Three precious little dumplings were placed neatly in front of Gladys. All she had to do was decide which one would get the cream filling.

Each one had been given her own hospital bed while she slept. Side by side, the celestial maidens were lined up for analysis, powerless before the laws of science. Their dark blue hair and crisp white medical dresses made them a matching set.

Gladys brought with her a team of surgeons, faces masked and gleaming knives in hand. She was like a maligned fairy godmother, coming to visit the hapless maidens with her hungry imp familiars. Behind them, a pair of glasses reflected the glare of observation lights. Their frames floated over the indistinguishable face of a tall featureless shadow.

Gladys moved to the side of the first bed.

Ceres. She was the most powerful of her kind, which meant she was also the most difficult to control. Hesitantly, Gladys touched her on the cheek. When her fingers began to shift downward, they hardly made it past the neck. No, this one would be too dangerous.

Gladys sadly shook her head and moved to the next bed.

Juno. Oh, how she loved to sing. Especially when it caused an earthquake that nearly reduced the entire lab to rubble. Her final performance had been cut short so she could be brought in for closer study. She had the same pale angelic complexion as Ceres, only with her own tomboy twist.

Gladys gained a more promising look when she touched Juno's face. Her hand moved under Juno's chin, traced the outline of her heavenly breasts through her gown, but then came to a stop. Gladys' hopefulness faded. This sweet songbird was still lacking something.

Gladys loomed over the last of the sleeping beauties.

Pallas. The most fair and innocent of the three was also the most rambunctious. Not charred and bitter like Ceres, but sprinkled with a tiny bit more sugar than Juno. Her hair flowed down to her waist in long midnight blue waves, unbound from the braids she usually wore.

Gladys caressed her face with uncertainty. Her hand continued its course, lightly grazing Pallas' chest. Slightly more modest than Juno, but with just the right softness.

Suddenly, Gladys' fingers took a separate path. They drew a long curve that started its ascension just below Pallas' chest and descended back to her waist. The imaginary shape was smooth, bulbous, and very robust.

A smile crossed Gladys' lips.

Staying at Pallas' side, she nodded to the surgeons and pointed to a pair of red doors. The glasses in the corner of the room silently flickered in agreement.

Author's note: I have no official explanation for how these damsels wound up in distress. It's meant to be open to your imagination. But if backstories are your thing, you can assume Aya was shot by one of Kagami's snipers with a tranquilizer dart, Shuro stumbled into a wire trap assembled from fishing line, Bubble Tape containers, and a VHS copy of The Goonies, and Chidori careened off the side of a bus and smashed into a wall while being pursued by several squad cars in a high speed chase driving a 1991 Dodge Stealth.