The dining hall was a lot to take in. I wasn't sure what the building had once been, but if it hadn't been a catering facility at one point, they'd done an exceptional job of transforming it. On one side of the room there was a food hatch, self-serve, with giant vats of whatever was on offer. I soon realised there were no options – just food or no food.

And there was no doubt about which one I'd pick that morning.

Breakfast wasn't even too bad. I couldn't complain about the slices of toast and heap of egg on my plate, even if both were pretty bland. It was edible and filled the hole in my stomach, which was all I really cared about.

Beside me, Jace seemed slightly more disenchanted: he was spending a lot more time pushing egg around with his fork than actually eating it. He didn't come close to finishing it. Before he even got there, Nova appeared behind him and muttered something in his ear which caused him to get up immediately, sparing no thought for the food left on his plate. I noticed the stare she gave him as he scraped it into the bin – it was clear she had a problem with wasting food – but it didn't stop them disappearing from the dining hall together.

From that moment on, all I could think about was where they might've gone. With Nova's new attitude, it should've been easy to forget how things stood between her and Jace – but when they disappeared like this, it was anything but. I was still having trouble wrapping my head around it. She was his mystery girl, the one he'd been looking for all this time. He'd told me he loved her, whether or not she knew. As much as I knew it made me seem pathetic, the thought of them alone together for the first time in two years made me feel sick to my stomach.

I needed to stop thinking about it.

If only it was that easy.

"Hello, there."

The gentle voice, somewhere close behind me, brought me out of my own head. I glanced over my shoulder to see a woman of around sixty stood with a tray of her own. She had a kind face, her soft features broken up by wrinkles, framed by greying hair which had been pulled back into a loose bun. The look on her face seemed to radiate warmth, even in such a cold room.

"Hi," I said, since I didn't really have anything else.

"You must be Astrid," she said. "Is that right?"

I didn't know what to make of the fact everybody seemed to know my name; it was a little strange to feel like a celebrity in a place I hadn't even known existed. Still, she seemed nice enough, so I wasn't going to overthink it.

I nodded. "Yeah, that's me."

"Would you like some company?"

"Uh... sure," I said. After a beat of hesitation, I moved my tray to make room on the table. This seemed to be enough encouragement for the woman; a few seconds later, she'd set her own tray down and lowered herself into the seat beside me.

"I'm Maggie," she told me, and a flicker of recognition reminded me that this was a name that Nova had mentioned earlier. "It's lovely to finally meet you. And..." She glanced over her shoulder. "Where did Sylvie get to?"

Suddenly, there was the sound of rapid, pattering footsteps on the tiled floor, and I looked up to see a girl rushing towards us. The plate on her tray skidded precariously with each movement, and I was almost expecting it to go splattering on the floor. However, a few seconds later, she came to a halt and slammed it down on the table, taking up the seat beside Maggie.

"Hey!" she said breathlessly. "I'm here."

She was strikingly young – no older than eleven at most – and that was what caught my attention. With golden blonde hair neatly sectioned into two plaits, and a smattering of light freckles over her nose, she seemed to radiate innocence. And that was the weirdest thing. A child so young seemed out of place here, in this city outside of societal rules of regulation, where everything ran on a different track to the capital. Still, just by looking at her, this didn't appear to faze her in the slightest: her eyes were bright, and her every movement buzzing with energy, more alive than I'd ever felt myself.

"I'm Sylvie."

She threw her hand out, and it took me a beat or two to realise she was looking directly at me. I reached out to shake it, unable to ignore the way the size of my palm swamped hers.

"Hello," I said. "It's nice to meet you."

"I can't believe you're finally here!" she said loudly. "Nova's sister. She kept saying it would happen, but now you're here. She must be so happy."

"Yeah." I managed a smile, though it couldn't have more poorly reflected what I was feeling inside. Nova certainly hadn't seemed ecstatic to see me so far, despite having done nothing to make her feel that way. I had no idea what was going through her mind. And as Sylvie said this, I couldn't help but feel a slight pang of longing for the type of heartfelt reunion we hadn't had. "I think she is."

"I wish I had a sister," she continued. I could barely keep up with the pace of her words, but at least the babbling gave me something else to focus on. "It'd be nice to have someone else to play with. And there's so much to explore round here, but the grown-ups keep telling me it's too dangerous to be out on my own."

"And they're right," Maggie cut in. She placed a gentle hand over Sylvie's on the table. "Come on, now. Eat your breakfast, before it gets cold."

Sylvie didn't look like she was ready to stop talking, but it worked, because a few seconds later she picked up her fork and began digging in. Maggie caught my eye, and we shared a small smile.

Kids weren't really my thing, and never had been, but there was something about Sylvie that I instantly liked. Perhaps it was her energy, remarkably relentless in a place like this, like any minute she'd start doing backflips off the walls. No adult could match that. It was like a breath of fresh air I hadn't known I needed. Just a few hours here had already been stifling, and I had a feeling I might be grateful for her in the future.

"Astrid?"

Just then, another voice from behind made me jump – this one considerably louder and more forceful than Maggie's had been. When I turned, I wasn't surprised to see Nova.

"I need you to come with me," she said. "You're in for your medical."

It was almost a relief to see her back; it meant she wasn't with Jace, and though it really shouldn't have mattered so much to me, I couldn't help thinking it. However, when our eyes met, all I could offer was a confused expression. "My what?"

"Your medical," she repeated. I'd heard her the first time, and it didn't give me any more of a clue. "Mandatory for all new arrivals, and just because we're related doesn't mean you're exempt. Come with me, and I'll take you over to the lab."

I was still confused, but I rose to my feet, figuring I'd find out more along the way. I spared a smile for Maggie and Sylvie, which they returned, and picked up my tray. After shelving it on what seemed to be the designated rack in the corner, I left the dining hall to follow Nova's footsteps up ahead.

Outside, the corridor was empty, the only sound being that of our shoes on wooden floorboards. I quickened my pace so we ended up side-by-side.

"This medical," I said, because without prompt it didn't seem like she would start the conversation any time soon. "What exactly does it entail?"

"It's nothing to worry about." She waved me off as we passed through the exterior doors, and the air hit us at once. We were moving out of the winter months, but the weather kept up a stubbornness that forced us to stay on our toes: what could start as an optimistic bout of sunshine was just as likely to end up as grey drizzle than it was to persist. Today, what looked like a clear sky deceivingly hid a chill in the air, and it hit us full force as our footsteps moved onto concrete. "Like I said, it's just procedure for new arrivals. It's less of a health check, and more making sure we've got the data we need."

That just made me more curious. "What kind of data?"

"I'm sure Thomas can explain it better than me," she said, shrugging. "He's the scientist."

"But I'm not asking Thomas," I persisted. "I'm asking you."

Really, I didn't think she would go for it. It was a weak attempt at pressure, a push to the boundary Nova had constructed in this short time: that she wouldn't give more than needed. And it had worked so far. Since my arrival, only the necessary information had trickled down to my level, leaving me with vast gaps in knowledge that made every step feel like leaping over a giant crater. I didn't want to let that continue.

I expected little success, but Nova surprised me.

"Well, first off, a general physical," she answered. "Height, weight, heart rate – you get the picture. Just to check everything's in order, and you're not about to drop dead at any moment. Several lab tests – you'll have to have blood taken. Then a couple of mandatory procedures, and to finish off, a full DNA sequence to work out what exactly they've put into you. Simple, right?"

"Hold on," I said. One thing in particular had caught my attention, and not for good reason. "Mandatory procedures. What on earth does that mean?"

"Settle down, I'm not talking open heart surgery." Nova rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. Just an implant."

I narrowed my eyes. "What kind?"

She hesitated, and despite being able to see me looking at her out of the corner of her eye, she kept her gaze focused straight ahead. "Hormonal."

It wasn't the answer I'd expected – in fact, it was probably the last on my list. The realisation was enough to stop me in my tracks. Nova continued walking, and only once several paces ahead did she notice I wasn't beside her and turn back.

"Hormonal," I repeated. "You mean a contraceptive implant."

"Yes."

"And hold on just another second," I said, still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing, though Nova stood facing me like everything made perfect sense. "Why am I being given a contraceptive implant?"

"You don't get a choice."

"I think I should get a choice if I don't need one."

"Why? Are you infertile?"

"No, I'm just..." The words were somewhere within me, but were getting tangled in awkwardness on their way out. It wasn't the type of conversation I'd envisioned having with my sister – at least not in our current situation. "I'm just wondering what you think of me. What do you expect me to be doing here?"

"I don't know," she said. "You and Jace arrived together. That could mean something. And it seems like it does, judging by last night..."

"Last night wasn't anything." To my annoyance, I could feel my face flushing red, which completely undermined everything I was trying to say. "I was just trying to help in a tough situation, like any decent person would. I can guarantee you nothing's going on. Especially nothing like that..."

"And I'm supposed to take your word for it the whole time you're here?"

"Yes!" I said, more forcefully than intended. "I don't know what you're trying to imply, but I am not sleeping with Jace. Is that so hard to believe?"

"It's not about what I believe," she said. "It's a requirement. You could declare yourself a devout nun and sign up for a life of abstinence, and I'd still be saying that implant needs to go in."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" Nova took a step toward me, crossing her arms, and once again I felt myself lose power in the conversation. I may have been fooled for a moment, but just like that, she was back in control. "Take a look around, Astrid. Take a look at what we've got set up here. The reason why we're hiding out outside New London in the first place – because the people here are riddled with modified genes. Now do you know of any modified person getting pregnant? Giving birth? The answer's no, because it hasn't happened yet. The truth is, we haven't got a clue what modification does to the next generation, and it's not about to be under my command that we find out. And if you want to stay here, it's rule number one: nobody reproduces."

I was startled by her counter argument, backed up by reason and there to hit me with force, and I couldn't find anything to fight back with. She did have a point. As modified individuals had grown up, the question of fertility was there, but for the most part we'd been young enough for everybody to overlook it. Now, time was ticking, and we couldn't ignore the unanswered question forever. At some point, the second modified generation would begin, and the world would set foot into unchartered territory.

With this in mind, I didn't say anything. Instead, I took the first step and started to walk towards the lab, where we'd originally been heading, hoping Nova wouldn't be far behind.

The lab was remarkable, given the circumstances. The other buildings had been adapted from ruins, made relatively fit for purpose, but it was impossible to gloss over the effect of fifty years' desertion. With this, it was different. Set slightly apart from everything else, the lab had been reconstructed from what looked like the old university. A lot of the equipment, although dated, looked untouched – protected from the elements by academic investment in solid infrastructure. From the leftovers, a new setup had been arranged with everything the base needed, until the result looked like a medical centre I might've stumbled upon in New London.

Inside, Thomas was sat at the edge of the lab, his back to us. The sound of our shoes on the squeaky floor was enough to alert him, and he swivelled round in the chair. Dressed in a white coat, he certainly looked the part of a doctor.

"Hey," he said, as we approached. "You ready?"

I was determined not to let him get a whiff of the awkward conversation we'd had outside, so I forced myself to nod. "I think so."

Nova leaned back against the edge of his desk. "I take it everything's up and ready to go? No issues?"

"Nope, we're all good." He pushed his glasses up his nose. The simple action sent a jolt through me: suddenly, all I could think of was the moment in which Jace's anger had consumed the night and he'd thrown his glasses at the wall. I forced myself to shake it off. "It's been going pretty smoothly lately. The power didn't falter once yesterday."

"Huh." Nova looked thoughtful. "Maybe we're finally getting somewhere with that generator. About time, too, because it was impossible to get anything done with blackouts every half an hour. I'm convinced that's what screwed up some of our earlier results."

"We can always run them again. It's not a big deal."

"That's true," Nova said. "Just keep me updated on who we need to bring in again. I'll make time."

He nodded. A few seconds of silence followed, and I noticed Thomas' gaze drifting between me and Nova, as if trying to gauge our dynamic. Then, it went back to my sister. "You staying for this one?"

Nova looked over at me. "I wasn't planning on it – I need to catch up with Art about something. Unless you want me to stay?"

"It's fine," I said. "You go do whatever you need to."

"Alright." She pushed herself up from the desk. "Guess I'll leave you in Thomas' hands, then. I know he's an ex-BioPlus technician, but don't let that scare you. We don't do anything quite as twisted as they do here."

I couldn't tell whether she was joking, nor whether I wanted to find out. Instead, I settled for saying nothing, just watching as her back turned and her tall figure retreated toward the door of the lab. The all-black seemed to be a new signature look, and everywhere she went it made her look like some kind of silhouette – enough of a presence to notice, but never giving away anything more.

When the door shut, I looked over at Thomas, who offered a smile. "You ready?"

Truthfully, I wasn't sure, but I didn't get the impression I had much of choice. Whatever Nova had brought me here for was mandatory, and there was no getting out of it. Like many things, I'd just have to grin and bear it.

So I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "I think so."

-----------------------------

Hi everyone! Here to brighten up your Monday evening with another chapter -- and I hope I succeeded.

This one contains one of my favourite scenes. When I was planning this book, the idea came to me randomly about contraception in this kind of scenario, and I realised it probably held more importance than I'd considered before. There's still this unanswered question about what modification does to a second generation, and it's important to Nova that it doesn't happen under her watch. Plus, it gives the opportunity for an awkward confrontation about Jace between the two sisters, so that was a bonus.

As always, let me know what you thought! I appreciate all your feedback so much, so please keep it coming.

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Until next time!

- Leigh