Sonya barged into the chamber. Like a principal’s office in a school, a desk twice fold as large as its intended purpose separated the room in two. Pavel sat behind the table, his brutish bulk of muscle and fat juxtaposed the monocle that ordained his abnormally smooth face.

“I’m sorry Dick, it seems like someone has decided to interrupt our meeting today,” Pavel said before flashing a frown at her.

She returned the look with an ‘oh well’ ditsy smile. Pavel’s brows threatened to climb over his sunken eyes.

“Meetin’ done anyway,” drawled Dick as he stood to shake Pavel’s hand.

Sonya curtsied, “Hey Dick. How’s it hanging?”

Dick tipped his hat, “Like a willow’s branch on a humid summer’s day.”

Sonya scooted by him to sit on the back of the chair. This succeeded in her goal of eliciting outraged scoffs from Pavel behind her. “What they got you doing today?”

His packed-like-sardines mustache danced on his upper lip, “Got me fixin’ a P.I.P mission. Somethin’ fouls in the sewer’s scaring the heebie-jeebies out of them workers.”

“Pavel’s has you in the sewers?” Sonya turned to glare at Pavel’s blank face before returning to Dick “Isn’t little Benny’s commencement tonight?”

Dick grimaced, “I know, and I’ll be there. Jus’ need one mo’ job and I’m Class C then, once Pavel approves, I can retire and teach the yungins.”

Sonya hugged him; his withered arms returned the favor.

“Good for you,” she said as they separated.

Dick smiled, and the crinkle around his eyes deepened. “Now don’t worry,” he patted his monstrous side piece by his side. An old-school revolver with an Augmenter mod worked into the chamber.

“With Debbie by my side nothin’ short of the will of God can stop me,” Dick tipped his hat and left the room.

Once the door slammed shut, she spun around and pointed at Pavel, “How could you let that sweet man go to the sewers as his last job?”

Pavel sighed, “It’s none of your business actually, especially after that nonsense about not knocking first.”

She collapsed into the seat, placed her heels on the table’s edge, and rolled her eyes. “Cut the shit, we have dozens of people for that, put one of them in.”

“Actually, we don’t—that’s the problem,” Pavel rubbed his temple. “Now are you going to tell me why you’re here or am I going to have to guess?”

“I’m twenty-one now,” she replied.

“And I’m guessing you want to exercise your right to leave the Church.”

Sonya dropped her feet off the table and sat up, “That’s right.”

Unhurried, Pavel grabbed the glass of dusty water from his desk and took a long sip. Sonya imagined him choking. Sated, Pavel returned the glass to his desk, rotated it forty-five degrees, and returned his gaze to Sonya.

“Yeah, that’s not happening.”

“What?” she spat.

“That. Is. Not Happening.”

She jumped to her feet. The chair clattered to the ground behind her. “Are you kidding me? I went through all the proper channels. I even waited until I was twenty-one even though the guys can opt to leave at eighteen!” she shouted.

“Now if you could please pick up the c—” Pavel started.

Sonya slammed her fist into the desk hard enough to knock the glass off-kilter and off the coaster it rested on. He reached into his desk to grab a handkerchief and began to mop up the spilled water.

“Why? Why can’t I leave?” she snarled.

Pavel returned the glass to its respective coaster and pointed to the chair with an open hand, “It’s hard to communicate with you when my chair is on the ground. Please return it to its original position.”

Sonya raised her eyebrows and stared at him incredulously, “Seriously?”

“Yes.”

Mumbling curses, she grabbed one of the chair’s wooden legs and hauled it upright. She hoped the scrape of wood on wood irritated him as much as it did her.

Pavel stood up. He stretched his lips thin and curled the ends upwards, “Excellent. Let’s take a walk.”

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“Are we not going to discuss this?” she asked.

“Yes, but I think a visual would really—” he imitated a golfer’s swing, “—drive the point home.” He strolled around the desk; his belly dragged along the edge. Pavel opened the door and motioned forward, “Are you coming?”

Gritting her teeth, she followed him out. Eventually, they left the building and ambled to an outside clearing.

“I know you may be a little upset…” Her eye twitched at the word upset, “But I need you to play ball. What do you see?”

Sonya kept her eyes glued on Pavel for a few seconds more before returning to the scene before her. Base Camp was stationed on the south end of the building, as such the sun burned her neck. The area was a sandy glade, with metal dummies surrounding a porta-potty-sized rectangular prism made entirely of glass in the center. Children, ages ranged from six to nine, who were stationed at most of the dummies wielded steel batons. A man, their class mentor presumably, rotated around the circle and corrected form whenever necessary.

“How many kids can you see?” Pavel asked.

Sonya counted sixteen.

“We used to have families begging us to accept their sons. Classes used to have lines of boys waiting to use each dummy. Several trainers roamed the yard. Now?” Pavel motioned at the yard, “We can’t even fill a single generation.”

Sonya had a looming suspicion of what this was going to mean, but she proceeded with the question anyway, “So? That’s your problem. I can opt-out by—” She paused to make sure he was listening, “—Church law at twenty-one Even you and your stupid monocle should be able to see that.”

Pavel removed his monocle and wiped it with the same handkerchief. “You’re right I won’t go against Church law. However, you’re the one not seeing it. We are low on Pupils. Until we can increase our total population, an amendment has been passed to not allow any actions that would decrease the number of members in the Church.”

“Are you kidding?” she growled, “Wait until my father hears about—”

“Who do you think requested the change?” Pavel interrupted.

She stepped back, “What? He wouldn’t. Not when he knew…”

Pavel replaced the monocle and stared at the children. “The Chief is looking out for the Church, just as the Church looked after him. Though don’t worry, we’re sending some missionaries out east in a couple of months to…” He coughed, “persuade the locals to join.”

All she could do was stare at the children slapping their batons in series of three on the dummies. The clangs of steel on iron reverberated around the camp in a series of three.

Pavel clapped, “Looks like they’re approaching quiz time.” He winked at her, “My favorite part.”

The trainer clapped twice, and the children immediately ceased. Seeing as he had their attention, the trainer addressed the kids, “Looks like you’re all getting the hang of it. Everyone line up at this test dummy for their test. Fifteen seconds.”

The children, glistening with sweat, immediately fell in a straight line at the metal dummy beside the trainer. A few sparred for the first few spots while the rest fell into their respective order. One barely made it to the end of the line before the trainer looked up from his watch.

“Like we practiced. Repeat after me: Carotid, radial, femoral.”

“CAROTID, RADIAL, FEMORAL.” Their pre-pubescent voices screamed.

He pulled out his baton and approached the dummy. He slashed the neck, pricked the wrist, and stabbed the thigh. Each registered a distinct note.

“If you hit them correctly you should hear that, if you don’t…” He slapped the baton on the elbow. An ugly clank echoed out.

“You’ll hear that. Don’t make that sound,” he warned.

He put away the baton and retrieved the clipboard from the tent just past the dummies.

“Begin.”

Sonya bit her lip as the first boy approached the dummy.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

“Good.”

The rest of the boys clapped twice in unison as the first child skipped to the side.

“Next.”

Boy after boy passed the test. Until the last boy who had dragged his feet remained. The trainer placed his hands on his knees to reach eye level with the boy. He was short and spindly, an unfortunate combination. In fact, genetically, everything about Matty seemed unfortunate.

“How are you feeling today Matty?”

Matty mumbled something, the baton in his right hand hung loose in his grip.

The trainer’s face darkened, and he stood up, “Speak up when you respond to me Initiate.”

“Yes sir!” He squeaked.

“Approach.”

Matty tentatively stepped forward.

Sonya pursed her lips together.

Clink. Clink. Clang.

He missed the femoral.

The trainer sighed, “The Box.”

The boy’s mouth trembled, “Please not the box. Please. Give me another try.”

The children began to chant behind the trainer: “Boxboxboxbox.”

He dropped the baton, “Nonono, please not the box. Please I can do better! Just let me go again!” Snot dribbled down his nose and into his mouth.

Matty scrambled away from his classmates and looked around to see the two of them standing at the Church entrance. He tried to run but his legs fell under him, and he landed in the sand.

His classmates swarmed him; the boys that had wrestled for the front of the line reached him first. Faces elated as they grabbed his hair. Sonya squeezed her eyes shut. Matty’s wails could barely be heard over the other children.

Soon the commotion was over, and Sonya opened her eyes. Ripped clothes scattered the sand. The glass box in the center of the camp was no longer vacant. Matty’s pink skin burned under the sun as he stood nude in the box.

Festivities over, the kids were cleaning up and walking back into the Church. Most didn’t look at Matty’s frantic slaps on the glass. After noticing that they didn’t react, covered his eyes with fists and bawled silently.

“They still keeping the kids until sunrise?” Sonya asked, averting her eyes.

“Yup,” Pavel said cheerfully. “Oof look at the time, unless there’s anything else, it’s back to work for me.”

Frantically she racked her head for ideas. Pavel had already turned before she thought of something, “Wait, what about a replacement?”

He turned, curious, “A replacement?”

She grinned, “You said any action that decreases our total number isn’t allowed right?”

Pavel cocked his head, “That’s right.”

“I’ll get a replacement. That way when I leave the number stays the same.”

Pavel scratched his chin, “Hmm. I do like technicalities…”

She waited, careful not to say something that might change his mind.

“I’ll have to bring it up to the Chief, but I think I can allow that.” Pavel raised a finger, “But. It must be a suitable replacement. You have experience, as limited as it is, and you’ve passed our trials. That’s rare. I think someone with the same P.I.P rank that can pass our tests shall suffice.”

Knowing not to reach for more than she could grab, she agreed, and Pavel left. She cast one last glance at Matty, who was still standing in the Box.

The worst part of the Box was how narrow it was. If you tried to sit, your body is pushed against the glass. If he fell, the scarring from burnt tissue wouldn’t fade for years.

She rubbed her arms subconsciously and winced, then, like the rest of the Church members, she retreated inside.