Epilogue

Epilogue 2.17

---Gail/Miu-sama---

     My wake-up call consists of three knocks on the side of the subway car. Is it morning already? I yawn, crawling out of the sleeping bag. I barely got a wink of sleep last night, despite having the entire car to myself. Maybe not despite. Things did get a little lonely.

     Martha pokes her head through the tarp. She's already all dressed up. Today's outfit's a little less flashy—a white muscle tank with light blue jeans. Come to think of it, this has to be the first time I've seen anybody with a change of clothes since everything went to hell in a hand basket.

     "Where'd you get the new outfit?"

     "I happened to be on vacation overseas when the world ended. Now, everywhere I go, I keep my trusty suitcase with me."

     "Lucky you."

     She looks me up and down. "We're about the same size. I see no reason why we can't share." She sticks a lollipop between her teeth. "Ready to get going? The new and exciting world of scientific discovery awaits!"

     "After I grab a shower."

     Martha shakes her head. "Don't bother with that crummy hose. Use the showers at the facility."

     I stare at her, dumbfounded. "You've got showers there? Mind if I ask why y'all ain't just livin' there? Beats this place by a country mile."

     Her face gets serious for a moment. "Well, what do you think would happen if the demons found out about the lab? I shudder to think what they might do with all that equipment at their disposal."

     "Nuh-uh. You expect me to believe that the demons let you settle in this underground lot, and there just conveniently happened to be a top-secret, super high-tech lab nearby?"

     "That's no coincidence, my dear." Martha fishes something out of her pocket. Kind of like a tablet, only it's about the size of her palm. She hands it to me carefully.

     Another newfangled doohickey. Nice hunk of plastic, too; the sheen on this thing could blind a Cyclops. "What is it?"

     "Sort of like a compass. Except it always points towards the nearest neo-human base. Figuratively, I mean. You obviously can't point at an extra-dimensional location with something as primitive as a needle."

     I frown. "So you're saying you came here on purpose?"

     Martha lowers her head, and her expression goes dark. "I had to continue my research." It doesn't take a psychic to tell we've just stumbled onto a painful subject. I decide to let it go, for now. After all, I'm itching for that shower. Literally.

     "Shall we get going then?"

     Martha nods. We step out of the subway car and head back across the lot. Just before we reach the tunnels, a guy with a bruised up face and a black eye comes running over to us. Martha's eyes widen. "Erez? What the hell happened to your face?"

     Erez scowls and points at me. "They happened."

     Woah. What's this guy's problem? "Excuse me?"

     "One of the new recruits tried to kill me. All so he could steals some meds. This is what kind of people they are."

     "There's gotta be some mistake," I say. "My friends would never—"