Tomorrow came, as it always did. Six days till Christmas.

  Which was a good thing to think about, Esper James had decided to herself. The stores would be heavily picked over by now, of course... but, there would still be plenty of Vitus life to act as second-living camouflage for the women. EJ, of course, couldn't go out on her own... not yet, not now. Not as she was.

  Blonde hair, green eyes, black tips... her locks had grown longer, sure, but she was still the exact same Esper James as was on the news and the bulletins and posters all around town. She was still, undeniably, the girl in the pictures - every single one of them. Thus, this had to change - but not only did she need a visual change, she needed a new identity. This was her own idea, admittedly, based off of various spy movies and vigilante shows she had soaked up in her desperate escapism... but, hey. It worked for them. Why couldn't it work for her?

  Khetnep had been happy to provide, with Purity as the go-between. Hair dye, jewelry, a bulletproof vest (so that she could get used to the weight of it), some fashion contacts to hide her emerald greens and their red-flecked giveaway... A genuine trove of cosmetics, as well, though these were 'to share', as it was put. Purity specifically mentioned that Khetnep winked as she said that last part.

  And so, with great ado, the ladies had gathered - all of them, Zofia and Lucretia too - to take part in Esper James's veritable transformation. Her black tips were snipped off, much to her dismay; her beautiful cornsilk blonde was traded for a more striking ebony, making her feel less bad about the loss of her discarded ends; her eyes were overlaid with the thin membrane of contacts, now the most normal brown that a person could ask for.

  The jewelry was far more akin to accessories than genuine gold and silver — a spiked choker, a few studded arm-bands, a chain for a wallet which she didn't have, but could link to pants as though she did. It wouldn't be much of a stretch at all to say that Khetnep's offerings made Esper James resemble a punk more than an office lady, as she previously had; a stark change, which, all things considered? Invigorated the one-time blonde, and drew praise from the assembled coterie.

  Zofia was the first to say something as they all stood at the bathroom mirror, happily inspecting every new facet of the ex-secretary.

  "Goodness, Esper James... you're almost completely unrecognizable! I mean, hell, if I didn't know it was you, I'd say you were just a civilian on the street!" The ghoul-enthusiast leaned in closer to fawn over the object of their observation, looking her over up and down — even though her new wardrobe had yet to be touched. EJ was beaming from ear to ear at herself in the mirror, looking over the new woman that the reflection showed her.

  "Mmmh, yeah... I could see a thousand girls with a similar look in plenty of Vitus's clubs. I have seen them, in fact — you'll fit right in, no more chances of getting recognized. And, plus?" Lucretia giggled softly to herself, left hand going out to lift a lock of EJ's hair before allowing it to fall. "Black looks good on you. People say blondes have more fun... but do they know what kind of trouble girls like us get up to~?"

  Purity cast Lucretia a look of mock defensiveness, stepping forward to wrap her arms protectively about her littlest lover. "Girls with all hair colours can have fun, Lulu — I used to get into a lot of mischief, haha! Ha... Well, it stopped being fun after a while, but... ah, EJ! You look cute! I mean, you always looked cute, but—"

  Esthrielle to the rescue. The Italian interjected as Purity began to flounder, speaking up loudly and proudly to cover for the encroaching awkwardness. "Yeah! You look fucking adorable, EJ — I, uh, I never went to any clubs back in Italy, but, aha...! You look right at home. Like that, uh, that one place we went. The Jezze. You look just like the people there - in a good way."

  Well, it was a good attempt.

  The five women all let a momentary hush fall over their assembly; after it had had ample time to make itself at home, it was broken by the focal point of the festivities. "I like it. And... and you say it's convincing, right? Super convincing? That's... good. Very good. Really very super good, in fucking fact, cause I... I don't know if I have the brain to worry about shit like Tsang's god damn panopticon they've got set up around the city. I can barely remember the login to my favorite games, back when that... when that was a thing I could do. I couldn't remember fucking camera placements."

  Four heads bobbed in united agreement, each one making their approval of Esper James's newfound confidence — and appearance — known. They all lingered there for a few minutes more, each one unsure how to move on from this, as was often the case in the wake of any social engagement. Thankfully, Esthrielle was to the rescue once again, posing then a question which had sat just beneath the surface of EJ's brain.

  "So. Clothes. When are we getting EJ some new clothes? Like... Khetnep sent a kevlar vest, but that isn't really clothing. EJ's gotta dress the part, too — I've seen how the other girls, Catnip's 'strikers', dress. When's she gonna look like that?" Esthrielle crossed her arms, gaze and question both directed towards Purity. She was joined momentarily by three other pairs of eyes, the collective now waiting for their middlewoman to offer an acceptable answer.

  Purity chuckled softly - and then, concern flashed upon her face as a bolt from the blue, piercing blues glaring intensely at Est."Wait, fucking what? What do you mean you've seen how they dress?! Have you been downstairs — have you been in the baseme—"

  Est cut her off with a smug grin and a shrug, eyes shutting to resemble now a cat warming itself in the sun. "Nope~ Lulu and Zofi and I hacked the CCTV. Been peeping around at shit whenever there's a dull moment... whenever we're just chilling out, relaxing, nothing to do... and, lemme tell you. The bare bodies and raunchy sex aren't really my thing — it would feel weird, even if we'd talked about that sort of thing — but the fucking armory they've got down there? God, Vitus contractors really don't give a shit who pays them, do they?"

  Esper James was reminded of the convent — of how such a massive structure had been excavated and constructed just below Vitus's surface, with delicate care in every etched wall and pseudo-sconce. She decided to settle on one explanation: cash, as they said, was king. Anyone with enough money in-hand to get what they wanted also had enough to pay for the construction crew's silence... though, in the case of both Khetnep and the convent, perhaps threats were just as viable avenues.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Purity drew in a deep breath, setting it free as a great, rumbling sigh, laden with exasperation. "Fuck... girls, you... you shouldn't really be hacking our boss's shit when we're staying here on her dime, you know? But... fuck it, what's passed is passed. Yeah, they..."

  She let her gaze drop, then shutting her eyes to gather her thoughts before continuing on. "They tend to dress casually. Lightweight armor under long-sleeve shirts, shit like leather jackets with plates and kevlar inside them... that sort of stuff. Not super useful for a first-living, of course... but for second-living, all it needs to do is stop penetration, it doesn't need to give much padding. So, yeah. I haven't interacted with any of those girls much, but..."

  She sighs again, eyes opening once more to look to Esper James. "They're effective. Almost no turnover — and most of those few people who do exit their role as one of Catnip's enforcers? They don't die — they just decide they wanna work here, instead. Seen plenty of Khetnep's top assassins decide life as a bouncer is more their speed, or even working the pole. So... you'll be in good hands."

  Further questions arose within EJ's mind - such as, 'if they're so good, why hadn't Khetnep taken the offensive to Tsang yet', or 'can I really be as good as them, I'm just a secretary'. However, these were put to rest immediately by outside interference: a prosthetic palm took up residence upon EJ's shoulder, drawing her from her doubtful speculation.

  "EJ... look. We're all gonna be there, yeah? It'll be the four of us. Together. We'll all learn how Khetnep does shit, how her people do shit, how we'll be expected to fight and do recon and all that... whatever. The point is that, babe, you don't need to be so worried — we'll all be there to look out for each other, right?" Esthrielle gave her girlfriend's shoulder a squeeze, offering her the most consoling smile she could — which, even with her steely fangs? Esper James found great comfort in.

  Lucretia hopped in, then. "Yeah, EJ — don't even worry about it, okay? It's gonna be the four of us, plus others who know just how things are done here in Vitus. Everything will be fine... and, eheh, even if it's a little hard? You've got three tough, toned, purpose-built war machines on your side~"

  She gestured to herself, Esthrielle, and Zofia, snickering as she finished the motion. "We've got shit that'll make most Tsang troops' heads spin. It's harder to smell our blood, because we've got so little... we radiate less warmth, and traditional anti-second-living armaments aren't as effective on us... and we're strong enough, physically, that we can bend a steel door if need be. Right, Zofi?"

  She turned her gaze to address the most timid of the trio, whose big, doeish eyes had been staring up at Lucretia as she extolled the virtues of the Wayward warriors. Zofi let out a small squeak as she realized it was her turn to pitch in, not being prepared to get put on the spot in such a way... but also having been so caught up in adoring her historical best friend that she hadn't been even thinking about interjecting.

  "Ahh! Uh, yeah - yes! Even me, just a researcher... the prosthetics used for the Knights are all standard-issue, though some of us have — err, had powerful benefactors to get us higher-quality augments. I can still be plenty useful in a fight, aha... Imagine if we run into more hapless corporate bureaucrats, l-like that dude I punched...!"

  She hazarded a smile, then, which was met in kind by all the other women in attendance. Esper James couldn't help but cast a glance towards the bathtub — now completely emptied and sparkling clean, washed free of earlier sins by steaming-hot water. She sighed, feeling her smile rise even as her eyelids fell.

  Yeah. They were right. Even if she didn't end up being any good at... at killing... then the other three would make up for it, right? They were strong, fast, potent, intelligent... EJ was reminded of Est and Judas's fight at the manse, the first time she had seen Esthrielle in action. Even against whatever Judas had become, Esthrielle had managed to hold her own, and get their fight to a stalemate; EJ could only imagine what three Waywards could do together, if it came to it.

  She nodded. "Yeah... you're right. You're all right. We'll be fine - we'll be just-fucking-fine, and we'll make Tsang taste our boots and cry for mercy. It's... haha, is it bad to say I'm kinda... e-excited? It feels like it should be bad to be excited about hurting people."

  Esper James's smile faltered momentarily, big brown eyes looking to the others for some sort of guidance, some response to tell her she wasn't as monstrous or maddened as she felt. Purity's turn, this time - and with that same fire that burned within her any time the prospect of hurting Tsang came up.

  "No! No, no, no. It's not bad at all. Think about what they've done to us - to everyone! Tsang has fucked over an entire nation of people, just because they get off on their sick little fucking power trip! They abuse and oppress millions of people in the UNAC, and they're constantly fucking with everyone else outside of it! I think you should feel vindicated in giving them a taste of their own shitty medicine."

  This sentiment received a round of nods and voiced approval from the three Easterners, each of whom had their own reasons to be jaded and spiteful about the state of the world. Esper James swallowed hard, emboldened by the support of her friends... and feeling that same pride, the pride of earlier nights spent in this shared closeness and company, welling within her.

  They were right. Tsang had brutalized so many people, for so very long... using a practically supernatural technology like eternal life to simply prolong the rat race into eternity. Perpetual existence should mean perpetual joy... right? But instead, Tsang had just turned people into cogs in a grand plutocratic machine - cogs that never needed replacing.

  Esper James almost felt the least qualified to be upset with Tsang's machinations - after all, what had she suffered? Some thirty-odd years of abuse under Judas, but nothing more serious than the odd verbal assault, or a smack on the head, or some docked pay? But, even then, here were these four women — women she cared about deeply, who had opened their hearts and lives to her — who believed in her. Who knew she could make a difference, if only by acting out and striking back.

  Fuck. A lot of pressure, yeah... but a lot of pride, too. Pride that she had finally found, after so long, genuine love in the arms of others; pride that she had found friends, good friends, friends who wanted what was best for her. Pride that she was finally taking control of her own life, and following a path she dictated, without outside interference.

  It felt good to be in control of herself, for the first time in her life.

  "Yeah! You're... you're fucking right, Purity. We're gonna fuck Tsang up, we're gonna take back our lives, we're gonna... well, you know! We're gonna live on our own terms! And it's gonna be great, and we'll... we'll make a difference. We'll change Vitus for the better, one body at a time." She looked in the mirror, seeing her reflection beaming back at her, mouth so very wide and fangs so very sharp.

  One body at a time. That's how they'd do it - one executive at a time, one middle-manager at a time, one IRE site overseer at a time. They'd plunge Tsang into chaos, and break the chains that bound everyone like hellish, capitalistic shackles. Phew. Big dreams, eh?

  Big dreams indeed.