There was a man sitting in a dark room, with a single window from which little light found its way. The occasional flash of lightning was the only source of illumination in that space.

A knock came at the door. Confident. Respectful.

The man grunted. “What?”

The door creaked open, the old, warped wood struggling against its misshapen frame. A woman peeked her head into the dark room, finally settling on the eyepatched man.

“Doctor, we have volunteers for the programme.” She said.

“Fine.” The man replied.

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“What shall we start with?”

The doctor’s wooden chair groaned as he shifted his weight, sitting upright.

“Start with the chain of command tests. This is not an order. You know what to do. Report to me once it’s done.”

“Understood. We’ll start with investigations on the issuance of commands to injure.”

“Good. Is there anything else?”

“Only that there’s talk of houses magically being moved great distances. It may be The Twins. It seems that they are aiding some thieves.”

“Aiding thieves… abusing the fact that when one’s possessions are so far removed from their consciousness, they become ‘lost’, so the Law of Fairness doesn’t pay its retribution. Clever. Too clever. That wouldn’t be the work of simple thieves. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Since you ask, I do agree. Given the timeframe, such limit testing is characteristic of our methods. It wouldn’t be a reach to assume that The Twins themselves are the masterminds.”

“Good. Keep an ear out for those rumours. We may want to contact little Anya and Marie later.”