Walking briskly down the dimly lit corridor, Amity exited into the larger transit tunnel. Standing on the arrival platform, she glanced down the electrified blue rails leading to the station's central domes, then at the array of passengers waiting for the shuttle. A mother and child sat on the bench running along the wall; an old man sat beside them, hunched over his cane and nodding to sleep. A pair of kids stood farther down, kicking a beanbag back and forth.
The floor shook with the rattling of loose metal as the shuttle's lights shone in the distance. Amity pressed the edges of her jacket with both hands and watched as the other passengers moved to wait beside her. The brakes squealed and the lights dimmed.
Wheels creaking, the white shuttle train rolled to a stop at the platform. Steam hissed from beneath the carriage as the doors slid open. Amity stared at her reflection in the window as the shuttle emptied, men and women passing by her to either side. Once the flow finished, she straightened her jacket again and proceeded inside.
Glancing around the cabin, Amity took a seat at an unoccupied table and slid in to the window side. Resting her elbows on the table, she set her chin in her palms and gazed blankly outside. Other passengers boarded and took the other seats; Amity slid closer to the window to make room. A small girl sat next to her, the girl's father taking the spot at the end of the bench seat.
"Hi," the girl squeaked, staring up at Amity.
Amity's eyes shifted toward her. "…Hi."
"I'm Kate," she said, extending a small hand.
Amity twisted her head toward the girl, then gently took the hand between her thumb and index finger and moved it up and down.
"Okay, honey," the father put Kate's hand down. "Leave the nice lady be." He looked up at Amity. "Sorry, she's just friendly."
"It's fine." Amity waved a hand and turned back to the window. A few moments later she felt a poking at her side.
"What's your name?" Kate looked up at her.
"Now, dear, I thought I told you—" the father began, but Amity held up a hand.
"I'm Amity," she said, tapping her fingers to her chest. "It's nice to meet you, Kate."
"Why are you blue?" Kate asked, pointing to Amity's blue fur.
"Dear, that's not very polite…"
"I'm Cerinian," Amity explained. "Where I come from, all of us are blue."
"That's weird!" Kate exclaimed.
Kate's father pulled her to his side. "I'm really sorry, miss. I don't know what's come over her."
Amity grinned. "It's okay, just curiosity." She looked at Kate again. "But yeah, you should listen to your father."
"Okay!" Kate piped up.
Amity smiled and turned back to the window.
The train pulled up to the platform in the Merchant Dome and Amity stepped out, pulling her jacket tight and taking a deep breath. The smell of commercial fumes and industrial air filters filled her nostrils. Breathing out, she proceeded down the walkway, flowing into the crowd.
Pushing through the cluttered alley of food vendors, she approached a stand and picked out a generic packet of grain food and stuffed it in her pocket, then selected a boxed salad and placed her credit chips on the counter.
Further down the walkway, she passed a bakery and stopped to look through the display window. Decorated cakes and pastries sat on clean, shining plates; warm scents wafted out of the doorway and caressed her nose. Taking another whiff, she stepped back and continued on her walk.
Finally reaching the machine shop, she rummaged through her jacket pocket, withdrew a key, and unlocked the door. An electronic bell chimed as she entered and a short penguin looked up from behind a counter cluttered in machine parts. "There you are!"
"Yeah, Vincent." Amity slipped off her jacket, hanging it on the rack at the back of the shop. "Sorry I'm late; hectic morning."
"Yeah, yeah." Vincent waved a wrench and picked a thick machine off the floor, setting it on the counter. "Order came this morning: computer slicer droid. Seems Emerson Shipping got locked out of their own network. Need to hack back in and reset it."
"Emerson?" Amity looked up, setting her salad in the back corner minifridge. "I got a package from them this morning. No return address."
"Hm." Vincent grunted and continued building.
"I tried contacting them and got nowhere," she continued, taking the food packet from her jacket and tearing it open. "They had no record of its origin."
"Weird." Vincent pried a panel from the device and began soldering. "Probably whatever locked them out. Screwed with their records too."
"Yeah…" Amity took a handful of food and put it in her mouth. Chewing it slowly, she looked over the advertisements hanging on the wall, then checked the clock. Almost time to open. Swallowing, she set the packet down and swung the sign on the door to "Open."
The day passed without incident. A few customers came in and looked over their wares, then left without purchase. Vincent remained at work on the droid, hardly noticing the clock hit closing time. Amity slipped on her jacket and tossed the empty packet in the trash, then turned to Vincent. "Seeya tomorrow!"
"Yep." He waved with his wrench and went back to work.
She opened the door and began to step out, then turned back. "Want me to lock this?"
Vincent shrugged without looking up.
Amity frowned. "'Kay." Closing the door, she locked it shut and pocketed the key.
Opening the door to her apartment, Amity flipped the light switch on and looked at Machina. Right where she left it. Shutting the door, she walked over and brushed her fingers along the blade. Nothing. Would it retain missed messages? Hanging up her jacket, she lifted the sword by the grip and held it out with the other hand on the blade. No vibrations.
Gripping it tightly, she focused on the vibration of her own voice. "I'm here now. Speak to me."
The sword shuddered slightly, then fell silent again.
"Please…"
With a jolt, the sword kicked in her hands, then resumed its original heartbeat pattern.
"Thank you." She held it close. "I'd like to continue our discussion. Please, tell me more."
It sat idle for a moment, then relayed its answer. "No, we are not yet ready, and neither are you."
"Because I didn't take Machina with me?" She pressed her palm to the blade's surface. "You have to understand, in my world you can't carry a weapon around in public. You'd get arrested!"
The sword hummed without answer, then replied. "Very well. Correspond with us in the morning and evening. Events will transpire soon that we need to prepare you for."
"May I ask what?"
"You may ask, but in knowing you would seek to change this event, thus altering circumstances and leaving you unprepared. You are better off not to know, yet be ready to act."
"I… don't understand," Amity shook her head. "I honestly don't. I don't know who you are or what you want."
"This is true…" the vibrations came more softly, like a reassuring voice. "And we are sorry not to tell you. You will understand later. For now, you should rest. We will speak again in the morning."
Amity nodded and set the sword down, leaning it against her bedpost. Switching the lights off, she lay down and pressed her head to the pillow, then reached out and brushed her sword. "Good night."
It shook gently in reply.
