Lilac's elation crashed into the ground as Maria walked up behind Chickadee. The woman smiled thinly, her eyes sharp with annoyance.

"The asset-I mean, your friend needs rest."

Lilac watched Chickadee nodding stiffly to Maria's toneless remark. There was a pause as the woman seemed to consider the child for another second before tapping the air in front of her.

Lilac squinted as she saw an outline of blue flickering in and out of sight.

So that was what the neural interfaces of others looked like.

"Remember, you have to do your part. Now is a better time than any."

At that, Lilac blinked. She turned towards Chickadee.

"What's going on? What's happening?"

Maria turned her gaze towards her. "Nothing much. You need to focus on resting." She placed her hand on Chickadee's shoulder before squeezing it. "You are an important asset, so we must ensure you are in the best condition possible."

Lilac frowned as Chickadee only stared at the floor.

"If I don't have to worry about my sister all the time, I think I would be in a better condition."

Maria froze. Then, with slow and deliberate movements, she turned away. "You have five minutes."

Chickadee stayed silent. It was only after the hissing of the door closing did the girl began crying.

Lilac reached out. "What's wrong?"

Chickadee looked up. "I'm scared. Everything is so new, and you were -"

Lilac held her sister's hand. "It's okay. I'm okay." She smiled and gestured to herself. "See? I'm fine."

There was a long moment of silence, and the girl shifted closer. She rested her chin on the white bed rails. "I'm scared."

Lilac nodded. She thought back to the supposed modifications and the chaotic events that happened all too fast. It was event after event, leaving no time to breathe. She could hardly wrap her head around the changes.

"I'm scared too." She stared at the pure white duvet, void of any stains or grime. "But I didn't have a choice. You-you were dying."

Chickadee closed her eyes. "I know, but I just want to go home. I want this to all be a bad dream."

Lilac sucked in a deep breath. "Home is...gone." She withdrew her shaking hand. "Soon after you got...sick, there were explosions and-"

"I know. I know that too." Chickadee hunched her back. "It's scary here. Everyone is scary."

Chickadee paused, her eyes searching the room. Lilac frowned as the girl suddenly put her right arm behind her back.

"I just want to go home."

Lilac nodded. She looked around, seeing various flashing technology on shelves. The stark absence of rubbish or anything unclean did not escape her attention. The place was infinitely better than the Outlands but so much colder.

The same could be said with the people.

Lilac gritted her teeth at Maria's disregard for Trash life. They were like the vultures circling above the dense toxic clouds. They were distant, and they were cruel.

Chickadee stared into space. "I'm glad you're okay, though. I'm glad you're safe. I was so scared when-"

Lilac turned around. "When what?"

Chickadee stood up straight and closed her mouth. Then, she let out a breath.

"I had to protect you. Just like what you did to me."

Lilac blinked. "What do you mean you had to 'protect me'? What did they tell you?"

Chickadee turned her gaze back to the ground. "You were-"

The door hissed open, and Chickadee flinched.

"Your five minutes are over."

Lilac frowned. "Already?"

Maria shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Lilac turned to Chickadee, watching as her arms and legs trembled. Those missing minutes mattered. It mattered a lot.

Chickadee looked away. "I-I will be back. Please stay safe, Lilac."

Lilac blinked and watched as Maria grabbed the girl by the arm and dragged her away. A sinking feeling fell deep into the pit of her stomach when the door hissed shut once more. Prickles of unease tingled at the palms of her hands.

Something was very wrong.

The girl forced herself to relax. It wasn't like she could do anything at this point in time. A thought crossed her mind, and she quickly summoned the neural interface search engine. At that, sharp pain lanced through her head, and the interface flickered for a second.

Lilac mentally let go, feeling the familiar rush of unconsciousness overcome her.

...

Chickadee winced as Maria's cold, spindly fingers dug into her flesh. She watched the ground transition from white tiles to grey metal.

The duo stopped, and Chickadee noticed a strong smell of something sour. There was something about it that sent fear rolling in her stomach. The girl hastily looked to the side, stopping at the river of grey running in what looked like the old half-circular drains of the Outlands.

It may have been her imagination, but Chickadee swore she saw eyeballs floating in that river.

"Where are we?"

There was no answer.

A high-pitched whine filled the air, forcing the girl to look up. A door opened to a dark room. Something hissed, and something gurgled.

Maria nodded to the room, letting go of her arm. "All you have to do is go in there. It will be quick and simple."

Chickadee nodded slowly. She hunched her back and took small steps forward into the dark. The door slammed shut, and the girl yelped. She trembled as the gurgling sounds grew louder. Then there was a spark, illuminating a great machine that resembled a spider. Chickadee gasped and stepped back. Another spark lit up the air, and a great pain travelled up her arm.

She screamed.

...

Lilac gasped and sat up from her bed. She looked from side to side, seeing only the rows of empty beds beside her. She turned as the door hissed open, and an old, unfamiliar man walked into the room. He straightened his dark suit and walked towards the shelves on the side, watching the various gadgets glow.

"So, you're the asset Manager Mestiire talked about."

Lilac blinked.

The man turned around and smiled thinly. "Well?"

Lilac opened her mouth and nodded. "Y-yes."

The man hummed absentmindedly and wandered around the place, sliding his finger across the walls before rubbing his thumb.

"Clean," he muttered.

He turned back, regarding Lilac with curious, bright yellow eyes. "Strange. They really spent a lot on you."

Lilac nodded once more.

The man smiled and threw something on the girl's bed. She frowned at the metallic rectangle.

"This is an information drive. In there, you will find notes of the Maverick family and details of the position you are to take. Some information here is not readily accessible via the neural network, but it's necessary if you want to survive."

The man nodded at the drive. "Learn it well, and that will be all for today. You will get some meals and proceed with some simple physical exercises. You need to get used to your body."

Lilac blinked. "So, the transformation really happened?"

"Yes. I assume you will take your time with the information here. Take it in as fast as possible because tomorrow will be the last day of preparation. You will then go to the Mavericks after that."

"What about Chickadee? Will I get to see her before I go?"

There was a moment of silence, and the man stared at his sleeve.

"I'll do what I can."

Then the man walked towards her, pressing something on his cuff. The air crackled and popped.

"When you leave this place, contact Sivia as soon as possible. It is what The Inquisitor wants."

The man pressed his cuff once more, and the crackling stopped. There was a moment of silence before he walked away. Then the door slid shut, leaving Lilac to stare at the Information Drive in silence.

******

Huh, interesting