She felt the cold mathematics of a system designed to give you just enough rope—not to hang yourself, but to keep you climbing forever, one borrowed second at a time.
Step. The suit whirred.
Lena’s credit balance: 12 credits.
Lena pressed her palm to her own suit’s chest panel. It was a hand-me-down, the insulation frayed, the coolant lines thin. She had one choice: make it to the airlock of CoolCore Tower in under three minutes, or her core temperature would trip the emergency vent, flash-boiling her sweat and leaving her a dizzy, heat-stroked mess on the platform. freemium keepcool