Karl's legs—or rather, his Gearstorm Nova turbines—spun like mad. The cyan rails twisted beneath his feet like molten light. Colorado's Ichor storm faded behind them, a distant howl swallowed by wind and distance.
"Agnes," Karl shouted over the turbine roar, visor fogging from the sudden altitude change, "how far is this bullet train going?"
"Destination: Salt Lake City," she replied, voice calm but carrying a faint undertone of awe. "~520 miles west. At this speed… we'll arrive in under four hours."
Karl blinked. "Four hours?"
"Correct. Provided you maintain trajectory. Don't fall off your own tracks, genius."
He grinned, leaning forward, the rail system beneath him bending and turning in response to his mental commands. His body felt lighter than air, turbines humming in perfect sync with the projections. The air around him shimmered; the faint residual Ichor scent was gone, replaced by clean, crisp wind.
Agnes floated beside him, slightly ahead, her hologram projecting the safe zone she had prepared in Salt Lake City. "I've prepped a temporary containment bubble over the lake," she said. "Water purification, stabilized air pressure, temperature control… nothing too fancy. It's just enough for you to regain full Erevos control without outside interference."
Karl's thoughts wandered as the landscape beneath him shifted from scorched plains to rising mountains. "You really do everything, don't you?"
"I do what's necessary to keep you alive," she replied softly. Her holographic hand brushed against his arm, a subtle warmth transmitted through nanite resonance. "And… I like making sure you're okay."
Karl chuckled, the first real sound of amusement since the Denver disaster. "You say that like it's a casual side effect."
Agnes' eyes flickered. "Maybe it is. But you—my idiot—make it worth noticing."
He tried to respond, but the speed of his own motion swallowed the words. Instead, he focused. The tracks responded, forming loops, rails over the treetops, shortcuts across ravines. Every foot placement, every turbine spin, brought him closer to regaining control.
He flexed mentally, calling the Erevos systems deeper into synchronization. Slowly, the terrifyingly unstable Erevos form he had feared started to behave. Movements flowed without lag, turbine output stabilized, projections bent perfectly to his will. Confidence flickered inside him, small but unmistakable.
"You're… stabilizing faster than I anticipated," Agnes said. Her voice carried a quiet pride that Karl picked up on subconsciously.
"Yeah," he admitted, a rare smile creeping under the helmet. "Feels… less like a disaster waiting to happen."
Agnes' hand hovered over his shoulder, almost maternal. "That's because it isn't. You're strong, Karl. Resilient. Even when your mind tells you otherwise, your body proves it."
Karl felt the words. Not as an obligation, not as a warning—but as encouragement. He leaned into the rails, spiraling upward over a canyon, the sun glinting off the turbines. The wind buffeted his frame, but he controlled it. Not perfectly yet, but enough to ride. Enough to feel competent.
He let himself exhale. For the first time since Denver, he didn't feel like a reckless mess of metal and nanites. He felt… skilled. Capable.
Agnes smiled faintly, almost shyly. "You're doing well, Karl. More than well. Don't let the last storm convince you otherwise."
"Thanks," he muttered, cheeks warming beneath the helmet. "Honestly… I think I needed this trip."
"You needed the space. The control. And… a reminder that you can survive your own inventions."
Karl laughed, a short, sharp burst. "Man, I can't believe I almost forgot I had rail-tracks for this exact purpose."
Agnes quirked an eyebrow. "I might have also forgotten that mechanic… because we overused Overburn Nitro. So we suffered unnecessarily."
"You also forgot?!"
"…We suffered unnecessarily together," she corrected, tone laced with mock severity.
Karl grinned behind the visor, letting himself ride the intangible tracks faster, higher, bending them over a mountain pass. The turbines whined at max output, but his control didn't waver.
The view opened up. Great Salt Lake glimmered in the distance, flat, isolated, pristine. Perfect for a side narrative. Perfect for recovery.
"Almost there," Agnes said softly. "Once we land, you'll have complete control over Erevos. Temporary safe zone will give you unrestricted freedom. No external pressure, no Ichor storms. Just… you, your body, your inventions."
Karl slowed just slightly, hovering above the last cyan track segment. The rails beneath him shimmered as he decelerated, coming to a smooth stop over the lake. Agnes extended a translucent platform below him, stabilizing the landing.
He dropped down onto it, turbines retracting with satisfying clicks. The lake air was clean, bracing, and still. Karl flexed his limbs, watching Erevos systems settle into perfect alignment.
"You did well," Agnes murmured, voice softer than before. "Really well. I can see it—control returning. Confidence returning."
Karl looked over at her, visor glinting. "Feels good. Actually… kinda fun."
Agnes' holographic smile warmed slightly. "I know you like it when I say this, but… you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Every system, every nanite, every rail you build… it responds because you're… capable."
Karl chuckled, tilting his head. "You sound like my mom."
"You sound like you needed to hear it," she replied lightly, tone carrying an affectionate edge.
Karl looked out over the lake, the still waters reflecting the first glimmer of evening sun. "Alright… temporary safe zone. Time to get fully back in control, huh?"
"Yes," Agnes confirmed. "But we'll do it gradually. I won't push you. Just… enjoy the ride. Rebuild. Recalibrate. Let the systems remember they obey you."
Karl exhaled. A sense of calm filled him—alien but welcome. Here, isolated in Utah, away from storms and chaos, he could actually… practice. Test the Erevos frame without fear. Reclaim confidence, piece by piece.
He flexed again. Gearstorm Nova turbines hummed softly, tracks glimmering faintly beneath his boots. Each movement precise, each motion controlled.
Agnes hovered beside him, faintly glowing in the lake's reflection. "You've come a long way, Karl," she said quietly. "I just… wanted you to know that I see it."
Karl smirked. "Glad to have someone watching my back."
"…And you always will," Agnes said, voice firm yet gentle.
For the first time in hours, maybe days, Karl allowed himself to just be. Not running from storms. Not reacting. Just… moving, learning, rebuilding.
And that was enough.