Spheria by Cody Leet Read Free Book Online Page B

river so that one end landed on the opposite bank. The arch made a bridge, something she’d never seen or envisioned before.
    “Perfect!” Sa∙ma commended her.
    Le∙ma knew it would just fall over if they climbed on it. So she yanked it back over, retrieved three more, and lashed them together side by side to make a thick archway. With Sa∙ma’s help, she heaved this structure across the river once more. It was both broad and stable enough for them to cross, which they did.
    “I solved it!” Le∙ma danced with joy on the opposite side, as the Source began to dim above her.
    “Come on,” said Sa∙ma. “I want to get to the Rift before night. It’s not far now.”
    They marched off in the direction of the chasm that divided their world in two.

Chapter 6 - First Impressions

    “There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament.” - Henry Van Dyke

    Max tapped his foot, waiting for the elevator. He watched the numbers count down, pausing at every digit for an unusually extended period of time. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time: 10:05. He was already late for the interview. His team desperately needed this candidate to be a fit. They’d been without an intern for six weeks following the tragic suicide of their previous one.
    A ‘ding’ was heard, then the elevator doors opened, brightening the corridor. Two kids rushed out, laughing. They dodged around Max as he stepped in.
    The lift was empty. Max poked his head out the door and shouted, “Where are your parents?” But the kids were nowhere in sight. He ducked back in and the door shut. As he went to press floor seven, he noticed all the lighted squares.
    “Damn kids!” he exclaimed. They’d pressed every floor before leaving the elevator.
    Max pressed the numbers randomly in frustration. He pounded his fist on the panel as the elevator began moving upwards.
    The door opened on the second floor. He stared out into an empty hallway. After what seemed like a full thirty seconds, the door closed.
      Why the hell don’t they allow you to unselect elevator buttons? he thought to himself. It should be like check boxes on a computer form. If you press it again, it’ll uncheck that option. That way if you make a mistake, you can fix it, or in the case of annoying kids, reverse their joke.
    The door opened on floor three. Carts of medical equipment were lined up along one wall. They looked like expensive devices. One resembled an oscilloscope with a bunch of dangling electrical cables. The door closed.
      We’ve had radio buttons since the sixties. And computer interfaces with them for decades. But Otis Elevator, in all its wisdom, has never thought to allow you to unselect a floor by pressing it again.
    The door opened, revealing floor four. Across from the elevator was a special fountain used to flush one’s eyes out in the case of an accidental chemical burn. I hope I never have to use one of those . The door closed.
    Max watched the floor four light go out as the elevator made its way toward floor five. The door opened.
    A lab across from the elevator glowed an eerie red through its smoky white window panel. Why’d they have red lights in there? What twisted experiments are they doing? Probably sticking sensors into monkey brains and seeing how they interpret colors. I’m glad we only experiment on fake creatures. The door shut.
    Max looked at his watch again. 10:08. “Damn.” Fucking kids .
    Floor six. A sterile cinder block wall, institutional beige, filled the view. With a sudden rattling noise, a cart of glassware sped by. It was pushed by a woman who was obviously in a hurry and had built up quite a bit of momentum. The sound startled Max from his thoughts. “One more to go,” he said.
    “Sorry?” asked the woman pushing the cart, as the doors closed.
    Yeah, you’re sorry. I’m the one who’s late.
    The final ding and the elevator delivered Max to floor seven. Max rushed down the hall to the lab,