Lilac squinted as shadowy figures drifted in and out of view. Incoherent whispers floated around the bed and then silence.

Another silhouette of a person approached her, this time speaking with a clear mechanical voice. "Heart rate steady."

Suddenly, she was aware of background noise, a beeping steady like rain dripping off a piece of metal and rustles of clothing. Low whispers hummed through the air.

"Initiating nervous stimulation test."

An ice-cold sensation crawled across her very being.

"Completed. Results indicate a lack of abnormalities."

Rustles of sound moved closer, and the silhouettes darkened. A metallic gleam glinted from the edge of the figure.

"Integration is successful, Manager Mestiire. Shall we activate the connection piece?"

"Proceed. We need her awake as soon as possible."

Pain exploded, piercing through her temples. For a brief second, her unseeing eyes shot wide open. An agonised scream ripped through the room.

Darkness.

…

Lilac opened her eyes to electric blue. Images and jumbled letters superimposed over her vision. Words drifted across the air, dancing. She sat up, only to immediately fall. The depth of the blue was unfathomable. It was endless, stretching to infinity on all sides. Blue screens sipped across her vision.

The girl squinted, watching in fascination as minute zeros and ones fell through the blue like dust falling through the air. She reached out, gasping as her hand poked through the edge of a screen. It flashed red and began drifting closer towards her.

Lilac blinked.

The blue disappeared, and a white room took its place.

The girl sat up, looking from side to side, with a door on one, a window on the other, and a small table right beside the bed. She froze. She was in a bed that was in a room. It had been years since she last saw a bed, let alone slept in one.

If she was on a bed in a room, where was Chickadee? Lilac turned around, attempting to shift her legs. Her eyes widened as they refused to even twitch. She reached towards the edge of the blanket with shaking hands.

Why weren't they moving? Why weren't her legs moving?

Lilac flinched as the door burst open. A man in a white suit walked in, staring at a holographic screen. He flicked the screen off and closed the door.

"Lilac Mellows, born in 2401. You were recorded as deceased in 2408. Do you know what year it is now?"

Lilac started, taken aback, before shaking her head.

The man frowned. He gestured into the air. She gaped, watching as a small, white stool slowly materialised into view.

The man walked over and sat down. "It is the year 2452. You are supposed to be fifty-two years old, yet you have the body of a twenty-one-year-old. You are not even an adult. Do you understand the implications of this?"

Lilac stared blankly.

The man continued. "Do you know you have a Genetic Modification done on you?"

The girl nodded.

The man stopped. "Do you know what kind?"

Lilac opened her mouth and then stopped. Something was wrong. She was awake, but everything felt unreal. It was as if something muted her thoughts and emotions.

"Well?"

Lilac turned her attention to the man, noting the lens on the suit's collar. She was being watched.

"It's to do with not getting illnesses; an immunity modification."

The man nodded. "That's half of it. Your genetic modification type is rather…unusual. It is a pre-commercial version of the Immunisation-Gene med - type I-08.5. It's why your eyes are a strange shade of Lilac rather than purple, and it's partly why this conversation is happening now."

Lilac turned away as a warm breeze hit her face. She gazed out the window, taking note of the picturesque scene of rolling hills and a bright blue sky. Wherever she was, it was not in Cerella. She pursed her lips. What did this mean for Chickadee? What did this mean for her?

She clenched her fist. Surely, if she's in a place like this, the same could be said for Chickadee. Maybe-

"Would you like to know the fate of your Trash friend?"

Lilac froze. "Where is she?

The man stared. "She's safe for now."

Lilac frowned.

The man continued. "I've been going through your medical evaluation notes. What's especially odd is that your genome has evidence of a de-aging process still in development. You lived for fifty-one years, yet you know nothing about that time. Even stranger, the inquisitor knows you, yet you don't know them. Your status as Trash might be explained by your parent's failure to pay off a debt to a Family, but that is strange in itself. How does a family of mundane Middlemen personally know a direct relative of the Founder's council?"

The man leaned forward. "Do you know the implications of this?"

Lilac shook her head. Why was this person talking to her? Why was she here? The girl shook her head once more. What was it about this place that felt so wrong?

The man nodded. "And that is the root of the problem. Your role is rather important in the grander scheme of things, yet so much about you remains unknown. So here is where I hope you will take my deal."

Lilac looked up.

The man placed his gloved hands on his lap. "You will follow your instructions to the letter. You will also report any revelations about your past through your neural interface. In exchange, your friend, Chickadee, as you call it, will receive urgent treatment and care. As long as you cooperate, the Trash will live. Any lies will be detected by your neural interface, and the consequences will fall upon you and your friend. Do you understand?"

Lilac nodded. She turned her gaze to the bed. Everything about this screamed wrong, yet Chickadee's life depended on her cooperation. The girl dug her nails into her palm. "Do you accept?"

Lilac nodded. What kind of question was that? She looked up.

"Can I see Chickadee now?"

"No."

Lilac frowned. "What do you-"

The man closed his eyes. "Tune into your neural interface."

"What?"

The man sighed. "Command. Mestiire Sekravos open access alpha 5448.”

Lilac fell as the blue came back with a sudden whoosh. Once more, layers upon layers of holographic screens floated over each other. The girl stopped. Her eyes drifted towards the red screen.

"Can you hear me?"

Lilac started. "Yes."

"Now recite search Mestiire Sekravos and tell me what you read. Your access to the neural network should enable your literacy."

“Search Mestiire Sekravos”

The blue shifted, screens zipped faster than the eye could track, and the zeros and ones flickered. Then, the shifting stopped, leaving only a flashing white screen.

“Mestiire Sekravos, head of the managers, brother to Fenek Sekravos, the head of the Sekravos family.”

Lilac sucked in a breath. Sekravos. This man was a member of the seven founding families.

For a second, the fog lifted, and raw fear flooded her mind. Then, her mind went back to the fires and the dizzying lights. Her hands shook. People like him had the power to turn a city to ashes. He could very easily do the same thing to her and Chickadee.

The fog slammed back, but not before a stuttered word of apology left her mouth.

"M-my apologies. I failed to recognise a relative of the esteemed world government."

Silence.

"That doesn't matter to you. Your priority lies in getting used to your interface as fast as possible. You need to be able to use it without speaking."

Lilac nodded.

"I neglected to mention the strain. I'll leave you to recuperate for half an hour."

Lilac frowned. Strain? She squinted as words began typing on the red screen.

Fake it. Close your eyes.

The girl closed her eyes. The red screen still flashed in her mind. There was a moment of silence. Footsteps echoed in the air and then stopped.

"Oh, and don't worry about your current state of mind and body. It's the result of your surgery. That feeling should wear off soon."

There was a slight click, and silence once more filled the room.

Lilac waited and then opened her eyes. She watched as more words began to appear on the screen.

Hello, Friend. I'm The Inquisitor. I've been waiting for you for a long, long time.