As more rays of sunlight began to pour over the horizon, Ace broke out into a run. Despite being mortally wounded only minutes prior, his body felt fine, great even. He would have been more concerned about why that was the case but instead he was focused on making it back home before anyone noticed his absence.

After only a short run, he reached the street that housed the orphanage. Turning up the pace, he sprinted down the dirt road and turned into the alleyway containing his scrap-made landing pad. Without hesitation he barreled towards the back wall of the alley and took to the air right before impact.

Using his momentum to gain a temporary foothold, he leapt off the wall and gained enough height to grab the ledge of the orphanage roof. With the crowbar for extra grip, he found his footing against the wall and crawled over the ledge. Not even tired from his acrobatic maneuver, he immediately opened the roof hatch and descended the ladder. Upon reaching the dining room, he was beginning to feel quite proud of himself and his escapade into the night.

'I snuck out, killed a giant monster bird, AND no one not-'

His triumphant thoughts were cut unceremoniously short. There, only a couple feet in front of him was Zeke. The boy was walking around while fiddling with a trinket that Ace had given him only a few weeks prior. It looked like he had taken a particular liking to the yoyo made from metal plates and sewing string. The young boy turned to look at his older brother.

Ace grumbled internally.

'Damn! I was so close too! Zeke is pretty reasonable though... I might be able to convince him to no-. Wait... huh?'

While Zeke's body moved, his eyes remained only half open. His actions were slightly erratic and uncoordinated.

'Is he... sleepwalking?!'

Ace called out to his little brother with a whisper.

"Psst! Bro, you awake?"

His brother remained unresponsive, continuing to fiddle with the homemade yo-yo. With his suspicions confirmed, a wave of relief washed over him.

Making sure to keep quite, Ace tip toed around him and towards his room. However, as he was doing so he heard him mumble something unintelligible.

Curious, he leaned in closer.

"Mr. Warden... stats."

His blood ran cold as a midnight colored orb shimmered into existence above Zeke's head.

'Zeke is notched?! Since when? We found him as a baby! Why would he lie?! What kind of secrets does a five year old have to keep?'

At a loss, Ace sighed deeply before taking a step back and walking away. While his body may have been fine, his mind was not.

'This is making my head hurt... I don't have the energy to deal with this right now...'

He hobbled through the room door and threw himself into bed. Sleep claimed him before he could even remember to take his boots off.

*** Later that morning ***

Something was pressing down on Ace. Something heavy.

"A--, g-- u-!"

Who was making all of that noise?

"Ace! Ge- U--!

Seriously, did they have to scream in his face like that?

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Five synchronized voices broke through Ace's sleepy daze, startling him.

"ACE! GET UP! Thalia said its time to eat!"

"Hmm what?"

He tried to sit up but found that all five of his siblings were sitting on him.

"Alright guys, you can get off now, I'll see you in the dining room."

The children sprang off him and sprinted into the hallway. Clearly they were eager to eat.

Sitting up, Ace found that he felt well rested despite only sleeping for a few hours. He thought about why as he swung his legs out from the bed.

'That's a little strange, but I'm definitely not going to complain. Probably just a benefit of being Notched.''

Looking down, Ace couldn't help but notice the suspiciously sized hole in his shirt. To avoid getting questioned by Thalia, he switched his tattered shirt to one of his only other good tops, a faded purple button-up. He didn't need to change his pants. The black government issue khakis (that he stole) proved more resilient than he expected.

Feeling ready for the day, he walked out into the chaotic scene that was the dining room.

The youngest five were stuffing their faces full with different kinds of rations. It seemed that the government supply depot carried more than just nutrient biscuits, proven by the fact that the children had plates full of oatmeal and dehydrated fruit. He had seen them before during his brief and unauthorized visits into the Sentinel outposts. The thought of getting to eat something besides a gray blob only increased his appetite.

Thalia and Icarus were slightly removed from the group and were sitting around a raised concrete cylinder that acted as a table. The chatter was quite loud so he moved closer to join in on their conversation.

Noticing his entrance, Thalia beckoned him over to an empty seat that housed a plate of rations. The food on the plate was still steaming. Wasting no time, he sat down eagerly and began tearing into his portion with a ferocity that made his older sister pause and silently judge him.

As he was enjoying the meal Thalia resumed speaking.

"So like I was telling Rus. I think it would be best if everyone else besides myself received exposure treatment... including the your younger brothers and sisters."

Ace almost spat out his food.

"What?! But only yesterday you were saying that it was a terrible idea! What changed?"

Thalia sighed.

"What changed? Well... after talking with my Warden it has become increasingly clear that we are not equipped to deal with what the upcoming trial is going to throw at us. We're supposed to be dealing with mutated Earth animals. Even before the Interlopers came there were plenty of things that could easily kill humans. You think things are going to become LESS dangerous? Think again."

Ace silently agreed with Thalia.

'If only she knew how right she was. I almost got killed by a bird after all.'

Looking at the five young children under her care, Thalia continued solemnly.

"I can't guarantee that I'll be able to protect everyone as they are now."

Shifting her gaze back to the pair, she spoke again but with more conviction.

"I won't force you guys to do it, but it's just something to consider. If you were notched, then you wouldn't be totally defenseless and could better look out for your siblings. Just think about it..."

She got up to leave.

"Once you finish the rest of your breakfast, take the kids up to roof a little before noon. There will be another announcement when the trial begins."

Ace continued his meal and looked over at Rus. His usual cheery expression was gone, replaced by one of stone cold impassivity. Ace knew what he was thinking of course, but decided not to say anything.

He could understand why Icarus would be hesitant about exposure treatment. His own close brush with death even while Notched had only increased his opinion of Sever enhanced individuals. The only problem was that becoming one... was quite a deadly ordeal.

***

Sitting on the roof with his feet dangling over the edge, Ace waited for the ethereal voice to reveal itself. Strangely, even the five youngest Ace remained silent. It seemed that they understood their lives were about to change.

Soon enough, a familiar voice shook the air.

"HUMANS, THIS MARKS THE START OF COMBAT TESTING.

THE BARRIER AROUND THE GQCS HAS BEEN LIFTED. THE BEASTS HAVE DRAWN CLOSER. THE WILDS ARE OPEN FOR EXPLORATION.

YOU WILL BE REWARDED FOR SUCCESSFUL EXPEDITIONS. HOWEVER, THE BEASTS WILL ASSAULT THE WALL OF THIS INSTALLATION PERIODICALLY.

SHOULD THE CENTRAL BASTION FALL, THE INSTALLATION AND ALL ITS INHABITANTS WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL.

FAILURE WILL RESULT IN ERASURE."

The voice then fizzled out.

Left in complete silence, Ace's blood ran cold. He looked over at Icarus and Thalia, they both seemed to have realized something dire about the information they had received.

Icarus spoke first. "The voice said that the beasts would attack the wall regularly right? But... the only "wall" in GQC-1 is the giant one surrounding the main city. "

He looked over at Ace hoping for a retort of some kind but he remained silent, staring at the ground.

Thalia affirmed his suspicions. "Yes Rus, it means exactly what you think it does. Since the beast are going to attack the wall, it means that everyone in the slums is..."

Icarus leaned in, waiting for an elaboration. "Is what Thalia? Everyone outside the wall is what?!"

Ace answered his brother. "It means everyone outside is probably going to die... including us."