The sectors appeared a long time ago. Everyone in each sector looks a like. No one remembers if the sectors were created based on appearances or if that came after as a side affect. The only thing we know that seventy-five percent of the Earth was scorched beyond recovery in World War Five and the sectors were the final solution to saving the mankind. The remaining twenty-five percent of the Earth is run by The Board. 

    The Board is the government that was put together by the three or four (or maybe more) remaining countries after World War Five. Even the names of these countries have been long forgotten. The history books say that it is believed that one of the countries was the United States of Canada and American and that another was possibly the United and Equal States of Asia or the Middle Eastern Federation. Even the names of these former great countries have been lost to the ages. They say that it is better that way. These countries were failures that destroyed the only planet that humans can live on. The Board united these remaining people under a new name; a name that does not resemble any of the previous countries. A name the reminds us to this very day of the brutality and devastation caused by the failing countries. Today we are known as The Remains.

    As with any political revolution, there was a strong opposition. Over the first few foundation years, anyone that did not agree with The Board was suppressed, violently if needed. Finally, in the last of the foundation years, the opposition was granted permission to colonize Mars. Their only other options were to submit or die. On the day we call the Extinguishing Day today, the opposition blasted off into space. Before they boarded, the leader (Whose name has been lost) vowed to never return or to contact Earth again. They never did. Most believe that their ship and the bodies of the people on it still are floating around in the polluted space passage around Mars and that we just haven't found the ship yet.

    The day after Extinguishing Day, on Ignition Day,  The Board created four sectors to "ease the workload on the remaining limited population." Each sector was in charge of one aspect of life in The Remains and that is how it still is today. Section One is in charge of food production and growth. Section Two is in charge of protecting the Remains from any threats, external or internal. Section Three is in charge of any technological aspects of The Remains. Section Four is known as the Organizers. They handle pretty much everything else. This was meant to improve overall function of The Remains. Everyone would be highly skilled in their field.

Everyone would be healthy.

Everyone would be equal.

Everyone would be happy.

How wrong they were...

    "Ms.Riley, what do you think about having the  train cross through the center of The Remain," he said as he pointed at the train coordinator monitor that was sitting on the table in front of us. Hans always called me 'Ms. Riley,' even though I was only two years older than him. I spent the last six months here at the Organization sector attempting to correct him. I finally gave up last week. It was pointless.

    "That is usually how we ship food. We don't need to invent the wheel again, Hans. Food always goes on the railways in the center of The Remains."

    "I know. I was just checking. Did you hear Mrs. Romans is retiring soon?"

    "Yes, I did. It will be said to see her go. She was my mentor when I started here."

    "Just like you are mine," Hans added smartly. 

    "I guess," I said. I couldn't wait until my mentoring duties with Hans were over. He was very needy and had a huge crush on me that he was not subtle about. No matter how many times I hinted that I could not date him while he was under my supervision. 

    "I also heard," he said moving his chair closer to mine. He pushed my brown hair out of the way and whispered in my ear, "that she is recommending that you take over her position after she leaves. Do you think you want it?"

    "I think you like to gossip too much," I said standing up again. "I think you have got this down. Make sure you don't forget any stops this time. The group around stop fifty-five might come here and kill you for forgetting them again. They love fresh corn when they can get it and you forgot them last week. I'll be in my office, if you need... if you had anymore questions."

    I hurried back through the tiny room filled with maps and charts to the closet on the other side that served as my office. I closed the curtain divider behind me. I had to be more careful with my words around Hans. He took liberties with whatever I said.

     I looked at my watch and decided it was lunch time. I got thirty minutes off every shift for lunch. It was the only time that I got to tell Hans to go away without getting in trouble. He made any excuse to get close to me and would threaten to tell our boss if I did not attend to his every need. I pulled out my mirror and brush from my bag and put my hair up into a ponytail. I always hated it when Hans played with it. He made any excuse to run his fingers through my hair and it always made me feel uneasy.

    I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My parents liked Hans and encouraged me to go out on a date with him. They said we would make a good couple. I could see it. We both had pale skin, dark hair, and blue eyes. We were both average height. I just couldn't stand how Hans made excuses to talk and touch to me all the time.

    I snapped the mirror shut and looked around the closet that served as my office. I was junior officer in charge of all fresh food deliveries throughout The Remains. This meant I got the smallest office that they could find and put a desk and two lamps in it. Currently, my walls were covered with maps of farmland that had fall harvests. My desk also was covered with papers, detailing the train routes that we used to deliver food to all of the residence in the two hundred miles that made up The Remains. My solar computer was currently outside being charged by the midday sun. I would have to go get it soon so that I would have it for the rest of the day. I would need it to submit the plans that Hans and I had come up with this morning.

    I pushed Hans from my mind and ate my lunch while I studied the maps on my desk. However, my mind would not stay on the maps. Hans had said one thing that was interesting. Mrs. Romans wanted me to take over her job? I would love the promotion, but there were several people here longer than myself and were much better at their jobs than me, especially with how much Hans seemed to mess up lately. There was no way that they would give the job to me, no matter what Mrs. Romans said. I was just to young to be the head of all fresh food distribution throughout The Remains As much as I hated to admit it, I would really love to have the job. It would be a lot more work and responsibility, but it would be a new challenge. I have done the same thing every week for the past two years. Food almost always runs on the tracks through the center of The Remains. It is the quickest route. The only time my job gets interesting is when the weather gets bad or the tracks are under construction. Otherwise it is pretty much the same thing day after day. 

    I finished my sandwich and stood up. I walked to the door, opened the curtain and tried to sneak out of the room to go get my computer. "Where are you going," asked Hans."Do you need any help?"

    "No, I'm just going for a walk. I still have twenty minutes left of my lunch break and the weather is so nice, I thought I would walk around a little." This was not exactly true. I only had about ten minutes of my break left, but I was going to get my computer from the roof, so it was kind of work related.

    "You are going to get your computer aren't you?"

    "Yes, that's where I am eventually going to end up."

    "I'll come with you. I need to get mine too."

    Hans went to stand up and I said, "No, finish what you are doing. I can get both of ours. Get back to work," I added in my most authoritative voice. Hans looked dejected and sat back down sighing. I quickly walked out of the room and down the hallway towards the stairs that lead to the roof. 

    The compound where I worked was a prewar building that time had forgotten. It had had somehow not been damaged in World War Five and was declared a landmark. The government claimed almost all of the buildings in the early years, including this one, and since then it had served as the food distribution center. There were not a lot of windows in the place, so there were lights every few feet. The old lights from prior to the war in the ceiling did not work, it was an ancient technology that had helped in the destruction of the Earth, were there only as reminders from long ago. 

    I climbed the stairs up to the roof. The roof was one of my favorite places in the entire Remains. It was completely encased by glass. Historians think that the enclosed space was intended to grow plants or animals, but it was a great place for us to charge our solar powered devices. The glass magnified the sun's rays which meant that our devices charged quicker. But that wasn't why the roof was my favorite place. The roof was my favorite place because it was the only place that I felt like I could truly feel the sun's rays. The Earth's atmosphere had become so polluted in the war, that no one ever had to worry about getting burned by the sun. It was always dark and cloudy. To get the crops to grow, scientists had developed special lights and screens to stimulate the sun's rays to warm the plants. However today was the sunniest day of the month. There was almost enough sun that I could see beyond the the next three or four buildings beside this one.  

    I looked down at my watch and noticed that my lunch break was over and I knew that if I was not back soon, Hans would be on my case about being late. He was an annoyance that I would only have to put up with for another month and then he would be sent to another department to terrorize someone else until they found a job for him. Life in the organizing sector was so organized, that sometimes we did not have jobs for all of the new people that we got. Hans was one of the unlucky ones that was being bounced around until someone could find something for him to do permanently. I would not need him after the fall harvest was done, not that I really needed him now. 

    I took one last glance at the horizon, and walked to the door. As I reached the door, the emergency alarm went off. I froze. "Sector Four has been breached by outsiders. Remain calm. Help is on the way. Report to the nearest meet up point and wait for help to arrive." I quickly scanned the room and looked for the sheet that was supposed to be posted somewhere that would tell me where I was supposed to go but, I couldn't find it. Suddenly, a loud bang from below sounded. It was quickly followed by a few dozen more. Soon after screams of pain or surprise, I couldn't distinguish, joined in. It was a melody of confusion and chaos and I had no idea what to do.

     I dove under the table that we used to store our devices while they charged. I couldn't see anything, but the door from under the table. If any of the intruders came in they would spot me right away, but there was nowhere else to hide. The walls were made from glass and I would be easily spotted from one of the other buildings, a problem that would not have existed on any other day. We would be attacked on one of the sunniest days of the year, I thought sarcastically.

    The screams and bullets were getting louder now. They had reached the floor below me. Perhaps they wouldn't find the door to the roof, it was hidden off in the far corner of the building that you could only get to if you knew the correct path. The seventh floor below me was a maze. Perhaps they wouldn't bother to check the roof, even if they did find it. There is nothing good up here. As I thought all of this, I realized that I was trembling. I was afraid to die up here by myself on this roof.  Who would look after my sister? She wouldn't be able to pay the rent on our apartment by herself. She would have to move in with our parents again. They were getting too old to have kids in the house. They deserved to have some alone time now that both of us were out of the house. How would they react to me being shot? 

    Just as I thought what my mother's reaction to learning that I was killed at work, the door slammed open. In came a soldier with his gun pointed right at me. He was dressed from head to toe in camouflage, but I barely noticed that. What I did notice was the gun pointed right at me. He stared at me for three seconds and then another soldier dressed all in black came up from behind him and took his gun and smashed it on the first soldier's head. The first soldier crumpled to the floor.  

    The soldier dressed in black stretched out his hand towards me and said, "My name is Alec. I'll get you to safety." I was frozen. Should I trust this mysterious savior? I looked at his eyes, the only part of his face that wasn't covered by his helmet, they were a dark brown color; they looked trustworthy. I grabbed his hand and he helped me out from under the table. "What's your name," he asked me.

    "I'm R...Riley," I managed to say after a moment. I was still shaking. 

    "Riley, you are going to be fine," he said confidently as he tied the other soldier's hands and feet. As he shut the door he said, "I'm the best at my job. I promise you that you will be home for dinner tonight with your family. Here is what we are going to do. Every floor but for the one under us has been completely cleared by my team. If I remember correctly, we have to go down these stairs here and cut across the seventh floor via the hallway on the right. That hallway will lead us to the staircase that will take us back down the sixth floor. Is this correct?"

    "Yes," I said, starting to feel better about his Alec's plan. He at least did now the layout of the building. "You certainly are cocky," I said. 

    "When you are as good at your job as me, you get to be. Now, do you have any questions?" I shook my head. "Good. Now, I want you to go hid behind the desk. I'm going to open the door and make sure that none of the other soldiers from the seventh floor have made it up here. If there is someone there, I will deal with them and then I will knock on the door three times. After you have heard me knock on the door three times, then open the door and run to me. Okay?"

    "Yes."

    "How many knocks do you have to listen for?"

    "Three."

    "Very good. I'll be back momentarily." 

    I hid behind the desk like he told me to. I heard a gunshot from the hallway and I held my breath. Was Alec, my rescuer, gone? Only three knocks on the door would tell. Thirty long seconds later came three smart knocks at the door. I exhaled and ran to the door and opened it. Alec was standing there, looking disgusted.

    "What happened?"

     He held his finger up to his lips and whispered, "I can't tell you until you get outside." He grabbed my hand and we raced down the stairs and down the hallway towards the the staircase that would take us to the floor below. We crisscrossed through each of the remaining floors until we were on the bottom floor. I reached for the last door, but Alec stopped me. "Wait. I just got a message that some more rebels have entered the building. Let me go first. He opened the door and darted to the desk across from it in the lobby. I watched him anxiously from where he left me. Three soldiers entered the building dressed in the same camouflage as the one Alec knocked out earlier. Alec saw me looking at him and pointed down. I understood I needed to duck. I did as he told me. Then, I heard bullets exchange back and forth in the lobby. After a few minutes of this I heard Alec swear and curiosity got the better of me and I stood back up and looked through the window again. I saw one of Alec's bullets strike one of the other men in the forehead, but almost no blood came out. The shot should have killed him, but he kept firing. Alec swore again and ducked. He shot again and hit the same man again, this time in the chest. 

    "I shot you fair and square twice now. You are beyond dead. All three of you are. I will be reporting you to your commanders. This is stupid. This is supposed to help us train better and be better prepared for a future attack. It is pointless unless you follow the rules and I am positive that I shot all three of you in your heads."

    "Not all of us can be Alec the Great. We need a win more than you do," said the one camouflaged figure as he took a drink from flask. 

    "I'll make you a deal," said Alec. "We put these guns aside and we fight a man's fight. I'll even take the three of you on at once. If I win, you let me and the person I rescued go by unharmed and you three are out for the rest of the day."

    "What do we get if we win," asked the same camouflaged figure.

    "You get the person that I am saving to be your hostage and more importantly you get to tell everyone that you beat Alec the Great, as you correctly referred to me earlier. Is it a deal?" Alec say me looking at him and winked at me. I was shocked. He was gambling with not only his life, but mine as well. I was furious. Should I run and take my chances upstairs, or should I stay and watch the fight? After the three men surrounded Alec, I couldn't look away. They circled him for about thirty seconds and then suddenly they all struck at once. One of them tried to kick Alec and grabbed the man's leg and swung him into the guy standing next to him. Both of the men crumpled to the floor. Then, Alec and the other man started to fight. Both were as fast as lightening, but I could tell that Alec was the more skilled of the two of them. As Alec and the other man fought, his two fallen comrades started to stir. 

    "Alec," I called out to him. He didn't seem to hear me. I cracked open the door and called out, "Alec."

    "Riley, close the door."

    "So this is how Alec the Great wins every battle, he has a maiden help him," said the camouflaged figure that he was fighting as he tried to grab Alec's hand. Alec ended up grabbing this man's hand and twisting it until I heard it snap.

    "Look behind you," I called out. 

    "I know," Alec said as he threw the the man onto the other two. All three of them collapsed onto the floor. 

    "Let's go Alec said."

     He walked me outside and on the far side of the lawn in front of the building was a tent. Alec started to walk me over to the tent and I finally found my voice. "You placed a bet using me as a prize," I said outraged. 

    "You were never in any danger."

    "What do you mean," I asked. "Those soldiers back there looked real."

    "They were not using real bullets. They were using stun bullets.  So was I, that's why they were not working. This was all a simulation," he said wiping a drop of blood from just above his left eye. 

    "This was all a game," I said.

    "Yes, to you, I suppose it was.  To us it was supposed to be a training." 

    "But the camouflaged group wasn't playing fair. They were supposed to be knocked out when they got hit with the stun bullets, but for some reason they were not affected." I was still annoyed, but relieved that the whole thing had only been a simulation. 

    "I want to know why. If I would have been hit, it would have knocked me out. Why did the other group have immunity to it?" 

    "That's probably a very good question, but it's beyond my ability to look into it. You need to get your cut looked at," I said pointing to his forehead. 

    "That's nothing. I'll be fine. You still need something for shock. Can I ask what you were doing up on the roof?"

    "I was getting my laptop. That's where we charged them."

    "Wasn't there an evacuation plan for up there? There should be one, if that is where everyone charges their devices."

    "I know there should be, but I couldn't find it."

    "You better make sure that one is posted up there."

    "Thank you for saving me." 

    "It's my job," he said shortly. He walked me over to the tent where first aid was being administered. "She needs something for shock," he told the nurse that met us at the entrance to the tent.

    "I can do my job without you help," she snapped at him. She lead us to one the cubicles inside the tent that was stocked with medical supplies. The inside of the tent was lit surprising well and was quite cheerful. She made me sit on the examination table and sighed when she saw that Alex had followed us inside. "Since when do you care about the people that you rescue enough to hang around and make sure they actually make it to me? All that you men from sector two care about is how many people you pull out of the burning building, not if they actually live or not." 

    Alec blushed and said, "You will find that my diagnosis was correct. However, I did not mean to offend you. I just thought that you were busy and could use the help. I do care about the people I save." The nurse busied herself giving me a blanket and completely ignored what Alec said.

    "I am fine," I said. "He is the one that's needs looked at," I said pointing to the cut above his eye.

    "He doesn't want me to look at it, right," she asked him. 

    "No, I am fine."

    "Then, you can go. She doesn't need you to babysit her. She is just fine with me. You have done way more than what was expected of you," she said dismissing him. 

    "Are you sure that you are fine," he asked me. He looked concerned 

    "I am fine." It was not a lie. I had been frightened during the simulation, but now I was just tired. I also was curious. How could one team be immune to the stun bullets that were used today. That sounded like a large oversight by someone in sector two. "Listen, thank you for saving me. I really appreciate it. I am just tired. Would you do me a favor?"

    "What?"

    "Would you let her look at that cut? It still has not stopped bleeding."

    "I'll be fine," he said. "Good bye Riley."

    "Good Bye I guess," I said back. 

    "Remember the evacuation plan on the roof."

    "I will."

    "Good bye." He turned and left. 

    "Girl, what did you do to that man," the nurse asked me after he was gone. I turned and looked at her. She was wearing white scrubs and was smiling. 

    "What do you mean," I asked confusedly. 

    The nurse's brown eyes lit up and she said, "Sector two men never show any emotion. They never stay to make sure the people that they 'save' actually make it to a nurse, let alone stay through treatment. What did you say to get under his skin? I got to know," she pleaded with me. 

    "Nothing. I didn't say or do anything to him."

    "Sure you didn't," she said. 

    "How did you know that he wouldn't let you look at his cut?"

    "He is from sector two. They never let me look at any injuries unless they are life threatening and even then it is a fight."

    "Why," I asked horrified. 

    "It's just the way they are raised. It just like us organizers like to have all the details worked out on every project that we work on. We are planners. They are raised to believe if they are injured in a fight, that they messed up and deserve to suffer through the pain. It is supposed to serve as a reminder," she rolled her eyes at this statement. "It just means instead of medicating minor injuries and stopping infections, we end up with them half dead in the emergency room for something that could have been treated much earlier."

    "That's barbaric," I said horrified. "I couldn't imagine." I shuttered. "Am I free to go," I asked changing the subject. I wanted to go somewhere quiet and think, but I knew if I stayed the nurse would keep badgering me.   
    "I suppose," she said after a moment. "Take it easy for the rest of the day."

    "I will," I said. "I just need to check in and make sure that my intern is alright and I will go."

    "Is his name Hans," the nurse asked giggling again. 

    "Yes," I moaned. "What has he gotten himself into now?"

    "He comes by every twenty minutes looking for his supervisor Ms. Riley. I thought that Riley was someone's last name; though I had not heard of that name in this sector. I kept envisioning an older woman when he said it, but it was really you. You are what, no more than two or three years older than him and he calls you Ms. Riley?"

    "He is a bit enthusiastic. He is a pretty good organizer, but he is..."

    "Over zealous," suggested the nurse. "He said to tell you that there will be a short department meeting in about twenty minutes at the rendezvous point and then everyone is dismissed. The building is being searched for evidence."

    "Thanks," I said as I set the blanket back on the examination table that I had been sitting on. I was desperate to get out of the tent and to somewhere quiet.

    "What about Hans," the nurse asked me as I reached the edge of the cubicle.

    "He obviously cares a lot about you. Are you two an item?"

    I glared at her."No, I am his boss. You know that it is unethical to date your employee."

    "The only reason that I ask is that I really like him and...So if I asked him out, you would not care?"

    "As far as I know he is not seeing anyone."

    "Good."

    "Can I go now?"

    "Yes, thanks for the information."

    "Thanks," I said as I rushed out of the cubical and out of the tent before she could stop me and ask me anymore ridiculous questions that I did not want to answer.

    I rushed to the rendezvous point and found Mrs. Romans waiting there. "Riley, I am so glad that you are okay. Hans tells me that you had a close call and that a soldier saved you." Hans really did get around. How did he know this already? I hadn't told anyone yet. 

    "Yes, I am fine though."

    "I am glad. You are such a great organizer. You make my life so much easier. Anyway, did you get enough done today to call it a day or do I have to pull rank and get us back in the building?"

    "No, we finished everything that had to be done today. Even with training Hans, I am able to stay at least two days ahead. Of course, now that is gone..."

    "Don't beat yourself up Riley. We were attacked today. You were almost killed today. We were just lucky that no one was killed. They seemed to be using stun bullets instead of the real thing. I heard people say that the rebels were going to kidnap a few people to get information out of them on how supplies were being distributed throughout The Remains."    

    "Wow," I said. Why didn't everyone realize that this was all just a a simulation? Was I the only one that knew this was all just a drill... a game?

    "Go home and have a rest," said Mrs. Romans sweetly as she patted my shoulder. "Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to assess how much information the rebels got."

    "Information was stolen? How soon can we get back in and see what was taken?"

    "The investigators are going over it for clues, of course. Are you sure that you are okay? You look really green."

    My stomach  dropped when she said that information had been taken. Was this tied to the camouflaged group's cheating or was it just a coincidence? "I am fine. I think it just hit me how close of a call that I had today."

    "Go home. That's an order. Rest up. I'll let you know tomorrow morning if you have to come in. I can probably answer all of the investigator's questions without your help.

    "Thanks," I said as I left.

        As I walked home, everyone that I passed looked panicked. Some people even had bandages on from injuries that they sustained in the simulation. If this was just supposed to be a simulation, why was information stolen? Or was this all just a cover story? Why was the black team immune to the stun guns? What was the whole point to the simulation? Why did Alec stay?

    Why did Alec stay? Why did he care what happened to me? Why couldn't I get him out of my mind? He was arrogant and annoying self centered. But... he saved me. He actually stayed to make sure that I was alright. Perhaps the nurse was wrong... perhaps she had only dealt with the worst kind of warriors... perhaps I was reading way too much into all of this...

    Once I got to the apartment I shared with my sister, I changed out of my work clothes. I looked around the room that we shared. It was perfectly organized and everything had its place. We had painted the walls a soft pink and all of the furniture was white. She had polished it this morning before she went to work so the sun made it sparkle. I noticed a note on my chest of drawers and went over and picked it up. I read what she wrote:

    Riley,

        I heard that you are okay. You were treated by one of my ditsy coworkers who is telling everyone about how you were saved by a warrior and he actually stayed to make sure you are alright. You have to tell me about him later. From what Rachel says, the two of you should be setting up a wedding date soon. (Yes, I have already told Rachel to stop spreading such lies. I know that you have no interest in dating currently. You are too busy with work... I still don't understand you...) It sounds like you had a close call, I am glad that you are alright.

        I do not know when I will get home tonight. The hospital is in disarray. It was hit too and they think that some records were taken. I was called into work early. It's just a mess. I made chicken for dinner, not that I got to eat before I left. For such a group of organizers, you would think that the hospital would be better prepared for this...

        Sammy 

    Well at least she was okay. She wasn't at the hospital when it was hit. I was glad. I wonder if that nurse, Rachel, was the one that told Hans what happened to me. I guess that I will have to dispel a lot of rumors now. I don't know why. I was not allowed to marry anyone outside of sector four anyway. I knew too many secrets about the remains and outsiders could not be trusted. Besides what I had learned about warriors today, made them sound like horrible people. I'm not sure that I could live like that... That didn't stop me from noticing the twinkle in Alec's  blue eyes, nor did it make them any less attractive. This was all too much to deal with. I was exhusted. I was too tired to eat, so I laid down on my bed and soon after I fell asleep.    

    When I woke up, it was pitch black. I opened  my eyes, but I could not see anything. It had to be well past midnight. I rolled over and switched on the battery powered flashlight I used late at night. I pointed it at Sammy's bed, but no one was there. She was still at the hospital. I got up and walked to the kitchen without turning on the lights. We were operating under an Emergency Energy Act. No one was supposed to use electricity after midnight, unless it was an absolute emergency. We had been under these acts on and off since the Ignition Day, but this one was the longest in history. This was the fourth month. Normally these only happened during the darkest days of winter, when there was too much a strain on the limited production system. But this was the middle of summer and today had been the first sunny day in ages. It was not enough to make up for the months of no sun. Solar power had been the wave of the future before the World War Five, but that was back before the Carbon admissions and the space races had polluted what remained of the Earth's atmosphere. Now we were not able to use anything but "green" energy systems, but those did not produce nearly enough energy for the few thousand of us that were left. Each citizen had been give a few flashlights and solar power lamps to use at night, that we charged like our laptops to use after midnight when we needed.

    I pulled out the chicken that Sammy had made and cut myself a piece using the flashlight for light. This was a challenge, but I managed to do it without cutting myself. I sat down and began to eat. As I ate, I thought about the dream that I had. It had been very vivid. I  had gone on a walk to the point where all four sectors meet, to a place everyone calls the Dead Zone. The name had come from from before the war and is thought to have referred to a place where the sun did not shine. The Remains is roughly the shape of a diamond. In the very center, all four sectors meet at one point. No one goes out there. There is nothing there and it is not very inhabitable. Out of all the damage caused by World War Five in The Remains, this was the worse part. Only a few sparse trees were there and no animal ever ventured there. It was a common place for teenagers to dare each other to go out to. It was not dangerous, but there was nothing around for about a mile in every direction. I had gone out there once, on a dare, when I was was sixteen. The place had been creepy and I had promised myself that I would not go back. I hadn't even have thought of the place in years. 

    In my dream, I had gone out to The Dead Zone and I ran into Alec. He had been dressed just like he was the when he had saved me. We had not talked about the attack and it was not awkward. I knew if I ever saw him again, I knew that it would be both of those things. It was one of those dreams that you know you are dreaming, but somewhere inside yourself you hope that it is real. My dream self had really enjoyed talking to Alec. We had talked about normal things: family, friends, work, and good times. It was exactly what I had always wanted to happen on a date, but never had. Back in school, I had dated a few boys, but it had always ended disastrously. After I started working, I had sworn the whole dating thing off. This was something that my family could not understand. They all thought that I worked too much and that I never went out and had any fun. This was not true, I had fun. Work was fun to me and I did it a lot. I also enjoyed spending time with my family and my friends.

    I finished my chicken and stared off into space. I was too tired to go back to sleep. I went back to my room and grabbed the book that I had been reading.  I sat down on the sofa in the living room and tried to read my book with my flashlight. I tried to read it for twenty minutes, but I was too distracted. I could not get the dream or Alec off of my mind. Finally, I gave up. I got up and got dressed. I thought if I went for a walk that maybe I could wear myself out enough to go back to sleep.

    I exited the apartment and stepped outside into the cool night air. It was pitch black outside. There were not lights on anywhere. There were no street lights, no lights on in any of the houses, and there was no one else outside with lights. I couldn't even seen the moon. I took a deep breath and head towards The Dead Zone. I figured if I went there, it would help me get over the dream. 

    It was eerily quiet. There was no one around. I did not even hear any animals as I walked. I walked past the center of sector four and saw that even the patrol barracks was dark. No one was ever out this late. It was not forbidden, just frowned upon. I didn't care. I needed to sleep and the only way that I would do that would be to get this dream...this day out of my mind. 

    After a half hour of walking in the pitch black, I finally reached The Dead Zone. It was absolutely silent here. Not even the wind blew out here. I looked around and realized that it looked exactly the same way that it had when I had came out here years ago. It was just a dirt patch with not plant growth. I walked over to the point that the four sectors met. On Ignition Day, all of the people had stood on this spot and willingly separated into the four sectors that we are today. We were not really supposed to be here. I was not allowed to fraternize with the other sectors. i knew too many secrets about how The Remains was run. If any of the rebels caught me, they would have access to how all the fresh food was distributed throughout The Remains. If they caught one of the transport trains, they could use it for leverage... they could do horrible things. 

    "It's amazing," said a voice behind me. I turned around quickly and searched for the voice. 

    "Who's there," I said. I tried to sound brave, but my voice cracked.

    "It's amazing," said the voice again. "I already saved you once today from the rebels. Yet, here you are walking out in the middle of nowhere. What if I was one of the rebels?" Alec came into view. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and he was carrying a battery operated lantern. It's blue tinted light illuminated his face. The cut he had got in the fight earlier was still red and swollen. 

    "I couldn't sleep," I said defensively, "so I went for a walk."

    "You go for strolls all the way out to The Dead Zone at three o'clock in the morning," he said looking at his watch. "Most people would just read a book or at least walk around the house; not walk out to the middle of nowhere where there is nobody around. What if a rebel got you? You know a lot about how The Remains is run."

    "I thought today was all just a game or what did you call it..... a simulation? There are no rebels, just a group of warriors fighting against another group of warriors."

    "I am not so sure about that. You haven't heard? Plans were stolen from where you work and from your hospital."

    "I thought it was just a cover story for today. Everyone else thought it was real."

    "They are supposed to, well that is what I think. I think only people in sector two  that are the rebels are supposed to know the true story."

    "What is the true story then? You obviously think that you know it," his arrogance was annoying. He seemed to like to hold things over my head.

    He smiled and said, "strategically, this plan was brilliant. This simulation was probably planned for months."

    "Yes," I said. "I am still missing the brilliance of planning here. I am an organizer."

    "Patience. I am getting there."

    "Whatever..."

    "If you don't want to know, I won't tell you," he smiled again. He knew that I wanted to know the truth. He knew the fact that a plan had gone array so badly was killing me.    

    "Go on."

    "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted.." I rolled my eyes at this comment and motioned for him to continue. He had set the lantern between us so we could see each other. "This simulation would have to have been planed for weeks if not months. The rebels, the true rebels not the people playing rebels, would have had plenty of time to plan. They would get themselves appointed to the 'rebel' team so that they would have access to the locations that the information they needed were stored."

    "So you mean they wanted access to our hospital and the food storage compound. Why?"

    "Surely you keep valuable information... documents or records there."

    "If someone got their hands on the food delivery schedules, they could probably do some real damage..."

    "Exactly."

    "It is genius. They had the perfect cover. Instead of just acting like they were trying to steal real information, they actually were."

    "And no one would question it. Normally, it would have been announced that this was a simulation."

    "But it wasn't. Everyone thinks that it was a real attack."

    "That's where the three men that we ran into come into play."

    "How?" 

    "I'm not sure. They did not strike me as the brightest of people."

    "No, they don't seem smart enough to plan this."

    "I think they were in on it though. Whether they were paid off to make sure that something happened to me or if they are genuinely members of the rebels, I don't know."

    "How were they immune to the stun bullets?"

    "You can take stimulants that would lessen the response to the stun bullets..." 

    "The flask," I said excitedly.

    "What flask," Alec looked confused.

    "The, for lack of  a better word, leader of the three men that you fought in the lobby was drinking from a flask. How much do you want to bet that some of that stimulant that you were talking about was in there?"

    "That's a good thought... yes that is probably true. That is just another infraction against them."    

    "What do you mean," I said confusedly.

    "Stimulants like that are banned in sector two. They can only be taken during an approved mission and never during training. Unapproved usage of stimulants is considered to be infraction of the highest order. Training missions should be challenging, but fair. The punishment for such an infraction is very severe," he shuttered. "It is not honorable to win by cheating. Honor comes first in a warrior's handbook."

    "What kind of punishment does this type of infraction carry?" Curiosity was getting the best of me. We were not supposed to know a lot about the other sectors, just basic facts and jobs. It was supposed to help keep us safe. We were to only focus on what our sector was in charge of and let the others worry about their responsibilities. 

    "A three hour fight against three of the masters. If you manage to survive, you are forgiven," he said flatly. 

    "The masters are the best at fighting?"

    "Yes, they train the trainers. There are six of them in total."

    "Has anyone every survived?"

    "A fight against three extremely mad masters? No, no one has every survived unless the masters decided to show pity. Even then it is only to make a point. The only people that have survived a true fight against a master have died shortly after. We don't believe in treating wounds received in fights."

    "In other words, if they are allowed to live it is only to suffer before they die."

    "Exactly. It sends a message." A sudden chill came over me. I had known each sector had their own culture, their own way of life, but that sounded barbaric. My sector has stringent rules and regulations. That was part of being an organizer. But, we rarely used capital punishment. Even when we did it was quick and humane. Sector two sounded like a hard place to live.   

    "If they are willing to risk that punishment, we know that they mean business."

    "Yes, and that is not a comforting thought. My question is who exactly is involved? I think that someone on the Board or someone close to the Board would have to be involved."

    "The Board is made up of two people from each sector, so that is eight members in total. Plus their immediate staff  would also know enough information to supply the rebels with enough information to plan the attack."

    "We can't limit our suspects to members of one sector either. An organizer of the highest decree would have enough of the information to supply the rebels too."

    "So we easily have twenty suspects," I said. "That's not really comforting."

    "No, its not." 

    We both stood there thinking silently to ourselves for a while. Alec brook the silence by saying, "So do you always come out here to think?"

    "No, I haven't been out here since I was in school. I thought that I would never come back. There is something unsettling about it here. How about you? Is this the spot that warriors challenge each other to come out to at night?"

    "No, I just come out here occasionally to get some quiet. The barracks are always loud."

    "Don't you have anywhere nicer than a deserted stretch of land to escape to? Surely you are allowed to go home at some point."

    Alec looked confused. "Home? The barracks are home. I have spent my whole life there. It is the only place that I have ever known. I have lived in the same room that I share with two of the other warriors my for as long as I remember."

    Now it was my turn to be confused. "You mean that you have never lived with your parents?"

    "No, I don't know who they are. No one knows that in Sector Two. The barracks that you are born into is your family."

    I was flabbergasted. I may not have lived with my parents in two years, but they are still a huge factor in my life. My sister and I go home about once a week, whenever we can both get off, for dinner. I couldn't imagine not having them in my life. 

    "It's not that bad," said Alec. "You can't miss what you don't have."

    "That's still horrible," I said. I couldn't help myself.

    Alec's face dropped and he said, "I don't judge how you live. Even though I know that since you are an organizer that every draw in your house probably is labeled; even what the rest of us call the junk draw probably has a list of what belongs in it." I had apparently touched a nerve.   

    He wasn't wrong, but it was the way that he said it, that made it hurt. "Listen, I'm sorry. I was just surprised. I apologize for what I said."

    "It's forgotten. So what is it like to have parents?"

    "What is it like to not have parents?"

    "Touche. Fine, I'll answer your questions, if you'll answer mine. Deal?"

    "Deal."

    "You know we could get in a lot of trouble for this," he said with a cocky grin.

    "Please, who is going to catch us? The invisible, completely silent person that is here with us; all the way out in the middle of nowhere?" 

    "You are starting to sound too much like me. People are going to start wondering where you became so cocky."

    "Besides what we are doing is not technically illegal."

    "Whatever you say."

    "So," all of the joking was gone from his voice and he used a much gentler, quieter voice when he asked, "what's it like to be from Sector Four?"

    "It's organized."

    "Wow, I couldn't have put that one together."

    "No, everything is organized. Every aspect of every day for the entirety of your life."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You probably have schedules from where you are from, right?"

    "Yes, we have training schedules."

    "But, you don't have a schedule for every aspect of your life, do you?"

    "What do you mean," he said again, still confused.. 

    "As long as I can remember their has been a schedule that I have had to follow. When I was little, I used to think that as I got older I would have more say over what and when I did something, but I was very wrong. Everyday every aspect of my life is scheduled for me."

    "You can't control anything?"

    "Not really. My family was never as obsessive as others with schedules, but that is highly unusual. My parents allowed my sister and I a lot more freedom than my friends ever got from their parents."

    "What do you mean?"

    "We were allowed to chose which way we went home from school and who we walked home with."

    "That's considered to be unusual?"

    "Yes, because that means that they were not concerned with efficiency."

    "Efficiency," asked Alec confusedly.

    "That is the other staple of Sector Four. Everything must be done the quickest way with the best quality." 

    "Even walking home from school," he said in disbelief.

    "Yes, there are chores to be done at home and you have homework to do."

    "So everything is scheduled to produce the maximum output at the best quality?"

    "Yes. On Wednesdays, my sister and I are allowed to go get food from the store, because we are a household of less than three people. Households with bigger families go first, because they require more food. On Thursdays, we are allowed to use one of the washing machines at the apartment complex. When we are allowed to use power, turn on the lights, and even when we should go to bed is scheduled."

    "Well at least they don't tell you when you can go to the bathroom," he joked. I started at him. "Really, oh come on."

    "At work we are allowed three bathroom breaks a day. Each must not last more than five minutes."

    "You have got to be kidding me."

    "Today is Wednesday. On Wednesdays we eat chicken. My sister cooked a chicken for dinner tonight."

    "Why is that regulated?"

    "Wednesday is the day that you can get fresh chicken in the market. We are not allowed to have large refrigerators, because they put too much strain on the power grid. You can only store one or two days of food in there at most. Obviously, the size of your refrigerator is based on the number of people in the household."

    "Is there anything that is not regulated?"

    "Not really. Your turn. What's it like to be a warrior? It has to be a lot cooler than an organizer. You at least get to have adventures. You can't plan adventures, so you can have as an organizer."

    "Adventures are not everything."

    "What do you mean?"

    "We don't just wander around until we find adventure. We train for them."

    "I take it you don't like training?"

    "No, I do. Its just that I am not sure if we do it the right way. I am a naturally good fighter. It comes easy to me. The better you are the more respect you have and the more privileges that you have. People say that I am destined to be a master one day. It is our sector's highest honor."

    "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

    "For me, its excellent. But for people who are not as strong of fighters...."

    "They suffer," I supplied.

    "Exactly. We train for at least four hours everyday on top of our assigned jobs and we don't believe in medical care, unless it is life threatening. We are taught that any injury that we receive in training is something that we deserve. It is something that we earned for lack of performance."

    "So when you train you really fight?"

    "Yes and no. We stop just short of lethal. We don't kill during training sessions. I..."

    "You feel guilty about being good at fighting."

    "Yes, because it just comes naturally to me. If my trainer shows me a move, after one or two tries I can replicate it perfectly. I also have good instincts. I can anticipate what an opponent is planning to do and block them almost instantly. So when I train, I..."

    "You what," I ask softly. I was not entirely certain that I wanted to know what came next.

   "I almost always win. I... hurt people," He paused and took a deep breath. Then, he said, "I don't necessarily want to, but we are not allowed to show mercy. Mercy is considered to be a form of weakness. I know that rationale behind that thinking and it is solid. When we fight other people, people that are intent on killing us, they will not show mercy. In order to do well in a real fight, you need to practice in the conditions as close to a real fight as you can get."

    "You know that is wrong though," I said. 

    "Is it? When we train like this, people survive real fights."

    "I did not know there were any 'real' fights left." Occasionally. there would be an uprising, but The Board always had it crushed immediately. These only came during times of trouble. The last one had happened about sixty years ago and it had happened during a famine. The rebels thought the food was not being distributed equally between all the sectors. The opposition to The Board grew in popularity and one day attacked the food store house in Section One, where they were sadly mistaken. According to the history books, there just was not enough food to go around. The Board responded by sending the warriors to the rebel's headquarters and when they resisted arrest, all of the rebels were killed. It was a bloody battle and some warriors were killed in the struggle. I would not be surprised if political opposition to The Board arouse soon, the restrictions on electricity were growing tedious. Plus, no one seemed to have any ideas on how to solve the energy source problem.  

    "They are hushed up and besides the sectors do not communicate. That just makes The Board's job easier. The only reason that they are common knowledge in Sector Two is because we have to fight the rebels. The rebel groups never have a lot of people and usually are very unorganized."

    "So nothing like today's group?"

    "Yes, that's what is really concerning me."

    "We can't do anything about that until they act again. I assume that they did not leave any evidence."

    "Correct, after I left you I went to investigate. There was nothing there. So you are correct, besides those three knuckle heads that I fought today, we have no leads."

    "I thought that we both agreed that the three of them were probably not high enough on the food chain to know any real information."

    "True, but they had to get their orders somehow. They may lead me to whoever is actually planning this; whatever this actually is."

    "Do you know what was actually stolen from the hospital? My sister was called into work after the simulation. She said that the hospital had called and said that they needed her. She said the hospital was in disarray."

    "That must be big doings in the world of the organizers," he said sarcastically. 

    "It is. That's why I asked if you knew what was missing."

    "No, I don't have enough clearance for that information."

    "Who does then?"

    "The same people that is in our suspect pool."

    "Lovely."

    "Yes, it is. Luckily enough, those three are in my barracks. I can keep an eye on them. They are the same age as me, but they are way below me in rankings. I should be able to arrange it so that I can keep an eye on them."

    "You can't be too obvious. That would make them suspicious."

    "No, this is our culture. Gloating is encouraged. It promotes better achievement."

    "You have got to be kidding me."

    "No, I'm not. So, the fact that I beat all three of them at the same time during the simulation will be big news. It will be expected that I would make sure that I can gloat as much as possible."

    "That is convenient," I said flatly.

    "It's handy for this," he said cocky again. "I'll make sure that for the next few days they cannot get a minute alone. Then, I will be more sneaky. I will let them feel secure and then they will mess up."

    "It is nice that you have a plan." 

    "It must sound barbaric to someone that lives with their family still, but I don't really have one. In theory these guys are my family, but they are not. These three create shame. Those who create shame are not my family." Alec said this with his tone of arrogance, but it did not quite reach his eyes.

    "They never were if you are able to cut them off so easily. Family sticks together no matter what."

    "See that is something that is different from where I am from."

    "Just because that is the accepted norm, doesn't mean it is right."

    "It doesn't mean it is wrong either. It just is. Neither of us have all the answers to life."

    "So where do we go from now?" I looked at my watch. It was almost four thirty in the morning. I was out way longer than I intended it be. I was freezing, despite the fact it was summer. The lack of sun seemed to be causing lower temperatures than was normal.

    "I'm afraid there is no 'we,'" said Alec, amused. His cocky grin was back.

    "What do you mean there is no we. We are the only two people who know what is going on, except for the rebels. Don't you think we should do something?" I was annoyed. I was just as much a part of this as him. 

    "Do you have access to the suspects, potential evidence, or any other information that could be useful to the investigation on a regular basis?"

    I stared angrily at him for a few seconds before I said, "No."

    "So how are you planning on contributing to the investigation?" He had me and he knew it. I was not important enough to have full access to the information we needed for the investigation. 

    "I can keep watch over here and make sure that nothing happens. Maybe I can figure out who is involved from Sector Four. This plan is too organized for anyone but an organizer to be in charge."

    "That may be true, but don't risk your neck."

    "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "Look, I can't always be there to rescue you and if the rebels get suspicious they may try to have you killed."

    "Are you saying that I can't take care of myself on my own turf?"

    "That is exactly what I am saying. It is possible the rebels in Section Four have been trained by warriors. If that is the case, you would not stand a chance. I would hazard a guess and say not even you most trained police officers would stand a chance either. It's not you personally."

    "Whatever. Why do you care anyway?"

    "I spent a lot of energy saving you today and I would like to think that you went on and lived a nice, long, and well organized life free from worry about political deviants." He said this with a straight voice, but something did not seem genuine. It felt like there was more to the story than he was telling me.

    "Well thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself. Besides as you kindly pointed out, I don't have access to any of the key parts of an investigation. So, I will watch from a distance. If I find out anything, I will try to get a message to you."

    "You do that," said Alec smirking. "You know for an organizer you ain't bad."

    "Right back at you. For a warrior you are not half the brute that everyone thinks you are."

    "That's just because you haven't asked my roommates how I am early in the morning before training."

     After a moment I said quietly, "thank you for saving me."

    "It's my job, so it's no big deal,"  he said seriously. "Please, stay safe." 

    "I will if you will," I said.

    "You know that is not possible for people like me."

    I rolled my eyes and replied, "You can be less cocky. Your cockiness will get you killed one day."

    "I'll work on that," he said with a laugh. After a moment, he picked up the lantern and said, "For an organizer, Riley, you don't plan your midnight adventures well."

    "I told you that you cannot plan adventures."

    "You definitely did not take the proper supplies. All you brought was a puny solar powered flashlight and you did not bring a jacket."

    "I'll be fine. I'll warm up when I get home and go back to bed. I have a feeling that I won't have work today due to all of the excitement from yesterday."

    "Here take my jacket," said Alec, shrugging out of it and holding it out for me.

    "I couldn't take it. Don't you need it?"

    "I have another one. Besides saving people is my thing and if you die from the flu it will be my fault for keeping you out here so late."

    "You didn't make me stay."

    "I didn't tell you to go and I should have."

    "You would have had to make me leave."

    "I could have done that."

    "You wouldn't have though."

    "I know," he smiled his cocky smile and said, "But, now I am ordering you to take this jacket and go home, get warm and go to bed."

    "Goodbye Alec," I said as I took his jacket from him and put it on.

    "Goodbye Riley.   

    "Thank you."

    "You're welcome. Now, go home."

    "I am. Let me know when you solve the case"

    "I will. Now, go home and get some sleep."

    I turned around and headed back towards Sector Four. Just before I reached the end of the light that Alec's lantern gave off, I looked back and saw him watching me. He pointed towards Sector Four and I got the message. It was past time to go home. I kept walking back home.

    As I walked, I wondered if that would be the last time that I ever saw him. Would he be able to solve the mystery by himself? Would he get himself killed in the process? What would happen to me if anyone ever figured out that I knew more information about the simulation attack than I was supposed to know? What about The Board? Was there a rebel member of The Board? That would be the biggest scandal in the history of The Remains. Would The Board survive or would order break down and anarchy rule?

    I did not like the way my thoughts changed so I looked at the scenery as I walked. I noticed that even though the sun should be starting to come up, I couldn't see it in the sky. Apparently yesterday's sunniness was not to be repeated. The town was still quiet and I did not see anyone outside. Most people that lived in the town proper, lived in apartments like the one that my sister and I share. These buildings lined town square and were built after Ignition Day. They were plain white rectangular buildings. Each one of them was identical, but for the number painted on the front of the house. The numbers had been meant for mail delivery, but mail was not common here. The sectors did not usually send things to each other and if you had something for someone in your own sector, it was easier to just go to their house yourself and give it too them. It also was a lot cheaper. Every once in a while, I would see a small light in the windows of these apartments. Apparently I was not the only one that was up this early. In order to ease the strain on the power grid, no one was allowed to turn lights on until after the sun should have risen. I doubt that it would make any difference today. I don't think there will be much of a difference in the amount of light shining right now and the amount of sun shining at noon.

    I finally reached the apartment building Sammy and I lived in. We were lucky and had a ground floor entrance, we could come and go without anyone noticing. I entered our apartment and saw that Sammy still wasn't home. I was exhausted, so without taking off Alec's jacket, I went to bed.