The maintenance shaft terminated in a narrow service hatch that opened onto the periphery of the public holographic stage. From his vantage point, Zeta could see the vast, illuminated platform. It was bathed in the harsh, artificial glow of the tower’s ambient lighting, a stage set for a tragedy. Thousands of citizens were likely watching through the city’s omnipresent feed, their lives tethered to the spectacle playing out in the Core Sector. In the center of the platform, bound to a raised pedestal that crackled with low-voltage restraint fields, stood Mara. She was still, her chin held high, defying the machine gods that sought to dismantle her.
Zeta pressed his back against the cool, vibration-heavy wall of the hatch. His breathing was ragged, his lungs burning from the exertion of t
