"UUUUHUUUULLL!"

The pickup starts and accelerates, honking its horn. I am so drunk that I hold on to Jonas, but he is also drunk and we fall on the cargo bed floor.

With everything shaking, Jonas asks, "Didya get hurt?"

"Nah, I didn't feel anythin'," I reply, which was quite true, as I was too dizzy to think about pain. I see him rising with difficulty to reach the window at the back of the vehicle's cab.

He knocks on the window and says, "Mate, ya almost killed us! Fack!"

The music in the cab is loud, I do not hear the driver's response or he does not respond.

Jonas lies down beside me again. "Noah shoulda failed his drivah's license test."

"Ya say that about yah friend, but we'ah the ones in the back of the truck," I say. I may be drunk, but I am not stupid.

He smiles, knowing I was right. "He got this chick at the party and decided ta give her a ride, what can we do, huh? That'll change when I buy my cah. What didya think of the party?"

"I nevah drank so much." It was the only interesting thing I could remember.

"Yeah, free drinks for everyone. The host must be full of money..."

Jonas is always talking about money and riches. That is a difference between him and me in our relationship. At that moment, I just wanted to enjoy the crazy trip of alcohol mixed with the stars and the streetlights passing quickly.

Suddenly the vehicle makes a sharp turn. My body hits the cargo bed's short wall and Jonas almost rolls over me.

"Damnit!" he exclaims, "did he get off the road? What's he fackin' doin'?"

It was true what Jonas said. Everything is darker, the streetlights were gone. The terrain is rugged and I can hear the bushes hitting against the vehicle's bodywork.

It does not take long and the truck stops. Jonas soon gets up to complain. I try to get up too, but my head hurts a lot.

The cab's window opens, it was one of those that works with remote control. The music's volume is turned down and I can hear Noah, "Heeey... Are ya guys comfortable?"

Jonas speaks, but, differently than I expect, without anger, "Didya lose control? Are ya too drunk?"

Noah replies, "The night isn't ovah yet, mate."

I hear the woman, but I can not make out what she says. However, I understood everything when Jonas says, "Are ya gonna do it heah? Now?!"

I hear laughter coming from the cab and Noah says, "I let the kids sleep on the back of my truck. No worries."

"Fack ya!"

I see the window close and Jonas lying next to me, half smiling. I ask just to be sure, "Are they gonna root?"

"The chick was already doin' a strip theah."

"Gosh!" I hold a giggle.

We spent some time watching only the stars, while listening to certain sounds coming from the cab.

Jonas comments, "Ah, this is gettin' weird. What if they start screamin'?"

I do not say anything, I have no idea what to do. Going home on foot was not an option, we were in the middle of nowhere and I was in no condition to get up.

"What if we do it too?"

Jonas decides to be very creative. I look him in the eye to see if he is being serious. At least he seems to be more sober than me.

"I brought condom."

"I'm really drunk," I reply, my voice is slurred, "I wish our first time was more romantic..."

"Okay." He turns to get closer to me. "But let's enjoy it a bit... So we can get distracted."

Jonas is so cute with his pleading face. I end up giving in, saying, "Okay, but just a bit," and making a sulky face just in case.

He smiles and puts his arm over me. Our lips meet. It starts off slow, but soon his tongue is entering my mouth, mine is too numb to enjoy it. I touch his body with my hands, but without doing anything exaggerated to not give the go-ahead signal and he go too far.

However, Jonas pulls my shirt off, my stomach feels the cold air. Remembering the other times we did it, it makes me horny. His hand is warm and it slides over my skin, reaching for my hip and squeezing it. It feels good.

Jonas whispers, "God, I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

I do not know if it was for me to hear or he let his thoughts slip, but I wanted to be part of that happiness. He pulls the shirt more and I give a little help, arching my back, until he reaches my bra. I hold his hand tightly to make it clear that I do not want to remove anything. He understands and his hand starts to feel my ribs, then returns to my soft belly, where I want. Between our kisses, we smile at each other.

His hand is now impatient, his movements less inhibited. He plays around my navel and slides on my happiness trail with his fingertips. I have goosebumps. He finds a gap in the elastic of my skirt so he can go underneath, but he was unable do the same with my panties, pushing it.

"Watch yah silly hand," I end up saying.

He grins. "Sorry..."

His hand goes elsewhere, while I wonder what would happen if he had insisted. A frustration starts to hit me, a desire to be able to go back in time. I feel more sober, I notice the stars above us again. He has a condom, it was just a matter of continuing and letting it happen. The idea makes my heart race, would that be the unforgettable moment I was looking for?

I hear loud voices coming from the cab, they do not seem to be erotic. There is a slap and the door opens. I can clearly hear the woman say, "Fuck yah arse, bastard!" and her hurried steps away from the vehicle. Are her feet bare?

"What's happenin'?" Jonas asks as he looks up.

I do not say anything, because I wanted to pay attention. I hear Noah leave the vehicle, speaking in a reconciling tone, "Ah, I wasn't gonna do anythin'..."

Jonas gets up, with some difficulty, I see that he is staggering. I try to get up too, but I feel dizziness and headache again, and I feel cold too... Of course, because my shirt is still up, I fix it.

Jonas raises his arms and yells, "UUUUUHUUUUULLL! What a sexy arse, Noah. No homo, okay? What's happenin'?"

I keep imagining his friend's arse and whisper, "Is she naked too?"

Jonas looks at me and puts his hands on his own chest. I read his lips and understand that she is holding clothes like towels to cover herself. At the very least she is half-naked.

It is the woman who starts to say, "Yah friend wanna have sex without condom and I don't."

"Wha?!" Noah quickly retorts, "I told ya I won't do this."

"Yeah, but when I ask about the condom, ya say ya're gonna get it, but ya keep forgettin'. Then ya put yah body on me ta not let me escape and start forcin' yah cock in!"

"Ya're hysteric! I went ta hug ya ta kiss, if my cock touched, it's natural."

"Uh-huh... This is what ya want, ta be 'natural'."

Jonas interrupted the discussion. "Didya brin' condom, mate?"

I can hear a long sigh and then Noah says, "The thin' is, I remembered that I left them in my othah wallet at home."

The woman says, "Whata piece of crap..."

It looks like the fight will start again. "I sweah! I wasn't gonna penetrate without a condom! I would wanna end with masturbation or oral sex. I was still thinkin'."

"With yah small head."

Jonas proposes, "I have condom with me, I won't use it."

While I heard the woman says he do not need to, Jonas lowers his head to search in his pockets. In that I notice that his body was hanging forward. It is all too fast. He loses his balance and tries to hold on to the cargo bed's wall, but his hand reaches for nothing. He falls out of the vehicle and I only hear the impact on the ground. "Jonas?!"

Noah says, "W-Whoa! Ya're fahkin' drunk, mate."

I wait, wait for an answer from Jonas.

But it is Noah who is speaking again, "Jonas? Hey!"

My heart sinks and I decide to get up at once. It feels terrible, my head still seems to be on the floor and the world spins along with my guts.

The woman comments, "Look at his leg! It's stiff!"

Noah replies, now with a slight tone of despair, "He fell on his head!"

The world does not stop, my mouth and tongue are suddenly dry. I need to see him.

"He's not breathin'!"

I lean on the bed's wall and I want to scream for his name, but my body takes control of me and a hot torrent violently escapes my mouth.

"Oh my God!"

His neck. My vomit on him. I will never forget.

Anathema

Lucky hopped through the tunnel, beyond the sisters' rooms and the bathroom, following the yellow stripe on the wall. She already had a smile on her face, as she already expected who she would find.

The strip led to yet another metal door like so many others at the base, but that room was special. When Lucky opened the door, the smell of sweat assaulted her nostrils.

The gym was, so to speak, compact, but it was no excuse for not finding what to do. Generalíssima was striking a punching bag, her precise kick made a strong impact sound, while Revenant was doing squats with barbell with weights.

Lucky jumped into the room and spread her arms. "G'daayyy!"

Continuing her exercise, Revenant did not look at her. "G'day."

Generalíssima held the punching bag to greet, "Hello Lucky, what are you looking for?"

"I just haven't seen ya two today yet, ya've been heah for a while." Lucky approached Revenant.

The black woman was sweating and heaving. She looked at the bunny girl, expressing weirdness.

Following the movement of the squats, Lucky lowered and raised her head.

Until Revenant stopped, standing with the barbell on her back. "What's it...?"

"How much weight didya put theah?"

"250 pounds."

Lucky raised her eyebrows. "No way, ya must be usin' magic."

"Do I look like... I'm usin' it?!" Already annoyed, Revenant continued, "If I had, the trainin' would be useless."

Revenant was wearing a top and Lucky looked more closely at her muscular abdomen, nudging one of the buds. "God, this is a rock."

Revenant contracted her belly. "D-Drongo! Stop it!"

Surprised by the reaction, Lucky smiled. "Awww... Ya have a sensitive tummy, how kywte."

In a quick movement, Revenant raised the barbell, passed it over her head and bent down to leave it on the floor.

"Ya used magic now, I felt it," Lucky said, squinting.

With clenched fists and an intense countenance, Revenant asked, "Wata ya doin' heah?"

"You should train."

They both looked at Generalíssima.

The dark pink-haired woman was looking specifically at Lucky. "Magic multiplies the strength that your body can exert, so if you got a few muscles, it would make a big difference."

Revenant agreed, "And it's not difficult. With the regeneration of bein' a magical girl, the gains are fast."

Lucky swayed her hips. "I like my slendah 'n soft body. Besides, ya two are melee fightahs." She stroked her holsters. "In my case, theah is no muscle ta defeat my bullets." Then she looked back at Revenant. "Or is theah?"

The black woman crossed her arms. "Dya have nothin' ta do, huh?"

"Me? Not that I remembah..." Lucky pulled one of her rabbit ears. "Or should I?"

Generalíssima said, "That's why I asked what you were looking for here."

"Same thin'." Revenant nodded.

"Ah... haha..." Lucky looked away, scratching her cheek slightly. "Is it today?"

"It's now!" Revenant gritted her teeth. "They're waitin' fawr ya."

"So, unfortunately, I can't be with ya anymore. Hehehe." Waving with both hands, Lucky backed up to the door. "Cya!"

With the door closing, Revenant still managed to catch a glimpse of Lucky hopping through the tunnel. "She can be strong, but fawr a sistah she should be more mature. Even more now."

"I like her that way."

With a frown, Revenant looked at Generalíssima.

"Even more now. She's irresponsible, makes jokes, laughs..." The woman was in a fighting stance in front of the punching bag. "She makes it look like the situation isn't so difficult, it helps to keep novices' morale high."

"So should I be more like her?" Revenant asked.

"You wouldn't be able to even if you tried." Generalíssima buried her firm fist in the punching bag in a well-placed punch.

／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼

A little distant from the other novices, Maya and Alice were examining the new room. It was on the same floor as the exit ramp and Madre had left them there, asking them to wait. The walls and floor were covered with gunshots and cuts, as well as suspicious stains. In some parts it was possible to notice that the concrete was recent, indicating that there was a crater before.

"It's obvious that the magical girls fight each othah heah," Alice commented.

"Ah, I don't wanna do this." Maya looked at the tunnel, the only entrance and exit. "Is Revenant who will arrive?"

"It must be her." Alice looked at Evie, who was resting with her back against a wall. "What I really wanted was for this ta be with Generalíssima. What's in her for everyone ta say that she's so strong.

Lucky came running out of the tunnel. "G'day! G'day! G'daaaaAAAAYYYYY!"

Much to Alice's chagrin. "Oh no, the crazy one. Did she come ta watch?"

Maya just smiled shily.

"Sorry for the delay, it was the traffic." Lucky jumped up and punched the air. "Ya must be supah excited about our magic class!"

Maya blinked. "So... it's her."

"It must be a stupid joke from her." Alice was already looking at something else. "Magic class? I already know how ta use mine, how will she teach somethin' if her magic is completely different?"

Lucky scratched the back of her neck. "Well, what're we gonna do... Ah!" She took out one of the revolvers. "Check out what I've been developin'!" She brought the gun close to her mouth, whispering in the pair of rabbit ears the revolver had.

Bullet: Water

Rate: Flow

Mode: Construct

Special Property: Let's Get Medieval!

It ears fluttered, as if confirming the order, so she aimed the gun at the novices in the room. They promptly leaved the line of fire.

Maya and Alice were far enough that they didn't have to do this. However, Maya was scared. "My God..."

Lucky pulled the trigger and a continuous stream of water came out of the muzzle of the revolver while the cylinder kept spinning. The jet was not strong enough to reach the novices, forming a growing puddle on the floor.

"I knew it." Alice exhaled, relieved, but not happy. "Only a stupid joke..."

The puddle stopped expanding, instead the water started to rise and acquire a shape with four legs, to the amazement of many novices.

Maya and Alice were at a loss for words.

Evie was also silent, but just because she was resting.

In the end, there was a water statue of a knight in armor with a spear and shield.

Lucky released the trigger. The revolver cylinder stopped spinning along with the jet of water. "Let's have fun!"

Immediately, the statue started to move. The horse snorted, forming a cloud of moisture. The rider reared its mount before charging at full speed, aiming its spear at a group of novices.

"AAAAHHH!" The girls ran, some threw themselves on the floor.

The knight hit the wall violently and burst. The resulting wave of water swept the novices' legs, knocking them over and wetting them.

"KAAAAHKAKAH!" Lucky laughed so hard that she came to tears.

The novices were still getting up when they realized that the water was moving again, even their bodies and uniforms were getting dry. The water concentrated at one point, reforming itself as the rider.

"Ready for the second round?" Lucky spun the gun around her finger. "I wanna see who defeats my playthin'."

A novice took the initiative. After transforming, she spun three small metal hula hoops on her arm and launched them. The hula hoops hit the rider and they remained floating inside its body.

"Well..." Lucky shrugged. "Nice try."

If the attack was ineffective, it still made the knight charge at the attacker.

Another novice, a magical girl in light armor and armed with a large thorn ball and chain, positioned herself in the knight's path. At the last moment, she dodged the spear and used the chain to spin her ball.

The rider stopped to turn.

The magical girl spun the ball faster and faster, making it hum, and extending the chain further until it started to hit its target. First it was the horse's head, making water splash against the wall and on some novices. Moving her body and arm gracefully, the girl controlled her circle of death to destroy part by part, including beheading the knight.

Despite that, it trotted towards her.

Confident, the girl prepared to dodge, but noticed too late that the knight's spear had become a mace.

In a straight hit, it struck her in the face, knocking her out. The ball of thorns went flying, until it hit a wall, making a hole.

For the amusement of Lucky. "Ops, Nano's gonna hafta fix this."

The knight regenerated its form, already looking for the next challenger.

A novice aimed her scepter, shooting red sparks continuously.

Being hit, the waters bubbled and the rider began to evaporate. However that did not stop it, its horse neighed, releasing a jet of water.

The water hit the novice with scepter, burning her skin. "Ai, ai, AIE!"

"That wasn't very smahrt," Lucky commented, even expressing concern, "It's more dangerous than it was."

"Move away!" A girl armed with a large vacuum cleaner approached the knight and began to suck it. It was so potent that the knight did not have time to react before all the water stopped in the tank on her back.

The other novices celebrated. "She did it!"

"That's how it's done." Soon after saying this sentence, the girl felt her vacuum cleaner tremble. "Huh? Ah!" The hose that connected the vacuum cleaner to the tank burst and the water gushed out at high pressure, returning to its original shape.

Seeing other magical girls joining in the fight against the knight, Alice no longer hid her feelings. "This is so stupid."

Maya spoke in a low tone, "It looks like they're having fun..."

"Stupid." Alice shook her head. "This retard is makin' me miss Revenant."

Watching the girls' struggle to defeat the knight, Evie sighed and brought her open left hand close to her chest. From the gem in the ring, a tiny purple dart appeared. After aiming, she let it fly.

The dart reached and penetrated the rider. The waters took on a slight purple hue for a moment and the rider stopped, returning to being like a statue. Without any warning, the waters collapsed, forming a flood that again knocked out some girls.

Lucky raised her eyebrows, looking at Evie.

"What's it? Wasn't it supposed ta break yah playthin'?" The girl with purple and reddish hair left the wall. "C'mon Lucky, stahrt the class at once."

"Nicely done, Evie." The bunny girl smiled again at the other novices. "That was the warm-up. Befawah stahrtin' today's lesson, I wanna know moah about the new girls we have around heah." She looked at a specific pair of girls, pointing with an open hand. "You."

Maya felt that the sister was looking directly at her. "What? Me?"

"Yeah, kywte." Lucky gave a wink. "Come, it'll be fun."

"Ahhh..." Maya lowered her head. "Why me again?"

A little confused, Lucky replied, "Cause ya didn't participate in our game heah. No worries, aftah it'll be yah friend's turn."

Alice took a step forward. "I go first."

"My, my, ya just made me more curious." Lucky nodded. "Now ya're gonna hafta wait."

"No..." Alice felt her hand being held and looked at Maya.

The dark-skinned girl looked right into the blonde's eyes. [Upsetting the others will not help us survive.]

Alice turned away and closed her eyes.

"I think it's settled," Lucky said, "come."

Maya left her friend and approached the group of novices, but still keeping a cautious distance from that eccentric sister.

She asked, "What's yah name?"

"Maya."

She opened her eyes wide, smiling. "Really?!"

Maya did not react, not knowing what that sister's expression meant.

"'Maya' can be translated as 'illusion' or 'magic'. In an Indian language, if I remembah correctly..." Lucky pointed at the novice. "It suits ya, it's a beautiful name."

"Thanks..."

"Now I want ya ta transform."

"Sure." Maya opened her left hand and her ring became her pale blue soul gem for a brief moment, before her body was surrounded by a light of the same color. When the light dissipated, she had a large transparent blue visor on her face. She was wearing a dress, a single piece, dark blue, with wide silver stripes that converged on her belly, forming a stylized figure that resembled an eye or a spider. In the center of the drawing of the figure there was a hole, leaving the navel exposed. The skirt of the dress was long and divided into four equal parts, allowing the visualization of her bare legs. Her shoes were a pair of gray clogs and on the strip of the right clog was her gem in the shape of a square.

"Weapons, please."

At the sister's request, she conjured a pair of exotic blades, one in each hand.

"Hook swords? I love hook swords!" Lucky jumped with excitement. "So ya fight up close, I honestly didn't imagine ya're like that."

Maya looked away. "Yeah, I kinda fight up close."

Lucky became more curious. "What dya mean by that? Dya throw yah hook swords?"

"No."

"What's yah magic then?"

Maya made a face. "It's hard ta explain..."

Lucky opened her arms. "Show it, c'mon."

She shook her head. "It's dangerous."

"Even bettah!"

Maya continued to shake her head.

"Show them."

Hearing Alice, Maya looked at her friend in surprise.

The blonde insisted, "Show it."

"Yeah!" Lucky too. "I'm heah, it won't be a problem."

"Okay..." Maya positioned herself, crossing her hook swords in front of her legs and closing her eyes. "But don't hesitate ta use force ta stop me." She exhaled and started to move her body and swords, like a dance.

The room was silent, everyone waiting.

Her dance had steps, but she hardly moved of her position. Maya kept her eyes closed as her blades passed close to her face.

Among the novices, some whispers and giggles started.

"What's she doin'?" "Will she just dance?" "She must be messin' with Lucky." "Poor thin', she must have become a magical girl recently." "Is that why she doesn't like ta fight?"

Evie remained silent, watching the dancer, looking more serious than listless.

Alice smiled and murmured to herself, "Yeah, show them what ya're capable of."

Although there is no magic yet, Lucky was entertained by the novice's sensual movements and blades. However, she forced her eyesight, as her vision was blurred.

It was not that. Other novices began to notice that Maya's image was blurred, despite her slow movements.

The dancer now seemed to have more arms and legs due to the afterimages that made movements different from the original. In fact, it was already difficult to discern Maya from her specters.

Soon one of the semitransparent images left the position and cut the air nearby with their swords, followed by another image, and another... Taking up more and more space in the room.

No novice was smiling anymore, except Alice.

Lucky was also relaxed yet. "Hmmm, noice."

The hum of dozens of blades slicing through the air became audible and the specters were getting closer. The novices took steps backwards, some already looking at the exit tunnel.

"I see, it works as an attack 'n defense, interestin'..." Lucky nodded and said, "Maya, ya can stop now."

However, the chaotic cloud of images of the girl and her blades continued to expand.

"Maya?"

Some novices carried the expression of fear on their faces, deciding whether to run or fight.

Alice had a big grin.

Evie was preparing a purple dart.

Lucky took a step back, feeling the movement of air caused by the blades that passed too close. "MAYA, YA'LL HURT YAH FRIEND!"

The specters of Maya opened their eyes at the same time and recoiled in an instant, back to where the girl was, standing in the middle of a movement of her dance. She looked at Alice.

"It worked." Lucky sighed in relief, as did many novices.

"Oh... S-Sorry." Maya lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. "That's why it's dangerous. I need ta concentrate for this ta work, but I end up losin' track of what's goin' on."

"I noticed, it's somethin' that needs ta be improved," Lucky said, "yah magic involves speed, but that would be limited by how fast yah brain can function. In yah case, ya block yah thoughts ta ovahcome this limitation, makin' yah attacks not have a cleahr tahrget, but they still are attacks, many of them."

Maya was surprised by that detailed explanation from the bunny girl, "Does my magic do that?"

"Didn't ya know? No wondah ya can't control it." Lucky put her hands on her hips. "Well, wat else dya have ta show?"

Maya replied, "Nothin' more."

Lucky frowned. "Only that?!"

Alice gritted her teeth when she heard her sister talking like that to her best friend.

Maya again apologized, "I'm sorry for not havin' anythin' else ta show..."

Evie rolled her eyes.

"The biggest problem is that yah magic specializes in somethin' so generic. Any magical girl can be supah fast, just use more magic ta improve yah body's performance. It's also possible ta emulate this with a little creativity." Lucky drew her two revolvers. "Let me demonstrate this ta ya in a fight."

"What?" Maya's eyes widened. "Fight? Are ya gonna fight me?"

"That's right." Lucky presented her furry revolvers. "These're Maggie & Daisy!"

"Are ya gonna shoot me?"

"Yup."

Hearing the confirmation, Alice clenched her left fist.

Maya stammered, "B-But ya're experienced, I don't have a chance."

"Sure ya don't." Smiling, Lucky winked. "Relax, this isn't a serious fight."

"Ah..." Maya nodded sheepishly.

"Just let me do the preparations." Then Lucky whispered to one of her revolvers.

Bullet: Regeneration

With the same weapon, she aimed at her own thigh and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the shot made Maya flinch.

Unlike Lucky, who continued with the same smiling expression, while blood poured from the hole made by the bullet, running down her leg and ruining her sneakers.

Confused, Maya just shook her head.

The freckled woman whispered to her other revolver.

Bullet: Haste

And, just as before, she aimed and fired at her own flesh. Blood spattered across the floor.

Alice had frowned, and her mouth was open.

"Let's begin." Lucky spun her revolvers. "Prepare yah best defense!"

"O-Ok..." Maya raised her hook swords, waiting for her opponent's movement.

"HHHIIIII!"

"AAAHHHH!" Maya dropped her weapons when she realized Lucky's face covering her entire field of vision.

"ESKIMO KISSU!"

Before Maya could take a step back, Lucky was already rubbing her nose with hers. Maya closed her eyes, but immediately opened them when she heard a shot and felt an impact on her thigh followed by a deep pain. "AAIIIEEEE!" She fell to the floor and put her hand where it hurt, feeling it was wet with blood.

"Come on..." Lucky stared at the fallen girl, disappointed. "I told ya ta get ready. Why didn't ya block the pain if ya knew I was gonna shoot ya?"

"MOVE AWAY FROM HER!"

Lucky looked at the source of that scream and saw a magical girl with a helmet and chainsaw.

Alice showed that her chainsaw was already active. "I'm goin' ta kill ya, bitch!"

Still lying on the floor, Maya had already blocked the pain, but was still covering her wound with her hand, trying to stop the bleeding. However, she now had another concern. "Alice, NO!"

"Oh, dya wanna fight me ta the death?" Lucky opened a big smile. "That would be noice."

The blonde twisted her left wrist, where her bracelet was, conjuring floating saw discs. "Let's see if it'll be noice when I'm done with-" She felt strong punches to her chest and sounds of gunshots in succession, a terrible pain in her ribs, spreading to her arm and neck like a wave. For a long moment, she saw the smiling Lucky aiming with the revolver, when had she raised her arm? The world spun.

Alice felt the impact of her back against the floor, the concrete ceiling as her only sight. She choked and coughed, tasting blood, reddish splatters landed on her eyes, mixing with the tears.

"AAAALLIIIICCEEEE!"

The cry of her friend, her best friend. Alice blocked all the pain, but was unable to move her body. The mouth was full of blood, flowing out. The ceiling was out of focus.

Will I die?

Her friend's cry, now a distant echo, seemed to confirm that. Everything had gone dark. Clinging to thoughts, Alice was gathered forces for a miracle.

Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. MayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMaya

She choked again. This time it was not a cough, she vomited blood, seeing a large puddle forming on the floor. Then she drew air through her mouth, without control, her lungs expanded to the limit and a tingle of relief enveloped her entire being. She began to reason, realizing that she was able to see and move her body. She got up with difficulty and soon saw Lucky, always smiling, and Maya, somehow, standing beside her.

"Hey Alice," Lucky said, "didya enjoy yah death?"

"I'm not dead yet." Alice finally managed to stand and maintain her balance. "But ya'll be..."

Maya calmly demanded, despite the tears on her face, "Stop."

"No!" Alice snapped, "she shot ya!"

"I'm not hurt!" Maya showed her leg, it was bloody, but when she cleaned it with her hand, there was no visible wound. "See?"

Lucky did the same thing with her thigh, saying, "And neithah are ya."

Alice frowned and looked at her blood-soaked uniform. The shirt had holes made by the bullets, but she pressed it with her finger and felt the skin. "What... witchcraft is this?"

"Healing bullets!" Lucky pointed the revolver at her forehead. "A good way ta find out what it feels like, except Madre is gonna force ya ta remove yah brain juices from the walls." She put the gun down. "Ya friend was cryin', thinkin' I was lyin' when I said ya weren't dead. Well, ya're lyin' on the floor for about five minutes, without breathin'."

Speechless, Alice looked at Maya and the other novices, in vain hope that this was a joke.

With an air of disappointment, Evie shook her head.

"Ya're very dumb, Alice. Ya threatened someone ahrmed with supah speed when ya had the element of surprise." Lucky smiled. "But I liked yah saws discs. Can ya make them appeah at any distance?"

Surprised by the sudden interest, the blonde replied with a certain humility, "Yeah... I already made them appeah distant from me, but not always exactly as I want."

"Ya need to train this." Lucky held her own neck. "If ya're smart, ya woulda conjured one heah 'nd beheaded me instantly. Or ya coulda conjured one wheah my gem is, but that wouldn't be smart, 'cause ya could nevah escape Generalíssima and she would turn ya into a twisted meat pudding. Hahahaha!"

Alice and Maya looked at each other, both scared.

Lucky was even more excited. "Can ya make microscopic saws?"

Alice shook her head. "I... I dunno..."

"Imagine if ya can conjure thousands of these little saws inside someone's body?" The rabbit sister's eyes widened. "It would be like grindin' meat from the inside out!"

"Only a sick mind would think that." Alice made a disgusted face.

"I prefah to say that I have an open mind." Lucky nodded. "Ya two hunt togethah, right? Ya're lucky. If ya had ta face a witch in a liquid state, like the knight I brought heah, how would ya do that with yah blades? There's a lot ta work with ya two. With me, ya'll leahrn that versatility is powah." From the corner of her eye, she sensed someone coming through the tunnel.

It was Generalíssima, accompanied by Revenant and Madre.

Some novices promptly began to form a row.

Generalíssima made a gesture with her hand, indicating that they should remain relaxed.

"Oh my, what a surprise." Lucky gave a wink. "Didya come ta leahrn any new tricks from me?"

Seeing all the blood, Madre commented, "These're the new novices..."

Generalíssima nodded. "Are you already 'killing' them, Lucky?"

She shrugged. "The blonde asked for a quick lesson."

"It's good that they leahrn quickly," with a disapproving look, Revenant said after gritting her teeth, "but knowin' ya, ya shouldn't even have a grief seed. The novice could have become a witch!"

Lucky shook her head, smiling. "I did a lot of shootin' ta make sure she was gonna lose consciousness quickly."

"Right..." Generalíssima looked at all the novices in the room, raising her voice. "When I crossed paths with Madre, I had the idea of watching your training, but, since we get into this subject, I will teach the new novices what you are your souls mean." She turned her back to the black woman. "Revenant."

Lucky grimaced, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, ya're gonna do the demonstration."

Alice and Maya were tense again, they were prepared for everything.

As a single movement, Revenant came from behind, holding Generalíssima's face with one hand and pulling it, while using the other hand to punch the back of the neck.

Generalíssima collapsed on the floor, her head in an anatomically impossible position.

Maya did not even wince. The woman was motionless and not breathing, she looked and must be dead, but Maya had already learned that this was just an inconvenience for a magical girl. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that the woman, in her cadaverous countenance, seemed to be looking right into her eyes.

[As you may be seeing...]

Terrified, Maya took a step back. "She's talkin'!"

Not only she, but other inexperienced novices were perplexed.

[... Revenant broke my spine. I stopped breathing, my heart is also stopping. I am quickly losing my senses.]

Alice noticed that the woman's gaze was now unfocused, lifeless.

[However, I manage to maintain my consciousness, as I am aware that I am the gem that is in the ring on my left hand. This body is just an extension of it. The gem has a sixth sense, one that you all have used without realizing it, I can feel the presence of your sources of magic, your gems, you. Thus, by connecting my soul with yours, I can communicate. We call it telepathy, but it's a crude way of saying it.]

The novices looked at each other, some looked at their gems.

[Understand that this requires a long time of ... spiritual conditioning to get results. The first step is to overcome the fear of death and the despair that comes from it, but that is the simplest step.]

Alice looked at her bloody uniform, Maya's cry for her name haunted her memories. That was the simplest step and she had failed.

[It is a matter of time for a magical girl in my situation to become a witch, but it is possible to postpone that. Our gems seek to heal our wounds, but they do not take into account whether they will succeed before they are completely corrupted. I know my spine is broken, but normally we will have no idea of the state of our bodies. That is why I am using my will on the gem so that there is no cure. Unless you have a miraculous capacity for self-healing, your hope should be outside help.]

Madre approached and knelt beside Generalíssima's body. Carefully and silently, she put her fallen sister's head in the correct position and rested her hand on her neck.

[Another danger occurs when you have been conscious in this situation for a long time. You discover that your soul has a 'hunger' for feelings. Without a body, it is your magic that will provide it. It starts as a dream or a memory, then you forget that you are dead and the real world becomes distant. If your gem is not continually purified, the illusion that seduced your soul is degraded into a barrier, with you as the witch.]

Madre smiled slightly and took her hand away.

Generalíssima started to breathe and blinked. Her pallor was gone when she stood up, helping Madre to get up feet as well. "Thank you."

The new novices were impressed by the second resurrection of the day, but still one raised her hand. "And... if they lose their bodies?"

"Huh?" Generalíssima asked, "What do you mean?"

"If the body falls into a lava lake or somethin'..."

"Oh..." The dark pink-haired woman nodded. "It's possible to create a new body if there is a sample of DNA, a hair for example, of course it requires a powerful spell and many seeds."

Maya did not even blink. That woman had replied so promptly... She had a lot of knowledge about magical girls. Madre also seemed to know a lot, but it was not the same thing, she did not exude the same confidence in her words. In her introspection, the girl recognized that, in doubt, Madre had God. That woman, Generalíssima, seemed to have only herself.

Generalíssima continued, "Therefore it's important that you're not reckless. Even if the body of a magical girl is just a tool, IT IS the most precious tool. I like to say that our soul is an eternal child. Without our senses and our experiences to filter reality, only chaos remains."

[Attention! All sisters must urgently attend the security room.]

"Invadah?" Lucky was surprised.

And the novices were surprised by Lucky's reaction. Evie narrowed her gaze.

Generalíssima exchanged glances with the other sisters and left the room in silence.

Revenant looked at Lucky. "C'mon, drongo!"

"O-Okay! Wait for me."

As the last sister still in the room, Madre instructed, "Girls, I want you to go back to the dormitory now and stay theah. Don't worry about cleanin'." Unusual for those who knew her, she hurriedly left the room, almost running.

"What's it?" Maya felt her chest tighten. "Why so suddenly? Did somethin' happen?"

"No doubt." Alice pressed her lips together, wondering if she should dispose of her magical garments.

／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼

The metal door opened and the first person Generalíssima saw in the security room was Inquisitor, he was more unhappy than usual, more nervous too.

Invader spun the chair she was sitting. "I'm glad you came."

Along with Madre and Lucky, Revenant entered the room before the door closed. "Is Washington?"

"No." Invader looked down. "It's better for Inquisitor to explain this."

He crossed his arms. "I'll only say it when all the sisters are here... if this is going to happen."

Clenching her fists, Generalíssima approached the man. "What's happening?"

But everyone was silent when they noticed a gray metallic cloud coming from the ventilation duct. It solidified, taking the form of a little robot girl, her eyes lit up like two crosses of light. Nano's voice came from its speaker placed as a mouth, "Hi guys."

"You were supposed to be here," Inquisitor said, "and not to send your machines."

The robot tilted its head to the side. "I always did that when I'm called."

"We can't see where you are on the security cameras," the man walked towards the robot, with a menacing look, "show up, NOW!"

With her hand on his chest, Generalíssima pushed him, "Hey, hey, hey, calm down! What the hell is happening?"

"Our seeds..." The anger on his face became frustration. "Someone stole our seeds."

Silence took over the room.

Eyes still wide, Generalíssima finally stammered, "How many... How many seeds we still have, Inquisitor?"

The man shook his head and sniffed his nose.

She snapped, "INQUISITOR!"

"All the seeds were in the safe for purification." He covered his face with both hands. "It's empty now..."

Generalíssima again was speechless.

Inquisitor pulled his hair back, looking at the ceiling. "We don't have seeds."

"Ehh..." The robot raised its hand. "I still have three seeds with me here in the silo."

Lucky smiled. "Ah, not so bad then, we can keep recyclin' these three."

"No," Inquisitor said, still tense, "with the spell I use to kill three witches grouped together, I could have killed ten. It's not efficient and I'll not be in the purification room all the time with this thief on the loose. Even more now they know there are three more seeds."

"What?!" Revenant gritted her teeth. "Dya think it was one of us who did this?"

The man frowned. "And you still ask that?"

The robot spoke, "Couldn't it be a novice?"

"They don't have access to the lower floor," Madre stated, "they don't even know that there is a safe."

"This was planned." Inquisitor nodded. "It must have been done by someone who had frequent access to the place. A novice would end up being caught by a sister or by security cameras."

"Who knows?" Lucky shrugged. "We're talkin' about magical girls."

"Enough speculation, let's get this resolved now." Generalíssima approached Invader. "Show the recording of the entrance to the purification room."

Inquisitor said, "Why do you think I was here?"

"Huh?" Generalíssima looked at him.

"Sorry, Generalíssima, but ..." Invader turned in her chair, looking at a screen.

Generalíssima looked in the same direction, seeing that the screen was black. "What...? Hasn't that camera been fixed yet?"

"I fixed it," Nano said through the robot, "it was working. Invader verified this with Inquisitor."

The ballerina in the chair nodded.

"That's right," the man confirmed, "now the camera has broken again."

"So was it the thief?" Madre considered, "if that camera broke previously, it could be that it was already an attempt by that person."

Invader kept looking at the black screen. "It could be a test to check our reaction. As we did not take any severe measures as to what happened, the thief felt safe to act."

Revenant tensed her muscles. "Bastahrd."

Lucky murmured, "Geez, and I didn't even notice..."

"What?" The black woman turned to the bunny girl.

"I didn't even notice..." Lucky smiled, "that ya're talkin' about the camera because of that black screen, hehe..."

Revenant rolled her eyes.

Generalíssima demanded, "Show the last thing that camera recorded."

"I already checked that out. These are images from yesterday." Invader's gem shone and the black screen started showing the entrance to the purification room, it was empty. Suddenly, the image was black and white and, moments later, there was only black.

"Okay, now show the camera image in the main corridor that watch the access to the purification room's entrance. Or did it break too?"

"No, it's still working. However..." Invader pointed to another screen, synchronizing with the images on the previous screen. She rewound the recording. "As you can see, the last person who was at the entrance to the purification room was Inquisitor, long before the camera stopped working."

Revenant furrowed her eyebrows. "Dya mean that the camera broke on its own?"

"The person must have done this from a blind spot," Madre argued.

"And how Inquisitowr didn't see anythin' befawre leavin'? The room is tiny," Revenant retorted.

Lucky commented, "Maybe Nano didn't fix the camera well."

The robot did not have the function of facial expressions, but Nano's voice was more than enough to show how angry she was, "We tested it! I wouldn't make that mistake."

"Ya're not a machine." Lucky smiled. "Or are ya gonna tell me it was a ghost that did it? Is our base haunted now?"

"Enough!" Generalíssima's voice was energetic, "We aren't going to waste time on silly discussions." Then she returned her attention to Inquisitor. "So the last time you saw the seeds was yesterday."

He nodded. "Precisely."

Invader asked, "Every time you checked the safe?"

Generalíssima was confused. "What?"

"I'm checking every time the camera in the main corridor captured someone passing by during the probable time that the theft occurred." Invader's gem shone brightly as she watched some screens. "After the camera showing the safe broke, Inquisitor visited the room four times. Well, the last time he leaved running, coming here."

Revenant narrowed her gaze. "Can ya see if he was carryin' seeds the othah times he left?"

The Asian girl shook her head. "I don't see anything in his hands."

Inquisitor opened his eyes wide and frowned. "What are you implying?"

Revenant said coldly, "That ya could hide the seeds undah yah clothes."

He gritted his teeth and snapped, "IF I STOLE THE SEEDS, WHY WOULD I BE HERE WARNING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED?"

"Is this a simulation?" Generalíssima looked him right in the eye. "Is it something that you're going to put on your 'checklist' that you're going to send to Washington?"

"Don't be fool!" Inquisitor punched the air. "I would never do anything like that."

With her patience exhausted, Generalíssima pointed to the screens showing him. "Then what the fuck is this?"

The man calmed down. "You must know the details of the story about the first time this camera broke. Nano and Invader considered that I had damaged it with my magic, but I told them that it could be that a witch barrier had leaked out of the purification room during the process. After the camera was repaired, the possibility came to me that the barrier could have leaked from the safe itself, from a seed that had not been properly purified. So I made a few visits to check if there was any reaction from the seeds."

"Is that all?" Generalíssima was still staring at him.

"Yes, that's all."

"Wow..." Lucky put her hands behind her head and stretched. "From ghost ta witch. Now I can believe it."

Madre stated, "It's true that a barriah would cause the camera to malfunction, but Inquisitor would have felt it already."

"Generalíssima."

"WHAT?" When answering Invader, she realized that she had raised her voice too much. "Sorry..."

Invader shook her head. "I should be sorry, because I'm sure about someone who passed that corridor at that time..."

Generalíssima looked at the screens. The recording showed a ballerina walking. "You?"

"This is before the camera in the purification room stop working," Invader explained, "I went to visit Nano in the silo."

The robot nodded. "Yeah, she stayed with me for a few hours. She helped me to solve a problem with the navigation algorithm of my drones, it was very productive."

"Hours?" Generalíssima asked, "And who was in the security room?"

Invader made a nod with her head towards another screen. It showed the images inside the security room and everyone saw a bunny girl sitting in a chair, eyes closed and mouth open, drooling. Then everyone looked at the same person who was present.

"Ah, busted! Hihihiii..." Lucky had an embarrassed smile. "I was payin' a debt that I had with Invadah, but this chair is very comfortable. Well, look on the bright side, it couldn't have been me."

"Whata fuck up, drongo!" Revenant pulled one of the rabbit ears.

"Ow! Ow! Don't rip it off!"

Inquisitor asked Invader, "Did you tell anyone about you leaving the post in advance?"

"No."

"Then the thief must have seen you leave this room." He pointed to the screens. "Can you show that moment?"

"Of course." Invader's gem flashed and one of the screens showed her leaving the room and walking down the stairs. In the same corridor was a black woman witnessing that.

"I remember that," Revenant commented, "I even warned Generalíssima."

The latina woman frowned, "Did you do that?"

"Yeah, telepathically, ya didn't answah."

"I don't remember."

Inquisitor inquired, "Where were you?"

"At that moment?" Generalíssima shook her head. "I'm not sure."

But Invader had the answer. "She went to the data center."

"A room that has no cameras," the man stated.

"I was registering the last supplies I had brought." She squinted at him. "As you wanted."

The silence was a short song of tension between the two. Without taking his eyes off Generalíssima, Inquisitor spoke, "Madre, where were you?"

"In a place wheah theah are no cameras too," the red-haired woman said, "my room."

"It's true what she says." Invader confirmed by the footages. "She stayed in the room for several hours."

"I was preparing the material for the next meeting with the novices."

The girl in the chair looked at her. "You do that in the classroom."

Madre opened her mouth and blinked before saying, "Yes, normally. In that case I was doin' a selection of Bible readings that could bring hope in these difficult times and I preferred ta do that where I meditate. You know, our children have been really strong, but I feel like we're reachin' the limit. And now we have this problem to deal with..."

Inquisitor nodded, rubbing his beard. "Do you know what's the oddest thing of this?"

"What?" Generalíssima folded her arms.

"When I asked Invader to call all the sisters, I didn't expect them all to be here."

"Did you think the thief would have already left the base with the seeds?" Generalíssima shook her head. "It's not that easy."

Lucky smiled. "For Generalíssima it's a piece of piss!"

"Shut up, drongo," Revenant said.

Confusing the bunny, "What?"

Invader explained to the man, "The exit door can only be opened and closed from here."

He asked, "Isn't there a manual opening?"

"There are, for emergencies, but it requires a code that must be inserted mechanically. Only Nano, Generalíssima and Madre know how to do this."

"And if the door is opened that way, it cannot be closed," Generalíssima added, then turned to Invader, "but can you tell me if anyone tried to leave?"

The Asian girl focused on a screen where the recording was shown at an extremely fast speed. "There're no records, not even the ramp lights were turned on."

Inquisitor looked at the screens. "Having no records does not mean much to me, but let's consider that the thief was aware that they would not be able to escape, they would then have planned a hiding spot for the seeds. In that case, we... should..."

With his sudden pause and his surprised face, Generalíssima looked at the screens too, looking for anything. The corridor camera showed a masked person in a leather coat facing the access to the purification room's entrance. "Invader, is this still yesterday's footage?"

"Yes, yes... I was so distracted looking for other things..." The blue wing-shaped gem shone and she gaped. "This... This is from before the last time Inquisitor was is the room."

In an aggressive tone, Revenant asked, "What's Matryoshka doin' theah?"

"C'mon." Lucky shrugged. "She lives on that floor."

Generalíssima looked at the robot. "Did she visit the silo yesterday?"

Nano replied, "No, and my machines did not detect her presence."

Invader was narrating what she saw on the screen, "She's looking at each side of the corridor, she puts her hands in her pockets and... she enters the access."

A great silence filled the security room.

"How long was she there?" Generalíssima asked.

"Seven minutes and thirty-two seconds." Invader glanced at Inquisitor.

The man was even closer to the screens. The light exacerbated the tense contours of his face.

Invader looked down, holding her hands close to her chest. "You didn't say what it was about when you asked me to call all the sisters, and she's not one, so..."

"Where's she now?" He asked.

His voice was calm and controlled, which made Invader more concerned. "In her makeshift laboratory, near the reactor. I'll call her."

"No." Inquisitor went to the door. "We're going there."

He left without saying another word, leaving the sisters in the room looking at each other.

"Okay, sisters, let's follow him." Generalíssima went to the exit, sending an order to the robot, "Nano, stop what you're doing in the silo. I want you to meet us down there."

The lights in the robots' eyes flickered. "I'll do this."

"And bring the seeds!"

／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼

The metal door opened. Inquisitor entered first and soon the room was full of people.

Matryoshka was at the other end of the room, taking care of what appeared to be an aquarium on top of the boxes, with strange contraption in the water, with many connectors and cables connected to devices outside it. "Good day." She turned to the visitors. "You don't look like you came to witness my cold fusion experiment with heavy water." She then noticed someone and her voice carried more surprise, "Even Nano herself is here. It's not my birthday, is it?" she lowered her head, whispering, "when is my birthday? Hmm..."

"Where are the seeds?" Inquisitor asked.

"Seeds? Seeds... Oh!" Matryoshka started to grope her clothes. "Here? Hmmm..."

Inquisitor exchanged impatient glances with Generalíssima.

"Ah!" Matryoshka pointed in one direction. "The seeds are on top of... No, wait. I didn't receive any new seeds."

"The seeds were stolen from the safe," Generalíssima finally said.

Matryoshka's voice was of surprise. "How did you let this happen under your noses?"

Inquisitor spoke, "Why don't you tell us?"

"Oh, I understand..." Matryoshka put both hands on her head and then spread her arms, making the allusion that she was expanding it. "Since I'm a genius, I stole the seeds and returned to my normal routine, knowing that you would consider me suspicious because I'm not a member of Souls' Sisterhood."

Revenant snapped, "Ya bastahrd! We trusted ya!"

"Huh, Revah..." Lucky raised an eyebrow as she whispered, "she's bein' sarcastic."

Generalissíma said, "We have a recording that you accessed the room where is the safe yesterday."

Matryoshka replied promptly, "It's not forbidden to go there, yet."

The man asked, "What were you doing there?"

"What was I doing? I usually go for a walk when I want to think and to get rid of strange sensations."

Madre raised her eyebrows. "Strange sensations?"

"I hope I'm being clear." Matryoshka put her hands in her pockets. "When I was a child and I was alone in my dark room, lying on the bed, sometimes I felt like someone was watching me from the shadows and about to attack. I have that same feeling here, but with the room well lit. I certified there is no one, but I can't help it. Perhaps it's this silence..."

Lucky opened a big smile. "Look! It's the ghost again!"

Inquisitor shook his head. "Is that your excuse?"

"I don't need excuses," Matryoshka said, more annoyed, "doesn't the room with the safe have a camera? You can see that I did nothing."

"The camera broke," Nano said.

"How convenient..." Matryoshka spread her arms wide. "I didn't steal anything, you can look in the boxes. Turn everything upside-down."

"You wouldn't suggest where you hid the seeds." Inquisitor approached and started to unbutton her coat.

"Are you going to frisk me?"

"What do you think?"

"Good luck."

After opening the leather coat, Inquisitor came across the zipper of the blue sweatshirt. The internal part of the coat had many pockets with Russian labels, some papers, others with tools and bottles.

Matryoshka said, "You're going to have to go deeper if you think they're with me."

With a dour countenance, Inquisitor nodded and pulled the zipper. When the sweatshirt opened, a jumble of electrical wires came out, connected to panels with small metal levers and more old Russian labels. The smell of chemicals made his nostrils sting.

The masked person warned, "If you cut a wire or change a switch by accident, everyone in that room dies."

The man did not react, but neither did he move.

"It's a joke, okay? Only you die."

He asked, harshly, "Are you a comedian?"

"Only when I'm nervous."

Inquisitor did not hesitate any longer and made his way through the wires and panels. There did not seem to be any compartment to look for. Behind the wires was a green dress with feminine contours, matching with the skirt of the same color.

"Deeper," Matryoshka teased, "this one you open like a corset, I don't know if a man is abl-"

Inquisitor hugged her, his hands reaching for the ties on her back.

"O! Uhuhuhuhu..."

Even so close, Inquisitor was unable to see the eyes behind the mask visor. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just the surprise." She rested her head on his chest. [You look like you're realizing what an idiot you're being in front of the others.]

[That's what you think.] Inquisitor lowered his hands as he untied the corset, that was when he felt objects close to her ass. They had a hard, smooth surface and a rounded tip, but they seemed to be too thin to be seeds.

"Be careful!" Matryoshka raised her head, "One of these vials contains dimethyl-mercury. It's absorbed by the skin and your glove will not help you. One drop and you will be in a coma until someone finds a new brain for you or your gem becomes a seed."

Inquisitor narrowed his gaze. "Why do you carry such a dangerous substance for magical girls?"

"For the science."

He returned to untie the corset.

Matryoshka moaned. "Ahhh... I won't need auxiliary oxygen for now..."

Wary, Inquisitor removed the corset and took a step back. What he was seeing was hard to believe.

The other sisters in the room were no less astonished.

"Why the surprise?" Dozens of transparent tubes with substances were wrapped around Matryoshka's torso, some of them went under the skirt while others went into tailored openings, yet with blood marks, from the orange plastic coverall.

Inquisitor's eyes stung and watered, his nose accused a flesh and disinfectant smell that reminded him of a hospital environment. "These tubes of yours, they are..."

"Yes, they are. Our bodies are fantastic compact chemical factories. Anything can be produced with the right incentive. Unfortunately, our bodies also don't like invasive actions and more harmful substances have yet to be finished in the reactor under my skirt." She lifted her skirt, showing a strange toroidal device around her legs, with a few thick metal tubes in addition to the transparent tubes connected at the top. "Do you want to see it working?"

He paid attention to the coverall. "How do I open this outfit?"

"You don't. And I wouldn't want you to tear it up, since my skin hasn't been in contact with the atmosphere for a long time." Matryoshka tilted her head to the side. "You can still frisk me, or have you seen enough?"

Inquisitor's face hardened and he approached. His hands found spaces between the tubes and he felt the coverall, starting at the hips. Soon he realized that he could feel the bones easily, she was a thin person.

"You can be more aggressive, I don't feel tickling easily."

He ignored the teasing, concentrating on feeling any shape that looked like a seed. His hands went up the back, then returned to the abdomen, he felt her ribs and a bulge on her chest.

Matyoshka remained silent.

Looking straight at the mask visor, Inquisitor squeezed it just to be sure.

She said calmly, "Too soft to be seeds, isn't it?"

He removed his hands and stepped back, turning his face in a vain attempt to hide his frustration.

Lucky announced with a small leap of excitement, "Welcome ta the girls' club!"

"Did you doubt my gender?!" Matryoshka hugged herself and her clothes were enveloped in a blinding green light, including her corset on the floor. When the light faded, the corset was gone and she already had her coat closed, properly buttoned. "I want to see the safe."

／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼

In the area of the purification room's entrance, Inquisitor showed the safe open and empty. "It was closed, then I didn't move anything else."

Without asking, Matryoshka came over and leaned into the safe, feeling around the compartment walls.

He asked, "What are you doing?"

"Verifying if there was a false bottom." She stepped away from the safe. "The best tricks are so ridiculous that fools refuse to imagine them."

Meanwhile, Nano was finishing her diagnosis of the security camera.

"What did you find?" Generalíssima asked.

"Like the other time, the connectors were displaced," the child said, "I thought it was due to the high temperature variation caused by Inquisitor, but now I know it was deliberate."

"And anyone can have done that." Revenant exchanged unfriendly looks with Inquisitor. "If the camera had burned, everythin' would be easiah..."

Matryoshka commented, "That's why in Motherland Union we always have a group guarding the seeds at all times. Technology isn't smart, people are."

Madre asked the others, "How do you think the thief managed to open the safe?"

Generalíssima thought for a moment and said, "When it comes to magic, anything is possible, but seeing that the safe is intact, the person must have done it through the electronic panel."

"It would have been hacked, wouldn't it?" Invader spoke.

Generalíssima turned to her in surprise, realizing what she had said.

"Of course..." The ballerina was crestfallen. "I easily open this safe with my magic, just as I can manipulate images from security cameras to erase my tracks. It makes me the prime suspect and the thief must know that."

"We don't have any suspects yet," Generalíssima declared, "Invader, you were with Nano during the theft. We saw it."

"We saw what the cameras showed." Inquisitor approached the little girl. "Nano, did she visit you?"

"Yes, I already said."

He continued to inquire, "Has she always been with you? Never lost sight of her?"

Concerned about the size of that man in front of her, Nano exchanged looks with Invader. "She was always close to me."

"Did you touch her?"

Nano froze. "Huh?"

Inquisitor raised his eyebrows. "Or did she touch you?"

Lucky frowned, smiling. "Ermm... This conversation is gettin' weird. Hehe... Ouchie!"

Revenant slapped the back of the bunny's head.

"Yes, we touched each other." Nano nodded. "She helped me carry some tools."

Generalíssima spoke, "Invader's projections cannot interact with physical objects."

"I know that well!" Inquisitor gazed intensely at the child. "If you're lying..."

"I'm not! I swear!" Nano exclaimed, with a crying face. "Why would I do that? I'm loyal to the Sisterhood, this is my only home. Where else would I go?"

Inquisitor lowered his gaze, pondering, "Yes, for some this is their only home..."

Matryoshka interrupted, announcing, "There's a simpler method that the thief may have used." She closed the safe's door. "Is the lock automatic?"

"That's right," Generalíssima replied.

"Good, good, so let's see..." Matryoshka started typing on the panel. "Hmmm... 192316." The door lock made a distinctive sound and it opened. "Touché!" When she turned to the others in the room, she was shoved.

Inquisitor pressed her against the wall. "HOW DID YOU KNOW THE CODE?!"

Keeping calm, Matryoshka replied, "Psalms, nineteenth book of the bible, chapter twenty three, verses one through six."

He opened his eyes wide and was speechless.

"It's you who use the safe, a religious man," Matryoshka explained, "nothing more natural than using one of the most famous passages in the Bible as a password. Unfortunately, I ended up getting it right on the first try, I was hoping to get it right after several ones, since this panel doesn't seem to prevent it. Am I wrong, Nano?"

The little girl scratched her head with her gauntlet. "You're not. I put the same panel that is used on the doors, I didn't think about that."

"This is what happens when you let children do the work of adults," the masked magical girl said, "and do you intend to be a global organization?"

Inquisitor narrowed his eyes. "Most people don't know that the Psalms is the nineteenth book in the Bible."

"That's the keyword, most." She put her hands in her pockets. "Motherland Union wouldn't send someone incompetent for this important partnership with the Sisterhood. I visited Rome, Vatican, capiche?"

Inquisitor shook his head. "You think you're intelligent, but you just made your situation worse."

"I have nothing to hide because I didn't steal the seeds. Maybe you should ask someone who knows the code and has yet to speak."

Lucky raised her hand. "Generalíssima must know the code, 'cause she was the one who did the purification before Inquisitor arrived."

Revenant exasperated. "Stop bullshittin', drongo!"

"'Cause? Isn't true?"

"Yes, it's true." Generalíssima raised her voice.

Everyone looked at her.

"I could break the camera, open the safe, take the seeds and leave the base without being noticed." She smiled slightly. "But I didn't do that, or why would I still be here? Besides, I wouldn't need all that, I just had to come here anytime and take the seeds. All of you together wouldn't be able to stop me."

"YEAH!" Revenant nodded. "We wouldn't have a chance!"

"Ah..." Matryoshka looked at Generalíssima, saying in a suspicious tone of homage, "the paragon of the Sisterhood."

Inquisitor pressed Matryoshka against the wall again, before releasing her and returning to where the sisters were, pointing to the floor and speaking aloud, "No one leaves this base under any circumstances! We'll search every corner of this place and find the seeds, and this thief, no, this TRAITOR will pay dearly."

Somewhat intimidated by that man's fury, Madre asked, "Should we tell the novices about this?"

"Yes, it's necessary," he said, "we don't know how long it'll take us to find the seeds, we'll have to ration what we have. From now on, we'll all have to do our part and avoid using magic." Then he turned to Nano. "You need to stop your machines that are working on the project."

"Hey, wait! Wait a second!" Generalíssima looked at him. "I don't agree with that, the project needs to continue."

Inquisitor scowled at her. "WHAT?!"

"The project is almost finished. Nano can use less magic, work more slowly, but it cannot stop."

"Tell me..." He calmed down, but with a penetrating gaze. "Why is this project more important than the souls of everyone here?"

"I can only say that these facilities that I command were built for this project." Generalíssima puffed out her chest. "This is not Europe or Washington. Most of the novices who live here weren't recruited, but rescued. Their stay here is meant to be temporary."

Inquisitor insisted. "It would be easier to accept what you ask for if you tell more details."

She shook her head. "It's confidential."

"For God's sake!" He put his hands on his head and closed his eyes.

"You know the rules! You need authorization from Washington."

"Washington?!" He opened his eyes wide, distilling cholera. "Look at our situation! Look! Have a good sense!"

"Do you want to know everything about the project?"

He immediately turned around, as surprised as Generalíssima.

Matryoshka had opened her coat and removed a document inside it. "Read this." She handed the papers over to him.

Generalíssima walked towards her. "You can't do that!"

"You don't give me orders," Matryoshka said, "and Motherland Union gave me complete autonomy to share this information with anyone I wanted."

Inquisitor flipped through a few pages. "It's all in Russian."

"You can interpret the schematics, can't you?"

Generalíssima held her breath as she watched the man leaf through a few more pages.

Inquisitor finally stopped and opened his eyes wide. He then showed the page close to the dark pink-eyed woman's face. "What's it?!"

It was the drawing of a compartment specially designed to contain a soul gem surrounded by grief seeds.

Seeing that, Generalíssima gritted her teeth and ordered, "Everyone here, leave."

Madre, Lucky, Revenant, Invader, Nano... looked at each other.

"NOW!"

Still confused and worried, they left.

Matryoshka also decided to leave, but was prevented by Generalíssima's arm.

"No, you stay."

Inquisitor continued to hold the page, looking at Generalíssima without blinking even once.

She sighed and said, "Okay, I'll tell you. What you're seeing is what's going to be inside the satellite that we'll put into orbit."

"Are you going to send a soul into space?" Inquisitor frowned. "Whose?"

Generalíssima replied, "A magical girl that Washington was preparing for this mission."

He continued with the frown. "Did she volunteer for that?"

She was silent for a brief moment before saying, "That's why this project is confidential."

"Oh my God..." Inquisitor lowered the arm that was holding the page.

"I don't see that much drama in this," Matryoshka said, "inside the gem you lose track of time. The two years that this satellite was designed to stay in orbit will pass quickly."

"And then she dies in a fireball at the reentry of the atmosphere?" He questioned.

"The compartment was designed to withstand this, it's safer than for astronauts," Generalíssima said, "the greatest risk is if a witch is born from the seeds."

Matryoshka shook her head. "It shouldn't happen. Without a body, the gem corrupts very slowly. This mission could last five years without any problems."

Inquisitor looked at the two women. "What's this mission?"

"The gem will be integrated with a device capable of amplifying the sensitivity to magic in one direction." Generalíssima put her hand to her chest. "When I was in Washington, I supervised and approved this invention after rigorous testing."

"And do you intend to scan the planet with this?"

Generalíssima nodded. "The information will be shared between us and Motherland Union."

"Okay..." He squinted. "How do you intend to launch this rocket without the whole world knowing?"

"Leave it to us," Matryoshka said, "we have a team of 'Invaders' to jam the radars of NORAD, ВВКО, and others for a while. The investigations will only find a North Korean cyber terrorism network."

"As for possible eye witnesses," Generalíssima added, smiling, "we have planned a disinformation campaign. We'll spread clearly fake videos and images on the Internet, unfounded accusations and jokes. In a few weeks, it'll be nothing more than a conspiracy theory."

The man looked away while scratching his beard.

"Imagine, Inquisitor." Generalíssima's voice was soothing. "When a girl makes a contract with Incubator, in less than a day we'll know where she lives. We'll be able to estimate the population of magical girls and witches in a region. We'll be able to identify and locate this new type of witches. We may even find Walpurgisnatch!"

"You're being quite optimistic," Inquisitor declared, "but I recognize that the success of this project will bring a new era, not only for the Sisterhood but for all the magical girls in the world. We will not be one step ahead of Incubator yet, but we will be closer."

Generalíssima nodded , triumphant.

"However..."

Her smile was gone.

"As you said, the girl was being prepared by Washington. We lost contact with them, we don't know if this girl is still alive. I cannot see the need for such urgency."

Generalíssima snorted and ground her teeth. "As soon as we reestablish communications with Washington, I guarantee that the first thing they'll ask is whether the project is ready. This could be the key to overcome this crisis!"

Inquisitor was unmoved. "The crisis may have changed their priority, I accept the risk of being wrong."

Generalíssima widened her eyes and came very close to him, affirming, "You'll be expelled from the Sisterhood!"

"Yes, I take responsibility."

Bewildered, she gaped.

"I have to agree with Inquisitor. It doesn't make sense to finish the project now."

Feeling that new punch in the guts, Generalíssima looked at Matryoshka.

"You only talk about Washington, but I also need to communicate with the Union. Only with their final approval will you have our help with the launch."

Inquisitor then said, "We can get the seeds back and return back to work on the project before we even have any news about Washington."

With her erratic breathing, Generalíssima did not know where to look.

Nothing that could change his opinion. "What do you say?"

She took a deep breath and raised her finger. "One condition, the three seeds stay with me. The seeds that were stolen were your responsibility!"

"Fair." He left. "I will ask Nano to give you the seeds."

It was so sudden that Generalíssima froze.

"Oh yes, you can take the document with you, I didn't even want it back." Matryoshka spoke to herself and then looked at the other woman. "Well, I think I need to stop with my experiments..."

Without saying anything, Generalíssima waited until she was alone. Breathing out of rhythm, she walked towards the wall and rested her forehead against it. Her teeth gritted like never before and the muscles in her neck tensed as she held back a scream.

Next chapter: The power of friendship