escape

Serenity is a fully enclosed society that is closely monitored by its government. Around Serenity is a large wall that is impossible to climb, break, or get in and out of without special permission. No one goes in or out of Serenity without the approval of the government and all activity regarding the wall is recorded and closely looked at. To Sidera nothing was out of the ordinary growing up in Serenity. She was raised by her two fathers alongside her brother and sister. They attended school like all of the other children and were always law abiding citizens. Her fathers each worked standard government assigned jobs alongside the parents of her school friends and pretty much any adult she knew growing up. Most of the population worked in fields that the government issued to them. They had very little choice in what job they were assigned but if they were to retaliate against their job actions would be taken by the government to put them into their place, and no one wants to interact with the government unless absolutely necessary. The government, or Ed, controls most aspects of everyone's day to day life. They don't monitor what you eat or what you think, they do, however, make most of the major decisions in someone's lifetime. Your spouse, job, appearance, amount of offspring, and many more are controlled by Ed. While very few try to not much is known about those that speak out against Ed and try to break free. Rumors have it that Ed will erase their memory and bring them back under a different name and others speculate that Ed will slowly start to destroy their lives until they have nothing left and remove them from society. It is also believed that those working within Ed don't know much about their job. They just do what they are told and if they are found attempting to learn more or spread secrets about their job they will be severely punished.

To Avitus on the other hand, all he ever knew was life within the government. Both of his parents were assigned jobs for the government so their life was kept under close surveillance. When they were able to have children, they too were to be kept within the government and to be raised to later work for Ed. Avitus was a single child but was constantly around other government children. Of the few that existed he was friends with a majority of them, and already knew which he was planned to marry once they were old enough. His life has been planned out since before he was born and Avitus was living a life he was told to, not one that was his own. Anything Avitus was taught in school was to prepare him to take over for his father once he was retired. His job would be dealing with those who defied Ed, meaning he would have a high level of security clearance. While he didn't know it, Avitus was being taught how to dispose of rebels. Of course he was told that anyone who does oppose Ed is wrong and should be severely punished for questioning their leadership, but he didn't know why it was so wrong. Avitus never question things and did what was expected of him in school and when it was time for him to start his job he did the exact same thing. He made all decisions based off of what Ed thought was appropriate and never considered what the person in question might have done and any motives behind it. Avitus just knew he had to take care of the issue and that if they were going against Ed there must be something wrong with them mentally. He worked primary with those that had committed large crimes, not just questioning Ed but actively going against Ed. Avitus was a drone for the government, and because he did such a good job and never second guessed what he was doing, they had decided to use him in the propaganda that Ed regularly put out in Serenity. His face was being plastered all over, on walls, billboards, and in commercials, he was what others were expected to meet when they rebelled, which is where Sid got to know who he was.

Once Sid was finished with the various schooling assigned to her, she was given her job. She was to work alongside her brother Wesley and do various technology upgrades within Serenity. They were tasked with upgrading computers, fixing firewalls, and various simple tasks that their smart minds could complete. They were called by either branches of Ed that were having issues themselves or companies hoping to get some assistance from them. Sid and Wes also worked with others also assigned to the same job where they all worked under the only tech company in Serenity. Everything was routine for a while. Sid would do the daily tasks required, go out to different locations and get what needed to get done everyday. The business of her job would occasionally fluctuate but for the most part she was always busy and would come home at the end of the day to her assigned husband. They weren't married yet but planning for her to take time off at some point to eventually get it done and start producing the children the government required from them before they got into trouble. Sid wouldn't ever want to be confronted by the man on the posters for disobeying Ed. She had no feelings for this man but it was her duty to be married to him and have children with him to produce the next generation in Serenity.

Sid had woken up one day and just felt off. She got ready for her day, made breakfast for her and her fiance and start if off like normal. There was just something in her stomach that seemed to not sit right. Looking back on it later she feels like it was a gut feeling but at the time she just thought she ate something wrong or was finally pregnant. She just shrugged it off and went to work. Sid did a few simple tasks and was about to go on her lunch break when a call came in. There had been an issue with part of Ed's servers and they needed some help getting it back up. Sid and Wesley were very puzzled as they knew Ed had its own special team for dealing with its technical issues but this must have been one of the rare days where they were all busy with other issues and back up was needed to be called in. This didn't normally happen but it wasn't unheard of for Ed to get outside help every once in a while. Neither of them really wanting to deal with it, Sid and Wes decided to flip a coin. If it were to land on heads Sid would be going and tails meant Wes would be going. The coin was tossed, spun a few times and eventually landed where it was revealed that it was heads. Sid just groaned and mentioned something about how she's always the one to do the bad tasks, grabbed her basic tools and lunch to eat on the ride there, and headed out.

Avitus was a couple years into his job when he started to pick up on things Ed was doing. He'd be working one day with someone on a propaganda photo shoot and they might have said something or questioned why certain things were being done in the shoot and the next day Avitus would arrive to someone that looked similar to who he was working with the previous day but with a different nose or slightly lightened hair. He normally looked past most of it as maybe they had gone to lighten their hair after work or he never really payed attention to their nose before hand. It wasn't until he would pick up in these small changes often. It wasn't just at his job anymore, he'd see something while picking up groceries that would catch his attention and it would either be gone the next time or ever so slightly changed. Avitus started to take notes of the things that were changing. One small thing here, another thing there, they were all added to his notebook. It wasn't hard to notice there there much be something behind all of these changes and the only reasonable explanation was the government. Avitus' perfect job was looking less and less perfect everyday. What could possibly require the government to go in and change aspects of others lives or remove parts entirely. Sure if a product was being imported from somewhere that wasn't an ally it could warrant a change but the appearances of those around Avitus had no reason to be altered. Either those around him were doing it voluntarily (maybe with some persuasion from Ed) or they were replacements, meant to look the same but weren't doing something Ed didn't like. This is when Avitus started to get worried someone might find his notebook. If the fact that he knew things were being changed got out he would end up like those around him, maybe worse considering how much Ed seemed to like him. Fearing for his life Avitus decided that burning the notebook was the only option so he tossed it into his fireplace one night and continued his life as if nothing ever happened.

As Avitus stilled worked for Ed there wasn't a whole lot he could do without being banished. If he were to speak out about anything, even if it was in secrecy there was a very high chance he would be caught and his life would be over. He continued to make propaganda posters and maybe toned down his enthusiasm a little bit but tried to act as if nothing had changed. He was still very curious as to how much power the government really had and when he was on his breaks or doing different tasks he would try to find any information he could but it rarely lead to anything. He kept his skepticism but tried to not let it get in the way of his work and life. Arriving at work one morning he noticed that there was a large section of employees frantically running around the facility trying to fix things. Avitus thought not much of it, considering there might have just been an error or they had a lot of corrections to make in society that day, and went to where he needed to be. That day he was to be taking photos in one of the various server rooms as it was meant to promote internet safety. During his lunch break he accidentally spilled some of his drink on one of the machines which caused an issue with some of the government's security. Avitus was afraid he would be punished for his mistake but his supervisors looked passed it and quickly called for someone to replace it. As they were working at full capacity that morning it wasn't surprising when Sidera showed up with her tools to come fix the problem.

The minute Sid arrived at the government facility she was surrounded by workers. She wasn't to look at anything she wasn't meant to see and she was to do what they needed her to do and leave immediately after. She was escorted to the server room where Avitus and his co-workers were slowly moving set objects out of her way so she could work. Since they were in the room those that escorted her there stood outside waiting for her to do the job so they could take her back to her vehicle. Sid got to work on the machine and asked what could possibly have happened to damage it like this. Avitus shyly replied with the fact that he spilled his drink during lunch and that they were taking photos for a propaganda campaign. Sid then remembered seeing his face plastered everywhere and quickly straightened herself. She was afraid that if she made one wrong move he would be the one to banish her and her life would be over. Avitus noticed her change and assured her, saying while he seems tough in the posters he's got a soft heart and would love to meet up with her on a weekend or after work sometime. He knows that its hard to make friends and thought she seemed cool. Sid finished up the job, exchanged information with Avitus and was on her way back to Wes. She couldn't help but feel that she was meant to meet Avitus and that there was something about him that drew her in. If they were able to choose their own partners she would have easily allowed herself to develop a crush on him. He just seemed like someone she'd love to be around and was looking forward to seeing him again, especially without the eyes of Ed closely on her.

One week after they had first met, Avitus suggested they get some coffee and get to know each other. He couldn't get her out of his head and knew he had to see her again. Since he hadn't been assigned his spouse yet he was hopeful they could maybe go a little further than a friendship while he was still single. Sid of course agreed to meet him and before long they were sitting outside at a table sipping some coffee across from each other. They were in a more secluded part of Serenity so Avitus would hopefully be recognized less often. Sid had mentioned that she was glad they were on the outskirts as she was afraid her fiance would be unhappy that she was sitting with another man. Avitus seemed a little sad at this comment but questioned why he would be angry at Sid for meeting him. Sid then explained that he wasn't very controlling he just liked to please the government and wouldn't want to do something that angered them. He thinks that if his fiance is seeing someone else it could harm his reputation and while Sid didn't love him she respected that and said she would do her best to avoid anyone they knew that might rat her out. She then continued to say that while she didn't enjoy her current situation and wasn't looking forward to having a family with him she could have ended up with someone abusive. All Sid really wanted was to end up in a loving relationship but she had no control over what happened and understood that and accepted her fate. She even joked saying that if she had a choice something about him drew her in and she wouldn't be opposed to trying something out between them, but alas she was already tied to her fiance. They spent the rest of the afternoon learning about each other and slowly becoming good friends. Finishing up their coffee Sid decided she should probably head back home as the longer they were together the higher the chance of them being seen was. She did agree to meet him again and said if he ever needed tech help again that she'd be more than happy to help. They went their separate ways unsure of the next time they'd see each other again but looking forward to it, whenever it may be.

Over the next few weeks Avitus would regularly try to set up a time to meet with Sid again and every time something happened to get in the way. At first it was her getting called into work right before they were supposed to meet, but it wasn't unusual for her to get called in on her days off. Avitus thought maybe she was trying to avoid him but when Sid had refused to cover someone he was the one who then got called in. It would alternate between him being called in and her being called in until they both started saying no. They desperately wanted to see each other again and felt that the worse thing that could happen would be that someone else needed to cover and they both might need to take on a few more hours. To both Sid and Avitus it would be worth it, their friendship was steadily growing and when they have only few friends to begin with making a new connection like this was rare and cherished. When other things were starting to pull them from meeting up they started to get a little suspicious. Sid hadn't talked to her parents in ages but an hour before she was to have coffee with Avitus they called her asking if she would be able to help them fix their washing machine during the specific hours she was planning to be with Avitus. Not only did Sid find the timing odd, but she knew they were more than capable of fixing it themselves and wondered where she would fit into the equation. When she had offered to help a little after Avitus was asked by a friend of his to help with their garden. He knew for a fact that they had never gardened in their life and there wasn't any reason for them to start doing it now. Nothing was making sense for them and it was as if they were being purposefully contacted to prevent them from meeting again. Avitus swung by Sid's work one morning quietly picking a time and place to meet up before he had to head to work, hoping that nothing would get in their way this time.

When Avitus walked down the alleyway towards the coffee shop he felt so relieved to see Sid's face. For once nothing had stopped them and they could finally really catch up. They started just talking about how their jobs were going and the small things that had happened since they had first met. Sid briefly mentioned her wedding date was approaching but she didn't seem to want to talk more about it and turned the conversation towards Avitus. There wasn't a whole lot happening in his life so he decided they should figure out why it was so hard for them to see each other again. They both thought it was odd everything seemed against it but the second talk in person about plans to meet up nothing happens. Sid thought everything was a coincidence. There wasn't a way someone was setting these up even if they seemed very suspicious. The government had promised everyone privacy and even if they were seeing their messages she had no logical reason as to why they would be disrupting any chance her and Avitus had to see each other again. Avitus on the other hand thought that the government was the only one that could possibly be causing all of this but also didn't see any reason for them to do it. Its not like making friends was something totally frowned upon, even if they were keeping it discrete. Avitus then remembered his notebook. He knew that the government hadn't found it but the reasoning behind some of the actions he noticed and took note of could be the same reasons the government were trying to keep him and Sid apart. It still didn't make a whole lot of sense but it was somewhere to start. He very quietly mentioned he might have some information as to why they would be being intercepted but he would be too afraid to talk about it in public. Avitus thought it might be a good idea if they met at one of their houses and Sid said he should come over to hers afriad she would get in trouble for being at his. He agreed and planned a time for them to meet later in the week, hoping nothing would pop up so they could get to the bottom of this. He got up to leave, quickly placed a kiss on her cheek, said he'd see her later, and walked away, leaving Sid at the coffee shop flustered.

Going back to her normal life after that meeting was hard for Sidera. She was worried about the information Avitus might tell her and was especially afraid of getting in trouble with Ed. If someone had the slightest susspision that her or Avitus were questioning Ed both of them might not live to see another day. She tried her absolute best to remain calm, counting down the days, hours, minutes remaining until their next meeting at her house. Sid was also worried about her fiance. She didn’t ask for his permission but hoped that he would be alright with it if he was to be home as well. She thought she could play it off as Avitus just being in the area and stopping by to see a friend. The worst thing that could happen was him saying he wasn’t welcome and they just stepped outside to chat, and if he were to keep her inside then she’d find some way to talk to Avitus. She wanted to know what he had to say and was going to find a way to hear it. Sid was honestly just a total nervous wreck. Dealing with the goverment wasn’t easy, especially when it might deal with conspericies about it or was going against it. No matter how cautious someone was, there was always a risk Ed would find out, and that was a risk Sidera was really scared of taking. Avitus on the other hand was not as worried as Sid. Sure he had some concerns but since he had been able to get away with the notebook, what’s one conversation with a friend in her house going to do. He trusted Sid with his life and if he wanted to continue seeing her again, they were going to have to do something. There was no way there was no interfeerence going on and he cared deeply about staying in contact with her. If he didn’t know any better he’d say he was starting to fall in love with her. Avitus knew he had to keep himself in check and prevent himself from liking her more than a friend but he couldn’t help how wonderful she was. He was more worried about being in her house and meeting her fiance than he was talking about consperacies about Ed.

The day of the meeting, Sid was so on edge that she lost track of time and was caught off gaurd when her doorbell rang. She was so distracted that it was her fiance that opened the door for Avitus and he was a little more than surprised. Avitus introduced himself and said he was a friend and that he must be Sid’s fiance. Her fiance then introduced himself and called over Sid saying that someone was here for her. Sid ran towards the front door, welcoming Avitus in with a hug and bringing him in towards her living room. Her fiance rolled his eyes at the two of them and went back to what he was doing leaving them alone, which gave Sid some relief. It wouldn’t be an issue for them to talk freely with her fiance not hovering near her. She was glad to know she trusted her with Avitus, at least in their home. Sid normally would have offered him some coffee or a snack but she just wanted to get right to talking. Avitus could sense how jittery Sid was so he sat down on the couch, pulled her into his lap, and cuddled with her, hoping she’d calm down. He said that they didn’t need to talk about Ed that evening if she was getting so worked up about it and that they could just continue on in their relationship, putting aside how hard it is for them to get together. Sid just wanted to stay in his arms for hours, but knew that if she wanted to keep seeing him, they’d have to do something about it. She wiggled her way next to him on the couch and said that it would need to be discussed at some point because it was only going to get harder and harder for them to stay friends. Avitus kissed her forhead and dove right into it. He stared by bringing up his old notebook, explaining to her the things he would constatly see and take note of, but he also told her that he burned it in fear that he may get reported to Ed. He thought that if they were to look into Ed again they might want to consider something like that but they’d need to be extra cautious. Sid didn’t like the idea very much because it would be easy evidense for someone to turn them in and she wanted to be as safe about this as she possibly could. SIdera would normally dive head first into things but with the unknown of what happens when you are taken care of by Ed, she wasn’t about to find out herself. She said that if they were going to get the bottom of this, that no matter what was going to happen they needed to stick by each other. She needed to have total faith in Avitus and make sure that he had total faith in her. One wrong move and the two of them could be in serious danger with their lives at risk and they needed to have each others back. Avitus agreed with Sid but added that there also needed to be total honesty between them and that starting now they were to tell each other everything, even if they thought it had nothing to do with Ed. Nothing was to be held back. He then held Sidera and continue to say that starting with their total honesty policy he had to be honest with himself and that he felt he was falling in love with her. He knew that it was wrong to allow yourself to develop feelings for someone other than your designated spouse, but he really couldn’t help himself when he was with her. Something about her just felt so right and he didn’t care what needed to be done, he had to be with her. Sidera was a little taken back, not expecting him to proclaim his love for her right her on her couch, just an earshot away from her fiance but she happily accepted it. She too felt that she was meant to be with him and that she was activly falling in love with him no matter how hard she tried. This was something neither of them were expecting to happen tonight, but it gave them something to fight for. If they were to start tackling Ed and understand everything they could they needed something to motivate them, and that was the possibility that one day they could be waking up in each other’s arms with a family of their own, not one picked out for them but one created out of actual love. Avitus gave Sid another peck on her forhead and said that he should probably get going as it was getting late. He stood up and Sid pulled him back down to give him a propper kiss before walking him to the door. She hugged him once more, saying that they were to come up with a game plan soon and let him go on his way.