Chapter Five: Beneath the Mask

During the demonstration, three hundred meters of roadway would fail. Shen would stitch the bridge whole, and the fatal impulse of everyone on it would pass through the manifold into Lin. “Can shutting it down save her?” Zhou asked. “It would return settlement to the original survivors. They're dead, so the debt would recoil through the coverage area.” “There must be a way that doesn't pass death to someone else.” After a long silence, Shen said, “The rescuer can recall every phase thread and take the load. Gu locked that protocol in the main tower.” Every sensor in the planetarium alarmed at once. Shen replaced his mask. “You were followed.” “Not us.” Zhou stared at the amplifier. “They've been watching you all along.”