Karl's fingers hovered over the ignition dial, the USB orb perfectly locked into place. Agnes' voice was back to her teasing self, practically bouncing off the nanites' hum:
"Mmm~ careful, Karl~ don't overdo it… let's see what this little addition does~"
Karl smirked faintly. "Yeah, yeah… I know. Let's keep it gentle."
He twisted the ignition dial slowly, feeling the orb respond inside the port. It throbbed slightly, moving diagonally as if nudging him to sync with its rhythm. The nanite lattice pulsed along Karl's spine, small sparks tracing the integrated circuits. Agnes squealed softly—playful, excited, but restrained:
"Aaah~! Karl~ it's moving! Hhnng… the lock, tighten it… now~!"
Karl obeyed, carefully pressing the lock system. A faint "click" confirmed it, and instantly solid navy-blue gears shot out from the orb, hovering above the Drive Regulator. Steam hissed softly from vents along the regulator, filling the air with a faint haze.
For a moment, Karl and Agnes both froze, expecting something monumental. The orb throbbed, the gears rotated, and the steam swirled—but then… nothing.
"Uh…" Karl muttered, his smirk faltering. "That's it?"
Agnes tilted her head, her teasing tone laced with disbelief:
"Mmm… really~? That's all? Hhh… I-I thought it would… oh… do more… mmm… aaah~"
They exchanged a look of simultaneous disappointment, both too exhausted to hide it. The sheer mental and physical toll of the last hours weighed heavily on them, and now it felt like they had gone through all that effort… for nothing.
Karl rubbed his temples, watching the hovering gears spin lazily above the regulator. "I thought… this would be more… noticeable."
Agnes let out a soft, breathy sigh, leaning on the edge of the console. Her voice retained a teasing lilt but carried a mix of frustration and exhaustion:
"Hnnng… Karl~ we… went through all that… all that… and it's… mmm… just… fancy spinning gears~? Aaah~"
Karl exhaled sharply, his shoulders slumping. "Yeah… guess we were expecting something else. More… explosive."
Agnes chuckled faintly, though tired, shaking her head. "Mmm~ you were expecting that too, huh~? Hhnng… I guess… we'll find out… eventually…"
The two of them stared at the spinning gears, navy-blue light reflecting off Karl's armor. For now, Gearstorm Nova was… underwhelming. But both knew, deep down, the true potential was still hidden, waiting for them to discover it—and they would, eventually.
Karl leaned back, pressing his hand to the regulator as if sensing its heartbeat. "Well… we tried. That's all we can do for now."
Agnes laughed softly, teasing but resigned:
"Hnng~ not bad, surgeon~ fancy gears and all, but… next time, don't keep me in suspense like that~"
And for the first time in hours, they allowed themselves a small moment of rest, letting the hovering navy gears spin lazily above the Drive Regulator.
Reality folded again. One moment, Karl was standing amidst the impossible, radiant nexus of creation; the next, he was back on the streets of New York, untransformed, fully human, and breathing normally. The city around him was empty—silent, with no remnants of the chaos that had just unfolded. Times Square was a ghost of its usual self, glass and smoke gone, leaving only the faint echo of their previous battle.
Karl instinctively touched the Drive Regulator, now light in his hand, with the navy-blue orb still perfectly integrated into the USB port. It pulsed faintly, waiting patiently, its potential yet untapped.
Agnes' voice came through, playful and teasing in its usual way, without any of the flustered whimpers or moaning:
"Well, well~ look who's back to being plain old Karl~ I see you survived~ Didn't think you'd come back this fast~"
Karl raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Yeah… back to human, back to vulnerable. Guess it's just me now."
Agnes chuckled softly, that familiar teasing lilt in her tone:
"Mm~ careful now, don't think you can act all serious~ You looked mighty impressive back there, but don't forget… I'm still in charge of teasing~"
Karl glanced around at the empty streets, smirking wryly. "Seems like we've got the city to ourselves. I guess I'm the only one keeping you entertained, huh?"
"Ohhh~ Karl~ don't push your luck~ I've got my eyes on you~"
The Drive Regulator hummed faintly in his hand, the navy-blue orb glowing softly—reminding Karl that Gearstorm Nova was ready and waiting, a promise of power yet to be fully realized. And with Agnes back to her teasing, lighthearted self, there was no doubt: the next stage was only just beginning.