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Welcome to A Bedtime Story. I'm Matthew Mitchell, and tonight's story is titled The Ascent of the Glass Giant, Part 2 of this week's series: The Neon Nocturne of Neo-Veridia.

The Prism Tower loomed over Neo-Veridia like a jagged needle made of mirrors. Jax stood at the base, looking up at the hundreds of floors that separated him from the transmitter. He felt small, and his sneakers felt decidedly un-stealthy on the polished marble of the plaza.

"Kael, are you there?" Jax whispered, tapping his earpiece. He had synced the data chip to his headset so they could communicate.

"I am here," Kael's voice crackled. "And I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I have bypassed the lobby's biometric scanners. The bad news is that I am currently being chased by a very aggressive antivirus program that looks like a giant digital shark. It is slowing down my ability to help you with the elevators."

"Great," Jax said, slipping through the sliding glass doors as they hissed open. "So, I take the stairs?"

"There are three thousand steps, Jax. You are a pet mechanic, not a marathon runner. Take the freight elevator on the far left. It is slower, but it is not monitored by the primary security AI."

Jax scurried across the lobby, his heart drumming against his ribs. He reached the freight elevator and pressed the button. The doors opened with a groan of protesting metal. Inside, the elevator was filled with crates of synthetic moss and spare light tubes. He squeezed into a corner as the lift began its slow, vibrating ascent.

As the floors ticked by on the display, Jax watched the city through the small porthole window. Neo-Veridia looked like a circuit board from this height, beautiful and cold. He thought about Kael, trapped in those wires, fleeing from a digital shark.

"Why did you do it?" Jax asked. "Why break into the firewall?"

There was a long silence, filled only with the hum of the elevator. "I wanted to see the stars," Kael said finally. "The city's light pollution and the smog from the factories make it impossible to see anything from the ground. But from the Prism Tower's transmitter, if you override the atmospheric filters for just a second, you can see everything. I just wanted to see something real."

Jax felt a pang of sympathy. He spent his days fixing metal dogs that never got sick and metal cats that never purred unless you hit the right switch. He understood the hunger for something real.

Suddenly, the elevator jolted to a violent halt. The lights flickered and died, replaced by the harsh red glow of the emergency system.

"Jax!" Kael shouted. "The security AI found me. It has locked down the shaft. You have to climb the rest of the way through the maintenance hatch. I am trying to hold the doors open, but it is fighting back."

Jax didn't hesitate. He scrambled onto a crate, pushed open the ceiling hatch, and hauled himself onto the top of the elevator car. The wind whistled down the shaft, smelling of grease and electricity. He looked up and saw a ladder bolted to the wall, extending upward into the darkness.

"I am moving," Jax said, grabbing the first rung. "Keep that shark busy."

He climbed with a frantic energy he didn't know he possessed. His muscles ached, and his breath came in ragged gasps. Every time he looked down, the drop seemed more infinite. But then he would feel the warmth of the chip in his pocket, and he would keep going. He wasn't just saving a program; he was saving a dreamer.

He reached the final maintenance door and kicked it open, spilling out onto the observation deck. The wind here was fierce, whipping his hair across his eyes. He was at the top of the world, but he wasn't done yet.