Sitting in a bedroom far from the Alliance headquarters, Alexis runs her hands through my hair. The color isn't the same as prior, but this hair dye will work. She sits with a heating hat on her head, a glimpse of the freshly bleached bangs dropping down. We both work to return our hair colors to their origins.
An hour later, a freshly re minted redhead, I walk outside and along the street. I stop into a shop and grab a soda. The cashier is redheaded and middle-aged. He nods to me. I return the gesture. I give him my money and in return, along with the change he slides a card into my hand. I only glance to see it mention the word "redhead."
I look at him. His mouth makes a slight grin.
"The Alliance has shifted," he says.
I say nothing.
"We know what happened," he says. "We are the Spensor Connection. Occasional interaction with the central West Avenue hub."
"I'm done," I say. I clinch my change and turn to walk away.
"We respect what you did," says the man.
I pause and look back at him.
"Like I said." He pauses. "It has shifted. For the better." He waves, acknowledging my need to exit.
I wait for just a moment, processing what he has said. Satisfied with my conclusion, I wave back. Walking out of the door, I put his card in my back pocket.
