Zanafar

  Oer…

  Axion's sneakers scuffed the pavement as she touched down, releasing the gravitational field around herself. She rolled forward to absorb the impact, the motion having bee sed nature. She'd been practig a lot, and her nding maneuvers were being smoother.

  The st week had gone by in a blur. She'd spent hours helping the folks in the slums with daily chores. She had found ways to use her power for basic things, like lifting heavy objects, fetg items from high pces, and even moving around debris. Her abilities seemed to surprise everyone she entered, but they also earned her a few good reas.

  It wasn't fshy, but people appreciated the assistance, and she enjoyed being able to finally do something useful with her power. She hadn't mao do anything spectacur, but the small things added up, and the days flew by quickly. She'd bee a jack-of-all-trades, but she still made time to chat and py with the children, answering their questions and ughing with them.

  "There she is! It's that Super again, Axion!"

  The calls echoed down the narrow streets, and she turo wave.

  Axion.

  It wasn't the first name she picked for herself, but Edith insisted on the name for branding purposes—whatever that meant. She thought the other hat she came up with sounded so much better, but Edith was the expert. And if Edith believed that her future as a Super hinged on the name Axion, then that was the name she'd go with.

  It still took getting used to, but she was beginning to embrace her superhero identity. Axion—It felt like a new pair of shoes, snug but unfamiliar.

  Today, her patrol led her to the marketpce. Stalls lined up like old friends, their makeshift roofs of tattered cloth aal sheets a patchy shade. Despite their rundoearahe market was buzzing with activity. The distant hum of a geor, the rhythmic beat of a drum, and the chatter of bartering voices rose above the din, all sounds she'd e to associate with home.

  The smell of cooked meat wafted through the air, aomach let out a quiet rumble.

  Maybe a snack before she tinued her rounds wouldn't be such a bad idea.

  "Hey, robot girl, over here!" One of the vendors, a woman selling roasted vegetables, waved to her. "Robot girl! e try our specials! They're on sale today!"

  The woman held up a stick of freshly grilled , the smell wafting in the air. "Hot and delicious, right off the grill! It's just ten Tinks! A steal, right?"

  Axion suppressed a sigh. She wasn't a robot, but she khe niame would stick, especially as the locals began reiziechsuit. Instead, she opted for a friendly smile, the LED eyes on her visor narrowing in a cheery expression. "Hello, ma'am. How are you today?"

  "'t pin." The vendor shrugged. "Business has been slow tely, but you Supers ing around has helped a lot. Would you like to buy a cob? Freshly grilled! They're delicious!" She thrust the forward, pushing the vegetable into Axion's personal space. "Go on, take a bite!"

  Axion chuckled. The woman's sales pitch was certaihusiastic. "I suppose I could eat something, now that you mention it." She could use the calories after all the physical work she'd been doing.

  "Great! Here, take it for three Tinks. Just because you're a Super." The woman grinned as she extended her hand, being for payment.

  Axion's LED eyes quirked, the expression mimig a raised eyebrow. "Isn't that…just your normal price?" She asked, but the woman only gave her an unabashed grin.

  She relented, digging out a few tin s and dropping them into the woman's open palm. "Thanks."

  "You're wele! e again!" the woman replied, still wearing a bright smile. "Your helmet is so cool, by the way! You look like you have robot head."

  "Right..." Axion sighed inwardly, biting back the urge to correct the woman. Instead, she offered the vendor a polite nod, her mask's eyes blinking happily, before she moved to tinue her patrol. "Have a good day!"

  She walked further into the market, passing by a variety of stalls and shops.

  "Mmm.... My favorite. I meah's favorite. That's why I bought it." Axion mumbled under her breath. She'd hoped nobody would be able to make out what she was saying.

  She tinued walking through the market, the crowd parting naturally before her. It seemed word had gotten out that a new Super had arrived in the slums, and the people had taken to calling her "Robot Girl" or "Axion" (or both).

  She sed the stalls as she walked, her gaze darting over the colorful array of fruits, vegetables, meats, and oods on dispy. Vendors called out, advertising their wares, and ers haggled over prices, the cmor of the crowd rising and falling in a steady cacophony.

  Axion weaved through the throng, keeping a for anything unusual or suspicious. So far, everything seemed peaceful.

  A pair of ClipRunners dashed past her, almost knog her over. One of the kids apologized while the other flipped her the bird before running away, and Axion's eyes narrowed in a disapproving stare.

  "Be careful! I'm a superhero, you know," she chided, but the children didn't heed her warning. "Kids," she muttered under her breath as they disappeared into the crowd.

  She couldn't really bme them too much for rushing off, though. They were doing their jobs as ClipRunners, after all. Delivering messages and small packages around the slums for ara meal or a handful of Tink was their daily hustle. She did a bit of that a couple of years ago before pig up other odd jobs.

  A tune from a nearby radio caught her ear, and she found herself humming along. It was an old song, one her mom used to sing when she was little. The memory tugged at her heart, and she shook her head, pushing it away.

  Not now. Focus.

  "Hey, Miss Superhero, I like your suit! you lift this cart for me?" A gruff voice called out to Axion. "Hey, you listening?"

  She turo see a burly man in a stained apron and gloves, sweating from the heat of a food stall's propane-powered stove. Several cuts of raw meat sizzled on the grill, and the man poio a handcart overloaded with bags of various ingredients. "C'mere and lift that for me, eh? Be a doll, yeah?" He jerked a thumb in the dire of the cart. "Prolly you lift it easy-peasy."

  Axion studied the cart for a moment before approag. "Why? Doesn't this thing have wheels?" she asked, pointing at the wheels. "It should be easier to roll than carry. No?"

  The man grunted, stabbing at a strip of meat. "They ft, you dolt. Dunno when I get 'em fixed or refloated." He jammed his thumb against his chest, adding, "I'm busy cooking, alright? Just move it and make some spae. That's all you gotta do."

  She was tempted to tell the mao shove his attitude, but she remembered her mission—to help as many people as possible. "Where do you want the cart?"

  "Over there," the man grumbled, jerking his over his shoulder. "Move it, please, and thanks."

  She stared at the man's sweat-stained back before rolling her eyes and turnitention back to the handcart. After activating her gravity field, she pulled the cart to where the man indicated, right o his stall.

  The man didn't bother to thank her once she finished her task, and she could only glower at the ck of aowledgment before returning to her patrol.

  After a while, she found herself nearing the outskirts of the market. The noise and activity of the crowd began to fade as the rows of stalls gave way to narrow alleys lined with shacks and old buildings. The pavement was cracked and potholed, garbage and debris y scattered across the ground, and graffiti-covered walls rose oher side.

  This was where the people of the slums lived, scraping by as best they could.

  As she rounded a er, a child darted in front of her, nearly tripping her. Axion instinctively reached out with her power, lightening her own gravity to avoid a collision. The sensation was like floating, a brief moment of weightlessness before she grounded herself again. The child, oblivious, tinued on, chasing after a makeshift ball.

  She blinked, her mask mimig the a.

  That was odd. She hadn't meant to use her power, but she had reacted on instinct. Was she gettier at trolling her power?

  She tucked the stray thought away, resumiroll.

  "Robot Girl! Hey, Robot Girl!"

  She ged inwardly as the chorus of children's voices reached her ears. She gnced over her shoulder and spotted the ragtag group of street urs rushing after her. She turned, preparing herself for another onsught of requests.

  The children were h at the top of their lungs, their voices deafening. " you fly? Do you have a ser beam? you do a flip?" They crowded arouugging at her clothes, jostling each other for attention. " you float over the river? you throw us into the air?"

  The grouh her feet trembled. It started as a faint vibration, like the distant hum of an old engine. But within moments, it grew into a violent shake, causing the very foundations of the slums to shudder. The children immediately scattered, scrambling to hide among the surrounding stalls and shacks.

  The familiar sounds of the marketpce—children's ughter, vendors hawking their wares, the distant hum of a radio—were repced by panicked cries and frightened shouts.

  "Earthquake!" someone shouted.

  Stalls toppled, spilling their goods onto the dirt. Vendors abaheir merdise, running for cover.

  The vibrations intensified, and the shacks and buildings around them swayed, creaking and groaning uhe pressure.

  Then, as suddenly as the tremors had started, they stopped. All was still.

  She exhaled slowly, releasing the breath she'd been holding.

  A series of rapid, sharp cracks echoed through the marketpce, drawing the attention of the gathered crowd.

  She tensed. What now?

  She looked toward the dire of the noise, and her LED eyes widened in arm. "Wha—oh no..."

  A-story dipidated building at the edge of the square, already showing signs of wear and tear, now had visible fractures snaking up its walls. A fine cloud of dust began to rise from its base, followed by the faint sound of crag, like the splintering of wood. The windows on the lower floors shattered outward, sending shards of gss spraying into the square.

  The building's walls started to bulge outward, the bricks and mortar straining against the force of gravity. A series of rapid, sharp cracks echoed through the marketpce, eae louder tha.

  The crowd panicked, and screams filled the air as people began to flee, stampeding over each other in their haste. "Get back! Get back!" A voice bellowed. "It's gonna colpse! Move!"

  People in the viity scrambled to safety, scattering in all dires. Vendors abaheir stalls, grabbing whatever they could carry and fleeing from the danger zone. Parents scooped up their children, lifting them into their arms or carrying them on their backs.

  Axion's heart raced. She could see a few childrehe building, staring up at the ominous sight. They looked lost, fused, and terrified.

  Oh crap! Oh crap!

  Without hesitation, she spriowards them, her gravikinesis lightenieps, making her feel as if she was gliding over the ground.

  As she he building, the situation worsehe upper floors of the structure began to sag, leaning precariously over the street below. The sounds of shattering gss filled the air as windows broke uhe strain, raining shards onto the ground below.

  Reag the children, she scooped up the one, a young girl with wide, terrified eyes. "Hold on!" she shouted, holding the girl tightly against her chest. She tapped into her power, fog on redug her body's weight, allowing herself to lighten her body and the child she was carrying.

  She dashed to the other two children, grabbing the closest boy, hoisting him onto her shoulders. She focused ohird, a younger boy, who clutched the hem of her jacket.

  The vibrations of the building's immi colpse reached through the soles of her shoes.

  Oh, no. Not good. Not good at all!

  She printed away from the building as fast as she could with the children in tow. All around her, people screamed and fled for their lives. The sounds of the building's groaning intensified, growing louder as the walls buckled uhe strain.

  After reag a safe distance, she skidded to a halt, her feet slipping on the rubble beh her. She set the children down, but her relief was short-lived as one of the boys tugged at her arm. "Help! My mom's inside!"

  She whipped her head towards the boy, her LED eyes widening. "What?!"

  "My mom's still ihe boy cried, pointing frantically at the building.

  "On it!" She bolted back toward the colpsing building. "Stay put! I'm going to get her!" she yelled over her shoulder.

  Hoeople were inside? How much time did they have left?

  Panic rose in her mind. What could she do?

  The remaining flroaned ominously, the creaking of the metal support beams growing more urgent. The foundation of the building trembled, the rumbling rising to a cresdo as the upper levels threateo e crashing down.

  She gritted her teeth, summoning her ce.

  It's now or never. I have to do something.

  She rushed through the operance of the building. Inside, people shouted and pushed against each other to get out. A rge k of the ceiling began to give way, threatening to crush a group of people below.

  She leaped up to intercept the falling debris, extending her gravity field to lower its weight as she caught the crete sb with both hands.

  The falling rubble slowed as both desded, allowing the trapped individuals to scramble to safety just in time. She he impact softened by the bination of her techsuit and her powers, before releasing the fallen crete. As soon as she let go, its weight returo normal, and the sb crashed to the floor.

  Panting, she shook out her hands, and then surveyed the se. Most people were he exits, but several figures, their faces obscured by the dust, lingered he back—ks of debris from the ceiling falling in front of them.

  "Crap!" Axion rushed over, extended her hands, and focused, pushing herself to increase her range, and the sbs of falling rubble slowed. People scrambled uhem and escaped before she lowered the sbs to the floor with a loud bang.

  "You! Out!" Axion yelled to those who remained, gesturing for them to flee the building. "Now! Everyone, outside, move!"

  The stragglers wasted no time obeying her ands and headed out through the broken window or the shattered doorway. She held off the rest of the debris that was now slowly falling from the ceiling, waiting for the st person on the floor to leave the area.

  From the sed level, the sounds of panic rose and drew her attention. She zipped to the staircase and hurried to the higher floors, jumpiween ks of debris and dodging falling sbs.

  Axion dashed up the stairwell, redug her weight once more, and hurried to the higher floors, jumpiween ks of debris and dodging falling sbs. She checked each level, spotting only a few stragglers as she asded.

  As people streamed out, she tinued her efforts, stantly adjusting her gravity field to adapt to the shifting debris. Every so often, a rge k of masonry would break free, and she would rush to intercept it, using her powers to divert its trajectory or slow its fall.

  She burst through the door on the fourth floor, rag up the stairs and through the hallway to the apartment units.

  "Anyone here?! Hello!?" she called out, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

  She sed the area but found nothing. It seemed to be empty, save for the falling pieces of pster aal. A se of the wall had colpsed, exposing the building's internal structure, and a rge craaked up the ceiling, growing wider by the sed.

  "Is ahere?" she tried again. Silence. Cautiously, she entered one of the apartments and gnced around, but the only movement was the occasional shift of the fl beh her feet. She quickly exited the unit and ran to the others, but her search yielded the same result.

  Four more floors to go.

  Axion proceeded to the floor aed her routiering each apartment unit, sing it for people, and calling out to anyone who might be hiding. With every floor she cleared, her sense ency grew, but so did her fidence.

  More ses began to colpse, and she barely avoided being crushed by the debris. She ducked and dodged through the casg rubble, while the smaller debris orbited her body, repelled by the gravity field she projected.

  Her instincts screamed for her to get out, to save herself.

  No! There are still people in here! I 't give up now. I 't!

  She pressed on, reag the sixth floor, desperately searg for stragglers. Time seemed to slow as her eyes darted around, sing for movement amidst the chaos.

  Finally, her eyes locked on a figure—a woman, curled ial position, partially hidden by the wreckage. Her eyes were closed, and her face was marred by cuts and bruises. A shelf had colpsed over her lower body, trapping her in pce.

  "I got you!" she excimed. She scrambled towards the injured woman, carefully lifting the shelf off of her, setting the debris aside. "Ma'am, you hear me? Ma'am!"

  The woman didn't stir, her eyes remaining closed. She was bleeding heavily from a nasty gash on her forehead.

  Axion pulled the unscious woman out of the wreckage, sweeping her into her arms.

  She sed the room for other people.

  No o, hopefully. Time to get out.

  Cradling the wounded woman, she lowered her gravity field as much as she dared for both of them.

  Fastest exit.

  Window.

  There was one oher side of the room. She took a step toward it, and—

  The flave way from under her feet, and the ceiling lurched downward, bringing with it an avanche of debris.

  "Shi—"