Karl adjusted the Rider frame as they strolled through the empty streets of Chicago. The city's silence was oddly comforting, a stark contrast to the chaos they'd faced for weeks. He paused at the base of a skyscraper, tilting his head up to admire the glass tower. "I want to get a better look from the top," he said, stepping onto the smaller observation elevator platform.
Agnes hovered slightly above him, voice soft and teasing. "Oh? You're turning into a real tourist now… pointing at buildings like a kid on vacation?" She let her tone drop into a low purr. "I suppose… I can live with that."
Karl grinned faintly, climbing the elevator rails like it was a staircase, his Rider frame agile and compact. "See? Sometimes it's worth slowing down. Not every moment has to be life or death."
The observation deck was empty, the glass perfectly intact despite the deserted streets below. Karl walked carefully, pressing his hands against the cool surface to steady himself. The sunlight poured in, reflecting across his Rider frame, highlighting the sleek lines of the nanite armor.
"Photographs," he muttered, activating his visor's integrated camera system. Small holographic projections of the city began to hover around him as he scanned the skyline, recording angles, architectural details, and reflections from the Bean in the distance. "I want to keep all of this," he said quietly, "integrated into my visor. Make it… immortal."
Agnes's avatar floated closer, her voice dropping into that soft, teasing purr again. "Immortal… huh? You really do think of everything, don't you?" She paused, letting her words linger. "…Even trivial things like this… you make them… important."
Karl smirked faintly, brushing a holographic projection of the Bean with his hand. "Because they are. At least to me. I don't want to forget… even the quiet moments."
Agnes tilted her head, a faint blush in her avatar's glow. "…You… really are impossible," she whispered. Then, a soft nuzzle of light brushed against him in the visor's HUD. "…But… I… like it."
Karl chuckled, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. They moved from skyscraper to museum, from plaza to reflective glass corners of abandoned streets. Karl captured every moment, every reflection, every empty hall, and integrated it into his visor. Agnes teased him when he lingered too long on technical details or architectural projections, but she did it softly, shyly, almost melting whenever he praised her subtly. Each time, her avatar leaned closer, nuzzling like a cat seeking attention, a purr vibrating faintly through the HUD.
At the Bean, Karl crouched slightly to examine the reflective surface, Rider frame perfectly balanced. Agnes hovered beside him, voice soft and coaxing, "You… really are going to keep all of this?"
"Of course," Karl said, brushing his hand lightly over the reflective surface. "Why let memories disappear? We can immortalize them… even this city, empty as it is."
Agnes purred faintly, leaning in closer through the HUD. "Then… I suppose I… get to be part of that… immortal memory, too."
Karl smirked. "…You're already a permanent part of my memory."
Her laughter was soft, almost shy this time, and Karl felt a rare warmth in the quiet emptiness of the city. They lingered for a few more minutes, taking in the quiet streets, the glass reflections, and the deserted plazas, integrating the moments seamlessly into his visor.
Finally, Karl straightened, Rider frame shifting subtly to adjust for the rails he had prepared for their next leg of the journey. "We've lingered enough. Minneapolis is still 400 miles away. Time to move."
Agnes hovered above him, voice playful but tinged with a hint of reluctance. "…Already? We just got comfortable."
Karl chuckled faintly, voice soft. "I know. But we can always make more memories… once we reach somewhere new. Let's go."
With a quick motion, the Rider frame dissolved its compact form. Royal azure nanites swirled and flared, expanding outward as the Erevos frame began to assemble, larger and more imposing than the Rider frame, yet sleek and ready. The city's reflections danced across the mech's gleaming surfaces, sunlight glinting off its reinforced plating.
Agnes's avatar tilted her head, voice dripping with teasing warmth. "…Back to your big, noisy self, huh? I suppose… I can handle that… for now."
Karl stepped into the cockpit as the Drive Regulator hummed to life, the full power of Erevos now ready. The purification turbines on his back spun faintly, ready to neutralize any lingering contaminants on the way out. The rails beneath the city hummed with royal azure energy, extending smoothly as they prepared for the journey west.
"Ready?" Karl asked softly, glancing at Agnes's avatar floating nearby, teasing, almost shy in her posture.
Agnes's purr was faint but clear. "…Always."
With a surge of nanites, the Erevos frame accelerated onto the rails, leaving the deserted streets of Chicago behind. The skyline blurred in streaks of sunlight and reflection as they began the journey to Minneapolis, the next city awaiting, empty but filled with new possibilities.
The hum of the Drive Regulator, the whir of purification turbines, and the soft teasing purr of Agnes filled the cockpit as the rails carried them west, memories of Chicago integrated safely into Karl's visor, ready to be revisited whenever he desired.
And for a moment, in the calm of the silent city behind them and the infinite road ahead, Karl allowed himself a rare, peaceful smile.