Virgil ate his of beans in silence while Sheri sat by his side. The meal was bnd and tasteless but he didn't care; at least the heat would distract him from how sore his body was. His eyes wandered up the length of Sheri's arm to settle on the bandages peeking through the sleeve of her top.

  News of Edith's abdu came out of left field...he hadn't expected that. Something didn't add up.

  Was it because she tried unc Salvatore's chemical formu from the Adrenomancer? He mentally scratched that idea. That made no sense...Salvatore didn't leave loose ends untied; he was thh. If he sidered something—or someohreat...they weren't around long enough to worry about. Maybe Edith uncovered something else...another plot or scheme.

  At least she was alive. Abdug her meant Salvatore wanted her to work for him...or do something for him. Which meant she still had leverage. Which also meant Salvatore may let Edith live for longer if she kept cooperating...or if he mao get whatever he needed done, finished soohan ter.

  Of course, that brought along the problem of retrieving her; even injured as he was...the odds of successfully finding her and freeing her from Salvatore were slim to none. No...he couldn't rush into things...he needed more ihis was one fight he couldn't win with brawn and guns—he o think things through.

  Sheri's worried stare broke him out of his thoughts. She must have sensed his tension. He forced himself to rex—rex a. Nothing good ever came from w about stuff he had no trol over.

  "How's Fii ing along?" he asked casually.

  The question earned him a small smile. "She's doing well," she answered as she adjusted her gsses. "sidering all that's happened...she's been really strong...pulling through despite everything."

  He knew all too well what that girl was made of. Despite all the tragedies Salvatore's attack caused, it tempered Fii's resolve and grit—it hardened her against adversity and pain. She had to learn t the hammer down when push came to shove; there was no room to hesitate when lives were on the line.

  The faint trace of a smile came unbidden, but soon turned into a frown.

  Kenzo's death left a mark on him. It hurt. Despite their history, Virgil still held a certain resped admiration for him. He was more of a hero than any of the egotistic, self-glorifyiahumans iropolis. If circumstances had been different, Kenzo could've ged the face of the slums...for the better. And he would've kept the spirit of the people alive and well. A damn shame if there ever was one.

  But at least Fii mao put ao Prime ond for all. Prime had beore of a hindrahan help, twisting the ideals set by the founders of the Metropolis. His reign had bee a tyranny.

  Maybe now...with him out of the way...hopefully the good guys could start doing good without having to py the game of political bullshit. Things could only go uphill from here.

  His main noith Fii.

  No doubt Kenzo's death had left its mark. The kid o find closure. He could only imagihe flig emotions she must have felt...the grief. She'd be fine in time, that much he could safely say.

  What he wasn't so sure of...was how she would acclimate to her rapid growth in power. ahuman had ever made this sort of jump so fast. Not even him, not even Prime.

  There was no telling what effect such speedy development might have on her. He o keep a close eye on her. For everyone's sake.

  That night, she had been forced to kill. It may have been for the greater good...but it took its toll on the psyche. He knew.

  One slip. That was all it took to start a dark downward spiral. He didn't want that to happen to her—not someone like her. She was different. I. Na?ve in so many ways despite the struggles she went through daily. There was a light inside her that couldn't be snuffed out no matter how hard life threw curveballs at her. The world needed more like her—despite what he said or did otherwise.

  Fii casually walked up the side of the Tower of Songs, her gravikinesis letting her g to its surface with ease. After several moments, she reached a window sill—pulled herself onto the ledge—and swung herself up to sit atop the crumbling edifice.

  A quiet sigh left her lips as she took a moment to stare at the setting sun. She had e here for some pead quiet—just a few moments away from the usual hustle and bustle to gather her thoughts.

  The sky above was abze with hues of pink and purple; streaks of gold danced across the clouds as they zily drifted past. The air was still warm from the afternoo, though a breeze carried whispers of cooler evenings to e. Fii leaned back against the rough crete and gazed out into the horizon.

  The slums stretched far below her perch, an endless expanse of dipidated buildings and makeshift structures built from whatever was at hand. Interspersed throughout the city were rge ses of densely packed shanties where even more desperate souls eked out aence—hoping for nothing more than enough food and shelter to make it another day.

  Beyond the outskirts y the gleaming towers of the Metropolis behind The Wall. The trast betweewo worlds couldn't have been starker.

  A crackle of noise from her earpieterrupted her thoughts. She tapped at the device lightly as its low hum faded in and out.

  "Hey, Fii—err, I mean Axion." Quinn's voice came through clearly for once as he adjusted the signal. It had taken him a while to figure out how to work the signal boosters Rao had rigged together. But now, the link was stable and secure—a wele venience.

  "Are you doing okay?" The sound of his breathing filtered over the device as she pohe question.

  "I'm okay," she finally said as she idly traced shapes on the crete beh her fiips. "Just taking a breather until my patrol."

  The wind rustled her hair as a soft sigh escaped her lips. She closed her eyes aed her head against the cool stone behind her. "How about you?" she asked quietly.

  There ause on the line before he answered. "I've been busy with the repairs and all but..." His voice trailed off briefly before ing back to life with renewed energy. "Well, yeah...good! Busy as ever...'t pin. Just got these new upgrades for the drohat's what I've been tinkering with tely."

  "That sounds nice." A faint smile pyed across her lips as she listened. She appreciated the small talk.

  A slight pause came over the lihere was an unasked question hanging in the air—not being said...but present.

  Fii could imagihe nervous frown grag Quinn's features as he gathered up the ce to speak his mind.

  "Say...we haven't talked much tely. Maybe we could catch up after your patrol? We could grab something at the Rust Market or whatever...I mean if you want...it'd be cool...I'd be cool with that. I just...you know...just...maybe we could hang out sometime...that is if you're cool with it. If you don't feel like it then that's also fine." He stumbled over the words as he tried to get them out as quickly as possible. He took a deep breath after finishing.

  "That would be nice." Fii chuckled softly before reassuring him. "Really. I've missed our talks." The admission made her feel better than she'd felt all day.

  There was a brief lull before Quinn replied.

  "Great! So...I'll...see you ter then?" There was an audible click as he switched off his microphone. Fii could picture the goofy expression on Quinn's face as he hurriedly made some adjustments to his gadgetry.

  Her cheeks flushed pie herself as the ers of her mouth tugged upwards involuntarily. With a sigh she stood and stretched; she had stalled for long enough. Duty called.

  She pressed the py button on the cassette pyer strapped to her utility belt and leaned into the familiar melody emanating from the earpiece.

  Kenzo's st song echoed through her ears—the one he had told her about. A song about Axion—a song about her.

  Fii lept into the air, her body weightless as she soared high above the slums. She floated oes of the music drifting through her ears—a smile spreading across her face—she drifted higher and higher as if carried aloft by wings.

  The wind caressed her cheek—the sun bathed her skin—the song filled her mind—she became part of everything around her.

  Every note held meaning, every rhythm vibrated with purpose. She uood now more than ever what Kenzo meant when he said music held magic within its sound waves. It spoke a nguage all its own—a nguage with no barriers or restris.

  At this brief, fleeting instant, nothing else mattered except the feeling of being uhered to the fines of gravity ahly ws...just existing.

  The sensation faded as she desded onto the street below—bato reality.

  Fii tinued on her way towards her patrol route.

  There was no denying the ges happening. The slums were getting noticed by the Metropolis in new ways. She could feel it in her bones. Something was ing...and she'd o be prepared for whatever happened .

  Slumlife wasn't pretty. Nor was it poetic.

  For Axion—for Fii—it just...was. It was all she had known—and would probably ever know. All the same, it would always be her home...no matter how hard ly. And if it meant proteg what she cared about, then that's what she would do.

  No questions asked. s. Even if there'd be nothing but ashes and dust behind in her wake...so long as everyone could survive anht...then she could live with herself...even though life gave her no ce to dream.

  She would keep moving forward. Because if nothing else...life had taught her one valuable lesson: There would always be tomorrow, and hope would never leave her heart.

  Book One End

  Zanafar