att(pirated)

I suppose that I should be thankful that the months after my second meeting with Alexia had been relatively normal.

I didn't receive any further summons from Dr Ashford, which was a bit of a mixed bag, in my opinion. Sure, I'd never intended for my offer of companionship to go anywhere, at its core it was born out of an improperly received joke. But at the same time she had taken it seriously at the time, and I never enjoyed the idea of anyone silently disregarding anything that I'd offered or suggested. It simply rubbed me the wrong way, though I dared not to push for an answer. Whatever decision the doctor made, it would be hers alone. Poking and prodding people for an answer, no matter how gently, always carried risks. And however my relationship with Alexia went, getting on the bad side of someone with access to dangerous diseases and a lot of money is never a good idea.

Part of me felt bad for the girl's situation. I couldn't judge it too harshly. I still had enough presence-of-mind to avoid making myself a hypocrite. But I still recognised that her lifestyle wasn't healthy. Burying yourself in work is a guaranteed way to let your continuous effort be taken for granted, and not appropriately rewarded. And while the modern working world was a far cry from the empire of my last life, people rarely change.

Still, that didn't mean that I got nothing done in the months between then and now. I'd worked hard on my studies and I did what I could to maintain my positive relationships, especially with my handler, Ludmila. I helped a few of the other children who were falling behind on certain topics with catching up. All in all, I did what I could to try and make myself as well liked and respected as possible. Now that I was singled out from everyone else, I couldn't camouflage myself among the rest of the children. So my best chance at survival would come in ensuring that as many people as possible had my back. Or at the very least, by making myself indispensable.

But the project I focused the most on was one particular member of my wider "family."

Jonah, the boy who tried to escape, was finally removed from his punitive isolation, and reintroduced to us. So I did my best to integrate him into my group of friends, and remove any problems before they blossomed into resentment. After all, I had promised to help him, which was something that would receive a lot of scrutiny thanks to the fact that rumors about the promise had already started to spread around the mansion. Sure, the first reintroduction didn't go too well, as my entire friend group descended on the poor boy all at once and it seemed to overwhelm him. But over the next few weeks I introduced him to everyone, and got him used to sticking around and integrating with the group.

Throughout it all, I did everything I could to try and make him trust me. Always smiling, giving him my full attention, and never judging him when he asked a silly question or got lost. Hell, I even told him about the hidden mechanism I'd found in the study and the odd half-key that was stored inside. The only other person I'd only ever told about that was Valerie, and that was partially because I didn't fancy my chances of hiding it in my room without her stumbling into it.

But why go through all this trouble for someone who was underachieving by a massive margin? Part of it was down to the fact that the former child soldier's skill at arms could prove useful, if the worst came to pass. Part of it was down to the fact that he was already one of the other children who was most likely to trust me, after our encounter in the forest. But at the end of the day, the simple fact was that I felt sorry for Jonah. Out of everyone in the mansion, he was probably the one I could relate to the most. And I'd had the comparative luxury of voluntarily joining a standing, uniformed and well equipped army. Jonah had been snatched up in some backwater hellhole, given a gun, and been forced to figure it out on his own. And if what his roommate said was true, it had left its mark. And that struck a chord with me.

But all good things come to an end. And my little quiet moment came to an end in the middle of autumn the next year.

It was almost a year since Lord Henry had first visited the estate, and gave us his whole speech. And to mark the occasion, Lord Henry had decided to make it a routine event. We were given some refresher training on what we were supposed to do during the visit; being polite at all times and only speaking when spoken to were the big orders of the day. And we were expected to look the part too. That at the very least was something where I had at least made an improvement over last year, thanks to Ludmila buying me a new dress during one of our visits to Paris. She'd been a bit disappointed when I insisted on wearing it, but the lack of frills and bows meant that I didn't look like a life-size doll. And that made me feel a whole lot more comfortable in it.

But this time, Lord Henry hadn't come alone. We first learned that when we were ordered to greet Lord Henry and his friend, some doctor from America. They arrived at the same time as the Lord's last visit, but while he went to check up on the facility's staff, the doctor wasted no time in sticking his nose into the goings-on around the mansion. And more importantly, how all of us were faring with our day-to-day lessons. The curriculum did change a bit, adding an exercise session before lunch. Something that I knew was added for the doctor's benefit, as I caught him watching us a few times. And before long I had a chance to talk to this doctor, as I was called in for an interview with the man during the afternoon.

I didn't know a lot about this Doctor Marcus, but as it turned out, he was a former teacher. So when Lord Henry had brought up what he was doing here, Marcus was interested in seeing what was going on. And part of that included talking with the best children at the manor to get a personal take on what was happening here. Hence the interview. It wasn't anything too significant, mostly just asking how my studies were going, if I liked being here, and stuff like that. We talked for a bit, going back and forth for some time before he dismissed me, and I was able to return to class.

Eventually the day came to an end, and we were finally allowed to eat our dinner and retire to the recreation wing for the rest of the evening. Which in my case, meant gathering up my group of friends and locking down the monopoly board. It took a bit of work, but eventually we were able to get a small game going. We had six players, one of the handlers acting as the bank, and a handful of people watching out of boredom. Or in Jonah's case, a genuine interest to learn. Though I wasn't quite sure how interested he was in the game, compared to the people playing it.

"I don't like this." Valerie announced as she moved her piece, the shoe, up the board. She'd made it the furthest around the board, completing a full rotation in the time it took the rest of us to get maybe half way around.

"It's probably nothing." I assured my roomate, giving her a confident smile as I spoke. One of the neat tricks I'd learned with the 203rd was just how much mileage you could get out of a simple smile. And that lesson still held up here, a world away from the empire. "From the sounds of it, sir Henry is just showing his friend around. If we were all going to be tested, then they would have told us."

"I meant the game." Val huffed, before gesturing to the board. With six people playing, a lot of property was getting snapped up in the first few turns, a situation that let me quickly wheel-and-deal my way into owning two of the reds. Though that was a problem for Val, as she considered them 'her' spot on the board. "You took my spot."

"If you want them, I'll trade them." I replied, even though I knew for a fact that my roommate wouldn't take the offer. We were still in the first few turns, and the best strategy at this point would be to obtain as many properties in as many color sets as possible. So even if trading the two reds for two random properties from Val's deck seemed like a bad idea on the surface, it would give me a better advantage in the long run. At least, that's how I always played it.

Val frowned, and crossed her arms in a huf. "But it's never fair! You always make me give up a bunch of places for just one spot."

"Now now, you do have park place. That's a pretty valuable spot, I think that'd be worth two spots." Ludmila said, trying to calm down Valerie and give me a not so subtle hint to give her the reds for less than their value, purely to keep Val happy.

"The reds are bad, the greens are the best spots! I'll give you all of my greens for park place." One of the boys, Karl, said from the opposite side of the board. He wasn't part of my 'group,' so to speak, but the first volunteer to see the doctor had been part of his group. That left just Karl and one other in his group, and they'd drifted into ours by simply not fitting in anywhere else. And like most rookie players, he'd been blinded by the fact that the dark blue spots, boardwalk and park place, were the most expensive properties on the board. To the point that he was willing to give up the more valuable green properties to get just one of the two dark blues.

That was something I could work with, while also developing the board to my advantage. So I made Karl an offer that he couldn't refuse. "Karl, I'll give you the reds for your greens, and you can swap the reds for Val's blue."

Unfortunately, Karl refused. "Nah. I want the blue."

And that's the problem with playing a children's game with, well, children. They don't make rational choices. And that was something that completely messed with me as we continued to play the game. Every time I'd try and propose a good deal, one of the kids would stumble into the belief that I was playing them, and they'd refuse the deal. Of course, the fact that I was sometimes playing them was besides the point, a broken clock is right twice a day. And that completely messed with my normal game plan of buying one property in as many sets as possible, and then selling them off at a much higher price when someone needed them to complete a property set.

The game slowly broke down from there. Val and Karl focused single-mindedly on their preferred property groups, I tried to get a mix of properties while focusing on the railroads and utilities, and the other kids just sniped groups wherever possible. Unfortunately, I was the first one out. I landed on Park Place and had to either sell my carefully stockpiled warchest of properties, or mortgage them in order to pay. That left me with barely a few hundred 'dollars' worth of monopoly-money in assets, which did nothing to save me when I rolled snake-eyes the very next turn, and was made bankrupt on boardwalk.

Thankfully, Val had indirectly profited from me being knocked out, as she was able to complete her beloved red set at a knock-down price, along with getting two of the three orange properties on the opposite side of the 'free parking' corner. A bit of wheeling-and-dealing later, including a couple of promises of deferred payment, she secured all of the orange and red properties and instantly began pumping money into them. Within a handful of turns, she locked down the entire 'free parking' area, and turned it into a bear trap. It took some time, but that solid base let her both drain her opponent's wallets and expand across the rest of the board.

"That's not fair. I didn't have anywhere to go." Christine, the French girl in my group, sighed as she conceded defeat. She'd done an admirable job at dodging Val's spaces for most of the game, but after Karl was knocked out, Val was able to turn the entire stretch of the board between the jail and free parking into a gauntlet. And from there, it had only been a matter of time.

"Ha, you're just mad." Val gloated, grinning ear-to-ear as she basked in the glory of victory. "Maaaaad~"

The French girl simply huffed, before moving her piece back to the start and grabbing a handful of the game's money. "You got lucky. I want a rematch!"

I looked over at Ludmila, who glanced at her wristwatch before smiling and deciding to host the next match. "I think we have time for another match if we start right now. Would everyone be up for that?"

"I need to go to the bathroom. But if someone wants to take my spot you can get started." I said as I started to get up. I hadn't been sitting properly, but my body was still young enough to take the abuse without any real issue. But that still didn't make any temporary discomfort any more palatable.

"Can I take your spot?" Jonah asked as I rose to my feet, the blood flowing through my legs and helping to stop a case of pins and needles before it arose. His question took me a bit by surprise, but in a good way. Getting him to engage with our games without prompting him was something that rarely happened, and needed to be encouraged.

"Sure! Valerie, Christine or Ludmila would be happy to help you if you need it." I smiled and nodded as I stepped away from the board, allowing the ex-child soldier to take my place. A stack of fake notes was passed over to him, and he took the opportunity to count them before laying them out in front of himself. Imitating my own preferred tactic.

"Don't take too long, meine freundin. You might miss my next great victory!" Val said as I turned to leave, which I simply smiled and nodded in answer to.

"We'll see about that." Christine stated, her voice low and dangerous as she rolled the dice. And I couldn't help but chuckle at the competitiveness between those two. A French girl and a German girl having a rivalry, who'd have thought?

I quickly left the recreation room, and made my way through the mansion's winding hallways and over to the nearest bathrooms. Thankfully, the mansion was large enough to have multiple bathrooms in each wing, across different floors. I didn't have to look too far for my goal, and I was just about to head back to the rec room when the sound of two people chatting caught my attention. Two old men. A certain French Lord and an American doctor.

Lord Henry, and Doctor Marcus.

My curiosity got the better of me, and while I was too far away to tell what they were talking about, I knew their rough direction thanks to the mansion's good acoustics. I silently made my way deeper into the mansion, occasionally catching a glimpse of one of the older gentlemen as they rounded a corner or slipped through a door. It took a few minutes of silent pursuit, but they eventually made their way into the dining room. And I quickly made my way upstairs, thanking the mansion's maintenance staff along the way that none of the stairs creaked or the doors squeaked.

Eventually, I arrived at a door which opened onto the balcony above the dining room, and quietly slid it open. As soon as the door opened by even a crack, the sound of the American doctor's voice filtered through. "-andidates are very good. You really need to tell me who organized your headhunters. You can't just keep tallent like that all to yourself!"

"My friend, you're looking at him!" Lord Henry replied, a warm tone in his voice at the indirect praise. Though the doctor must have given him an odd look, as he chuckled and added to his answer. "Come now, I'm not so buried under corporate responsibilities to ignore something as valuable as this."

"Then you've outdone yourself, my friend. Why, some of the current subjects would be perfect for what I have planned. Two-oh-three, for example, would be perfect if you could spare her?" Marcus hinted, and I felt a part of me shudder at the mention of my old unit's number. The fact that there was at least two-hundred and three test subjects in this program was shocking. And whoever this subject 203 was, I felt a pang of remorse at their life being bargained and bartered with without their knowledge or input.

"We have plans for two-oh-three. That one has a smart head on their shoulders, more than they like to let on. We've got them paired up with Alexander's new prodigy, see if we can't domesticate that weird girl." Lord Henry denied the request. Though any relief at the end of the deal was ignored in the face of the revelation that I was subject 203. A coincidence like that just doesn't happen. I could smell Being X's interference from a mile away.

"Really now? Was that because of our old friend, or did his son ask for your help?" Marcus asked. Or at least I think he asked it. I was still off balance from the suspicious coincidence.

"The latter, though I'd be lying if Edward didn't factor into it. I did promise him that I'd look after Alexander. And I don't think he'd mind if I extended that courtesy to cover the grandchildren." Henry replied, sounding a bit… nostalgic? Either way, it confirmed that my involvement with the Ashfords was something that the higher-ups had a vested interest in. Even if it was just a personal one.

"Hmm. Fair enough. From what I've heard, we could certainly do with making sure that one has a reason to stick around the main labs." Marcus sounded satisfied with the answer. But he continued pushing even though he'd been denied his first choice candidate. And given what he said next, I was certainly glad for it. "Even so, I still need intelligent subjects. The research I'm conducting-"

"I'm sorry Marcus, but no." Henry stated flatly, his voice firm and unyielding as he stopped Marcus in his tracks. I heard the doctor splutter for a few seconds, only for the lord of the house to continue. "The children here aren't mere chattel for experiments, they *are* the future. And I won't see their opportunities squandered just to satisfy your ambition."

For just a moment, everything went totally silent. The only sound in the room came from the old grandfather clock, as it ticked away the seconds of silence. Eventually, Doctor Marcus broke the silence with a derisive grunt, and some very sour questions. "So, this is it? You've thrown your lot in with Spencer, eh?"

"Gods above, is that all you can think about these days? The feud between you and Spencer? Being this bitter is beneath you, my friend." Henry fired back, matching the doctor's tone. I made a quick mental note about this 'Spencer' guy, and filed away the name under 'power players.' Whoever he was, he must have a lot of influence in order to get someone like Henry under his thumb. After all, Henry had enough influence to get either high-quality mercs or actual soldiers to handle guard duty at the mansion. And to get the French Government to look the other way.

Marcus confirmed my suspicions a second later. "That rat is the reason why I'm still stuck in that old boarding school. He's the reason why Bailey's been exiled to Africa. And there's so much more beside that."

"Really? And the class of seventy-eight didn't have something to do with that?" Henry stated, causing another round of stammers and half-words from the American. I didn't know what this class was, but from what was said next it couldn't have been good. "We've got a number of staff members here who had front-row seats to that disaster, so don't act like you're the innocent party here. Oswald has done a number of… questionable things. But please don't belittle me by acting like your hands are clean in all this."

"Is that really any different to Spencer's actions? His follies have already cost Beardsley his life, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was responsible for what happened to Edward too." Marcus fired back, and it was Lord Henry to sound shocked. Though this time it was only manifested by a sharp inhalation of breath.

"Say another word, and a third member of our circle will meet an unfortunate end." Henry's quiet, but very clear threat cut through the air like a knife. There was a pause, again punctuated by the ticking of the grandfather clock, before he spoke again. "While even I must admit that Oswald has made some unfortunate decisions, blaming him for the deaths of not one, but two of my friends is too much. You only have yourself to blame for the mess that you've found yourself in. And it's clear to me that inviting you here was a mistake. If anything, the only thing you've done is cemented my recommendation to the board. Now leave, you can see yourself out."

"Pierre…" Marcus began, only to stop a few seconds later. He sighed, before standing up and making his way out of the dining room, his shoes tapping against the marble floor as he went. He reached the door, but paused, and called back to his now former friend. "Sucking up to Spencer will be your undoing. And it won't bring her back."

"Get. Out." Henry growled, and finally Marcus took the hint. The door swung open on well oiled hinges, before clicking shut a few seconds later. I sat there waiting for a few seconds for something to happen, and I didn't have to wait long before something made of glass was shattered against a nearby wall. I waited for a few more seconds for something to happen, but when I heard nothing but some illegible mumbling, I decided to cut my losses.

I was about to open my door and sneak out, when a knock on the dining room door caught both mine and the Lord's attention. Henry answered almost immediately, his tone sat somewhere between tired and ticked-off. "Yes? What do you want?"

The answer didn't come immediately. Instead, the person on the other side of the door opened it and stepped through. A few seconds later, the sound of Valerie's voice floated up from the floor below. "E-Excuse me, sir, do you know where Tanya is? She said she was going to the toilets… but she didn't come back… Did she leave with mister Marcus?"

"No. Nobody is leaving with him." Henry said just a bit too quickly, and a bit too darkly. But he had enough of his wits about him to notice his tone, and forced a smile into his voice as he circled back to her question. "Now Tanya… did you check her room?"

"Y-Yes sir! She isn't there either. Her books weren't there either, so I thought…" Valerie answered, stumbling over her first word and trailing off, both in reaction to the Lord's worsening tone, if I had to guess.

"It's alright, I was just checking." Henry said, quickly dialing back his sour tone to not scare my roommate any further. An act which I found myself appreciating more than I would have cared to admit. A few seconds later, he spoke again. "Did you check the library? From what I've heard, she likes to read, so she might be in there."

"Yes. But she wasn't there either." Valerie confirmed, har voice still shaky, but at least she wasn't stumbling over her words anymore. Still, I couldn't help but shake my head, I was getting predictable again.

"Did you check the entire room? There's now a lot of places where you can hide without meaning to." Henry asked, pointing out that the recent addition of more shelves had left a good few places to hide.

Valerie was silent for a few seconds, and that was apparently all the answer that the Lord needed. The sound of wood sliding over polished marble confirming that he'd got up. And given how sharp the noise was, he'd gotten up quickly as well. "Maybe she's engrossed in a book? Ludmila tells me that she enjoys reading, and there are a lot of interesting books there. Come on, let's go have a look. If she's not there, I'll have some of the staff have a proper look for her."

"Will she get in trouble? I don't want her to get in trouble and go away. She's my best friend." Valerie asked with a hint of panic in her voice. One that left me feeling a little bit guilty at having to strain her emotions like that.

"No. But I think we'll have a talk about wandering off like that. We do want to make sure that all of you are safe, and we-" Henry explained, only for the last part of his sentence to be cut off as the thick dining room doors closed behind him.

I wasted no time in getting to my feet and leaving the room, making sure that I didn't plant my feet too hard, and to make sure that the door didn't make a sound as I left. I'd have a chat with Val about her issue with people going away, but right now my mind was occupied with answering a simpler question. "If I'd been offered the choice, would I have left with Doctor Marcus? Or would I have remained here?"

I thought about that for as long as it took me to reach the library, but by the time I grabbed a random book and sat down in a fairly hidden area, I had my answer. If given the choice between the mansion and some random weirdo, I'd choose the mansion. Every time. There were a lot of reasons for that choice. From the fact that this place was probably better funded, to the options available once I entered education, and even more minor things like the relationships that I'd cultivated here. But at the end of the day, I knew where I stood at the mansion. I couldn't say that about anywhere else.

After all, better the devil you know…