As Orion expected, "The Plant" turned out to be an abandoned power facility, situated well beyond the borders of any district. Since leaving the districts was strictly forbidden for most civilians, someone had excavated a tunnel that connected to the remnants of the old subway system.
That forgotten network of tunnels had since become a haven for all sorts of shady individuals.
Orion raised his flashlight and scanned the darkened station. The air was thick with dust and staleness, and it was only going to get worse the deeper they went. The districts, at least, had air filtration systems—enhanced by genetically modified algae—that kept things breathable. One of ArchTek's rare contributions to public well-being… though, ironically, the poor air quality had been their doing in the first place.
"Alright," Orion said, stepping up to a grimy map of the subway. "We're here," he pointed to a faded marker. "The contact told us to find a red-painted maintenance door between this station and this one." He punctuated his words with two taps. "After that, he said there's no way we'll miss the tunnel."
They dropped down onto the railway tracks and began the long trek toward the tunnel. What had started as an exciting little adventure quickly soured into monotony. The walk was longer than Orion anticipated, and enthusiasm drained with every echoing step.
"Echo!" Spark shouted gleefully, her voice bouncing off the concrete walls. "Wooo!"
"Spark!" Orion hissed, whisper-shouting. "There could be dangerous people down here. Keep it down."
"If there are bad people," she said, striking a confident pose with her hands on her hips, "we'll just kill them!"
"Just like that?" Orion replied, incredulous. "Can you even fight?"
"Can you?" she shot back, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You should know that all S.C.U.s are trained for combat. I may be small, but I'm still an S.C.U."
"Fair enough," Orion muttered, conceding. "I can't really fight, to answer your question. D-Mo, mind sharing a couple cartridges with Spark?"
D-Mo opened a compartment in her forearm, but before she could offer anything, Spark cut in cheerfully, "Oh, no need! Thanks though—I've got my own!"
"Suit yourself," Orion replied, as D-Mo gave a shrug that said the same.
The walk dragged on, swallowed by creeping darkness and long stretches of uneasy silence, broken only by Spark's idle chatter. Hours passed before they finally saw the faint flicker of light bouncing off the tunnel walls.
Rounding the corner, they spotted a red-painted maintenance door—just as described. Two figures loitered beside it.
As they drew closer, the shapes became clearer: one was a rough-looking woman, the other a Hound-class S.C.U. Smaller in frame, but unmistakable—the elongated, narrow visor gave it away. Unlike enchanters or phantoms, Hounds were built for rough work.
Orion gave them a casual nod, doing his best to pass by without drawing attention. But in a place like this, subtlety could only get you so far.
The Hound Unit clamped a firm hand on Orion's shoulder, holding him in place as he drew a gun—no relic from the past, but a source fluid weapon.
In an instant, D-Mo and Spark raised their arms, threatening spells on the pair. The woman didn't flinch, drawing two pistols of her own and leveling them at the group. A perfect stalemate.
"You're not one of the regulars," the woman said coolly. "Thought you could just stroll by?"
"You treat everyone like this? Hard to imagine anyone wants to be a regular," Orion shot back, trying for confidence but blowing it when his voice cracked on the last word.
She sneered. "Think you're clever, kid? Try that again and see how friendly I stay. Now—why are you really here?"
"We're just looking for the Plant," Orion said, tipping his head slightly toward the red door. "Bought some directions, said this door leads there."
The Hound's gun dug harder into his temple at the movement.
Orion took a shallow breath. "We're not here to cause trouble."
"Trouble finds you past that door," the woman said, her voice punctuated with cold finality. "Hand over some credits, and maybe we'll pull a few strings to let you through."
"Fresh out," Orion replied flatly.
She gave a slow nod, then tilted her chin toward D-Mo and Spark. "What about them? We'll take some parts, cartridges—whatever. They look ArchTek. That stuff sells real well."
The silence that followed was thick. D-Mo didn't move; she knew there was no way she could outpace a Hound's reflexes—not even with an enchanter cartridge. They processed motion on a near-instantaneous level.
Then a comm line opened within her visor—silent, undetectable to anyone but her and Spark.
"Hit them on my mark," Spark's voice came through, more serious than she'd ever heard it.
intensity. In an instant, it blazed so brightly it blinded the woman outright, and even Orion, who wasn't facing it directly, fell victim to it.
Spark didn't move a muscle, yet arcs of electricity burst from her body, expertly threading around D-Mo and Orion as they slammed into the Hound Unit, stunning it on contact. Wasting no time, D-Mo activated a maneuver cartridge from Arthur.
The difference was immediate. The world didn't speed up—everything else simply slowed down. Moving with fluid precision, she wrenched the gun from the Hound's grip, flipped it in her hand, and fired point-blank at his head.
As the cartridge's effect faded, she pivoted and struck the woman hard in the gut. The force knocked the wind out of her, sent her weapons clattering to the floor, and dropped her into a dazed slump.
It all unfolded in barely two seconds. Orion let out a startled yelp, still catching up to what just happened. "Holy hell! Spark, that was you?"
"Told you I could fight," she said cheerfully as two cartridges popped free from the base of her neck.
"Well... color me impressed—and half-blind. Give me a second," he muttered, rubbing at his eyes.
"I'm good with energy," she continued, bouncing slightly, "but it's nothing compared to what—
SPELL CONTAINMENT UNIT
F-LT
—can do."