Cracking the door open slowly, Steve slid his way inside the room, flinching when he heard the beep of a heart monitor. He should have expected it, but it was both wrong and mortifying to see in person. It was a small office space with concrete as both the makeup and decor, and the desk and chairs replaced with a bed on wheels. The drab room was maybe eight feet in either direction, barely enough for the bed and a few side tables.

  Naomi lay on the bed at the end of the room, attached to the machine. Color had drained from her hair and it thinned. Her pale face was gaunt, showing off cheekbones and features in her nose that should have been hidden under skin. IV bags fed nutrients to her body and her fingers trembled over her laptop. Her eyes were sharp, but her body looked like it was constricting itself with how thin it had gotten.

  Naomi was dying.

  Sweat built at Steve’s neck, and he winced just looking at her. “You should be resting.”

  Her lip flinched, and he couldn’t tell if it was disappointment in his words or an involuntary spasm.

  “Donations dried up.”

  Steve frowned, inching his way toward the bedside.

  “Dawson’s bump didn’t last long?”

  “No. It gave us a bit of a war chest to work with, but incoming donations have drained. We’ll have to start letting people go as soon as next week and pull from our savings. It’s thanks to Dawson, the shutdown isn’t immediate.”

  Shaking his head slightly, Steve shifted to look at the laptop screen. Instead of financials, he saw Naomi reading an article from the Slattery Network: Donating To HUE? Does That Benefit You?

  “A hit piece?”

  “The whole thesis is built on a foundation of absurd leaps in logic. Apparently, HUE is both breaking and entering into shops as well as stopping those same criminals. Playing both sides. Slattery got a blurry, grainy, pathetic photo of Gutshot in the arms of people from the Underground and uses that as proof. It’s all…” Naomi sounded like she had more to say, but exhaled in fatigue. Even being upset was pushing her.

  “We can sue her for damages. She had to know we were going to take a hit in donations with a title like that.”

  “She poses it as a thought experiment more than a definitive proof against us. You should still sue her, I just…”

  Twice she trailed. Steve’s heart went tight. Naomi was usually so in control of her words. And there was also the point of her saying “you should” sue her, implying she wouldn’t have the strength to do it herself. Or she wouldn’t be around. Steve wiped sweat from his forehead.

  “We’ll recover, Naomi. I’m sure Apex and I can scrounge up an idea good enough to sell. Keep us in operation for some time while we’re earning back the good graces of people.”

  Naomi swiped screens to the homepage for HUE. Gazing upon the logo with its ever-changing colors, she sighed and looked at Steve.

  “I have faith you’ll figure something out, but who knows if you can manage it fast enough. We might lose HUE as it exists. It’s unfortunate that my whole purpose for creating this organization is dashed right now.” Naomi clicked on a tab to scroll through the members of HUE.

  “The purpose of making HUE was to gather people together to do good, right? We can do that without HUE.”

  “HUE was to establish a legacy before I die. With my power, I thought I could gather all the most sincere people and create an organization that was larger than any single idea. Hammerton’s protectors, all gathered, nurtured, and cared for in this new age of Awakening. Now my legacy dies with me.” Naomi closed her laptop, sighing.

  “We’ll maintain your legacy.”

  “Nice of you to say, but I don’t think so. I don’t doubt your sincerity now, but what about when money dries up? I know Rudy’s out the door the second a pay slip is late, and others that need to pay bills will go with him. Magnus probably won’t want to stay with an organization with such a deep stain in reputation, and Dawson’s likely to follow him. Hannah never needed HUE, she’ll keep working in Indus as a Freelancer and Apex will create a new idea under his brand. I have no organization and never made time for a family. No legacy.”

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  The sweat on Steve’s neck and back doubled.

  “You’re not going to die, Naomi. We’re going to figure this out. You won’t want to miss us taking down the Underground.”

  Naomi’s lip twitched again. “As if you’ll find them. I couldn’t do anything with that bud Apex brought me. Did he end up getting info from that MacTrack from EUE?”

  Steve grinned, news at the ready. “Apex got it some other way. That’s actually half of why I wanted to talk to you. We’re deploying all the adults, leaving the fresh recruits behind to keep the base intact.”

  Naomi blinked, her thin face filling with hope. “The Underground? You’re going today?”

  “In a few minutes.” Steve nodded. “Stick around and you’ll have a legacy under HUE, whether it disbands or not. The end of the Underground. At the hands of the people Naomi brought together.”

  A smile played on her lips, but was fought back into a firm line. “Where did it end up being?”

  “South Indus, on the more damaged end of the district. It’s a tall building up top and a deep, underground bunker where all the real operation happens.”

  Steve watched Naomi process the information. First, she remained complacent and only somewhat thoughtful.

  Finally, a smile broke through and she sighed contentedly. “Thank you, Steve. Really. I’m glad I started HUE with you and Apex. You’ve been so reliable, from the beginning. Having the Underground destroyed in my lifetime would be just enough for me.”

  Wiping sweat from under his chin, Steve smiled bashfully.

  Looking at her thinning hands, Naomi ran a finger over a protruding vein. “What was the other half of the reason you wanted to talk?”

  Panicking, Steve wiped as much sweat as he could in a single motion, using clay to absorb bits and hide the chunks around his shoes. Naomi noticed the hesitation and turned her focus to him. Lips thin, cheeks sunken, but eyes always so keen and bright.

  “Ummm…” Steve pulled at his collar, then cleared his throat, forcing himself to make eye contact. “I actually wanted to propose... To you… For getting married… To me.”

  Naomi’s face remained flat, but her eyes pierced straight into his soul. The look was unmistakably her scanning him for sincerity with her power.

  “Steve, I’m dying.”

  “You know I’m serious.”

  “Oh, come on, Steve! This is a pity proposal! Trying to give me something before I devolve into nothing but deflated skin!”

  Pursing his lips, Steve continued to maintain eye contact, even with sweat running over his eyebrow. If he didn’t say anything, he hoped her power wouldn’t see that it was partly pity, but partly real. Narrowing slightly, her analytical eyes scrutinized him.

  “This is ridiculous.” Naomi broke eye contact.

  “I’ll be fully dedicated to you for the rest of our lives.”

  “Ha! Our lives! That’s dedication for a day, tops. I don’t know why you’re even suggesting this idea.”

  “If we’re engaged, then you have to live long enough for the wedding. If not longer.”

  A gentle knock came at the door. Turning their heads, they saw Apex poke through the opening.

  “Steve. We’re leaving. Are you done here?”

  “That depends on her. I just need an answer.” Steve said, wiping sweat from his neck.

  Naomi grit her jaw and stared at her bony feet at the end of the bed. Closing her eyes for two long seconds, she exhaled and looked to Apex.

  “Did you know about this?”

  “Only in that he told me right before he came to talk to you,” Apex said, grinning. “But Steve’s a good man. Probably a good husband. I want to be best man, by the way.”

  Naomi’s eyes shot between Steve and Apex quickly. Steve smiled, trying to maintain bravado even withthough the anxiety coursing through him. She was stalling. Was it to not hurt his feelings by rejecting him so easily or because she was actually considering it?

  “Fine. Yes. Get back soon, or you won’t have a fiancée by the time you return.”

  Boosting himself on clay, Steve jumped into the air and punched the ceiling in excitement, whooping as he came crashing back into the clay. In a rush of panic, Steve clapped hands together and formed two small clay wedding bands. Sweating, he extended a hand of clay and placed it gingerly on her thin ring finger. Raising her hand, she had a small look of pleasure looking at it.

  “Great! Stay safe Naomi. I promise we’ll be back before you know it!”

  Laughing, Apex opened the door wider for Steve. “Stay alive Naomi. We need you.”

  “I don’t really think that’s up to me.”

  “Maybe. But we can always choose whether or not to push ourselves. The will to do something is half the battle. Keep your mind on staying alive and your body will comply a lot better than if you gave in to despair.”

  “I’m not one of your teenage fanboys, Alex, I don’t need a lecture. I’m not just rolling over and dying. But at the rate I’m losing weight, I think realistically… I have a few hours. Please come back before then.”

  Steve stopped just before rushing out the door, a look of sincerity stark on his face. “You want us to stay?”

  “And miss the chance to see the Underground die in my lifetime by the hand of my fiancé? Absolutely not! Get out there, you’re wasting time!”