A day later.
Cherie and Karlo were escorted by personnel from the Special Duties Bureau into a hidden mechanical elevator leading to the Uptown District.
The elevator was located within a building near the Steam Tower. Because of its proximity to the tower, the air inside was oppressively hot, causing sweat to bead uncontrollably. Under the harsh illumination of sodium lights, the mechanical structure resembled the exposed chest cavity of a colossal steam-powered beast. As the pressure valves hissed, the seemingly rust-covered but extraordinarily sturdy metal frame contracted like the bellows of an accordion, transforming the clanking of gears into a heavy metallic roar.
Karlo, visibly uneasy, whispered nervously to Cherie, "Do you think these Special Duties Bureau agents are here to arrest us? We don't have an Extraordinary Permit; technically we're rogues. What if we go down and end up cornered by a group of agents right away?"
