The Breach

Part One - Pilot

(This chapter is undergoing editing; my apologies for the possible punctuation mistakes)

𝔇on't go near the walls, don't be curious, just follow the rules, and you'll be fine.

It's that simple. But was it really? The city of Burke was all Alina ever knew. The streets crammed up with homes built taller than wide, and the looming, glass towers were growing taller on the daily, disturbing the clouds above. The only thing bigger are the altitudinous walls surrounding the city; cracked and crumbling near the top. Alina's home lies near the Northeast wall in the fourth ring. There are five total. And that's all to it. Everyone goes about their daily lives as you would in any normal environment, and no one questions anything.

The walls surround Burke in an octogon. They are hundreds of feet high, consumed by ivy and erosion. Who knows how old they are or how long they've been there? It's all anyone has ever known. Those who were there when the walls were put up have long since passed away, sharing little information to their descents. Some say giants over 100 feet roam the earth. Others say that there was a zombie apocalypse and this is a sort of bunker. Truth is, no one really knows. Thus, everyone stays inside in fear of what could be out there.

About 30 years ago, the mayor, Kat Tzan, ordered for everyone to be microchipped in the back of their necks after someone decided to pull a stunt and climb the wall; that explained why no one had seen him that day. Once the sun's rays had set beyond the wall and night filled the city, he started the climb using the vines that grew in an unsure pattern. He ascended about 40 feet up when he peculiarly slipped from the tangled mess of vines and plummeted back to the ground where he started. He died. Now, not a soul is allowed near the walls, and if you want to go anywhere in Burke, your chip must be scanned by the komms (officers dedicated to keeping track of citizens rather than peacekeeping) so that your actions and whereabouts can be documented.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Alina took a deap breath while walking towards the komms with their scanning devices. Quite frankly, this didn't help much. It's not worth mentioning how many times she toiled through this process. It didn't matter; she could never wrap her head around the fact that everyone was so daunted by the outside that they had to put literal tracking devices in their necks. Whenever they'd scan her neck, an extensive site of information came up; documents of her personal information and anywhere she's been would be cast upon he screen which then the komms would evaluate. Most people say that she should find comfort in it; that the government is watching over her and that it's a safety precaution. Like she should be happy that people are examining her every move. Although, with the rapidly growing population it's been quite burdensome to keep an eye on everyone, but the komms still manage by moving a portion of citizens from the outer rings into the center city.

Alina stepped closer to the officers; she was next in line to be scanned before she could clear the gates to the next circle. The woman firmly pressed down on Alina's head and placed the device on the back of her neck while it sensed the chip. She could feel the tingle that came with it creeping down her spine. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the dim screen. It was hard to make out, but Alina could vaguely see the new log being added of her travels into the third ring. Soon, the device blinked from red to green. The woman released her grip on Alina's head and nodded to another komm. The black, picketed gate clicked and quickly slid to the right for her to pass through. Phew, it's over. Only one more ring to go.

Alina took her greatly worn bag and swung it over her shoulder. It was a long, tedious walk to the second ring, but it was better than the bus; just one more opportunity to skip being scanned. She paced down the narrow cement streets, filled with conformed cars and people. Everything colored in some form of blue. It could drive one crazy if it wasn't all one has ever known. As Alina grew closer to the second ring, she kept her head down and quickened her pace. The second ring was usually where the crazies dawdled around.