Before Axel stood a massive structure: the Tesla Reich Institute, or Tesla Institute for short. Its sheer size dwarfed the Timeflow Engine Institute, almost to the point of embarrassment. But that made sense—building behemoths like the Grungust required vast grounds for startup tests and more.
Marveling at the institute's scale, Axel drove toward the entrance, where a security checkpoint awaited. Guards stood watch, their eyes sharp. Given the institute's importance, the tight security was no surprise.
Pulling up to the gate, he lowered his window and presented his ID. "Axel Almer, Langley Base. Here to see Lemon Browning."
The guard checked something in the booth, his movements crisp and professional—hardly what you'd expect from a research facility's security, but par for the course at a place like Tesla. "Cleared. Follow the road straight to the experimental wing."
"Got it," Axel said with a nod, driving on as directed.
Soon, a sizable building came into view. "That must be the experimental wing," he muttered. If Lemon's info was right, that's where they were developing the teleportation device—Aguieus.
Parking at the wing's lot, Axel entered and found a familiar face waiting. "Keep you waiting?" he asked.
"Not at all," Lemon replied with a smile. "Just got here myself."
Their exchange mirrored a cliché date scene, and they both grinned, catching the humor. "You know, Axel," Lemon teased, "shouldn't our roles be reversed here?"
"I'll keep that in mind for next time," he shot back.
"Oh? Should I hold you to that?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Who knows? More importantly, you calling me out here on short notice was a surprise."
"Let's talk details in my room. This way."
Following Lemon to the second floor, Axel found her office—a modest six-tatami space, far plainer than her setup at Langley. "Pretty normal for one of your rooms," he remarked.
"It's not my personal space," Lemon said, rolling her eyes. "These are just for researchers to organize thoughts or write reports. What did you expect?"
"Knowing you, I figured you'd have this place stuffed with cylinders by now."
"The W-Series? Those kids take a lot of work, so I've paused their development while I'm here. Luckily, I hit a good stopping point."
So the W-Numbers were progressing, Axel noted. Still, the earliest W-Number he knew from the original timeline was W15, Wodan Ymir, so Lemon had a long way to go.
"Alright, so why am I really here?" Axel asked, settling onto a sofa.
Vindel had said Lemon wanted the perspective of someone close to the Timeflow Engine researchers, but Axel wasn't technically savvy. Lemon, with her access to Timeflow Engine samples and reports, knew far more than he did. His question, though, was answered with disarming simplicity.
"No deep reason," Lemon said, leaning back. "The teleportation device is hitting snags, so I thought you might have some wild ideas. Plus, I haven't seen you in person lately—just through a screen. I missed your face."
"Ideas, huh? Why not call Raji or Mizuho? They might have something."
Lemon shook her head. "The teleportation device is classified. You're in my unit, so it's fine, but I can't share details with outsiders."
"Fair point," Axel conceded. He'd been careless, forgetting the secrecy around Aguieus, especially since he knew its connection to the Timeflow Engine. Got to watch that.
As he mulled this over, a knock came at the door. "Who is it?" Lemon called.
"It's me, Dr. Browning," came the reply.
"Olympus? Door's open."
Olympus? Axel's heart skipped. Helios Olympus—Gilliam Yeager?
Stunned but keeping his cool, Axel turned to the door. There stood a man with purple hair covering half his face—unmistakably Gilliam Yeager. Noticing Axel's stare, Gilliam tilted his head. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"
"No, it's fine," Lemon said. "What's up?"
"I wanted to discuss Aguieus, but it's not urgent. I can come back."
As Gilliam's gaze shifted to Axel, Lemon introduced him. "This is my colleague. You know I'm here as a technical consultant, right? He's from my unit."
No dodging this one. Axel stood, extending a hand. "Axel Almer. Nice to meet you."
"Helios Olympus," Gilliam replied, shaking his hand. "Likewise."
Suppressing his inner turmoil, Axel kept his smile steady. "Dr. Browning's been a huge help," Gilliam said. "She's solved a lot of our technical issues."
"Don't thank me," Axel said. "Thank the boss who sent her here."
"But you're the one who tipped me off about the teleportation device," Lemon interjected. "Doesn't that mean you're why I'm here? Don't I owe you some thanks?"
Gilliam's eyebrow twitched. Damn it, Lemon, Axel thought. He hadn't told her to keep quiet, figuring it'd raise suspicion, but now it had backfired.
"The teleportation device is supposed to be confidential," Gilliam said, his tone probing. "Mind telling me where you heard about it?"
He's not using some kind of foresight, is he? Axel thought, wary. Gilliam was sharp, with ties to intelligence in the original timeline. Getting on his bad side would be trouble.
"Somewhere around Langley, I think," Axel said casually. "Overheard it in the mess hall or something. Just a rumor."
Gilliam studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Makes sense. Langley and Tesla have ties through weapons development and supplies. Probably leaked there. Just don't spread it around."
"Of course not," Axel said. "I only mentioned it to Lemon because of the Timeflow Engine connection."
"Timeflow Engine?" Gilliam's curiosity piqued.
"It's a research topic I'm into," Lemon explained. "Axel's close with the researchers working on it. That's why I called him here—to see if he had any ideas for Aguieus."
"Interesting," Gilliam said, his eyes glinting. "Mind showing me this Timeflow Engine sometime?"
Axel hesitated. Gilliam was too sharp—if he got a look at the Timeflow Engine, he might adapt its tech for Aguieus, potentially finishing it early. That could disrupt the timeline, preventing Gilliam's transfer to the other world in a year, a critical event in the original story's DC War and L5 Campaign.
"Sorry, but the Timeflow Engine's kind of classified in our unit," Axel said. "Can't just show it off."
Lemon shot him a questioning look but quickly masked it. Gilliam nodded. "Fair enough. Dr. Browning, I'll come back tomorrow about that matter."
"No problem," Lemon replied.
As Gilliam left, Lemon's gaze turned to Axel. "What was that about? The Timeflow Engine's important, sure, but it's mostly my research. Anyone could find the published reports if they looked."
"I don't know," Axel said, improvising. "Something about that Helios guy feels… off. Like he's hiding something. It just slipped out."
"Your foresight kicking in?" Lemon asked, half-teasing.
"Maybe. I can't explain it, just a gut feeling."
That seemed to satisfy her, and the probing edge in her gaze softened. Dodged that bullet, Axel thought. Time to change the subject.
"By the way, Vindel said our new base is almost ready."
"Oh?" Lemon leaned forward. "When's the move?"
"About three months. The Special Ops team doesn't have much to pack, but your tech crew's got a ton. Might want to start prepping."
"True," Lemon sighed. "I'd rather stay here at Tesla, but the lab's an issue. I'll have to head back at some point."
"I'll lend a hand with the move," Axel offered. With the W-Numbers' secrecy, he'd likely have to help anyway.
"Where's the base, anyway?" Lemon asked.
"South America. Ecuador."