Chapter Three: Level Zero Is Not a Floor

The trash compactor closed every forty seconds. Lin landed in wet algae waste. The incineration hatch locked above her before Zhou fell after her, paper slips scattering from his jacket. Yellow warning lights came on. Twelve meters away, two steel walls studded with crushing teeth began to converge. “Where’s the conveyor?” Lin shouted. “East side, according to the plan!” “There is no east in here!” The chamber had no windows, and motor fields sent Zhou’s compass spinning. Lin listened. A chain wheel behind the left wall turned more slowly than the others. She dug through the algae sludge and found a narrow grille jammed with refuse. Five meters remained between the walls.