We ride in silence as we head for the R&D district. Beside me, Azu has her glass out, typing at a speed that boggles my mind. It's almost like she has twenty fingers. Every now and then, she'll say yes or no, but she never breaks eye contact with her screen.

Outside, the city seems to expand forever. Granted, we are only as high as the wall, but it's still impressive. I'd say it's almost as big as Calypso. Our ride was an uneventful one. After five minutes I pulled out my own glass and started scrolling the various news and entertainment sites. I haven't had time to really dive into life in End City, but everything I've seen fascinates me. It brings back a side of me I thought I lost in that cave. A sense of wonder.

Twenty minutes go by until our floater lands. We exit and in front of me is another gate. However, this one is different than the academy's gate. Instead of grand metal doors, a small bar crosses over the entrance. However, I can't see anything beyond. Almost like a piece of glass that has been exposed to steam for too long.

A man wearing black cargo pants, a vest, and military boots walks up to us. In his hand is a sleek metal device about two feet long. It's white with a barrel not unlike the steam sticks in Calypso. It has a trigger and grip for the hand as well. The difference is that the barrel is split down the middle, and a bright red core can be seen where the barrel and trigger meet.

"Cards." The man says holding out his hand. Azu pulls out a metal rectangle the size of a playing card and hands it over. They both look at me expectantly. I remain silent, confused.

"Ah, I forgot you haven't been given your diver's license yet." Azu points at me, "He's with me." The man looks like he's going to object until he scans her card with his glass. His face pales, and he hurriedly hands the card back.

"Yes, ma'am." He thumps his heart and bows before saying something into his glass that I can't hear. I guess that gesture is a salute. Azu must be pretty important to make him act that way. There's a buzz and the gate lifts, the blurry window thing still active.

Azu walks right through and I follow. Just before I hit the wall I close my eyes and stumble through, running into Azu. "Sorry." She sighs and shakes her head. I look around.

Dozens of square-shaped vehicles drive across the streets. Most of them are enclosed in the front but the back is open, carrying men or cargo. Some are sleeker and are completely enclosed. One such vehicle comes to a stop in front of us. A front door and back door open and Azu gets in the front, "Come on, we don't have all day."

I clear my throat and climb in the back. The seats are really comfy. Outside, thousands of people walk on the sidewalks and exit and enter buildings. Many said buildings are made completely of glass.

"Destination?" A voice says out of nowhere, causing me to jump so hard I bump my head on the ceiling. Azu snickers.

"MULE hanger six." She says.

There's a beeping and then a ding, "Destination found. Estimated time of arrival: Five minutes." The vehicle lurches forward, and we're off.

"What is this thing?"

Azu continues typing away on her holographic keyboard, "It's called an ANT. We named them after the actual bug. The ANTs are run by an AI system that automates all of the vehicles."

"AI?"

She waves her hand dismissively, "It's too complicated for you to understand. Just think of it as an extension of the web. You tell it where to go, and it'll take you there as long as it's in the R&D district."

I inspect the ANT and notice there is no driver. Huh. That's kinda creepy. I look into the sky and finally realize what was bugging me, "Why are there no floaters?"

Azu sighs and shuts off her glass, "This is the R&D department. Things are being tested here that could harm a floater, so ANTs were created to be the main mode of transportation. It is effective but nowhere near as fast as a floater. Anything else you wanna ask while you have my attention." She says with a slightly irritated edge.

I ignore that, "What are those weird stick things?" I point to a group of men in vests carrying them as they walk down the street.

" That is a Rail enforcer. It is a projectile-based weapon that uses a lighting core and magnetism to shoot small cone-shaped metal objects at several times the speed of sound."

"Woah." I don't know what any of those words mean, but it sounds cool as hell. "Why don't you use those things to fight Shells? They sound powerful."

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Azu sighs, "The weapons are not strong enough. Even if it can pierce anything you can think of, a Shell will recover before you can fire the next shot. The higher-grade Shells have strong healing factors, so a small hole would be nothing to them. On top of that, the Rails use a lot of power. A middle-grade core would only give you twelve shots at best before it is completely drained. Factor in that, and the slow recharge time rails just are not practical."

That's unfortunate. Sounds like if it was bigger, it might be worth the large amount of cores needed.

"However, that does not mean it is useless. They are extremely effective against humans. Precision is the best boon from those weapons. While they may not be used often, keeping them around is useful."

I shudder at the thought. I've seen what a prototype steam stick can do. If a Rail is stronger than that, Titan wouldn't stand a chance.

"We have arrived at our destination. Please exit immediately." The doors open before I can ask any more questions. With reluctance, I exit the cozy box. The doors close, and it drives away silently.

In front of me is a rather inconspicuous metal building. It looks to be a warehouse of some sort. There are two massive doors in the center and a smaller one to its right. We enter, and the sounds of banging metal and grinders pound my ears. In this massive warehouse, there are twenty or thirty rectangular metal frames. Each one is at least twenty feet tall and is covered in guardrails, stairs, and people.

Inside the frames are massive metal...things. They look like a box with four legs. The box is made up of multiple squares that all fit neatly together. We walk past the things, and I inspect them closely. The legs are made of metal and have tons of wires and hydraulics covering them. The feet are massive pads with spikes at the bottom.

"These are MULEs. They act as our command centers and storage containers." I gaze at them as we pass by. Each one is three times my height and large enough for me to question how something so big can even move.

"How do they work?"

Azu shrugs and yells over the loud noise, "I do not know the specifics. It is way out of my field." We walk down the rows of MULEs until we stop at one near the back of the warehouse, "This is the Jackaboy."

I raise an eyebrow. She sighs, "You can thank Zack. I was not present during the naming."

I inspect the hulking metal monster. It's similar to the other MULEs. A massive box on legs, however, eye slits seem to have been painted onto where the face would be.

I turn to ask Azu about them when a blond-haired man in a brown jumpsuit lined with tons of pockets slides down one of the ladders of the frame, "Hey Azu, how's Zack been treating you?"

She rolls her eyes, "Same as usual."

He chuckles, "You know if you ever wanna ditch that child, I'm always available." he winks at her, "I can show you what a real man can do."

She scoffs, "Please, you aren't half the man Zack is. Maybe hit on someone in your own league."

He holds his hands over his heart as if it was pierced and falls against me, "Oh woe is me. If only thy princess would look upon this unworthy flesh."

I step to the side, and the eccentric blond man falls on his face as I do so.

"That's Abe. He likes to think of himself as a lady killer. In reality, the only thing he truly cares about is the MULEs."

He jumps up and extends his hand to me, "I'm also the Jackaboy's main engineer." He winks at me with his bright blue eyes, and I cringe.

"I'm not into men."

He smiles brightly, "Well, good thing I'm not as well, or we might have a problem, you handsome devil."

I look at Azu, but she has her glass out, talking to someone, "I need to leave, but Abe will fill you in on your job. Abe, when you two are done here, take him to the core department."

He salutes, and Azu walks off. Abe prances over to the metal monster and leans against one of its legs, "So you're the legendary secondary. Certainly look the part." His gaze flicks between the veins on my arm and the scar on my face.

"You know me?"

"Of course!" He throws his hands out like he wants a hug, "You're the rookie who slayed a juiced-up Kob all by yourself. That'd be impressive, even for a seasoned vet. Silen Stone, right?"

I nod. He grins, "Well, even if you are a superstar, you still have a job to do. Let's get you caught up to speed on your responsibilities. As a secondary, your one and only job is to take care of Jackaboy here." He slaps the leg, and the MULE creaks, almost in response.

"Now, I know you probably have a million questions, but hold them for a moment." Abe digs into one of his many pockets and tosses me a bracelet. It's similar to the glass. Completely black and smooth. "That is what I like to call a doohicky, though the real and much more boring name is the collar." I rotate it and move it around. Nothing.

"That will give you complete control of the MULE."

I look up at the machine, "I have to pilot that thing?"

Abe laughs, "Of course not. The Jackaboy has its own onboard AI that does all the complicated stuff. You just act as the beacon for the MULE to follow. You're also in charge of inputting the right command to transform the MULE into whatever is needed at the moment. Whether that be a home base or a kitchen."

This thing can turn into a kitchen? I can't help but be skeptical, but with the things I've seen so far, it wouldn't be mind-blowing. I hand the bracelet back, "How do I use the thing?"

"Well, first, I'll need to register you. That won't take too long. As for how to use it," He pulls out his glass and motions for me to do the same. I pull mine out, and he taps his against it. There's a ding, and hundreds of pages of notes flood my screen. Ugh.

"You just need to read the manual." He smiles brightly. I scratch the back of my head as I skim through a few pages. Abe leans in, and I look at him without moving my head, "I also took the liberty of putting my number in there as well." He winks.

I scoot away, "I thought you weren't into men?"

"I'm not, but I have a lot of friends. I help them, and they help me, bada-bing bada-boom, profit." he throws his hands into the air with a flourish. I see. He's a lone shark. Figures. "Anyway, you can read up on the MULE tonight. Tomorrow we'll do some practical training. For now, let's go see what the core department wants with you."

Abe heads for the entrance, greeting everyone he meets. Some greet him warmly, but just as many glare at him. I can't help but chuckle. Quite the act for a loan shark. Quite the act.