"Five more minutes and we will be home," Sussane said as the train whizzed by. Lights from the tunnel flashed occasionally. Her voice echoed in the train car, only to be met with silence. One could hardly tell there were more than ten people in the car with her. 

Bor looked around and noticed just how tense everyone looked. For a moment he almost chuckled when he noticed how shook most of the people were. If he was being honest, he too was a little shaken. 

He let out a silent sigh as he remembered his first encounter with a storm. He was embarrassed to say that he had peed his pants when he thought he'd come face to face with imminent death.

After several runs, he could be considered a veteran, and the guys beside him were more the noobs. Still, they had performed admirably, and he wouldn't mind having a few of them in a future raid. 

The train came to a halt after the five minutes announced by Sussane. Everyone got off with various expressions and moods. Each kept to their own until they had gathered their gear and disembarked. 

"Alright everyone, listen up. I know today was rough out there but we handled ourselves admirably. We got a nice haul, so you'll all receive your units after it's traded and paid up. For now, go home, relax, and shake it off. We've got another one coming up." Sussane dismissed them all but one, "Bor, with me." 

"What did you think of them?" She asked. As her highest-ranked commander and her right-hand man, she had come to value his input. 

"They have some guts. Today was rough but they did not disappoint." Bor answered. Looking at him, Sussane had to admire her commander. He stood six feet tall and had some hulking muscles, but it was to be expected in the current age. However, character, determination, and the drive to excel couldn't be built or bought.

She knew a bit about him. Bor had come up from down below, Blackpine, which was no mere feat. Even now, she could see that he still had ambition, and oh was she not going to be left behind.

The two were responsible for bringing down their haul and having it evaluated. Only then would they receive their units.

It sounded like tedious work, and maybe it was once, but for them, all they had to do was press a few buttons and pull a few levers. As they did, Bor couldn't help but feel how still the air was, and that acrid smell of machines turning.

Unlike his counterparts, Bor enjoyed going out for raids. He loved it even. The feel of the wind buffeting you, the risk of danger, the feeling of being alive. These consumed him, and being back here pulling levers felt anti-climatic. 

"Penny for your thoughts," Sussane asked. 

"Oh nothing, I just can't wait to get to my lovely bed." Bor joked as he watched the cart click into place. Evaluation would take a few hours, so there was nothing much they could do but wait. 

Bor bid his captain goodbye and found a shuttle to take him to his place. As he did, he wondered how the world was before. When everyone got to live in the outside, feel the sun, the wind, and all that without risking life and limb. 

Live in the outside, he chuckled at his thoughts. It sounded like a paradox, but after several wars and conflicts, mankind had finally brought the world to the brink. As the story goes, great and advanced weapons were used, making the world's atmosphere unlivable.

A remnant survived underground. They managed to build the cities that exist today. Bor lived in Titan, one of the grandest cities in their union. However, he'd been born in Blackpine, the lowest borough in the city, and that was literal.

Due to its proximity to the core of the world, Blackpine was prone to heatwaves, random earthquakes, and even radiation. Naturally, no one wanted to live there, and so all the rich and powerful lived up in Alcove, the grandest borough, and also the uppermost part of Titan. 

From a very young age, Bor had made it his life's work to rise from his meager start and go as high as he could. Being a Mechatronics Engineer by the age of 15 had set him on the right path, but he still had a long way to go. 

It wasn't that Bor was super smart, but the technology and the systems of learning were such that learning and choosing a career path happened faster. 

"We have arrived at your destination. 12 units deducted from your account. Thank you for traveling with us." A soft mechanical voice said, awakening Bor from his reverie. He grabbed his gear and entered his apartment. 

While Tandroon was no Alcove, it was a long way from Blackpine. At least here, there was the illusion of apartments being more than metallic cubicles dug out from the world, and the acrid smell was not too rancid.

Bor's apartment only had three rooms, a bathroom, a bedroom, and the main living area, which consisted of a few lounge chairs and a small kitchenette.

Bor found some grabs in the fridge for him to eat as he powered on his solarbed. When humans first started to live underground, there were prone to many environmental diseases and of course, the lack of sunlight and vitamin D, among other very important minerals the body needed. 

Therefore, solarbeds were invented. Built to look like a capsule, it could open from the side, allowing the user entry. It had two panels built in, and a small helmet attached. 

While receiving treatment, the two panels would glow brightly, which would harm the users eyes. Hence, during this time, one could log in to Virtual, the virtual world, through their helmets. 

Built off of an extinct technology called the Internet, the virtual world felt more homely to most people than the real world. Some solarbeds came equipped with catheters and IV fluids, allowing the users to last for days and weeks without logging off. 

Bor was a more hands-on kind of guy, so he preferred doing things in his real body. However, everyone needed time in the solarbed, and he hadn't used one in a while.