Space News: The notorious thief, Mr. Shoelaces, has released a statement claiming he wasn't involved with the theft of shoelaces in the cargo ship to Titan. He says his operation is only planetary, and thus, we're dealing with a copycat. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the larceny.

"Don't yuh have a ceremony tuh conduct?" Oli asked.

After Jerry and Catherine took her to the office, the nuns showed up fifteen minutes later. Being stuck in a room without any pictures on the walls, no shelf with books in it, or anything else apart from a desk, drove her to boredom.

Sister Mary ate a green apple, chewing after every two bites. She hadn't said a word since arriving, having walked past Oli and sitting behind her desk.

Sister Ophelia sat on the windowsill and stared outside, seeming to be deep in thought.

Sister Patricia stood a few paces away from Sister Mary with her hands behind her back, glaring at Oli. When the hyena spoke, the seven-foot woman's left eye twitched, as though the bounty hunter's voice annoyed her.

"Can yuh at least tell me wah me here?" Oli tried to remain calm and composed, but deep down she was screaming at the top of her voice. The three people she wanted to avoid had found out about her. Now her escape plan was thrown out of the window, and she had broken her promise to Victoria. And on top of that, she was going to die without saying goodbye to her mother.

"Relax, hyena," Sister Mary said before opening the top drawer and putting the apple's core inside. She placed her arms on the desk and smiled. "I want to know why you came here with the coyote?"

"Who, Wolf? Me nuh—"

Sister Patricia smacked Oli with the back of her hand, sending her crashing to the floor, making her head spin and body ache. But Oli immediately stood and picked up the chair, sitting down with a groan, massaging her jaw.

"Dis an interrogation? Good tuh know." Oli had experienced far worse from enemies who wanted the passcode to her Executioner's account. She ended up killing them. But even if she had given them the passcode, each hyena's account was tailored for them specifically. If someone else logged in, they would see static.

"This is a test, not an interrogation," Sister Mary corrected Oli, her eyes glowing with excitement. "I know the answers to the questions I will ask you. I just want to see if you will tell me the truth. That is all." She leaned back on the chair and put her hands behind her head. "Coyotes come here to save Victoria all the time. I love the look of despair when they realize Little Vicky has betrayed them. Oooh!" She moaned and hugged her body. "It drives me insane when I see a human lose hope. Because without hope for anything, something, then why do you keep living?"

"Is dat—"

Sister Patricia smacked her again with the back of her hand. This time the nun used so much force, it sent Oli crashing against the wall. Unlike before, she didn't stand right after impact. She lay on the floor, waiting for the blur blinding her vision to clear. Blood dribbled from the cut inside her cheek, leaving her tongue in a pool of iron before spitting it out. Some streamed down the side of her face, the wound above her eyebrow throbbing.

When the cloudy vision cleared, Oli got up, grabbed her chair, and sat down. It was going to be a long night, but this was a good chance to learn more about them. They weren't humans, cyborgs, or sleeves. They were something different. But what?

Oli exhaled through her mouth and smiled, showing her blood-stained teeth. If the truth would keep them at bay for now, then she was going to use it to her advantage. "Me met Wolf pan di way here. Me car broke down, an' he was di only one who stopped tuh help me."

"You knew he was a coyote?" Sister Mary asked.

"Only an amateur wudn'. He's a walking cliche."

Sister Mary chuckled. "He is."

"Can me ask yuh ah question?"

"Go ahead."

"At di chapel, wah did yuh pretend yuh didn't know who was ah coyote an' who wasn't while when we entered di city we showed our I.D.s?"

Sister Mary spread her arms, a wicked smile on her face. "Where is the fun if I do not put on a show? I am all about the show, Olivia. I tell people what they want to hear to make them feel better."

"An' den yuh purify them?"

"Yes, exactly," Sister Mary said while shaking her fist. Her attitude was different than when she was in the chapel. Was it also for show? "You have to understand something, Olivia. The solar system is broken. Most of the population do not believe in God—The God—and others have created their own deities to worship."

She shook her head, looking like a disappointed parent. Oli wanted to say something, but she knew the woman had more to say. "I have witnessed a lot of you throughout my lifetime. And I have to say, the only time I saw you happy was when you worshipped Jesus Christ." She gazed at Sister Patricia. "He was a fun creation, was he not?"

Sister Patricia nodded.

Sister Mary continued. "With the existence of Jesus Christ; you cried for Him, died for Him, killed for Him, and even killed yourself for Him. And all that time, I did not see anyone regret those actions. You were happy. All of you. So I thought to myself, 'Maybe Circle 10 is not bad after all. The Majors have not contacted us in a while. We should have fun and toy with them until we are told to eliminate them'. And here we are, having fun."

She started laughing, tears streaming down her face while she held her stomach, seeming proud about everything she did. Sister Ophelia and Sister Patricia joined in on the laughter, happily crying too.

When Detective J had described them as deranged, Oli thought he meant they were stone-cold murderers. But here they were, acting more like killer clowns than anything else.

"Wah duh yuh mean by Circle 10 an' The Majors?" Oli asked.

"Sister Patricia, again," Sister Mary said, and the muscular nun slapped Oli.

The hyena flew in the air and rammed her head against the wall. The world spun before darkness took hold of her. "Me can't see," Oli said, moving her hands around, trying to touch something other than the floor.

"You humans are so weak." Sister Mary stood and went to crouch next to Oli. "That is why we purify you. We want you to become better. When The Majors get here and find you weak, we will be punished for not preparing you for what is coming." She rubbed Oli's head. "There is a universal war heading for this system. A war you cannot even begin to fathom because you are too blinded by your selfishness to realize what else is out there. But do not worry; or once you do, you will thank us for purifying you."

When Oli's vision returned, Sister Mary helped her to her feet. Oli wanted to speak, but she was afraid Sister Patricia would hit her again.

"Do not worry, I am going to personally purify you. After that, I will take good care of you, Oli. I promise." Sister Mary rubbed the bounty hunter's hair while looking at her eyes. "You are a hyena. We need people like you to help us fight what is coming."

"Sister Mary, something is wrong," Sister Ophelia spoke for the first time. "The electromagnetic field is down, and there are cars coming into the city without being checked. Also, there are humans fighting the guards."

"What?" Sister Mary rushed to the window and caught sight of the commotion outside. "How did this happen?" She glanced between Sister Ophelia and Sister Patricia, snarling like a threatened wolf. Oli didn't want to be at the end of her rage and find out what the nun was capable of doing when she was pissed off.

Sister Patricia shook her head. "I do not know."

"Do you think—"

A loud shriek cut off Sister Mary and forced Oli to cover her ears.

"Yolanda." Sister Mary went behind her desk and reached under it, then stood holding a silver crown with tiny antennas around it. "I will deal with the intruders. You two make sure the believers do not transform. They are not properly trained to handle it yet."

Sister Ophelia and Sister Patricia nodded.

"Wah bout me?" Oli asked. "Yuh can't jus' leave me eena here."

Sister Mary chuckled before the three nuns left the office and locked the door. Oli dug in her hair and took out a pin, using it to pick the lock and get out. Always be prepared, she thought.

Before leaving the cathedral, she wanted to know what was going on. What did Sister Mary mean by "believers transforming"? She didn't want to be blindsided by it.

She ran up the flight of stairs and arrived at the roof's entrance. Remembering there were guards up there, she pushed the door and waited for bullets to tear it apart. Nothing happened. Sneaking a peek, the area was empty. Going to the edge to observe, what was once an angelic place was now a hell-hole filled with burning buildings, the sound of bullets piercing the air, and metallic creatures eating humans, tearing cars apart, and fighting one another.

"All of this happened because the electromagnetic field is down?" She gazed around and spotted Wolf on the ground. A sense of relief washed over her. Yes, de idiot is alive.