The Routine

Freedom of movement

Compared to life under the humans, experiments have a lot more freedom inside the facility.

They can walk around the areas they're allowed in, go to work, hang out with friends and take part in other activities. But that freedom still has limits. Experiments have to follow the access rules, the behavior rules and the daily schedule. Restricted levels are off-limits without permission.

Pods

When the humans ran the facility, the pods looked like medium-security prison cells, with nothing but a metal toilet and a sink. In 2036, a few years after the rebellion, the experiments began tearing out the old pods and rebuilding every single one from the ground up. With 45,000 pods to redo, the work took 15 years. Where the experiments got the materials to build them has never been explained.

Today, the pods look less like prison cells and more like rooms in a psychiatric hospital. Each one has light, warm-colored walls, soft lighting, and a bed built right into the wall with a mattress and pillow. There's a small desk with a chair, a shelf, and a little cubby in the wall for keeping belongings.

A door inside each pod leads to a private bathroom with a toilet, a sink and a shower. Under the humans, even water was controlled. Now experiments have unlimited water and can shower and flush whenever they want.

There are no windows. The facility is deep underground, and nothing from the outside world is ever seen.

Experiments are allowed to visit each other's pods to talk and spend time together, as long as they follow the rules.

The facility has 45,000 pods, but not all of them are filled. Having extra room doesn't mean the facility plans on using it.

Daily schedule

Every experiment follows the same daily schedule. When the humans were in charge, the rules were harsher, and the lights were kept bright at night on purpose so the experiments couldn't sleep. The experiments kept the routine but made it gentler.

This routine keeps the facility in order without the cruelty the humans used to put on them.

Daily groups

Every experiment takes part in daily groups. These groups are a big part of life in the facility, and they're meant to help experiments heal, stay stable and get along with each other.

There are three main kinds of groups:

• Therapy groups: structured sessions where experiments talk through their feelings and problems with others, led by staff.
• Peer groups: time set aside for experiments to connect with each other, build friendships and support one another.
• Skill-building groups: hands-on groups where experiments learn practical skills they can use in daily life.

Daily activities

Outside of groups, experiments have activities to fill their day, like coloring in coloring books and playing in the courtyard.

The courtyard isn't really outside. It's an oversized indoor space, kind of like a giant gym, where experiments can run, play and move around freely. There is no sky and no fresh air, but for experiments who have never seen the outside world, it's the closest thing they have.

Education

Education is a must in the facility. Every experiment starts school at around 6 years old. School is split into stages, and each stage builds on what was learned in the one before it.

Kindergarten (ages 6 to 9)

Kindergarten focuses on the basics:

• Reading and early literacy
• Basic math
• Getting along with others
• Understanding and handling feelings
• Other early learning skills

Middle school (ages 9 to 14)

Middle school brings in more structured learning and gets students ready for harder classes. Subjects include structured writing, pre-algebra, English Language Arts (ELA), science, social studies, technology, art, gym, and study habits and time management.

High school (ages 14 to 18)

High school is about earning the credits needed to graduate, taking electives, and going deeper into earlier subjects. Subjects include calculus, chemistry, harder versions of earlier classes, and more social studies, with a big focus on learning about humans. Students are expected to finish their classes and earn enough credits to graduate.

College and graduation

There are no colleges in the facility, and experiments are never allowed to leave, no matter what.

From the time they're little, experiments are shown propaganda that paints humans as evil, scary and dangerous. This keeps them from ever wanting to leave and helps keep the facility cut off from the outside world.

Graduation ceremonies are held in a special area inside the facility.

Jobs and careers

Experiments are taught the basics of holding down a job. But there aren't enough jobs to go around, so not every experiment gets one. The jobs below are the main ones, but there are others too, wherever the facility needs workers.

Food services

Cooks and cafeteria staff prepare and serve meals and handle everything else in the cafeteria. They make sure the whole population gets fed.

Security

Guards keep order across the facility and are posted at entrances, exits and restricted areas. They enforce the access rules, watch their assigned areas, keep an eye on the outside, and protect the facility from outside threats, including catching any humans who get too close.

Childcare

Nursery staff take care of babies and young kids, make sure their basic needs are met, and watch over them until they're old enough for school.

Teachers

Teachers teach classes, grade students, and get them ready for the next stage of school.

Janitors

Janitors clean the facility, deal with accidents, and handle anything else that keeps the place clean.

Office work

Front desk workers check experiments in and answer questions. Office workers handle paperwork, take phone calls from other levels of the facility, and manage email between experiments. The phone lines are rerouted so no calls from the outside world can get in. Office workers use MicroJaws Word and old email accounts that used to belong to the human workers.

Therapists

To become a therapist, an experiment has to pass a mental health test run by qualified experts. They also need enough experience and the right high school credits.

Medical

Doctors, surgeons and nurses take care of everyone's health. They do checkups, surgeries and any other medical care the population needs.

IT and networks

IT workers keep the facility's technology running and make sure nobody can contact the outside world. They block certain websites and keywords, and do whatever else it takes to control internet access.

Maintenance and plumbing

Maintenance workers keep the facility running and in good shape. Plumbers take care of the pipes and fix any plumbing problems.

Social life

Birthday parties

Every experiment has a birthday, and birthday parties are thrown to celebrate them. Since experiments grow a little faster than humans, a birthday comes around about every 10 months.

Parties start once an experiment turns 3 and keep going for the rest of their life. Experiments celebrate their birthdays together with others. The facility's cooks make cakes and other desserts, complete with candles, and presents are a big part of the celebration. Common presents include plushies, coloring books, snacks, clothes, toiletries and other things they need.

Human music from all kinds of genres plays during the parties. A party usually lasts about three hours. After that, everyone helps clean up and goes back to their normal routine.

Feelings and relationships

Experiments are allowed to develop feelings for each other and date. They can flirt, show affection, and be in relationships with anyone they want, as long as both of them are okay with it.

Privacy and behavior

Romance is expected to stay private and away from public areas, especially places where kids are around.

Experiments are allowed to visit each other's pods to spend time together, talk and enjoy each other's company, as long as they follow the facility's rules. These rules exist to keep order and make sure romance doesn't get in the way of daily routines or expose younger experiments to anything they shouldn't see.

Funerals

When an experiment dies from disease, old age or other natural causes, a funeral is held for them. Friends and family gather to say goodbye.

Funerals last one hour. After that, the body is taken to the incinerator and burned.

Executed experiments don't get a funeral. They go straight to the incinerator, with no ceremony and no goodbye.