The next day, she woke up early. It was 5:00, and she was alone in the mess hall. The facility ran on a twenty-four-hour schedule. People took rotational shifts to ensure the fortress was well-protected. 

Jazelle walked across the third floor of the facility. Each floor was circled like a ring. The third floor was unique, as it had windows covering the exterior of the ring. Jazelle looked past the window into the vast expanse of the dark and stared at the stars twinkling in the sky, and the curvature of light that was starting to appear on the earth’s rim. 

Just as this was happening, the Doctor who inspected her the previous day was walking by. He was about to wave at Jazelle, but decided against it. He saw the curvature of the earth reflected in Jazelle’s eyes. The light expanded, becoming brighter and brighter, and not wanting to disturb Jazelle, he looked towards the horizon.

Both of them stared at the desert, previously filled with stars, turned bright, marking the start of a new day. 

“You were just going to stand there and not greet me?” Jazelle asked.

The young Doctor turned towards Jazelle. She was suited up in her gear. Her face looked too soft for that heavy mesh of armour. The neckline of her suit poked awkwardly as if it were a size too tight.

The Doctor turned the question, “I was just wondering why you were up so early.”

Jazelle turned to face the horizon, “Well…I like to catch the world when it's dark.”

“Come to think of it,” Jazelle stroked her chin, “I never caught your name.”

Confusion flashed across the Doctor’s eyes.

“Dr.—” He said.

“No, your actual name,” Jazelle said. “I mean, you don’t look much older than me.”

The young Doctor swallowed. The face he saw the other day, he now saw why he had been terrified by it. She was irregular. Everything down to her stride, the asymmetrical cut of her hair, the sparse freckles that decorated her face — she was even missing a tooth near the front lines of her teeth.

In a space like this, how could such a person exist?
But his curiosity betrayed him; he wanted it to work.
He wanted an anomaly to prove to him that such a thing could exist within The System.

“Asher,” he replied, giving his name like a confession. “Asher Giles.”
He lifted his arm slightly, like an automatron. Jazelle clasped it with a firm shake.

“Dr. Giles, huh? Nice to meet you!”

-

The ShArD recruitment ceremony started at 7:00. Recruits for the term were to show up on the dot and pledge their allegiance. After, they would be given a general overview of what they had to train for. 

Beforehand, Asher kindly showed Jazelle a tour of the medical facility in another wing on the third floor. They walked through the sanitized corridors and room pods until they arrived at Room 3065. Through a vertical slit in the door, Jazelle saw Lior’s face hooked to lots of machines.

Jazelle ran towards Lior.

“Lior!” She yelled.

Asher held back Jazelle’s arm. Jazelle looked at Asher.

“Only medical personnel are allowed access through these doors,” he said. “I’ll let you pass, but once you head out, let me know, alright?”

Jazelle slowly turned towards Asher; his eyebrows were furrowed, showing a trace of concern.

“Okay,” Jazelle said.

Asher loosened his grip, and Jazelle stayed near the door. He walked past Jazelle, allowing the door to scan his biometrics, and the door slid open. 

Jazelle turned to face him; his eyes were steady, looking past her.

“Thank you,” Jazelle said. 

Asher’s eyes softened. He usually went about his day checking patients, logging in his reports, and walking down hallways alone, but when he saw Jazelle the other day, he stopped. Her expressions were different. She paused, looking at a person walking by, and asked them questions about their day and routine. She talked about machines, dunes, and various other things.

And he noticed that even now. 

She stepped past him into the room with Lior. He wanted to follow her, but decided against it. The door closed between them, and he stopped. He looked at the barred space where Jazelle and Lior lay, and saw quite a sight.