They put a blanket around her shoulders and set her down. Orfeus suffered this for a minute, then came and stood behind them, quietly, not interfering. One person per chair, the health workers busily, carefully, delicately disconnected and cut wires and tubes, pulling free individual fingers. Orfeus stayed well away from that. The first person was loaded up on a stretcher, and Orfeus lurched gladly forwards. “I can help carry, I have steady hands,” she said. “If you need to get the rest back.”

The would-be carrier nodded, brief, quick, and went to help the next person, with their eyes all wire-burst.

Orfeus focused on the stretcher. On steadiness. Through the crawlspace, she and the medical worker had to push the stretcher through the space between them, inching it forward. The cramped passage barely felt like it took any length of time now, before they were out in more open space. Balance, balance, carrying the burden forward. The dripping of water. Soft algae glow of light.

Out, out into the sun, and busy teams of blue-uniformed people eased the stretcher away and into the white and sterile interior of a small cubed vehicle, just narrow enough for the road.

She went to go back down, and someone put a hand on her shoulder, shook their head. Orfeus stayed. It wouldn’t make any sense to clog up the tunnel.

She shivered and felt at her shoulders. No cloak.

Orfeus didn’t want to go too far, but didn’t want to stay in one place either. She wandered off a ways to a small park, bright with flowers. She laid down on the bench and stared up, watching the slow shift of colours over the world as the angle of light changed.

After a while, someone cleared their throat. Orfeus turned and saw Margaux of the council of Elders in her hoverchair, her hair longer than when Orfeus had last seen her, wavy and brown. Orfeus swung her feet to the side and sat up very slightly faster than she would have done for anyone else.

“Are they safe?” she said with no precursor.

Margaux didn’t chide her. “They’re out, at least,” she said. She frowned at a tall frame of wisteria. “How to help them from here is unclear, but they are in the hands of our most qualified medical professionals. And our most qualified means very qualified indeed.” She looked tired, leaning back in her chair like her back needed the support. “No one’s ever seen anything like this before…”

“That’s good,” Orfeus said. Margaux gave her a sharp look and Orfeus shrugged. “Maybe we stopped it early.” Not early enough: her brain screamed too late, too late. Linden hadn’t godsdamned been down there.