A STATION TO NOWHERE
The cloud fog enveloped him as Will rushed down the mountain. Visibility was low, and on occasion, he found himself dodging an errant branch. Every minute or so, he checked the slate to verify his progress, and a little while later, he was on location.
Will skidded to a halt and put his slate back in his jacket. There was an old squat building, the size of an outhouse, up ahead. Nature had reclaimed it, with moss creeping up its sides. Plants grew around it, and Will had to pull a few vines loose before he could approach the door.
He nearly stepped on the mini-bots in his haste. The small machines lay dead, their batteries spent. He lifted one up and smelled burnt etherite. The chips were fried, but no matter; they weren't meant to last long anyway. He stuffed the bunch into his jacket and went back to the door.
The door was locked, but that didn't matter. He picked the lock in under a minute and forced it open.
A flight of stairs greeted him, and Will carefully closed the door behind him. The warped metal door creaked closed, and he was left in pitch darkness.
There was a click, and light poured out of a flashlight. Will climbed down the stairs, two steps at a time, until he reached the bottom. In front of him was a subway tunnel that stretched far into the distance.
Will began to walk down it, flashlight in hand, his footsteps echoing in the tunnel. The old rails were a rusted mess and looked like they would crumble away if one looked at them wrong.
After a few minutes of walking, the tunnel ended. Ahead was a bricked-up wall, with a hole at the bottom, with char marks around it.
"Good ol' Scout," Will muttered and eyed the opening with apprehension. It was person-sized, but the loose bricks weren't reassuring. "This doesn't feel safe."
He crawled through the hole, and he found himself under a building that he was already familiar with. The thud of synchronized marching boots came from the roof. Officers yelled instructions, and Will heard the whoomp of airships landing.
The military had repurposed the old station into an airbase, and Will was right underneath all of them. He turned off his flashlight and crept silently down the tracks with his back bent low. He continued like that until he was out of the platforms and back in the underground tunnel.
Heart beating fast, Will quickly made his way down the tunnel, treading lightly. The rail line extended ahead of him, and a bit of a walk later, he caught something in the light of his flashlight.
Two motorbikes stood propped up with Scout curled up in between. As soon as he saw Will, the bot yipped excitedly and came bounding towards him.
"That's a good boy. You did very well." He patted the turtle bot, but its new boxy worker plates got in the way. Instead of a turtle, Scout looked like a walking geometry problem, with his rectangular bulk.
Scout enjoyed the pats just the same, and Will quickly replaced its batteries.
"Now let's see if this had all been worth it." He approached the bikes with tense steps.
Everything looked intact, and he didn't see any loose or missing parts. Will took hold of the bike, and his thumb hovered over the start button. This was the moment of truth. He pressed the button, and the engine came to life.
"Yes!" Will gave a fist pump as the bike's lights came on. He bent down and patted Scout some more, who preened under the attention.
The turtle bot wiggled about as the pats came pouring in when it suddenly went still. It swung around and looked back. Will heard it too. There were footsteps coming down the tunnel. Two sets of footsteps.
"—Stop following me!"
"I will when you tell me what you are doing."
Will's eyes went wide, and he quickly turned off the bike. The light of a flashlight came down the tunnel, and Will saw an exasperated Remy being chased by the blonde-haired Rebecca Wagner.
"So, you are here too," she said as soon as she spotted Will.
Remy came forward and pulled Will aside, who still couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What the hell is she doing here?!"
"I noticed her in the tunnels when I went to get this," Remy flashed the coms node.
"And you brought her here?" Will hissed.
"It's not like I could leave her in the tunnel for the military to find," said Remy. "I had to get her out of there before she was seen."
"I can hear you; you know?" Rebecca said in a carrying whisper.
Will leaned in close. "What the hell do we do now?"
Remy fell silent, and Will had no ideas.
"I'm talking to you," Rebecca went on, and Will sighed. Both boys walked up to Rebecca, who had her arms folded in front of her.
"You need to go back," said Will.
"No," said Rebecca. "Not until you tell me what is going on and you agree to work with me."
"Listen, princess, why don't you let us poor folk be?" said Remy. "We are not that interesting."
"Don't call me princess," Rebecca frowned. "And speaking of interesting, how did you get these... bikes here?"
"We snuck them piece by piece through the daily shipments," said Will. Remy beside him stiffened but didn't say anything.
"Wow, impressive," said Rebecca and gestured towards Scout. "And you had the drone assemble it. The chip and etherite sync must be very precise. Incredible." She looked up with her eyes shining. "You really must work with me on the project."
"We can talk about it back at the academy," said Will.
"Sure," said Rebecca. "Then I'll just have to come with you - to wherever you are going."
Remy made a keening noise like he lost a kidney.
"You don't want to do that," Will said wryly.
"And why not? I'll be with you every step of the way."
"Listen, Miss Wagner," began Will. "We are going to do some grunt work in some unpleasant places. Not something for someone as refined as yourself."
"Refined as myself?"
"Yeah—" began Will.
"You think I'm incapable of unrefined work?" Becca hissed.
"Well, no—"
"You think that I need to be coddled?!" Becca shrieked. "You think I can't handle it?"
"That's exactly what we are saying, princess," Remy sniggered.
"That's it!" Becca straddled the bike. "Now I'm definitely going!"
Will facepalmed. Remy chuckled. "Alright, you can come."
Will looked at Remy through the gaps of his fingers. The brunet shrugged as if to say, what else can we do?
Will sighed. "You are lucky that I brought spares." He took the extra helmet hanging off the bike and jammed it on top of her head.
"Now, scoot over." Will motioned her to take the back seat while strapping his helmet on.
"Why?" asked Becca.
"Do you know where we are going?"
"No."
"Do you know how to drive?" asked Will.
"No?"
"Then do you mind?"
"Fine." She moved back, and Will took the front seat and kicked the bike stand off. Remy on the other side took his bike.
Will pressed the start button, and the engine rumbled to life.
Becca had one hand on his shoulder and used the other one to cover her nose, but her helmet got in the way. "What's that smell?"
Will grinned and rode the bike down the middle of the tracks. Becca still had her hand over her helmet. "Don't tell me you are using ethrazene as fuel? You're insane!"
"Well, if you are worried about ethrazene, you haven't seen nothing yet."
He pressed the NOx button on the side, and the bike shot forward, and Becca clutched at him, afraid of getting thrown off.
"You! assho—"
They shot down the tunnel with Rebecca cursing all the way.
