Well, it was certainly brighter up here than I'd thought.

I tried not to grimace at the bright light drilling into my eyes. I could feel the presence of my teammates by my side. I could smell them. They'd both been drinking and eating something spicy.

My right upper wing rose, making the audience gasp audibly as I ducked behind it for a few moments to let my eyes adjust the brightness. I blinked furiously behind the weak shade a couple of times, only lowering my wing once I felt I wouldn't start tearing up.

"You okay?" Rush was on my right.

I gave a small nod as I met his eyes before facing the audience again. I couldn't see them. All I saw were black blobs and three replacement suns at the top of my vision. Faces started to come into focus as the host started speaking again after a long silence filled with awe.

"Unfortunately, Dr. Blue couldn't be here tonight due to prior commitments, but he has agreed to honour us with his presence and knowledge via a video conference."

The cold dread that had started crawling up my spine upon hearing his name halted itself. I sighed in relief, my body visibly sagging as Dr. Blue's voice filled the room.

"Good evening, everyone!" Even his voice gave me chills. I could smell his stench, stale milk. "My heartiest apologies for not joining you for Gratitude Night but unfortunately, I had some other tasks to see to. I'm pretty sure my grand creation has been revealed by now. Terra Carai, 19, a lifelong resident of Section D with a clear record. She came to me as an underweight, skinny little kid, angry about the loss of her brother. That was the moment I saw fire in her. The drive to live, to be better than anyone."

I frowned in confusion. What kind of lies was he spouting? I didn't care about anyone else. All he'd seen in me was another test subject.

"Things went wrong in the beginning, Terra fell into a coma for two months."

Yeah, right. You'd kept in a coma for two months and continued testing on me.

"But she came out of it as if nothing had ever happened. She went on with the remainder of her tests without a complaint."

Excuse me? I had some goddamn complaints. You injected me with triple the amount of whatever, had me stunned, didn't listen to me when I said something was wrong... not necessarily in that order.

"... to turn into what she is today. A valuable asset for the State, now and for years to come. She has amassed an impressive amount of kills for the short amount of time she's spent working. And all this was possible, only through the generosity of you, all of you beautiful people standing here. Your donations today, go towards helping our future, to maintaining today's status quo..."

The blood rushing in my ears drowned out the rest of what he was saying. My hands clenched into fists by my side as my wings rose up in anger. 'Maintaining today's status quo'? This fucked up society we were living in where people were divided on who could afford what? This can't happen. This shouldn't happen. It isn't normal. Everyone should be on equal footin-

"THANK YOU, DOCTOR BLUE! A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR HIM!" My train of thought was cut off as the host resumed his duties. I quickly fixed my face as I realised I'd started scowling. "The show-and-tell part of the evening has ended. The new recruits will soon be joining you on the floor so all the curiosity I'm sure is bubbling inside all of you can be sated. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your evening!"

Show and tell, because apparently we were on par with the inconsequential items toddlers brought to school. There was another of applause, but not as loud as the one Dr. Blue had got.

Rush patted my shoulder, a silent signal for me to follow him. I turned to my right and started walking away, with Keelan right behind me. We stepped off stage, my body immediately cooling down as we moved out of the harsh stage lights. There were others gathered here with their teams.

I stopped to look at Keelan who audibly sighed in relief. "I hate being on stage." He explained.

"Well, that's now over." Rush stretched easily. I just now noticed that they were both wearing similar black jumpsuits. "We can start proper drinking."

I rolled my eyes. "Please, I could smell the alcohol on you two from under the stage."

Keelan chuckled, walking over and placing an arm around my shoulder. "It helps that I have an old friend who's been assigned to this ship."

"Lucky." I sighed, starting to follow the guide who was leading us to the main entrance. "I'd love to be assigned here."

"Hey, hey." Rush took a spot beside me, throwing his arm around my shoulder as well. "Your work with us isn't done yet, don't request a transfer just yet."

"Of course not." I shrugged to get their arms off me. It was getting heavy and my wings were getting annoyed. "Who'd watch your backs if not me?"

They both laughed. Keelan seemed a bit more cheery than usual with a few drinks in him. "That's true." He reached over to ruffle my hair. "By the way, you look good."

"I know."

"I know." Rush mocked, giggling after he said that. "You vain bitch."

"You drunk bastard." I smirked up at him.

He giggled again, pecking the side of my head as all of us came to a stop beside a set of grand double doors. Two women in blue spoke into their comms, making eye contact with each other and nodding before pushing the doors open in unison.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the grand chandelier in the middle of the huge room providing soft lighting. The floor was marble. Men and women dressed in blue uniforms with white aprons moved smoothly across the floor, weaving paths in between impeccably dressed men and women. One entire side of the room was just glass, looking out onto the runway and beyond that the glittering ocean. There was no moon, a shame really. It still looked beautiful, but this would probably be the only time I would set foot on a ship like this, I'd like to have seen a full moon.

Most of us were immediately pulled into the crowd. But most of the rich people seemed interested in me. I was gently whisked away by this seemingly kind old man who started asking me personal questions. I had to extricate myself from him when he asked if I was still a virgin. It was actually kind of confusing, being pulled into one conversation after the other where all of them were talking about me.

What annoyed me the most that evening was that these rich people, these donors felt that they could touch me, touch my wings without my permission. As if I was an object who belonged to them. I didn't belong to them, I didn't belong to anybody. But they didn't seem to understand. They didn't seem to notice the discomfort on my face as fingers after fingers brushed across my wings which were practically curling around me in fear and disgust.

Something in me snapped, I couldn't take it anymore.

Hunching my shoulders so I was practically hidden under my wings, I walked backwards, forcing my way out of the circle people had made around me. It was like that scene in the mess all over again, but these were the real animals. They didn't see me, they only saw the wings.

I finally escaped the thick circle, inhaling sharply before turning my back to them and walking away. I had seen tables at the side of the room when I'd walked in. Tables to sit down, tables with food, water. I could do with some water.

I avoided eyes, hands, conversations, attempts to drag me into more circles as I made I beeline to my destination. The crowd thinned out a bit towards the edges. There was a surprising amount of people here. It was starting to seem like a badly kept secret. Something that only the rich and richer knew.

I smiled at the cute guy behind the counter as he handed me a glass of water. But his eyes seemed glued to my wings again. Exhaling tiredly, I turned away from him as I began taking small sips.

"You look like you could do with something stronger."

My eyes widened at that voice. I immediately twisted around to see a familiar pair of blue eyes. I had to force my expression to stay blank as I finally met Lionel's eyes.

"I could." I replied, the wariness in my voice stemming from the fact that I knew the guy behind me was watching.

Lionel smiled as he stepped forward, his expression carefully distant as well. He held out a glass of alcohol. "Here you go."

I twisted to place my glass back on the table behind me before taking it. My eyes widened once again as I took my first sip, memories flooding back of that night. "This is very strong."

He smirked. "It's an acquired taste."

I could feel my lips twitch. "How does anyone acquire this?"

His smile widened by an inch as he laughed, raising the glass to his lips. "Practice. You can mix it with water to wash it down easy."

"Did you mix it with water your first time?"

"No."

"Then I won't." I smiled back, easily taking another sip and using the moment to look him over.

Lionel in a suit was even more exquisite than Lionel in pajamas. Perfectly tailored, not a thread out of place on that navy blue blazer. Hair slicked back, out of his face to make him look more mature. I didn't mind it like this either.

He held out his hand to me. "Lionel Mackenzie the Eighth."

I reached out to grasp it. Soft, smooth yet calloused, exactly as I remembered. "I remember. You visited me in solitary."

"Glad to hear that you remember me." He pulled his hand back. "Are you okay? You looked like you were running away from something."

I nodded in the direction I'd come from. "People. All of them. I don't like anyone touching my wings. I was getting kind of claustrophobic."

"I see." His eyes roamed over me. "You look amazing tonight."

"Thank you." I replied, taking another sip to hide my glee. "I had a stylist too."

He laughed. "I don't." Ah, so it was a innate sense of style. I could appreciate that. A lot. "Here, let me help you out with the crowd."

I stiffened slightly, stepping away from his outstretched hand. "I didn't ask for your help."

"My apologies." His hand fell. "I figured I could help keep the others at bay. Some of them don't seem to understand the concept of personal space."

I held his gaze for a while before sighing and finally giving in. "Fine. Just... I don't want to be touched."

He nodded, doing somewhat of a half-bow. "I understand. Shall we?"

Back into the belly of the beast.

It was easier mingling with Lionel around. He stayed by my side, smoothly steering me around from interested individual to interested individual. His hand would occasionally brush against my lower back to steer me here or there, it sent chills up my spine. He had really amazing hands from what I remembered of that night. A great fit when he'd covered my hand with his. I want him to hold my hand again.

The topics stayed quite above ground as well with Lionel there. I could see the respect some people had for him but at the same time their disregard for him due to his age was quite palpable. All the people here seemed to be in their forties and over. Lionel was fairly young. He would steer the conversation in a professional manner to keep them away from any personal stuff. My tearing away had had quite an affect on some of them, they'd sobered up. Some even gave me haughty apologies that made Lionel raise an eyebrow at them. Behind their backs, of course.

The evening progressed smoothly, the conversation flowed easily. I enjoyed Lionel's company. He kept it easy between us with jokes and light banter, being very careful not to go into any topic that might have anyone here questioning his loyalty. I kept the drinking slow as well, because Lionel was never too far behind with another tumbler seconds after I finished mine.

"If I didn't know any better, Mr. Mackenzie, I'd think you were trying to get me drunk." I grinned up at him from the rim of my fifth glass.

He chuckled easily. "Not in this kind of atmosphere, Ms. Carai. After all, how will I take you home?"

I coloured brightly. This was his most direct flirt so far.

He looked away from me, smiling easily at the next person approaching us. I looked up too, surprise passing my face as I saw Commander Malcolm stroll up to us.

He nodded to the two of us. "Having a good evening, Terra?"

"Yes, Commander." I pulled away from the drink, keeping it by my side. "How about you?"

"It's fine. I do this every year." He reached up to tug on his collar irritatedly. "Mr. Mackenzie, good to see you back here for another year." He held out his hand. "It's always good to have your family behind us."

Lionel shook his hand. "No problem, Commander. My faith in the State hasn't wavered even once. This has been an interesting investment so far."

"And it shall get better hopefully." Malcolm grinned back. There were two spots of colour high on his cheeks.

"Say, Commander." Lionel took his hand back. "Is it possible to take your soldier out for a walk? It's a beautiful night, and Miss Carai was just musing whether she could see it for herself."

I frowned to myself. When did I ask that? I didn't even bring it up.

Malcolm didn't seem to notice my confusion. Nodding vigorously, he started walking away. "Come, I shall speak to the guards at the door for you."

Lionel is a sneaky snake. I glanced up at him in confusion, he just gave me a patient look as we started following after Malcolm. I placed my half full tumbler on a passing sailor's tray as we stopped in front of the majestic double doors.

Malcolm started speaking with the sailor at the door, who already seemed quite intimidated by the scores of medals lining Malcolm's chest.

"Commander, we're under strict orders not to let any of the new recruits out."

Malcolm completely ignored that, turning to look at Lionel. "How long do you need outside?"

"A few minutes should be fine." Lionel smiled back. "Five, maximum."

His posture was casual, one hand in his pocket, other by his side. He turned his head, meeting my eyes and smiling at me. Cute. But I didn't smile back, directing my attention towards Malcolm again.

"Come on, kid. It's just five minutes." Malcolm smiled at him. "Just a bit of fresh air. Maybe they're feeling seasick. Do you want to mop up vomit here?"

He looked slightly disgusted at the mention of vomit before finally sighing and giving in. Malcolm stepped back victoriously as Lionel gave him a grateful nod before heading out the door.

"Please keep this brief, sir." The sailor spoke as we walked past him. "The vote of thanks shall commence soon."

"Sure, I'll be back in five." Lionel didn't even look at the soldier.

I nodded to him in thanks. He seemed more curious than annoyed about this turn of events.

The sea breeze was stronger now. I could smell metal for some reason. Maybe there was a storm on the horizon. But the only sound outside here was that of the waves gently lapping against the ship. If I really strained my hearing, I could make out the vague buzz of conversation and clink of cutlery from inside the hall. It was mostly muffled by the thick, steel walls and the door.

Lionel walked along the narrow path, fingers absently trailing along the railing. I caught up to him, walking beside him silently for a while till he stopped.

"This is far enough." He spoke, turning to look back at where we came from before looking at me. He smiled. "It was honestly more amusing watching you on the stage tonight when Dr. Blue was speaking."

I grimaced softly. "Was my irritation that obvious?"

"In the beginning, not really." Lionel took a step back as we hit a strong wave. I stumbled towards him, my wings flapped a bit to steady me. "But towards the end, your anger was palpable."

I closed my wings, pressing them tightly to my back so they wouldn't open again. It was windy out, if my wings caught any of that, I'd go tumbling across the deck.

"I must say, I'm kind of proud." I looked up at him as he continued. His blue eyes seemed almost black out here with no light. "Your Rebel side was showing through when he spoke about 'maintaining the status quo'."

"Yeah, I didn't realise that I wasn't hiding it will till he stopped talking." I paused, looking at him as I thought something over. "What problem do you have with the status quo? You're quite well off."

He smiled, taking a step towards me. "That's not something I can answer here. It's not safe here."

"Alright." I nodded, turning my head to side to stare at the sea.

"How have you been enjoying your new life? From what I heard, you've finally been freed."

"Yeah. I have." I ran a hand over my neck consciously. "I had a tracking collar on that Malcolm removed right before we got into the jet."

"A tracking collar?" His eyes flickered to my wrists. "What happened to those white cuffs?"

"They... uh..." I paused for a few moments, trying to figure out a way to word this. This was not the place to get Lionel angry. "Dr. Blue sort of advised against them. Said something about it not being healthy for long durations."

"Makes sense. I saw the schematics. Looked painful."

"It only hurt for the first day or two. After that I barely realised it was there actually."

He raised his hand, his fingers brushing across my cheek as he leaned in. "But I have a question for you."

"Sure." I replied easily, trying not to think about him being so close.

"Terra, have you ever been kissed?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Human Untouched: Requiem of the State