'Looks like everyone's making their way to the eviction,' Jazza said, scraping up the last remnants of his pack.

James nodded still lost in his own thoughts.

'James,' Jazz repeated himself. His voice was sober, lacking its familiar buzz.

James looked up paying attention for the first time he noted the steady trickle of tunnellers making for the work-section. Normally, it meant they were heading to — work was an odd term for it, the packs catered for food, the streams... water. The tunnellers didn't really have much to do.

James reckoned they used the term work to give themselves some sort of purpose, to make them believe they were doing something. But, mostly they just sat around and talked or... he didn't really know. The only time he really ventured into the "work section" was for evictions and it was more out of respect than anything else.

He got to his feet and Jazz followed suit. They stood there for a long time as if both of them were waiting for the other to say they shouldn't go. But, when neither of them did, they were left with no choice but to follow the last stragglers to another eviction...

Together they made their way into the largest alcove. It was an odd shape, almost as if it were designed by an architect who strove to be contrary. The slanted walls met at odd angles creating a feeling of limited space in the cavernous arena, the walls angled backwards so it seemed as if they were standing at the bottom of a strangely shaped bowl. Still, even though Abe was elevated James still struggled to see above the shoulders of the people in front of him. 'What's happening?' he murmured trying to see over the heads of the crowd.

Jazz craned his head over the masses with ease. 'Abe's on the platform.'

His shoulders sagged. Here it comes, he thought. Abe's speech, followed by casting some poor tunneller out to certain death. And, everyone just stood, listened and watched. Of course they felt it, they had to feel something when one of their own was shunned, but, unlike him they couldn't show it. Even the minuscule amount of anger he was exhibiting now could be enough to send them all to their deaths. And, one day, one day somebody would break down and reveal their existence. And, if that happened... he shuddered to think.

If he could do something to stop that he had to learn now when emotions were the hardest to control. With that in mind he sunk to the floor, folding his legs underneath him and closing his eyes.

Abe's speech started, he had heard it so many times before that he tried to block it out and focus on the emotions of the tunnellers. However, Abe's deep tone seemed to worm its way into his mind. The words impossible to ignore.

'Once again I stand in front of you at the mercy of the Unit. Of a device that rules all of our lives... A thing implanted in our brains that means we have to evict our own simply because they fall sick.'

Abe's explanation faded away as he picked up hints of emotion. Fear, guilt and sadness rolled over him, the feelings coaxed by Abe's words.

James focussed on them. He couldn't pin point where or who the emotions came from, but, he didn't have to know whose feeling were whose. He exhaled, willing courage and strength over the entire crowd. He felt more than saw the relaxation settle over room like a calming cloud. He was so in tune with everyone he had a feeling he could control their emotions, control them... the thought almost made him gag. It sounded like...

The Unit...

Abe's words washed over him. 'The Unit was a godsend, a saviour from a world in ruins...'

James sighed under his breath, everyone knew what the Unit was, and why humanity had accepted it, the story had been retold so many times now it seemed to be ingrained in the cave walls. The Unit was a micro-chip imbedded in the top of the brain. Fusion technology and Nano bytes allowed the chip to fuse seamlessly with the human system. Once the Unit was activated the person's emotions, senses, bodily functions and vitals... everything could be accessed by the Watchers. The Watchers were employed to monitor every existing Unit. They saw everything, an elevated heart-beat called to them and from that they could access the person's sight, smell, hearing... they saw what you saw, smelt what you smelt, heard what you heard. And, if they didn't like it, they sent the information to the Controllers. Monsters charged with the ability to override a Unit and take control, or worse kill you with a simple switch of a button.

But, he hadn't wanted to control or kill anyone, he just wanted to help. Exactly like the Unit once had, he thought, concern freezing at his heart. Pumping iced blood into his veins. Abe may have been telling a version of the story, but, he had heard it enough times to know it backwards. At first the Unit had been designed to safeguard humanity. In the year 2027 humanity had been on the brink, overpopulation had left the planet overused, its resources depleted until there was barely anything left, inflation had made money about as useful as the treeless forests that had been destroyed. Food stocks were nearly non-existent. With nothing left to hold over the heads of the people. Political systems crumbled, governments were overthrown. Everyone was killing for scraps. Crime ravaged the streets, the only things worth having were owned by others. And, only people who had no qualms about getting their hands bloodied and filthy dirty survived. The events triggered a domino effect that spread across the world. It didn't take long for people to realise that whoever controlled the remaining resources controlled the people. Millions died in the food wars, but, the ones that flourished were mostly Crime lords, gangs and criminals. It was these blood coated hands that took possession of the last standing sources of food, the last means of survival. After political structures had been overthrown, what was left of the population was run by crime lords, crime became a currency, gangs controlled the remaining resources. Most of the population had been wiped out. The ones that remained lived in terror. There were no longer police, no system of protection. They were on their own. Ruled by the worst of the worst. Those who didn't ask they took. Those that didn't understand what it meant when a woman said no... those that couldn't conceptualise the innocence of a child. They knew only one way to live. Survival...

It changed people. Normal, good, kind people altered. The times modified them into something unrecognisable. They transformed to survive, changed to protect the people surrounding them. Abe's words played over in his mind like a broken record. "We did horrible things. It was a dark time..."

James remembered thinking badly of people at this point but Abraham as usual had caught his expression. 'Don't judge them to harshly James, even the best of people can let the darkness in when they need to survive.'

The memory brought him back to the present. Back to Abe's speech. 'To survive, good people had to do bad things. But, eventually even the resources dried up and... humans became an endangered breed. The survivors were dying of starvation and then a message appeared. A chance at Sanctuary.'

The Unit... he thought, had changed everything.

'It drew people in from around the world, promising them food, security, safety... new lives.'

James remembered the controversy surrounding this, he had read books about the world before the Unit, heard countless stories, it didn't add up, how did people just trust a device that would be implanted in their brains? But, Abe's answer was simple.

In fact he was repeating it right now. 'By the time the Unit was made available, even the crime lords were running low on resources, a mixture of desperation and starvation drew them to the Sanctuary.'

But he knew that wasn't the entire truth. Back then people were already so reliant on technology... the internet, they trusted everything it fed them, let it guide their lives, the internet transformed the world into a population who no longer thought for themselves. The technology, automation, and evolution promised in the Unit had probably just seemed like the next stage of evolution. The next big upgrade. And, it had been. Criminal activity had been shut down within seconds of the system going live. It was impossible to rob, rape or kill with the Unit measuring your heart beat — and even if you were able to remain calm, your target wouldn't...

He had heard the tales of how the Unit had saved people. One of the very tunnellers recounted how she had been running from a man, her heart rate soared as he bore down on her. The Watchers had picked up on her distress, in seconds they activated her Unit, tuning into her senses they saw exactly what she was seeing. Once they did they were able to pick out the threat and the Controllers had disabled him. Yes, there were the rare stories of murders, but, the Unit allowed access to the victims last moments. What — who they saw. It was pointless trying to evade the Unit, you couldn't run from it like you could the police, if you were the culprit it would find you and shut you down no matter where you were. No one could run from it. Nobody could hide from it.

It wasn't only crime where the Unit's evolution was prevalent, because it monitored the entire system it could tell if your vitals were off by even the smallest margin, once it did the Watchers picked up the origin. Diseases, viruses they were caught at the earliest stage. Eventually, the Unit mapped the entire geno. Dangerous conditions like cancer, tumours and Alzheimer's were discovered before they had even formed. The evolution of the Unit saved the world, it saved humanity...

'And, then they took over,' Abe's voice rang out echoing around the hall. James shivered, but, he couldn't shake his father's powerful voice. 'They took control over every single human left, whoever stood in their way was offed. Family members were used as leverage, memories stored for blackmail, with the Unit, the world was there's. We tried to fight, but, we were more than just their slaves, with the Unit we...' Abe trailed off. James imagined him hanging his head as if he had personally failed.

'And, now this...'

James felt a stinging pain that wasn't his. He shot to his feet, moving though the crowd without meaning to, ignoring the objections as he went. He burst through a gap and he saw it. Abe, his father, he looked rather menacing standing above everyone else, with his dark complexion and striking blue eyes pointing at a young woman who held a cloth over her mouth. 'A friend, a sister, a tunneller must leave us before her ailment leads them to us.'

'What's up?' Jazz asked squeezing in next to him.

James didn't answer instead he focussed on the young woman hardly any older than himself trying to ease her pain. But, he was distracted by her pallor, she was worse than Abe usually let them get, she coughed a hacking cough that had everyone backing away except him. It wouldn't be long before she activated her Unit, before she was discovered, and in here she was a threat to them all. James hated himself for the thought, he knew that as soon as they found her they would end her life, because that was what they did to the resistance. But, if she was out there, it would just be her...

'Go now,' he whispered, 'and may the light guide you.'

The young woman nodded solemnly and made her way to the only opening left. She took one look back before stepping out and disappearing into the light. James stared after her, feeling every emotion for everyone that couldn't. Anger, hate, sadness, pity... they flowed through him until tears took their place.

'Ah looky here,' Tristan fell in behind him, 'little Jamesies crying.'

James didn't rise to the bait. But, someone else did. 'Why don't you get out of here,' Jazz warned, 'before I throw you out after her.'

There was something in his voice that James had never heard before. It was sharp and menacing. Yes, it was sad. But, they had grown up watching evictions. Seeing loved ones leave. Walking to their deaths to save the ever dwindling population. But, Jazz had kept smiling despite it all. He was never one to show what he was feeling. Which was odd because he was one of two that could.

Tristan seemed to realise this was no joke and he slumped off. 'Lucky your boyfriends here,' he said, but, there was no real venom in his words.

'Thanks,' James said, turning to face Jazz, but, the look on his best friend's face was alarming. If his hair was like fire, his face was being cooked by the flames. His skin was blotchy, dark red rashes spread across his face disappearing into his hair. Trembling and coated in sweat. 'Jazz,' he tried.

In response Jazz opened his mouth and coughed...