Evil Forces Walden

Chapter 2- What it's like p3

Finally, a ten-minute break. They slumped against the cool wall, panting, sweat plastering their clothes to their bodies. Anestesia, restless, mumbled about grabbing a change of clothes from the room she'd last left them in – Caligula's room.

The door wasn't fully closed. As Anestesia pushed it open, a wave of heat, both literal and figurative, washed over her. Caligula, one of their instructors, a man of brutal efficiency and unsettling charisma, was entwined with Rautha, a fellow trainee, in a tangle of limbs and exposed skin.

"Do you mind?!" Caligula snapped, her voice laced with anger.

Anestesia, mortified, stammered, "Sorry," and slammed the door shut. The image burned in her mind.

She found Gertrude leaning against a water fountain, her face pale with exhaustion. "Gertrude! Gertrude! You won't believe it. I just accidentally saw Caligula making out with Rautha!"

Gertrude shrugged, a surprising gesture of indifference. "Your guy? You mean my guy. I just don't really like him anymore. Besides, I broke up with him last night. He can do whatever he wants with Caligula."

Anestesia's eyes widened. "Oh. That's... ouch. Look, I know things aren't exactly conventional here, and there are plenty of other...hot... troops you could flirt with."

"Oh, please, Anestesia. I'm okay being single for now." Gertrude said, a strange glint in her eyes. More than the breakup, more than the betrayal, she felt an unease, a growing dissatisfaction with their controlled existence.

"You're right. It's okay to be single. And you know, this is stupid. Caligula didn't even do anything. It's not fair." Anestesia gestured wildly.

"Well, duh! I think Caligula was good among to all of us.." Gertrude replied, echoing a sentiment she had often voiced but was now beginning to question.

"Yes, and I just realized why we are always staying here for training, and we never go somewhere. We only go outside the hideout just for the training. They make borders that we never going out somewhere." Anestesia suddenly blurted out.

"I know, and usually I was thinking why..."

"Are you still sad about it, Gertrude? I'm not saying Caligula was such a boyfriend stealer..."

"No, it's fine. I realize he was never that serious about me anyway."

"Anyway, I don't know how to treat you..." Anestesia trailed off, unsure how to comfort her friend.

"Where?" Gertrude asked, confused.

"We should be so careful when we are outside the borders..."

"And, I know what you mean...but we can't go outside, because we only have ten minutes..." Gertrude reminded her, pulling her back from the brink of rebellion.

"Oh, darn! I know something else what we do first. I just wanted to do something, and I admit that fighting someone is making me bored." Anestesia's voice was a low murmur.

"I know that you don't want to do some dangerous stuff much, but is there something you want to give me?" Gertrude asked, sensing her friend's restlessness.

"Yes, and it's a secret." Anestesia said, a mischievous glint returning to her eyes.

They retreated to Anestesia's austere room, decorated only with a threadbare cot and a metal locker. Anestesia tiptoed to the locker and carefully uncovered a hidden stash, concealed beneath layers of plastic bags. With a flourish, she revealed... a magazine.

Gertrude burst out laughing. "What did you expect me to do, get happy to read that one?"

"No, Gertrude, but there's a lot of girl trends, and I can't believe I don't know how to buy a lot of these! And seemingly you never saw a lot of makeup there, some lipstick, cosmetics, and some face powder, and why are they using it?" Anestesia asked, her voice filled with genuine curiosity.

"Because probably it was special for girls." Gertrude said dryly.

"Oh...I don't think it was too special for Caligula. We never used makeup for our entire life! We only spend so much time to study with the stupid experiments, training so hard, then I just want to try it once..."

"Because they only focus on their experiment to be so successful..." Gertrude finished, her voice laced with bitterness.

"Yes, because of that, I never knew how this world was big, and I didn't really know."

"That's why I studied world maps and everything... Because I know that there is always something I have to learn than doing to fight someone else."

"Yeah, you had a point, but I know that Brunhilde always brings you a book because you said to Vinse that's not bad to learn some new things when you read a book... And I also want that, but don't worry, I won't say it to anyone!"

"It's not bad to read a book when you stole it in the city...it's that at least you always had an idea after you learn something new."

"Okay, no time for talk, we wasted now for two minutes, and we should enjoy reading a magazine now!"

And for a brief, stolen moment, as they pored over glossy images of a world beyond their concrete walls, they weren't soldiers, or weapons, or products of Mr. Techno's twisted vision. They were just girls, dreaming of lipstick and faraway places, a flicker of hope igniting in the darkness. The ten-minute break, a tiny rebellion against their preordained fate, a reminder of the lives they were denied.

The grand hall buzzed with anticipation. Yesterday, Caligula had summoned everyone, a rare occurrence. Today, all were present, a tapestry of tense faces and hushed whispers. Then, Caligula strode in, Rautha radiant by her side.

"You wouldn't dare miss this announcement," Caligula boomed, her voice echoing through the hall. "You are all going to be happy because I am now carrying a child with my love, Rautha!"

A collective gasp swept through the room. Joy erupted, save for one shadowed corner. Gertrude watched, a knot of jealousy tightening in her chest as Caligula and Rautha embraced. She turned and fled, the saccharine spectacle unbearable.

Back in her room, a storm raged within her. Loneliness, anger, and a deep-seated envy clawed at her composure. On impulse, she grabbed a knife. As the blade sliced her skin, a strange heat bloomed through her, and to her astonishment, the wound sealed itself, leaving no trace. This wasn't the first time. She remembered a similar incident when she was eight.

Confused and disturbed, she wandered outside, the rocky landscape mirroring her inner turmoil. She tripped, falling hard onto the jagged stones. Pain shot through her, but then, the now-familiar heat surged, and the scrapes vanished, her skin miraculously restored.

What was happening to her? She had no answers, only a growing sense of bewilderment and unease.

Returning to the hall, she found the celebration in full swing. The sight of Rautha, glowing with happiness, only intensified her inner turmoil.

"Where are you going?" Stella, her mother, asked, noticing her withdrawal.

"To rest." Gertrude mumbled.

"I'm glad you're back. I know your break was harsh. I convinced your father to extend it by 15 minutes. I see how tired you are."

"Don't worry Mother, I'm always good," Gertrude replied, still reeling from the self-healing incident.

"I know you're doing good. Besides, I also want you to do something for me and your father... though they say you don't want to be a scientist."

"I just don't love science... like experiments, that's all."

Stella sighed. "Oh I understand. But at least we are all happy for Caligula, since I'm going to have grandchildren."

"Mother, I think you have enough successful experiments."

"I know, but this time we are not focusing on protection, but this new child instead."

"But Mother, isn't what we are doing enough?"

Stella's eyes hardened. "Yes Gertrude. We are Evil, and we don't belong in that city. Good people live there. Remember that." She kissed Gertrude's forehead before rejoining the celebration, leaving Gertrude alone with unsettling thoughts. In her heart, Gertrude knew that her mother was hiding something that she didn't want her to know.

Meanwhile, in the city of Pesota, Rosa played in the playground with her new friend, Doreen. Unbeknownst to them, Vinse and her henchman Sandy lurked nearby, plotting their a*******n.

"Sandy, you're one of the most trusted henchmen I have. I know you can abduct them as planned," Vinse hissed.

As Vinse and Sandy prepared to strike, Rosa, with sudden awareness, screamed, "You have to run now! Evil are there!"

Rosa and Doreen sprinted away, heading straight towards the police station. Vinse, thwarted, cursed under her breath and retreated with Sandy back to their van. The game had changed, and Vinse didn't give up just yet.

The flickering fluorescent lights of the war room hummed, mirroring the agitated energy thrumming through Mr. Techno. Reports of another failed mission landed on him like physical blows. Wounded troops, dwindling medical supplies, and Vinse, his most trusted commander, empty-handed once more.

"I can't believe you failed again!" he roared, the veins in his neck bulging. His voice, usually a low, controlled rumble, cracked with frustration.