Little Chi-chan.

"H-hey, stop it, you're going to make the building collapse on us!" She attempted to raise her voice over the noise, hands over her ears. The anger Moira suddenly had expressed translated to some arrogance in her mind, and she couldn't comprehend the need for the violence he was seeking. Nor unneeded bloodshed to stain the nice safehouse she had begun to reside in.
 
"I really have a message for you!" shouted Victoria, her voice coloured by a combination of fear and despair. "Look, here it is," said the woman as she opened a panel on her right hand, and threw a small scroll towards Moira. A red ball of light caught the paper immediately, and unrolled it in front of the man's face, while the other lights gathered around Victoria. They turned into sharp, deadly knives, then pinned the helpless woman to the wall through her metallic limbs. Victoria gasped in pain, but the man called Moira ignored her, focusing only on the scroll itself.

"Very well, foolish woman, you are forgiven," said Moira as the ball of light rolled the paper back into its container. "This is indeed a most important message for me, and it was to be delivered at all costs... But you have disturbed the peace of this safe house, and the Reality of this area despite my continued warnings to avoid this place," continued the man, then waved his left hand, which made the knives disappear. Victoria collapsed immediately, her mechanical leg shattering into small pieces due to the sudden stress put on it. "You will stay here until I decide how to alter your Truth," said Moira in a commanding tone, then turned towards Chiemi.

"Now, little girl, here are the clothes I bought for you," said Moira, summoning a ball of white light. "Be careful how you handle it, as it is rather unstable in its current form. With your power and knowledge, you should be able to choose the attire from the bunch that you think suits you the most."
 
She eyed Victoria with a cringe, growing fearful of the woman's future. This man was beginning to show some unsettling nature, there was practically no way he could be trusted with full confidence. Her gaze slowly turned back to moira, and she watched the orb silently, thinking of a form of attire to fit her. Who knows, this could be some trap... He may be brutish enough to damage a 'little girl.' Tch... I'm beginning to overlook some things. Without a single word she had taken the orb, allowing it to naturally float above her hand before it had suddenly dispersed. It's energy becan to cover heer form, but it suddenly dissapeared. Upon it's departure, she was then bethrowed in a black and white, wide striped peacoat, with it's furred hood set over her head. Her feet bore simple black shoes with mid-length white socks.
 
"Well, little girl, it looks like you have made yourself comfortable at last, no thanks to this foolish woman," said the man called Moira as he walked over to Forver, picked the book up, closed it, then put it back in its restraints again. "I see you also dared to borrow the power of one of my books, foolish woman. Do tell me the reason for that, or your Truth will be forced to end like the many others before it," continued the man as he walked over to Victoria, then with a simple move, detatched her mechanical, right arm, to which the woman reacted with a frightened glance towards his direction, her eyes still closed.

"One of the wall panels got loose, and put something through my leg. I had to use your books, or I'd die," said Victoria, clearly panicking. "Hey, what are you intending to do with Chiemi? You are not planning to...?" asked the woman, the shaking of her voice betraying her emotions. The man called Moira did not answer her, instead he still stared at his collection of books as if he was looking for something. Finally, upon seeing the space that Legac used to occupy, and glancing towards the woman's still intact, organic arm, the man called Moira stepped away from the shelves and spoke.

"You are still afraid of yourself, foolish woman, and you may have caused much more damage to Reality than you should have been allowed to. I will see what has been done in the basement," said Moira, then descended on the stairs.
 
She tugged the neck of her hood, her eyes following Moira down the stairs. The air felt thick and suffocating to her. The fear of the woman, the anger of the man, her own unease mixed into an unbreathable concoction. So she sat quietly in her chair, her foot tapping the floor noislessly. Every muscle of her body ached to leave, but of course, that was not a choice.
 
Long seconds passed in the safehouse, nerve-wracking moments that slowly turned into agonising minutes. Moira had no reason to stay in the basement for so long, so what was keeping him? Victoria had no idea, but she knew that whatever he had in mind could mean no good for her, nor for Chiemi, so she has gathered her resolve, and begun seeking Legac on the ground. The book had to be there, as she remembered dropping it just as she was smashed against the wall, but no matter how long she sought it, the woman could not find it no matter what. Straining her ears for sounds, Victoria could only hear Chiemi tapping on the floor rythmically, so she continued her search, which was rewarded eventually.

Legac was not damaged in the fight, even though she could clearly feel the heat of the strange blades remaining on the covers. Smiling to herself, she flicked the cover open, tracing her fingers on the very first page. She knew the characters of the book very well, but she had yet to understand the language. But no matter, because she knew that Moira was now completely insane, and she had to escape from this so-called safehouse, with Chiemi in tow. However, just as she was about to grasp the concept of the words written into the book, she heard footsteps coming up from the basement.

"Very nice, foolish woman," said the man called Moira. "You have finally made your first step towards your ultimate Reality. Perhaps your intrusion has been for the best, for the damage you have caused is nill, and you are on the verge of understanding everything," continued Moira, then bended down to the eye level of Chiemi. "Now, little girl, you must be confused by all this, but furtunately, now that you know the basics, I may be able to explain everything."
 
She held her breath as she met her eyes with Moira's. The pang of fear had betrayed her as he spoke, glancing to the woman across the room. The girl could sense that nothing good could come of staying any longer, and Victoria knew as much also. She seemed extremely concerned with her safety. Never a good sign. She moved back from him slightly, watching him.
"What is it you are doing?"
 
"I am trying to fight against the Opposition, little girl, but my appearent allies, and the Opposition is preventing me from doing so," said Moira. "And fighting against the Opposition means experiments, prototypes that warp the world around them by being Indescribable. This safehouse is the home of such an experiment, which happens to be very sensitive in nature, little girl. Your interference could be tolerated, but if this foolish woman had done something even more foolish, then the whole experiment would have been ruined, and the Indescribable may have escaped from this safehouse. And that, little girl, does not mean good for the world," explained the man called Moira, looking straight into Chiemi's eyes.

"If you are questioning my methods, little girl, then do not question them, just accept them for what they are. They have served me for too many years, and have proven their efficiency too many times for me to simply discard them because of empty feelings or something so close to the Describable. You may act however you wish, but the Opposition will continue chasing you, and you will see that my path is the only one that may be traversed. The end of any other path is death."
 
She only watched him, seeming to be speechless. Nothing could be said, really, so the girl just sat there to take in the information. The story made her skin crawl as she had listened, the faint shake in her unseen by mere optics. She let out a quiet breath, averting her eyes in an unwilling understanding of the choice. "What are the methods?"
 
"Are my methods not clear for you, little girl, even though you have seen them with your own eyes? Are you really this blind towards the ways of the world, little girl?" asked the man called Moira, then turned towards Victoria. "Foolish woman, do tell this little girl of my methods, do tell this little girl of the world that is waiting her, because as it stands, she knows nothing," said the man called Moira, to which Victoria let out a surprised gasp. She clearly was not expecting the burden that Moira placed upon her, thus it was several seconds before she managed to gather her thoughts.

"Why me, Moira?" asked Victoria.

"Because I want you to face your reality, foolish woman," said the man called Moira. "And I want this little girl to know that you are not that different from me."

"Fine," sighed Victoria, resigning herself to her fate, her voice carrying a hint of anger. "What Moira is talking about, Chiemi, is that he never shows mercy to his opponents, and does not hesitate to use anything that is available to him to fight the Opposition. He is willing to abandon the weak, and manipulate everyone in order to defeat the Opposition," explained Victoria, barely keeping her frustration and anger in check.

"Perfect, foolish woman. I could not have summarised it better myself," said Moira, then turned towards Chiemi. "So, little girl, do you have more questions that I can answer?"
 
She shook her head, almost annoyed as she crossed her hands in her lap. No chance that it would all be perfect from here. As if it ever was. "So in other words you intend to use me, and I have no choice but to let you, else be abandoned and more than likely be killed by the Opposition. That's wonderful."
 
"That is not quite true, little girl, as all of us can serve as pawns, rooks, bishops, knights or queens, but not one of us is the king," said the man called Moira. "You may be a mere pawn now, little girl, but as you reach the other side of the table, you will be assigned a different role, something that may put you above me, as I am a mere bishop. Take this foolish woman for example, little girl as she had started as a mere casualty, then became a pawn, and now she is on verge of reaching her goal, and becoming a rook," said the man called Moira, to which Victoria narrowed her eyes.

"You, a mere bishop? I don't think that's the case," said Victoria, shaking her head. "If there's a king in this game of chess, then it is you, and no one else. Not even the Opposition has someone who can match you, Moira, and you know that."

"Perhaps, but this game is played by not two, but an uncountable amount of players, and if it is so, then a pawn might just defeat a rook with its sheer luck and willpower," said Moira. "So, do not despair, little girl. While you might be merely a pawn, I assure you, that you might become a knight, or even a queen, and I will be the one in your service, or you may even become the king yourself. But you still have much to learn until that happens."
 
Somehow she had allowed some enncouragement to reach through the words, as she thought about it. Nothing will be easy, but It may be worth the trouble if it was really possible to outrank this man in his boardgame. Not something she had expected to hear, but nevertheless, she decided to accept it with a nod. "Fine. What do I need to do?"
 
"You need to learn as much about yourself as possible, you need to learn how to create and withstand the Indescribable, and more importantly, you will eventually need to stand alone, little girl," said the man called Moira. "The foundations of that have already been laid, for you now know of the nature of the battle between the Opposition and the Indescribable, and you now know the most basic principle of survival, however, little girl... That is not nearly enough. While you have done well on your first test, there are many more to follow," said the man called Moira, then started concentrating.

Red balls of light appeared all around the room, gathering the parts of Victoria's mechanical arm and leg, rebuilding and reattaching the limbs to the woman, completing her body again. Victoria, feeling that she had her limbs back, felt around her spot, then slowly stood up, not knowing what to expect.

"And now, little girl, your second task. This foolish woman has used a book to keep herself alive, and I need you to remove that book from her skin, to rip it out of her soul and give it back to me," said the man called Moira, leaving Victoria speechless, with her mouth hanging open.
 
Her heard sank as she looked at im in disbelief, only hoping she had misunderstood. "What..?" Take the book that has been used to keep her alive? He can't be expecting me to kill her! She shook her head and stood from her seat, moving to it's side, somewhat distanced from him. "You're mad. She has done nothing, I can't possibly..." she stuttered and trailed off, looking to Victoria.
 
Victoria looked just as horrified by the man's sentence as Chiemi, but her words died in her mouth before they could have been spoken. She had considered this man an ally, someone who was fighting against the insane forces of the Opposition along her, and now this happened. She knew that her wounds were not healed yet, as the book she used did not heal her, therefore, removing it would mean the end of her life very soon. Finally swallowing that fact, Victoria managed to open her mouth after several seconds hung in the air emptily, without meaning.

"You're out of your mind," said Victoria, opening her eyes to unravel the laws of reality keeping together everything, then rushed to the nearest wall, placing her hand on a seemingly random spot before the man called Moira could even react. "You will tell me what you're planning, Moira, or I will crack this safehouse, along with the reality around it," said the woman, stressing the word will both times. The man called Moira, however remained passive to her threat, and turned towards Chiemi as if he had not heard anything.

"Have you forgotten your lesson, little girl? Pay no heed to that foolish woman, she can not harm us despite her intentions to do so, and remove the book from her body to prove that you have some talent at least. Or would you rather be a servant, a being below a pawn forever?"
 
"I would rather be nothing than to be forced to kill and do away with whatever problem you have with her." She muttered to him, determined not to follow the order. "If that is all that can be done to prove anything than I might as well be describable and left with the wolves, because I'm worth nothing more."
 
Victoria was about to repeat herself, but stopped before she blurted out anything as soon as she realised that she was surely playing into the man's hands once again. Moira only ignored threats when he knew that their attacks would cause their own demise, or even worse, so she quickly looked around the house, tracing the lines of the laws of reality with her eyes. At first, she saw nothing suspicious, but she then noticed a recurring pattern that lead to somewhere below the house. Looking towards the floor, Victoria could only gasp at what she saw.

"You sick bastard!" shouted Victoria, to which the man called Moira turned to her, annoyed that she would not leave him alone. "I knew you were up to no good, but this is below even your standards. Are you out of your mind?"

"No, foolish woman, I know exactly what I am doing, unlike you, who seems to be so content with sticking your nose into somebody else's business. Now, do remain quiet, or I will be forced to unleash my own power upon you, and trust me, you would not like that, and neither would the little girl here," said the man called Moira, pointing to Chiemi.

"You heard her, she refuses to obey you."

"I am aware of that, foolish woman, but I am trying to work on that problem," said the man called Moira, summoning countless red lights around himself. "But if you keep interfereing, I will be forced to rip your soul out of your body and integrate it into the machine you just saw in the basement."
 
"This is hardly a safe house if we are just going to kill each other.." She narrowed her eyes slightly, at no one in particular, and looked to the side. "But if you can't think of anything than go ahead. I won't be the murderer now."
 
The man called Moira looked at Chiemi, then at Victoria, then at the ground, then at the ceiling, but he saw no way out of this. His senses detected that the resolve of Chiemi could not be broken, and Victoria would defend herself until her last breath, and he would be forced to use his full power, something that would not fit well into his plans. He needed to keep his true knowledge hidden until the right time, so he made the red orbs of light disappear in defeat, then, with a strangely kind voice that still managed to fill the air with fear and revulsion, he begun speaking.

"Foolish woman, I am beginning to tire of these games of yours, but seeing as you have no intention to give up, I will be the one to yield to a superior power. Tell me, then, foolish woman, what is it that you want, explanations, revenge, or something else entirely?" asked the man called Moira, staring deep into the open eyes of Victoria.

"I want explanations for that... thing down in the basement."

"Very well, foolish woman, you have chosen your fate. Little girl, if you are interested in seeing a part of my plan, then you are very welcome to join me," said the man called Moira, then went down into the basement, Victoria following him. After the descent, the man stood in front of a seemingly normal wall, then pressed his hands onto its mathematical centre, causing the metal plate to come loose and retract into the ceiling. Beyond the wall were dozens of bodies, some dead, some alive, some inbetween, all of them hooked up to strange, repulsive machinery that could not even be described. Victoria gagged at the sight, but the man called Moira simply stepped to the closest console, and begun tapping the keys.
 
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