The ORION Project | ✔

chapter 43

I apologize in advance ≥﹏≤

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"Welcome to The ORION Project."

Grace felt like she was part of a class of initiates in a cult, there was an awed silence in the large hall and as she snuck subtle glances at the convicts in blue jumpsuits lined up as if they were obedient pupils in a school, she noted their reverent silence.  It was strange, she'd half expected convicts to behave like rowdy children on the bus, but during the ride, they'd been nothing but quiet, many had been gazing out with nostalgia at their passing surroundings and she knew that they must have thought they'd never see the outside of prison walls ever again.

She was probably the only one who felt jittery on the bus and she was certain that everyone were staring at her, but not for reasons her brain made up because of anxiety. For one, Firepemi had given her a jumpsuit too small, so she looked like she'd come out from the pages of an erotica, the cotton material clung to her thighs and ass and the bodice was equally as tight. Even now, the tall girl who'd welcomed them at the entrance of the Dome cast her a baffled glance and then looked down at her clipboard.

Grace tried to mimic a look of awe, the looks that the other convicts had on their faces, but she wasn't that good of an actor, she settled for staring at the pristine white tiles and hoped that they took it as a sign of overwhelmed behavior and not a sign of someone trying to hide.

"I am Victoria Dike, assistant head of our Recruits department, I'm afraid the head seems to be lacking," She paused and too late, they realized she'd been making a joke. Awkwardly, she chuckled and then straightened her spine. "Firepemi Kingston will be arriving shortly, but while we are here,  I'll be giving the brief address and then proceed with a short tour of the Dome."

As the girl began her speech, infused with deep unending passion about The ORION Project, Grace only registered half of it and her eyes roamed the hall, she prayed for the speech to be over quick before someone like Joshua Phillips or Amina decided to grace them with their presence. Her mission would be over before it even started. Victoria was going on and on about the history of ORION and every while, she'd tuck invisible strands of hair behind her ear, forgetting each time that her hair was braided and not hanging limp or that she wasn't in a hair products commercial. She was nervous, Grace realized and something told her that it wasn't because of the ex criminals she addressed. Something was coming, something big and it scared Grace.

She remembered the security detail that had greeted them when the bus arrived, security that Grace hadn't seen on her first visit to the Dome. Maybe they were just simply taking precautions, or maybe they were bracing for something. She remembered Firepemi's warning, that Joshua might be on to them but just how much did Joshua know, how much had Sanmi told him?

A pang of guilt hit her in the chest and she regretted not mentioning to anybody that Sanmi had told. Everyone thought they were going to walk into the Dome easily and it was all her fault.

". . . Now, if you will, please arrange yourselves in a single line and we will begin our tour."

Someone bumped into her and she stumbled, barely catching herself and turned to glare at a frail looking man who stared back. She dragged her feet deliberately so she would be in the middle of the line. It was yet again another case of ORION needing people and still managing to make them feel worthless at the same time, these people weren't criminals — although she wouldn't go as far to call them good people — and they'd probably served their time, and here they were, still paraded like prisoners.

She wanted to tell them that they were better off returning to their former lives but she knew too well that they wouldn't be here if ORION hadn't promised them a decent life at least, after all, returning to life after spending a considerable amount of years behind bars was disorienting to say the least. Grace took a moment to scan her surroundings as they marched into the hall, the star-like lights were on as usual and they didn't fail to make her feel like she'd been transported into a a whole different world, she tried to ignore the feeling and focus on Victoria's words, this was where her mission started and she was tasked with the duty of putting ORION into a temporary black out.