Teddy plunged into the seating area in the next room over, his gaze darting back and forth, desperately searching for Kayda. Panic began to set in as he realized that she was nowhere to be found. Before him seemed to be a near impenetrable wall of passengers, grasping at the rusty metallic train straps that hung from the ceiling. The straps resembled aged meat hooks, with rust and grime coating the surface of the handles. Stirring above the passengers was a technicolor haze of nicotine and tar. Passengers smoked indiscriminately, creating a miasma of rainbow flavored smoke, and colorful ash that coated the surfaces of most everything. Though the taste of the smoke was unmistakably fruit flavored in nature, it carried something of a pungent musk. It was as if the air itself was sweating, leaving a rotten sensation on the tongues of those foolish enough to breathe in too much. This fog coated the windows, obscuring the desert night sky. The only lighting available were the flickering bulbs that dangled above, neon laden advertisements, and pieces of Penumbra propaganda.

The car was triple the size Teddy assumed it was going to be, as not only did aisles of seats line the walls of the car, but there were actually three central paths in between additional rows of seats that also had tables accompanying them. Though the sheer amount of passengers standing would lead one to believe that seating was sparse in nature, this was actually far from the truth. About a quarter of the seats available remained unoccupied, despite the excess of people grasping onto the grimy hooks. However, upon closer inspection, one could hardly fault them. Indiscernible stains coated the seats that lined the walls, the once funky and vibrant patterns of the felt seats were now accompanied by swirling, perpetually sticky splotches. It would seem even in the hellscape that was The Vale, folks were not too eager to make contact with miscellaneous fluid stains that may or may not be of the bodily variety.

Teddy tried to push past the crowd of passengers that carried the very same indifference that plagued the citizens of Needles. This time, he did not even humor the idea of inquiring bystanders for help. All that would do is give Kayda more time to create distance between them. He began to shove through the apathetic horde, creating some enemies as he struggled to infiltrate the mass of unmoving bodies. Though they moved and swayed with the dizzying rocking of the train, they remained firm in their stance. It began to almost feel like they were purposely not letting him pass for no other reason but to spite him. It felt as if adhering to even the simplest of pleasantries and niceties was admitting defeat and submitting to those around you.

Before he could make any progress further, he could hear a familiar voice beckon to him. He figured this was just nerves and elected to ignore it, and continued his attempt to breach the wall of people he found himself before, taking their indifference as a slight against him at this point. Again, he could hear the voice call to him, this time more brazenly and again, he assumed that it was the stress getting to him. Finally, Teddy would come to his senses and hit a point of clarity in the form of a footlong sandwich colliding with his head. The cold cut collision was enough to snap him out of his one track, fugue-like state. His gaze snapped back to the source of where the sub torpedoed from and what he saw was not surprising in the slightest. Sitting mere feet away from the whole ordeal were Kona and Gears.

“Bullseye! You trying to make friends there, buddy? Let me tell ya something, folks don’t like hugging them outta nowhere. Speaking from experience,” Gears chuckled.

Teddy let out an exasperated sigh, “What are you talking about? I cannot possibly see how that’s the conclusion you drew from my valiant efforts to penetrate this needlessly ornery crowd.”

“Penetrate? Jeez, take ‘em out to dinner first! Right, Kona?” Gears laughed, playfully elbowing a seemingly dejected Kona.

“My sandwich…” Kona murmured, her sullen gaze unmoving from the cold cut that now laid sprawled on the carpet below like a cadaver.

[https://i.imgur.com/u7G9wLD.jpg]

“Oh that is enough of that! We simply do not have time to indulge in such juvenile tomfoolery at this time, for matters most dire have arisen!” Teddy shouted.

“Shiver me timbers! This is not satisfactory in the slightest! What unruly peril awaits us, good sir?!” Gears replied, mimicking Teddy’s manner of speech.

“I-It’s Miss Kayda! S-She-” Teddy interrupted himself, “Please do not do that, it would be most appreciated.”

Gears only replied with a sarcastic salute.

Teddy continued, “As I was saying, it would appear that Miss Kayda… To say the very least, she is in trouble and is in need of our assistance. It is pertinent we find her right away, lest danger befalls her,” Teddy looked off into the distance and murmured, “Or someone else…”

“The kid? Yeah we saw her running by a few seconds before you tried to fondle the other passengers. I thought she had the runs or something, cause she seemed like she was on a mission.”

“You saw her?! I must ask, why did it not occur to you to-” Teddy stopped himself and sighed, “I cannot fault you for not knowing the gravity of the situation. I apologize for the sophomoric manner I have carried myself up until this point. We must work as a team and not devolve into theatrics.”

“You better couth that thing up. Don’t worry about it, Sherlock. We’ll find the kid, how far could she have gone? We’re on a train, and I’m pretty sure she ain’t about to yeet herself off a moving vehicle. Probably,” Gears said, playfully putting his arm around Teddy in an attempt to console him.

Kona got up from her seat as well and nodded in agreement with Gears, “I’m sure she’ll be okay! I won’t let her get hurt! We’re gonna find her AND get me a new sandwich!”

Gears replied, “Something tells me that you’re more worried about the sandwich.”

“Kayda is a big girl! But him… down there…” She gestured towards the discarded cold cut, “ He was just a boy… Poor little feller.”

“Is that a tear?” Gears inquired.

“Yeah! I can cry on command! Helps with the muggings back home!”

“Uh huh, and how often does that work?”

Kona chuckled, “Almost never! At least it made me the master of the craft. I think I can go pro at this rate!”

“For acting?” Asked Gears.

Kona shook her head, “No! Competitive crying. I’m sure there’s something like that somewhere. If not, I’ll invent it!”

“This hellscape has truly warped the human mind beyond the point of no return. I ain’t mean this with disrespect, but I’m amazed you haven’t ate shit and kicked the bucket yet,” said Gears.

Kona bashfully kicked her left foot and smiled, “Aw, you’re gonna make me blush.”

Teddy remained silent throughout this entire exchange, his frustration growing with every passing second. Though he had come to respect and admire his newfound compatriots, he could not help but feel dread at the notion that these were the people helping him assist a young girl get home. The reality of it all began to weigh on him, as Kona and Gear’s nonsense conversation devolved into further frivolities, and soon blurred with the general commotion of the train car. But, before he could let himself drown in the uncertainty that bathed his conscience, he snapped back into focus and looked to Gears.

“Very well, enough of the idle conversation, we must find Miss Kayda, post-haste! This train is finite in structure, but it would be in our best interest to cover as much ground as possible!”

Kona raised her hand, “What if it’s like what Gears said and she just ya know… bounced. Off the train. On the ground.”

“Thank you for the frankly morbid possibility Kona, but no. We will not entertain that notion until we have done a thorough search of the train,” said Teddy.

“Whatever I can do to help!”

“So, you’re suggesting we do the ol’ Scooby Doo method? I don’t got nothin’ better to suggest besides finding another kid and delivering ‘em to the parent’s house and just saying it’s Kayda.” Gears snickered.

Teddy tilted his head and narrowed his gaze at Gears, gesturing a “seriously?” motion with his hands.

Gears nodded, “Right, right. Take this seriously and whatnot, I gotcha. I’m telling ya though, there ain’t nothing to worry about. We’ll find her. And, if push comes to shove and someone has got their grubby mitts on her, we can always have ya straddle the guy again!”

Teddy scoffed, “You were not even present for that!”

Gears positioned his hands in a praying motion as he stepped backwards into the mass of people, “Oh, but god do I wish I was!”

“They are just going to part ways for him like nothing, huh?” Teddy said, dejectedly.

Kona stared at the crowd inquisitively and brought her hand to her chin, “Hm, maybe it’s his scent?”

Teddy shook his head, “Well, evidently, he has more broad appeal with the masses, so I say we direct our search to the authorities. Or, what constitutes an authority figure aboard the train. Am I wrong to assume there has to be someone in charge?”

“Wouldn’t know what to tell you! Today was the first time I’ve ever even seen a train. From what I’m seeing here though, I don’t think there are any folks eager to involve themselves, even if they’re getting paid.”

Teddy looked to her with a confused glance, “What makes you say that?”

Kona pointed to a nearby bystander, “Pretty sure that guy just got stabbed and no one really cares. Ain’t that just the way!”

Before them sat a man wincing in pain as he clutched at a fresh wound on his abdomen. He writhed in his seat, teeth gritted as the agony overtook him. His hands were stained and dripping in red, further staining the long desecrated upholstery. Despite his apparent predicament, to say the very least, those around the scene barely offered a glance before returning to their self medication or frivolous entertainment. The man’s grunts continued to go ignored by his fellow passengers, his breathing now growing raspy and weak while his unkempt hair billowed over his brow. Kona frowned at this, her expression shifting to one of pity as she couldn’t help but relate to what the man was going through. She pulled out gauze and bandages from her pockets and began to approach the man, feeling a sense of remorse at the man’s situation. However, before she could reach him, Teddy quickly snatched her wrist and pulled her closer to his grasp, leading her away from the wounded stranger. His sudden haste alarmed the concerned Kona, her worried expression to one of confusion as she faced Teddy. Teddy simply shook his head and pointed at the man Kona was approaching mere moments ago.

Upon closer inspection, the two of them could see the man had a wry smirk plastered across his face, his toothy grin coated in layers of nicotine and plaque. In his clutches was a shiv so poorly constructed, that one could assume a child could assemble something more lethal. Kids are vicious after all. He sat back in his seat, initially dejected from his failure to inflict any kind of wound onto Kona. Though, in his lounged orientation, he still continued to wince in pain from the very real wound that still gushed and squirted blood. The man clicked his tongue and shook his head, still barring the somewhat sinister smile.

“Oh, you! You almost got me! That’s a good one!” said Kona in an oddly jovial tone that conflicted with the very dire fate she nearly met.

The man shrugged and pointed at her, letting out a nasally laugh, “What can I say? Ya can’t beat the classics!”

Kona chuckled, “The blood is a nice touch, I can smell the iron from here! It looks hella real!”

“Thanks! It is! Self-inflicted!” The man replied.

“Keep working on it, dude! I’m sure you’ll get ‘em one day!” Cheered a boisterous Kona.

Teddy took a brief moment to acknowledge the would-be stabber, giving him an uneasy nod, pretending to find the humor in the chicanery of the situation like the others. Turning his gaze back to Kona, he impatiently tapped on her shoulder, urging her to follow him. She turned to Teddy and nodded at him, and began to follow suit as Teddy led the way deeper into the train car. Kona turned to wave goodbye at the stranger, before the two of them disappeared into the connecting gangway.

“Such a shame! If he didn’t stab folks I bet that guy and I would have been besties. Oh well! In another life.” Kona muttered.

“Need I remind you we are on a mission to secure the life of someone who is already a dear friend of ours?” Teddy responded.

“Right! Sorry I keep getting distracted. Needles ain’t as stimulating after twenty two years, so this is all,” Kona gestured in a jazz hands-like manner, “A lot!”

“It is alright, just remember, it is of the utmost importance we find Kayda. Please take note of any figures of authority that might be of assistance while we conduct this preliminary stage of the search ourselves. I will be doing the same,” said Teddy.

“Alrighty! My eyes are gonna be so peeled that I’m gonna need an optometrist after this. You can count on me, Ted!” Kona smiled, giving Teddy a confident thumbs up.

Teddy let out a stifled chuckle, finding amusement and reassurance at Kona’s unfounded confidence, “Duly noted.”

The duo stepped into the following train car and were met with more or less the same sight as the preceding locomotive. No one offered them so much as a passing glance, but did not offer the same resistance that Teddy had met in his previous attempt at an excursion. Though it was with some force and maneuvering, the pair managed to navigate the train car with some level of ease. It was likely that Teddy’s somewhat calm entrance to this car did not paint him as a target, and thus, allowed him to blur into the background. Every so often, they would come across an individual with a noteworthy, authorial air to them, but each exchange they had with them would prove otherwise. When they weren’t silently swatted away or mean mugged into oblivion, they were being outright threatened. This of course, instilled Teddy with a near paralyzing sense of fear, and Kona with a sense of intrigue and curiosity.

Navigating through the fog of flavor blasted nicotine proved to be a task most arduous for Teddy. He could feel the tar seep into every crevice on his body, coating his innards in an ashy layer of plaque. This was far beyond whatever was commercially available before The Fall, or at least he hoped it was. Even with the sheer number of individuals aboard the car, the nicotine levels in the air rivaled that of a stadium, it was a miracle in itself that the few humans aboard the train did not drop dead on the spot upon initial inhalation. In fact, by virtue of biology, they were the main instigators of the rancid fog in the first place. By all metrics, these were indeed humans through and through. However, they might as well have been smoke stacks, huffing from peculiar tube shaped devices adorned in small flashing lights. Most of the contraptions were colorful in nature, with several multicolored wires draped over their casings, typically wrapping around the user’s finger. It was as if they were ensnaring their users, making it a struggle to unequip the device, even if the user wanted to. These were alien to Teddy, and unsettled him to a degree he found odd.

Teddy tapped on Kona’s shoulder, “Um, Miss Kona? Might I ask, what are the apparatuses that everyone seems most engrossed in? Though I understand the concept, at their core they are an evolved cigarette, I am just at a loss of how they operate.”

Kona chuckled, “They didn’t have bedazzlers back then? People must have been way more chill then! The withdrawal now is insane! Makes you think they got rabies! Now that I mention it, there might be a little rabies in it. Probably for flavor.”

“Hm, it doesn’t strike you as odd that such a volatile substance directly to the lungs ad nauseam, compounded with the excretions of others, does not make everyone here incredibly ill? Ill being an understatement,” asked Teddy.

“Do you think I’ll eventually be immune to rabies if I microdose it every day?” Kona replied nonchalantly.

Teddy nervously chuckled, “Please do not do that.”

The two of them continued their search, their hope dwindling by the second as signs of Kayda ranged from sparse to outright nonexistent. At first, he took note of anything that might resemble what had occurred. However, any sign of violence or damage could be explained away by the general carnage present within the train on a regular basis. As their search for her continued, Teddy could not help but feel a sense of guilt for gauging such things as clues. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was going about this all wrong and had to correct this self imposed misdirection. Judging from Kayda’s reaction to what had happened, he knew that looking for signs of disturbances was not the right thing to do. It was clear that she simply wanted to be alone. She certainly would not want to mingle with thousands of strangers in a moment of fragility, so it was unlikely she would be simply hiding amongst the deluge of smoke and bodily brine.

A long gangway connected the now previous train car and the next one. The wheels below the train roared and bellowed, as sand thrashed against the metallic hull like the ocean waves. The humming of the train’s engine could be heard reverberating in the distance, as the pipes adorning the hull huffed and puffed noxious hues. Moonlight showered Kona and Teddy while they progressed to the next train car, their dejection apparent. Halfway to the next car, Teddy lowered his head and rested his body against the nearby guard railing and sighed. His sullen gaze shifted to the looming moon, its glow staring at him like the gaze of judgment itself.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Is it possible to miss something you were never a part of? To mourn days that were not yours?” Teddy murmured.

Kona tilted her head and leaned next to him against the railing as well, “Yeah, buddy. It’s normal to want things. God knows there’s lots of things I want too. If you ask me, it’s good to want more! It gives you a reason to keep fighting! I guess I haven’t really thought about how weird this all must be for you.”

“You do have a point there. To yearn is natural, I suppose. However, I do not yearn for the days gone by for my sake, but for her’s. Kayda. She is but a child, and this is the world left to her. Her and everyone else deserve so much more… At least some things remain the same,” said Teddy, his gaze unmoving from the moon.

Kona put her hand on his shoulder, “Listen, Ted, you can’t blame yourself for this. I don’t know what happened to make her run away, you can tell us later, but I know it wasn’t your fault. And it’s REALLY not your fault the world is like this. You can’t put the weight of the world on your shoulders like that.”

[https://i.imgur.com/XuOmWmr.jpg]

Teddy turned to her and tilted his head, seemingly surprised by her observation, “I am surprised you were able to parse the guilt I have been feeling. Apologies, I know such displays could be considered uncouth, I do not wish to burden you with such internal, petulant struggles.”

“Pfft, come on, you can let it all out. I’ve cried at literally every movie I’ve watched, I have no right to judge folks over their feelings! Besides, we’re friends, aren’t we? Friends listen. Pretend we’re at a sleepover and dish, girl!” Kona said, playfully punching Teddy’s shoulder.

Teddy continued to peer into the stars, looking past the moon into the abyss that draped above, “I just fear the worst, and though it is a trait of mine I hold most disdain for, I simply cannot help it. I have seen only a fraction of what The Vale holds and I already know that it is no place for a child. I just fear that by failing to help her, I am only contributing to the ghastly state of the world.”

Kona shook her head, “Dude, you have been trying to do the right thing from the moment ya woke up! Cut yourself a little slack. What new born decides to help a stranger right after crawling out of the birth canal? Teddy, that’s who! Things might be a little sucky here, but they were like that WAY before you showed up.”

Teddy mused to himself, “For the life of me, I cannot understand why everyone must default to the birthing wordage in reference to my awakening…”

“And despite everything, I don’t think it’s totally bad out there. She has us looking for her after all. Not every kid is lucky enough to have that…” Kona faltered, “B-But, she has us! So, let's stop being postpartum depression Pattys and find her and help her get home! We haven’t lost until we’ve lost! What are we, the kid that unplugs the console the moment things don’t go our way? No siree! All we gotta do is get out there and straddle some guys!”

Kona jumped forward from the railing and struck a confident pose, and gestured for Teddy to remove himself from the mental prison he had confined himself in. As he stepped forward, she pulled him closer by the wrist and pointed ahead. The train’s horn roared, as if the machine itself was agreeing with Kona’s saccharine sentiments. For a moment, it seemed that the air itself glistened as the future grew brighter and brighter with the duo’s newfound second wind. This was in fact bedazzler smoke fumes seeping from the cracks in the train’s hull.

Teddy softly chuckled, “You never fail to find the right words in the bleakest of scenarios, even if said words of wisdom are on the more eccentric side of the motivational scale. I hear your rally, and I concur! It mystifies me how you are able to manifest and will vigor from nothing but a personal perspective.”

“Eh, you gotta do what you gotta do! It’s like how I pretended this stuff I ate the other day was chunky peanut butter, when I know damn well it wasn’t! I mean, it could’ve been? Who knows! I say it was, so it was!” Kona laughed, leading the way to the next train car’s door.

“I fail to understand the comparison drawn, and I will not attempt to,” Teddy said bluntly.

“That’s the spirit! Don’t think about failure and it won’t happen! Now let’s go rip this kid’s face off that milk carton!”

With the taste of adventure and nicotine invigorating them, Kona and Teddy pressed forth. Hastily approaching the door, Kona let the intrusive thoughts win, and with force that even surprised her, she brutally kicked the door open. The metallic slab hit the interior with a clang that reverbated across the strangely quiet train car, the vibrations so strong one could feel them in their teeth. The vibrations persisted and refused to dissipate, as the silence that marinated the train car only echoed it further down its shell. By the time the sound finally faded, all eyes were on Teddy and Kona.

The two of them remained motionless as the sheer embarrassment of what had just occurred enraptured them. Kona, gritting her teeth, looked to a petrified Teddy that refused to look anyone in the eye. Her cheeks grew flush as she decided to walk forth, hoping Teddy would soon follow. Teddy thought about remaining behind by a few steps, in hopes that those watching would not assume he was associated with her. Sadly, the damage was already done, and it was best to dispel the notion that he could save himself the embarrassment. The eyes of the masses did not leave the duo as they progressed further into the train car, and seemingly grew more irritated by the second. No amount of smiling and friendly nodding could help dwindle the ire the two of them compelled upon their entrance. One cannot fault them for their apparent annoyance, as I am sure you have witnessed an entrance of a similar caliber and thought to yourself, “Who’s this jagoff?” Such were the collective thoughts of everyone aboard the Midnight Train’s library car.

Metallic fixtures lined with neon lighting slid across the walls without so much as a hum, dispensing books to readers upon request. Iron bars protected the books within from scoundrels who dare attempt to garner knowledge without payment. Only with the dispensing of pre-Fall coins would these bars retract, and allow patrons to partake in Nebulous© approved pieces of literature. More often than not, the books available were rewritten accounts of history, novelizations of well established IP, and one of the many pre-Fall biographies of Nebulous’s CEO. Scant were the literary classics and any useful tome the surviving masses could use to bolster their chances for survival. Missing were the musings of Poe and Austen, and in their stead was the official novelization of Ghostbusters II and only Ghostbusters II. That in itself is more horrific than anything Poe could concoct. One could only imagine the damage that could be wrought if exposed to Bill Murray in the written form.

A singular row cut through the center of the car, as most of the car’s real estate was claimed by the sliding bookcases that lined the siding of the hull. This in turn caused seating to be far more limited in comparison to what the duo saw in previous cars. Unlike the cars before it, the library car felt like it was ripped out of the pre-Fall era. A non-stained carpet ran through the center row, while the harsh fluorescent lighting was substituted with the classic green library lamps at every table. Not a trace of stray bodily fluids could be found, much to the delight of Teddy. The neon lights that lined the bookcases all shined a variety of different colors, and seemed to be illuminated with a color that corresponded to its contents. The lights shifted along with the cases as they slid, causing the car’s lighting to fluctuate in brightness and hue. It felt as if the passengers were within a writhing and contorting rainbow, which was only bolstered by the blacklights that illuminated the underside of each seat’s table. If anyone was gonna find an unsavory stain, it was these bad boys. Upon first inspection, one cannot be faulted for believing the library car to be a subpar laser tag arena located within a local strip mall.

Terminals utilizing an extremely antiquated operating system were fixated on the table of every seat. Passengers would simply input the title they wished to consume, and with the press of a button, the bookcase containing the book, or the closest summation of what was requested, would arrive nigh immediately. Tanks were outfitted behind each and every terminal, filled with a viscous substance that bubbled and toiled upon use of the terminal. It appeared the boiling method substituted for a traditional power source, as there was hardly a power cable to be seen.

Teddy and Kona trudged towards the back of the car, trying to avoid the eyes of judgment that had been fixated on them since their admittedly uncouth manner of entry. Teddy apologized to each individual passenger they crossed paths with, and was met with indifference and outright hostility the entire way. Kona tried to follow suit, but was met with even more grievance, being the actual perpetrator behind the disturbance. Their efforts were all for naught, as no means of good will or positive attitude could salvage their status as inconsiderate tools.

While Teddy apologized to yet another passenger, he nearly lost his footing as he collided with something blocking the center path of the train car. Before he could lose his footing and fall flat on his back, Kona quickly helped him regain his composure, chuckling at his erratic movements, which were uncommon for someone as straight laced and tightly wound as Teddy. Teddy bashfully dusted himself off and nodded thankfully at Kona. His embarrassment only heightened upon realizing that the disdain his fellow passengers had for him now shifted into sardonic delight. Trying his best to disregard the malicious whimsy that the others found in his misstep, he decided to take note of what put him in this situation in the first place.

Before the duo was a towering kiosk that connected from the floor of the train, all the way to the car’s roof, which seemed to be about four stories high. The kiosk consisted of a tubular framing that was outfitted with four rails along the cardinal directions of its circumference. It seemed the interior of the kiosk was located on the third story of the library, as the bottom surface of the booth could be seen hanging above them. Along the table-like base of the structure, there appeared to be a bell, its purpose implied to the patrons that may witness it.

“Whoa! What’s this bell for?” Kona exclaimed, ringing the bell with wild abandon.

Teddy did not attempt to stop the rate at which Kona rang the bell, hoping that this would garner them answers quicker. If it gets results, who was he to stop her from doing her thing? It’s as the adage says, a squeaky wheel gets the oil. Teddy stood in a poised, dignified manner, ready to reason with whatever authority might be present within the booth, while Kona situated herself leaning over the table as her incessant ringing continued without interruption.

Upon what had to be the one hundredth ring, the interior booth slid down from the third story of the library and hit the ground with a controlled thud, and swiveled around so that the attendant could lock eyes with the serial sound disturbance. A long, skinny finger and thumb poked out from the booth and snagged Kona’s finger, tugging it with force that caught her off guard. She fell onto the table, laughing at her loss of footing, and began to smile at the attendant.

The attendant smiled back at Kona with a long, unnatural, toothy grin. Her lips were coated in what might as well have been acrylic paint, as her chapped lips had an unsettling glossy gleam. Though she was smiling, her eyes told the other side of the story. Beneath the veneer of her fanciful beam, malice and hatred had dominion. Her long, red nails dug and seeped into Kona’s finger, her touch like that of the filth choked needles that rolled about in the former train cars.

“Please do not do that,” the attendant said in a sickeningly cheery tone, “Or I will be forced to bite you!”

“Oh, sorry, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not into that! More of a movies and cuddling kinda person, ya know?” Kona said, blushing at what she thought was a romantic advance towards her.

“With all due respect, ma’am, but I don’t canoodle with women who smell like motor oil. That was a threat! I want to hurt you,” the woman said, nearly giggling.

“Oh yeah, I get that a lot,” Kona said, somewhat disappointed at the exchange.

Teddy tilted his head, “Wait, which one? The threats of physical violence, or that you smell like oil of the vehicular variety?”

“Yeah,” said Kona.

Teddy shook his head, “That is neither here, nor there. Anyhow, apologies for our rather abrasive form of contact, madam, for we wished to garner your attention within a favorable window of time. For you see, we are on a mission of the utmost import-”

“Talk like a normal person or I am going to spit on you! A big blue one!” The woman interrupted.

Teddy stammered, the nature of her retort catching him off guard, “I see, very well. My apologies once more, I need not waste your time any longer. I will attempt to maintain brevity, but you see, this matter has a variety of moving parts that need to be detailed in order to get a full understanding-”

“We lost a kid. A little girl!” Kona interrupted.

“You have my gratitude, I simply cannot formulate the words best suited to address our situation. I feared I was about to have a rendezvous with fluid of the cerulean variety,” Teddy whispered to Kona.

Kona nodded and turned back to the attendant, “So yeah, we lost a kid and we need help finding her! Do you guys got any cops? Maybe some of the robo kind?”

“I apologize but all security officers are designated to vending machine patrol. Can’t have anyone on the train eating for free, now can we?” The woman said in her same overly cheerful cadence.

Teddy and Kona shared unsure glances with each other, their dejection becoming all too apparent to the attendant, who seemed to derive delight in their morose gazes. She giggled before craning her long neck down into her desk drawer, rummaging through an abyss of endless clerical forms and contorted paperclips. Finally, she emerged from the confines of her desk once more and slammed a form onto the table in front of them, and began to rapidly tap the piece of paper at a rate that was more aptly described as vibrating.

The woman giggled, “Though our officers are busy with more important matters, I believe I can still assist you two clods. As much as I don’t want to! That’s customer service for you!”

Kona clapped, “Oh thank you, thank you miss! With this paper we can draw a missing poster of her and-”

“I swear to god I hate you. How has anyone not killed you yet?” The attendant retorted, “No, it’s not an arts and crafts project, lard for brains. It’s the alert form. Go ahead and fill out her description and I can declare an amber alert for her, lickety split!”

Teddy and Kona’s eyes lit up with excitement, their exuberant attitude seemingly lighting up the room around them. Though this didn’t mean that they would find her right away, Teddy was relieved that it could bring her closer to them. Even if the passengers were none too eager to actually help find her, he had begun to hope that if Kayda noticed the alert searching for her was circulating would show her how much they cared. Would someone issue a search if they thought of her as a monster? Of course not! This was the very message Teddy hoped to send out to Kayda. He needed her to know he wasn’t scared of her.

Teddy lunged across the table and began to shake her hand, “Ma’am, you have no idea how much this helps our predicament! I cannot begin to articulate the true extent of our gratitude. With the gravity of the situation, we had begun to fear that there was no remedy to be found, but here we are now! It is truly remarkable that we find ourselves-”

“Fill out the goddamn form,” The woman said, her cadence unchanging from before.

“Yes, yes. I shall. Apologies for the rambling once more, it is just the manner of speech in which I am most accustomed to,” Teddy said, pulling the form towards him and readying the nearby pen.

“He does that a lot! I’m gonna be real with ya, miss, I don’t understand like half of what this guy says! The trick is to just smile and nod! Works like a charm!” said Kona.

“I cannot begin to emphasize how much I do not give a shit!” The woman said with her permanent grin.

Teddy filled out the form and described Kayda to a T. Being the detail oriented bot he was, an exuberant amount of information painted both the front and backside of the form, as well as a detailed sketch of the best summation of Kayda’s visage that he could devise. Despite the vast amount of detail, which one could construe as redundant for the sake of posterity, the form was completed in just a few minutes.

Eagerly, Teddy slid the form back over to the woman who excitedly snatched it from the table’s surface. After glancing over it, she peered over the top of the page. Though the paper blocked her curled lips, it was clear that the very same sinister smirk persisted. Through her giggle, the two of them could hear her eagerly chatter her teeth as she curled the form and slid it into a cylindrical tube. Her bony fingers curled around a dangling cord that hung just off to the side, and upon its toggle, a clear pipe descended abruptly. Its sudden appearance was followed by an echoed metallic shriek that resonated from above, and reverberated throughout the train car. The woman eagerly slid the tube containing the form into the piping that extended into the innards of the train. With the proper paperwork sent on its way, the attendant slapped the clear pipe like one would do to the back of a car. With a humid grunt of steam, the piping slid back into the crevice it slithered from in the same manner a tapeworm would retract into one’s body, slurping sound and all.

“Aw, the little feller was hankering for something. From experience, paper ain’t filling but it’ll do the trick, I tell ya what,” said Kona in a faux country accent before letting out a chuckle.

Teddy narrowed his eyes, “Perhaps some structural updates are due? I do not think a device of that nature should be making a noise such as that. It could hint to compromised structural-”

“Your mom makes the same noise,” the attendant interrupted.

“Pardon?” Teddy replied.

“I said your amber alert has been filed and the rest of the train will be notified in just a moment. Don’t worry, someone will get the kid!” The woman said, the sinister tone dissipating.

Before Teddy could inquire any further details, the woman smiled and nodded at him, before turning her gaze to Kona and spitting on the ground in front of her. The attendant then shot her gaze downwards to her console, and with her lanky, dehydrated fingers she fondled various switches and knobs before the kiosk was sent flying off to the floors above. In the kiosk’s departure, neon smoke swirled about, invading the airways of those unlucky enough to be nearby.

“Hm, why did she say it like that? Kona, do you believe we made the right decision? For the life of me, I cannot seem to shake this… uncertainty. Though she seemed to carry nothing but malice for us, she seemed far too eager to be of assistance,” Teddy inquired.

“I’d be that pissed too if I had this job. Did he know they don’t even get vision?” Kona replied, “Besides, I think she likes us! If she really hated us, she would’ve actually spit on me! In my life, that’s progress. Oh cool, blue! Just like she said.”

“I suppose I must suspend any misgivings for now. My experience with the locals has been limited, and for all I know, that could have been a perfectly cordial exchange,” said Teddy.

“That’s it, Ted! Never assume folks hate you, it’s what got me to where I am today!”

Teddy nervously chuckled, “Apologies, but now I am casting even more doubt on the entire exchange…”

“Oh yeah, you have every right to!”

The two took one last glance at the kiosk’s casing, and stared up at where the kiosk now hung. Teddy took note of the bell once more and internally debated if he should summon the woman again, however, the mere thought of being met with her presence shot a shiver up his spine. He trembled at the thought of inspiring her ire further by not lending her a vote of confidence to her services. The thought of those elongated digits lunging forth with the intent maim was a possibility he was not eager to investigate. The sensation of those rigid digits clenching one’s windpipe and rending flesh with the flick of a wrist is a fate that no one should befall. Unless one is into that sort of thing.

They shared a shrug and realized if they wished to not dilute any goodwill they had with the attendant, it would be best to simply wait for the results of her… unique notary work. Somewhat dejected, they began to make their way to the exit and continue their search. Even though they might have reinforcements to aid them in their search soon, Teddy was all too familiar with the infectious apathy that years of destitution imbued onto the masses. From this endeavor, he had hoped that a few would at the very least be on the lookout for her, as even now, his belief of there still being earnest people out there persisted. Beyond that however, he knew they would remain unassisted in their wayward search.

Before they could proceed to the gangway leading to the next section of the train, their progress was interrupted by a sudden tap on Teddy’s shoulder. Taken aback, Teddy swiftly spun around, hoping for the best case scenario, and that their search was finally over. Teddy’s disappointment would be insurmountable, and something to be chronicled if one was detailing an encyclopedia of the most disappointing moments in history. Which would only be followed by every instance someone got an Atari.

“If a guy is ever this disappointed to not be seeing a little girl, they should be locked up! Sorry I ain’t the kid, bud. You looked like you really thought I was her! Is my touch that delicate?” Gears chuckled.

“Oh goodness gracious, now is not the time for such frivolities! Please tell me you found her. With every second that passes, I can feel myself growing more faint,” replied Teddy.

“You should get that checked out, last I checked we ain’t the type to be feeling… feelings. Gonna need you to take down a notch if we even got a chance at finding the kid. Pretty sure all that stressing is gonna cause a fuse to burn out,” Gears retorted.

“Aw, don’t be so hard on him, he just gots a little case of the worry warts!” Kona said, patting Teddy’s back.

“Get that checked out and make sure to tell your past partners, Ted. Traditional protection don’t stop warts,” Gears blurted out in his typical nonchalant manner.

“I will not even entertain the physical fallacies you have presented with that statement. Am I wrong to assume that the exuberant amount of wisecracks means that your journey bore no fruit?”

“Do ya see a kid next to me? Thought about just finding one and bringing it to ya and hope you wouldn’t notice the difference. But yeah, I couldn't find the kid anywhere, and I even weaseled my way into the engine room. And kids LOVE engine rooms. If she ain’t there, I don’t know where she could be,” said Gears, leaning against the wall, trying to mask his own worry for Kayda.

Teddy lowered his head and sighed, “I suppose we should just continue our search and do yet another sweep of the train. We’ve yet to explore this end, so at least we have that prospect in our favor.”

Kona piped up, “And who knows? Maybe the amber alert will work!”

Teddy, “Though that is true, I would not be too eager to-”

Gears interrupted, his eye widening in shock, “Shut up, shut up. Kona, repeat what you said.”

“Oh! I was just saying that maybe the amber alert Teddy and I called with the nice lady back there might get peeps to help us!” Kona said with an eager smile.

Gears's speech grew stifled and agitated, “YOU CALLED A WHAT?!”