He couldn’t really remember if his mother’s hands were the same. He held out his own hands, comparing them. His hands only had hints of scars and calluses from when he was younger, and he remembered how long it had taken for him to get the amount of scars, and she still had more. He felt a bit of admiration for that, and of course, he spoke upon it.


“Your hands are worn. It shows that they’ve worked and changed the world around you.”


He took a careful step back, remembering her glaring. Isaak wasn’t in the mood to be slapped. He bet he already had a permanent hand imprint on his face that he didn’t want the girl to add to.


“I’d prefer you didn’t wear your hands further on me. ”


But if she did try to attack me, He thought with a grin, I could just sling her over my shoulder.





On a more serious note, he found himself a bit shocked that this girl was who he was meant to be with. Well, better get to know her quickly. He outstretched an arm, pointing at himself.


"I'm Isaak, Isaak Azarov."


He pulled back his wrist, showing his number, 55931. It was protocal in his hometown to introduce yourself with your name and number, and usually, a way to remember that number.


"I'm 55931. 55-gel."

 

[Doctor Disharmony]

“Well, I haven’t been really making friends here.”


He kept staring at her, as though he was experiencing something completely new for the first time regarding appearance. She has encountered Russian's before, granted not many, but enough to be aware of their general affiliations, cultural differences, and physical alterations. He sported the expected look for one of his stature, and would certainly be considered handsome by many, if not most.


"The purpose of being here isn't to make friends. It's to be brainwashed." She lowered her eyebrow, her tone taking a "matter-of-fact" sequence. This man must be kidding......right? Yes, of course. Well, then again, maybe not. The Upper Class were well known for their social tendencies and plausible blindness. Unfortunately for him, that wouldn't really do him any good with her, as Selina had absolutely no intention on becoming friends. Though this moment she was really set on hearing what he had to say.


“Your hands are worn. It shows that they’ve worked and changed the world around you.”


He took a cautious step back (cautious?). At least the Russian was not entirely stupid. Yet it didn't a genius to decipher she was a worker. Indeed, Selina's hands were worn and scarred, a common attribute for the Lower Class. It was a near certain attribute for most members of the Rebellion. She subconsciously shoved them into the pockets of the jump suit, further listening to what he had to say before butting in.


“I’d prefer you didn’t wear your hands further on me. ”


The man could mean one of two things: A, some sexual reference. Or B, an assumption that she was going to hit him. Even at this early of a point in their meeting, she was actually tempted to hit him. But then she would be placed in jail for assaulting a member of the Upper Class, and that was the last thing she needed right now.


So the man continued, again, without providing her the opportunity to snap back at his last retort.


He outstretched an arm, pointing at himself.


"I'm Isaak, Isaak Azarov."


Aha! I knew he was somebody famous. Isaak Azarov is one of the most important contributors to the marketing businesses, she thought.


Though her face didn't reveal it, Selina's heart dropped. How could she have expected to be paired with him of all people? This could prove to be a very good thing..........or a very bad thing. It all depended on how this would play out.


"I'm ready to get this over with and proceed to the registry." For a moment, she found her usual quirky self peaking through, but she immediate replaced it with a collective voice tinted with annoyance. The less time spent here the better.


"And don't worry about my hands doing anything with you. I have better things to waste my time on."

 

[Vibora]

Here to be brainwashed? Isaak’s smile weakened a bit. Yes, he’d heard that before. In his line of work, he’d seen plenty of corruption. His gaze fell from her, and he momentarily silenced. The world could be cruel and terrible, but he supposed all he could do would be his best. He cringed under her sharp glower, but figured it was best to look at an angry bull in the eye and hold his ground.


“We’ve been drugged, yes? I prefer not to think about it. Ignorance is bless, no?”


Isaak paused, his eyes still avoiding her, and crossing his arms. Yes, the world was terrible, but he couldn’t let himself be brought down before the world. Once you began to fall, you didn't top until you hit the ground. He was stronger than that, stronger than the world, like his father was. He found himself saying words his father always told him.


“The world is a kinder place to the blind, but you can’t change things that you cannot see.”


Isaak did his best to look at her and return to his goofy smile, as he tried to laugh it off, feeling a bit awkward. True, he was used to rebels, and used to dislike, but she'd found an open wound. It was best to cover it now, and he quickly did such.


“Ha ha, at least that’s what they say, isn’t it? Anyways, my mention of your hands meant no offense.”


He gazed at her, taking a moment to repair his shield. He was roll with the punches now, and broadened his stance ever so slightly. At this rate, he’d made it sort of a competition to rally back with ironicamente distaccata.


“I'm ready to get this over with and proceed to the registry. And don't worry about my hands doing anything with you. I have better things to waste my time on.”


Isaak nodded, beginning to head over to where he assumed the registry was. He'd only seen a few sour notes from the girl, as well as a myriad of bitter expressions. What more could he do, but smother her with his usual warmth. His warmth would either burn her or warm her too. Kindness had a tendency to annoy those who were angered.


“Nice to hear.” He retorted, “Wouldn’t really get you anywhere, would it?”


But there is no smoke without fire. He thought, Let’s see just what this girl has in store for me. She has spunk, and that is worth a lot.

 

[I C A R U S]

Son of a gun.


"Alright, Josey."


What did he just call her? Did he hear that right? Did she just call him Josey?


I told you. I told you a couple of times, but you wouldn't listen. Now you had it. But I gotta hand it to her; isn't she clever? She found a little loophole to your order. You did tell her not to call you by your first name in the first place didn't you?


At this point, all Josef wanted to do is to knock that tiny voice in his head out into oblivion. How in the world has it come to this? One minute he was out there doing regular street sweeping, the next, he was being forced into marriage, exile, with this snotty rich woman who think she's better than him. Not only that, but she's taller too. He must've did something very wrong for the government to think that Gloria is his lifelong partner. Verdammt. Being with her for only five minutes is already choking the life force out of him. No. This is not going to happen. He needs to get out of here, he needs to get away from this woman.


Josef immediately let go of her hand and looked up at her. Now that her hair was out of her face, he finally took note of her violet eyes. What an unnatural color. He shook his head, and decided to think this through. All that he knows is that this woman is a helpless crybaby. That's all there is to it. Heck, she might even be faking it just to make him feel bad. The upper class women are notorious for that. Even so, he's not going to be fooled by it. He's a soldier, and he must take full control of the situation. But how?


No. No, no, no. You've made enough stupid decisions for today. Don't do it. It's stupid. You'll regret it.


"Hey look," he grumbled while rubbing the back of his neck, "don't call me by that nickname ever again okay?" There. He put it as mildly as he can despite his monotonous voice. "And don't even think for a moment --"


Josef immediately signed off their names at the Registry, hoping to just go outside and catch some fresh air. What was wrong with him today? Why is everything against him? Whatever. This is no big of a deal. He'll just go on with his life and forget Gloria ever existed.


"-- that I did this because I like you."

 

[Brieternal]

Elizabeth walked the invisible path that the collar took her in. As much as she tried to pay attention of how much louder her collar ringed her ears, her eyes scanned the area around her as couples started to come together. Most of the faces expressed some type of happiness, but Elizabeth could easily tell that some of them only acted happy while their poor partners looked sincere in how they felt. She could also examine a lot of other partners that looked liked they hated each other the instant that their collars gave them the wedding bells. Elizabeth swallowed another dry lump down her throat as she thought of the mere possibility of her not liking her partner. The thought made her stomach twist uneasy.


Elizabeth quickly pushed the festering thought out of her brain and started thinking rational and optimistic. What are the chances that she wouldn't like her partner? What are the chances that they would complete polar opposites from each other? For all she knew, he could have lived in her same neighborhood, came to the shop often, and even enrolled at the same time she did in the military. But, her mind intervene, the chances of that happening was close to zero. For all she knew, he could be part of the upper class, disgusted at her for being a low life compare to him and lock her in a room for the rest of her life. Elizabeth soon frowned at how extreme her nervous thoughts started to sound like.


But, could anyone blame her for wanting some sort of happy relationship? Elizabeth stopped counting how many 'couples' came into the shop nearly screaming at each other while their child, forever sadden and heartbroken, just stood there and watched as they went at it. Her parents dubbed those types of couples as the 'ones who couldn't work it out'. And, Elizabeth didn't want that at all for her future. She wanted her parent's relationship where, yes, they didn't agree on much, but they worked it out and made the best of their situation for her sake and their well being. That's all one could really hope for in the Love Harvest.


An electric shock through her body rapidly pulled Elizabeth back into reality as she failed to stop when the collar told her. Being her jittery self, she nearly stumbled on an invisible rock and found herself falling into someones arms. "Oh! My, I am so sorry!" She quickly apologized as she moved away and pushed her ebony locks from her face. Her bright grey eyes looked at the taller figure before her before realizing that her, and his, collar shrilled in her ears, indicating that this was it. He was going to be her partner for the rest of her life. She caught herself staring a bit at her before nervously laughing. "I'm sorry, how rude of me just to stare. I'm Elizabeth."

 

[Doctor Disharmony]

“We’ve been drugged, yes? I prefer not to think about it. Ignorance is bless, no?” Isaak paused, his eyes trailing away from her as he crossed his arms.


“The world is a kinder place to the blind, but you can’t change things that you cannot see.”


He returned a goofy smile, attempting an awkward laugh. The man, however, held a strained look in his eyes. Had she said something to unnerve him? Good.


"Ha ha, at least that’s what they say, isn’t it? Anyways, my mention of your hands meant no offense.”


He continued to gaze at her, stopping for a moment as to regain his composure by broadening his stance ever so slightly. It was almost like he was challenging her with those dark, intelligent eyes and strong pose.


"The world is not kinder to the blind, it only provides the illusion that it is. So that is why you must instead open your eyes......"


A tiny, knowledgeable smirk flashed onto her face, disappearing as soon as it arrived at the end of her words.


"And change what you can see."


As he began moving to the direction of the registry, which she knew to be located on the West side of the room with the elevators, Selina found herself having to move at a faster pace to keep up with his even stride.


Damn, he's tall.


Even if it were kinder, who would want to be blind? Wouldn't a person much rather have enlightenment and knowledge then be stuck in the shadows, not knowing what lies before them? Mankind is born blind, so it is up to them to first use their ears and learn how to see.


Still, she was a bit surprised by his........er......behavior. He did not appear to be as she had suspected, but then again, first impressions usually do not work that way. The "Isaak" must be holding back to gain something. Why else would he display such a unique posture in the situation?


"No, no it wouldn't. At least you can keep that in mind, tiny."


I know who he is....but who is he? I'll have to ask Digit when I get home. He may be interesting, but interesting people tend to pose a problem.


Selina noted that the room had begun to clear out. Couples had already made there way to the top floor. Only a select few, including herself and Isaak, remained. Her eyes locked onto the tall, pod-like structures held within clear cylinders that lifted up all the way past the many building floors, heading directly to the roof. They all were occupied, but she could see an empty one heading down its path as of now. Yet, she was momentarily distracted by the remaining soft, pulsing hum of her collar. Red and blue, red and blue.


Red, white, and blue.


That's what it was supposed to be, anyways.

 

[Vibora]

Isaak's eyes traced her face, not responding to her. Change what he could see? Isaak saw and heard so much, to change it all would kill him in the process. No, some things couldn't be changed by him. At this point, he had began to walk.


Isaak’s dark eyes glanced back at her, at first to see if she was following, and then to see if she had a hard time following. Seeing that she did, he slowed, ever so slightly. He was walking slow, true, but his legs were far longer than the girls. He kept the same pace, but lessened his stride, which did considerably slow him down. He heard her speak, and turned his head slightly, so that he could better hear her while he talked. He only caught the last bit of the sentence, where she called him tiny. He laughed.


“Tiny? I know you are being sarcastic, but that is true. I’m only a bit taller than some men in my hometown. Wait until you see…”


His voice trailed off. He didn’t really even know what happened once they registered. He thought it was strange, anyways. He’d never heard of low class and high class pairing up a lot. Isaak wondered if it was a mistake, or if it wasn’t a consideration to the ones in charge of pairing. Or perhaps they just had a sick sense of humor.


But what happened after this? He would imagine she’d be heading off to Saint Petersberg with him, or perhaps into the estate. But he had to stay in Russia and get his Specialists and Master’s degrees! It sort of hit him then. One of their lives would be put on hold. And due to his status, he had doubts it would be his own. He’d have to make due, but he wasn’t sure if she could.


Isaak quickly thought back to his task, noting a single empty elevator. Who knew how long it would be until another would come down? He glanced over at the girl, who he thought would probably make a mad dash into the elevator. She was too busy staring blankly at what, he didn’t know.


“Vy dolzhno byt shutite! I thought I wouldn’t be partnered up with another person with ADD.”


((He speaks Russian whenever he feels anxious about something. Which is quite rare, for him))


He quickly glanced at the closing elevator. The girl seemed like the impatient type, and while he had waited minutes for elevators before, he felt that the girl would be angry once she noticed. Isaak didn't see any real need to hurry himself, but he'd rather rush than be yelled at.


“Toropit', toropit!” Isaak hissed, mostly to pressure himself. He grabbed her firmly by the wrist, pulling her quickly into the elevator.

 

[Doctor Disharmony]

Spoiler

((Sexual Assault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!))


“Tiny? I know you are being sarcastic, but that is true. I’m only a bit taller than some men in my hometown. Wait until you see…”


His voice trailed off. There were taller people? And yes, she would have to go there by law......Dear God, I'm going to be like a midget! It was custom for the female to move in with the male either late at night the same day of their union or early the next day. She had never been to Russia before, and though she would normally love to visit such a place, going there under these circumstances would really ruin the experience.The way the Harvesters set it was that once you are registered, your collars are implanted with an identical chip to that of your partner. You are to exit the premises and proceed with the normal activities of those in union. However, it was extremely odd for Upper and Lower class members to be placed together. This only occurred if the commoner in question had some background, however distant, to another person in the Upper Class. In the times this did happen, as few as they may be, the Lower Class member might not even be aware of this connection. Selina had known that her chances of being paired with one of higher social stature was more then that of your average person, being that her father himself was in the Upper Class.


But she didn't have time to dwell on this.


“Vy dolzhno byt shutite! I thought I wouldn’t be partnered up with another person with ADD.”


Her eyes narrowed as they flickered over to Isaak. He was speaking Russian. Huh, not that that came as a surprise. She knew German, and because of the slight linguistic similarities between the languages she found her mental wheels turning to figure it out.


Wait.


Ignoring her inner translation system, she quickly snapped a response.


"ADD? What do you mean, AD--woah!"


“Toropit', toropit!”


She found herself suddenly interrupted by a large hand grasping onto her wrist. "Hey, watch it! Let go of me!" The girl growled in demand. It was then did she notice the direction he pulled her towards was in fact a closing elevator door.


Sheesh, somebodies in a rush! He's so impatient! She thought, finding that she was incapable of yanking free from his grip. Selina managed to finally do just that as soon as their boots skidded into the capsule, the metal doors sliding shut the very second they entered. Her fingers brushed against his when she pulled her hand back. The female folded her arms, lightly tapping her foot against the ground as it began to move upwards in accordance to the already-set-path.


"I would genuinely appreciate if you refrained from doing that again."

 

[Sen Pai]

"-- that I did this because I like you." Josef signed their names down and proceeded to walk out of the room for some fresh air.


Not knowing what to do, Gloria quickly hurried after the man, shortening her steps so that she could walk just a little bit behind him. Gloria hid a little smile as she brushed her hair back around her ears as she took in Josef's appearance.


Josef Vaughn was a very good looking man. With shaggy brown hair, Josef had gorgeous bright green eyes that seemed to hypnotize Gloria. "He has beautiful eyes.." Gloria thought as she stared into Josef's eyes while he wasn't looking. If it weren't for Gloria being so tall, Josef wouldn't have looked like a child since he was a good 5'6, or so Gloria estimated. He was also quite muscular, with a very fit body. Gloria blushed heavily when she realized that she was checking Josef out with her eyes. Spotting a few burn scars just emerging from the white suit, Gloria frowned and took note of it. "Maybe I'll ask him about it later.."


As the "couple" emerged from the room, the fresh air immediately hit the tall woman as she felt her mouth form a childish grin. She had never been out here, then again, Gloria had never been to the Love Harvest ever in her life!


The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Exotic flowers decorated the balcony as its vines and leaves wrapped around the rails. The flowers gave off a calming scent as Gloria slowly walked around, admiring the gardening. "The robots have done an excellent job," Gloria bent down to sniff a large pink rose. "This is like a little fairytale.." Gloria giggled at the thought of Josef in a stereotypical prince suit and riding a white horse.


Spotting the city, Gloria gasped and hurried over to the railings, leaning over it a little. "Wow..!" Gloria exclaimed at the wonderful sight. The Capitol City was already amazing enough on the inside, but here. Here it was beautiful. Gloria could spot a few flying cars hovering around the city as she recalled the many times she had rode in one of them. Gloria chuckled lightly when she remembered crashing her father's new hovercraft into a tree when she was about seven years old. The young woman's laughter increased as she clearly materialized her father's red face when he saw what had happened.


Gloria sighed at the city. She hadn't really gotten off of the Clauzel property very much, and when she did she could barely see what was outside because her father had usually blocked the windows so that no one could see in or out of the hovercraft, except for the driver, of course. Gloria couldn't recognize many of the places she could see.


"I think that's the...Capitol Bank." Gloria's eyes narrowed as she focused on a large white building over to the right of the giant glass building that said, "Government of Capitol City" Gloria recalled many times going there with her father and meeting many powerful people. Most of them kind of scared her, Gloria had to admit. It was the way they carried themselves, like they were better than everyone. But, seeing them so much, Gloria could tell that they made many mistakes, like getting their Math wrong while explaining their business' yearly profit. Everyone made mistakes, Gloria knew that one thing from her secluded little life. Everyone made terrible decisions.


Leaning back on the railing, Gloria groaned quietly in pain. Rolling her shoulders around, Gloria wished she had worn a better bra. Glaring down at her large mammary glands, Gloria placed her arms underneath her large breasts, trying to hold them up without looking like an idiot. The white suit didn't give much support either, so Gloria's back was hurting from all the weight on her very large chest.


Trying to ignore the aching feeling in her back, Gloria pondered over Josef's burn scars. "He must be in the military, then." Gloria remembered that one of her guards as a child has the same type of burn scars. Gloria frowned at the thought of fighting. "Fighting doesn't do much good." Gloria blew a strand of her long hair out of her face.


"It just causes pain and destruction." Gloria whispered out loud, her violet eyes gazing off into the distance.

 

[The Storyteller]

The man in the back of the crowd stood idly, eyes gently shut, his arms crossed behind his back. His chest rose and fell in cycles as he tuned out the loud chattering around him. His shoulder length brown hair was pulled back into a single ponytail, his handsome face was covered in stubble which gave him a somewhat weathered look. He wasn't nervous, never that, his mind didn't seem to comprehend things like that.


“The Love Harvest may now commence. Follow protocol 14.5 as you proceed in an orderly fashion according to your regulated trackers. Let the order provide you unity.”


The sound of a computerized female voice drew him from his silence as he peered ahead waiting for most of the guys to move forward choosing not to be shoved into the mass of bodies. His collar flashed and the electricity that pulsed through his body made him shiver slightly, what a strange feeling. It tugged at him then forcing him to move forward and so he followed not attempting to resist following several feet behind everyone else, his arms still crossed behind his back. He walked with a sure footed gait, even though he was just a lower class miner he walked with pride as if he were more than that, holding his head high and proud.


He passed many people who had already matched up with their 'partner' who they would be paired with for life. Daniel caught several looks from upper class girls, looks of seeming disgust, all because of the the red star on his suit. It was such a shame to see such in the eyes of people who preached unity, but who was he to judge them. So he continued on waiting for his collar to give him some kind of alert as to the presence of his 'partner'.


As he peered off to the left he felt a heavy bump on his right side which caused him to adjust his balance nearly knocking over an young man about his age. He had a blue star on his breast which meant that he was a member of the upper class. He had been speaking to another upper class girl, though he turned on him with a bit of hate in his eyes. "Watch where you're going filth, I don't see why they even allow people like you into the Love Harvest." Daniel only tossed him a light hearted smile as he leaned forward slightly bowing in the couples direction. "My apologies to the both of you." His voice was soft and calm just like his attitude and he continued on his path through the crowd leaving the couple to their own devices not wishing to cause a disturbance. The collar around his neck urging him forward beeping softly.

 

[I C A R U S]

Finally.


Josef thought he wouldn't make it, but upon stepping foot outside, and being washed by the cool, sweet air, he quickly regained his composure. Unfortunately, minutes after enjoying the morning breeze, he was overcome by a sickly, sweet smell. Flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. Clearly this is one of the famous spots couples hang out on after signing off at the registration area. He should've known it; the exit towards the balcony was just an arm's reach from the desk. And sure enough, some couples appeared just after they did, holding each other in their arms, and taking in the view. Widerlich. A whole future entirely picked for them in mere minutes, and they act around like this is what they've always wanted their whole life.


Josef began to absentmindedly scratch at a scar at the side of his neck, successfully making the dry skin open up. Why was he getting so worked up about this whole thing? What happened to his nonchalant self? Must be that awful smell. Dumm blumen. After wiping his sleeve at the small trickle of blood that came running down from his neck, Josef quickly made up his mind to return to his duties. The crew must be waiting for him, or are they too caught up in their new partners? All that's for certain is that things will change after this.


Apparently, the tall blonde woman (for he refuse to call her by her first name) had a completely different reaction to their predicament. She happily waltzed around sniffing the damned blossoms, and afterwards, did something funny to her breast.


Was zur Hölle war dass?


What in God's name is she doing? He knew he shouldn't be looking, but it was there, and it's not easy to pretend that nothing had happened. With a heavy sigh, Josef ran a hand through his brown locks. This woman is going to kill him with frustration. Finally, Gloria seems to settle down, and appeared to be lost in thought.


"It just causes pain and destruction."


"Yeah it does," he replied back while taking a step towards her, "especially when you keep on fiddling with it and showing it off." He indicated to the couple near their side wherein the skinny young woman was yelling frantically at her "prefect partner" for looking at Gloria's huge "goods." Whatever. I'm just going to go back to work. Taking a step back, Josef turned around and left the balcony, heading towards the exit and into the city. What are they doing by now? He wonders as he continued walking, seeing the HQ in sight.

 

[Sen Pai]

Too lost in her thoughts, Gloria didn't notice what her partner had said, nor did she notice him leave. Leaning onto the railing, Gloria suddenly frowned. "What if the world was different..." Gloria looked up at the blue skies. "What if we could all just be free to choose who we'd like to marry." Gloria furrowed her brows together.


"Oh, maman..." Gloria called out for her deceased mother. "Whatever shall I do..?" Gloria hung her head as her vision became blurry with tears. Not even bothering to wipe them, Gloria began crying her eyes out, her tall body shaking from the hiccups.


"What would you do in such a situation, maman..?" Gloria looked down at the city below her, watching the newly formed couples walk out of the Love Harvest hand in hand. The tears began streaming down her face as Gloria grabbed near the roots of her hair, tugging it a little. Biting her bottom lip, Gloria tried to stop her waterworks, knowing that her mother wouldn't have cried in this situation. "I'm just not strong like you, maman." Gloria shook her head, feeling very ashamed of herself.


Blood flowed into Gloria's mouth after she cut her lip from biting it too hard. Gloria saw how lovingly her papa looked at the pictures of her mother. For Gloria knew that they loved each other, even if they were set up by the government. Looking upon her own situation, Gloria wondered if she could ever have the same love her parents had with Josef. But, to Gloria, it seemed practically impossible.


The other couples began streaming out of the balcony, leaving the Love Harvest, as the sun began to set. Gloria was left alone on the railing, staring blankly at the city. Of course, by then, Gloria noticed that her partner had already ditched her.


Gloria sat down on a bench and picked a small chrysanthemum, admiring its many different petals. "I wish I was a flower," Gloria thought sadly, stroking the soft petals of the chrysanthemum. "I wish I was a flower so that I could just bloom and die." Gloria threw the flower off to the side and felt the tears well up in her eyes again.


Laying her head in her hands, Gloria watched as her tears fell to the hard ground, hitting it and dispersing into minuscule puddles. Confused at why she was crying again, Gloria blinked away her tears and leaned back into the wooden bench.


Deciding it was finally time to leave, the young woman exited the Love Harvest, with no hand to hold as she called for a hovercraft to take her back home.

 

[Vibora]

Selina looked quite angry, and he noted, in little, that she was quick to fold herself up again "I would genuinely appreciate if you refrained from doing that again."


He slid down against the capsule into a sit, slightly exhausted. He had sprinted a ways up a flight of stairs and pulling a girl behind him. Sure, it was a short jog, but the conditions made it a tiring one. One long, limber leg was outstretched, while the other was folded with his forearm resting atop of his knee.


But she hadn’t even seemed to really care about getting in early, had she? Her eyes had widened in shock! It was quite the humorous contrast to her scowl. Isaak’s panting turned into a breathy laugh, and he nodded, addressing her request. He waited a bit, to be able to speak clearly.


“I can’t say I have any plans to ever do that again in the future.”


Catching his breath, Isaak stood tall, remembering his manners. He began quickly scanning her over for any sort of wounds, and asked,


“Are you alright?” Just to be sure.


Isaak leaned back against the wall of the elevator, looking at Selina steadily and intensely. It was said that you could not judge a book by its cover, but Isaak believed you could to an extent. If you watched someone’s expressions, their body language, how they held and dressed themselves, you could tell what they wanted you to think, and sometimes, glimmers of what they didn’t. She certainly wanted to look tough, but beyond that, he couldn’t tell much more than what she wanted him to see. He assumed she had something of a difficult life. There was no need to put up a front without a hard life, especially a cold one. He knew that firsthand.


She was smart, Isaak could tell. A clever girl who knew more than she could deal with, really. She looked very fragile, at the same time, really.


She was just a girl, really, probably not ready for such a massive atmosphere change. The elevator stopped with a jerk, causing Isaak to jump and his gaze to falter to the open doors. He waited for her to exit, then followed closely behind.


At the registry booth, the young girl, who was a year or two older than Isaak. The dark haired girl had obviously expected him, but still appeared a bit surprised to see him. She seemed unsure whether to lean in closer or back away from Isaak. She could easily tell who he was, and didn’t bother asking his name, but entered it in and then turned to Isaak, waiting for him to tell her his partner’s name.


Isaak paused, thoughtfully. He didn’t forget names, so he supposed he hadn’t been told it. He took a step back, palms showing and quickly glanced at Selina.


“I’ll pass to you.”