"Ok. Ok, let's go." Marina said, with a shaky, but resolute voice. The declaration made Ahato smile. She didn't know what battle her friend was fighting, but it clearly wasn't an easy one. Seeing her resolve helped Ahato strengthen her own. No more dancing around it: this place hasn't done a damn thing for us. It's time we leave.

This was it then. One final trip up the building; to the rooftop that arguably started this final chapter of her life underground. It was poetic, in a way. Not that that kind of stuff really means anything. It's just nice when things work out like that.

Each step towards the apartment building lifted her spirits. They were actually going to do it— leave behind everything that put them down. There was no telling what was in their future, especially considering they were going to the surface, but it couldn't be worse than this. Even the ache in her shoulder wasn't enough to slow her down right now. This was her break for freedom, her chance to live the life she wants. And I get to do it with Marina at my side.

She set her eyes on the front door, and immediately wheeled backwards, a desperate "HUH!?" wrenching itself from her mouth as her eyes landed on her sister, literally guarding the front door. WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE?

Ahato stared at Imari, trying to process the turn of events that lead to this. Did she follow us? There's no other way she could know... A quiet, naïve part of her mind desperately hoped her sister was there to join them, but she knew better than that. Ahato's shock quickly turned into confusion, which quickly turned to anger. Why does it always come back to this?

"What the hell do you want?" Ahato didn't bother trying to play nice. This isn't the time.

"I'm not going to let my sister turn traitor to our society." She snarled, taking a step forward. "I did NOT dedicate my life to this cause to have my own sister take one of our most valuable assets and run."

"What makes you think that's what we're doing? I happen to live here, you know?" Ahato shot back.

"Please. I've been watching you two all day. I know what you're planning."

There was a tense beat of silence. "Get out of the way Imari." Ahato's voice was frigid, leaving no room for argument. "I'm not doing this."

There was a gleam in Imari's eye. If Ahato didn't know better, she'd assume it was guilt of all things. "Under my authority as a Unit Leader, I command you both to kneel on the ground with your hands on the back of your head." She slowly drew her octoshot off her waist, and aimed it up at the duo.

Ahato didn't budge. There was a strangled noise behind her, prompting her to turn back to look at Marina. She didn't look good. The shaking was back, and judging by how frantically her eyes were darting around, she was panicking.

"Miss Head Engineer!" Imari called out, her voice suddenly filled with empathy. "Please, see reason! Come back with me! Your talents are too valuable to be thrown away like this. Especially now, we need someone with your capabilities more than ever!"

Marina practically cowered behind Ahato in response, hiding herself from Imari's view as best she could. Her panic noticeably worsened, to the point that she couldn't keep her ink color locked in. Teal quickly replaced the magenta coloration on the ends of her tentacles. Oh, Marina. Hang in there. We're almost out.

Carefully, Ahato grabbed her hand, watching for just a moment as the magenta at the ends of her fingers and claws gave way to teal. She watched her friend's eyes widen as she looked up. Ahato gave her a small smile, trying to be reassuring, before turning back to her sister. Ok bitch, let's do this.

They stared each other down, each threatening the other to make the next move, and Ahato wasn't in the mood to play pigeon. Still holding Marina's hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze, and then took a step forward, gently urging Marina to follow her.

In response, Imari aimed her weapon, but didn't fire. Marina locked up immediately, stopping Ahato where she stood.

"Stars— Imari! Don't do this! Just let us pass."

"I can't do that, it's my duty to—"

"Oh fucking can it." Ahato thrust an arm out, emphasizing her words. "There's nothing for me here! Why would I waste away in a system that hates me for no reason? I have no life here!"

"You have a duty Ahato!" There was a desperation in Imari's tone. "A responsibility to the place that raised you!"

"I don't give a damn about this place Imari!! Why is that so hard to understand? I don't care! I want out! I don't want to be here!"

The stare down was unrelenting. Imari's expression didn't change, and Ahato only got more mad. Tentatively, she took another step forward. You gonna shoot me?

Imari didn't, but she didn't lower her weapon, or step away from the door, either.

"You've met your obligation." Ahato stressed, taking another step forward. "You tried your best to stop us. It's a two on one, no one would doubt you if you said we overpowered you. Just step aside, and let us pass so we can all be happy."

"NO!" Imari shouted. Her aim faltered as her voice grew more emotional. "I'm not letting you ruin your life like this! You can't come back if you're branded a traitor!"

"I don't care about my life down here!! I don't want to come back!!" Ahato shouted, taking advantage of the moment to sneak another step forward.

The octoshot was retrained on her in response.

"Use me to shove your career further if that's what you want! I won't be here to argue it, so they'll believe you!"

"Why does that matter!?"

"It's not like you care about anything else!"

Imari's eyes widened. "That's not true." She mumbled, suddenly quiet.

"No?" Ahato asked, pressing further inwards. "Then what the hell is this? If you really did care about me, you'd see how rusted miserable I've been my whole life! I can't keep living like that!"

"So you'd betray everything? Everyone?" Imari spat.

"I don't really care what it is." Ahato returned. "There's no reason for me to stay here, and if leaving is betrayal, then so be it."

They were practically at the door now. Ahato stopped walking when her sister's octoshot was all but pressed against her chest. Let's go sis. Make or break.

It felt like hours they stood there. Ahato was confident that her sister wouldn't shoot, but she still had to move so they could get into the building. Marina had gone completely silent at that point, though her hand was still shaking. It's ok, we're almost there.

Without warning, Imari dropped the octoshot. Ahato barely had time to register the sound of metal hitting the ground before she suddenly felt a strong pull away from the door. Searing pain immediately shot down her entire right arm, so hot it made her cry out and instinctively reach for her shoulder.

She could vaguely feel someone holding onto her arm, yanking her forward. Ahato screamed in protest and tried to dig in her heels to get leverage. "What the fuck are you doing!?" Ahato shouted, trying desperately to get away. Unfortunately, her sister was a trained soldier in her prime, while Ahato was not.

"My duty." Imari blankly responded. "You're not running away from this." She growled.

"You BITCH!" Ahato found her footing and fought back. "That's my injured shoulder! LET. GO." Using the weight of the bag on her left side, she managed to wretch her arm free with one final pull. Darkness take me that fucking hurts.

It felt like her entire arm was on fire. She flexed her fingers, and was numbly horrified that she could only barely feel anything from them. A deep hiss of pain escaped her mouth as she angrily stared down her sister. What the fuck is wrong with you!?

For her part, Imari did look worried, but Ahato genuinely doubted it was for her. "Ahato, I... you can't leave. It's not— you're not—"

"I don't care what I'm not allowed to do. This place hasn't cared about me once, why should I give a damn what it wants from me?"

Imari shook her head. She was looking increasingly stressed, or was it worried? "No." She lunged out and grabbed Ahato's other arm this time, and started dragging her away again. "No. I'm not letting you betray everything."

As her sister yanked her forward, something finally gave in Ahato's mind. Imari wasn't going to understand or relent. It stabbed at her hearts, knowing that there would forever be this divide between them, but Ahato was not going to let it be the reason she was stuck down here for the rest of her life. I'm not gonna let you drag me out of here.

Ahato suddenly stopped, pulling back hard enough to make Imari lose her balance. In that brief moment, Ahato charged forward, tackling her sister and using the weight of her bag to turn the tide in her favor. She wrenched her arm free as Imari landed, but a hard shove, consequently sent her right shoulder slamming into the ground with tremendous force.

The impact wiped any thought that was in her head as every nerve ending in her arm suddenly blazed with pain. Her vision blurred as an agonized scream tore from her throat. The entire right side of her body prickled with a burning, stabbing pain as each nerve ending protested the contact. She lunged forward, acting on an echo of her previous plan, and managed to use her left arm and the bag on it to pin Imari to the ground.

"MARINA!" Ahato shouted. "Help me!" She could still hardly see because of the blinding pain still ringing behind her eyes, and the tears welled in front of them. She tried her best to hold Imari down, but every twitch and shake sent an entirely new wave of pain from her shoulder. It didn't take long for Imari to land a solid shove, sending Ahato flailing to the side. She tried to regain her balance, but Imari was relentless, immediately spinning back to reverse the pin. Ahato tried in vain to break herself free, but found her right arm was almost entirely unresponsive.

Desperately, she looked around, trying to orient herself and see if Marina was coming to help. Ahato's hearts dropped when they saw that Marina was still standing where she had been, utterly paralyzed with fear. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

"MARINA! PLEASE!" She shouted, trying to break her friend out of her haze. Ahato desperately hammered at her sister's arms, but to no avail.

"Shut up!" Imari growled as she stood up, only to suddenly bend back and deliver a strong punch into Ahato's stomach, knocking the wind out of her. "I'm not letting you leave! I'M NOT LETTING YOU RUIN YOUR LIFE!" Imari roared, before sloppily staggering to her feet. That's not your choice to make!

Time seemed to slow down as Ahato lay there, gasping desperately for breath. Half of her body was unresponsive, and what she could feel hurt like she'd never felt before. She uselessly flailed, trying to pick herself up off the ground to no avail. The only thing she could do was turn her head and pry her eyes open, and hope that help was coming.

Ahato's gaze landed on Marina, who was frantically looking between her and Imari. She tried to call out again, but all she could manage was a choked wheezing sound. HELP ME!

She could see Marina take an unsteady step backwards as Imari's attention focused on her.

"Forgive me, Miss Head Engineer, but I can't let you go either." Imari took another step forward, causing Marina to back into the wall of the apartment behind her. "I don't know what's wrong, but we can fix it! Don't throw away everything because of this!"

Marina frantically shook her head.

"Then, I'm afraid I can't let you go any further." Imari bent down, and grabbed the octoshot off the ground and aimed it at Marina. "I hope you'll forgive me, ma'am, but this is my duty."

Ahato writhed on the ground, trying with all her might to make her body obey her. She managed a deep, filling breath, and immediately set to righting herself. Only her left arm had enough strength to support her, but that was enough to get to her knees for a better vantage. What are you doing bitch!?

"Put your hands on the back of your head, and crouch on the ground." Imari advanced towards Marina slowly, trying to talk her down. "Please, ma'am. We don't need to make this difficult." Like hell.

Ahato gathered her strength, preparing to stand, when Marina suddenly bolted towards the apartment's front door.

"STOP!" Imari bellowed, tracking her with the octoshot. NO!

She didn't think. Ahato threw herself forward with everything she had. Her left arm wrapped around Imari's legs, and let gravity take them both back to the ground. Ahato hit the ground first, on account of already being halfway there, but her one-armed grip on her sister didn't falter, simply sliding down from her legs to her feet. There was a sickening snap sound as Ahato felt the foot she held in her arm give, and Imari let out a blood curdling scream.

Ahato immediately forced herself back, ignoring how her hearts twisted at the sound of her sister's pain. She carefully tried to get to her feet, nearly falling as her right leg buckled, but she managed to catch herself with her good arm. Trembling with effort, Ahato pulled herself to her full height, putting as much weight on her leg as she dared, and clutched at her shoulder. She tried every massage, grab, and pinch she knew to alleviate any of the pain, but nothing worked Stars above this HURTS.

It took her mind several seconds to reorient herself. Where is Marina!?

Muscles ached in resistance as Ahato whipped her head around to look at the apartment. Imari was on the ground clutching her leg, hissing in pain. There were splashes of magenta ink where the octoshot had been fired. Marina was nowhere to be found. Where...

There was only one place that made sense. Ahato started towards the apartment door, intent to follow her friend.

A stream of magenta ink forced her backwards. From the ground in front of the door, Imari aimed the dropped Octoshot at her with a shaking arm. Tears openly spilled from her eyes as she took ragged breaths. Her ankle was twisted, bad enough that she probably couldn't stand. Imari, don't do this,

Silently, Ahato stared her sister down, begging her to relent. Begging to give up and let her pass. Please, just let me live.

Imari refused to yield.

Ahato couldn't make it past Imari while her leg was still half numb, but with help she absolutely could. She'd have to wait for Marina to open the door for her then.

She just had to wait for Marina to come back.

Marina was coming back, right?

Darkness twisted in Ahato's stomach as she stared at the closed door. It wasn't like that. Marina wouldn't do that to her. She wouldn't! She's not like that!

Something just went wrong, that's all. Maybe Marina had already jumped up, assuming that Ahato wasn't far behind. That made sense. Marina wouldn't just abandon her. She was probably just waiting in the cave above! If I can get out of here, I can find her again. Then we can talk it out and figure out what happened.

Ahato met her sister's eyes. There wasn't going to be a way she could get through that door, not while Imari had a weapon. "Please," Ahato begged. "Please just let me go."

Imari stared back, her face twisted in a look of hurt. "Why!?"

"I hate it here!" Ahato tried one final, desperate time to get through to her sister. "There's nothing for me but droll misery for the rest of my life! I don't have a squad, or a unit, or even friends Imari! I have nothing here!"

Ahato's final words were shouted so loud, it echoed through the dome. For an agonizingly long time, the sisters stood, eyes locked in a silent battle neither wanted to finish.

"You have me..." Imari more whispered than anything, as if admitting it out made her lose something.

A deep sadness pooled in Ahato's hearts. She wanted to agree. Every part of her wanted to agree, but she couldn't. Not while her sister was determined to ignore her wellbeing. "No... No, I don't, and I haven't for a long time. With a final look of disdain, Ahato turned away. "Goodbye, Imari." I'm sorry.

She limped away from the apartment as fast as she could. If she was quick enough, she could get into the caves through to the crack in the wall two domes over and find Marina. She could still escape. This wasn't over, it was simply a setback. She could handle a setback. Everything would be alright in the end. I'll make sure of it.

Every step of her right foot sent a new wave of pain coursing through her body. The repeated strikes made the ends of her fingers on both hands ache. Her shoulder screamed in intense pain, but she ignored it, somehow refusing to acknowledge the sheer deluge hovering just on the edge of her mind. The only reprieve was the scant time spent in the kettles moving between domes, but it never lasted long enough for her to actually recover any. Just keep moving, I'll get there soon.

Things weren't any less stressful in the last dome. Her goal was a small dent in the side halfway around the outer ring. It was typically watched over by the soldiers working on the farm complex in the center, but with everybody still in the performance dome, this was her once chance to actually get out. She ran and ran, barely keeping herself together as the pain coursing through her body wracked up, until finally, she reached the ledge. Yes!

It was a simple sight, just a space where a small cluster of screens had been knocked off the wall. Their absence revealed a large fracture in the outer dome wall, big enough that maybe an inkblot could walk through. Ahato wasted no time, walking up to the edge of the outer road, before switching forms. Here we go.

Superjumping had never been her forte. In addition to her struggles with ink color, the process placed a strain on the limbs that most people could handle without issue, but always inflamed her shoulder for hours. It's not like things can get any worse, right?

After nearly twenty seconds to aim, she flew across the gap, and landed in the fracture. With a bit more wiggling, she managed to squeeze her way out the other side. YES!

The cave was nearly pitch black. Only the light from the dome's side provided any real light she could use. It was... odd, being out here. She'd seen the caves before of course, everyone did when their class visited them, but now it was a completely different thing. No one's supposed to be out here, so I should be good to take just a quick break, right?

She shifted her shirt so her shoulder was exposed, and pressed it against the cold metal of the dome, sighing at the modicum relief it offered. She gingerly took the bag off of her shoulder and set it beside her, deciding to take maybe a bit longer than she intended to recover. No one should be coming by anytime soon, and to say everything hurt would be an understatement. Just a few minutes.

Unfortunately, with very little to do, her mind quickly wandered back to the situation at hand. What would be the best way to go? The caves were already a mess to understand with maps in front of you, so there was little she had to go on in regards to what was the right way. I don't know anything about cave tectonics or rocks, so I guess I've only got luck on my side. Where's Marina when you need her?

It felt like she got slapped in the face. MARINA! Truly, there was no way to know where her friend was, beyond 'the caves, probably.' In a moment of inspiration, she dug into her bag, and pulled out the walkie talkie. Marina was definitely waiting with hers on for Ahato to signal! Maybe a bit earlier than I thought we'd need them, but hey, it never hurts to be prepared, right?

She eagerly turned the clunky device on and held it up to her ear. She pressed the button on the side, and spoke. "Hello?"

There was no response.

"Hello? Marina? Are you there?"

Ahato felt her hearts quicken as the line remained silent. Why wasn't Marina answering? She should be trying to get in touch since they got split up! Wait, wait. No, let's think rationally about this.

Marina wouldn't abandon her, so there had to be another reason. Ahato stared at the device in her hand, and almost considered slapping herself for real when she made the connection. These were radio devices! And rather weak ones, at that. They probably didn't have a range big enough to cover three whole domes, and that was to say nothing about all the rock and metal in between them potentially blocking and reflecting the signal. She was a systems tech! How could she forget such basic things!? FORMER systems tech. I'm not going back to that.

That unfortunate revelation put her right back where she had started, but now with a new goal. Ahato stood back up, shouldered her bag, and picked left as her direction of choice. From what I can tell, this way wraps around the dome, so it should hopefully lead me to the transition. That way, I can get closer to Marina, and maybe catch her signal.

Now that she was in the caves, there wasn't a pressing need to run, so she took this journey much slower. In fact, she needed to slow things down. The light from the gap faded quickly as she moved, soon requiring her to keep her arms in front of her to make sure she didn't slam into any walls. A few early mistakes made sure her shoulder stayed as angry at her as possible, but the promise of reunion and escape was enough to keep her moving forward in high spirits.

I just need to find Marina, and then we'll get out.

She quickly lost track of how long she'd been down there. In the all-consuming darkness, there wasn't anything she could see to mark the passage of time. She only had the sounds she herself made as company.

Wherever she is, I have to be getting close now!

Stars, her legs ached. How long had she been walking for? Her fingers were going numb from trailing along the walls at this point.

Surely she has her radio on, right? I mean, of course she does, she's gotta be looking for me!

The bag on her arm was starting to grow heavier. It wasn't hard to miss how her footsteps were slowing down. It had to have been hours by this point.

Marina wouldn't have run for the surface! She wouldn't leave me behind! Things were going so well, we nearly made it out together! Why would she suddenly change her mind?

Occasionally, she'd catch an odd rock on the ground and stumble. One or two times, sent her sprawling on the ground. She always picked herself back up, though it was getting harder and harder to do each time.

Marina wouldn't leave her behind. She wouldn't.

Every so often, she'd pull the walkie talkie from her bag, and speak into it. She never got a response.

Marina already betrayed me once, is it really unbelievable that she'd do it again?

Ahato didn't want to follow that line of thought. It wasn't like that. It couldn't be.

Then again, Marina spent years pretending to be my friend, would it really be surprising if she was doing it again?

No, it wouldn't.

But she wouldn't admit it. She couldn't admit it, even if it felt more and more likely with every passing second. If Marina did abandon her, then where did that leave her n—

Ahato's right foot failed to find ground. She was suddenly falling through the air, and before she could even understand what was happening, slamming into the ground shoulder first. A pathetic, mewling cry of pain escaped her mouth as the pitch black of the caves was replaced by the searing white of pain.

It hurt so much. Everything hurt so much. She had nothing. Ahato was alone.

Her body trembled with silent sobs as she lay on the ground in a crumpled heap. This was it. Her once chance at living a better life, wasted. She would die alone down here, abandoned and broken. Even if she could move, there wasn't any hope of ever making it back to the domes before she starved.

She shifted slightly, causing her arm to brush against the bag on the ground behind her. Wait.

Ahato wasn't alone, she still had one thing. One singular thing that's always been there for her, even when the world itself seemed determined to leave her behind: music. It was her drive, her passion, her purpose. I... I want to make more music.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Ahato pulled herself together. Her right arm was definitely broken by the impact, and her right leg wasn't faring much better. However, she could still move. It took forever to muster the courage to again climb to her feet, but she managed to do it, even if it meant stumbling towards the nearest wall for support. I want to make music.

Only now did she realize that she could see, albeit barely. There was light somewhere ahead, and that meant there was hope. Using the wall as a brace, Ahato started to shuffle her way towards the distant light, a singular, burning desire guiding her soul. I WILL make music.

Everyone abandoned her. Society forced her into a life she was miserable in while ridiculing her for conditions beyond her control. Imari utterly refused to connect with her on any level for the same reasons, only seeing what she could have been rather than who she was. Even her own body betrayed her, ensuring she could never live a meaningful life under the domes. Even... Marina. She left me behind too.

Down the cave she wandered, the light slowly growing brighter, until she nearly tripped over something in the ground. A long, metal beam— no, two beams— ran down the length of another tunnel with wood on the ground between them. Tracks?

She wordlessly turned and followed the tracks. They had to lead somewhere, and she might be able to find help there. Onwards she shuffled, paying little mind to the walls giving way to bricks, the graffiti on the wall she could hardly make out, or the posters that lined the opposite side. Keep moving... I have to make it. I need to make more music.

Along the ground were small splotches of fluorescent, teal ink. It seemed to glow, yet not give out any light beyond itself. Ahato plowed through the stuff, ignoring the way it soaked through her boots and made her feet sting. There was a sound in the distance, a regular, ringing noise that she focused exclusively on as her guide. I need to make more music. I don't care about anything else anymore.

Her thoughts grew increasingly darker as she stumbled forward, kicking through the teal sludge with a grim determination. Music is the only thing that hasn't left me. It's the only thing I still have. My sister... my... friend... none of them could be bothered to stay with me.

I hate them.

Finally, she came across a large room. It was a station of some kind, with two tracks running in parallel down either side, into tunnels like the one she was exiting. The entire place was a dingy, almost dirty green color, with large, curved ceilings that loomed overhead in a way that felt far too reminiscent of the domes. Lights hung from the ceiling, jagged and disorganized, unlike the rigid, steel beams that held the entire structure up. Most notable of all, was the distinct ringing of a telephone, coming from the center of the station.

Ahato barely managed to pull herself up onto the central platform that ran between the two lines. She had to lay on the ground long enough to recover, before using a nearby guard railing to pull herself back to her feet. The bag of music equipment— the most important thing she had— still hung on her shoulder, weighing her down like an anchor, but she refused to let it go. I'm not leaving this behind. I won't.

Directly in the center of the platform, was a telephone. On its front were the two bells causing the ringing, with a loudspeaker below it, combined almost resembling a face. On one side was a crank handle, and the other hung an earpiece. It was an eerie sight, made stranger by the way the lighting made it seem as though there was a spotlight was shining down on the device. Can this help me?

Carefully, she shuffled forward, until she was before the telephone.

"[SEARCHING FOR USER ID…] [Error: No ID detected.] Greetings, [user]. Your current location is: Deepsea Metro Central Station. My primary function is to facilitate your journey to the promised land, yet you do not have a testing ID. Do you wish to rectify that?"

"No." Ahato didn't care about any tests, or anything else. There was only one thing that still mattered to her. "I just want to make music... I don't..."

Realization surged through her like a jolt of electricity. What was she doing? This was absurd. She had multiple broken limbs and here she was, begging an automated telephone to let her make music. She didn't know where she was, or who was on the other end of the phone, or if she could even SURVIVE the next 48 hours. I don't know what I'm even thinking any—

"That can be arranged." The phone simply responded.

"It can?"

"Kamabo Co. wishes to experiment with alternate methods to affect the responses of a test subject. Music is one of the parameters allowed to be altered."

A new wave of pain emanated from her shoulder, causing Ahato to reach out and try to caress it. "Lucky me." Ahato forced out through gritted teeth.

"It appears you are in pain. Is something the matter?"

"I think my arm is broken." She gestured to the arm with a grimace. "And the nerve damage there that's making things a lot worse."

"Those employed by Kamabo Co. do not have to worry about pain or injury." The voice over the phone unemotionally explained, before a small card started to print out from a small slot below the loudspeaker. It gently fluttered to the ground, before a large, clunky device soon followed it. Both were joined by a rather obnoxious spray of that same glowing teal ink she saw on her way in. It burned against her skin, but honestly, Ahato couldn't find it in her to care anymore. They're not gonna be happy if they want me to match this color.

Ahato bent down and picked the items up, ignoring the small drips of ink on the ground around them. The device was a deep blue, with a logo she assumed was for the Kamabo thing the phone guy kept mentioning. There was a large joystick near the top, but that was the only identifiable thing on it. The card was a blank employee ID, with a picture of her face somehow in the top left corner. How did they... no, it doesn't matter.

She stared at the card with empty eyes. This would keep me from the surface and the domes. A spiteful knot twisted in her core as she dwelled on the thought. It'd keep me away from everyone who left me behind.

"Simply fill out this card, and you will be an employee of Kamabo Co. where you will be employed to make music for out testing sites."

Was this really what she wanted? She would be out of the domes and making music, but it wasn't the surface. It wasn't the freedom she had been dreaming about... with Marina. A coldness curled around her hearts. Marina left her behind. Abandoned her to the life they both agreed they hated. Marina left her for dead. Why would I want to go to the surface with you after that?

With a shaking hand, Ahato propped the card against the side of the telephone. There was no pen provided, so Ahato pushed a bit of blue ink from the tip of her fingers and filled out the form. She paused at the final box, which had a designation for a stage name. With a final, bitter thought, she filled the blank and turned back to the telephone.

"[SEARCHING FOR USER ID…] [USER DEDF1SH CONFIRMED.] Welcome to Kamabo Co. Your employment begins now."