"Fii, where have you been?! I thought you got snatched by a gang or something! Did you go off and fade somewhere?" Rao fumed, pag bad forth in his tiny store, a variety of tris aronics dispyed behind him on rickety shelves. His clothes hung off his bony frame, and the whites of his eyes were tinged red with ck of sleep.

  Fii could only sheepishly smile, scratg the back of her head as he chastised her. She had takeh's advid spent most of yesterday and today resting. It felt a bit silly to just be zing about, sidering all the workouts she had eely, but she wasn't the kind to question a day off. It had been o sleep in, to wake up slowly instead of jumping to her feet from a fitful night of broken sleep.

  But she felt so bad for Rao. The st time he saw her was over a month aght after he told her to e back the day for a new job. No wonder he thought she was snatched or killed. And now, here she was, waltzing bato his shop like nothing happened.

  She grabbed Rao's hand that wasn't cyberid csped it, shaking it vigorously. "I'm so sorry, Rao. Really, I am. A lot of crazy things happened and I just pletely fot to e back."

  He sputtered in indignation, pulling his hand away. "You...fot?" His eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-you fot?" he repeated, sounding even more incredulous. "You vanished off the streets without a word. And you just...fot to e back?"

  His face was so ically shocked that Fii struggled to tain a ugh. She chewed on her lower lip and tried to hide her twitg lips with the back of her hand, pretending to cough.

  "You're not fooling me, girlie!" he snapped. "I tell you're trying not to ugh. What, do I look funny to you? Huh?" He threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "It's been over a month and you just fet to e back. I don't even want to ask you what happened. I don't even want to hear your stupid excuse!"

  Rao flopped down on the wooden stool behind the ter and crossed his arms, muttering under his breath, " you believe this? A month? Seriously? Kid's gotta be yanking my . I swear, I oughta..."

  Fii crouched, leaning forward until her face was on the same level as Rao's. "I really am sorry. Look, I'm okay. I've been doing good. Got a stable job that pays good, but it's been keeping me busy so I haven't been able to e by." She bowed her head low and tinued, "I'm sorry I made you worry."

  Raarded her silently for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Whatever, I five you. Just make sure you e back a bit sooner ime, yeah? I thought some gang snatched you or something. Guess it was just echoes iy s."

  Fii could tell he was still a little ticked, but at least he wasn't exploding at her anymore. He ayed mad for long. "I will. Promise. And thanks. I really owe you. It means a lot that you still want me around."

  Rao scratched the back of his head, the sternness in his voice softening. "Don't mention it. I just 't help w. Especially in this part of town—"

  He suddenly tilted his head and squinted his eyes, as if studying her closely for the first time. "Huh. I didn't notice at first, but you look different."

  "What do you mean?" Fii asked, slightly puzzled.

  Rao walked over to her and pced his hands on her shoulders. She fli the sudden touch, but he was too engrossed in his observations to notice. "You've filled out a bit, and your skin looks less sallow. Wait, ain't your nose supposed to be broken? And I don't see any scars on your face either."

  His eyes darted over to Fii's exposed arms. "Whoa! Check out those muscles! When'd you get those?" He moved bad looked her up and down, astonished. "And your hair, it's shiny and smooth." He reached out to touch it, only to be swatted away. "Geez, I'm just taking a look. You got quite the glow-up sihe st time I seen you."

  "Stop. Why are you cheg me out, weirdo?" Fii's cheeks flushed, and she took a step back, folding her arms.

  "Sorry, didn't mean to make you unfortable. But seriously, what the hell happeo you during all this time?" Rao stroked his beard thoughtfully. "You've never looked healthier or better-fed. How much have you beeing?"

  "A normal amount," Fii answered. She wasn't lying. She did have three square meals a day at Edith's pce, although the food she got there was far better than what she ever had elsewhere.

  She looked at her arms and legs, flexing a bit and notig how toned she had bee. Now that Rao poi out, she could see what he meant. She used to be just skin and bones, her body thin and wiry, like a stray cat, but now she actually had some muscle. "Huh, you're right. I hadn't noticed."

  Rao grinned, reag out to pinch her cheek. "Well, whatever you're doing, keep at it. You're looking good, kid."

  "Ow, ow, stop." Fii spped his hand away, frowning. "I'm not a kid."

  "Says you." Rao ughed, turning around to rummage through the tents of the shelves. "Well, now that you're looking all hale ay, you o be extra careful out there. I don't think I o say anymore, do I?" He shot a g Fii as if to emphasize the importance of what he was saying.

  Fii nodded, her mood dropping. "Yeah, I know. Thanks. Anyways, how's business been?" she asked, straightening and gng around.

  The shop had hardly ged. The same piles of junk, the same weird tech scattered around in disarray. "Anything big happen while I was gone? Hadn't go much. Been busy staring at books."

  She was trying to divert the versation away from her, and hoped it worked. Luckily, Rao seemed to be in the mood to talk. He sat back, fiddling with the dials of his radio, tuning out the static with practiced ease.

  "Been okay. Still running. And the neighborhood gangs have been keeping their heads down tely, at least the ones he shop. But the Gully Rats that you ran into a while back have been on the rise. Word oreet is that they're pnning a turf war with anang. Some really nasty folks called the Sabres, apparently. Things could get messy around here. It's always the people who live closest to the danger who get caught in the crossfire, ya know?"

  The mention of the Gully Rats made Fii's jaw tighten. "If those dirtbags try anything, they'll be sorry." She ched her fist, thinking back to the alleyway and her near-death enter.

  "You keep this up, kid, and you'll get yourself in trouble again. Or worse, killed." Rao wagged his finger, scowling. "o go stig your neck out. Stay low, stay safe. Ain't nothing good ing from tangling with gangs, not for someone like you, and not for someone like me."

  Sorry, Rao, but she was going to be a superhero. It was only a matter of time before she bumped into the Gully Rats again. And this time, she had a surprise in store for them. But Rao didn't o know that.

  She offered a nonittal grunt, trying to sound reassuring. "Anyway, anything else?" she prompted.

  "Other than the gang stuff, everything's been fairly quiet. Same as always. It's not the biggest shop in the slums, but there's enough foot traffic to keep me in food and water. Speaking of which, you hungry? I'm sure you've been w hard, and you could use a bite to eat."

  Fii's stomach grumbled on cue, and she nodded. "Sure. I get the same ol' synthie roll? Put it on my tab."

  "Of course. ing right up," Rao replied, smiling at her as he ambled to the back of the shop. She could hear him rummaging around for a pte and cutlery as he heated up the meal.

  It was a bit out of pce for a tech shop to also serve food, but the synthies sold fast, and they made for a quiack. Plus, Rao used to be a chef, and his Synthie rolls were the best cheap meals this side of the slums. People came to the shop less for the gadgets and more for the food, and the locals loved him.

  Rao came bad set the steaming Synthie roll on the ter. The synthies were made of rice-flour ers stuffed with syic meat fillings aables and a variety of sauces. They had a fun, springy texture that made them slightly bouncy when bitten into, and they tasted surprisingly good despite being made from scraps and by-products er factories.

  They didn't taste as good as actual meat, but the alternative was going hungry. Besides, this beat starving.

  Fii tore open the er with her teeth, taking a sniff before dev the synthie in a few bites. She swallowed and licked the sauce from her lips, nodding appreciatively. "Mmm, this is good. Hits the spot."

  Truth be told, Sheri had spoiled her with her homecooked meals, and she'd almost fotten what Rao's syasted like. But she wasn't pining. They were cheap, ve, and filling. Rao deserved an award for finding a way to make garbage taste delicious.

  "How is it?" Rao asked, giving her a toothy grin. "Still has a kick to it, right?"

  Fii took another bite, sav the spid warmth oongue. "Perfect. Exactly like I remember it."

  Rao looked pleased with himself. "The secret ingredient is hot sauce."

  Fii gave him a thumbs-up, grinning. "Hot sauce fixes everything."

  "Damn straight, kiddo." Rao ughed. He retrieved a rag from below the ter and used it to wipe the surface. "So, how's your new job going? Must not be paying you much if you still o put the food on your tab."

  Fii opened her mouth to reply, only to close it, not sure what to say. Should she lie and make up an excuse? She couldn't tell him the whole truth. What would he even make of that?

  "It's going okay," she finally said. "Pay's okay."

  Rao eyed her skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "What's your boss like, then?"

  "Uh, she's...different," Fii admitted. "Smart, kinda annoying, sometimes a real jerk, but she's not a bad person. She's taught me a lot. I'm learning all sorts of uff. I'll get paid soon enough, and I pay you ba full. I promise. I'll be getting five thousand ChitCreds, you believe that?"

  The ers of Rao's lips twitched, as if he was trying not to smile. But then his brow furrowed, and a worried frown creased his brow. "You sure she ain't scamming you or something? If it pays that good, it ain't ho, I tell you. Unless...you w at the Neon Alley?"

  He raised his eyebrow at her, making a clig h his tongue, and Fii stiffened, realizing what he was insinuating.

  She blushed, waving her hands furiously in the air. "What?! No! Of course not!"

  Fii jerked upright, staring at Rao as if he'd said something horrible. "I'm w at a ic. I'm learning about medie and biology and stuff." She couldn't mention the superpowers or the superhero stuff, but she was kind of telling the truth. Even without the meta stuff, she was still learning a lot of useful information.

  Rao snorted, eyeing her skeptically. "You, of all people, w at a iext, yoing to tell me that pigs fly." He raised his cyberic arm and wiggled his fingers, the metallic digits clig together as they flexed. "And I'm growing a new anic arm, starting with my thumb."

  "Well, a lot of weird things have been happenily. Who knows?" She wi Rao. "Maybe one day, you'll grow a new arm."

  "Sure, sure. Whatever you say," Rao ughed. "Well...I'm gd that you're alive and well. Guess that means you won't be needing that other job, huh? Well, you better not disappear on me again." He motioo the door behind him. "Wait here, and I'll grab you those parts you asked for."

  As Rao disappeared into the ba, Fii began iing the various tools and equipment lying scattered on the ter. There were metal wires and sheets, copper wire, and strips of rubber. There were even a few power tools, which surprised her. They looked pricey and fancy. Definitely not cheap knock-offs like most of the other eleics she had seen here.

  After a few minutes, Rao emerged from the ste room, carrying a bundle of parts, ed in pstic. "Here you go. Should be everything the person that gave you that list wanted."

  "Thanks, Rao." Fii eagerly reached for the bundle. "You're a lifesaver, really."

  He batted her hands away. "Nope, hold it right there. First, you've got to pay, and then you take it."

  Fii handed him the ChitCreds Edith gave her for this errand. "This should cover it, right?"

  Rao opehe pad started ting the ChitCreds, using his cyberic arm's sensors to verify the amount. "Yep. Yep. All here." He fshed Fii a wide grin. "Looks like whoever's employing you treats you pretty well, huh?" He pced the money into a small safe hidden uhe ter, before returning his gaze to Fii. "So, when are you gonna introduce me to this person?"

  Fii scooped the bundle of parts into her arms, shifting them around, so she could get a better grip. "I dunno. Depends on if you ever decide to get a check-up. If you do, you e to the ic where I work a her." She hoisted the package up aled it into her arms. "Anyway, I better get going."

  "What, you in a rush to leave, kid? Fine, fine. Go o outta here." Rao waved at her dismissively. "Don't make me worry over you again, you hear?"

  "I promise! If I disappear, I promise to let you know beforehand." Fii grinned and lifted her in salute. "See ya!"

  She bounded out the door before Rao could say anything else. Despite the heavy load she carried, her footsteps were light.

  After the errand, she headed back to the ramshackle shelter that she called home, tucked away in a small nook between two dipidated buildings that had seeer days. She walked past the alleys where a group of street kids slept, careful not to step on anyone's fingers or toes as she made her way through.

  She ducked under a rge pipe stig out of the wall and squeezed through a narrow opening. Finally, she slipped into her shelter, tossing the bundle of parts onto the small cot tucked into a er.

  Her pce wasn't much, but it was her shimmer in the puddle. She had arrahe space as best she could, with a small table, a chair, and a couple of crates she used as shelves. Her personal belongings, whicluded a few spare ges of clothes, a set of cooking utensils, some mementos and keepsakes, and a few other odds and ends, were stacked ly on the shelves. Her walls were decorated with posters she found and stuck up using adhesive tape. She had eve up a makeshift curtain to divide her living space from the junk pile she used as a kit area.

  Fii was grateful for the shelter. After all, a roof over her head was better than the open streets or the rooftops. She couldn't pin, especially since she had found this pce a few years ago. And beiively out of sight and out of mind, she seldom received any unwele visitors.

  But the shelter's greatest selling point, and the primary reason Fii kept ing back here, was how close it was to the slum's infamous Rust Market. It was one of the rgest bazaars in the slum, and as its name implied, was where most of the sed-hand te the area was sold.

  Rao's little junk shop was only one of a huhers. The Rust Market had several stalls and shops like his, and she made sure to visit ead every one of them frequently. Sure, the tech was usually outdated, and sometimes didn't work, but if you browsed long enough, you might find a treasure or two buried beh the heap of duds.

  She sank down o, the springs creakih her, a out a heavy sigh. It had been a while since she came back here. It was surprising that no one had decided to steal her things, though she suspected that the street kids might have kept watch over the pce for her. They were a tight bunch, always looking out for each other, even for someone like her.

  The only downside was that, in a unity as tight-knit as theirs, it wouldn't take long for people to throw echoes in the alley about her. Rumors of her disappearing and being kidnapped, of her being recruited by a gang, and a huher stories were sure to be making the rounds by now. She might o make a round in the neighborhood today to appease them.

  Fii exhaled and leaned back, letting the back of her head rest against the hard metal surface of the wall. As she sat there, she watched a tiny spider crawl across the ceiling. It climbed up the er, scuttling along the cracks and crevices ionework. A cool breeze blew in through a cra the wall, stirring the cobwebs he ceiling, causing them to sway slightly.

  She had spent tless hours in this little alcove, lying on this rickety bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the noises outside. She had fantasized about esg the slums, of heading to the city, to the Metropolis, where she could have a ce at a better life.

  But her dream had always been too far away, too unreachable, even though the city was right there, right across the Wall. That was the world of the rid powerful, of the famous, of Superheroes, and everyone khat no one from the slums was getting in, even with a golden ticket. Not unless had the es and ChitCreds to pay off the right people.

  But now, things have ged. Now, she might get a ce at a different life. Now, she had Edith—or the quack doctor, as Fii liked to call her—who promised to turn her into a superhero.

  There weren't any in the slums, and the ones iy never bothered to show their faces here. From what Fii uood, the slums were an embarrassment, a discarded piece of skin still ging to the city's perfectly manicured form. A stant reminder of how dirty the world outside the glittering lights of the Metropolis was. It was like the slums didn't eve to the people living there.

  So, to have a ce to bee a hero... Fii might as well have wotery. All she had to do was to follow Edith's orders and, hopefully, she'd be flying over the slums and helping people like her soon enough. And maybe once she'd done enough good deeds and kicked out all the gangs, the city would open its doors to her.

  Or maybe she was just chasing flickering lights...

  She pushed herself to her feet and brushed her hands off on her pants, leaving dusty marks where she had touched them. Then, she headed for the entrance.

  There was no time to waste. She had a lot of work to do.

  Edith was right. She o stop pining about studying and training, and do what o be done. If she was ever going to make it to the city, she o work hard now. Because if she couldn't do that, she might as well go back to living out her life as a street kid.

  Things might not work out, but she just had to keep rolling on rust.

  Zanafar