Chapter Text
A concrete room, dark, with the constant sound of air coming from the ventilation system. There was a large screen on the wall that showed the windows of an apartment where girls were seated at a table.
The light from the screen illuminated a woman standing next to it, evidencing the sweat of her brown skin. She had her arms crossed and wore a white shirt, trousers with beige military camouflage and black boots. The sleeve of her shirt was short and her exposed arms had a well defined musculature. A silver ring with a small pink gem was in her left hand. Both her short hair and her eyes were dark pink, and she answered the question that came from the speakers, "Yes, Lucky, I'm clearly seeing now that the apartment lights were on."
She was called Generalíssima, partly because of her latina features, and she was not alone.
Lying on another wall of the room was a woman who did not show interest in what was happening. She was very tall and strong, her body had perfect feminine proportions, as if she had been carved by a master artisan. It was easy to observe that, since her 'clothes' were a mere pair of wide strips of silk, one white and one blue, which were connected by a golden clasp at the nape and they went down, each strip covering one breast and then crossing at the waist, just above the navel, past the back and crossing to cover the crotch and once again to cover the buttocks, each strip then spiraling down one leg to end in a set of golden cuffs, just before the bare feet. There were other luxurious adornments like a navel piercing, bracelets on her forearms and biceps, earrings and rings. Like Generalíssima, she had brown skin and pink eyes, but both had a fairer tone, a Middle Eastern aspect. Her white hair was very long and smooth, and she wore a gold tiara with a large hexagonal gem in its center, all black, with a faint dancing glow of its corruption.
Also standing, closer to Generalíssima, was a humanoid robot. Its metallic body had the stature of a child, its eyes were spheres with a luminous white cross and its mouth was just a loudspeaker. However, it had round cheekbones, a fake nose, and the top of its head was sculpted in the shape of a little girl's hair.
Beside the robot was an Asian girl, pale skin, icy eyes. Her black hair was smooth and had a very long, thin ponytail, bound by a red hairclip with a pale blue gem in the shape of a bird's wing. Her dress was also light blue, with a short, stiff skirt like a tutu of a ballerina. The sleeves of the dress were longer than her arms, which disassociated from her classical look. To complete it, she wore white pantyhose and red boots.
Three other people were seated at an oval table. One of them wore the same clothes as Generalíssima, with her ring containing a silvery gem. Her skin was ebony and glistened by the light of the screen, exacerbating the strong musculature of her arms. Her dark brown hair was kinky, with one side of the scalp shaved while the rest of the hair was combed to the other side. Her lips were thick and her nose was broad and flat, while her honey-colored eyes had a fierce gaze.
The other was a light-skinned girl, her face symmetrically perfect like a doll with flushed cheeks. Her long hair was orange and her eyes were red. She was wearing provocative clothes. A strapless baby doll with orange top, small enough to show the underside of her firm breasts, with the rest of the fabric being transparent in brown color, showing her slender belly with wide hips. Her shorts with orange ties was so small it could be mistaken for a thong. Her orange soul gem with the shape of a head with a pair of horns was on the top, between her breasts. She wore beige high heels with golden and shiny details.
And at the far end of the table in relation to the screen was a man with Caucasian features. His brown hair was short, with large sideburns, and his gaze was almost as black as coal. He wore a white robe with a black ecclesiastical collar and a short red cape over his shoulders, and the two ends of the cape at the front were connected by a golden chain. In the right clasp where the chain came from was a red cross-shaped gem. The robe had thirty three buttons, but below the brown belt at his waist they were not closed. Another brown belt crossed his torso until it disappeared under the cape on his right shoulder. He wore gloves and long boots, both black. Even though he was sitting, it was possible to see that he had the posture of someone tall and strong. In front of him, on the table, was a thirty centimeter long silver cross that, with its sharp edges, looked like it had less religious functions.
It was this man who questioned with some impatience, "Is that what you want to show? Can we start this meeting?"
"Madre and Matryoshka ain't come yet," the ebony woman said.
The robot replied in a synthetized voice of a girl, "Madre is instructing the novices, including the two new refugees. I doubt she's coming soon."
The Asian girl also spoke, in a quiet voice, "I can confirm that Matryoshka is working on the generator."
"I bet she's findin' some fuckin' way to blow us up," said the orange-haired girl, smiling as she reached for the table. From the palm of her hand came colorful button-shaped chocolate candies.
The noise they made disturbed the other woman at the table. "No one asked fawr yah jokes."
"The gob is moine." The girl took a handful of candies and ate them with her mouth open, making more noise and showing her teeth stained by chocolate.
"And the bloody hand that'll shut it is moine," the woman affirmed.
"Revenant, stop."
Listening to Generalíssima, the black woman obeyed.
For the joy of the girl who was eating. [Yeah, make your owner proud, bitch.]
[I do this for the Sisterhood.] Revenant replied.
Worried about that scene occurring in the presence of that man, especially since he was not showing any reaction, Generalíssima continued in a firm voice, "You too, Butcher."
"Sawrry." The girl picked up another handful of candies and ate in silence, but still smiling.
Then the man again asked, "Can we start now?"
"Yes, Inquisitor." Generalissima stepped out of the front of the screen so he could see better. "Lucky was sent to Mitakihara city, Japan. These girls you see in the apartment are actually witches."
"That cake looks yummy," Butcher commented, followed by an embarrassing silence in the room. Revenant rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Is this supposed to be a new info? Everyone has known for months that Japan is completely infested by this new class of witches." Inquisitor rested his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers. "But I must inquire, with you being the leader of this cell, why you are risking a sister's life in hostile territory for this, and not doing the same to try to re-establish contact with Washington."
Generalíssima replied, "You know we already have someone for this."
"Just a novice who was lucky to be away when San Francisco cell fell."
"Have more faith in her, she proved her competence by following the protocol and being able to pick up our low frequency signal with a magic-imbued cell phone." The woman smiled with some pride. "I need to explain that this mission in Mitakihara is very important. It's about the origin of this crisis that struck us so hard. Our focus so far has always been Incubator."
"He's definitely involved in that. He changed his behavior suddenly, reducing his activities and contracts, coinciding with the onset of the crisis." Inquisitor shook his head in regret. "Unfortunately the specimens we had imprisoned in Europe did not give us much information. The last signal of emergency that Europe transmitted spoke about a phenomenon known as the 'Law'."
Generalíssima nodded. "I remember that, but the information may have been sent by the witches, it's not reliable. So I decided to investigate this from another perspective, rather than who or what, I tried to identify where this started. You know the earliest reports of those witches came from Indonesia."
"The first to fall," Inquisitor said, "some sisters from this cell provided us with positive accounts, that they were friendly and indistinguishable from any human, but they were also afraid of that fact. A few days later, they began to signal the other cells to cease our activities and surrender all grief seeds, for we could become witches and remain ourselves. Washington ordered to cut off any contact with them while they would form a task force for a more reliable investigation, but that has taken us too long..."
Revenant commented to the Asian girl, "Ya're lucky ta have been moved here before that happened, Invadah."
She, Invader, replied, closing her eyes, "It's a great shame that our sisters offered no resistance to the enemy."
Inquisitor leaned back in his chair. "But we're talking about Indonesia, why Japan?"
Generalíssima explained, "We have never been able to deploy a cell there, so it's possible that it started there without us noticing."
"Thanks ta those xenophobes dingbats." Butcher smirked at Invasora. "I'm not right?"
"Retawrd." Revenant gritted her teeth. "She was bawrn here!"
Butcher squinted. "Everyone who looks like that, ta me, it's all the same."
"My mother is Japanese," Invader began to speak before Revenant had a chance to reply, "and you're my sisters in these difficult times."
"Guys." Making sounds with its mechanical joints, the robot nodded. "We need to be civilized during this crisis."
"Butchah lacks that." Revenant crossed her arms. "She shouldn't be in that meetin'."
"I'm a sistah 'nd I have the fucking same rights as ya ta be heah." The girl dropped more chocolate candies on the table.
That did not seem to catch the attention of Inquisitor, who continued with his gaze toward Generalíssima.
Feeling the pressure, the woman raised her voice, "ANYWAY..."
That had worked, Butcher and Revenant returned their attention at her
"What made me choose Japan was this city," Generalíssima continued, "do you remember Mitakihara, Inquisitor?"
"I've never been to Japan," he replied, "I didn't even know this city existed."
She smiled slightly, "Maybe Nano can tell you."
"With pleasure," said the robot, "last year this city was ravaged by a storm, with winds so strong that they were able to tear up whole floors of skyscrapers and launch them miles away. At the time, meteorologists considered that it had been a combination of multiple atmospheric microbursts and tornadoes. What went unexplained was that the storm suddenly stopped, with witnesses stating that the clouds opened 'like a portal'."
Inquisitor raised his eyebrows. "Ah yes, when I was leaving Europe to come here, the sisters were discussing this event, if there was magic involved."
"I'm convinced of this," Generalissimo said, "because I believe this storm is the result of Walpurgisnatch's appearance, the characteristics do match."
"I was expecting you were going to mention omicron class, but Walpurgisnatch?" He shook his head. "If it were her, the whole city would have turned into a graveyard."
"That's the point!" Generalíssima punched the palm of her hand. "It didn't happen because she was defeated."
While Inquisitor slammed against the table, making the candies and the cross tremble. "That's not the Bastion of New Orleans, sister. You mentioned the sigma class, Walpurgisnatch."
Butcher made a face of confusion. "They told me that the omicron class is strongah than the sigma, isn't it?"
"You didn't learn about it? Walpurgisnatch is such a unique entity that it has received a classification of its own." Inquisitor closed his eyes in frustration. "The witch of the legends is a taint in Sisterhood history, after decades of global effort, we have not even come close to being able to track her down and find where and when she will strike, while Incubator somehow manages to accomplish that. Without preparation, the only thing one can do when she appears is to run away to save their own life. How many magical girls were there in Mitakihara?"
Generalíssima replied, "We don't know, but our recent investigation counted nine, six being residents of the city."
The man's eyes widened as his voice grew, "Seventy eight sisters died in the Bastion of New Orleans! Seventy eight experienced souls, prepared and united to save the world were lost in face of the sheer might of Katrina!"
Generalíssima advanced to the table, resting her hands on it and leaning toward him. Her gaze was imposing. "You don't have to say that. I was there, I defeated this witch."
"It was a carnage." He gritted his teeth. "Now you come up with this nonsense theory where nine, six magical girls would stand a chance against Walpurgisnatch."
"Yes, it's impossible." She nodded. "That's why I believe in a miracle, a wish."
Inquisitor was astonished and lowered his head, slowly scratching his forehead as he considered. However, only one thing he managed to utter, "This is ridiculous..."
"Please, consider it." Generalíssima insisted. "The defeat of Walpurgisnatch would be an event as unique as this phenomenon we're going through and both coincide in time. There's a sense in what I say."
"Your implication has two problems. First, how a wish to save a city, destroying or sending Walpurgisnatch away, could cause this crisis that threatens the world? And second, the girl who would have made that wish would need to have enormous latent potential. Did you investigate further about those girls?"
"Yes, Invader was in charge of it." Generalíssima looked at her. "And she didn't disappoint me."
"I just did it according to my talents." The Asian girl reached to the screen and the footage was replaced by a document with the photo and profile of a blonde. "This is Mami Tomoe, a resident of the apartment we're currently watching. She's one of the few magical girls the Sisterhood's data center has an entry, she has a few years of experience."
Butcher pointed at the picture. "I liked the hair."
Inquisitor's comment was more productive, "That means, according to Generalíssima's theory, she is not the girl who made the wish. Next."
"So I'll discard Kyouko Sakura, we have her record too." Invader made a gesture with her fingers and the profile of a girl with white hair appeared. "This is Nagisa Momoe."
"What's wrong with hah eyes?" Butcher frowned.
"It matches your colours," Revenant replied.
"She's living with Mami and it's a very peculiar case," Invader said, "I searched for information of her relatives and found out that her mother was hospitalized and passed away. The same day, the girl was registered as missing, and all that happened weeks before the storm."
"Hmmm..." Inquisitor pulled a few strands of his sideburn. "Go on."
"I got the school's record with her name at Mitakihara's school, although I didn't find any documents about her enrollment." Invader made the screen show the recording of a security camera. "Here you can see her in uniform walking through the hallways of the school, apparently she has a normal student routine."
Revenant reacted to what she had seen. "My God, these poawr children have no ideah of the dangah they're runnin'."
"Look, she's talkin' ta that boy," Butcher made a cheeky face, "does she have a crush on him?"
With a slight wave of her hand, Invasora made the profile of that boy appear. "His name is Aki Hidaka, and from what I've seen, they're dating."
"Wata fuck is that?!" Revenant's mouth fell open.
"HahahahahaHAAIHAAAIIIEE!" Butcher laughed and threw her head back. "I was right!"
"Don't fool self," the black woman warned, " ta her, he's the bloody snack fawr latah."
Tense, Inquisitor suggested, "Can we focus on the subject? If he hasn't contracted with Incubator, I have no interest on him."
Generalíssima looked at Invader. "Okay, but I'd like to show something else that can elucidate us more about the nature of those witches."
"This is a recording from months ago..." The Asian girl showed the scene of a subway terminal at night, where Nagisa and Aki had just entered.
Something caught Revenant's attention. "He's walkin' funny."
"Is he a pussy?" Butcher licked her fingers dirtied with candy colorant.
The boy sat on a bench while the girl remained standing. He pulled the sleeve of his shirt, showing his forearm.
Inquisitor furrowed his brows.
Observing the girl's stance, Butcher concluded, "Looks like they'ah havin' a couple quarrel."
The boy touched his forearm and then fainted.
Leaving Butcher surprised. "Huh? Did I miss somethin'?"
The boy woke up and soon began to laugh as the girl punched the air in fury.
Revenant did not like it at all. "This is startin' ta frighten me, what madness is this? Can ya turn the sound on?"
Invader was succinct. "No."
The boy then lifted his shirt.
"Freeze here." After Invader obeyed, Generalíssima addressed her word to the occupants of the table. "What do you guys think is going on? What is he showing to her?"
Butcher shrugged. "They're fah and the image quality isn't so good."
Inquisitor had another answer, "The same thing on his arm, something the cameras can't capture, a witch kiss."
"Damn, that's it!" Revenant became angry. "She turned him into a puppet!"
"I don't think it's just him," Generalíssima affirmed.
"Do you think it's the whole city? Those witches would have time for that." Inquisitor nodded. "It's something I had meditated on, since the world did not get into chaos with the rise of those witches, while the population of magical girls drastically reduced. Generally, witches do not keep their preys alive for a long time, they feed on as much despair as they can in the shortest possible time, knowing they were being hunted by us. Like a predator before a bigger one. Now, those witches show intelligence, or at least succeed in mimicking it, and see no hindrance to seek as much despair as possible. They are like parasites, feeding on the despair of their hosts while they slowly die."
"Bastards..." Revenant clenched her fists, the tension showing even more the muscles in her arms.
Though her face could not make expressions, Nano showed dismay in her voice, "This is a very cruel idea, perhaps exaggerated. They may just be feeding on their worries, the little despair that people have in their daily lives."
Generalíssima said to Invader, "You can show the other profiles."
But she raised her eyebrows, asking, "Don't you want me to show the recording till the end?"
"They already understood, it's not necessary."
Invader nodded and showed the next profile. "Let's continue, this one is in Mami's apartment at the moment, her name is Oriko Mikuni. She belongs to a family with great political influence, but I have found documents that prove that she's adopted. Her mother is dead and her father, Hisaomi Mikuni, committed suicide at the beggining of last year because of his involvement in a money laundering scandal."
"So she's a criminal," Revenant concluded.
"It seems she didn't know, but the other members of the Mikuni family keep distance from her. According to the news, she continues to live in her parents' mansion, despite it seems abandoned, and alone. However, I have discovered that this isn't true." Invader showed another profile. "Kirika Kure, I didn't get much information about her, but I know she often visits Oriko's mansion and spends nights there."
"Wowowowowoowwww..." Butcher smirked. "Are they lesbians?"
Revenant slapped her own forehead. "Witches can't love witches, mawron."
Nano's 'eyes' became agitated. "A case of lesbianism would not be a scandal in Japan?"
"Indeed, I can only assume that Mikuni's influence reaches the media," Invader replied, already showing another profile, of a girl with pink hair and eyes. "Despite the low attendance rate, Kirika is enrolled in the same school of Nagisa. In fact, most witches are from Mitakihara school." She then pointed to the photo. "This is Madoka Kaname. I did a deep research, but found nothing more than a girl with a comfortable middle-class life with her parents and her younger brother. However..." She showed the profile of a girl with braids and glasses. "She studies in the same classroom. Her name is Homura Akemi and belongs to a wealthy family in Tokyo, with big civil construction contracts with the government. I could see that the family seeks to maintain discretion about her whereabouts. She had a heart surgery and spent a long time in the hospital in Mitakihara." She showed another photo of the same girl, with loose hair and no glasses. "Today she lives alone in a house and, according to her performance in the school's physical education classes, she has recovered quite well."
Revenant mocked, "Impressive..."
Invader updated the screen, now showing a girl with blue hair. "Another curious case is Sayaka Miki. Through camera recordings at gas stations and convenience stores, I know she is accompanying Kyouko Sakura through Japan. She also studied in the same classroom as Madoka and Homura, in addition to being related to a hospital patient who had a miraculous cure of his hand, but what I really discovered was that." On the screen came the photo of a paper document.
Butcher forced her eyes. "That's Japanish, right?"
"Japanese," Invader replied, "and that's her death certificate."
This caught the attention of Inquisitor. "Is not that forged?"
"No. Her body was found on the bed in a hotel room, already with signs of rigor mortis. The necropsy report was inconclusive, finding no lesion or other cause for death. No one knows how she entered the room without the key and there is another person involved because of the large amount of empty food packaging in place that she didn't consume. The focus of the investigation at the time was that it was a death pact. I must remark that her funeral occurred a day before the storm."
Inquisitor scratched the tip of his nose, considering before saying, "It was believed that those new witches used the original body of their magical girls to set up the disguise, but I see that we were wrong."
Revenant snorted. "This is some crook shit..."
"The last one I have to show is Sasa Yuuki," Invader continued, with the profile of a smiling girl appearing on the screen.
Butcher raised an eyebrow. "That one looks naughty."
"She from Kazamino, a nearby town of Mitakihara, but she has been making regular visits to Mami's apartment. It's no coincidence that we chose this place for surveillance, it appears that this is the crux of the witches in the region."
"Anything else to add?" Inquisitor asked.
Invader opened her mouth to speak, but then fell silent.
Unlike Nano. "We can talk about the heavy military weaponry, including a missile platform, and explosives that were found in the city after the storm."
"I remember the details of this event better. It is an evidence that there is a witch behind the disaster in Mitakihara, but not that it is Walpurgisnatch." The man took the cross on the table and slid his finger across the body of the object. "Besides, I do not see enough potential in any of those girls, but that girl with pink hair, Madoka Kaname..."
Generalíssima did not hide her anxiety. "Yes?"
His gestures followed the words. "According to what Invader presented, she would have nothing to desire and everything to lose. She would be the perfect candidate for the hypothetical wish that saved the city and put us in this dire situation. Other than that, I can only say that the fundaments of your theory are still weak. What do you want to do with it?"
Generalíssima nodded. "As soon as we contact Washington, I'll let them know about our findings. They should also be investigating a solution so we can retaliate."
Butcher put more sweets on the table. "That's if they'ah fahkin' alive."
Revenant shouted, "Yah rubbish remarks has limits, ya bitch!"
The other responded by showing her tongue.
Generalíssima's words were stern, "If Washington had fallen, we would already be dead. We have to keep hope. As soon as I get an authorization from them, we can carry out a large-scale operation in Mitakihara."
The black woman was pleased. "If it's ta get rid of those witches, I'm in."
While the orange magical girl doubted. "Dya really think killin' them will solve anythin'?"
"We can't go into details of what will be done yet, but neutralizing the witches in the area would make any action safer." Generalíssima nodded to Invader.
That was enough for the girl to understand that it was to put the footage of the apartment back on the screen, but when she did, there was a gaping mouth accompanied by a shriek.
"HEEEEEEEYYYY! SOMEBODY? HEEEEEYYYY!"
Butcher covered her ears. "Ahhh! Fuck it!"
Generalíssima raised her voice, "WHAT IS IT, LUCKY?"
A blurred blue eye looked at the camera lens. "Ya see that?"
Revenant scolded, "We're only seein' yah face, drongo!"
She moved away and everyone saw that the apartment was emptier, with the blonde girl, Mami, removing the dishes from the table.
"Three people have just left, two girls and one child," Lucky informed.
"Child?" Generalíssima frowned. "The one with white hair?"
"Nah! She's flat out in the kitchen."
Generalíssima's dark pink eyes widened slightly, while the others in the room exchanged glances.
It was Nano who decided to express what was understood. "So it's someone we didn't know? Can you describe her?"
Lucky replied, "I dunno, I reckon she's a child by size, ain't sure if she's a girl because she was weahrin' a hood."
"Lucky, disable the zoom of the camera," Generalíssima ordered and looked at Invader.
The girl replied almost in a whisper, "Understood." She waited for the camera to show the top of the building where it was and her gem on her head began to glow brightly, illuminating the gray walls of the room. She jumped to the screen and then from building to building toward Mami's apartment.
"Is she comin' in?" Lucky asked.
"She's already in," Revenant replied.
The freckled woman jumped in front of the camera, quite frustrated. "Ah! wy didn't ya tell me? I wanted ta see if I could feel it if she bumped into me."
Generalíssima spoke coldly, "Protect the camera, okay?"
"Sure I'll, my cutie general!" Lucky jumped, doing a half turn in the air in front of the camera, and landed wiggling her butt with her fluffy tail.
Generalíssima held her breath, pursing her lips and looked back.
Inquisitor was rubbing his face and shaking his head slowly.
Nano announced, "Signal detected."
Generalíssima winced and looked at the robot. "Now?!"
"Yes, it's low frequency."
"It can't be..." The woman lowered her head. "Without Invader here, it's impossible."
"No problem!" The robot said in a cheerful voice, "I have installed a software prepared by her," then she spoke in a protocol tone, "preparing transmission..."
The room went in a silence that seemed to be too long.
Revenant whispered to herself, "C'mon, c'mon, be Washington, be Washington..."
"Booting NSA backdoor, redirecting to proxy..." Nano was quiet again for a moment. "Data encryption algorithm is complete. Line is safe," suddenly the robot changed to another female voice, with much interference, "...meone please, please, please..."
The woman recognized who she was. "Willa? It's Generalíssima."
"Oh my God, my God... you're alive..."
Generalíssima smiled, feeling the same relief that was coming from that voice. "What's the situation? Are you near Washington?"
"No, I'm in Nevada."
It was like a punch in her guts. "What happened?"
"Sorry, sorry..." Willa's voice become a whimper. "I tried the bus station. My friend, a novice from San Francisco... She was there with other girls I never see. I know they're witches and they're after me, she knows I escaped. Sorry... I couldn't... uu..."
"It's okay," Generalíssima said softly, "they haven't seen you. You did well. How many seeds do you still have?"
"I have one, but I'm broke and one day without food. Today I slept in a junkyard, it'll be dawn soon... "
"Hunger will sap your soul gem. Search for food in the trash of restaurants and snack bars in the area, remember the training." Generalíssima sighed. "We count on you."
"What if Washington doesn't exist anymore?"
"That didn't happen, trust me."
"But how can I trust a magical girl if she says she's from Washington?"
"Remember that Matriarch resides there, as well as other competent sisters," Generalíssima glanced at Inquisitor as she replied, "they must be keeping a vast defensive perimeter to keep the position of their current base of operations concealed. Stay discreet as you approach the area and expect to witness a fight between magical girls. Those disguised witches, like any other of their kin, leave grief seeds when they die, so you'll know which side has won."
"I got it..."
Hearing a gasp coming from the speaker of the robot, Generalíssima realized that she did not even know the age of the girl. "Willa, when this is over I'll recommend you to become a sister, but you'll have been more than that."
"Will I be like you?"
Generalíssima smiled in modesty. "I may have saved the world that day, but I was not alone. You may be the person who saved the Sisterhood at its most critical hour. May God and the soul of our sisters watch over you."
"They're with me." Willa was calmer. "I need to turn off or I'll be spending a lot of magic."
"Be assured that we'll be here to receive your next call," Generalíssima affirmed.
"Transmission ended," the robot said with its old voice.
Butcher was disappointed. "So the novice only called out of despair, I couldn't expect much of that one..."
"You cheerin' against our best shot?" Revenant asked menacingly.
"She will succeed," Generalíssima did not even look at them, saying firmly, "when there're other lives at stake, you don't give up until you complete the mission."
Inquisitor announced, "She returned."
Generalíssima looked at the screen and saw Invader at the rooftop, frowning at an absort Lucky who was spinning her plush revolvers and pointing them in random directions. The Asian girl then jumped, as if she would land closer to the camera, but she left the screen and touched the floor of the room.
Generalíssima noticed that Invader's gem was heavily polluted. "Did you succeed?"
"Fortunately they weren't too far." Invader showed on the screen the two girls and the hooded child sitting on a bus stop. "This is one of the images I captured."
Inquisitor leaned forward, interested in the child, but since she was head down, wearing a mask, it was difficult to conclude anything. "Do you have a better angle of the unknown person?"
"Yes, but you better get ready." Invader showed a close-up of the face.
Generalíssima widened her eyes.
Revenant pressed her back against the seat of the chair.
Butcher verbalized, "Watta heck is that, Invadah?! Nobody asked for a freak show!"
While Nano was more descriptive. "Are those stones on her face?"
"This must be a newly converted witch who's still in the process of completing her human disguise," Inquisitor mused, "or she's incapable of it."
"Whatevah," Butcher said, in disgust, "that's heaps creepy."
Invader made that face disappear from the screen, but another face appeared, one full of freckles.
"People? I heard a commotion, ya awright?" Lucky asked.
Generalíssima replied, "It's nothing, Invader returned, stay alert."
"So Butchah..." Revenant looked at her with contempt. "Did ya understand the gravity of the situation? Or are ya still garn ta make jokes?"
"Watta fuck are you talkin' about?" Butcher Said, angry, "I don't have ta be grumpy like ya ta take this seriously."
"'Seriously'?!" Revenant mocked. "Ya just tol' me yesterdee that ya weah doubtin' all this."
Generalíssima was surprised. "That's true?"
Butcher got up from her chair, opening her arms. "I just said! We only heard of those witches, no one heah faced one of them." She motioned to Revenant. "But ya can't keep yah gawrillah mouth shut."
The black woman stood up so fast that she knocked over her chair.
With a tired countenance, Inquisitor raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.
"Stop!" Generalíssima ordered.
But Revenant had something to say, "I'm proud of wat I am, unlike ya, who used yah wish ta have that appearance."
"And I'm very fahkin' happy with wat I got." Butcher grinned, but then shook her head and held up her hands. "Okay... I'm knackered of this shit, I'm not stayin' heah anymoah."
Generalíssima frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'm done, the Sisterhood is ovah for me." Butcher pointed to herself. "I'm not gonna stay in this hole puttin' up with all of you, waitin' for a winy novice ta complete an impossible mission. I'll survive my own way!"
"Ya won't last a week out theah," Revenant stated.
"That's wheah ya're wrong! I'm not called Butchah for nothin'." The orange magical girl gritted her teeth. "But only by droppin' a ten ton cleavah on yah head for ya ta get it." Her eyes teared. "I'm a sistah, right? Y'all don't treat me like an equal, ya think cookin' is unimportant." She pointed at the metal door in the room. "There are dozens of novices wo have left their homes 'n some haven't seen their families for months. Without my helluva good tucker, howdya intend ta keep their morale? it's ya wo won't last a week."
"Awww..." Lucky was sad. "There'll be no more petit gâteau?"
Butcher confirmed, "There'll be no petit gâteau, no tiramisu, no profiteroles, no churros, not even pavlova."
"Ahh! Pavlova no!"
Revenant rolled her eyes and addressed her word to Generalíssima, " She can't leave heah. If the bloody witches catch her, our location will be compromised."
"Relax," Butcher said, " I dunno in wat whoop whoop we'ah. I can go blindfolded if ya want."
Generalíssima replied, "It's more dangerous for her to stay and break the harmony of the Sisterhood."
"See?" Butcher scoffed, pointing at Revenant. "You black cunt." Then to Invader. "You too, chink cunt." To the robot. "Nanocunt." And Generalíssima. "Bland cunt." Then she looked at the screen. "And ya're a bunny of a cunt, I looooveee ya!"
"Ya're being rude, but hey." Lucky made a shape of a heart with her fingers and placed it on the left side of her chest. "I'll miss ya if ya go, ya cuntiest!"
Butcher turned to Inquisitor.
The man was the only one still sitting, resting his head on his hand. His expression was calm, with a gaze that carried curiosity and a certain challenge.
"Ya... I dunno... Dickunt?"
Revenant took a deep breath, raising her left hand. "Then can I kill her?"
"No!" Generalíssima was adamant in saying, "the Sisterhood doesn't prevent its members from leaving, and I will honor it. However, Butcher, remember that it's a final decision, you can never be accepted as a sister if you come back."
"I'm an only child." Butcher smiled.
Generalíssima nodded. "There's no more spirit to continue this meeting, I'll give it as finished."
Without giving any satisfaction, Revenant put the chair in place and went to the exit. She typed a code on the electronic panel and the door opened, sliding into the wall. She left and, seconds later, the door closed automatically.
To the amusement of Butcher. "Priceless..."
Generalíssima sighed and turned to screen. "Lucky, dismantle the equipment and go to the extraction point in fifteen minutes."
"Can I stay a little longer? I wanted ta see some stores. There's dardy stuff in Japan."
"No."
Lucky brought her face close, with a pleading eyes. "Ah, c'mon! It's dark, no one will notice me, they'll think I'm cosplayin'."
Generalíssima became even more serious. "Extraction point in five minutes."
Lucky made a big pout, puffing her cheeks, but then she smiled and kissed the lens, closing the transmission.
Invader turned off the screen. "I'm leaving the security room now to purify my gem, excuse me." She began to flicker like an image that in fact she was, and then disappeared.
"Butcher," Nano said, "I understand that you're annoyed with Revenant for her being hard on you, but don't discount on us. I've always considered you a sister."
The girl narrowed her gaze. "Don't act like I'm stupid. Y'all tarred with the same brush with that passive-aggressive attitude toward me."
The robot did not speak anymore. The lights in its eyes went out and its body evaporated into tiny gray particles, forming a dense cloud that flew into the ventilation duct.
Butcher smiled, nodding to herself. "Yer, piss off spoiled child."
Generalíssima past her, heading toward the exit. "I still want to talk to you, meet me in my room."
"Sure! I still have ta pack my belongings." Butcher followed her.
Inquisitor left the chair and stood in her way, with an intense gaze.
"Wat? Ya gonna want ta lectah me now?" A silver gleam in the corner of her eye caught Butcher's attention to the cross he was holding. Her mocking expression gave way to tension as she clenched her fists.
"There's something Generalíssima forgot." He placed the cross under his waist belt. "A sister should clean up all the mess she did before she can leave."
Following his eyes, Butcher looked back, seeing the candies lying on the table and on the floor. When she turned her attention back to Inquisitor, the man was already leaving.
However, only when the door finally closed did she relax her fists. "Wat an arsehole..."
The white-haired woman left the wall where she was resting.
In a hurry, Butcher gathered the sweets from the table into a handful and ate them. "Hmmm... Yer... The good times of Souls' Sisterhood are ovah."
With a blank expression, the woman watched the girl bending down to pick the candy on the floor.
Between a sweet and another that she ate, Butcher grumbled, "And it's all fault of this Generalíssima wo thinks she's a general and that Inquisitah policing everything... Wo had this damn idea? Befowah only the novices had a screwed up life, for sisters it was all laid back 'n free." When she rose, she felt a painful squeeze in her neck and went up much more. "HNNNG?!"
The woman lifted the girl with one hand.
"Agggnnh... ah?" Butcher took a few moments to figure what was happening. She hold the stranger's strong arm and noticed the large black gem on her forehead. [HELP! HEEEEEELP!]
In a single movement with the other hand, the woman tore the gem off the girl's chest.
Sensing her impending death, Butcher lifted her arm in despair and conjured up a large cleaver.
The woman brought the soul gem closer to hers, and the jewel liquefied itself in an orange essence, which spiraled to the black gem, painting it with the same tone, but fading to pink and then all was covered again by the curtain of corruption.
A final exhale and the Butcher's body went limp, letting the cleaver fall to the floor. Both slowly became transparent.
The metal door opened and Revenant entered the room carrying a grief seed. "Hey, Butchah, I bet ya'd forg-"
The woman glimpsed at her.
Revenant froze and blinked. Confused, she looked around and stared at the seed in her hand. "Why am I heah... with this..." She shook her head and left.
The woman relaxed her arm, since she was not holding anything. She tossed her hair back and stretched her body, letting out a long sigh. She walked to the screen and turned it on. In the palm of one of her hands materialized a bowl and spoon, with balls of pineapple flavored ice cream. She used the other hand to give a special touch, sprinkling it with colorful button-shaped chocolate candies.
She stared at the screen and savored a spoonful, feeling the mild sour and sweet taste melting in her mouth and the crispness of the chocolate as she began to chew, while the profiles of Mitakihara's girls danced over her serene eyes.