Chapter 8: The Vote

People moved slowly, like sleepwalkers choosing a dream. Families held hands until the last moment, then split as the corridors pulled them in different directions.

Mara watched an elder step into blue, her shoulders sagging with relief. She watched a cluster of young mechanics step into amber, their faces set. The white corridor stayed thin, a few daring hearts and those who could not bear to stop.

When the count ended, amber remained the brightest. Conversion had won, but only by a narrow margin.

Dax’s face was pale. “Then we proceed,” he said. “Austerity begins now.”

The power grid stepped down in a controlled cascade. Gardens dimmed. Heaters fell to survival thresholds. The air thinned and tasted metallic.

Kaito pulled Mara aside. “We have twelve hours to stabilize the reserve loop.”

“Then we work,” she said.

As they moved through the ring, an alarm flashed across their consoles. A substation in the mid‑ring had been tampered with, its breakers welded shut. If it stayed, the ignition draw would overload the spine.

“Someone wants this to fail,” Kaito said.

Mara clenched her jaw. “We won’t let them.”

They ran toward the dark.