An explosion on the main island. Intan tried to remember what major cities were located along the northwestern coast, but no names came to her. The bulk of the kingdom's population lay to the east of the central mountains. All that remained in the decimated northwest were small mining towns, barely continuing to subsist alongside abandoned railways leading to nowhere.

She remembered, then, the Headmistress's talk of dissidents.

"Shit," said Eguzki, and steered the H-bird south.

"Now what are you doing?" demanded Kikue. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where do you think I'm going?"

Kikue bit her lip. "But the military --"

"We are the military."

Neither Intan nor Kikue bothered to point out that they were only cadets, and that proper procedure was to wait for further orders.

"Perhaps this is just part of the camp," Kikue said. "Perhaps it is a test of some sort."

Intan said, "How fast can we get there?"

"In seven," replied Eguzki, and put on some speed.

After that, they fell to silence.

* * *

The cloud of smoke loomed closer and closer. Intan looked down through the windows of the H-bird; below lay a small village nestled at the foot of the central mountains. Soot clung to the streets. Villagers ran up and down the trails, swinging bucketfuls of water at their side, dodging frantic chickens and lumbering water buffalo.

The buildings closest to the mountains had caught fire. Smoke rose as well some distance up the slope, where Intan guessed the mines were located. Mine accidents were not uncommon even now, despite improved technology like the Minis. But this explosion had been far too big for it to be a mere accident. And yet what could dissidents possibly want with a place like this? There were more valuable mines and bigger factory towns further south.

There was no time to ponder the question further.

"A rogue!" said Kikue.

It had seen them. It was maskless, its face a blank sheen where there should have been bright paint and swirling designs.

It felt wrong.

The words slipped from Intan's mouth before she could even think. "We can't outfly it."

"I know that!" growled Eguzki.

The Doll raised its arm, shooting at them. Eguzki swerved, but medic transports were not built to handle such maneuvers. Whirring blades snagged against stray branches. But Eguzki managed to recover, righting the bird once more as they flew lower and lower, taking cover behind the clump of trees until at last they landed, some distance away from the village.

Intan unstrapped herself from her seat and leaped out. She looked up at the sky. The Doll's pilot seemed to have lost interest, or had been distracted by something else, and was now flying away in another direction.

"It's going back?" asked Kikue, joining her. "Strange..."

Intan turned and noticed Eguzki already walking off at a brisk pace, leather medic bag in hand. She shared a glance with Kikue.

"Let's go," she suggested with a shrug.

* * *

Few paid them heed as they slipped through the streets. Intan wasn't quite sure where Eguzki was headed, but he seemed to know what he was doing, so she followed. The best thing to do in most other circumstances would be to find the village head. The Doll was gone for now, but if it returned, even if it had run out of ammunition, there was no telling what might happen. They had to get the villagers to their shelters. Unless the Doll had been responsible for the explosion, and had just been trying to make a getaway? Yet it had not seemed to be in any hurry until its abrupt retreat. There were too many pieces that refused to slide into place, and Intan decided it was best not too think too hard about it.

"Intan? What are you doing here?"

Intan skidded to a stop and turned to see none other than Hadil, dressed in muddied tunic and shorts, buckets of water in her hands. Intan ran to her, Eguzki and Kikue following close behind.

"We saw the explosion! Where are the Elders?" Intan reached out and took one of the buckets.

Hadil's mouth moved soundlessly for a moment before she seemed to find her voice again. "Chief was at the mines. No one knows what's happened to him and Granny was with him too. I thought it was an accident at first but there's no way that could have been one, could it? Our mines haven't been a danger zone in ages and ages. And then someone said they saw a Doll, and --"

Eguzki interrupted. "How many injured?"

"I -- I don't know. It was a rest day, so I suppose it's not as bad as it could have been, but --"

And he was off again.

This time Intan decided not to follow him. Instead, she patted Hadil's shoulder. "Where's your drum station? We did run into a Doll. Just now."

Hadil blinked, eyes finally focusing on the drenched state of Intan's uniform. "Wasn't that Kaneshiro? And this is..."

Kikue looked distinctly uncomfortable, but as she made no move to introduce herself, Intan said, just a bit impatiently, "Kikue Sunagawa. Come on, we've got to let everyone know."

"Sure," replied Hadil, but she shook her head as if unaware of what she was saying. "Wait -- you really ran into a Doll?"

"Yup."

Her gaze focused again, suddenly alert. "Then there's no time! Almost everyone headed over there. They were worried that the fires would get out of control -- at this rate no one'll make it back in time -- not if there really is a Doll involved --" Her eyes lit up. "Hey, you're both in the piloting division. Do you know how to pilot Minis?"

Kikue nodded hesitantly.

"Of course!" said Intan, puzzled not only by Hadil's sudden diversion, but by an equally sudden sense of unease she could not place. "I can handle them. But..."

"Okay, this is gonna sound crazy, but you see, I've got a modded Mini back over at my place. I know it's not much, going up against a real Doll, but it's all outfitted and everything..."

For the first time since their entry into the village, Kikue spoke up. "You are insane. Both of you. Do you seriously mean to suggest that one of us --"

"Both of you. If one of you goes out there and distracts the Doll for a bit, I think I can rig up my cousin's Mini too."

"Two Minis against a Doll? Do you realize how utterly preposterous that sounds?"

"It's just to buy time. I'll get someone to sound the drums, but unless we do something, the Doll will just come back and kill us all while we're trying to make it to the shelters! There's nothing else I can think of --"

"Let's do it," announced Intan.

Kikue looked at her askance. Intan grinned.

"Ugh. Fine! I suppose we don't have much of a choice."

"Hurry!" said Hadil, glancing uneasily at the sky.

Strange, thought Intan. How certain she was that it would return.

* * *

Hadil's place was was a low, long building with slatted bamboo windows and a roof of ash-darkened straw, sheltered by tall trees near the center of the village. It looked much like the chief's place back in Intan's own village. But Intan did not ask. There would be time enough for that later.

Hadil waved them over to the shed leaning against the main building. Two Minis awaited them inside. Unlike the towering Dolls they'd been modeled after, Minis were not much larger than a particularly tall adult human. Nor could they actually lift off the ground for very long, not counting the occasional jump. Intan couldn't help but wonder what exactly Hadil had meant by "modded" and "outfitted."

"Who's first?" asked Hadil, patting the arm of the one on the left.

"Me!"

Hadil cracked a smile. "Yeah, I thought so. Come on!"

Intan climbed up and let Hadil strap her in. Once she was done, she took a few steps, testing the controls. Almost immediately, she tripped and crashed.

"Oops," she said from the ground.

Hadil leaned over, frowning. "Oh, no. The balance must be off. Here, let me..."

"I thought you said you could handle it," muttered Kikue to no one in particular.

Intan tried moving again after Hadil finished making a few more adjustments she didn't particularly understand. She managed to right herself before stumbling again. At least this time, she didn't fall.

Hadil looked puzzled and more than a bit dismayed, but Intan grinned.

"Don't worry, I'll get the hang of it!"

"Well, you'd better make it quick," said Kikue, who stood alone in the doorway, pointing upwards.

Intan stomped over and took a look.

The faceless Doll had indeed returned.

* * *

Riding a Mini was truly a strange experience after the seamless freedom of the training Dolls earlier that day. Familiar, and yet distanced, like a long-forgotten memory.

Intan pulled on a helmet and fiddled with the controls as Hadil shouted instructions at her. She fired an awkward shot at the faceless Doll as it passed overhead. The Doll dodged it easily.

"Careful! I didn't stock much ammo!"

Intan waved, acknowledging the warning, and attempted a few clumsy jumps. After a few bounces, she caught the rhythm, and whatever modifications Hadil had built into the machine kicked in. The Mini rose into a shaky, hovering flight. Intan couldn't help but giggle, imagining the sight they must be making. If only the villagers back home could see this! A flying Mini!

"It probably won't work quite like a real Doll," Hadil had explained right before she set off. "I've tried to replicate the systems a bunch of times, but they just don't seem to be very compatible with the Mini design."

But so far, so good. Intan tried to nudge the Mini higher, or faster, but it seemed content to totter along midair, dipping back down to earth every now and then. A bit of a problem if she was going to chase down the enemy Doll, which was now ignoring her and heading in the direction of the mines again.

The mines were in smoking ruins already, which meant the Doll's objectives did not stop at mere destruction. Perhaps whatever was inside, then? Intan surveyed her surroundings. She had to distract the Doll somehow, lead it away from the mines and the village.

An idea hit her. She grinned. Swept past the tallest tree she could reach, grabbed onto it, and pulled it back. The mangrove forest didn't extend this far inland, but even these trees were springy enough for her purpose.

The tree creaked. Her machine groaned from the exertion.

She cut the power, and flew hurtling into the air. There was a moment of dizzy disorientation, but it soon passed. She flipped the power back on, and angled herself carefully into a tackle.

The resulting impact jarred her to the bone. But the Doll simply shrugged her off as if she were some annoying mosquito. The Mini wobbled as it fell; Intan caught hold of some branches and tried to launch herself again.

This time, the Doll dodged and turned, arm raised. Intan, tumbling past, fired another haphazard shot in its general direction as she tried to regain control.

To her surprise, the shot hit. The Doll staggered midair, then righted itself, raising its arm once more.

Intan cut her power again and dropped.

As she fell, she caught sight of the village lying nestled against the foot of the mountains, a dark blotch against scorched ground, and for a moment she panicked before realizing that the fires had not yet reached the village after all. The darkness was merely a trick of the light, or perhaps a memory of some long ago catastrophe.

And now she could hear the drums, which meant Hadil had fixing up the second Mini, and that the villagers would soon be heading to safety. But where was Kikue?

A stray shot missed her by a hair's breadth. Again she switched the power on. This time she did not attempt another launch, but instead bobbed and weaved through the forest canopy. She whispered a quick apology to the trees for the broken branches she left in her wake.

When she judged the distance to be safe, she sank down under the cover of the trees and watched. The Doll paused, hovering, evidently confused.

Then she heard a strange whistling through the air. Squinted.

A rocket trailed through the sky and exploded. For a moment it seemed as if the whole world froze.

The Doll crumpled, headless, falling to the earth.

Intan was relieved when the rest of the Doll did not explode. And further relieved when just moments later, a military transport appeared on the horizon. Just in time, she thought then, and her relief dissipated, replaced by her earlier sense of unease, steadily creeping back as she watched.

Moments later, Kikue trudged to her side through the underbrush, lugging a huge rocket launcher behind her.

"You," said the other girl, "are truly a terrible pilot."

Intan shrugged away her doubts and laughed. Kikue looked quite cross at her response, but said nothing more.

* * *

They were met by Hadil as they stomped back through the village entrance.

"You did it! I can't believe it! You really did it!"

Intan made her Mini kneel down so that Hadil could help her out. "Thanks to Kikue and your launcher! You're a genius!"

Hadil blushed. Kikue harrumphed.

Their exchange was cut short, however, when a muddy little boy came barreling down the street.

"Siiiis! Chief and some scary lady are calling for you and your friends!"

Hadil turned immediately. "Grandfather's okay?!"

"Come on, Sis," he whined, shifting from foot to foot. "He's gonna kick my butt if you don't hurry up!"

"All right, all right, you little brat. We're coming."

Intan could tell Hadil wasn't truly irritated, though. Not with that goofy grin on her face.

* * *

Hadil's little brother led them back to the central building Hadil had referred to as her place. At the front door a pair of soldiers stood watch. The shed where Hadil had kept the Minis had also been sealed off by guards, though the doors remained open, and in fact looked as if they had been ripped down in a hurry to make more space. Intan tried to peek beyond them, but couldn't make out much.

"Official business with the Chief," declared Hadil's brother. One of the soldiers fought back a smile, but the other solemnly made way for them.

Gathered by the woodstove in the corner were a handful of stern soldiers, an elderly man who reminded Intan of a walnut, and Headmistress Liow.

Intan immediately bowed, as did Kikue and Hadil.

"Here they are, Gramps!" announced Hadil's brother before immediately scampering off.

Intan looked at the faces of the gathered adults. The Headmistress was leisurely lighting a cigar, but the others were all staring at them. It was hard not to squirm.

"Hadil, my girl," said the old walnut man at last. "Why don't you run along next door and help them out with repairs."

"Yessir," said Hadil and departed with slightly more dignity than her brother had.

Silence again.

The Headmistress blew out a puff of smoke. "Do you two have any idea how irresponsible your actions today were?"

Kikue was determinedly looking somewhere off to the side. Intan cleared her throat. "Sorry, ma'am. We won't do it again."

In response, the Headmistress raised an eyebrow. "Really."

Intan knew better than to respond.

"I should have expected Sunagawa, at least, to have known better. But never mind that. I had not expected the rebels to make their move so swiftly, either."

Kikue looked up in disbelief. "Headmistress, you don't mean --"

"I mean precisely what I said."

"Does that mean we're not in trouble?" asked Intan, busily connecting dots in her mind.

The Headmistress did not reply. "After the senseless destruction of the last war," she said instead, "the people remain wary of open military involvement. Nor do the Clans desire to see a minor conflict escalate due to a simple misunderstanding. No one wishes to see the island rip itself apart in another civil war. It was suggested instead that the Academy train promising students to take care of situations before they erupted." She gave Intan a pointed look. "Quietly."

Intan, who had been listening to all of this with polite curiosity, broke into grin. She hadn't been the one with the rocket launcher, after all.

"So, no, Aghavni. You are not in trouble. Given the circumstances, the two of you chose the appropriate path of action."

Hadil's grandfather guffawed. "Flawed only in execution, eh?"

"Such errors can be easily rectified," replied the Headmistress. "One can only hope they will learn from their mistakes in the future."

Kikue flushed and looked down at her feet. Meanwhile, Intan tried to puzzle out the Headmistress's tone. She sounded... almost amused?

The Headmistress continued. "Though the program has been successful thus far, it is also true that there has been little chance for anyone to organize any kind of full-scale movement in the aftermath of the Great War."

Hadil's grandfather rocked back and forth in his seat, nodding in agreement. "Yet there are those with patience as wide and vast as the sea. And now, after all these years..."

"But why this village?" asked Intan, thinking now of the Doll's strange behavior. "What do they want?" And what about the attack on the school?

Hadil's grandfather eyed her, as if considering what to say.

"It is Ghost Day, after all," one of the soldiers joked weakly.

"I believe we are about to learn their true purposes," Hadil's grandfather began, when from the front door strode in none other than Eguzki, sleeves rolled back, hair drenched in sweat.

"No casualties," he said.

The Headmistress's gaze focused on him. "And the pilot?"

He hesitated. "There was none."

Silence. Everyone stiffened. The Headmistress alone remained impassive.

"What do you mean, 'there was none'?" demanded the soldier who had joked about Ghost Day. "You mean the pilot managed to escape?"

"But no one saw him eject!" said another.

Eguzki looked the first soldier in the eye. "I mean exactly what I said." (Intan bit back a twitch of a smile.) "There was no evidence of anyone in the cockpit."

The soldier opened his mouth as if to respond, but could not seem to find his voice.

To Intan's surprise, Kikue spoke up instead. "Headmistress, what are your orders?"

"Camp is canceled. We'll head back at once with the others." She stood and nodded at Eguzki, who seemed to take that as a cue to leave.

"No," interrupted the chief, standing as well. "It's been a long day for everyone. Why don't you stay here overnight?" He turned to Intan and Kikue. "My granddaughter will show you around once she's finished with her work."

"Very well," replied the Headmistress. "But I am afraid I, at least, must decline. I have urgent business at the capital."

Intan hesitated, wondering if the invitation had extended to Eguzki as well. But she and Kikue were unceremoniously waved out while the Headmistress made her arrangements, and the thought slipped away like a handful of sand.

* * *

They emerged into the burnt gold of dusk. Not only was everything caked in layers of mud, ash had mixed into the rainwater, emitting a peculiar acrid smell Intan noticed now for the first time. Eguzki was nowhere to be seen.

As they waited for Hadil to finish up with her duties, Intan caught sight of a flying squirrel scampering across the rooftops, toward the safety of the trees. On its final leap, it misjudged the distance, and glided awkwardly to the ground. Intan ran over to it, leaving grumpy Kikue behind to doze on her feet.

Intan stretched out a hand. The squirrel eyed her suspiciously. Then bit her.

"Ow!"

The squirrel bolted. Intan heard tittering in the distance and looked up.

On top of the tree sat a plump, hairy sprite, stubby legs swinging in the breeze.

"That wasn't very nice," Intan called out.

"What wasn't very nice?"

Intan whirled around. It was Hadil, clothes now stained with grease as well as mud.

"Err," she began, but the other girl shook her head, distracted.

"Your Dolls," said Hadil. "They look like they were tampered with."

Off to the side, Kikue stirred from her stupor and frowned. "What? Impossible."

"Are you sure?" asked Intan. "Nobody should have had access to them except the instructors. And, um, us."

It would certainly explain their Dolls' sudden malfunction during the storm, though.

"Well, unless you guys messed with the systems..."

"Of course we didn't," snapped Kikue.

Hadil held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I guess I'd better report to Chief and the Headmistress then. I'll be right back!"

The wind whistled through the leaves, but this time Intan ignored it, pretending to be peeved, though in truth she was struggling not to giggle out loud. She was glad they weren't mad at her.

Soon enough, Hadil came back out, once more in a cheerful mood.

"Grandfather says we'll be staying with the aunties. Come on!"

Kikue, half-asleep again, plodded over automatically in her general direction. After a discreet wave at the tree, Intan followed them.

Hadil's aunties greeted them with dinner and a warm bath and much fussing, for which Intan was grateful. When all was said and done, she lay down on her pallet and fell asleep instantly, dreaming of a giant pale serpent writhing through murky waters.