Commonwealth: A Novel of Utopia, part 2, chapter 1
Author’s Note: This is an excerpt from my novel Commonwealth. The rest of today’s installment is free, but only on my Patreon site. If you want to read the next part today, it’s already up on Patreon as well. You can sign up for as little as $1/month, or $2 for exclusive author’s notes and behind-the-scenes material. There’s also a table of contents for all published chapters.
As they raced west, sunset filled the sky with burning color. The Pacific Republic’s skyscrapers drew into view, needles of light that glowed in the deepening dusk like the bright lines of a spectrogram.
Sophia and Elaina got off on the east side of the city, promising to be in touch. Jane stayed with Rae as they sped onward.
The train looped around one of the skyscrapers, a silver streak whose walls twisted in a graceful spiral as they rose, its edges dripping with orange fire. The train made a stop at an elevated platform that connected to the skyscraper via a glass-enclosed aerial bridge.
“This is our stop,” Jane invited her.
They walked down the glass passageway and through an arched entrance in the side of the skyscraper whose walls soared both above and below. An elevator bank was waiting, and Jane indicated the nearest open car.
She waved her wristwatch at the panel, and there was an acknowledging beep. The elevator bore them upwards in a smooth pulse of acceleration.
The elevator door opened on a long hallway, illuminated by subdued lighting, lined with doors of polished dark wood. It had an air of quiet luxury, like an expensive New York hotel.