Violation

DATE: Year 315-A. Sol 12

LOCATION: Pluto Underground Complex (Sub-Level Access)

The lift was a cage, groaning as it began the descent through the shaft.

Lijo gripped the guardrail, his gloved hand feeling the vibration of the station. The air was getting thinner.

-Vessel 44-Sigma. Anomaly detected in primary tool interface, the WIP robotic voice blared in his headset. High-torque wrench disabled. Welding unit disabled. Biometric lock engaged on all non-essential equipment.

Lijo looked down at the wrench on his belt.

-Are you kidding me? Lijo snarled. I’m in the middle of a decommission. I need those tools to pull the Core.

-Atmospheric levels are insufficient for biological labor, the voice replied. Operator Lijo is ordered to cease all manual activity. Automated drones have been dispatched to complete Core extraction. You are now categorized as an 'Obstruction.'

-Obstruction? Lijo turned to Kora, who was huddled in the corner of the lift, clutching her data-chit. They’re locking me out.

Kora didn't look surprised.

-It’s easier for them to vent the city with us inside and let the drones pick through our bones than it is to wait for a human, Kora scoffed.

-Not today, Lijo muttered.

He pulled a small, jury-rigged bypass slate from a hidden pocket in his coverall, a piece of "unauthorized" tech he’d picked up while flying with Phoenix some time ago. He slapped it against the magnetic housing of his tool-belt.

-Attempting brute force attack, Lijo whispered, mimicking an automated voice.

The bypass slate flickered. The WIP voice distorted, becoming a blur of static.

-Clunk.

The status light on his wrench flipped back to green.

-I learned that from a pilot who didn't believe in 'mandatory optimization,' Lijo said, checking the charge.

The lift lurched and then stopped with a jolt. They had reached the bottom. The doors stayed closed. Beyond the mesh, Lijo could see the vault, a massive, reinforced door of reinforced steel.

-We have seven beats, Kora said, looking at the ice forming on the inside of the lift’s mesh. If we don't get to the interface, the WIP robot will trigger the secondary purge.

Lijo stepped up to the lift door, raising his industrial wrench.

-Stand back, Kora, Lijo said. If I’m not getting paid anyway, I’m about to commit a major contract violation.

He jammed the wrench into the seal’s manual override.

Lijo grunted, putting his weight into the turn. The seal shattered. The lift door slid open, and the freezing breath of Pluto’s underground rushed in to meet them.