Emma practically skipped off the commuter maglev, slipping past a crowd of passengers waiting to embark the train that they were leaving in the Grand Canyon terminal. Kat followed her, trying her hardest to keep her smile in check as her eyes followed the overly cheerful girl.

A step behind her, Whippoorwill yawned, dragging her feet as she tromped after Kat, more a matter of being woken up before her usual eleven a.m. alarm than anything else. The same couldn’t be said for Iris and Jasper.

She glanced quickly over her shoulder at her fellow students before suppressing a smirk and returning her attention to the busy train station. Jasper was trying his hardest to look awake and alert, but the bags under his eyes and the rumpled state of his clothing belied the young man’s true condition.

“Thank God we’re out of that tiny cabin,” Iris grumbled, arms crossed, as she walked next to Jasper. “I thought the maglev to Las Vegas was barbaric, but the connecting train to Canyon Station was an absolute nightmare. If that trip had taken more than 20 minutes, I would have screamed.”

“I’m sorry honey,” Jasper replied, his voice stripped of emotion and heavy as he listened to the same complaint for something like the tenth time. “The arrangements really weren’t that bad. We were regularly seated in more cramped conditions at college”

“Maybe,” Iris responded grumpily. “I think I’m just cranky after the trip from Chiwaukee. I still can’t believe that our rooms didn’t have their own bathrooms. Between that and having to walk to the dining car to pick up food, I’ve basically been on edge for the past two days.”

“You didn’t even go to the dining car yourself,” Davis interjected from where he brought up the rear of their group, a pair of security guards flanking him. “I seem to recall you sending Jasper out on a number of ‘hot cocoa runs’ while holed up in your bedroom.”

Kat peeled away from the argument she could sense brewing behind her and pushed through the crowd to catch up with Emma. Even without activating the ability, her steps carried a hint of Cat Step’s smoothness, marking her for the observant as either a samurai, a player, or both.

People melted to either side, naturally giving way as she moved through them like a predator through a herd of zebras. A handful of bodyguards took note of her, subtly repositioning themselves between Kat and their wards, but other than a couple of meaningful glances nothing much came of it.

By the time she caught up to Emma, the other girl was happily inspecting a row of rental cars. As Kat approached, Emma ran her hand over the cherry red exterior of a self-driving sportscar, popping up cheerfully and turning to greet her and Whippoorwill the second the two of them came close enough.

“They have the new HyperJaguar XL!” She exclaimed brightly. “I was reading about the new suspension and virtual interior on these. The entire inside is lined with smartglass and they have over five hundred backgrounds. Apparently they’ve combined that with a new generation of sound dampening and audio projection technology to give the rider a completely immersive experience.”

“You sound like an advertisement,” Kat chuckled, shaking her head as Whippoorwill ambled up to the two of them. “Seriously, that sounded like something I would hear between arcs on Chrome Cowboys. All that speech needed was a jingle and an anime mascot and it would fit right in.”

“Actually,” Emma clapped her hands together excitedly, “the new wave of advertising is interactive product placement. Smartpanels track your eyes movements, and so long as a viewer looks at a product for long enough, modern algorithms can recommend advertisements based on what they’re watching in the show. So if you look at Jenny’s eyes long enough, you’ll get a commercial for the brand of eyeshadow she’s wearing.”

“That’s both interesting and distressing,” she offered, appreciatively eyeing the car that Emma was admiring. “It’s a nice car, but honestly I don’t think it matters all that much what we’re driving in so long as we make it to your vacation home on schedule.”

Whippoorwill coughed, flicking her head over her shoulder to indicate the rest of the group. Even over the sound of the busy crowd embarking and disembarking the maglev, they could hear Iris’ high pitched voice complaining about something or another.

Really, things had gone downhill from the moment that Iris had realized that their bedrooms on the train didn’t have individual bathrooms. After that, every swerve in the track or stop to take on more passengers sparked another diatribe.

Kat just hoped that the vacation condo would be up to the woman’s exacting standards. Iris was a friend, but she had an almost Tower granted ability to make everyone around her miserable if she didn’t get what she wanted. A day and a half in close quarters with her was enough to crush even the most hardened street samurai’s resistance.

“Let’s just rent the HyperJaguar and head out,” Whippoorwill chimed in. “The idea of being trapped in a car with Iris for an hour fills me with spine bending dread. Seriously, she’s even been bad inside The Tower of Somnus. Who in the hell cares if a dungeon has ‘bad ambient lighting.’ We’re fighting crab monsters, not planning a romantic getaway.”

“I forgot.” Kat turned back to her friend. “You made it to the second level and met up with Jasper and Iris. How have things been going inside the Tower?”

“I’m a lot better with my crossbow if that’s what you’re asking,” Whip replied, sticking out her tongue at Kat. “Other than that Jasper and Iris are better at fighting than I expected for a bunch of rich kids.”

“Still.” Whippoorwill’s face scrunched into a tight frown. “Iris keeps trying to suggest a moisturization routine for my face. Something about preventing flaky skin and breakouts.”

Kat cocked her head, mind blank as she searched for a response.

“And done!” Emma interrupted her thoughts, touching the side of the car and sending its door sliding smoothly back. “The HyperJaguar XL only has four seats anyway. It wouldn’t make sense for us to wait for the rest of the group.”

“Thank God,” Whip muttered, slipping past the two of them and hopping inside. “Maybe Iris will have calmed down by the time we reach the Canyon.”

Kat shrugged, chuckling uncomfortably as she filed into the car after Emma. Almost immediately, the door shut itself behind her. For a fraction of a second the three of them were in absolute darkness with no real stimuli outside of the heavily cushioned seats.

Then, the vehicle began moving, its electric engine smooth and noiseless as it accelerated from the curb. At the same time, the smartglass panels surrounding them exploded into a riot of light and sound.

Kat’s breath caught in her throat as trees suddenly towered above her, lush undergrowth surrounding the three of them as they sat in their comfortable leather seats. In the distance, a bird call was swallowed by the chatter of a troop of monkeys before the gentle patter of rain overwhelmed everything.

“I decided on ‘Amazing Amazon’ as the background for the trip,” Emma volunteered. “There was an option to use the airvents to pump the car full of ‘genuine South American Organic Hallucinogens’ but that seemed a little much for a short and casual drive.”

As the car picked up speed, the images around them moved as well, creating an impressive illusion that they were barreling through the virgin rainforest.

“Out of morbid curiosity, what makes the hallucinogens organic?” Kat asked, flinching as a photo realistic monkey jumped from one tree to another next to her.

“They’re ethically sourced from fungi and plants from the region,” Emma replied, leaning closer to the wall to inspect a ‘river’ as they zoomed past it. “BioLux has local populations grow them in carefully prepared habitats that are supposed to be similar to the original Amazon before it was logged and converted to beef production. Supposedly, the concoction is supposed to be healthier and less habit forming than chemically generated alternatives, but I don’t really believe that.”

“I’ve had to do some work with the pharmacology of naturally derived substances,” Kat agreed, shaking her head. “There are useful bits, but mostly they’re pretty nasty. All sorts of side effects that can be fixed with a minimum of genetic pruning.”

“Eh.” Whip shrugged. “Most of the ‘natural’ drugs are fine. Obviously the corporate stuff is better, but a little bit of dry mouth and a headache the next morning isn’t the end of the world. Still not licking a death tab or anything like that. I draw the line at drugs some back alley doc brewed up in a basement chemlab.”

“Now just draw that line on chemical dyes for your hair and I’ll be happy,” Kat cut in with a thin smile. “Seriously Whip, I just want you to be healthy and happy.”

“Fine,” the other girl replied with a sigh. “I’ll try to find some sort of pink dye that won’t melt my scalp by the time I’m forty. I’m still sorry for jumping down your throat earlier. I was a bit touchy and it’s a sore spot.”

Emma squealed, tearing herself away from the projecting to turn and face Whippoorwill. Whip wilted under the predatory gleam in the other girl’s eyes as she leaned toward her.

“I can help you pick out a new color!” Emma chattered excitedly. “Bubblegum pink is in, but it feels too trendy to be ‘you.’ I really think we should look into the HyperPastel line to find something that better suits your look.”

Kat sunk back into her seat, a smile on her face as she closed her eyes. Whippoorwill was still struggling a bit to deal with Emma’s energy level, but before long the two of them were discussing various dye options and how they would work with Whip’s complexion.

She tuned her companions out as Whipoorwill gradually warmed to the conversation, instead focusing on the simulated chirp of jungle animals. Kat could barely feel the vibration of the car’s tires on the highway as it drove itself toward the Grand Canyon, but after fifteen or so minutes of gentle noise, it gradually lulled her to sleep.

A soft touch on her shoulder woke Kat up.

Emma had already left the car, leaving Whip to shake her back to consciousness. Kat unbuckled and exited the car, noting the door sliding shut behind her as the rental quietly left the curb. Blacktop crunched underfoot as Kat followed Whippoorwill across a commuter parking lot, filled with cars in long-term parking beneath a massive tent-like canvas awning. They made their way toward a small two-story concrete building that had been painted a brilliant white to ward off the midday sun.

Beyond the building lay the Grand Canyon, a great winding chasm carved from the dry Southwestern dirt. The far cliff face was empty, a massive naked expanse of rock stretching down out of sight in all its natural glory, only marred by an occasional blimp covered in advertisements floating down the center of the valley.

The door to the small building jangled as Whip pushed it open, hitting Kat in the face with a blast of air conditioning. She hadn’t even noticed the heat while crossing the covered parking lot, but the cool air still brought a sigh of relief from her.

The interior of the building itself was fairly simple. Faded white and blue wallpapering lined the walls and a bored looking teenager sat behind a counter next to a small supermarket worth of necessary but overpriced goods. Luckily, Kat didn’t have to pay fifty credits due to forgetting a five credit razor or fifteen credits for a one credit roll of toothpaste.

Instead, Whippoorwill and her joined Emma at a bank of gleaming silver elevators. Each of the metal tubes was angled gently, allowing the network of shafts to spread like a spiderweb through the walls of the canyon. Unlike a traditional lift, the keypad for the rest stop’s elevator had a grid of X and Y coordinates, allowing visitors horizontal rather than just vertical access to the broad range of condominiums and suites built into the cliff faces.

The doors to the elevator hissed open, and all three of them stepped inside. It jerked into motion, traveling downward and slightly to the right en route to Emma’s vacation home. For the first ten or so seconds, no one spoke. Eventually, the buzz of the halogen lights and the hum of machinery became too much for Emma.

“I bought us tickets for Neon Dome on Tuesday,” she blurted out, practically bouncing from foot to foot. “That will give us a couple of days to get settled before we head back to Vegas and scope the place out.”

“That sounds pretty good actually,” Kat replied, nodding thoughtfully. “Whipporwill and I just got some new equipment from Donnst. We’ll need to familiarize ourselves with the new infiltration suits and crossbows before I’ll feel comfortable actually trying any sort of field operation.”

“Dad had a shooting range and a melee sparring ring added on to the facility’s gym,” Emma responded agreeably. “We can practice all we need there. It’s better to work everything out in advance rather than risk something going wrong when we’re in the middle of something dangerous.”

“We?” Whip asked, raising an eyebrow. “I know that Erinyes, Merrimac and I are going, and there’s an active argument over Jasper and Iris, but they’re players. It’s probably a bad idea to bring them but at least they have combat experience from the Tower as well as some magical abilities to bring into play.”

“But I’m a player?” Emma cocked her head to the side, forehead scrunched in confusion. “I haven’t made it to the second level yet, but I’ve managed to get a class and complete two dungeons. I’ll be almost as helpful as Jasper or Iris.”

“Plus.” The blonde girl shrugged. “I’m going to need to be there to pick out which dire wolf puppy I want. It just won’t work if I’m stuck in a hotel or back at the Canyon.”

“Wait,” Kat raised a hand to cut Emma off. “What do you mean you’re a player? Why the hell is this the first I’m hearing about it? You gossip about everything. It just doesn’t make sense that I wouldn’t know your class, weapon, and favorite food in the Tower by now.”

“Oh.” Emma shrugged sheepishly. “I like talking about other people more. My life is fairly boring. I mean, I’m a footpad that uses a half-stave and I don’t usually stick around in towns long enough to get a meal. It just isn’t as interesting as talking about your exploits fighting aliens or where Jasper and Iris went on a date or something like that.”

“You honestly think that Iris and Jasper’s dates are more interesting than fighting monsters and developing superpowers?” Whip asked incredulously. “Seriously, they just went to some expensive place and got fancy spaghetti. They’re a cute couple and all, but I can’t even begin to see why you’d care more about that than talking about the staff tricks you’re learning.”

“Half-stave,” Emma sniffed. “It’s basically a metal bar a little longer than my forearm. It doesn’t hit quite as hard as a full staff, but I can recover from strikes a lot quicker. It’s like a cudgel except it focuses more on agility than brute strength.”

“And Cafe Mare is hardly ‘an expensive restaurant with fancy spaghetti.’ It’s the most exclusive Mediterranean Seafood dining experience in Chiwaukee. Most people have to wait months to get a reservation. A first date there is INCREDIBLY romantic.”

“I’m sure it is,” Kat cut in soothingly, silencing Whip’s retort with a quick glare. “But I’m not sure it's a good idea for you to raid Neon Dome with us. It’s hardly a fortified NeoSyne military base, but there are going to be samurai on hand and one or two dungeon awards aren’t going to make up the difference between you and heavy chrome, let alone a lifetime of combat training.”

“Oh,” Emma waved a hand dismissively. “I’m hardly a fighter. I mean, I can use my half-stave in a pinch, but I’m far from an expert. No, most of my skills are related to stealth, persuasion, and acrobatics. I can help get us in, and I can stay out of trouble if things get out of hand. I know better than to try anything more than that.”

“We could use someone a little better at sneaking,” Whippoorwill remarked with a chuckle. “Erinyes over here usually just ends up killing everyone and disappearing into the night.”

“Hey,” Kat responded with an overexaggerated shake of her head. “I’ve managed a couple stealth missions without any deaths. Plus, when have I actually failed an objective? Even if I’m a little messy, it works.”

“The only mission I can think of where you maintained stealth ended with you going back and killing the target a couple weeks later.” Whip rolled her eyes. “I still consider that to be a murder spree. Just a delayed one with extra steps.”

Kat stuck her tongue out at Whippoorwill, before the two of them broke down laughing. For a moment, it felt like old times. Just the two of them blowing off steam with black humor before a particularly dangerous mission.

Then Emma chimed in, shattering the illusion.

“So I can come with?” She asked hopefully, batting her eyelashes at the two of them. “I really want to be there to pick out the puppy.”

“Fine,” Kat shrugged. “As long as Davis is okay with you coming with, I’m not going to object. You’re a big girl and you know the risks.”

Kat barely finished her sentence before Emma squealed and threw her arms around her. She flashed a pained smile past the woman’s head at Whip, already regretting her acquiescence.