A roll of paper slammed onto the desk across from Iota, making her jump and interrupting her essay writing. She glanced up to see Koschei and Theta grinning down at her. "What are you doing?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Open it." Koschei gestured to the roll of paper.

Iota sighed, but she did as Koschei asked. A diagram, filled with drawings and terms Iota couldn't hope to understand, was scratched hurriedly across the paper. "And what is this?" She eyed Koschei for an answer. She trusted him to know better than she trusted Theta.

"They built a virtual world in the labs out of china that moves. This is a diagram of their first plans." Koschei was bouncing where he stood. "And it's working."

"So?" Iota handed the paper back to him. "Why are you telling me? Nella and I told you to keep us out of your plans that could get us in trouble. You've been doing well so far." Koschei and Theta had gone on adventures throughout the Academy for the seventeen years since the adventure with the Rosi. Somehow, they managed to stay out of trouble every time. From what she could tell from when they would tell her about them in their secret hideout at the Academy, all of the plans were Theta's idea.

"Braxiatel told us about it. They're only showing it to his year and above. But we wanted to see it and we knew you would too." Theta was bouncing like Koschei. "You do, don't you?"

Iota had to think for a moment before responding. "Honestly, yes. But won't we get in trouble? There's likely a reason why they aren't showing it to our Years."

"Braxiatel said it was because we're too young. But it isn't fair. So we're going tonight; want to come?" There was a glint of something in Koschei's eyes. It changed her mind immediately.

"Sure. But I know Nella won't want to risk it, no matter how much she wants to see what they made." Iota stood. "Can we go now? It's late already."

Koschei and Theta exchanged a smile. "Keep your voice down." Theta gestured for Iota to come stand with them. "But sure. They lock the labs during second study period; no one should be there."

The lab where the china world sat was deeper into the halls of the labs then the ones Iota's Year. Koschei was able to pick all of the locks leading up to the lab they desired. Theta and Koschei were forced to work together on the last one, Iota already knowing she would fail at the locks. They had attempted to teach her how once when she was younger by locking her in Theta's room. She was unable to do anything.

The lights were left on in the lab, drenching everything in white. It was empty except for a large table sitting in the center. Buildings covered in fragile white filled the table and small dolls moved about.

Iota took careful steps towards it, letting Koschei and Theta fall behind her. The only sound was the clicking as the dolls moved throughout the china buildings. "Are they alive?"

"In a way. They're not completely robots, but they're not completely alive as well. They're a state in between." Iota nodded as she kneeled in order to look at the world from the angle of the surface of the table.

"It's beautiful." She gently touched one of the buildings. It was cold but there was a buzz of energy. "What are they going to do with it?"

"Study it, I suppose. Once they have all of the observations they need they'll likely destroy it." Koschei mimicked her position. Theta was walking around the outside, staring down at the table. "But it is beautiful. I wonder how they did it. Braxiatel said that his Year had some role in it. He did something with the mathematical section of it."

Iota furrowed her brow. "Why are those two not moving?" She reached a hand towards two of the dolls; a boy and a girl. They were frozen, observing a piece of fruit together. "Look, Koschei. Something's wrong with them."

Koschei reached a hand out as well. "I wonder what." At the same time, they touched the surface of the dolls; Iota touching the girl and Koschei the boy. The dolls were warm, a large difference from the buildings. The two friends jolted before darkness swarmed and Iota felt her breath hitch.

-I-

Iota blinked, rubbing her head. She gasped as she felt nothing and there was a clink as her flesh touched flesh. Slowly, she moved her hands so that they were in front of her eyes. They were made of china and the multiple sections were attached together by a bit of string.

"What is going on?" She whimpered, beginning to shake. It made her rattle.

"Iota?" Something turned her to face the doll beside her. Iota was unable to feel the hand. The grey eyes she knew as Koschei's stared down at her. "Is that you?"

"Koschei?" The doll looked exactly like him. It had the same hair, the same eyes. Even the same height.

"Yes." Koschei nodded. "You look strange as a doll. You're hair doesn't fit." His china fingers messed with her hair. From what Iota could tell from what she could see, it was real hair.

Iota stepped back from him. "What happened? Why are we dolls?" She poked his chest. "Did we become the dolls or did the dolls become us?"

"I think both." Koschei looked down at himself. "All I remember is that we touched the dolls at the same time and then we were here, dolls ourselves."

The table shook, making the two fall to the ground with a thud. Iota expected to hear the sound of china shattering, but there was nothing. "Iota? Koschei? Are you there?" Theta's voice boomed. It made both cover their ears against the sound. "Are you okay?"

"We're fine!" Koschei cupped his hands around his mouth to shout. Theta made no sound that he heard him.

Theta's large head loomed over them, his eyes blinking. The two waved their arms violently. "Is that you?" They nodded. "I'll find a way to get you out, I promise. Don't worry." He left.

Iota reached for Koschei's hand and squeezed it. It was terrible that she felt nothing. All she wanted was comfort from the only true living being in the china world. She wanted to throw herself around Koschei and never let go, but that wouldn't give her any more feeling. "What are we going to do while we wait?"

"We aren't going to just sit around. We're going to try and get ourselves out." Koschei began to move. His movement was jerky. "I hate this."

Iota found she was able to move easier than Koschei. She guessed it was because she was smaller. She pulled him along with her. "Where should we go?"

"We have to look around. There has to be a way to shut this place off."

"But won't we get stuck inside then?"

"If we turn it off, there's a chance it'll launch us out."

Iota stopped and turned to face him. "And there's a chance we die in here. I don't want to die."

"Then what's your plan?"

Iota thought for a moment. "If we can figure out how we got here, we can reverse it. We'll need to look inside these dolls."

Koschei took a step back, raising his hands in defense. "I'm not looking inside you and you aren't looking inside me!" He leaned forwards to whisper. "I think Theta would kill me."

Iota giggled. "We can look inside one of the dolls here. Which gender would you prefer?"

Koschei crossed his arms. "It's not the gender that's the problem."

"Then what is?" Iota crossed her arms as well, looking up at him. She didn't intimidate him as much as she normal when made of china. She looked even more delicate than normal; her small size and age appearance helped with that. "I mean, I don't want to be looking inside you either. It would just feel wrong."

"And that's my problem." Koschei looked around himself. "Though maybe a boy would be the best. It wouldn't be as strange."

Iota shrugged. She didn't have a preference for genders; she just wanted to be certain Koschei was comfortable with their choice. They began to make their way through the world. The dolls around them moved in silence. Their movements were easier than Koschei's and Iota's were. All of their eyes were the same bright blue and all their skin was the same pale white. Their hair, height and gender seemed to be the only thing different. They all even wore identical clothing.

"How are we going to pick which one to look in?" Iota asked, rubbing her arms in an attempt to feel something. There was still nothing. "I feel bad looking inside any of them."

Koschei pointed to a doll that resembled an older man as much as a doll could. The wrinkles were painted on. But the strings holding the different sections of him together were clearly fraying and stretched to nearly breaking. He reached out a single hand weakly to them. "What about him?"

"I feel so bad though."

"If we know how they work, we might be able to figure out how to reverse what happened to us." Koschei approached the man. "Can you talk?" The man shook his head. "We're not like you. We were forced here and all we want is to get back to where we're from. But to do that we're going to have to look inside you to see what it's like. Do you mind?"

The man shook his head and leaned back even more against the steps he sat on. Koschei waved Iota over. He ripped open the man's shirt to reveal a chest with no detail to depict it as a chest. The only thing there was a crack stretching from his chin to just above his pants and in the middle there were two small handholds.

"Do we pull on those to open him up like a door?" Iota asked, her hand hovering over one of them. Koschei nodded in response and they each pulled one open. The inside reminded Iota of a clock, with gears churning away weakly. "How does this work?"

Koschei pointed to a small glass sphere where their left heart would be. There were a few golden particles bouncing inside. "I think that's some regeneration energy there. That must be what's keeping him going."

"Then how can he die?"

Koschei pointed to a small hole at the side of the sphere. Every few seconds a small amount of energy would swirl out into the air. Iota breathed in deeply and felt a buzz as the extra energy hit her. "They must have made the hole purposefully to see what would happen. The man will likely stop once all of the energy is gone."

"Was there a crack in ours then?" She stroked one of the gears. It was buzzing like the building she touched was. "All of the energy could have left, leaving the dolls empty shells so they stopped."

Koschei nodded. "When we touched it, the energy in us must have sparked them. And we just got pulled along with the energy."

"What would happen if we quickened the energy release? Would we leave with it?" Iota glanced at Koschei.

"It's possible. But it's also possible we would just dissolve into the air like this man here." As he said it, the last of the energy left the sphere and the gears stopped turning. Iota realized that there had been a small amount of light in his eyes when it faded away, leaving the bright blue pale. He looked even more doll like.

"I wonder if our bodies our still there. Something happened because Theta knew something was wrong, but it's not like our bodies could have just vanished." Iota tried to furrow her brow, but nothing happened. The muscles in her face hurt as she tried. "I wish there was a way to ask him. But he doesn't seem to be able to hear it."

Something sparked in Koschei's eyes and he focused. He was unable to close his eyes, but Iota could tell he wanted to. "One second."

"What are you doing?"

"Theta and I are trying to form a mental bond. Now is as good as a time to test it out as any." He held up a hand. "Now be quiet."

Iota sighed and closed the old man's chest. It felt wrong to leave him open like he was when they were looking inside him. As soon as it clicked closed, two other dolls arrived. They were the only ones dressed in something different; completely in black. It resembled the robes that the lab assistants wore. The dolls picked up the old man and carried him away down the street.

"Oh my gosh. It's working." Koschei whispered, his painted mouth forming a smile. "I'm talking to him and I'm showing him what we saw."

Iota smiled. She would have to try to form a bond with Nella and Tirin. If it worked like Koschei made it seem it would be useful if Theta and Koschei continued to drag Iota into their adventures. "What does he say?"

"Well, our bodies are still there. He says there was a golden flash and we just collapsed, with some golden light flowing into the dolls. Our bodies are still there but we are barely breathing."

"Does he have any idea on what to do to get us out?"

Koschei shook his head. "None. We may be stuck here."

A/N: Another adventure! I had this idea for an adventure for a while and decided to write it specially with Koschei and Iota solving the problem. But this one actually has danger associated with it. I wonder how they're going to get out of it...

Only a week to go until the 50th! I know I'm excited :D

Notes on reviews:

Lil Angel 927: She does seem rather obsessed with grades, doesn't she? I understand why you don't like her that much :)

Teddy bear 007: So sorry if I ever do that. They probably are just really excited to attempt it :)

Sonic Key: Thank you! I'm glad you cheered for Iota. I won't say anything about the future of the story in that sense. Here's another adventure the boys dragged her along on; I hope you liked the beginning of it.