Rep. Tosh (Nanaimo District): “There’s no evidence at all that these so-called magical girls are anything special before the Sanctuary selects them. There’s also no evidence that they’re not anything special. In fact, the total information blackout on just who, exactly, our protectors are is the most important reason to pass this legislation.
“In all our history, both the United States and Canada have had a firm grasp on just who those serving in our military are. That’s no different for Haven’s militia, its police, or its enlisted defenders. We have detailed records of every single government employee, citizen or not, who joins the fight against these machines. So why, exactly, can’t we have those records for our most important soldiers?”
M.G. Autumn Ashes: Because the last time Sanctuary/Haven Operatives Control and Knowledge Support made any of that information available, even to representatives of the government, Ebon Ring faced constant paparazzi outside of uniform as well as thirty-two separate stalkers before people learned to give her some space. Through excessive violence. We’re not in the business of hurting people, Representative, but enough was enough.
Equally importantly, SHOCKS and Sanctuary simply don’t want to share that information, and you can’t force us to. SHOCKS will not be sharing information on Kill-obyte, no matter what you claim she did. Nor will it share information on me, or any other Magical Girl.
Thank you for your time, Representative.
* Excerpt from Haven Congressional debate on M.G. Identification Act, 2041
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Chapter Seven
The shelter door was a high-tech island in the otherwise bland concrete basement, something built by the Sanctuary, not a construction company. Blueish steel doors covered in rivets opened into an airlock as we approached and cameras whirred to life to point at us. We stepped inside, and the outside doors slid shut with a bang.
“Attention survivors! Prepare to be scanned. Any Emergence in the airlock will result in airlock purification.” The vaguely staticky recording echoing through the room made me jump. The room filled with a buzzing sound almost immediately.
“The scan is fairly in-depth, and uses subsonic frequencies as well as some other sounds to map the room. Anything that’s not correct gets a -” James stopped as a laser grid jumped up around Overclock. “- that. Her missing arm was incorrect enough to bump the scan to stage two. It won’t hurt her, it’s just a double check.”
“Hey, kid. When we get inside, let me do the talking. Just stay quiet and scared.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why?” I shifted my weight and hissed as a wave of pain hit me. “Are you sure I don’t want to easy-cheese this?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it, Alice. Overclock will explain.”
The Magical Girl shook her head. “Nope. That wound is your way to avoid the hard part of the job for a bit. I’m technically a First Lieutenant, with a promotion to Captain at Level 20. You’re a Second Lieutenant. When we get in there, any civilians will fawn all over me, but the security guys are gonna look for directions from us. I’m just a bit hurt, and you’ve obviously got some damage, so we can get to the medical wing, but they’ll send someone to question me about what’s happening outside. If you’re a Magical Girl too, you’ll be part of that mess. You need solitude to process, and besides, James will have plenty for you to do.”
“Indeed I will, Alice. You have so much to work out for yourself. We’ll need to look into your Perk and your Mana Surge, and you’ll need to build an alias and, most importantly, your starting outfit! There’s a lot you’re missing that SHOCKS would have taught you, and I’ll need some time to cover the very basics.”
What kind of Magical Girl did I want to be, anyways? Sora and I had always imagined us as a duo, Pink and Red. She’d be the Striker, and I’d keep her alive as we fought through swarms of Macks. But now that it was happening, that just didn’t feel like…me.
“Will I be able to tell Sora about who I am? Will I even know who I am?” I shivered and started talking faster. “Overclock has to be a different person than who you are when you’re not a Magical Girl, right? Can I still be Alice? Do I get to go home? I do get to go home, right?”
Overclock moved over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “None of us know who we are at 16 or 17, kid. I don’t. I live in Mill Bay, though. Building M3, 23rd floor, above the commerce district. Mom’s a hairstylist, Dad’s a construction worker. I’m home three days a week for school - and I’m just a normal girl then. Below average grades, but I’m squeaking by. No sports since I enrolled - mana is cheating, James told me. The other four, I’m at SHOCKS. My parents know, so you can tell other people - just make sure you can trust them. The blazer and skirt is a lot of responsibility, but it isn’t everything in a Magical Girl’s life.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m in Duncan Towers. Building F3, 12th floor. When this is over, come over and visit? Both of you? Someone’s going to have to tell Dad, and I don’t think I can.”
“I’ll think about it,” Overclock said.
“Your vitals are showing a stress spike and adrenaline-related fatigue in addition to exhaustion from traumatic experiences. We should table this discussion until we’re inside the shelter. I will help you figure out what being a Magical Girl is all about, and I will help you process what’s happened today,” James said. His voice was calm, almost relaxed. In the meantime, you should focus on looking scared and confused until we’re in a private setting.”
After nearly five minutes of scanning, the intercom beeped once. “Attention survivors! The door will now open! Guards will escort you inside. Do not make any aggressive moves.”
The inside door slid open. Inside, a pair of guards holding oversized rifles with big, underslung barrels stared at us. The first, a blond man who looked like he spent more time at the gym than anyone should, brought up his rifle, pointing it at the ceiling and spoke into his radio. “It’s Overclock and one of the kids. They’re in a bad way, get some stretchers!”
“Now the hard part starts,” Overclock whispered to me. She smiled and looked at the guard’s name badge. “Thank you, Officer Brands. The student and I both have some injuries that need to be looked at. Do you have a medical wing in here, or a private room? My arm’s a lost cause until I’m back at SHOCKS, but Alice here could use treatment and I’m out of mana. She’ll be staying with me until I have to head out again. Once we have some privacy, please send whoever’s in charge to come talk with us. ”
Officer Brands saluted, avoiding staring too long at Overclock’s missing arm. “Of course, Miss. We’ll keep the survivors away so you can take care of yourself a bit, and I’ll send Sergeant Loewen to medical, as well as a medic. The school nurse wasn’t in today, so we don’t have a doctor.”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Mrs. Stirling wasn’t much of a nurse, so I was probably in better hands with a police medic than I’d have been with her.
The stretchers - ambulance stretchers with the folding wheels and suspension - came, pushed by a pair of guards. Overclock let Officer Brands help her on the first one, while another guard got me onto mine. As she pushed me, the guard talked. “Hello there. I know it’s been a lot out there, but you’re safe in here now. I’m Officer Chen, West End School Security. I don’t know you, so you must not have been in too much trouble around campus, huh?”
I teared up, feeling the stress bleeding off. I felt so tired. “I’m…Alice. I got stuck outside during the ceremony.” I laid back and looked up at Chen. She wore the light blue shirt and black armored vest that Haven’s police used as a uniform, and a short gun with a long curved bit underneath hung from a strap. Her black hair was short enough to be almost totally covered by the military-style cap on her head, and her brown eyes glanced at me with concern.
“It’s good to meet you, Alice. I’ll be your medic until we can get you to a proper hospital. The Lieutenant will probably come in to talk with Overclock, but you should just fall asleep. From what we gather, outside is looking pretty bad, so what you must’ve gone through…I can’t imagine. I’ll give you something to help calm you down so you can rest.”
I shook my head no. There was too much to do. I had to explore my status screen. James was going to help me figure out what kind of Magical Girl I was supposed to be. I was supposed to…design an outfit? How did that even work?
Officer Chen leaned pushed me into a room behind Overclock’s stretcher and helped me onto a hospital bed. “You can call me Megan if you feel more comfortable with first names. We can keep you here for a while, if you’d rather not rejoin the other students yet.”
“I think I want to stay here, but do you know if Sora Ito is in the shelter? She was graduating today, we’re best friends and I’m worried about her. And Robert Pendleton? He’s my dad”
Something flashed across her face. She rubbed an alcohol pad on my arm, just above my wrist. “I’ll check for you, but not everyone made it here. There may be some people holed up in classrooms or around the building. We don’t have the firepower to get out there with the Macks, so we’ve been protecting what we have. This may sting a bit, but you’ll feel better soon, I promise.” She glanced at Overclock, who was watching from her bed.
“Yeah, do it. She’ll thank you later.”
Before I could ask what Overclock was talking about, I felt a stab as Megan poked a needle into my arm. “I’ll check up with you tomorrow, Alice,” she said, and connected the needle to a tube. Cool flowed through my veins, and I felt myself getting even more tired and panicking at the same time. My vision swam. My eyes followed the tube at the end of the IV to a bag that read EZSleepnHeal, by CalWestTech. I’d been drugged. By Overclock and Officer Chen.
“Miss Overclock, Second Lieutenant Sharpe. I was at my daughter’s graduation, and as the highest ranking security or military here, I took over…” The man’s deep staccato voice faded to silence as I blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake.
Mission Complete: Save Overclock
Congratulations, Maiden Voyage! To redeem your mission rewards, consult your Operator. For complete instructions, consult your copy of System Savvy: A Guide to the Sanctuary System, by MetaMolly.
“We’ll deal with that tomorrow! Good night, Alice,” James’s voice was the last thing I heard before sleep took me.
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West End High School Emergence Shelter, Medical Wing
Overclock half-opened an eye, looking over to the bed next to her. Maiden Voyage - no, Alice, the girl wasn’t ready for any of this - snored. It wasn’t a cute movie snore, either. Still, the other girl was asleep. The Lieutenant and the other security officers had left after Overclock made it clear she needed rest, too. It was time.
The stocky girl flipped her blanket off, wincing at her empty pajama sleeve, and slid out of bed. She tiptoed to Alice’s side, pulled open the sleeping girl’s drive port, and pulled out the chip. She quickly walked to the other side of the room and shoved the chip into her own port. Under her breath, her throat moving but no air coming out, she subvocalized.
“James, no one here knows anything. What’s happening?”
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice, Oli - er, Overclock.”
“Just tell me what’s happening. I can’t even get in touch with the rest of the team without you. This shelter is beyond bare-bones, there’s nothing to do, and my arm itches. Humor me, here.”
“One sec…” James’s accent shifted from the Oxford into the Cali Surfer, and Overclock smiled. She’d always liked that accent. “Kay, here’s what’s happening. Two hours ago, Haven took over ninety separate Emergences. The one at West End High just happened to be on the small side, so no help got tossed your way. No one’s sure why the alert system was so slow to catch on, but every MG in the city got drafted into this one.”
“Where’s ResCute?” Overclock sat on the edge of her bed.
“Downtown Victoria. They’re helping Palace Athene with a Type 38. Big, nasty Class Four, lots of Class Threes, you know how it is.”
“I should be there.”
“No, bruh, you shouldn’t.” Overclock glared at nothing as James continued. “Here’s your status.”
Basics
Name: Daniels, Olivia (Overclock)
Level: 17
Class: 4D Chessmaster
Color: Yellow
Mana: 15/40
HP: 11/(32) 130
Statistics
Str: 16
Agi: 12
Vit: 24
Will: 8
Soul: 19
Points: 0
Sigils: 3
Rank: 8
Skills
Perk: Rock of Ages
Mana Surge: Overclock
Spells: Rewind 1/3, Accelerate 1/3, Time Bomb 2/3
Operator: None
“I…” Overclock closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and scowled, “...shit. They even reassigned you to her, huh? I’m out of this one, then?”
“Yeh, tough girl, you are. Sorry. The school is Alice’s responsibility until a team can break away. She’ll need your advice, but you’re out of the fight unless the shelter gets hit. She’s going to get a wake up call in about five hours if she’s not up before then. Then a basic training speed run. After that, it’s ‘go time’ for her, so be ready to give her everything you got.”
“I see.” Overclock blinked away the status and looked back at the sleeping girl. “I guess this is goodbye, Jimmy.”
“Jimmy, huh? No one’s called me that in a while.” Overclock could almost hear the sad smile on the other end. “I’ll see you when all this is over, Olivia.”
Olivia Daniels pulled the chip out and, carefully, put it back into Alice’s head. She tiptoed back to her bed and lay down, back to the other girl. Before she got to sleep, her pillow was soaked with tears.
Just before she’d unplugged him, Jimmy’s accent shifted back to Oxford.