Kasumi y on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her injuries were healing well, and she was finally able to get up and walk around without feeling like she was going to pass out. Her body still ached all over, but she could manage. She hadn't been in this much pain since...well, she didn't want to think about that.

  Retly, she was bored out of her mind. She had been cooped up in this tiny room for what seemed like ay.

  The doctor who had patched her up, Edith Weiss, seemed like an odd o didn't take long for Kasumi to realize that she was no slum native, but a metropolis exile like herself. It was clear from her bearing and demeanor that she came from a pce of privilege and fort. Yet she chose to live in the slums and practice medie in the ic, seemingly by choice.

  But there was more to the woman thahe eye.

  She had a certain air of mystery about her that Kasumi couldn't quite put her finger on. There were times when she would catch Edith staring at her with a calg gaze, as if she was trying to figure something out.

  Kasumi pushed the thought away and got out of bed. She stood up and stretched her limbs. Her muscles ached slightly from being inactive for so long. She moved over to the window and looked outside.

  The rain had stopped.

  Her room faced the back of the ic. It was dark out, but the lights from the nearby buildings provided enough illumination to see. She could make out the silhouettes of several shanty buildings lining the alleyway behind the ic. Beyond them y the endless expanse of the slums.

  She sighed heavily and turned away from the window. Her eyes fell upon a pile of clothes that Edith had brought for her to wear while she recovered. She picked up the shirt and exami. It was a simple bck t-shirt with the words "Lions Rampant" embzoned across the front in bold letters.

  Kasumi raised an eyebrow at the choice. Lions Rampant was a well-known pany iropolis that produced popur rock music. She hadn't known they sold merdise outside the city.

  Well...I guess there are still things I don't know about the slums.

  She put on the shirt and grabbed the pair of sants from the pile as well. They were pin gray and fit snugly around her hips. Kasumi had never been one fgy clothes, preferring form-fitting styles instead. She looked at herself in the mirror. The outfit wasly fttering, but it would do for now. She ran her fihrough her hair to tidy up before stepping out of the room.

  The hallway outside was dimly lit. Kasumi walked slowly down the corridor until she reached the stairs leading to the ground floor. She desded carefully, mindful of her injuries. She reached the bottom step without i and found herself in a small lobby area. The walls were bare except for a framed painting hanging above a desk. It depicted a mountain se with snoed peaks t over lush forests.

  At the desk sat a woman named Sheri, one of the nurses who atteo her. She wore scrubs and a b coat and had long broulled bato a ponytail. She looked up from her paperwork wheiced Kasumi approag.

  "You're finally out of bed," Sheri remarked with a smile. "Feelier?"

  "I'm alive." Kasumi shrugged. "'t pin too much about that."

  Sheri ughed lightly. "Well, that's a start." She motioned for Kasumi to follow her down another hallway. "e o's get you something to eat."

  They walked through the itil they reached the kit. It was small but well-stocked. Sheri gestured for Kasumi to take a seat at one of the tables while she rummaged around in the ets. After a moment she emerged with a tray taining a bowl of soup and some bread. She pced the tray in front of Kasumi before sitting across from her.

  "Sorry if it isn't much," Sheri said apologetically. "I'm ly an expert chef."

  Kasumi shrugged and took a spoonful of soup. It tasted bnd but wasn't terrible. She fihe meal quickly ahe tray aside. Sheri watched her silently as she ate. Kasumi could tell she wao ask something but didn't know how to approach the subject.

  "So...you're Cobra, right?" Sheri finally said after a long pause. "The leader of the Neon Vipers?"

  Kasumi met her gaze and nodded. "That's right."

  Sheri hesitated before tinuing. "Do you mind if I ask...what happeo you?"

  "I lost," Kasumi said ftly. She saw no reason to hide the truth from Sheri. The nurse had treated her injuries and teo her while she was bedridden. There was nothio hide. "I uimated my oppo and paid the price for it."

  Sheri raised an eyebrow. "So who beat you up so badly?"

  Kasumi looked away. "It doesn't matter."

  It fug did.

  "Reverb" Ray... The Echo Syndicate had a Metahuman in their ranks. Kasumi thought bitterly about her defeat at his hands.

  Even after three years living in the slums, she never khat a few metahumans were scattered about. Of course they would gravitate tangs, but how many more lurked in the shadows?

  She figured Axion was the only Meta within the slums...until now.

  Speaking of Axion...The st thing Kasumi expected to stumble across while rec was Axion's true identity—a slum girl named Fii.

  Kasumi leaned ba her chair and stared at the ceiling.

  A fug kid. A brat from the slums...with superpowers...had beaten her.

  Not just beaten her, but caused her whole damn gang to lose fad their territory. That was bad enough on its own. The worst part was having to rely on Salvatore's employment to keep herself afloat. It galled her to o have to work for a syndicate as a glorified bodyguard and distributor. But she had no choice.

  Sure, their initial deal with the Shiver drug trade provided enough moo get by...but when that fizzled out after Axion interfered, it left Kasumi in a tight spot. She'd gone from having porestige to being little more than a thug-for-hire.

  Fug humiliation...it stung...deeply.

  Kasumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  It didn't help that Kenzo became friends with the little brat. Kenzo...of all people. That robably why he was insistent on Kasumi parting ways with Salvatore's pns. Not that she would listen. She had made her bed; now she had to lie in it. The only thio do was make the most of her situation.

  "Are you okay?" Sheri asked, breaking the silence. "You seem distracted."

  Kasumi snapped back to reality and looked at Sheri. She forced a smile onto her face. "I'm fine," she lied. "Just thinking about things."

  Sheri nodded but didn't seem vinced. She stood up and grabbed the tray with Kasumi's empty bowl. "Well, if you need anything else let me know." She turned around and headed towards the sink to wash the dishes.

  Kasumi watched her go before standing up from the table. She stretched her arms above her head and winced slightly as her muscles tightened.

  "Hey," she called out to Sheri. The urned around to face her. "The girl called Fii...do you know what she does?"

  Sheri hesitated for a moment before answering while putting away the dishes. "She already told me that you found out who she was..."

  "So you did know...," Kasumi replied. "Let me guess. Edith found her first and took her under her wing. Instilled that bullshit superhero ethos in her."

  Sheri didn't reply. She just kept ing up the kit.

  Kasumi sighed heavily. "And you're fih it? The whole 'save the slums' bit? Or are you under her spell too?"

  "It's not like that...," Sheri said softly. "I think Fii is a good kid who wants to help people."

  "Bullshit," Kasumi snapped. "No one does anything for free in this pce. Everyone has an angle. She wants something. People always do."

  Sheri shrugged. "Maybe she does. But I don't think it's anything sinister. I've known Fii for a while now, and she's never been anything but kind and siderate towards others." She paused before adding: "It's refreshing."

  Kasumi frowned. Sheri didn't seem like the ype. But maybe she was being si was hard to tell with people these days. Everyone always had their guard up, trying to hide their true iions. She'd gotteo it duriime living iropolis. The slums were no different in that regard. The only difference was how overtly hostile people could be here.

  If you didn't watch your back every minute of every day, you could easily find yourself at the bottom of the gutter.

  "So what's yle then?" Kasumi asked after a moment. "What do you get out of helping her?"

  Sheri stopped ing and turned around to face Kasumi again. "Nothing," she replied simply. "I help people because I want to. Because I believe in doing the right thing."

  Kasumi scoffed. "That's not a luxury most people afford. Not in this pce."

  "It doesn't have to be like that," Sheri tered. "We ge things for the better."

  "You're kidding yourself if you think you make a difference," Kasumi retorted. "This pce is fucked beyond repair."

  She crossed her arms over her chest. "And even if you could fix it, why bother? All you'll do is draw attention from the metropolis. People like you get crushed underfoot in the process."

  Sheri shook her head sadly. "That's a pessimistic outlook."

  "It's realistic," Kasumi corrected. "And I don't see any reason to sugarcoat things. This world isn't kind to dreamers."

  "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then," Sheri said before turning back to her task. "Anyway, I o finish ing up before Edith gets back. You should probably get some rest."

  Kasumi watched as she tinued w without another word. After a few moments, she sighed heavily and turned around to leave the kit. She o clear her head and then figure out her move.

  She headed back towards her room. Ohere, she y down on her bed and stared at the ceiling once again. Her mind drifted to thoughts of Fii. What was the girl's endgame? There had to be something more to her as than simple altruism. It didn't add up otherwise. And what about Edith? Kasumi was sure there was something going oween them. Something deeper than just friendship. But what? And how did it rete to Axion's sudden emergence?

  So many questions...and so few answers...

  Kasumi closed her eyes and tried to rex. There was nothing she could do at the moment.

  Kasumi awoke to a series of loud noises ing from the floor below. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes groggily. It felt like she only napped for an hour—but what woke her up?

  She slowly stood up and crept over to the door. She ope a crad peeked outside. The hallway was empty. But there were muffled voices ing from downstairs.

  It sounded like Sheri was arguing with someone. Kasumi straio make out the versation. After a moment, she heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Then footsteps heading towards the stairs.

  Shit. What was going on?

  She slipped out of her room and crept towards the stairwell. As she reached the top step, she caught a glimpse of Sheri lying on the floor below. Her eyes were closed and her face was bruised. A pool of blood formed beh her head.

  No sign of her attacker.

  Kasumi rushed dowairs and k beside Sheri. She pced two fingers against her ned felt a faint pulse. Sheri was still alive. But she needed medical attention. Now.

  Kasumi looked around frantically. Where was Edith? And where the hell was that Fii girl?

  She spotted what looked like a medical ste room behind the main ter. She rao it and flung open the door. Inside was a small supply of basic medical supplies. She grabbed several items and hurried back to Sheri's side. She quickly teo the woman's wounds as best she could before carrying her upstairs to safety. Onside her room, she id Sheri on the bed and checked her pulse again.

  It was weak but steady.

  Kasumi breathed a sigh of relief. Sheri would survive. But who attacked her?

  She headed back downstairs to iigate further. The lobby area was deserted. There was no sign of anyone else except for the pool of blood where Sheri had been attacked.

  The locked door that led to the basement level of the ic had been pried open. Kasumi hesitated briefly before desding into the darkness below. She crept cautiously doweps until she reached the bottom.

  A dim light illumihe corridor ahead. She crept forward and peered around the er. The corridor led te room filled with b equipment and various maes. It looked like some kind of boratory or medical facility.

  Hunched over a desk he back wall was...Mirage?

  Kasumi blinked several times to make sure she wasn't halluating. Sure enough, Mirage was sitting at a desk surrounded by puter monitors and other eleics.

  The Adrenomancer gnced up from her work and caught sight of Kasumi. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise before narrowing again. She rose from her chair and strode towards the doorway where Kasumi stood.

  "Cobra," she said coldly. "I didn't realize this was the pce you were holed up in."

  "I could say the same thing about you," Kasumi replied coolly. "What are you doing here?"

  Mirage raised an eyebrow. "It's no longer your business. The deal with Salvatore is off." She shrugged. "You had your ce. It's too bad things went south. You let the Shiver facility get destroyed by a measly gang."

  Kasumi bristled at the insult but mao keep her temper in check. "So you're just going to ignore me?"

  "You're not worth my time," Mirage replied curtly. "Now get lost before I ge my mind."

  Kasumi narrowed her eyes. "Not until I get some answers."

  Mirage scoffed. "What makes you think I'll tell you anything?"

  "I'm guessing you're here to snoop around a doctor's research...the one who saved my life. What i would Salvatore have with someone like her? Or this ic for that matter?" Kasumi narrowed her eyes as she tinued. "What are you after?"

  "Salvatore didn't say..." Mirage smirked and shrugged. "And I don't recall anyone asking."

  Kasumi ched her fists tightly. She could feel her blood boilih the surface. This woman had no idea who she was dealing with.

  Mirage ughed softly at Kasumi's frustration. "If you want to fight, the's do it already. Otherwise, get out of my way. I'm busy." She turned away from Kasumi and began walking back towards the desk.

  Kasumi wasn't about to let this go.

  "This reminds me. Where are your other Adrenomancer friends? Oh yeah, I think they're all dead."

  Mirage stopped abruptly and spun around to face Kasumi once more. Her eyes fshed dangerously as she gred at the fang leader. "You want to die that badly?" She growled.

  Kasumi grinned wickedly. "I heard from my boyfriend that he killed two of them while resg me—Voltaire and Havoe how weak they were..." She chuckled softly. "Seems like you lot are nothing but talk."

  Mirage snarked and reached for her pistol holstered at her hip.

  Kasumi drew a scalpel she had kept hidden in her sants and threw it at Mirage's throat.

  The bde sailed through the air and pierced the side of the Adrenomancer's neck, sinking deep into her flesh. She let out a startled gasp and fell backwards onto the floor.

  Not missing a beat, Kasumi lunged forward and kicked Mirage's gun away from her grasp. Then she grabbed hold of the woman's hair and yanked her head upwards. She pressed the scalpel against Mirage's throat and applied pressure.

  "Now," Kasumi said coldly. "Start talking."

  Mirage gred at Kasumi with hate-filled eyes. "You...bitch..." She choked out. "I'll kill you..."

  Kasumi tightened her grip on Mirage's hair and pulled harder. "Shut up and start talking or I'll slit your throat."

  Mirage spat in Kasumi's face. "Go...to...hell!"

  Kasumi wiped away the spittle and smiled darkly. "Fine...have it your way."

  She drew back the scalpel and brought it down hard airage's throat. The bde sliced ly through the flesh and tendons, severing the woman's carotid artery. Blood spurted out in a torrent from the wound as Mirage gurgled her st breath. Her eyes rolled bato her skull as she died.

  The Adrenomancer's harness tio pump a lethal cocktail s inte's veins for a few moments before cutting out.

  Kasumi let go of Mirage's hair and stood over the corpse. She stared at it for a moment before wiping her bloody hand across her face.

  "Well...that was easy enough," she muttered under her breath. "Guess I'll see what she was snooping around for..."

  A haze enveloped the room, bing everything in fog.

  Startled, Kasumi covered her mouth with her shirt, but the smell of chemicals overwhelmed her senses.

  She started to gag and cough untrolbly. She tried to run towards the stairs leading back up to the ground level...but stumbled as dizziness overtook her. The edges of her vision darkened until she fell unscious.

  Helix's voice reverberated through the darkness:

  [termeasures deployed. tai activated. Surveilnd cyber jammers online…]