Trigger warning for slight gore. Please read at your own discretion.

Lilac's head throbbed with pain as she stared at the bowl of soup. Extracting information from the drive turned out to be trickier than expected. She recalled herself fiddling around with the metal device before it flashed into her eyes and forced a connection to her neural interface. Now her head swam with information, with details blurring and warping into one another.

The girl scooped up another spoonful and brought it to her lips, drinking the slightly savoury thick liquid. She forced back a grimace. Whatever it was, the meal was infinitely better than the nutritional tablets in the outlands.

Lilac sipped another spoonful, turning her head when the door hissed open. A woman in a white coat walked in.

"Are you finished?"

Lilac looked down at the almost empty bowl and nodded. The soup settled at the bottom of her stomach.

"Hey, um-"

The woman turned back with the tray in her hand.

Lilac fidgeted her hands. "Is there any...uh...toilet around here?"

The woman nodded and pointed at the far end of the room. "You see that door there?"

The girl turned around and squinted, blinking at the slight blue outline of a door. She nodded.

"Go through that door, and everything will be there. You can take a shower, clean your teeth and all that."

Lilac blinked. "Taking a...shower?"

The woman frowned before shaking her head. "You should be able to tap into your interface and understand what it means, but essentially, you're just cleaning yourself." She nodded towards the bed. "The bed has a self-cleaning function, but many prefer to feel the water on their skin. I suggest you know how to operate a shower and also clean your teeth. It will be helpful to you in the future to blend in, and no matter the modifications, your teeth won't last long if you neglect your hygiene."

Lilac looked down. "Alright. Thank you."

There was a moment of silence. Then the sounds of walking before the door hissed shut once more.

Lilac sighed and slid her legs down the side of the bed. Holding onto the rail, she let her feet touch the cold floor before pushing herself to stand. Her vision wavered and warped as she slowly hobbled towards the door.

It seemed that the information deluge was still taking its toll on her.

...

Lilac stared at the mirror in silence. Though she briefly saw herself in the simulation, the mirror drove it home that the hectic events really happened. She really did run from the Outlands, and she really did have parts of herself removed and replaced. She really did look slightly different to before, the hair especially.

The girl looked down at what was apparently a steel basin. She stared at the various flashing devices on the side, with one marked in large, printed, silver writing.

TOOTHBRUSH.

Lilac picked it up, feeling the weight of it in her hands. She turned it around, staring at what looked like a lens before putting it into her mouth.

Was this how she was supposed to use this thing?

In response, the device whistled and flashed.

Lilac yelped, throwing it away. She next turned her attention to other gadgets that seemed just as complex as this one. The girl frowned and closed her eyes. Her head hurt. It was probably best not to think of any questions to avoid risking another information deluge.

The girl turned towards the shower cubicle and sighed.

This, she knew how to operate. The name was unfamiliar, but the cubicle and the silver shower head were. She could remember the faint smudges of happiness as she basked under warm water. Her mother would always scold her, and her father would always laugh.

"Mary_01"

Lilac stopped and turned to the mirror.

Were her parents really her parents?

Her mind went back to the fragmented memories of pain and coldness.

Did it really matter?

The only thing that responded to her questions was silence.

Lilac let out a breath and stared at the shower once more. Surely this once, she could enjoy herself.

The pattering of warm water on the skin felt oddly comforting - more than the little she remembered. It was as if all tension was released with the fogging of the glass. Even the headache subsided a little. The girl thought back to the dwellings and despair of sifting through the rubbish and decaying bodies.

How long was it since she could have a luxury like this?

How could it be that one moment, she was barely clinging to life and the next, she was being helped by people and forces beyond her understanding?

Another image of a dead body, this time as a hologram, flashed into her mind. She remembered how everyone in the Outlands was forced to watch as a man was slowly dismembered for the punishment of somehow finding a way around the great fence.

Lilac pursed her lips. It was a mistake to be relaxed. She had to be on guard for herself and -

The image of an exuberant brown-haired girl flashed into her mind.

Chickadee.

Lilac quickly turned off the shower, feeling the rush of cold air pricking her skin. The image of Chickadee's saddened and fear-filled figure dominated her mind's eye.

What were they going to do with her sister? What exactly did they say to her?

...

Chickadee woke up to the feeling of nothingness. Everything seemed unreal. Walls were melting into the floor and faces blurred. A distorted voice warbled in the distance, or maybe it was close.

"I don't think the sedative has fully worn off yet. The patient seems to be in a drugged state."

Chickadee felt herself lifting her right arm, except it was not an arm but a piece of shimmering grey metal. There was a moment of hilarity as if all the world's jokes and irony lay within that arm. Then, she saw blood trickling down from the seam of metal and flesh to her shoulder.

Flash.

A spider of dark metal stood loomed right above her. Two of the legs peeled, revealing smaller legs. The right leg shone blue, constructing what looked like a cylindrical piece of metal in mid-air. The left leg shone red, carving away bits of flesh and bone to ensure it would fit perfectly onto the metal piece.

Flash.

Agony tore through her bones and up her neck before there was silence. More clicking sounds filled the air, and Chickadee felt pain pooling at the top of her head.

Flash.

There were more clicking sounds, but the pain was gone. There was only metal moving and clicking.

Clicking.

Clicking.

Clicking.

The walls stopped melting, and Chickadee blinked at the faces staring down at her.

She screamed.

...

Lilac stepped out of the bathroom, light-headed from the heat. She stumbled into bed and closed her eyes. She would wait for the next person to come. Then she could ask about Chickadee.

The door hissed open with a squeal. The girl opened her eyes. She sat up, taking a deep breath as Chickadee stepped in, followed by Maria.

Maria inclined her head. "Good morning." The woman looked at her watch. "You get ten minutes. Savour it."

With that, she walked off.

Lilac watched as Chickadee lifted her right arm, revealing a metallic hand.

"They took it away."

Lilac stared, unable to believe the sight in front of her. Where was Chickadee's arm? Why did she have light blue eyes?

Chickadee opened and closed her mouth before bursting into tears. "They took it away. Lilac. Help me, please."

Lilac rushed forward and embraced the girl. "What happened? Tell me."

Chickadee sobbed, and Lilac's heart sank as she listened to her sister's story. She stared at the girl in silence.

Chickadee stared at her metal hand. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

Lilac shook her head. "I'm not mad." She thought back to the Manager and Maria's condescending stare. "Not at you."

Chickadee looked down. "Really?"

Lilac nodded. "Yes, really." She sighed. "Hey, I have something sad to say."

Chickadee stayed silent.

Lilac took a deep breath. "To save you, I had to make a deal. That means I won't be able to see you all the time." She thought back to the yellow-eyed man. "I think I can see you sometimes, though."

There was another moment of silence.

"Me too. I have to do my end of the deal, too."

Chickadee's voice shook as she hugged her sister tighter. "I'm sorry."

Lilac closed her eyes and forced her tears back. "It's alright. I will see you again. I promise."

Chickadee nodded. "Me too."

There was another long moment of silence as the two enjoyed one another's company. Then, the door hissed open.

"Tentative asset - 103. You have to come with me."

Chickadee stiffened and nodded.

"See you later, Lilac."

Lilac swallowed a lump as Chickadee slowly removed herself from her embrace.

"See you too, Chickadee."

Chickadee smiled and walked away.

The door hissed shut, and Lilac closed her eyes. If the Manager or whoever was in charge would deceive them once, it would undoubtedly happen again. The girl sighed.

When did everything become so complicated?

Lilac opened her eyes as the door hissed open once more. The yellow-eyed man walked in.

"Asset – 078, Laika oE, are you ready?"

The girl nodded and tilted her head. "Am I to be called Laika now?"

The man smiled and gestured all around him. "You were never called Lilac. Lilac does not exist for as long as you are on the job. Practice scenarios included. I see only Laika oE in front of me."

Lilac forced a smile. "So, what am I going to do now?"

The man nodded. "You will board the plane and run through several scenarios with the team and me. We have a simulation room, so do not worry. We need you to be prepared quickly before you arrive at the Crystal Palace, located in the heartlands of the Maverick territory."

******

Man, these two girls can't get a break.