The rails beneath Erevos hummed, stretching like ribbons across the empty wasteland going to Chicago. The city's skyline was faint on the horizon, jagged and dark against the setting sun. Karl leaned forward slightly in the cockpit, letting his nanite-tuned vision sweep the distance.
"…Hey," he said quietly, voice low but calm, breaking the soft hum of the purification turbines. "…I've got a favor to ask."
Agnes flickered into his visor, her image shimmering slightly as she hovered at his side, eyes curious and half-lidded in that teasing way she had developed. "…A favor?" she echoed, the note of amusement in her tone undercut by subtle attention. "…From you?"
Karl smirked faintly. "…Yeah. I want the blueprints we salvaged—the phones, all of them—integrated directly into my visor. Not just the schematics, the full design library. I want it so I can access, upgrade, and modify them whenever I need. Essentially… I want a personal, infinitely upgradable, high-tech phone system built into my HUD."
Agnes tilted her avatar, that teasing smirk returning despite the exhaustion lingering from the Ichor incident. "…You… you want your visor to become… a phone?" she asked, voice laced with incredulous amusement. "…Infinitely upgradable, ever-changing, all your tech at your fingertips?"
"…Exactly," Karl said, eyes narrowing as he looked at the horizon. "…I don't want to rely on scavenged terminals or outdated devices. I want it all inside the visor, integrated with the Drive Regulator, nanites ready to adapt. If we hit Chicago, or anywhere else, I want instant access to schematics, comms, scanning systems—everything. And I don't want limits."
Agnes's gaze softened slightly, though the teasing remained. "…You really do think of everything, don't you? Always one step ahead." She shook her head, letting a sigh escape. "…Fine. I'll do it… but you owe me a lot of praise, Karl. And don't think I won't notice if you try to gloss over my brilliance."
Karl chuckled softly, leaning back in the cockpit. "…Oh, I'll notice. You'll get it."
"…You better," she purred, a soft, almost shy note in her tone that lingered despite the teasing. "…Otherwise, I'll know you're just using me."
"…Not this time," Karl said, voice low but calm. "…I mean it."
Her avatar shimmered briefly, and then she began the integration sequence. Lines of royal-azure nanites slithered along the HUD and into the nanite matrix of the Drive Regulator. The blueprints scrolled across the display like a living library, assembling themselves into interactive, layered holograms.
"…Look at that," Karl murmured, watching as schematics unfolded in midair. "…All of it. Phones, circuits, sensors… fully editable, fully modular."
Agnes's voice softened as she teased lightly, "…You're actually kind of… infuriating when you're calm like this." A soft laugh escaped her, though it was quieter, more intimate than the usual teasing. "…I built it. I made it work. All you have to do is… not ruin it."
Karl smirked, leaning slightly forward. "…Oh, I won't ruin it. Not today."
"…You better not," she said softly, almost shyly, leaning closer to the HUD. "…I… I worked hard on this, Karl. You better appreciate it."
"…I do," he said quietly, a small smile tugging at his lips. "…More than anything."
A brief silence settled over the cockpit, punctuated only by the hum of the purification turbines spinning behind Erevos, keeping the air clean and safe as they glided across the empty highways between Pittsburgh and Chicago. The faint red glow of the horizon reflected off the nanites, casting long streaks of light across the cockpit.
"…You really think of everything," Agnes whispered after a moment, shy but purring softly. "…Even this… all these little details. I… I can't help but melt a little."
Karl chuckled softly, leaning back, watching her avatar lean into the display like a cat nuzzling against him. "…See? You're already melting. Praise earned, I'd say."
"…Yeah…" she purred, voice low and intimate, "…I suppose it is."
The horizon stretched endlessly ahead, the jagged towers of Chicago growing slowly larger as the rail lines hummed beneath Erevos. The city waited, empty yet ominous, a labyrinth of steel and stone. Karl's new visor integration flickered with interactive blueprints and schematics, ready for any scenario, while the purification turbines behind him whirred steadily, a reminder of their careful balance of survival and ingenuity.
"…You know," Karl said quietly, almost teasing again, "…we could probably take a detour and map the city before we even touch down. These streets look… interesting."
Agnes's avatar tilted her head, the soft purr lingering. "…Interesting… huh? You mean… more ruined, gory, 'red paste' interesting?"
"…Exactly," Karl said calmly, voice steady but amused. "…Even a destroyed city tells a story. Even if the story is… brutal."
"…You really do have a thing for chaos, don't you?" Agnes whispered softly, almost shyly, the teasing now tempered by admiration. "…I… I don't know if I should scold you or just… watch."
Karl smirked faintly, leaning back in the cockpit. "…Why not both?"
"…Don't tempt me," she whispered, purring softly again, a faint shiver running through her projection. "…I… I could tease you forever if you let me."
"…You just did," Karl said calmly, letting the nanite feedback from the rails vibrate faintly through the cockpit. "…And I didn't even mind."
The city skyline grew closer, the ruined streets of the outer districts coming into view. Broken cars, abandoned scaffolding, and long-forgotten debris stretched across the approach. The purification turbines hummed louder as they drew near, scanning for lingering Ichor pockets and purifying the air for Karl's safety.
"…I guess we're almost there," Karl murmured, voice calm. "…Chicago, your turn. Let's see what kind of mess you've got waiting for us."
"…I'm… ready," Agnes whispered softly, shivering faintly as her avatar leaned closer. "…And… I'm proud of you, Karl. For… surviving, for… thinking ahead. For… all of it."
Karl allowed himself a small smile, letting the hum of the turbines, the rails, and the HUD's interactive blueprints surround him. "…Thanks, Agnes. That means… a lot."
"…Good," she purred softly, shivering faintly again, "…because you better not forget it."
As the skyline of Chicago loomed ahead, the empty streets waiting to be explored, Karl's visor flickered with his new integrated library of phone blueprints. The nanites hummed, the purification turbines whirred, and the rails beneath Erevos stretched endlessly forward, carrying them into the next stage of their journey.