Fractality: Episode 2 (raw)

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Fractality: Episode 2 (raw)
Source: collected/044-fractality-episode-2-raw.mp3
SHA-256: c248c95a7ae3ca870c0a53135701113d274f592d0ceee0bfbe0ccb4bd0b71717
Model: scribe_v2 | Transcribed: 2026-10-10T18:18:39.532006+00:00
Machine transcript — uncorrected. Speaker labels are local to this recording and do not identify people.

[00:00:00.660] Speaker 1: Chapter three: Munn. Phase watched Ambrosia put away the shard run equipment. She hadn't said anything to him in a few minutes. Once everything except her laptop was put away, she took a long look at the white crystal he'd pulled from the Fractality. She met his eyes, and he looked away. "Sorry, Amber." "You almost died." "I'm sorry." She pursed her lips and looked back at the crystal. "Looks like a ping shard to me. Can't be sure until someone can appraise it, though. It's small. Small

[00:00:35.680] Speaker 1: is good though, right, for those? [sighs] I can sell it." Phase stood up, unable to sit still. This was it. This was the big payoff. Okay, maybe not the big payoff. He'd almost died trying to get the big one, but there was always next time. "How much?" "Hmm, market is right for these. People are more paranoid than ever. Maybe 3 or 4,000." "Dollars?"

[00:01:10.220] Speaker 1: Ambrosia nodded. That, that was an absolutely insane amount of money. A staggering, unbelievable amount of money. He knew that shards were worth something, but hearing the numbers out loud changed everything. Phase had been on shard runs with his sister and her crew. He'd even gone on a few runs for guild tryouts. That had been a huge mistake, a great way to do all the work and get none of the rewards, a great way to make somebody else rich. Why would he do that when he could just do it himself? On

[00:01:45.220] Speaker 1: all the runs he'd joined, none of them had ever let him keep the shard. He'd never even gotten a cut of the money. "4,000." Amber crossed her arms. "Yeah. It's worth slightly more than my comm shard you threw away." He felt a twist in his stomach. It was hardly a victory then. Phase kicked the wall. One step forward, two steps back. Wasn't that always the way? Wasn't that how things always went for him? He fished the remaining comm shard out of his pocket

[00:02:20.840] Speaker 1: and handed it back to her, along with the borrowed earpiece and body cam. "I want you to take the money, Amber, all of it." She looked at him skeptically, but slipped the new shard into a lead tube and pocketed it anyway. Phase looked away, out the holes where the windows used to be. "I broke my promise to you. I saw the marks on the walls, and I went in anyway." Ambrosia gave him a side hug. "Bring a real crew next time. This sloppy stuff seemed fun, but I think there's no such thing as quick, safe money. 20% of

[00:02:55.860] Speaker 1: something is better than 100% dead." He turned to look at her. He hadn't noticed the redness around her eyes before, the faint spots of wetness on her T-shirt collar. She was smiling now, but her stare was intent. "Don't make me watch my friends die again." Phase and Ambrosia split up after they hitched a ride back to the outskirts. Most splitters, techs, and other people who lived outside the Collective's rule lived in the outskirts around the mega city. It didn't have a name. It was just the mega city. The outskirts didn't have a name. They

[00:03:30.800] Speaker 1: were just the outskirts. Technically speaking, he lived in light residential block 43F. The Collective influence was weaker out here, mostly because there was nothing worth influencing. The only blocks with real police oversight were the agricultural blocks. Phase looked up at the overcast sky. The sun was a shimmering yellow circle behind a gray wall. Seemed like every day was gray. It was a rare treat to see a blue sky anymore. Even Wurster smiled on days like that, probably.

[00:04:06.420] Speaker 1: As he neared the group of identical tan buildings where he lived, he stood up straight and walked fast, like he had somewhere to go. He tried to look both bored and irritated, like an overseer had sent him on an errand. A man sat at the opening to the chain link fence. It wouldn't have been hard to circle around back and hop the fence to get home, but what if somebody saw him? It was best not to look suspicious at all. Why should he look suspicious? He was sent home early by an overseer because they didn't need him. He had no reason to jump the fence. "Hold on, Teddy." Phase rolled his eyes. No

[00:04:41.400] Speaker 1: one called him by his splitter name here. That was the whole point of a splitter name. It was only for splitters and the people in their crews, an alias. It was the name you chose, not the name you were given. It actually meant something. "What?" Rhett got off the wooden stool he was sitting on. Phase glanced at the club leaning against the fence. "Don't 'what' me. Where were you?" "Working, until I wasn't." "Hmm." Rhett would understand this. A lot of people were coming home without finishing their

[00:05:16.460] Speaker 1: jobs these days. If you didn't finish a job, you didn't get paid. Didn't matter that the overseers overhired for the work. There was actually an incentive to overhire, a little anyway. Better to bring 12 if you needed eight than fire the people who weren't working hard enough. Phase tried to make his face tell that story. "It's 'cause you're lazy." "It's because it's boring." He'd worked hard to cultivate a reputation for being lazy. It explained why he didn't work as much as everyone else. It explained why he was skinny instead of fat. It

[00:05:51.360] Speaker 1: didn't explain the lean, sinewy muscles or why he disappeared so often. Rhett nodded for Phase to go through. "You'll be taking the offering if you keep this up." "Hmm. Better than hauling trash." Faize cursed himself as soon as he said it for adding more details to his lie. Rhett looked back to watch the street. "Don't think that's true." Faize caught the note of sadness in the man's words. They sounded pained, like the pain of experience.

[00:06:27.712] Speaker 1: As he walked away, he reminded himself not to look down on the muns who did the collective's dirty work. They were just people. They didn't deserve this treatment any more than he did. Even people like Rhett. He kept up his pissed off act all the way to the building, but his mind chewed on deeper thoughts. Even the collective was under somebody else's thumb. Difference was, they chose to be there. Muns like him, they didn't get a choice. After he showered off, Faize went to the bottom floor. His stomach

[00:07:02.352] Speaker 1: demanded more than protein ration bars. Fortunately, the cafeteria was still open. Just before he pushed open the double doors, a hand with iron grip grabbed his shoulder. The fingers dug painfully into a pressure point he didn't even know he had. Worster, his building's keeper, spun him around. "Theodore?" She didn't say anything else. She didn't have to. He was certain the old woman could smell trouble, and he was certain he reeked of it. "You missed work sign-ups

[00:07:37.252] Speaker 1: today." Faize shrugged like it was no big deal. That much, at least, wasn't an act. "You have money?" "Enough for a few days. Figure I'll take some time off." Worster stared a hole through him, as if trying to determine where the money had come from. She looked like she had a jaw carved from stone. Graying hair jutted out of a bun on the top of her head. She wasn't ugly, but she was intimidating. If that teacher lifted weights and

[00:08:12.272] Speaker 1: chewed gravel... "Your crimes are my crimes, Theodore." She slammed her right hook of a hand onto the stairwell banister. In retrospect, it had been a mercy that she'd grabbed him with her real hand. "Just getting some food, ma'am." Knowing she had nothing concrete on him, the keeper released him. She didn't say anything else, but she watched him go, like an ant under a magnifying glass. There wasn't a line at this time of day.

[00:08:47.212] Speaker 1: Most of the residents would be out working, as it was still too early for dinner. That left people like him, people who had nothing better to do. Faize smeared on his most charming smile. "Double helping, please." The only mun still serving food walked up and gave him an irritated look. Why? It's not like he was doing anything. Faize thought the man's name was Terrence? Terrence slapped a scoop of green paste against his metal tray. "Don't give him that." A woman came in from the

[00:09:21.892] Speaker 1: kitchen and walked up to the serving counter. Terrence looked back at her, the look of irritation immediately masked. He gave Faize an attitude, but he wouldn't try it on an overseer. Not if it ruined his chances at kitchen work. Muns craved work like that. Safe, indoors, stable. It was pathetic. The large woman strolled up to Terrence and pulled the ladle right out of his hands, as if he were unfit to wield it. "I got something fresh for you, baby. Hold on." A minute later, she came back with a different color

[00:09:56.512] Speaker 1: paste and gingerly spooned it onto a new tray. "You said double helping?" "Triple, please." Faize eyed the three scoops of brown mush on his tray. "Lentils and celery puree. Don't worry. I know the color's not the best." "Only the taste matters, ma'am." The overseer shoved his previous tray into Terrence's hands and walked off. "Thank you." Terrence sneered openly now that she was gone, and Faize just walked off. Anything he said would only make it worse, and he,

[00:10:32.232] Speaker 1: he couldn't afford to have enemy. Enemies got you noticed. When he neared the register, Faize noticed that an older man had been watching them. The man watched Terrence scrape the green paste into the trash, visibly dismayed. Then he grabbed a box of ration bars and brought them to the register. They had worse than no flavor, but they were as cheap as calories came. He knew him, but not his first name. The father of the Juarez twins. His kids were just a few years younger than Faize himself.

[00:11:06.472] Speaker 1: "That'll be eighty-four." "I, uh, I don't..." "Eighty-four." "[coughs] I'll, uh, I'll take the offering." "Pardon?" "I said I'll take the offering." The register worker started punching in numbers, then looked up at Juarez, pausing before pressing the last key, waiting as if he would change his mind. Faize had seen this man taking the collective's offering a few times over the past month.

[00:11:41.032] Speaker 1: Always him. He never saw his wife or children do it, who were old enough to go into debt on their own now. The man's left arm was in a sling, and Faize put it all together. "Hold on. I'll cover it." Could he cover it, though? He pulled out the wad of bills from his back pocket. Ninety-two dollars. "Here." Fay's walked over and shoved the wad of bills into the man's hand before he could turn it down. Juarez just stood there, dumbfounded, and Fay's took one last

[00:12:16.144] Speaker 1: longing look at his tray of food. His stomach knotted itself further, clearly expressing how it felt about this course of action. Should have just pulled that first shard, Fay's. Easy money. Thank you. Fay's nodded at the man and pushed open the double doors. Doing a good thing didn't stop him from feeling empty. He put his foot on the first stair back to his room, then stopped. His stomach still rebelled, but it wouldn't find relief anytime soon. He had basically no money to

[00:12:51.204] Speaker 1: his name. Belatedly, he realized he should have kept the change for himself. He could have gotten half a serving of food with that. But how would those bites taste, knowing they had come from somebody else's meal? Fay's looked over at the keeper's door. It was slightly ajar, almost inviting. Inviting as a spider's web. He walked over and pushed open the door. Somehow, Worster was already staring at him. He hadn't even seen her move. Was she just waiting there like that? Locking eyes on the spot where someone might enter?

[00:13:26.464] Speaker 1: It had the intended effect. He did not want to cross this woman. Theodore, how can you serve? He noticed that she hadn't said, how can I serve you? I lied. I don't actually have enough money. It hurt showing weakness to the keeper. Admitting failure to himself? The fullness of his failure hadn't actually hit him until just then. Instead of walking tall with fifteen hundred in his pocket, he had nothing. Less than he did yesterday.

[00:14:02.384] Speaker 1: And what did he have to show for it instead? He was nearly cut to pieces, eaten alive. Fay's shoved away that image of the slicer opening up its body to eviscerate him. He'd never seen one so close. None of the other runs had even encountered them up close. Once, on one of his sister's runs, they'd seen a Tesserati glyph, the equivalent of an interdimensional keep out sign. And they had left the Fractality immediately after finding it. No, only he was so stupid, so arrogant

[00:14:37.324] Speaker 1: that he pushed the limits on his first shard run. Would Ambrosia even run tech for him again? She might, if you'd brought Spineless with you. Fay's batted down the thought. He didn't need a second keeper. Worster took a piece of paper off the top of a stack on her desk and handed it to him without breaking eye contact. He took it, realizing that she had probably known he was coming. And his heart sank just a little deeper into depression. Looks like he was living up to everyone's expectations except his own. She pointed at the paper in his

[00:15:12.144] Speaker 1: hands. It's sanitation work. Two spots left. Location pay and everything else you need to know is right there. He skimmed for the line with the pay. It read, three dollars per hour, twenty-five dollar bonus for final sewage flow rates above eighteen hundred liters per second. The sewers were clogged. They were always clogged because they were poorly built. Fay's closed his eyes. He had literally gone from professional shard runner to professional laxative in just a few hours. Worster

[00:15:47.164] Speaker 1: hadn't even asked if he wanted the job. She didn't need to. He belonged in the sewers. He belonged with the trash trucks. He belonged with the muns. Because he was one. Chapter four, Spineless. Fay's met up with the other muns from his apartment block on the same sewer detail. They were all waiting outside for the truck that would take them to the portion of the sewers they'd spend the next three weeks working in. Mega city sewers. Not the relatively clean, relatively unclogged sewers out here in the

[00:16:21.784] Speaker 1: outskirts. Seven other people stood around the pickup zone. Hands in pockets. Muted small talk. Fay's recognized two of them immediately. The first was Ricky Tate. Ricky stood up and wrapped Fay's in a huge hug, slapping his hands so hard on his back that it stung. What's up, buddy? You get fired too? He wasn't friends with Ricky. But Ricky was friends with everyone. The man was so annoyingly happy all the time that it was impossible to dislike him. He had shockingly bright red

[00:16:56.724] Speaker 1: hair and an offensive amount of freckles. Ricky had the kind of stocky, muscled frame that enforcers recruited for, despite the restricted rations that muns endured. Fay's had to be careful not to embellish on any more lies talking to Ricky. It was best that everyone forget where he was yesterday. Yeah, something like that. I feel you, dude. Ricky went for a fake punch to Fay's gut, for no reason that Fay's could discern. He pulled the punch at the last second and laughed, pulling him into another big hug.

[00:17:31.564] Speaker 1: Fay's eventually wriggled out of it, slightly embarrassed at how much effort it took. Once he was free, he looked over Ricky's shoulder at the second person he knew. Someone he wasn't supposed to know. Hannah Taraby. Spineless. She caught his stare and flashed a mischievous smile, rising up into the air with a little bounce on her toes. She spun away on dancer's legs and gushed to the mun standing next to her about something, covering that knowing smile by pretending that something funny had just occurred to her. The mun

[00:18:06.324] Speaker 1: nodded and smiled profusely at whatever she was saying. They spoke like old friends, even though Fay's was certain they'd never met before just now. Ricky faked another jab at his shoulder, except this one connected. Hard. Phase stumbled backwards. Ricky must have expected him to flinch, or simply thought it would be funny either way. Phase rubbed his shoulder. Come on. I see what you're looking at. Think I got a shot? We're literally living in the sewers for three weeks. So?

[00:18:41.380] Speaker 1: I'm hot stuff, Ted. Girls want me wherever they can get me. Phase was certain they wouldn't want him in the sewers. Based on how people usually reacted to Ricky, they didn't seem to want him anywhere. You wouldn't say that out loud, though. Being mean to Ricky just felt like being mean to a puppy. It wasn't his fault he was excited when everyone else just wanted to keep their heads down. Good luck with that one, man. Don't need it. Just wait till you see my moves. I've been practicing. On who? Your sister? Something dark flashed across

[00:19:16.080] Speaker 1: Ricky's face. Phase worried he'd actually made the man angry. Ah! You should see the look on your face. Look at this guy's face. Hey! Look at this guy's face! Ricky continued shouting, showing off Phase to the other muns, who either stared in confusion at Ricky or turned away with deliberate disinterest. Phase wasn't the only one who didn't know how to handle him. You couldn't, really. It was best just to ride it out. Thankfully, the truck pulled up then. Muns started piling into the back, except Ricky,

[00:19:51.340] Speaker 1: who climbed into the front passenger seat without invitation. Phase looked into the cab. The overseer wasn't driving, so they must already be at the job site. The really good overseers rode with their people, got to know them. Apparently, they would have the other kind. No wonder there were spots open for this job. It was a few hours to the job site. Phase mostly kept to himself during the long truck ride. He made small talk, asking about people's families, where they lived, why they were on sanitation work.

[00:20:26.640] Speaker 1: It was an easy subject. Muns loved to complain about work. He could bond with anyone over that. His distaste was genuine, after all. He tried not to look at the girl with the sandy brown hair, the one who seemed to float about rather than walk on the ground like the rest of them. She must have talked to everyone in the work detail by now. Instead, he watched the sky, looking for pinholes of blue behind all that gray. A lone blackbird circled in the sky above, searching. He wondered what it felt like to be so

[00:21:01.360] Speaker 1: high above it all. I don't think we've met. I'm Hannah. Phase looked for the sound of the voice. Spineless sat on the wooden bench next to him, eyes dancing with playfulness. Hi, Hannah. I'm Bruce? Bruce, huh? Yeah, uh, Bruce Ironblock. Well, nice to meet you, Bruce Ironblock. Such a strong, masculine name. Yeah, well, sometimes a name

[00:21:36.380] Speaker 1: just fits. Oh, I agree. Especially the names we choose. They tell others who we are, remind ourselves who we want to be. Yeah? And what does your name say about you, Hannah? Her smile faded and was replaced with steel. It looked right at home on her face somehow. Her other side. That you can't hurt me. No one can. The social butterfly act hadn't really been an act, and neither

[00:22:11.220] Speaker 1: was this. What does your name say about you, Bruce? You guessed already. It's a tough, strong name. No, not that name. What does it say? What does it really say? Phase paused, trying to read her face. It was all seriousness, a real question behind the false one. I just thought it sounded cool. Hmm. Because it sounds like a tribute to me. Phase turned away and pursed his lips,

[00:22:46.640] Speaker 1: an unexpected little dagger of pain in his chest. Had it been a tribute? Phase. At the time, it really had just sounded cool. He could change it, like Spineless had. Maybe. Phase looked up at the sky again, searching for the bird. It was gone, though. Maybe it had found whatever it was searching for. He hoped so. When he looked back, Spineless had moved on to talk to another woman. She was pointing at something down the road, gesturing excitedly with her hands as she spoke. The other woman smiled and

[00:23:21.680] Speaker 1: nodded eagerly. The overseer marched up and down between the assembled muns and the long concrete incline leading into the sewers. All right, listen up. We're already six days behind. Half the last crew quit by the second day. That means you work hard enough to make up for the work they didn't do. Forty-something people had signed up for this work detail. He'd never seen a group this large for sanitation work, which cast some doubt on the overseer's story that half of the last crew

[00:23:56.600] Speaker 1: had simply quit. You want a bonus? I want a bonus. The collective wants clear water works. His red overseer sash stretched to fit over his spotless white uniform. It seemed impossible to keep something like that clean in his line of work. Impossible only if he ever actually set foot in the sewers, that is. In a few moments, you'll be divided into groups. Your group will receive a single map of the clog sites. Do not lose it. If you see workers from other teams or homeless down there, you are to report their presence

[00:24:30.856] Speaker 1: immediately on the authority of Overseer Elm. Do not assume that anyone outside this workforce has permission to enter the waterworks. You are authorized to use non-lethal force against anyone who will not accompany you to a guard post. Wait, what? Did he really expect them to forcibly remove the homeless? That wasn't the kind of work he'd signed up for. It was bad enough that people had to live in the sewers. There was no way he was gonna kick them out. I've nominated a foreman for the duration of the project. She will liaise

[00:25:05.816] Speaker 1: with me directly to arrange sleeping quarters, distribute rations, and settle any disputes among you. Overseer Elm let a chubby arm rest on the girl's shoulder. Spineless smiled brightly, as if she didn't mind at all. Faize resisted the urge to topple the man and watch him roll down the slope. I look forward to working with you all. They split into groups and introduced themselves. Ricky traded places with someone to join Faize's group. That wasn't actually allowed as far as Faize knew. The six of them walked down the slope toward their dark, slimy,

[00:25:40.776] Speaker 1: filthy home. A seventh person jogged to join them. I'll be with you today, Group Three. First, I'll show you to your sleeping area, and then we'll walk to your area of the sewers. Spineless sounded as enthusiastic as ever. Ricky waggled his eyebrows at Faize. It was only then that Faize realized the depth of her plans. It wasn't an accident that she was here, and she'd talked up everyone on the work detail on purpose. She'd intended to be nominated as foreman so that she could move about with impunity,

[00:26:15.936] Speaker 1: so that she could get close to Faize. The only question now was why. He glanced at her, and she returned a friendly smile. He had a sinking feeling he wouldn't like the answer. I'm trying to get it. Your fat head's blocking my view. Faize and Ricky were about a hundred feet down a pipe lit only by the flashlights on their heads. You have to pull at the same time. I am. Just try again. One. Two. They each pulled on the handles of

[00:26:50.916] Speaker 1: their iron clog rods. The other end of the rods had four hooks like fireplace pokers, which were buried in trash, slime, and worse. Fatbergs, they were called. A slew of solidified human waste, cooking oil, and other unidentifiable rotting bits. These fatbergs clogged up the sewers and had to be unclogged. Otherwise, the human waste dumping into the pipes would eventually pile up. Sometimes, the waste would pile up high enough to generate enough pressure to unclog the pipes all on its own, but usually enough people

[00:27:25.816] Speaker 1: complained about the smell long before that happened. Three. A wave of warm biological sludge surged past their knees. As the water rose, Faize was pulled away into the rotten torrent. He fumbled for purchase but fell below the black water. He was pulled away, and he slipped trying to get up. He slipped again, and panic seized him. He took in a mouthful of putrid water and gagged, breathing in more through his nose. Help. He wanted to scream for help. He couldn't see, couldn't breathe. He'd get swept into a smaller tunnel like the ones he'd

[00:28:00.556] Speaker 1: seen, just wide enough to get sucked through, pulled deeper into inescapable darkness as he choked on human waste. Just another dead mon in the sewers. Someone grabbed him under the arms and pulled him to the side of the flow. Ricky held Faize tenderly against the wall while Faize coughed out as much of the filth as he could. Easy. Easy. I got you, buddy. I got you. Just take it easy. Faize wiped the slime from his face, enough to see and breathe again.

[00:28:35.356] Speaker 1: Thanks. Of course. Faize nodded back his thanks and steadied himself on shaking legs as the adrenaline subsided. Ricky stood up and waved for him to follow him back down the unclogged pipe. Come on, that's enough swimming. I'm gonna show the foreman those moves I was telling you about. Faize followed and thought about telling Ricky that he was covered in literal crap. He thought about telling him that being covered in crap still didn't affect his chances because his chances were zero.

[00:29:10.976] Speaker 1: But he didn't have the heart because maybe he might have misread Ricky Tate. Maybe they all had. Faize dunked his head under the fresh water spout at the semi-permanent camp set up underground. It was far enough away from the wastewater not to overwhelm them with the smell, but it was still incredibly unpleasant. The smell would fade from consciousness after a few days, he knew. Of course, the people back home would remind him for a few days after he returned that the smell had in fact not gone away. He had just become one with it. Once he was as clean as he could get

[00:29:45.836] Speaker 1: by washing off in the sewer, he looked around for the rest of his group. They were trickling back in from their own clog work. So far, only he, Ricky, and one other person had returned. Then he heard someone laughing with genuine joy nearby. Spineless walked into the camp with the remainder of Group 3. Ricky grinned and gave him the thumbs up. Oh no. Faize watched Ricky stroll up to the group. It seemed to happen in slow motion. Ricky pretended at first to be searching frantically for something in his

[00:30:20.596] Speaker 1: pockets, growing alarmed. Oh, don't buy it. Don't buy it. Spineless asked him what was wrong, and Ricky flashed her his most charming grin. She looked back at him in confusion. Oh, don't mind me. I just thought I'd lost my heart. But now that I see you, I know it's been stolen. Fay's put his hands over his face. He delivered the line with the kind of confidence that only somebody who actually thought it was cool could. Spineless let out a tinkling little laugh like a shard come to life. Then she hugged him. It

[00:30:55.368] Speaker 1: couldn't be real. This couldn't be real. They walked back together. You know this guy? I do know him. He's the life of the party. Ricky, right? Would you make us all some food? There's rations in the crate, and I think we deserve some real food. Technically, it's not until for tonight, but I don't see an overseer. Do you? Ricky shook his head and ran off to fetch some food for everyone, looking like he'd received a kiss from a princess,

[00:31:30.548] Speaker 1: even though he'd essentially been politely turned down and sent off to do chores. She had that effect on people. After that, the others were all serendipitously sent off on chores of their own around the camp. Each of them seemed pleased to receive the errands. That left only the two of them. Spineless sat down on a box and crossed her legs, letting an eyebrow rise slowly, begging forth his inevitable question. Her face and outfit were remarkably clean, the grime somehow contained only to her boots and the bottom of

[00:32:05.548] Speaker 1: her pants. She would not have fallen like he had. Why are you here? She folded her hands and looked him straight in the eye, a light smile on her lips. Because I keep my promises. Fay's watched her, waiting to see if she'd say more. This person was a relic from his past. Sitting here with her made him feel like a child, even though she wasn't more than five years older than him. I can take care of myself. She nodded slowly. Ambrosia told me what happened. We sold your shard, by the way.

[00:32:41.288] Speaker 1: That hurt. Fay's gritted his teeth. She had even helped sell the shard. Couldn't he do anything on his own? Look, I made it out, didn't I? All pleasantness drained from her face. This time. What about next time? One of the other group three workers returned from their chores, clearly eager to sit down and chat. He glanced at their faces, then quickly found something else to do. We can't do this here. Come with me. Where? In response, she stood up and turned away towards the maze of waterworks that

[00:33:16.388] Speaker 1: ran beneath the megacity. To prove to me that you can take care of yourself. To my world. She didn't wait for him. Fay's looked down at his shaking hands, willing them to be still, then stood up and jogged after her. You didn't keep royalty waiting.