The vehicle rumbles like a lumbering giant as we go careening down the road, a speed much faster than I'm comfortable with. A wagon would never be so capable; I cling to the door handle by the window while Soli gives directions to the driver. I can feel my stomach flip and roll with each hard turn, and now regret eating anything this morning. 

We zip through the haze as if it's dense fog; where I expect to feel moisture, I'm met with a sandpaper-like grit that leaves me feeling perpetually dirty.

Closing my eyes, I lean back into my seat to ward off the motion sickness. The seats rumble, the roof rattles; this car was much older than the one Marcello drove. I was left uncomfortably aware of just how fast we were going, and each jolt and bump made me grip the door that much tighter. Frost leaves my fingers, marking the handle as I curse under my breath. 

"It's going to be fine." Tonic assures me, "Need me to hold your hand?"

"Piss off, Tonic." I spit, sighing roughly at my inability to hold it together. 

The water pipe Soli was using to bring in her contraband was indeed an older, abandoned pipe, one that had been used when the city was much more alive. The age of the water gave it a peculiar smell, but it was better than the alternative. There were only so many resources to go around due to the drought and food shortage; anything provided by the government was given to the more productive regions first. 

Soli had explained that the elderly and incapacitated had been pushed into these lower regions. Often overlooked, there was little help available for them when pipes burst or homes collapsed. These people had already been given their eviction notice, but with nowhere to go, they were being starved out.

We travel on elevated highways that make my heart swell into my throat; how on earth such a narrow strip carries us boggles my mind. It shocked me that this period in time was so terrified of magic when they had become more capable than most magic users, just in their technology.

"Any idea on what those things were in the pipes? Here I thought a lycan was the most frightening thing out there... besides a dragon." I attempt to distract myself from the reckless driving. 

 Soli reveals that the feline mutations are from an independent source, not necessarily the government. "A lycan is the least of our worries when compared to what lurks in the dark around here. Those experiments are hardly human; as I'm sure you've seen, they're challenging to kill." 

It was rumored that the government was creating them as part of their 'enhancement' program; people were getting all sorts of alterations. Their faces, their bodies, any part they desired could be changed for very little to match this exotic ideal, bordering on the extremes, to keep the state of the world out of the eye of the public. 

A publicity stunt that started with celebrities ended with botched research projects.

Soli felt that it made no sense for the government to want overpowered agents, as Tonic had speculated. The felines were difficult to control and flawed; they were inconsistent, and it was challenging to determine how far one could influence them or the extent of their impact. 

"People go missing all the time." She concludes. "Sometimes, I think I recognize some of them; I had a few runners go missing when we were running recon on Artifice. I'm just worried that there is something more behind this. The closer we get to finding out who is running Artifice, the more of the mutants show up." 

Tonic makes an amused sound, resting his elbow on the window and his cheek on his knuckles as he glares at the road. "I don't know, Soli. It reeks of government cover-up to me."

It just sounds like a big distraction; while these vigilantes are running after these creatures, there's no one to stand up for the people who are dying and sick in the streets. No matter what, I don't want to talk about it anymore, and I drag my fingers through my hair before adjusting my cap. My mind returns to my warlord, wondering if he was worried about me, if he was on his way here right now, or if they'd decided to lock him up to keep me safe. 

Lycans were illegal. I had no control here, and it wasn't like he looked like a normal human any more than I did with my hair color.

"When we take the water off the truck, we need to purify it," I tell her, trying to change the subject. Her expression is not impressed, and I correct myself, "What I meant to say is that I will purify it."

"Can you do it quickly?" She frowns, crossing her arms over her chest as she fans herself with a leaflet for Artifice. "It's a hundred degrees today, these people need their water."

 We are on a time crunch; the more time we spend, the more attention we will draw. What we were doing was, indeed, illegal, and the heat was a factor. I'd not worked in conditions like this before, and I wasn't even sure how it'd affect me. 

I assure her I'll do my best, only to pause as the situation dawns on me. We drop off down a side road, winding down into the depths of the smog, down a cracked and overgrown street. The buildings are more modest, featuring homes rather than professional structures. 

The metal roofs are ripped and tattered in place, and windows are boarded up and covered over with plastic. Some homes are sealed up altogether with what appears to be stone, only to be revealed to me as concrete. 

The homes of the sick were closed off to prevent the spread of disease. 

"These poor people." I frown, earning a hum from Soli. 

"Some of the occupants were still alive when they sealed them up. It's been rough... is it not like this where you're from?"

These people are desperate; they will do anything to stay alive, even if it means turning to barbaric measures of controlling disease. "No." My tone is hollow, but I quickly clear my throat. "It's.. complicated."

"No doctors will come to this city," Soli explains, "We had one, but his family was upgraded to the next state over when the drought got bad. It hasn't rained since I've been here; things are becoming dire. That's the only reason I'm willing to accept your help, because I can't keep doing this on my own."

"Soli is a woman on a mission, I'll give her that." Tonic acknowledges.

 Years. 

Years without rain. What even a drizzle would do to bring life and relief back to the industrial hell. 

"Put on your respirator, and do not take it off." Soli insists. "We don't need these people seeing your face, just because we're helping them doesn't mean all of them are good. If you're going to use magic to do this, it's no doubt going to make people talk, and that means they might be inclined to look for the reward money themselves."

That I could understand, desperation made people do crazy things. 

Tonic gives me a stern look that says he very much agrees with her command, and obediently, I place it over my face. My accent was thick, but maybe if they couldn't see my hair, and with my complexion mostly covered, there wouldn't be much to recognize.

 As we step out, an older woman limps over to us, and I'm reminded of Zsophia. I don't want to be here, and at the same time, I feel like this is what I need to see. 

I needed motivation to help these people, to figure out a way. Stepping out of the vehicle, I take in the ground under my feet, which is shifty and dry due to a lack of moisture. 

"Can you show me where you put the water?" I ask as the two younger men walk up to join us, regarding me with a chuckle. I'm almost positive it's my height that amuses them, as they're trending toward six feet tall.

"This is all the help you can scratch up, Soli? A.. what is this.. a twink?"

I cock my head to the side, and she covers her face in embarrassment, shaking her head in disbelief. "Ignore them. Lead the way, idiots." She hisses, kicking rocks in their direction.

 The men led us through the murky streets. The greasy, oil-stained road is slick under my boots, and I struggle with the concept that we were hoping to fix this place.

How are we going to do this? What was left to salvage?

 Rain will return this poison to the earth, but how much worse could it get? 

I scratch my head, rubbing the back of my neck as my body struggles to cope; the cap is itchy and hot, the air is stale and heavy. The smell of exhaust lingers in my nose, and I grimace at the sound of traffic overhead. Verando would lose his mind here. 

 The heat makes it feel as though there is a sauna under my respirator, and I struggle to breathe. My body sweats heavily under the lycra, making it stick to my skin. 

The man motions to a large basin, and I wrinkle my nose under the stealth of my mask. At least the tub was almost empty; my expression must have alerted him to my displeasure because he narrowed his eyes, and I forced my face back into submission. 

"Can we clean this?" I ask him quickly. 

They glance at each other as Tonic approaches, carefully wedging between me and the men. "You want to get in there and clean that, don't you?" My eyes give away my intention, he groans, reminding me of a younger version of himself. "It's difficult to keep things clean around here with the heat; it'll be filthy again in a week." 

This doesn't make much sense to me, but I suppose any standing water stagnates. I imagine people don't have much energy to clean the massive tub, but if I left it like this, I wouldn't feel right. They needed the best opportunity to go forward, even if it was just access to fresher water for a week. 

"Just get them out of here; I'll give it a quick sweep. Give me a boost."

Tonic reluctantly agrees, kneeling to cup his hands and give me a boost. Grateful that he didn't just pick me up, I shimmy over the edge and down into the basin. My feet slip and slide on the algae, and I cough and sputter at the sour smell of aged sulfur. 

We had to do better; there had to be a better way.

Taking hold of the murky remains, I turn them into ice chips as I swirl my hand, spinning it rapidly throughout the tank. 

The ice makes quick work of the mess, acting like a scrubber to pick up the debris. In a quick motion, I skirt a gust of wind at my feet and jump out, landing carefully on the edge as I finish the swirling motion at the bottom and pull the remaining water out of the tank. 

It's easy work, simple as flexing and unflexing my fingers, and I can't help but smile under my mask. Verando would be proud; it was a passion we shared, though admittedly, he was better at the bonding aspect. 

Carefully jumping down, I use the dirty chips to rinse off the streets much like a wave, a casual push and pull until the water is almost too heavy to wield. I send it in a quick motion to the ridge where civilization begins to give way to a desolate wasteland, ignoring the gawking as I instruct Soli to turn on the water. 

It feels good to use; I catch the water quickly as if I were putting it in my hand, and direct it the short distance to the basin. Compared to what was in the basin, this is much more tolerable to wield. Surrounded by murmurs, I knew the risk I was taking in revealing myself like this. They would get a good look at what I was capable of, but perhaps they would also see that we wanted to help them.

As my hands move, my body begins to feel weak, and I pant against the device that desperately offers me fresh air. Between the heat and the constriction, I'm fading quickly. More than using, it's the sweltering heat that threatens to strangle me through my suit. With the last of the water transferred, I used my remaining energy to pull the silt from the bottom of the basin and toss it out much like the others. 

Out of breath, the world fields hazy as I lean back against the truck, doubling over to put my hands on my knees. 

"Damn Red." Soli rests her knuckles on her hips. "That would have taken us hours... does magic always take it out of you like this?" 

I shrug, halfheartedly. "My body isn't used to heat like this. But, no, I'm good with water." I leave out the weather. 

This was just a small aspect of what they were hoping from me, and with how exhausted I was, I was doubting my ability to give it to them. 

How could I conjure a storm if I could hardly stand to clean their water?

Surrounded by a flurry of speech, loud, cheerful applause, the voices are deafening. Hands touch my clothes, my arms, once more, I'm rendered a victim. I don't want strangers' hands on me. My body betrays me, retracting even if I know it in my head that there is no real danger, and ice shoots to my fingertips. 

Tonic quickly moves to separate us, holding out his hands to protect me against the truck. "Back up. He needs space to catch his breath."

 Being a public figure was nothing new to me, in a swift move, Tonic tosses me over his shoulder and I flail unceremoniously as he places me on the tailgate of the truck. "Have you lost your damn mind?!" I snap under my breath, but hesitate at the distance the maneuver provides. Awkwardly, I allow for a wave, accepting their thanks. 

"We can't be too careful," Tonic explains, though I can't help but feel that it's simply an excuse to put his own hands on me.

Stepping on the bumper, Soli climbs to get behind me, standing on the tailgate bed of the truck as she raises her hands to call for silence. 

"We have new hope, friends. A light in this darkness, a means to an end, my friend, Red, is going to help us!" 

My eyes widen, and I give her a hard look. Her eyes are bright, full of excitement. 

How miserable it must be to sit in this heat as a lycan, fully clothed. How did she tolerate it? 

Yet my sympathy faltered as she signed away my freedom to a life of servitude. Help could not come in the form of handouts, though it would keep them alive; I had much bigger questions on my mind.

 Quickly, I yank her down as the crowd cheers, and Tonic directs them back towards their homes. 

"Are you insane?" I ask her through my teeth. "I have to go back. I can't stay here, you can't promise these people that I will help them when-"

"Did you not see what you just did? Can you not spare a bit of your time to help these people? Do you know how many lives we could save with your ability?"

"There are bigger things in the works; the more we do this, the more we risk getting caught, Soli. I have other obligations to fulfill. I will be back to help, but right now the answer is no. I can't devote all my time to this!"

Hurt crossed her face; it was a concept that she didn't understand. She was a woman trying to survive. Solving the world's issues did not lie at her feet; she lived in the present. I could admire that, and at the same time, I wondered if these people would ever understand the weight on my shoulders, even if I were to explain it to them.

"These are people's lives, there are hundreds of places just like this one that could use your help! Maybe with your abilities, we could start to farm, irrigate, and grow back some hope of grass and have real ponds? We could rebuild with someone like you... Tonic, how could you hide this from me?" 

The gray-haired man's look-alike flinches, giving me a quick glance, as if asking my permission to hand away my secrets. But I didn't know her well enough yet, and her logic was flawed. 

 She's thinking too much of the small picture, just like I used to do. It's hard to turn away from hundreds of faces desperate for help, but my goal was the planet. 

I shake my head, leaning back against the tank in hopes of expanding my lungs. My chest burns; this must be the side effect Marcello and Tanya spoke of. My wristwatch alarm lets me know that the air quality has worsened due to all the foot traffic. With all this smog, Verando would never be able to pick up my scent; he would never find me here if I didn't seek him out.

"Nothing will grow until the smog is lifted," I warn her. "I can clean all we want, but it will be for nothing if we do not solve this issue. Not only that, it will waste what little water we have. This is too big of a job; you are way more help than I could ever have been. You sneak right past the police, and they would notice my involvement by the second day. I can't stay here, Soli. You know that."

"Do you want to bring 'her' here?" Tonic sighs. "She'll want to see him if he becomes popular."

Her?

"Her?" I ask. 

Soli scowls, even under her mask; I can see her displeasure. 

"The great bitch. She's a peacekeeper, talking about love and recycling. Wherever she goes, it somehow magically gets better for a little while, but people are lazy; nothing lasts. The moment she's gone, it goes right back to the way it was. She claims she has 'God's hands'." 

I tilt my head; that makes absolutely no sense, but why would they hate her? 

"And you hate her because?"

"God's fucking hands, I'll slap her with these damn hands if she ever steps foot in this town. She tours the world, delivering speeches and raising funds. The people worship her, but for what? Nothing has changed." Our host seethes, a flurry of Spanish hatred flow from her mouth, and I can't help but chuckle. Even if we disagreed, she was growing on me. Vigliantes held their appeal, despite the madness that followed them. 

"Well, there is your answer," I told her shortly, tugging at the collar of my body suit. 

She opens her mouth to complain but stops and sighs, scrubbing her hand through her hair. 

Heavy with disappointment, Soli accepts that convincing me to stay is a lost cause. I hate this, but if we play our cards right, I might be of lasting help. She motions for us to return to the truck, and we start the long drive home. 

I hear a low hiss and tilt my head. 

Tonic jumps, touching his vest. "Artifice?!" He asks hopefully. 

Soli's eyes widened, and she clutched the door, giving him a horrified look. "You have an Artifice on your body?!"

"Yes, we both do." He gives her an odd look. 

"OFF!" She shouts. "Off! Off! Take it off! Now! Throw it out the window!" She hurriedly yanks on my vest, and I try not to look bewildered as I twist out of it. She digs desperately through the sleeves, and I see the little microphone is switched on. 

"Son of a fucking whore!" She throws the mic out the window, and Tonic gives her a strange look. 

"What is your problem!?" He demands, and suddenly, he jerks, and the truck accelerates.

"Slow down!" I scolded him.

"I can't! It's my right leg!" He pulls at his thigh, but his left hand is firmly attached to the steering wheel. 

Soli quickly climbs over me, pushing me into her seat and fasting down my seat belt. 

"Cover your face. Prepare yourself." She tells me quickly, climbing over to buckle into my seat and digging through Tonic's vest. "You should know better than to bring this trash with you anywhere!" She spits at him as she clutches the microphone between her fingers. 

The truck groans, shakey under the exsertion. 

"Look out!" Tonic averts his eyes as the truck smashes into an oncoming vehicle, and I cross my arms over my face. We're airborne, weightless as the vehicle lifts off the highway.

Time briefly stands still before it slings us into the unforgiving pavement.