Virgil spotted Axion resting against the side of the wrecked van near the ramp's entrance as he approached. Her helmet obscured her face, but her posture suggested exhaustion. Her chest heaved, and she favored her side, clutching her injuries.

His eyes roved over the remains of dead gang members scattered on the ground around the premises. He didn't see "Cobra" Kasumi's corpse among the bodies.

Must have gotten away.

Well, considering the chaos that just went down, Axion seemed to have done a decent job at holding her own. He suspected that Kasumi would have been a tough opponent for her to deal with alone. But it seemed like she pulled through with her head intact.

Upon spotting his approach, Axion pushed herself off the van and straightened. She swayed a little on her feet, her strength visibly waning.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

Axion exhaled a ragged breath. "She got away." Her voice sounded weak and tired through the helmet's filter, lacking her usual confidence and vigor.

Virgil nodded, expecting that answer. "Did you manage to stop her from running off with the Shiver?"

Axion gestured to the small stack of metal briefcases on the floor nearby, "This is all of 'em," she replied, her tone flat. She seemed to be struggling to get the words out, her breathing shallow and labored. Her body swayed unsteadily from side to side as she slowly made her way over to him. She looked as though she were about to fall over at any moment.

"Hey, uh..can you do me a favor?" she asked, her voice faltering. "I think I'm gonna need help..."

She slumped against him as she trailed off. Her body went limp, her head sagging.

Virgil's arm darted out, catching her as she fell, cradling her.

Axion's head lolled, her helmet tilting up to face him. Through her helmet's cracked visor, he could see her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she passed out in his arms.

He sighed.

Great, now I have to carry everything by myself.

At least she was alive.

Carefully, Virgil hefted her unconscious form over his shoulder. She moaned weakly, but otherwise didn't resist or stir as he moved her.

Virgil paused by the stack of metal briefcases full of Shiver and bent down to grab them, straining as he lifted the cumbersome stack of cases. With a grunt, he balanced all three handles of the stack in his gloved hand, then picked up the case full of venom with his other hand.

As he exited the parking garage, the rain had trickled down to a light drizzle.

The surrounding buildings and shanties remained quiet. No doubt those who heard all the commotion were too afraid to investigate, especially with the gang violence happening.

Good. It would have been awkward for someone to spot him carrying a body and a few metal cases, while drenched in rain, and not make the obvious assumption.

***

After tending to Fii's injuries and making sure she was stable, Edith headed to her office. The lights flickered as she entered, casting a dim, eerie glow over the room. She strode over to her desk, plopping down in her chair and glancing over her computer screen where the footage of Fii's fight against the leader of the Neon Vipers, "Cobra" Kasumi, had been recorded through the camera in her helmet.

Edith rubbed her temples, exhaling a deep breath as she watched the display. Things could have ended much worse than they did. What the hell was Virgil thinking, leaving Fii by herself to take on a seasoned criminal who came from the metropolis? Did he expect her to have no trouble dealing with someone like Kasumi?

Even after seeing the results of Fii's victory, it was hard to believe she'd actually held her own against a woman who'd been trained and conditioned to kill. Luck, and Fii's opponent toying around, were likely the reasons why Fii had prevailed.

A knock came at her door.

Speak of the devil.

"Come in!" Edith called out, standing as Virgil stepped inside, carrying the four briefcases in his arms.

He set the cases down on the table, letting out a soft grunt of exertion as they clanged loudly. "All accounted for," he said, glancing over at her with a smirk. "Courtesy of your friend." He removed his soggy Stetson and gave it a shake before placing it back on his head. "Well, she's not dead. So, I'll consider this a win."

"Did you find out who was supplying the Shiver drug?" Edith asked, ignoring his sarcasm.

Virgil let out a deep sigh as he seated himself in one of her office chairs. "Yeah...just some dealer from the metropolis who decided to dabble in the slums. He's dealt with."

Edith frowned, crossing her arms. "You're telling me you took care of him already? You didn't bother interrogating?"

"There was no point," Virgil dismissed, waving his hand. "He was a low-level thug, following orders from higher up. I figured killing him would send a message loud and clear. If there are others like him, I highly doubt they'll be inclined to continue the distribution if word gets out he's been eliminated."

Edith pursed her lips. "What about the gangster that got away? She's obviously still out there. Will there be retaliation?"

Virgil leaned back in the chair, propping his boots up on a stool. He tilted his head back, gazing up at the ceiling. "There might be, but I doubt she'll act anytime soon." His gaze met hers and his lips curled into a confident half-smile. "Fii showed her and her crew what a real brawl looks like. Those neon freaks won't try anything for a while. They'll be licking their wounds for a long time, trying to recover from this embarrassment. Trust me, I've seen enough gang wars to recognize the pattern."

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Edith didn't share his optimism about the situation. "Fii nearly died tonight, Virgil."

The gunslinger's smile faded, and his eyes hardened. "It shouldn't have been that bad of a matchup for her."

"It was! Why did you send Fii in with her?" Edith demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "You could have easily dealt with that by yourself, but instead, you risked the life of someone who has yet to master her powers. She was lucky to have made it out of that alive."

Virgil frowned, rubbing the stubble along his chin with one gloved hand. He remained silent for several long moments before speaking. "I figured she had enough power, skill, and grit to handle herself. The only thing she would have had to worry about were Cobra's poisoned knives and smoke bombs. Nothing she couldn't handle after all the training I put her through. If anything, I thought this would be good for her to test out what she could and couldn't do."

Edith stared at him incredulously.

Was he serious?

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. "Virgil. When was the last time you fought Cobra?"

"Dunno exactly but...I'd say around twelve years ago, when she was just an enforcer for the Crimson Shadows. Why?" he asked, his brow furrowing. "What difference does that make?"

"A lot, Virgil." Edith scowled, pointing at the screen. "Look at what she can do now. Watch the damn video and see what Fii had to deal with."

Virgil raised a dubious eyebrow and walked over to inspect the display. Edith stepped aside, allowing him a clear view. He watched the entire video in silence, his eyes widening with every passing second.

After finishing, he rubbed his face and shook his head. "Fuck… Nanowires?"

Edith snorted derisively. "Yes, nanowires! Military-grade nanofilament wires. You know. The stuff that can cut through solid steel? Or slice a body into ribbons? Even if the body is a metahuman's. And judging by how the footage cuts off abruptly, she most likely nearly killed Fii. The only reason she made it out alive is because of sheer luck and the fact that Kasumi toyed around with her instead of ending things quickly."

Virgil's expression hardened at that. His brows furrowed, and his jaw clenched, but he kept silent.

Edith crossed her arms, regarding him coolly. "Had Fii been a step too slow or stumbled during that encounter, she would've been sliced apart. And all you expected her to do was to 'take care' of Cobra." She threw her hands up in exasperation. "I can't believe you relied on outdated information about someone from a decade ago, rather than at least asking me for intel! And here I thought you weren't reckless."

She massaged her temples, rubbing them wearily. "We can talk more later. Just leave the drugs. I'll dispose of them after analyzing their properties."

Virgil hesitated, looking as if he wanted to continue their conversation, but finally nodded stiffly. "Yeah. Right. Sure. I'll check back on Fii."

As he exited the office, he paused, lingering in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder. "For what it's worth...I'm sorry. I'll be more careful in the future."

With a sigh, he left.

Edith sank back into her chair, closing her eyes, and let out a heavy breath. For someone with a reputation for being cold and calculating, he certainly wasn't acting the part. She supposed a decade hiding in solitude might have dulled his edge. Either way, his recklessness had nearly cost Fii her life tonight.

These weren't the variables Edith had in mind when she enlisted the help of a washed-up vigilante. She wanted a relatively safe and controlled plan of progression for Fii, not whatever the hell Virgil was attempting.

Everything would have gone to shit had Fii died or been severely injured. She'd invested considerable time and effort into cultivating the girl, and losing Fii to a mission gone awry would have resulted in nothing more than a loss of resources and wasted potential. She was doubtful that she could even replicate Fii's results; the circumstances that led to her acquiring the metahuman genome had been...unique.

"Helix, how far along are you in analyzing the cause of Fii's mutation from the effect of the serum?"

[ You've been asking this twice a week. My analysis remains unchanged. The mutations in her genetics remain indiscernible. As previously stated, based on the data we've acquired so far, there's no way to pinpoint— ]

"Fine. You can stop." Edith groaned and covered her face with her hands.

Of course, there wasn't an easy answer. That's what made her research borderline impossible.

Uncovering the secrets behind the metahuman genome was tantamount to discovering a new fundamental law of reality. Even after all her years toiling away in the darkest recesses of science and genetic engineering, she only managed to create a formula that theoretically served as a catalyst to mutate a person's biology into that of a metahuman's.

She had no control over whatever power they would have manifested with. She just knew it would eventually work, after a lot of trials. And it did—one thousand seven hundred fifty-eight trials later, Fii, as she was, was the proof of concept.

Even Helix estimated the chance of success for producing an artificial metahuman to be as low as 0.0000001%.

For Fii to be the lone success after so many failures? One in ten million. At that point, the odds had to be caused by some sort of divine intervention.

Yet despite her excitement at the prospect of unlocking the secrets of metahumans, she needed to find a way to increase the probability of success to mimic the conditions under which Fii became one.

But even after running more simulations, with Helix's help, Edith still couldn't determine what triggered her body to fully accept the serum's gene-altering properties. As Helix had told her countless times, the outcome was simply unpredictable. She lacked the key data necessary to determine how or why.

And that uncertainty gnawed at her. She needed more time. More data.

She needed Fii to keep growing, keep evolving. Maybe then, Edith might gain some insight into the answers she sought. Until that happened, she needed to be patient.

But at the same time, she feared for the girl's life. After all, she didn't go through all the effort of nurturing her from a useless street-kind to what she was now only for her to die without providing any useable results. Fii had to become stronger, to overcome any hurdles placed in her path. She couldn't afford to be complacent. She couldn't afford to lose her.

Edith rose from her seat, her eyes traveling to the cases on her desk.

Drugs. What an archaic, wasteful means for humans to seek a sense of euphoria and control. She hadn't cared for them since she was a teen. Creating chemical stimulants and depressants in her private lab in the metropolis to sell as a supplementary source of income had given her firsthand experience with how addictive substances affected humans.

Maybe that was one of the main factors as to why she distanced herself from them. They always felt so...repetitive. Such a waste of time and resources.

Not to mention they lacked any real purpose. There were far better ways to improve oneself, in her opinion.

Nevertheless, the development of this "Shiver" drug caught her attention. Whoever was behind the drug's creation clearly had an intimate knowledge of neurotransmitters, neurogenesis, and genetics.

Oh well. Virgil said that he dealt with the supplier of the drug, so there was no use worrying about that problem anymore. She could at least repurpose these samples as raw materials for other experiments.

Pushing thoughts of the drugs from her mind, Edith gathered her equipment and began preparing to run the latest batch of tests. She had work to do, after all.