Aaron opened his eyes. The silence was still there to greet him. He prepared himself, had his artificially perfected breakfast mush and after finally breaking away from his anxious mother made his way to the elevator.

  Of the usual students, there were only two others to join him, both also having their new C.A.N devices attached. As they left their block, the few others on their road filtered into a small group heading further into the city centre. As they left their district the building abruptly changed. Grey rectangular towers with blacked out windows became the new template, row after row packed densely together.

  Those around him smiled. Conversations on their decision. Laughter. Aaron was silent on the journey. They eventually arrived at their destination. The grey building ahead had a similar large text on its exterior in white plaster this time. It read 'A DISTRICT SORTING'

  "What an ugly shithole."

  Aaron turned around, scanning around him for the source. The other young people around him gave him concerned glances as he tried to ignore it and walk on, now closing in on the entrance lobby. He shook his head.

  "I must actually be going crazy."

  "If I was a damn drone I would be too."

  Aaron's forehead creased as he pinched his fingers holding them both to rest on it and muttering a "What?"

  When he looked up he saw two identical guards flanking the entrance. They gave him a cautious glance that Aaron decided to respond with composing his appearance. They did not obstruct him from following the other students to this next elevator.

  Arriving a short few floors lower than the building's peak, he joined a queue of the other youth. Another group were taking their leave through the elevator he had arrived through. held out in their hands was a packaged grey cloth, small aspects of green, orange and red among them. The metal doors closed as they descended.

  The loud talk had been softened now. Around them were adults pacing between different stations. They all shared orange shoulder and stripes on their grey uniforms. Names were called, single answers given. At the front of the queue an older woman with glasses had a holo screen ahead of her, which displayed the foremost person's information, including a small face scan and their CAN device separately, that she glanced over before accepting.

  The line progressed fast, now three behind the front the pattern gave a pause.

  "I'm sorry dear, your scores are not high enough to become a Thinker. What was your second choice?"

  A single response, the line continued. 2 Behind, 1.

  "Name and chosen Obligation?"

  Aaron saw his face appear on the screen as she looked over his results with more attention than she had given before.

  "Well... I'm not really sure."

  Her expression didn't change as she began to tap her right index finger on the glass desk separating them.

  "You have the results for a Thinker. We are always looking for more."

  "I... Yeah. Sure whatever. I guess."

  With rehearsed precision she attached the role to him on the screen, about to call for the next person as a small red light flickered across her lens. Just under Aaron's C.A.N device on the screen a red warning label was appearing intermittently.

  "I haven't seen that before. Just, wait a moment young man I'm going to need to call some assistance."

  She beckoned what must have been one of the guards from the entrance over as the voice returned with a more serious tone.

  "This is bad news drone boy. You're gonna need to book it."

  Ignoring the interruption, he waited as the guard crossed to the other side of the desk and began to talk with the clerk. Those behind now watched ahead curiously. The voice returned - more urgent.

  "I'm serious drone boy. We need to go. If they get hold of us we are both gonna die!"

  The guard's eyes now turned up to Aaron as he nodded to the clerk, who watched with a blank expression. As he debated the inner voice.

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  "You're just a voice in my head. Why would I trust you?"

  The voice paused for a moment as the guards now in front of Aaron told him to wait still as he put his right hand on Aaron's shoulder and tilted his neck with his left hand, to have a clearer view of his CAN. The guard's fingers hovering over the device's buttons.

  The voice had one more plea.

  "Let go. Imagine yourself letting go. Disconnected, floating, falling, whatever just-let-go."

  There was nothing to lose by trying. Aaron saw himself standing in front of his class, his parents, his friends. He held out the packaged uniform in front of him, then let it drop.

  A layer of black smoke released from him covering him entirely. Upon being able to see again Aaron noticed he was running.

  But was he? He couldn't feel his legs. He couldn't turn away. He couldn't stop.

  "I've got you drone boy."

  Those weren't his hands. His analysis of himself was cut though as he noticed the change in crowd. Countless guards were chasing after them with no sight of the adults or students who had been there with him. Aaron broke his shock with panicked advice.

  "The elevator's back near the desk."

  "I'm not looking for an elevator."

  Approaching a corner of the floor rather than turning to the door on her right which was now being covered by guards Iris sprinted faster, crossing her arms in front of her as they crashed through the window.

  Iris' long black hair flew above them as she held her back to the exterior wall with her left leg outstretched and her right leg bent so her foot was also gliding down the exterior. The building closest was around 10 stories shorter. A similar yet dilapidated tower to the one they rode was two roofs opposite with many of its lower panels missing.

  "Jump after the next 5 floors then let go."

  The vision obscured again for a moment before they cut through the black cloud on their descent. Aaron noticed he could feel the grinding burn on his back and the wind howling as he cut downwards.

  "JUMP!"

  Aaron hesitated before pushing off the wall. He saw himself dropping the uniform again, but the building around him disappeared and he felt himself falling. Iris focused ahead as they passed the smoke. Her trajectory was just left of a clean roll atop the HVAC.

  "Shit."

  She rolled across it with a -

  THUD

  - but with her left leg not colliding it pulled her off the side, twisting in the process. Iris tried to stand again but staggered before falling. Another change. Aaron sat where Iris had fallen barely able to catch his breath.

  "Don't go resting now we aren't clear yet."

  Rising from the road side a Seeker's blue light shone upon Aaron. As he pulled himself up to look up upon it his brow shook.

  "CIU DETECTED. PLEASE DO NOT RESIST. WE WILL NOT HARM YOU."

  "Better get running drone boy."

  Aaron stumbled his way forward just as it began to fire blue blasts towards him giving him some motivation to pick up the pace. The next on their path was a floor lower. Jumping quickly down to it the drone was now directly to his rear. As he ran towards the broken tower another shot to Aaron's right was barely avoided.

  "Back to blue, huh," Iris spoke softly.

  "Huh?"

  Aaron's distraction led to a clean shot at Aaron's left leg which immediately went limp. At the edge of the last minor building he fell diagonally over the gap between the two structures. The panel ahead was missing. Through a small push by his right leg just as he began to hover over the gap he managed to cross the distance.

  The Seeker kept position staring into the point they had entered. Crawling with his arms Aaron dragged himself out of view from the drone, planting his back on the side of a stairwell. The blue light still shone across the dull grey floor. His body gave now, giving in to the exhaustion as his breathing slowed. The blue light then began to lift before they were again left in the shadows cast by the empty ruins.

  "Lady..."

  Aaron had to pause again to catch his breath.

  "Who the fuck are you?"