It and Mangle went to the meetings every Friday, got asked questions, gave mini-speeches, and just advocated until it became routine to be the center of attention at the meetings. One day, a young-looking student walked in with a nametag that read Cameron. “Excuse me, I’m here to see Dr. Mangle and It? Are they here anywhere?”
Mangle stood up. “I’m Dr. Mangle, can I help you Mx...Cameron?”
Cameron nodded. “Um, yeah, actually, I was wondering if I could borrow you and It. Y’see, I’m part of the branch up in New York, and I was hoping you’d be willing to speak up there for a day or two? I’ll cover travel; it took a while but I raised enough money from my branch to pay for the transit.”
Mangle was shocked. “Oh! Um, yeah, yeah, It’s always looking forward to sharing her story, we can head up there for a few days.”
Cameron grinned. “Fantastic! Let me know when you can come up and I’ll arrange for Underground tickets.”
Mangle looked down at It. “Give us an hour or so to pack, and we can head out whenever after that.”
Cameron thought. “You could head back up there with me at 5...you’re welcome to stay at my place, as well.”
It grinned. “That sounds fantastic to me.”
Cameron smiled. “Yeah? Thanks.”
It and Mangle talked with Cameron for a bit. They lead the group in Queens, at their place because no one would rent to them. It frowned at this but said nothing. Mangle thought it was probably best she stayed quiet. They all left at the same time, Cameron joining It and Mangle on the drive to their place.
Mangle realized on the way over that It would probably need a suitcase at some point in time. Fortunately, Mangle had at least 2 backpacks stashed around the house from their college days. They pulled both out, put It’s clothes in one and their own in the other. Mangle could hear It entertaining Cameron in the kitchen. Mangle packed toothbrushes, toothpaste, washcloths, towels, soap, and a roll of toilet paper and deemed themself prepared enough to leave. They walked into the kitchen and It turned, positively shaking in excitement. “Did you know that New York City is divided into 5 sections? And they’re all huge!” she exclaimed. “Cameron’s been telling me all about it!”
Mangle gave a small smile of thanks to Cameron. They shrugged it off. All of them got in the car, Mangle strapped It in on her booster seat, and they were off to the underground station out by the beach. Cameron explained the system to It. “So, way back when, around the time our grandparents were kids, there were these things called subways and metros, and they’d basically be the start of the Underground. Except the Underground doesn’t cover just one city or one small area, the government set it up so you could get anywhere in America’s mainland from the Underground stations.”
It’s eyes widened. “Anywhere?”
Cameron nodded. “That’s how I got here. I took the Underground then got on a bus to find you and your dad.”
It looked at Cameron in awe. “That’s amazing!”
Cameron laughed. “That’s not the coolest thing, kid. You’re gonna like it outside the labs. Ever walked around a big city?”
It shook her head.
“There’s hundreds of people! Maybe thousands! All going their own way, to their jobs, to friends, to lunch, to sightsee! It’s amazing the hustle-and-bustle that starts up because of one attraction or two and a port town.”
It nodded, clearly not understanding. Mangle looked in the rearview mirror. “You might get a little overwhelmed up in New York, sweetheart, I have to warn you. There’s so much going on in such small spaces, it’s a wonder anyone can function up there.”
Cameron laughed. “It’s true!”
It frowned. “How many people, did you say?”
“Hundreds,” Cameron repeated.
It thought about it. “Even 100 is a pretty big number...hundreds has to be huge. No wonder New York is so big! It has to fit a lot of people!”
Cameron paused. “That’s one explanation, kid.”
Mangle stopped the car at the Underground station. They all got out, Cameron paid for all three tickets, and they got on the northbound train heading to New York. It bounced on her seat a little. Mangle stopped her and strapped her into her seat before she could run off. A stewardess walked down the aisle. “Welcome, everyone, to the Underground. Please buckle up, we will be running shortly. Exits are on the right and left of the train. In the case of an emergency, please follow further instructions, and as always, please be courteous to your fellow passengers.” She leveled her eyes at It, before moving on. “Have a nice run!” she chirped.
It looked over to Mangle. “Why did she look at me when she said to be considerate to passengers?”
“Usually kids are noisy on the Underground. It takes a while to get from place to place, though it’s faster than bus or car. It’s about as fast as a plane ride, so we should be there before 7. But if something happens on the track...well, all bets are off.”
It frowned. “What could happen?”
Mangle licked their lips nervously. “Well, it could be anything from another car crashing and we have to evacuate to the nearest station until it’s cleaned up, or we could be the ones in the crash, and we potentially get hurt.”
It nodded. “Thanks for being honest.”
Mangle smiled. “If it helps, the technology has been expertly refined, and crashes are rare.”
It nodded. “Yeah. So...how do these work?”
The train pulled back a little, and then shot forward.
“It runs over a magnetic strip that allows it to hover in the air and propels it forward. Zero friction, and reliable energy,” Cameron said.
It nodded. “So...how long will it take to get to New York if all goes right?”
“Less than an hour,” Mangle said.
It’s eyes widened. “That’s all?! I thought it was like...really far away!”
“It is. We just move really fast.”
It looked at the train with a new sense of awe. “This is amazing,” she whispered.
Mangle laughed. “It is, isn’t it?”
The stewardess walked by them. “Ah, Mux...can I interest your daughter in a tour of the train?”
Mangle looked at It. “What do you think, sweetheart? Want a tour?”
It looked up excitedly at the stewardess. “Yes, please, I promise to try and be quiet for the other people, too!”
The stewardess smiled. “All right then, sweetheart. Just unbuckle yourself and we’ll be on our way.”
It did so, and Mangle followed suit. “I’ll come with you, if it’s all right. She can be excitable, sometimes it’s hard to keep on track.”
The stewardess smiled. “Of course, Mux.”
They all walked toward the back of the train. “Back here is the kitchen,” the stewardess explained. “If any of our passengers get hungry, or have medical reasons that they need to eat, they can come back here and make whatever they want. The toilets are behind the kitchen, honey, so if you need to go, you can.”
It nodded. The stewardess walked through the middle of the car. “You know about the actual cabin, of course. If there’s an emergency, when we take off, and when we land, everyone except the driver and their assistant must be here so everyone can be present and accounted for.
“And then, in front of the cabin, we of course have the drivers,” she said, letting them into the cockpit. The driver was focused on some readouts, but his assistant smiled at It. She smiled back. “This is where everything happens, this is why we move when we do, and this is the reason that the Underground works so smoothly. All our drivers have to go to a special school, and drive for a certain amount of time with a more experienced driver watching them before they go out on their own, with their own assistant.”
It took a closer look at the readouts. “That’s a lot of data,” she noted.
The driver turned to her and smiled. “It sure is, kid. And I get to watch all of it to make sure we’re going where we’re supposed to be going. Speed, distance, direction, GPS...all of it’s here at my fingertips.”
It looked impressed. “You must have a lot of focus to do this for a job.”
The driver laughed. “Not really. It’ll alert me if something is going on in the tunnel or in the train, so I can relax when I need to. Do you want to drive for a bit?”
It’s eyes widened. “May I?”
The driver laughed and picked it up. “You see that flat, metal circle?”
It nodded.
“Press it.”
It did, and gasped. It hummed under her fingers. She kept her hand extra still, and noticed the train didn’t waver at all. She grinned. “Dad! I’m driving the train!”
Mangle chuckled. “Yup, you’re doing great, It! You’re fantastic!”
It grinned. The driver removed her hand. “Did you know, you get a badge for driving a train like this?”
It shook her head. “I do?”
The driver nodded and hand her a little plastic train pin, exactly like the one they were in. Flat bottomed, and shaped like an egg on its side. The driver pinned it to her shirt. It beamed. “Dad! Look!”
Mangle smiled at the pure joy their daughter had on her face. “That’s amazing, It! Way to go!”
She laughed and gave the assistant a high five. The stewardess led them out and back to their seats. It started explaining everything animatedly but quietly to Cameron, who listened with genuine fascination, interested in how everything happened and how the staff treated It. She was so excited, it was little surprise than soon she was drowsily resting her head against Mangle’s shoulder. They rubbed her back. She took a quick doze on Mangle’s arm for 20 minutes, and when she woke up they were 10 or so minutes away from their stop. It and Mangle were talking with Cameron about good places to visit while they were in New York for the rest of the ride. “Well, I’d obviously recommend Central Park, they have an excellent zoo, and don’t worry It, the animals are treated fine and are perfectly happy where they are. The Empire State building is good to see, so long as you promise not to fly off the edge. They don’t like that very much. And then there’s Grand Central Station and Times Square, timeless attractions.”
Mangle nodded. “All sound like good options. What do you think, It?”
“I want to see animals in person I can’t in Bethany,” she said. “And it’d be cool to see the Empire State building, if they don’t want you flying around it it’s got to be important. I’m...just glad to be out of the labs, really. Still. I don’t want to see specific things, necessarily, even though I want to see the world. I just...want to experience what life is like, I guess.”
“Coney Island!” Cameron exclaimed. “Gotta see Coney Island if you’re a kid. Best. Amusement park. Ever.”
It blinked, confused. “Amusement park?”
Cameron nodded, eyes lit up. “It has a bunch of rides you can go on, like roller coasters and a Ferris wheel and giant swings! You can eat cotton candy until you barf, it’s awesome. I loved it as a kid.”
It sat back, considering. Then, “I’d like to see that, too, Dad.”
Mangle nodded. “So we have the Empire State building, Central Park, more specifically the zoo, Grand Central Station, Times Square, Coney Island, and if it’s okay with you, I want to see the Statue of Liberty,” they ticked off on their fingers. “That’ll take us at least 2 days, I bet.”
Cameron waved Mangle’s concern away. “Stay as long as you want. If it means loving what New York has to offer, I’m all for it.”
It grinned. “Thank you!”
Cameron smiled. “Any time, kid. Any time.”
ns 15.158.61.42da2
