Limitless

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Chapter 34 - Harmony

I learned at my university that the best way to travel unseen at night is by rooftop. I'm practically invisible at that height - the people on the ground keep their attention fixed on the street - and besides, up there I get the best view of where I'm headed.

Tonight I'm on my way to the Limit, where I'd gotten into the Griz fight with Justice. I need to find her now, before I have to return to Bataille Hall in the morning and go over the details of Hope's botched escape with Commanfer Jacobs. Justice is going to be my best ally for Hope's upcoming execution.

Shortly after midnight, I get dressed in all black. Black hiking boots. A black aviator jacket. Knives at my belt. I don't bring my guns. I don't want anyone to track me to outside the Limit.

I make my way to the top of my high-rise, until I'm standing alone on the roof with the wind whistling around me. I can feel the moisture in the air. A few terraces still have animals gazing t this time. The sight of them makes me wonder whether I've been living over an underground meat factory all this time. From here I can see all of downtown, and even a few building on the over side of the Limit. The lights of the Limit stretch across on every side. A meter-thick wall that blocks out the people from going in or out. Similar to the Berlin Wall, I think.

I use an air rope launcher to connect a thin cable between two buildings. Then I glide silently from high-rise to high-rise till I'm close to the Limit. Here's the tricky part. I have two options: I can use my card to go out, but it will be really easy to track me down. Or I could try to break in, but if they catch me, then I'll be fired, or even worse, killed.

Finally, I decide that the legal way should be better and it'll be too late by the time they realise I went out.

I glide down and walk casually to the Limit, or at least, as casually as a fifteen year old walking alone to the Limit at midnight can seem. One soldier comes and stops me. 'Stop there, young lady,' he shouts.

'I'm a SPM officer,' I say as I flick out my ID card. He looks at it and beckons me to follow him. He brings me to the gate near the scanner. I point the card and it flashes green.

'Pretty young, aren't ya?' He asks.

'Yeah. I got promoted early.'

'Lucky for you, miss. I didn't get a job till I was twenty-three. What makes you want to go outside the Limit? It's a nasty place out there.'

I smile at him. 'Oh, that's sad.' My mind processes and tries to find a good excuse. 'I... It's classified, sir. I'm sorry, but Commander gave me strict instructions not to tell anyone about it. Unless you want to talk to her, that is.'

He hesitates. 'Oh. I understand, miss. That's fine. You carry on.' I nod and give him a quick smile before walking to the sensor. It quickly scans me for any weapons, but the officer doesn't mind the knives tucked in my belt. The gates open and I step out.

I immediately go to the rooftop again. Better to stay hidden even here. But here the going gets a bit trickier. The buildings aren't as tall, and the roofs are crumbling, some even threatening to collapse if too much force hits them. I choose targets carefully. A few times, I'm forced to aim my launcher lower than I am, and then shimmy my way up once I reach the other side. By the time I reach the centre of the city, sweat soaks my neck and back.

The lakes edge sits just a few blocks away. When I take a good look at the streets, I see that red tape lines almost every house, and soldiers with gas masks and black uniforms stand at every corner of every street. Stamps mark rows and rows of walls. I see one soldier go from door to door, pretending to do another routine sweep. I have a hunch that they're doling out plague vaccines right now, just as Raiden said, and in a few more weeks the plagues would have 'magically' disappeared. I make a point to not look anywhere close to where Hope's house is - or perhaps, was. As if his mother's body might still be lying there on the street.