The elevator began descending slowly.
"Yaaawn~ This elevator's slow, isn't it?!" she groaned dramatically—then yanked a lever. "Speed level 2 → 100!"
The elevator plummeted downward, gravity pulling them toward the ceiling.
"Whoooooa! Told you your eyes would've popped otherwise!" she laughed in exhilaration.
"Holy shi—!" Brian's heart sank straight into his boots as the elevator shot downward. He clung to the railing, knuckles white, until it finally slowed and came to a stop. He could barely feel his legs.
"M-my legs… they won't move."
"First time is rough. You'll get used to it, hehe." The doors slid open, but the space outside was pitch black, illuminated only by the faint light from behind them.
"Hold your breath and say a prayer. Then count to three," Adeline whispered. She snapped her fingers.
Pop! Lights flickered on above, revealing enormous machinery and half-assembled vehicles laid out in rows, gleaming under the spotlight.
"Come with me~ and you'll see~" she sang lightly, twirling her umbrella as she descended a metal staircase with effortless elegance. "A world beyond your imagination~" Another snap, and the overhead lights expanded across the entire expanse of the factory.
"Let your eyes adjust~ and you'll witness a world of boundless imagination~" She landed on the final step, turning back to Brian, still stationary in awe at the elevator threshold.
"We were supposed to start with… uh… something… I forgot the lyrics. Ah well, never mind." She lifted her umbrella dramatically. More lights snapped on behind her, revealing the full vastness of the facility—tall, long, and brimming with sleek machinery and wheel-less vehicles."Sorry there's no chocolate. Haha."
"Whoa. This place is massive." Brian stepped out, awed by how far the room stretched. "From the outside, I would've never guessed…" He joined her near what looked like one of the assembly stations."How many workers do you even have to fill this place?"
"Sixty." She spun the umbrella behind her back. "And please, just call me Adeline. You mentioned you've worked with MC105 units before, yes?"
"Yeah, a bit… but these… they look way different." Brian inspected a hulking piece of equipment nearby.
"That's 'cause this is the MC125. Model 135 rolls out mid-year. Nikola Corp is switching from diesel to compressed gas energy post-135 onward." She tapped the machine with her umbrella, producing a deep metallic ring. "This baby can withstand serious pressure, too. Hehe."
"Wow… feels like I've been out of the loop forever." Brian ran his hand over the chassis of the vehicle unit—it was spotless, almost like it hadn't been used yet. "Still warm too…"
"Let me show you the new system." Adeline began guiding him through the controls while they talked about the company's history.
"So, you just run all of this yourself?" he asked, half-impressed, half-incredulous.