Chapter Two: Coordinates of the Wing Bone

There was no room beyond it, only a patch of starless dark. A gold needle of bone floated at its center, surrounded by dust moving along invisible curves to form a miniature galaxy. "Don't touch it," Su said. He did not intend to. The needle recognized him. It passed through his glove and entered his palm. There was no wound, only an icy deluge of information: Earth's mass beneath him, the attraction of every beam in the shopping complex, even the faint tides within Su's blood. For the first time he understood that "down" was simply the result of matter voting together. He could alter the vote. The dark collapsed. The corridor returned to normal. Lin dropped to his knees. Blood fell from his nose and stopped ten centimeters above the floor.