From Moving Crates to Killing Gods-Chapter 22: Tower

"Everyone in one piece?" Mira asked, as she said it, she was gathering up the length of thick vine Kira had made. She began coiling it with efficient, practiced motions, slinging the heavy loop over her shoulder.

A series of affirmative murmurs answered her. Kira pushed herself to her feet, the movement slower than usual. She brushed dust from her jumpsuit with hands that trembled slightly, the cost of growing a massive vine. Her eyes, shadowed with fatigue, still scanned the room, but the sharp wariness was now underscored by a deep, physical drain.

Phinyx lay sprawled on his back, his chest rising and falling in a slow, deliberate rhythm. His eyes were squeezed shut, a faint sheen of sweat on his brow as he focused on breathing in and out.

Coco looked utterly spent, slumped against the floor. His skin was pale. He gave a weak thumbs up, the gesture itself seeming to cost him energy. I guess he’d thought a ’fruit based energy beverage’ would help Kira grow the vine faster. It didn’t seem to have worked, and honestly, I didn’t know why he seemed so drained. It wasn’t like he had to turn more than a few sips of water into juice in the first place.

Petra, Yami, and Rolen huddled together, their own exhaustion mirrored in the slump of their shoulders and the loudness of their breaths.

"How long did that take us?" I asked. My hands still trembling slightly from the strain of the climb, my fingers curling into loose fists to hide it.

Mira’s expression tightened. "Too long."

The implication hung in the air between us. Darien’s team might have already moved on without waiting for us, driven by their self proclaimed superior survival instinct and, more importantly, in possession of our Navigator. The thought settled like a cold stone in my stomach. Without Finn to guide us back to Argent, we’d be wandering blind in a landscape designed to kill us.

"He wouldn’t leave without confirming we’re dead." Mira said, her voice carrying conviction. "The plan was to meet on the roof."

We gathered at the edge of the walkway, peering out over the vast expanse of the mall’s ceiling. The space was enormous, a canyon of metal now reclaimed by time and vegetation. Strange vines had infiltrated through cracks in the structure, their waxy surfaces reflecting the green light in eerie patterns.

"There." Kira said suddenly, pointing toward the horizon. "Do you see that?" In the distance, rising above the maze of fallen debris on the mall’s ceiling, stood a massive structure, a central tower. Its framework remained intact, a skeletal giant stubbornly holding its shape amid the widespread destruction. It stood in the exact direction Finn had sensed Argent. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Mira said, her eyes narrowing. "If Darien’s team is still around, that’s where they’d go. Highest vantage point. A clear line of sight back to the Citadel."

"And if they’re not there?" Petra asked, voicing the fear we all shared.

"Then we follow Finn’s direction and head toward Argent ourselves." her voice leaving no room for debate. "But first, we check the tower."

We moved cautiously along the metal structure of the ceiling, our footsteps nearly silent on the dust covered surface. I kept my eyes moving, scanning the open spaces below for any sign of Corruptors. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the occasional hum of the Bloops as they drifted alongside us.

"Stay emotionally neutral." Mira reminded us in a whisper. "Focus on the mundane. The discomfort in your feet. The itch on your skin. Anything but hope or fear."

It was becoming second nature now, this deliberate emotional flattening. I found it easier than most, having spent years perfecting the art of not caring as a defense mechanism in the orphanage. I let my mind drift to the physical sensations, the weight of my yo-yo in my pocket, the dull ache in my muscles from the climb, the dry scratch in my throat from lack of water. Neutral, boring, survival focused thoughts.

Phinyx moved up beside us, his face a mask of concentration. "Maintaining the vibe." he muttered. "Nothing to see here. Just dust and debris. Very boring. Extremely uninteresting. Practically invisible."

"Is it working?" Kira asked.

He shrugged. "Can’t really tell. It’s like trying to smell your own breath. But nothing’s eaten us yet, so maybe?"

Mira stopped us with a raised hand. "Rest your abilities, while you can. All of you. We may need everything we have shortly. No juice, no vibes, no switches, no vines unless it’s life or death. Save your energy."

We approached what appeared to be a bridge spanning a vast open area below. The structure looked precarious, sections of it having collapsed entirely, leaving gaps we’d need to jump across. Beyond it lay the tower.

"Single file." Mira instructed, stepping onto the bridge first. "Test each section before putting your full weight on it."

We crossed the bridge one at a time, moving with exaggerated care. The Bloops simply floated across the gaps, their weightless bodies untroubled by the structural failures that threatened us. Rolen went next, then Petra and Yami, followed by Coco, who nearly lost his balance at one particularly narrow section but recovered with a silent, wide eyed panic.

When my turn came, I pocketed my yo-yo and focused entirely on the task at hand. The bridge creaked under my weight, ancient metal protesting after centuries of neglect. A section near the middle had collapsed entirely, leaving a gap I’d need to jump.

I backed up a few steps, took a deep breath, and sprinted forward. The bridge shuddered beneath my pounding feet, bits of debris raining down into the darkness below. At the edge, I pushed off with all the strength I could muster, sailing over the gap with inches to spare. My landing was less graceful, a rolling tumble that left me breathless but intact.

Kira followed, clearing the gap with a surprising agility I hadn’t known she possessed. Once we were all safely across, Mira led us toward the tower. Its shadow fell over us.

And there, moving among the debris at the base of the metal structure, were silhouettes lit by the fractured light. Not the shifting, unnatural forms of Corruptors, but the distinct outlines of human shapes.

"There." Mira whispered, pointing. "We found them."