The Orphan Part II

Shiro lowers her hands, rough scales catching against the fabric of her sleeves.

"Should've known you'd stay. You always cared too much about these farms."

Marcus straightens, brushing debris from his work clothes. Dirt and grease streak his face, evidence of endless hours spent trying to salvage what remains of his life's work. His hazel eyes hold that same warmth she remembers, even now.

"Someone had to." He gestures at the destruction around them. "These systems - they're not just machines, Shiro. They're hope. A chance to feed people without poisoning them."

"Look." He pulls a vial from his tool belt. Tiny particles shimmer inside, catching what little light filters through the broken roof. "These nanobots can break down chemical compounds at the molecular level. They could transform the sea back into something life-giving."

Friend hops closer, drawn by the glinting particles. Marcus continues, his voice growing passionate, "Think about all those people surviving on contaminated fish. This technology could give them clean water, fresh food. You remember what I used to say at the orphanage-"

"About feeding thousands? The world's already drowned. Your research is as dead as this city."

Marcus flinches at her tone, the vial dimming in his grip.

"This isn't about the farms, is it?" He tucks the vial away. "Why are you really here, Shiro?"

"Needed somewhere quiet. Too many people asking questions lately- hard to find places where no one's digging for answers about the past."

Marcus's expression softens. "You haven't changed. Still running when things get complicated."

"And you're still trying to save everyone." Her eyes drift over the ruined facility. "I knew you'd survive, you know. Even when the Catastrophe hit. Something told me you'd be too stubborn to die."

"Is that why you came here? To confirm what you already knew?"

"They're still out there, Marcus. CryoCore picked up where the project left off."

Marcus shakes his head, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "Project GENESIS died with the Catastrophe. The labs, the research - it's all under water now."

"Did it? CryoCore's running the same experiments, different names. They've been coming for me- that CryoCore mechanic, the prisoner, that Caspian enforcer. All trying to take me back."

"Listen to yourself." Marcus steps forward, but stops when Shiro tenses. "You're jumping at shadows. The project is dead."

"You don't understand. I had a nurse on my ship. She saw me heal. Now she's out there, probably telling them everything."

"A nurse? You're paranoid, Shiro. The world's bigger than Project GENESIS now. Not everyone's out to get us."

"You know too much. Every person who knows about me is a liability."

"We grew up together, Shiro. The orphanage, the experiments - I was there through all of it."

"That's exactly the problem. You're a loose end."

Marcus reaches slowly for his tool belt, but Shiro is faster. She lunges forward, talons slashing through air where his throat had been moments before.

Marcus stumbles backward, raising the broken pipe in defense. "Think about what you're doing. This isn't you - this is what they made you into."

Friend scuttles away from their dance of death, finding refuge behind a fallen hydroponic tray. Her feathers puff up as she watches the confrontation unfold.

"You want to erase yourself?" Marcus backs away. "Fine. I'll disappear. You'll never hear from me again."

"And what happens when CryoCore finds you?" Shiro's voice cuts like ice. "When they realize what you are? How long before they make you talk?"

"The Shiro I knew would’ve trusted me." Marcus lowers the pipe, his shoulders dropping. "She would have seen past all this paranoia, found a way to hope."

"These days, I don't know who to trust anymore."

"You're letting fear control you. CryoCore is just a company trying to help people survive the storms."

"Help people? That's what they said too." Her fingers trace the edge of her sleeve.

Marcus's face pales. "That was different. We were at war-"

"And now we're drowning." Shiro gestures at the sea beyond the ruins. "Different crisis, same solution. Create monsters to save humanity."

"You're not a monster, Shiro."

"Tell that to the scales. The talons I have to hide." She pulls back her sleeve, revealing the rough, mottled texture of her hand. "I can't stop running because they'll never stop looking for monsters like us."

"Maybe you're right about running. But killing everyone who knows about you? That's not a solution - that's leaving a trail of bodies CryoCore can follow."

"You've been tracking them." It's not a question.

Marcus's hands tighten around the pipe. "Five missing persons in the last month. A captain that’s always moving, never staying long enough for anyone to ask questions. I didn't want to believe it was you."

"Then you're as naive as you were at the orphanage. What did you expect me to do with people who discovered my secret?"

"How many?"

"Does it matter? I trusted every single one of them, and every single one betrayed me. Just like you will."