Page 302 of Light Leech

The guard beside Kao closed the line. Kao returned to our group. “We have a meeting with Crystal in an hour so it’s best to stop here anyway.”

“But what about the people we missed?” Kyo whined.

Koro groaned. “There are always people we miss. We go over this every time. Do you want to go out there and sign on your own?”

“Can we go somewhere else?” Kao asked.

Koro took the lead towards the elevator. “There’s a Wavelength on the twentieth floor.”

“Pulse,” Naoma said. “I’d take that over more exposure.” She pointed to the crowd watching us through the windows. Even through the tinted glass I could see the red of neurospace recording in their eyes.

Kyo rolled her eyes. Kao pulled Naoma along towards the elevator, forcing her to drop our hands. Kyo pointed at me and Naoma. “I still want an answer.”

“When we get up there.” Naoma let out an airy laugh.

“Promise?”

She nodded.

“What is Wavelength?” I whispered.

“Only the peak of the peak have access, you’ll be fine as my guest.”

“And it is?”

“A lounge for people like us”—she pointed to the people out the window—“to get away from people like them.”

Chapter fifteen

Correction

“Congratulations to you seventy-five finishers!”

Ralia smiled at me, but I could see her exhaustion through a painfully still visage, despite the artificial construct that was her face. With her outer features being more artificial than natural, perhaps this emotional projection was truer to her soul than her outer shell.

Those who had boasted about their wisdom prior to the race bore similar visages. We stood, waiting for another announcement. While no voice came, walls appeared on either of the crowd, then narrowed to push us into a hallway-wide path. The dark red glow emanating off of them did little to settle my increasing anxiety as to what would follow.

I didn’t want to dwell in my thoughts.

“Haning in?” I asked Ralia.

She nodded. “As much as I can.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you this exhausted.”

“And you probably won’t ever again. I can fake my way to charisma any time, except for this.”

“Is that because you had to use your Gui?”

“No. Just because I don’t like to, doesn’t mean it wore me out. All of that… What was the point?”

“To not stop thinking?”

“And I want nothing more than that.”

I watched and saw few people pairing off in conversations. Everyone else stared ahead. The people behind were the same. All gazed with empty stares that drank in the senseless abyss with pleasure.

“You good to keep going?” she asked.