Most post-6th-grade schools in Haven cost tens of thousands of credits a month and have waiting lists a kilometer long. If you get past high school and want something more specialized, it only gets worse. University for those who aren’t ultra-wealthy is all about scholarships - a twenty-million credit debt on graduation isn’t uncommon at all. But even with those prices, there are thousands more applicants than seats in a classroom. No universities in bastion megacities have to do any recruiting.
There’s only one academy in Haven that recruits, and there aren’t any extracurriculars or sports that increase your chances; SHOCKS, or Sanctuary/Haven Operative Control and Knowledge School. SHOCKS is where the Magical Girls go, and where their Operators go to learn to work with them. It's elite, and no amount of money can buy admission. We got escorted access to their campus, and this is what we saw.
* Kate Elton, Interview on Education for HavenTV, Channel 36, 2041
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Chapter 4
The boy didn’t reply for a few seconds as my vision swam back into focus. I had time to read some of the graffiti on the bathroom stall next to Overclock. “Beware of limbo dancers,” it said, with an arrow pointing to the gap between the stall door and floor.
I giggled, and soon, a manic laugh built up inside me. I held a filthy hand over my mouth to hold it back, but it couldn’t be stopped. The whole thing was ridiculous! The Macks had probably killed my dad and best friend. I was two hundred yards and one flight of stairs from a shelter, and the magical girl who was supposed to protect me was going to die in my arms. Some boy sitting in a call center wasn’t going to save me!
“Alright, let’s get you some help.” Or maybe he was. My laughter cut off with a squeak.
“My name is James, and I’m Overclock’s Operator. Reading your augs, I see you’re Alice Pendleton, age 17? A student at the high school Overclock was giving the keynote at? Is that correct?”
I nodded quickly before realizing that James probably couldn’t see me. “Y-yes.” That one word set off a stream of consciousness rambling. “She froze everything, then she got flung through the wall, and my nose is broken and I cut my hands running from a Mack! Then I found her, and she helped with my hands and gave me her knife. Then we had to run away, and I think I brought the Type Four that she had to stop with her power! She said she’d probably hurt herself if she had to save me again, and then she had to save me again, and I think I killed her!”
“Take a deep breath and listen. My last readings from Overclock’s augs showed she had about six minutes before she passed the point of no return. What’s left of her mana is trying to help and slowing the bleeding down. That’s more than enough time for you to save her, but you have to listen to me.” I heard fast typing through James’s microphone as he continued. “First, do you have anything heavy and absorbent you can use to staunch her bleeding?”
I pulled off my filth-covered graduation gown. The dark school blazer below it wasn’t too dirty, so I pulled that off too. “Yes. My school jacket.”
“That’ll work. Now, you’re going to shove as much of it as you can into Overclock’s wound. Try to find the spot where the blood is coming from, and don’t stop shoving until you can’t get any more in there. Then hold it tight. It’ll be messy. Four and a half minutes. Plenty of time.”
I followed his directions, pushing shattered bones out of the way. Her muscles and whatever else was in there squished as I shoved the jacket’s cloth into her shoulder, then pushed her to the ground so I could put as much pressure on as possible. “Done. W-what do I do now?”
“You are doing a great job, Alice.” James’s voice shifted into an Oxford accent, but one with a lot of mistakes and slip-ups. I suppressed another giggle as best I could. “Next, we’re going to actually save her. First, we need to talk about what I have to ask of you.
“There’s only one way you’re both going to make it to that shelter. As an Operator with the Sanctuary/Haven Operative Control and Knowledge School, I can perform an ‘extraordinary circumstances’ enrollment for our Magical Girl program. Once enrolled, you would have the power to save Overclock’s life.”
Becoming a Magical Girl? That…that was too much. I couldn’t. I wasn’t cut from the same cloth as Overclock. Or Pixie Punch, or even Sunburst. I wasn’t a fighter. “J-James, there’s some sort of mistake. There has to be. I can’t be a Magical Girl. I’m not a hero, and I’ve never felt any sort of mana in my life. There has to be someone else, or some other way.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Au contraire, I’ve been watching your interactions with Overclock, and I believe you meet the requirements wonderfully. When the Type Four attacked in the hall, you ran toward the danger to save Overclock’s life. You fought back against an Emergence event with no tools at your disposal. And when an MG near you used their power, rather than panic or stare in amazement, you did the right thing intuitively. That the right thing hurt Overclock afterward is no fault of your own.
“Now, there are a few conditions you need to accept before we can enroll you. First, in order to become a Magical Girl, you have to pledge to save lives whenever you can, to keep humanity’s best interests at heart, and to fight against the Emergence machines no matter the circumstances you find yourself in. Can you do that?”
I thought for a moment as Overclock’s blood slowly soaked through my blazer and onto my hands. Not letting her die? That was an easy choice to make. But could I live the rest of my life fighting to save people? The moment passed. “I…I think I can.”
“This is not the time for indecision, Alice. I need to hear a yes or no in order to enroll you.”
“I…yes. I can do it.” What was I getting myself into?
“Very good! Next, Magical Girls carry some celebrity, as you are no doubt aware. With that celebrity comes responsibility. You must use your status as one of Haven’s icons to inspire hope in the population, not fear. If you accept, there will be plenty of time to figure out what that inspiration means for your specific case.” James’s Oxford accent was almost impeccable by now.
“Okay, yes. As long as it’s not dancing and concerts all the time.” I laughed, nervously, an edge of hysterics to it.
James laughed as well, but only a short, polite one. “Actually, most girls avoid that kind of limelight, Alice. However, it is very effective at raising one’s profile. You might consider it.
“Last, and least disruptive to your life; in order to become a Magical Girl, some, ah, organ replacement will be necessary. Specifically, we’ll have to replace your tonsils, one kidney, and your appendix in order to house mana production, dispersal, and control organs. The Sanctuary takes care of that process remotely, but I’ve heard it’s quite painful for a few moments. Unfortunately, we won’t have time for pain relief if we want to save Overclock’s life.”
I nodded slowly.
“I need a verbal confirmation, Alice.”
“Okay, James. Okay, I’ll do it. If it’ll save Overclock’s life, then yes.”
“Excellent.” The Oxford accent slipped for a moment. “Very good. Now, please lie on your side with one arm out below your head, one on Overclock’s wound to keep pressure up, and your legs curled. I recommend keeping your tongue away from your teeth, although we’ll patch up any bites when we’re done!”
I lay down as James suggested, my right arm soaked from holding Overclock’s wound closed. “Okay, James. What happens next? And how does this help - ”
Before I had time to finish, fire rushed up in my stomach and throat, and I screamed until my hearing augs shut off. Pain and darkness were everything, until even that was gone, replaced with a calm, white stillness.
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SHOCKS Headquarters, Advent Orbital Platform Sanctuary Communications Floor Two
James sat in his gaming chair and fiddled with his turtleneck jacket’s zipper. He’d muted his audio feed from Alice as soon as she’d confirmed she was in the recovery position and initialized the organ transfer. He wasn’t going to make that mistake again, not after how loud Overclock’s screams had been. When the screaming stopped, he unmuted and, without activating his mic, counted down from ten. “...one. Rebooting augments. Initializing mana production. Checking vitals. All within tolerances.”
He flicked that annoying strand of brown hair off his glasses, touched the button on his mic, and started talking. “Alice. You need to wake up. Overclock needs you, and so will your friends.” He leaned back in his chair and spun as he waited for a response.
The Advent Orbital Platform Sanctuary’s communication superstructure, three decks high, towered above the flat upper surface of the rest of the platform. Dozens of Operators, all boys between 14 and 20ish, sat in chairs just like James’s, each tucked into their own cubicles, each talking over a wireless headset. Computer screens flickered and flashed as Magical Girls called in purchases and Operators filled them, new hotspots filled maps of Vancouver Island with dots of red and orange, and Operators got new directions and recommendations for their Girls. No one was just sitting around. No one was even chatting with their Girls. Every Magical Girl in Haven was assigned, and every Operator was working full speed to keep up.
Alone of all the boys on the second deck, James had nothing to do. And he hated it.
He spun his chair again, facing his computer. The pink, purple, orange, and yellow bobbleheads of Team ResCute on his desk stared at him, all four oversized anime heads accusing him of inaction, and he flicked Sunburst’s chin. “It’s not my fault, you know? Overclock is out for the duration, and the new girl hasn’t awoken yet,” he muttered at the statue as it nodded furiously at him. “There’s nothing I can do but wait.”
James queued his mic again. “Alice. Wake up, now. Time’s a-wastin’!” He booted up the medical supplies menu. After all, inaction didn’t suit him, and there was shopping to be done!