Chapter Forty-Two – Loading, Please Wait

Chapter Forty-Two – Loading, Please Wait

“The average home is meant to last thirty years from time of construction. That is, what the architects and engineers who plan the house account for.

Some of the oldest mega buildings are nearing that thirty year mark.”

–Except from the CIAL Architecture 201 textbook, 2056 edition.

***

“I mean, that was conjecture,” I said. “For all we know, this building will be standing here this time next year.”

“You know, I spent most of my life low-key kind of afraid that all of the megabuildings above me, or at least the supporting plate, would just collapse one day,” Rac said. “Like, once, about four years back, there was a section of road on the surface that cracked and fell down. It was just automated trucks, but they were heavy, and when it came down, it crushed like, three levels beneath.”

“That sounds kinda fucked up,” I said.

“Yeah, I remember going out the next day and there was just… a large hole into the sky in the plate, and rain was coming down, and there was a whole layer of the undercity on the ground below,” Rac said.

Right, she’d lived most of her life beneath the city, but above the actual ground, because… well, no one lived on the actual ground.

“I mean, there’s an easy solution to this,” I said. “Hey, Myalis, what are the chances that this building falls down like, today?”

Hmm, I’ll have to use some suppositions for that, and any number I give you would be a wide-ranging statistic.

“That’s fine,” I said. I had the other’s attention now.

Then I’d say that chances are between 13.4% and 13.6%.

“That’s not a wide range at all.” I said.

It’s large enough to fly a sun through it.

I had no idea what that meant at all. “Okay. Did you all hear that?”

“Nya’s AI related it to her,” Nya said.

“Ouein,” Gros Baton said.

“No. You were just talking to yourself again,” Rac said.

“Oh right. Well, Myalis says there’s a thirteen-ish percent chance that the building collapses.”

Rac’s eyebrows climbed up at that. “Thirteen-ish?” she asked.

“I’m paraphrasing,” I said. “Thirteen percent isn’t that bad, but it’s not great.”

“It goes up,” Gros Baton said. “Tabarnak. My AI said it goes up a couple of percent every day, or it’s projected to. Anyway, that means things are bad.”

“But we have time,” I said.

Nya cleared her throat. “Nya thinks that there’s a eighty-seven percent-ish chance that we have time.”

Right, that was a fair point. “Okay, so let’s just… get a move on? You guys haven’t destroyed the hive yet?”

“Non,” Gros Baton said. “We’ve been working down floor-by-floor, like I said. We cleared the first floor, which had some ‘ive things in it. Roots and such, but not the actual ‘ive. ‘Edge’og said it was probably on floor three to five.”

I nodded. “Well, you might want to call him up. I don’t want to go stealing all of your points, but I’m supposed to make sure you’re both alright, and that means no buildings collapsing on your pretty little heads.”

“At least you think my ‘ead is pretty,” Gros Baton said with a cheeky grin and a wink.

Rac made a sound of disgust. “Idiot,” she accused. “Don’t flirt with her, she’s a stray.”

“What about the other cat-lady?” he asked.

“Old enough to bhmmhmm-” Rac started, but was cut off when Nya placed a hand… paw, over her mouth and muffled whatever she had to say.

“Nya is a little bit too old for you. A little.” She pinched her fingers together. “Nya is still young and spry and hot. But you shouldn’t think about Nya like that because you’re a little too young for that kind of thing.”

Gros Baton looked from Nya to me, as if asking me with his eyes if I knew what to say to that. I just shook my head. “Okay, dabors. I’ll call ‘edge’og and let ‘im know that we’re here. You’re going to lead the charge down?”

“Nah. Like I said, I’m not here for your points. If you guys want to share, that’s cool. I’ve got the evening free enough to help. But as long as you two knock the hive out this evening, I’m happy. Just don’t let it fester. And if you want to do each floor after that to find stranglers, then I’ll leave you two to it.”

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Gros Baton shook his head after thinking on it for a second. “Nah. I’m new, I don’t need a million points. I’ve made a few, and I can get upgrades to my stuff already. I don’t need to be greedy and stupid. Don’t know if ‘Edge’og will agree, though.”

“You don’t think so?” I asked.