Jeanne's body had been placed on her bed with immense gentleness. She was barely conscious, she felt absent. She only remembered the sky above her eyes. A blue sky. A sky that made you want to smile, she felt her body convulse, filling with tears, long painful spasms never left her. Her body hurt so much, her skin burned so much that she didn't have the courage to breathe. She was lying in her bed, she saw the child's eyes again. And her body shook with even more spasms. A female doctor approached her arm, at her side Vincent was keeping watch. The woman stuck a long needle into her arm. Jeanne did not have the courage to struggle. She turned her head towards the wall. She wanted to sink in. She wanted to forget. Her gaze began to become blurry, her legs heavy. Her mouth numb. She didn't struggle.

Vincent ordered Jeanne to be monitored without interruption. Vincent had to be absent. He wanted to gather information about Jeanne's father, X. But for that he had to travel, it was going to be long. They hadn't been able to find H.L, so he knew there would be very little chance of tracing X. He would probably have to count on the fact that X would want Jeanne to find him. Vincent refused this hypothesis, so he had to act, take the lead. For the doctors, Jeanne would not be able to get up while she was so reliable, if she decided to fight she could be up again in a week. Vincent knew that Jeanne was going to sink. But she wouldn't let herself die. She would only leave when she decided and she still had too much hatred to let go. He couldn't be of any use here, she would find the strength to go back to the surface. We just had to let her find her way alone. She was a survivor. She hadn't been human for a long time. Vincent looked at her intensely. He left the room hoping it wouldn't be the last time he saw her.

When Jeanne woke up, almost ten days later, the woman doctor tried to remind her where she was and that her condition was precarious, she had to act gently. Jeanne hurt everywhere. She was sweating. She asked to be given morphine. She grabbed the doctor's arm. 

-Right away... 

Jeanne saw the woman's panicked look. Released her just as quickly. Her gaze had changed in a split second, she gently took her hand. She was breathing quickly.

 -I'm sorry...forgive me...

The woman nodded. She gave her the injection. Jeanne thanked her and asked her to then leave her room. Before the woman left, Jeanne stopped her again. 

-Ellie, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or hurt you. Please forgive me. Honestly, I'm an addict, that's no excuse, but I don't always control myself. 

Ellie took a deep breath. 

-I forgive you. You hurt me but I know what pain is gnawing at you, so I forgive you. But take care of yourself. We are all counting on you, but you can also count on us. We are a team. Together, we will do everything to make it happen. Vincent left for reconnaissance ten days ago. No news since.

Jeanne watched her leave the room. Ellie had arrived among the first at the fortress. She was one of the pillars in the organization. Jeanne closed her eyes for a moment. She had flashes of horror. She stood up and waited a few minutes. She began to feel numbness in her feet. She let herself be overcome by the morphine, the pain began to fade. She sat on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were lost through the window. Her mouth was pasty. She headed towards the bathroom. She wanted to shower, dressed, acted, but her body wouldn't obey. She locked herself. She opened her porcelain box and took out a bag. She knew her heart was fragile. But she had to act. She did so. Her heart raced, her hands shook. She turned her head, she seemed more agile. That was enough for her for right now. She dressed in training gear. She left her room at a brisk pace. She went down the stairs. Greeted everyone she passed. Everyone looked at her in surprise, thinking she was still bedridden. Jeanne possessed within her an unsuspected, almost unreal strength.

She arrived in the courtyard, grabbed a wooden spear and began training. Romy and Lena looked at each other. They were in charge of training. Lena approached. 

-Jeanne... I am delighted to know that you have recovered... Do you think that it is not a little hasty to start again? 

-I'm standing, so I'm ready...

-OK... 

Lena nodded, took a few steps towards Romy and whispered in her ear:

 -We're taking it slowly, I do not want to be the one who kill the boss... 

-The first one to save me ends up impaled on the spear...

 Romy and Lena had a moment of reflection.

 -...Ok let's go all out. Romy will start. 

Romy turned to Lena and glared at her.

-Kung Fu? 

Romy tried

 -I look like I'm eight years old? 

-...boxing?

 Jeanne did not answer it.

Romy swallowed.

 -So ninjutsu?

 Jeanne smiled a little. 

-There you go... that's it, you're there...

Lena ran her hand over her head. 

-Oh no... Romy what did you do...

Romy looked lost. She approached. She wasn't completely comfortable. Ninjutsu being considered ultra violent and dangerous, she feared going too hard and if she didn't go hard enough, she felt that she would not be part of the next mission... 

Jeanne was very sporty despite her small career. She was on edge and was very fast, agile and she always went on the attack again.

Romy and Jeanne placed themselves opposite each other. Everyone stopped eveything to look at them.

 -Do you remember what "ninjutsu" means? 

-Are you testing me? Funny... replied Romy. Nin means "perseverance", "endurance", "stealth". "Jutsu" means "art" or "technique". Ninjutsu is the art of perseverance, stealth and its practitioners are ninjas. This is what we are...

Jeanne smiles.

 -What technique do we start with...? asked Jeanne 

-Koppō taijutsu? 

-Perfect... 

Koppō taijutsu was a unarmed fight using anatomical knowledge to better injured or subdued the opponent. They rushed forward. The fight was precise, violent, Jeanne ran out of steam very quickly but Romy also struggled at times. Their strokes were so fast that it was almost like a dance. They continued with fencing, the ninpō no ken technique, then a stick fight, then ukemi. At the end of the fight, everyone applauds them. Jeanne was exhausted. Her body throbbed everywhere. Her heart was bouncing in her chest. She felt alive. She finally felt like herself. Romy was also sweating. Jeanne was doing stretches called junan taiso, when Romy approached her.

-Okay... Am i accomplished my mission? Did I break you enough without humiliating you too much, but enough to go on a mission next time?

Jeanne waited before responding. She increased the pressure excessively. She approached Romy, very slowly, placing herself in front of her.

 -Who do you think you're talking to when you talk like that? 

Romy broke down. 

-Just kidding Romy, you were perfect as always! Never be afraid of anyone, especially me! 

Romy laughed a little inside. 

-But I'm not afraid of you!

 Lena looked at her. 

-A bit though... 

-You want to talk, you didn't even want to fight her, you sent me into the pit!

 -It was to get you out of your comfort zone! Adds Lena

 -Are you just kidding me! Come here so I can show you my comfort zone! 

Everyone burst out laughing. Romy chased Lena with a stick and they started fighting like children. Jeanne couldn't help but laugh as she saw these two war machines, these two elite killers rolling around on the ground like children crushing dirt on their faces. She was proud of her army. She was proud to see how these survivors managed to feel so safe at the fortress.

When she decided to invest the abandoned fortress, she was only eighteen years old. She only had a few children with her and Vincent who was just sixteen years old. Her father had just died. She wanted to transform this dirty money into delivering justice. She had never wanted to know how her father had made his fortune, the whole dilemma was there. As long as she believed him dead, she transformed the dirty money and the evil he had done into saving innocent people. But now that she knew he was alive, why didn't he take her money back? Why did she let him play vigilante and hunt evil when he was the most evil of all? Why this perversion? Why didn't he come and kill her? Why had he used her? She felt pain radiate throughout her body. She forced herself to come back to the present. To return here, to the fortress. 

She watched training resume. She corrected the younger ones on their postures and encouraged them. She was proud to see the younger ones go out of their way to impress the older ones. She looked at her army with pride. 

Suddenly, everyone stopped, an alarm sounded. Jeanne turned her head towards the corridor. A noise was heard coming from the sky. The guards took action. Jeanne kept her head fixed on the sky. A helicopter arrived, the guards signaled that everything was ok. She approached the landing zone. Vincent came down. He looked relieved when he saw Jeanne standing. He nodded to her. 

-I have a lead. 

Jeanne looked at him with intensity, a bestial cruelty had taken possession of her. She was ready, more ready than ever.