Image by Gordon Taylor from Pixabay

Yvette stood with the rest of her family, the wristband cutting into her arm. It was a dull grey day and the people gathered with her were restless. Everyone from all the neighboring communities had been pulled together, and the plaza was crammed full of millions of people. The military was out in force to ensure the peace.

A man in a military uniform stepped forward. “We will activate the wristbands shortly. Remember, if your wristband glows, you will board the vessel regardless of your age, health, or social status. If it is a child, and no other family member’s band lights up, they will be escorted on board by one of my soldiers. Do I make myself clear? Any dissenters will be shot.”

No one spoke. Everyone was afraid. These colony missions were mandatory and no one could argue with them. Yvette had been through two runs already and hadn’t been chosen. No one in her family had. She stood with her parents, her sister and her husband, and their four year old daughter. Her brother, in another part of the country, was going through a similar process in the major city in his region.

A ping sounded and to Yvette’s surprise her wristband began to glow. Her heart sank. She was going to have to leave her family. She heard her sister’s cry of horror. She turned to look. Isabelle, her four year old niece’s wristband, was glowing as well.

“Miri, look,” Yvette said, holding out her arm. “I’ll take care of her.”

“You will?” Miri asked, looking tearfully at Yvette.

“I will, I promise,” Yvette said.

“Thank you, Yvette,” Miri said. “Isabelle, you need to go with Yvette. She’s your mama now. She’ll take care of you.”

“Yvette is mama now?” Isabelle asked. She’d been taught that this might happen from the time she was two.

“Yes, Yvette is mama now,” Miri said.

Isabelle slipped her hand into Yvette’s and the two made their way to the processing station. They weren’t the only ones. Several others were already making their way there. When it was their turn, the woman behind the counter looked at them. “Names?” she asked.

“Yvette and Isabelle Lucas,” Yvette said.

“A mother and daughter?” the woman asked.

“Yes,” Yvette lied.

“Nice to see a few people get to stay together,” the woman said, making note of their relationship. “In through that door. They’ll get you settled.”

Yvette led Isabelle through the door. She and Isabelle were taken into a room where they were stripped down, showered, and put into skin tight bodysuits. “Better for the cryogenic devices,” the scientist said.

“Cryogenic devices?” Yvette asked.

“It’s a long way to the colony world. You and your daughter would be dead if we left you awake for the journey. You’ll be in cryo sleep until we get there,” the scientist said.

“Isn’t that dangerous for children?” Yvette asked.

“Infants and children under two, which is why we never put the wristband on anyone under the age of three,” the scientist said.

“Ah, that makese sense then,” Yvette said. She and Isabelle were led out to their own cryo pods.

“Mama, what’s going to happen?” Isabelle asked, looking up at Yvette.

“We’re going to take a long nap, and then we’ll wake up in our new home,” Yvette explained.

“Okay,” Isabelle said. They climbed into their cryo pods and the doors were sealed. Her last thought before darkness claimed her was she hoped Isabelle would be all right.