The city was different this time. The neon lights were flickering, dying. People stood in the streets, gasping for breath as the smog became too thick to filter. When Zeeshaan's car roared through the gates, the High Warden's guards tried to block their path.
"Out of the way!" Zeeshaan shouted, swerving through the metal labyrinth. He pulled his father's watch from his pocket. It wasn't just a watch; it contained a master-key code his father had hidden years ago. He jammed the watch into the city's main gate terminal.
Click. The massive titanium doors to the Central Hub swung open. The guards stood back, blinded by the emerald light radiating from the back of their car. The "Echo of Steel" was about to meet the power of the earth.