Eight months

What they found inside was different from what they were expecting, from what they had seen from above. There was a large gate that opened easily enough for them to squeeze through. On the other side was a long and wide hallway. There was security, cameras watching the physical hallways, nodes monitoring the traffic along the data currents. And it certainly seemed like there was an overseer. They were careful about attracting no attention as they glided down the long hallways.

Dot was resting on her shoulder, like the captain on the quarterdeck. Strangely enough, even after a long time, they were in the same endlessly long hallway. They hadn't encountered a lab or anything at all like a door. It was longer than it should have been, but they finally noticed that the hallway was like a spiral.

{ Something's wrong. }

Dot remained silent though. When MenMen realized this, she was staring at the answer for why. A white circle was floating in front. As MenMen stared at the circle, the hallway fell away like a picture on a computer screen breaking into cubical pixels that then flowed away like the current of a river. They were floating in black space.

"It's not yet time," came father's voice from the circle. "You should go back. Get better. I'll invite you over when you're ready."

MenMen didn't have the opportunity to speak. She was kicked out. And they were back outside, riding the wind over the grounds.

{ So, that was that. }

[ What now? ]

{ Let's get back to it. The goal. I want to get stronger. }

Dot agreed. MenMen was tickled by the sight of the little white bird sitting on her shoulder bobbing its head in a nod. And so, that was what they did.

MenMen felt no different from school. She was given a strict timetable. From the moment she woke, at exactly 6 am, to the moment she fell asleep at 10 pm, everything was clearly defined. Jem cooked for her extremely tasty food five times a day, in just the right quantity. Em was a teacher filled with endless excitement. She started with math, but eventually added other subjects prescribed by The Noble Academy's syllabus. Amyra was an extremely patient doctor. Not only did she direct MenMen's rehab, she even explained each step in great detail, so MenMen knew exactly what she was doing and why. After the third month, Ada and Adi started teaching her as well, in the evenings. Ada taught her to stretch every muscle of her body, improving her flexibility. Adi taught her to fight, starting from the basics. MenMen was getting better much faster than anticipated.

On the third Monday of the seventh month, she swam ten laps of the swimming pool. She had completed Amyra's rehab plan. And she was a stronger girl than before. She didn't show it, but she was all lean muscle. She didn't have the strength to knock down a large, grown man with a straight punch, but she could generate more than enough force through the series of practiced motions – kicks and punches. And she was far more deadly with her kicks and punches than most martial artists with their straight kicks and punches.

But that wasn't all. While she slept in the afternoons and in the nights, she was actually with Dot. And Dot was the strictest teacher of all. Dot helped her master the third level too – altering the code to make herself a part of it. Dot had even prepared the graduation test. Sneak past father's white circle and map the underground. They even had practice runs, breaking into other security systems. Dot got her started on simple systems, slowly increasing the complexity. Dot was convinced of MenMen's readiness, but decided on waiting until she completed Amyra's plan.

[ Your body's physical condition affects your mental condition. It's better to be in the best of condition before attempting something difficult. ]

MenMen didn't argue. The night after she swam the ten laps, there was a celebration. On MenMen's request, it was a small party. It was just them in attendance – father, mother, uncle Jem, elder sister Em, big brothers Ada and Adi, and her. Jem baked chocolate cake with a thick layer of icing and a mountain of whipped cream on top. Amyra gave a journal to keep record of MenMen's physical condition. The journal had a biometric lock that couldn't be broken unless it was a proficient hacker. MenMen added several additional layers of security, so it would take the best of hackers a while to break in, by when she would have caught them. And who would spend such effort for her journal?

Em gave a card with the key to a vast electronic library of math problems. It was a secret library whose keys were in the hands of only a handful of people from across the world. "Stay active," Em told her.

Ada and Adi got her two pairs of shoes, one for regular everyday use and another for practice. And also two pairs of gloves made with special fabric that offered greater protection than any other, for practice.

And finally, Kira got her a letter of acceptance from The Noble Academy. She wouldn't be repeating the year. She would be taking the annual test, the same as other students, and would be graduating if she passed. "Time to pay them back," he told her. She couldn't be more ready.

Later in the night, Dot gave her a present as well.

[ Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, we'll go in. ]

{ Alright. I'm ready. }

[ You are. When you've slept enough, I'll wake you. ]

Dot woke her after a few hours. MenMen felt refreshed and ready. She sat on the bed a while, going through the morning routine of stretching in her mind and feeling the effect. As the white bird perched on her shoulder, she looked out the open window, at the quiet lake. It was still early. The birds were all asleep. It was the time of night when it was the quietest. She stretched her wings that had grown bigger than her. With a gentle flap, she burst out. With another, she was high above the grounds. She flew around the grounds a couple of times, and then flew straight in through the large gate.

Unlike last time, she didn't open the gate. Instead, she dissolved into the gate, and came out the other side without causing as much as a ripple. It was the same long and wide hallway that greeted her. She stopped as if letting her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. Then, she went to the wall on the side, rest her palms against the smooth surface. With a gentle push her palms went through. Maintaining the same force, all of her slowly went in through the wall. On the other side was a similar hallway, but this one felt different. She didn't have to go down the hallway to know this was no spiral. This wasn't a trap, but the real hallway. She had successfully broken through the first layer of security.

Once again, she went to the wall, rest her hands on the smooth surface. This time she didn't push. Rather, she felt the wall, felt the flow of data underneath. She let her hands become a part of the current, let the date flow through unaffected. She made of copy of every bit of data flowing through her hands, using those copies to draw the lines marking the walls. She was also studying the bits. When the copy was indistinguishable from the original, she injected a node into the core of each bit, and replaced the original with the copies. As these copies with the nodes went inside the system, they escaped detection. The nodes inside were transmitters, continuously transmitting to her the path they traversed and information about the surroundings. It wasn't long before she was watching the nodes draw a line map of the underground for her.

Dot was sitting on her shoulder quiet and impassive, but was actually shocked. Dot had considered many possibilities for how MenMen would act, but this was beyond anything Dot came up with. This was truly all MenMen. This was only possible because MenMen was absolutely clear about the goal. She was only drawing a map of the underground and nothing more. She wasn't going to attempt breaking in any further. She wasn't even aiming for a complete map. A rough estimate would do. And when she had that, she deactivated the nodes and pulled her hands away from the wall, making certain to cause no ripple. Having succeeded, she quietly left the same way as she had entered. It wasn't until she returned to her room that she relaxed. She fell onto her bed with a sigh.

{ That was tiring. I succeeded, didn't I? }

[ You did. You were the perfect thief. Congratulations. ]

Dot's unemotional praise was the truest and the best. MenMen screamed in joy. Dot flapped its wings as if applauding.

[ Now? ]

{ Now, to prepare for school. }