As they stepped outside of their improvised, all-extraordinary-terrain limo—each of them wobbled. Using their powers to kept their legs from buckling, but instantly “short-circuiting”, lack of a better term.

The fatigue of before not just lingering, locked in. It wasn’t a question if they could continue to shrug it off, in preparation for something that will fail in their eyes, but a question if they can rise above what was so far a terrible start for them.

Before going deeper into those thoughts, the Extant vehicle drove away, leaving them in front of the convention hall. Surrounding by unnatural lights and strange structures at all sides.

Tracy tried her best in shielding her eyes with her hand, but was too dainty to properly cover them. Maddie continued to stare forward, despite visibly wincing. River was already looking down in a force of habit, and Aiko looked around—despite being forced to close an eye.

“Welcome to… Our present-future, I guess,” River tried to joke.

Jackie had her eyes closed.

Every step she took, it was measured and patient. The only thing that was guiding her was her heightened senses that couldn’t be shut off anyways, especially at that moment.

“If we do get a say…” Jackie said rather quietly. “Let’s hope not.”

Before she knew it, she opened her eyes and made it, her petty resolve made true. Ignoring everything that was before her but the entryway to the conference, with the other following in tow.

The entrance itself was a thick, pearl tube. The doors were literally sealed shut, panels on the left and right of Jackie.

She pulled out the credit stick, still having funds on it after a few months of inactivity. Pulling it into the panel on her left, she glanced down to the A.R. screen that hovered over the entire thing. It asked how many are going to be admitted, Jackie hit the plus symbol until the number “FIVE” came up, pressing the checkmark towards the bottom.

The doorway separated, the process leaving behind trails of white strings that took more than a few seconds to clear, steeping into the frame before settling.

Each of them entered, one by one, into a dark room that soon illuminated into something understandable.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

It was a world of skyscrapers and name-brand stores, of neighborhood communities in different styles, on a continuous path—becoming sidewalk, to street, to even green grass.

There was an oppressive flicker of light, causing each of them to look up.

A simulated wave of wisp-white cosmic energy came tumbling down towards them.

Tracy’s mouth was agape in fear. River started to shake visibly with clattering teeth. Maddie kept her hands together, squeezing them tight. Aiko just tensed in place.

Jackie just grimaced at the display. Trying her damnest to keep her thoughts and voice straight.

“It’s narrative. Keep moving.”

It took a couple of minutes for everyone else to keep straight, but they moved along eventually.

The “landscape” steadily morphed into something they always knew, and sadly, were used to.

Warped, destroyed land—entire city blocks folding onto each other. This damage culminating, the Shift waves crashing into the city over and over.

Soon, becoming a Terminsys City. Soon, starting to spawn Nulgarrt-like designs.

And in the background, the buzz of discordant news reports that develops into a terrible, mechanical scream for help.

The visual, auditoria, and near-psychological attacks reaching fever pitch…

Until they all see the light that was the conference.

“What did I say?” Jackie forced herself to be curt. “Pageantry.”

“I was wondering when Davenport was gonna dump the fuel can into the living fire that everyone’s afraid of,” River followed up.

“The plan is still the same, right…?” Tracy asked.

“Yeah,” Jackie shifted her head a bit, caught off guard by the rumble in her voice. “Set your phones to flash, I text to meet up somewhere, follow the flashes to know where each other are, don’t be scared to do it yourselves if things are in a bind. Band together and fight your way through.”

“This is way too solid for us,” Aiko oddly quipped. “It’s pretty plain.”

“Then this might be your greatest plan yet, Jackson,” Maddie naturally showed Aiko how it worked.

Jackie just looked towards the expanding light, that soon became the radiance of the core crystal of what she can barely call a “room”.

The girls finally arrived, to see thick rings that acted as floors, watching people walk across these rings, ignoring the laws of physics, and how these rings doubled as transport between each other, linking together in such a way to cross.

“Things can go ahead and get crazier by the minute… And we may not have a fucking chance to survive it…” Jackie turned around towards the others. “But at the end of the day, we’ve proven that we can somehow survive. Now we’re mindful of that. And maybe we can take whatever’s coming from now on.”

As if on cue, her senses caused Jackie to look ahead, seeing a group of Extant Enforcers walking towards the group.

Jackie steeled herself, for what so far should have been an “inspirating” social-societal celebration.

“Example A, girls, not one second of just being here.”

They stopped before them, towering, armored soldiers.

“Jackie Jackson,” the lead Enforcer said, voice echoing yet overly processed.

“I’m her,” Jackie replied. Glancing back towards the others, prepared to tell them to scatter, hide.

“So uh,” the Lead Enforcer slumped a bit casually and put their hand on their hip on the same side. “Iunno why, I just follow them orders, but Tabby Morrow wants to talk to you.”

Jackie just blinked.

“o-oh—"