The Skyway reached one hundred thousand feet under a black sky.
Its four main legs supported a square crown. Above the crown, a dark asteroid approached on the ley-current. Austin’s plan was to catch it, connect four cables, and let the current’s upward pull keep the tower in tension.
The capture took three attempts.
On the first, the asteroid rolled away from the gravity field. On the second, a guide cable crossed a sharp edge and had to be replaced. Austin stopped the third approach until everyone had cleared the line of fire.
When the rock finally settled above the crown, nobody cheered. The drilling crew still had work to do.
Jiang cut flat mounting pads under Tie’s direction. His sword was precise, and this time he reported every change in the stone. Chonker collected the metal cuttings. Riggers installed the anchors and tensioned the cables one at a time while surveyors watched the frame.
The tower straightened as the load came on.
Then a strong gravity wave passed through it.
