Chapter Three The First Page The library remained dark. Ella stood inside the hidden chamber with one hand resting on the black book. For several seconds, she did not move. The lights beneath the glass case had gone out. The blue energy that had traveled toward her palm was gone. Only the faint silver lettering on the book remained visible. ZERO POINT Ella listened. No ventilation. No emergency alarms. No footsteps from the corridor. The silence was complete. She pulled her hand away from...

Chapter Two - The Restricted Floor The security officer held the door open while Ella searched through her shoulder bag. His name was Marcus Hall. He was a large man in his early fifties with a shaved head, a gray mustache and the tired expression of someone who had spent too many years watching other people make preventable mistakes. “You know,” Marcus said, “most employees use their employee badge.” “I normally do.” “You tried to enter with a grocery card.” “The cards are the same...

Ella in the hallway Chapter 1 - Before the Library Ella Zero woke up three minutes before her alarm went off. She did this almost every morning. She opened her eyes but did not move. Her bedroom was still dark, except for a thin line of orange light coming through the blinds. Outside her apartment window, the future city was already waking up. Delivery drones moved between the buildings. Transit rails hummed several levels below. Somewhere inside the wall, the ventilation system made a...