The sight of the woman frowning put pressure on Claire's chest, wondering why the dryad was giving off such a reaction to Hannah's question.

Though she didn't look at her friend, it was likely that Hannah was experiencing a similar feeling as the woman stood there in silence.

Before the silence became overly oppressive, the woman said, "Inside of this shelter, there's no need to be concerned about your safety. The shelters are designed with many scenarios in mind, as though facing a myriad of worlds in an endless multiverse."

Claire felt herself being able to breathe easier upon hearing the woman reassure them. However, she found the way it was expressed to be odd.

Continuing, the woman said, "The problem arises when speaking about the inhabitants of this place and whether they will be able to experience the world as before its collapse."

Picking up on the meaning of the woman's words, Hannah asked, "Does that mean Star and Moon has figured out a way to defeat the Modified Humans?"

Once again, the woman frowned. "The problem isn't an easy one." Her face slowly shifted to a neutral one. "But there may exist a way for humans to begin reclaiming their world."

Hearing the message of hope being hinted by the dryad, Claire's ears perked up.

The woman turned towards the elevators and began walking away from them, instead of finishing her words.

Not expecting the woman to walk away from them, Claire's mouth hung open in shock. As she tried to comprehend what was happening, she saw Hannah beginning to walk after the woman. Seeing Hannah move to follow made Claire regain herself.

Walking after the woman, Claire tried to piece together everything they were being told.

The woman stood in front of one of the elevators. When the two of them reached her, the door to the elevator slid open to reveal the clean and simplistic interior.

Moving to the side of the entrance, the woman motioned for them to enter.

Feeling nervous, Claire slowly entered the white room. When she turned around, Hannah had followed close behind and now stood next to her. The woman was the last to enter.

As the door to the elevator slid closed, and they found themselves inside of the enclosed area, Claire could smell the comforting scent of a forest. Her eyes looked to woman's green hair, eyes widening as she noticed how it shimmered in some areas, like the sun glimmering off of spring leaves.

"This elevator is only designed to take the residents of the Fort to the shelters," The woman spoke up.

Pulled away from being lost inside of the woman's hair, Claire asked, feeling confused, "To the shelters? I thought we were in the shelter?"

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"In a way, yes," The dryad answered. "The area we were in is more of an entranceway to welcome those who enter, helping them to calm themselves to the new reality. It's the reason for the forest."

"Is the forest real?" Hannah asked.

As though not hearing Hannah's question, the woman continued, "Our contract with the Military had us design the shelters in this manner. Many of the other sites have the welcome area as the actual shelters. Still, each one has an elevator leading to the area that we have fully designed."

"Why did Star and Moon design the shelters in this manner?" Claire was confused, feeling as though there was some deeper meaning being hinted at by the woman.

"We at Star and Moon recognize the limitations of others, understanding how others are stuck to conventional mindsets. Knowing this, we had the Military agree to our request of making everything below their shelters to be managed by us. The excuse of connecting all the shelters to one another in case families wasn't able to enter into the same area."

As Claire listened to the woman explain the rationale behind how the shelters were designed, she had the feeling the woman was smiling.

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When the elevator door opened to let them off, the woman stepped out. "Welcome to the true Star and Moon shelter," she said in a cheerful tone.

Walking out of the elevator, Claire's jaw dropped.

"Chelsea understated how we wouldn't need to worry about the shelter," Hannah stared at their surroundings.

They stared at the blue sky with gentle clouds floating by as it was blown by a gentle breeze. There were trees scattered about in addition to the luscious grass that looked like it were comfortable enough to sleep on. A soothing river snaked its way between the trees, disappearing out of view.

Claire turned to look at the dryad, flabbergasted by what she saw underground. "How?"

Even more, the woman's appearance seemed to mimic the presence of a dryad from mythology. Her hair looking a vibrant green.

"What you're seeing, it's pretty standard for Star and Moon shelters. There are a few differences with each site, but for the most part, we've created an environment that allows people to feel they aren't even inside. This shelter even has a lake, which allows residents to swim inside as they enjoy the sun." The woman pointed to the sky, "Even better is how the sun won't burn or damage your skin while providing needed vitamin D for humans."

"There's a lake?!" Hannah became excited. "It's been ages since I've been to one!" She grabbed onto Claire's arm and began jumping up and down in excitement at the idea.

Though she was happy that Hannah was excited about the lake, she was focused on what the dryad had said about the existence of other shelters. "How many of them are out there?"

As the woman began to move away from the elevators, stepping onto the soft grass, "Star and Moon has created as many as required to fit the entire world's population into them comfortably, each one designed to handle healthy population growth."

Following the woman, Claire's mind reeled at what was just explained. "But...," She tried to say. "With the number of people that were killed by the Modified Humans..."

"Yes. This means that numerous sites are empty, devoid of any humans." The woman finished Claire's thought. "Regardless of whether humans are living in the site, each shelter will look as fresh and alive as this one."

"Are we able to get in contact with the other sites?" Hannah joined in after she relaxed from the view.

Shaking her head, the woman answered, "Not at the moment, though communication does exist for those with certain access levels inside of the shelters."

"Is it through The Wire?" Claire asked, remembering it mentioned at school how The Wire was developed.

"Looks like you paid attention during your mandatory school lesson," The woman smiled at Claire. Nodding, "Yes, communication is through a section of The Wire."

"You mentioned how we have a stronger connection to Star and Moon, due to what's given to us. Does this mean Hannah and I would be able to locate the shelters that don't have people?" Claire felt like food crumbs were being left behind by the woman, to be discovered by the two of them.

Instead of answering, the woman once again just smiled as she continued to guide them through the shelter.