The bus climbed a steep incline, groaning under its own weight. The engine hummed, vibrations rattling through the metal floor beneath their feet.
Brrrrrrr.
Chet leaned back, arms crossed, ears flicking.
"How long do you think it'll take to get there?"
Nox adjusted his scarf, his breath fogging the scratched window. Outside, the greenish haze of the lower sectors was finally starting to thin out, but the air still had that metallic taste. Coreline's version of "fresh."
"Not sure. Still climbing out of the Crossway. It'll be a bit."
The narrow, grimy streets below stretched wider as the bus ascended, leaving behind the tangled mess of pipelines, rusted scaffolding, and gray-drenched alleyways.
The bus rumbled across a bridge. One of the few spots offering an unobstructed view of Sector Crossway. Not quite the Lower District, but definitely not high society. From up here, rooftops looked like patchwork. Salvaged metal sheets and scavenged tech slapped together like hopeful band-aids. The streets below were cluttered with foot traffic, market stalls squeezed between decaying apartment towers, and glitchy billboards flickering with ads and static. Above, delivery drones zipped through aerial lanes like caffeinated bugs.
Nox leaned into the window, watching the blur of it all. He pointed at a street corner marked by a red neon sign.
"Chuck's Crib. That guy sells the best dumplings in Coreline, if you don't mind ignoring the health codes."
Zee arched an eyebrow, smirking.
"Knowing you, I bet you've traded half his stock for a handful of bolts and a wink."
Nox grinned. "A fox's gotta eat. Besides, he loves me. Calls me his best customer."
Chet let out a low chuckle.
"I'm pretty sure he calls you the fox who keeps talking him down in price."
They passed a fenced-off zone where barbed wire and patrols were deployed The Enforcers headquarters.
Nox's ears flicked, jaw tightening just a bit. Not his favorite view. He exhaled and tapped his fingers on his knee turning away from the window.
"You ever think about how small we are?"
Zee side-eyed him. "No matter how small we are, everyone has a story worth to be told."
"Even the bad guys?" Nox murmured, looking out a gain as if something had changed. "I mean look at this place. It's massive. We're just specs. Pawns in someone else's game, we couldn't change damn thing even if we wanted to."
Chet watched the skyline, brow furrowing.
"You're not wrong. But no one changes things alone, Nox. Even the small stuff matters when you've got backup."
Zee crossed her arms, thoughtful. "Change doesn't start big. It just needs a few people, crazy enough, to try."
Nox blinked. No quip came. Just a small smirk.
"See? This is why I keep you two around. You make me sound smarter by association."
Zee elbowed him.
"You wish."
The bus clattered past an abandoned rail station, half-buried in grime. Chet frowned, watching it vanish behind them.
"You know, the whole sector feels like it's holding its breath. Waiting for something to snap."
"Or explode," Zee added flatly, glancing at a far-off smoke plume.
Nox chuckled. "Hey, could be worse. We could, be living in the Lower District." Nox tapped the window. "Its not bout being rich nooo, its about not being poor. Big difference."
Zee shook her head, expression softening. "You're always chasing creds. You underestimate the things you already have."
Chet gestured between them. "Like us. Small things matter. Remember?"
Zee nodded slowly, eyes on the receding skyline.
"Yeah. But it's scary how fast it's all breaking down. Our sector used to have markets, culture, life. Now it's just smoke, noise, and corporate runoff."
The bus turned, revealing the CoreMart Ruins. Once a mall. Now a hollow shell. Further down the avenue, the gloom began to lift. Streets got wider. Cleaner. Neon signs steadier.
The robotic voice crackled again:
"Next station, Midway Plaza."
Nox leaned back in his seat. "The Lower District, where dreams are made of broken parts and duct tape. Midway is where they get polished and sold back to you for twice the price."
Chet looked out the window. "This is more my speed. Room to breathe. Decent food. Decent people."
Midway Plaza wasn't glamorous, but it was clean, lit, and alive. Vendors yelled over steaming food carts, holosigns shimmered overhead, and the park nearby buzzed with kids chasing flickering toy drones. "Yeah, yeah," Nox said lazily. "Midway's great if you like playing it safe."
Zee shot him a look. "Some of us like normalcy, Nox. Not everyone wants to live on the edge."
The bus rumbled past a tiny park with a sputtering fountain and actual trees.
Nox sighed theatrically. "Okay, fine. Midway has perks."
He shot her a grin. "But let's be honest. You two wouldn't last ten minutes in the Nexus."
Zee scoffed. "The High Spire District? Please."
Nox stood up, his breath fogging the glass as he pressed his muzzle against the window of the bus. "Glass towers. Sky gardens. Sterile air. Pretty." He exhaled harder, watching the fog bloom against the pane. "But you trade your soul for every breath."
Chet perked up too now. "Sky gardens?"
Nox nodded. "Been there a few times. Huge trees. Real flowers. Clean air."
Chet grinned faintly. "Bet I'd love that."
As the bus slowed to a stop, the driver's screen lit up:
"CoreCoaster Station. Midway District."
Zee stretched. "Alright, fox boy. Last chance to bail before I drag you onto a death machine."
Nox sighed. "Oh no. Forced fun. Tragic."
Chet stood up with a grin. "Let's make some memories."
As they stepped off the bus, a holo-ad spiraled up the plaza wall followed by a guitar gig:
"CoreCoaster. The Ride of Your Life."
And so, their night was only just beginning.