The Queen

Chapter 4: The Ebony Kingdom

“I have to get down to Slum F7 and then back again,” Sabrina said. “I should be able to ride the central spire down, but my board’s not on my back, where is it?”

“You’re board?” Her right eyebrow furrowed in confusion. “What board?”

Sabrina checked the controls her wrist but her board was either out of range or--no, that was impossible, it couldn't be broken. Sabrina stood up, testing her legs as she did so. They shook for little as she strained to stand, her old broken rib beginning to throb a little. She could feel warm liquid sliding down her back, she'd split the stitches.

“It’s a three foot long metal board, oval shaped, maybe about three inches thick, magnetic,” Sabrina said.

“Everything is magnetic. This may be the F2 Slum, but we still have the magnetic stuff."

"F2?" Sabrina asked.

"You are a level down. About another ten or so feet,” the girl said. "How far did you fall?"

“One hundred three feet and seven and three quarter inches and I am still standing here. Don’t want to do that too many more times,” Sabrina said. “So, my board may just be on the street above, how do I get up there?”

“That’s Slum F1, we cannot leave,” the girl said.

“Ten feet, that’s the highest you get for Slum F2?”

“No, it’s just thinner here on the edge of the Plate,” she said.

Sabrina looked around, she stood at the end of a grimy, dimly lit alleyway. Trash bags and bins stack haphazardly against the walls overflowing with bits and pieces of scrap metal and garbage. She looked straight up to see a hole with sunlight streaming through. Too far from either wall to jump off of and catch the edge, but maybe close enough to catch with some assistance. Pulling out one of the bins from the wall, she pushed them towards the middle and underneath the hole in the ceiling.

“I told you, we cannot leave,” the girl said.

“Well, I am not from here, so I have to leave,” Sabrina said. She jumped up onto the stack of bins and reached up, her hands just barely brushed the edge. She bent down and the pile shook beneath her. She jumped upward, the pile collapsing in a loud crash and her fingers brushed the edge of the hole she created. She clamped down on it and pulled herself up into the glorious sunlight. She twisted the knob and felt the slight tug as her board clicked back on and she started walking.

She felt a nudge on her leg as she arrived at the central spire. Grabbing her board, she held it under her arm and she took a deep breath. A thick plate of glass separated the top of the plate and would stop anyone from climbing down to the lower plates or up from them. She took a deep breath and removed her knife, walking over to the control panel that required the authorization of a Pawn or Knight to be accessed, she could call a cart and ride it down to Slum F7, at least it was the upper slum where there should be at least some better climate control.

She stuck her knife between the control panel cover and the box and gave a sharp twist. The cover popped off and she pulled her glove off with her teeth. Placing her hand against the scanner, she waited for the confirmation to come, but it flashed red. “Come on,” she hissed and put her hand against the panel once more.  Red. Kneeling down, she looked along the back of the panel, searching for the access panel to the wiring. Finding the panel, she stuck the tip of her knife into the first screw and began to spin it around until the screw came loose and clinked against the ground. She glanced around before starting on the next screw and it hit the ground seconds later. Moving onto the third, she twisted the knife around until the screw fell out. Turning to the last of the screws, she heard a click and felt a light thud on the base of her neck.