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."

***