《Magical Girl Rending Nightmare》


 Magical Girl Rending Nightmare Info Post!

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    Welcome to Magical Girl Rending Nightmare! I hope you¡¯ll enjoy this story!


    Now, before you move on, you should know that Rending Nightmare is a continuation of another story. It¡¯s the second book in my Magical Girl series, following Magical Girl Crystal Genocide.


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    Thank you very much for giving my story a chance! I hope you enjoy it!

 Prologue

    Prologue


    Crystal had slept in better places than a ruined, rusty trailer with a tree growing out of it, but this wasn''t all that bad. Sure, it smelled a bit mouldy, but she doubted that she''d catch something, and with a few crystal walls around to keep the wind out and Rending Nightmare being so close to watch over her, she felt pretty safe.


    So she slept, hugging herself close for warmth, until she felt Alice sitting down next to her. The older girl let Crystal use her lap as a pillow and played with her hair, and soon Crystal was plunging into pleasant, indistinct dreams.


    She was woken up by a shake to her shoulders. "Crystal, wake up," Rending said.


    She blinked a few times. The light streaming in through the holes in the trailer roof was a deep, dark blue. It was still deep into the night, then, and while Crystal felt somewhat revitalised from her nap... well, she could use a few more hours. "What''s wrong?" Crystal asked.


    "I''m feeling something approaching, and quickly," Rending said. She shifted her hips, and Crystal got the message and pushed herself up onto her feet, then stifled a yawn. Now that she was listening, she could hear something too, a distant thrum that was growing louder.


    Alice brushed down her pants, then jumped out of the trailer and came to stand near the road. Crystal followed her, one hand rising to summon a fist-sized ruby that glowed with an inner light, casting a red glare across the abandoned trailer park they found themselves in.


    It was just as dilapidated as it had been when they arrived. A couple dozen homes, clearly long abandoned, with nature reclaiming much of it. Trees were growing out of the sides of some, and weeds had overtaken gravel driveways and clung to the wrecks of old cars.


    Crystal wasn''t great at figuring out dates and such, not at a glance, but something about the decor and the cars and the antenna sticking out of an old boxy TV suggested that this place was very... 1970s, maybe.


    Actually, if the technology here was from the 70s, then the place had probably been abandoned in the 80s. She doubted the average trailer park was on the cutting edge when it came to... stuff.


    "There," Alice said with a gesture to one side. The direction the thrumming was coming from.


    Crystal squinted that way, but she couldn''t see much, just darkness unreached by her gem light and clouds in the distance. Clouds which were roiling and moving. Clouds which seemed almost as if they were alive, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other and approaching fast.


    The wind started to pick up around them. Stray leaves scattered across the ground, and Crystal noted that her next exhale came with a plume of vapour even as the wind caressing her turned cold.


    Dust started to be blasted off the ground, and Crystal found herself squinting as the wind continued to grow stronger. Soon the howl was competing with the rustle of a million leaves as every tree started to sway and twist. Some of the trailers clunked as tin walls buckled against the wind, and the big antenna towers with parabolas started to vibrate violently.


    Alice gestured, and a wall of shadows rose up ahead of them, sharply angled and solid enough to cut through the wind. "Strange," she said just loud enough that Crystal heard.


    "What do you think it is? A hurricane?"


    "No, it''s magical," Alice said. "I can feel something... I don''t know what, though."


    Then the first of the clouds reached them. Long tendrils of fog, thin enough to see through, but still able to obscure and hide and obfuscate. They shot past, and where they passed, Crystal noticed trees twisting bizarrely.


    One of those tendrils slid past, touching the side of one of the trailers as it went. It was just for a moment, but Crystal saw a window... repair itself in reverse, pieces of glass rising off the ground and slipping into place until a window was restored and paint was freshened up.


    "Oh boy," Crystal said.


    Alice stomped a foot down and a pillar of darkness rose ahead of them, then it swirled around, creating a cocoon. And almost as soon as it was up, the fog was eating at it, sending the moving darkness backwards through time.


    "Time crystal, now!" Alice snapped.


    Crystal jumped to it. It had been some time since she''d worked with Alice, but that tone was all too familiar. She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and focused. There were just two of them, so she didn''t need anything too big. Still, this was a trick that she wasn''t as well practised with as maybe she should have been.


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    Beads of sweat were clinging to her forehead as she focused. She could hear the crack and tinkle of crystalline shards popping into existence and growing all around her. A barrier, time itself, crystallised into something solid and immutable.


    The sound rose and rose until, finally, the last piece slotted into place with a bell-like chime that was loud despite the incredible roar of wind blasting past them.


    The moment it was done, Crystal felt her ears pop. They were cocooned away from the rising pressure of the storm. She made sure that the crystal was well anchored into the ground, and protecting them from below, then she opened her eyes.


    There wasn''t much to see past the clear walls all around them, just buffeting black-grey tendrils. Flashes of a deep blue arced through it all, like lightning contained within a storm cloud, but they did little to illuminate what was happening.


    "What is this?" Crystal asked.


    "I don''t know," Alice said. "It looks like something Meagan might have done, but this is wilder, less controlled."


    Crystal nodded. It kind of made sense that they''d run into Fractured Time''s magic here. It fit her theories about... well, everything.


    When Crystal had awakened on the last world she was on, she discovered that the world''s magic was eerily similar to Rending Nightmare''s, to Alice''s. Now they''d followed a thread to another world, and discovering that the magic here was like another magical girl''s just seemed like a logical leap to make.


    Was Meagan, Magical Girl Fractured Time, locked in a cocoon on this world somewhere? Her magic feeding the entire world''s own and twisting it into something new? She wasn''t sure.


    The storm started to abate after a couple of minutes. The flashes were still coming regularly, but they were no longer above them, and instead the majority came from behind.


    Crystal followed the storm''s passing, craning her neck up to catch glimpses of stars through the fading storm front. "Pretty," she said.


    "And terrifying," Alice said. "What would a normal person do against that?"


    "Well, mostly die, I imagine," Crystal said. "Maybe that''s why there''s no one around?"


    "No, that can''t be right. A storm that strong, if it was a regular occurrence, would have flattened all of those trailers a long time ago," Alice said.


    "Ah, I guess that makes sense," Crystal said. She smiled at Alice, who had always been so much better than her at making that kind of deduction.


    The clouds continued to fade away, and soon all that was left was a lingering fog, but even that was rapidly dissipating.


    "I think it''s safe now," Alice said as the fog receded. She was clearly able to push it around with her open magic, so Crystal shut her eyes and worked on cracking the crystalline egg she''d created. She had a hard time unsummoning her gems, but breaking a door-sized hole in them was easy as pie. Just in case, she made the opening on the down-wind side. Maybe if therewasanother storm like that, someone could use it for shelter?


    "Huh," Alice said. "It''s... newer."


    Crystal blinked, then raised her light up above her head to better illuminate the trailer park. Alice was right. The trailers looked a lot fresher. Not nice, by any means. They were still rusty, poorly-maintained, and not exactly pretty to look at, but the paint had been freshened up, the young trees and big bushes were gone. Some of the cars looked like they''d been repaired to... perhaps not new, but something close. Windows were fixed, doors were back on their hinges, and one trailer that had had a big branch going through it was completely repaired.


    The branch in question was back on the tree hanging above it, and Crystal had the impression that it was only a matter of time before it crashed down again.


    "So... time-reversing super storm?" Crystal asked.


    "Seems like it," Alice said. "Never seen anything quite like it."


    "It''s weird, yeah," Crystal agreed. "So... you think that might make finding Meagan harder?"


    "I imagine it won''t help," Alice said. "Did you sleep enough? I think I want to find someone I can ask about all of this. I have questions."


    ***

 Chapter One - Bothered

    Chapter One - Bothered


    Alice stared at her hand for a moment. Her fingers were trembling. Not much, but just enough that she could pick it up.


    It bothered her.


    A lot was bothering her at the moment. Not because such a trembling was unnatural, but because it was. Humans shook a little all the time. They didn''t have perfect control over themselves.


    She did.


    Or she had, once.


    Now she wasn''t so sure.


    "Alice?"


    She looked up and found Crystal staring at her, so Alice straightened her spine and stood with more confidence. She was, in many ways, the leader of their little team. Not the team-mom (that role was definitely Shanti''s) but often the person that others turned to when they needed directions. It was something about being the first.


    "Sorry," she said before smiling in a self-deprecating manner. "Just a little distracted."


    "Is something wrong?" Crystal asked. She had very distracting eyes. Big and bright blue and terribly innocent.


    "No, I think I''m just trying to get to grips with... whatever happened."


    "Do you remember anything?" Crystal asked.


    Alice frowned, but shook her head. "Being on the moon, then nothing. Just a big blank. Honestly, I''d liken it to going to sleep. Time passed, and I don''t recall anything happening in that period."


    "Weird," Crystal said. "I think it was the same for me, but I kinda woke up on my own... while falling. Anyway! I''m glad you''re back."


    "Yeah, of course," Alice said. "We should move out. The others will need saving too."


    "Yeah!" Crystal said, all of her worry disappearing in a blink and turning into good cheer. Alice smiled a little. It was hard to remain in a poor mood with Crystal around.


    Glancing around, Alice took in their surroundings. They were still in that trailer park. The space looked... not local. She couldn''t quite put a finger on it, but something about the design of the homes didn''t feel like what she might have seen around her home.


    There were videos on the news, sometimes, of favelas and other places where the poor congregated, and they certainly lived in similar homes, but the style of these was different.


    So, at a guess, she figured that they weren''t in South America. "Before we head out, I think... spend a few minutes discovering where we are?"


    "The cars are weird," Crystal said.


    "How so?" Alice asked. There were a few rotting in backyards. Nothing very fancy, just plain little boxy cars.


    "I dunno, they look like a kid drew a car then someone built that. They''re not... curvy," Crystal said as she walked over to one of them. She tried the door, but it was predictably locked.


    "I can¡ª" Alice began. She could do a neat trick with some shadows, slipping into locks and opening them up without much fuss.


    Crystal punched the window, then pulled on the lock tab. "I got it," she said.


    "Of course," Alice replied. She didn''t dislike Crystal, by any means, but her lack of subtlety was... glaring.


    Crystal sat in the car, then realized she was on the passenger side. "Weird," she said again before tugging the glovebox open. She pulled out a few water-logged papers that stank of mould. One had a monochrome picture of the car she''d broken into on the front, the ink a little runny, but still legible. "Looks... Russian?"


    "The letters are Cyrillic, yes," Alice said. It took a fraction of a second of focus to not just ''understand'' what she was seeing, but to actually see the letters on the cover. "I guess this car is a Lada?" She had never heard of the brand, but the writing did give her an approximate location.


    "Eastern Europe?" Crystal asked as she looked up.


    "The weather''s a bit chilly, but the plant life suggests late fall or early spring," Alice said as she looked about. "I think that''s about right."


    "Does that help us?"


    "It gives us some context," Alice said. She took the user''s manual from Crystal as it was passed over and flipped it open. "The world you were in, what was it like?"


    "Uh... it was a fantasy world," Crystal said.


    Alice raised an eyebrow. "Could you clarify?"


    "It had magic and wizards, kinda, and like, people fighting with swords and spears," Crystal said. "No cars, no technology, no internet."


    "Right, a fantasy world," Alice muttered. "Well, this isn''t." The car accepted petrol, and it had a jury-rigged radio under the dashboard with a few wires trailing beneath. Radio, electricity, petrol, and an obvious consumer base for the purchasing and manufacturing of cars. This was an industrialised, modern world they were in.


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    One with magic time-warping storms.


    "I don''t even know where to begin from here," Alice admitted.


    "There''s a road that way," Crystal said, pointing through the stained windshield. "We could get to a highway or something, then figure things out from there."


    Alice considered it, then nodded. "That''s acceptable," she said.


    Crystal pulled herself out of the car, then grumbled as she wiped her rear clean of old dust, which of course got onto her hands. She bent over double and rubbed her hands off of some grass to clean them off.


    Alice rolled her eyes, but put on a straight face as Crystal looked her way with a goofy smile. "Come on," Alice said.


    She was still worried, but the walk helped. She felt... uncentred. Still... she raised a hand towards a rusty minivan, then closed the hand into a fist.


    Tendrils of darkness ripped out of the earth around the car and speared upwards. The car tipped to one side as the all-consuming black started to eat at the earth beneath it. Then the tendrils crashed into each other, engulfing the car with a loud rending scream of metal being compressed.


    Letting go of the spell, Alice watched as the half-melted blob of the minivan crashed down onto the grass.


    "Wow, you really didn''t like that car," Crystal said.


    "Something like that," Alice replied.


    Her magic was still responsive. Still... unbelievably powerful. But it felt... off.


    "So, what was that for?" Crystal asked as she flounced along next to Alice.


    "It''s nothing," Alice said.


    "Oh... is this the kind of ''nothing'' where you''re keeping a secret from me because you''re worried and-slash-or ashamed and you don''t want to bother me with the information you have until it inevitably comes out later and makes everything worse?" Crystal asked.


    Alice gave her a look. "Where did that come from?" she asked.


    "Hypertense said that it''s the number one way for our group to break apart," Crystal said. "Since we''re all so strong and awesome, the only way for things to really go bad is for us not to communicate or work together."


    Alice held back a sigh. "Fine. My magic feels... off?"


    "Off how?" Crystal asked. She reached towards Alice, paused, blushed, then touched Alice''s shoulder anyway. "Does it hurt?"


    "No, it''s just not as responsive. I don''t know exactly how to describe it. It feels... at once weaker and less close? It''s like trying to write with mittens on. I can hold the pen well enough, but there''s a barrier that I''m not used to having in the way."


    "Oh," Crystal said. "It''s hard to tell if that''s because of the other-world stuff or if it''s just normal magic stuff. Maybe the feeling will fade? Or maybe... maybe you haven''t used your magic in a long time, so it''s less like wearing mittens and more like you slept wrong and now your arm''s all tingly and asleep?"


    Alice considered it, glanced at her empty palm again, then nodded. "That''s possible. I''ll monitor things."


    "And we''ll move slowly," Crystal said.


    "Meagan is waiting on us to save her," Alice pointed out.


    "And we will, because we won''t be charging in blind and hurting ourselves because we ignored something big and important."


    "That''s... a fair point. We can take it slow," Alice agreed. She wasn''t sure what to think of the silent ''yes'' Crystal gave herself along with a fist pumping motion, but she decided not to comment. Crystal was... like that, sometimes.


    The trailer park''s roads all seemed to lead to one slightly-less awful road. It was asphalt covered in a thin layer of gravel, with weeds poking out from below, but it was intact enough to travel on.


    They started down the road, walking at a brisk, steady pace. They could have run, but Alice didn''t want to, not just yet. She extended her senses ahead, and could feel something small some ways down the road.


    It could be interesting, and it might run away if they approached it too quickly.


    So they walked, past a few more homes, mobile or otherwise, and past an ancient park that was almost entirely overgrown, only the bright children''s playthings within hinting at what it was.


    Finally, they reached a road.


    Four lanes, with a boundary guard in the middle.


    "Oh," Crystal said. "Well, that''s not a good sign."


    ***

 Chapter Two - Roadside

    Chapter Two - Roadside


    The road was a mess.


    Sure, the gravel road leading out of the trailer park wasn''t well-maintained, but Alice imagined that it had never been well-maintained to begin with. Seeing weeds poking out from between patches of loose asphalt and gravel wasn''t anything unexpected.


    The highway, however, that was another story.


    The road was covered in cracks, some wide enough that she imagined someone could break an ankle walking down them. All sorts of plants were poking through, and it seemed pretty obvious that nature had long ago started to reclaim this patch of civilisation.


    "No, that isn''t good," Alice muttered.


    She was never someone who considered herself an expert in the study of history, but Alice knew enough to tell that roads were the veins and arteries of a civilised world. They made travel, trade, and movement possible. They allowed the countryside to feed the city, for goods to move across nations.


    This was a four lane highway that hadn''t seen maintenance or probably much traffic in at least a couple of years.


    She knelt, slipping her hand into one of the cracks in the road then tugging out a large chunk of asphalt with minimal effort. A squeeze of her hand and it was crushed. "This place feels... dead."


    "Kinda spooky, yeah," Crystal agreed. "There''s a sign way off over there."


    Alice looked up and followed Crystal''s pointing finger. There was a roadsign out ahead, covered in too many plants to see what was written on it, and bent by time.


    "Nice catch," Alice said.


    They started that way, walking in the middle of the deserted road in a way that felt somehow terribly wrong. Pedestrians weren''t supposed to occupy the middle of such a wide road. It should have been covered in traffic, not be so quietly empty.


    Crystal tilted her head back and started to sniff at the air.


    "Are you okay?" Alice asked.


    "Smell the air," Crystal said.


    Alice did so, then shrugged. "It smells natural? Or is that the point?"


    "Yeah," Crystal said.


    Alice nodded along. "No stink of gas. None of the burning oil smell around cities and towns. No food smells... no garbage either."


    "I don''t mind that last one," Crystal said with a smile, a smile which quickly faded. "Still, it''s a little weird, right? Even back home, which was pretty nice, had some smells to it. This smells like deep in nature, not along a highway."


    They made it to the road sign, and Alice flicked her power out. Thin shadowy blades slipped out of the shadows cast by the greenery stuck to the sign, and soon it all came tumbling down. It was just directions to a city some fifty kilometres down the road.


    "Pripyat," Alice read. "Why does that sound familiar?"


    "Sounds fancy," Crystal said. "What''s it mean?"


    "I have no idea," Alice said. "The sign''s only in one language."


    "Okay?"


    "Most signage in Europe has the local language above, then sometimes for big cities some English text below."


    "Why?"


    "Tourism, I suppose," Alice said. "That''s from what I remember seeing in Europe. But we might not be in a world too similar to our own. The writing definitely looks Cyrillic, and the style of the sign, the homes, the cars, it would all fit into our own homeworld."


    "So this isn''t as big of a divergence as the world you were stuck on," Crystal said. "So, should we, uh, continue down that way?"


    "Seems like as good an idea as any," Alice said.


    Crystal grinned. "Oh, good, because I wanted to look at the weird air over there."


    Alice followed her pointing finger again, and then squinted. She didn''t see anything this time. Though now that she was looking for something, she focused her magic onwards and could feel a very faint stirring.


    The two continued down the road. A minute or two later, Alice was starting to see what Crystal had noticed. "You''re observant," she praised, which had Crystal smiling all the harder.


    There was a shimmer in the air. It was right off the side of the road, between the roadside and a ditch. The shimmer was roughly spherical, though Alice couldn''t make out its exact shape, not when, at best, the shimmer was weaker than a heat haze.


    "I wanna throw a rock at it," Crystal said.


    "Before we know anything else?" Alice asked.


    "We''ll know something once we throw a rock at it, won''t we?"


    "I suppose. I''d rather the rock than trying to walk into it. What if it''s something technological?" Alice asked. She could imagine some governments wanting to install invisible cameras along the roadside. Or it could be military equipment. A stealth field of some sort.


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    Or an active weapon.


    The shimmering space wasn''t warm from where they stood some dozen metres away, at least.


    "Toss it underhand," Alice suggested.


    Crystal bent down, picked up a loose chunk of asphalt, then underhanded it over to the shimmer. It passed right through, but in a way that was a little strange. "You saw that, right?" Crystal asked.


    Alice nodded. The rock had sailed in a simple arc, the parabola somewhere in the middle of the shimmering space. But it''s arc had shifted in speeds. At first moving quickly, then slowing down for about half a metre, then moving faster as if to make up for the lost time. The rock came out the other side and tumbled down into the ditch as if nothing had happened. "It looks like it was slowed down, then sped up. Just a little, however. And without changing trajectories."


    "Which is weird-weird, right?"


    "Meagan can speed herself up, or slow the world down around her," Alice said. "We might be looking at something similar. Localised, and going both ways, but fundamentally the same." She picked up a small handfull of rocks and chucked them through the distortion.


    With more projectiles in the air, it was much easier to see how some suddenly started moving slower or faster. Some merely sailed right through, undisturbed.


    "And the shimmering?" Crystal asked.


    "Light travels through time, same as anything else," Alice said. "It could be a sort of lensing effect in the air? Darkening where the light slows, growing brighter where it moves faster. I''m just speculating."


    "Smarter than what I''d do," Crystal said.


    "And what''s that?" Alice asked.


    "Well, I was thinking I could make a long stick..."


    Alice chuckled. "No, let''s not touch the weird magical bubble if we can avoid it. It just doesn''t seem like a wise thing to do."


    "I was never really big on doing wise things," Crystal said. "Should we fling some magic at it anyway?"


    Alice considered it, giving the thought more weight than the immediate dismissal she was inclined to give. There was some merit to trying. Magic was finicky and fickle at the best of times, but before all of this, she was definitely one of the magical girls with the best control over her magical abilities.


    "Let me try something. Just to see if it affects our control."


    Alice reached out, and from the shadows of the grass and uneven ground came a few seeking tendrils of darkness made solid. They climbed upwards, twisting and searching through the air until they reached into the strange space and started moving through it.


    "Huh," Alice said as she felt her control slipping, but only in parts. It was jarring, like watching a television screen where a band across the middle was playing something a few seconds behind the rest. Still, it didn''t wrestle her control away, merely... delayed it.


    The spaces where her control was sped up felt slick and strange, her magic acting faster than she was used to, but it wasn''t playing against her control as much.


    "That would be frustrating to fight in, but it''s not too bad," Alice said. "The real concern is... well, this thing''s very existence."


    "Oh. Yeah, weird magic bubbles shouldn''t be a thing. Let alone next to the road. Maybe that''s why it''s closed?"


    "It would be a danger to motorists," Alice said. "But I think if this were a unique thing, then there would be... something around it."


    "So there''s more?" Crystal asked.


    "Let''s find out," Alice said.


    The city was some fifty kilometres away still, at least according to that sign. That was further than Alice wanted to walk, but not so far that it would be too annoying. She stretched a little, even if it might not have been needed, then took off at a quick jog with Crystal skipping along at her side.


    Alice was once again secretly thankful that her magical girl outfit came with pants. It made running so much less awkward.


    What felt like an hour later, the highway slid out of the woods and into an open space, with uncultivated fields all around, and a few farms in the distance. The road climbed up a ramp, meeting another equally broken road along a turnpike.


    They discovered two things there.


    First, the strange space they''d discovered wasn''t unique. And second, this other road, as unkept as it was, was still being used.


    ***

 Chapter Three - Dead Car Picnic

    Chapter Three - Dead Car Picnic


    There were perhaps some two hundred cars abandoned along the highway, though Alice imagined there were more in the distance that they just couldn''t see.


    The cars were stopped as though they had been caught in a traffic jam, then abandoned. Several of them were parked alongside the road, or on the curb. But those weren''t proof that the road was still being used. That proof came in the way that traffic had been moved.


    Cars were pushed to the side, some of them violently, without much care about damaging them. A whole lane was cleared out in the centre.


    Crystal skipped over to the cleared space, then looked down the road to the left and right. "This was covered in gravel," she said.


    "Looks like it," Alice agreed. She kicked a loose rock aside. The road had a fairly even layer of fresh.¡­ish gravel across it. It spilled out to the sides, as if whomever had placed it didn''t care about anything except the central lane. "This kind of makes sense. If you want to keep the road functional, you need to do maintenance."


    "Is covering a lane in gravel maintenance?" Crystal asked doubtfully.


    "The rest of the road is cracked, plants are making it through the asphalt, and there are potholes you could swim in. I think that this is a cheap way of making the road passable." The gravel wasn''t very thick in places, and she could see the road beneath. It looked like it was mostly pressed into the potholes, but some were growing pretty deep anyway.


    Crystal looked up and down the road. "Well, if anyone''s travelling along here, they''re not going fast, that''s for sure."


    Alice agreed. She moved over to some of the nearest cars and looked within. It seemed as though the steering columns had been messed with, and with a slight shove, she managed to make a small sedan roll forwards a little and further away from the open lane.


    Someone had broken into the cars, put them in neutral, then shoved them aside. For every car along the road.


    That was a pretty monumental effort. "There''s still civilisation around, at least," Alice said.


    "How do you figure that?" Crystal asked. It wasn''t confrontational, just curious.


    "Because uncivilised people wouldn''t care about roads."


    They continued down the road, heading in the same direction as before. Soon, they crossed beneath an underpass, and they both found themselves wandering a little. Someone had set up a small camp under the protection of the roadway above. A few ratty tents, some campers parked in a rough circle around a fifty-five gallon drum that had been cut in half to serve as a firepit.


    The camp was unoccupied, but they explored it anyway, wandering around and poking their heads into the campers and tents.


    "It mostly just stinks," Crystal reported as she returned from poking at one of the crumpled tents with a pole made out of what looked like ruby.


    "It''s more signs of life," Alice said. There were a few tins of fish tossed in a refuse pile just next to the overpass, where the stink wouldn''t hit the camp so hard. Judging by the flies, the food had only been tossed a few weeks ago. Alice''s greatest discovery was a small battery-powered radio tossed onto the trash heap. "I wish we had a way to make electricity."


    "Why?" Crystal asked. She looked ready to move on, so Alice caught up with her and started walking as well.


    "Because I''d like to have a radio. I think radio''s the last thing to fail, as far as communication systems go."


    "Oh. I can make one," Crystal said easily.


    Alice blinked, then looked her friend up and down. "You can?"


    Crystal smiled, somewhat shyly. "When I first became a magical girl, I thought my powers were... I don''t know. Less than useful? Anyway, one of the first things I did was Google ''cool stuff to do with crystals.'' I basically memorized the Wikipedia page, and there''s a whole thing about radios."


    "Radios?" Alice asked. There was a vague memory tickling at her, something about boy scout radios, but it was faint.


    "Yeah!" Crystal said. She pressed her hands together, then spread them apart. There was a small crystalline slate between her palms, one which she pinched then raised up. "You need... something like this, and then something like that, and then an antenna..."


    As Crystal spoke, she added small components to her little device. It looked like a very basic circuit made of thin crystalline filaments.


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    "The tricky part is using crystals that don''t conduct and some that do. Then there''s the actual thing to adjust the signal you''re receiving, so you only hear one, uh, band? Yeah, one band at a time. Like a radio station." Crystal moved over to the nearest car, then placed her radio onto it. "The loudspeaker''s... not very loud, either."


    Crystal created a small speaker. It looked almost like a flower, a cup with a small plate on the inside, sensitive enough that it vibrated slightly and produced a faint hiss. Then the magical girl gently moved a small lever along a spun piece of crystal and the hissing changed in pitch. It took a moment, but soon it did start to sound like a radio.


    An ancient one, like Alice had once heard at her grandparent''s place. Crystal continued to adjust things until there was a moment where the hissing was replaced by a few notes of something more than random static.


    "Oh, I think I got something," Crystal said. She adjusted the radio some more, being more careful and minute with her changes until the tiny speaker started to blurt out some proper noise.


    "-si-Cola, the smoothest drink in the wastes!" Crystal and Alice both blinked as they listened to the whisper from the speaker. The ads continued to roll. Toothpaste, canned meats, a kind of rugged car. Even a catchy jingle and song about the most reliable rifle for hunters everywhere.


    "These are in Russian, right?" Crystal asked.


    "I think so, yeah," Alice said. She could understand every language, but that didn''t mean she knew which language she was understanding at the moment. But the voices on the radio did sound Russian.


    "Let me fiddle with this," Crystal muttered. "Might be catching an all-ads channel."


    "It''s a good sign," Alice said. "It means that there''s a radio transmitting somewhere, which means power."


    "Yeah," Crystal agreed. She made a small mark on the radio, for the channel they were on, then adjusted it some more. Soon enough she picked up another.


    "-Is the Iron Voice, bringing you the news from the zone."


    "Oh, got one," Crystal said with a little cheer. The voice was feminine, but rough. The voice of a serious woman who had smoked her share.


    "Black sea raiders have made their way from the coast, hitting some settlements deeper in. If you can hear us in that region, be prepared for trouble. A convoy from Lithuania was delayed by this morning''s time storm. If you were expecting a delivery, then expect to be disappointed. The convoy reports safe, it will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. More anomalies along the west wall. A hunter reports that his dog turned into a puppy near sector forty-four. It could always be worse. We will be having a moment of silence for the Sage, whose time finally came. May it be like a swan''s down, old man."


    "I have no idea what she''s talking about," Crystal said.


    "We''re just missing a lot of context," Alice said. "It might come. We should keep moving. Can you work the radio at the same time?"


    "Hmm, yeah, I think so. The antenna will be pretty short, so..." she pulled the little radio off the hood of the car, and the signal immediately worsened. Alice could still make out one word in five. Crystal started to fiddle with it, and soon that turned into one word in three. It was better than nothing.


    They continued on their walk, accompanied by the radio which eventually slipped into playing folksy music with fits and starts. Alice tried to piece together what she''d learned from the report.


    The fact that there was a report at all was telling all on its own.


    Soon they came upon a spot with more cars. They were bumper-to-bumper, even though they''d been pushed aside, and then they started finding cars that had rammed into each other.


    The cause was obvious, once they got to it.


    Another anomaly. This one with a car halfway into it. It looked as if the front of the car had flickered into its own rear, then stopped hard. The car behind it had rammed into the first, and the one behind that one into the second.


    The accident was old enough that anything... organic had been picked away, and any corpses had been curried, but it looked violent.


    "They didn''t know," Crystal said. "It''s like the time thing just appeared out of nowhere."


    "Looks like that, yeah," Alice said.


    ***

 Chapter Four - Anomaly

    Chapter Four - Anomaly


    It was almost an hour later that Alice and Crystal discovered a fresh anomaly. They heard it long before they saw it.


    The anomaly came as a deep, bass-like thrum. A boom that echoed out across the lifeless highway and across the open fields around it. It was rhythmic and constant. A thump, a few moments, then another.


    "I can''t get any signals," Crystal complained as she waved her antenna around. She''d made another stick, this one some three metres long, and had wrapped her antenna wire around it. At first it created a much better signal, but now it wasn''t catching anything.


    "Do you think there''s interference?" Alice asked. The distant thump was growing closer as they walked at a steady pace in the middle of the road.


    "Yeah, I think so," Crystal said. Her radio hissed, then made a deep hiccuping noise at almost exactly the same time as the thump.


    Whatever was causing that distant noise wasn''t just making a noise that was audible, it was interfering with more. Alice could sense something in the air as well. Magic contracting, then letting loose all at once. It was almost like a heartbeat, though faint. If it wasn''t for the thumping noise alerting her to something being strange, she might not have noticed the effect in the magic around her.


    They continued, with Crystal soon abandoning her attempts to get a signal. The best she could do was catch a few words before another hiccup delayed them, and there was no point in listening to half a second of music then a bassy thunk from her tiny speaker.


    It was another kilometre before they finally discovered the source of the thump.


    Fields were sown alongside the highway. They''d turned into fields of low-lying weeds, the ground unfarmed and abandoned. It was startlingly green, and actually kind of nice. Nature reclaiming this spot. All except for one area.


    Along the side of the road, off of a small bridge leading into the field, was a space some twenty metres across where nothing grew. In the middle of it was a bright red tractor, or at least the back half of it.


    The front of the tractor was crushed.


    Another thump sounded, and a tiny puff of dust rose from the space at the front of the machine. A perfect circle was drawn in the ground, dirt pressed in, the metal of the tractor''s engine and front wheels crushed into a thin, flat plate.


    Another thump, and more dust spread out from the circle. Alice imagined that the circle burrowed just a tiny bit deeper into the earth.


    The empty space around it was devoid of plantlife, covered in dust. With every thump, the nearest weeds shook a little, a wave of trembling plantlife moving along as the ground shook like a drop hitting a still pond.


    "Do you think that''s something Meagan could do?" Crystal asked.


    "Maybe," Alice said. Meagan was, arguably, the oldest magical girl. She''d gained her powers not long after Alice had gained her own, but Meagan ''s powers allowed her to make time her plaything. How many cumulative years had she spent in time loops, or redoing an entire day or conversation?


    Alice knew that Meagan tended to take things rather... casually. She had read every book she wanted to read, and watched every show or movie. All the things that others put off because time wouldn''t allow them to learn or practice or enjoy, Meagan had done.


    This thumping thing wasn''t something Alice had seen Meagan do, unless... "If it''s just kinetic energy striking downwards on a loop, then it''s possible."


    "I think she could do that, yeah," Crystal said. "Should we... do something about it?"


    "I don''t think so. No one intelligent is going to stick their hand in it," Alice said. "We''re almost at the city, too."


    There was a road sign not too far away. It read Pripyat, 10 kilometres.


    They continued, and the constant thump slowly faded to obscurity behind them. Not that it was the last anomaly they found. There was a car that was driving forwards, then disappearing. It would reappear again, still driving forwards back where it started.


    The area around that car was marked with road cones, some of which flickered away. It seemed like the people who had marked out this anomaly''s range had done so by placing cones around it, tossing them closer and closer until they disappeared and reappeared mid-toss.


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    The edges of the field were filled with blowing leaves and a few lost birds caught in the effect.


    Perhaps the most distressing thing was the driver. A middle-aged man, cigarette in mouth, brows set in a frown that grew as he drove along.


    "Wow," Crystal said. "I''ve seen Meagan do loops, but never... just leave them."


    "Because just leaving them might be a fate worse than death," Alice said. She could feel the man''s fear, the same way she could feel anyone''s. He wasn''t afraid, really. More... frustrated and irate. Worried about bills, about being late. Simple fears that were easy to overlook.


    At the very end of the loop, there was a sudden spark of fear. Where were all the other cars, the traffic? But that fear blinked away along with the man and his car.


    At least he wasn''t conscious of being in a loop.


    "Should we, uh... put him out of his misery?" Crystal asked.


    Alice considered it. He wasn''t suffering, technically. In a way, that strange man would outlive just about everyone else on the planet. But she wasn''t sure if she could consider his life actual living.


    "Do you think you can?" Alice asked.


    "I''m pretty decent at killing things," Crystal said.


    "You''d need to do it in the fraction of a second when the loop starts. Otherwise you''ll just be killing him over and over again," Alice said. "That, or you interfere with the loop enough to break it."


    "That wouldn''t be so bad," Crystal said.


    "We''d have a man out of time and out of place," Alice said. "Someone as unaware of what''s happening as we are."


    "Yeah, but he''d know about the wider world, right? I mean, before the, uh, apocalypse."


    Alice considered it, then nodded. "Okay. I wouldn''t mind driving the rest of the way. Can you break the loop cleanly?"


    "I can try," Crystal said. She nodded, more to herself than to Alice. "Yeah, I can do it. Trust me!"


    Alice did. Crystal had always felt like a little sister to Alice, but she was a dependable little sister, one with her heart in the right place who dearly wanted to impress. She was behind all of the others a little, in strength and experience, but her attitude helped a lot. Crystal was always trying to improve and become a better magical girl.


    Alice could remember meeting her, praising her just a little for her efforts and seeing Crystal almost explode with poorly contained embarrassment before she redoubled her efforts. It was endearing.


    "Alright. Let''s see..."


    Crystal closed her eyes and stretched her hands out towards the anomaly. Crystalline pillars broke out from the road and rose up until they bent inwards and met over the top of the anomaly.


    Crystal frowned, then the pillars started to glow. Each loop made them brighten before the light would recede, but never faster than the next glow would come. Soon, after a dozen loops, the pillars were becoming bright enough that they were beginning to be hard to look at. The street, even though it was only mid-day, was lit up by ethereal blues and greens and splashes of a deep, dark blue whose hue Alice wasn''t sure mortal eyes could see, but which reminded her keenly of Meagan .


    Then, with a sucking feeling as if all the magic in the vicinity was pulling inwards, the loop broke.


    Birds caught in it took flight, some of them bumping into the pillars and careening off with angry flaps. Leaves caught in ancient winds fluttered away, and a small rain of water and snow poured down from the top of the anomaly.


    The car shot forwards and rammed into a pair of the pillars, snapping them apart before the driver slammed on the brakes and came to a stop some dozen metres past the edge of the anomaly.


    "Phew!" Crystal said as she wiped her brow. "That was a tough one!"


    "Well done," Alice congratulated, simply and honestly. It still set Crystal''s cheeks aflame.


    Then the driver stepped out of the car, swearing up a storm. He gestured to the hood of his car, dented by the pillars he''d rammed through, then turned towards the two of them. "What did you bitches do? What is going on? Blyad, where is everyone?"


    Alice glanced at Crystal, who shied away and made a little ''you handle this'' gesture to Alice.


    She sighed, but Crystal had done some good work, and it was often Alice''s job to take care of public relations. "Hello, sir. Would you mind giving us a ride to Pripyat? We can explain what we know along the way."


    ***

 Chapter Five - Nikolai

    Chapter Five - Nikolai


    Nikolai had no idea who these two were, why they were dressed... like that, or what had happened.


    So, like any proper man would, he lit a Laika with a hotel matchbook, then flicked the still-burning match away before taking a pull. The burn in his lungs and the smooth feeling of nicotine in his blood helped put things in order.


    He breathed out, then pointed to the older of the two girls.


    Not much older. She looked like a teenager still. A pretty one, just on the cusp of adulthood. Tanned skin, almond eyes, a tall thin figure. She wasn''t from around here, that much he knew. Beauties like that only showed up as ballerinas on television.


    The girl next to her was just as unlikely to be a local, but it wasn''t as glaring. Shorter, bright blonde hair and blue eyes, but a chubby-cheeked face that was more darling sister than daring temptress.


    Both of them were dressed outlandishly. The tall one in a deep blue horse rider''s outfit, the shorter in a frumpy dress. Nikolai had no sense for such things. He wore plain pants and a shirt that was sometimes clean. His sweater was knit by his babushka.


    He looked around. The highway was... a mess. Cars broken down and left to rot, the road all cracked up. No dust in the air. He frowned. That last one might not have been all that bad, actually. The air smelled better than he remembered.


    He took another pull from his cigarette.


    Nikolai was a simple man, but he wasn''t a stupid one. "This hell?" he asked.


    "No," the tall one said. "I''ve been there. This isn''t it."


    "Hmm," he replied. "Then... this the future?"


    The blonde one giggled. "No, it''s the present! But I guess for you it might as well be. We, uh, aren''t from around here either."


    He took another pull. "Figured. Where are you from?"


    The two glanced at each other, and spoke without words the way lovers and siblings did. Finally, the taller one elected herself to speak. "We''re from another world," she said. "We came to this one looking for a friend. Our world is very similar, but things are different. We found you locked in a time-loop."


    She pointed back, to the strange thing made of pillars he''d crashed through. Nikolai hadn''t been looking at it too much. It made him feel weird to stare. It was wrong.


    "What''s the year?" he asked.


    "You''re the first living person we''ve met," the blonde said. "We have no idea."


    "Blyat." Nikolai finished his cigarette, then flicked it across the roof of his piece of shit car. "So, you pulled me here to starve?" He had a lunchbox in the trunk. That wouldn''t last him.


    "We think there''s people in Pripyat," tall one said. She pointed down the road, as if he didn''t know where the damned city he lived in was. "There''s traffic that passes, signs of life. It''s not inhospitable here."


    "We''ve only been on this world for like, half a day," blonde said. "I''m sure you''ll find lots of people. Maybe some family that''ll be surprised to see you alive!"


    He nodded. He had two kids. A boy and a girl. His wife took care of them while he worked. He started to worry. "I''m going home," he decided.


    "Nice! Can we ride along? We have a lot of questions!" Blonde said.


    "Sure," he replied. "Give me your names first."


    "I''m Crystal, and that--"


    "Rending."


    "That''s right!" Crystal said. She was too damned cheerful.


    "Nikolai Afanasief," he grumbled.


    Nikolai got into his car, then frowned as tall... Rending, got into the passenger seat. The blonde went in the back, sitting in the middle with a bounce and rather rudely shoving aside some files and papers from his work.


    Not that those files were worth their weight in shit anymore. If there was one bright side to the world ending, it was not having to file anything anymore.


    "So, what do you do?" Rending asked as he started his car up. It rumbled to life, and he was thankful. He''d never been a mechanical sort, and the bumper was messed up. He was worried it wouldn''t start at all.


    "I''m a foreman," he said. "Mostly shuffle papers around, sign things off for the government."


    "And which government is that?" Rending asked.


    He frowned. "The Soviet Union, obviously," he said.


    "What year were you aware of last?" Rending asked. She didn''t put on a belt or anything, he noticed. Not that he cared, or could drive fast. He cursed under his breath as he struck a pothole, then slowed down a little. His suspension could only take so much.


    "It was... 2009," he said.


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    Rending turned to look his way. "Really? And this area was still part of the USSR?"


    "Yes? Obviously."


    "Interesting," Rending said. "What about the cold war?"


    "The what?" he asked. "How can a war be cold?"


    "Alright, so we have some obvious historical differences here," Rending said. "Let''s go back a bit. Second World War? Did you have one? You know, Nazis in Germany, the Allies?"


    "Yes, of course," he grumbled. "My grandfather survived it."


    "Okay, so we can establish that as a baseline... when did the first world war end?"


    "Nineteen Eighteen," he replied. What was this, history lessons all over again? Maybe they''d lied about this not being hell.


    "And the second world war ended in forty-five, right?" she asked.


    "What? No, it ended in fifty-two." He could feel Rending''s gaze on him. "I''m not wrong," he snapped. "That''s when we finished taking all of western europe from those filthy freaks."


    "I feel like we''re going to need a map," Crystal said from the back. "And maybe a history book."


    "We''ll have to see if there''s a library somewhere," Rending muttered.


    Nikolai focused on the road. He had no choice. It was covered in potholes and bumps, the lanes to either side had the backs of cars pushed out of the way in them. Then, some two minutes later, he slowed down even more as he caught sight of something unusual.


    A large truck carrying cows was in the act of exploding off the highway. The middle of it was bent, and there were bovines being tossed every which way. The entire thing was frozen in the act of exploding, as if caught in time, or as if it was some grand, too-realistic statue in the centre of the road.


    "Poor cows," Crystal said. She sounded sad. What she didn''t sound was confused, or horrified. This, to her, was normal, and somehow that was the most horrific thing that Nikolai could hear coming from her.


    This wasn''t his home. The rules had changed in a way that he couldn''t quite understand.


    Then Rending turned on his radio and started to surf through channels. The only channel that came in was one playing Tchaikovsky''s Swan Lake on a loop. That was never a good sign.


    The city started to appear ahead. He recognized it, of course. The suburbs, and the little twenty-home towns that branched off from the highway on the way into Pripyat.


    "Slow down a little," Crystal said as she leaned forwards between the seats. "Look, the homes. They''re abandoned."


    She was right. The houses here weren''t the nicest places to live in. Old farmhouses and new developments springing up around the city. But now they were wrecks. Overgrown lawns, trees that had fallen onto homes, cars rotting in driveways.


    Nikolai slowed to a stop. The road here split, one side riding out into the suburbs, the other continuing into the city itself. Both had been cleared of cars. He did note one good sign. "The cars here were stripped for scrap," he said.


    The cars had their doors and hoods and wheels removed. Some even looked like they had their insides gutted, only leaving the frames behind. He also noted that it was only the cars left. No pickups, no utility vehicles. Those had either been dragged off, or taken apart completely.


    No one wanted a Lada on these kinds of roads, but a big old truck? He wouldn''t mind one of those if the number of potholes he had to deal with stayed the same.


    "Nice catch," Rending complimented. "And there''s life ahead. Look."


    She pointed, and he bent forwards to see the skyline of Pripyat out ahead. The city had been expanding for years, and he could see its gleaming towers striving into the horizon as large grey blocks. There was smoke, coming from the towers and from all around them. The industrial sector had more smoke pouring from its chimanies.


    The city lived.


    "Let''s head in," Rending said. "The roads look better here, I think there''s more traffic."


    "There''s someone coming up behind us," Crystal said.


    Nikolai glanced in his mirror. The girl was right, a convoy of trucks were coming up the road, kicking up dust as they went. Military trucks.


    "Pull over, we''ll let them cross, then follow them into the city," Rending said. "If we can."


    "And if they don''t want us?" Nikolai asked.


    "Then we''ll not want them either, and our dislike is a lot more potent," Rending replied.


    There was finality there. She reminded him of some old government dog for a moment, in the body of a beautiful young woman.


    He had no idea what he''d gotten himself embroiled in, but he knew that he didn''t like it.


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter One

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter One


    Her hair had been beautiful, once, but now as she looked upon herself, Vasilisa wasn''t sure what to think. The local barber, the same old man who cut her father''s hair, had given her a knowing look when she asked him to cut it all off. She had pointed to an image on his wall, of a proper young man, hair parted to one side and trimmed short on the sides.


    It had cost her a few rubles, less than a visit to a hairdresser, at least, and then Vasilisa had bundled herself up and snuck out of the shop and back home, a scarf over her head. It felt colder without her long blonde hair. But it was necessary.


    Many things were necessary, and necessarily painful.


    She stood in her home, the apartment that was hers and her father''s. It was small, but comfortable all the same. On the third floor of one of the new constructions, before the wall went up. She could see the top half of the great ferris wheel in the centre of the city if she angled herself just right and looked out of the window.


    Vasilisa put that out of her mind.


    At the moment, she stood, undressed, in the bedroom she''d shared with her mother. Her hair was a man''s. She tilted her head left, then right. It looked... manly? Yes, that would pass. Her face however. She frowned at herself. Her chin was too slight, her eyes a little too large. Too feminine.


    She cleared her throat. "I''m Alexander," she said. No, that was too deep, comically deep. "I''m Alexander," she repeated. Then again. "I''m Alexander."


    Better, at least to her ear. She sounded a little like some of the younger soldiers out on the streets, those that were hardly men yet.


    With a nod, Vasilisa started to garb herself. Underthings first, then she found a length of cloth, formerly a scarf, and wrapped it tight around her chest. She tried breathing, and found it somewhat difficult, but not so bad. It flattened her chest, hid what she had.


    That would do, for now.


    She found trousers and tugged them on, then buttoned up the front. Should... should she stuff a sock down the front? She considered it, then dismissed the idea. It might well slip and fall, and then she''d need to explain that. Better to be simple.


    A button-up shirt, the same dull green as the army boys, then a baggy men''s coat that stopped by her hips. She found a scarf next, and wrapped it thickly around her neck and lower face. It hid her jaw some and might muffle her voice. Then thick army boots and some bulky leather gloves. It wasn''t yet winter, but it was always a little cold. This much wasn''t unreasonable.


    Vasilisa walked up and down the room. Was she walking as a woman did? She had never really considered that before. Did men stomp as they walked?


    She tried to remember how her father walked. Big steps, confident. She didn''t have that same gait, but she could try. She puffed her chest out, then walked with great big movements of her shoulders. "I''m the biggest, I''m the strongest," she muttered to herself.


    Then she held back a laugh. No, that was too much.


    The last thing she had to grab was a small backpack. A simple thing, a deep blue, with a few pockets sewn onto the outside. Within was food, all of her money, a few maps and simple tools, and some room. Lots of room, actually.


    She hesitated as she decided where to put the last thing.


    The most important thing.


    It had been hidden under her pillow. The last memento given to her by her mother before she passed. Vasilisa''s greatest secret, kept even from her father. It was a motanka doll, its dress was bright colours and its face three curved lines of string on a pale white piece of some rag tied off around the neck.


    It was a child''s toy, but also more.


    She tucked it into the deep pockets of her trousers, then she tightened the trouser''s belt a little more. The weight of the doll against her leg was a comfort.


    Finally, Vasilisa looked at herself in the mirror once more.


    Before her stood a young man, maybe a little baby-faced, but in rugged gear. The kind of thing worn by off-duty soldiers. Short, for a man, but not too much so, with short-cropped blonde hair. Yes, it would do. "My name is Alexander," she repeated. "And I''m going to save my father."


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    The last was more for herself, than anything else.


    She touched the doll through her pocket, then tugged the coat on straighter. It was baggy enough, and long enough, to hide her chest and hips and anything else that might give her away.


    Vasilisa moved around their house one last time. She shut off the heating and twisted the valve on their stove to shut it down as well. The lights were all extinguished, and everything was squared away. A small letter sat on the table in the kitchen, angled up, with the landlord''s name written across it. There were several crisp bills within, the rent for the next month.


    She didn''t doubt that the fat landlord would poke around the apartment some, even after finding the letter. He was that kind of man, but he was honest too. They''d have a home to return to. After that... she wasn''t so sure. Maybe it would be like Miss Afanasief across the corridor, who lived on very little, but made due anyway. She always said that her husband would return someday. No one believed her, but it was hard to squash hope when there was so little to be found in this city, in this era.


    Vasilisa slipped out of the apartment and locked the door. Then she paused. Had she forgotten anything? She didn''t think so.


    This was... a risk. A stupid one. She''d end up dead, and gone. Her best option was to go back in, give up on this. Dress herself up properly. Maybe she could find some work again, accumulate enough to get by for a while. Then let her hair grow back, maybe find one of those soldier boys who had no wife yet and...


    She shook her head. The thought was not pleasant. What she was doing now was the wrong thing.


    But it was also right.


    She left the door to her apartment behind and made her way down the stairs. She almost bumped into someone, an older woman who shied to the side. "Pardon," she said, only remembering to deepen her voice at the very end.


    That would require some practice, practice she could ill afford.


    Once outside, Vasilisa tugged her pack up, then started towards the centre of the city. It was a long walk. She didn''t want to take the bus, not when they might ask her for ID. So she took some time to practice her gait, eyes scanning over the few men on the street and watching the way they walked.


    Did all men have to step so wide? They were so strange.


    Vasilisa had a few places to visit before she could take off. The first of these was nearer to the centre of the city. A small, run-down building that her father had brought her to a few times when she was younger.


    The place smelled like cordite and cigarette smoke, and there were a few men by the entrance chatting. She nodded to them, that quick up-down gesture boys did to each other in passing. They barely acknowledged her. A minor victory, that!


    Stepping in, Vasilisa glanced around. The place was filled with posters. Recruitment ads, some for guns and peripherals. She heard the echoing crack-thump of guns being fired deeper within. That wasn''t what she was here for.


    Off to the side, past a heavy door with a glass square in it just across from the man taking care of the entrance fees was a room lined with metal lockers. She tugged out a key, checked the number on it, then matched it to a rusty locker near the back. Her father''s.


    She slipped the key in and opened it.


    Within were a few small boxes, old cardboard, and a few guns.


    Vasilisa hesitated before the selection. But no, if she wanted to do this, she''d need these. The first she grabbed was a tiny handgun in a leather sheath. It had a cheap bakelite grip with a medallion imprinted on it. She found a box of the right bullets for it, and two magazines.


    This was the gun her father had taught her to shoot. He''d taken her out of the city, before the Zone, before everything, and had helped her shoot some cans with it. She could remember the kick still.


    The rifle was an old thing, her grandfather''s, even, from the last great war.


    These would be her tools, the tools she''d need to find her father and make him return.


    ***

 Chapter Six - Lada Ride

    Chapter Six - Lada Ride


    Alice half-turned in the Lada''s passenger seat so that she could take in the group moving by. It looked, at first glance, like a military convoy.


    The lead trucks were army-green flatbeds carrying large shipping crates at the back held down by thick straps. The trucks rumbled by, and Alice caught a few of the passengers in the trucks glancing out at them.


    Young men, wearing green uniforms and occasionally metal helmets. The one in the third truck had a rifle next to him. The drivers wore uniforms too, though they didn''t seem as orderly and pristine.


    They didn''t seem overly interested, not that she could sense. There was fear in them, but it was calm, restrained for the moment.


    These were people doing something they were worried about, but not afraid of. She''d felt the same kind of fear in police officers on patrol in dangerous neighbourhoods. It was subdued but present.


    The first few trucks rumbled by, then they were followed by a pair of troop transports, and finally a few semi-trailers. These were a little more modern, the typical kind of truck she''d seen her entire life carrying all sorts of shipping around.


    They rumbled past too, and were soon followed by a small cadre of far more ordinary cars. Coups and minivans and a few more Lada''s like mister Nikolai''s, though they were noticeably rustier and dirtier, as if they''d been on the road for a very long time.


    Finally, taking up the rear, were a pair of APCs, armoured personnel carriers, with young men standing behind machine guns that were facing backwards.


    "Strange," Alice said.


    "This ain''t the Pripyat I remember," Nikolai said as he watched the convoy rumble on. He kicked his car into gear and they rode off the embarkment. The old man kept a fair bit of distance between them and the rear-most of the trucks. Alice decided that that was probably wise.


    "It''s people," Crystal said. "None of those I saw looked weird."


    "A bit thin, maybe," Alice said. "But you''re right, not strange. Should we be expecting anything like that?"


    "Are... are you asking me?" Crystal asked.


    "You have more experience with this than I do," Alice said.


    "Oh... well, on Rending World--"


    "We''re not calling it that."


    "On magic brain monster world, the locals were normal humans for the most part. Only a few of them were kinda-mutated. Those that could use magic," Crystal said.


    Alice felt a spike of fear mingling with curiosity from Nikolai. She didn''t reprimand Crystal for the slip, however. It didn''t matter.


    The convoy continued on ahead until, after another ten minutes of travelling at a pace she could outmatch without sweating, they arrived at a wall.


    Above and behind it rose a... modern-enough city. It had tall buildings, a couple of skyscrapers, and plenty of what looked like brick and mortar apartment complexes with their sides covered in large, faded posters. The wall, however, was newer and yet shoddier than all of that.


    It was three stories tall, more or less. All cement, with what looked like a catwalk on the other side. Guard towers sprang up along its length, and it looked like the people that had built it didn''t care much for any buildings in their way, because demolished ruins lined the exterior of the wall.


    "Was that always there?" Crystal asked.


    "No," Nikolai said. "No, this was never here before." He pointed to the right a little, and Alice followed his finger towards an apartment building some ways into the city. It was only visible because of how tall it was. She guessed seven floors, more or less. "That''s my home. It was brand new."


    "Looks a little weather-beaten now," Crystal said. "Uh, no offence."


    "Hmm, none taken," he muttered.


    The convoy ahead was slowed down at a large gate, and a few people in army uniforms stepped out and checked each vehicle as it passed. They had some mirrors on long sticks, and a few dogs that sniffed at tires and trucks. They weren''t being entirely professional about it, however. It looked very perfunctory, as if they were doing this for a while without seeing much action.


    Alice squinted at one of the guards. He wasn''t afraid, just bored. Pushing deeper, she could tell that he had some lingering worries, of being eaten, or swallowed by a storm, or of being deployed for longer, but it was all thin. More worry than she''d felt in the average person, but not by too much.


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    They came up behind the last APC, and weren''t even questioned. A guard looked into the car, but Alice was quick to meet his eyes. He had a ping of fear and worry on seeing both her and Crystal. They were foreign, bizarrely dressed, out of place.


    She grabbed that fear and suffocated it.


    The man stepped back and waved them on. The dog sniffing at the car backed away to beg for a treat from its handler, and the man with the mirror found nothing strange under Nikolai''s Lada.


    "Easy enough," the man next to her said as he loosened his deathgrip on the steering wheel.


    The city beyond the wall was... normal enough.


    The streets had cars parked up next to them, people walking on the sidewalks. There was some music in the air and ads on walls. Nikolai took the first right, and soon they were driving down less busy roads that nonetheless had people around.


    The city wasn''t dead, but Alice could feel the oppressive weight of long standing fears lingering in the air here. This place was gripped, and had been gripped, by a constant foreboding for what must have been months, maybe years.


    It was the same taste she''d discovered in wartorn countries, in places that had been shelled just days prior and now had citizens waiting for things to either clear, or for more death to rain down atop them. It was the delicious taste of uncertainty, and she hated how satisfying it was to drink it in.


    Nikolai seemed to know where he was going, at least. They pulled to a stop in front of an apartment building, the same one he''d pointed at from outside of the wall. There were slots for parking along the side of the road and Nikolai slipped into one, put his car in park, then leaned back in his seat and stared ahead.


    She wasn''t blind to the fear radiating off of him, nor was did she miss the look in his eyes.


    "Do you want us to go with you?" Crystal asked softly.


    She was always somehow really charismatic, more so than Alice was, at least when it came to natural talent.


    Alice blamed her Golden Retriever-ness.


    "We have the time, if you want," Alice said.


    Nikolai pulled out a cigarette from an inner pocket, then lit it with a match from a small hotel-style matchbook. "No," he said after exhaling. "If my family''s here, I''ll see them myself. If not, then it''ll be my job to track them down. Just gonna hope my old wife didn''t get herself married to a bigger, tougher man." He swiped at his nose with the back of his palm, then looked to Alice and Crystal. "I don''t know what kind of craziness you two are up to, but I know that I don''t want it near my family."


    "Bit rude," Crystal muttered.


    "But true enough. That''s how we do things here," he grumbled. "Now get outta my car too."


    Crystal harrumphed, but she got out of the car all the same. "Well, thanks for the ride, I guess," she said. "Do you, uh, have any clue where to go from here?"


    Nikolai stepped out of the car, closing the door with a bang, then he stomped off, not caring that he''d left the car unlocked. "Centre of the city," he said over his shoulder. "Go to City Hall, that''s where all the nosy folk are."


    Alice shrugged and stepped out, it was better than nothing.


    "Wait, where''s the city hall?" Crystal called out after him.


    "Next to the amusement park!" were his last words before he tugged the door of the apartment complex open and stepped in.


    Crystal turned to Alice. Her eyes were literally sparkling.


    "We''re here to save our friend," Alice said.


    Crystal''s eyes continued to sparkle.


    Alice sighed. "Fine. We''ll check out the amusement part. No, that doesn''t mean we''re going there, stop bouncing around."


    Alice looked about. The few people around this part of town all wore... perhaps not the same clothes, but there was definitely a type to their fashion. Browns and drab colours. Lots of muted tones. Overcoats and outfits that covered everything. She saw hoods on the younger folk, and brimmed hats on the older.


    "We''re standing out a lot," she said.


    "I think we''re supposed to, no?" Crystal asked.


    "I have a feeling that maybe we should strive not to," Alice admitted.


    Finding Meagan was going to be hard enough without being the centre of everyone''s attention.


    ***

 Chapter Seven - Quick Change

    Chapter Seven - Quick Change


    "There''s a shop there," Crystal said as she pointed to the side. The shop in question was on one corner of an intersection. An old brick building that was more of a convenience store than anything else. There were a few ads over the windows, and it looked like a few older ladies were gossiping by the entrance.


    "Alright," Alice agreed. She could feel people noticing her and Crystal. There was always a spark of fear, then more curiosity. This was not a place where the unusual was accepted, and both of them were unusual.


    It wasn''t just their magical girl outfits either, though... Those weren''t helping. Her riding uniform was too tight and bright for this kind of environment, and Crystal''s puffed out dress was... literally covered in glittery little gems.


    Alice always thought that Crystal looked a bit too much like a child dressed up as her favourite princess. Though she did very much fit the image of the classical magical girl from older media.


    Alice''s darker skin, and Crystal''s blonde hair and blue eyes also seemed uncommon here. She noticed a couple of people with hair that was almost ginger, but for the most part it was blacks and browns and dour looks.


    They stepped past the old ladies, who paused in their gossipping to stare at the two of them. "Stalkers?" one of the ladies whispered to her companion.


    Alice didn''t know what that meant, but she filed it away for later. They stepped into the shop, and she was hit by the scent of fresh bread and the sharp tang of detergents.


    There were racks of canned foods, a small butcher station at the rear, and a long counter by the front with the cash register and an older man who was looking over a printed list.


    Alice tugged Crystal after her. "Maybe not the best place to change in," she said.


    "Eh, I kinda wanted to see what they have for sale too," Crystal said.


    "Oh?" Alice asked.


    "There''s soda, but none of the brands I know. No Coca-Cola, no L&P, not even, like, Fanta or Pepsi."


    That was a surprisingly astute observation. Alice took note of the cans they were passing. The writing was all local, of course, but more importantly it was all brandless and strange to her. "We are in a different universe," she said.


    "I guess," Crystal agreed.


    They found a set of double-doors at the back, leading into a small storage room currently filled with large water bottles and a few still-packed crates filled with random supplies.


    Alice shut the doors behind herself, then she pressed some magic into the doors. Anyone looking at them would feel a faint foreboding. Anyone thinking of opening them would feel increasing terror the closer they came.


    She left it unexplained, without origin. The person''s mind would fill in the blanks for the magic. Touching the door would require impossible bravery or incredible idiocy. And in the case of idiocy (which was far more common) she found a bar and slid it between the handles, locking the door properly.


    She turned to find that Crystal had taken care of the other exit, erecting a barrier of opaque crystal across the entire doorway.


    "Alright, let''s get changed," Alice said.


    "Wait, here? Like, the t-two of us?" Crystal asked.


    "It''s not exactly a changing room, but is it that much of a problem? There aren''t any cameras, are there?" she glanced around, but saw nothing of the sort. Just in case, she darkened the corners of the room, and the light seeped away, leaving them in a far more intimate amount of light.


    "Yeah, I, uh, guess," Crystal said.


    "I can turn around," Alice replied.


    "That... okay?" Crystal said. "How are we dressing?"


    "Ah, that''s a good question. I noticed a lot of people on the street in long coats and... almost survival-like gear. Maybe something of that sort?" Alice had an image in mind already.


    Crystal gasped. "Can we go full on post-apocalyptic punk?"


    "I thought you were warned away from punk already?" Alice asked. Their friend, Phantom Mist, had told Crystal not to try dressing in ways that didn''t suit her. And the ways that did suit her were... mostly preppy, bubbly and colourful fashions. Crystal was far too... Crystal to fit the more dour and subdued ways that some of the others liked to dress. "How about you just tone down the dress a little and maybe throw on a jacket? I know asking for pants is too much."


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    "I''ve worn pants before," Crystal said. "Under duress."


    Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Do you want me to change first, then? You can take cues based on that?"


    They had changed to match a little before. Once using a summit at the UN all... well, at the time it was just eight of them, but they''d all dressed in suits and tried to look a little more serious. It was hard to disregard some of the colour choices their magic and costume seemed to veer towards, but it wasn''t impossible.


    "Okay," Crystal said, her voice cracking a little.


    She stared as Alice changed.


    It wasn''t all that difficult, but it wasn''t easy either. She had to focus her magic and will inwards, something that seemed a little... complicated, at the moment. She envisioned herself in something far more utilitarian, and with a shove, she felt her outfit being swallowed by darkness before the black swept away and left her in something entirely new.


    Blinking, Alice glanced down at herself, then frowned. She was now in a well-tailored long-coat, one that reached to her knees. She had pants, as was proper. Cargos with several belts tightening them along her legs and large boots for her feet.


    The coat was raggedy though, the edges torn, and while nothing was dirty, it all looked worn.


    "Oh, I like it," Crystal said with a clap. "Very end-of-the-world-chic!"


    "Thank you," Alice said. She stuffed her hands into pockets that weren''t there a moment ago, then nodded to Crystal. "Your turn."


    "Can... can you turn around?" Alice shrugged and did just that, though she did ignore Crystal''s added comment of "You can peek a little if you want."


    "I''m good," Alice said.


    There was a bright flash that threatened to banish the shadows, then some humming and a few smaller, less-bright flashes as Crystal adjusted things. "Okay, I think this works."


    Alice turned and looked Crystal up and down. The shorter girl was still wearing a dress, one that flared out at the hip and only barely covered her knees, but she was also wearing tall, dark-blue boots, and a midriff-jacket that looked like it might have been made of some sort of pale leather.


    She had belts on too, with a few pouches around her hips, not too dissimilar to Alice''s own. "That... well, it''s less distinctive than your previous dress," Alice said.


    "Thanks!"


    Alice summoned up a pair of dark blue cloaks and tossed one to Crystal. They''d act a bit like hooded ponchos, which might make them stand out a little, but she''d seen a few older women wearing similar outfits outside, so it might not be too bad.


    "Snug!" Crystal said as she draped the cloak over herself and pulled it on tight.


    Alice reached over and adjusted it on her shoulders, then tugged the hood on, all the while ignoring the blush that painted itself across Crystal''s nose. "There you go. You''re as pale as everyone else around here, so as long as you disguise your hair, we should be fine."


    "Okay," Crystal said. "Should we, uh, go, then?"


    Alice nodded, then gestured to the back door. "Want to take that apart?"


    Crystal removed the obstruction she''d created, the wall vanishing with a sparkle, then Alice dismissed her own magical barrier, the fear effect undoing itself like a ribbon being tugged apart. The magic would loosen and fall apart in a few minutes, and within an hour or two, there wouldn''t even be a lingering doubt left to it.


    They opened the backdoor and jumped down to the ground from a truck-loading dock into a narrow alley.


    "Are we going to that city hall place?" Crystal asked.


    "I suppose. I don''t know if we want the help of the local government or not. On the one hand, they''ll have resources and information that we lack, but on the other, I don''t want us to be beholden to anyone."


    "I really hope that Meagan isn''t stuck in some top-secret government hole somewhere," Crystal said. "That would suck."


    "I don''t think so, not with the way this world seems to be. I do wonder what caused all of this. Actually, stopping by a library or something like that wouldn''t hurt. Someone must have kept a record of whatever caused the apocalypse."


    "I guess? If I was stuck in the end-times, I probably wouldn''t bother keeping up my diary."


    ***

 Chapter Eight - City Centre

    Chapter Eight - City Centre


    The concentration of people out in the city seemed to only grow as they walked towards its middle.


    At the same time, Alice was pushing her power outwards, stretching it so that she could have a good grasp of the entire city and its surroundings. There were a lot of people here. Some fifty, maybe sixty thousand souls, all contained within a relatively small footprint for a city.


    "Anything good?" Crystal asked. She must have sensed that Alice was trying to learn more about their surroundings.


    "Nothing too interesting so far," Alice admitted. "It''s a relatively large city, but that''s all. There''s not much past the walls."


    "Okay, but isn''t that kind of interesting?" Crystal asked. "I''ve seen weird fantasy cities with walls, but this is modern. Well, more or less modern." She glanced to the side where a cart was being pulled by a draft horse. It was loaded with barrels and the driver seemed half-asleep behind the reins.


    "I suppose," Alice agreed. "It feels like there''s something more going on. Those strange distortions we''ve run into, they''re not enough to bring civilization down to its knees.


    "What about the storms?"


    Alice nodded. "That could contribute. You''re assuming that they''re regular occurrences. That storm might have been caused by our arrival, or it could be relatively localised."


    "Hmm, it felt big," Crystal said with an expansive little gesture. "But I don''t know how big. The other weird bits were kinda small. Just a few cars long, or like, the size of a bus."


    "Do you measure everything in vehicle-sizes?" Alice asked.


    "Yup!" Crystal said. "I''m point four cars tall, if you measure the average car length-wise."


    Alice gave Crystal a look, which set the younger magical girl off into a fit of giggles. "You''re kidding, right?"


    "Yeah! As if I''d know how long the average car is. You know how bad I am with math," Crystal said.


    Alice shook her head, but did allow herself to chuckle a little. Crystal could be funny, at times. And this time it was even on purpose.


    Soon enough they were in the centre of Pripyat. Alice''s impression that the city wasn''t all that old was only reinforced as she took in the city''s main square. There were several large buildings around a small park-like space, with thin, decrepit trees confined to cement boxes around a space lined with benches and brass statues.


    The buildings here were all grand, cement and brick, sharp angles and angular shapes that suggested a level of precision and brutality in their construction, and yet they were trying hard to be grandiose as well.


    The space looked like it needed maintenance, but nothing was falling apart yet. "How old do you think this city is?" Alice asked as she looked around.


    "Uh. I guess... it looks very 70s?" Crystal tried.


    "Yes. I think that''s about right," Alice agreed. "It looks like a planned city."


    "Does that matter?"


    "I guess not," Alice replied. She pointed to one of the largest buildings. It had a wide set of steps leading up to its front doors, and a sign above that read City Hall. "That''s our destination, I think."


    "What about that?" Crystal asked. She was pointing to another building nearby. A boxy one, in the same style as the others, but a little less noticeable. It might have been an office building, or a police station. Its windows were thin, narrow slits in grey cement, the glass impossible to see through.


    More interesting were the people around the building. They wore leather and army fatigues. Bits of armour over the kind of tough clothes someone who was ready for a long hike would wear. Most had masks, either on their faces, hanging off of belts, or pulled up over their heads to leave their faces exposed. And guns. Almost all of them were armed. Mostly Alice saw hunting rifles and handguns, but a few had assault rifles and submachine guns as well. They were carrying with the habitual care of people who were used to being armed at all times.


    Alice squinted at the building. Its only signage was a small, more recent plaque bolted next to the door. There was some discoloration where a previous sign had once been beneath. Office of Zone Exploration.


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    "Interesting," Alice said. "But I don''t know if that''s what we''re looking for."


    "I don''t know. I think heading over to chat to the most competent looking people might be a winning strategy when you''re travelling to another dimension." Crystal sighed. "I wish Dee-Dee was here."


    "You know she hates that name," Alice said as she started towards the City Hall.


    "Yeah, I know," Crystal said.


    Magical Girl Dimension Death would be very useful to have on hand at the moment. She had travelled across a dozen worlds, maybe hundreds. She always returned to theirs, her magic calling her back to her home dimension, but she was by far the most well-travelled in their group.


    The City Hall building was guarded by one police officer, currently smoking and not paying very much attention to who was coming and going. Alice and Crystal slipped right past him without having to touch his mind at all.


    Within, the hall was a tall-roofed space, with a lot of waiting room to one side, a row of counters at the rear, and some offices to the right. Alice''s attention, however, was pulled to one side, where someone had installed a to-scale replica of the city. It was in a large display, the diorama protected by a sheet of glass and lit by a few neon tubes.


    The city looked clean, and vibrant, with tiny flags in deep red around a rendition of the city hall. There were no walls, and no destroyed buildings around the centre. To the north of the city was a large complex that had a small label over it. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.


    "Ah," Alice said as some buried memories clicked into place. She knew she''d heard of this city.


    But... on her Earth it had been abandoned. Here it looked as though the city never ceased to grow. It had a footprint as large as Rio, at least on the scaled map... but only a fraction as many souls that she could feel.


    Something disastrous had happened here, but it was recent. A small plaque next to the map said it was donated to the city in 2007. "We need to find out what year it is," Alice said.


    "Can''t be hard," Crystal said. She skipped over to one of the tables in the waiting room, and plucked a magazine from it. She flipped it open, then spun it around. "It''s twenty-eleven!"


    "That could be years out of date," Alice said.


    "It doesn''t feel too worn," Crystal returned. "And we know it''s summer, more or less. I bet I''m right." She checked the other magazines. "Krestyanka? Looks like one of those magazines we interviewed for. They were always going on about how we dressed and stuff, never about how awesome it was to be a magical girl."


    "Is it dated the same?" Alice asked.


    Crystal opened the magazine, which did feature mostly images of women, luxury cars, and other ads squeezed in between articles. "Yup, same year. Twenty-eleven. We''re in the past."


    "Nikolai was only frozen for three years, then," Alice said. "And that means that there hadn''t been much time for those walls to go up and for the city to empty."


    "I don''t think it would take that long for a city to empty, would it?" Crystal asked.


    "I guess not," Alice agreed. She eyed the front counter, where an older woman was sitting behind a CRT monitor and splitting her attention between the two of them, and a game of solitaire on her screen. "You know, I wanted to come here to find out answers, but now that we''re here, I don''t know who or what to ask."


    "So... plan B?" Crystal asked.


    Alice nodded. "Plan B."


    She walked across the waiting room and right up to the counter. The woman behind it looked up and flashed them a quick smile. "Can I help you?" she asked.


    "Yes, I think so," Alice replied. "Who''s the person in charge?"


    "Of... the city?" the woman asked. "The chairman?"


    "Oh, good," Alice said. "Can we meet with him, please?"


    "He''s busy," she said. "Do you have a reason to meet with the chairman or the council? Most matters don''t require their attention."


    Alice frowned, then lowered her hood. This was one of those moments where appearing different might actually come in handy. "My name is Rending Nightmare. I''m looking for one of my companions who is lost in this region. I will be finding her. I think it would be in your council''s best interest to either help, or at the very least, not stand in my way."


    ***

 Chapter Nine - They Tried

    Chapter Nine - They Tried


    Crystal patted Alice''s back in an attempt to be as comforting as possible. "It''s okay. You tried," she said.


    Alice couldn''t help the blush trying to spread its way across her cheeks, so she pulled the hood of her cloak down lower and did her best to will it away. "Yeah," she said noncommittally.


    Her attempt to meet with the city council, or at least the chairman had... not gone as well as she might have hoped.


    First, the lady at the counter had been, in a word, a hardass. She didn''t care who Alice was, what kind of primordial power she wielded, or the kind of threat that Alice could represent. All that mattered was that neither Alice nor Crystal had a home address within the city, a citizenship number, or any usable ID.


    She was told to wait, so they did wait, for an hour. During that time, the old lady by the counter continued to play cards, then finally got up... only to go use the washroom.


    Alice was just about ready to put the fear of god in the old woman, but Crystal held her back. "So, that didn''t work," Crystal said.


    "Yes," Alice agreed. She unclenched her jaw, then sighed. "It very much didn''t work."


    "It''s okay, it''s okay," Crystal said. "There''s always other options."


    Alice sighed and reined in her frustration. "You''re right. We came here with no real reputation. It''s not surprising that no one will care about us. But I don''t like being so... ignored. Not when either one of us could bring this city down."


    "Hey, not having a reputation isn''t all bad," Crystal said. "And it''s not like the locals know that there are two walking nukes in their city square. How about we find out what we can over there?" She pointed across the street, to the Office of Zone Exploration.


    "Are you sure?" Alice asked.


    "I''ve got a good feeling about it," Crystal replied. "Trust me?"


    Alice couldn''t say no to Crystal, not when the younger magical girl looked up to her with big, shining eyes. It was a secret that Alice would take to the grave, of course. If Crystal knew that Alice could be convinced just by pulling out the puppy-dog eyes, then Crystal would suddenly have far too much power.


    "Alright, I suppose it''s worth a try."


    "Yeah!" Crystal cheered. She bounced on the spot, arms raised over her head. Her good mood was a little contagious, and Alice allowed herself a small smile as she followed after the skipping Crystal.


    They got a few looks as they crossed the open plaza in front of City Hall, but Crystal didn''t seem to care about the looks, and most people that saw her skipping smiled, or shook their heads rather fondly.


    Joy, Alice guessed, wasn''t something too common here, but when it did spark up, the locals weren''t quick to squash it.


    The Office of Zone Exploration was a lot busier than the City Hall, with a dozen people waiting outside, and more filling the interior. Crystal slipped through the people by the entrance, Alice coming in behind her.


    Within, they found a decently large lobby area that had clearly been converted from an office into something a little more homey.


    Couches had been dragged in and placed in a large circle, and there were a few tables with chairs around them. A counter ran across the room to the right, with a grated fence coming down from the ceiling to mark the area as off-limits. Bottles and guns and gear hung from the wall behind the counter, guarded by an overweight man in a wife-beater and apron.


    Cigarette smoke filled the air, along with music hissing from a jury-jigged PA system with wires that dangled from above.


    The people here were much the same as those outside. Mostly men, mostly in army fatigues and overalls and worn-but-tough clothes. They nearly all had masks, but inside, none of them were wearing them. They were also disproportionately armed.


    "Looks like a dirtier adventurer''s guild," Crystal said. "But with more guns."


    "Hey," a man said with one of those backwards nods guys did when they wanted someone to know they were being addressed. It was aimed at Alice and Crystal. "Are you two looking for someone?"


    He looked somewhat more put together than the average person there, with a button-up shirt tucked into slacks and a tie hanging loose. Notably, he was only armed with a small officer''s pistol by his hip. He didn''t look like the rest, more like a very lost office worker.


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    "Hi," Crystal said. "Do you work here?"


    "Yeah," he said. "I''m an employee of the Office of Zone Exploration. Can I help you? Are you looking for your big brothers? Husbands?"


    "Look at Melnyk, going after the first pretty things to step into our little hole," a guy at a table nearby said. He grinned over the top of his mug.


    "Hey, Melnyk, show them all of your scars!" Another called out.


    The man, Melnyk, barely reacted past a slight tightening in the corner of his eyes.


    "We''re looking for information," Crystal said. "Maybe you could help us?"


    Melnyk actually eyed the pair for a moment. "Are you from the bureau?"


    "We''re coming from a bureau," Crystal said, and it had the benefit of being true, on account of the City Hall having plenty of mostly-empty offices. "But we''re not here for an inspection. We really are just looking for something. Or, I guess, someone."


    The man, Melnyk, eyed the two of them. Alice wasn''t sure how much he could make out, with the hoods disguising part of their faces and the lounge area''s lighting being rather sub-par, but he nodded. "Follow me, please. And ignore these idiots. They take to bright ideas like water takes to a goose''s back."


    "Hey!" the drinker nearby protested, "this brain has been boiling for ages, Melnyk! If you stepped out from behind a desk sometime yours might warm up too!"


    Melnyk dismissed them, then gestured for Crystal and Alice to follow him. They did so, and soon found themselves past a set of double doors into the deeper parts of the building. There were cubicles here, but also more doors going further in. A large grated door at the back was guarded by a pair of bored men. The room behind it had stacks of ammunition crates and guns.


    This was, she realised, not a normal sort of office situation. Something was up here.


    "So, who or what are you looking for?" Melnyk said as he pulled into a small cubicle and gestured to the chairs ahead of him. The desk had several stacks of paper on it, and a small trash can next to it overflowing with paper coffee cups. The computer in the corner looked both new and ancient. New as in it had only been installed a few years prior, at most, and ancient in that it was a large CRT monitor with a brick for a mouse.


    Crystal sat, then Alice did the same. "We''re looking for a friend of ours," she said.


    Alice glanced her way. She wasn''t sure how wise letting others know of their ultimate goal was. Then again, how much could it hurt?


    "Her name is Meagan, and we think she''s... ah, more or less that way?" Crystal pointed to one side.


    Melnyk followed, then frowned. "This friend of yours went into the zone?" he asked.


    "You''re not Stalkers, are you?"


    "What''s a Stalker?" Crystal asked.


    He scoffed. "A fool who dives into the zone, past the security barriers, without permission, training, or a lick of common sense. They bumble around like cows on ice and half the time we end up having to save their sorry asses."


    "Oh, well, no, Meagan isn''t that," Crystal said.


    "We''ve travelled some ways to get here," Alice said. "What can you tell us about this zone?"


    Melnyk frowned. "As much as anyone else. Which is to say, nothing. You know that it''s all classified."


    "It is?" Crystal asked.


    He scoffed. "For as much good as it does. As if anyone can miss the storms, and the walls, and the stories. The official story is the same, and as an official, I must repeat it. There is nothing wrong, there is no Zone, there is no anomaly, there is nothing wrong. And so on."


    "Isn''t this the Office of Zone Exploration?" Alice asked.


    "Eh, what of it?"


    "Right," she replied. "In any case, we''re thinking of heading out to save our friend. We know where she is, more or less, is there anything we should know?"


    Melnyk shook his head. "You can''t."


    "We can''t?" Alice asked.


    "Why not?"


    "Because to enter the zone you need a permit, which means passing the regulatory tests. People that enter the zone without are hunted down. For their own good. It won''t do your friend any favours if you go in and then get shot down on the way out."


    "Oh, well that''s not a problem, we don''t intend to come back," Crystal said with her best smile.


    ***

 Chapter Ten - Past

    Chapter Ten - Past


    The rest of the meeting with Melnyk didn''t quite go as Alice might have hoped. The man clammed up, and he went from moderately helpful to hovering between patronising and just plain rude. The man thought that they were going to die, through their own fault, and he couldn''t muster up the energy to truly care.


    She could imagine a little. Alice and Crystal weren''t the first people he had talked to about this kind of thing, and she had the impression that he''d seen a number of people head out and fail to return already.


    In that light, it was hard to hate the man.


    But his constant dismissal of their problems eventually got to her. "You are not very helpful, you know?" Alice said.


    "I''m being very helpful by telling you that you''re in over your heads. The zone is no place for children, let alone two young women. There are horrors there that you couldn''t imagine."


    Alice resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It would have played too much into the look of a young woman done with someone''s crap. She''d literally been to hell. There were plenty of horrors beyond imagining that she''d seen and destroyed.


    This guy was so uninterested in helping that at this point, she figured that any more time spent in his office was time lost. "Thank you, we''ll take all of that into advisement," she replied as she stood.


    "Aww," Crystal said as she stood as well. "I''m sure I could convince him, eventually."


    "It''s not worth it," Alice said.


    "You''re going to try it anyway, aren''t you?" Melnyk asked.


    Alice shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. In either case it''s not your concern anymore, is it?"


    The man tsked, then pulled open a drawer on his desk. He pulled out a small notepad and fished out a ball-point from a cup. The man scribbled something onto the page in a cursive script that Alice was positive she wouldn''t have been able to make heads or tails of without magical girl powers to translate for her.


    "What is this?" she asked as she took the paper. It was a dull question to ask. The paper had a name and an address on it.


    "That''s a place that shouldn''t exist, but does anyway," he replied. "The Last Refuge is a shithole on the edge of the city. It''s not a place for good, upstanding citizens, but it''s there anyway because sometimes you need people who are neither good, nor upstanding."


    "And this... Pavlo?" Alice asked.


    "He''s a bitter old fool. If I can''t convince you not to cross the wall, then he will," Melnyk said. "Now, stop wasting my time."


    Alice nodded her thanks, then tapped Crystal on the shoulder before leading her out of the office. They slipped through the bar, then regrouped a little ways away while Alice looked at the address again.


    "Do you think that Pavlo guy will be able to help?" Crystal asked.


    "Maybe," Alice said. "It''s a lead. I''m half-tempted to just leave and try to reach Meagan on our own."


    Crystal frowned. "I don''t know. I mean, yeah, we''re strong and you''re super capable and cool, but... well, I only have one world''s experience to go on, but I think rushing in without knowing and without making good friends first is just a bad idea."


    Alice considered it for a moment. In the past, she''d... sometimes done Crystal dirty by ignoring the younger magical girl.


    In her own defence, Crystal''s initial enthusiasm had been a little much. She was far, far more mellow and calm now than when she''d initially become a magical girl, and as the last of their group, she came in at a time where some of them, like Alice herself, had been magical girls for years.


    Saving the world was old hat, by that point, and having a bubbly newcomer who was hyper-enthusiastic about everything and charged headlong into trouble was a bit of a chore.


    It was half the reason Alice had taken Crystal under her figurative wing. She was quite certain that Crystal''s... Crystalness would have caused some issues with others.


    Meagan, the very girl they were aiming to save, had once left Crystal in a time bubble for nearly a whole day after Crystal was too much of herself near her.


    It was a mean-spirited thing to do, and Meagan had been chastised for it, but privately, Alice kind of understood her.


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    Still, it wasn''t right to bully the newest member of their group, and setting everything else aside, Crystal herself was a nice girl. She didn''t deserve to be mistreated just because she had all of the social skills of an untrained puppy at first.


    Now she was a lot calmer... like a year-old puppy that knew not to pee on the carpet or jump at people''s faces.


    A few times, Crystal had proven invaluable. She had a surprisingly keen instinct for people, second only to Happy Sparkles.


    Alice sighed. She wished Happy was here.


    "Okay, fine. You might be right, but if this doesn''t work out, I think we should give it a try ourselves."


    Crystal nodded, conceding the point without making a fuss. "So, let''s go see old-man Pavlo?"


    "Let''s," Alice agreed. Then she ran into an immediate issue. It was all well and good having an address, but without cellphone GPS, or internet access, or even a paper map, she had no idea where this bar was except that it was supposedly close to the wall that ran all the way around the city.


    Crystal had to skip over to an older lady trudging along the street and politely ask her for directions.


    That, at least, got them pointed in the right direction, but it took asking three more people before they narrowed down where the Last Resort was located.


    The bar wasn''t just close to the wall. The bar was practically part of it.


    The entrance they had come in from had a large set of gates with towers on either side. These towers, at the bases, were basically barracks with a bridge running between them. Alice had assumed that there were offices in there too, and maybe amenities for the guards at the gate.


    The Last Resort had taken over one of these buildings, right next to an exit out of the city that was bricked over and blocked out. Its only exterior decoration was a small sign carved out of wood and an overfull ashtray by the entrance.


    She could smell the place before she was even at the door. Liquor and stale cigarettes. The smells she was coming to associate with the entire city at this point. There were no guards at the door, though as Alice and Crystal approached, it banged open and two men stumbled out. One of them had the other by the collar.


    Alice and Crystal both paused on the sidewalk as the smaller of the two men shoved the bigger, drunker, one away.


    He stumbled a few steps and almost lost his footing before regaining his balance and spinning around. "What do you think you''re doing?"


    "Tossing you out," the smaller man said. Both were dressed somewhat bizarrely. Like the men at the Office of Zone Exploration, but with less uniform gear. They were armed, but neither were reaching for guns just yet.


    Strangest of all was something that caught Alice''s eye. The smaller man had a dog''s collar wrapped around his thigh, the loop on it hooked onto... a clothes iron? One of those old cast-iron ones that were meant to be warmed up on a woodstove before use. It was strapped awkwardly to his leg. She might have dismissed it as just cheap armour, but there was something about it.


    "You can''t!" the big man roared. "I''m the best damned Stalker in this city!"


    "You''re not even the best Stalker on this street. Go home."


    The big guy squared up, and Alice was worried that she was about to see one or both men go down in a scuffle. He roared, swinging his fist around in a big sweeping punch.


    The smaller man disappeared in a blink and reappeared behind the bigger man, then with a casual backwards kick, smacked the heel of his army surplus boots into the back of the big guy''s knees.


    The big guy, rather predictably, went sprawling onto the street with an oomph.


    "Go. Home."


    Alice glanced at Crystal. "That was Meagan''s trick, wasn''t it?"


    "Looks like it," Crystal said. "In the last world I was on, a lot of people had magic that was really similar to yours. Do you think...."


    "Maybe," Alice said. It was always possible.


    The smaller man helped the big guy up. Even after that bit of violence, they didn''t seem like enemies just yet. "Let''s get you up, come on. Your place isn''t far. The walk will do you good. Take some air."


    "Right," Alice muttered. "Maybe we''ve come to the right place after all."


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Two

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Two


    Vasilisa shrugged her pack back up her shoulders. She''d have to adjust it at some point, it kept slipping down, but she was worried that if she stopped now, her momentum would slip away, and so would her courage. So she kept on walking, intimately aware of the weight of the gun by her hip and the rifle slung over her back.


    Her trek across the city was taking a toll on her. She felt a warmth in her calves, and was worried that her shoes were a little too big. At some point she stopped and slipped into an alley then removed the big boots and put on a second pair of socks. It made the boots wiggle a little less with every step, as did tightening the laces. It was still a loose fit.


    She wasn''t sure she could do much about it, beyond finding smaller boots.


    Her goal, right now, was the Office of Zone Exploration.


    The office was as rowdy as usual, men in gear that was only a step away from the look worn by Stalkers. The only thing setting them apart was the uniformity. They all had army-surplus for cheap, and many of the explorators wore armbands, red, with the office''s logo printed on it in golden paint. A Kalishnikov and a hammer, crossed over one another.


    Vasilisa slipped past a few men by the entrance, tugging her scarf up as she passed. Some of them might recognize her, maybe.


    Her father had started working at the Office of Zone Exploration some six, maybe seven years ago, when she was still so young that things were muddled. Her mom was sick, they needed the money, and work was not as readily available as it had been.


    Her father had done a stint in the army, he knew how to handle himself, and was a confident, personable sort of man. More importantly, he was a local. That mattered to the office back then. They preferred people that had been around the area that the Zone now occupied before it had turned into the Zone it was now.


    He came back and had fought with her mother about the job. She could remember it still. They''d fought again whenever he returned hurt. Sometimes it was just a cut, or some scrapes. Once it was with a trio of holes punched into him.


    He had laughed, said that all three missed anything important because he had the creator''s own luck on his side. He confided to Vasilisa, who had only been eleven at the time, that the luck wasn''t the creator''s, but rather something he earned from helping a Baba Yaga out of a bind once.


    The money had been good. Not so much so that they could move to a nicer place, but they ate well, and her father bought good equipment, drank with officers, and they lived well, or as well as anyone could live in Pripyat.


    Vasilisa missed those days.


    She pushed the fond memories aside as she slipped into the office. There was the bar, where she''d once sat on a stool that let her meet the eye of some of the men that called her father a friend as they told wild and exaggerated stories of what they saw and did in the Zone.


    She''d learned here, that the little marks across her mask were kill pips. One for each Stalker and monster killed in the Zone.


    She wasn''t looking for those men, the rough and tumble sort. No, she was looking for... and there he was.


    Vasilisa cleared her throat, then moved across the room with the sure gait of someone that definitely belonged here. "Mister Melnyk," she said.


    The man turned her way. He was the same Mister Melnyk that she remembered. The same one who''d made an appearance at her mother''s funeral, the same one that signed the letter sent to her home, telling her that her father was dead. The same name as on the last cheque for a number of rubles that was barely enough to keep her going for six months.


    "Oh god," Melnyk muttered. "Sorry, yes, can I help you?" he asked.


    Perhaps he wasn''t the same man. He looked a lot more tired, with a few more wrinkles than she remembered, and maybe a few stray hairs along his temples that were going grey. "Sorry to bother you, sir," she replied, keeping her voice as even as she could. "I was wondering if we could talk for a moment?"


    "Yes? About?" he asked, though now he was taking her a little more seriously.


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    Vasilisa had something for this, a secret weapon of sorts, one that her father had mentioned to her with the occasional wink of good humour. Paperwork. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a folded envelope. It was from the Office of Zone Exploration, this very office, in fact, but it was nearly new.


    She''d opened the letter very carefully, used an iron to make it look flat and perfect. The letter within was typed on a typing machine, on a page with the OZE logo at the top. At a glance, it looked as official and important as any other document she''d seen in her father''s folders.


    "I have this, it''s a request, ah, I was hoping you could help me with it," she said.


    Melnyk frowned, then rubbed at his head. "Yes, yes, follow me. Who did you say you were?"


    "Alexander," she said. "I was just sent with this letter, sir. I don''t usually do this kind of thing."


    "Ah, of course," he replied. "You look young."


    "My father is a director, he helped me get the job," she replied.


    A look of disgust crossed Melnyk''s face, but it was gone in an instant. "I''m sure I can help you. Forgive me, I''ve had a day."


    "A hard one?" she asked. If she could get him talking about himself, then she''d be safe for a while. That was a trick her mom had taught her for dealing with men. Their favourite subject was always themselves.


    "Two idiot girls showed up, dressed like old ladies off the street, and they were going on about how they''d be diving into the Zone as if it were no harder than taking a walk in the park."


    "Oh," Vasilisa said. "Women have no place in the Zone," she said.


    Melnyk chuckled. "You''d think some people would know better. Too many damned stories about the glories to be found in there. Some people can''t tell propaganda from truth."


    "Right," she agreed.


    Melnyk led her to the back, where the actual offices were. The Office for Zone Exploration never struck her as a very self-important place. Sure, it was the government, but it didn''t have that same sense of gravitas as other places.


    It was probably the bar built into the front of the place, or the way that half of the people that worked here were what her father called government-backed-ruffians.


    Melnyk slumped behind his deck, then gestured for the letter. Vasilisa hesitated for a moment. "Before I give you this, I have a question. Did you know a man who used to work for the office? Tall fellow, sharp features. Ah, he had a full beard and a scar across his left eye."


    That last detail made Melnyk nod. "I think I know who you''re talking about. What of him?"


    "Is he still around? I owe him a drink."


    Melnyk shook his head. "Zone took him. You know how it is."


    "Ah. That''s too bad," she said. She placed the letter down, then nodded. "I''ll be off, then. Have a good day."


    "Mhm, you too," Melnyk replied before he took the letter and started to open it.


    Vasilisa was slipping away already. She started towards the same place she''d come in, then quickly turned to the side and walked along the edge of the room. The other side had the armoury, that would be guarded and watched. This side had stairs leading up to the second floor, where there were more offices and a break room, and most importantly, the room where documents were stored.


    She ran up the stairs, walking as if she had every right to be here, but keeping an eye for people anyway.


    There was no one out of an office, no one paying any attention.


    The room with the documentation was at the rear, a large room made small by rows of shelving and metal cabinets. She had no idea how things were organised when she stepped in. She pressed her hand over her pocket, where her doll rested. She felt it twitch.


    It didn''t take too long to find the incident reports. They were sorted by date, and she knew exactly the date she was looking for.


    Vasilisa had to pause, to stop the shaking of her hands, as she found the right folder. She peeked within, took in the names of the team her father was on, their location, the details that had returned with the few survivors.


    It was enough.


    ***

 Chapter Eleven - Tricky

    Chapter Eleven - Tricky


    Alice really wanted to ask the man how he''d copied a trick that she didn''t think anyone but Meagan could do. It wasn''t just teleportation. There was a spacial aspect to it, but the magic, and its lingering... non-scent, suggested that it was far more temporal.


    That was full-on one of Meagan''s tricks. She loved appearing behind an enemy to surprise or annoy them in equal measure.


    Alice wanted to know, but she couldn''t just walk up to a stranger and ask, that would be--


    "Hi!" Crystal said as she walked up to the stranger. "How did you do that?" she asked.


    Alice held back a sigh before she walked up to stand behind and to Crystal''s side. If she wasn''t brave enough to ask herself, she could at least stand by while Crystal did the interrogating.


    The man frowned, then wiped the back of a hand across his mouth. "I''m sure I don''t know what you mean, little miss," he replied.


    "Oh, I meant that thing were you went ''wah!'' and teleported from there to there," Crystal said.


    "Just a trick of the light," he said.


    "Hmm, no, I do light tricks. That wasn''t that," Crystal argued.


    Alice laid a hand on Crystal''s shoulder. "We''re looking for someone called Pavlo. Apparently he''s stationed around here?" She gestured to the entrance of the Last Resort just behind the man. Was he the local equivalent of a bouncer?


    The man looked between the two, then off to the drunk guy still stumbling away. "This isn''t a place for nice young ladies," he replied.


    "Everybody keeps telling us that," Crystal said. "It''s like this whole city isn''t suitable for young ladies or something."


    He chuckled. "That''s true enough," he said. "So maybe you should take one of the buses out of here, huh?"


    "You know, the last world I was on was sexist too, but somehow it felt less derogatory than here," Crystal said. "Which is weird. In that last one, being physically stronger was, like, a pretty big bonus. Here they have guns."


    "I don''t think it''s entirely cultural," Alice said. She''d seen some of the statues near the City Hall, there were figures of women there, often in prideful, powerful poses. And some of the advertising also seemed to be very... empowerment-friendly. "It could be a local issue."


    The man chuckled. "Yeah, there''s plenty of issues around here. What do you need Pavlo for?"


    "We''re going into an area that I think you''re calling the Zone," Crystal said. "The Office of Zone Exploration didn''t want to help, but we''re going anyway."


    "Foolish," he said. "Are you so desperate for money?"


    "We''re not," Crystal replied. "Not exactly rich, but we can make due. We''re going to save a friend."


    Something shifted in the man''s eyes. They softened for a moment before going hard again. "It''s not worth it," he said.


    "I think almost anything is worth it to save someone you care about," Crystal replied.


    He paused, then nodded. "Come on in, I''ll introduce you to Pavlo. Keep your wits about you, and don''t agree to anything he says. That man would have you selling your mother for three rubles and a compliment."


    The man walked over to the Last Resort and opened the door for them. Alice was actually surprised as she entered the place. It didn''t stink as much as she feared it would. Not that it was roses in there, but it was certainly better than she''d hoped. Cleaner too.


    The floors had been swept, and while the walls looked a bit dirty along the bottoms, they weren''t all that bad. The lighting helped, mostly because there was a lot of it.


    The main room of the Last Resort was a pretty typical bar, it was past an L-shaped entranceway which forced them into an open space surrounded by half-walls that separated the entrance from a few dozen tables surrounded by chairs.


    A counter ran along the far-end of the room, with a few patrons sitting on stools before it. There was more, deeper into the building. She could sense people further in, including some people who were asleep and having nightmares, but she had no idea how to get to those parts from the main room.


    "It''s bright," Crystal said.


    It was. The room wasn''t merely well-lit. The ceiling had metal rails running across it, and there were incandescent bulbs hanging from above every metre or so. Far, far more than what they''d need to keep a room of this size lit up. The different types of bulbs cast different shades of white across the room, but they all mixed together to make for a very bright space.


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    "It keeps some people calmer, the lack of shadows," their guide said. "Come on, Pavlo''s this way." He led them across the bar. Alice noticed that they weren''t the only women, but the other two she saw were both waitresses, carrying trays with beers and broths to some of the tables. The patrons here were a mix of roughly dressed men, and locals that just looked like they were here for a drink and chat.


    Their new pal brought them to the side, where he pulled a curtain off a wall and revealed a passage behind it. The wall looked like it had been crudely cut into to lead into another set of rooms. These were well-lit too. Alice was starting to wonder about their electrical bill.


    This room was split into two, one part, the one they were in, was a narrow corridor, the other half looked like a storage space behind a wire-mesh fence. A larger man was sitting behind a desk, adjusting his spectacles as he read over what looked like a ledger.


    "Pavlo," their guide said. "Found two birds squawking for you outside."


    The older man looked up, then removed his reading glasses. "What kind of birds, Koschei?"


    "That''s not my name," the now-named Koschei said.


    "You are what you are," Pavlo said with a dark chuckle. He stood, which made his knees crack, then ambled over to the mesh separating them. There was a small section that looked like it could be pulled aside to pass objects over. "You''re looking for old man Pavlo?" he asked.


    "Hello," Crystal said.


    "Hello," Alice replied as well. She took the lead on this one. "We were told that you might be able to help us. We''re going west."


    "Into the Zone?"


    "Maybe," Alice said. "At this point, it''s probable, even. We don''t want to walk in blind."


    "There''s little you can do not to walk into that place blind," Pavlo said. "But what you can do is rely on Pavlo to get you there and back in one piece. I have the best gear, the best contacts, and all the best friends!" He swept his arms wide and invitingly.


    Crystal clapped. "Yay! We do like friends," she said.


    Alice stepped in before Crystal could sell one of her kidneys. She noted Koschei hanging back to lean against a wall nearby, arms crossed. "We''re looking for a few things to start. A map would be good. A history of what happened in this... Zone would be better. A guide would be best."


    Pavlo''s bushy eyebrows shot up. "Aiming big, are we? The Zone is a place where the brave become rich! The daring become famous!"


    "And the unlucky become dead," Koschei added.


    Pavlo grinned. "There''s some small amount of risk, yes."


    "What is the Zone?" Alice asked. "The name''s not exactly descriptive. Is it a quarantine?"


    Pavlo frowned for a moment. "You mean what is the Zone really? Beyond what the propagandists will tell you? That''s a mystery that would be worth a fortune for anyone that could solve it. Some people say it''s divine punishment. Others say that it''s hell breaking into our world."


    Alice snorted. She''d seen that happen, this wasn''t it.


    "Yes, that''s a foolish one. Others say that it''s where some aliens came down for a picnic and left their trash behind. I like that one, personally. But what it is and what it is are two different things."


    "Uh, what''s that mean?" Crystal asked.


    "Do you know how a car works?" he asked. "Do you understand how a combustion engine functions, how to make one, how every part fits into place?"


    "Yes," Crystal said confidently. Alice was certain she was right, even. Crystal was gifted when it came to mechanical things... It was a bright spark of intelligence in a sea of darkness.


    That took some of the wind from Pavlo''s sails. "Ah, well, most people don''t, and it doesn''t matter. You don''t need to know for it to work. The Zone does its thing. I might not know why or how, but I know what works and what people need to survive it, and when they come back, why, old Pavlo is here to make those Stalkers very rich men... or women."


    ***

 Chapter Twelve - Rich

    Chapter Twelve - Rich


    "Alright, you''ll have to explain that one," Alice said. "What makes these Stalkers rich? Isn''t the Zone just a... dangerous area, with dangerous magical effects?"


    Pavlo tapped his fingers on the little table on his side of the fence. "How do I put this," he said. "Ah! I know."


    The big man turned and walked off towards the back of his room. There were crates and boxes covering the shelves there, and he started to tug some out to look within before pushing them back into place. He was clearly looking for something, though it took him some time to find it.


    "Hah! Knew it was back here somewhere," he said before returning to the front with a small box. He opened it, then pulled out... a rather ratty yo-yo. It was made of bright plastic, with a few stickers slapped onto it by an unsteady hand, and it looked like it had been left in the dirt for a while.


    It was the kind of thing that Alice wouldn''t have been surprised to find abandoned in a playground, and it was very much not what she was expecting Pavlo to pull out. She could feel something from it, though. A faint magical pull.


    "Now, I need you to watch me, very carefully," he said. "This is no toy, and this is no joke. Look, and try not to blink."


    Pavlo fixed the yo-yo''s loop around a finger, then as Alice and Crystal watched, he let it drop.


    She followed it until it went all the way down and he gave it a tug. It sped back up, slapped into his palm and--


    "Oh!" Crystal said.


    Pavlo had disappeared.


    Alice frowned and pushed her senses forwards to the space he had occupied. He was gone, not merely invisible. She has felt his fear, his presence, disappear in an instant. So not short-ranged teleportation, and not invisibility.


    Crystal was looking behind herself for something, but she turned back just in time for Pavlo to reappear. "Ah... did it work?" he asked.


    "You disappeared," Alice said matter-of-factly. "It was a temporal effect, I think."


    He nodded, then pulled the loop off of his finger and replaced the yo-yo. "This old thing has been with me for a while. No real use for it, since the only way to trigger the effect is to bring it back up, and you''re not aware of being gone when you use it. Even if you could use it in a fight, it''d be damned near useless. But not every trinket we pull from the Zone is like that."


    "Are there a lot of things like that in the Zone?" Crystal asked.


    "Plenty! If you know where to look." Pavlo tapped the side of his nose. "And Pavlo always knows where to look."


    "Interesting," Alice said. "How much are these worth?"


    "Depends a lot on what sort of thing they do," Pavlo said. "A trinket that pulls you ahead in time by four point two three seconds every time you trigger it? A few thousand rubles, maybe. It''s a great curiosity. A machine that makes you younger? One that allows you to slow time around you? A machine that brings the dead back to life? These things can be priceless. There are plenty of ex-Stalkers in the greater world, living on yachts and surrounded by bea-- by nice things, who got there because they found the right thing, and the right buyer."


    Alice nodded slowly. She could well imagine how giving people some smaller, weaker versions of any of her or her friend''s powers could well have the entire world change. If they all came from the same place, then that place would be a figurative gold mine. "Is there only one Zone?"


    Pavlo hummed, then reached to the side and pulled out a tube. He extracted a rolled up map from within, and pressed it flat on his table. "This," he said as he put his finger on a spot. "Is Pripyat." He ran his finger along a dotted red line around the city, down a ways south, then back up again. "And this is the centre of the Zone."


    "Uh... isn''t that where we are now?" Crystal asked.


    "Welcome to the Zone!" Pavlo said with good cheer. "Yes, we''re within it now. You might find trinkets just outside of the walls. Or within them. But you''re unlikely to be that lucky. The storms start close to here, to the west, in the Other Pripyat."


    "I''m confused," Crystal admitted. "How big is the Zone?"


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Pavlo blinked, then stuffed the map away. He pulled out another, this one less detailed, but as zoomed out as a map could be. It was of the entire world. "The storms start here," he said, pointing to Ukraine. "They flow down here, then across the continent. Then across the ocean where they cut across the Americas. Then back up and spread out across Europe and some of Africa."


    Alice leaned forwards and started at the map. "Are you saying that this Zone is global?"


    "No, but the storms that start here are. They become... diluted. Like a drop of kvass in a tall glass of water. Not even enough to give you a taste. Here, it is pure. Across the world? Less so."


    "If this is global, then..." Alice paused. She wasn''t sure where to even begin sorting through the implications. There were a lot. More than that, she noticed that his map was strange. She would have to turn it over and study it more carefully, but Europe wasn''t how she remembered it being. A glance at the corner of the map showed that it was printed in 1997, in Belarus. "Nevermind."


    "So! Do you know anyone that could help us?" Crystal asked. "We can more or less point in the direction we need to go, but we''d love a guide to help us."


    Pavlo hummed. "I might be able to help. And I might not. My time is precious, though I don''t mind a bit of chatting now and then. The time of the people that would be willing to help... that''s more precious still. The Last Resort is just a normal bar, you see. If some of our clients are of a certain type, then that''s a coincidence."


    He was side-stepping the issue. Now, more than ever, Alice felt like they needed a local guide. Or at least someone she could grill with questions. What they needed to convince Pavlo, she bet, was money.


    The issue was getting it. This wasn''t her Earth, where any of the magical girls had access to near infinite wealth. This was a place where she didn''t have a Real to her name.


    "Here, would this work?" Crystal asked as she put something in the small opening in the fence. It clunked onto Pavlo''s table, and both her and Alice stared at it.


    The device was... a small crystal, about the size of a thumb. Not any precious gem that Alice could tell. It was even a little... dirty, uneven, with some rocky substance stuck to it.


    "What is this?" Pavlo asked without reaching for the crystal.


    "If you put it in water, it''ll double in size once an hour," Crystal said with a proud smile.


    Alice blinked. Had... had Crystal just made that? It wasn''t beyond her, of course. In fact, it was a pretty mundane use of her magic, but still.


    "Interesting," Pavlo said. "It doesn''t look precious."


    "It''s amethyst," Crystal said. "Not the kind of stone you''d make the prettier jewellery from, but I still think it''s pretty."


    Pavlo hummed, then left the desk for a moment. He returned quickly enough, with a tin cup half-full of dirty water, and a pair of thick gloves. He gingerly picked up the little trinket Crystal had made, and plopped it into the water.


    The cup jumped as the crystal grew within.


    "Interesting," he said.


    "The growth won''t clone itself," Crystal said. "And I''m pretty sure it''s not exponential, so no worries about destroying the world if you drop it in the ocean or something!"


    "Hmm," he replied. "Not the most useful of items."


    Alice stood a little taller. "It''s gemstone. It''s infinite gemstone. Not diamond or anything too precious like that, but still. This is a Re--ruble printing machine for anyone who has a bit of patience."


    "I see what you mean," he replied. "Did you find this yourselves?"


    "Yup!" Crystal replied.


    "Good find, good find. Yes, this is something that I''d be willing to help you for. You''ve come to the right place. Pavlo will give you a deal you won''t regret making."


    "What sort of deal?" Alice asked.


    "Why, Koschei back there just so happens to be on his way to visit a little camp where you might meet some friends. I''ll write you a letter. You said you were looking for a guide? You''ll have the very best, with Pavlo''s own recommendation. You''ll have to pay for their services yourself, but you''ll have found the right people, which is more than half the battle."


    ***

 Chapter Thirteen - Koschei

    Chapter Thirteen - Koschei


    Alice and Crystal followed Koschei out of the corner where Pavlo had sequestered himself and back into the main bar of the Last Resort. "Do you have a place to sleep?" he asked.


    "We don''t, but we''ll be fine, I''m certain," Alice replied. "Why do you ask?"


    Koschei rubbed a knuckle past his nose. "We''ll be heading out at six."


    "At night?" Crystal asked.


    "In the morning," he replied. "It''s an hour before the guard is changed on the walls. There''s light enough to see without torches, and the city''s coming awake, so there''s a little bit of noise cover."


    Alice nodded, though somewhat reluctantly. "Is it so important not to be seen?"


    Koschei raised a hand and wiggled it in a so-so gesture. "The guards have taken out a few Stalkers before, just opened up on them while they''re running out of the city. More often when they''re coming back. The trinkets we grab, they''re worth more than what a soldier makes in a month in this shithole of a city."


    Which meant that the guards had a clear financial incentive to shoot anyone returning to grab what they''d found. "Did you want to meet somewhere?" Crystal asked.


    "Here. Five," he replied. "You''d better be more ready than you are now. Pavlo might pay me to guide you, but that doesn''t mean I need to babysit you there."


    "Got it," Alice replied. "Is there a place you trust around here for gear?"


    He frowned, then nodded. "The Frenchman''s place," he said.


    "Where''s that?" Crystal asked, and that set Koschei towards the bar. He returned quickly, with a little writing pad and a borrowed pen. He scribbled an address down on one side, then drew a very simple, barebones map on the reverse.


    "That''ll get you to his place. Better hurry. He''s rude even when you don''t show up ten minutes before closing. But the prices are good, and he cares less about the government than he does his clients."


    "Right," Alice said as she gingerly took the note. "We''ll head over, then. See you here at five." He nodded, then rubbed his nose again before walking off. "He''s a man of few words," she muttered.


    "He doesn''t seem all that bad," Crystal replied. "I mean... a bit rude, but not mean, you know?"


    "I suppose," Alice said. "In any case, I can think of worse travelling companions. Did you want to visit this place?" she asked, raising the little paper.


    "Sure!" Crystal said. "I think we''ll be much better off if we look the part. Besides, knowing what the locals use will give us a better clue of what''s going on, right?"


    Alice shrugged a shoulder. "What do we know?" she asked. "We''ve been here for half a day, it should be enough to piece a few things together."


    "Well, obviously Meagan was around. Or her powers were. Or something. I think it''s pretty much the same as what happened with you, but without the brain-eating nightmare monsters and more time shenanigans. The magic objects are new too."


    "I see. Meagan''s magic displays itself differently than mine. That''s... entirely logical, actually. We have different domains, different expressions of our magics. It wouldn''t make sense for them to appear the same, or have the same functions. Meagan''s seems to be linking itself to items that can allow normal people to express a small fraction of her power."


    "A trick per trinket," Crystal said. "There''s probably lots of them around with similar powers. I wonder why they''re all so concentrated? In the world where I found you, the powers were kind of spread around all over, you know?"


    "Meagan might just be better at keeping a lid on things?"


    "I guess. What about the big storms? I don''t remember her ever doing something like that?"


    Alice frowned as she thought. No, she couldn''t remember Meagan ever directly controlling the weather. It had happened that one or two of their group had to deal with the weather in some way or another. Preventing tsunamis, or pushing away hurricanes. Those were some of the more mundane times where they acted to save people.


    Meagan... wasn''t entirely useful with that kind of thing, except to act as an early warning system.


    They had had a small online chat room just for the twelve of them, and there was a ''schedule'' page on it that Meagan updated weeks or months in advance with disasters and the like so that they could all be ready for them.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "No, I can''t remember her creating storms," Alice said. "Could that be a local event? Or maybe a storm was ongoing and whatever happened to her happened to coincide with a large storm?"


    "And then her magic made it loop," Crystal filled in with a nod. "That sounds a lot more, uh, what''s the word? Plausible?"


    Alice and Crystal slipped out of the bar, then started to follow Koschei''s directions towards the Frenchman''s place. "So, we have an idea of what''s going on. And how to fix it, right?"


    "Get to Meagan, give her cheek a smack," Crystal said.


    Alice choked. "What?"


    Crystal blinked at her, then smacked her face. "Give her cheek a smack? Like to wake her up."


    "Oh, yes, okay," Alice said.


    "What did you think I meant?"


    "Nevermind," Alice said. "Anyway. Yes. We''ll find Meagan and... shake her awake."


    "Of course, we''ll save this world while we''re at it," Crystal said. "I''m kinda curious about what made this place so special? Like, different, I mean. The storm thing started, uh, was it three years ago? I can''t remember."


    "It hasn''t been long," Alice said. "Whatever happened to make this world different from our own occurred a long time ago, however. World War Two clearly ended differently. And I think this is technically still the USSR, which... doesn''t quite track, it fell long before now on our Earth."


    "Neat!" Crystal said. She stretched her hands out over her head. "So, what''s that mean for us?"


    Alice considered it for a while. "Not overly much. It''s an old superpower, but I can''t imagine them being much of a threat to us. They might be somewhat annoying if they get in our way, but that''s all."


    Crystal spun, then leaned into Alice''s side. "Yeah! With the two of us here, there''s nothing to be worried about."


    Alice nodded, then looked down at where Crystal was pressed into her side. She shifted a little, wrapping an arm around Crystal''s shoulder. "Don''t worry. We''ll get to her."


    "Oh, uh, I''m not worried," Crystal said. Her quick, clipped tone suggested otherwise to Alice. "A-anyway, we''re here!"


    They were, indeed, ''here.'' That being, in front of a gated pawn shop down the side of a busier street. The shop was lit from within, but looked almost deserted otherwise. Posters were glued to the walls, hiding anything within, and the door could have passed for a vault''s, being all metal with a letter-slit of glass at head height.


    There was no handle, just a buzzer next to the door.


    Alice pressed it, and there was an electric buzz from within. A few moments later, the shutter over the door''s window slid aside and a pair of eyes looked out to them. "Who are you?" a man asked. He had a thick accent, one that Alice recognized even through her linguistic magic. This was a Frenchmen, just like Silenced Annihilation''s friends and family, though perhaps a little harsher.


    "Hello, we were sent by Koschei," Alice said.


    "We wanna look at some stuff!" Crystal added.


    The door remained closed, then the man sighed and ripped it open. "Get in, quick," he replied while tucking a small handgun away to the small of his back. The Frenchman was a scrawny-thin man, with a pitiful moustache and bags under his eyes that suggested a dire lack of sleep. "What are you looking for?" he asked as Alice and Crystal stepped in.


    The shop was a bit of a mess. Shelves all over, filled with either beaten up boxes of heaps of unidentified equipment. A lot of it was army green, however. There was a scent to the air too, burning plastic and old rubber.


    "We''re... venturing out of the city, to the west," Alice said.


    "Into the Zone!" Crystal cheered.


    Alice gave her a look, which flew over her head leaving her unaffected.


    The Frenchman looked at the two of them. "The two of you?" he asked. He squinted. "You barely look old enough to drink."


    "Which is why we want to see all of the best gear you have," Crystal said with a cheerful smile. "Just let us see what we''d need to not die? Please?"


    Alice could barely believe that it worked.


    ***

 Chapter Fourteen - Survival Gear

    Chapter Fourteen - Survival Gear


    "So, if we''re going to survive in the Zone, what should we get?" Alice asked the Frenchman.


    He scoffed. "Nothing will keep you alive more than walking in the opposite direction of the Zone," he said. "But assuming you''re too braindead to do that, then I have some things that might help."


    He closed the door behind them, locked it with a bolt, then pulled up a metal bar and shoved it between two brackets bolted to either side of the doorway.


    "That''s a lot of security," Crystal said.


    "It''s the amount I need," he replied.


    "Why?" Crystal asked, as innocent as ever.


    The Frenchmen grunted. "Where are you two from if you know so damned little?"


    "We''re from elsewhere," Alice said. She specifically shifted her language to French, which caught the man off guard, judging by the way his eyes snapped up to her. "Look, I''m tired of playing pretend with everyone we meet. We''re not going to buy anything from you."


    He frowned, and she noticed his hands lowering to his side. He was wearing a large, oversized army coat, the kind meant to keep someone warm in cold weather, and which was just lumpy and formless enough that a soldier could be in full kit beneath it. She wouldn''t have been surprised if he was reaching for a gun already.


    "We just need you to show us what we need, then we''ll be out of your hair. Maybe... Maybe Crystal will give you something nice for your trouble."


    "Oh! I can do that!" Crystal said. She bit her tongue, then snapped her fingers. With a thump, a statue appeared on one of the nearby tables. It was the Frenchman, carved from a single block of what looked like sapphire, diamond and ruby.


    "Did... did you make it in the colours of the French flag?" Alice asked.


    "Yeah! He''s the Frenchman, isn''t he?" Crystal asked.


    The man was now looking between the two of them, clearly off-balance and still entirely uncertain of what to do.


    "Look," Alice said. "I''m going to be entirely honest with you, and I''m going to see how that works out, alright?"


    "Alright," he replied.


    Alice nodded. "Crystal here, and I, are extra-dimensional beings. We''re here to rescue another such being who is the cause of this ''Zone'' of yours. Crystal wants to disturb the locals as little as possible--"


    "And have fun!" Crystal added.


    "And have fun," Alice added. "While pretending to be a local. I, personally, don''t care either way, but I see no harm in pretending to just be a normal girl doing... whatever. As long as we get to our friend and save her, then I''m entirely pleased."


    The Frenchmen looked between the two again. "You''re both insane, yeah?" he asked. "At least you''re not with the government, they wouldn''t go this deep into anything."


    "We have no political affiliations," Alice said. "At least, not yet."


    "Not yet?" Crystal asked.


    "Crystal, if you have as much power as we do, then anything you do becomes political," Alice said. It was a lesson that she had learned early on in her magical girl career, but it had come at great cost.


    The Frenchman slowly pulled his hand away from the edge of his jacket. "I think this is enough, I want you out of my shop," he said.


    Alice sighed. Maybe Crystal was right. She hated to admit it, but while Alice was better at bigger-picture things, Crystal was just better at smaller-scale, person-to-person interactions than she was.


    "Your shop doesn''t have an exit," she said.


    The Frenchman frowned harder, then looked at the exit, or where it had been. It was simple to turn his sudden spike of fear into a reality, and as he stared at the wall where the entrance had been, his growing fear only made the illusion all the more real.


    "Ah, fuck," he muttered.


    "Alice, don''t spook him too much," Crystal said.


    "I''m just tired of all this... lack of respect," Alice said.


    Crystal walked over and touched Alice on the shoulder. "It''s okay. The people in this world don''t know about us. You worked really hard back home to build us a reputation, and it helped a lot, but we don''t have that here. It''s okay to be upset."


    Alice sighed. "I''m not upset," she lied.


    She was definitely a little upset, but not so much that she''d admit to it so easily. More importantly, she wasn''t so upset that she wanted to have Crystal comfort her like this. It was embarrassing. She was the older of the two, and ostensibly their group''s leader. That didn''t leave her much room for complaining.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Anyway. Frenchman... if you don''t mind me calling you that?" It felt a little... racist?


    "That''s what they call me," he said. She noticed he was holding onto a handgun now. It wasn''t pointed at either of them, so she dismissed it.


    "Good. We''re going into the Zone. What do we need to bring."


    "Not to be safe," Crystal clarified. "It''s more to fit in, you know? What do other, uh, Stalkers, bring?"


    The Frenchman slowly put away the gun, then glanced at the exit again. It was back, Alice having let the spell drop as soon as he started to comply. "I get a lot of Stalkers that come over here. There are a few places to get things for the Zone. I sell all the best stuff."


    "How do you get it?" Crystal asked.


    He sniffed. "Straight from the grand factories of the USSR! You wouldn''t believe how easy and cheap it can be to get rubles into the right hands. A few rubles down and a box gets mislabeled. What I have is the kind of gear that the best soldiers have. Which isn''t to say it''s the best gear period. That''s why I buy lots of aftermarket and third-party equipment too. I import things from all over."


    He seemed a lot more comfortable now that he was talking about something he was familiar with, something that was safe.


    "What should we bring, then?" Alice asked.


    "A gun, to start with," he replied. "You can walk out of the city with the very best gear, but it won''t mean anything if some jealous Stalker puts a bullet between your eyes for it." He glared. "I don''t sell guns. Too much heat."


    "Alright," Crystal asked. "So what''s second best?"


    "Protective gear," he replied. "You''ll want to start from the bottom up. That means good walking boots. Stalkers like those with metal caps on the ends, they protect your toes. Thick leather, waterproof, good soles. Army boots aren''t actually half bad, but they''re not the top."


    Crystal nodded for him to go on.


    "Then socks. Good ones. Thick, cotton''s good. Might get a little wet, but they dry fast enough. You don''t want to lose toes. The weather''s decent now, but it''s always cold out here, especially at night. The next thing... most Stalkers complain about it, until they return. If they return. But tights."


    "Like the things you wear under a skirt?" Crystal asked.


    "Yeah. They keep you warm, don''t get wet as much, prevent some chafing. I have thick, durable ones here. They can serve as filters too, or cheap rope once they''re worn out."


    "Huh," Crystal said. "Okay, go on."


    He nodded. "Pants. I have jeans from America. Good, tough. Army pants too. Not as durable, but they have pockets that are better. You''ll want a few layers up top. Shirt, button-up, then your armour. Don''t go out there without at least a vest."


    The Frenchman moved to the back of the shop, where he had a number of armoured vests on hangars.


    "Something bullet-proof is a must. Lots of Stalkers use buckshot. It works on the monsters in the Zone really well. I suggest a good coat too. Something in plain, drab colours. Browns or greens, or greys. The Zone is forest and city, you don''t want to stand out. A good, thick coat will keep you safe. Masks are next. No mask means no breathing. There are parts of the Zone where the air will kill you faster than any bullet. You need a good filter for that."


    "Is that why we''ve seen so many people with gas masks?" Crystal asked.


    He shrugged. "It''s not so bad in the city. Still, take a mask with you. Some don''t wear them all the time. Cuts their vision, and some say they need to feel the air around them to operate at full capacity. I don''t know about that. I just know that you need your mask with you before things go bad."


    "I imagine that those who wear them all the time get used to operating with a mask on as well," Alice said.


    "Maybe so. Look, surviving in the Zone isn''t just about gear. But having good gear will keep you alive longer, and that matters." He crossed his arms. "So, why don''t you just take what you need and get?"


    ***

 Chapter Fifteen - Pants of the Apocalypse

    Chapter Fifteen - Pants of the Apocalypse


    Alice wasn''t sure if she was entirely comfortable in this new permutation of her magical girl outfit.


    Sure, her normal outfit didn''t follow the conventions, being one with pants and all, but this was... more different. "This is really stretching the definition of what counts as a magical girl outfit," Alice said.


    "You think so?" Crystal asked.


    Crystal was in thick army-style boots and tights. A heavy skirt hung around her waist, dropping down to mid-calf, and she was wearing a leathery trench coat over that. There was a hoodie under her coat, with a hooded top that was currently bunched up around her neck, and a mask hung by her front. Two big glass circles inset within a leather face with a plastic tube leading to a box affixed to the front of her outfit. With a pair of gloves on, and her hair pulled back into a tight bun, she looked... more or less ready for the post apocalypse.


    "The skirt doesn''t really fit," Alice pointed out.


    Who wore skirts in the apocalypse?


    "Alice," Crystal began. "You know I love you lots, right? But it would take more than just your opinion for me to start wearing pants."


    Alice raised her hands in surrender. She wasn''t going to start this argument. Her own outfit was much closer to what the Frenchman had pointed out. A leather-like poncho, some fatigues underneath, and a mask that had a full glass plate over her face. The poncho had a hood for her to tuck her hair into. The entire outfit, put together, made her a little androgynous, but she could live with that.


    The Frenchman stared at them as they walked out of his backroom, fully equipped in gear he definitely didn''t sell. He took a pull from a cigarette he must have lit while they were changing. "Weird fucks," he muttered.


    Alice decided to pretend she couldn''t hear him.


    "What are we missing?" she asked instead as she came to a stop before him. She tugged her mask down a moment later. She didn''t like the way it made her voice reverberate.


    The Frenchman frowned, took another pull from his cigarette, then looked her up and down. It was more clinical than anything else. "If you''re gonna go on pretending to be a Stalker, then you''ll need a backpack. And weapons. Most have a knife or--"


    The Frenchman cut himself off and glanced to the side where Crystal had manifested a belt around her waist and was tugging it on straighter. Her sword, Scintillating Disharmony, was in a scabbard by her side, the hilt a finely wrought piece of art.


    He cleared his throat. "That''ll catch some attention."


    "I know how to use it!" Crystal said as she patted the hilt. "Alice taught me!"


    Alice shook her head. She''d given Crystal a few pointers a few times. It was embarrassing to have someone trip over her own feet in a big team fight, especially when they were televised. It was hard enough convincing the world that they were better off letting the magical girls do what they needed to do without the world seeing up Crystal''s skirts when she flipped herself upside down from swinging too hard.


    "Most Stalkers carry guns, right?" Alice asked.


    "Most, yeah," the Frenchmen said. "Knives, always, because you need them, and guns jam or run out of bullets. But guns too. Some of them have their father''s PPSh, some have their great-grandpa''s Mosin, and some Stalkers have the rubles to spill on a Kalashnikov. There''s a lot of army surplus stock out there, and gear from the first push into the Zone."


    "The first push?" Crystal asked.


    The Frenchman pinched his cigarette between forefinger and thumb. "Merde, that was a while ago. Then the Zone first showed up. Everything went down, you see. Radio, TVs, everyone was confused. Then the first storms hit. They lasted for days. Storms that went back and forth. I... was on this side. Never was able to make it back to the other."


    "The other side of the Zone, or the other side of the storms?" Alice asked.


    "Same thing," he replied. "The army mobilised. Haven''t seen it do that since the second world war. Ten million men pulled from reserves and given a week''s training while the first scouts reported what they could about the edge of the Zone. The government called it an attack from the west."


    "But it''s not that, is it?" Crystal asked.


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    "Nah, we know that now. There''s a few places where you can cross over. The safest route is to go east, cross the country, then the pacific. Still some storms, but they''re weaker. It''s a bitch of a way though." He pointed to one side, more of less to the west. "If you want to get to Germany from here, it''s a thousand kilometres. Used to be a day''s ride by train. Now you need to go ''round the whole damned planet to get there."


    "There''s no other way?" Alice asked. She couldn''t begin to imagine the consequences for global trade.


    "Oh, there''s a few. Some tunnels. I heard that they tried to build a huge covered highway further south, right through Moldova."


    "Did it work?" Alice asked.


    "No. Big storm swept through and undid two years of work in an afternoon. Some hundred-odd workers died, the whole thing was cancelled."


    "What about that first push thing you mentioned," Crystal said.


    The Frenchmen rubbed his chin. "That. That was a mess. A million young idiots with everything to lose, old equipment that had been yanked out of storage, machines that broke down all over. The government found out just how deep the corruption went when half of their equipment was missing or had been sold off for scrap. After a while they just started executing old officers for grift."


    "Oh," Crystal said.


    "Then they finally cordoned off the Zone and started to push in. That was before they walled up Pripyat. There were columns of men walking into the Zone as if they were walking off to the west like their grandfathers did, but they didn''t find tanks and men with pointy-hats waiting for them. They found the Zone, and it found them wanting."


    "What happened?" Alice asked.


    "Everything happened. Back then, trinkets and artefacts were a lot more common. There were anomalies all over, and no one knew how to handle them. Men were getting stuck in time loops, others were being blown apart. Entire tank brigades would stop for the night, and come morning they were gone. Then they''d reappear a month later, just as confused as everyone else."


    The Frenchman reached the end of his cigarette, looked at it, then flicked it across the room where it rolled close to a garbage pail.


    "There was a rout, at some point, but it started from the front, from the men that had seen the worse the Zone had to offer. They came back... twisted. Not just in their heads, but their bodies too. Walking anomalies. That''s when the walls went up. Not to stop the monsters of the Zone, but to stop the monsters they made of their own people by underestimating the Zone."


    "That''s awful," Crystal said. "On the other hand, we might get to fight zombies, which is kind of fun?"


    "Crystal," Alice said, her tone warning. The Frenchman was afraid of them, both of them. She could taste it in the air. He was more afraid of what was in that Zone, but it was a different flavour of fear. He wouldn''t go in there for all the money in the world, but the fear was nonetheless intellectual. He''d never seen the monsters, he just knew they existed.


    She''d tasted that same flavour of fear from the religious and the devout when they came face-to-face with the reality that hell was real and that it was waiting for them. Dread certainty.


    "Well, thank you for the story," Alice said.


    "Are you two really going in there?" he asked.


    "Of course," Crystal said. "Don''t worry, we''re not afraid of nothing!"


    "That''s... not... whatever," Alice sighed. "Yes, we''ll be diving into this Zone. But we''ll try to go in with a guide. You don''t need to worry about us."


    "Worry about you? You came in to my shop, paid me in that." He pointed to the crystalline statue of himself. "Then bought nothing. I don''t think I''m going to worry about you. What I''m worried about is when the investigator comes here after tracing your steps. Actually, why don''t you leave out the back?"


    Alice wasn''t expecting to be kicked out quite so easily, but she and Crystal found themselves usher out of the back door anyway. The man was brave, she''d give him that.


    "So... we have a few hours to kill before we''re supposed to meet Mister Koshei, right?" Crystal asked.


    "Yes," Alice said.


    "How about we find someplace to eat, then? I''m starving!"


    "Oh my us! We forgot the amusement park!"


    Alice sighed. She''d hoped that Crystal had forgotten that.


    ***

 Chapter Sixteen - Ferris Wheel

    Chapter Sixteen - Ferris Wheel


    "This... is not as exciting as I thought it would be," Crystal said.


    She and Alice had arrived in the little amusement park behind city hall just a few minutes before it closed for the night. It took a little bit of sweet-talking, but the young man operating the ferris wheel agreed to let them on, though it wasn''t going to be for a very long ride.


    That was probably for the best, Alice wasn''t overly fond of wasting time like this.


    Then again... it reminded her a little of the best days. The others would often get on her case for spending too much time working. Alice had taken on the burden of being the team''s de facto leader. It wasn''t an actual position of any real authority. She considered herself an equal to the other girls.


    It was just that the others, with a couple of exceptions, weren''t overly fond of the more business-side of the magical girl life. They didn''t want to deal with government bodies, oversight committees, and the press.


    Yes, they were all very powerful individually, but they needed to rely on the governments of Earth for some things nonetheless.


    Some of the others were helpful, at times. Happy Sparkles was fantastic with the media, Silenced Annihilation could do paperwork like a goddess, and Hypertense Breakpoint was great at negotiations, but the rest were only interested in the results of their hard work, not so much doing the work.


    "Are you okay?" Crystal asked.


    Alice sighed. "I''m fine, Crystal. Just thinking about work."


    "You know, we''re about as far from work as we can possibly be," Crystal said. "Heck, I doubt there''s any paperwork left on Earth. Paper tends to burn easily, right?"


    "I suppose," Alice agreed. All that time spent cultivating their reputation, creating contacts in various industries, shaking hands and kissing babies, all gone.


    It actually felt like a bit of a weight lifted from her shoulders.


    Who knew that the only thing that needed to happen for her to finally take a break was the end of the world? Alice chuckled darkly to herself, earning her a look from Crystal. "Just a silly thought," she said.


    "Oh," Crystal said. "I get those. A lot, actually. Hmm, maybe mostly?"


    Alice smiled slightly, and then looked out and over the city. The sun was setting on Pripyat, the darkness coming earlier thanks to the massive walls surrounding the entire city, but from the very top of the ferris wheel, they could see the sun''s orange glow on the horizon still.


    Then the wheel continued to turn, and they dipped into the darkness of the city at night.


    The young man at the controls was a little nervous, but a hug from Crystal and her big thank-yous smoothed things over nicely. Then the two of them were off, though not with any kind of hurry.


    They were meeting Koschei soon. Sure, they had a few hours to wait, but they could do that at the Last Resort easily enough.


    "Do you think we should get some guns?" Crystal asked as she walked next to Alice.


    "Do you know how to use a gun?" Alice asked.


    "Uh. Point it at the thing you wanna shoot, pull the trigger?" Crystal said. "I mean, there are children soldiers out there, right? How hard can it be?"


    "I... Crystal, I don''t even know where to begin with that," Alice said.


    The only reason they''d need firearms might be to fit in better. When it came to combat, they both had much better tools than mere guns. Magic, for one, was far more versatile and deadly than any gun, and both of them were quite capable in any close-quarters engagement.


    Alice''s sense of direction was decent enough to guide both of them back to the bar. They walked next to each other, bumping shoulders as they went until they arrived at the bar.


    By then, it was well past late, but the place seemed just as active as when they were here earlier. A few patrons were at the bar, more were sitting around the tables minding their own, or chatting in little groups.


    Someone had whipped out an acoustic guitar and was strumming away at something in the corner, accompanied by the scratchy noise of an old radio.


    Alice wasn''t sure how to describe the ambience of the place, but it wasn''t all bad. A chill, quiet space where worn-out men could lower their guards just a little.


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    "One milk, please," Crystal said as she took a stool at the bar.


    Alice sat next to her, then sighed. "Make it two," she replied.


    The bartender looked between the two, then shook his head and headed back. He returned with two tall glasses of lukewarm milk. "Six hundred rubles," he said.


    Alice locked eyes with him, then gestured to the table. "Here you go," she said.


    The man blinked, then reached across the table, as if swiping away coins that weren''t there. He nodded to them, then moved on to check up on his other customers.


    "That was a little mean," Crystal whispered.


    "I have the impression that six hundred rubles is a rip off for two glasses of milk," she said with a shrug. The bartender might be a few rubles short at the end of the day, but probably not that many. She eyed the price of a beer on the dirty signboard behind him and shrugged. If this place had any amount of tipping culture, then he''d be just fine.


    "That''s very rude," Crystal said, but she didn''t sound all that chastising, more amused.


    "We should find a way to make some money while we''re here. Just enough to afford basic amenities like this," Alice said. She took a sip from the milk, then gagged. "Oh, this is... not good."


    Crystal sniffed hers, then took a big swallow. "Hm, it''s not so bad. I''ve put worse things in my mouth."


    "Crystal," Alice said, exasperated. One day, if the stars aligned just right, Crystal might actually grow a brain-mouth filter.


    Alice doubted if that day would ever come. In the meanwhile, Crystal would just have to get away with it by being cute enough that no one would suspect foul play.


    "What are you two doing here?" someone asked from behind them.


    Alice turned in her seat, milk in hand, to see that Koschei had come up behind them. He was surprisingly quiet. "We''re waiting for when we need to head out," she said.


    "That''s not for a while," he replied. "Shouldn''t you get some sleep?"


    "Shouldn''t you?" Crystal retorted.


    Alice eyed the man up and down. He wasn''t in the same clothes as before. The jacket and boots were the same, but the rest had been changed, though it was functionally similar. A shirt, some tough worker''s pants in drab colours, a belt with a holster and that iron around his thigh. What she could see of his hair was matted down and wet too, as if he had just stepped out of the shower.


    "I was planning on taking a rest while waiting for you two," he said.


    "You can still do that," Crystal said. "We''re... more or less patient."


    He sighed, but shook his head. "We won''t be going far if we take off at night, but in its own way it''s a lot safer. Come, if you''re ready to go now, then we might as well."


    Alice glanced at Crystal who shrugged, and downed the rest of her milk.


    "Is that... milk?" Koschei asked.


    "Makes your bones strong," Crystal replied. "And it makes you grow big and tall."


    Alice suspected that Crystal would have to drink a lot more milk, then.


    "Right," Koschei said. "If you''re ready to go now, then meet me out front in two minutes."


    "Got it!" Crystal said with a happy thumb''s up.


    They both watched as the man stepped out and away, heading towards a side room and disappearing quickly enough. "I suppose we can wait outside," Alice said.


    "Mhm! Hey, we''re heading out early, isn''t it a lot more exciting than staying indoors and waiting on nothing?"


    "I suppose so," Alice said as she stood up from the stool and adjusted her jacket. She wasn''t sure if she was one for the whole bar ambiance to begin with, so waiting outside was fine.


    Koschei was a punctual sort of man, because he stepped out of the Last Resort with ten seconds to spare. "Come on," he said as he walked right past them. Alice idly noticed that he now had an assault rifle on a sling bumping against his hip, and the holster on his other side had a handgun stuffed into it now. Somehow, despite the modern weaponry, he struck her more of a hunter than a soldier.


    "So, where to?" Crystal asked.


    "We''re slipping out of the city first. Then we''ll be heading to a nice, quiet spot in the zone, one where we can stay until the sun rises."


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Three

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Three


    Sneaking out of the city should have been difficult. She heard all sorts of things, about patrols rolling across the exterior, trucks and tanks on the lookout for monsters and Stalkers, guns on the walls, helicopters and advanced aerial surveillance.


    Pripyat was... no longer a great place to live in, but for all the chaos and grief that the Zone had caused, it had also attracted a lot of attention from the government, and that meant a lot of investment in the city. The walls were a large and obvious sign of that, towering cement barrier, obscuring the world beyond the city, making the dawn arrive later and the night approach faster as they blocked out the sun.


    They were the only horizon that she had seen in years.


    She expected that getting past them and into the Zone beyond would be nigh-on impossible. A herculean task, even.


    Instead... it was easy.


    Vasilisa had some things from her father, including a map. It was creased and well-worn, with a few notes written in the margins and across the front of it in her father''s tidy handwriting.


    While her father worked for the Office of Zone Exploration, he would sometimes be tasked with hunting down criminals. Smugglers and Stalkers, people who snuck in through the darkness into and out of the city.


    He''d marked some of their favourite exit ways on this old map.


    She was only slightly worried that these might be watched, but the truth was... disappointingly simple.


    Her father had told her once that there was a bounty on catching Stalkers and the like, but the bounty was far higher if they caught someone returning from the Zone. So, these entrances weren''t watched all that closely. Worse, those who found a passage out of the city kept it to themselves. If they reported it to the soldiers, then the army would be the ones catching Stalkers and the bounties they represented.


    Those who worked around the city kept the exits they knew of to themselves.


    The one Vasilisa chose was in the eastern end of the city. Her dad had written three whole lines about this one.


    Old city sewer


    Check bush


    Red-line grate


    The old city sewers weren''t something she was very familiar with, but Vasilisa had ridden past them a few times. The building was right up against the walls in what had been the more industrial sector of the city before all of that was abandoned.


    The site had a fence running all around it, but it was only two metres tall, and there were already crates and piles of refuse stacked up against it, making it easy to vault over.


    There were three large buildings, all big and square, with watery rust stains down their sides.


    Vasilisa couldn''t help but feel like she was a breath away from running into a patrol of guardsmen who''d ask her what she was doing here. It was forbidden. It was wrong.


    She swallowed hard and continued. The site was empty. Only crushed cigarette boxes, a few cracked bottles of kvass and walls covered in graffiti both young and old greeted her.


    She wandered the site for an hour before discovering the space her father must have been talking about in his notes. A large cement water cistern, open to the air and long emptied except for a pool of stale water. A huge pipe lead into the cistern, with a stained old cloth over the grating covering the entrance.


    Vasilisa found her way into the cistern, aware of the protesting metal of the catwalks. She moved to the grating, then tugged it open on rusty hinges. There were signs that there had been a lock on the grate once, but it was long gone.


    Pulling around her backpack, she found a flashlight and flicked it on. The torchlight wasn''t all that strong, but she was happy that she had it. It illuminated enough of the pipe to see by, and enough to know that she didn''t want to step in the gunk in its centre.


    The mud had some boot prints in it. She wasn''t an expert judge of these things, but they didn''t seem young.


    The pipe continued for some ways, then reached a junction. She hesitated before seeing a streak of red paint across the top of the pipe on one side. She turned the torch off then squinted into the darkness. The red paint glowed. It was faint, very faint, probably not enough to actually navigate by, but still, enough to know which way was which.


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    Vasilisa continued to follow the path laid out by someone much cleverer than herself until, finally, after what felt like many hours of walking, she arrived at the end of the tunnel.


    It opened up into a swampy field she was entirely unfamiliar with. Vasilisa hesitated on the inside of the pipe, behind another grating which had been crudely cut open by a torch, leaving an opening just large enough for a grown man to squeeze into.


    She jumped out after looking every which way and spotting no one. If someone was looking at the entrance, it was from an angle she couldn''t see, or using a camera or somesuch. She made sure her hood was on and her gun close.


    The mud she landed in squelched underfoot, and for a moment she was worried she might sink into it. The area was nothing but mud and tall, reedy grass growing atop mounds of dirt. Further out were cracked cement walls, and beyond that, a few hundred trees that looked thin and weak.


    She turned, looking back the way she''d come.


    The wall of Pripyat towered in the distance, lost to either side as it wrapped around her home.


    It was a lot rougher on the outside, with great big cracks across its surface, and sides that had never been repainted since the days where the wall was erected.


    She shouldered her pack and started to stomp her way through the mud. She didn''t want to leave too many tracks, but it was probably more important to get out of the swamp first.


    It wasn''t all that large, not really, but it felt strangely huge. Bigger than it seemed, maybe. She was pretty sure this wasn''t an anomaly, not yet, but... well, she was outside of the walls, much closer to the fringes of the Zone than she would be within the city.


    The air was thick with the smell of damp earth, and a wind blew in that sent shivers down her spine as she crossed the swamp. Finally, she reached the edge, where dirt gave way to old, cracked concrete. The swamp might have been unnatural, now that she looked back on it from a slight height. The place was too square, too even on the edges. A dumping space for sewage? She wasn''t sure.


    Scraping her boots off on the roots of a tree that had broken through the concrete, she tried to remove any lingering marks the space might have left on her.


    Next... next she needed to make it to the Zone.


    A glance up and at the sky told her that she didn''t have much time left. Nightfall would be on her within a few hours, at most.


    Licking her lips, Vasilisa glanced at the walls of Pripyat again, then pushed on and away from them.


    The sparse woods gave way into an industrial sector. Old factories with chimneys rising above, a few large warehouses, a walled-off area filled with storage lockers, a faded sign listing out prices for them.


    Vasilisa moved along the edge of an old, abandoned road, going as quick as she dared while keeping an eye on everything. Every creak and moan of the wind made her heart flutter. This was a dead space, abandoned, no longer meant for people.


    Her heart leaped in her chest as she caught movement ahead, but it was merely a thin fox, slipping out of cover, glancing around, then moving on after eyeing her wearily for a moment.


    She heard a distant snap-crack. A gun, fired way off to the east.


    Her heart was still racing as she crossed a large, grass-filled ditch and came up behind a wall of slabs, with rolls of barbed wire above. There were cracks in the wall large enough for her to squeeze into, but first, she peaked through.


    It was a lot for a warehouse, with a loading area for trains just beyond. A few wagons were sitting there still.


    She looked around for some time, waiting for her breath to still, for her heart to stop beating so hard. Then she snuck through, moving to the corner of the warehouse and peeking around.


    Nothing. Not yet, at any rate.


    Vasilisa moved across the yard, up a ramp, then she paused. There was a way through to the other side, by moving through some old train cars and leaping the fence beyond.


    But then... The sky was darkening.


    So, instead, she found her way into one of the cars and shuffled some old crates around, just enough to create a nook behind them, where no one would be able to see her.


    She needed somewhere to spend this first night, and this was as good as anything.


    ***

 Chapter Seventeen - Out of the City

    Chapter Seventeen - Out of the City


    "So!" Crystal said as she flounced along a step behind Koschei. Alice was keeping up with them both, but was giving herself a little bit of distance between herself and Crystal''s flounciness. "How are we getting out of the city, anyway?"


    "The walls are supposed to be impenetrable," Koschei said. He snorted a moment later. "There are more holes in it than in a sieve. But we''ll be taking a quick way out. It''s fast, but a little dangerous." He tugged his sleeve up, and glanced at his watch. "We should hurry."


    "Was this the exit we were planning on using all along?" Alice asked.


    The man hummed and shook his head. "No. If you had come when you were meant to, we''d be leaving from a guard house. A couple of thousand roubles each and the guards look the other way. They won''t let people in but just slipping out? That''s easy."


    "But that''s not how we''re leaving, is it?" Crystal asked.


    "No," Koschei said. He glanced over his shoulder at the two of them. "Now, be a little more quiet, would you?"


    "Oki-doki!" Crystal said, quite loudly.


    Alice shot her a look, and received a smug smile in return. Well, at least Crystal was having fun with this, she supposed.


    Koschei led them through the city and along the outer wall. For all that it seemed a little rough from up close, the wall was still an impressive piece of engineering. It was tall, thick, and reminded her of a massive castle wall made of modern materials. There had to be a million tons of poured cement along the entire wall. A dozen dams worth of material put up to keep a single city safe from intruders and to keep its people walled in.


    Koschei brought them to a spot where the wall turned inwards a little, then back out. There was an entrance just around the corner. Alice could feel a dozen or so young men, bored out of their minds, and filled with rather mundane worries. "Quiet now," he muttered.


    Instead of moving towards the entrance, he guided them towards a small doorway built right into the wall. It was sealed, but their guide pulled out a small metallic bar from within his coat and shoved it into the lock. A few quick motions back and forth while pressing the handle down, and the lock gave up.


    "In, quick," he said. "And quiet, there''s an echo."


    Alice and Crystal slipped past him into the wall itself.


    Alice paused as she took in the vast, empty space. The walls were a metre thick here, but beyond that was a large, cavernous space filled with I-beams leading from one side to the other. "Is the entire wall hollow all the way around?" she asked in a low murmur.


    "Most of it," he said. "It was supposed to be filled. Come on."


    There was a staircase in the centre of the space, metal railings and grated steps that turned at ninety degree angles. They started up the stairs, and Alice found herself wincing at the groaning of metal underfoot and the constant clangs as everything moved.


    Worse, the sound echoed through the space.


    "Will someone hear us?" Crystal asked.


    Koschei, now behind them, shrugged. "Maybe. But the wind makes the wall groan too. Voices, though, are unusual to hear, so be quiet."


    Alice kept mum until they reached the top of the stairs. At a glance, she judged the wall to be about three stories tall. A door waited for them above, with a warning not to open it. They ignored that, opening the door up and skulking out.


    "Stay low," Koschei said as he moved past the two of them.


    The top of the wall was flat, with small parapets on either side that came up to around hip-height. There were a few cans up here, plenty of trash from food, and discarded magazines and boxes. A few shiny brass casings caught Alice''s eye too. "The top of the wall is patrolled?" she asked.


    "Not often enough," Koschei said. He led them down towards a strange apparatus hanging off the side of the wall. It took Alice a moment to recognize it. The last time she''d seen one of these was in Rio, and it was in much better shape. It was the kind of elevator platform used by window washers to clean the sides of skyscrapers. "Get in," he said with a gesture to the cage.


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    Alice stepped on, then extended a hand that Crystal took before she hopped on.


    They were outside of the city now, technically. Hanging high up the wall overlooking the suburbs and parts of the city that weren''t lucky enough to be walled in. There was a wide open space of destroyed buildings and cleared land here, all illuminated by the rising sun.


    Koschei hopped on with a clang, then pulled up the controls for the lift. A press of a button later and they were riding it down at a slow, agonising pace.


    "Once we''re on the ground, we''ll be out in the open," he said. "Anyone seeing us from the wall will shoot. If a patrol comes around, and they do ride around, they''ll shoot too. Or arrest us, which is no better."


    "So, how do we get over there?" Crystal asked as she pointed across the kill zone. "Run real fast?"


    "You can''t outrun a bullet," Koschei said.


    Crystal made a face, which scrunched up her nose rather cutely. "I''m pretty sure I can," she muttered.


    Alice was sure that Crystal could, in fact, outrun a bullet. Crystal''s entire aspect and domain was lasers and crystals. Light moved noticeably faster than any bullet. Alice, of course, was faster, because the only thing faster than light was light''s own shadow.


    She''d once had a three hour long debate with a physicist about it. He was wrong, of course, because what did he know? He couldn''t turn into shadows, could he?


    "There are some ditches to either side of the road the patrols take. A few of those have tunnels under them. Right over there." He pointed to a small culvert passing under a gravel road, one that trailed alongside the wall. The culvert was a dark patch, hidden from sight by a slight slope.


    Alice nodded. She could see how that would work. Once they were on the other side of the road, they could make a run for the nearest building and disappear. The other side of the killzone was filled with old, dilapidated buildings. Roads forked out and traveled further off, but they were broken, ripped apart, filled with heaps of trash, and plantlife had started to push over the abandoned city.


    "Come on. Stay low, stay quiet, and listen for trouble," Koschei said. He reached into a pocket at his breast and pulled out a small item that he flicked forwards. It sailed ahead, a line of bright green cloth following it.


    "What was that?" Crystal asked.


    "Safety," he said as he walked over and picked the thing up. He flicked it ahead again, then walked after it.


    Alice and Crystal followed behind him, keeping low as he''d said to until they reached the ditch with the culvert and squeezed on through it.


    Koschei flicked another thing in ahead of him, but didn''t pick it up this time, so when she passed, Alice dipped down and scooped it out of the mud.


    It was a nut. A small hex nut, with a length of thin ribbon tied through it. The cloth was made of the kind of reflective material she might expect to see on the back of a bicyclist''s jacket or something.


    "What''s the point of these nuts?" Alice asked. "Or... wait, are you looking for those time bubbles?"


    "Not just those," Koschei said. They reached the far end of the tunnel, and he flicked one up and over the edge then nodded. "Stay close."


    Their guide darted out ahead, over the top of the ditch, then darted towards a nearby building. It had been a shop of some sort, with large windows, but they were missing now, smashed long ago. Koschei stepped on the window sill and jumped into the shadows within the shop.


    Alice and Crystal followed with ease.


    "Good," he said once they were in. "Come on, we''re in the safe belt for now, but it''s a thin area."


    "Safe belt?" Crystal asked.


    "Out of the kill zone, but not yet in the Zone itself," he explained. "It goes all the way around the city, a space where you''re not in as much danger. There aren''t as many anomalies here, and the guards don''t patrol this area. At the same time, any monster from the Zone usually gets attracted to the wall and dies when patrols find them. It''s as safe as you can be out here."


    "That doesn''t sound safe at all," Crystal muttered.


    Koschei chuckled. "Welcome to the great outdoors, then."


    ***

 Chapter Eighteen - Shortcut

    Chapter Eighteen - Shortcut


    Koschei took a few moments to prepare within the abandoned shop, and Alice found herself spying on the man as he went through some motions that seemed completely practised to him. First he checked his gear, tugging on his pack, fixing his belt, then tapping his boots on the ground a few times to dislodge some dirt. There was a very ratty carpet at the back of the shop, and he rubbed his boots down on it.


    "We don''t want to leave tracks," he said. "This might be the safe zone, but it''s not actually safe. Some Stalkers will hunt others down out here."


    "Why would they do that?" Crystal asked. She looked down at her feet, which were noticeably muddy. Alice''s own were clean, a quick motion of some shadows over her lower pantlegs and boots wiped away any mud, and besides, her magical girl outfit wasn''t prone to getting dirtied.


    She didn''t know how Crystal always managed to get covered in dirt and dust and sometimes twigs.


    Koschei glanced at them, and his brow earned a small frown as he noticed that they were cleaner than he was. But the man ignored it with a shrug as he continued to ready himself. "We''re going to move north and west. This part of the city is the old shopping district. There''s lot of small stores, and some apartments. We''ll be staying the night in one of those."


    "Are they safer?" Alice asked.


    "Some of them only have one entrance to keep an eye on," he replied. "And they have beds."


    She supposed that, given the choice, the average explorer would take a bed to sleep on when they could get one. "We won''t be spending the night, will we?" Crystal asked.


    "Some of it," he replied. "The problem with this part of the zone is that there''s a lot of dangerous traffic. Having a light tells everyone where you are. It''s unwise. So we''ll avoid moving in the dark and will leave at sun-up."


    Koschei grabbed his gun and pulled back the charging handle halfway while tilting it to the side to see within the chamber. Then he turned the gun the other way and flicked his safety. "Let''s get moving."


    They left out of the back of the store. There was no door, and the elements were welcome to come in. Koschei moved to the left and right of the exit before even stepping though, moving so that he could see down both sides of the alleyway just outside. Once he confirmed that it was clear--something Alice could have told him, she didn''t sense anyone nearby--he moved through and scooted over to the far side of the alley.


    Alice and Crystal followed. The man clearly knew what he was doing, moving with a casual sort of professionalism. "How long have you been doing this for?" Alice asked.


    "Five years," he said.


    "That''s not so long," she replied.


    "Five years makes me one of the longest-lived veterans around," he said.


    "That''s kinda sad," Crystal said. "Unless it''s because only working for a season or two is enough to retire?"


    Koschei glanced back, then shook his head. "No. There''s a grave. We''ll be passing it tomorrow. You''ll see where all the retirees are."


    "I thought that Pavlo said that Stalkers make it rich?" Alice asked.


    Koschei grunted a laugh. "Maybe. If you find the right prize out here, then maybe. "Most of us just don''t make it out alive. But it''s fine. There are always more who want to give it a try. The Zone, it has miracles, you know? There are things in there that you will never see anywhere else. Some are monsters, some are devils, but there is more too. It is hard for a man not to want to see what is here, especially when there is nothing left in the rest of the world for them."


    Crystal shook her head. "Boys," she said.


    On exiting the alley, they took a left away from the walls and deeper into the city. A few blocks later, and Alice couldn''t see the walls of Pripyat behind them anymore. It was strange how easy it was to lose sight of even something that big.


    Koschei had them running across a street in a spot where a bus was stalled lengthwise across the road. It provided some good cover to get to the other side, then he opened the door of a small locksmith''s shop and they darted through it to the other side.


    Alice had been paying some attention to the shops and stores they crossed. They were obviously all abandoned, but more notably, they were all looted. Anything valuable was gone. The rest was tossed around and left to rust.


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    They came upon an anomaly the moment they were out of the back of the shop.


    Both Alice and Crystal paused, because once through the back door, then were... back in the front of the locksmiths. "Just keep following me," Koschei said.


    So they did, exiting out of the back and back into the front, again. Alice frowned and looked over her shoulder. There was the bus outside, and nothing seemed different.


    "Another time," Koschei said.


    So they followed him out of the back, and this time found themselves stepping out into another street. Alice glanced back again. They had just stepped out of a hardware store, not a locksmiths.


    "It''s a shortcut," Koschei said without explaining anything. "The apartments are right there."


    He was pointing to some rather tame apartment buildings right across the street. They were simple three-storey buildings, and from what Alice could sense, there were something like five blocks of them around this area, each block was two large buildings, each shaped like an L with a small park in their centre and parking space around them.


    The windows were almost all busted, and the front doors of the nearest apartment complex were straight up missing. It looked like the buildings had been shot at too. One window on the third floor had a dozen marks where bullets had struck the walls around one window.


    Alice could sense people nearby as well. Not too close, but a few buildings down. Two people, but from what she could tell, they were relaxing. A third person was way further off, and she could sense both fear and desperation wafting off of them.


    "This way," Koschei said.


    By the time they slipped into the building, the sun was almost completely gone. The sky was well past the orange of dusk. Fortunately, the moon was high above, and it gave them some amount of visibility as they slipped in.


    The place smelled like mildew and rot, and the reason why was obvious. Mold was settling in on the corners of the tiled floors, and whomever had looted the place previously had pulled out a lot of furniture and clothes and left it spread out across the floor in rotting heaps.


    As Koschei led them deeper in, they crossed an open room. It had a long counter to one side, and a few tables with seating around them. "This is the old dormitory," Koschei said. "For some company or another. The apartments above are normal apartments."


    There was a sink built into the counter, and it was overflowing with water. The tap kept pouring more and more out, though it was only at a slow trickle. Still, that had been enough to fill the sink, and now the water was flowing along the counter to the edge, and dripping onto the floor where it had pooled.


    "No wonder this place is mouldy," Alice muttered. The linoleum had bubbled up in the centre of the room, probably from water damage.


    "The water here is good," Koschei said. "It''s a well."


    She didn''t comment on it. She supposed that any moderately clean water would be good around here.


    Climbing up a floor, they came to a landing above that was completely blocked by turned bedframes. She could just make out a warning painted on a piece of plywood across the entryway. "Go Home."


    Koschei ignored it, grabbed onto one of the frames, then easily pulled it aside, revealing a small entrance. "In," he said.


    They slipped in. The corridor was lined with small apartments. Just a room, a washroom, and a small sleeping space. Each had a window looking out, though they were small.


    "Pick a room," Kochei said. "None of them are good. We''ll be staying here until first light." Then he eyed the two. "Can I trust you to take a watch?"


    "Sure," Crystal said. "I don''t mind not sleeping."


    "Likewise," Alice said.


    He nodded. "I''m going to get a few hours of sleep. We''re leaving at five, before the sun''s up."


    "Got it," Crystal said. "Get some good sleep!"


    Alice nodded to the man. In hindsight, with how this place was laid out, the anomalies, the shortcuts, the confusing landscape, she was... happy that Crystal had wanted a local guide.


    ***

 Chapter Nineteen - Sleep/Dream

    Chapter Nineteen - Sleep/Dream


    Alice was aware that some of her friends didn''t sleep because they didn''t need to sleep. Phantom Mist was like that, refusing to sleep for months at a time. She was too much of a worrywort for it. Hypertense as well, but her issue was rooted more in her constant desire to work. Why spend time asleep when she could be neck-deep in paperwork that no one really cared that much about?


    Alice herself... enjoyed sleeping, actually.


    If she took a step back and observed her personality, the way she acted and did things, then she might have expected herself to be one of those magical girls that put off sleeping forever. But the truth was that her magic was intrinsically linked to nightmares and dreams. She gained something real and useful from time spent sleeping.


    That, and when she slept, her power felt... warmer, more solid and protective. It swaddled her like a warm blanket of nightmares, ready to lash out at the world and anything that might interrupt her rest.


    The rooms that Koschei had shown them were rather awful. Small apartments that stank of mould, with no light except what came from the moon outside. The walls were mostly covered in peeling wallpaper and the furniture was all presswood that wasn''t handling the high humidity and lack of care well.


    Alice found the least dirty bed in the place and gave it a push. The spring could be felt through the top of the mattress, and they squealed uncomfortably loud.


    She grimaced and summoned a layer of nightmares and darkness over the top.


    "Are you planning on sleeping?" Crystal asked.


    "I was thinking about it. We can do two shifts," Alice said.


    Crystal considered it, then nodded. "Okay. I can distract myself, don''t worry! I''m easily entertained."


    Alice nodded. "You can have the bed when I''m done," she replied before collapsing onto the surface. The darkness puffed out, like roiling stormclouds as she crashed down, then the dark rumbled back into place, covering her from the neck down.


    One of the nice things about having powers over dreams and nightmares was that the moment she wanted to be asleep, she was out.


    Almost immediately, she was plunged into a dreamscape that was entirely unfamiliar to her. This world''s dreams... no, they weren''t entirely unfamiliar. What she felt and saw all around was cast in different shades and styles. The people of this world thought differently, their fears weren''t the same, but the underlying world of dreams? That was much closer to what she was used to.


    Yes, people had fears that didn''t exist back on her own Earth, and that cast a certain shade across the dreams she saw, but beneath that? Beneath that, they were as human as human could be.


    People were worried about bills, about their health, the health of friends and family. Yes, there were worries about the Zone, especially since the majority of those sleeping at the moment were those on this side of the world, where night had just set in.


    The nightmares of monsters leaping from the dark and of twisted creatures were more common, but there were just as many from students worried over exams and soldiers dreaming of wives and young hopefuls imagining themselves as great heroes and proud Stalkers.


    Alice pulled away from the dreamscape. There was... something off about it, and it took her trying to pull away to notice it.


    Someone had created a sphere over the planet.


    She knew that it was artificial the moment her dreaming mind found it. A metaphysical object was uncommon. One that wrapped itself around the world? One that seemed to be held up by pillars like a great construct designed to hold up the sky?


    Those who dreamed closest to the pillars had their dreams warped and shifted, and as Alice examined them, she realized that those few dreamers were looping through the same nightmares, over and over and over again.


    Something was very wrong here.


    She traced over the world, moving at the speed of thought, and quickly found the nearest of these pillars. It was planted right in the middle of the zone.


    Alice felt something touching her arm, and she woke up with a groggy blink.


    Crystal was leaning over head, worried face just inches from Alice''s. "Heya, sleepyhead," Crystal said. "It''s time to wake up."


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    Alice stifled a yawn, then pushed herself so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Wait... it''s morning?" she asked as she glanced out of the window. The sun hadn''t risen yet, but it was on its way there.


    "Yup! You were snoozing real hard, so I decided to let you sleep through the night," Crystal said with a smile.


    Alice frowned at her, but... she couldn''t deny that it might have been useful. Strange, that the night had passed so quickly. Was that Meagan''s magic seeping into the world of dreams?


    "What is it?" Crystal asked, and Alice sighed.


    "What''s what?"


    "You either really need to poop," Crystal said with a giggle. "Or you found something you''re not happy about. You had that same look when you did the whole definitely-not-spying thing that one time and discovered the Americans were plotting to nuke us."


    "It''s... complicated," Alice said.


    "Mhm," Crystal replied. "Small words then?"


    "Not that complicated," Alice said. What she was trying to say was that she didn''t want to go over it all so casually, but... she supposed there was no harm in sharing. "There''s a weird construct in the dreams of... everyone, really. A sort of barrier over the entire planet. Or at least this region of it. I found a pillar holding it up."


    "Nearer to the Zone?" Crystal asked.


    "How did you know?" Alice asked in return.


    Crystal shrugged. "A guess. Oh, Mister Koschei is awake. Let''s get some breakfast and then we can chat more about it. Maybe next time you take a snooze you can give it a poke?"


    "Hmm, I''ll consider it," Alice said.


    Breakfast, as it turned out, wasn''t a complex thing. Koschei had sandwiches packed in a small paper bag. They were squished a little, but edible enough. "Bread lasts a while without refrigeration, so it''s good for some time. Meat doesn''t. It''s hard to have a balanced, healthy diet in the Zone."


    "Is that a big concern?" Crystal asked as she munched on her sandwich.


    "It is for longer stays," the man said. "Deeper trips, longer ones, they can take a couple of weeks. You can live a long life off of nothing but canned beans and fish, but eventually that takes its toll. Best to have varied food while you can out here."


    "Wow," Crystal said. "Are you like, a Zone nutritionist?"


    Koschei huffed a laugh. "No. I don''t think such a thing exists. But I have been here for a while. The more you learn about this place, the more you learn that the key to surviving it is both determination and preparation. The problem is that preparation is an endless pit. Every piece of gear you bring in can be improved. That''s not just about guns and ammo, like some people who are new to the Zone think. It''s everything."


    "Doesn''t that become too much?" Alice asked.


    Koschei was almost done preparing himself. At some point he''d removed his boots to sleep, and he was putting them back on now. "Yes," he admitted, then he tapped the sides of his boots. "These are good boots. Not cheap. But they''re a little worn. No holes, and they''re still comfortable and warm, but I''ve had them for two years and the sole is getting thin. If I was too zealous, I would never leave the city with these. Only new boots. Only a new gun. Only new everything. But that isn''t good either. There''s being prepared for everything, and then there''s knowing what you have."


    "Ah," Alice said. "Because no matter how prepared you are, life will throw you things you''re not ready for. But if you know what you have and how to use it, you can find a way past that."


    Koschei glanced up and met her eyes for a moment before nodding. "That''s right," he said before donning his mask. "You might have the makings of a good Stalker. At least, the mind part. Seen too many young idiots run in and die out here. We might see some this morning."


    "Huh?" Crystal asked.


    "Because that''s when the young fools who ventured out into the night are found, usually dead."


    "Are there so many Stalkers that they can be found just like that?" Alice asked.


    "There are more than you might think. The world never has a shortage of young men with too few brains and balls that just dropped."


    "Ew," Crystal said. "You didn''t have to put it like that."


    Koschei chuckled as he walked towards the exit.


    ***

 Chapter Twenty - Mudprints

    Chapter Twenty - Mudprints


    Koschei gestured down while crouching himself. His gesture became more urgent when Alice didn''t crouch herself immediately. Crystal was squatting next to the man, her body tilted to the side so that she could see ahead.


    Their guide was hiding behind an overgrown bush pushing out of a patch of dirt on the roadside right next to a sidewalk. It covered them well enough, hiding them from anyone out ahead who might be looking their way.


    Alice knelt down behind the man. "Did you see anything?" she murmured.


    Koschei nodded. "Look at the mud over there."


    Alice leaned to the side to see said mud. They had left the apartments a few minutes ago, slipping away with some alacrity and dashing not towards the Zone but skirting northwards along its edge.


    They were now along the edge of a four-lane road, the sides lined with shops, a used car dealership, a few offices. The kind of boring stretch of road she might have found on the outskirts of any modern city, only this one''s roads were cracked by invasive plants.


    They had crossed one anomaly so far, a side road filled with a thick fogback. There was fog in the rest of the city, lingering in the air but quickly fading now that the sun was up, but that fog had been thick, unnaturally so, and it clung to the road it was on without leaving.


    Koschei hadn''t explained why it was there, or what it did. He did make them cross the road so that they''d go around it.


    "I see footprints," Crystal said.


    Koschei nodded. "Someone passed by here," he said. "One person, travelling lightly, or a small person. The temperature''s not too humid, and it hasn''t rained, so the prints are made with the morning''s dew."


    "You''re observant," Alice said.


    "I''m alive," he confirmed. Koschei looked ahead again through the bush, eyes narrowed. Alice noticed that he was specifically eyeing the windows of every building out ahead, and their rooftops. Places, she supposed, where someone might shoot at them from a vantage. "We should be good to keep going," he said.


    "Where are we going?" Crystal asked.


    "The camp we''re heading to is a day''s walk from here. We''ll be arriving by nightfall," he said. "It''s along the northern edge of the Zone."


    "Anything dangerous between here and there?" Alice asked.


    Koschei paused, then shook his head. "No. But just past it, yes. We''re taking the safest route. It is not safe, but it is the safest." He shrugged his backpack up, then touched the grip of his rifle, likely without even noticing it.


    Standing, Koschei started along the road, stepping so that it was avoiding the mud on the sidewalk. He reached into a pocket and tugged out a bolt with a long piece of string, then he started to spin it. It whistled slightly before he flung it out way ahead, then tugged it back while walking.


    "That''s to find anomalies, right?" Crystal asked.


    "Yes," he said.


    "Does it work?"


    "Yes," he replied.


    "Do new ones show up?" Crystal asked.


    "Yes."


    "Don''t you have a map of where they are? Or like, a mental map of where all the ones you know are?"


    "Yes. Do you have any more questions?" he asked, sounding somewhat peeved.


    Crystal grinned. "Yes."


    "Crystal," Alice said warningly. "Let''s not piss off Mister Koschei so early in the morning. Though, would you mind if I ask you a question of my own?"


    He nodded, Alice figured that if the question wasn''t smart, they might find themselves discovering the next anomaly as they walked headlong into it.


    "Are there any threats around here, beyond the anomalies, that we have to worry about?" She asked.


    Koshei considered it. "The patrols, they''ll come this far, rarely, but it happens. Other Stalkers. They aren''t all kind-hearted souls. And Monsters."


    "Monsters?" Crystal asked.


    Koschei shook his head. "You''re out of questions," he said.


    Crystal pouted in a way that she probably thought was cute. Alice gave her head a pat for her efforts, then continued to follow after Koschei. They were heading deeper into an industrial area. There was a wall ahead of them, some two metres tall and made of rust-red steel and cement pillars. The top had some barbed wire, but a lot of it had been torn down.


    Koschei reached a spot where the cement pillar holding up the wall had collapsed. He reached into a back pocket and pulled out a small mirror, along with a telescoping handle that he clipped onto the back of it. With an expert twist, he made the mirror move left and right in the hole, checking out the other side.


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    "We''re going to be moving past a large red building," he said as he put the mirror away. "The inside is an anomaly."


    "It is?" Crystal asked.


    He nodded. "But it''s the best and shortest route to the other side, so we''ll be moving through it. But first, I want to test your ability to handle it. If you can''t, we''ll go the long way around."


    "What''s the anomaly?" Alice asked.


    He shrugged a shoulder. "We don''t have proper names for them. But this one''s called the Hall of Horrors. Or the Mirror Room. It''s well known. There were some studies done here."


    "People studied the anomalies?" Crystal asked.


    "Of course," he said. "But not recently. The scientists had a lot of money to test them originally, but it''s all gone now. No results means no funding, or something like that. A lot of them became Stalkers, actually. Some of the best."


    "Why''s that?" Alice asked.


    He gave her a look, as if saying that she was now the one with too many questions. Still, he answered. "Because they go into the Zone to satisfy their curiosity. They aren''t here to make it rich. They are led by something greater than greed."


    Koschei slipped through the opening in the wall, then waited for them to catch up on the other side.


    The space here had a few containers, a small shack next to a closed entrance large enough for big trucks to pass through, and a few abandoned heavy-duty forklifts off near the back. To their left was a small trainyard, a few wagons sitting on tracks with ramps leading up to them for easy unloading. There was a large warehouse building to one side, three or so stories tall, and painted in a dark reddish colour.


    "The anomaly is in there?" Crystal asked.


    "Yes," Koschei said. "We could go around, but it''s longer. Trust me."


    That... didn''t make sense, geographically, Alice meant. She could see that the warehouse was quite big. It looked like it had storage in it for what might be an entire trainyard. It was large, yes, but the sides were opened. It shouldn''t have been hard to just go around.


    "Look, there''s sciency stuff," Crystal said as she pointed to the side. A small trailer was parked there, and it did, in fact, have some monitoring equipment left around it, some on a few tables. At some point a pavilion tent had been set up, but the tarp covering it was ripped apart by the weather, exposing a bunch of antennas and large laptops to the elements.


    Koschei walked them up to the entrance of the warehouse. "We need to go through. Remember, what you see isn''t real. No reflections are in here. Just keep focused on my back, and don''t scream. What you see in reflections is fake."


    Alice glanced at Crystal, their eyes met.


    Then they followed Koschei in, both of them very specifically searching for any reflective surface they could find.


    It didn''t take long to find one, a large stainless steel tank a few metres in the warehouse, its sides polished to a shine.


    Alice saw herself reflected there. Her younger self, weaker, without her powers and... and then she rolled her eyes as her reflection was mauled by some mysterious monster.


    "What''s yours doing?" Crystal asked.


    "Tentacle monster," Alice replied.


    "Huh. Mine''s just sort of... crying? It''s kind of sad, actually."


    "Are you two purposefully looking at the reflections?" Koschei asked.


    "We were curious," Alice explained.


    He glared back. "It shows you your greatest fears."


    "No it doesn''t," Crystal said. "These are like, pretty generic fears."


    Koschei didn''t seem convinced. "Just focus on my back," he said.


    And so they did, the three of them slowly walking through the warehouse. Alice noticed the occasional flash of something, a hint of movement, or maybe the sound of something moving, but when she looked, it was never anything worth the trouble. This was some complex magic, truthfully, but just because it was complex didn''t mean that it was effective.


    It did, however, make the trip through the warehouse a bit unnerving.


    It was a long walk.


    Koschei seemed confident that it was the fastest path, but the way he was looking around and the way he held his weapon, ready to kill anything that moved, told Alice that he was a lot more worried than the two of them.


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Four

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Four


    She awoke in the train car with a start.


    There was a primordial wrongness to waking up in a space that wasn''t her home, that wasn''t hers, and that wrongness shocked her into wakefulness before the sun had even risen.


    The sky was that pale blue of early morning and everything was deathly quiet. There was enough light to see by, at least with eyes that had adjusted to the dark. Vasilisa slowly rose from the spot she''d hidden in, then looked about. There was nothing around, at least, nothing that she could see when carefully sticking her head out from the car.


    So she returned to her nook and started to pack, aware the entire time that she was incredibly noisy. The metal underfoot clinked with every shift of her weight and when she set something down, it made a small, echoing noise that had her wincing.


    There was nothing for it, however. The space had kept her safe through the night, it had worked.


    Vasilisa folded her blanket into a small bundle, then searched her pack for something to eat. There were cans from her apartment, but also some leftovers she''d brought with her. Waste not, and all. This might be the last prepared meal she had for a while, so she sat back and savoured it. The small container she had used was left behind.


    Somehow, she had expected to have a difficult time eating, but she had also awoken more hungry than she could remember. Had she eaten the night before?


    The sun was rising as she slung her pack on and picked up her grandfather''s rifle. It was time to go.


    After stepping away from the train cars, she found a compass among her things and stared at the dial pointed north, then immediately shifted to point to a new north, then spun around on itself.


    Vasilisa pursed her lips in disappointment and stuffed the compass away. She knew where the city was, and could guess her north from there. It would have to do.


    Her father had taught her how to find her way through the forest, and that had been more than enough for her until now. The one thing she knew was that getting lost was almost going to be a certainty if she didn''t find a way to track her route.


    The trainyard ended at a tall cement wall, the top of which was covered by rolls of barbed wire. There were some openings in that wall, however. Places where the ground had eroded and uncovered the fact that the cement squares that made it up weren''t buried at all, but instead hung a handspan over the ground.


    Vasilisa found a small rivulet where water had pooled under the wall and made an opening large enough to squeeze through. It was all mud at the moment. She grimaces as she got on all fours and pushed her bag and gun through then she crawled on her belly past the wall.


    Now covered in splotches of cold mud, Vasilisa ripped a few tufts of grass from the earth nearby and tried to rub as much of it off as she could.


    She didn''t waste too much time on it. The sun was coming up, so from now on, she was burning daylight.


    The space past the trainyard dipped down towards a small river. The other side rose up, leading to a few warehouses. There was a bridge across the gap to the right, and another further off to the left, but Vasilisa didn''t want to cross those.


    They were narrow, two-lane bridges for simple car traffic. It would be easy for anyone to stay posted at either bridge and pick off anyone that tried to cross.


    So she decided to cross the river.


    It wasn''t as insane of an idea as it sounded. The river was low at the moment, with large spots of dirt and boulders running across it. Someone had set down a few planks as well, creating small bridges across the still-running water, and there were discarded containers and even a flipped-over car in the middle of the passage.


    She''d be out in the open, but only to people along the banks, and once she was on the other side, there were plenty of bushes and such to keep her covered.


    Vasilisa nodded, then grabbed her pack again. Moving down the hillside was tough, on account of the steep angle, but it wasn''t too bad. She slipped down part of it, but it was controlled, boots digging into the dirt and sending loose rocks tumbling ahead.


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    As she came closer, she started to doubt the validity of her plan. The river was moving faster than she had thought from above, and it was loud, water splashing against rocks with a constant susurration. She wouldn''t be able to hear anything while crossing.


    Swallowing past her fear, Vasilisa jumped onto a large flat stone, then waved her arms for balance. It was slippery on the top, slick with algae, but her boots gripped it well enough.


    She jumped onto a wooden beam and felt it sink just a little. Water ran up and over the top of her boots, and she felt some soaking into her socks. She had to hurry. It was one thing to cross safely and slowly, but slowly was dangerous out here.


    So she kicked herself to move faster, hopping from rock to rock, onto a container that clunked underfoot, then up onto another rock and--


    Vasilisa stopped herself cold, a shot of adrenaline coursing through her even as she waved her arms to keep her balance.


    The water just ahead of her was flowing backwards.


    It was a spot maybe a metre across, roughly circular. The water there was moving in the wrong direction, splashing back against the incoming water of the river. She might have noticed it sooner, but there were a few large boulders here, some splashing water in the middle of the river wasn''t so unordinary that she would have seen it as strange.


    Vasilisa took a deep breath and backed away from the edge. She kept calm. She hadn''t stepped into the anomaly, she was safe... probably. She had never actually encountered one before, not face-to-face. Her father had spoken of them, often in muted tones.


    What would have happened if she had run into this one?


    Vasilisa looked around, then backed up some more to try another path. This time, with her nerves still burning from the near run-in with death, she found herself moving a lot more cautiously.


    Making it to the other side of the river made her feel like she''d just overcome a great challenge. Vasilisa wanted to pause, to catch her breath, but that wouldn''t have been wise, not when she was out in the open.


    So she pushed on, climbing the bank on the other side while trying to both move quickly, make as little noise as possible, and ignore the wet squelching of her waterlogged boots.


    She paused once she was up and behind a large tree, listening to the sounds around her. Birds were singing, the wind rustled the trees and bushes, and somewhere a little farther off, a crow cawed. No human noises, no monstrous ones. The thin line of forest gave way to a more industrial area, with a large red warehouse sitting just ahead.


    She removed her boots, then her socks. She had a few pairs, so there was no harm in changing them now, though she did act quick. It was surprisingly cold out, and she could feel that the most around her feet and ankles where her pants were clinging to her.


    After getting dressed, she started to move again. Her pack was on her back, the gun was slung over her shoulder, and her heart was no longer racing quite as much. It was time to plunge in deeper.


    It was strange, how she could still see the place she''d woken at, and it had been less than an hour since she left, but it still felt like a day had passed.


    Was this just her previous life of dull monotony leaving her unprepared?


    Her heart leapt into her throat as she heard voices ahead. Or a voice, at least. A girl''s, talking in a high pitch, just over the wall separating the forest from the big red warehouse.


    "That didn''t feel like it was worth it," the girl was saying. "I mean, we crossed what, fifty metres? It''s like going through a horror house in a carnival for a shortcut. Totally not worth it!"


    Someone responded, a man. She couldn''t hear his reply, but the girl laughed, an honest, happy laugh.


    They didn''t sound threatening, but she knew better than to poke her head out. Best to wait for them to be past.


    "By the way," said another new voice, a girl''s. "There''s someone spying on us right over there."


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-One - Construction

    Chapter Twenty-One - Construction


    Alice pointed towards the wall. The person listening in to them was just behind it, crouching in the shadows and entirely out of view. That made them all the easier for Alice to notice, however. If someone wanted to hide from her, then they''d best do it while out in the open, while not casting any shadows, or feeling any emotions.


    This person--they felt like a girl, emotionally--was scared. She was verging on being terrified, and yet Alice could feel the girl working to smother her fear with an impressive resolve.


    "Hello!" Crystal called out.


    "Shush," Koschei hissed. He looked around, eyes darting across the yard. There were a few containers around, and he started towards one of them which was opened on both ends, enough so that they could hide in it. "Don''t stay in the open," he said.


    "It''s just one person, right Alice?" Crystal asked.


    "It is," Alice confirmed. "A girl. She''s armed, I think, but is afraid to use her weapons on us."


    That last was a familiar fear. A lot of people who had never killed felt a certain level of fear, or maybe it was respect? They were sometimes more afraid of killing someone than they were of fighting that person in the first place. It was a weakness she''d encountered in plenty of mooks in the past.


    "We don''t need to run," Crystal said to Koschei.


    "Sticking around when there''s a person you don''t know in the Zone is a quick way to die," he said. "They could be waiting here to ambush us. I don''t know how you noticed someone, but your noticing them might discourage them from springing their trap."


    "It''s not a trap," Alice said. "They were surprised to see us showing up."


    Koschei looked at her. He was clearly suspicious now. Not that she particularly cared to hide what she could do, but she did acknowledge that it wasn''t something normal.


    "Maybe we can say hi?" Crystal asked. "It never hurts to be polite."


    Koschei clearly didn''t like the idea as much as Crystal did. He wanted to move on, to get away from anything that might be a threat, and Alice understood his viewpoint. Anything that he wasn''t familiar with could be a threat, and threats in this area were often lethal.


    An unknown person skulking about? They might be here to kill Stalkers. They might be an ambusher. They might be armed or equipped with items like Koschei had, that would let them bend physics over their knee.


    "Alright," Alice said. "Let''s keep moving then."


    "Bye mysterious stranger!" Crystal called out. "See you around!"


    They continued through the space, and Alice noticed that they were crossing the open area diagonally, heading to the left. Basically, they were veering off in the same direction they had entered the warehouse from.


    "Why did we go through that warehouse if we''re just going to walk around it now?" Alice asked.


    Koschei shook his head. "This isn''t the same warehouse we went into."


    "It isn''t?" Crystal asked as she glanced back. "It sure looks like it."


    "If you were to stand here for a day, you would see us entering the warehouse in the morning," he said.


    Alice spun around, facing the man. "We travelled back in time?" she asked.


    "By a day," he said. "You can only use the warehouse once every... time you enter the Zone. Somehow, the Zone knows. Doing it twice does nothing otherwise.


    "Why didn''t you tell us?" Crystal asked.


    "Because people are stupid about it," he said. "And I should add, now that we''re on this side, you can''t go back and change things."


    "You can''t create a paradox?" Alice asked.


    He shook his head. "If you do, you just disappear."


    Alice and Crystal glanced at each other. There was no way that either of them would have missed that there was another version of themselves out and about. There were contingencies for this. They had fought evil clones too many times not to know how to deal with them.


    One of their friends and teammates, Magical Girl Screaming Bioplague, had changed all of their genes by a tiny fraction, ensuring that any cloning attempt would fail, but there had always been people with the resources to find genetic material from before that change.


    In any case, Alice stretched her powers out and bumped into her past self.


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    She now remembered being bumped into and being confused.


    "So, uh, what happens if we cause a paradox anyway?" Crystal asked. "Like, if you shoot yourself before entering the warehouse?"


    "Who would be stupid enough to do that?" Koschei asked. "But, in any case, the warehouse will make you disappear. One moment you''re there, the next you stop existing. So stop questioning things and let''s keep moving. There are good reasons why I made us cross over."


    Alice sent her past self a kindly worded message, writ in shadows, warning herself that there would be some point in the near future where she''d be sent back into the past and not to worry about it.


    She paused, remembering how she''d worried about the message anyway, then sent a more sternly worded message of the same nature.


    It would do.


    The strange sensation of misplaced nostalgia washed over her. She could also feel something else, a power reacting to what she''d just done. The paradox had been noticed, and time wanted to correct it.


    But this wasn''t a strong power. It was a fraction of a fraction, a tiny sliver of Megan''s abilities trying to do something on its own. Alice batted it away.


    "So, why did we use the warehouse, then?" Crystal asked. "Being a day in the past is nifty and all, but it''s not like it helps that much, right?"


    "It does two things," he said. "It gives us information about the weather for the day, because we''ve lived through it already. We know that it''ll be windy, but not too cold, with no rain. We also know that we didn''t hear any large fighting in the distance, so we''ll be safe for a small amount of time, at least."


    Alice nodded. That made some sense. Megan was good at scouting ahead for them this way. It was always interesting when the girl they''d dubbed Future-Megan popped up as well. She looked to be in her late twenties, or early thirties. A more confident, brash and charismatic version of the Megan they all knew.


    A few of the girls had crushes on Future-Megan, which annoyed Megan to no end.


    "It also gives us one more day to travel before the next storm hits," Koschei said. "You never want to use the warehouse to go back a day if the previous day had a storm. You don''t want to use it when there''s a storm active either. But in this case, we only buy ourselves time."


    "I''m guessing that the storms are a lot worse here?" Crystal asked.


    "They are worse in the Zone, yes," he said.


    They''d reached the edge of the yard by then, and Koschei pointed to a part of the fence that could be moved aside with minimal effort.


    "Is our new pal following?" Crystal asked.


    Alice glanced back. She could feel the person they''d almost encountered still. They were moving along the length of the fence, heading in the opposite direction, at least for now. "Doesn''t look like it," she said.


    "I won''t ask how you know that," Koschei said. "But in the future, if you notice someone like that again, you let me know."


    "I can do that," Alice agreed easily enough.


    Koschei nodded, then gestured off to the right. Past this trainyard was a small space with several short buildings filled with storage units. "Through here," he said before taking the lead. The man started tossing nuts and bolts ahead of himself again, catching them with a pull of the cord they were laced to.


    There was an anomaly in this yard as well, though it was just a sphere of empty ground, without even grass growing within it that they circled around.


    Past the storage yard was a space that looked to be under construction. There were holes dug into the ground with some pipes laid into them, several trucks parked around and little mobile-homes with logos from at least three different construction companies. A building was to one side of the yard, looking rather new and modern, and next to it the skeleton of several others, including a large cement-lined pit where Alice imagined another building would have gone up by now if the Zone hadn''t appeared.


    Alice couldn''t help but glance back one last time before they continued on. She could still feel the girl. Now that she had focused on her, it was hard to just ignore her completely. She was scared, and yet pressing on.


    It wasn''t every day that Alice met someone so brave.


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-Two - Dangerous Spaces

    Chapter Twenty-Two - Dangerous Spaces


    "This part''s dangerous," Koschei said. They were standing behind a few bushes on the edge of the large construction yard, all three of them--at his insistence--were crouching so that they wouldn''t be as obvious to any onlookers.


    "Isn''t every part dangerous?" Crystal asked.


    "This one is particularly so," he replied. "Open space, lots of room for people to hide while seeing you in the open. Far enough from Pripyat that patrols will rarely go this deep. This is where the Zone begins for a lot of people. There are lots of anomalies in there too. Some are roamers."


    "Roamers?" Alice asked. She had an idea of what that meant, from the name alone, but she didn''t mind looking ignorant if it meant coming out of it more knowledgeable.


    "Anomalies that move. Either between storms, which happens pretty often, or that move while you''re looking at them. Look, there''s one over there." He pointed across the yard where there was a small dust tornado. It was only maybe twice as tall as Alice herself, and looked thin. The kind of thing that would happen in any awkwardly walled-in space with lots of dust on the ground. She remembered seeing that kind of mini-twister in her schoolyard as a child.


    This one didn''t seem all that special, except that it never faded and continued to move about in a random way. If it did anything more anomalous than that, she couldn''t tell from here.


    "So, we move in and have to be careful," Crystal said. "I think we can manage that."


    Koschei grunted. "The goal is to get to the skeletons over there." He pointed to a series of unfinished buildings with only iron-girder frames standing where walls would have been, were they finished. Some had scaffolding on the sides still. "Once we''re in there, there''s a basement that few know about, it links all of the unfinished buildings. We can come out at the furthest one."


    That would mean crossing some two hundred metres out of anyone''s view, but first they had to get across the first hundred metres of open space.


    "If we stick to shadows, I think we''ll be much harder to see," Alice said.


    "Harder to see anomalies too. We''ll move over," Koschei said.


    Alice shrugged. That was on him. She could feel a few souls around the area. The girl following them was still following, more or less, but there were others, some hidden up in the second floor of some of the more completed buildings. They didn''t feel malicious, but that could change in a hurry.


    "Let''s move," Koschei said. He held his rifle close, the safety clicked off. Crystal and Alice jumped as he darted ahead, then they ran after the man. He was surprisingly spry when he started to move.


    Koschei ran forwards, then slowed to a strange crouching jog that kept his centre of gravity low and his back hunched. He was turning his head to the left and right, clearly scanning ahead.


    They came across a long row of those blue mobile toilets that Alice hated the thought of, then darted past those and into an area with a few mobile homes with construction company logos stuck to their sides.


    They paused as they came to one of the porta potties whose door slammed open. Then it slammed shut, then open again. It didn''t make a sound, though from the way dust and a few loose leaves moved on the ground, it was creating some wind as it opened and closed.


    "Oh, that stinks," Crystal said with a grimace. Alice covered her mouth and nose before she could get a whiff of anything.


    "It''s harmless. Keep moving," Koschei said.


    They slipped past the last of the construction company mobile buildings. Next was an open section, nothing but hard-packed dirt, a few mounds of gravel, and some large sewage pipes stacked up together into pyramids.


    There was a mostly-finished building out ahead, and Koschei pointed to a large, open garage door at its side. "There," he said.


    Alice and Crystal nodded, then took off running after him.


    She sensed the shot before it arrived. Malicious intent from far above. Glancing up, Alice caught a glint of light from a scope. It, and the gunner holding the rifle, were positioned near the top of a smokestack tower, one with a ladder fixed to its side.


    "Crystal, shield!" Alice said.


    Crustal didn''t hesitate for even a fraction of a second. The air above them wavered like a heat haze before there was a hard crack then the loud echo of a distant gunshot. A bullet was fixed into a plate of inch-thick crystal so transparent that it was hard to even tell that it was there, and it would have been harder were it not for the squashed remains of the bullet stuck in it.


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    "Shit," Koschei said. He raised his own rifle, aiming it upwards even as he ran.


    "Don''t," Crystal said. "The shield''s two-ways."


    Koschei lowered his rifle. "Faster," he said.


    Alice didn''t sense anyone in the building ahead. Nor did she sense any malicious intent from the shooter, just plain frustration and some curiosity. Did he think he missed?


    In moments they were in the shadowed interior of the building, and Koschei was breathing hard. "Don''t go deeper," he warned, a hand extended to the side to stop them. "There''s always... there''s always an anomaly or two in here."


    Alice looked around, but it was just a dusty unfinished building. A few crates sat around, some toolboxes abandoned on the ground. Nothing that really caught her eye.


    When she looked to the other side, she realized that there were three crates where there had been two. Frowning, Alice glanced around. The toolboxes that she''d noticed were gone.


    "Things are moving around," she said.


    "Ah, good," Koschei said. "It''s only when no one''s looking. That''s not a dangerous anomaly, most of the time. Actually, it might be very good."


    "How''s that?" Crystal asked.


    "You can''t see a bullet, so it might move before hitting someone and just not be there," he said. "Maybe. You can''t trust an anomaly to save you. What was that you did out there?"


    Crystal blinked at the non-sequitur question. "You mean the shield?"


    "Yes," he said.


    "It was a shield, made of crystal! I disappeared it, so it should be fine," she said.


    Koschei looked at her for a while. "Alright. Keep your abilities to yourself."


    "Really? You don''t want to know?" Crystal asked. Alice was curious as well.


    "Such things are strongest when fewer people know about them. I won''t ask, and so you''ll never think of me as a liability," he said simply. Alice was impressed by how pragmatic that was. She was equally as disturbed by the implications. Did some Stalkers kill to keep their secrets secret? That... wouldn''t surprise her too much, actually.


    "Where to now?" she asked instead.


    Koschei moved through the building slowly, fishing out his nut-on-a-wire as he went to cast it forwards. "I''m a good shot," he said. "But that chimney is thirty metres up, and its base is at least a hundred and fifty metres away from here. That''s a tough shot."


    "I''ll take him out," Alice said.


    Koschei looked at her. Really looked at her. "Fine," he said. "There''s a staircase at the back, to the third floor."


    "Got it." She didn''t need line of sight. But she wouldn''t say no to it either. They found a stairwell, just like Koschei said, but it was blocked by a small wall of crates. He sighed, had them turn around, exit the room, then walk back in. They were gone this time.


    They made their way up to the third floor of the building where a few holes in the walls that were meant to house windows let them see out. Alice crawled closer to one of those, then slowly brought her head up while keeping to the shadows.


    She found their marksman, still stationed atop the chimney. He was sitting on his ass, gun leaning on the rails of the platform near the very top. He was, as far as she could tell, just another Stalker. Someone in clothes that covered everything, with a heavy mask on and a tarp coloured the same dull red as the bricks covering his lower half. If she didn''t know to look for him, and couldn''t feel him, then she would bet that he would be impossible to notice.


    She snapped her fingers and the entire upper tenth of the chimney exploded outwards in a cloud of deep shadows, then they contracted back into themselves, wrapping so tightly like that they acted like the world''s biggest rubber band snapping into place.


    The tower exploded, though the only sound was brick thumping the roof below.


    "Hmm," Koschei said.


    "Oh look, roof-access!" Crystal said as she pointed to a scaffold on the side of the building. "Think we can get a better view of the top?"


    The man sighed.


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-Three - Looking Around

    Chapter Twenty-Three - Looking Around


    "Hup!" Crystal said as she grabbed onto a rail above her head and pulled herself up.


    Alice very pointedly didn''t look up as Crystal climbed the ladder. They were both on the scaffolding connected to the side of the building, out in the open and visible to anyone who wanted to look. Though she supposed that with them having to squeeze out of a window to climb onto the scaffolding, there was no reason for someone to look this way.


    "Are you coming?" Crystal asked as she took the final step off the ladder and onto the roof.


    Alice finally looked up. It was just common courtesy not to stare up her friend''s skirt. It would also have been common courtesy to wear some damned pants while gallivanting out in the Zone, but she kept that to herself. She didn''t need an hour''s long rant about the evils of pants. "I''m coming up," Alice said before looking back. Koschei was still in the building, gun up against his shoulder even if the barrel was lowered. He seemed tense. "Are you coming up?"


    "It''s foolish," he said. "You''ll be standing where you''re visible from afar, right after that explosion. People will be looking this way, and they''ll see you against the sky."


    Alice considered it. He wasn''t wrong, they were taking a risk here, but it was quite minimal. "We''ll keep a shield up, if that helps," she said. "Crystal''s shield can stop anything shy of a nuclear weapon. Are there any anomaly-empowered weapons around?"


    He frowned, then shook his head, but with some hesitation. "Not that I know of. Only rumours."


    "Right, we''ll probably be okay then, but I''ll make sure Crystal keeps a low profile," Alice said. A moment later there was a loud boom and a short wall of bricks tumbled past the window on their way down to the ground below.


    Alice resisted the urge to mumble something unkind about her teammate and scampered up the ladder.


    She found Crystal pushing aside a pallet of bricks with some effort. "What are you doing?" Alice asked.


    "Trying to get a better view," Crystal said before standing straighter. She hopped up and onto the pallet, then half-turned, hand extending out for Alice to grab.


    "At least put a shield up if you''re going to be so obvious," Alice said as she took the hand and pulled herself up.


    Crystal laughed and Alice felt a slight shift in the air around her. She couldn''t see the bubble of floating crystal around her, but it did something to the quality of the light around them that her power picked up on better than her eyes could.


    She took Crystal''s hand and stepped up onto the stack of bricks. "What''s this for, anyway?" she asked.


    "Look around," Crystal said. "I wanted a bit more height, because I''m not sure if what I''m seeing is right."


    Alice frowned, but did as Crystal suggested. The area immediately around them was what she expected. A large yard with construction equipment and unfinished buildings. There were walls around the space, and a few factories beyond that.


    She looked back the way they''d come, and she could make out that big red factory, then a spot with nothing beyond, the river, maybe? The opposite shore had more industrial buildings, and past that she could just barely make out the walls of Pripyat in the distance.


    She looked the other way, then frowned.


    There was a city. Of course there was, she knew that the Zone was inside of a city, but this extended to the horizon. Hundreds of relatively short skyscrapers, the air around them thick with shifting dust. There didn''t seem to be an end to it. "Huh," she said.


    "Jump up," Crystal said. "Uh, but be careful, when I did the wall over there fell."


    Alice frowned, then knelt down for a moment. She tensed the muscles in her legs, then leapt up. She didn''t put too much power into it, just enough to gain a few metre''s height. It was enough to see further.


    The city... never ended. It just went on and on.


    She''d stood in the penthouse and upon the rooftops of some impressively tall buildings in her day. There was something about being a magical girl that called them all to stand on tall surfaces.


    The skyline here stretched out as if she was looking at Sao Paulo. Just countless apartments, offices, and a huge assortment of large buildings surrounded by a landscape of industrial complexes.


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    She landed with a slight bend of the knee. "How big was the city that was supposed to be here?" she asked. She couldn''t remember if it came up in any casual conversation.


    Crystal shrugged. "I don''t know. But I don''t remember there being a capital city around here, right? I was never good at geography."


    "No, there''s not supposed to be anything like that here," Alice said. "This is... huge. And moderately modern." Some of the buildings weren''t as new, of course, but the oldest looked like it was at least post-second world war.


    It was possible, she supposed, that the area had been heavily developed after the second world war for reasons she couldn''t guess at yet, but something in her gut told her that it wasn''t the case.


    "We could always just ask," Crystal said as she hopped off the pile of bricks.


    Alice blinked. That was fair, she hadn''t even considered it, but it was a good idea. They returned to the scaffolding, then slipped back into the building where they found Koschei glaring into the room. Was he making sure that things didn''t move around while they were above?


    "We have questions," Alice said.


    "Oh?" he asked. "Done with the sightseeing? We need to head down, to the basement."


    "Lead the way," Alice said. "this city. The one in the middle of the Zone. Did that exist before the Zone was created?"


    "Yes and no," he said.


    Crystal giggled. "That''s a nice answer."


    "Can you explain a little better?" Alice asked.


    Koschei reached up and ran a finger along the bottom edge of his gas mask, the skin there was red from the constant contact already. "There was Pripyat, and there was development. It was growing, but not as fast as it had been growing before. You know how things are. Politics and the economy and such things."


    Alice nodded slowly. She had no idea what the political landscape pre-Zone had been, but she could guess at it a little. "The city I saw from the roof is a city of millions. Tens of millions, even."


    "No, it was never that big. When the Zone appeared, so did all of that. Hundreds of buildings that weren''t there before next to plenty that were. Sometimes you''ll find the same building twice in a row. The construction site? Before the Zone it was for two buildings. Now there''s seven, or twelve. Depends on the day."


    Crystal ''oohed'' impressively. "There''s time shenanigans at play."


    Alice nodded along. She could think of a few ways that could happen. If this was Dimension Death''s world, then it would mean pulling buildings from alternate dimensions, but with Fractured Time around... these had to be possible, potential buildings. Places from a time that never happened or would never happen. Potential realized when it never would be.


    "Is it safe to navigate?" she asked. "If it''s still shifting."


    Koschei hummed something as they finally made it to the basement. "I had a man explain it to me once. There are... memes."


    "I love memes!" Crystal chirped.


    "He doesn''t mean the fun kind," Alice said. "Go on."


    "If a place is a construction site today, it will be one tomorrow too," Koschei said. "If there''s a little village from before the Zone, then it''ll stay there after the storm. A shoe maker''s shop might be a plumber''s tomorrow, or a locksmith''s, but it''ll never be a bar, and it''ll never be a farm."


    "Ah," Alice said. "Patterns, then?"


    "More or less, yes," he replied. "They''re not always fixed, and they don''t repeat that often, not ever exactly the same way, but they do stay similar before and after a storm."


    "Are things that you take from there permanent?" Crystal asked.


    Koschei nodded, then stopped to pull out a heavy-duty flashlight from his pack. He lit it, then flashed the light through a tight tunnel in the basement that ran on for a while.


    "So, someone that finds a jeweller''s shop can just grab everything and run, or if you find a bank," Crystal said. "It''s guilt-less theft, I guess."


    "There''s more than one way to become rich in the Zone," Koschei said. "But exploiting the Zone sometimes means that the Zone will be angry with you."


    "Ah, crap, it''s got feelings?" Crystal said.


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-Four - It Might be Alive

    Chapter Twenty-Four - It Might be Alive


    Koschei didn''t have an answer for them. None that really satisfied, at least. "There are rumours," he said. "And superstition. But soldiers are always superstitious, it isn''t anything new. Sometimes though...."


    Crystal skipped along next to Alice, both of them were a few steps behind Koschei, who was moving at a bit of a snail''s pace. Mostly because he was flicking little metal bolts ahead of him in the tunnel and pausing to pick them up as he went. It made for a very stutter-stop movement that was very much the opposite of fast.


    "So, what kind of superstitions?" Crystal asked.


    Koschei hummed. "There are a lot. If your gun misfires, then it is cursed, and sure to be the gun that will end your life. If you find something, you must see if it casts a shadow."


    Alice snorted. "Most things cast shadows," she said. She''d know.


    "Some things do not, not in the Zone. But yes, the things that don''t are usually very obvious. Checking for shadows is a rather foolish superstition. You''ll still see some Stalkers take out a light and flick it on around things that they''ll pick up, just to make sure."


    "There''s probably some... uh, validity to that," Crystal said. "I mean, not so much the shadow part, but if it makes sure that people are checking things twice before picking them up, then it probably saved a few lives, right? Some of the anomalies we''ve seen are linked to normal items, right?"


    Koschei nodded. "There are some that are valid, as you say. But we were talking about the Zone having emotions, yes? And to that I say that I really don''t know. But some Stalkers believe it."


    "How much do you believe in it?" Alice asked.


    Koschei brought a hand up level, then tilted it to the side and back. "Not so much," he said. "This is a place where you must learn to trust your instincts and believe in what you see while knowing that even that doesn''t mean that it is true. The Zone is a place where men learn to believe in god, or learn that god has given up on man a long time ago. This is not a good place for the scientifically-minded, or the kind of person that likes it when things are just so."


    "Neat," Crystal said. "I''m more of an... Alice, what am I?"


    Alice blinked. "How would I know?" she asked. "I don''t recall you being overly religious."


    "Nah, I''m not. Hard to believe in a higher power when you''re the higherest power," Crystal said. "But I guess I could see it being real."


    "Agnostic, then," Alice said.


    "Yeah, that''s the word!" Crystal cheered.


    "Not so loud," Koschei said. "That explosion will have been seen for some distance, and the gunshots will have echoed. We might be noticed."


    "Oops, sorry," Crystal hissed in a whisper. "I get excited, then I forget to use my indoor voice. Uh, how about you tell us about other superstitions?"


    Koschei nodded. "There''s the ritual of entry. Some Stalkers do it when entering the Zone. They''ll bow to the centre of the Zone, ask for its permission and time, and sometimes leave an offering of food and water."


    "I guess that''s a bit much," Crystal said.


    "Some are worse, they do the same on entering every building and every area in the Zone," Koschei sniffed. "I don''t like dealing with those, but there are more and more of them."


    "More people are turning to superstition?" Alice asked.


    "No. Those who do these rituals don''t die as often. It''s less so that there are more of them, and more that their rate of attrition is lower."


    Alice blinked. "Wouldn''t that be pretty solid evidence that what they''re doing works?"


    "Which is what they''ll tell you too," he said. "Until you listen and soon they are asking you to donate to their cause. Money and time and effort and supplies. Make no mistake, they might have something with their Ritual of Entry and Exit, but it''s only worth so much."


    "Are those the only superstitions?" Crystal asked.


    Koschei shook his head. "No, they''re the ones I find interesting because they might be valid. There''s the Whispering Birch, which is a tree you''ll sometimes find in the Zone. If you do, walk up to it and whisper your fears, the tree will keep you from running into those."


    "Does that one work?" Alice asked.


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    "No," he said with certainty and no elaboration. "There''s a rumour that carrying the handkerchief of the girl or woman you love will help you make it home. Then there are places that have superstitions tied to them."


    "Like what?" Crystal asked.


    "The ten ruble toll is a toll-booth crossroad that will appear on some roads after a storm. If you cross it without paying ten rubles, you are cursed with ill luck. There is old lady Baba Yaga''s house. I have met her twice. She is a kind old lady whose home was overtaken by the Zone. It is often displaced. She is never harmed by it, and her home is considered a safe space. Even two Stalkers who hate each other''s blood will not fight at the threshold of her home."


    "That just seems polite," Crystal said.


    He shrugged. "If you help her and are polite, she often has pryaniki," he said. At their confused look, he clarified. "Spiced cookies. They last a long time. Sometimes she puts jam in them."


    "Well now, that''s just cute," Crystal said. "And that''s not a superstition, that''s just a nice old granny."


    Koschei shrugged. "Her house will appear all over the Zone, untouched and unbothered by it. She is... cryptic as well, acting as if nothing is ever amiss. A lot of Stalkers spread rumours about her. But we all know her to be harmless. Hmm, other superstitions... a drop in temperature means you need fire. That one might just be common sense as well."


    "Why''s that?" Alice asked.


    "Because Stalkers aren''t the only thing in the Zone, and the old lady is not the only old resident around. She is the kindest. The most predictable. Others are less so. Some are questionably human."


    "That... doesn''t sound great," Crystal said. "Are there like, monsters or something?"


    "There are things in the Zone. Whether they are monsters or not is not something that I''m the one to decide. The Zone changes things. Animals, people. Turns them into something new and sometimes horrific."


    "Danger doggos," Crystal said.


    "No," Alice replied. "There''s no such thing as... danger dogs."


    Crystal grinned. "Doggos," she corrected.


    "I categorically refuse to use that word," Alice said. "In any case, there''s no such thing." This was an argument they''d had before. In fact, it was an argument that split their group in half. Danger Doggos was the term that someone had come up with to describe a villainous dog. It was not only immature and useless as far as terminology went, it was also dangerous in its own right.


    Making a snarling, angry dog-like monster sound cute was not conducive to anything. That led to their group''s members hesitating before taking the actions they needed to take.


    Alice didn''t care how impervious they were, when the gates of hell opened up, they couldn''t stop the fighting to pet every hellhound and cerberus-like monster that crawled out of them.


    "You continue to be no fun," Crystal said.


    Koschei cleared his throat. "We''re going to have to be quiet and quick," he said. "From here, we can run across the yard. There''s a train track area, with space to unload cargo, then a dip. Usually there''s a gas station beyond that. It''s a common meeting ground." He turned to Alice and Crystal. "Can you sense anyone?"


    Alice shot her senses ahead, then nodded. "A few people, yes," she said. "The person that was following us has gone... that way." She pointed.


    "There''s a forest that way," he replied. "Anyone close?"


    "Three that way, four in that direction, a lone person on the second floor of a building that way," Alice said as she pointed in a few directions.


    He followed her finger, then nodded. "Three in the direction of the station. They might not be hostile. Let''s move quick regardless."


    Koschei led the way, his movements now more deliberate as they navigated through the dimly lit tunnel, his earlier methodical pace replaced with a swift, silent tread. Crystal and Alice followed close.


    They emerged in the unfinished basement of a building''s skeleton, and Alice blinked quick to readjust her vision for the morning sunlight.


    "I don''t know if the Zone is alive," Koschei said, surprising Alice, she thought he''d be insistent on moving and keeping quiet. "But if it is, then I don''t want it to notice me. So let''s be respectful like mice in a pantry."


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-Five - Zone Friends and Factions

    Chapter Twenty-Five - Zone Friends and Factions


    Past the far end of the construction zone was a wall. Across from that wall, and really, the only break in that wall, were a few railroad tracks leading out into the distant Zone.


    Koschei knelt next to one of these, then tapped the rail with a bolt on the end of a piece of string. "No current," he muttered. "We''re clear of storms for at least a few hours. Let''s go check out the gas station."


    The gas station was past the wall. There was another dip in the terrain, and the train tracks ran on for a while on a bridge that had room for a road beneath. The station was plopped right there, with a highway exit next to it. Anyone driving to the construction site would be passing right by it.


    It seemed like a quiet little station, except that it was very much occupied.


    Alice glanced at Crystal who shrugged. "They might be friendly," Crystal said.


    "You sense people," Koschei said. "How many, and where."


    "Two in the main building of the station, another is standing a little ways in front. He''s looking at that." Alice half-turned, pointing to the space where the marksman had been sitting before she took care of him.


    Koschei hummed. "They might not be enemies," he said. "Let''s move in. Quietly."


    Alice nodded along, then looked to Crystal to see if she felt like agreeing, or if she could even manage to, but Crystal had been pretty good lately about keeping to an indoor voice even if they were technically outside.


    There was a gap in the wall for the tracks to pass through, and that was the only space to cross into the gas station, though it required going down a steep hill whose bottom was muddy with collected rainwater and covered in thistley bushes.


    They moved down the hill fairly quietly, coming up onto the side of the station. There was a window within facing their direction, but it was covered in soot and grime and the two within weren''t looking that way in any case. The third member was out front, smoking under a no-smoking sign nailed to the post of a gas pump. He had their back to them as they moved up to hide behind the station.


    "Hippies," Koschei muttered.


    "Wait, really?" Crystal asked.


    She and Alice both tilted forwards to see around the corner. The man on a smoke break was wearing a faded green army jacket over some cargo pants that were tucked into standard-issue boots with the laces undone. He looked dishevelled and a little dirty, but not how Alice envisioned a hippie looking.


    "Are you, uh, sure?" Crystal asked.


    "It''s what some call this faction. Look at the patches," Koschei explained.


    Alice squinted. The smoker had some army patches on his shoulder, and space for some that had been ripped out. The flag that should have been on his arm was replaced by a round, pinkish flower.


    "A local faction?" Alice guessed.


    Koschei nodded. He shifted so that his rifle was slung over his shoulder, then he grabbed a small handgun and tucked it into his pocket with his finger on the trigger. To anyone looking, he''d be relaxed and unready to fire.


    "Hey!" Koschei called out.


    The man started, spinning around so quick that the embers on the end of his cigarette flew out in an arc. He scrambled to pick up a gun, then hesitated on seeing Koschei. "Stalker?" he asked.


    "Yeah," Koschei said. "Freeman?"


    The guy nodded, then reached up and pinched his cigarette out of his mouth. "Aye. That''s me. What are you doing here, stalker?"


    "Getting away from trouble," Koschei said. "I saw you, and thought I''d say hi rather than get shot in the ass."


    The man chuckled. "I''m Cornflower," he said.


    "Koschei," Koschei replied with a nod.


    Cornflower''s eyebrows shot up. "No shit?"


    "None," Koschei said. "Are your friends in there going to come out to say hello?"


    The station''s door squeaked open and the two within stepped out. They were in the same kind of gear. Ex-army standard. Dirty, and maybe a little worn out, but still serviceable. "Hey, Corn, out here making friends?" the taller of the two asked. Next to him was a very short man who squinted at everything through a pair of thick spectacles.


    "Looks like it," Cornflower said. "Koschei here looks like he was just passing through."


    "Could use some news," Koschei admitted. "What''s good in the Zone, that kind of thing."


    The tallest crossed his arms, and Alice pegged him as the boss. "Yeah, yeah. Are you alone?"


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    "No," Koschei admitted easily.


    The tensions rose at that, then rose more when Crystal grumbled and stepped out from around the corner. "Hello!"


    A shot went off and everyone but Alice and Crystal flinched.


    They all paused, then turned to the man with the thick glasses who had fumbled a small pistol from a thigh holster and fired in Crystal''s direction in a blink. He''d missed by about two metres. She was barely two metres away from him, but Alice was impressed by the speed of the draw.


    "You take that gun out of your pal''s hands before I drop him and the gun," Koschei said. His voice was low, a dangerous growl.


    "Tulip, go inside," the big guy said, and the shorter one only hesitated for a moment before running in. "Sorry. He''s been twitchy. New to the Zone, and the cause."


    "I see," Koschei said.


    "It''s fine, he missed!" Crystal said.


    "Noise might attract trouble," Cornflower said. "As if there wasn''t enough around here."


    Koschei hummed. "It''s the Zone. There''s trouble enough for everyone. Miss Crystal, Miss Alice, come."


    Alice rolled her eyes at being ordered, but she stepped out nonetheless. She was keenly aware of eyes on her, though the two men were distracted by Crystal as well.


    "What are two women doing in the zone?" the big guy asked.


    "I''m escorting them," Koschei said. "Further in. What they do is their business." He carefully moved a hand around to his back, then into a side pocket on his backpack, then he pulled out a small pack of cigarettes and shook it at eye-height.


    "Just a half-pack?" Cornflower said with a laugh in his voice.


    "After what your friend pulled?"


    The big guy waved Cornflower down. "That''s plenty generous, friend. What do you and your misses want to know?"


    "News, sightings, dispositions," Koschei said. "We entered the Zone yesterday. I''ve got news from Stalkers that left in the last week or so, but you know how reliable that can be."


    The big guy grunted. "News travels slow in here, true." He rubbed at his face, which was not clean-shaven, but had been shaved recently enough. There were old marks in his skin from wearing a mask for so long. "Freemen are doing okay in this area. Fewer deep patrols. Lots of new thieves though. The new blood are cowards, but eventually they go hungry."


    Koschei nodded, as if that meant something to him.


    "The greenies are tense about something deeper in. But that''s nothing new either. Forecast calls for more storms lately. No one knows why."


    "There hasn''t been a pattern shift," Koschei said. "They''re pretty regular."


    "Yeah, but the forecast calls for more of them anyway," he said with a shrug of a massive shoulder. "Who am I to disagree?"


    "Fair," Koschei said. He glanced at Cornflower who had opened the half-pack and had slipped a cigarette out already. "What about you? Anything?"


    "That tower over there exploded today. That was exciting. It''ll have the locals riled up for a bit. The guy up there was a right piece of shit though," Cornflower said. "Took a few potshots at me in the evening when I came out to smoke."


    "Was he part of any group?" Alice asked.


    She felt eyes on her again and was tempted to glare back. "Hmm, just a dick with a gun. Might have played lookout for some of the thieves and scavengers around here. Never shot us in the day. Probably knew better."


    "Anything noisy out north?" Koschei asked. He gestured vaguely in the direction they were travelling in.


    The two looked at each other, then shook their heads. "Some gunshots, one very loud scream the other day. You might catch our replacements coming down tomorrow on the main road, but it''s been quiet as usual," Cornflower said.


    "Hmm, thank you. Enjoy the evening boys." Koschei nodded to both, then gestured down the road.


    Alice and Crystal followed after. "So, who were they?"


    "Ex-soldiers. They quit. Didn''t become stalkers, but instead something in-between. They think themselves peacekeepers. They aren''t, but they''re reasonable," Koschei said. "I have a few that I''d share a drink with, some who I''d call a friend if it came to it. Most are empty-headed idiots or cowards."


    "You think highly of them," Alice said with a nice dose of sarcasm.


    "They are one of the better factions in the Zone. Which I think says much," Koschei replied. "Come, this next part should be moved through quickly."


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-Six - Fewer Risk, Greater Care

    Chapter Twenty-Six - Fewer Risk, Greater Care


    "This next part has fewer risks," Koschei said. "But only if we''re careful."


    They''d stopped for lunch on a patch of grass between two warehouses earlier, with some discarded cement pipes acting as partial cover around them and a warbling anomaly in one corner for company. Then they''d kept on moving.


    Alice was worried that their pace was far slower than they wanted. They were walking across what was essentially a massive city. It might take ages for them to get anywhere, but she continued without complaint.


    Now it was nearing noon and they were close to a train depot. It had broken walls all around, and a space reserved for shipping containers that were collecting rust. She felt one presence in the yard, deep within a warehouse. Someone tired sitting in front of a meagre fire.


    "Are we going to be stopping for the night soon?" Crystal asked.


    Koschei hummed. "We have two options. Three. Three options. First, we need to cross the water filtration plant." He pointed down the road where Alice could just make out a building a kilometre away. A decently large two floor building with some fencing around it. The roof had sandbags stacked along the edge. "That''s the plant. There''s four large buildings around some water pools. It''s a fixed location."


    "So the storms don''t delete it?" Crystal asked.


    He nodded. "There used to only be three buildings. So the storms change it, but it''s rare and the changes are usually subtle. The problem is that the plant belongs to a faction. The militant arm of the Greenies."


    "The who?" Alice asked.


    "Scientists who came to explore the Zone. They took over the plant. They''re... peaceful enough. But when they came they did so with mercenaries. European ones, not from the union. They''re very territorial. One wrong look and they''ll shoot a Stalker. The Greenies keep them on a leash. Do not poke at their base. And don''t walk on the grass, it''s mined."


    "Okay then," Crystal said. "I guess we''re not sleeping there, huh?"


    He shook his head, then gestured further down. "The Pripyat has a small river that runs by, then there''s a long road. Our two options are to turn left into an abandoned old village. It changes shape with every storm, but it''s usually there. Food, some old beds. Or we camp in the little woods to the right of the road. There''s a mountain there, and some small camping places for tourists."


    "We didn''t bring tents," Crystal pointed out. Not that it really mattered, they could conjure something up.


    "What''s that third option you mentioned?" Alice asked.


    Koschei pursed his lips. He''d removed his mask earlier, saying that this area''s air was safe. "There''s a long road that we must follow for a ways. It''s between two small mountains." He gestured as he spoke, which did help to visualize things. "Some rich old bastards built their summer homes on one of those. A string of five compounds along the mountain side. Hard to reach."


    "Are they safe?" Crystal asked.


    "They were designed to be," he said. "One of them isn''t. There are always anomalies there. Or so I''ve heard. The other two should be safe as long as it''s not too soon after a storm."


    "Why, what happens after a storm?" Alice asked.


    "All the fancy goods reappear," he said. "I know one Stalker that almost made it rich lugging gas to one home and stealing the ATVs that appear there after every storm. He was ambushed once. Too predictable. But he''s not the only one. A few always make a run for the mansions after every storm and grab what they can."


    "Is the stuff that valuable?" Crystal asked. "We''re a good day''s walk from Pripyat."


    "It can be," he said. "Laptops, jewellery." He shrugged as if he didn''t really care about the details.


    Alice supposed that it would maybe be enough to make someone rich. Grabbing and reselling the same or similar jewellery every time there was a storm would add up, and it wasn''t all that deep into the Zone. It was probably relatively low-risk compared to other ways Stalkers could make money.


    It made them little more than smugglers, really, but she supposed that was alright too.


    "If we want a safe space to sleep, then that might be the best bet for us. The only danger are traps the Stalkers that visit the place leave behind."


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    "Why would they do that?" Crystal asked.


    "Because they have competition," Alice said. "There''s more than one Stalker, so it only makes sense to leave a trap or two and hope that you catch the next guy if he comes in after you."


    Koschei nodded, proving her right.


    "Well, that blows. I still like the idea of sleeping in a nice bed best," Crystal said. "And it''s further along, right? So we''ll be that much closer tomorrow!"


    "Very well, then," Koschei said. He didn''t pick up the pace any, however. They continued on past that old train yard, then started to walk in the very centre of the road.


    Alice could sense some people ahead, forty nine of them, to be exact, all spread out within the water treatment plant. One on the rooftop noticed them, and they raised a handheld to their mouth, letting others on the rooftops know that they were approaching.


    "Stay in the centre," Koschei warned.


    "Isn''t staying on the road dangerous?" Crystal asked.


    "I kept an ear open to when patrols went past today. We''ll be safe from the army. Besides, they don''t come here often."


    "They dislike the... Greenies?" Alice asked.


    Koschei made a slight so-so gesture. "There''s some old blood that''s gone bad. The scientists were from the government. The army pulled back, and they think that they were abandoned. They''re right. At the same time, the scientists... whatever they do with what they learn, it isn''t shared."


    "That''s not very scientific of them," Crystal said.


    "It is what it is. The army feels like they''re owed explanations. Sometimes Stalkers are hired by the Greenies to help with experiments, or to ferry goods to Greenie teams further in the Zone. There''s little trust to go around."


    They continued to walk. A man slid in behind a belt-fed grenade launcher on the roof and followed their progress, but Koschei didn''t flinch at it. Alice was ready to swallow anything that he fired and return the favour tenfold, but the mercenary just watched.


    They moved past the area, then crossed a pitted and potholed bridge. "That''s the old village," Koschei said, gesturing to the left. There was a small road leading downhill to a village next to the river. It was a collection of old homes, some with caved-in roofs, others with rather nice gardens and with fresh paint, as if they''d been pulled from a cottage-living cover.


    That didn''t stop them. Alice could tell that there were one or two people lingering around. One of them was... strange, but she didn''t let her attention linger overly long. It didn''t matter. If they paused to investigate every strange occurrence they''d be here forever.


    A bus was idling in the middle of the road, and they moved the long way around it. There was no one in it, but there were shadows within, as if the bus was filled with people who broke the evening light with their presence but whose bodies were just missing.


    The sun was truly on its way to setting by the time they were a few kilometres from the water treatment plant. It was made worse by the mountainous hills around them, their height did a good job of obscuring the sun early.


    "This way," Koschei said as he started up a winding driveway. It took a while, and by the time they reached a wrought iron gate, Koschei had to pull out a small flashlight to see by. "Sense anyone?" he asked.


    It was the first time he''d asked her to use her abilities, she noted. "No, no one''s home," she replied easily.


    He nodded, then tugged the gate open. "Welcome to the oligarch''s hideout," he said. "Or their summer home. Who knows with that type."


    The home was rather pretty. A big mansion-like cottage, three floors with large windows overlooking the valley with the road below, a three-car garage, and room for a tennis court in the back.


    "Nice place," Crystal said. "Bet they have comfy beds, too!"


    "And a kitchen. Is this place on the grid?" Alice asked.


    "There''s a generator," Koschei said, pointing to a shed. "I saw it started once. It made noise that carried across the valley."


    "Ah, so not a great idea," Crystal replied. "Oh well, we can live with less light, right?"


    Alice shrugged. It was a non-issue.


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-Seven - Alice in the Kitchen

    Chapter Twenty-Seven - Alice in the Kitchen


    The next day started easily enough. Alice decided to stay awake during the night. Something about her last dream bothered her, and she knew better than to tempt fate unprepared. Besides, Crystal deserved some sleep too. She watched over Crystal''s sleep, pushing away any evil influence that might try to warp her dreams and ensuring that she slept well.


    In the meantime, Alice explored the cottage.


    It had definitely belonged to some sort of businessman, one who had a few interesting hobbies. There was mountain climbing gear and plenty of hunting equipment, though the safes that should have held guns and ammo were emptied out.


    Those Stalkers that Koschei mentioned? It would make sense that they''d come and grab a reappearing shotgun or two. Those kinds of things would be useful to any Stalker. Or be easy to resell.


    She discovered a small explosive device, little more than an empty glass cup and a grenade with the pin pulled tied to the inside of one of the nearly-closed safes. Opening it made the cup fall.


    Her shadows caught it, but she imagined that if the glass broke, the grenade''s spoon would be flung off, and then she''d have a bit of a mess on her hands. Devious, and rather disgusting.


    She had her shadows eat the explosive then continued to explore. There was some untouched artwork, a few photos and lots of little knick-knacks that someone might leave behind. None of it mattered as much as the contents of the pantry.


    She didn''t think the food in the refrigerator would be worth investigating, and the smell wasn''t worth exploring, so she left that shut and instead poked around in the pantry. There was enough to start on a decent breakfast. She didn''t know what to do with what she found.


    The truth was that she was maybe not the best cook. It was just never something she''d spent all that much time on. When she became a magical girl, the need to cook for herself dropped precariously, and she never spent too much time looking into learning after that. When they started to be more... international, there were always places to order out from, and some of the other girls were more into it.


    Gravity''s Heartbeat was an excellent cook. She wasn''t fancy, and her food wasn''t magical, but it was always... honest and filling and warm.


    Silenced Annihilation was pretty good at baking too. Alice remembered teasing her that it was part of her French heritage.


    But Alice cooking for herself... that was something else.


    She did find a cookbook and flitted through it until she found a recipe for something called buckwheat porridge that wouldn''t require anything from the fridge. Some water was required, but the taps worked. It came out yellowish, but she could create a rudimentary filter with her magic if she spent enough time thinking about it.


    Getting the water to boil was a little tricky, but she was a deft hand with magic of all sorts, and creating a small flame, while outside the main remit of her domain, was still well within her capabilities. She was pretty decent at enchanting if she said so herself.


    So she got water to boil, then just followed the recipe. Koschei awoke first, just as she was finishing up. He slipped into the kitchen and stared for a moment, then he turned on a flashlight and illuminated her.


    Ah, yes, she''d been working in total darkness, hadn''t she? "Slept well?" she asked.


    "Yes," he said. "What are you doing?"


    "Cooking," she replied. "It''s buckwheat porridge. I found some dried fruit and honey. There''s some cinnamon and nutmeg in this too. Honestly, it''s starting to smell pretty nice. Couldn''t find any nuts though, which is too bad, the recipe calls for them."


    "I see," he said. "And you were cooking in the dark? Is that boiling water?"


    "Yes," she said.


    "This place has no power."


    "I noticed," she replied. The ring on the stove was red anyway, not that she cared to explain. "Sit, I think this needs to cool. I''m going to get Crystal. It''d be best if I woke her."


    Crystal woke up and chose laziness. Alice poked her a few times, but she didn''t want to move, so Alice had no choice but to scoop her off the bed in a princess carry and bring her into the dining room where she was deposited on a stool. If she fell from there it was her own problem.


    "You cooked?" Crystal asked.


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    "I followed the recipe," Alice said. She was a little proud.


    She was a little less proud when she started to eat. Buckwheat porridge was... not a popular meal for a rather good reason. It was rather bland, even with the spices. But it was edible, and the dried fruit helped a lot. "This isn''t bad at all!" Crystal said as she scooped another spoonful into her mouth.


    Koschei nodded his thanks. He finally turned his light off as the sun rose enough to start illuminating the inside of the house. "We''re leaving in five," he said after eating the last of the porridge. He looked at Crystal who was still in a nightgown. "Will you be dressed by then?"


    Crystal snorted and snapped her finger. There was a bright flash, the sound of chimes ringing, and she was in her normal costume. "Wait, no, I forgot." Another snap and her costume was modified to be more Stalker-like.


    "I... see," Koschei said.


    He clearly didn''t, and he just as clearly made the conscious choice not to ask. Alice suspected that not asking the wrong questions was something of a survival skill for the man.


    They were out of the house ten minutes later, because it still took a minute to gather their things. By then, the sun had turned the sky a bright blue. It wasn''t over the horizon just yet, but it was bright enough to see by.


    "What''s the itinerary for today?" Alice asked.


    "We have a choice," Koschei said. "We can cut through the mountains. It''s faster. There are many small facilities and towns there. It''s also easy to get lost in those woods, and a few factions make their home there. The other option is to follow the road. It''s longer and winding. It''s also not as safe. But it can be faster."


    "I think you just said the opposite of what you... just said," Crystal tried. She had twisted her own sentence into incomprehension again.


    Koschei hummed. "The road is longer to walk, and it''s not a straight path. But it is a road."


    "So less direct, but impossible to get lost on, and it''s easier to walk," Alice said.


    "Exactly," he replied. "There are more challenges on the road, however. It''ll lead into the city faster. The Zone rarely touches the road itself except to give it new twists and turns."


    "Let''s stick to the road," Alice said.


    "How long until we get to that place we''re supposed to be going to?" Crystal asked.


    "The camp?" Koschei asked. "Tonight."


    That wasn''t too bad. "The camp''s right in the Zone, right?"


    "On what some would call the edge," he said. "We''re cutting into the Zone then angling out of it to get to the camp. It''s close to the Zone, as close as Pripyat is, though to the north-east of the Zone, rather than just east of it."


    "Couldn''t we have gone around, then?" Crystal asked.


    He shook his head. "It''s secluded. Mountains and roads that are all gone. There are ways there from the north, but it''s from the far north, and those routes are long and dangerous. Old smuggler''s paths. They''re hit first by the storms too. No shelter. The weather''s not good either."


    Alice hummed. "Well, let''s get going then. Tonight is a long ways off from now."


    "Yes," Koschei agreed. He shouldered his rifle, then started down the winding driveway back towards the road.


    They made it to the road, then started off in the opposite direction they''d come from the night before. It looked like they''d have an uneventful morning at first, until Alice and Crystal both heard a distant car rumbling on the road ahead of them.


    "Car, coming our way," Alice said.


    Koschei looked to her, then the road ahead. "Let''s move to the side. Hide." He moved off the road himself, running to hide behind some bushes with his rifle out.


    They plopped themselves down, and Alice tweaked the shadows so that they grew just a little longer and a little darker. Too dark would actually be more noticeable. People were good at picking out things that didn''t quite fit.


    A truck came around the road in the distance, and they just watched it roll by. It was a large van once. Now it was covered in steel plates rusted and weather-worn, with a turret emplacement tacked onto the roof and a large cow-catching grill on the front.


    "That''s some Mad Max stuff right there," Crystal said.


    "And it''s also not our problem," Alice said.


    It was a good reminder that the biggest threat around here wasn''t just the Zone, but the people in it.


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Five - Exposed

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Five - Exposed


    Vasilisa had never felt so exposed before as she did in that moment when the woman--it had been a woman, yes?--had simply pointed out where she was hiding as though it were the most obvious thing in the world?


    How had they known?


    She had been quiet... though perhaps not quiet enough. For a long moment she had frozen on the spot, then she thought of running but the people had moved on. Vasilisa poked her head out from behind cover some time later to see them leave. They were heading into an old construction site with many unfinished buildings.


    She followed. It was unwise, and she knew as much, but she kept a lot of distance, and with her slow, careful movements, they soon lost her out ahead.


    The trio, whomever they were, were moving in the same direction as she wished to. Vasilisa stilled her heart and found herself calming down on the outskirts of that construction area. It seemed open, and dangerous, something which was confirmed when a gun fired and minutes later, something exploded, though she only caught sight of the dust settling.


    She chose to avoid the area, which meant braving the road.


    This was one of the highways cutting into the Zone. Her father had spoken of it to her once.


    The road was easy to navigate, quick to move across, and dangerous. Very dangerous. Because while it was open and passable, it was also lined by opportunistic Stalkers, waiting for easy prey.


    The army patrolled the roads, because they were easy to navigate. The Zone was rumoured to change sometimes, though she wasn''t sure if that was true. The highways, however, were fixed. Or so she hoped as she moved out of the construction area, ducking under a guardrail and onto the street.


    The road was flanked by a stripe of grass, then sidewalks. Nearby, these ran alongside the temporary walls around the construction site, while across the street were a variety of shops and apartment buildings.


    Vasilisa paused as she took in the other side. There were windows everywhere. Little dark holes where anything could be hidden.


    She swallowed, but just standing there would certainly lead to trouble, so she moved.


    Tucking herself in, she jogged along the wall. She wanted to run all out, but she knew that if she did that, she''d be running out of breath quickly, and then she''d not only be out in the open, she''d be out and too exhausted to run.


    The construction yard stretched on for half a kilometre. It had looked like a short distance to her, initially, until she had to run across it. At the end, the road turned sharply to the right, and there was a hill with train tracks on them.


    She refused to panic when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Up ahead, in the yard of an abandoned car dealership. A few figures were milling around next to a station wagon with some things loaded onto the top of it.


    Vasilisa stopped, boots scraping on the sidewalk to find purchase before she dove behind a large bush. Her heart was beating too fast, her lungs burned. Had they noticed her?


    She peeked through the bush where it was thinner and watched. Two men... no, three. They were doing something, carrying boxes from the dealership to the car. She tugged her rifle off of her back. It would poke out from the bushes in any case, and she wanted to see better. She brought it around and shouldered it, then leaned down to peer through the rifle''s scope.


    It was the same scope that her grandfather had used during the great war, and it was almost too strong. The three and a half-times magnification made it hard to get a lock on the men, and when she did, any amount of movement would swing it away. Worse, with the bush so close, she had to push branches aside to see.


    And she was still in the open.


    These three might not see her, but anyone from the side, or above, could. The only saving grace was the wall at her back.


    Her father had mentioned this to her a few times when they went to the range. Sometimes all someone saw was what they had in their sights, not the rest of the world. They''d become blind to trouble.


    She suspected that it was meant to be a metaphor, but it was still just plain true.


    The men seemed young, the age she''d expect to see of boys in the army, but they didn''t wear the uniform. The only uniform thing about them were the masks they wore. Long-snouted rubber gas masks, with tubes that lead down from their face and to a cartridge filter that hung by their chest.


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    They had coats on, to ward away the chill, and otherwise wore what a worker might. If they''d been on the streets of Pripyat, without the masks, she would have dismissed them. Or perhaps not. All three were armed. Handguns in belts, submachine guns on slings by the small of their back. One of them had a larger automatic rifle, curved magazines tucked into the pockets of his worker''s jacket.


    She licked her lips. They didn''t know she was there. At this range, with their attention elsewhere, it would be so easy... the shot would be no harder than some of the targets at the range.


    But no. She wasn''t that kind of person, and while these might have been some of the vile Stalkers her father warned her about, she didn''t know that for certain.


    They were too close, however. As long as she was here, behind this bush, and keeping both low and quiet, she''d be unnoticed unless they really searched for her, but to keep going meant to be seen.


    Vasilisa hated it, but she eventually lowered herself from a crouch onto her knees, then shuffled closer to the bush until its branches were poking at her. She hoped her jacket would blend her into it, at least.


    The men brought more boxes to the car, then argued about something. She couldn''t make out what, however, the few snatches of words that made it to her were caught by the wind.


    And then, a chance. One of them returned with a small thermos that steamed. As the wind shifted, she caught a scent in the air. Soup of some sort, broth. It made her stomach roil in protest. The men seemed just as hungry. They left, going into the dealership where they sat on the hood of a car and shared some small bowls.


    Two of them had their back to her.


    A chance!


    She looked around, checking every window and along the road. Nothing. Shimmying backwards, she extracted herself from the bush, slung her rifle up over her back again, then stretched her legs as best she could.


    There would be no time for leg cramps now.


    She waited until the figures past the dirty windows of the dealership ducked their heads to eat, and when they did, she bolted like a spooked rabbit.


    She was twenty steps away when she noticed one of the men standing from the corner of her eye. Her speed redoubled. She was forty strides past the bush when she heard a shout. Sixty when she heard the dealership''s door bang open. Then she had the corner of the next building between her and the dealership''s yard, but she knew that it wouldn''t be enough.


    "Hey!"


    "Stop!"


    The shouts were a second wind. Vasilisa grit her teeth and ran harder. The road forked ahead, but there would be no turning around that corner. She didn''t know what was beyond it. Instead, she aimed for the hill with the train tracks above it.


    She realized it was a mistake the moment she ran off the sidewalk and started to climb. The hill was more steep than she''d realized, and it was soft, wet grass. Her boot slipped, and she hit her knee against the soil. She almost fell completely, but she continued to move.


    Then gunshots, loud, angry crack-hisses. A clod of mud exploded to her left, whistling above her.


    Vasilisa scrambled up the hill and over it in a blink. Up there, she was framed by the sky, but only for a moment before she leapt down the opposite side of the hill with the train track clunking behind her. She stumbled and slid, then came to a stop.


    There was a fence, wire mesh, then an apartment building with many windows. She spotted a way around, she found several spots where the fence had been pushed down... but what she didn''t find was the energy to run.


    Vasilisa laid on her back on the ground where she''d slid and gulped for air. She wasn''t hurt, just out of breath.


    Feet thumping on the road echoed behind her. She spun onto her stomach, quickly grabbing for her rifle and aiming it up the hill.


    "Fuck!" one of the men yelled.


    "Should we go over?" another asked.


    "And get plugged? Only if you go first."


    "I think I hit them," Another said.


    Vasilisa shifted her feet, then her back. No pain. She didn''t think she''d been struck.


    "I don''t see any blood, fool," the first to speak said. "I told you, don''t ever full-auto. That''s just to scare Stalkers away. It''s not good for hitting anything."


    "Fuck this, I''m going back for my soup."


    Vasilisa let her head fall forwards as she heard the men moving on.


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Six - The Road; a Mistake

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Six - The Road; a Mistake


    The road had been a mistake, but also a lesson.


    In her father''s tales, he always spoke about moving as a group, being with friends, rivals, old pals, and even some people that he didn''t care about until he learned how to respect them.


    She found herself in a place with a few apartment buildings, and was powerfully reminded of home. These were older buildings, with peeling siding and water damage along the edge of the roof. The place stank of mildew and cigarette butts, and she couldn''t help but imagine that this could be just one block over from the apartment where she''d lived most of her life.


    She supposed that, in a way, it kind of was. This was only a twenty minute''s drive from Pripyat, wasn''t it? Or, no, it was more than that, but this was still close to the city she''d called home.


    Shaking her head, Vasilisa kept on the move. She didn''t want to be caught out again, and she definitely didn''t want to be shot at again. Staying in one place would definitely lead to that kind of trouble.


    Moving quick, she hugged the side of the apartment complex, then darted across an open space where a few old cars were rusting away. There were clothes hanging in her path, with perfectly preserved dresses and pants and underthings on them, all looking as if they were fresh out of the wash and still wet.


    She didn''t know what was up with that, and she decided that not finding out was the smarter choice as she made sure to circle around.


    This was another lesson she was starting to take to heart: Strange was bad in this place. Bad and liable to leave her dead.


    Silent like a mouse in a pantry, she slipped by and then up a slight rise. From here, she could better see the world ahead. There was a train yard out in the distance, and then past that some sort of large facility. Anything beyond was obscured by distance and the rising landscape.


    A road hugged the sides of the trainyard and the facility. She decided against following it. Roads, she knew, were used by people. And people were dangerous.


    So she darted towards the trainyard and kept herself low as she moved along its outer wall. Where there were holes in the wall, she made sure to move faster, so as to not be seen by any within. Eventually she came out the other side, far from the main road. Here, there was a much more humble road, then the facility. There were four large buildings, set on each end of it, with the corners opened to allow people in. Grassy spaces were left untouched around the facility.


    Something felt wrong about that. So she knelt and watched.


    Time was on her side in some things.


    The roof, she realized, had movement. A man was picking at his nose, having pulled down the front of his facemask to get at his nostrils. He had a large rifle slung by his hip. Not an old thing like hers, or even the nicer wooden-stocked Kalishnikovs all the soldiers had. This was a sleek thing, plastic and metal. Modern.


    More spying revealed a sign placed on the edge of the grass. A wooden piece of plywood, the surface painted white to make the red lettering on it move visible, yet the paint was chipping and the sign was knocked forwards a little.


    MINES!


    A single word that made a shiver run up her spine. What did they mean by mines? Landmines? Where?


    She swallowed. She could so easily imagine herself sneaking across that grass, that well-trimmed grass... oh, another oddity. The grass was trimmed. So far the grass on the roadside was always scraggly and wild, untended and filled with weeds. This space''s grass was cut. Not too recently, but someone had scythed through it, preventing it from growing too tall.


    Vasilisa decided that the better part of valour was to not sneak into a minefield.


    That meant either going down to the road, which she knew was dangerous, or going all the way around.


    All the way around seemed wiser now. Keeping low to the ground, she scurried along the side of the road. Now she didn''t dare walk on the grassy sidewalk for fear that she''d hear a little click and suddenly be turned into another victim of the Zone.


    Or the people in it, she supposed.


    Going around might have been wise, but it was not easy. She only crossed the road into a patch of woods when that facility was so far in the distance that she couldn''t see it any longer. Then she used it as a guiding star, keeping the few glimpses she had of the facility to her right as she climbed up some steep, rocky hills.


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    Her legs felt weak within the hour, but she''d discovered a small clearing surrounded on all sides by steep hills. There was a pool of stagnant water in the centre of it, being slowly cooked away by the warm sun when it poked out from between the clouds. She sat on one of the hills and had a meal. She even dared to remove her boots and socks, letting them dry on a warm rock while she stretched her toes.


    These boots would be the death of her.


    She didn''t feel like leaving, but she had no choice. So she packed her things, then took off once more. At the height of one hill, she was able to look over to the facility and noticed that there were nine large pools of what looked like water within. Was it a water treatment plant? Was that the kind of place someone would defend with landmines? It seemed a little excessive to her.


    Shaking her head, Vasilisa continued. It didn''t take long to reach the banks of a river. A river running very low on water. There were a few bridges across, one looked like a normal bridge, low to the water and made of rusty wrought iron. There was something off about it, however.


    She couldn''t tell what, even after staring at it for a moment. It wasn''t anything obvious, but it still gave her pause.


    Instead, she discovered a space where the water was low and several large, flat-topped rocks poked out from the current. There was a bridge across, made of flat planks laid down to make for a safe dry crossing.


    A Stalker''s work? Maybe that bridge had been a trap of some sort.


    She crossed the planks, moving carefully and paying attention as she moved because she could clearly remember the last time she''d crossed a river of any sort.


    On the other side was a rising bank above which was the start of a small village. There were a dozen or so homes. Nice ones and not-so-nice ones. A few in a row looked like perfectly nice homes to live in. Two stories, with little garages and sheds and fenced off yards that were left unattended. One of them even had a weather-worn greenhouse, the glass stoned by rain to the point that she could barely make out the plants within.


    One home stood out, however, even more than the rest.


    It was a small, squashed little building, looking like it should have been in between two others instead of out on its own. It had no yard, but a few little planters under its front windows.


    Smoke was coming from the chimney, and there were lights lit within.


    Vasilisa made her way a little closer, sneaking around an old tractor across the street, then following along another fence.


    "You''re quite the quiet one, aren''t you, girlie?"


    Vasilisa''s heart almost escaped her chest at the sound. A voice, an older woman''s voice.


    She jumped, then fumbled for her rifle only to pause as the voice next spoke. "No need for that, girlie," the woman said.


    Vasilisa finally found her, and then was entirely flummoxed at how she''d missed her on her first scan of the area.


    There was an old lady sitting on a rocking chair right out in front of the house with the working chimney. She had a blanket on her knees and was moving back and forth calmly while her fingers moved with deft precision, a pair of crochet needles click-clacking like a typewriter.


    "Don''t make me lose my count now," the woman said. "I''m making a blanket. It gets cold out here, you know?"


    "I... suppose," Vasilisa said. She looked around, searching for another trap.


    "Don''t be that way, girlie," the woman said.


    "I''m not a girl," Vasilisa said.


    The grandma sniffed. "If you say so," she replied. She stopped her crocheting and looked up, then squinted at Vasilisa. "Well, you''re certainly dressed the part of a young man," she admitted.


    "How did you know I was a girl?" Vasilisa asked.


    "Your voice, of course," the old lady said.


    Vasilisa frowned. Something about that was wrong but... but she couldn''t quite figure out what.


    "Come, come. Sit before me. Let''s take in what''s left of the day''s warmth. The sun will be setting soon, you know? It''s bad luck to leave a granny like me without a little company at this kind of hour, and refusing my tea is just plain disrespectful."


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-Eight - Walking Along at the Speed of Snails

    Chapter Twenty-Eight - Walking Along at the Speed of Snails


    "Walking is... boring," Crystal declared.


    "It''s not so bad," Alice said.


    They were walking along a road. To the right was forests and swampy hillsides. There were a few rivers that came close to the road, and even some little tributaries forced into culverts that the road was built over.


    To their left was a constant flow of industrial buildings. Factories, yards with old machines and containers, and a few office buildings and the like. Most of these had walls between them and the road, though there were gates that opened onto the street, of course. There was no sidewalk. This wasn''t a space for people to travel on foot over, but rather a purely industrial area. The vehicles they found parked and abandoned on the road were all semi-trailers, little transport vans, and in one memorable occasion a permanently-aflame food truck.


    Alice glanced around herself, then paused. Something was... off. She turned her head, stretched out her senses, but couldn''t tell what was going on.


    "You''ve noticed it?" Koschei asked.


    Crystal looked over to Alice and Koschei. "Are you talking about the weird reflections? They look harmless."


    "Reflections?" Alice asked.


    Crystal nodded and pointed to some puddles on the road. Puddles which didn''t make sense, now that Alice thought about them. It was a warm enough morning, the sun was up, and there hadn''t been any rain that she could remember in the last day.


    Looking at one of the puddles revealed a reflection of a building, warped and a little distorted, as any reflection on a street-side puddle would be. Only there was no building like that. There were others nearby, but the one in the puddle was wrong.


    "They show reflections of other things," Koschei said. "They''re harmless."


    Another anomaly. They''d been crossing a few of these every hour. Some were barely noticeable. A field of flowers that grew, wilted, and died within the span of an hour only to repeat. There was an anomaly that Koschei called a ''flicker.'' It had objects appearing in front of them. Always things that were pressed into the ground.


    Crystal said that it reminded her of bad video games, the way that a piece of cardboard would just suddenly appear on the ground ahead, or some clothes would flicker into place on a clothesline.


    Harmless, but definitely strange.


    Koschei had made them pause earlier when they reached an area that made all the hairs on her and Crystal''s head rise. It had reminded her of a space where lightning was about to strike, and it did, eventually.


    They moved around the area and as they did, they could see lightning coming down from a clear sky in extremely slow motion, each individual electric finger questing towards the ground while branching out and out.


    It had left her feeling staticy and strange, like wearing cheap pantyhose over her entire body.


    She didn''t share that feeling with Crystal, because she just knew that the other magical girl would laugh at it.


    "It feels like there aren''t as many anomalies anymore," Crystal said. She was walking with her arms folded behind her head, not a care in the world.


    "We''re out of the Zone," Koschei said. "More or less."


    "More or less?" Alice asked. She, for one, had paid attention to his earlier explanation about the Zone and its limits and how they were basically skimming along the edge.


    "The Zone doesn''t have hard walls," he replied. "And every storm changes its shape. But there are places that remain, and this road is one of them, and it is always just outside of the Zone itself. The monsters of the Zone aren''t confined to it, but they are born within it."


    "Are they territorial?" Alice asked. They hadn''t run into any monsters yet. Plenty of strange phenomena, but nothing that she''d label as monstrous.


    "They can be," was all he said on the matter. Koschei wasn''t the best at giving tours, though he was proving to be a competent-enough guide that she felt like she could overlook his people-skills.


    They continued for another few hours, walking at a slow but steady pace, only pausing when they had to navigate around or through an anomaly. Lunch came, and that was their first big pause. They stopped by a freight measuring station with a large government building attached to it.


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    Koschei jimmied the lock, then let them in. There was a lobby, there were restrooms to the side, and most importantly of all, there was a breakroom that looked like it was used pretty regularly.


    He admitted that it was a frequent-enough stop for those in the know. Somehow, the taps still had water and while the lights didn''t work, the microwave did and the cupboards were always stocked with what was apparently an infinite supply of ramen noodles.


    They had warm-enough noodles sitting around a round table on uncomfortably little benches with only the light from a thin window to eat by. Then they were off again without even trying to mask that they''d been here except to close the door properly and make sure it was locked again. The next Stalker that came around could figure it out on their own.


    Noon slowly, ever so slowly, turned to evening, and Koschei pointed to a spot far ahead of them. It was only visible because of its height over the hills. "That''s where we''re going," he said.


    Crystal squinted ahead. "Isn''t that the sign for a gas station?" she asked.


    "It is," he replied. "It''s where the road turns leading up to the camp, it''s--" Koschei cut himself off as a distant gunshot echoed over the hills. Then there was the staccato sound of an automatic gun being fired. It was punctuated by a small boom.


    "Sounds like we''re not the only ones here," Alice said. She stretched her senses out ahead and felt a group of five... no, six, one of them was dying. They were all varying levels of terrified, but not of each other.


    There was something else out there too, a shadow whose form she couldn''t quite grasp. It was threatening the others, a menace, the monster they were all joined together in fighting.


    "I think they need our help," Alice said.


    Koschei slung his rifle from his shoulder and pointed to a hill that would overlook the gas station. "From there," he said before taking off at a surprisingly fast run.


    "Huh, he can really move when he wants to," Crystal said. "What do we do?"


    "What do you want to do?" Alice asked.


    "Well, people are in trouble, and we''re magical girls," Crystal pointed out. She smiled, dimples on full display. "I think we should do what we always do!"


    Alice nodded once. That had been their job before and she couldn''t see why it wouldn''t be their job still. They raced after Koschei, then leapt ahead of him, landing on the apex of the hill where a few large stones were jutting out of the hillside and giving them a great view of the surrounding area. The trees also served to hide them a little, keeping them in some amount of shade as they looked down onto a large gas station.


    It was one of those designed for trucks to stop at. Six rows or fuel pumps covered by angled roof slates. A few trucks were parked off to the side all lined up in a row to create a sort of wall between the station and the road. There was a next on the roof for the station as well, a plywood roof, some sandbag walls, enough to keep a marksman secure.


    There was a man there now, fumbling with the bolt of an old rifle that he shot downwards.


    On the ground there were five more people, though one of them had more blood out of their body than in. They were using a wall of scrap cars and piled-on bags of sand and dirt as cover from some large shadowy monster.


    "That thing''s not cute at all," Crystal said.


    The monster was like a bear, but it lacked any fur. It had wild eyes and a tail that whipped to the left and right, smacking aside small pieces of scrap. Bloodied claws showed how that one man had gone down.


    Another stepped up onto the scrap wall and aimed a shotgun down. It roared and the bear-like creature was pushed back. It fell, a gaping wound on its front. It seemed dead, but a moment later the wound closed and the monster returned to where it had been, as if it and it alone were slowly being rewound.


    "Oh, it''s a time monster," Crystal said.


    Koschei ran up next to them at last and took in the scene at a glance. "Shit," was his diagnosis.


    "We should be able to take care of it," Alice said.


    "It''ll return," Koschei said. "Your only hope is to give it what it wants or run."


    "I''m sure there are more options than just that," Alice said.


    She could think of a few.


    ***

 Chapter Twenty-Nine - Whos Taking It?

    Chapter Twenty-Nine - Who''s Taking It?


    "Do you want to take this one, or should I do it?" Alice asked.


    There was only a bare moment''s consideration for her to decide whether or not she would try to help the Stalkers below. Yes, not helping would help them keep some level of anonymity but... when had that ever mattered?


    Magical girls were many things. Subtle wasn''t one of them.


    "Hmm, how''s your magic feeling?" Crystal asked.


    She noticed Koschei glance at them from the corner of his eye. He''d been adamant that there was nothing to do about the strange bear monster a moment ago, but he seemed willing to step back and see what they could do.


    "My magic''s feeling fine," Alice said.


    "Are you sure?" Crystal asked. There was a scream from the gas station, but Crystal had locked eyes on Alice and wasn''t going to be distracted so easily.


    Alice wanted to just say yes, that things were fine, but she hadn''t actually tested herself. It would be a lie, if only by omission, to say that she was fine. "Maybe you take this one," Alice said. "Don''t be too flashy about it."


    Crystal smiled slightly. "We''ll talk after?"


    Alice nodded, and then Crystal stepped up and stared down at the monster. It was roaring at the moment, claws raking down to try and swipe at one of the Stalkers, but another had a long stick in hand, a broom, and was just barely managing to hold the creature back.


    Then the broom gave in, wood splintering and snapping, and the bear came down onto the screaming Stalker.


    It would have been over for him. It would have been. Instead, two spires of blueish crystal ripped out of the ground and skewered the bear, stabbing into its armpits and shoving it back.


    The bear roared, but the sound echoed wrongly. The entire creature flickered, and it was suddenly a dozen paces back and in the middle of a charge that it aborted to avoid running into Crystal''s attack.


    "Looks like it''s doing that call-back flicker thing," Crystal said. "It''s not teleportation like Koschei can do."


    "His ability isn''t teleportation," Alice said. "It''s temporal displacement."


    "Potato potato," Crystal said.


    Koschei was openly staring at them now.


    "How are you going to take it out?" Alice asked. She could think of... three low-effort solutions. Locking the bear in another dimension, locking it in place by draining the temporal energy it was using, or forcing it into a losing loop where no matter what it did it would reappear in a situation where it died.


    Crystal''s eyes narrowed, then she gave herself a little nod before picking a fourth option.


    The crystal spines she''d summoned warped and shifted into two thin pillars, then they forked at the top into a pair of tines. A high-pitched hum filled the area around the gas station as wind swept through the tines and created a pair of resonating notes.


    The bear shook its head, then growled and lunged... at nothing at all.


    It spun, seeming confused before leaping to the side with surprising dexterity to avoid something that Alice couldn''t see. Lasers? But no, when Crystal used lasers she was never shy about making them blindingly bright.


    It had been an issue in her early career, with plenty of civilians complaining of eye damage from seeing her attacks.


    But no, Alice couldn''t sense any actual light, but there was definitely some light magic going on. "Wait... illusions?" Alice asked.


    "Yup! It''s a neat trick, right?" Crystal asked. "It''s stuck in a perpetual illusion that has it being attacked by visions of itself."


    "Which we can''t see?" Alice asked.


    "They''re targeting the big guys eyes directly. Harder to target, but way cheaper in the long run."


    "And the spellwork is creating these illusions how?" Alice asked. It was one thing to make light illusions, it was another to have them move and act intelligently, moreso to have them act intelligently without direct control and oversight. That was several orders of magnitude more complex.


    Crystal''s smile couldn''t be any more smug. "I''m tapping into the bear''s own magic. It''s seeing what it would do if it saw itself. Can''t you sense it leaking time magic like one of those spaghetti... hole things?"


    "A strainer?" Alice asked. "The expression is leaking like a sieve, by the way."


    "Doesn''t matter, I''m smart, now give me positive attention please!" Crystal gestured towards her head, and Alice rolled her eyes. She did reach up and give Crystal a pat, because she did deserve it.


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    Koschei cleared his throat. "Will this... last?" he asked.


    "Forever and ever," Crystal said. "As long as the anchors aren''t broken. Think of it like having your own guard time bear! Only it''s not loyal and will probably eat you for getting too close while also fighting its own nightmares!"


    Alice nodded. "The advantage here is that the bear is probably going to overuse its own abilities. Not to gamify it too much, but it''s like pushing a cooldown to its limit. The tapping into its illusions will also drain its power even faster. You''ll likely see it running out of magic within... some time."


    "Some time," Koschei repeated.


    "In a week, or a month, or a century. It''ll run out eventually," Alice said. "And when it does, you''ll have an exhausted, very worn out, and probably exceptionally unhealthy bear-thing to deal with." It would probably expire all on its own without magic to keep it going.


    They could have killed it, but maybe doing it like this was better. It certainly made less noise to have their spellwork be so subtle and localised. Sure, the locals themselves might talk about it and spread the news around, but Alice was less worried about their opinions and more worried about the interaction between her magic, Crystal''s, and the world''s.


    "Let''s go see the locals!" Crystal said. "One of them looks hurt."


    Alice agreed, and with a glance to Koschei to confirm that he didn''t think it was a terrible idea, they started down the rocky hillside towards the gas station.


    It took a surprisingly long time for them to be spotted. The Stalker on the roof was, understandably, focused on the large bear who was still freaking out and clawing at the air around it while roaring.


    They''d at least stopped shooting at it.


    Koschei whistled twice in quick succession, and he made a show of letting go of his rifle, letting it hang by its strap. "Do you need help?" he called out.


    The guy on the roof jumped, but it only took a moment of staring for him to recognize their guide. "Koschei?" he asked. "That you?"


    "It''s me," Koschei said. "No security question?"


    "We''re a little busy for that," the marksman said. "How''s Anton? I can''t see from here."


    Anton, Alice decided, must have been the guy bleeding all over the place. He was laying back against the door of a ruined car, grunting as another Stalker pressed some bandages into his sides.


    "Anton looks like shit!" the Stalker shouted. "Koschei, good to see you. Do you have any alcohol?"


    "I could use a drink," Anton said with a gasp.


    Alice and Crystal stayed by Koschei''s side. He seemed to have a better handle on this group than Alice thought she might have, and as long as they stayed by him, the others didn''t seem to think they were too suspicious.


    "I''ve got something," Koschei said. He swung his backpack off and then rummaged around, coming back with a small clear glass bottle of spirits. "It''s a bit strong for you, Anton."


    "Oh, fuck off," Anton replied. "Who''re your friends?"


    Koschei walked over and dropped to one knee next to Anton and the Stalker tending to him. The other two eyed him and the girls, but they were mostly busy keeping an eye on the rampaging bear. It was still flailing around at nothing.


    "Pour some on this," the Stalker tending to Anton said as he handed Koshei a clean-ish rag.


    "Pour some in my mouth first," Anton said.


    "No," Koschei replied as he soaked the rag a little and handed it back. Alice caught a whiff of the alcohol and blinked. It was strong enough to burn nosehairs.


    Anton continued to grumble until the Stalker over him pressed the rag into his wounds. Then he grit his teeth and grunted in pain.


    It was probably for the best. The bear had clawed him along the side, ripping right through the padded coat he had been wearing. Anton had a plate carrier, but it only covered his upper chest and not his sides at all.


    The wound was nasty looking, worse because Alice doubted the bear''s claws were sanitary, but it didn''t look too deep.


    He''d live, probably. It really depended on how good the medical treatment was around here.


    She looked up and took in the Stalker camp. There were a few tarps hanging off the side of the gas station, the interior looking like it was semi-gutted to make more living space.


    She revised Anton''s chances a little lower.


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Seven - Confused

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Seven - Confused


    She awoke in a village that wasn''t the one she''d gone to sleep in.


    The sun was high overhead. It was noon, and her lips tasted of tea and sour cake.


    Vasilisa groaned and brought an arm around to cover her eyes against the too-bright sun. Where was she? She felt... honestly, she couldn''t decide which part of her hurt more. Her insides were cramping up and her skin felt moist with sweat. Her muscles ached, arms and legs, far more so that they had the previous day, even with the unusual amount of exercise she''d run through.


    What had happened?


    She turned over, then felt her stomach roil in protest, but her father hadn''t raised someone who would lose themselves so easily. She swallowed hard, then took a few deep breaths. Her lunch stayed in its place, for now.


    Pushing off the ground, Vasilisa raised herself up to a low crouch. The world spun a little on the edges of her vision, but it wasn''t so bad, and as soon as she stopped moving things righted themselves. Was this what drunkenness felt like? She wasn''t sure.


    Her bag was on the ground, upside down and some of her stuff had spilled out. Her gun was there too. She touched her hip. Yes, the handgun was still on her as well. The weight of it felt right.


    Vasilisa blinked a few times, then looked around herself. She was in a small village. There was a grocer with smashed-in windows right next to her, and a small road with a long fence running along it to her right. She could see old farm homes sticking out above the fence. Idyllic old homes, the sort that dotted the countryside and made up most of the homes in small villages.


    She sniffed, then rubbed her face with the back of her hand. Somehow she''d ended up dumped out on the edge of a narrow road, right next to the grocer''s parking lot. There was a rusting wreck of a car nearby and... and blood on her hands.


    Vasilisa stared at them. Dark, red stains, dried so much that when she flexed her hands the blood cracked and flaked off of her skin.


    Was this hers?


    She didn''t think so.


    Vasilisa checked herself over in a panic, but no. There was blood on her sleeves, and a small few droplets staining her coat, but no wounds. She still felt the ache and the cramps, but no pain like from a cut. Certainly none deep enough for this amount of blood.


    "What happened?" she murmured.


    The last she could remember was--


    Vasilisa doubled over, vomiting onto the ground. She stumbled to the side and bumped into the old car, but that helped her stay standing as she lost whatever she''d eaten. She reached up to move her hair out of her face, but it had been cut short, she remembered now.


    The old lady. The nice old lady.


    She''d invited Vasilisa into her home. Said that it was safe.


    It wasn''t. She''d been offered tea and cakes, and then told to start cooking, cleaning.


    At first, Vasilisa went with it. She''d done as the lady asked. It was a small favour to pay, and the lady did seem old. Vasilisa had always respected the elderly back home. She had helped some put out their laundry onto the lines, had helped others bring in their groceries, helped them up the main stairs of their apartment complex, had reached for high objects for one short old babuschka with bad knees.


    This was no different.


    Only it was. One favour turned into another, and the old lady just kept smiling.


    Tea, and cakes.


    Vasilisa vomited some more.


    How... how long had she been in that home? It was more than a day, wasn''t it? More than a week... months? No, not so long, could it be?


    She removed her hat and touched her hair, tugged a length of it. It was now long enough to cover her ears. She''d had it cut before leaving for the Zone.


    Vasilisa had asked to leave. And the old lady had said... no.


    She licked her lips. Bitter tea and sour cakes. Blood on her hands.


    Vasilisa was breathing hard and tears stung her eyes.


    She shook her head. Where was she now? Before, she''d had an idea of where she was, along the eastern edge of the Zone, more or less. Now? The village meant nothing to her. She turned and leaned against the car, letting the sun bake her head and push away the unnatural chill she felt. She still ached. How long had she spent cleaning and gardening and taking care of the old lady''s house? It had felt interminable.


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    Had she slept at all?


    She didn''t feel tired now. Exhausted in mind and body, yes, but not tired as if she needed sleep.


    Vasilisa let the world spin for a few minutes longer. It felt as though her inner ear was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she was standing still, and when she turned her head one way and the other, it only made her a little dizzy. It was passing, whatever it was.


    She blinked, then stumbled forwards and started to grab her things. Her water bottle was empty, and as she ran through her pack, she discovered that a lot of her food was gone. No, not a lot, all of it.


    "Shit," she muttered.


    Then again, there was a grocery right there.


    She packed everything that she did have away, then slung her backpack on. She checked on her gun next. It was fine, but her handgun was missing a single round. She couldn''t remember firing it.


    She tucked it away anyway, then stumbled to the groceries. She came in through one of the missing widows.


    Some of the shelves had been knocked down. All of them were empty. Still, she stumbled around the store, squinting to make out what she could in the bit of light coming in from outside. If it were any later in the day she might not be able to see anything, but as it was...


    A can of pineapples, rolled under one of the tipped-over shelves. She got on all fours to grab it. It was scraped on one side, but unopened. She put it in her pack, then found another. Toshanka, a small can that had rolled over under some broken glass.


    It wasn''t her favourite, but it was edible, and it would keep.


    Unfortunately, that''s all she found. There were boxes of cereals at the back, but all of them were chewed into by mice, and she didn''t dare approach the unlit fridge with the containers of milk that all look bloated.


    What she would have to do. Maybe she''d scour the homes?


    On the way out, a flash of red caught her attention, and she almost gasped as she discovered an old can of cola. She popped the tab and drank it right there. It was lukewarm, but sweet, and the taste was strong enough to overpower the taste of bile in her mouth, and the tea.


    Better. She was feeling better now, actually, the dizziness was almost entirely gone. Still a little tired, but... she had to keep moving.


    She checked her surroundings as best she could before jumping out of the store again. She wasn''t sure which direction to go in, but she could guess which way was north from the position of the sun. Did the Zone change how that worked? She wasn''t sure, but she hoped not.


    On reaching the end of that dead-end street, she poked her head around the fence, moving slow so as not to be spotted.


    There were more homes around, sheds, and a few gardens. There was a road cutting through the village, two lanes, broken asphalt. And a tank.


    She froze up for a moment, but the tank was just sitting there, old and rusty. It even looked like some parts had been ripped off of it and stolen. Her heart stilled, and she took a deep breath. She didn''t know where to go, just yet, but maybe that wouldn''t be too hard to figure out.


    One of the homes was built on a slight rise, and it had a balcony on its second story. She started towards it.


    Once she had a better idea of the landscape around here, maybe she''d have a better idea of where to go.


    Keeping on the move felt like it was a far better idea than staying still with her fuzzy memories and bloody hands.


    She needed water too, to wash up, and... and a bit of time to herself. There was something deeply wrong about the Zone, moreso than any of her father''s stories had prepared her for.


    She wasn''t even sure why she was in here anymore, only that she had to keep moving.


    ***

 Chapter Thirty - To the Camp

    Chapter Thirty - To the Camp


    Koschei returned to where Alice and Crystal were waiting by the front of the gas station. The bear was rampaging still, roaring and clawing at nothing, though it was getting further back from the side of the station. The Stalkers had taken a few more shots at it, but it had only been a waste of ammunition and the stalker in charge--or so Alice presumed, had ordered a stop to that.


    "Anton will probably live," Koschei said. "But he needs better attention. We''re bringing him with us to the camp."


    "We are?" Crystal asked. "Is the camp far?"


    Koschei shook his head, then pointed off in one direction. "See that road there, the gravel one? It leads to the camp."


    There was, indeed, a gravel road behind the gas station. It led upwards and to the... north? Alice wasn''t quite sure on that last. But in any case, the gravel road continued on for some ways, following next to a cement-banked river.


    "There''s a hydro-electic plant a kilometre upriver, then the camp a little ways deeper in," Koschei explained. "It''s a trek, uphill most of the way, and there are traps all around, but as long as we keep to the road we should be safe."


    "This camp is sounding a lot more organised than I''d imagined," Alice said.


    Koschei shrugged. "It''s been here since the start. Some say that it was turned into a Stalker den before the Zone even appeared."


    "Ohhh, time stuff!" Crystal said. She was on the verge of gushing, so Alice placed a hand on her head to tamp that down.


    "We can help carry your friend Anton over. It''s only for a few hours, right?"


    Koschei shrugged. "One of the others is coming as well. We''ll carry him." He eyed her. "Though maybe you could do it on your own."


    That last wasn''t a question, but it was a suspicion that he was voicing aloud. Koschei wasn''t just suspicious of them, not at this point. Alice was pretty sure there was nothing he or any number of Stalkers could do about her and Crystal, but... well, maybe it was for the best that their time together was coming to a natural end.


    Koschei moved on to grab some things from the station and was met by another man, the same one who''d been on marksman duty on the roof a few minutes ago. "Hey!" the man said. He was a thin, reedy fellow with large round glasses and a mask that he wore loose around his neck, ready to be slipped on, but not there yet. "Hey there, I''m Viktor, Viktor Kolzov, but my friends call me Vik."


    "Hi Vik! My name is Crystal, Crystal Genocide, but my friends call me... Crystal." She extended a hand to Viktor who shook it, he seemed amused by the introduction before turning towards Alice.


    "Alice," she said.


    "A woman of few words," he said. "You know, it''s not often we see ladies out here in the Zone."


    "Is the zone misogynistic?" Crystal asked.


    Viktor blinked, then shrugged. "Maybe! Who knows what the Zone thinks. But we often call the Zone a lady too, so it''s hard to tell. Koshei, do you know any popular ladies in the zone?"


    Koshei looked up from where he was dragging a pack over and glared. "No," he said. "Help me with Anton."


    Viktor snorted, then jogged over. In short order they had Anton loaded up onto a cloth gurney with two poles on either side of it. The man groaned, then groaned harder when Koshei placed a bag onto his lap.


    "This is the worst day ever," Anton said. "Ladies, come here, show me your pretty faces so that the last thing I see is a sight of beauty."


    "Don''t listen to him," Koshei said.


    "Yeah, Anton''s an idiot," Viktor replied. "I warned him about the bear and he walked out anyway." The man smiled, then his attention turned towards the bear. "It just walked through all of our traps, the bastard."


    Koshei looked towards Viktor, and Alice sensed that he had just connected two dots together, but no explanation came as to which dots and what that might mean. "Take the front," he said to Viktor.


    "Ah, I don''t want Viktor''s ass in my face," Anton complained as the two men grabbed an end of the gurney each. They grunted, then lifted Anton up. He groaned at the motion, clutching at his side, but then he laid back and stared at the cloudy sky and just breathed.


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    "Miss Crystal, would you mind taking my bag?" Viktor asked. "It''s not kind of me, but I can''t take my gear and Anton all at once."


    "Sure," Crystal said as she pulled Viktor''s bag off the ground in one hand and held it up to the side. A rifle in a cloth bag was sticking out of a full pack that jingled and jangled with every motion. Alice imagined that it weighed half as much as Crystal herself did.


    Viktor smiled smugly, and Alice suspected that he''d just proven a point, if only to himself. The man was clever, for all his goofy smiles and easy banter.


    They said their goodbyes to the Stalkers that would remain. That group seemed tense, but there was nothing for them to do but wish them a speedy trip up to the camp. And then they were off.


    "So, the camp has a hydro electric plant?" Alice asked.


    "Small one," Viktor said. "The camp''s got everything a Stalker needs to live a carefree and happy life!"


    Koshei sniffed. "It''s a trap, in its own way," he said.


    "How''s that?" Crystal asked.


    "An area with lots of Stalkers, lots of provisions, medical centres, a bar. It''s a small town all on its own. New Stalkers come here, brave the easiest edge of the Zone, then think they''ve found a safe space. How many of them have come here and will never leave?"


    "Oh, like half, easy," Viktor said with a grin. "I work security. Anton here? He''s been at the camp for three years!"


    "Four," Anton groaned.


    "Sure," Viktor said. "I come and go. After the next big storm I''m gathering what I can and making a run for it!"


    "What''s that mean?" Crystal asked.


    Viktor glanced back. "There are lots of little anomalies, if you know where to look. They always reappear, and they''re worth their weight in gold back in the motherland. A quick dip deeper into the Zone, and then you run back out. Sell it to the right person and... well, I''m halfway to retirement."


    "It takes ten, maybe twelve runs to earn that amount," Koschei said. "Most Stalkers don''t live through that many."


    "Ah, but some of us do!" Viktor said. "That''s what the camp''s good for. You have a place to stay, listen to rumours, form a group to go out on a hunt. A safe space to sleep. There''s... eh, the food''s shit, but the beer''s alright."


    Alice was starting to wonder what this camp looked like. Her initial mental image was... of a camp. A few tents, maybe some slightly more permanent structures. She''d imagined maybe a small abandoned village with a few farm houses close together and some tarp homes strung out between them.


    Now she wasn''t so sure. They had electricity, and what sounded like a small society of their own. That required more than a few tents.


    "Where does the name ''camp'' come from? This is sounding more like a base than anything," Alice said.


    "You know, I have no idea," Viktor said.


    Koschei hummed. "It was to mislead. Lots of Stalkers know of the camp, so we call it the camp. If the army overhears you, or you''re captured, you keep calling it the camp."


    "Oh, that''s clever," Crystal said. "But, uh, what is the camp? I mean, what kind of place was it before it was turned into the camp?"


    "A school, yeah?" Viktor said.


    Koschei nodded, then hiked up his grip on the gurney, which had Anton groaning again. "The camp was the Zarechny Institute Campus."


    "A campus, not a school?" Alice asked.


    He shrugged. "It was a campus for engineers. Very private."


    Alice glanced at his back, then looked down the road again. There were the first signs of that hydroelectric plant they''d mentioned earlier up ahead. A pair of ugly square buildings on either side of an artificial dam. The churning of water was growing louder with every step they took.


    She could make out a few transformers and a fenced-off area to the side with... well, she wasn''t well versed when it came to electrical devices of the sort. Big grey boxes with metal poles and loops and wires all over them. There was a faint hum in the air, almost undetectable under the sound of the water.


    And there were gunners on the roof, and more people within the power plants, some of them having noticed them coming.


    They were finally getting close to the camp, it seemed.


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-One - Power

    Chapter Thirty-One - Power


    The power station was about as well guarded as something like that could be. The road was mostly cleared, but the surrounding brush? There were long coils of barbed wire, tangled in bushes and spread out across the ground. Some muddy patches just had lengths of concertina wire poking out of the ground, ready to cut up anyone trying to sneak closer.


    The station itself was a small fortress, then. The wire-mesh fences were supplemented by sagging sandbags and a couple of beaten up old cars had been tipped onto their sides to block line of sight.


    There were a few tents and some tarp draped over the open space between the two large buildings, and it seemed like the place was... lived in. A large barrel in the centre was smoking faintly from where a fire had been lit within, and there were mouldering couches pulled out in a circle by the middle of the camp.


    Alice did a quick headcount. Nine people here. Two on the roofs, the rest scattered in and around the building.


    Notably, though, none of them were gathering on the west side, and there might have been a good reason for that. It was where the large metal pillars connected by a mess of wires were, and where an active anomaly was doing its own thing.


    Arcs of electricity jumped up and off of the metal pillars. They climbed up into the sky, then formed sparkling balls of rolling lightning that would stay in the air for a moment, then roll back down and back into the pillars.


    "That can''t be good," Crystal said. "I remember my computer exploding during a storm once. My mom had told me to shut it off but I was downloading stuff. Anyway, that was because we didn''t have a surge protector. What kind of surge protector do you need for that?"


    "Power frequently drops at the Camp," Koschei said.


    "You really are a man of few words, Koschei," Viktor said. "What he should have said is that we''re lucky to have power for an hour straight at the camp. The important places have power from a generator. The rest of the place deals with flickering lights or no light at all."


    "That''s interesting. Humanity''s fastest adaptation in the modern age was the ready availability of light," Alice said. "We tamed our fear of the dark by making it recede. But it was always there, waiting."


    Viktor chuckled. "Fan of poetry, are you?"


    "No," Alice said truthfully. She never had room for that sort of thing.


    They were stopped by the entrance of the power station by a large man wearing an ill-fitting bulletproof vest that was straining under his bulk. "Is that Anton?" he asked.


    "That''s me," Anton grumbled.


    "What the fuck happened?" the big guy asked.


    "Bear," Viktor said. "Anton here decided to get into punching range of it. He got a scratch for his troubles. Is there a cart free?"


    "Damnit," the big guy said. "Let me call it in. Will he make it?"


    "I better," Anton said.


    A gate was opened and they were let into the courtyard between the two buildings of the station. There was a bit of a hubbub as someone drove a golf cart around and backed it up so that they could load Anton onto the back, still in the stretcher. It was too large for him to fit, but they managed to hook the gurney''s front to the cart and Viktor grabbed hold of the back while Koschei took the wheel.


    Crystal tossed Viktor''s pack into the cart, and then they were off, driving at a walking pace behind the old gas-powered golf-cart.


    It was probably for the best that they had the cart, because the route to the Camp started to incline upwards a lot more. Alice took each step in a single long stride. It was getting to the point where she imagined that the average person might actually struggle a little, and at one point she stepped up behind the golf-cart and held it in place as it lost some traction and threatened to slide backwards.


    They did make it, however. Coming up to the top of the hill and around a slight bend into a large cobblestone-covered courtyard. There was another route to the left, going downhill towards a bus-stop and parking space. That didn''t matter as much to her as the Camp did.


    The Zarechny Institute Campus was a large space with three buildings connected by bridges. One of them arched over a courtyard in the centre where a dried-out fountain sat.


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    To the left and right were two large, boxy buildings, longer than they were tall. They were four floors tall, with evenly spaced windows, some of which even had lights on behind them. The building in the centre-rear, beyond the courtyard, was more of an administration building. Shorter than the other two, and more open, with wider windows and a lobby that Alice could only-just make out.


    A few people came rushing out of one of the buildings nearby. Notably, two of them were wearing doctor''s coats. Stained ones, but still, there was no mistaking that they were some sort of medical staff.


    "How is he?" one of them asked.


    "Bleeding still," Viktor said. "He''s stained the gurney through."


    Anton grunted as he sat up a little to look at his side. There was, in fact, blood dripping through the cloth of the gurney. "Oh, fuck that''s not good."


    "If he has the energy to complain he has enough to live," one of the doctors said. "Help me get him into the clinic."


    The other ran back, presumably to get things ready while a couple of Stalkers nearby ran over to help. Soon they had more hands and helpers than they needed and people were just getting in each other''s way, but Anton got moved anyway, one person on each corner of his gurney jogging him back to the building to the right.


    Koschei parked the golf cart next to a pair of them, then jumped out. "Not how I expected to make it here," he said before turning towards Alice and Crystal. "We need to talk, before I head out."


    "Oh, right, I guess this was our final destination with you," Crystal said.


    He nodded. "My route here was paid. I''ve finished my part in this."


    "What a serious man," Viktor said as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Live a little, Koschei. You''ll die old and lonely if this is how you treat every pretty young woman you come across."


    "Mind your own, Viktor," Koschei said.


    Viktor raised his free hand in surrender, then nodded to Alice and Crystal before heading out towards the same building Anton had been carried into.


    Alice glanced his way, then took in the campus again. There were some two hundred people here. The population of a very small town, but it was more people than she''d ever encountered so close to the Zone. "How safe is this place?"


    "It''s not," Koschei said. "But the danger here is people, not anomalies and abominations. Come, I''m supposed to drop you off at the bar, then my job is really done."


    Crystal hummed as she skipped up and after Koschei. "I think you did a real good job, by the way. You were a good guide."


    "Thank you," he said.


    Crystal tilted her head, regarding the man from the side. "Should we give him a gift or something?" she asked Alice. It wasn''t subtle enough that he couldn''t hear it.


    "A gift?" Alice asked.


    "Yeah," Crystal said. "Just something small, maybe?"


    "I don''t need anything like that," Koschei said.


    "But I wanna," Crystal said. She nodded, then eyed Koschei for a while. Finally, as they were in the shadow of the arch, she reached a hand out ahead of her and focused. There was a swirl in the ambient magic around them, a pull, then Crystal opened up and created something from nothing.


    A crystalline chime sounded, and Koschei stopped walking.


    Instead, he stared as tiny crystals clattered and clinked together, growing into something larger even as they watched. It turned into a small knife, as long as Crystal''s hand from heel to fingertip. It even formed a sheath around itself.


    Before Crystal could grab it out of the air and give it to the man, Alice plucked it, and then worked her own magic. Nothing complex, just a linking charm and a small bit of enchantment that darkened the blade and made shadows dance across its otherwise shiny length.


    "Aww," Crystal said. "You helped!"


    "What... what is it?" Koschei asked.


    "This... is a knife!" Crystal said. "It''s pretty sharp. But not like, magic sharp, it''s magic hard-to-break but that''s all."


    "And it''s tied to you," Alice said. "If you lose it, search your shadow. Crystal was right, you were a good guide. Thank you for the help thus far."


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Eight - Trapped

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Eight - Trapped


    Vasilisa didn''t spend any more time in the old village than she had to. She explored a few old farm houses, walking up creaky old staircases and exploring abandoned bedrooms where every surface was covered in a thick pad of dust. Just opening doors was enough to fill the air with dusty snow and she was worried that no matter what she did, she was leaving traces of her passing.


    Still, the area begged to be explored. It was quiet, still. A space locked away in time and left undisturbed by man or beast.


    There were birds singing outside, but no skittering squirrels or field mice or stray cats. It was subtly wrong that this place hadn''t been reclaimed by nature yet. There should have been trees growing into the old homes and grass as tall as her hips, but no, there was nothing of the sort.


    She didn''t find much of value, a few sheets from a cupboard in a bathroom that weren''t moth-eaten and which seemed warm enough, and one home had a well in the backyard that had a bucket and pulley system. She drew water and filled a clear empty bottle with it.


    There weren''t any little things floating in the water that she could see. It smelled a little of sulphur, but tasted clean enough. Vasilisa did what she could to filter it with some clean cloth on the end of the bottle and refilled her cantines.


    She drank her fill as well. Then, deciding that it was quiet enough, she took a big risk and pulled a few buckets into a nearby washroom. She closed the door, locked it shut, and undressed to wash herself with a cloth and a sliver of soap she''d discovered.


    It wasn''t a warm bath, but she came out of it feeling cleaner than she had in a while. She washed her boots with a bristled brush and soaked her dirty clothes in soapy water. She didn''t have time to leave it out to dry, so she squeezed as much water out of the clothes as she could before folding them in tight into her backpack.


    It was better than nothing, she supposed. She hadn''t packed too many changes of clothes with her, which she regretted now as she was forced to wear wet, clinging pants.


    Still, she felt clean for the first time in a couple of days. The queasiness in her stomach had faded away and she felt settled once more.


    Vasilisa did one last thing before leaving the village. She found the tallest of the homes on the outskirts and slipped into it. There was a fire burning in the home''s fireplace that left no smoke and which sounded... off, as if the noise of the crackling wood was being played backwards. She didn''t approach that room, not with how unnaturally hot it felt.


    She did climb to the topmost floor, then found the access to the attic. It meant being showered in dust so soon after being cleaned, but there was nothing for it. She scampered up the stairs and was able to make it to a small slit of a window looking out onto the countryside around the village.


    There wasn''t much to see, but she could make out the sun starting to dip on the horizon, and it gave her an idea of which way was north. There was more out of the east-facing window. The village stopped a couple of houses down, then there were several hills. A smaller village sat off in the distance, or maybe that wasn''t quite the right thing to call it? A few larger, more modern homes with fences all around didn''t count as a village.


    Way, way off in the distance she could make out a large building atop a rising hill, but the trees around it made it so only the topmost floors were visible. There was some faint smoke that way, however.


    The south had some industrial buildings in the distance, and all she could see of the north and west were rocky hills and forests.


    She left the attic with a new destination in mind.


    After grabbing all of her things, Vasilisa started east.


    There was no road from the little village to the nicer homes in the distance, but there was a path cut into the grass and weeds, a path made by stomping feet and other passersby. She kept low, moving furtively like a field mouse while her eyes scanned the horizon for trouble.


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    It was hard not to keep her eyes on the ground ahead of her to avoid tripping on loose rocks and twisted earth.


    Finally, though, she made it to the walls around the nicer homes. They were tall, made of tin that had been painted relatively recently, and she could see from up close that her guess from early was right. These places were a lot more modern.


    She hadn''t seen homes this nice in anything but magazines snuck in from the west. A big two storey house, with wide windows framed by shutters.


    Vasilisa snuck along the wall. It was comforting to have something solid next to her again, now she only had to look in every other direction for trouble. As she went around, she discovered that she''d made a mistake when she walked out in front of the row of homes. They had gates for cars at the front, with gated doors next to them. A tug at each revealed that they were all locked.


    Cursing her luck, she went around the far side, then back around until she was almost back to where she''d begun. That''s where she found a break in the wall where a large branch from a tree had crushed the tin wall, crumpling it enough that someone with a bit of flexibility and luck could pull themselves up and into the compound.


    Vasilisa didn''t like all the noise she made as she climbed the wall, the crack and clang of tin sounded like gunshots to her, but she made it into the backyard of one of the homes safely enough.


    They had a garden.


    They had a pool. It was missing half its water, and what was there was filled with pond scum and had become home to some frogs, but a pool was a pool.


    There were two ATVs parked next to the house, both looking surprisingly new, and a luxury car was tucked into a garage built alongside the wall.


    Vasilisa stared at it all with a growing pit in her stomach. Who lived here? Who had, before the Zone came, earned all these riches?


    She moved towards the house. Unlike the wall all around the compound, the house itself wasn''t as secured. The front door had been left open, and the light breeze wafting by was making it sway slightly. She touched the door before slipping into the house.


    A dining room, with seating for six, a small kitchen, a living room with couches and a television larger than any she''d seen.


    She had a vague memory of her father taking her to see a movie once. It had been a few years ago. She, along with some thirty or so others, was crammed into a small room lined with chairs to watch a movie on a screen no bigger than this one.


    Since then, all the television she''d seen had been broadcast in the centre of Pripyat where important people spoke and had their images projected for the nation to see.


    Vasilisa stood in the middle of the living room. She had never felt so out of place. Even having cleaned herself, even having this rich home be unoccupied and dusty, she felt like she was someone covered in filth standing in an operating room. It was subtly wrong.


    So she turned to leave... but the kitchen beckoned.


    Licking dry lips, Vasilisa dipped into the kitchen and eyed the space. There was no power, so she avoided the fridge and the stink likely within. There was a pantry next to the fridge though, with a glass in the door.


    She could see a small pyramid of cans. Toshonka and canned pears. Her mouth watered.


    She pulled the door open.


    Something tugged along with the door, then clunked onto the floor.


    She felt a spark of shock run up her spine as a grenade landed between her feet, the spoon of it catapulting past.


    With a gasp, she spun on her heel and ran.


    She made it through the living room and halfway through the dining room before the explosion went off behind her. Warmth pushed her forwards and she rammed into the door shoulder-first and spun out onto the grass outside.


    Vasilisa coughed. It felt like someone had tried to tug her arm out of its socket, but she didn''t think she was injured, though her ears rang and she was aware of glass on the ground around her.


    And then boots.


    Vasilisa looked up and into the barrel of a gun.


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-Two - Quiet

    Chapter Thirty-Two - Quiet


    Koschei was strangely quiet as he led them to the administration building at the back of the campus. Alice eyed him from the corner of her vision. Was he having regrets? No, she knew he was, the scent of it was wafting off of him.


    Which begged the question, why?


    They stepped into the admit building, and Alice took a moment to look around. There were more Stalkers here, but also men in slacks and button-up shirts. They might have been normal office workers if all of them weren''t carrying at least a handgun by their hip and if they weren''t moving with the furtive quick motions of a spooked animal.


    This wasn''t a normal office environment, though Alice did notice a few cubicles and computers set up in a room off to one side.


    "Wow, even in the post apocalypse, the humble accountant survives," Crystal said. "My dad always said that death and taxes were the only two certainties in life, and I guess the taxes need a taxman to be done."


    Koschei hummed, a noise that Alice only knew was his version of laughter because of the time they''d spent together. "This way," he said. He moved towards the back of the room where a kitchen was set up. There were a few tables there, and a stainless divider with platters for food. A single cook was in the back, smoking a cigarette while watching a pot full of noodles come to a boil.


    It looked like a self-serve cafeteria. Koschei moved past that, however, and towards a wide set of stairs leading down. A sign hung above the stairs that just read "The Bar."


    "Not the most imaginative name," Crystal said as she paused to read it.


    "It''s accurate," Koschei said. "Now come on, this is our last sto--"


    "Koschei!"


    Alice and the others froze for just a moment before turning to the source of the scream. It was a man, tall and with a wide smile on. He was dressed like an officer, clean, recently-pressed shirt, neat pants, bulletproof vest under a long leather coat. He could have passed for a Stalker, but he was too clean, too put-together compared to the rag-tag bunch they kept finding. He had followers too, a pair of Stalkers in rougher gear who both looked like they knew how to handle the rifles strapped to their backs.


    "Shit," Koschei said under his breath. "Hello, Kuzma."


    "What kind of welcome is that?" Kuzma said as he walked over. He extended a hand, and Koschei shook it. "The legend himself, yes? I haven''t seen you in a storm or two. How goes it?"


    "Well enough," Koschei said. "Haven''t lost a limb."


    Kuzma''s grin, if anything, widened. "I can see that. And your two...." He looked at Alice, then at Crystal. There was something in his eyes, a flash of dark emotion that he immediately masked. It wasn''t enough that Alice couldn''t sense it.


    A little bit of anger, some amount of lust--which really, Alice expected from most men--and most of all, sadness. The kind of sadness that someone felt when they had to bring their dog out back and put it out of its misery. Sadness, but for something that needed doing.


    It made all of Alice''s hackles rise.


    "Who are these two young ladies, Koschei?" Kuzma asked.


    "They''re not what you think," Koschei said.


    "Oh? They''re not two sweet young ladies playing at being Stalkers?" Kuzma asked. He chuckled and turned towards them. "I kid, it''s a joke, see? My name is Kuzma, I practically run this place."


    "Hello, Kuzma," Alice said. "I''m Alice, this is Crystal, my friend."


    "Best friend," Crystal said with a firm nod.


    "Best friend," Alice agreed. Technically, with the others all gone and missing, she supposed that Crystal had no competition for the title.


    "Well, it''s nice to meet you," Kuzma said. "Go on down to the bar, or grab something to eat. Koschei, mind if we have a word?"


    Koschei nodded sternly, and the two men stepped away. Kuzma''s two friends, or bodyguards, kept with them, only sparing Alice and Crystal a glance. "We''re totally listening in, right?" Crystal asked once they were out of earshot.


    "Oh, definitely," Alice agreed. "Let''s head down anyway?" She gestured down the stairs, and Crystal nodded before following her down. The bar was a dingy little watering hole. A few tables, poor lighting, the persistent stink of alcohol and cigarette smoke and sweat.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Crystal made a face before they both moved to the far back of the room. They found some free seats there under one of those narrow basement windows, one so stained by dirt and grime that it was only letting a glow in.


    Crystal opened a hand, and there was a small crystalline earpiece in her palm. Alice took it and easily fit it into her ear. It wasn''t rubber or something moldable and soft, but it was shaped well enough that she didn''t mind its presence in her ear.


    There was a moment of static before sound came in, sharp and accurate. At the same time, Alice reached across the room and made both of them the least interesting people here to anyone looking their way. It would keep attention off of them for now.


    "Koschei, Koschei, Koschei. Aren''t you the very one who refused to do the deal?" Kuzma asked. Alice sensed them walking up a short flight of steps towards the back, they were heading towards an office with large windows, likely Kuzma''s.


    "This isn''t that," Koschei said.


    "Isn''t it?" Kuzma asked.


    "For one, there''s two of them. For another, they''re not the sort."


    "The sort? You know there is no sort. It''s a woman, a girl, always, and that''s all. Innocent, cute, doe-eyed, blabbing on about this and that. You know what it is, Koschei."


    Koschei sniffed. "Those two aren''t innocent. One of them destroyed a tower with a marksman in it a few days ago. The other just dealt with a time bear with ease. If you try--"


    "I don''t try. I do. I do the hard things that no one wants to do, and it''s what earns me this nice office chair and these two goons over here and the respect of the people in the know," Kuzma said. "You know as well as I that it needs to happen. It doesn''t need to be painful."


    "It will be for you," Koschei replied.


    "You were never able to do it, big bad Koschei," Kuzma said with a tsk. "You''re very soft for such a hard man."


    "Try me," Koschei said with a growl.


    Kuzma shook his head. "I won''t, because at the end of the day, I like you, and we need good Stalkers like you. Like I said, I do the hard choices. This will be just as hard, but it won''t be painful. Isn''t that a mercy, at least?"


    "Your ancestors weep, Kuzma, at the shit that their progeny turned into."


    "Not very honourable," Kuzma said with a laugh.


    "My boots have more honour than you."


    Kuzma shook his head, then gestured to his boys. There was a tense moment as Koschei''s hand rose and gripped onto the handle of the knife Crystal and Alice had just given him, but it passed as the two touched his shoulders without issue. "Take him out the back, make sure he''s got food for a few days, gear. Do you need ammo? No, good good, it''s getting scarce these days. But good food isn''t. Take a few days, go stalk around the Zone, then come back when it''s all said and done."


    Koschei growled, then spun around on a heel and pushed through the guards. After a moment''s pause and another gesture from Kuzma, one of them followed after him.


    "So," Crystal said, stretching the word out. "What was that all about?"


    "I have the impression that Kuzma wants us dead," Alice said.


    Crystal smiled. "I''m sure we can interpret that in another way if we try."


    "I''m not sure I''m willing to do that," Alice said. She tugged the earpiece out and dropped it onto the table. It turned into crystalline dust a moment later and she dropped the no-interruption field. She was still aware of Koschei and Kuzma and most of the Stalkers in the area moving about, but nothing seemed too out of the ordinary for the moment. "Did that whole thing sound a little, how do I put this, prophetic to you?"


    "Oh, prophetic? I was thinking it was some dark ritual, maybe?" Crystal said. "Do you think we''ll be sacrificed to some dark god? Or to the Zone?"


    "I hope not," Alice said. "Let''s explore a little? I want to scout around for something that would point to that."


    "What about Koschei?"


    "He''s heading out, and I think that might be for the best. Let''s not get in his way if we don''t have to. I think we might have caused him enough trouble as it is."


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-Three - Suspicious Camp

    Chapter Thirty-Three - Suspicious Camp


    They could have explored the Camp from their corner of the bar, but Alice didn''t feel like being smoked in. Besides, she suspected that Crystal needed some time outside, walking under the sun.


    Like a dog that needed walkies.


    Crystal blinked and turned towards Alice. "What made you giggle?" she asked.


    They had slipped out of the back of the admin building and were now walking in a small mostly-abandoned park next to it. There were a few fenced-off courts, for tennis and basketball. One of them was actually maintained, and a trio of young men were playing a quick pick-up game of basketball. The net was missing, but there was a hoop still.


    "Nothing important," Alice said. She reached over and patted Crystal on the head, which only made the girl smile wider. "So, notice anything strange?"


    Crystal looked around them, as if expecting strangeness to jump out at her. "Hmm, I''ve never been to a place so abandoned yet not? Like, this is meant to be a school of some sort, right?"


    "A campus, and dormitory," Alice confirmed.


    "Yeah, it feels like that, the way it''s laid out, the buildings. Only it''s like it was lazily turned into a military base." She gestured to the far end of the park where a guard tower had been built out of scaffolding and tin plates. A man was sitting in there, full-face mask on, binoculars in hand and a rifle hanging from a peg next to him by its strap. "There''s tents here, even if there are probably enough rooms for ten times as many people as there are here. It''s almost military."


    "Almost because it lacks the... formality?" Alice said. She had to fish for that final word, and she wasn''t sure if it truly fit to describe what she meant, but it was probably close enough. The Stalkers here strutted about with ease, talking to each other, laughing, sharing cigarettes and stories. Others, often a little younger, often equipped a little less well, were brushing the pavement clean or washing windows. Alice glanced into one of the windows near the edge of the park and saw a pair of men chatting as they worked on oiling an entire table covered in disassembled guns.


    "It''s less an army and more a militia, but even that''s not it," Crystal said. "Look at that guy over there, in the light green coat."


    Alice followed Crystal''s directions and found a man in a pale green coat. A coat very clearly made from the remains of a hazmat suit, cut and tailored into something more comfortable to wear. He had a pair of guards with him, tough looking men in gear a little cleaner than the average.


    "He''s not a Stalker," Alice guessed.


    "I don''t think so. There''s a sign spray-painted onto the back of his coat. The same sign we saw at that water-treatment place. I think he''s a scientist with bodyguards?"


    Alice nodded. "You''re observant today," she said.


    "Thanks!"


    Now that Crystal had pointed it out, Alice could see the factions too. It wasn''t just the scientist. A trio of Stalkers off to one side had armbands made of a deep blue material. Another group were all armed and dressed in army gear. Their rank insignia had been ripped off, but that was the only concession they made to say that they weren''t just particularly dirty soldiers.


    "I suppose we were told that it was a meeting spot," Alice said.


    "Weird that it''s not better defended, then," Crystal replied.


    They watched as a man set down a heavily-laden backpack in the central courtyard in front of the admin building, then he quickly jogged in and returned with an unfolding table. A minute later he was setting things down onto it. Cans of food, some knives, TV remotes, a few strange and misshapen skulls. A few minutes later another man came out and did something similar, only this time selling guns, and with a pal standing close by with his arms crossed to deter anyone who might get ideas.


    "No, this makes sense," Alice said. "You don''t need good security, because attacking the Camp will anger several factions. If we started blowing things up, we''d catch people from different groups in the crossfire. It''s a neutral ground. They still have people policing it, because it would be irresponsible not to, and I''m sure there are some factions here that are way stronger than others, but it''s otherwise still a neutral space."


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    "That just makes the cult idea I had even weirder, then," Crystal said.


    "Hmm?"


    Crystal gesticulated, which didn''t help anything except maybe it helped her think. "Cults don''t do outsiders. It''s like¡­ a big part of making a cult work. You need systems to make it so that members punish themselves and abstain from stuff--for whatever reason, and you need things in place to make outsiders look all spooky and evil."


    "You know alot about cults," Alice said.


    Crystal shrugged. "My first big adventure as a magical girl was fighting a cult of creepy necromancers in New Zealand."


    "Ah, I''d forgotten," Alice said. "In any case, you''re right, this place feels too... multicultural for a cult to form. For a given definition of that word. Multifactional, perhaps?"


    "Yup. Plus I''m not sensing anything too weird in the basements," Crystal said.


    "First place you looked too?" Alice asked. She''d scoured the basements with her darkness already and had found a few strange things--notably a mouldy old box of magazines that ought to be burned--but nothing too strange. The basement was stuffed full of blackboards and desks and school equipment shoved out of the way.


    Crystal nodded. "Of course. If I was up to some shady stuff, that''s where I''d do it. Second place would be up high. I mean, if doing the shady stuff in a giant crystalline palace isn''t an option, I mean."


    "Of course," Alice said. When it came to shady-stuff aesthetics, she suspected she had most of their compatriots beat. Well, perhaps not Screaming Bioplague. A towering building made of shadows turned solid was pretty good for shady activities, but buildings made of living meat were up there as well.


    "Are you thinking silly thoughts?" Crystal asked.


    "I''ve never," Alice replied. "So, what do we know, exactly?"


    "Kuzma probably-maybe wants us dead," she said. "Mostly because we''re girls, which is taking misogyny to a whole new level really."


    Alice glanced around. "There aren''t any women here."


    "Yeah, but I wouldn''t want to be a normal girl here either. Bunch of sweaty guys who don''t know to keep their paws to themselves. I bet there''s an all-girls faction out there."


    "Maybe. In any case... that doesn''t feel natural. Some of these people are clearly ex-military, some are seeking their fortune, but some are scientists and doctors. There are nurses and cooks and plenty of other traditionally feminine jobs too. The military might recruit men more than women, but even they''ll accept willing help. And people who make a home somewhere make a home with family."


    "Right, some of these guys feel like they''ve been in this camp for ages," Crystal said.


    Alice nodded. She''d spied into some of the rooms. They were decorated, had that lived-in feel that meant that the occupant had been there for more than just a few nights. "Anyone staying in a place like this for this long would have family. I see seven dogs, and a lot of cats with collars. There should be women and children too. This place isn''t a military base, it''s too lax."


    "Mhm!" Crystal agreed. "Want to..." she paused.


    A moment later, Alice saw why. A trio of ATVs were coming up the downwards sloping road some ways away, they were escorting a tiny pickup, one of those square-looking trucks that was likely better suited to ferrying milk around town than this kind of rough environment. The ATVs parked off to one side, but the truck rolled around the back of the admin building. Two men jumped out, then they helped a third figure out of the truck.


    "That''s a girl," Crystal said.


    The third had her hands bound together with rope, and she was wearing a sac over her head.


    "That is a girl, yes," Alice said.


    Maybe that was one mystery that was about to be solved. She wasn''t sure if she liked the direction that was going in, however.


    "Should we follow?" Crystal asked.


    "Definitely."


    They turned around and started back towards the admin building. Thanks to her senses already being extended, Alice noticed a pair of men looking around the bar where they''d been. They were asking about her and Crystal.


    So, Kuzma wanted to see them as well. With how things were going, she suspected he''d be seeing a lot of them very soon, and then he''d be answering some questions for her.


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Nine - Prejudice

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Nine - Prejudice


    She was dragged forwards against her will, and really there was nothing she could do about it.


    Strong hands had her by the upper arms, squeezing so hard her biceps hurt. She grit her teeth and tried to walk even with the arms tugging her along. It was hard, she had no idea where her feet were going, and she felt entirely off-balance.


    Sometimes they''d tug her one way or another, and without any way of knowing when and where that would happen, she never saw it coming or had time to brace.


    Her breathing was coming in shallow and fast. One of them had dropped her onto something hard and it had dug into her kidney. Ever since her breathing felt short. There was a bag over her head. From the few glimpses of blue-ish light she could see through it when the sun caught the bag, she was pretty sure that it had started as one of those sports bags. A gym bag?


    It definitely had straps on the outside. One of the guys who''d caught her had made a joke about tugging on them while doing... things.


    They''d seen through her charade quickly enough. Vasilisa was proud of the way she hit one of them when he pawed at her chest. She was pretty sure the crunch she heard when he fell had been his nose breaking.


    "In here," one of them said, and she was pulled to a stop, then forwards again. She wasn''t even trying to work against them, but she found herself having to fight against their pull just to stay on her feet. She desperately didn''t want to fall.


    The door shut behind her, and then she was unceremoniously pushed backwards. Her knees hit something and bent, and she found herself crashing onto a chair. It had arms, and hers were quickly tied to them. Tape, judging by that familiar ripping and tearing noise and the way they wrapped it around her forearms.


    Vasilisa tried to shake the covering on her head off, but all it earned her was a smack behind the head. Not so hard as to bruise, but a warning.


    "Stop squirming," someone said.


    She sat up straighter, hands gripping the edge of the chair''s arms. Her feet shifted a little, and she discovered that there was something on the ground. A tarp? It crinkled that way.


    The door opened and two more people walked into the room before it shut, then someone spoke, a man, with a calm, authoritative voice. Someone used to being listened to, someone used to people obeying. "Put up more tarp against the wall back there. And not too tight with those bonds, we don''t need her in pain, just restrained. What the fuck happened to your nose?"


    "I fell," a man said, his voice squeaky.


    "He tried to feel some tits for the first time in his sad life and got a boot for his troubles," another said with a laugh.


    There was a thump, and the squeaky-voiced man groaned, doubling over. "Get him out of here. He can dig out latrines for the rest of the week," the smooth-voiced man said. "Tch. We don''t aim to hurt or abuse. It''s what makes it so that we''re not animals. Now, where are the other two?"


    "Haven''t found them yet, sir," another man said. "We know they were at the bar, but after that, not much. Someone saw them in the park next to the Camp, but otherwise, nothing. They can''t have gone too far though."


    "Keep looking," the leader said as he crossed the room. A chair was moved, wheels rumbling over a wooden floor until it came to a stop a little ways ahead of Vasilisa. Then the man sat. "Take off the hood."


    Vasilisa winced as the bag over her head was tugged off. The sudden bright light hitting her was like a slap to the face, but she squinted through it all the same. She was... in an office? There was a nice desk across from her, with large windows behind it. Two men were draping a tarp on a bookcase next to her. The door was to the right.


    Notably, there were two other chairs in the office, both to her left.


    Three men, not including the man ahead of her.


    He was sitting on a nice chair, leather and wood with brass furnishings. He was a middle-aged man, with a well-trimmed beard, pressed shirt, bulletproof vest. A long coat was sitting on the desk behind him, recently removed, and there was a revolver tucked in a holster under his arm. "Hello," he said. "My name is Kuzma, what''s yours?"


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    Vasilisa licked her lips. "Luka," she lied.


    He smiled. "Sure, Luka. I have some questions for you. Answer them honestly, and we''ll let you go. Do you know where you are?"


    Vasilisa shook her head slowly.


    "This is the Camp. It''s right on the edge of the Zone. It''s where Stalkers come to trade and talk and work together. It''s a safe space. A neutral one. My boys found you close by. You were in an area with a lot of traps. Mines and claymores. This area is safe because of places like that."


    Vasilisa swallowed but didn''t speak.


    "I''m sorry for the treatment so far, Luka. That was unkind of my men. For that I apologise. Nonetheless, you were sneaking close to the Camp. That''s dangerous. So I have more questions for you, Luka."


    The way he spoke was kind, disarming, and yet she could tell he was repeating her fake name with humorous emphasis. He didn''t buy it.


    "Okay," she said, because what else was she supposed to do?


    "Why did you come into the Zone?" he asked.


    "I have my reasons," she hedged.


    He smiled kindly. "Is it because you''re looking for someone?"


    Vasilisa flinched. "What?"


    "A mother? Sister? A close friend? Usually it''s someone close and a woman, but sometimes... a father? Ah!" He smiled. "You''re looking for your father, is that it?"


    "How did you know?" she asked.


    "When did you arrive in the Zone?" he asked next. "Was it the morning after the last storm?"


    She nodded slowly. That sounded about right.


    "Good, good. Tell me, what do you remember about where you live? Do you remember your neighbours? What did their faces look like?"


    She blinked. Of course she could remember her neighbours. There was... there were a lot of them in the apartment.


    "You came from a city nearby... Pripyat?" She nodded, and he continued. "Did you talk to anyone on your way out of the city? Anyone at all?"


    Had she? She couldn''t recall, but she was pretty sure she hadn''t. "I was discrete," she said.


    "Mhm," he said. "Did you talk to anyone in the Zone itself?"


    No, but she''d been seen, shot at. And... the old lady. Vasilisa shook her head. "No," she said.


    The man, Kuzma, was it? He leaned back in his seat, lips pursed and clearly not entirely satisfied. "Shit, I hate this part," he said.


    "What part?" she asked.


    "Could you do me a favour, Luka?" he asked kindly. "Could you close your eyes? Perhaps it makes me less of a man, but I don''t enjoy the nightmares."


    "What?" she asked.


    But then Kuzma was standing, and he casually reached for the gun tucked under his arm. She understood, then, the need for all of the tarps. He unfastened a button holding the gun snug in its holster, then pulled it out. It was a small revolver. He checked the cylindre with all of the bullets, then snapped it shut. "Eyes," he said.


    Vasilisa tried to fight her bindings, tried to kick her chair over, but it was stuck in place and she wasn''t strong enough. She looked up then, past the hole at the end of the barrel and into Kuzma''s eyes.


    He didn''t seem pleased. He didn''t seem to be wearing any emotion.


    His finger started to squeeze on the trigger and Vasilisa winced back, eyes squeezing shut.


    The door banged open. The gun went off with a thunderous boom that made her jump in her seat. She expected a great burst of unbelievable pain, but other than the quickly-fading ringing in her ears, there was nothing.


    Vasilisa opened her eyes and discovered a bullet. It was pinched between a forefinger and a thumb, smoking wafting off its shiny brass surface.


    She blinked, then followed the hand up from the bullet to a young woman dressed all in blue Stalker gear that was somehow perfectly clean. She was smiling at her.


    Another woman walked into the room, dark and brooding and somehow exuding danger. "Mister Kuzma. I heard that you wanted to talk to us?" she asked.


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-Four - Revelation

    Chapter Thirty-Four - Revelation


    Crystal let the bullet drop while making a face, then she brushed her hand on the sides of her skirts. "I hate catching bullets. It always leaves like, a film on my hand."


    "I think that''s melted brass, or whatever metal the bullet is made of," Alice said. "It''s quite hot on exiting the barrel, so it wouldn''t surprise me that the sudden stop melts some of the material off onto your fingertips."


    "It''s sticky and gross," Crystal whined. She looked up from her fingers and to Kuzma, who was still holding a revolver pointed towards the girl on the chair. "Can you pass me a tissue?"


    Kuzma eyed Crystal, and the tableau held. His men, two in the room, one of them somewhat rudely pushed out of the way and still by the entrance, were not so subtly reaching for guns and in one case, a large knife. "You surprised me a little," Kuzma said with a winning smile. "I didn''t expect you to show up like this."


    "We do that," Alice said. "Why were you about to shoot the girl?"


    Kuzma gently lowered his gun, and he gestured for his men to do the same. "I didn''t want to."


    "And yet you squeezed the trigger all the same," Crystal said. She saw that she wasn''t about to get a tissue, so she gestured in the air and created one from nothing. That had the men tensing up until they saw that she was just using it to rub her fingertips clean.


    "You don''t understand," Kuzma said.


    "You''re right, we don''t," Alice said. "If I were a little less experienced I''d let the dark swallow you all and call it a day, but I feel like there''s more at play here." Alice glanced around, taking in the space. An office, Kuzma''s office. A few desks, a terrible computer, some office lamps and a nice view out the back. And tarps, for the blood and for the body, no doubt.


    She licked her lips. This place looked ordinary, and yet...


    "This feels like a ritual," she said.


    Crystal looked up, then sniffed at the air. "Huh, it does, doesn''t it? Usually there''s like, candles and maybe some blood, for ambiance? Not much like that going on here, though."


    Alice stepped more firmly into the room, then she swept a hand across the tape holding the girl''s arms down. The other side ripped without her having to touch it, and the girl gasped as she pulled her arms together and rubbed at her wrists. "We''ll be with you in a moment," Alice said before turning towards Kuzma. "Start explaining."


    "I''d much rather know how you came to be here," Kuzma said. "I was looking for you, but I--"


    He stopped mid-sentence as Dream Charter hovered between his eyes. The sword had made no noise escaping its scabbard, nor had its scabbard made any noise as it materialised from the dark to hang by her hip.


    Dream Charter was an old friend. Quieter now than it had once been. She''d learned what she had to from the weapon. It was no less quiet as it hovered before Kuzma, but its threat was as loud as a siren. The blade was black, lightless, the pure impossible black only found in the deepest, furthest ends of space. It was swallowing the light and the hopes of anyone who thought they could escape its edge.


    "Talk," Alice said.


    Kuzma took a small step back. He met Alice''s eyes for a long moment, then took another. "The story isn''t pleasant," he said.


    "I''ve heard worse," she promised.


    He nodded. "It''s the Zone. And the storms."


    "He''s throwing keywords around like a techbro at a conference," Crystal muttered. "Hey, you, go get us something to drink, and get this girl''s stuff too."


    The guy by the door froze, then took off running. Alice wasn''t sure if he was actually going to do either of the things Crystal had asked, but it didn''t matter overly much.


    "Crystal''s right. Explain properly. Assume that we''re not familiar with the Zone at all."


    Kuzma crossed his arms and leaned back against his desk. Alice''s grip and stance on her sword never shifted. The two other men in the room did, fidgeting awkwardly at the silence. "Very well," Kuzma said. "The girl behind you doesn''t exist."


    "She looks pretty real to me," Crystal muttered.


    "Oh, she''s flesh and blood, but not real. This is how it happens, there is a storm, and there is a girl. The storm happens, the Zone breathes. New Anomalies happen and old ones are reset. The city in the Zone is shifted. Monsters are born anew and Stalkers caught in the storm disappear or reappear, if they''re lucky. And then, there''s a girl."


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    "This girl," Crystal said.


    "She''s one of them, yes," Kuzma said. "She appears in Pripyat, sometimes in one of the little towns around the city, sometimes, rarely, in one of the cities further south. The girl has an idea. She''s lost someone, a friend, a sister, a father. Something, a few times. For whatever reason, she needs to go into the Zone."


    "Go on," Alice said.


    "The girl walks. Almost always alone. Sometimes she encounters bandits and dies. Sometimes she steps on a mine. But the girl is always a little lucky. Luck is the best thing a Stalker can have, you know?"


    "And this girl makes her way here?" Alice asked.


    "Sometimes. Often she comes close. Everyone who is anyone knows to keep an eye out," Kuzma sighed. "The other faction leaders have done what I have to do as well. Some more gently than others. A pill in her meal is as kind as a bullet to the head, I suppose, but it''s not as fast."


    "This is sounding a little messed up," Crystal said.


    "Oh, it is. I thought one of you might be the girl, but there are two of you, and she is never with a companion, at least not another girl. Always always alone," Kuzma said.


    "And what is the girl after?" Alice asked.


    "Fuck if I know," Kuzma said. "But the last man who ran the camp told me with his dying breath that I was to never let her get it. She''s not a real person, so what she''s looking for can''t be real either."


    Alice turned towards the girl who was glaring at Kuzma for all she was worth, and yet she was still keeping mum. Her jaw looked like it was working, but she wasn''t speaking up. Did she still feel threatened? She hadn''t stood yet.


    "How do you know she''s not real?" Crystal asked.


    "We''re not fools," Kuzma said. "I''ve paid for the research myself. Asked some of them for as many details as possible. Their home address? Always an abandoned apartment. Their gear? Grabbed from a locker or stolen or just picked off a corpse. No family. No neighbours. No dental records, finger prints, no ID. No teacher that remembers them, nothing. One girl with no past? That''s possible. A girl with no past appearing every week?" He shook his head. "Not even in the Zone is that normal."


    "So you kill her?" Crystal asked.


    "That seems drastic," Alice said.


    "It''s the only way. If you keep her locked up, she finds a way out. There''s a sympathetic idiot, or if your men are smart and loyal, the prison breaks. A window isn''t secured even if you checked personally, the door fails to lock, lightning strikes and sets off a fire that happens to short an electric lock on the other end of the compound." He shook his head. "Imprisoning her isn''t possible. She always gets away."


    "And giving her what she wants?" Crystal asked.


    Kuzma scoffed. "Not going to happen. I had some men follow one of the girls once. Once. She circled the Zone, stumbled past patrols and monsters, set off traps that barely did not kill her, but always she circled in, always deeper."


    "Always heading towards what?" Alice asked.


    "Fuck if I know," he said. "My boys took her out after two days, as agreed. It set off the next storm and everyone was happy."


    "Wait, the storms only happen when she dies?" Crystal asked.


    He nodded. "Like clockwork. One day later. The leaders in the Zone, we all let each other know. It''s more accurate than any of the science boy''s best prediction gear."


    Alice glanced at Crystal. "This is definitely a ritual at this point."


    "Oh yeah," Crystal said. "Classic, I guess. I mean, not in the trappings, but like, the steps? A sacrifice for an effect. That''s ritual 101."


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Kuzma said.


    "That''s fine," Alice said. "We''re taking the girl and heading out."


    "I can''t let you do that," Kuzma said.


    Alice didn''t notice what signal he used to tell his men to raise their guns their way.


    It didn''t matter. In the time it took light to create a shadow, Kuzma and his two guards were gently slumping to the floor, eyes glassy and minds gone.


    "I think," Alice said as she turned around and sheathed Dream Charter. "That it''s time that we leave. And I think we''ll be taking you with us."


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-Five - Dead as Doornails

    Chapter Thirty-Five - Dead as Doornails


    "Did... did you kill them?" the girl asked.


    Alice paused by the door to glance back at the girl. "Kuzma and his friends?" Alice asked. She turned her attention to the corpse by the front of the room. "Yes."


    "Why?" the girl asked.


    "He pulled the trigger," Alice replied simply.


    The girl swallowed. She was still in the chair she''d been tied to this entire time. "I... I don''t know if I can think of murder as good."


    "I never said it was the good thing to do. And it probably wasn''t the right thing either," Alice said. "I''ve been to hell, you know, where bad people go. I think I can speak for all of them when I say that the bad things are sometimes the easiest. But sometimes the easiest is the right as well."


    "What does that mean?" she asked.


    "It means that we''ve spared more people than you could imagine," Crystal said, and she sounded a little sad about having to say it. "But they often come back, and it''s often a mistake to spare them to begin with. People who shoot innocent girls in the face and say that it''s for the greater good are also the kinds of people that shouldn''t be cried over when a girl shoots back. Or, uh, I guess rips his soul away with darkness magic, as the case may be."


    "I feel like you diluted the point you were trying to make in the end there," Alice said.


    "Eh, maybe a little?" Crystal said with a shrug. She turned back towards the girl. "So! I''m Crystal, this is my best friend and more, Alice."


    "And more?" the girl asked.


    "A-ah, as in, mentor, and stuff," Crystal replied. Then more quickly, "So what''s your name?"


    The girl swallowed. "Vasilisa," she replied. "Just Vasilisa. And I don''t know if I''m real anymore."


    Alice chuckled. "He had you convinced? If you''re some sort of magical construct, then so what?"


    "So what?" she repeated.


    "Yeah. Can you still think for yourself?" Alice asked.


    "I think so," she said, unaware of the irony there.


    "Then as long as you''re not making a conscious effort to end the world or anything, then I think it doesn''t matter. Come on, Vasilisa, time to be brave and get out of here."


    Vasilisa only paused for a moment more before jumping to her feet. She slipped forwards, and Alice wondered what she was up to before Vasilisa knelt next to Kuzma and then undid the straps on his under-the-shoulder holster. She was quick, deft hands pulling it loose and then she draped it over her neck and pried the gun from his hands before tucking it into its holster.


    "You know, that revolver''s a bullet shy of full," Crystal said.


    "It''s enough," Vasilisa said. She stood up, then rubbed her wrists some more. "If I follow you, where will we be going?"


    The girl was brave, Alice would give her that. "Out of the Camp, for one. As much as we don''t fear the locals, not being there when they find their boss dead is probably still a good idea."


    "It''ll avoid unnecessary bloodshed," Crystal pointed out.


    "That''s right. Otherwise, we''re heading into the Zone. I think it''s nearing the point where I want to see what''s in its middle."


    "Why?" Vasilisa asked. She straightened herself, locking eyes with Alice. "Why do you, and I, want to go into the Zone so much? I... I don''t get it."


    "We misplaced a friend," Crystal said. "And we wanna go find her. What about you?"


    "I... feel like I''ve misplaced someone too," she said. Vasilisa glanced between the two of them, then nodded solemnly. "I''m coming as well."


    Alice didn''t mind that. She wanted an hour or two with the girl, preferably far from any distractions, and maybe with Crystal''s help. They''d see what was weird about her, given time, because as much as she looked like just a normal... well, perhaps not normal, not dressed as a discount Stalker trying hard not to look like a girl. For as much as she looked somewhat normal, she was definitely not.


    It was subtle enough that if Alice wasn''t looking for it, she might have missed it, but there was a sense of... newness to Vasilisa.


    A newborn babe had more age to its soul than this girl, and that very much didn''t make sense.


    She wasn''t just an old soul, there was some magic at play that Alice wanted to dig into, but not here. "Let''s get going," she said with finality before slipping out of the room.


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    Three men were jogging their way from one end of the corridor. Alice swept a hand, and darkness swallowed the space between them. It was no more than a paper-thin curtain where light wasn''t allowed, but it blocked the corridor as well as a cement wall might have.


    Humanity had a natural aversion to the dark.


    Humanity had a much bigger, far more logical aversion to giant black walls of shadow that appeared out of nowhere.


    "I guess... that way?" Crystal said with a gesture to their left.


    "That way," Alice confirmed. Vasilisa paused to stare at the darkness, but scampered after them soon enough. She didn''t want to be left behind.


    "So, I think the Zone should be... west-ish from here?" Crystal asked. "I mean, we went around south, then east of it, and then around a little, yeah? So are we to the east of the Zone, or the north-east?"


    "Your sense of direction could use some work," Alice said.


    "Hey! I''m very good at navigating when there''s a city around, or roads. This is all forest. Trees look like trees!"


    "That''s a statement."


    Crystal pouted. "You know what I meant. They all look the same. And they look the same all the way around too. There''s no using them to keep track of which way is which."


    Alice led them out of the first exit she found. It happened to cut through the kitchen where a smoking cook gave them a rather telling look that let them know what he thought about having them cut through his workspace.


    Once outside, Alice glanced up and discovered that it was well into the afternoon. The sun was past its zenith and was gently dropping down. The rise the Camp was on would make nightfall come a little later, but they only had an hour or two of light to work with.


    "Oh, transportation," Crystal said. "Dibs on driving!"


    She jogged ahead and over to the little golf cart-like vehicle with the pickup bed that the grunts had carried Vasilisa in earlier. The key fob was still in the ignition. Alice decided that it wouldn''t hurt to let Crystal have a bit of fun, so she walked up to the cart and hopped into the bed. "Take the passenger seat," she told Vasilisa. They didn''t need her falling off the back mid-way through their great escape.


    There were two problems with their little cart. The first was that it was loud. A gasolene engine in poor repair and with no muffler than Alice could see was surprisingly noisy. Still, it wasn''t the only one around and she figured the locals were probably used to the sound of it.


    The other problem was that it was Crystal who was driving. She took turns gently, and stopped at every stop sign that they passed. She also had a tendency to look both ways at intersections even when the way was clear, and if someone was walking by, she slowed down.


    That made their drive something of a slow crawl.


    Which meant that when the Camp behind them came alive, and lights flashed, and the whine of a siren rose above the noise of the engines, they were still close enough that they could hear the ruckus.


    A pair of men in army-issue gear raced down the road towards the front gate. Alice lifted a hand, and the men froze as if struck by an invisible wall. "We need to leave, Crystal," she said.


    "Y-yeah. Sorry," her friend said. She put the pedal down and the cart sped up.


    Behind them, Alice watched a pair of vehicles start up. They were more military, with their boxy shapes and dark paint, and they started towards them with lights flashing and sirens blaring.


    "Crystal?"


    "Sorry! Sorry!" Crystal replied. "My mom always told me to drive respectfully."


    "Respectfully, Miss Crystal, they''re going to catch up," Vasilisa said. She was hanging on by one of the bars of the cart''s rollcage and was staring at the trucks starting up behind them.


    "Do you want to drive this?" Crystal asked.


    "Yes!" Vasilisa replied.


    "... Well, you can''t, I called dibs," Crystal said. She gestured, and the road filled with a row of thin crystal caltrops, the tips catching the light but their surface mostly transparent. That might work to slow their pursuit down.


    And if they did catch up, there would just be more dead.


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Ten - Relative Safety

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Ten - Relative Safety


    They had to ditch the cart. It was probably a good thing, while the Crystal girl was... at least a safe driver, she was also very slow. At times, Vasilisa suspected that she could walk faster than they were driving.


    Still, it had been good. She''d come to appreciate transportation not provided by her own two feet in the last couple of days. The cart, for all that it was noisy and shook a lot, had still gotten them away from the Camp and well out into the hillsides beyond.


    But now it was time to get off. There was a camp in the distance, one that Alice had said was entirely abandoned and relatively recently. How she knew before it even came into sight, Vasilisa had no clue, but she had spoken with confidence.


    The cart rolled up to the edge of the camp, then died. Its engine grumbled and sputtered and gave up.


    "I think we were about to run out of fuel anyway," Crystal said as she put it into park. "They didn''t exactly top it up before we stole it." She patted the steering wheel affectionately. The lights at the front were still on, giving them a decent view into the camp.


    It was in the centre of a few old buildings. A cracked and pitted road nearby led off into the distance. It looked like one of the normal highways, so this wasn''t too far from where people travelled.


    Two of the buildings were warehouses, or maybe stores? It was hard to tell. They had been red, once, but weather and time had stripped them of their paint. At the back was a large... farming building. Vasilisa didn''t know much about farming. But this looked very much like one of those strangely tall buildings that tractors could drive into and come out with their trailers loaded up on grain.


    There were a few tractors here too. Just sitting out in the darkening outdoors, collecting rust.


    "The camp''s further in," Alice said. "Come on."


    She moved forwards like, like... Vasilisa had never paid too much attention to how people walked before. There were some things that were just self-evident. Confidence, authority, and those things were easy to read in a person''s body language.


    Alice walked as if she was the queen of the entire world, as if her every step was a declaration, not of her own greatness, because such ought to be self-evident, but that she was allowed to be here.


    It was a weight that Vasilisa felt, not in her body, but in her soul, and so when Alice said ''come on'' what Vasilisa heard was ''we are moving.''


    She scurried after the girl, a mouse chasing a slinking cat. Alice brought them past one of the old buildings, then gestured further in. "Like I said, empty. There are a few mattresses. Are you tired, Vasilisa?"


    Vasilisa blinked. Was she? Yes, she was exhausted. The day hadn''t started well and it had continuously gotten worse until the moment where it became weird. Still, the tiredness was nothing compared to the amount of adrenaline-fueled energy she felt. Her heart was still beating faster and her mind raced.


    She wanted to tell this to the girls. She wanted to scream, and shout, maybe cry a little, because more than the near-deaths and the strange awakening that morning, more than the quick escape from the Camp and all the rest, what weighed on her mind the most were Kuzma''s revelations.


    Was she even real?


    She could remember her dad, of course, she had to save him... only now that she thought about it... what did he even look like? Her home was Pripyat, of course!


    So... where did she go to school there? Where did she buy groceries? Who were her friends in the city? Did she know anyone from there? She had vague recollections about neighbours and people that lived in the city, but not a single face came to mind.


    Had she almost died today? Yes. Was it the worst thing to happen? No, far from it.


    "Hey? Are you okay?"


    Vasilisa jumped and turned towards Crystal. The girl was looking at her with guileless, innocent eyes. She didn''t have that same aura about her that Alice had. There was power here, and a lack of fear, but it was... kinder. At least, Vasilisa thought it might be. "Sorry, yes, I''m fine. A little tired. And... hungry. Very hungry."


    She hadn''t eaten since that morning. She had recovered her bags, at least. Her guns were gone except for Kuzma''s revolver, the men had taken those, but her bags had been tossed into the back of the same cart they used to run away from the Camp. It meant she had some things.


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    Some things from home, maybe? Enough to start piecing things together.


    "Alright, let''s get you sorted, then," Crystal said. "Uh, Alice, do we have anything to eat?"


    "No. At least, I didn''t think to bring anything," Alice replied.


    "Huh, I didn''t either. Mister Koshei was the one with the food last time. Dang, um... I''m sure we can find something edible."


    "There''s a small camp here," Alice said. "A few tents, some mattresses. People have been staying here. They might have left something."


    "Traps," Vasilisa said, and both girls turned her way. "Traps, we need to watch out for traps."


    "Not a bad idea," Crystal said. "Go sit down, I''ll look around."


    Vasilisa looked about. There was half of a fifty-five gallon drum a few steps away from an open warehouse. There were logs around it, and the metal bucket of a tractor pulled close and flipped over to serve as a bench with a ratty blanket left atop it.


    She reluctantly moved over to the bucket and sat on it. Alice picked up a few logs and pieces of wood from a pile nearby and looked them over. "I''m guessing either someone keeps this place stocked, or it''s used relatively frequently," she said before tossing the wood into the drum. There was a slight puff as some of the ash on the bottom was disturbed. She tossed in a few more pieces, just stacking them up.


    Vasilisa almost stood up and started to sort them. They''d never burn right the way she was stuffing the wood into there, a fire needed some room to breath, and they needed kindling or something to really get things started.


    Then Alice snapped her fingers and there was a warm burst of black flame that washed up from below the fire. A moment later those flames faded and far more ordinary flames remained.


    Vasilisa blinked as she felt the fire''s warmth against her skin.


    "You can make fire," she said. It wasn''t even a question at this point.


    "It''s more of a cantrip than anything," Alice said. "Fire isn''t my thing, really, but I can manage a little."


    "Ultra would be disappointed to hear that," Crystal said as she returned. She had found something. A pretty large metal lunch box. She set it down, revealing a few cans of saury and a couple of baggy green packets. She fished one out and flipped it over to read the instructions on the front. "It''s an... MRE? Says it''s three meals! And these cans have little fishies on them that are apologising!"


    Alice looked over, then rolled her eyes. "Saury, not sorry."


    Crystal giggled. "I know, I know. Anyway, here." had handed the lunchbox to Vasilisa who held it for a moment before setting it down next to her.


    "Um, thank you," she said. Hesitantly, she reached for one of the MRE packs and then fumbled it open. There was a box within, and in that box were a dozen or so smaller packets. Salt and pepper, lots of sugar packs, a few packs for powdered drinks. She found a small metal disk thing and some white tablets within with instructions on how to use them to heat up the more metallic meals.


    Vasilisa''s stomach rumbled at the sight of food, even pre-packaged lowest-bidder food. She found a sachet of some sort of apple sauce and then opened it with her teeth. It went well with one of the dry crackers.


    "Are you going to eat?" she asked when she saw the girls settling down around the fire.


    "No, it''s fine," Alice said. "We don''t need it, and it''s best to save the supplies we do have for now."


    "Ah, okay," Vasilisa said. After a few bites--the apple sauce disappeared quickly--she managed to get the little cooking system working. It was enough to get one of the meals warmed up.


    Beef and barley. It looked like something she might consider feeding a stray cat, and the plastic spoon that came with the pack broke on it, but it tasted... somewhat better than it looked.


    "So, did you want to talk?" Alice asked.


    "Hey, let her finish her food first, then maybe give her a chance to sleep? We can talk in the morning," Crystal said.


    Vasilisa nodded. She was thankful for that much, at least. Though she had doubts about her ability to sleep.


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-Six - Sleeping

    Chapter Thirty-Six - Sleeping


    "She''s sleeping," Alice said. She didn''t necessarily need to keep her voice low, but she did so anyway, out of respect for the girl tucked into the mattress just a few metres away.


    Vasilisa didn''t seem ready to sleep, but warm food and half an hour of quiet, mundane small talk about unimportant things had seen her yawning more and more. Alice imagined that she was still on the end of a long adrenaline crash, and of a longer day.


    Biology overcame whatever resistance she had against sleeping. She was warmed by the fire, her belly was full of bland but filling food, and there hadn''t been anything dangerous around her for a couple of hours.


    Eventually, Vasilisa had slumped, and Crystal carefully carried her over to the mattress. The girl had awakened with a start, but only after Crystal had laid a blanket on her. She stared around in confusion, but then fell back asleep.


    Which was exactly what Alice wanted.


    "I''d hope so. She had a long day," Crystal said.


    "No, you don''t understand," Alice said. "I want to dip into her dreams for a moment."


    "Oh. That''s... a bit rude, isn''t it?"


    "We need to find out what she knows. Including what she doesn''t know that she knows," Alice said. "The only way to do that will be to slip into her subconscious, and we can''t do that while she''s awake. Not easily, in any case."


    Crystal pouted. "We could ask her more questions," she suggested.


    Alice hesitated before shaking her head.


    This kind of thing often came up in their group. Not just between her and Crystal, but between most of the magical girls. They each grew relatively comfortable using their own powers relatively quickly, and that soon turned into wanting to use their abilities to fix problems across a wide spectrum.


    When all one had was the ability to summon magic hammers, they started to see nails all over.


    It took them all some time to break out of that thinking, and even then it wasn''t always easy. Screaming Bioplague had something of an in-joke going where she''d propose to fix all of her problems with a plague of some sort.


    It was funny, but it also came from a very real place and time when she tried to do just that.


    Alice thought she was better with her darkness and more importantly her dreams. Mostly because her main powers, the ability to render nightmares, was comparatively situational. Her friends could often bring about mass destruction with ease and had to temper their powers to stop that from happening.


    Her powers were a little more subtle than something like increasing the gravity in an area a millionfold until light couldn''t escape, or turning an area as hot as the surface of a newborn star. "Let me try it," Alice said. "I''ll be gentle, I promise."


    Crystal didn''t like it, Alice could tell, but the girl sighed and made a gesture. Two thin crystalline needles appeared on either end of the mattress Vasilisa was on. They immediately negated any sound in the area. And then more crystals came out of the ground and formed into what was essentially one of those cheap garden chairs usually made of off-white plastic.


    Alice smiled her thanks to Crystal and sat down in the chair. It was comfortable enough. "Oh, thank you," she said as Crystal brought her a blanket. She didn''t need it. Alice could fall asleep in the time it took her to blink and could awaken just as easily. Still, being tucked in was kind of nice. Crystal cared for her, and Alice appreciated it.


    She closed her eyes, and then slept. Her magic reached out at her will and quickly found the nearest sleeping form. Vasilisa was plagued by confusing dreams already. Alice could tell right away that Vasilisa was the type of person who dreamt in images but also in raw feelings.


    There were confused flashes of recent events and the emotions that came with those. Eating in a train car, talking to an old lady, sneaking out of Pripyat. Loneliness, more lonelines, fear mixed with excitement and trepidation and then more excitement.


    Alice shifted past these. She discovered herself running next to Vasilisa from a group of slavering madmen. They had large guns, they were anger made human, and they wanted Vasilisa. Their intent was clear. Torture and rape and pain and worse, and they were gaining on her. Somehow, this was all happening by a car dealership.


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    But then she escaped, and it was back to shuffling through a city, old and abandoned and lonely once more. Hunger, then happiness at finding food. The strange disgust and joy of eating something old and well past its expiry.


    Vasilisa''s nightmares, Alice realized as she pulled out of them, were all recent things.


    She smoothed them over as she thought, giving the girl some time to dream of nothing but calm and happy thoughts. Sitting in an abandoned park, surrounded by flowers and strange tinkling anomalies. There was a factory of some sort nearby in this happy dream, a power plant? Alice wasn''t certain, but she wasn''t there to investigate this dream, she just wanted time to think.


    Vasilisa''s nightmares stood out in a few ways. They were all recent, yes, and that might be something that could be explained away. People had more vivid nightmares when the source of their pain and stress was recent, and often these figured in those.


    But the recency bias was... off? Alice couldn''t quite point out anything specific, but she trusted her gut here.


    It wasn''t just that the nightmares were of recent events. There was just nothing to draw on previously.


    She grasped the peaceful Vasilisa, then hesitated. Crystal would be... very annoyed if she found out about this.


    Alice did it anyway.


    Together, they dove into a puddle in the grassy fields and into Vasilisa''s oldest nightmares, the oldest and most potent.


    She found herself in a foreign place. More so than the Eastern European post apocalypse she''d been in. An island, with many homes that were trying their best. The nightmare was fragmented and broken, and not one of clear images and strong emotions.


    This was a nightmare of fractal panes of time and torment. Flashes of every sensation wrapped around a core of pain. A betrayal, someone stabbing her in the back.


    More, for there was a school and a trip, one that wouldn''t end.


    More. Powers that weren''t normal. Friends that had been friends seven loops ago.


    More! She had to find out who was killing her. Why she was dying over and over again. Why she couldn''t get away!


    MORE! She wasn''t just herself anymore. She was so much more. A Magical Girl, but nothing short and easy to encapsulate. She was as good as a dead god made manifest and yet her heart still beat and that beat was the drum by which time itself counted the seconds.


    More and--


    Alice pulled back carefully and gently. There was no point in yanking herself of Vasilisa''s dreaming self from the deeper nightmares. What she''d seen was... enough, in a way. Though it raised more questions than she had hoped to answer.


    She brought Vasilisa back to her little field of flowers and inspected the girl again. She had lost someone. It wasn''t clear who in this world. Family, friends. She was most of all not sure if she could ever get them back, but she had to try, no? Even if the her who found them wasn''t the one who lost them in the first place.


    And if she failed? Then she just needed to wipe the board clean and start over.


    Alice slipped out of sleep and into full wakefulness.


    She was on her side. The chair she''d been on had turned into a bench which was gently rocking back and forth from some ropes above. Someone was playing with her hair.


    She sat up and pretended not to hear Crystal''s disappointed noise. "Did you find anything?" Crystal asked.


    "Yes," Alice said. "I think... I think Vasilisa is Meagan."


    Crystal stared at her, then leaned forwards a little to see past Alice. The motion made the swing of the bench shift slightly. "She doesn''t look like Meagan," Crystal said. "For one thing, she''s not nearly pale enough. And you know, Meagan''s shorter. White hair. Usually has a huge witch-y hat?"


    "I know that Vasilisa isn''t Meagan," Alice said.


    "That''s literally not what you just said," Crystal pointed out.


    "Can''t you just fill in the blanks?"


    "With what? Magic mumbo-jumbo?"


    "Literally yes."


    Crystal considered it. "Yeah, okay, I guess. But just in case, care to explain?"


    Alice nodded slowly. "I think this is Meagan trying to... do something to herself. And when it inevitably fails, she resets it all from the start. We''re stuck in the periphery of a time loop that''s completely unravelled. And I have no idea how long it will hold together for."


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-Seven - Casting Shadows

    Chapter Thirty-Seven - Casting Shadows


    Alice watched as Vasilisa came awake slowly. She had slept for a solid nine, almost ten hours, and Alice had encouraged it just a little. She''d also ensured that the girl''s sleep was dreamless and as restful as possible.


    If Vasilisa was Meagan, even if it was just a part of her, then... well, then Alice owed it to her to make sure that this part of her was treated well.


    Her relationship with Fractured Time was interesting. For a time, Alice thought she was the only magical girl on Earth. She spent her time defending her little corner of the world while the rest of it shoved its head in the sand and pretended that the supernatural just wasn''t occurring.


    And then, some year or so after discovering what she was and grasping Dream Charter, she learned about Meagan.


    Meagan had been half a world away, living in the Philippines with her family, going to school, solving murders and occasionally using her power for a bit of mischief and heroism.


    Alice had flown over to her. By then she was relatively well-established as a Magical Girl. The government knew about her. They didn''t know what to do about her, but that didn''t matter. Alice had slipped out of the country, snuck onto a plane heading east. It took a couple of days to make it to Manilla, then a few more to find Meagan.


    Their meeting had been... surreal. There was something about meeting another magical girl that made the hairs on her body rise until she really knew them.


    It didn''t help that Meagan was very fond of using and abusing her powers, and when those powers included perfect control of the flow of time around herself, things got a little strange.


    Meagan had come off as too-perfect and composed. Alice later learned to pick out the ticks that hinted that Meagan had been repeating the meeting over and over again to get it all right.


    They didn''t become fast friends, but they respected each other, and it just so happened that a very large lizard monster was invading Japan and so they bonded over ruining the afternoon of some minor kaiju.


    From then on, they''d kept in contact, and as more magical girls popped up and the world became a smaller place for them, they did grow closer.


    Alice took on the role of the old, experienced mentor. Meagan... pretty much worked day and night to avoid responsibility and the limelight.


    Which was strange. She was definitely one of the most physically obvious members of their team. Long, pure-white hair, bright blue clockwork eyes, and a propensity to wear hats that were absurdly large kind of made one stand out.


    Oh, and she liked making cryptic predictions and releasing them to the world without checking in with the others about it first. Alice had had words with her when she once made that kind of prediction about a meme stock she was shorting just to make a heap of money. It didn''t matter that it made an otherwise quite evil company go bankrupt, they were supposed to be moral exemplars.


    Alice could safely call Meagan a friend. A close one, even. She''d go far to help her.


    "Where? Oh," Vasilisa said.


    "Hey! Welcome to the waking world," Crystal said. "I made breakfast!"


    As far as Alice could tell, it was nearing six or so in the morning. The sky was still mostly dark out, but there were hints that the sun was coming up. Crystal had grabbed a few edible things from their meagre supplies and mixed them up on a crystalline pan over the fire. It looked... like food.


    She handed a thin crystal plate designed much like the kind of plate Alice may have used herself when she was a child to Vasilisa, then scooped the rest into two more. Alice accepted hers with a nod of gratitude and ate.


    Vasilisa did the same, picking away at the meal until she was done. "So... what''s happening now?" she asked.


    "That''s up to you," Alice said, she tried to sound kind about it. "Literally. We want to go where you want to go. The centre of this Zone. We just don''t know where that is, exactly."


    Vasilisa stared at her plate, now very much empty. "I don''t know either," she said.


    "And if you closed your eyes, tried to think of where you want to go?" Crystal asked. "Is there anything? A tugging?"


    The young woman squirmed a little on the mattress. "A little, I suppose," she said. "I feel like I should be moving."


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    "Then let''s get moving," Crystal said. She helped Vasilisa to her feet, and they were pretty much ready to go... except Vasilisa needed some time for morning ablutions and such.


    Alice and Crystal waited for her for some time, and then when she returned properly ready to head out, they did just that, leaving the small camp and heading towards the nearby highway.


    This one cut towards the north and west, which would either finish circling around the Zone, or would lead them right into it.


    Alice noticed that there were more anomalies as they walked. Initially there were one or two along their path. A car that flickered in place, a puddle of boiling water on the road, a small circular area off to the side in the middle of a field where a hard rain of frogs pelted towards the ground for a few minutes, then stopped for a few more.


    The more they walked, the more common they became, though Alice noticed plenty that were small and seemed harmless. They didn''t have anything to worry about a place where the wind blew warm for no reason, or a spot where gravity was significantly weaker.


    "Do you think we''re heading closer to the centre?" Crystal asked.


    "The growing number of anomalies suggests so," Alice said. "I think it would make a certain kind of sense if they were more common and stronger the closer to their source you are."


    "I wonder if anyone charted it out," Crystal asked. "We saw some on the first day here, and that was like, a day''s walk from Pripyat which is supposed to be way outside of the Zone, right?"


    "More like on the edge of it, I think," Alice said. "Do you know how things are elsewhere in the world?" she asked Vasilisa.


    "I... suppose that there are places where nothing is strange like this," she said. "But anywhere where the storm touches will have some anomalies. It crosses the entire world in a large band, so that''s a lot of space."


    "Interesting," Alice said. "But the number of anomalies, and I''m assuming their severity, is reduced by distance, right?"


    "I think so. I''ve never been far from here," she said.


    Alice nodded. That would fit with what she knew about the kind of magic that would need to be used to make this kind of thing possible. Probably. The magic here was twisted and distorted to a degree she''d never seen before.


    They continued for a while, but Alice noticed that they weren''t alone perhaps an hour before they would have stopped for lunch. The road was slowly turning from a highway carving its way through thick old forests into one that was surrounded by suburbia and small towns with a few farms along the path.


    "There''s some people ahead," she said, gesturing towards an underpass along their path. "Three of them."


    "How can you tell?" Vasilisa asked. She gripped the strap of her gun tighter as she squinted at the underpass.


    "They cast shadows," Alice said.


    Vasilisa gave her a look at that, but didn''t question her. Not that it would have mattered, she was being honest about it.


    "Should we go around?" Crystal asked.


    "No," Alice said. "Hiding is for those that need to hide. We shouldn''t be forced to avoid confrontations that we know we''ll come out on top of. It''ll only slow us down. Besides, one of them looks like a scientist."


    "How can someone look like a scientist?" Crystal asked.


    "He''s wearing a lab coat," Alice said.


    "Oh... I guess that does make you look a bit sciency," she admitted. "What about the other two?"


    "Guards, I''d guess," Alice said. "Modern armour, some assault rifles. They seem relatively well equipped compared to the average Stalker we''ve seen."


    "Soldiers?" Vasilisa asked.


    Alice shook her head. "No. More than half the Stalkers we''ve seen have had army-surplus. This is better. I''d gamble on them being mercenaries."


    "Two mercs escorting a scientist... well, now I''m curious," Crystal said. "Let''s go say hi!"


    It didn''t take too long for them to be spotted. Alice could see a man in the shadow stand taller when they came closer to the lip of the underpass. He turned and warned the others. The second mercenary picked up a gun and checked the safety, the scientist poked his head around and stared.


    It seemed like they were in for another encounter out here.


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-Eight - The Scientist

    Chapter Thirty-Eight - The Scientist


    "Hello!" Crystal called out with a cheerful wave. She looked like someone who didn''t have a single care in the world, which was entirely accurate, but Alice imagined that it might still unnerve the men ahead of them.


    The mercenary-sorts adjusted their grips on their assault rifles. Judging by the way they stood, they were ready to bring their guns up in a moment and open up on any of them.


    The only one who was worried in their group was Vasilisa. The young woman stepped in behind Alice, using her as cover, which Alice supposed wasn''t a terrible idea.


    "Identify yourself!" the mercenary nearest them called out. He was half-hidden by the wreck of an old car while his partner was deeper in the shadows of the overpass. Not just in the shadows of the overpass, but partially hidden behind a delivery van. To a person with normal eyesight he''d be almost invisible there.


    The scientist, or the man that Alice had decided to label as such, had been ushered into that van. He was squatting in there now, two duffel bags next to him and a tiny pistol in hand. Still, the man was crawling to the front of the van to see out of its windshield.


    "Uh, my name is Crystal," Crystal said. "And these are my friends. That''s Vasilisa, we just met, and that''s Alice, she''s my best friend and mentor! Who are you?"


    The mercenary shifted, seeming just a little awkward for a moment. "Go around the far end of the pass," he said with a gesture to his right, towards the other end of the overpass which did have few stalled out cars in it. "Then keep on moving."


    Alice considered it for a moment. That was... not the worst offer they could have gotten. It was a little impolite, but it was at least civil. More or less. She looked at that end of the overpass then frowned slightly. "There are anomalies there," she said.


    Electricity was dancing between a puddle in the centre of the area and the metal bumper of a car. Just little flashes and sparks, no louder than some static electricity, but when she poked at the anomaly with her other senses, she felt that it was quite large, covering a good portion of the pass.


    "Do you want us to electrocute ourselves?" she asked the mercenary.


    He scoffed. "Go around, then," he said. "This area is off limits."


    "Why?" Crystal asked.


    "Because I said so."


    "... Why?" she asked again.


    The man''s eyes twitched. This was not, Alice presumed, someone who had to deal with children, or Crystal, before.


    "Because I said so," he snapped again. His grip on his rifle tightened. "Don''t you know to listen when your elders are talking?"


    "Not really. I found that old people aren''t any smarter than young people. They''re just more set in their old people ways. Do you have any idea how much disrespect we got from older people who just thought that because they had a few decades on us they knew better about stuff like magic and being magical girls? It''s ridiculous! So, I don''t care what you think, and I''m gonna ask again... why?"


    The mercenary glowered. Oh yes, he was very much annoyed, but Alice suspected that he''d live through it. The man half-turned and looked back to his companion, as if asking them for permission to do something.


    From the intent wafting off of him, she suspected he wanted to fire a warning shot. Give a man a gun and he''d find a million solutions that involved shooting something, of course.


    "Wait!"


    They all turned towards the van where the scientist was stumbling his way out the back. He tripped on his way out, caught himself on the other mercenary, then jogged over while fixing his coat on properly and adjusting his glasses.


    The man that Alice had called the scientist was in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, with hair that desperately needed a trim and bottle-bottom glasses that barely clung onto his face. He was thin, and would have been lanky if he wasn''t so short. "Wait!" he said again.


    His mercenary pal slowed him down, not allowing him to get past his position and closer to Alice and her companions. "Sir, they might be a threat."


    "Oh, they definitely are," he agreed. "Hello! My name is Raivis, from the European Scientific Advisory Committee on Zone Research!"


    "The ESAC...ZR?" Crystal tried.


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    Raivis smiled weakly. "It''s not a very good name," he admitted. "The Stalkers call us the Greenies, on account of, well." He tugged at his button-up shirt, which was a pale green. His pants were green as well, looking more like nurses scrubs than what someone ought to be wearing out in a place like this.


    "Well, hi Raivis," Crystal said. "It''s nice to meet you. I think you heard our names?"


    "I have, yes," he said. "And this isn''t the first I hear of you. You were at the Camp recently, were you not?"


    Alice didn''t so much as twitch, but Vasilisa flinched behind her. "Aren''t you rather far from the Camp?" Alice asked.


    "It''s only a day''s walk," he said. "Barely even, if you know the right trails. In either case, I heard about you over the radio."


    "The Camp has radio?" Crystal asked.


    Alice thought back to what she remembered of the Camp and its campus. There had been a few satellite dishes in the back, and a few small radio towers. She supposed it was entirely possible that an education centre like that would have a ham radio setup. In fact, it would make a lot of sense for it to have that. The various factions in and around the Zone needed to communicate with each other at times, and radio was probably much safer than sending messengers across the Zone.


    "We''re responsible for keeping the communication network and relays around the Zone functional," Raivis said. "It''s one of the reasons we''re... accepted by most of the factions around here."


    "That''s neat," Crystal said. "I''m a bit of a radio amateur myself!"


    "Really? You do ham?"


    "I like pork," Crystal agreed with a nod. "But my radios are all crystal, because that''s the best!"


    "It was a pleasure meeting you," Alice said. "But I''m afraid we''re going to have to continue on our way. Is the rest of this overpass safe to cross?"


    "Oh," Raivis said. "No no, don''t leave just yet. Forgive me, I get distracted easily. Yes, right, where was I... you three attacked and killed the leader of the Camp yesterday, yes? And you got away!"


    Alice noticed the mercenaries tensing up. So, they hadn''t been aware, just Raivis. "Is that going to be a problem?" she asked.


    "No, no! I''m more curious about how you managed to do it! You must have used some anomalies to assist you. No one could have killed the leader of the Camp in the centre of the Camp itself and gotten away so easily without that kind of thing. Please! I won''t take what''s yours, I merely want to document it."


    "Oh, uh, we didn''t use any anomalies," Crystal said. "We used magic, it''s different."


    "Magic? No, there''s no such thing as magic," he said. "It''s all science. We''ve managed to study some smaller anomalies and have established a basis for understanding them. Those we''ve brought back for study have propelled our understanding of the universe by leaps and bounds! There has never been a more exciting time to be a scientist. Every datapoint we discover now is one more piece of the puzzle!"


    "That''s neat, but we really do just use magic," Crystal said. She opened her hand and created a small foot-tall figure of Raivis. "See? No anomalies, just cool magical girl powers."


    "Incredible," he gasped. "You must let me study that effect! Can you imagine! The creation of crystal with such ease? Or is it a projection? Even that would be amazing, so many applications!"


    "Uh," Crystal said.


    "Mister Raivis," Alice said, cutting in. "We might be willing to share some slight information that we have for knowledge that you possess. I imagine your group has studied the Zone quite extensively?"


    "We have," he said. "And we''d, I''d, be more than willing to trade knowledge for knowledge. I can''t think of a more fair way to grow more knowledgeable about something."


    Alice nodded. "In that case, would you be willing to tell your escorts to stand down? Their posturing does nothing but make them look bad and waste energy."


    Raivis gestured for his mercenaries to lower their rifles. They absolutely did not, which Alice supposed was only fair. They only tensed up more when Crystal skipped over and gave Raivis'' hand a shake. "So! Where even are we, because we have no idea!" she said.


    "Ah, well, how do you want to do this trade?" he asked. "A question for a question?"


    "Sure!" Crystal said. "But nothing too complicated, we don''t want to lose the entire day chatting!"


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Eleven - Raivis

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Eleven - Raivis


    A question for a question.


    It seemed like a fair-enough deal, Vasilisa supposed. But she would have been reluctant to give any strange person she met in the Zone any of her time, not when two out of three of them seemed to think her a threat.


    They''d relocated deeper into the underpass, at the insistence of one of the mercenaries guarding the man in green. The scientist? She supposed that the zone did warrant some study. She couldn''t recall if anything discovered in the Zone had made it to the public. Maybe it did and she picked it up via osmosis.


    Or maybe everything she knew was a lie anyway.


    She decided not to dwell on the thought as the scientist, Raivis, led them to a small camp tucked behind a few cars turned so that they were side-on to the road, blocking the overpass and hiding them from prying eyes.


    The mercenaries didn''t join them, but instead took up positions on either end of the overpass, spots where they could keep an eye on their scientist and on the roads to either side. Vasilisa didn''t know much about mercenaries, but these two seemed professional, at least.


    She wondered if that was training or if that kind of professionalism is what experience in the Zone looked like.


    "So, questions, do you mind if I start us off?" Raivis asked. There was a small firepit in the nook he brought them too, as well as a pair of benches that looked like they were ripped from the back of a car. The firepit was more like the bottom half of a barrel, really, with some logs stuffed into it and some pieces of lumber.


    "I don''t mind," Crystal said. Alice nodded slightly next to her.


    Vasilisa once again found herself feeling like something of a third party in all of this. She lacked the easy familiarity the two girls shared. They felt like... sisters? Vasilisa wasn''t sure, but they were closer than just coworkers. Alice certainly felt like how an older sibling should feel, with the way she took charge and yet worried about things.


    "Very well, then," Raivis said. "First question. Tea, or coffee?" He smiled, raising a small metal kettle that sloshed with water.


    "Oh, tea!" Crystal said.


    "Anything is fine, thank you," Alice replied.


    "Um, tea as well," Vasilisa said a moment later, feeling as though she had to say something.


    Raivis smiled and put the kettle on a small metal rack contraption atop the firepit, then he picked up a small striker and started to light the fire.


    Vasilisa glanced up, worried that the low ceiling might be an issue with smoke. She discovered marks on the cement above where smoke had travelled already. They lead to a small vent above.


    "Ah, don''t worry, there are vents to allow water down from the road above," Raivis said as he followed her glance. "They serve well enough for smoke. Even disperse it a little. The vent is half-stuffed with leaves and the like, and it seems to work at keeping the smoke trail well dispersed. Otherwise my friends would be quite irate with me giving away our position so easily."


    The fire took with minimal effort. When he moved some coals around, it revealed that there was a bed of them that were still reddish beneath a thin layer of ash.


    "So, I guess it''s our turn to ask a question?" Crystal asked.


    "Of course, and I won''t count that one," Raivis said as he cracked a grin.


    Crystal laughed. "Ah, it''s a good thing we''re not dealing with the fae. I was never good at being that literal. Okay, how about this: can you tell us what your faction''s all about? The greenies, right? Our friend mentioned you at some point, and I think we walked past your base too? It was this big factory thing, with water filtration stuff."


    "Oh, you''ve been there?" he asked.


    "We passed close," Crystal said.


    "That''s fair. The guards there are usually pretty observant of trouble. In any case, the Greenies, or the European Scientific Advisory Committee on Zone Research have been in the Zone since very close to the beginning of everything. The advisory committee was thrown together less than a month after the first storm, and it has only grown since."


    He poked at the fire with a stick, then checked on the kettle, but the water wasn''t quite steaming yet.


    "As for what we do... well, there was a time where we advanced human knowledge by leaps and bounds. Now... now I''m not as certain. Some of us have fallen into the pattern of a game of factions and in-fighting. Others, a lot of others, have died. Our long-term experiments are barely kept alive at the moment, and I can''t say that we''re the best at recruiting outside of the Zone."


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    "Oh, that sounds a bit rough," Crystal said.


    Vasilisa supposed that a bit rough did describe things. She knew, in a vague way, that there were scientists in the Zone. It only made sense that something as huge and unexplained would have people trying to understand it. She didn''t know too much more than that, however.


    Raivis took a breath, seemingly thinking deeply about his next question. "Alright, my turn. Can you explain what exactly you meant by magic, earlier?"


    Crystal shrugged. "Alice and I are magical girls. She''s Magical Girl Rending Nightmare, and I''m Magical Girl Crystal Genocide. We''re actually here looking for one of our best friends, Magical Girl Fractured Time. Have you seen her?"


    Vasilisa looked at her. Those names were... intimidating.


    "I''m afraid I haven''t," he said. "Was that a question?"


    "I think it was, even if you didn''t have a nice answer, it was still an important question for us."


    He nodded. "Can you explain what exactly a ''magical girl'' is? I''d like to understand from someone directly involved."


    Crystal''s face lit up. "Oh, that''s an easy one! A magical girl is someone who can use magic¡ªlike, actual magic. We can transform, fight monsters, and protect people. Each of us has different abilities and powers. For example," she flicked her wrist, creating a small, glowing butterfly that fluttered around Raivis''s head. It faded soon enough, turning into small motes of light that then wisped away like embers. "I can make constructs out of light."


    Alice added, "It''s more than just powers, though. There''s a whole culture around it. Responsibilities, expectations, and a certain... aesthetic."


    Raivis nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the information. "Fascinating. And these abilities, they''re not linked to the anomalies?"


    Crystal shook her head. "Nope, completely different. We were magical girls before we ever came to the Zone."


    Vasillisa started at that. She''d... suspected, a little, but to hear it straight out like that was surprising. Could it be true?


    Alice leaned forward. "What can you tell us about the center of the Zone?"


    Raivis glanced up. He worked his jaw a little, then tugged his glasses off and started to clean them with a cloth. "Ah, the heart of the mystery. You''re not the first to ask, and I doubt you''ll be the last. What do you want to know?"


    "What''s there?" Alice asked. "Why do people keep away?"


    "That''s two questions. Though I suppose that the second question is easy enough to answer. While there are greater rewards closer to the centre, the risk is exponentially higher. As for what''s in the very centre. I have no idea. I don''t know if anyone does. The closer you get to the middle of the zone, the more things break down. Physics is broken in small ways here." He gestured to the end of the overpass where an anomaly was still letting sparks fly across the air. "But it''s localised and small and usually somewhat predictable. The anomalies grow larger and stronger the closer to the centre of the Zone you go."


    Alice considered his words, eyes narrowing slightly. "So, no one really knows what''s at the heart of it all?"


    Raivis shook his head. "There are theories, of course. Some think it''s the source of all anomalies, a kind of primordial anomaly. Others believe it''s a gateway, or something even more esoteric. The few who have ventured too close haven''t returned to tell us."


    Crystal nodded thoughtfully. She hummed a note, then shrugged. "Alright, your turn again."


    Raivis leaned back, his curiosity piqued. "You said you''re looking for your friend, Magical Girl Fractured Time. What happened to her?"


    Alice''s gaze hardened. "We don''t know exactly. We... did something, recently. All of us magical girls together. That ended up splitting us apart, and now Crystal and I are trying to regroup with the others." For some reason, she looked to the side, catching Vasilisa''s eyes for just a moment before returning her attention to Raivis.


    "She''s strong and smart, but we''re worried. That''s why we''re here."


    "That''s awfully kind of you," Raivis said. "Ah, speaking of... the water''s boiling!"


    ***

 Chapter Thirty-Nine - Tea Time

    Chapter Thirty-Nine - Tea Time


    They had tea. It wasn''t very good.


    Alice sipped from hers anyway, then set her cup down on the ground next to her. She and Crystal had taken over the backseat of a minivan while Vasilisa and Raivis had taken two different bucket seats. It was surprisingly cozy, though that might have been the fire between them.


    "I think we should go soon," Alice said.


    "You think?" Crystal asked.


    Raivis perked up. "You''re leaving?"


    "We should," Alice said. "We''re burning daylight, and I feel like we''ll never reach our objective if we dawdle too much."


    "Is that even a real word?" Crystal asked.


    Alice didn''t deign to answer that. "We intend to reach the centre of the Zone. I imagine things will only grow more dangerous from here on out."


    Raivis jumped to his feet. "Let us come with you," he said.


    Alice would have been suspicious of the man if she hadn''t poked around in his recent memories already. Him knowing who they were, if only via what he picked up from whatever communications got out from the Camp, was suspicious enough that she worried he might have... nefarious intentions.


    But no. The man was being honest. Her worries that he was holding them here and stalling for reinforcements proved unfounded. He truly did just want to talk to them because he found them curious.


    He didn''t believe either her or Crystal about their magical abilities. She supposed that made him a poor scientist, being unwilling to believe in the unusual just because it didn''t match up to what he knew to be true already, but she didn''t intend to be the one to provide him with the evidence he''d need.


    "I don''t see why not," Crystal said.


    "Really?" Alice asked. "They''d slow us down, for one."


    "Yeah, a little, but... Raivis, you''ve been deeper into the Zone than this, right?"


    "Of course," he said. "A few expeditions have gone... relatively deep into the Zone. We lost a few members every time, and discovered areas that were impassable. Or a storm would be coming, and we''d retreat some ways for safety. I wouldn''t say that I have the skills necessary to be a guide, nor do my guards."


    "That''s more than we have, experience-wise, right Alice?"


    Alice nodded slightly, conceding the point. "Perhaps. But it would be one more person to look after. We have Vasilisa here already. No offence."


    "Um, none taken?" Vasilisa said, though she didn''t sound terribly certain.


    The truth was, Alice would rather move on with a smaller group rather than have to babysit more people. But she set that dislike aside and tried to consider things more fairly. Would things be improved by having Raivis along?


    Yes, they''d need to worry about supplies, but they had to do so with Vasilisa already. This was just adding to it, and not by that much. Four people''s worth of food wasn''t all that much more than one.


    Her primary concern was time, which Raivis would certainly save them if he knew routes into the Zone already. The other concern she had was related to traps and some of the dangers that they might find within the Zone. Again, Raivis would be a help there.


    The pros were slowly starting to outweigh the cons.


    "One day," she said decisively. "If we find your company too... onerous, then after a day we''ll be splitting apart. Basically, you have until we lift camp tomorrow morning to impress me with your utility."


    Raivis blinked, then adjusted his glasses. "I don''t think I''ve ever been given a test quite like that. But alright. I''m not sure if you''ll be willing to go too deep into the Zone in any case. It''s not a safe place here, and it only becomes more dangerous the closer to the centre you go."


    "We''re not afraid of nothing!" Crystal said with a thumb''s up.


    Alice rolled her eyes. Another in-joke that no one here would catch onto except for the two of... she noticed Vasilisa chuckle. It gave her a moment''s pause, but it might have been nothing.


    "Should we head out, then?" Alice asked.


    "Give us twenty to pack up," Raivis said. He stood, grabbed a metal flask, and carefully poured the rest of the kettle into it. "Sorry. Clean water can be a pain to come by. I always drink boiled water if I can afford to while out in the Zone. You only need to get a stomach bug once to decide that a bit of precaution is well worth the price."


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    The scientist took a moment to address his mercenary guards, who seemed... annoyed, but resigned to follow along. One of them stood watch, routinely looking down both sides of the overpass while the other got their equipment sorted.


    "What''s this thing?" Crystal asked as she lifted a metal tin with a glass tube in its centre.


    "Radiation warning device," Raivis said. "And I have a geiger counter here, voltmeters, portable battery chargers, a few tools... I used to carry a portable microscope all over, but the darned thing kept breaking. They don''t make too many things as solid as they need to be in a place like this."


    "I can imagine," Crystal said. "I like microscopes. Sometimes, when I was bored, I''d make one and look at all the cool little things crawling around. Oh, and I like making telescopes too! I can name a whole bunch of constellations, you know!"


    "Making?" Raivis asked.


    "Mhm!" Crystal said without elaborating.


    Alice just gave her a look. She wasn''t aware that Crystal had that kind of hobby. She''d known her to be interested in a few things tangentially-related to her power (one of their first ever discussions had been about the validity of those social media posts about healing crystals which Crystal had both proven to be true and debunked at the same time) but Alice wasn''t aware that she had... more.


    This trip was perhaps the longest they''d ever been alone together. She was learning a fair bit about her companion.


    The mercenaries were equipped and ready to go within five minutes. Raivis took five more than that as he puttered about and picked up a few odds and ends then sorted and resorted his backpack so that everything was tucked away securely.


    "Alright, I believe that that was everything," he said as he tugged his coat''s lapels on straighter. "Shall we?"


    "Lead the way," Alice said.


    The guards eyed her and Crystal for a bit, then one communicated to the other with a few quick signs. They probably didn''t expect her to understand that the older of the two was telling the younger that the three of them weren''t armed enough to be threats. The older was going to keep an eye on them anyway, the younger was tasked with keeping watch on their surroundings.


    She was... not angry about that. Professionalism wasn''t something she minded. They were both trying rather hard to be nondescript and impersonal, which she could also respect as long as they didn''t interfere or try to cause her or Crystal harm. She belatedly added Vasilisa to that list.


    "So, how does this thing tell you about radiation?" Crystal asked as she flipped that little metal tin around.


    There were little beads of some sort in the glass tube at the centre which fell with every flip.


    "It''s a little finicky," Raivis said. He was grinning, and seemed more than happy to explain. "But the beads on the inside collect static energy when shaken. They''ll cling to the walls of the tube. If there''s ionising radiation, it''ll sap the static electricity..."


    "And the beads fall," Crystal said. She shook the tube and raised it to eye level. The beads within did stick to the inner walls. "Neat!"


    "It''s not the ideal way to measure any amount of radiation," Raivis said. "If the beads fall quickly enough for you to notice, then the level of radiation you''ve taken in that time is quite high. Still, it''s better than nothing."


    "Is radiation a problem?" Vasilisa asked.


    "In the Zone? With the number of physics-bending anomalies around? Oh yes. A lot of anomalies, you''ll notice, tend to glow a little. That''s energy escaping them in the form of light. And if they can produce light as a by-product, you can bet they''re producing more."


    Alice and Crystal shared a look. Their magic tended to glow as a side-effect. They were used to constraining their magic so that it only produced a little bit of radiation. It had been very easy for Alice whose magic was shadows and darkness, though she''d been accused of causing radio interference in a few cities they''d worked in as magical girls.


    It was a lot harder for Crystal, whose brighter spells frequently emitted a much wider spectrum of energy.


    "Neat," Crystal said again. She gave the detector back to Raivis and didn''t mention it again.


    ***

 Chapter Forty - Science Man

    Chapter Forty - Science Man


    "So, you''re a big fancy science man, right?" Crystal asked.


    They''d been walking together for over two hours already, and for a while the walk had gone quiet. The mercenaries with Raivis seemed to know about anomalies more than he did, and were more cautious than the scientist himself. Not to say that he wasn''t. He had removed several items and hooked them to his coat on little straps clearly designed for them. A radio, the rod of a geiger counter, and a small device that seemed to measure the static electricity in the air.


    It allowed him to warn them of some anomalies long before they were even close. The rest they had to see for themselves to avoid. With the mercenaries acting as well-trained eyes and ears and pathfinders, and Raivis looking for clues, they were navigating the area with relative ease.


    "I suppose I am," he said. "I came here to obtain my doctorate. There are so many new findings in and around the Zone that you can''t walk a kilometre without stumbling over dissertation material."


    "Oh, so you''re a Doctor of... Zoneology?" Crystal asked.


    He laughed. "I want to be. I became quite distracted once I arrived here, however. There''s so much to research, so much to categorise and study and just... observe. I''ve found that I can''t focus on any one anomaly, I need to sample all of them. Of course, I take images when I can, other readings as well, and I document those for the ESACZR. My notes and data have featured in several papers, you know?"


    "That''s impressive," Crystal said. She glanced back, and Alice caught a glimmer in her eye, that spark of intelligence that happened in those moments where Crystal was about to be more perceptive than usual. "So, what''s the consensus?"


    "The consensus?" Raivis asked.


    Even Vasilisa turned to listen in some more. "Yeah, the consensus," Crystal said. "There''s a whole community of scientists looking into the Zone, right? They''ve got to agree on something, some of the time about all of this... thisness?"


    "I suppose," Raivis said. He hummed, rubbing at his chin. "There are several prevalent theories, of course, but nothing that anyone has been able to prove with any amount of concreteness."


    "Can you give us some examples?" Alice asked.


    "Oh, certainly. Doctor Wade, about...three years ago now, conducted a longitudinal study of the Zone''s outer region. That is the area about one hundred to one hundred and fifty kilometres away from the approximate centre of the Zone. He and his team marked the location of every anomaly they discovered."


    "Okay," Crystal said. "What did they find?"


    The six of them were slowly walking along the highway, but the area they were in was starting to become a little busier. More homes, more shops, and those that were here were larger. They were encroaching into a suburban area.


    "Well, his findings took a while to reveal a pattern. Take into account that every Storm changes the landscape quite a bit, and such a wide, dangerous area, even one far enough from the centre of the Zone that anomalies aren''t as prevalent, takes time to scout."


    "Got it," Crystal said.


    Raivis, they were discovering, had a gift for explaining things from oblique angles with many tangents. "In any case, Doctor Wade discovered that there is a pattern to the movement of the anomalies in the area. Some are fixed, of course, but those that aren''t? They move with every storm. Clockwise, even, the same direction as the spin to the Storm''s winds."


    "Do they move by exactly thirty degrees?" Alice asked.


    Raivis blinked, then adjusted his glasses. "Um, yes. You''ve read his paper?"


    "No," Alice said. "It''s just obvious."


    "It is?"


    She nodded, but didn''t explain more, even with Raivis staring at her. She noticed Crystal frowning, then wiggling her hands in the air at about thirty degree increments. When she went full circle, she made a small ''Ah'' of understanding. "That would fit with Fracture''s way of doing things."


    "I''m afraid that I''m out of the loop," Raivis said.


    "Magic often falls back on symbology," Alice said. "Some more than others. Fractured Time''s magic rarely interferes with geometry, but when it does, it often relies on circles with thirty-degree cuts."


    Raivis hummed, taking that in, but clearly not certain. He doubted their claims about magic, which... she supposed was only fair.


    "So, that was interesting, but that didn''t answer my question," Crystal said. "What''s the consensus about the Zone?"


    "Well, obviously any consensus reached now will undoubtedly be very flawed. But I think there are two camps with regards to explaining the Zone via science."


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    "Via science?" Vasilisa asked.


    "Well, others explain the Zone through faith or religion or... magic." He very pointedly didn''t look in Alice or Crystal''s direction at that last.


    "Oh," Vasilisa said.


    "Anyway, the two current schools of thought are quite different but nonetheless interesting. The first is the one I subscribe to."


    "And that is?" Alice asked.


    "The... perfect answer consensus. That there is an explanation for all of this, that the physics-defying phenomena of the Zone have an answer that can be slotted into our greater understanding of science. After all, science has faced observable phenomena that we can''t understand before. Things that seem to break physics."


    "Small things," Crystal said.


    "Indeed! The microscopic world, on the very microscopic scale, often acts and reacts in ways that don''t mesh perfectly with our current understanding of physics. But, as observable reality, we know these things to be true, so it''s our understanding that is either flawed or incomplete."


    "That''s a non-answer of a consensus," Alice said.


    Raivis shook his head. "No, I''d rather think it''s the best answer of a consensus. Admitting that there are things we don''t yet know and don''t yet understand is fundamental to being a good scientist."


    "I guess it''s a fair enough answer, but it''s really not as impressive as I''d imagined," Crystal said.


    Raivis laughed. "I suppose not. You might like this one, then. It''s... not a majority consensus, in fact, quite the opposite. It''s an opinion held by a minority."


    "Is it aliens?" Crystal asked.


    "No! Surprisingly. The USSR has fantastic radar array in this area, as did most countries to the west of here, most of them pointed this way. For... reasons. Anyway, no one detected anything anomalous before the first storm. No sightings of strange flying ships or little green men."


    Crystal laughed. "Aliens aren''t green. They''re grey!"


    Raivis laughed along with her. "Yes, well, in any case the second large consensus is held by a minority, but they''re vocal. The idea is called the broken noosphere."


    Alice felt her spine straightening.


    "The what?" Crystal asked.


    "It''s an older idea, from some time before the second great war. The idea is that there are... spheres that exist. The Earth is one, and the topmost layer is the biosphere, the place where all things live. And above that, a sphere of thought where all ideas exist. It, of course, is as silly and defunct an idea as Agartha the Akashic Records."


    "But at least one of those is real," Crystal said. "No? I''m pretty sure we fought a kaiju about it, or was it a weird secret cult of bad guys? Wait! A cult that wanted to bring a kaiju to Earth?" She turned and looked at Alice who shrugged. They''d faced all sorts of things over the years. It was hard to keep track of which one came from where.


    Raivis chuckled. "It does get a bit confusing, doesn''t it? But the broken noosphere theory suggests that the Zone is a rupture in this sphere of thought, a place where ideas and reality get tangled and clash. It''s a bit like how dreams can sometimes feel so real, but on a much larger, more dangerous scale."


    Crystal nodded slowly. "So, basically, we''re walking through a bad dream made real?"


    "Something like that," Raivis said. "It''s a fascinating idea, but proving it? That''s a whole other challenge. Not to mention that most scientists, myself included, dismiss it as... well, hogwash."


    One of the mercenaries, who had been quiet so far, suddenly raised his hand. "Hold up."


    The group halted, instinctively reaching for their weapons. Alice strained her ears, trying to catch what had alerted him. For a moment, there was nothing but the rustling of leaves in the breeze.


    Then she heard it¡ªa faint, distant sound. A low, guttural growl, followed by a series of chuffing sounds, almost barks but not quite.


    "Dogs," Vasilisa whispered, her voice tense.


    "Wild dogs?" Alice asked.


    "In the Zone? Wild dogs can be a little dangerous. But there are things, warped by the Zone into... new things that really shouldn''t be alive sometimes," Raivis said.


    His mercenaries got their arms ready, and even Raivis pulled out a handgun. The tension mounted as they looked around. They were just off the highway, on a smaller, more residential street with apartment complexes on either side of them, broken windows and hauntingly dark homes.


    The barking increased, then something howled, and Alice felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.


    ***

 Chapter Forty-One - Doggies

    Chapter Forty-One - Doggies


    "We need to retreat," one of the mercs, the younger of the two, said.


    "No," the older replied. "Get the women back. Raivis, don''t miss. We have a funnel, let''s use it."


    The road was next to a small patch of greenery. Far from a forest. It was perhaps two dozen trees in a strip next to a three story apartment building. The howls, the grunts and growls, were all coming from a small parking lot between that apartment and the next one down.


    "Aww, I can''t do this," Crystal said.


    "It''ll be fine," Raivis replied even as he brought and arm out and tried to push Crystal back and towards the relative safety offered by being behind the others. Vasilisa was already there, fumbling with the handgun she had with trembling fingers.


    "What? No, the doggies can''t hurt me," Crystal said. "But... I can''t hurt a dog."


    "They''re probably mutated in some way," Alice observed. She was calm, but then so was Crystal. Neither of them were truly bothered by the mercs and Raivis'' panic. "I''ll take care of them. Just close your eyes."


    "Okay," Crystal said.


    The brush alongside the road shivered for just a moment before a creature burst through it, Alice took just a moment to observe. It was a dog, certainly, but more than that, it was a monster. Skin was stretched taut over thick muscles. Its fur had peeled and fallen, and it looked like some of its flesh had gone with it, leaving large, open wounds.


    The dog-thing charged, and one of the mercs opened up on it.


    A trio of tightly controlled rounds cracked into the monster''s side and it collapsed.


    "Mortal, then," Alice observed.


    More came rushing out of the forest, salivating mouths peeled back to reveal crooked teeth.


    Alice raised a hand. They''d made enough noise already to let everyone within several kilometres know they were here. There were a dozen dogs in this pack, and while the mercenaries seemed capable, she didn''t trust them not to miss a shot and let one pass. Then it would chew on someone, or explode and get its blood all over Crystal, and her entire evening would be ruined.


    So she stretched the shadows and swallowed them.


    It wasn''t as simple a process as she made it seem. Shadows were ephemeral and by necessity, they weren''t exactly physically strong, but shadows were capable of hiding things. From the dawn of life, the cowardly and conniving had hidden in the darkness cast by greater things.


    The darkness of the little forest swelled, like a rising tide that lingered and clung. It created long strands of light-less mass that tugged at the rushing dogs.


    Between one step and the next, they fell into the dark. Their howls swallowed like their bodies.


    Alice waited for a moment, just to make sure nothing else was popping up, and when nothing appeared, she touched Crystal on the shoulder. "You can open your eyes now, there''s nothing here."


    Crystal blinked her eyes open, then looked towards the forest. The shadows were receding, returning to how they were naturally.


    "What was that?" Raivis asked shakily.


    "Magic," Alice replied.


    "No, really, what was that? Did you use an anomaly?" he asked. "I''d be interested in seeing it. For study, of course, I''d never take it away from you."


    Alice chuckled, but she kept her expression serious. "You wouldn''t be able to take it from me if you tried," she said.


    Raivis'' eyes widened, and he smiled before adjusting his spectacles. "I see, well that''s certainly a new one for me. The expression of your anomalous device, I mean. I''ll have to take notes." His guards were a little less quick to ditch their nervousness, but they slowly rose out of their crouches and the one who''d shot reloaded his rifle, then casually started to pull bullets from his pocket to refill his magazine.


    "Do most anomalous objects have abilities that are linked back to time manipulation?" Alice asked.


    "Hmm? No, not that I''m aware of. A majority, maybe. There have been some suggestions in that direction since so many do something with time or our perception of time, but there are all sorts of anomalous objects that do other things."


    Crystal perked up at that. "Oh. We met someone with an iron that let him teleport."


    "Exactly. Teleportation isn''t related to time," Raivis said.


    Alice wasn''t so sure about that. She had the impression that Raivis was taking his observations too literally, but that wasn''t her problem.


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    Crystal took a moment to look around, making sure that the area was secured. She gave Vasilisa a big grin, then turned back to Raivis. "Alright, now that the doggie problem is... dealt with, where to next? What made those doggies so angry anyway?"


    The older mercenary let his rifle fall so that it hung by his side by a strap. "We should keep moving. The noise will attract more attention."


    "He''s right," Raivis said. "As for the dogs. We''ve had the help of some biologists who are... otherwise not as useful as other scientists in the Zone. The dogs are wild animals that have spent too much time in the Zone. They adapt to the anomalies," Raivis continued as they resumed their cautious march. "Some of them develop mutations, usually detrimental, but occasionally they gain traits that make them more dangerous. Increased aggression, resistance to pain, enhanced senses¡ªthose kinds of changes."


    Crystal nodded thoughtfully. "So, the Zone messes with their biology?"


    "Exactly," Raivis confirmed.


    "It makes them more like magical girls."


    "... Pardon?"


    "Well, maybe not the aggression bit," Crystal said.


    "I feel like I''m missing some important context here. Is Magical Girl a shorthand for something?" he asked.


    "Sir," one of the mercenaries said. "Factory''s up ahead."


    "Oh? Oh, yes, good," Raivis replied.


    "The factory?" Crystal repeated. "What''s that?"


    "Nothing important, but it''s a good sign." He gestured ahead towards a massive building just a kilometre or so away. It was quite tall and long, red bricks and chimneys with smokey windows along the upper floors. "The factory is always next to the Lab."


    "And the lab is?" Alice asked.


    "A meeting point for scientists. I''m very curious to accompany you deeper into the Zone, but we lack some vital supplies to do anything of the sort. The Lab is a safe haven for researchers," Raivis explained as they continued towards the factory. "It''s a place where we can regroup, resupply, and share our findings. There''s also equipment there that we might need for our journey deeper into the Zone."


    Crystal glanced at the imposing building in the distance. "So, we''re heading to the Lab to get what we need before moving on?"


    "Exactly," Raivis confirmed. "It''s too dangerous to proceed without the proper preparations. The deeper we go, the more unpredictable the anomalies become."


    The factory loomed closer, its size and dilapidated state more evident with each step. As they approached, Alice noticed large loading doors that were left slightly ajar, just enough to let a person slip through.


    "Stay alert," the older mercenary warned. "We don''t know what''s inside."


    She pushed her senses forwards, into the dark within. The windows did provide some light across the factory floor, but only enough to prevent it from being completely darkened.


    Alice strained her senses, trying to discern any movement or sound beyond the half-open doors. The factory was eerily silent, the kind of silence that made her instinctively wary. The group slipped through the loading doors one by one, their footsteps echoing softly in the cavernous space. Vasilisa rubbed against the door when she squeezed through, and the screech as they moved slightly echoed through the factory.


    Inside, the factory was a graveyard of rusting machinery and scattered debris. The air was thick with the scent of rust and decay, and dust motes danced in the beams of light filtering through broken windows.


    "Keep close," the older mercenary instructed, his eyes scanning the dim interior.


    Raivis fiddled with one of the devices fixed to his coat, and soon the small yellowish light of a flashlight illuminated the room ahead. "No need to be afraid." He kept his flashlight beam steady, guiding them through the labyrinth of rusting equipment. "We''re almost there," he said softly. "The Lab entrance is on the other side."


    As they ventured deeper into the factory, Alice couldn''t shake the feeling of being watched. Her senses were on high alert, and every creak and groan of the old building made her tense. She scanned the area, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.


    They reached a large open space, the remnants of assembly lines stretching out before them. At the far end of the room, a heavy metal door stood slightly ajar, marked with a faded sign that read "Research Facility."


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Twelve - Quiet as a Mouse

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Twelve - Quiet as a Mouse


    Vasilisa was keeping as quiet as she could. Not out of any sense of politeness, but because she was somewhat afraid to speak at that moment and pull attention her way.


    It wasn''t just the mercenaries and Raivis--who actually seemed nice, in a clumsy way. What worried her were the two girls whose powers she couldn''t quantify.


    Alice and Crystal had started off as strange unknowns with lots of power, and it seemed that at every turn they pulled out more abilities that were stronger than the last. It wasn''t ending.


    Crystal''s.... Crystalline stuff. Alice swarming and swallowing those dog monsters like they were nothing and not even seeming a little winded afterwards. They were dangerous, she knew, but the more time she spent around them the more that level of danger became unclear.


    She thought that they might be like experienced stalkers. People with a few strong tricks up their sleeves and the experience to carry them through danger without a sweat.


    Now? Now she thought that maybe they were the kinds of people that would give the most experienced of stalkers a headache.


    "Here we are," Raivis said as he pushed the door open. The sign with ''Research Facility'' on it clattered against the entrance as he held it open for them. It led into a tiny, cramped little room. There was a wooden bench to one side. The kind of thing that Vasilisa expected to see in an old lady''s home for taking shoes off, and a coat hanger on the opposite end. There was another door here, this one made of stainless steel. It lacked any sort of handle and seemed to be planted right into a brick wall in a way that struck her as subtly wrong, but she didn''t know enough about doors and construction stuff to tell exactly why it felt off.


    "What''s up with the door?" Crystal asked.


    Raivis blinked. "Oh, it''s a security measure. It''s sealed from the inside. You can''t open the entrance from the exterior."


    "Hmm," Alice said. She walked up to the door, then stepped to the side and pressed a hand against the wall. "This is an exterior wall," she said.


    "Yeah, I can tell there''s nothing on the other side," Crystal said. "I mean, not nothing-nothing, there''s wind and birds and stuff, but it doesn''t sound like the door goes anywhere."


    Vasilisa wondered for a moment at the quality of Crystal''s hearing. She couldn''t make out anything. There wasn''t even any noise from the factory except for a low murmur of wind from the windows far above.


    "This was one of the first anomalies that we discovered and chose to really work with," Raivis said. He moved to the wall and tugged a brick out. No, not a brick, the front of a small metal panel that was designed to look like a brick. Behind it was a plate with a single stud of a button on it.


    Raivis pressed the button, and the door emitted a low hum before sliding open with a smooth, almost seamless motion. "It''s a bit of a trick," he said with a sheepish grin. "We installed this to keep out unwanted guests and to contain any potential... incidents."


    Alice nodded. "Clever. But what''s on the other side that''s so important?"


    The door that was supposed to lead outside, didn''t. It instead opened to a well-lit corridor, a stark contrast to the dilapidated factory. It was clean. Almost cleaner than anything Vasilisa had seen, strangely enough. Tiled floors, a suspended ceiling with vents that hummed slightly, and three men in bright orange suits that covered their entire bodies holding guns poised to fire on them.


    "It''s okay!" Raivis said quickly. "Just security. One moment." He fumbled with his pockets, then removed a small wallet that he opened to reveal a card.


    One of the men stepped up and took the card, then inspected it. Vasilisa could barely see his face though the flat glass panels of his helmet. "Pass?"


    "Aristotle," Raivis said.


    "These three?" the guard asked.


    "Guests. We''re diving deeper into the Zone and need a resupply," Raivis explained.


    The guard nodded, then stepped back, allowing them to pass. "Alright, you''re clear. Just keep an eye on them, Raivis."


    "Of course," Raivis replied, his smile returning. "Thank you."


    They stepped into the corridor, the door sliding shut behind them with a soft hiss.The change in atmosphere was immediate. Vasilisa felt her ears pop and her nostrils burned a little from the powerful stink of bleach in the air.


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    "This way," Raivis said, leading them down the corridor. "The supply room is just ahead."


    Vasilisa glanced around while crossing her arms and making herself small. This place was obviously well-funded, and a lot of effort was going into maintaining it. She didn''t belong here.


    The girls were eyeing the place with a lot more ease than she was. "Interesting magic on the door," Alice said.


    "Yeah, but what''s more interesting is the vibes," Crystal said. "Very evil lair, but not, you know?"


    Raivis smiled at Crystal''s comment, then he dabbed at some sweat on his forehead. It wasn''t warm in here, in fact, it was rather cool, so why the sweat? "It''s necessary," he said. "Safety is paramount."


    The guards moved back in, then opened a door leading into a room labelled ''Exterior Decon.'' They insisted that the entire group stand in the centre of the room while cold air was blasted at them from above for half a minute. It was cold and humid and smelled strongly of cleaning chemicals that stung her eyes, but Vasilisa endured it because the others were doing so without complaints.


    "Have you had a lot of bacteriological issues?" Alice asked. "Viruses or the like from the Zone?"


    "No," Raivis said. "We have lost people to sickness, and if you have a cold in the Zone it will sometimes sicken you more than it should, but we never had issues with outbreaks. No more than outside of the Zone."


    "So why all of this, then?" Crystal asked.


    "Precautionary measures. It doesn''t cost much but time, and the Zone is unpredictable. Just because there hasn''t been an outbreak in ten years doesn''t mean there won''t be one on the eleventh."


    Alice nodded. "It makes sense. Better to be overly cautious than risk bringing something dangerous inside. This space is linked to others, isn''t it? That wasn''t the only entrance into this space."


    "Ah, you got us," Raivis said. "The labs are an anomaly we discovered years ago. A set of doors that all led to the interior of the same warehouse. We built the lab here atop what was already in this room."


    "That''s neat," Crystal said. "I love rooms that connect to weird dimensions like this. I don''t remember if Fractured Time could do that kind of thing?"


    Vasilisa looked up. What kind of name was that? Why was it familiar sounding? She''d heard the girls mention it, and every time, it twigged something.


    Though, now that she thought about it, she wasn''t sure how she knew it was a name to begin with.


    "I''ve seen her do something like this," Alice said. "It''s not as stable or effective as Dimension Death''s portal and dimension work, but she can do it."


    "Can''t you do it too?" Crystal asked.


    "Barely. Darkness doesn''t make for a good dimension and while I can punch holes into others it''s never been something I can do elegantly," Alice said.


    Vasilisa wasn''t sure she understood exactly what Alice was saying, but what she could put together kind of terrified her. The implications were... well, they were something.


    Raivis was listening in as well, though when Alice and Crystal turned his way he smiled and ushered them all forwards into the next room over. This was the centre of the base, she imagined. A large lobby area that was more lived-in than the exterior corridor, with benches and a lot of open space. There was a lab behind a glass wall with people working at a few stations with the unhurried pace of routine work.


    "Right this way," Raivis said. "There''s a storage room where we can grab a few things. I''m afraid that the entrance we took was one of those nearest to the centre of the Zone, so we won''t have access to any sort of shortcut... actually, while we''re here, would you mind terribly if we ran a few tests? Nothing complicated, I assure you."


    "Ah, that''s the other shoe," Crystal said.


    "We''d rather not," Alice said.


    "No no, I insist," Raivis said. "Consider it a favour?"


    "Raivis," Alice said. Her tone made a shiver run down Vasilisa''s spine. It was so final. "We said no."


    Raivis continued to smile, then shrugged. "Okay. Well, that''s fine too. Let''s grab some supplies and head back out then."


    ***

 Chapter Forty-Two - Regret

    Chapter Forty-Two - Regret


    "I need to use the washroom," Alice said.


    It was a lie. She hadn''t needed to take care of that kind of thing in... a while. But her saying it made Crystal''s head perk up, and her fellow magical girl stood straighter and brushed down the front of her skirts. "I''ll go with you," she said.


    "Mhm," Vasilisa replied noncommittally.


    Raivis, at the front of their group, paused and blinked a few times, then looked to his guards. "Um... I mean, yes, of course. I suppose using the washrooms here is far superior to what''s available in the Zone! Hah. Um. We have locker rooms with showers. If you want privacy we can lock them up for you ladies to use?"


    "That won''t be necessary," Alice said.


    "Oh, well, yes, this way?" he replied uncertainly before leading them down a fork in the corridor they were in. He paused before and appropriately marked door, then shuffled on the spot awkwardly. "We''ll just wait here."


    "Sure," Alice replied. She went in, with Crystal and Vasilisa following her. It was a washroom. A couple of urinals, two stalls, a pair of stainless steel sinks, a faint stench to the air and an overfull garbage bin near the door. There was a fan that came on as soon as she flicked the lights on.


    Alice glared at it. Then weaved a bit of spellwork in the air to muffle their noise without masking the fan''s.


    "Done?" Crystal asked as she leaned her back against the door.


    "Yes," Alice replied.


    Crystal grinned. "We haven''t pulled the ''we need to all use the washroom'' trick in a while," she said.


    Alice shrugged, but the memory did bring a smile to her face. It wasn''t a trick they had to pull all that often, but it was still welcome enough as a quick way to escape an awkward situation. She could vividly remember going to the washroom with all eleven of her magical girl compatriots once when they needed five minutes to discuss a plan without raising suspicions.


    Well, it did obviously raise suspicions, but no one would actually follow a gossip of magical girls into a woman''s bathroom to spy on them. There were limits to how far anyone would be willing to go.


    "Um, what are we doing?" Vasilisa asked.


    "Do you need to use the toilette?" Crystal asked. "Alice and I just need to talk about... you know, this whole place."


    "Ah, no?" Vasilisa said. "I kinda figured as much?"


    "Oh, cool," Crystal said. She turned to Alice. "This place is weird. Also, I''m about ninety-nine percent sure we''re about to be human experimented on."


    "You can tell that?" Alice asked.


    "Yeah, there''s a lab that way." She gestured vaguely in the direction Raivis had been leading them in. "There''s like, four science-y guys getting dressed in scrubs and that have three beds laid out with straps and the whole thing. It''s got a glass wall for people to see in." And Crystal was able to tap into that glass with her magic.


    Now that she pointed them out, Alice was able to find the room in question, though the bright lighting did make it somewhat hard to pool shadows into the room. "I see it," she said. "Yeah, that definitely looks like trouble."


    "Are we going to escape?" Vasilisa asked.


    "Yes," Alice said. "But we don''t need to be uncivil about it. And I think it wouldn''t hurt to grab some equipment on the way out. You need food, and the inner Zone might be more dangerous, enough that you''ll want more than a single handgun on you."


    "Oh, I suppose," Vasilisa said.


    "Okay, well, follow my lead," she said.


    Crystal moved out of the way of the door, and Alice stepped out and right up to Raivis. The young scientist blinked up at her, seeming to only now realise that she was half a head taller than he was. For some reason he looked down and at her hands.


    ... Was he judging her for not cleaning them? She shook that thought off. "Mister Raivis. We discussed things. We''ll be leaving now. If you try to stop us we''ll be leaving while taking what we want from your facility."


    "Ah, but, ah, no?" he said. "Sorry, what I mean to say is, why not stay a little? We can gear up, get a warm meal. What about those showers I mentioned? It would be far more prudent then, to leave in the morning?" He smiled genially.


    "No, we''d rather leave now. We''ll take any maps of the inner Zone you have as well," Alice replied.


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    Raivis held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Wait, please," he said, his voice hurried but earnest. "You''ve just come out of the Zone, a place that''s incredibly dangerous. You need rest, proper medical attention, and equipment that you can trust. Let us help you. We have resources here that can ensure your survival out there."


    Alice hesitated, but Crystal nudged her gently. "He''s right, Alice. We don''t know what else is out there. And we do need supplies. We''re gonna be so hungry, aren''t we?"


    Alice glanced back at Raivis. "Fine," she said. "But we will leave on our terms. We decide what we take and when we go."


    Raivis nodded, visibly relieved. "Of course, of course. Just let us know what you need. In fact, let me show you to our storeroom. We have everything you might need there."


    He led them down a series of corridors, his demeanour overly friendly and cooperative. "You know," he said as they walked, "We really do have the best interests of our guests in mind. Staying a bit longer could be beneficial. We have excellent facilities, and our medical team is top-notch. Just think about it."


    Alice''s eyes narrowed. "We appreciate the concern, but we''ve made our decision."


    They arrived at the storeroom, a spacious area filled with various supplies. It was also guarded. Two men standing by the doors. More were waiting around the corner, just out of sight and tense. Raivis stood by the door, not making any move to let them enter. "Before we proceed, perhaps we could discuss this further in the lab. There''s some crucial information about the inner Zone that you should know."


    Alice''s suspicions flared. "We''re not going to the lab, Raivis. We''re taking what we need and leaving."


    Raivis'' smile tightened. "I''m afraid I can''t allow that," he said, his tone now icy. He gestured to the guards standing nearby. "Gentlemen, please escort our guests to the lab."


    The guards stepped forward, but before they could reach Alice, she moved. In a blink, her sword was slicing through a rifle and dark tendrils shot out from every shadowy corner, wrapping around the guards'' arms and legs, yanking their weapons away and pinning them to the walls.


    Crystal created a shimmering barrier of light between them and the approaching reinforcements. The man at the front ran nose-first into the wall and collapsed. Another struck it with the butt of his gun, then shot into it, sending a bullet ricocheting back.


    "I told you, we''re leaving. If you try to stop us, you''ll regret it."


    Raivis'' eyes darted around, seeking some escape or advantage, but finding none. His shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine," he muttered. "Just... take what you need and go."


    "Thank you," Alice said curtly. She turned to Crystal and Vasilisa. "Let''s make this quick."


    She watched the two dart into the storeroom, though Vasilisa had already grabbed one guard''s rifle for herself.


    Alice turned back to Raivis. "Your maps," she said. "You''re going to go get your best maps of the Inner Zone and you''ll bring them to me. For every minute you waste... hmm, maybe I''ll have the dark eat one more limb... but no, you''ll need those to fetch things for me. Ah, I know. For every minute you waste, I''ll make you forget one more year of your life. How''s that sound?"


    "You can do that?" he asked.


    "Do you want to find out what it feels like?" she asked. "Don''t worry, it doesn''t hurt. No more than not remembering the word at the tip of your tongue does."


    Raivis paled, his eyes wide with fear. "I''ll get the maps," he said quickly, his voice trembling. He turned on his heel and hurried down the corridor, glancing back once to see Alice''s unyielding stare follow him.


    Alice turned back to Crystal and Vasilisa, who were quickly gathering supplies. "Make sure we have enough rations and medical kits," she instructed. "We don''t know how long we''ll be out there."


    Crystal nodded, her movements efficient as she filled a sturdy-looking backpack. "Got it," she said. "And we''re going to need some extra ammunition, just in case."


    Vasilisa was already checking the rifle she had taken from the guard, her hands steady despite the tension in the air. "I found some extra magazines," she said, holding them up.


    "Good," Alice said. "We need to be prepared for anything."


    ***

 Chapter Forty-Three - Snacks

    Chapter Forty-Three - Snacks


    "Oh, these look different," Crystal said as she picked up a handful of MREs and stuffed them into a bag. She took a moment to look at the writing on each, and flicked some of them off to the side where they''d thump against the storage room floor.


    "Why are you discarding some?" Alice asked. She was only paying partial attention to Crystal and her antics. The majority of her attention was on the rest of the lab where guards were trying to find ways to get to them.


    Some were fetching flashlights, as if that would penetrate the walls of darkness she''d swallowed some corridors in, others were shooting into the darkness itself, to little effect. Alice did have to rip one enterprising scientist away from a fuse box on the far end of the lab. It looked like he was about to cut the power to the storage room, and while she could easily see in the dark, she wasn''t so sure about Vasilisa.


    The girl in question was packing a bag of her own in a hurry as well. Her own gear was dumped on a bench, discarded from the moment she found better. The mercenary guards that this lab employed had good equipment, from what Alice could tell.


    The backpacks Vasilisa and Crystal had picked up were larger, with several pockets on the exterior all done up in a dark green canvas-ish material. Vasilisa was stuffing hers full of everything she could grab. Small med kits, MREs, a couple of boxes of snack bars were opened and dumped into the pack. Then she found the armoury at the back of the room and stared at the guns within.


    Alice snapped her fingers and the lock on the door burst apart. Vasilisa jumped, then turned to look her way. "Just take whatever," Alice replied.


    Vasilisa didn''t need to be told twice. She ran in and came out with a box of ammo that she opened. Loose rounds were stuffed into one of the backpack''s pockets, then already-filled magazines were tossed into the pack.


    She hesitated between two rifles. One picked from a guard, another fresh out of the armoury. She picked the armoury gun, letting the other drop to the side.


    "Why that one?" Alice asked.


    Vasilisa looked up, then clued in to what Alice meant. "It has a sight," she said before raising the gun. "PSO. They''re... okay?"


    "Alright," Alice said. She really didn''t know much about guns in general. She suspected that a few of her friends knew more. Phantom Mist used one, on occasion, and Burning Ultranova loved stealing guns from any adversary they fought that used those. She liked the noise they made when she sprayed bullets at enemies, but her aim was... questionable at best.


    "You... don''t mind me having this?" Vasilisa asked.


    "You''re not a threat, even with a rifle," Alice said. "Keep packing, we''re going to head out soon."


    Some of the scientists were breaking into a safe in an office and removing... normal household items. A fork, a water bottle, a pill bottle, a well-used paint brush. Alice didn''t know what they did, but she sensed that these were anomalous objects, like the iron that Koschei had. And if that was the case, there was a real possibility that they didn''t want to be here when they started to use those things.


    She was quite certain in her own ability to avoid dying--she hadn''t died yet, after all--but she wasn''t sure she''d be able to help Vasilisa, or counter some unknown time-based magics.


    "I picked out the best foods!" Crystal said. She raised a bag filled to the brim with... well, there were some MREs in it, the rest was picked out of the storage room''s pantry. There were nuts and trail mix and several packets of jerky. "There''s enough snacking material here to last a week, easy."


    "Thank you," Vasilisa said. She slung her backpack on, then shouldered her new rifle. "I''m ready to go."


    "Then let''s," Alice said. She opened the door out of the storeroom, then glanced both ways, though she didn''t truly need to. "We''re returning to where we entered," she said.


    "We''re not going to take that shortcut that Raivis mentioned?" Crystal asked. "The exit closer to the centre?"


    "I''d rather not. Let''s acclimatise ourselves to the Zone rather than push too deep into it all at once," Alice said. "That feels like the wiser course, at the moment."


    "Alright," Crystal said. "We have all the time in the world, and weeks worth of stuff for Vasilisa." She hopped on the spot, causing the pack she was now wearing to clank and shuffle noisily. Alice considered doing something about that, but she decided it could wait for the moment.


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    "This way, then," Alice said. There were deep pits of shadow pooling in the air throughout the corridors, but she had them pull back to make room for her companions to pass. Vasilisa kept close to her, edging away from the shadows and darkened areas.


    She squeaked when a shadow pushed outwards, forming into the shape of the hand trying to press out of it. Alice sighed, and the shadows pulled their captive back in.


    "So, are we killing them all?" Crystal asked.


    "No," Alice said. "I suspect they would have killed us, but... we have the moral imperative."


    They were usually the most powerful people around, with some few exceptions where they had to work together to overcome someone stronger than one of them alone.


    The moral imperative was what they called the... more-or-less ethical actions they took when given the option to do so. It wasn''t exactly a ruleset, though Alice wished they could codify it into something like that. It was, instead, more of a set of guidelines and examples.


    Basically, while all of her friends, and Alice herself, could kill and force their way through any obstacle, this was often... not the morally correct thing to do. Power didn''t come with responsibility. Power came with power, and that was all. The sense of responsibility came from within one''s self, and she tried to abide by that.


    It meant, at times, leaving some people alive that she''d rather not. It meant arresting villains rather than killing them. It meant, back on Earth, that they''d often tackle societal issues from a big picture perspective instead of tossing CEOs and politicians out of windows.


    Some of them were better at that than others. Burning Ultranova had a running policy that said that Nazis didn''t count as humans, and were therefore not offered the same respect.


    In any case, the guards in this place had maybe troubled them a little, but they were hardly deserving of an unceremonious execution via the ever-hungry void, and Alice didn''t have the time or patience to figure out how law enforcement would handle this situation.


    So they were leaving, and they''d be left to their own devices.


    If they were smart, which they seemed to think they were, then they''d take the lesson to heart: Alice and her companions were the bigger fish, and ought to be left alone.


    If she discovered that they were being followed and harassed, then that would be a second strike. Alice rarely let things reach the third-strike phase.


    They ran into Raivis. The man was sweating, his glasses bent, his nose bleeding and his eyes wild. He swallowed on seeing them, then raised a small folder up. "I... I got the maps," he said. "But... please, we weren''t going to harm you, we just needed to... to know."


    "Thank you," Alice said as she took the folder from him. It was a nice folder. Leather bound with a thin strap to keep it closed. Opening it revealed several maps folded up nice and neatly within. "Good enough." She flicked her hand to the side, and Raivis screamed as the walls swallowed him.


    She heard Vasilisa swallow behind her. That was likely due to how quiet the facility had become. Her shadows swallowed the sound as well, dampening it to some degree.


    They reached the entrance they had originally used to enter the facility. Alice paused, listening for any signs of an ambush. Satisfied that they were clear, she motioned for Crystal and Vasilisa to follow her outside.


    The cool air of the Zone hit them like a wave, a stark contrast to the sterile atmosphere of the facility. Alice took a deep breath, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. They were out, but still within that large abandoned factory.


    "Alright," she said, unfolding one of the maps. "We need to find a safe place to rest and plan our next move. The inner Zone is dangerous, but we now have guidance. I want a place to look over these maps from. An apartment, or a clean commercial building. Something with a roof."


    "I''m sure we can find something like that," Crystal said. She turned towards the door into the lab, then with a snap of her finger, covered it in a thick wall of crystal. "And now we have plenty of time!"


    ***

 Chapter Forty-Four - Sense-less

    Chapter Forty-Four - Sense-less


    "This map makes no sense," Alice complained.


    She had the maps taken from Raivis laid out on the ground before her. They were just steps away from the factory, tucked in an alley next to one of its all-brick walls where the wind wouldn''t sweep the pages away.


    "It doesn''t?" Crystal asked. She was holding up a small length of crystal that glowed with a faint, pure-white light that did wonders to illuminate the maps.


    Vasilisa, standing closer to the alley''s exit while keeping an eye out, leaned back a little and looked over the maps herself. Not that she had any hope of understanding them at a glance.


    "Look, this is the factory on this larger map," Alice said as she pointed to a rectangle on the map. "And this is the zone-ward direction." she traced a line towards one corner of the unfolded page. "This area here, between us and the unmapped middle of the zone, is called the City Streets Area."


    The maps were colour-coded for convenience, which was genuinely useful. She had a lot to say about Raivis and his Greenies, not much of it polite at the moment, but they were rather organised.


    "I think I''m following so far," Crystal said. "What''s the issue?"


    "Right, so look at this. There''s a road from the factory to this highway here. If we follow the highway, it''s a straight path all the way into the city we''re aiming for. That seems like the shortest path, and it''s well-documented."


    There were red marks for known anomalies and gridded areas that showed more dangerous spots.


    "So we can just go that way?" Crystal asked.


    "No, look, the path has the range marked out here. How far it is from this intersection to this one here, next to the city." Alice tapped the distance marker. "It says that the road is two kilometres long, then four, then twelve."


    "Huh," Crystal said. "That... kinda doesn''t make sense. At all. Is it an error?"


    Alice shook her head. "No, there''s a notation here. These little letters. I think it''s referencing something, because the same symbols appear on other measurements. Look, here, and here, and here. Always with distance measurements that have changed."


    "What are they referring to?" Vasilisa asked.


    Alice shook her head, then pawed through the pages. "Nothing? Or something that isn''t here. Did you grab a pen and paper while you were taking things?"


    Vasilisa nodded, then fished out a small notepad. She didn''t have a pen, but Alice could make due with a bit of magic. She started to write down each notation on a separate page, then wrote down the distances associated with them. She wasn''t even a third done by the time she noted a pattern.


    "The higher the letter, the shorter the distance," Alice said. "I don''t know what it means, though."


    Crystal leaned over. "Could be time?"


    "Time?" Alice asked.


    "Well, time and distance go together, right? And we''re sure it''s not alternate routes or something?"


    "Nothing indicates that," Alice said. "If we presume that it''s time, then... the distance grows shorter the larger the letter. Are the letters counting down?"


    "How are they ordered?" Crystal asked.


    "Randomly," Alice said. These map had notes written directly onto it. She frowned, then checked through all of the maps again. "Some of these maps have the same notation on the top. Wait, look. This building here, on the side of the route. It has the notation, less than C. And there''s a closer map of that same building here... ah."


    She got it, all of a sudden, though it took a twist of intuition and she wasn''t entirely certain if her guess was correct.


    "Space here doesn''t follow conventional rules. The greater the letter, the more time has passed, I think."


    "One letter a day?" Crystal asked.


    "Could be. I''m not certain about that, but I''m pretty sure higher letters means more time. And more time means that the routes between places are shorter."


    Crystal tilted her head. "Not longer?"


    "No... look, some maps show areas that have notation that show less than and then a letter mark. I think these are areas that disappear after a set time. They''re... folded into the Zone, or locked away, or just inaccessible after a period of time."


    "But there''s a reset, right?" Crystal asked.


    "The Storms," Vasilisa said.


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    Alice glanced at the girl, then nodded. "The storms make sense. We know that they reset some anomalies. We also know that the Zone is supposed to be bigger than it should be." She nodded. "So, assuming that each letter corresponds to a day... it''s been three days since the last storm, right?"


    "I think so?" Crystal said. She counted on her fingers. "We arrived after a storm, got to Pripyat, walked out, slept in the Zone. Then the next day passed in the Zone too. Then the day after we met Vasilisa in the Camp and slept again. So that''s three sleeps. Tonight would be the forth. Soon, I guess."


    It was getting to be late. They had a few hours of sunlight still, but it was definitely approaching evening.


    "So, we''re day... C, I suppose," Alice said. "Which is about middling in terms of distance then. I imagine that the storms don''t all happen at even intervals."


    "I don''t think so," Vasilisa said. "I... think there have been times where it''s more than a week between storms? Wouldn''t you know better?"


    Alice hummed. "We haven''t been around to notice," she said. "So, if that''s the case, then that highway route might not be the fastest way into the centre of the Zone. See, there''s a passage here on the main map that refers back to..."


    She slid some maps aside, then brought one over.


    "This one. The highway turns off into this sub-urb, then that leads into the city. If you check the distances, this is a solid fifty kilometres shorter, only this sub-urb route here is marked as one of those that disappear after... E days. So four or five days post-Storm."


    "So we''d better travel across it quickly?" Crystal asked. "What happens if you''re on one of these roads that disappear when it disappears?"


    "I have no idea," Alice said. "In an ideal world, the road would reappear after the next storm and you''d be none the wiser for the gap in time."


    "Oh, but that''s spooky," Crystal said. "Losing several days like that. Oh! Wait, didn''t we go back a day, to that other factory?"


    "I... believe so, yes," Alice said. "Does that put us back to B days?"


    "Isn''t that good either way? More time to cross," Crystal said.


    Alice nodded, took note of the route they''d have to take, then started to compile the maps back together into a neat stack that she slipped into the file folder they''d come in. "That decides it," she said. "We''ll look at the maps again tonight, but for now we have a good idea of our heading and route and some of the anomalies along the way."


    The map really was invaluable at the moment. She didn''t intend to get caught in any traps if she could avoid them. But just having the map wouldn''t get them anywhere if they didn''t get their steps in.


    Alice took the lead, with Vasilisa right behind her and Crystal in the rear. She had a good memory when it came to maps. Something about seeing two dimensions as three came easily to her, even if she could immediately tell that the maps weren''t entirely accurate.


    The Greenies had likely hired a few architects or the like to help them, but she couldn''t imagine them laying out all of their equipment in a place as dangerous as the Zone just to have perfectly accurate measurements.


    The further into the Zone the maps went, the less accurate they seemed. The maps closest to the centre looked like photocopies taken from someone''s journal, with thin lines still visible on the page and the details laid into the map by a scratchy, uneven hand. She suspected that that one had been taken by a brave scientist far out of their depth.


    She wasn''t looking forward to being that deep into the Zone.


    The group stepped out from the alleyway, making their way through the deserted streets. The air was still, and the only sounds were their footsteps and the distant hum of the Zone. Alice kept her senses sharp, constantly scanning for any signs of danger. She expected that the scientists they''d just angered would be on their trail soon enough.


    They followed the path outlined on the map, moving towards the highway that would lead them into the city. The roads were cracked and overgrown, remnants of a world long abandoned. Strange plants twisted out of the ground, their colours a stark contrast to the grey landscape.


    "We''re on the right track," Alice said, glancing at the map again. "The highway should be just up ahead. After that, we might want to start looking for a place to camp out for the night."


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Thirteen - The Edge

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Thirteen - The Edge


    Vasilisa sat on the edge of an unfamiliar bed and fiddled with the remains of an MRE pack. It was one of the nicer ones they''d grabbed from the scientists, from Raivis'' people.


    She had finished eating a while ago, though somehow, even though it had been a long day, she wasn''t really hungry at all.


    Raivis'' betrayal had been... too expected. She should have known that no one she met out here was going to be friendly. Everyone so far had been trying to kill her, or worse. Which, of course, begged the question, when would the girls turn on her?


    "Hey," Crystal said as she came into the room.


    Alice had, somehow, found an apartment on the upper floor of a nice old block. It was large and spacious, with enough floor room for six normal apartments. It had a kitchen, a living room, a room just for music, and a pair of large bedrooms, including the one she''d taken over.


    She imagined that the previous owner was some sort of musician, because there was a piano in the next room over, and two guitars fixed to the walls. They were all dusty, but then, everything here was dusty.


    "Hi," she replied before leaning down to set her platter on the floor next to her backpack and rifle. "Can I... help you?"


    Crystal hummed, then looked around, obviously searching for a place to sit. When she found none, she waved a hand and... and a small stool appeared from nowhere. It was made of glass, or crystal, like everything the girl made, and came up to her knees. She sat, then she smiled. "Yeah! I just wanted to check up on you, make sure you were feeling okay?"


    "I''m fine," Vasilisa said.


    "We did a lot of walking today, a bit of running. Uh, it''s been a while since I was sore, but I still remember it sucking a bunch. And those big clunky boots of yours can''t be comfy."


    "I''m fine," Vasilisa insisted a little harder.


    Crystal''s smile slipped a little, and she shifted on her stool. "I''m sorry," she said. "Sometimes we''re a little scary, I guess. I was kinda hoping that after everything that happened today, you''d be willing to open up a little more."


    Vasilisa considered it. She really did. Alice and Crystal had been nothing but kind so far, but they... "I really don''t know anything about you," she said.


    Crystal laughed. "I don''t know much about you either, but that''s easy enough to fix, isn''t it?"


    Vasilisa tensed. "What?" she asked. She half-expected Crystal to lean over, leer, and start sucking her memories right out of her head.


    "I meant, we could chat. I''m from New Zealand, I''m... eh, eternally seventeen, but my friends say I have the mind of someone half my age! Uh... I was a horse girl as a kid? Hmm, what else do you wanna know?"


    Vasilisa eyed her, then shifted back on the bed a little, allowing herself to relax. She didn''t feel as if the moment of betrayal was going to be now, in any case. "I don''t know what else I''m supposed to ask about."


    "Hmm, well, small talk usually goes on about the weather, which around here seems like a complicated topic, then family, jobs, friends, school and work... usually in some random order, I think," Crystal said.


    "I see? In that case, ah I guess... how did you meet Alice?" Vasilisa asked.


    Crystal leaned way, way back, and it was only a back appearing on her chair that stopped her from tumbling off. "That was a long time ago. I mean, relatively. It''s kinda weird because I knew Alice long before she knew me. Do you know what a parasocial relationship is?"


    Vasilisa shook her head.


    "It''s when one person knows another person because that person is famous. Like... you probably know some popular musicians, right? You know what they look like, you''ve seen them on TV, you''ve heard them sing and heard interviews. But you don''t really know them."


    Vasilisa nodded along. She had a good idea of what Crystal meant. Maybe not with a musician, but certainly with at least some of the more popular politicians. She''d seen the ads, and could vaguely remember broadcasts and their voices over the radio. "That''s how you knew Alice first?"


    "Yeah!" Crystal nodded with enthusiasm. "Alice is... was, a bit of a huge celebrity back on, uh, back home. The first ever Magical Girl is a big title to carry, you know? And she''s of course very pretty, well-spoken, and from a place that really loves their celebrities."


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    "Is she from western Europe?" Vasilisa asked. "She has an accent, and her skin is darker."


    "Huh? No, she''s from Brazil, way across the Atlantic." Crystal made a gesture, her hand an aeroplane for a moment before she let her arm drop. "Anyway. I met Alice when she was really popular already, and... well, it''s embarrassing, but she''s so much cooler in person than she was even in my head and in all of the shows and interviews I''d seen."


    "Are you... in love with her?" Vasilisa asked.


    Crystal''s cheeks warmed, and she shifted on her stool. "So! My turn to ask a question," she said.


    "I suppose."


    "How are you feeling?" Crystal asked.


    Vasilisa frowned. "Haven''t you asked me that, already?"


    "Yeah, but I was hoping for an honest answer," Crystal said.


    Vasilisa hugged her knees closer and gave Crystal a weak glare. That had been underhanded of her. But... she could reciprocate--the kindness, not the underhandedness that came with it. "I''m really fine. Just... I was expecting the betrayal, you know? The entire time."


    "With Raivis? Really? I didn''t. But I''ve always been terrible at that kind of thing. Too trusting. I guess I''ve always had friends that were the opposite. I bet Alice saw it coming a million miles away. She''s clever like that. If you saw it coming though, why the slump?"


    "I guess because I was hoping that it wouldn''t be the case? I... I don''t know why, but I feel like this isn''t the first betrayal. I mean, I know it isn''t, but it feels like I''ve put my hope on a million people only to be let down over and over again. I don''t know."


    "That... does really suck," Crystal said. "I don''t know what to say to that. I''ve seen a lot of terrible things though, and while I know that pessimism is good, sometimes trusting people isn''t the worst thing? Sometimes people will surprise you by how kind they can be."


    "Maybe," Vasilisa said. "Is it my turn again?"


    "Uh, yeah. But no questions about romance!"


    She smiled. She couldn''t help it. Crystal was... rather silly, but she was amusingly direct and expressive. "Okay," she agreed. "Uh, do you have a job?"


    "Sorta?"


    "Sorta?" she repeated.


    "I''m a Magical Girl. Capital letters, because it''s a title. And I guess it''s also a job."


    "And what kind of job is it?" Vasilisa asked. She wasn''t sure she believed in magic. Then again, she''d seen her share of strange things lately.


    Crystal tilted her head to one side as she thought. It reminded Vasilisa a little of a dog. A golden retriever, maybe? "It''s the kind of job where you protect people, where you fight monsters and take down threats to humanity, to goodness. It''s harder than people would think, and not just because of the explosions and big fights. Sometimes, a lot of times, you need to do what''s right, but knowing what''s good and what''s sorta-good can be hard."


    "And that''s a job?"


    "Well, we were a little more organised back home," Crystal said. "And a lot of our money-money came from stuff like donations and merch sales. Happy Sparkles took care of most of that. She''s really good at convincing people. Also, one of our friends could see into the future, and until it became illegal to do so, she liked trading stocks."


    "That sounds nice. You all worked together then? A bunch of girls?"


    Crystal nodded. "Uh-huh! A bunch of us, working to save the world. It''s the best. Well, the paperwork isn''t, that''s exhausting, and the press stuff too. But it''s worth it to be able to help more people."


    Vasilisa looked away. "I guess I can see that. What''s the point though? Saving people when the world feels like it''s falling apart. I''m just doing this to save my dad... but I''m sure now that I''m... well, I''m not sure that I even have a dad."


    Crystal reached over and gently laid a hand on her knee. "Hey, it''ll be okay. I''m sure you want to move on for a reason. Maybe we''ll figure it out along the way?"


    There was a shift as the door was pushed open and Alice looked in. "You should sleep," she said. "It''s going to be a long day tomorrow."


    ***

 Chapter Forty-Five - Map

    Chapter Forty-Five - Map


    "So, how far are we, according to the map?" Crystal asked.


    Alice looked up. She had the maps set down on a table set in the centre of the apartment she''d found last night. Not all of them, just those she suspected would be necessary for the next leg of their trip.


    "We''re right on the edge of the city. The maps don''t name it, which is a little strange. Just ''the city.'' In any case, we need to cross through it. There''s a main road that cuts more or less straight towards the centre of the Zone."


    "Really? Why hasn''t anyone just used that to get to the middle, then?" Crystal asked.


    "I have no idea," Alice said. "But they''ve used it to map the road out a little."


    The maps had a pretty detailed layout for the main street cutting into the city. The side roads and alleys were far less detailed. Little more than pencilled-in notes and scribbles that gave her a vague idea of where buildings and side routes were located. Deep enough in, however, and even that road became less detailed.


    "I guess we''ll be finding out once we get deep enough in," she said. "There are a few things of note, along the way. But it seems like the road itself is free of any major anomalies. Lots of smaller ones are noted on here, but nothing egregious. If we avoid crashed cars and strange puddles, we should be alright."


    "Cool! We can do that," Crystal said.


    Alice nodded. "How''s Meg--Vasilisa?"


    "She''s not Megan," Crystal said. "She''s her own person, though... barely? We talked a little last night. She''s witty, and has a sense of humour, and she''s not stupid, but... yeah, it really feels like there''s just a surface over nothing. It''s super strange, like talking to a doll."


    "Should we keep her around at all, then?'' Alice asked. "I could... I don''t know, dump her into a shadow then grab her later if... you really don''t like that idea, do you?" The face Crystal was making said it all, she looked like she''d just taken a bite of sour gummy fingers.


    "It''s wrong," was all Crystal said on the matter, and Alice decided to drop it entirely.


    She realized that after so many years of being a magical girl, she sometimes lost touch of things, which may well include her own moral compass at times. Crystal, somehow, kept two feet on the ground.


    Well, maybe not always. She was never the most morally-minded person, and she liked her fun more than most, but when Crystal put her foot down about what she thought was or wasn''t right, Alice found herself having to listen.


    "Okay," Alice said. "We''ll keep her around. She''s not much of a liability as it is, though we are moving slower than we could be."


    Crystal moved onto her feels then swung up onto the balls of her feet. "Well... maybe we can start moving a little faster, then? How do your powers feel? Your magic?"


    "Fine," Alice said. "And yes, that''s an honest fine. The dreamscape around here is still off, but my magic doesn''t seem affected and whatever twinges I had initially are gone. Maybe it was just disuse? Like not using a muscle for a while?"


    "Hmm, okay," Crystal said. "In that case, well, I don''t think we''re trying to be subtle around here, so there''s no harm in letting loose a little?"


    "A little loose?" Alice asked.


    "Let''s not swallow the entire Zone in shadows, or build a super bridge from here to the middle," Crystal said with a pout. "That would ruin the entire fun of exploring with you."


    Alice chuckled. "Fine," she said. This was feeling nice so far. A... rather high-stakes but low energy adventure with a good friend. She glanced up as she felt Vasilisa sitting up in her borrowed bed. "Let me pack things up. Want to get Vasilisa? I''m sure she can eat while we''re walking."


    "Sure thing!" Crystal said before skipping off.


    It didn''t take too long for Vasilisa to show up, ready to head out. The girl looked a little bedraggled, and like the last eight hours of sleep weren''t quite enough, but she was all there, and after wiping her face clean with a towel and some clean water from a bottle, she seemed as ready to go as anyone.


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    She did take a moment to grab some bars from her pack and check over her weapons, ensuring that they were all loaded and ready, but after that, she followed Alice and Crystal out of the apartment complex without issue.


    Alice pointed the way, and they set off.


    It was a rather nice morning, all things considered. A few sparse clouds about, a cool wind from the north, and a pleasant warmth in the air that wasn''t too humid. The perfect weather for a stroll.


    That didn''t mean that the world wasn''t prepared to make trouble for them. As her maps warned, there were a few anomalies in this area. One road, the fastest to travel down, had a strange effect overlaid it. The more they walked down the road, the slower their movement became. Alice insisted that they push through it, but even she started to reconsider when it took five minutes to cross the centre of the road, a space only a few metres across. Once they were past the middle, however, the effect wore off and by the time they were on the other side, things were normal.


    It was one of the less dangerous anomalies around, and it was safer than any of those on the notes she had for other routes. This one had been extensively studied, from what she could tell, and that made sense. It was mostly harmless, far from any route anyone would normally take, and if they could learn to apply what it did elsewhere... well, there was a lot of potential there.


    They made it to the space called the city in short order. The area was filled with apartments. Three to five stories tall, older brick, with more windows boarded up than not. Cars were left abandoned on the sides of the road and it was clear that some buildings had gone up in flames at some point.


    One of them was still burning, and they went the far way around its eternally burning fire.


    "This area''s a little confusing," Alice said as she scanned the space around them. "There''s a vet clinic at the end of this road. We turn left, then left again at a building that''s supposed to be a rentable office space. Then we continue for a while towards a government building. The safest area after that is a tunnel under a few buildings all the way to the far end of this space. Then it''s up and one more block before we''re on the main street I mentioned earlier."


    "Sounds easy enough," Crystal said. "Left left down up... uh, straight?"


    Alice chuckled. "Something like that."


    They almost got sidetracked at the first intersection.


    The veterinarian clinic had a small pet shop below it. Crystal, being Crystal, stuck her head in.


    This part of the city had obviously been evacuated at some point. Alice imagined it was soon after the Zone started. She also imagined that it wasn''t easy for the locals, being this close to the centre and all.


    They hadn''t evacuated the animals.


    Crystal insisted that they take a minute to dig some holes, and while Alice personally thought that it was a waste of time, she didn''t have the heart to stare into Crystal''s watery eyes and say no.


    There was a small park just a block over. A judicious use of magic added a dozen holes to the overgrown lawn and Alice moved the bodies over through her darkness so that they wouldn''t have to touch anything.


    Crystal made a few small tombstones before she allowed them to move on.


    The entire time, Vasilisa seemed to waver between thinking it was just as much of a waste of time as Alice thought, and being very okay with the entire thing.


    Alice couldn''t help but wonder what Meagan would make of this situation. Only... Meagan was likely to use her magics to turn back time to stop the animals from passing away in the first place, so it was hard to tell.


    In any case, she insisted that they keep moving. It might have been a nice, sunny day, but that didn''t mean that they weren''t burning sunlight just standing here.


    "The main road," Alice said. "And then we''re in the true centre of the Zone, and we can put an end to all of this. I... think I''m looking forward to it."


    Crystal nodded. "I think it''ll be good for this world too. Whatever happened here, it wasn''t very good for it."


    ***

 Chapter Forty-Six - Snow

    Chapter Forty-Six - Snow


    It took them the morning to get to the main road. First a few detours, around a street blocked by a large, angry anomaly where the air was rent and shifting and felt like it was straining to hold back a wave of magic that stank of hate, then through a few buildings where they had to knock down walls in order to get through.


    The city being abandoned for so long was turning it into a ruin. In some places nature had taken over, roots cracking cement and trees pushing into the sides of buildings. Moss and lichen covered walls and the interior of any place in those kinds of areas was filled with mould and mildew and mushrooms.


    Other areas were dry. Nothing lived there. There were skeletal remains of people and animals strewn about. Whatever nature was there before the Zone remained, but only as desiccated spectres of their former selves.


    There were bodies of stalkers as well. Men wearing radiation-shielding equipment, others in old army coats with rusting Kalishnikovs by their sides. It looked as through they''d fallen down and simply died, though a little bit of investigation often revealed broken bones, bullet holes punched through their clothes, or skeletons that were warped and misshapen.


    The dead weren''t their only company in this part of the Zone.


    It was only a block or two away from the veterinary clinic that they heard a shuffling from behind them. When they turned, they discovered that they''d been followed.


    Men, in ragtag gear, some with custom, poorly-made, armour. They had guns.


    They demanded, in no uncertain terms, for the girls to drop their weapons, to surrender.


    Alice suspected that Crystal would rather punch them. She suspected this because Crystal walked up to the nearest and punched him.


    The fight that followed was nothing to write home about. Vasilisa took a few shots in their foe''s general direction while diving behind a car''s wreck for cover. Crystal launched herself around, striking men with fists covered in crystalline knuckle dusters, and Alice smothered the rest in their own shadows.


    By the time Vasilisa peeked her head up, the battle, if it could be called that, was over.


    They kept on going. They wouldn''t get through the Zone in anything approaching a reasonable time if they had to stop at every intersection to fight off some ruffians, but the Zone didn''t seem to get that memo.


    It felt almost vindictive in the way that monsters leapt out of the shadows to ambush them, and how zombified once-humans stumbled into their path.


    Alice put them down with ease. It felt nice to flex her magic. The air here was filled with so much ambient magic that it made casting anything quite easy. Perhaps that explained some of the anomalies they encountered? Natural magic, chaotic and wild, only let loose because the magic here was so responsive?


    She didn''t know, and didn''t know how to verify it either. Not that it truly mattered.


    They made it to that government building she''d seen on her map eventually, then it was down into a dingy, poorly-lit bunker of sorts, one that had a long tunnel within. It was thin and narrow, with no real lighting to it.


    Crystal provided some, and Vasilisa cracked a glow-stick for more.


    They marched down the tunnel, feet eventually splashing in still water until it turned and they were suddenly within a metro station. "From here, we take that line to the next station, then up," Alice said.


    "Spooky," Crystal said as she leaned out into the subway tunnel to inspect it.


    Alice reached out and tugged her back just moments before a subway train rushed through. It was on fire, with sparks flying off its wheels. It was also deathly quiet. She could make out people and faces, screaming in terror within the train as it shot past for several long seconds.


    "Uh," Crystal said as she looked where the train had gone.


    "It should be safe now," Alice said. "The map says that it only passes when it''s scheduled to, but it''s usually a little late."


    "How do we know when it''s scheduled to pass?" Crystal asked.


    Alice pointed to a timetable for trains several metres back. It was dusty and grimey, and covered in a fair few doodles, but it was still legible.


    "Oh," Crystal said. "Well, let''s hurry along anyway? I''ve never been run over by a train before, and I''m not sure I want to be."


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    Alice and Crystal hopped down onto the tracks, then Crystal reached up and helped Vasilisa down. Once they were all there, they started down the tunnel. The darkness there was old. Untouched. Even before the Zone had appeared, the dark here had only ever been disturbed by the occasional passing train.


    There was a certain quality to old darkness that she liked. A taste that she didn''t think she could put into words even if she was given a hundred years and every dictionary in the world. It was comfortable, she supposed. This darkness belonged here, had made this place its own, and now Crystal and Vasilisa''s light was bothering it away, but even with that light, the darkness still clung as long, deep shadows on the other side of train tracks and old signage.


    They continued into the tunnel, which was blessedly free of any bothersome anomalies, until they made it to the next metro station.


    This one had collapsed in on itself. Water that was shin-deep filled the passage, and they had to help Vasilisa up when she tripped into it.


    The station had rents above it so large that sunlight poured in freely. The exit was still open, however.


    They moved up and through it, arriving in open sunlight.


    Open sunlight on a snowy day. "Huh," Crystal said as she looked up to a cloudless sky. "It''s snowing."


    Alice sniffed the air. "It smells burnt," she said.


    "Is this really snow?" Vasilisa asked. She scraped her foot across the ground, shifting white dust aside.


    Alice had seen snow a few times in her life, though not all that often. It did snow in Brasil... in the very southern part of the country. She never cared to visit, and when she did see snow it never fascinated her. Cold water wasn''t that interesting.


    "Ew!" Crystal said after craning her neck back and sticking her tongue out. She spat and sputtered. "Not snow," she said before wiping her tongue. "Ash."


    "Ah," Alice said. Perhaps that made more sense.


    Vasilisa turned, dropped her bag, then fetched out a small device from within. It beeped as she turned it on. When she brought it close to a mount of fresh, cold ash, the device started to click wildly, then its clicking turned into a wild, hissing screech.


    "It''s radioactive," she said simply before tugging the collar of her shirt up and over her mouth.


    "Annoying," Alice said. It wouldn''t affect her. She was hardly going to allow her cells to mutate, and the dark swallowed all, including radiation. Crystal, likewise, would be fine.


    She eyed Vasilisa, the frail, very human girl.


    "Annoying," she muttered again.


    They took a moment to allow Vasilisa to put on a mask from her pack. It wasn''t rated for radiation, but it would keep the dust out of her lungs. She tugged her hood up as well, and put on some gloves. The less she exposed herself, the better.


    In any case, they''d made it to the main road. The notes she had showed that no one ever made it past the middle.


    The main road stretched on for a few kilometres. It was lined with small shops, a few grocers, car dealerships and garages, even a small clinic and a barber''s shop. A busy, central kind of space that could have been the middle of any minor city in the world.


    The road was covered in a blanket of ash. It gathered atop signs, it hung off of walls, it clung to billboards and piled up atop cars and before doorways.


    It wasn''t all bad. The ash made some anomalies obvious. They distorted space, and therefore moved the ash around or cleared it away. In other spaces, she could see footsteps and traces of where people had ploughed through the ash to move around.


    "It''s kinda pretty, in a Christmassy kind of way," Crystal said.


    "It''s radioactive ash," Alice replied.


    "It''s sparkly," was her counterpoint.


    "Sparkly and deadly," Alice said.


    Crystal grinned. "Just like me?"


    Alice sniffed in lieu of laughing, but it was a fair point.


    They started ahead, and she made sure to keep an eye on Vasilisa even as the girl''s Geiger counter kept up a steady, rapid tick-ticking behind them.


    She was no expert on radiation and the like, but she imagined that the amount here would be lethal, eventually.


    Which begged the question, why was the centre of the Zone so damnably radioactive to begin with?


    Something wasn''t adding up, and Alice suspected that in a few kilometres, they''d be discovering exactly what.


    ***

 Chapter Forty-Seven - Ashfall

    Chapter Forty-Seven - Ashfall


    As they continued to walk forwards, the ash thickened and lessened. It really was less like snow than she''d initially imagined. It was more like sand.


    She had visited Hypertense Breakpoint''s home in Egypt a few times, at least before the girl moved out of the region and further out into the Sahara where she could be left alone. In either case, the sand there had been annoying to deal with. It was thin and light and tended to slip into homes and cling to clothes.


    As magical girls, they of course had ways around that kind of issue, but it was still present sometimes. The ash here, it was like that sand, only it clung far more.


    Alice sniffed at the air. It smelled at once like an old fire, and metal.


    "The air tastes like copper, iron and that feeling when you''re outside next to a campfire, deep, deep in the night, and the last embers of the fire turn so weak that the fire gives out and all that''s left is a heap of warm coals," Crystal said.


    Alice blinked and eyed Crystal from the corner of her eye. That had sounded rather poetic and, dare she think it, beautiful.


    Crystal had her head tilted way back and her tongue was sticking out so that she could catch some ashy flakes out of the air.


    "I see," Alice said. "It''s strange, as are most things around the Zone. I don''t recall radiation being an issue outside of here, or the ash."


    "I think I--" Vasilisa started to cough. They paused in their walk, and Alice realized just how far back Vasilisa had fallen. It wasn''t that far, just a couple of metres, but it was still worrisome. The girl coughed a couple more times, then took a deep breath through her makeshift face covering. "I think I need a little break? Please?"


    "Sure," Crystal said automatically. She looked around, then pointed to one side where there was a grocers just around the nearest intersection. "Over there?"


    Alice watched Vasilisa nod, then start in that direction. Her boots were shuffling through the ankle-high ash, kicking up a bit of it with every step. The stuff was slowing her down.


    She shared a worried look with Crystal, who stepped up and wrapped an arm around Vasilisa''s shoulder.


    The grocers front was broken in, but some of the glass remained. It opened to a space with three cashier tables and then turned into a much larger room with a few rows of shelving. All empty, or nearly. A few rotten loaves of bread had been left behind, as well as some cleaning things and inedibles.


    They moved back and away from the entrance, and almost as soon as they were around the corner and away from the glaring while of the ash, Alice felt like she had stepped into the shade on a particularly sunny day.


    Crystal helped Vasilisa jump on the spot a couple of times. Each bounce dislodged a small puff of ash that was clinging to her, then they moved in a little deeper, and Vasilisa turned to sit up against a produce counter. "Are you okay?" Crystal asked.


    "Yeah," Vasilisa said. She tugged down the scarf over her mouth. "Just, the ash took my breath away, I think." She coughed a few more times, then spat off to the side.


    "How are you feeling?" Alice asked. She was more clinical about it than Crystal, more firm.


    Vasilisa shrugged. "Fine? I''m fine. Maybe a little queasy? I think those MREs earlier might have been a little bad?"


    "Feeling a little queasy?" Crystal asked.


    "Yeah," Vasilisa said. "Do you think this place has a working washroom?"


    "Probably not working, but it might be usable anyway," Crystal said. She nodded, then moved to the back. She returned a minute later and pointed to the washrooms. "At the back, around the right. No anomalies too, which is nice."


    "Thanks," Vasilisa said. She shucked her pack off them left her rifle behind before moving towards the washroom.


    Alice watched her go, then turned to Crystal. "We''ve been walking through the ash for what, an hour? Two at most?"


    "I guess, yeah," Crystal said. "It feels like the sun isn''t moving."


    "I don''t think it is," Alice said. "And I think the amount of radiation we''re walking through is only going up as we move closer to the centre of the Zone."


    "Oh," Crystal said. "That''s what has Vasilisa sick?"


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    "I think so," Alice said. She frowned and tried to remember what she could about radiation sickness. There wasn''t much. "Can you check her for burns? Around the ankles especially. And her face too, where it''s exposed."


    They both heard it as Vasilisa vomited in the washroom. They both had magical girl hearing, and were used to politely pretending not to hear things from washrooms, but this was different.


    It took a few minutes, but Vasilisa returned, and she looked a little better. More colour to her skin, her eyes more focused. "Should we keep going?" she asked.


    "Sure," Crystal said. "But I think that ash is, uh, not good for you. Let''s wrap you up a little better, yeah?"


    "Sure?" Vasilisa said.


    Crystal smiled and then knelt even as she summoned up a scarf. She wrapped it around one of Vasilisa''s ankles, over her pant legs and boots. Then she checked her other leg. There was a strip of red skin over her boots where a bit of ash had slipped in under her pantleg.


    "Crystal, do you think you can carry her?" Alice asked.


    "Carry me? I can walk."


    "For now," Alice said. "I should have realized there was a problem earlier. I''ll create a barrier as we move on. It''ll make things a little dark, but I think we can manage."


    "Yeah," Crystal said. "Vasilisa weighs nothing, I can give her a piggyback ride, no problem."


    Crystal crouched and placed her hands on her knees. "Hop hop," she said. "I promise I probably won''t drop you!"


    Vasilisa eyed her for a moment. "I can walk," she said.


    Alice folded her arms. "We know. But you''re sick, and we want to move faster. Don''t argue too much and get on the magical girl''s back."


    The girl hesitated, but she picked up her bags all the same and then slung an arm around Crystal''s shoulders. A hop later, and her legs were around Crystal''s waist. "Is it comfy back there?" Crystal asked.


    "It''s fine," Vasilisa said.


    Alice nodded. Good enough, as far as she was concerned. She started to weave a spell before they were even out of the grocers. It was a little tricky to have her darkness be there and yet be unseen, to block some light but not all. Her magic enjoyed being unseen, however, so while it was paradoxical for it to be dark and yet not visible, it wasn''t too far off from how it wanted to act.


    There was no nightmare quite like knowing that the darkness was right there, even if you couldn''t see it with both eyes opened.


    They stepped out of the broken storefront and shadows gathered around her feet before turning into a barrier than enveloped all of them. The glare of the too-white ash wasn''t nearly as strong now. It wasn''t pleasant, still, but it didn''t feel as intrusive.


    Radioactive it might be, but there was something more to it than that.


    They continued, Alice taking the lead and scanning the road ahead. Surprisingly, there were fewer anomalies here, and the deeper they went, the fewer still they encountered. That didn''t meant that there were none. Windows on storefronts showed reflections of a world that wasn''t this one. A dreary one, but active and alive, with cars and people moving about.


    "This street," Vasilisa said after a while. "I recognize it."


    "You do?" Crystal asked. "From before this was the Zone?"


    "No, no this is... this is Pripyat."


    Alice frowned and looked up and down the road. It took a post office for her to see that the girl wasn''t far from the mark. As she started to look for it, she noticed more signage that said they were in Pripyat. Only that shouldn''t have been possible?


    Then they moved past another intersection and there was a large ferris wheel in an open park to the side. It was covered in ash and rusted through in places. Bits of vegetation clung to the lower half of the wheel, but there was some paint left on it still.


    "Well, that''s not supposed to be there," Crystal said.


    "No, it''s not," Alice replied.


    "If we''re in Pripyat again," Vasilisa said. "Then where are we going?"


    "That''s a fantastic question," Alice said. "I think... if we continue this way, we''ll be heading in the general direction of that power plant, won''t we?"


    "Oh oh," Crystal said. "I think I see what you''re getting at, and I''m not sure I like it."


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Fourteen - Nearing the End

    Vasilisa the Brave - Chapter Fourteen - Nearing the End


    She was home, in a sense.


    They were in the streets of Pripyat, the city she''d grown up in, or so her memories said, sometimes. It was a familiar place, a city she knew, only as she looked around now, this place here felt more familiar, more like home.


    Did that make any sense? She was quite sure it didn''t.


    There was no ash in Pripyat, and yet what she saw now felt right. As if the city she''d started her quest in was the funhouse mirror reflection of this truth she saw now.


    Vasilisa closed her eyes and tried to stop her head from swimming so much. She was thirsty. Her mouth tasted like bile.


    She was quite certain that she was dying. The girls didn''t say so outright, but she wasn''t stupid, she could put two and two together.


    High levels of radiation, the sudden sweats, vomiting, and the shakes she had. She was poisoned. Her Geiger counter couldn''t even read the level of radiation. It clicked up to its maximum then fidgeted there. She was pretty sure that it was radioactively hotter than what her machine had as an upper limit.


    She''d turned it off after a while. What was the point of knowing that it was dangerously radioactive?


    Vasilisa opened her eyes, then squinted them shut. It was so bright here. The sun reflecting off of the white ash. It burned to look at directly.


    "I think we''re getting somewhere," Crystal said. She shifted her back a little, and Vasilisa swallowed thickly as she tried not to lose her lunch at the sudden lurch.


    "W-why do you say that?" Vasilisa asked.


    "The magic in the air is thicker," Crystal said.


    "Oh," Vasilisa said. She couldn''t feel anything of the sort, but she supposed that Crystal and Alice might. Alice was doing something with the shadows. She said it was stopping the radiation from reaching them, and Vasilisa supposed that she wasn''t feeling too much worse. "I think... I think I can walk now," she said.


    "Let''s keep you up there, yeah?" Crystal asked. She turned her head a little and smiled up at Vasilisa. "I can barely feel your weight, so no worries, okay?"


    Vasilisa nodded slowly. There was no point in arguing. She was... tired. What time even was it? It felt like it had been noon all day. She wasn''t sure if that was just her perception of time being off, or if things really were... off.


    "Oh," Alice said.


    It was strange, hearing her gasp that way. The dark-skinned girl was usually so stoic and calm that it took Vasilisa off-guard to hear her exclaim anything.


    She blinked and looked up only to find a corpse.


    It was laying on the ground, one hand stretched out as if it had been trying to pull itself forwards.


    It was a girl, dressed in roughed-up Stalker gear. A rusty kalishnikov rested next to her, there was a ripped open backpack as well.


    Her face was desiccated, pale, but her eyes were locked ahead.


    Crystal gestured, and Vasilisa turned her face away as the world brightened. When she looked again, there was nothing but a blackened scar where the body had been.


    It wasn''t the only one.


    A block later they came upon a second. Another girl, this one curled up in a ball in the eve of a shop.


    Then, further in, a third. Again, a girl... probably. She was bundled up in scarves and a thick coat, oversized mittens and big boots.


    It hadn''t saved her. She was on the ground all the same.


    Alice gestured, and that corpse sank into its own shadows. "Radiation poisoning," Alice said simply. "She wasn''t protected enough to resist it."


    They continued to walk. On rare occasions they''d find another body alongside the interminable road. At one point they walked around a bus, and the three of them froze. There were four bodies, sitting in a space that was mostly cleared of ash. It was partially hidden by a few cars that had crashed into each other and others that were pushed closer.


    With the larger bus for cover, it made for a small nook that was protected from the ash.


    Within was a half-barrel, cut down the middle and filled with scraps of wood and ash of the non-radioactive sort.


    Four bodies lay around the fire. All of them girls. They were wearing PPE. Bright yellow suits, rebreathers, full-faced masks. The kind of equipment that Vasilisa immediately imagined people dealing with radiation wearing.


    "They''re from different times," Crystal said in a low whisper.


    Vasilisa squinted. One suit had a skeleton within. The one next to it was far... fresher. The girl next to her was... mummified. The last was the newest. She had a rip on the side of her suit''s hood, a handgun still clutched in her hand. It looked like she''d knelt there, next to the fire, and just...


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    "Can we move on," Vasilisa said.


    "Yeah," Crystal said.


    "What that fool said, about there always being a girl," Alice said. "They spoke as if they always managed to capture her, to kill her before she made it into the Zone."


    "I guess they didn''t always manage it," Crystal said.


    Vasilisa wasn''t sure if she understood. Or maybe it was more that she didn''t want to.


    Alice sighed, and more shadows swallowed the bodies. "Let''s put an end to this, Crystal. I don''t like what I''m seeing here, or its implications."


    "Do you think Meagan is doing this on purpose?" Crystal asked.


    "On purpose? No, but it''s happening anyway. Something is making her magic loop through what feels like a... self-healing process gone wrong? I have a few ideas, but I''m not sure."


    Crystal shifted Vasilisa high up onto her back. "So, she arrives in this world some time ago. Things go really wrong, but her magic is contained to a small area. This Zone. Which I guess is about as big of an area as you''d expect if one of us just... let loose."


    Vasilisa blinked. The Zone was larger than some countries. What did she mean by that, exactly? She knew that these two were powerful, magical maybe. But were they the equivalent of nuclear weapons just ambling around?


    "And her magic, or part of her sleeping consciousness, tries to reset itself. Meagan is very good at that kind of thing," Alice said.


    "Yeah, I remember her regrowing limbs," Crystal said.


    "Exactly. But this is more complex than that. When you found me, I was... out of tune with my own magic. I think, to fix that, you''d need to reset the soul, to some degree." Alice glanced back and looked to Vasilisa, but just for a moment before concentrating on the road once more. "For that, you''d need a template."


    "Is that what I am?" she asked.


    Both girls froze up, but it was Crystal who looked guilty. "Uh, well, that''s kind of reductivist, isn''t it? Calling someone a template feels kind of rude. But... yeah, honestly, your soul is all sorts of strange. The more time I spend around you, the more I''m sure that you''re something Meagan created."


    The words didn''t comfort her. She thought of the girls they had passed¡ªtheir bodies, each a testament to a struggle they hadn''t won. She was walking the same path, wasn''t she? Would they find her in the ash someday, just another failed attempt at fixing a broken world?


    "Don''t," Crystal said suddenly, breaking into her thoughts. "Don''t start thinking like that."


    "Thinking like what?" Vasilisa asked, though she already knew.


    "Like you''re doomed," Crystal said, her voice lighter now, almost teasing. "You''ve got us, remember? We''re not going to let you end up like them."


    Alice didn''t say anything, but the slight dip of her head felt like agreement.


    They kept walking. The air grew thicker, denser with magic¡ªor radiation; Vasilisa couldn''t tell which anymore. The shadows Alice moved around them grew thicker, turning into something almost like a fog.


    They passed more bodies. A girl slumped in the shadow of a car. Another curled beneath a shattered streetlamp.


    "They were all like me," Vasilisa murmured.


    "Not exactly like you," Crystal said. "They didn''t have me for a piggyback ride, for one."


    The road ended.


    Vasilisa almost started. She hadn''t been looking ahead much anymore, her focus mostly on the ground a few steps before Crystal. So when the road stopped and turned to gravel and grass, it was sudden, wrong.


    She looked up, and... there was a power plant. The one not too far from her home.


    It was the Chernobyl power plant, but not as she remembered it from the old photos and videos that lingered in her mind. The massive cooling towers were warped, their concrete shells twisted into spirals that reached hungrily toward the sky. The reactor building itself was encased in a jagged cocoon of obsidian-like material that pulsed faintly, as if alive. Thin tendrils of light arced from its surface, lashing out at the air like lightning searching for ground.


    It was on fire, and a constant plume of blindingly white ash poured out of one of the boxy buildings and up into the sky where storm clouds were gathering.


    "Looks like that''s the true middle," Alice said. "Come on."


    ***

 Chapter Forty-Eight - Time, Fractured or Otherwise

    Chapter Forty-Eight - Time, Fractured or Otherwise


    When her magic pushed into an area, there was always a slight bit of feedback. It would take over the dark, making it her own.


    There were few circumstances where shadows were owned by someone else. Most people didn''t think of their own shadow, and if asked, wouldn''t place much importance on it. It had happened that monsters and powerful entities that they''d fought had claimed ownership of their own shadows, but those were rare and far between.


    And so, to Alice, conquering the shade of a place as she approached it wasn''t something she expected to have contested. It just happened, with minimal effort and no thought.


    Chernobyl was proving different.


    Her control swept ahead, tapping into every shadow, down every dark, unlit corridor, through a basement filled with water up to the waist, and across the entire facility.


    Then her control swept ahead, tapping into every shadow, down every dark, unlit corridor, through a basement filled with water up to the waist, and across the entire facility.


    Alice was walking just a step ahead of Crystal, who still held onto Vasilisa. She stopped, and Crystal almost bumped into her back.


    "Huh?" Crystal asked. "Is everything okay?"


    "I think so, give me a moment," Alice said.


    She extended her power into the facility and--


    She extended her power into the facility and--


    She-- Alice shook her head and cut off her own magic in that direction. It was like cutting off a limb. A sudden, sharp pang of almost-pain that seared through her. Then the limb was replaced by a dozen more, like a hydra investigating the loss of a head.


    "There''s some strange magical effect here," she said.


    "Yeah, I bet," Crystal said. She was looking up, to the floating cooling towers, partially destroyed and hanging out of the air in a way that was quite inappropriate for something caught in an explosion.


    "No, it''s more than that," Alice said. "I... didn''t quite lose control of my magic, except that I did. I think..."


    Alice licked her lips and leaned forwards a little. She didn''t quite push her powers forwards, but she did do her best to push her perception that way. There was nothing that said she needed to control the shadows in order to perceive them.


    And perceive them she did. Shadows across the facility, a few rooms where they were pushed back by bright light, and others where shadows were flickering, but her perception was mostly fine.


    And it saw the shadows moving under the subtle control of magic.


    Her magic.


    It raced across the facility, grabbing hold of every shadow and dark space, then it raced across the facility, grabbing-- a repeating loop.


    "I think I see it," Alice said as she gently pulled her perception back and reopened her eyes. "The place is looping."


    "Through time? I guess that''s not too surprising," Crystal said. "This is where Fractured Time is, right? That''s her whole gimmick."


    Alice wasn''t so sure if mere time looping described Fractured Time''s whole gimmick, but it was certainly a frequently used tool in her magical arsenal.


    "So, the whole building is making your magic loop?" Crystal asked. She frowned, then summoned a round ball of crystal in one hand and flung it out towards the factory. It was an underhanded throw, with someone hanging off her back, but Crystal was a magical girl, and the ball travelled anyway.


    It came down onto the roof of the building. Then reappeared in mid-air and came down again, and again.


    "Neat," Crystal said. "But it can''t just be loops on loops, there''s bits that are stuck in mid-air and they''re not moving. That''s a whole other trick."


    "Right," Alice said. Fractured Time had once sat with Alice and explained how some of her magic worked. It was mostly instinctive when she was moving herself along in time, forwards or back. Slowing time down for herself was the same. But anchoring her magic was tricky.


    Meagan had always been worried that she''d lock something in time, and that being locked in time gave that object a sort of indestructibility. The issue was that time wasn''t a fixed location. She had to ensure that wherever she locked something it was locked in relation to the world around it.


    What would happen if she locked a marble in time and the Earth rolled over a tiny, immovable object? What was the ''true'' anchor of the universe? And how fast was Earth moving in relation to that? Not only in terms of Earth''s rotation, but its movement around the sun and the sun''s movement in relation to the true anchor?


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    An indestructible object the size of a marble moving at nearly the speed of sound was dangerous. Meagan had confessed that her own magic kept her awake at night.


    Fortunately, time travel was a good solution to insomnia.


    "There has to be a way in," Vasilisa said. Her voice was hoarse and quiet, but she sounded quite certain of herself. "It can''t just... be nothing. It can''t be impossible."


    Alice slid her tongue over her teeth as she thought. "Maybe it''s not completely blocked off?" She extended a hand towards the building.


    The shadows around them grew, boiling over before rushing towards the plant. They crashed into the front, and she swept her power back.


    The wave of darkness crashed into the building again, and again, only... not everywhere. The repeated loops of her power pressing up against the building were limited. There was a path, an opening a couple of metres across, where the image of her power pushing ahead didn''t reappear.


    "Neat," Crystal said. "Is it like a maze, then?"


    "I don''t recall Meagan being particularly fond of mazes. Or puzzles," Alice said.


    She stepped up and took the head, Crystal followed her, boots crunching in the ash-covered ground. If she slipped into one of the loops, then she''d pull out of it.


    Sure, it was strong magic, but... well, there were levels to this kind of thing. Water beat fire, but there were no oceans large enough to quench the sun. Likewise, this remainder of Fractured Time''s magic wouldn''t impede her all that much, she suspected.


    The plant wasn''t a singular building, but a collection of them. The entrance was contained by a tall gate structure, a security booth to the side. As they crossed, they arrived in an open space. She pushed her darkness out along the ground, watching as it seemed to almost recoil in places where Fractured Time''s magic was strongest.


    They continued ahead, walking down the main path of the site until the area where the magic was weakest took a turn to the right and into a building.


    There was a girl there. She was wearing silvery, reflective gear, with what looked like an armoured undersuit on. Her head was masked and covered by a thick hood. A gun was strapped to her back, over a pair of oxygen tanks.


    The girl was in the motion of tripping to the side, her eyes going wide before she fell. Then she tripped again. An infinite loop of falling over.


    "Should we..." Crystal said.


    Alice considered it. Would this girl know anything? Enough to help? Would it be worth the time to save one when they were so close to the centre of everything?


    "Leave her," Vasilisa whispered.


    "Oh?" Alice asked.


    "She''s dying. Look at how pale she is. Look at the front of her outfit. That''s blood. She made it this far, but she fell anyway."


    "That''s a little harsh," Crystal said.


    "It''s reality," Vasilisa said. "If we come back, then maybe. But... but I feel like we need to move on. Move in."


    "Well, okay then," Crystal said. "Alice, wanna keep moving?"


    "Sure," Alice said. The interior was old. Walls and office spaces with large computers and decor that looked like it was straight from the seventies. Lots of faux-wood and pitted chrome and the lingering scent of cigarette smoke.


    She led the way deeper into the building, her shadows and darkness brushing past decades of dust and decay. The lights were off, but Crystal soon raised a light and they moved on ahead, bleeding off looping shadow magic to the sides as they went.


    They left the building out of the back, and then walked a few feet over to another, this one far larger, with a small antechamber just within where factory worker suits hung on rusty hooks and where it looked like people had evacuated in a hurry.


    "I think... I think whatever we''re looking for is close," Vasilisa said.


    "Feels like it," Crystal said. "If this is a power plant, then I think this is the building where the... power plant stuff happens."


    "So we''re close. Very close," Alice said. She nodded. "Keep your wits about you. I think we''re about to find Fractured Time."


    ***

 Chapter Forty-Nine - Sarcophagus

    Chapter Forty-Nine - Sarcophagus


    Alice expected to discover Fractured Time at any moment, but instead they kept moving further and further into the bowels of the power plant.


    Long tunnels stretched out before them, filled with ankle-high water, the constant and potent stink of burning metal in the air, and very little light except for what Crystal was providing. Were she the kind of person who could still feel common fears, then maybe she might have been creeped out by the sight.


    It was the kind of place where monsters should have been lurking around every support pillar and where something might have been in the water, waiting to grab an unsuspecting ankle. But she knew better. The monster here wasn''t physical, it was the magic of the place that scared her.


    "This whole place is on the brink," Alice said.


    "It''s... it''s getting tighter," Vasilisa said.


    Alice glanced back. The girl was resting her face in the crook of Crystal''s neck, her words muffled. If it wasn''t so quiet it might have been nothing more than a lost mumble.


    "You feel it too?" Crystal asked.


    Alice didn''t need to stretch her magical senses to know what Vasilisa was talking about. The magic in this place was so strong and potent that it didn''t surprise her in the least that even a non-magical person could sense it.


    It was a smothering blanket, a thick miasma that pushed in from nearly every direction, but most of all from ahead of them. The water below didn''t move, and the air here was stagnant, but it still felt like she was walking into a strong gale.


    "We''re close to something big," Alice said. "Tell us if you start to feel strange."


    She didn''t know what the effects of powerful magic on a normal person might be. Not at this kind of level, at least. Her gaze met Crystal''s, and her fellow magical girl gave her a subtle nod.


    They''d need to speed things up, at least a little. In all honesty, she felt like Vasilisa shouldn''t be here at all, but it was a little too late to turn back and... and something told her that the girl was a key to something.


    She wasn''t sure what.


    Crystal''s story about the place where she herself had been stuck resonated with her, however. If this place was where Fractured Time had crashed, then what was to say that Vasilisa wasn''t the key to whatever tomb had been erected around her?


    They continued. The tunnel had numbers on its sides. First a one near the entrance, then a two, three, and finally, up ahead, a large four, painted on a wall covered in a strange mossy growth in paint that was chipped and broken.


    The tunnel ended, and Alice discovered that the pressure they were walking into suddenly came from the right.


    It was bleeding through a door, as though the obstacle wasn''t there at all and instead they were looking into the rear of an active jet engine. She felt like she was slowly being pushed back, but it was a false feeling. The air didn''t so much as ruffle as she reached over and touched the wheel in the door''s centre.


    It was cold. Almost frozen in place, and rough with the pitted marks of rust. She tugged it to the side, and it did nothing. "Locked tight," she said.


    "Oh no, whatever shall we do?" Crystal asked with a held back laugh.


    Alice refrained from rolling her eyes as she firmed her grip on the wheel, then forced it to turn. There was a loud grinding of metal on metal and something snapped on the other side.


    She pulled the door open, and discovered that whatever was on the other side, it was dryer there. The ankle-deep water rushed by, creating a small stream into the next room over.


    Pulling the door open all the way revealed a small antechamber. Suits hung in long-unused lockers to one side, and there were a few tables with some old paperwork laid out. Maps and safety reminders hung on the walls, and more were being swept across the floor by the expanding puddle of water.


    It didn''t go too far. The little room ended at another door, this one a step higher.


    Alice walked over to it, each step slowing her down ever so slightly. "This is getting frustrating," she muttered.


    "Tell me about it," Crystal said. Atop her back, Vasilisa groaned slightly, and Alice imagined it was worse for the girl who had no resistance to this kind of thing.


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    "Shield her, for a bit," Alice said before she pulled the door open. She was vaguely aware of Crystal projecting a shield behind her, one to protect herself and Vasilisa from the rampant magic in the air.


    The next room was huge. A wide open space designed to hold a fully-functional reactor. It was also, at the moment, ripped apart.


    The centre of the room was more of a crater than anything else, the floor caved in over a machine made of countless metal rods. The walls were blackened and the ceiling blown out and away.


    Smoke rose from the still-burning edges of the ceiling, climbing up into the twisting centre of a storm far above, but Alice barely paid that any mind. Her focus, instead, was on the centre of the room.


    There was a machine there. A colossal thing of hard-edges and rough, unpainted steel. It sat on a small platform, with arm-thick wires snaking out from beneath it. Next to it were several large computer banks, ancient ones, with spinning tapes and wobbling pens scratching onto scrolls of paper.


    The machine, the catwalks around it, the computers, all of them were impossibly untouched by the devastation that marred the room. The metal was new and still factory-polished, the computers still ran as though nothing was amiss.


    The machine had a glass front, and past it, warped by the thick panes of glass, was a familiar young woman.


    Fractured Time was resting within, eyes closed, head locked in place by a vice around her temples, arms loose by her sides.


    She was unclothed, but the sight wasn''t so much obscene as it was disturbing. She was pale, even though the warped glass, with lips tinged blue and sallow cheeks as though she were slowly starving.


    "What the heck," Crystal said as she came up next to Alice.


    "Was I in something similar?" Alice asked.


    "No. You were in a shadowy... cocoon thing, I guess. This looks like it was fabricated by someone." Crystal frowned, then sniffed at the air. "There''s a lot of magic in here. Lots of radiation too, you can taste it."


    "I suppose so," Alice replied. Her gaze fell down slightly. There was a woman on the ground by the machine, crumpled to the floor as if she''d just fallen down and gone to rest. The corpse didn''t seem aged at all. "This is bizarre."


    "Uh-huh," Crystal said. She stepped forwards, then stopped. "Uh... you feeling this?"


    Alice frowned and extended a hand forwards. It almost felt like plunging her arm into ice water. The magic was so thick it was almost physical. Worse, it was a very particular kind of magic. Alice looked about and noticed a few scattered pieces of rebar on the ground. She picked one up with a shadow, then tossed it into the miasma.


    It clunked onto the floor, then rusted away even as she watched it.


    "A time acceleration field," Alice said. "It won''t affect us, I don''t think."


    "Weird that it''s not making the machine fall apart," Crystal said.


    "That is strange, yes," Alice replied absently.


    Carefully, she stepped forwards and pushed through the watery feeling. She was submerged in the magic, and it wanted to eat her time away. A strong push of her will and the magic backed off. This wasn''t a conscious effort on Fractured Time''s part, this was... reflexive? Reflexive, and yet it was very fine, very careful work.


    Alice moved up towards the machine, finally noting that next to the clunky old computer was a far more modern laptop, one that seemed entirely out of place.


    She frowned, but put off inspecting it to first look at the dead woman by Fractured Time''s living sarcophagus.


    A slight push with her foot made her slump back, and Alice felt her heart skip a beat as she saw the woman''s face.


    "Alice?" Crystal asked.


    "It''s nothing," Alice replied. The woman was clutching a notepad, and Alice dipped down to pick it up.


    There was a message written on the front, in the thick writing of someone desperate to have their message read. I will free you no matter what.


    Alice looked from the notepad to the elderly woman. Her face was uncannily similar. The spitting image of an older, more mature Vasilisa.


    ***

 Chapter Fifty - The Time Ward Breaks

    Chapter Fifty - The Time Ward Breaks


    Crystal remained behind to watch over Vasilisa. Their magical shielding around her was wearing out rapidly, even when they put a little more power into it.


    They could secure it better, but then... Alice was wary of all the magic in this space.


    Above, the storm roiled. Its centre was a twisting, writing mess of dark clouds that twitched and moved against the very wind that created them. She could sense the magic pouring out of this place like a haze, slowly filtering into the growing storm.


    Soon, the zone would be washed out in another magical storm, though... perhaps not for another day or so.


    She brought her focus back down. Fractured Time was right there. It would, under ordinary circumstances, be easy for her to rip the container holding her apart, but Alice was worried, and... if she was freed, wouldn''t they be pulled through to the next world along the chain with her?


    This was--even if it meant letting a friend suffer for a minute or two longer--a great opportunity to learn about the people who might be their enemies.


    Alice moved over to the computers and the large device holding Megan in place. It was... strange, technologically speaking. The machine was mostly steel. Thick, curved, covered in heavy-duty bolts. She imagined it was shiny, once.


    She tapped a knuckle against the side and frowned. Stainless steel, maybe? The machine looked... old? She couldn''t quite date it, but the computers nearby used tapes and punch cards. That wasn''t a sign of any great tech.


    Or maybe it was? She supposed that having computers at all was a sign that they were fighting against a sophisticated enemy.


    Alice moved over to the laptop and turned it over. No stickers, no sign on the back of the screen. A bit of dust, and when she inspected the keys, she found that some had their letters worn off. The layout wasn''t one she was familiar with. It wasn''t the usual QWERTY but something else. The letters were English, however.


    Alice tapped the on button but it did nothing. She was tempted to break it open to discover more. This was... what, fifty years ahead of the tape-and-reel computers? How long had humanity taken to go from vacuum-tubes to LCD monitors?


    Things here weren''t matching up, and she suspected that it was more than just Fractured Time''s impact that was causing the discrepancy.


    Usually Meagan''s magic, if left untamed, would age or turn back the time of things around her. It didn''t turn one item into another. And the letters were Latin. They were in a region with a Cyrillic alphabet. It didn''t fit.


    "Crystal, you used a laptop before. Do you know when... laptops started?"


    Crystal blinked at Alice. "Before I was born?"


    "Right," Alice said. "Stupid question. Nevermind." She set the laptop down, then had its own shadow swallow it. If she didn''t forget about it, it could be a good direction to investigate later. The drive might be retrievable, or something.


    She... didn''t know how technology worked very well. It was a deficiency that only got worse when she never really had to personally rely on anything but her own magic and abilities.


    Alice continued to search. There was a large console right next to the machine Megan was in. In fact, the console was part of that machine. There was a CRT monitor in its middle, covered in a fine sheet of dust that she wiped away to reveal green text on a black background.


    Alice squinted at the text. It was all meaningless gibberish. A cypher, then? Or a language she didn''t know? Her magic had always acted as a sort of universal translator. It was actually one of the more powerful, if subtle, abilities that all magical girls had. But it didn''t automatically solve puzzles and figure out cyphers for them.


    The very last line was in plain English, however. Bold, with an underscore for emphasis, and a blinking Y/N next to it.


    <u>OPEN CASKET? - WARNING: REQUIRES LIVING HANDPRINT OF LEVEL FIVE COMMAND</u>


    Alice glanced next to the console''s keyboard. There was a handprint-shaped indentation there, a scanner of sorts.


    She placed her hand on it, and the console beeped, a small red light flashing.


    She flushed a moment later. That was... foolish of her. A glance over her shoulder revealed that Crystal hadn''t noticed. She was too busy looking over Vasilisa who seemed... out of sorts.


    Alice sighed, then looked down.


    The older Vasilisa on the ground, in a sort of lab coat.


    She looked at the palm-reader.


    "Hey, Crystal, bring Vasilisa over," Alice said.


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    "She''s not looking so great," Crystal said.


    Alice frowned. She... didn''t have much when it came to healing abilities. For herself, certainly, but not for others. Crystal might have a few minor tricks up her sleeve, but nothing too strong. They''d always relied on Screaming Bioplague when civilians needed fixing.


    "I think we need her hand," Alice said. "To open the casket."


    "Casket, that''s... what''s the word for dark and gloomy-like?" Crystal asked as she supported Vasilisa with an arm around the back. They both started walking over.


    "Macabre," Alice said. "That''s what this thing said. I think..."


    Alice licked her lips and glanced down at the body again, then the machines, then finally the entire room. The catwalks and such were fixed to the walls by large bolts, there were signs that this installation had been placed here before the room exploded.


    "This is going to be a lot of speculation," Alice began. "But I think that someone captured Fractured Time and either brought her here, to this room, or she appeared here for whatever reason. Maybe they were experimenting with something, or there was a resonance. In any case, they built this setup and someone was monitoring her. The technology here is decades ahead of what we''ve seen outside of the Zone. So I think we''re dealing with part of those responsible for getting us stuck."


    "And old-Vasilisa is part of them?" Crystal asked.


    "Maybe. I''d guess so, yes. I think... she tried to defect? Tried to free Fractured Time somehow. And then something went wrong. The storm started, and the Zone spawned. Megan''s magic went wild and created anomalies, copied this factory, the city, the people within maybe."


    Crystal nodded along. "And then it only got worse. The ash, the storm spreading across the world. I think Megan would have tried to free herself though."


    "Maybe subconsciously," Alice agreed. "She tried to rely on the person that had tried to free her already." Alice gestured to the woman on the ground. "So her magic planted seeds and waited for them to get closer to unlock this thing."


    It fit, in a crooked way. A puzzle piece with a few missing studs that nonetheless fit in its square.


    Alice was pulled out of her moment of introspection as she watched Vasilisa pause before the console. "I... this is it," she said.


    "It?" Crystal asked.


    Vasilisa blinked rapidly, then she reached up and pulled off her mask, tossing it to the side. She was pale, very pale, and her face was marred where her mask had pressed into her skin.


    "I remember this. I think. I... shouldn''t, I know I''ve never been here before, but I remember this place anyway. This machine. That girl." Vasilisa touched her own cheek. She was crying. "We did horrible things."


    "What kind of things?" Crystal asked, her voice soft and low, as if she didn''t want to spook the girl.


    "I can''t remember, but horrible." Vasilisa let out a long, shuddering breath. "Yes. This is what I''m supposed to do. I... I think, once I do this, it''s over."


    "Over?" Alice asked.


    "Everything. Me. The Zone. The Storm. The suffering. I think I... I had to do this, to stop it all." She winced and pressed a hand to the side of her head. "I''m sorry."


    "It''s okay," Crystal said. She reached up and started to rub circles on Vasilisa''s back. "It''s okay."


    Vasilisa smiled then. "I think it''s okay too. I... if I do this, I think things will be better."


    Alice watched, feeling like a bystander, as Vasilisa removed her gloves with shaking hands, then let them drop. She took a deep breath, then pressed her hand over the palm-reader.


    The machine beeped faintly. A green light lit up and flickered, then the CRT monitor clicked and whirled a few times before all of the text scrolled upwards. There were imprints left behind where the text had burned into the screen, but the new lines were still readable.


    SUBJECT FIVE EMERGENCY RELEASE ACTIVATED.


    EVACUATE SITE.


    CONTACT BASTION.


    ...


    THE TIME WARD IS BROKEN.


    There was a loud, sibilant hiss.


    The casket''s sides cracked open. The form of Fractured Time within slumped slightly as some of the restraints holding her in place loosened.


    Fractured Time laid there, unmoving.


    Alice felt her heart squeeze in her chest. No, it couldn''t be...


    But then there came a breath.


    The storm above churned, lightning racing through the clouds. The oppressive magic in the room shifted.


    "Quick!" Crystal said. She reached out, grabbed Alice by one hand and touched Megan with her other.


    "Goodbye," Vasilisa said.


    And then time snapped.


    ***

 Vasilisa the Brave - Epilogue

    Vasilisa the Brave - Epilogue


    She was named by her grandmother.


    That woman had been good to her, to everyone. Tough as nails, but with a heart of burnished gold. She believed in fairytales and magic, and on seeing a new baby girl in the family, she decided that her name would be Vasilisa, and she would be brave.


    And brave she was. Too much so, maybe.


    When she grew, she found that others were sometimes in the wrong. She never shied away from pointing it out. It got her in trouble, but she was smart, clever even.


    She had a knack for physics, for the science that would allow one to peek under the curtains of the world, and her grandmother had gifted her with a good work ethic. Vasilisa rose in prominence, achieving much in a short while... until her bravery hit a wall.


    She discovered errors. Exceptions in the rules that all believed to be true and sacrosanct. Pointing these out was a cardinal sin, and yet she was brave. It earned her scorn. Her papers were turned down. Her research was left unfunded.


    That was fine. She knew that she would uncover the truth one day.


    And so the opportunity came. They didn''t quite have a name, but they did see her potential. They told her that she could do good, that she could uncover the truth, that she could help.


    The flattery worked.


    At first her job was simple. Researching known truths, running experiments that had been done before to see results that were known.


    The machines they had were better than any at the universities. Years, decades, ahead, but still not so farfetched. Questions outside of her remit were strongly discouraged.


    Eventually, however, new things were introduced. Items that were... abnormal, that defied the laws, that broke the patterns.


    They weren''t magic, because that was impossible, but they were definitely something outside of the ordinary.


    More items came. Some of them seemed ordinary, others were extraordinary. She catalogued, studied, and learned what she could, but... there was more.


    On visiting her ailing grandmother one day, one of the few times away from the lab, she heard the aged woman mutter of magic and fairytales. The last delusional speak of a woman whose brain had aged past senility.


    It hurt her, to see the woman pass.


    But she was brave. Brave enough to try the impossible.


    Magic was real. Or perhaps it was something beyond mere physics. The experiment was done in secret, but when it came out, she expected ridicule and consternation.


    They rewarded her instead. A loftier position, more staff, assistants, greater and more complex projects. They lauded her as brave and as a free thinker, as someone who would help them save humanity one day.


    She didn''t pretend to understand it all.


    The deeper she dug, the more delusion she found amongst those around her. The truth was closely guarded by people above the people above her.


    It didn''t matter. Her work forged ahead. She wrote laws and found exceptions. It was a new field that needed to be mapped out in its entirety.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    She became the map-maker, and she was good at it. The praise continued to come in, even when it took her longer than expected to uncover the mechanisms of this non-magic.They were patient.


    One day, Vasilisa looked at herself in a mirror and realized that she was aged. She was as old now as her grandmother had once been. Her legacy was a treasure trove of half-uncovered secrets for the next generation to uncover.


    She was old enough to be told some of the secrets that they kept. Old and trusted enough.


    Magic was real, but it was in the hands of uncontrollable, dangerous creatures. And one of these had been captured.


    She was excited to see it.


    She didn''t expect a girl.


    She looked like a child, stuck in a sarcophagus of iron and glass, plugged into a dozen machines. The readings were incredible. There was no doubt that this child was... something special.


    Vasilisa watched. She studied. She worked on the machines. She grew close to her subject even as she tried to uncover the strange way physics bent around the girl.


    Then the dreams started, the glimpses in shadows, the mornings where she woke up and was very much certain that she''d lived the current day before.


    Vasilisa wanted to do the right thing.


    That would mean being brave.


    And she was brave.


    She unlocked the right things, she set things up just-so. It was all a breeze. So easy. It felt like she was floating along on a cloud as she sent employees away, gave breaks to those that would otherwise be the most suspicious, and promoted some so that they''d be out of her hair.


    She started to unlock the sacraphagus.


    And then they betrayed her. She died. But she had something to accomplish. She had made a promise. She had sworn.


    And so a girl awoke out by the edge of the Zone and started to make her way in.


    By the boundary of the Zone, a girl awoke and set her sights on venturing deeper.


    And a girl was jostled awake on the edge of the Zone and walked towards the centre.


    On the threshold of the Zone, a girl was roused and wandered toward its core.


    Awoken by the murmur of the Zone, a girl rose and ventured into its shadowed depths.


    Vasilisa watched as Alice and Crystal were sucked up and away by a spinning torrent of magic. The air recoiled and twisted. She felt her bones bend and her eyes bleed. The Zone snapped. Time paused.


    For a moment she was herself. Dying over and over again, on a quest that would never end.


    And then she was falling. The Zone was a crater now. A hole so large, so wide, that its edges were barely visible from its middle.


    She fell, but her crash was whisper-soft, gentle.


    Vasilisa sat up. She felt fine.


    Her hands were that of a young woman. Younger than she had been. Older than she had been.


    Water started to gently fill the bottom of the crater from fresh rivulettes coming down from above, but for the moment...


    For the moment, it was just her, in the middle, alone.


    She had done it.


    ***