The Move to New York

The train from Boston to New York hummed steadily beneath them, the rhythmic clatter of steel against rails filling the cabin as Team EVO sat in a quiet corner of the business class section. Marcus, as usual, had opted for the upgrade. Elliot leaned against the window, watching the urban landscape blur past. "I can't believe we're actually doing this."

Esterio smirked. "You were the first one to vote yes."

Marcus stretched, setting his tablet aside. "Hey, we needed a real workspace. Besides, we're not exactly broke. Those deals we made in the past? They paid off. We have enough saved to cover this move and more."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, but still... New York's expensive. Our biggest issue is going to be housing."

They had debated this before leaving. While the warehouse in Brooklyn was secured for their work, they still needed a place to sleep. Short-term rentals were overpriced, and long-term leases weren't an option given their uncertain timeline. Marcus had pulled some strings and found them a temporary rental in Queens, but it was small—barely enough space for three people and their equipment. Esterio sighed. "We'll make it work. The warehouse is our real focus. We don't need luxury, just a place to crash."

As the train slowed into Penn Station, the energy of New York enveloped them. The moment they stepped onto the platform, they were hit with the distinct pulse of the city—crowds moving with purpose, taxi horns blaring in the distance, and the distant scent of food carts lining the streets. "Welcome to New York," Marcus announced, breathing it in. "Time to get to work."

Finding their apartment was a different battle. The rental in Queens was nothing glamorous—a cramped two-bedroom unit with outdated furniture and a bathroom door that didn't fully close. The landlord, an older woman named Rosa, handed over the keys with a knowing look. "Not fancy, but it's clean. No parties, no noise after ten."

Elliot grinned. "Oh yeah, we're definitely the party type."

Marcus muttered, "Our 'party' is debugging code at 2 AM."

Esterio checked the rooms, tossing his bag onto a thin mattress. "It's fine. We won't be here much anyway." Their first night in the apartment was rough. The heat barely worked, the water pressure fluctuated, and the upstairs neighbors had a habit of stomping like elephants. But none of it mattered. They were in New York, and the real work was about to begin.

The next morning, they made their way to the warehouse. The drive through Brooklyn was a reminder of the city's vastness—old brick buildings standing beside modern high-rises, street art covering every available wall, and traffic that never seemed to move fast enough. The warehouse sat on the edge of an industrial district, nestled between a repair shop and a storage facility. When Marcus unlocked the heavy metal doors, they were met with an expansive space—concrete floors, exposed beams, and the faint smell of dust and machine oil. It was empty now, but with the right setup, it could be the perfect lab.

Elliot whistled. "This is actually better than I expected."

Esterio nodded, already envisioning the layout. "We set up our main workstations along that back wall. The fiber line should be installed tomorrow. We'll need ventilation for soldering work, and power backups in case we blow something up."

Marcus smirked. "Knowing you two, that's almost guaranteed."

They spent the next few hours planning and unloading their first batch of equipment. It would take time to fully set up, but for the first time, it felt like they were exactly where they needed to be. New York was chaotic, but it was also opportunity—here, they could build EVO into something truly groundbreaking. Elliot wiped sweat from his forehead and grinned. "Alright, we're officially in business. Now we just have to make sure EVO is ready before Hyperion's first test."

Esterio glanced around the warehouse, determination settling in. "We will. Let's get to work." The days passed in a blur of setup, testing, and troubleshooting. They worked late into the night, tweaking EVO's code and ensuring their systems were stable. The fiber internet installation went smoothly, and within days, they had the warehouse functioning as a full-fledged lab. Their workstations were arranged neatly along the walls, and a small rest area was set up with a mini-fridge and an old couch they found on Craigslist.

Despite the progress, the pressure mounted. EVO was improving, but still had inconsistencies in its decision-making. One night, while running a deep-learning simulation, the system produced unexpected outputs. Elliot frowned at the screen. "That's... not right. EVO just rejected a perfectly viable solution."

Marcus leaned over. "Is it overfitting?"

Esterio rubbed his chin. "No. It's doing something else—it's filtering beyond what we programmed it to recognize. Like it's creating its own definitions of relevance."

Marcus muttered, "That's either genius or terrifying."

Elliot sighed. "We need to tighten the logic constraints. We can't have EVO ignoring good data just because it thinks it knows better."

Esterio nodded. "Agreed. Let's patch it tonight. We can't afford these errors once Hyperion's test begins."

The work continued late into the night, and exhaustion settled over them. Around 3 AM, Marcus finally threw his hands up. "Alright. Enough. We need sleep."

Elliot groaned. "Five more minutes."

Esterio smirked. "You've been saying that for the past hour."

They reluctantly shut down their systems and crashed at the warehouse, too tired to make the trek back to their apartment. The cold, hard floor wasn't exactly comfortable, but for now, it was home. As they drifted off, the hum of their machines filled the air, EVO running silent calculations in the background. The competition was getting closer, and every passing moment felt like a step toward something bigger than themselves.

New York had welcomed them with chaos, but within that chaos, they were creating something new. They just had to make sure they were ready for what came next.

As Elliot adjusted one of the monitors, he looked at the view of the city skyline through the warehouse window. "You ever feel like we're in some kind of origin story? You know, like that one guy who swings around in a red and blue suit?"

Marcus smirked. "Yeah, but we're less 'great power and great responsibility' and more 'great processors and bad sleep schedules.'"

Esterio chuckled. "Let's just hope our story ends with success, not a reboot."