Page 18 of The Fall

Kerr sighed and hopped off the stool, adding her lack of stature to today’s list of grievances. She paid her tab and made her way up the stairs to Chalice’s room, cursing the fact that she lived on the highest floor. At least, the highest that had been completed before they’d abandoned construction.

Thermabulle working overtime to compensate, Kerr wiped the sweat from her forehead and knocked. Chalice yanked open the door and swiftly walked away, expecting her to follow. Ten years and a fresh coat of paint couldn’t disguise the familiarity of the flat, but it felt like a forgotten favourite shirt. Too tight and the smell reminded you why you’d stopped wearing it.

“You can’t use the basement suite for this shite, yeah?” Kerr said, flexing her calves to relieve the strain.

Chalice had a way of arranging her face to make you feel like she loathed having to tolerate you. “They hacked the door, remember? And the doorstopper did nothing. Which is why they’re so dangerous. And why we need them.”

“They won’t give us their tech.” Kerr tried to copy her expression, but Chalice was the master. “Especially not after what Cinder pulled.”

“This has nothing to do with Cinder.” Blonde hair in a tight bun, Chalice folded her arms across her chest, like a perennially disappointed figure skating coach. “Sit.”

Kerr did as she was told. Chalice took the seat opposite, unrolling a paper blueprint.

“Where did you get that?” Kerr stared at the relic.

“Doesn’t matter,” Chalice said testily. “The point is, layouts of Model 2 aren’t available in any database, for obvious reasons, but someone still had to build it. That requires plans.” She tapped her finger on the blueprint. “And I have them.”

“Grand.” Kerr sunk back into the chair. “Why?”

“Think.” Chalice looked at her like she was stupid for not knowing what was in her head. “What we could do if we got control of Model 2. We could revive the construction bots. Seal off MB12. Keep the Styx out of our business. We could turn this place into another Glacier.”

“You can’t get in, though.” Kerr crossed her arms over her chest. “Model 2 shut the place down.”

“We already did.” But the faint twitch at the corner of her mouth said there was something else.

“And?”

“We punched a hole in the second floor. There’s something in there that nukes anything with a biosig. Large pieces of metal, too.”

Kerr didn’t ask how she’d come to that conclusion. She decided she didn’t want to know. “So, it’s impossible for us to get it, yeah?”

“For us, yes.” Chalice stared, waiting for her to come to the same conclusion she had. Kerr did not. Chalice rolled her eyes. “Not for the Adlets.”

“And you figured they’d help us with this, why?” As the words left her mouth, Kerr knew she was all but admitting the fuckup was their fault.

“I’ve already contacted Siku.” Chalice held up her hands. “No promises, but he said he’ll ask.”

“You asked them to break into Model 2?” Kerr’s forehead became a venetian blind.

Chalice blew out her cheeks. “These things take time, Kerr. I said we had a job only they could do and he declined. Which,” Chalice dropped her head to emphasise the point, “is fair. We don’t have that sort of relationship yet. But he’s open to restarting one. Something minor to start. Water filters for override chips.”

Tasting iron, Kerr stopped biting the inside of her cheek. She examined her right arm – ceramic composite from the elbow down. If they’d gotten the override chips ten years ago, their DocPods would have been able to replace it properly. Though she never would have lost it if they hadn’t messed with the Adlets.

Chalice could see her lost in thought. “Just the two of us, in a neutral Koffi bar. They’ll have more support outside the building.”

“And you agreed to that?” Kerr raised her voice, incredulous. “What are you thinking?”

Chalice tried her best to keep her tone calm and even. “One, it shows trust…”

Eyes turning to slits, Kerr interrupted. “But we don’t trust them.”

“Two,” Chalice ignored her objection. “We need this.” She lowered her voice. “No-one is making more DocPod parts and the Styx control the rest. They’re circling.”

Kerr’s face froze, while Chalice’s mask developed hairline cracks. She hated that after all this time and all the shite Chalice had put her through that she still wanted to comfort her. But Chalice was like a viper – she’d lash out as punishment for letting her know you thought she was weak. Kerr held herself tightly instead. “And if they don’t agree?”

“Then we’re fucked.” Apathy smoothed over Chalice’s momentary lapse.

Kerr returned to her flat – separate from the megabuilding, one of the last things Piston had done for her. Tiny, and the only protection was a group of Chargers that loitered outside on no fixed schedule, but it was hers.