Neron Rising

off the main outlets. I take a lift down and down,

uilding calls it

light down here. It smells li

mell of he

ts rise and twist in every directio

like a mir

he one that leads directly

my desk, and the screens instantly come to life. My eyes scan the re

nd we send power to this entire side of the globe. Our building spans kilometers of land. It’s divided i

nd what my education was in. I’m also, largely, a mechanic. I keep everythi

ase monkey, but without me, the

I started here three solars ago,

ut I don’t really understand what it

problem with the pipes on sub-level 4, so

it’s hot as the Underworld here in this crampe

the

smack my head against one o

eam starts spilli

y head, probably smearing grea

ay, grabbing a roll of tape and patching the crack tempor

says. “Are you

t. I only meant that when a voice suddenly speaks inside your head, it has a tend

he’s a tiny figure standing right inside my skull, speak

to pry the slip sleeve loose. “Just a new bu

t he’s doing. “It’s not really day h

of?” I ask as it finally lo

him chuckle. “

onversation than this, but I’m distracted. I’ve got to get these

rk,” he

praying out from around my tape. It’s too much. If I do

ugh my bag, praying I’ve got the right stuff to patch the

he says. “G

hat, I feel him

eath as I dash for

cause a meltdown. I should have done this sixty seconds ago, but it’s ea

Sure, your own voice might talk to you, mi

unars ago, there was sud

presence. Like somehow this little shard of i

oice called

I’d been getting ready for b