Chapter One: Tomorrow in the Wheel

She took a phase-welding pen from the cabinet. Han caught her wrist. “What are you doing?” “Sealing one branch to test the lattice response. Twelve millimeters. The coordinates will survive.” “Don’t repair it.” “You just told me to melt it.” “Now I’m telling you not to.” His fear convinced her that she had to know. Lin lowered the output, placed the pen in the thinnest outer fracture, and injected the liquid sealant. Silver points went dark one by one. She closed no more than the width of a fingernail. For one instant, the world became quiet. The pumps had not stopped. The wind had not stopped. Something beneath all sound had withdrawn, leaving a hollow in Lin’s chest—the sensation of forgetting a name just before speaking it.