Chapter Text
The two sped out of the room that had been their prison cell only minutes before. The pops and zaps of the machine malfunctioning served as the soundtrack to their getaway.
They were still relishing their last quip at Rader when Zoe suddenly grabbed hold of Mio’s arm, tugging her backwards. Her feet skidded loudly against the tile floor.
“Wait! We can’t go out in these,” Zoe gestured to the skin-tight suits meant for Rader’s machine. “They’ll be suspicious!”
Mio registered the impending sounds of sirens outside the tower, the red glow against the horizon of buildings. After their day, the last thing she wanted to be stuck doing was talking to a bunch of detectives.
“Right,” Mio agreed quickly. She thought back to whatever she was wearing before– God, it felt like ages ago she walked into Rader Publishing thinking she was going to strike gold. Her mind eventually recalled her maroon coat and black pants. An outfit she quite liked, mind you. She would rather it not become some sort of police evidence she’d never see again.
Her mind was racing, and she racked it desperately to try to catch her bearings. She wasn’t in a story– this was real. Where was that room again? The room they all changed in before they were led to the machine. A series of lockers where they placed their belongings. She couldn’t think.
But like they were operating on the same mind Zoe interrupted her panic, “Oh, I remember, I remember!– This way!”
Mio let herself be towed as they navigated the confusing, sterile halls of Rader Publishing. Eventually they drifted to a stop in front of a familiar looking room.
Mio lunged ahead for the door, ushering Zoe in before her. She gave the hall one last glance to be sure they weren’t being followed, then shut it tight behind them.
“Thank god for your memory,” Mio heaved a sigh of relief, allowing herself a small moment to catch her breath. The room was definitely the right one. A row of silver lockers lined the walls with changing quarters across from them.
Zoe was already digging through one in particular as she quipped, “Is that all you have to thank me for?”
“Shut up,” Mio laughed, hoping that she never would.
Her arms reached to catch the clothes Zoe tossed to her before her mind even registered the movement. Looking at the pile she immediately recognized her outfit from the morning.
Zoe had moved onto another locker when they both startled at the sound of running boots outside. It sounded like a lot of important people.
“We have to be quick,” Mio warned.
“Yup,” Zoe agreed, lugging her clothes and belongings out clumsily.
Mio considered dashing to one of the changing rooms, but Zoe interrupted her thoughts, “Here, help me with this.”
Mio was quick to turn to her aid, but she was surprised to be met with her back to her. Zoe helplessly reached for a latch on the upper part of her suit’s backing, and following her hand Mio grabbed it, unlatched it, and zipped it down. Her freckled and fair back was briefly exposed to her before Zoe whirled around and grabbed onto Mio’s shoulders.
Zoe spun her around so that she could help with Mio’s suit. She could feel her shaky fingers parting her hair to get to her latch. Cool air met the sweat on her back as Zoe slid the zipper down. Mio held her breath.
“Thanks,” Mio struggled out, refusing to turn as she heard Zoe’s suit hit the ground with a thud, shortly followed by the sounds of clothes rustling.
“C’mon, Mio, be quick!” Zoe snapped the girl out of her daze. Obediently she shimmied out of the suit, and it felt like shedding a layer of skin, being out of that tech-garbage. She was relieved to pull on her black pants and loose jacket and shirt. Immediately she felt like herself again.
Only an irreversibly changed version of herself. It was like an entirely different woman was wearing these clothes.
She kept herself from turning until she was sure Zoe was finished changing. And as they grabbed the last of their belongings from their lockers– their phones, bags, wallets– she couldn’t help but take her in.
She looked like herself again too, only slightly more disheveled then when they first met on the elevator. The fine, blonde hair she had tied in a bun had now escaped in a loose and beautiful way, framing her flushed cheeks.
They instinctively, voicelessly grabbed hold of one another as they darted from the room. They ran through the confusing hallways as the sirens grew louder. Opting for a stairwell marked with an exit sign, they were able to make it out the backway of the building. They barely brushed paths with the tons of ambulances and cop cars that swarmed the tower.
The night air of the city hit their faces like whiplash. Exiting out the doors felt like entering into a new story– only one with polluted air and the overwhelming sounds of chaos. But it was one where they were together.
Mio decided that this would be the only kind of story she’d want to live in.
They kept running until their legs gave out. In the stimulation they had an endless supply of energy, but here they were just women who spent a majority of their days sitting down and writing.
Mio tugged Zoe into an alleyway where they gratefully took rest against adjacent brick walls.
“Do you think…” Zoe gasped for breath, “...they’ll be after us?”
“Probably,” Mio answered grimly, “We’re most likely caught on every security camera along this way.”
“Uhg…” Zoe groaned, “Makes me want to be in one of your stories again.”
“Why?” Mio asked incredulously.
“We can beat up cops in those.”
They broke out in laughter– so much it hurt. They collapsed onto the filthy cement of the alleyway, letting their voices and breaths echo off the walls.
The sirens eventually quieted. The ambiance of passing taxis and groups of people instead taking over their senses. A ding sounded from Zoe’s jacket and she went to check it.
“It’s nearly ten!” she exclaimed, showing Mio the time on her phone. Her lock screen was predictably green-looking. A photo of flowers.
“Geez!” Mio reacted. She had arrived at Rader Publishing at eleven that morning– how could so much time have passed? How could so little?
But upon thinking it through further, she added, “My dad probably thinks I’m dead.”
“Well, give him a ring, then, I don’t mind,” Zoe insisted, gesturing for her to grab her phone.
She fumbled through her jacket and then her bag, finally landing on her cell. Upon opening it up she was blasted with the sheer amount of texts she had missed– all from her dad.
Shamefully she tapped his name and brought the phone to her ear. Zoe leaned her head back and studied the starless sky.
Her father’s voice was immediate, “Mio!”
“Hey–”
“I’ve been calling and calling– Why do you even have a phone?” He berated her, but with less anger than relief. He would get on her about this a lot. Especially if she was in the zone with her writing, it could take hours for her to get back to him.
“Sorry, sorry, today’s been crazy,” which was the understatement of the year. She caught a small smile from Zoe across from her.
“Well? How’d it go?” He asked.
“Oh,” Mio started, but then drew a blank. She almost forgot that today she was supposed to get published. Today was the day something was finally gonna give for them.
She barely had the heart to tell him.
Zoe nudged her foot with her own. She gave her a reassuring look that brought her back to her senses. She was able to come up with something that felt close enough to the truth.
“Well, it ended up being a total scam, Dad,” She let the anger she felt for Rader seep into her voice, “The company just wanted to feed my idea to AI.”
“Assholes!” her dad blurted, and then with more empathy, “I’m sorry, Mio.”
“It’s okay. I’ll keep trying.”
“I know you will.”
Mio soaked in his praise for a moment. He always believed in her even when it felt hopeless. But it wasn’t hopeless now, was it? She looked to Zoe across from her and felt a mixture of warmth and excitement in her chest.
“And actually…” She started as they exchanged knowing smiles. “It wasn’t all bad. I met another writer. Her work is really inspiring.”
Zoe squinted her eyes at her, oh please.
“That so?” her dad pressed for more in his own subtle way. It wasn’t often that Mio made friends.
“Yeah, I have a lot to tell you,” Mio said, “But I’m probably not gonna be home for another few hours. There’s still chicken in the fridge from yesterday, okay?”
“Don’t worry about me,” He said exasperatedly, “Have fun!”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you, too.”
As the call ended, she was met with a smirk from Zoe, “‘Few hours’, huh?”
Mio rose from her place in the alleyway, having properly gathered her bearings. She brushed herself off as she looked down at her.
“I’m starving.” She held out a hand for her to take, “You?”
“Famished,” Zoe stated. She took Mio’s hand and let her lift her up. Zoe was eye level to her now and for whatever reason Mio couldn’t take her eyes off of her. In all the worlds they travelled through back there, she was sure Zoe hadn’t looked as pretty as she did now.
She caught herself smiling stupidly when her face grew hot enough to notice.
“I assume you have somewhere in mind, city-girl?” Zoe teased, and if she noticed Mio’s blush she didn’t shame her for it.
“Course I do.” Mio assured her with some pride. Bravely she held out an arm for Zoe to loop hers through as they set off down the street.
Mio knew a diner that would be open late. It wouldn’t be over crowded and it would be a fine place to talk. She felt like chatting with Zoe for hours on end. Anything to make this moment last.
She wanted to know her parents’ names. What town did they live in? When did she decide to move to the U.S.? Why did she? Were there any story ideas that they didn’t explore together? Which was her favorite?
Would she want to do it all over again tomorrow?