I hear a low buzz droning on like a mosquito on a hot day. Someone is shaking me; when I open my eyes, I realize it's not someone but something. I'm dangling upside down, only held in by the seat belt, shutting my eyes tightly. I try and move my body, but the shooting pain travels throughout, and it makes me think twice — droplets of blood fall from some injury or another.

"Soli. Tonic." I try. The beeping continues, and I reach up to grab the respirator and yank it off my face. I read the small gauge and see that it says its battery life has been depleted; how long have we been dangling here? 

I feel dizzy as I reach over to shake my female companion, noticing some movement from Tonic that at least shows me that he is alive. The truck groans as it rocks back and forth. I use a gentle gust of wind to shift dust from the shattered windshield, and I can see we are teetering on the edge of the highway shelf. 

Below is easily a hundred-foot drop; we've entirely smashed through the old guard rail, held on by some grace of a deity who wants to see this play out. I swallow hard, a sobering thought as I look at the ground below us and hear the low groan of a vehicle settling on its decision.

"Soli." I try it again.

Her eyelashes flutter, and she grimaces, "Dios Mio... what the hell was that?"

Tonic rubs the side of his head, flexing the mechanical fingers. "Something took control of my arm and my leg. "

"Artifice took control." I remind them both and see the hatred rolling onto the woman's face. 

She punches him in the arm, and he flinches, cursing at her.

"Idiot!" She snaps at him. "Bringing an Artifice into the city like that. They are so easy to hack there is an excellent chance that someone now knows everything! They know about my business, the water, those people. Tonic, what were you-" She winces and holds her temple.

"Stop." I tell them both quietly, "We don't have time for this; we need to get out of here." I slip the knife out of my belt and get to work, cutting my seat belt off, what I didn't think about was the fact that the seatbelt was the only thing holding me into the truck. 

With a sharp click, the belt snaps and releases, and I fall the short space onto the smashed windshield. I hear the loud crack, and my body freezes as the glass begins to shiver and complain. 

My companions are silent as my fingers slowly spread as if this might help me. My mind begins to race my heart as I struggle to keep my cool; looking down at the dizzying ground, I have to shut my eyes for a moment as I prepare myself.

Soli stretches on her tiptoes, fighting her seat belt. She snags my strap and pulls, trying to get some of my weight off the windshield, but the uneven pressure makes it groan, and small pieces begin to tick free. 

I feel the shards bite into my sensitive palms. 

Part of me wants to beg her to let go, but knowing my fate, I keep my mouth shut as I try to work through this. 

"Nic," Tonic whispers as if uttering my name will cure my situation.

"Tonic, can you break out the driver's window?" I ask him calmly. I hear his elbow crash through the glass, and the truck squeals, cracking and popping as it dangles from the movement. The ledge I'm so helplessly splayed on snaps and grumbles, I hold my breath as the crack expands towards the edge. "Grab my feet and throw me out the window."

"Are you insane? What if I miss it? Soli can't hold you on her own."

"Like hell. I'm doing fine."

 I can hear the strain of her voice. She was afraid, we all were. They were about to watch me die.

"You won't miss it. It's okay, just do it, Tonic." The crack reaches the edge, and I inhale sharply as the shelf explodes under me, spiderwebbing and falling free, I swing my heels up and cover my face with my arms as I feel two hands release me, but instead of going sideways, I'm falling.

 There was a time when I envisioned, what it would be like to fly through the air, the tingly sensation in my extremities as I marvel at what the ground will feel like. There's a lack of flailing, just a blatant acceptance. 

My body almost seems to wait for me, for some grand decision, but I'm pulling up a blank; between the shock of the crash and the whistling in my ears, fate seems decided. I'm to tired to save myself, to bewildered to think of a way to cushion the blow. I'd used up every scrap of my reserves on purifying that water.

An attempt might render me unconscious, but I consider my options in the split seconds that I'm airborne. 

I feel a hand grasp my belt and pull me up. The sharp hissing buzz of a rope through a mechanism startles me as I'm pulled towards this person's body. I feel frantic hands buckling a strap around my hips, and frankly, I don't have the wherewithal to comprehend my situation. The buzzing gets louder, and I note we're slowing.

The intense heat in my back makes me want to arch away, but an iron-like grip keeps me firmly in place. With a sharp jerk, we come to the end of the rope, and I flinch at what I can only describe as being kicked in the arse by the boot of a giant; my thighs feel like they're on fire from the intense grab.

My body trembles as we bounce again, and the rope sways with the weight of our bodies. I hear the person behind me breathing heavily and glance over my shoulder to see a full-faced, shiny helmet covering their head. He lays slack on the rope, limp as though dead, but I can see his chest moving and feel his heartbeat under my fingers. "Did you forget you can fly?"

I blink rapidly, still trying to comprehend that I'm alive. 

"I-" I stammer, trying to find my voice. "I use the wind and... and.. the wind does the flying. I mostly just... just- just jump for long pe-periods of time." I hear the rattling click of the mechanism that holds the rope in place, and my body goes rigid, preparing for it to let go, only to realize that I'm the one making it click. My shaking hits it, playing out a nervous rhythmic tune of clicks and clacks.

As he comes upright to take me in, I feel familiar with this being. Could it be? Could he have found me? 

"It's alright, darling." His arms encircle me, and the moment I feel the warmth wrap around me, I know exactly who's come to my rescue. I cling around his neck, trying to spin around in the harness, which makes us swing. "Easy! Easy! We're tied to a lamppost; let's not tempt the devil. Lest you forget, you can fly a second time. Rather not break my legs from this height, yeah?"

"You'd prefer it at any height?" I laugh, bordering on hysterics. I can't stop the bubble of giggles that come forward; my pale hands against his suit are startling as I feel the wetness roll over one grit-covered cheek. "I um.. I think I might be going into shock just a bit. I was in an accident. A car accident."

I can sense the frown from his stillness. "I saw. I was waiting for them to throw you out the window, but when I heard the glass, I figured you had fallen through." Funny, I hadn't even seen him, but we were instead focused on the height and the potential for death. 

We both jump as a gunshot rings out, and I look up to see the thick, curly mane of Soli, standing over the edge with a gun pointed at us.

"You have something that's mine!" she yells to us. "I'd like you to give it back."

I hear the low growl in his chest and clutch him, "No, no, she's my friend. Well. She wants to keep me, but she hasn't decided yet. I do like her a bit. She is nice. Sometimes. Hmmm.. I'm not doing an outstanding job at this." I giggle again, though I can hear him sigh, touching my face with his partially gloved hand. 

I note the deep rope burns on the insides of his fingers and the scuffed gloves. "Your hands."

I can see my reflection in his face mask, and I can see what he's looking at: the large gash in my hairline that has painted the side of my face and my ear bloody.

 "You know, most people don't have so many friends." The voice is displeased, "You look as though you're going into shock. Here." He pulls a respirator out of his backpack and hooks it onto my face. 

I breathed deeply, not realizing how little oxygen I was gaining until suddenly, a flood of fresh air was at my disposal. I take large breaths, feeling dizzy all over again. Unhooking the rope from its knot, he starts pulling us up, and I'm never-endingly impressed by his strength, "When we get to the top, I'm not leaving without you. So hang back while I discuss this." 

My body refuses to allow me to speak, I choke against the weight of our situation. I almost died, I would have hit the ground, and that would have been the end.

My arm tangles around his neck as much as I can from the angle in which he cradles me, cringing at my sore muscles. I hear the small chuckle, though it's more out of concern than humor in my delirious state. 

"I think I'm concussed, as well." I manage, fluttering on the edge of what my mind would accept. 

"Concussed, hmm? Do you know what day it is?"

"No. Do you?"

I can feel him smiling, "No. Feels like a Wednesday." Once again, he had come for me. 

In my state of being, I can't help but be upset with myself, and I feel the sniffle building. I wipe my eye with my hand and inhale sharply at the sting. I'm covered in glass, dust, and grit. 

"Easy, don't touch your face. You're rather buggered up at the moment."

Questioning him seemed silly; falling back into step so effortlessly with him, I can't imagine how I could ever be angry at this selfless man. Rational Nicolas quickly reminds me, with a finely sorted file from worst offenses to awful quirks, exactly how our person could be rather upset with him.

 But for now, I allow my weakened state to take hold and marvel at my good fortune. We near the edge, and I see the metallic hand as Tonic pulls us up. Verando passes me over first and then climbs over himself. 

Dusting himself off, I see him reach for his helmet to remove it, only to have Soli hit him over the back with what I could consider a lead pipe. 

I gasp, covering my mouth as he staggers.

"He saved my life!" I tell her angrily. The first words out of my mouth should have been his name. 

"A warning would have been nice!" He snaps at the both of us.

"Hmm. Thanks." She swings again, but he grabs it and breaks it over his knee this time. "Why were you following us?" This time, she turns to kick him, but her body is slower; he quickly grabs her ankle, spins her, and throws her to the ground. "Did you mess with Artifice?" 

She kicks his feet out from under him as she turns back on herself and hardly catches himself in time. Quickly springing back up, I note that he is trying not to hurt her. The combat is ridiculous, and I find that I'm talking to a brick wall as I tell her to stop.

Tonic checks me over, tilting his head to watch my eyes. "Are you alright? Nic, who is that?"

"It's Randy! She's fighting Randy!"

Tonic sputters, and I can see he's floundering between leaving me alone to break them up or letting them sort it out. "Soli!" He tries, but the pair have gained distance, fighting in the middle of the street. 

She aims a kick at his head, and he blocks her, delivering a sharp blow to her inner thigh. I watch her rush at him and knock him to the ground, trying to pin him by his shoulders as they tangle and roll. "Holy hell, she's an animal."

"He's never done well with a smaller opponent like that." Tonic nods in agreement and holds his hands out to me. "Can you stay put?"

I nod; I think I have enough wits about me not to wander. My head is throbbing, and I must keep reminding myself where I am. I press my palm to my forehead, motioning him to go— Tonic trots over, grabbing Soli from behind and locking her arms with his own. He reminds me of someone holding onto a wet cat, trying desperately not to be scratched. 

"Soli, Stop! This is our friend!"

"Your friend's a cheap fucking fighter!" She snarls, and in her elevated state, she kicks his helmet right off his head. Verando flinches, clutching his jaw at the sudden impact and spitting out a mouth full of blood.

"Me?!" He snaps, bewildered. "Ya, try and kick a man in the bits, and you want to toss out that I'm a cheap fighter? You're a damned street urchin with the way you crawl and scratch! Lucky I don't bloody well have rabies; you spat like a damned feline." 

Silence falls over our feral female friend, and she stares at him wide-eyed. Cautiously, Tonic releases her, concerned for her mental health, as he waves a hand in front of her face.

She yanks out of his grasp and takes a careful step, entranced. Finally, she removes her mask and clutches it firmly to her chest. Verando inspects the slice in his lycra suit, and it seems like she's trying to decide how to take him in. 

As if compelled to, I approach, wondering if she's had a stroke with the way she stands so still. "Are you okay?" I ask him; the sound of my voice feels as though my head will split open. She's acting strange; I want to be near him if she lunges for him again.

He glares at Soli but nods, "Yes. No worse for wear. Are we done then? A truce? Same side?" As his eyes catch her, the tension spreads over him as if it were contagious. It's as if they've both become stone and as they stare at each other, he takes a step back as if he's suddenly horrified by her. 

"I saw you die." His voice is barely audible.

Her body shakes, and I watch the ends of her hair tremble as she starts to unthaw. "Tonic said you had died."

I'm not too fond of the air between them; I don't particularly appreciate how they look at each other as if they already know each other. I edge closer to my savior, hoping to roust anything but the current expression that contorts his face into an agonized realization. 

"What is all this? Suddenly you don't want to kill each other? Do you know each other?" 

Verando knows everyone, or at least he did back in our time. Soli nods for him.

"He's my husband. Or- he was." 

Must I relieve this again? Once more, I must go through the ache of realizing that he was married before me, that he was married when he met me, and that he grieved her loss so heartily that I nearly lost him. 

My mind races back to that dream when I was following him through the tunnels of his childhood home, and they were chasing Temptrest. I remember her coming out of the crowd to ask me if I was okay. She had longer hair then; she was more slender in that dream than now. My eyes shift; Tonic knew? 

Tonic knew she was alive and still brought me to her.

"Kitten." His voice knocks me out of my trance, and I grip his forearm.

"Doe."

Immediately, my thoughts shift, sobering me from the inside. Who the hell brought her here?