We are so back!

  The slums felt different now. Not the kind of different that came with a new gang seizing trol of a few blocks, or an airship spilling its refuse onto the rooftops, or some amateur Ti building an illegal shatter-bomb and bringing half an apartment plex down. The kind of different that went beyond the everyday struggles of the area, that went beyond the rough-and-tumble lifestyle that everyohere was so familiar with.

  No, it wasn't any of those things, and if someone had told her that the streets could take on a new color a few months ago, she'd have ughed and suggested that they eat less Syoo much synth-ham pyed with the mind, as some in the slums were all too proo tell others after a bad trip. Or maybe some Rusty was showing off a bit by attempting to use a big word. But this wasn't that kind of differeher.

  This was something else. Something that wasn't all in her mind.

  That something was her, of course. Fii. Not that her name meant much to ao most people, she was just anirl in the slums, one who didn't stand out in any way. She wasn't a gang leader or an artist or anything like that. As far as they knew, she didn't do anything iing or exg, or even dangerous.

  To them, she was just areet rat trying to stay alive. Except she wasn't, not anymore.

  I couple of months, ever since her identity as 'Axion' had been revealed, there was a ge in the air. Whispers now followed her whenever she stepped into the slums. The occasional murmurs, the sidelong ghe hushed versations that abruptly stopped whenever she walked by—all told her that the secret was out.

  In her efforts to protect the people of the slums, she had iently revealed her true nature to those around her.

  As far as anyone knew now, she er. The slums have never had a hero to call their own.

  Never.

  And to be fair, no one knew what to make of her. Sure, Supers were fasating and powerful. Everyone had heard about their heroic deeds iropolis. Everyone knew about the extraordinary feats they achieved with their abilities.

  But this was the slums.

  To everyo just wasn't supposed to be possible. Supers weren't meant to exist in the slums. They were something er-than-life beings who defehe affluent city across the way, not the cesspool of poverty and crime in which she lived. It was like hearing about someone finding a diamond in the rough. Not likely and when it did happen, it was hard to believe.

  There was an unspoken belief that the Supers' world and theirs were two entirely different realms. A Super would never dare set foot in the slums. Why would they? There were no massive threats lobal spiracies to foil. There was nothing worthwhile here in their eyes.

  The only thing that the slums had to offer was misery, rust, and rain. It was where the cast-offs of society went to wither away, a pce to be fotten.

  For a time, her destine forays into the superhero gig, donning the moniker "Axion," had been limited to the odd jobs—breaking up street fights, mediating minor disputes, and the occasional daring rescue from a precarious rooftop.

  To her, these were all routiivities.

  There was something about the visceral thrill of embrag the mantle of a superhero that gave her a certain kind of... buzz. A rush of adrenalihat was different than anything that she had ever felt. Something about using her powers to help others, even if it was on a small scale, was exhirating.

  Plus, it wasn't as though anyone was actually watg her do this. Most of her 'heroics' had been dohout much fanfare nition.

  Or so she had thought.

  Now that everyone khings had ged. People stared at her. Some nodded in reverehers looked on in curiosity, and the majority remained skeptical or indifferent. Everyone had an opinion about her, whether good or bad, and most couldn't decide betweewo. Just her presence was enough to cause a stir, but in truth, most still didn't uand her significe.

  Fii wasn't ignorant of their fusion. It was like being thrust into the spotlight without warning. In a sense, she had gone from a nobody to an urban legend ht, and she wasn't sure how to process that sudden shift.

  Everything just felt out of bance. But before she could really sort out any of this, a rumble of a stomach brought her focus back to the present. For now, it was time to deal with the age-old question that every street rat faced: what's for lunch?

  She sat down iiny alleyway between her own ramshackle hovel of a home and the adjat apartment, whose cracked windows were the only decoration on the drab and dreary building that stood out amidst the ramshackle structures surrounding it. Across the ne was a mismatched patchwork of cated roofs and plywood lean-tos, casting shadows over the muddy, puddle-strewn ground below, with its pavement punctuated by cracks that revealed the persistent green weeds pushing through.

  Her home itself wasn't aer, of course. But at least, it was hers.

  Dangling her legs over the edge, Fii blew a few loose strands of hair out of her eyes. She wore a tank top and bike shorts, each ragged at the edges, but still i shape—well, okay shape, sidering they were older than she was. She ed herself tighter iattered jacket, the familiar st of worher enveloping her.

  Despite everything, Fii enjoyed quiet moments like this. They were rare in the chaos of the slums, where something was always happening. Even if she was hungry, she had the sun on her fad the cool breeze against her skin. At least, for the moment, she could just be here and think about... nothing, really. It was kind of nice, holy.

  With Edith's disappearand the emergence of her 'secret,' living iher ic wasn't an option. Sheri and the others there would have had their hands full dealing with all the new rumors. People would have e there seeking her out, whether out of curiosity or because they thought she could help them somehow.

  Best to keep to her old pstead, at least until everyo used to her being a Super, or fot about it. With how quickly things went from oopic to another in the slums, that wasn't a far-fetched idea.

  Too bad this also meant she didn't have a stable source of food to sate her metahuman appetite. The ic retty good with meals, so long as Sheri had a hand in it. On her own, she was forced te from her usual spots. Grub'n'Guzzle wasn't an option these days, though.

  Last time, she'd felt everyone's eyes on her back. They all watched to see if her Super-ness made her too good for cheap, gritty burgers. Or maybe they wao make sure she wasn't going to fly away with the food.

  A funny image, if not for the absurdity of it.

  The thing was, she did stand out these days, even more than usual. She wasn't sure exactly why. Maybe people finally noticed how athletic she was? Maybe they noticed the white hair that cshed against her olive skin, or hht her blue eyes looked among the grit. Or maybe it was the way she held herself, always looking up and walking with a spring iep, evehers were hunched over and staring at the ground. Who knew?

  With a soft exhale, Fii shrugged the thoughts off.

  That was enough ption. Now was the time to eat.

  She tossed her small haul she got from Rao onto the alley's cracked pavement, pig through the s as if seleg a prize. There ackage of Synth-O's, those silver-colored circles that didn't taste like much, a tainer of pure protein paste (no thank you), a single yellowy banana that looked like it had been run over, and an enigmatically beled "Rations Plus."

  Hmm. Whie, whie? Rations Plus, here we go, she mused, reag for the colorful package.

  At least the bel was eaining. The picture looked nothing like the tents inside, but who didn't like a nice surprise in the middle of the day?

  She tore open the seal and grimaced. Yup. Grub. It smelled like... well, like someone had tried to cover up the smell of something worse. Defihe usual for a super-duper, enhanced, gourmet Superfood. Turning the package over in her hand, she squi the minuscule fine print: "Our new, improved formu, fortified with essential nutrients and minerals. Now, eveer than before!"

  The words were followed by an asterisk, which led to an even smaller print that read, "*Better, of course, is a subjective term. Product may tain trace amounts of extraterrestrial or metaphysical substances. Do not e if unprepared for existential musings."

  What the heck did that even mean?

  Fii rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it all, but hey, at least she was a step ahead of everyone else on that front. Her life was already crazy enough.

  Without further hesitation, she took a big, squishy bite out of the getinous rations. Chew, chew, swallow, and gone. Ugh, the taste wasn't what one would call appealiher. It was gritty, for some reason, with a sort of fake sweethat made her want to gag. But food was food. ly the hearty meals she'd grown fond of at the ic, but this would do just fine.

  It brought a rueful grin to her face as she reminisced about life in the ic's kit with Sheri. Sheri, the solid rock that held the pce together, the eternal peacemaker, the warm ter. All these were terms that only vaguely applied to Edith. She'd never be anything other than her gruff, aloof self. In Sheri's presehere was always warmth, a fort that ofte just out of rea the stark, impersonal ic.

  Edith was, well, more like cold, smooth marble. But then, underh that icy exterior, Fii had caught glimpses of something warmer, more... g, perhaps? There was no denying the empathy she'd shown iing her patients.

  But even as this thought crossed her mind, Fii's smile faded.

  Two months.

  Edith had been gone for a two months already, and Fii was still no closer to findihe clues were sparse, the leads were drying up, and her frustration grew with every dead end. Where had Salvatore taken her? What was his aim in all of this? Was she okay? I hope so...

  Virgil had promised to lend a hand, to dig around and see what he could turn up.

  But that was weeks ago. Sihen, there hadn't been a peep from him. She thought about going to him again, to press for some answers, but residered. Virgil had a funny way of doing things, and he'd made it pretty clear he would e to her once he had anything solid. Pushing him wouldn't get her anywhere and might even do the opposite of what she wanted. And wasn't he mad about Edith's disappearance?

  Wouldn't he be looking just as hard?

  Her thoughts spiraled, a montage of worst-case sarios pying out in her head, each more dreadful tha. But no. She pushed those thoughts away, fog instead ohings she knew for certaih was resourceful; she was a survivor. It was easy tet that given how and put together she looked, but if anyone had a ce to survive... whatever this was, it was her.

  She had to believe that. Believing the alternative was uable.

  With a sigh, she dowhe rest of her rations. That wasn't as tasty as she'd hoped. ime, the run-over banana might just be the better optioing aside her disappoi in meal quality, Fii cast her gaze around the alley.

  Mrs. Hest, a dear old Rusty who sat across from her house in her dipidated rog chair, sent Fii a friendly wave. The woman's smile was as warm as always, even though her teeth were almost all gone. She waved back with a genuine grin, finding fort in the mundane rhythm of these small gestures.

  From nearby, the cacophony of ughter echoed from some kids pying ireet. A group of ClipRunners were wrestling over a lost shaker of salt—silly, but they didn't care. To them, life was a game. Fii couldn't help but think back to when she was one of them. In a weird way, she missed those simpler times.

  Before all of... this.

  With her thoughts as disanized as the clutter of the slums, she leaned back, propping herself up with her arms. Her gaze drifted skyward to the rusted fire escape that g to the building across the alley. A derelict airship passed slowly overhead, its immense balloon casting a fleeting shadow that briefly veiled the se below.

  Fii frowned, remembering how it rained yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that, and... the day before that. Would it ever just... stop raining for a week? Give things a ce to dry out?

  Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't.

  Looking around, it was hard to miss the various water colle systems people had set up on rooftops and windowsills. Barrels, buckets, all sorts of tainers littered the area. Everything that could be used to catch water ut to use, and from the looks of it, even that wasn't always enough.

  The kids pyed, Mrs. Hest rocked, people collected water, and rain came a, and would e again. Meanwhile, Fii sat, enjoying the calm.

  Then her wrist chimed.

  Lifting her hand, a holographic s projeg from a watch-like devicirg her wrist. She checked the message: it ing from Virgil.

  GOT INFO. E NOW –VM

  It was cise, devoid of emotion, aly the kind of message she'd expect from Virgil. No small talk or anything like that. His tone was often a mystery to her. Despite how direct the man could be, she never really knew what he was thinking. There was always some... thing underh those words that was hard to make out.

  Still, he was helping, and that's what mattered.

  Fii scrambled to her feet, excitement repg the hunger pangs that lingered from her meal. Finally, a lead! This was her ce to fih, t her home safely.

  With a renewed sense of purpose, she shot a quick wave and smile at Mrs. Hest, then took off down the alley, the woman's chuckles fading behind her. Fii moved with a practiced grace, sg walls, leaping from fire escape to rooftop, and navigating the voluted pathways of the slums with the fidence of someone who had dohis a thousand times before.

  Her trol over her Gravikinesis was fiuned now. No more stumbles or misjudged ndings for her. Fii had learo wield it in sync with her movements, using gravity as aension of her will as she jumped between buildings, or deftly skimmed past startled residents. All of it was under her trol, with no effort involved. It was simply natural.

  A huge difference from when she first started, that was sure.

  But in truth, that was no different than before. She had been an incredible climber, acrobat, and runner when she was still just a normal person. Maybe being a Meta with an innate sense of gravity had always been in her, long before Edith's experiment, her powers were just tent until they'd been awoken. It was difficult to tell if that was just a bit of lingering denial, or if it was an intriguing hypothesis to ask Edith about whenever she saw her .

  After bounding over a roof's edge, her wrist chimed again, bringio an abrupt halt. Another message, but not from Virgil this time—it was from Quinn. A warmth spread across her chest at the thought of him. Their retionship was fresh, unexplored territory for Fii. But in all hoy, it was nice. Quinn was nice.

  Hey, we still on for lunch today? –Q

  Oh, crap!

  In the whirlwind of her thoughts about Edith and her mission to find her, she'd pletely fotten about her lunch date with Quinn. Running a hand through her hair, she sent a quick apology, promising to make it up to him soon. An excuse would just be a lie.

  I'll e up with something ter.

  No reply, but she wasn't expeg one. Quinn was always siderate like that. He didn't pressure her for expnations. But even so, guilt g her.

  She and Quinn had been expl the extent of their feelings for each other. There were a handful of kisses here, a few make-out sessions there, but they hadn't talked much about where things were going or how serious it was.

  Maybe one day, when the business with Edith was settled, they could finally sit down and have a real talk about whatever this was and where it might go.

  If he even wahat, which she still wasn't sure if he did.

  Right now though, she had to go to The Vigil.