Number Eight crouched in the corner of his home module, his panicked eyes stared at the front door. The fear had come with first chime. The overseers must have seen him. They must know that he was out last night. He was certain that they were going to burst through the door at any moment.

“What are you doing?” Number Seven asked, a look of concern on her face as she crouched beside him, then took his hand. “You need to get dressed. Second chime is going to sound anytime now.”

His heartrate steadied, and the panic slowly left him. Maybe they didn’t know. Surely, they would have come already if they had discovered his nocturnal activities. He got up and quickly dressed. The chime sounded, and he slipped into his canvas shoes.

Once they arrived at the dining module and got their drinks, they sat at the only open table. Across from them were Number Two, and Number One, who looked at him curiously. He could see Number Five looking at him from an adjoining table, her eyes wide open, as if she were trying to tell him something.

“Good morning,” Daniel said to the couple at his table.

“Beautiful weather we are having.” Number Two smiled at them. “I hope it doesn’t rain.”

“I dreamed that you came to our home module last night and we had sex Number Eight,” Number One said, nonchalantly.

The other three people at the table raised their heads and stared at her, until Number Two broke into a laugh, and said, “Great joke!”

Number Eight put his hand over his mouth, subconsciously telling himself not to speak, yet he did, “Your partner just told you that she dreamed about having sex with me and you think it’s funny?”

“I just said great joke,” the muscular black man smiled at him.

“So, what if I told you that I actually did sneak into your home module last night and had sex with your partner while you slept beside us?” Daniel said, unable to stop himself.

“Oh, Number Eight, you are as funny as Number One.” Number Two simply smiled at him.

"Why is that funny?” Daniel knew that he was pushing it, but his curiosity was winning out.

“Because Number One is my partner and your partner is Number Seven. Very funny.” Number Two let out another laugh and then stood up when third chime sounded.

Number Eight shook his head as he slowly rose to his feet. While he made his way to the orchard, he couldn’t help but wonder what they could possibly be putting in the breakfast drink that would make everyone so docile. He stared at his feet when he passed by the two overseers at the command module. They took no notice of him.

It took him a half-hour to fill his first basket with apples, because he ate several of the ones that he picked and tossed the cores over the white wall. When he made his way to the storage shed, he saw Number Five standing there waiting for him.

Her red hair was hanging down to her shoulders and her brown shirt was halfway unbuttoned. She stared at him with a look of pure desire as she bit her lower lip. When he hesitated, she walked straight up to him and kissed him hard on the mouth.

“You, um…stopped drinking breakfast,” he stammered.

“Shut up.” She shoved him hard onto the burlap sacks.

They spent the next three hours in the shed, fulfilling each other’s needs. After they were spent, they quickly dressed, and sat staring at each other giggling. Then they both broke out into uncontrollable laughter. This lasted for a few minutes.

“My name was Victoria,” she finally broke the silence. “I was married and had a daughter.”

The woman broke out crying with large wet tears rolling down her face. This turned into deep sobs that shook her entire body. Daniel joined in, and for several minutes they clung tightly to each other until the tears stopped.  

“What the hell is going on?” she asked him. “I am an emotional wreck.”

“It’s the breakfast drink. That fruity mix with the tart taste is laced with something,” he explained. “Somehow it makes one susceptible to routine and very compliant. But once you are off it, watch out! Lust, anger, sadness, fear, panic, guilt, and joy all hit you in bursts. I’m starting to get some control back, barely.”

“Tell me about it,” she said. “It’s like a roller coaster ride.”

“What did you do before the invasion?” he asked.

“I was a nurse at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit,” she advised, then asked, “And you?”  

“I was a US Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton,” he answered. “Experimental Weapons Battalion.”

“Figures,” she giggled. “You are built like a marine.”

“I guess we need to figure out what to do next,” he said.

“The only thing that I can think about is my hunger,” she frowned. “I am starving.”

Daniel tossed her an apple, from which she took a large juicy bite. They both ate a couple more, before they made their way to the door of the hut. After looking about and seeing no one, she gave him a tender kiss and turned to go.

“Hey, let’s play it very low key,” he cautioned her. “Go about everything as normal until we see an opportunity, or come up with a plan.”

“Okay,” she smiled. “We are in this together.”

For the next week, they met in the shed and spent a couple of hours satisfying each other. Afterwards, they would talk, and Daniel filled her in about the original Number One and what the overseers did to pregnant women. Finally, they decided to just go over the wall with a ladder and take their chances outside of the orchard pod. They decided to spend the next couple of days gathering supplies, then they would go.

“Should we try to bring anyone else?” Victoria asked, while pulling up her pants.

“I doubt anyone would come.” Daniel looked perplexed, then added, “I tried to talk to Number Seven a few times about skipping breakfast, but she seems to be too far gone.”

“You’re still sleeping with her!” Victoria hissed, and slapped him hard across the face. “I hate you!”

He grabbed her arms and pinned the supple woman against his body, waiting for her emotional storm to pass. Once her breathing calmed down and she stopped struggling against him, he let her go. She simply shrugged, and then gave him a weak smile. Their emotional outbursts were going to bring them down if they weren’t careful.

They went to the doorway of the shack and looked about, seeing nothing more than a few baskets and ladders nearby. Victoria turned and gave Daniel a lingering kiss, while she finished buttoning up her shirt. Then they went their separate ways. Neither of them had noticed Number Six standing at the top of a nearby ladder, staring at them. He had been concealed by the branches of the apple tree.

The following day, once third chime sounded, Daniel hurried back to the shed in the apple orchard. When he entered, he did not see Victoria. Instead, Number Six stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed.

“I thought that we had settled this,” the middle aged, balding man said.

“Where is she?” Daniel asked, approaching the older man.

“Number Five is not your concern. She is my partner,” he answered. “Number Seven is your partner.”

“Where is she,” Daniel asked again, his chest bumping Number Six’s, his anger starting to rise.

“I sent her to be examined by the overseers,” he replied. “She is changing.”

“You did what?” Daniel was really upset now, and bumped the man’s chest even harder.

“Number Five is my partner,” Number Six said, and hesitantly raising his finger, gave Daniel a light poke in the chest.

The anger within Daniel rose like a tidal wave, sweeping over any semblance of control that he had been maintaining. He grabbed the older man’s finger and broke it, causing him to scream. Daniel followed up with an elbow to his face, breaking his nose. Then he was on top of the fallen man, punching him in the head, repeatedly, until he was bleeding from several spots.

Finally, Daniel found a large rock on the floor, and caved in Number Six’s head. Daniel rolled off the dead man, ending up on his back, breathing heavily. Now the fear came like another tidal wave, causing him to panic. He jumped up and walked in circles, his mind racing, unsure of what to do next. He wasn’t sure how long he had walked the circle, before his mind relaxed, and the intense fear left him.

Daniel dragged the battered and bruised body of Number Six out of the shed and laid it under some pruned branches stacked against the back wall. He retrieved the large bloodied rock and tossed it over the white wall.

For a brief moment, he thought about gathering their supply bag from the tree that they had tied it in. He could grab a ladder and make a break for it. The thought was fleeting because he couldn’t leave Victoria. He felt a deep love for the beautiful redhead, stronger than anything that he had ever felt before, although he wasn’t sure if the emotion was being generated from his withdrawal from the breakfast drink.

At fourth chime, he made his way from the orchard. When he passed the command module, Victoria exited the structure and walked beside him. Neither dared to look at each other for fear that the overseers were watching.

“What the hell happened in there?” he mumbled under his breath.

“They did a full exam, and told me that I am going to go on vacation soon, because I am newly pregnant,” she whispered back.

“Look, Number Six won’t be coming home tonight…”, he started.

“What did you do?” she interrupted him, slightly raising her voice.

“Listen to me. Don’t report it,” he ordered. “Tomorrow after third chime, we go over the wall. That should give us a good head start, before they even realize that we are gone at fourth chime.”

“Together,” she said, and lightly brushed his hand with hers. They turned in opposite directions to go to their home modules.

Number Seven and he sat on the edge of their bed, waiting for fifth chime. Neither spoke, but she reached over and took his hand in hers. He could see a small teardrop run down her check and onto the side of her chin, where it teetered for a moment, until it splashed onto the comforter.

Finally, she spoke, “Don’t go.”

“How do you know?” he asked.

“You don’t think that I haven’t noticed that things are missing?” she questioned. “The scissors, some of your clothes, your hygiene stuff.”

He thought about lying for a moment, but simply said, “I have to go.”

“It’s that beautiful Number Five isn’t it?” she accused. “You want to be her partner and not mine.”

Her tears began to flow freely now, showing a rare tender side to the usually emotionless woman. He cared about Number Seven, and took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. The hugs turned to kisses, and soon they made love, ignoring fifth chime sounding.

This time, it wasn’t the cold impassionate sex that they had shared every morning for the past several years, but was the passion experienced between two lovers. When they finished, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Flashing lights and screams woke him. Was he dreaming again? No, the screams were coming from Number Seven. Then somebody had him by his hair and was dragging him out of bed. He took two hard blows to his back from a baton that the overseers carried, knocking him to the floor. When he tried to rise, he took another shot to the ribcage, dropping him again.

Both he and Number Seven were dragged by their hair from their home module and put in a line on the street. All twelve of the orchard pod citizens, minus Number Six, were put on their knees in a row in front of the home modules. It was still dark outside.

There were at least twenty overseers ringing the humans. All carried the black batons in their hands. One, no more distinct than the others, stepped forward. He walked down the line of kneeling people and stopped in front of Number Eleven.

“You were scheduled for vacation next week. You are leaving now,” the overseer said, his voice sounding a bit mechanical, and somehow hollow.

Daniel chanced a glance down the line and managed to share a look with Number Five. She looked scared, and a bit confused. The curly-brown-haired Number Twelve stood up, as if to protest. He promptly received a black baton to the gut, dropping him back down to his knees.

The two closest overseers stepped forward, and after their red chest light turned green, they grabbed Number Eleven by her arms, pulling her to her feet. They led her away, heading for the command module. Remembering the original Number One, Daniel knew what kind of “vacation” she was in for. He couldn’t let them take Victoria.

The lead overseer continued down the line, and stopped in front of Number Five. She was three people down from Daniel. The overseer stared down at her, while she simply stared at his black boots. The overseer seemed to be thinking for a moment, then he pointed at her and waved a couple of his companions over.

“You were due for a vacation in a few weeks,” the lead overseer said. “You will be taken to the command module and prepared as well. The rest of you are being moved.”

It’s now or never, he thought as two overseers grabbed Victoria by her arms and raised her to her feet. She didn’t resist, just looked towards Daniel, who was already moving. He hit the lead overseer from behind, driving him into one of the two that were flanking Victoria. Damn they were heavy! When they slammed into each other, both toppled to the ground, dropping their batons.

One landed at Victoria’s feet. She swiftly picked it up and used it to bash in the third overseer’s helmet. His entire mirrored face shield cracked. Then Daniel had her by the hand and they were running at a full out sprint towards the orchard. The overseers raised their batons and took aim.

The sound of energy blasts filled the air, and Daniel saw several large red power circles open up to their left and right, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. Then there was no mistaking the sound of Number Seven’s voice.

“No!” she screamed as she jumped in front of an overseer who was aiming his baton at Daniel’s back.

The overseer pushed a button on the side of his baton and an energy beam shot forward, hitting Number Seven, causing a red circle to form around her. With a sizzle, she was gone. A small pile of black ash sat where Number Seven had just been.

Daniel had no time to mourn. They were still sprinting through the apple orchard, with the overseers in pursuit. They didn’t have time to untie the supply bag from up in the tree. They barely had time to grab a ladder and slam it against the wall. Then they went up and over it, jumping to the ground and heading out into an open field, just as the sun began to rise.

“We made it!” Victoria smiled at him.

Daniel noticed several green power circles in the grass and was about to point them out to her when she stepped in one. With a sizzling sound, she was gone. He stood and stared for a moment, shocked that one second she was there, and the next she had vanished.