Noah and Lucas stood before the concealed entrance to the long-forgotten locomotive tunnels. What had once appeared to be a maintenance panel in a storage sublevel of the Nexus Arena now swung open to reveal a narrow passage descending into darkness.
"Patching in comms," Lucas said, adjusting the small device at his ear. "Kelvin, Sophie, confirm connection."
"Receiving you loud and clear, oh ye fearless leader," Kelvin's voice crackled through their earpieces. "And before you ask—yes, I've got thermal mapping of the initial tunnel section from the arena schematics. After about two hundred meters, you're off the grid."
"Copy that," Noah responded, activating a soft blue light on a wrist device kelvin handed him that illuminated the tunnel ahead.
"Sophie's gone to retrieve some additional encryption hardware from her quarters," Kelvin added. "She'll be back online shortly."
Lucas nodded, though Kelvin couldn't see it. "We're moving in. Keep the channel open."
