Hubbard didn’t drink alcohol many times. His experience wasn’t terrible with it, he didn’t get sick or dizzy, and he only felt a bit drowsy. But he couldn’t risk the possibility of falling under the influence of any substance, knowing how it affected others.

     Tang Lan knew about this; actually, they had similar opinions about addictions.

     Thus, naturally, Hubbard never imagined that his friend would ask for a drinking party. The whole thing started with Tang Lan complaining about their missed birthday celebration. This was a tradition between them by now; Hubbard knew how adamant his friend was about celebrating this special day, so he wasn’t surprised, and was willing to cater to Tang Lan’s wish. Although, in the last few years their celebration had merely taken form in some quiet solitude in each other’s company.

     Tang Lan refilled Hubbard’s glass once, then soon twice, and then a third time, so Hubbard drank. He knew he was going to be so wasted, he might be falling into that situation he never wanted to – before his thinking clouded, he also saw how Tang Lan barely finished his first glass.

     He got too drunk before he found out the reason, but he stayed somewhat present. The sleepiness made his vision blurry, and the place sounded so noisy, it was a bit overwhelming.

     Hubbard had already forgotten about the past, but Tang Lan’s next question stirred up some memories of them.

   “I got to know a field operations department officer at the supply depot. Said he was a roommate who trained with you. He asked me if Hubbard had some political bias, otherwise why would he voluntarily put himself in the Outer City, sacrificing an excellent future? What do you think, Boss?”

     Hubbard felt like mist was growing on his brain, making his skull heavier; his thoughts liquefied, thus he couldn’t form coherent sentences right away… he was too tired to do so. He also felt like he should be embarrassed, maybe. He never thought someone would reveal this detail to Tang Lan. But the embarrassment didn’t come, and he didn’t like to lie too much. He rather kept things in secret, but once he was asked, he just answered.

     But what to answer this question?

     His visions have never stopped. He didn’t get them quite often, but all of them were printed into his mind, and he couldn’t forget any of them. Even when some details of the past faded in his memories, his visions were always vivid.

     He once again came to a situation, where he should’ve explained himself. But Tang Lan chose a very bad method to make him speak. Hubbard learned how to express himself better; he just still didn’t like to do it. It was too bothersome. And with his consciousness being so fogged by the alcohol, he felt like his ability to form words regressed. On top of that, he didn’t want to speak about it. What’s good about dwelling on the past when it was over already.

     Yet, now that Tang Lan asked again, he couldn’t help but think back. Maybe the alcohol did have a stronger effect on him, after all. His guard lowered a little, and memories of that time flashed in his mind.

~�HxT�~

   “He healed,” His teacher said to Hubbard when he returned to the Eden, asking about Tang Lan. Hubbard already lived at the military base, accepting heavy training, but he returned to his old home, searching for his friend. They didn’t let him meet with Tang Lan, making excuses on that bacterium or whatever. He only could ask his teachers. “But his physique suffered some sequelae. He is not qualified to go to the military anymore. He will be assigned to the Outer City.”

     The world around Hubbard shattered. He froze; his legs heavy, his arms numb, and his mind blank. Right after he got this news, a pounding headache pierced his temples. Nowadays, it happened more and more frequently; he never had so many headaches before. He was at a loss for words as well. He couldn’t say anything. He just left.

     By the time he returned to the military base, he’d regained his calmness, but still felt confused. He never expected this twist; he was waiting for his friend to come, but not seeing him again for the rest of their lives seemed unimaginable.

     On that night, he saw a vision again. This vision was the longest he had ever seen.

     In that vision, he was alone. He was once again a highly ranked officer. He had even more badges on his chest than before. He had a whole army behind his back.

     But Tang Lan wasn’t there. He couldn’t find him. Maybe this time he was half-asleep, and the vision turned into a dream because, before this occasion, he never moved in his visions. Now, he was looking for Tang Lan. He was facing the army – facing was a bad word because none of the soldiers had a face, they were blank like a mannequin. Yet, they were extremely loud, and made his head spinning. He squeezed between them, but as he went deeper and deeper, he felt the crowd holding him back with its sheer size. Hubbard couldn’t move anymore, his eardrums ached from the noises, and he felt nauseous from the dizziness.

     He was stuck in the middle of the sea of people, turning his head frantically, trying to find that one figure in the army, but he couldn’t.

     He woke up soaking in sweat, his heart was racing, and he jumped out of his bed right away. He almost threw up.

     His roommate was snoring very loudly. Hubbard didn’t wake him up with his fright. Training here at the operations field department was much harder than the training at the Garden of Eden. The boy wouldn’t have woken up, even if someone had fired a cannon beside their room.

     No one stopped him from going out to clear his head and calm down. He slipped past the checkpoints and patrols, and used hidden paths and alleys to move around in the sleeping city.

     It was dawn when he reached the Garden of Eden. The honeycomb-like building almost seemed like it was about to fall; it cast a huge shadow on the streets below. The sun was only shining at the very top of the high building; other houses and the magnetic pole stood against the light. It was freezing cold in the shadows. Hubbard was still clad in his wet nightshirt and pants; his clothes became painfully chilly. His hair stuck to his damp skin. He ran all the way here. It was good for one thing only: his migraine faded, hence his stomach didn’t want to turn upside down anymore. The coldness affected the pulsating feeling in his temples, and calmed them.

     Life just began to rise. Kids were still sleeping, teachers were approaching the place, yawning or half-asleep. Everyone was stunned to see him, marching to the entrance, and pushing others aside to get inside. Some of them scolded him right away, but he didn’t care.

     He couldn’t find their college teacher, so he just went directly to the seventh floor, to the dormitory. Since the kids had already been placed into their new classes, the old rooms were still empty.

     Their room contained many beds. The two beside the window were his and Tang Lan’s. Everything was much cleaner and emptier now. The only part of the room with any personal belongings left was Tang Lan’s bed. It looked like he had not been returned to his place yet.

     Hubbard was only disappointed for a moment before he made up his mind. He didn’t need to think about it too much.

     He found one small box at the top of the wardrobe; it was not enough for everything that Tang Lan may have wanted to bring with him, so Hubbard chose the most important ones. The ones that Tang Lan liked the most. But then, when he finished packing, another thought popped up in his mind.

     He remembered when they learned about the Outer City’s conditions; the living situations were not so great, the medical attention was low, and the food was short and trash. That’s what people said. That can’t be good for a young boy who just got cleared from a bacterium. Tang Lan needed to survive for a little longer…

     Before he could go to the nurse’s room for some vitamins, his teacher ran into him in the corridor.

   “For God’s sake, Hubbard!” She exclaimed, piercing his ears for a quick moment with her high pitch. “Why are you here so early in the morning? Are you still wearing your pyjamas? Have you even gotten an exit permit from the military base?! If you keep going out during the curfew, you will lose their…” The scolding halted suddenly, when she noticed the box in Hubbard’s hand. She was stunned for a bit, and then it seemed like she understood something. She changed the topic. “Do you want me to give him this box? Have you packed everything?” She sounded somehow kinder as well.

   “I… want some vitamins. Or medicine.” Hubbard said, after looking at the contents of the box. “Can you spare some?”

   “You know, he still can get those if he…” She sighed, and looked away, and Hubbard thought she must have lied. “Forget it, I know you too well. Okay. Let me see… come.” She walked back, and led him to the nurse’s room. He’d been in this room almost as much as the classrooms, for small or mild injuries. He never fell sick or had serious conditions, but he often ended up with wounds by playing or exercising too hard in the gym.

     His teacher took some jars and packs of bandages from the cabinets.

   “These have a short expiration date. No one is going to eat them. He can bring them with him. Hm, maybe this could be useful too.” She muttered under her nose, and Hubbard just stood beside her, holding up the box, and watching her throwing medicines and sacs into it.

   “Don’t you want to leave any messages?”

     Hubbard looked down. The box was now full of spare vitamins and bubble packages, covering Tang Lan’s other belongings.

   “No.”

     He already had a message for him previously, which didn’t change. “Don’t die.” Tang Lan must remember that. The boy was brave and tactical; he didn’t let his feelings take over his mind anymore. Encouragement was not needed.

     However, a sentence unexpectedly appeared in Hubbard’s mind from an old conversation. “My Boss wouldn’t be there with me, and I don’t like that idea.” His friend became a lot stronger, in his physique and his mind as well. He focused on becoming the hero he wanted to be, and worked his ass off to get into the military. He could be called boss too… yet, since that day, it was still Hubbard, who was called “Boss” by him jokingly.

     Hubbard suddenly began questioning if he was right not to leave a message. But what could he say to Tang Lan? If he said anything regarding the situation, Tang Lan would find out his intentions, and try to convince him to change his mind. Hubbard already made up his mind. He didn’t want unnecessary drama or tension between them until they met again. Tang Lan must concentrate on himself and his moving because this wasn’t the end yet, and the boy probably knew it.

     Therefore, this is how it went. Tang Lan left. Hubbard was training extra hard that day in order to stop himself from trying to go to the train station, and watch him leave. It would’ve caused the same situation which he wanted to prevent by not saying goodbye. Nevertheless, his mind wasn’t focused on training.

     He needed a few days to sort out his options. He had to finish the isolated training session, before making any moves; his trainers paid too much attention to him these days.

     First, he began studying the transportation schedules to the Outer City. When he had a chance, he went out to seek information, but he had a very narrow free timeframe for it. After a few days, he realised it won’t be as easy as it was with his first escape to the wilderness: going out was one thing, but to stay in the Outer City he needed a lot more preparations.

     So for second, he tried to find any legal method of getting replaced to the Outer City. Apart from the obvious one, when the Garden of Eden distributed the kids, there were not many options.

     Some jobs would’ve allowed him to go to the Outer City. He could’ve chosen the path of the City Defence Agency instead of the army. But he scored too high on his physical assessments. Even on the military base, the system of distributing people according to their abilities continued. There were still higher-ranked jobs, and the City Defence Agency was the lowest. People who went there didn’t even stay in the military base as long as those who chose to serve in the army.

     And regardless, he should’ve waited until his education finished, and he had to become an official officer. It would’ve taken too long to get there.

     This left him with a last resort. It wasn’t a legal method, and brought him a lot of risk, but he had no other choice. 

     Break the rules, and get caught.

     He couldn’t be too careless with it. He had to choose the perfect crime; otherwise, he could’ve gotten too light or severe punishments.

     Sneaking out became his daily routine. After his first escape during clear daylight, he was just scolded, so he wanted to gather up more occasions. He only got a warning after the fifth time, and was punished with excess training after the eighth time.

     After the ninth, the company grade officer caught him in person. He was the Captain of the barrack Hubbard was living in, and one of their main trainer soldiers. They called him Captain Ian.

   “Hubbard, what exactly do you think you’re doing?” He asked while the boy was standing in front of him, with his arms forced behind his back by another soldier. The man’s face was rough and strict, and had never shown a smile. His brows wrinkled, and his moustache shivered as he puffed out cold mist between them. “Aren’t you aware of the consequences, if you keep up your shenanigans? A soldier is not only solid in physical aspects but in discipline as well. Do you think it’s funny to break our rules? Do you think you’re still in the Eden, where your teachers would pardon your behaviour? I heard a bunch of praises about you, but in the last few weeks, you seem to lose focus on your future, you even skipped your training sessions. If there is something you want to tell me, this is the time.”

     Hubbard stayed silent under the pale, silver sunlight, and looked down. He didn’t like lies. But would be telling the truth beneficial? Maybe, if they would tighten the protection of the military residential area as a result, he could get more punishments. However, he couldn’t control the type of those punishments, and he had no idea, if they would just lock him up, or would send him to a different unit instead…

   “I don’t want to be here anymore. Can I get replaced to the Outer City?”

     He stayed true to himself.

     Captain Ian was speechless for a good amount of time before he started to elevate his volume, and shout at him. From the “you ungrateful brat” and the “your teacher’s spoiled you too much, this is why you lost your mind” to the “you will be imprisoned” there was a bunch of cussing and swearing, which Hubbard just waited out, suffering silently. None of those words meant anything to him, but he didn’t like the shouting. Then, his trainer threatened him, that if he did something again, he will be “punished without mercy”. He didn’t get dinner that night.

     Hubbard had several trips to his office after this, so many that he almost felt home when he went there. However, at the same time, he started to understand that this method was not working well. His Captain did not intend to give him the merciless punishment he promised. Hubbard had only been scolded, cussed at, sent away, locked up or ended up without meals for a day. He began to feel the slowness of this process. It wasn’t efficient enough.

     Therefore, he tried out more severe crimes to get the desired effect.

     He initiated a fight with another kid from the barrack. It was easy; he had more haters than worshippers, considering his extraordinary physical and mental talent, and for the lack of it in regard of talking. It was similar in the Garden of Eden, but on the military base, people didn’t filter themselves very well. He created a scene, which developed better than he imagined. Not only him, but also a dozen other young trainees were tried.

     He got one week of confinement.

     Then, he broke into Captain Ian’s office.

     It was also a cold winter day, with dim light gleaming through the thick clouds, when he did it. Tang Lan had already been living in the Outer City for three months. If this doesn’t work, Hubbard must venture into more dangerous areas, like attacking a highly ranked officer. He didn’t dare to think about that until now. It was not a pleasant idea for him.

     He already observed this office well. He knew who could open the doors, he knew how many times the cleaning staff cleaned it, and he knew the schedule of his Captain – he only got confinement for his last rebellion, because Captain Ian was out in the wilderness at the moment.

     If he wasn’t mistaken, the Captain had to return to the base on this very day. He sat on the chair, and just waited. He noticed that the computer was on, which he found strange. Had been the Captain returned already?

     For a long time, he resisted his curiosity. Then, he realised, he might be getting a better outcome, if he looked into the computer. As if he was about to infiltrate the Captain’s workspace.

     He sat on the Captain’s chair, and began to ferret on the machine. He used computers in his class before, but only for studying or playing some games, and he never had to enter a password to have access to the files or folders. Elbowing on the table, holding his chin in his palm, he was contemplating his options, as he was looking at the empty textbox in the pop-up window. Then, he looked aside: he put the stolen ID card on the table. It belonged to another company grade officer, a replacement for Captain Ian while he was away. He had access to this room with his ID card, so Hubbard could’ve used it to sneak in – and of course, he intended to return it to its rightful owner…

     However, as he typed the ID number into the password box, he was denied. Not a surprise. The Captain must have kept important or personal information on this computer.

     He still tried it again with different number combinations, until he was denied by the third time, and they banned him from trying anymore.

     Right after this, Captain Ian had arrived. He wasn’t alone, and everyone came running. They almost tripped on the threshold, trying so hard to enter the room with unsheathed guns, and ready to fight.

     When his Captain saw Hubbard sitting at his desk, his face turned white; then, after a couple of seconds, it became so red, it was to be feared it would explode. The soldiers got confused seeing the child there, and waited for more orders, lowering their weapons, but for a long moment, the scene had frozen.

   “Scram.” He said, at last, gritting his teeth. Even his eyes got bloody.

     The soldiers hesitantly looked at each other behind his back, but they had no authority over the Captain’s decision. He and Hubbard were left alone; an insanely mad man and a calm and stubborn boy. The silence was deep, but Hubbard didn’t get scared, just like how he never got scared of almost anything.

     Captain Ian suddenly moved: he marched to his table, and stood in front of it, towering above Hubbard with his shadow.

   “I was just informed about the fight you were involved in.” His voice was shaking as he tried to hold back his anger, but Hubbard knew, he would shout again. “I barely got my ass back to the base, and this is how you welcome me?” As the boy predicted, the man started yelling. “What the fuck were you thinking?! Are you really set out to make my life miserable?! Do you not know that your behaviour is affecting my unit’s rating and reputation, and will be detrimental to my coaching abilities?! If you don’t care about your future, can you stop bringing punishment on others? Now you’d broken into my office and my computer, and you thought, I wouldn’t notice?!”

     Despite he was ready for it, the noise once again pierced through his head from ear to ear, causing him instant dizziness, which he had to suppress with all of his might. He had no idea why his ears were so irritable since he joined the army, but he grew tired of it; he wanted to place his hand on his ears, as he did in the past. This was not the first time he had problem with his ears, but his weird condition disappeared for years until now. It was unbearable as ever. From time to time, he just couldn’t cope with noises. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to be disrespectful, thus, he only grabbed the edge of his own shirt tightly.

     In addition, now, when he understood the loud words, and his actions were thrown back into his face like this… along with his physical suffering, he felt regret. He thought he was aware of the consequences, but he didn’t really want to cause problems to others – not on this scale, just enough to make the military reassign him. 

   “If you would’ve sent me to the Outer City, I would not bring punishments on others.” He defended himself, feeling the urge to do it, but he couldn’t possibly lessen his responsibility.

     The words got stuck in the Captain’s throat, and his eyes widened. His skin still looked pretty much red, but it seemed like Hubbard’s answer made him realise something. He stared a hole in the boy’s face for multiple seconds, before he spoke again, fortunately not elevating the volume this time.

   “I don’t get it. Why do you want to go out this much? Someone wronged you? You were so diligent in the beginning. Why do you want to sacrifice everything?”

   “I just want to live in the Outer City.”

     Captain Ian looked at him with disbelief for another long time before he closed his eyes, and massaged his temples.

   “I tried to be as lenient with you as I could. But if you’re keeping this up, the control will slip out of my hands, and I will have no power over your case. If you want to go out this much, let’s change up the tactic. Don’t risk your own life.”

   “What can I do?” Hubbard asked right away, gradually overcoming his hardships. He was in dismay. He never thought this strict man would say such things after what he had done. When the soldier came to his side, he stood up to give the chair to its owner, and switched places with him. When the man sat down with a big, deep sigh, he looked up at him.

   “Trust it on me. I will talk with the right people, and let’s see if they would allow you to leave. But if you ever break any rules once again before we succeed, I will beat you to death.”

     Hubbard had no other words than a heartfelt thank you. He almost softened a bit too much; at that moment, he realised how stressed he was about the issue. He truly didn’t like his actions. But at least his stubbornness finally reached his troop trainer, so it was worth every second. It was a good feeling to let this illegal method go, and try to get out of here through connections.

     However, persuading people wasn’t an easy task. His trainer talked to his boss, who talked to another boss, and so on, until the case fell into a Lieutenant General’s hands. He was the biggest obstacle to overcome: he didn’t want to hear Hubbard’s plea.

     It had already been five months since Tang Lan left. Hubbard wasn’t the most skilled in social activities, so the Captain actually took pity on him. He helped him come up with a better-written application to convince the Lieutenant. They tried again, but to no avail. Then once again with another method – bribing –, and then they tried to involve more people in the case; people who were in good relationships with the Lieutenant, so they could hint some words here and there.

     All of this caused too many struggles. More than half a year had passed, and he was stuck in the Main City. The Lieutenant General was just as stubborn as he was. Hubbard felt more tired than usual for his condition was still not getting better, and this only made everything more difficult to bear with as well. He lost his patience. The officer probably thought that Hubbard just got scared of the amount of training, he was answering with the already familiar “you will get used to the place”, “the training is only hard at the beginning”, and “just make some friends”. He was unmovable as a mountain.

     Hubbard really had no intentions of continuing his military training. He wasn’t interested in new friends; he was only interested in finding Tang Lan before he would pass away from the trash food that the Outer City offered.

     He had enough. One day, he just went up to the Lieutenant General’s office, and waited until he could see him. The officer probably knew that Hubbard will try to coax him again – he didn’t even invite the boy into his office. He just stepped out of his door, and upon seeing Hubbard there, waiting on a chair, he said: “No, and that is my final answer.”

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