The air in the Fringe always burns your lungs — a mix of smoke, dust, and the Bureau’s gas that settles into everything. You’ve learned to tell when they’re coming before you even hear the transport hum.

Today’s no different. You can hear the soldiers yelling over the static of their comms. “Code 8! All units — kid collection in progress!”

You already know what that means. They’ve found you.

You were supposed to be safe — tucked far enough beyond the Bureau’s reach that they’d forget about the failed experiments. But they don’t forget. They never do.

You knew almost all the codes at this point. Code 1: Turn back Code 2: Danger approaching Code 3: Silence Code 4: Kid found Code 5: Kid on the run Code 6: Kid resisting gas Code 7: do anything necessary Code 8: kid collecting time Code 9: kid hiding.

You grab a small child, hoping to keep them safe from this round of Collecting. You hide inside the warehouse, barely being able to wedge yourselves in between two pillars. The kid on the furthest side of the entrance. You kept him quiet, covering your own mouth in fear, before you heard footsteps...