The cool, recycled air of the Nightshatter's bridge was a silent counterpoint to the data streaming across the main console. Roy leaned over the central display, his fingers drumming a nervous, silent rhythm on the smooth, cold surface. He was reviewing the morning reports, a necessary but mind-numbing part of his day.
A new message blinked into existence, a report from Takara. He opened it.
Trio's individual combat abilities are solid. Reflexes are sharp. They've mastered beyond the basics. Training on the deck isn't enough anymore. They won't gel as a unit until they face something real. It's time. - Takara
Suddenly, a second message chimed in, this one from Greta.
Prototype Maglev Line Alpha is fully operational and certified for passenger transport. All systems green. Ready for its maiden voyage. - Greta
A slow, genuine smile spread across Roy's face. The simple satisfaction of a good idea clicking into place. A maiden voyage and a trial by fire.
"Hey, Eryndra, Zehrina? You guys busy?" he asked into the open comm channel. "Could you meet me on the bridge for a minute?"
Zehrina arrived first, a moment before Eryndra.
Roy gestured to his console. "So, Takara says the kids are ready for a real test, and Greta says the new train is good to go," he said, his tone casual, collaborative. "I'm thinking we combine the two. We'll take the maglev for its first run and give the trio their first official delve into the dungeon. See what they're made of. And finally...we will enter the dungeon ourselves."
Eryndra's grin was immediate and predatory. "About time."
Zehrina considered it for a moment, her head tilted. "A fitting first mission for them, and a fine opportunity for a team outing. I approve."
"Good," Roy said, relieved. The last thing he needed was an argument. "The whole senior crew has been itching to go, and I swear every Presidroid on the ship has put in a formal request. It's just silly to have a dozen of us trying to fight in the same room. We'll split into two teams."
Their destination, the new Grand Central Station in Sector One, was a monument to a future still being built. The small ground car pulled up to a structure that was both magnificent and strangely empty. It was a cavernous hall of white composite panels and gleaming metal trim, built on a scale to handle hundreds of commuters at once. For now, it was just their small group. Roy, Eryndra, Zehrina, the trio, and FDR. Their footsteps echoed in the vast, quiet space. Digital timetables, mostly displaying a cheerful "ON TIME" for the single existing train, hung above wide, deserted platforms. Automated gates stood ready. Vacant, glass-fronted storefronts waited for tenants.
"It's so… clean," Andri whispered, her voice a soft note of wonder in the cavernous hall.
"This isn't stone… what is it?" Rava asked, running a hand over a composite wall panel.
"It's almost as tall as me!" Orin declared with reverence, his head craned back, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, some fifty feet above.
A sleek, windowed tube hissed as its doors slid open. The interior was plush, with soft, recessed lighting and comfortable seats. A digital screen on the far wall displayed their current speed, climbing with astonishing swiftness past a hundred and fifty miles per hour as the maglev began to move. Yet, the quiet inside remained profound. The tunnel outside the reinforced windows became a streaking grey smear.
Eryndra, already restless from the utter lack of any sensation of movement, began to fidget. Zehrina, however, closed her eyes, a small, serene smile on her face as she enjoyed the rare moment of perfect silence.
"How does it move?" Rava asked, his eyes glued to the massive, insulated cables whipping past on the tunnel wall.
"As far as I'm concerned, magic. Magnets are basically magic anyway," Roy said with a shrug.
"No, Captain," Serenity's voice replied over the train car's speakers. "It operates via sequential electromagnetic repulsion, a magnetic field generated by our city's power grid. In simpler terms, big magnets are pushing us very, very fast." A moment later, she added, "And for the others: it works like if you had rocks that wanted to push each other away. You try to push those rocks together to push a third rock, the train, away, just on a very large scale."
Roy, leaning in, whispered to Rava, "See? Magic."
The streaking grey of the tunnel gave way to open air. The train emerged onto a covered, elevated track, its translucent walls giving them a panoramic view of the dungeon's foundation stretching out below them for the last half-mile of their journey. A few moments later, it glided to a stop in the station connected directly to Technomendia.
On the platform stood the rest of the crew that would be joining them. Takara, Lutrian, Warrex, and Orden each waved as the doors hissed open. Behind them stood seven Presidroids: JFK, Truman, Grant, Eisenhower, and the four known as Madison, John Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe.
The group's procession through the Central Court caused an immediate stir. A wave of hushed, excited whispers followed them, adventurers nudging each other and pointing.
"That's him! The Thunder Rider!"
"He's finally going in himself!"
"Are those the kids he recruited?"
The crowd parted before them, a palpable sense of anticipation in the air. The man who had conquered Stage One was finally entering Stage Two.
Just as they reached the massive stone archway that marked the dungeon's entrance, a voice called out. "Captain Gunn! A moment!"
Lynder Shadevale strode toward them, his expression one of intense, professional interest. "I heard you were taking your new protégés on their first official run," he said, his gaze sweeping over the trio with a critical, appraising eye. "I would be honored if you would allow me to observe."
"Why not?" Roy replied with a sarcastic but friendly grin. "I'm already taking five hundred and twelve people with me, one more won't kill anyone."
"Alright," Roy said, turning to the group and growing serious. "That settles the numbers. One of you," he said, looking at Eryndra and Zehrina, "stays with me and the kids. The other takes Warrex, Lutrian, and their Presidroid team. You're our two strongest fighters by a mile. We need one of you anchoring each squad to keep everyone safe. Settle it."
The two faced each other, their expressions grimly serious. Their hands became a staccato burst of motion as they played, the rounds too quick for a normal eye to follow. It ended with Eryndra letting out a triumphant roar, her paper-hand smothering Zehrina's rock-fist.
Zehrina let out a long, theatrical sigh. "Very well. I shall lead Team Two."
The rosters were set. Team One would be Roy, Eryndra, Takara, Lynder, the trio, plus FDR, JFK, and Truman. Team Two, led by Zehrina, consisted of Warrex, Lutrian, Grant, Eisenhower, and the other four Presidroids.
With a final nod, Zehrina's team stepped through the dungeon's main archway, their forms quickly swallowed by the unnatural light.
Roy turned to the trio, a final look of encouragement on his face. He watched as Orin, Rava, and Andri took a deep, collective breath and stepped across the threshold. Their new armor and weapons caught the strange, arcane glow from within.