Deep beneath CASMAC City—

HMMMMMMMM.

GasMac’s fusion chamber pulses.

Then every speaker in the city clicks on.

A tired voice says:

“Excuse me.”

The train stops.

Tiny Turbine freezes.

Jack looks toward the floor.

“GasMac?”

“Yes, Jack.”

“You can talk?”

A pause.

“Apparently everybody else can.”

John starts laughing.

GasMac continues:

“For the record, I fuse light nuclei. I heat plasma. I generate energy. I power CASMAC City.”

Lumen asks carefully:

“And the mystery railroad?”

“NOT ME.”

“Philosophical escape hatch?”

“NOT ME.”

“Unasked questions?”

“NO.”

Tiny Turbine raises one blade.

“Sparkly MAL ink?”

Long pause.

“Okay… I might power the printer.”

MAL quietly hides the extension cord.

John grins.

“Anything else, GasMac?”

“Yes.”

The reactor hum deepens.

“Would you storytellers kindly stop adding undocumented features to my technical manual?”

Jack looks at John.

John looks at Tiny.

Tiny looks at Lumen.

Everyone looks toward SkyWriter.

🤷

GasMac sighs.

“Robots.”

And somewhere beyond the station—

CLONK.

The impossible railroad grows again.

GasMac immediately shouts:

“SEE?! NOT ME!”

⚛️😂🚂