"On the day of the grand exam," Mina said in a small but clear voice, "I think I got knocked out by that explosion. I'd finished my ability test and I was sitting with the others, watching the rest take their test, and the next I woke up in this bright room."

"You have no recollection of the events between the explosion and your wakening?" Lira's words were crisp and precise, sending chills to Mina's core.

"I..." Mina frowned, chewing her lip. Her eyes glazed over, running over the events in her mind. Everything happened so quickly. The flashing lights, the smoke, the choking scent of smoke and rubble. "One of the students was showing his ability." And he wasn't very good. Someone heckled him. "And there was a really blinding light, and a bang. I though the lights overhead exploded, at first. Then someone picked me up."

"Who?"

"I don't know. A boy. I never saw his face. There were at least two of them. They picked me up and gave me something, and I blacked out."

Mina twisted her fingers in her lap. One of the joints popped and she winced.

"When I woke up, I was strapped to a table. Someone took my blood. They left me there for hours until a girl came to see me and told me I wasn't a prisoner; I was there to help out."

"What girl?"

"Her name was Vexi."

Vexi's kindly features came into her mind's eye. Her gentle voice reassured Mina's fears; her eyes crinkled at the edges as she smiled. Waves of nausea washed over Mina. She sucked in several breaths, her eyes watering before squeezing shut.

"'Was'?" Lira gave her no time to recover.

"She's..." Mina cleared her throat, eyes flying open. "...probably dead. Ari knocked her out when we were running – she tried to stop us. She said I needed an ability transplant and Ari was a traitor, and she killed Plea."

"Plea of Class 1C?"

"Yes." Mina swallowed, her eyes shining with tears. Sweat Plea. "Plea didn't have to die. But Vexi wouldn't give up. She filled Plea with this venom and threw her at us like a bomb."

Plea was so small, so fragile. Mina couldn't do much, but at least they should have stuck together.

"I should have known." The words poured from Mina in a torrent. "Vexi said she killed her brother, Ziko, four years ago, because she was under-achieving. She stabbed him after he disowned her. She was so nice, though. I wouldn't have guessed. She was so good at hiding it, at pretending she was the good one. But there was so much hate. I couldn't... I don't understand."

"You're not here to understand. You're here to provide information," said Lira, her words razor sharp. "What was the aim of the group?"

"They kidnapped students who are high achievers and moved their abilities. That power gets transplanted to someone who's under-achieving like me. Kena said it was to balance out the inequality in the city."

Mina dared to glance up briefly. Lira's mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened ever so lightly. Even the infallible Lira seemed disturbed by Kena's actions.

"The creatures – what did Kena want to do with them?"

Mina blanched. Lira joined the two so quickly. "I—I don't know. I didn't even know they existed until she released them."

"And why did she do that?"

"'Cos Ari came and rescued me. She... she offered her life for mine. Kena wanted her – that's why I got taken there in the first place. I don't think Ari was supposed to refuse Kena."

"My sources tell me she was there to increase her power threshold."

Mina's jaw dropped. "No! Never! Ari wouldn't do that!"

"The evidence stated otherwise." Lira kept a steely gaze on her. "There is a recording of her taking illicit substances from Kena."

"Never!" Mina's hands balled up, her face pinking. A fire ignited in the pit of her stomach, filling her body with tingling energy. "It wasn't that. I don't know what she took or if that person was even her. But you would know better than anyone – she's so lazy she wouldn't even work to move up her ranks." She was getting flustered, the flush colouring further on her cheeks, but she didn't care. Previously she might have been embarrassed at losing her cool in front of the head of Investigators, but not right now. "She's only staying third to get the credits needed to have a comfortable life."

"Perhaps she wanted to rank higher with as little effort. Perhaps even at the cost of other Users."

"She wouldn't!" Tears sprang to Mina's eyes, which she brushed aside with the back of her hand. "She's never expressed any wishes to climb higher. She hates the attention."

Lira studied Mina; Mina felt like she were being pierced with a thousand lasers.

"Let me see..." Lira's voice was barely above a whisper, but every word chilled Mina further. "You... you're ashamed of being so weak. You think if you work hard, you can achieve higher than what you're destined to."

Mina swallowed, her throat dry.

"You think you can get rid of that shame by working hard. You think Ari is your saviour... but she's also your pitfall. She's always there for you but she will never let you do what you want."

Lira's uncanny ability to read so much into Mina's soul terrified her. She didn't need to persuade Mina; she spilled the rest. Lira wanted names, didn't she? She wanted hard evidence. Anything to stop her from divulging Mina's darker side to herself. She told Lira everything she knew; Ari was innocent in this, and Lira must see that.

"Most of the younger Users came voluntarily because they couldn't survive with the credits they have left. Others were taken in against their will but came round to the idea of improving themselves. We didn't realise people were dying in these transplants, both the donors and recipients."

"They're hardly 'donors' if the abilities were not willingly donated in the first place," said Lira icily. Mina winced. "Why did Kena want Ari?"

"I don't know. She got very excited about Ari's ability, though."

"We just wanted to escape that place. But there were so many of those monsters about. Ari used one of the generators and blew a hole in the wall to escape. She wasn't involved in anything else, I swear."

Lira clicked her tongue, her grey-green eyes penetrating Mina as though seeing all her secrets.

"I only ever met the lady scientist twice." The heavy silence made Mina sweat even more. "The first time was when she realised Ari was my sister after taking my blood and the second time was when Ari was bargaining with her and Kena made her faint."

"Faint?"

"Yeah. She... I think Kena took her blood." The image flashed before her mind's eye again. Ilia yelling in her ear. Kena next to Ari. Ari falling to the ground. Mina had feared for the worst.

"You know the consequences of lying to Investigators, right?" Lira raised an eyebrow. Mina coloured and almost swelled. Why was she so intent on making Mina out to be the liar and Ari to be the bad one? It was like nothing Mina said was getting through to her. The fire exploded in her belly.

"I'm not lying!" she yelled. Lira stood up abruptly, her tall willowy frame towering over Mina. Mina quivered, suddenly aware of speaking out of turn. Sweat broke out on her forehead. Her armpits were sticky.

An alarm sounded overhead, making Mina squeak in surprise. Lira whipped around, her left hand flying to the electric baton at her waist. Yelling sounded through the reinforced walls, followed by thumps and more shouting. Lira's grim expression reflected on the one-way window. The electricity overhead flickered. To Mina's astonishment, Lira relaxed and lowered her hand, shaking her head with a sigh.

The electric door slid open.

"Let go of me!" a girl yelled. Mina's mouth fell open. Grunts and thumps sounded from just beyond the corner. A fizzle of electricity popped. The assailant rounded the corner and faced Lira, panting, her blonde hair all over the place. Impatiently, she shook off the Investigator, who clung to her skort leg.

"Ari!" squeaked Mina. "You shouldn't be here!"

"No, you shouldn't," said Lira, her voice arctic. "You do realise utilising your ability against my Investigators will warrant punishment."

"What are you going to do, deduct my credits?" Ari said with a snort. "Go ahead. I have plenty."

Lira pursed her lips, eyes narrowed. Mina glanced anxiously from her sister to Lira. Don't make it worse, Ari, please, she begged.

"How arrogant. Ranking third will not grant you bargaining powers during interrogation of a possible terrorist."

"Mina's not a terrorist," Ari shot back, blue eyes blazing. Her shoulders squared, her fists balled and trembling. She looked like she wanted to punch Lira. Mina crossed her fingers, hoping she was wrong. "I'm sure you of all people can confirm that. She doesn't know anything. She's just caught up in this mess. It's Kena that you want."

"I suppose it is." Lira clasped her fingers in front of her, casual. "Tell me, Ari, what do you know about Kena?"

"She's twisted and she's crazy, and I'm not having anything to do with her."

"Is this because your attempt to boost your ability failed?"

Ari ogled at her, the fire within halted. Then she started laughing. Mina's jaw almost hit the floor. How could she laugh at such a horrible accusation?

"Me? Boosting my ability? You're kidding, right?"

She laughed harder when Lira's expression didn't change. Her giggles bounced off the metal walls.

"I wouldn't be so amused. You're glad Mina never got transplanted. Because if she were anything but a weakling, she wouldn't need you to look after her, then you would have no purpose in life."

Something flickered in her eyes. Lira locked gaze with her. Ari broke it first, glancing over Lira's shoulder at Mina. She grinned at her.

"That means Mina is free to go, right?"

"Yes. But you are not."

Ari hesitated for a fraction of a second before shrugging. She entered the room, her arms crossed over her chest. She leaned against Mina, who leaned back.

"Lira."

Lira snapped her head round, frowning in mild irritation at the doorway. A female Investigator paled at the sight of the collapsed, groaning Investigators and paused, glancing with uncertainty at Lira.

"It's all right, Evia. Just more mess made by the Transformer."

"I... I just want to tell you that she's ready to talk. Kena."

Lira straightened up.

"You, stay here." She jerked her head at Ari, who scowled at her. "Mina – you're free to go."

Lira stalked past her slowly-recovering men, past Evia.

"I don't suppose you can get Mina and I something to drink, do you?" called Ari, smirking. Her elbow trembled.

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