Nova's vehicle sped across the dunes toward the looming cylinder towers of Neo-York. The city was ablaze with neon lights of every color on the spectrum, and the triple silver moons created an otherworldly backdrop for the postmodern metropolis.

"The city is stagnant at night?" Mina asked. She was nestled in the cramped backseat next to Ava-1. Saito, being the tallest, sat beside Nova in the front.

Nova's blue hair shimmered as she bobbed her head in a nod. "That's right," she replied. "During the daylight hours, Neo-York is in a constant state of travel, always on the very edge of the sun's reach. The Collapse, you know. At night, the city is still. We have lunar panels that recharge our thrusters and propellers from the beams of the three moons."

"The 'Collapse'?" Mina asked. "Is that how the people in Neo-York refer to the slow death of the sun?"

"Yeah," Nova replied. "Conversation is simpler if it has a name."

"I must confess, the science of it alludes me," Saito stated.

"The nearest star is dying," Ava-1 clarified. "Collapsing in on itself into an event horizon. And what is a dying star? Class? Anyone?"

"A black hole," Nova supplied.

"Precisely," Ava-1 concurred. "Black holes have a significant gravitational pull which, in turn, alters the output of energy. Therefore, this sun is too hot during the daylight hours; it would bake the city. So, the city moves to avoid direct rays."

"What happens when the star collapses completely?" Saito asked. "This planet will be plunged into frozen darkness."

"By my calculations, that won't happen for another three and a half millennia, give or take a couple centuries," Ava-1 said. She scanned a gigabyte of stored data within her left eye and made a series of instantaneous calculations. "Another star will be born from the destruction of the old one. And humanity will have completed their subterranean city near the planet's core long before then."

"I wonder if I'll live to see that," Mina murmured in rhetoric.

Nova shook her head in incredulous wonder. These three defied imagination.

The vehicle cruised up a wide ramp and passed beneath the electronic gates that served as an entrance to the city. A huge intangible sign made of neon pixels manifested before them. The glowing letters read:

Welcome to Neo-York
Big Sister is Watching You

"That's not ominous at all," Mina remarked.

Nova drove the vehicle straight through the sign, and the pixels scattered and dissipated.

Saito gazed out his window at the towering skyscrapers that surrounded them. "Big Sister must have quite the investment in sonic elevators. Buildings such as these would outstrip the stamina of even my legs."

Nova nodded. "Neo-York has the best hyper-speed lifts on the planet. In the past few years, the city has grown exponentially. We can't expand out, so we expand up."

"Why not out?" Mina asked.

"The city's hover base," Nova answered. "It's made of adamantium, the most indestructible metal in the known galaxy. Blessing and a curse. While it can't be damaged, it also can't be altered. The circumference of the base is what it is, and what it will always be."

"Interesting," Saito mused. He rubbed his chin with his knuckle and continued to study the cylinder towers.

Ava-1 scanned the sky for surveillance drones. She noticed one as they zoomed beneath a glowing beacon that read "Micro-Tokyo," then spotted another hovering overhead as Nova slowed the vehicle to take a sharp corner.

"Drone," Ava said as she tapped the plexiglass window. "They're odd looking. They almost have...faces. Not what I expected." She zoomed in on the flying contraption with her left eye and captured a few digital images. "They behave more like animals than machines."

"The whimsy of Big Sister," Nova said. "She designed the drones, or so we're told. Most people in Neo-York call them 'Winged Monkeys'."

Mina nodded from her place in the backseat next to Ava. Following suit, she also gazed out her window at the blinding lights and relentless stimuli. At regular intervals, the words "Big Sister is Watching You" appeared in block letters across the exterior of the skyscrapers. The message could not be forgotten or ignored. As the vehicle rounded another corner, Mina caught sight of a twenty-foot hologram advertisement in a vivid green font.

Making its Debut for
The Ladies of Neo-York:

ᴄʜᴀʀᴛʀᴇᴜꜱᴇ ᴇᴀᴜ ᴅᴇ ᴛᴏɪʟᴇᴛᴛᴇ
The first perfume by Chartreuse ®️

The scent of all scents that will have your friends green with envy! Spritz yourself in the alluring aromas of eucalyptus mint and jasmine!

Intended for topical use only.
Use as directed.

Mina opened her mouth to inquire about the advertisement just as Nova pulled the vehicle to a stop.

"Here we go," Nova said. "Your hotel."

The quartet opened their doors and exited the vehicle. Before them was a tall, streamlined, but otherwise nondescript building with electronic retractable blinds over all the windows. Above the front entrance hung a sign that featured an image of a menacing, powerful black horse, accompanied by the words, "The Night Mare."

Mina huffed under her breath. "I abhor puns."

"It's nice inside," Nova promised. "I swear. The manager is a friend of mine. He's not in at night, but he sweeps for bugs and covert cameras on a daily basis. This is the safest place in Neo-York. For you."

Ava-1 and Saito both tipped their heads in silent understanding.

"As you say," Mina relented.

The foursome trooped through the front doors into a lobby of retro design complete with recreated classic chandeliers, plush leather settees, and long, elegant coffee tables made of convincing faux-wood and polished glass. Saito, Mina, and Ava-1 gazed around in quiet appreciation as they followed Nova to the check-in desk.

A man of indeterminate twenty-something was perched on a stool behind the desk, a shiny pin that read "assistant to the manager" gleaming on his nylon-fiber shirt. His gravity-defying hair was a metallic hue, and a steady plume of smoke rose from the taunt quiff. He grinned when he spotted his guests.

"Nova, my Mova," he projected, presenting her with double finger-guns. "Lookin' super meteor as always! And with the Hashtag Negotiators, I see!"

Before Nova could respond, a disembodied female voice chirped: "Negotiators. Not trending."

"Damn," the young man said, snapping his fingers. "That glitches. You guys should be trending. Like the asteroids that you are! Seriously, you're freaking legends! I wasn't even sure you were real."

The Negotiators exchanged glances and said nothing.

"Phoon, we don't want them trending," Nova berated the man with practiced patience. "Remember? Discretion is key. They're not here."

"Right, right, my bad!" Phoon exclaimed. He grinned and held up his hands in mock surrender. "I know nothing. I saw nothing. Hashtag Blissful Ignorance."

Again, the disembodied female voice chimed in: "Blissful Ignorance. Not trending."

"Damn," Phoon sighed. He ducked his head and the smoke coming off his hair rippled in a little dance. "Come on, Alniscient!"

"Alniscient?" Mina repeated, looking to Nova for clarification.

Nova sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "A citywide search engine and operating system that oversees all non-essential media," she explained. "She's named for the word 'omniscient' because she 'knows everything.' I get sick of her monotonous voice, to be honest."

"Hey! Her voice is sexy!" Phoon argued, pointing a finger at Nova. The plume of smoke rising from his hair seemed to thicken with his indignation. "Hashtag sexy!"

"Sexy. No longer trending as of 13:30 local time," Alniscient stated.

"Damn! I knew that!" Phoon cursed. "Ugh, that glitches!"

"I must ask," Saito said pointedly. "Your hair... How?"

"Freaking galactic, right?!" Phoon cried in glee. "New product! 'Chartreuse Vapor Mane'! I love this jazz! I got all the colors. Just spray and vape!"

Ava-1 leaned in and inspected his smoking locks. "There's no heat signature. No chemicals beyond what one would find in normal hairspray. Interesting."

"Yes, interesting," Nova said. She pushed her fingers through her own neon blue tresses and scowled at Phoon. "Any chance we can get their keys now?"

"Right! My job!" Phoon said. "You betcha. One nanosec..."

He made a series of rapid swipes across the digital screen of a small hovering device, then created three gray metallic cards out of pixels.

"Three-dimensional printer?" Ava-1 guessed, collecting the cards.

"You know it!" Phoon confirmed. "Bad ass, right? The rooms may be retro, but we got all the latest gadgets here! Mostly thanks to the lovely Nova."

Nova gave him a pained smile. "Thanks, Phoon. I'm gonna walk them up."

"Hashtag Abso-totally!" Phoon said.

Alniscient chirped all around them: "Abso-totally. Trending. As of 23:31 local time. Standby for calibration of reach metrics..."

"Yes!" Phoon cried. He thrust his fist into the air. "Finally! That's fifty digi-credits in my e-pocket! Whooooo!"

Saito, Mina, and Ava-1 looked to Nova, at a complete loss.

"Trends are more fleeting than ever," Nova said by way of explanation. "They flit in and out of style in hours, rather than days or weeks. Because of that, 'Trend Ambassadors,' like this weirdo, get digi-credits for every accepted trend idea. It's best just to ignore him."

Phoon grinned at them from behind the desk. "Nighty-night, Negotiators. Sleep well, aaaaand: count sheep, not night mares!"

Mina bristled. "Puns..." she growled.

Nova whisked her three guests off to the elevator before Phoon became a midnight juice box.

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