"Alright, here's the plan, Arty," Eve began with an air of overconfidence that immediately made Arthur suspicious. She leaned back in the driver's seat, one hand on the wheel, the other gesturing wildly as if she were orchestrating a grand symphony. "I use my ID card to get us in the front gate…" Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous gleam, but Arthur immediately turned to her, his disbelief crashing over him like a tidal wave. He couldn't believe she still wasn't taking this seriously.

"Uh… what? You want us to just walk through the front door? Aren't you on their watchlist or something?!" he interrupted, his voice rising in anger bordering on panic. He could almost feel the cold barrels of invisible guns aimed at them from every corner of the campus.

Eve rolled her eyes so hard Arthur was sure they'd get stuck. "Would you shut up and let me finish? Geez. They probably don't even know I left. I've only been gone for a day. So, once we're in, we'll park by the Olympic stadium. Then we change into the PT uniforms I brought, and jog onto campus. Easy peasy. They'll think we're just some cadets out for a late-night run."

Arthur gave her the side-eye, the look that said I'm only here because you're my best friend, and I value my life slightly less than your company. Eve responded by yanking a shirt from behind the seat and waving it like a trophy. "I knew you'd be weird about it, so I brought you my ex's PT shirt. Don't worry, it's washed."

"Fantastic. A detail I really didn't need," Arthur muttered, his face contorting into an awkward grimace. He stared out the window, clearly questioning every decision that had brought him to this moment.

Eve smirked, clearly amused by his discomfort, but continued, her voice growing more serious. "Once we're in the cadet area, we head straight to my buddy Bolts' room. We'll stay there until lunchtime when we'll sneak off to Colonel Green's office. He's the foremost expert on Astrons, and he should be able to give us a clue about Avery's plan. He was Avery's favorite teacher."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And that worked perfectly. How do we know they aren't in cahoots?"

Eve's face hardened instantly, her grip on the wheel tightening as Arthur smirked. Without a word, she refocused on the road, her expression closing off. A flicker of something passed between them—Arthur felt it like a breeze, brief but unmistakable.

Realizing the danger of pushing her further, Arthur fell silent, his gaze drifting to the passing scenery, now distant and blurry. But after a decade of friendship, he knew Eve well enough—she had always been this way, unpredictable, a force of nature. Any more words would make things worse, so instead, he simply reached over, took her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

She looked at him, the faintest hint of a smile softening the edges of her tension. "Another issue could be if the Academy made their search for me a priority." Eve's voice softened, but the weight of her words lingered. She met his eyes, her grip tightening. "Arthur, you don't need to worry about Bolts or the Professor though. They're more likely to be entertained by the idea of me being on the run than actually turn me in."

Arthur questioningly turned and asked, "Are their powers like yours?"

Eve's lips curled into a grin. "Their powers are hard to explain. I'll let them tell you when we meet them," her tone lightening the mood slightly.

With that, Eve continued to steer the buggy down the road, the journey ahead drawing near. Forty minutes later, they were finally approaching the Academy's front gate. The world outside seemed to hold its breath, the moment tense with anticipation. The only sound breaking the silence was the gentle crunch of tires rolling across the coarse asphalt, a steady rhythm that seemed to match the pounding of Arthur's heart in his chest.

The campus was vast, looming ahead like a fortress. Arthur's eyes scanned the surroundings with a growing sense of awe and unease, and it only heightened as they neared the towering front gate.

A massive sign hung above the entrance, an ominous green LED arrow pointing to the left lane that read "ID Holders," while a red LED "X" marked the right lane for "Visitors." Beneath the sign, a monstrous security camera—its lens unblinking—hovered above the road, its many mechanical appendages forming a circle like a watchful eye. Arthur's stomach twisted. It wasn't just security—it was an institution.

He turned to Eve, his gaze filled with a thousand unspoken questions, but the expression on her face stopped him cold. For the first time, he saw her terrified. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white, the subtle shake of her body betraying her inner turmoil.

As their buggy crawled toward the booth, Eve's eyes locked onto the gate in front of them, and her face drained of all color. Arthur watched in silent alarm as something else flared in her eyes: regret.

"Eve..." Arthur's voice was quiet, but thick with concern. "What's going on? You alright?"

Her breath hitched as she turned to him, her voice breaking the silence like a knife, her previous confidence gone. "Arthur… maybe we should turn back. I didn't expect this. I didn't—" She cut herself off, her voice faltering. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this. What if this is a trap? What if—"

Arthur reached across the seat, cutting her off with a firm, reassuring grip on her arm. "Eve, none of that matters. We're here now. You've already dragged me in, and I chose to follow you. I'm in this with you, okay?" His voice was steady, full of quiet resolve. He couldn't afford to let her second-guess herself. Not now.

But she wasn't done. "Arthur, you don't understand," she whispered, her voice breaking. "That's an automated sentry system. That's a fucking Gatling gun up there, firing hypersonic bullets. It could turn a building into Swiss cheese in seconds. It wasn't here before. They probably put it here because of me. This is bad. Really bad."

Arthur's heart dropped as he realized the gravity of what she was saying. His eyes darted to the towering structure in front of them, the sense of dread crawling up his spine.

"Eve, take a deep breath. Calm down. Damn," he said, trying to steady her. "It's probably here because of the CLF airport attack. Focus. Roll down the window—we're already here."

As the security booth loomed closer, the cold, metallic structure of the gate felt more like a prison than an entrance. Eve took a deep breath, and with a quiet, shaky sigh, she rolled the window down.

Arthur didn't know what awaited them, but as the sound of the guard's voice echoed from the booth, the world seemed to pause. And whatever happened next, they would face it together.

Sweat trickled down Eve's temple like a slow countdown to some unknown explosion, her fingers trembling ever so slightly as she rolled down the window. Standing before them, a hulking figure in white camo fatigues and a black bulletproof vest labeled "Security" loomed like a sentinel, his face hidden behind a dark, almost impenetrable visor. The air between them seemed to thicken, every second hanging heavier than the last.

His voice, deep and deliberate, boomed across the car like a deep bass echo. "ID," he commanded, his tone setting the stage for an interrogation that felt far too serious for the circumstances. Eve's fingers fumbled as she reached for her purse, her nerves almost palpable in the air.

But Arthur, his mind now completely distracted, zeroed in on something far more important than a routine check. His eyes caught the gleam of car keys dangling innocuously inside the guard booth. His mouth fell open, his breath catching. "Wait, hold up! You drive a TRX?!" The words exploded from his mouth before he could stop them. "Oh shit, sorry, I'm just a car head. I swear, I could spot those keys anywhere."

Eve whipped around, her orange eyes alight with sudden fire, fury flashing across her face as she stared Arthur down. "What the hell are you doing?" she growled, her glare cutting through him like a dagger. Arthur, suddenly realizing his blunder, stumbled over his words, his voice quickly turning into an awkward mess. "Uh, I— I work on those! Well, for work. Like... in my spare time," he sputtered, hoping to salvage the moment.

The guard's visor shifted, slowly moving from Eve's burning gaze to Arthur's now flustered face. For a moment, silence reigned as he peered at Arthur like he was some sort of rare specimen. Finally, the guard spoke, his voice softening, yet still carrying that calm, stoic intensity. "Actually, yeah, I just bought one. The X450 for the supercharger."

Arthur's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Damn, supercharged too? You've got the good stuff! That job must be paying you well, huh?" He paused, clearly losing track of time and space. "Is it an S8 engine? 'Cause, if you tweak the bioxy carbonate spark plugs, you can keep the boost in starpower, circumvent the solar mileage dip..."

The guard's interest peaked. "Really? 'Cause the mileage's been rough. I only get about 200 a charge."

Arthur leaned forward, his voice now brimming with all the enthusiasm of a person who knows a secret too good to keep. "Bro, I got you. Don't go to the manufacturer, man. I know a shop that could boost your range by 100 miles for half the cost of a manufacturer upgrade."

"Seriously?" The guard leaned closer, now fully engrossed. "That'd be amazing."

Eve looked between the two, her jaw slack. This… is happening?

There was a pause, a beat of confusion, before the guard—Charlie, as Arthur would soon learn—gestured toward an open space behind the gate. "Ma'am, if you could pull through the gate and stop on the side, please?" He glanced at Arthur, then back to Eve. "Your boyfriend's a damn lifesaver."

Eve stared at him, her expression frozen in a mix of confusion, disbelief, and frustration. She didn't know whether to laugh, yell, or just drive off. All she could do was dumbly nod, her brain too scrambled by the chaotic turn of events to process anything.

Arthur, oblivious to the whirlwind of emotions happening next to him, quickly picked up the conversation again. "Hey, bro, what's your name?"

"Charlie," the guard replied, his voice warm now, as if the situation had somehow shifted from professional to personal. He began scribbling his number onto a slip of paper. "Hit me up."

Arthur grinned, as he looked over at Eve, her face buried in her hands, clearly having reached her breaking point. "You know where we can park? I'm worried all the cadet spots are taken by now, it's kinda late," he asked Charlie.

Eve, still in utter disbelief at the unfolding bromance, sat silently as her car idled. All she could do was mutter under her breath, "This is... unbelievable. How did that work? He didn't even check my ID."

Fifteen minutes later, the scene would've been comically mundane, if not for the still-churning chaos inside Eve's head. They were parked in the custodial lot just outside the cadet area, and Arthur—sitting half-sprawled in the front seat—was completely absorbed in texting Charlie, happily typing out step-by-step instructions on how to tune his X450. The sheer excitement radiating off him was palpable, like a kid with a new toy. Meanwhile, Eve—who had long since forgotten their mission—sat in stunned silence, staring at him, unable to look away. Her mind raced, oscillating between disbelief and a strange pang of admiration.

"Arthur is pretty hot when he's like this… damn, look at those eyes. That smile. I don't even know if I should be jealous of Charlie right now... or worried," she thought, caught in an unexpected tangle of emotions.

"Huh? Eve, did you say something?" Arthur's voice jerked her out of her thoughts as he looked up from his phone, a sheepish grin plastered across his face. "My bad, I was just texting Charlie."

Eve snapped back into focus, her face flushing as she scrambled for words. "Uh, nothing. Just... ready to find Bolts," she stammered, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she cursed inwardly. "Fuck, did I just say that out loud?!"

Arthur's gaze softened as he processed the slip-up. "Oh, shit. My bad! I also just realized Charlie let us in without checking your ID. Is that... normal?"

Eve turned to Arthur, her voice dripping with the obvious, yet still tinged with confusion. "No. No, it's not normal."

Arthur blinked, the realization clearly hitting him in waves. "Really? Damn, Charlie really is a great dude. Ooo, I should tell him about the proton compressor too..." His voice trailed off as he enthusiastically typed out another message to Charlie.

Eve's eyes narrowed, and she muttered under her breath, "Okay, that's enough, Prince Charming." With surprising strength, she yanked open the passenger door, grabbed Arthur by the ear, and pulled him out of the car. "There are PT uniforms in the trunk. Grab one and change so we can head to Bolts' room, dummy."

Arthur blinked, staring around at the sprawling campus. "You want me to change out here?" he asked, clearly perplexed by the wide-open space surrounding them.

Eve rolled her eyes, her patience worn thin. "No, on the roof. Now hurry up, or else," she threatened.

Arthur chuckled, completely unbothered by her demands, and grabbed the uniforms from the trunk. He climbed into the backseat to change, still laughing as Eve stood outside, arms crossed.

Five minutes later, they were walking through the cadet area. The campus stretched before them like something out of a dream, a row of towering barracks surrounding a grassy plain. In the center, a granite statue loomed, arms outstretched toward the moon, as if beckoning them forward. Arthur paused for a moment, awe flashing across his face as he took in the scene.

Eve, her face a mix of apprehension and determination, grabbed his hand and tugged him forward. "C'mon," she murmured, guiding him toward the building on the right. As they walked, Arthur leaned in close, whispering into her ear, "I don't know how to feel about this place…"

Eve's voice came soft, almost reluctant. "Me either. And I went here for, like, two years."

They reached the door—a dark brown one with a bold sign reading "Rudolph Ferris aka Casanova." Arthur shot Eve a questioning look, but she simply shrugged, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes before knocking.

From the other side came muffled music and loud cursing before the door swung open, revealing an unexpected sight. A short, stocky guy with messy blonde curls and a permanent surfer's tan stood in the doorway, clad only in black and yellow striped boxer briefs, a white toothbrush hanging from his mouth.

"Aye, calm down," he said around the toothbrush, raising his hands defensively. "I told you I'd turn the music down… Oh shit, it's just you, Eve. Whew, I thought it was my damn neighbors again. Come on in." He stepped back, motioning for them to enter, his voice carrying an odd, almost distracted rhythm.

Arthur blinked in confusion, but Eve barely seemed fazed. As they stepped inside, they were immediately hit by the strong scent of ozone, mingling with the distinctly chaotic energy of the room. Electronics—everything from ancient pre-detonation video game consoles to modern robot floor cleaners and video drones zipping through the air—littered the space in an overwhelming array.

Arthur began looking around for a safe place to sit. There wasn't one. Bolts grabbed a stack of wires from a chair and dumped them onto the floor.

"There. All yours," he said cheerfully.

Arthur sat down gingerly, feeling like he was trespassing in a mad scientist's lair. Eve, meanwhile, was already rummaging through Bolts' mini-fridge.

"I wasn't expecting guests!" Bolts shouted, his tone upbeat. "What's up, y'all? I guess this is the famous Arty. Ooo, do you have a gift too? What is it?"

Suddenly, he paused, spinning on his heels to focus entirely on Arthur. "Wait... you smoke, Arty?" he asked, his eyes narrowing with sudden curiosity.

Arthur sat there in complete silence, caught completely off guard. But Eve, who had known Bolts for far too long to be fazed, jumped in quickly. "Bolts! Bolts, hey! Focus, man. I need to ask if we can crash here for a couple of days. And Arthur doesn't smoke!" she huffed, clearly exasperated.

Bolts eyed Arthur, then shot him a wink so fast it almost seemed like a glitch in time. "Yeah, of course! You just gotta pay rent and buy me food. Too easy, right?"

Arthur glanced at Eve, a "is this guy for real?" look flashing across his face. She merely mouthed back, "Just roll with it. This is how he is."

"Okay, y'all," Bolts continued, waving a hand as he navigated the room with practiced ease, stepping over a pile of tangled wires and what looked like a dismantled toaster. "The shower is down the hallway, but there's only one bed, so I hope you don't mind spooning. Also, Eve—take off the makeup, geez. You're not impressing anyone, not even Romeo here." He gestured toward Arthur, who was still standing awkwardly by the door, trying to figure out where to put his feet without tripping over a rogue circuit board. "You just look like one of those stack-up China dolls. You know, the ones that are different sizes and fit inside each other."

Before he could finish, Eve leapt across the room like a lioness pouncing on her prey. Her hands were wrapped around Bolts' throat in an instant, slamming his head into the floor as sparks flashed across his body. The room lit up with a crackling burst of electricity, and Arthur instinctively ducked, half-expecting the entire place to explode.

"It's to disguise myself!" Eve snarled, furious. "I don't need makeup to impress ANYONE."

Bolts, pinned to the floor and sparking like a malfunctioning power line, managed to choke out, "Okay, okay! Point taken! You're naturally stunning! Can you let go now before I accidentally fry us all?"

Arthur, still in stitches from the absurdity, wiped away tears of laughter as he walked over and yanked Eve off Bolts with surprising ease. "Hey, Bolts, why are there sparks all over you?" he asked, now genuinely curious, though his voice still trembled with laughter.

Bolts glanced down at himself, his body still crackling with tiny arcs of electricity, and shrugged. "Oh, didn't realize it was one of those days. My bad." He stood up, brushing himself off as if getting electrocuted was just a normal part of his routine. "My powers!" he said, his eyes lighting up with unhinged excitement. "My nervous system over-produces electricity. I can use it to augment my body and, well, emit electricity from myself. Problem is, it varies. Sometimes I'm dry, sometimes I'm juiced up. But that's how I work!"

Arthur blinked, still processing the flood of information. "So… you're like a human taser?"

Bolts grinned, his teeth flashing in the dim light of the room. "More like a human power grid. I can charge stuff, fry stuff, and, if I'm feeling extra spicy, I can even jump-start a car. Though the last time I tried that, I accidentally melted the battery. Whoops."

Eve, who had finally calmed down enough to stop strangling Bolts, crossed her arms and shot him a glare. "You're such a disaster, Bolts. How do you even survive day-to-day life?"

Bolts shrugged again, his grin never faltering. "Honestly? I have no idea. But it's fun, so I just roll with it."

Arthur, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was standing in a room with a human lightning bolt, turned to Eve. "Is everyone here like this? Because if so, I'm starting to understand why you left."

Eve rolled her eyes. "No, not everyone. Just Bolts. He's… special."

Bolts beamed at the compliment, completely missing the sarcasm. "Thanks, Eve! You're the best." He turned to Arthur, his eyes narrowing with sudden curiosity. "What's your gift, bro?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

Arthur opened his mouth to respond, but Eve cut him off before he could say a word. "Arty hasn't unlocked his gift yet. That's why we're heading to Colonel Green. He's the one who can help us figure it out."

Bolts' eyes widened with excitement. "Oh, Colonel Green? That guy's a legend. He's like the Yoda of Astrons. If anyone can help you, it's him." He paused, then added, "Though fair warning, he's also kind of terrifying. Like, he once made a cadet cry just by looking at him. And not, like, a normal cry. Full-on sobbing."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Great. Can't wait to meet him."

Eve squeezed Arthur's hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. He's intense, but he's also the best. If anyone can help you unlock your gift, it's him."

As they stood there, the moonlight filtering through the window and bathing the expansive campus outside in an eerie glow, the weight of what lay ahead pressed down on them. But for now, they had Bolts—and his sparks—to keep them distracted.

Bolts, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he'd just been tackled and electrocuted, bounced back to his feet and started rummaging through a pile of gadgets on the floor. "So, what's the plan? You guys staying here for a while? Because if so, I should probably clean up. Or, you know, just move some of this stuff to the side so you don't trip and die."

Arthur glanced around the room, which looked like a cross between a mad scientist's lab and a hoarder's paradise. "Uh, yeah. That might be a good idea."

Eve, meanwhile, had already made herself at home, plopping down on the only clear spot on the couch and kicking her feet up on a stack of old textbooks. "We'll stay for a couple of days. Just until we can figure out our next move."

Bolts nodded, his hands full of what looked like a half-built drone. "Cool, cool. Just don't touch anything that looks important. Or dangerous. Or both."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "How are we supposed to know what's dangerous?"

Bolts grinned. "If it's sparking, glowing, or making a weird noise, don't touch it. Simple."

Arthur glanced at Eve, who just shrugged. "He's not wrong."

As Bolts continued to bustle around the room, Arthur couldn't help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie. Despite the chaos, there was something oddly comforting about being around someone who was so unapologetically themselves. Bolts was a whirlwind of energy, but he was also genuine in a way that was hard to come by.

"So, Bolts," Arthur said, trying to make conversation. "How long have you been here?"

Bolts paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, let's see. I got here… oh, about three years ago? Maybe four? Time kind of blurs together when you're constantly on the verge of electrocuting yourself."

Eve snorted. "That's an understatement."

Bolts ignored her, his attention now focused on a small, glowing device in his hand. "Anyway, it's been fun. Lots of explosions, a few near-death experiences, and way too many all-nighters. But hey, that's the life of a cadet, right?"

Arthur chuckled. "Sounds… eventful."

Bolts grinned. "You have no idea."

As the night wore on, the three of them fell into an easy rhythm, trading stories and laughing at Bolts' increasingly ridiculous anecdotes. For a brief moment, the weight of their mission seemed to lift, replaced by the simple joy of being in good company.

But as the moonlight faded and the first rays of dawn began to peek through the window, the reality of their situation came crashing back. They had a long road ahead of them, and the stakes were higher than ever.

Still, as Arthur looked around the room at Eve and Bolts, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope. They were a strange, mismatched group, but they were also a team. And if anyone could take on the challenges ahead, it was them.

For now, though, they had each other—and that was enough.