The group ran through the dark tunnel. Water dripped from old pipes above them, while alarm sirens wailed somewhere in the distance.
Lio panted heavily. “How… can… this thing… be so fast?”
Pix raced alongside him. “Because NexaCore spent billions on it!”
Behind them, the heavy footsteps of the Enforcer continued to echo through the tunnel.
Slowly.
Calmly.
But relentlessly.
Keks turned his display backward. “It’s still chasing us.”
“Thanks for the info,” Lio huffed. “I was hoping maybe it’d suddenly take a vacation.”
Mara led the group deeper into the old tunnel system. Eventually, they reached a rusty steel gate with a faded warning symbol on it.
ACCESS FORBIDDEN – TRANSIT LINE OMEGA
Pix grinned nervously. “Perfect. Forbidden places are usually the safest.”
“That makes no sense at all,” said Lio.
“Welcome to the Nullworkers.”
Mara placed her hand on an old scanner next to the gate. Nothing happened.
She hit it in frustration.
Suddenly, the scanner sprang to life.
“IDENTITY CONFIRMED,” croaked an ancient computer voice.
Keks looked impressed. “Force-based repair methods. Fascinating.”
The huge gate slowly creaked open.
Behind it lay another platform.
But this one looked completely different from the abandoned Station 17.
Here, lights were on. Old monitors flickered on the walls. Cables ran across the floor, and several people and robots stood mixed among toolboxes.
In the middle of the hall stood a train.
Or at least something that once had been a train.
The silver magnetic levitation train was full of scratches, extra metal plates, and improvised repairs. In one spot, duct tape was even visibly stuck on.
Lio stopped in amazement. “It still runs?”
An old man with huge protective goggles lifted his head indignantly.
“Of course it still runs! This is the Omega-7!”
Pix whispered to Lio: “Don’t insult him. He loves this train more than people.”
“I heard that!” the old man immediately shouted.
Mara pointed at the train. “Everyone on board. Now.”
“Wait,” said Lio. “Where are we even going?”
Mara answered curtly: “To the old NexaCore center.”
Lio stared at her. “To the place where those lunatics sit?”
“Exactly there.”
“That’s a terrible plan.”
“Unfortunately, it’s the only one.”
The refrigerator was already rolling into the train. Keks followed cautiously.
“Please tell me this train has seat belts.”
Pix shook his head. “Not even proper brakes.”
“I AM GOING TO DIE.”
“You’re a robot.”
“STILL.”
Suddenly, the entire tunnel began to shake.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
From afar, those slow footsteps sounded again.
This time much closer.
The old man with the goggles cursed quietly. “What have you dragged in this time?”
Mara answered with just one word:
“Enforcer.”
The man turned pale as chalk. “Oh.”
“That exact ‘oh’,” said Pix.
Suddenly, a bright white light appeared behind the open steel gate.
The Enforcer had reached the tunnel.
“EVERYONE IMMEDIATELY INTO THE TRAIN!” Mara shouted.
Hectic chaos broke out immediately.
People jumped through the doors. Robots rolled around. Somewhere a toolbox fell over.
Keks tried to board while panicking and shouting at the same time.
“THIS IS ORGANIZED CHAOS!”
“That’s just chaos!” Lio shouted back.
The Enforcer slowly stepped through the gate.
Its white sensor panel now glowed brighter than before.
“ESCAPE VEHICLE IDENTIFIED,” the machine said calmly.
Then it raised its right arm.
Several metal plates opened on the underside.
Small rockets appeared underneath.
Lio’s eyes widened in shock. “Since when do they have rockets?!”
Pix jumped into the train. “SINCE ALWAYS! NOW GO!”
The doors of the Omega-7 were closing just as the first rockets were launched.
And the train jerked into motion.