The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Five

Aiden leaned against the edge of his balcony, sighing. So much had happened, he could barely comprehend it all. Xylem's meeting had taken place only hours before, leaving Aiden with far more questions than he already had. 

Following the assembly, Xylem had requested that none of the attendees discuss any of the information the General had revealed to them outside of the debriefing rooms. He didn't want any of the information regarding the state of Fifth Unit leaking into the other Units before Xylem was ready to address the rest of the soldiers in the Program. 

Jayda's death had changed everything for Aiden. He was no longer the naive, obedient soldier he once was. He knew the truth; behind her death, behind the Program, behind everything. He knew that Xylem's timeline regarding the fall of Fifth Unit radiated suspicion. Aiden clung to the idea that Zariah must know more than Xylem was willing to share with his Officials. He needed answers. 

Aiden had briefly spoken to Zariah just a few minutes after the meeting, requesting that she come see him in his bunk later that evening, and in secrecy. He refused to explain to her why exactly he needed to talk with her. All he'd mentioned was that it was urgent. He figured it would be best for him and Zariah to talk in an environment where they couldn't be observed by Xylem's Officials. He stared out into the open canopy of forest that he found himself immersed in, the cool evening air filling his lungs with every steady breath in and breath out.

He'd wanted to take some time to properly mourn Jayda. Her memorial was hardly a reflection of her life, but rather another item on the list of chores Xylem had to do. Aiden still felt heavy, despite all the deep, careful breaths he took. His lungs felt crushed, weighted by the looming threats at hand. It seemed that Creatan was being attacked from all angles; its government, its people, its very environment. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to escape the madness.

A knock on the sliding metal door to his bunk prompted him to temporarily abandon his troubled thoughts. He skirted past the entrance to the balcony and approached the door, opening it slightly to find Zariah. Her hair was down, which was unlike her, and fell in gentle ringlets to just below her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep blue in the dim evening light. She wore her usual black combat boots and a pair of gray pants that fit her nicely. She'd replaced her normal loose military shirts for a clean white shirt that dipped below her left shoulder. To Aiden, she looked especially beautiful tonight. 

"Hey," she greeted him softly. "You asked me to meet you?"

"Yeah," Aiden nodded, allowing her to step inside his bunk. "Sorry for asking you to come so late. It was important."

"I figured," Zariah shrugged. "You sounded pretty worried." 

Aiden lead her over to the balcony, and the two of them stood there in silence, taking in the beauty of the trees for a few moments. Aiden leaned against the railing, analyzing the sun beginning to set far into the sky. The sky was streaked with dark purple, red and pink, with lines of creamy white clouds smeared across it, as far as the eye could see. It reminded Aiden of some sort of abstract painting one might find in Xylem's office.

"It's beautiful," Zariah breathed.

Aiden smiled. "Yeah, it is, isn't it? I guess that's a perk about becoming a colonel. The view is unforgettable."

From the corner of his eye, Aiden saw Zariah crack a small smile. "Unforgettable," she echoed. "That seems like an understatement."

More silence. They continued to study the scenery before them, while Aiden fought to find the right words. He wasn't going to let Zariah slip away from him this time.

"Zariah," Aiden said quietly. He saw her turn her head to him in response. "Xylem told the Officials today that Fifth Unit fell to a rebel organization known as Eskium."