Adhara's Sonder

Chapter 23: Welcome to the Circus

"Hey man," said Olive quietly, slipping into the kitchen and sitting next to him. She wrinkled her nose at his sandwich. "So, um...I thought it was really cool, what you said earlier about doing whatever it takes to fix things? Takes a lot of guts to have that kind of dedication."

"Fanks," said Cyrus through a mouthful. He swallowed hard. "I figure, no one else really has the means, you know? Feels like I have an obligation." He took another bite, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed again. "I guess that's what Adhara's been trying to tell me all along, huh?"

"Right, yeah," Olive nodded. "Hey Cyrus," she said suddenly. "You wanna come visit my crib? I wanna show you something."

"Uh..." he swallowed again. "Sure? You mean right now, or—"

"Yeah, or, when you finish...that." She glanced down at his sandwich's remains. "Meet me in the basement. And uh, you should probably wear your disguise...it's in the city. Don't want anyone to recognize ya." With that, she slipped out of the kitchen again.

"So, you're being super weird," said Cyrus, fully suited up, as they boarded the freight platform half an hour later. "What's that all about?"

"What...do you mean?" said Olive absently as she chewed on her lip. She selected their destination on the control panel, then muttered under her breath. "Look man, I can't level with you just yet. But when we get there, I'll explain everything, I promise."

Apprehensive but intrigued, Cyrus shrugged. They spent the rest of the ride through the Pipeworks in silence. They entered a system of defunct subway tunnels and stopped in an abandoned station.

"Here's the deal," Olive told him as they disembarked. "I'm gonna show you something that might seem kinda whack. But just give it a chance and let it sink in, okay? I know it's edgy, but don't make a snap judgment."

"Are we still going to your house?" Cyrus asked, growing concerned as they pushed through rusty turnstiles. "Look, Aliyah and Maria are—heh." He chuckled to himself. "Aliyah and Maria. That kind of rhymes. Anyway—they're working on cross-species genetic modification. I'm sure whatever you're working on isn't that bad."

"Just promise me you'll be cool, man. I've overlooked some wild stuff you've done."

Cyrus abruptly clamped his mouth shut. "I'll be cool," he assured her. "No worries."

She nodded, tying a handkerchief over her mouth and nose, and led him out of the station up to the surface. They dashed through back alleyways, skulking past dumpsters and catching glimpses of police between the buildings, who were chasing citizens out past curfew. Cyrus spotted a young woman fall to the ground, convulsing after being hit with a taser, and lingered to watch until Olive dragged him away.

"Not much good you can do for her right now," Olive muttered. "You'll be helping everyone if you set Acryogen straight."

"I had no idea it was this bad," Cyrus admitted.

"Yeah, well, you live outside the city." She tapped a chain-link fence to ask Cyrus to cut through it. "These days, it's like a war zone down here."

Olive led them deeper into shadowy corners of the city, past warehouses and garages, stopping finally in front of a metal door at the end of a narrow alley. She knocked on the door and an eye slot opened.

"Olive?" said a man behind the door. "Good to see you. Been a while."

"You too, Reilley. Let us in, huh?"

"Who's this with you...?" The eyes behind the door widened. Cyrus nervously tightened his mask around his chin and pulled his hood forward. They heard a series of metallic clicks and the door swung inward. Olive pushed him inside and the door closed behind them.