TOUCH THE FIRMAMENT

  Will sat cross-legged in a dimly lit room, his eyes closed and his breathing slow and deliberate. He felt the hum of energy within him as the psions flowed freely through his channels.

  The silver thermal suit he wore flared up in tune with his breath, and his field stabilized. Days of preparation had led him here, and it was time to take on the Cardinal.

  With one final exhale, Will opened his eyes. Across the room, Remy and Becca were prepping the gear.

  “Electronics... receiver, transmitter… check. Rangefinder…” Remy muttered under his breath, marking off each item on the list.

  Next to him, Becca sorted through the small pile of equipment and packed it away. She pulled out a chalk-white cylinder and frowned as she found more similar pieces. When she reached the last piece of the puzzle, she froze.

  "Remy, what is this?" she demanded, holding up the chalk-white, 3D-printed pieces of a rifle.

  Remy gave the dismantled gun a casual look and shrugged. “Just insurance.”

  Becca looked incredulous. “Insurance?!”

  Will, curious, took the printed part from her hands before she could protest. The material was dense and had a bit of weight to it.

  “This is a ceramic-plastic blend?” Will guessed, raising his eyebrows. “It’s going to crack and melt when it overheats. How many shots can it even fire?”

  “A few dozen before it starts to deform,” said Remy. “Better than nothing, right?”

  “This is ridiculous,” Becca snapped. “What were you even thinking?”

  “We're not going to need it—until we do. You saw what happened with the doctor.” Remy said defensively. “I’m not going anywhere without being armed.”

  Becca sighed and snatched the printed piece from Will. “Fine. But I’ll be holding onto this.”

  “What?! Why?” Remy exclaimed.

  “Because I’m the spotter,” Becca said coolly. “And besides, I’m the better shot.”

  Remy clicked his tongue but didn’t argue. He turned toward Will. “You ready?”

  Will stretched, feeling his signature stabilize within him. “Ready.”

  He glanced out the window. The Tower had entered its night cycle, and the dark streets were lit by dim street lamps. They were at the very edge of Floor 50, and he could vaguely make out the Tower’s outer wall, lit up by the surrounding high-rises.

  Will zipped up his silver thermal suit as Remy rolled the bot toward him. The two-meter-long machine clicked open, and Will climbed into the hollow interior.

  “Hope you’re not feeling claustrophobic.” Remy grinned and gave him a mock salute. Will stuck out his tongue as Remy closed the lid. It clicked shut, encasing Will in darkness.

  The sound of gears shifting echoed around him, followed by a lurch as the bot began to move. Will swayed with the motion for a few minutes, then there was a soft clang as something slotted into place.

  A crackle sounded in his earpiece. "You’re hooked onto the taxi rail line," Remy’s voice buzzed.

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  "Got it," Will acknowledged. The bot moved at a steady clip, and Will's eyes darted around the dark, listening to the monotonous hum of the motor.

  Minutes passed as Will listened. The engine’s whine changed in pitch as the bot began to slow down. Another clang sounded, and the bot jerked upwards. Will braced himself as he was forced to his feet when the bot righted itself. More clangs followed, and the bot began to climb.

  “Will?” Remy’s voice crackled through the earpiece.

  “Yeah?”

  "Things are looking good," said Remy. “I can see you climbing up the wall now.”

  “That’s great,” said Will, feeling a little queasy.

  "This is going to take a while," said Remy. "Becca and I will head to the Cardinal. In the meantime, I’ll keep this channel clear. I’ll keep you posted if anything changes."

  "Roger that," said Will.

  The bot continued its slow, rhythmic ascent, the engine’s hum rattling the onboard equipment.

  Will was itching to turn on the light and check the gear, but he held himself back. The lights and external camera would drain the batteries if he wasn’t frugal, and losing power mid-mission would be catastrophic. A little rattling was nothing to worry about.

  Exhaling slowly, he waited. The bot kept up its ascent, and minutes rolled into what felt like hours. Sweat trickled down his back as the air inside the bot reached sweltering levels. The thermal suit kicked on, barely able to regulate his body heat. The rattling worsened, and the rail ride grew bumpier as they climbed. Will glanced upward, listening to the engine whine. They must be getting close to the top.

  Will tapped his earpiece, his brow slick with sweat. “Remy?”

  His heart was beating wildly as the rattling outside continued. His finger hovered over the button for the external camera, but he hesitated.

  “Remy?” he called out again, but only static greeted him. A flicker of unease sparked within, and that was all the excuse he needed to turn on the camera.

  The lights flipped on, and the tiny monitor in front of him flared to life, displaying the view outside.

  It was breathtaking. The entire Floor sprawled out in front of him, the high-rises glimmering in the night. A labyrinth of glowing streets and twisting highways wound through the towering buildings, a few of which stretched all the way to the top of the Floor. Will angled the camera upward and followed the pillar buildings to the very roof.

  The Tower's ceiling loomed above, and the massive sky panels, currently deactivated, radiated waves of heat. Projecting the artificial sky all day had left them blisteringly hot and in constant need of repairs. Thin rail lines ran between the panels, and hundreds of bots zipped back and forth along the tracks, performing repairs and maintenance work on the panels.

  "Will?" Remy’s voice finally crackled through the static. "The connection is a little iffy. How are you holding up?"

  “I’m melting in here,” Will muttered, adjusting the temperature gauge on his suit.

  “That’s to be expected,” said Remy. “You’re nearly at the top. The rails will be transferring to the roof right about… now.”

  With a loud metallic thunk, the bot shifted again, locking onto the upper rail system. Will felt a sudden jerk as the bot reoriented itself, sending him from a standing position to lying flat on his stomach.

  The camera displayed the vertigo-inducing sky view of the city below, and his stomach flipped.

  “Oh crap!” Will cursed, going green.

  "Don’t look down," Remy warned, as if reading his mind.

  Another jolt ran through the bot as it started moving. Will gasped. The cityscape sped by as the bot picked up speed, and he was now soaring through the skyline alongside hundreds of other repair bots.

  “Will, you there?” Remy’s voice crackled through the comms. “Sit tight. We’re almost at the observation point.”

  “Alright,” said Will as he kept an eye on the camera. The other bots zipped past in a hurry, and he kept his distance from them. Instead of taking the direct route to the city center, he adopted a more winding path, avoiding the densest cluster of bots.

  Half an hour later, midway through the journey, Remy contacted him again.

  “We’re in position.”

  “Copy that,” said Will. “Any updates on Von-Bron?”

  Static filled the line as Becca answered. “Still not home.”

  “He’ll be here,” said Remy. “It’s just quarter to one. There’s still time.”

  A rapid clack of keystrokes crackled through the earpiece. “We’re right on schedule,” said Remy. “Judging by your trajectory, you’ll reach here in fifteen minutes.”

  “Got it,” Will muttered, avoiding another group of repair bots.

  The bot rattled along the ceiling rail, inching closer to the central district. High-rises passed by, and Will had to double-check his route. It was around the fifteen-minute mark that he spotted the long, skinny pillar building dominating the skyline.

  Will felt his pulse quicken as the Cardinal loomed closer.

  “Will,” Becca came through the earpiece. “I have eyes on you. The path is clear. Approach from the east side of the building.”

  "Roger that," Will muttered as he steeled himself. This was it. Letting out a breath, he headed toward the pillar building.

  “Set the clock. The real mission starts now.”

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