Here is a list of the humans (they're not really Glitches anymore) who are still alive, to prevent any further confusion.

Government: Megan, Calvin, Claire (she's the President now)

Codies: Iveya, Vince, Justin

Cookies: Ellie

Speedies: Blake, Dawn, Priya, Theo 

Sloppies: Kelly

............................................

As we walked around, we realized that this Module place was a lot bigger than we thought. There were passageways leading down to deeper levels, and even a loft room above us.

"Look! Claire!" I heard Kelly yell from one of the lower floors. 

"Coming!" I replied as I began to descend the stairs. About halfway down, I almost tripped, and had to grab the banister for support. The world looked very weird when it wasn't covered in Code, and it would certainly take some getting used to.

"In here," I heard Kelly's voice from what looked like some sort of storage room. Pushing the heavy iron door open with both hands, I stepped inside. The room was small with no ventilation, and the air smelled like dust and old cheese. However, its contents more than made up for that. 

It was stocked with row after row of canned goods, with everything from corn to beans to even meat! My stomach growled at the sight of the food, and I realized that the last time I had eaten was half a day ago. 

Letting my backpack slide off my shoulders and unzipping it, I took out a couple of shirts, replaced them with a few cans, and motioned to Kelly to do the same. In this new, dangerous environment, we were going to have to prioritize. 

"Excessive motion detected in Module, all inhabitants please report to Command Center. Media will be broadcast shortly," an automated voice droned. 

"All inhabitants please report to Command Center. Media will be broadcast in 15...14..." 

"What's the Command Center?" I yelled over the announcement. 

11...10...

"I think it's that big room we landed in!" Said Kelly, and the two of us started up the stairs. 

8...7...6...

We met up with the Speedies on the main floor. Clearly, they had found a different storage room: wicked looking knives and guns stuck out of their backpacks. 

3...2...1...

The six of us joined the rest of the Glitches just in time. 

"Media will be broadcast now," the voice said, and the largest of the many screens in the Command Center came to life, displaying the face of a young woman with medium length brown hair and hazel eyes. 

"Hi, I'm Kate Williamson," she said. "If you're watching this, that means you've escaped the Program. Great job! We certainly didn't make it easy," she laughed dryly. "There's so much I have to tell you, I don't even know where to start. Oh, and, don't bother looking for me. By the time you watch this video, I'll probably be long dead." 

Well, that's nice to know. 

"First of all, the year isn't 2015. It's 3015. We set the Program a thousand years ago to provide you with maximum safety as long as we could, but of course, that can't last forever. Now, Earth is a dead planet. The air outside the Module is toxic, and you can't survive for long without oxygen tanks" Kate shook her head with remorse, as if she was remembering better times. 

"There's twenty pairs of them in a room right across from this screen, so make sure each of you grabs one before you go. You should also take plenty of food and weapons with you just in case. There is a hovercraft parked on the highest floor of the Module. It is programmed to recognize your fingerprints, and will open automatically as soon as one of you touches it. When you are safely in the hovercraft, the Module's ceiling will open for you to fly out. I don't think any of you know how to safely operate a hovercraft, but you'll have to learn as you go," she winced. 

"There is a Human Union spaceship about sixty miles north of here. The hovercraft's onboard GPS should take you to the general location, but when it stops, you'll have to land and make the rest of your journey on foot. Be sure to take your oxygen tanks and masks, or you'll die a quick death. Also, you only have about four hours of oxygen, so you'd better find it quick. When you see a wall with graffiti that shows the Lessaenite Ice Queen being hanged from a tree, you know you're close. Make sure you touch as little stuff as possible, there's a deadly Plague, and it's almost everywhere. When you find the spaceship, just get in, and it will take you to a distant planet called Rhena. Unfortunately, we can't help you after that. Anyway, good luck from the entire Programmer team. Humanity is counting on you!" With that, the screen faded to black, and Calvin sighed. 

"That was a lot of instructions. I doubt I'm going to remember half of that in a few minutes! Would it have killed her to write it down somewhere?" 

"Come on, we can't afford to be complaining now, we have things to do!" I said crossly. "Speedies, get the oxygen tanks. Everyone else, fill up your backpacks with as much food as possible!" The former Glitches scrambled to complete their tasks and I unconsciously grabbed the side of the large armchair in front of me, swiveling it around as I stood up. 

Suddenly, I was forced back down as something soft and heavy fell down on top of me. I pushed it away, shrinking back in revulsion, when I realized that it was a rotting corpse. Slowly rising on shaky knees, I noticed that it was the woman from the video! I felt like I was going to be sick. 

Running over to the bathroom I had seen on my way downstairs, I turned on the tap and scrubbed my hands clean, trying my hardest to ignore the brackish water and pungent smelling soap. 

"Claire, we're ready!" Kelly called from the Command Center and I wiped my hands on my jeans, exiting the bathroom and following the rest of the Glitches upstairs. After passing a few loft rooms, we arrived in a spacious dome, with a sleek, black hovercraft that looked like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie in the middle. 

I had seen hovercrafts back on Lessaenes, but those were distant memories. This was real. This was happening now, and it was incredible. I ran up to the craft and pressed my hand to its glossy surface. Just as Kate had promised, several doors instantly popped open. 

The vehicle was much roomier on the inside than it appeared, with plenty of room for all twelve of us and our overstuffed backpacks. As soon as we were in our seats, the ceiling of the dome began to twist and groan, before splitting in half along a seam in the middle. Slowly, the two halves slid downwards, and sunlight entered the Module. 

Looking around nervously, I pressed a random green button that looked promising and the craft began to rise into the air. 

Score!

For a moment, I was exhilarated. I almost felt like I was flying, without a care in the world. 

And then, I looked down.