Chapter Three: Ninety-Three Lives and One Drop of Metal

The tower tilted again, making the floor a slope. One researcher slid toward the fire. Zhou threw himself down, caught the man's hand, and locked his other arm around a doorframe. With the suit powerless, heat bit through the fabric. [MISSION TIME: 1:11.] “North elevator shaft!” Lin shouted. “The car is on fifty. No fire above it.” “The fall will kill us.” “No. You still have seven drones.” Zhou looked back. The exhausted machines followed unsteadily. He laughed. “You finally learned to trust things that shouldn't exist.” “Talk later. Jump.” The researchers entered the shaft. The seven drones dismantled themselves, weaving their shells and the last cable into a flexible slide. The group plunged down the shaft and landed on the elevator car.