With processing complete, Hayley and the other newly processed Exiles were herded out of the labs and brought to another part of the medical bay where a number of seats had been set up, along with a cylindrical device that appeared like a low standing stool situated within a narrow stall. The four were seated along a row of chairs, and allowed to rest for about an hour before they were joined by a rather large square shouldered man with trimmed moustache and goatee, wearing a white formal tunic with a red arm band with the DIS mark on it.
He began speaking almost immediately as he entered the room, and spoke with a heavy Russian accent. "I am Senior Administrator Sergei Tereshkova. I am also Director of Directorate of Internal Security. You are now Exiled. That means you are all prisoners. As such, there are certain rules you will all be expected to adhere to during the term of your exile, as well as certain expectations we have for you.
"First, as an Exile, you are no longer officially an individual. You are not a citizen. You are not property. You have no name, and you have no identity. You are non-existent. As such, you will be allowed no communication with the outside world. Any and all unauthorized interactions with a citizen, Republic or otherwise, is an offense. Further, any interactions among other Exiles is also an offense. When you leave this place the Warden system will activate a proximity sensor...any time you are within five meters of another Exile, you will be punished. The suits are designed to foster a sense anonymity, you are therefore restricted from wearing clothes, jewelry or anything symbols that might be used to suggest an identity."
Tereshkova went on, explaining that in the event that they are approached by a citizen, they will ignore him or her and move away from the area. If a citizen requires room to move, then the Exile will move out of the way. Exiles had no right of way; they had no rights at all except the right to be able to complete the term of their sentence. "As Exiles, you are not authorized to enter any public or private structure, except for the designated maintenance facilities. You are free to move anywhere within the thirty kilometer radius of the Republic controlled zone. That means you are free to occupy the parks and beaches. However, because of complaints and the confines of the shantytown, access there is restricted.
"You will comply to any order given by a DIS agent. These are the only citizens you are authorized to communicate with. In the event of a serious injury, you will contact a DIS agent. No one else. If you attempt to communicate with someone else, you will be punished."
Hayley instinctively drew her hands up to her eyes, but was stopped short by the helmet. Nevertheless, she pushed her palms against the helmet’s smooth black surface and shook her head in dismay.
"Finally, you will be required to visit a maintenance bay at least twice a day. This is not a directive, this is biology. From the maintenance bay you will be provided with nutrient sustenance, have waste extracted, and undergo regular cleaning. The Warden system will advise you when you need to go for maintenance. I will now demonstrate how the maintenance system works. You," the square shouldered man aimed a finger directly at Hayley. "Stand up."
Pensively, she rose to her feet. Taking her by the hand, Tereshkova jerked her toward the cylindrical device. Along the floor on either side of the cylinder were foot holes, the words ‘STAND HERE’ printed in bold red letters beneath them. "Now, place your feet in the proper position."
Hayley was hesitant to do so. However, the fear of more punishment served as a quick motivator. Setting her feet in the shallow foot-shaped grooves her hands were suddenly drawn to the two handle bars on the walls on either side of her just above her shoulder level. It was like an electro magnet had been activated and her skin was made of metal. Her hands tightened around the bars as an audible whirring noise filled the air. She looked down and noticed that the cylinder between her legs had opened up. As if possessed, her knees bended on their own, putting Hayley into a squatting position. Unseen by her and unfelt, the glossy black material along her sphincter began sinking into her anus and clitoris, forcing both apart. Intense pressure began building up in her neither region, causing the young singer to yelp in more surprise than pain.
A pair of smooth rubbery hoses with balled tips extended from the now open cylinder, and entered her body, sliding up into the phallic-like devices that were already inside of her. Next came a rather alien sensation as her bodily waste was sucked out of her followed by a surging cold sensation that caused her to body to jerk spastically and a moan to escape her lips. This was followed by the sensation of her body being filled. She could feel her stomach distend to the point where she felt as though she’d just eaten a large meal. The hoses finally retracted and the cylinder closed, Hayley finally able to remove her hands from the rails and stand up straight. Slowly as she turned around and faced the other seated Exiles who’d been forced to watch her throughout the entire process. She felt a wave of intense humiliation fill her, along with a feeling of nausea induced by the indignity of what she’d just gone through. "Very good," said Tereshkova. "You may sit down."
Wrapping her arms around herself, Hayley limped back over to her chair, feeling the eyes of the other prisoners on her, even though she couldn’t see them. She wondered what was going on behind those dark helmets. Were they laughing at her? Grinning mischievously at the indignation she’d been submitted to? Or were they looking at her with pity, knowing that it was something they would all have to endure eventually? The female among them began to shake noticeably. She shifted around in her chair, tightly squeezing her thighs together while holding a hand against the lower part of her helmeted face. She was terrified, Hayley could see.
"Maintenance stations are located throughout Republic territory. There are approximately 50 stations, each with 24 alcoves such as this within. As I explained before, the Warden system will inform you when you are required to check in for maintenance. That is all you need to know. The rest you will learn out there. Doctor Savan will be in shortly to see you out."
The square-shouldered Russian briskly marched out of the room, leaving the Exiles to their own devices for a brief moment. The raven-haired Doctor Savan appeared a few minutes later along with a pair of DIS agents in tow. With her DPAD, she stepped up to each Exile individually and addressed them, starting at Hayley.
"Prisoner Komit, Hayley. You are no longer an individual. You are now HK14. On your feet."
Slowly, Hayley slid off her chair and stood up. It was official. She was an Exile. A person, but not a person. She wasn’t even an object. She was a phantom. A shadow of her former self. Just one of over twelve thousand others. Savan went down the line. The smaller male was designated LD22, the larger male AD43 and the girl LS26. Clearly the designations were comprised of the individuals first and last initials and the number being the chronological order in which an individual with those particular initials were Exiled. It meant there were 13 other Exiles out there with the initials HK.
Once all four of the new Exiles were on their feet, Savan commanded them to follow her and the guards. The black, glossy skinned quartet filtered out of the room and through a series of corridors, eventually coming to a large freight elevator. As they rode down nearly a hundred and fifty floors, Hayley’s mind was in a spin. She wasn’t quite sure if the gravity of her situation had fully hit her yet. There certainly was a tremendous level of fear, but it was fear of the unknown. She didn’t know what to expect once she was out there in the wild among the other Exiles. There was still so much she didn’t know and couldn’t comprehend about what life as an Exile was like. All she knew was that it was a lonely one. But there was no way she could possibly appreciate how lonely it was...not yet. And that was what was truly frightening and despairing to her. She had no idea how terrible it was going to be.
When at last they reached the ground floor, the Exiles were herded through a short corridor and into an enclosed vehicle bay. And then into short bus-like vehicle. They were driven in the dark to an area approximately five kilometers away from the arcologies on an empty stretch of road near a well-lit maintenance structure. The four Exiles were moved out of the vehicle and stood abreast along the road. Climbing out of the vehicle Savan stopped the group and turned to address them one last time.
"One final thing - the Warden system, while there to ensure your compliance and obedience, is also there to keep you safe. It is constantly monitoring your vital signs, and will report any and all anomalies. The suits will also keep you comfortable in any environmental extreme. Remember, we want you all to stay safe and healthy out there so that you may carry out your sentences and then return as law abiding and contributing members of our great society. Warden will relay commands and pertinent data to you. As long as you comply with it, you will be fine. I wish you all the best of luck in your exile. Local Wardens, initialize autonomous monitoring protocol and begin sentence."
The four exiles jerked slightly, as an androgynous computerized voice began speaking to them in their heads.
"Warden system autonomous monitoring online..." the synthetic, almost alien voice echoed in Hayley’s head. "HK14, sentence beginning. You now have 547 days remaining in your sentence. Warning; you are within illegal range of Exile."
A piercing wail filled Hayley’s head, causing her to recoil in pain. The other Exiles appeared to be in similar states of agony as they clutched at the sides of their helmets and writhed in muted agony. Each of them quickly moved away from one another, the sound fading as they moved five meters away from one another. Once they were outside of range, the noise completely stopped, though a phantom ringing continued to occur in Hayley’s head. The four Exiles stood in induced silence as Savan and the guards got back into the bus, turned around and sped off back to the arcologies in the distance, the thousands of lights on each of them twinkling like a mass of densely packed stars. Despite the darkness, Hayley found she could see rather well through the helmet. Everything seemed bathed in a greenish hue, similar to nightvision but the resolution was quite high, allowing her to see clearly into the distance. She could even detect the other Exiles, their bodies appearing like solid black shapes.
Looking around her all but empty surroundings, feelings of dread began creeping up on the young singer. She felt exposed and alone, vulnerable and isolated. The other Exiles near her turned their heads to one another, as if searching their blank helmeted faces for some kind of answer or guidance. But there was none to be had. One of them tried to move toward the other, but immediately back off as they got within arms reach. The girl’s body twisted and contorted as she was assaulted by the Warden’s proximity warning. Learning her lesson she back off and fell to her knees. Her body arched back, her head bobbing slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest, bawling silently, her sobs unable to penetrate the dark surface of her helmet. Her body language said it all though. They all knew she was crying. The sight of the girl’s misery tore into Hayley’s heart and got her sobbing. She didn’t want the others to see, and quickly moved away. She needed to be alone for awhile.
Crossing the grassy field, she made haste to a nearby outcropping of trees, trying to hold in her sobs until she was far enough away that the others couldn’t see her. When at last she was deep enough inside the wooded area, she dropped to her hands and knees, unleashing a torrent of hysterical wails. This was really happening to her. The reality finally hit her as she crouched there, alone in the dark, unable to hear her own cries as she unleashed days of built up despair and agony. Despite the fact she couldn’t hear herself, she knew she was making noise because her throat was getting hoarse. After several long minutes of intense crying, she crumpled up onto the soft grass, folding her legs and wrapping her arms around her knees in a fetal position. She continued to sob as she rocked gently. Eventually she’d exhausted herself and without even knowing it, had fallen asleep.