The new boss approached Noth, covered in muscles and bald, in his neck the faint blue flicker from a gadget hold in place by a thin strap choker.

He growled for a moment with a smile on his face, but there was a thinly veiled anger transpiring and in each of his strides, Noth gave a small step back. Amidst a barrage of comments followed without the chance for Noth to respond.

“Trouble speaking? I’m sure is the fresh air of the Westerner Vents, working in the confined spaces of the main building must have been a great suffering, right?

“No need to be worried, we don’t bite... Well no more than the rats of the Burnt City”

“Wait, what silly of me you know what is like that, only a real native to know how their rat's bites, better than anyone. You need to forgive me, as you are well aware that is because had to come to understand these things for the last few years.

“Where that smile you always carried with you? I saw you yesterday with him, I even greeted you but I’m sure you had more important business to do.

As he mentions the past day, he gets a strong reaction from Noth that freezes in place, gulping dry trying to push something back inside. Dean takes the opportunity to quickly grasped him by the shoulder and guides him to the closest building.

“You don’t want to scare your new friends right? Don’t worry I already made the introduction for you. I know you like to finish the work quickest way possible, isn’t?”

As their sudden entrance clear disturbed the ambient where many eyes quickly draw to them. And for one second there was an awkward silence before they returned to their business.

Room was brightly lit with long corridors spread like an octopus tentacle, in this main hub there were people looking to many types of strange pieces of still dust equipment, while still wearing part of their protective equipment...

However, not everyone dismissed them, some lingered their gaze on Noth. Dean dumped him exactly to this group of people, saying to meet him at end of the work.

Noth tried to exchange a greeting, but the five men aren’t really interested. One of the redheaded twin simple turned their back to Noth without telling him a word. An old man wearing a weathered cowboy hat and a metallic right hand scoffed and walked back to somewhere deep in the complex, following the other twin.

There were two masked men looking at Noth extended hand, gas-masked with but one respiratory filter like an elephant nose and bright green visor, that addressed the other with a black sleek motorbike helmet;

“Want to do the honors, Maicom?”

“Sure, Maycon, there is so much time we can keep the staring at Nothing here.”

Clear tired, Noth took a big breath and took his hand away and said:

“Ok, I know how much you were annoyed with me here, so let’s keep things straight and just tell me what you need me to do?”

“Well, what I need is that you to go back to your office and didn’t keep cut your paycheck, for some bullshit reason, however, we aren’t here to talk what I need.”

“You know well that I wasn’t…”

“I really know? on your reports was clear that I didn’t know what I was doing. So I keep it simple for you, don’t try to greet me, don’t talk to me and maybe we will not have problems.

“yes, sir” - said Noth unwilling

Maicom just shook his head and continued.

“Here is simple, I will send you some paperwork and when I become tired of it they will send us to see if we can get something useful out of that wasteland you call home.”

“The rest you are even more familiar than me when we inevitable comeback with garbage someone that is just like you will find reasons to cut our salary.”

“And the rare cases we find something that still working, they will send someone to pat us on the back and just burn it alongside all the other stuff we had found. our work is so easy, right? I’m sure you will agree after some time working here”

As Maicom with the bike helmet leave the other Maycom approached and said:

“I never expected to find a Brother of Mask in a newcomer from the main building. I’m Maycom Ross, or just Maycon for the closed one”- here lean a little closer and whisper - “We and the captain are really close, he is the only one that calls me Maycon”

“Ok… Ross, but-”

“No, no, call me Maycom, I noticed that the captain liked you too.

“I don’t see how you noticed it”

“That is because the captain only talk so much with me, still, you have a long way to start threatening my position on captain heart” - he pointed his thumb to his chest full of confidence before remembering something “But I’m bit worried that I’m not really into classics, like you Kirim and I are more into sci-fy and space. Now, now follow me that we are already late”

Maycom Ross didn’t wait for Noth response and just moved in the direction of the South Wing, of the building. After a moment of hesitation looking at the remaining redheaded member working on a strange cross piece without even spare a second glance at him, he followed.

In the end was just the top of the building where they can see one of the big digital Billboard flying in the sky attached on one of those zeppelins he had seen earlier, Noth couldn’t help but ask, mostly to himself.

“They still use this kind of zeppelins on Iridium?”

“Silence! the great one will speak!”

“sure pal, whatever works for you”

Was when the news anchor a steel gray hair in a suit decided to call the reporter, the scene changed to the view of the reporter behind many colorful tents and some armored men carrying spears could be seen walking in the background.

“So what is that? Razor Road? Sabre Apex Online? or the end of the beta of Ascension?”

But was the reporter that answered Noth disinterested question

“We are here in Nortundria Hill on the two hours of the Great Iridium City, Where the fans are already gathering for the great Jourgumand Camp Festival, two weeks before the festival even started and some even before. This year the 50 year anniversary of the festival is promising to be the biggest yet, the…”

“Hahaha, rejoice Kirim for that the Serpent will rise again! This year we will finally be the Jourgumand Champion! and then The World!” - turning back to Noth - “so this year you will appear?” yheer... - His mask was strangely expressive, as it was clear that he was trying to remember something - “Nooor..th?”

Sigh…- “Just call me Noth, and no I will not go there, I don’t even have a Personal AI to show to them.”

“hun?” - as if he had listened to the most paradoxical thing.

Their mutual confusion was interrupted by the sound of a siren and a reddish orange light that slowly started to cover all around. Noth instinctively looked up, but there wasn’t any fog and the sky was still that clear blue in contrast with the white plaster all around.

Not far from him, the circular building started a strange noise getting higher and higher pitch, and with it was louder and louder, like a machine slowly getting more and more power.

In that moment the circular building, started to grow, as tubes of various sizes and number started to rise from them, some were just the same building double the size, other branched in a dozen of tubes.

“Hey, this isn’t dangerous?”

“Common north, you will need to talk to Berker, before go out with us”

Maycon pulled Noth without regard for his will, he tried to put resistance but aside from being a minor inconvenience, he was dragged along. As his request to be released was ignored, until they passed the door leading back to the building, from the rooftop.

“Sorry north I couldn’t hear you with all these noise fans, be extremely famous has its downsides.”

“What your problem? you dragged me like a pile of potato and now you come with this?

As Maycon closed the door, the incredible wind pressure and hot air started to blow from the closing door. The fan sound reached its apex and from the gap, he can see the white steam columns from over the circular building.

Still, he closes the door and inside the building itself was just a faint noise, that one might be mistaken for a central air conditioning. Maycon shack head disappointed and said.

“North North, you can like a hot sauna but the duty come first. Don’t worry later I buy you an Ice Cream, the captain gave me some tickets, for my excellent work.”

Maycon was both literally and in the mentally moved on, while Noth still looking at the previous steaming hot, sure that he can see the slight distortion of heated air around it.

Running down to the nearest window, he couldn’t find Maycon anywhere on the short interval in the narrow stair to the lower floor. But now Noth was impressed by the scene in front of him.

The white of the plaster and the white from the cloud merge into given the illusion that the is, in fact, holding the sky, as the hot air is being pumped out from underground. The orange light was now light red on the roads below the user didn’t seem concerned with such event.

“Haha, you should look at your face son, you look like a pigeon hit by a bolt from the blue. You really didn’t think that this was called “The Ducts - A” just because of our extreme emotional personality?”

This time was the old men with metal hand and cowboy hat, that Noth stumbled on.

“what are you doing here?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking that boy? or are you as dumb as the boss said you were?”

After his eyes were taken from the window, he could see the old man fixing his hand with a variety of small tools, spread over the table, slightly stained with oil. There are a few other more raw works, working on rusted gears and screws were giving the stink eye to the old men and Noth, as the rammed door still slowly closing back to its original position.

“I- I'm sorry for disturbing your work, I still not familiar with the rules here” - saying both to the old men beside him and the other worker, that come back to figure the origin of such rusted pieces.

“At least the basic manners could be worse I guess.”

“Well if that is all, Is time for me to leave, was a pleasure.

Looking up and down on the cheap salarymen cloth Noth, he disagreed with him going anywhere dressed like that and finished saying.

“Also, you owe me 10 bucks”.

“I own nothing to you, this is just the second time we meet. Wait, don’t tell me… a bet?”

“That right kid, you didn’t run with the tail in your leg before the Chimney “sprout” and I don’t want to lose 10 bucks, what am I gonna eat?”

“Well, old men, you can just try fasting I hear it make miracles for someone of your age.”

“Don’t try to bullshit your way out of this, with your vegan non-sense, boy. You aren’t a cat in midst of pigeon but a pigeon throw in midst of cats.”

“Well, I can get you some milk sake then and we are even?”

“I like the way you think, but still too small, you can try again tomorrow, I’m sure the Captain will lose your wits.”

“Well, for me to keep the cat alive I need at least to feed myself, so can’t you guys just tell me what I need to do?”

“Sorry, but my other bet didn’t allow me to break the rules”

“What about 2 sake milk?”

“You should already be able to figure out but, I recommend you get into something more “stylish” before the white pigeon stand out in the black coal”

He says as he left the room with his arm fixed and putting the hat a little over the eyes.

“You aren’t that good with keeping the theme, are you?”

“What you wanted? I’m just a cat. And you owe this cat 2 bottles”

As the old cat exited was Maycon green visor that sprang in front of Noth and wasn’t a mere expression, he literally was thrown by a truck bumper that was being analyzed in one of the tables around.

“Noire! you lost the great discoverer of spring transportation that I proposed for my fellow scientist. They seen baffled by such idea… Wait a minute, we shouldn’t be here”

“Maycon, maybe you should be with the rest of the group? probably telling me what you guys do here in detail?”

“Don’t be silly, Norsemen, we are tasked with greatest of the tasks and you want to spend time explaining, a true norse-men always move forward.”

“Let me rephrase it, Maycon, maybe the destiny of our fellow companions are in grave danger and only the mystical knowledge of what I need to do can save them”

“Aha! I know you would understand it, now follow me to the land beyond the sea!”

Maycon would still roam for another 10 minutes the building, knocking most of the wrong doors before arriving at a 1408 room, where the rest of the group would mainly work. A cramped room with too little space for 5 people and their desk.

He caught the act of the old men paying something for one of the twins and give him a knowing wink before retreating back to his seat, as the captain looked at everyone gathered.