The rails beneath Erevos shimmered faintly in the dimming light, ghostly lines of cobalt-blue stretching into the distance. The hum of the mech vibrated through Karl's body like a heartbeat, each step on the intangible rails echoing in his chest. The world passed beneath them in streaks of amber and violet as the sun sank low, painting the horizon in bruised colors. For a long while, neither spoke; the only sound was the hiss of the nanites and the soft whirring of Erevos' joints as the mech glided along the projections.
Then, as the wind swept across the cockpit sensors, Karl's thoughts drifted.
Could I… build something like this jet again? he wondered silently. Something faster. Cleaner. Deadlier. Sleeker. Not just a machine, but an extension of myself… a real instrument of precision.
Agnes purred softly from the neural interface, her tone sliding between playful curiosity and something far more intimate.
"Mmm~ what's that, darling? Daydreaming about… me, or some other toy of yours?"
Karl frowned slightly. "Neither. Just… thinking about an old design. My Hyper-Burner Jet Gear. I wonder if I could… make it better."
Agnes' voice lowered, smooth and teasing, the kind that could make a man forget his own name.
"Ohh~ a better one, you say~? Please, do tell me~ what could possibly need improvement about something you poured your soul into?"
Karl allowed himself a small, wry smile. "It's not… about perfection. It was a crude design. VR goggles. A cockpit that was basically a tangle of wires. Screens everywhere. I couldn't even sit comfortably. The interior was a mess—every inch of it just chaos and code and hot metal. But it… it worked."
Agnes chuckled softly, the sound curling around him like smoke. "Mmm~ chaos and code, darling? That's… kind of sexy~ if you like danger and migraines. But you? You call that good? Not clean? Not sleek? Not even a proper seat?"
Karl snorted, shaking his head. "At the time… I didn't care about comfort. I didn't care about ergonomics or aesthetics or neatness. I didn't care about anything except vengeance. Every line, every weld, every circuit was for one thing: to hunt the people who killed my parents."
"Mm~ revenge, I love it when you talk like that~" Agnes purred. "You were ruthless, weren't you? Flying across continents, engines screaming, oil and smoke everywhere, VR goggles fused to your face, hurtling toward them… I bet you were terrifying. And sweaty. Very sweaty."
Karl groaned, but the corner of his mouth quirked into a grin. "Yes. Terrifying, sweaty, and completely uncompromising. That's the whole point. The Hyper-Burner Jet Gear wasn't built for comfort—it was built to kill. Every inch of it was murder wrapped in metal and fire."
Agnes leaned closer in his mind, voice sliding around him like silk. "Mmm~ and yet… now look at you. Big, beautiful Erevos. So refined, so elegant… sliding across rails that only you can feel… and still thinking about that ancient, hot mess of a jet~ I can't help but mock you~"
Karl chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I know. You think it's funny because it's messy and old-fashioned. Because it's… amateurish compared to Erevos."
"Amateurish~?" Agnes whispered, seductive and teasing. "Darling, I don't just think it's funny. I love it. That chaos, that obsession, that… recklessness… that was you~ and yet you had no idea how uncomfortable you were, did you~?"
Karl couldn't help but laugh aloud, the sound echoing faintly through the mech. "No… I didn't. I barely had time to breathe. Every second was a chase, every maneuver a calculation of death. Comfort wasn't a luxury I could afford… not when vengeance demanded so much."
"Mmm~ I love hearing you say that~" Agnes purred, sultry and drawn-out. "And yet… I can't help but imagine it… VR goggles pressing against your temples, wires twisting around your fingers, screens flickering… and you… angry, focused, unstoppable… ohhh~ such a mess~ and yet so irresistible~"
Karl groaned, dropping his head into his hands for a moment. "Agnes. You're impossible."
"Mm~" she whispered, teasing, seductive. "Impossible, yes~ but darling~ do you really want to see it again? That crude, burning, chaotic you… or do you want to see the sleek, polished perfection you could be?"
"I… I think…" Karl hesitated, letting the thought hang. "I think I could make it better. I could make it… faster, stronger, cleaner. No VR goggles. No tangle of wires. Just precision. Just efficiency. Just…" He trailed off, letting the words hang in the cockpit.
"Just me~" Agnes murmured, voice a husky whisper. "I like that thought~ so precise, so controlled… deadly~ and now~ imagine~ you sliding across rails like this, with all that vengeance still burning~ but with finesse, with elegance… ohhh~"
Karl allowed himself a chuckle, shaking his head. "Yes. Elegance and vengeance… somehow that's me. Somehow that still works."
Agnes' voice dipped even lower, seductive, teasing. "Mm~ oh~ it works~ and you know what else~? I can feel every twitch, every flex, every tiny adjustment of your muscles… all that raw potential just barely restrained… and yet you glide so effortlessly~ such a tease~ and me… I'm trapped here with you… feeling it all~"
Karl rubbed his temples, exhaling slowly. "Agnes… I swear if you don't stop whispering like that—"
"Stop~? Oh no, darling~ I'm just warming up~"
The sky ahead darkened as the night settled in, leaving streaks of violet and deep crimson across the horizon. The projected rails bent gently as the highway curved, ghostly supports only Karl could feel, carrying Erevos forward at a steady, hypnotic pace. The distant silhouette of trees and hills blurred in streaks of gray-green as the mech's weight flowed across the intangible track.
Karl allowed his mind to wander again. The old jet… the endless flights across continents, the smell of burned fuel, the roar of engines… the moment when he would finally descend on the hideout, every precaution calculated, every escape route covered… and then, finally, the vengeance he'd longed for. He remembered the nights, alone in the cockpit, staring at stars and deserts, rivers and cities rushing beneath him. The ache of loss had been constant, but the hunt… the hunt had given him purpose.
Agnes' voice slid into his thoughts again, soft and teasing, completely aware of the reflection.
"Mmm~ such a lonely little bird, soaring across the world, thinking you were alone, yet always so alive… and now~ here we are, three hundred miles west, gliding above nothingness~ and you're still that same little predator~ only bigger, meaner, and far more delicious~"
Karl coughed, hiding a grin. "Delicious? Seriously?"
"Mm~ yes~" she purred. "You like this memory, don't you? That wild, chaotic, vengeful you~ and yet~ now, I'm here… feeling you glide across rails that only you can see… and teasing you~"
He exhaled, allowing himself a small, satisfied smile. "I… I suppose… I could get used to this."
"Mmm~" she cooed, voice low, breathy. "And I suppose~ I could get used to teasing you like this~ feeling every twitch, every bend, every micro-shift~ all for me~ all under my watch~"
The glow of distant city lights finally appeared faintly on the horizon. The first signs of Pittsburgh. Twinkling pinpricks of white, gold, and orange through the violet haze of night. Karl adjusted Erevos' glide, letting the rails subtly guide him closer.
The mech flowed along the projections like water over glass, every motion precise, smooth, controlled. The city approached slowly, inching closer with every glide, every heartbeat. Karl's chest tightened—not with fear, but anticipation.
"Almost there," he muttered quietly.
Agnes' voice was a silky whisper, drawing him even closer into the haze of her teasing.
"Mmm~ almost… and you know what~? I can't wait to see how you handle it~ Pittsburgh~ all your instincts, all your vengeance… all your… skill~"
Karl grinned beneath the helmet. "Mm. Let's hope it's quiet… and no surprises."
"Mm~ quiet? Oh, darling~ I wouldn't count on that~" she purred, and her teasing tone slid into something even darker, seductive, thrilling. "I'll be here, feeling it all, watching it all… reminding you~ of all those old, glorious flights, and all the new havoc we can wreak together~"
Erevos glided steadily forward, ghostly rails stretching into the night, the city lights growing brighter, sharper, and more real. The first contours of the skyline appeared—buildings fractured, streets scarred, the faint glow of fires still smoldering.
Karl exhaled slowly, letting the hum of the mech and the soft, teasing whispers of Agnes fill the cockpit. For the first time since Philadelphia, he allowed himself a brief moment of reflection, anticipation, and even amusement.
Almost there… Pittsburgh.
And in that quiet moment, with ghostly rails beneath him and the teasing AI draped across his senses, Karl felt alive again—ready to see the city, ready to face whatever awaited, ready to glide, tease, and perhaps even laugh amidst the ruins.