Sanctuary or prison? When Amber and Jerry escaped from a courtroom turned into a madhouse, had they found something safer?

It is the third century of the atomic era. Most people are genetically altered to eliminate racial features, but not Amber or her new husband Jerry. Religion has also been outlawed, and the young couple have just escaped religious persecution. What will the sanctuary they have arrived at be like?

This is the second in the In the Garden series. An excerpt:

Five hours, two injections, and two transporter trips later we began to reappear in our final destination. The first thing I saw was a barred window high on a wall. Then I saw a heavily bolted metal door. Next my eyes focused on a young man in a military-style uniform standing next to a scowling middle-aged woman in a severe black suit. Where were we? Had I escaped from jail only to end up in prison? At least Jerry was with me. The woman turned, still scowling, to the man in uniform. “There are two. We were only expecting one. And one is a man.” She shook her head in disgust. “I guess he can bunk with prisoner 391 until we can prepare another place for him.”

She shifted her gaze to another officer, a woman, and said, “You can take the female to get her settled in on the women’s side.” As it dawned on me that we were about to be separated, I called out, “No! Don’t separate us. We’re married!” I clung desperately to Jerry as the matron approached. The look on the face of the suited woman softened somewhat. “How long? How long have you been married?” Jerry held me close, trying to calm me and himself as he said, “About six hours, Ma’am.” The room became very quiet. Finally the man in uniform offered, “We have one cell in solitary that is vacant.” The woman in the suit, obviously the one in charge, nodded slowly and said, “Well then, why don’t we get our ‘honeymoon suite’ ready.”