[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjcyLjZhMTg2MS5WMjl1WkdWeWJHRnVaQS4y/alice-in-wonderland.regular.webp[/img][/center]
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[center][h3]Midtown[/h3][/center]

[color=darkgray]The lighter flicked on and off at regular intervals. Though she didn't smoke, Harlow kept it with her as a memento and a reminder. [i][color=802490]"All the better to burn it to the fucking ground, my dear,"[/color][/i] she thought to herself. She sat on the ground, allowing others to pass her by. She often did this. Hood pulled over her head, shadowing her face. Few people, in any, gave her notice. She preferred it. Not only was NOVA looking for her, she didn't want attention. Attention meant eyes and eyes were the creepiest part of the body. They hid intentions. She knew all too well.

She had been listening to the newsstream as well as law enforcement broadcasts. She had hacked her way into it to allow her at least some warning should she be discovered. However, something had piqued her interest.

The first was the story about the disappearance of two Nobles. Harlow had taken some small satisfaction in that, though she was not involved. To her, Nobles were no better than NOVA. Variants who sold themselves to the highest bidder. And the Glorious Alliance? Simply put, it was full of showoffs and sellouts purely in it to make a buck or to get others to fawn over them. She hoped the two that disappeared were in a ditch somewhere, their perfectly tailored clothes ripped to shreds and their faces caked with dirt and blood.

The second news story was different.

A fire in a lab with variants seen fleeing the scene. Had they started the fire? She would bet money that they did. Attention would be on that lab for a while. It would be suicide to go over there.

So she stood up and began walking in that direction.

If only to see the fire burn. To see the destruction it caused. The life extinguished. Her brother would get upset if he heard her talk like that. It was why she kept it inside. If she let it out, who knew what would happen?

Wonderland.

A name from an old children's book about a young girl who fell down a rabbit hole into another world where she had to survive an onslaught from many characters, each with seemingly hidden ill-will towards the girl. The Queen wanted her head, the Cat talked in riddles, even the Mad Hatter could not be a reliable ally. 

It connected with her deeply. The feeling of not knowing what was going on around you and was saddled with this 'curse' as there was no other word for it. The only thing you could do was continue onward and hope you survived the next encounter.

So who's to say why Harlow made her way toward the lab? Was it out of wonder? Terror? Curiosity? Maybe all of the sins above. Either way, today was going to be interesting.[/color]